#and he'll be even more of the powerhouse than he already is

[hazbin-writings-and-musings]

Lucifer Morningstar x Reader Height Difference Headcanons

AKA What it's like to love a Short King

I was already inspired after my last headcanon post, and have some more fun little ideas for Lucifer X Reader, namely in regards to our dear Fallen Angel being the short one in the relationship. Got a bit sillier and spicier with this one, and I hope you're all ready for some very spicy ones in the near future!

- He's accustomed to being shorter than most, and while he's not one to accept mockery of any kind, he's more than comfortable enough with himself to accept nicknames and loving platitudes about his height from a romantic partner. Hearing you sweetly refer to him as a "Short King" will always get him smirking, and an affectionate "Little Lucy" makes him melt every time. Cooing over how cute he is is also sure to put him in a happy, purring mood, to the point he'll end up laying his head on your lap if you'll let him. Hearing about how darling you find him whilst having your fingers run through his hair might just be his favorite pastime.

- Between the wings and his angelic powers, he doesn't actually struggle to reach anything high up, but he will still appreciate it if you preemptively grab the item in question. That's not to say he won't ask, but he'll always make a point to be as silly about it as possible when he does. Requesting a lift is his preferred way of doing so, and he'll take his sweet time lounging in your arms after grabbing what he needs, even stretching out bridal style for a bit of carrying. Angelic magic can make him light as a feather for extra long bouts of carrying if you're willing to indulge him.

- He'll be the first to tell you all about the advantages of his stature, and at the top of his list is how often he finds himself at bust height, which is quite the gift for a breast man like himself. Yours are the only ones he's interested in, obviously, but he loves how easy it is for him to come in for a hug and tuck his head in between. You'll find him doing this wether he's had a great day or a terrible one, with the former being to celebrate and the latter being to get some much needed comfort somewhere warm and soft. He can't help it if your boobs are just the perfect place to put his face.

- He's going to borrow your hoodies. Granted, "borrow" is an interesting term for something you'll never get back, but he always ensures you're compensated in some way or another. No top of yours that fits him is safe, and the looser it fits over his smaller frame, the better. These oversized clothes are never worn outside the privacy of his quarters, and he wears them most frequently when circumstances keep the two of you apart, particularly at night. Having something of yours all around him is like having your embrace from a distance, and he can't help being sentimental enough to find comfort in that, even after so many eons.

- He's small, but you'll never forget that he's an absolute powerhouse, if only because it's beyond obvious when you're in his presence. Angelic power practically hums through the air if you listen closely, and that's just what you can sense at a distance. Things are even more intense when you come into contact with his lean physical form. For all of his grace and agility, he doesn't lack for physical strength in the slightest, and you learn that the first time you feel him support your body with his. He'll never once give even a hint of effort, let alone struggle, no matter how considerably you tower over him. Carrying you bridal style takes no more effort than one would to lift a couple of grapes. As such, he'll happily take you into his arms or lap, and showing off his unfathomable strength in romantic gestures always gets him puffing his chest with pride.

[loganwritesprobably]

When You're In Danger (Straw Hats P2)

Feat. Nami, Robin and Jinbei

Content/warnings: Reader is GN, canon-typical violence referenced, injuries referenced

Nami is a coward and she knows it

Rarely does she rush head first into danger

But she'd do it for you

You're her most prized treasure, and she'll be damned if anyone things she'll let you get hurt

She can't do much damage herself, so she'd prefer to stay closeby so the two of you can back each other up

If the two of you are separated, and she sees or hears that you're in trouble, it'll give her a new surge of determination

She may cross the battlefield screaming, but she'll do it to get to you

Nami knows she might not be able to save you, but she can be there to at least lessen the hurt you suffer

Rather than showing she guilty that she couldn't help you, Nami would lash out at the stronger crew members because they should've helped

Even though she knows you don't normally need the help

If you got hurt because you were protecting her though

That'd devastate her

She hates that she isn't as strong as the others, and it would never hurt more than in that moment

Robin is a powerhouse in her own right

She can more than handle herself in a fight

But diverting attention is dangerous

She will focus on her own fight first and foremost, even if you're in danger

She can't help you if she ends up hurt because she was careless

Once her own fight is over, she'll be at your side instantly

She'll insert herself into your fight without waiting for permission, because she knows at that point for sure if she's needed

She'll protect you first, then deal with your attacker second

You are capable, and she always makes sure to explain that she doesn't involve herself because she thinks otherwise - she just wants you to be safe

If someone hurt you, they'd see no mercy from the Devil Child

She'd be the one to carry you to Chopper, even if you were perfectly capable of walking

She'd remain by your side, reading aloud, until you were well again

We've seen already what Jinbei will do to defend someone he thinks deserves it

You're no different

He'll dive directly into danger if it means he can keep you safe

He knows that you're capable, but you're also both aware that he is more capable, and so him coming to your defence isn't an insult

It's a sign of how much he cares

9/10 times if Jinbei comes to your defence, you won't get so much as a scratch

But that one in ten creates hell to pay

He's been through a lot in his life, but he cares for you more than most, and so you getting hurt is way up there on the list of things that piss him off

He's able to dispatch whoever was causing you harm immediately, and then check on you

Before he takes you anywhere, he'll check in and ask how you're feeling. He's calm and collected while he gathers the information he needs from you

Only then would he take you to be seen by Chopper

Requests are open! See below links for my other works, and how to leave requests. I write both canon/canon and canon/reader requests for your enjoyment

AO3 | Fanfic Masterlist | Request Rules | Fic Trades Guide | WIPs

Tags: @claryeverlarkf

[nevermore-ocs]

your Slasher ocs x Chubby reader hcs 🔫 hand them over (please)

(This is gonna be the FIRST PART OUT OF, HOWEVER MANY, I just got way too many horror and horror adjacent characters to comply them all to ONE list, so this one is gonna have 3 and then we'll go on from there!!)

-North-

-Being as mute as he is, North is a master of communicating in numerous other means

-Ever observant, this towering powerhouse of a woodsman finds himself regularly staring at you whenever he can't touch you right away

-Working outside on the outer perimeter of his self claimed property? He always catches his gaze cutting away from his work to wordlessly gawk at you sat patiently on the porch of his abode, he can't help himself

-The way that your plushy curves and hips and sides, thighs and all can be hugged by clothing given if their more form fitting or not is enough to drive him up a wall in the best way possible, and while he may not ever be inclined to speak, just eyeing your stretch marks and belly when you stretch and your shirt is gracious enough to him to allow him to snag a few peeks, his hushed breath often hitches in his throat at just how attractive you are to him

-And then there's his hands

-Calloused, rough, and powerful, however, he's so delicate with his touches with you

-They're, greedy, and drawn out. Gliding his palms over the front of your thighs, the sides of your hips, your sides, they're never too rough to cause you any pain, of course, but he'll pause his hand's movements to let the tips of his digits dip into your flesh and relish at how your pillowy body always fills out his awaiting palm

-And of course he does indeed pepper your stretch marks and belly with kisses, he knows that sometimes that can be a problem area for you to make peace with somedays, so he wants to be diligent with how much he adores it cause there's always just more of you to give love to

-Ivy Darrow-

S/i: "Whew, is it hot in here or is it just me?" Ivy: "It's you--" S/i: "Wha-" Ivy: "WHAT-"

-Seriously, I cannot stress ENOUGH on how just being in your presence ups her dorkiness factor past like 11, like the first time y'all even met she had a comical fumbling pratfall befitting something of Hanna-Barbera cartoons as she clumsily attempted to catch the spatula that slipped out of her hand

-Sickly sweet and abundant in her praises, there's never a day where she doesn't tell you just how insanely beautiful she'll always find you

-Your number one and biggest fan in the history of ever, she always encourages you to wear and dress yourself in things that'll show off your shape more, and she barely even regards her own pleasure in witnessing you in such an outfit, she wants you to feel like a person who can indulge on things marketed to slimmer people cause you're as much as a person as they are, and don't need to "fit" in

-But yes she absolutely did nearly faint when she saw you in a crop top, and, raising herself back up off of the mattress, she made grabby hands at you, because belly, obviously--

-You did have to partially restrain her from near mauling someone when she overheard the insult thinly guised as a compliment "you're so brave for wearing that", but you know she always means as well as she can be

-But days like that is when she layers on the praises, the sweet words, the compliments, even more than she already does and she does it plenty enough as is, you're her favorite person ever, legit her dream partner and her second half, and whilst she loathes the demonic genes of the Mordeo tainting her blood, she's not at all ashamed in letting that side out if it meant defending you

-Salem Abbott-

-Salem is...nice?? In his own right?? If you can label the shit that comes out of his garbage disposal of a mouth "nice"

-"I fuck with fat bitches heavy, thanks-" And then he promptly spanks your ass as you stand next to him, I-

-Your fault, you chose him, you know what you signed up for--

-You gave him a little bit too much credit to not be painfully obvious with him staring at you, but there's plenty moments throughout a day where you can feel his stare locking onto you, and if you even turn to face him to meet his gaze, his eyes linger knowingly for a few moments or so before they cut upwards onto yours and he doesn't say anything right away, rather, he allows this shit-eating grin to spread across his lips and he gives you a little wave with his fingers

-"My eyes are up here, Sal-", "I've already made my decision-"

-Despite all that, Salem, if you could believe it or not, isn't a creep or weird, or anything malicious like that, with you ever

-He's already experienced how dangerous someone can be when they just want to take, and take, and take something like that from someone, there are a multitude of moments where humanity does breach the surface of his sociopathy

-Kisses against the back of your head while whispers about how fucking gorgeous you are melt against your head and your hair, his touches are a lot like North's in a way, they're greedy and take their time traversing over the bountiful, supple curves of your body, but they never go any sordid without you explicitly giving him that consent to go further

-He loves the word perfect for you, he says it a lot to you, so, fucking, perfect, he's far from it himself, and has been for quite a long time now at this point, so someone that he views as utter perfection wasting their time with him, he has no idea how you put up with him, and he never will

[bird-inacage]

I've been working off the theory that everything we see in the trailer is going to happen in the first six episodes, but Ray's breakdown is the one thing that makes me doubt that.

It's a massive amount of emotion to be triggered by what we've seen so far, even his ongoing heartbreak over Mew or things breaking down with Sand, so if I'm right I would guess that it's likely to be because of his mother's death and/or his alcoholism.

No idea why I think it's all happening in the first six eps, I just do!

Hello Anon!

That's a sensible assumption to make. Many of the clips heavily used in promotion (trailers/music video) have featured in the first few episodes. It makes sense for them to hold back on showing too much of the most juicy/spoilery scenes. I'm expecting the more explosive and climatic moments to start appearing around the midway point or later. Considering Khaotung's an acting powerhouse, he'll have some strong story beats which they'll want to save for later I reckon.

Ray's breakdown scene is intriguing, as you mention, because of the extreme degree of emotion he exhibits here. What could cause him to be so upset? I think Ray is terrified of ending up alone. He likes to be in control because it gives him the illusion he can stop people from leaving him. Especially when death or tragedy occurs, you cling on tighter to those around you.

I don't think it'll be in response to Mew. Ray seems to have already come to terms with the fact that Mew doesn't see him romantically. Mew is also the one comforting him in that scene which I think is significant.

Chances are this may have something to do with the threat of Sand leaving him. Either from an argument where they've both really hurt one another, or Ray is feeling desperately regretful that his actions may have been the last straw for Sand. I'm more inclined towards the latter, because for Ray to be so upset, I think it that sort of reaction could come from a place of guilt over something he did or caused.

The other thing that came to my mind is Ray relying on alcohol to drown his sorrows (maybe to a dangerous degree). Which could also explain why he's in such a state. Being naked in a bath tub made me think Mew was trying to clean him up after an worrying bender. I think his mother's death/alcoholism will be a component that exacerbates his reaction, rather than the cause itself.

Either way, this scene is going to wreck me😭 I think First mentioned in an interview that Neo kept teasing them because their pairing has the most crying, when this series is supposed to be hot and sexy.

---birdie

[nokingsonlyfooles]

No dodgeball, please

I have verbal difficulties. Not a stutter, like Biden. I "lose my words," as I am supposed to say, to be nice, but I don't always say it like that because I lose my words. It takes extra effort for me to communicate the way people expect me to communicate, and when I can't, and I hear myself making more and more pauses and errors, it snowballs.

This, the way the media is covering this, is not fucking fair. Everyone trips over language sometimes, and people who have to work harder to talk will do it more. Period. Now, that can't have been all that was going on at the debate, but every last misstep is not another indication the man is going senile.

HOWEVER, the media blitz that Biden is spearheading to stave off rumours of senility would take a toll from anyone - let alone someone who has to work extra hard to talk. His campaign team are requiring him to talk, and talk, and fly somewhere, and talk some more, and then everyone combs over what he said wrong, and they report it or make fun of it or tell him he has to stop screwing up like that.

If this doesn't stop, and I don't see any indication it will, he is going to melt down again, BADLY, like at the debate. If you need extra energy to talk, and you don't have that energy because you've been talking constantly, you will not be able to talk anymore - until you have a long, stress-free break. That's just how it works, no matter what age you are. But I must assume that if you are 81, you might need a little more time.

If we're lucky, he'll break down on camera before he gets the nomination. If this really is the worst timeline, it'll be after. And all the donors and reporters and supporters who already flipped out and felt used and betrayed because they got blindsided will say, "Fuck this shit. I'm out." Their credibility is worth more than this election, they're all planning to be here for the next one.

I don't wish that on anyone, but simple honesty like, "Hey, I need to slow down" or, God forbid, "I need some accommodations" is not an option for the narrative Team Biden has chosen. The debate went badly, but whatever the reason, it's not important and it won't happen again. They don't seem to have any idea that they're making sure it WILL happen again.

Politically, I don't know how in the hell you come back from "Sometimes I can't communicate." I can't even manage it socially, but I am not out there trying to be a politician or saying I'm the only man who can beat Trump. I decided not to hold an entire country hostage to soothe my own ego - as one should. Nobody involved in this is showing any basic competence or treating human beings like living creatures who need care. They just want to win. A superhuman powerhouse would look super electable, wouldn't he?

I dunno. I'm not looking for an ubermensch, myself, but they're not interested in my vote. I don't want Apollo's dodgeball... I DO NOT WANT THE DODGEBALL. I want to be scrolling through my back posts years from now and go, "Ha-ha, how silly I was." But... I think they're gonna push him until he breaks. And then I dunno what's gonna happen.

[cursedvibes]

Gojo has a lot to catch on when he comes out of that box. And honestly, WHEN is he coming out??? The villains are having a grand silly goofy time, everything’s going well for them. I love that Gege is raising the stakes for Gojo, tho. We know that even when he’s out of the box, the world isn’t automatically saved and we’re still treading in unsafe waters. He’s gonna have an actual challenge.

I’m excited to see the Sukuna X Gojo battle from the first few chapters come full circle tho.

Honestly, I hope he stays in the box for a while longer. At least until Kenjaku has been dealt with. Yes, the social and societal problems aren't as easy to solve, but if he comes back now, he would just be a deus ex machina... or deus ex cubus. He can kill all the current villains, including Sukuna with relative ease. That's the problem with being the strongest, it just saps all the tension. I also want the main characters to deal with the current problems presented by Kenjaku, Sukuna and the reincarnated sorcerers on their own.

He can fight against Sukuna if he wants to, but only after the more systematic threat Kenjaku poses is taken care of (preferably by Yuuji). And for that fight to not have an obvious outcome, we first need Sukuna with all fingers, full control over his vessel and access to the 10 Shadows technique (the one who managed to bring a tie with a previous six eyes user). He would probably die either way, but it would be nice if this is how Gojo loses his left eye and with that reduces some of his power. Sukuna having Megumi's appearance would also make the fight more dramatic instead of just two powerhouses clashing, although I hope by that time he has taken on some more of his original characteristics like 4 arms or the belly mouth. He can keep Megumi's face, since he clearly likes it so much, but I'd like some physical changes.

I'm pretty ambivalent about the Sukuna-Gojo fight, but it could be a good chance to weaken Gojo and not make him the pinnacle of jujutsu. The thing is, even if Gojo wants to change the system, as his last name shows, he is part of exactly that old system that needs to go. The Big 3 Clans need to lose power or in a few decades, when there's a new clan leader, we might just have the same problems as before. The Zenin are already gone, the Japanese government who backed the higher-ups is not functioning and Tengen, who arranged that system in the first place is gone too, so that's good, but when Kenjaku is killed, the Kamo could just go back to their old ways. If Satoru isn't there to keep them in check, the old system could just be built back up. We don't know a lot about the Gojo, but I imagine they aren't much better than the Zenin or Kamo. They have very close ties to Tengen and Sugawara. Every 500 years they birth a super soldier who protects Tengen's vessel. With Tengen gone and Satoru not showing any inclanation to reproduce, this might be the end for the six eyes, but the Gojo Clan still needs to go to not give the higher-ups and their whole system of governance any chance to rebuilt.

The good thing about the chaos Kenjaku created is that there are now a lot of sorcerers with new, modern techniques. The kind of sorcerers that used to be oppressed by the big clans and the higher-ups. Now that's a lot more difficult and with these new sorcerers, there could actually be a more diverse and less despotic jujutsu society.

Basically, Sukuna could be a way to weaken Satoru and with that the Gojo Clan, but I think the fight and Gojo's release should happen towards the end of the manga. Kenjaku already lost to the six eyes three times, we know Gojo will win, that's why he got locked away. Wouldn't be much of a fight or challenge. Unless the Prison Realm or being released through the Backdoor somehow weakens him, but I doubt that. He'll have to be patient for a bit longer.

[asherwelles]

Welles Family Background

The Samsons' grip on Hollywood is established when the first contract as we know them today is signed. Orson Welles is in favor of the new system, at least initially. His hatred of one Hearst in particular drives his support, knowing it has the potential to target a beloved actress he's already ridiculed and immortalized in satire. In time, though, his views shift dramatically. He marries Rita Hayworth. They have a daughter together named Rebecca. The marriage cracks under the weight and stress of the system, causing Orson to leave not only Hollywood behind but his contract of a wife and young daughter.

Rebecca grows up to miss a man she barely got to know. She idolizes the idea of the father she missed out on, blaming her mother on one hand while doing what she can to protect her from cancellation. Their relationship is complicated with both to blame. While Rebecca harbors resentment, Rita can't afford to fight with her daughter and for the points that equal years on her life. She chooses to focus her energy on the latter, causing a wider rift. Perhaps as a matter of spite, or perhaps as a means to continue to support her, Rebecca marries Orson's former agent Marvin. Rebecca is 20; Marvin is 40. Both bride and groom have their own motivations when entering the marriage, bringing baggage to an already crowded union. Once upon a time, there was a rumor that Marvin and Rita were more than well-acquainted during her marriage with Orson. Marvin's ultimate motivation is unrelated to Rita, though, but closer to the Welles name.

Instead of Rebecca changing her name for the marriage, it's Marvin who dons the Welles name. He will rebuild this name with his own two hands, turning it from a one-man-band into a dynasty. They manage to have only one child: a son named Vance. Although Marvin tries for another child, Rebecca takes a page from her father and leaves Hollywood and everything in it behind for a chance to have a quiet life in Europe. Marvin refuses to grant her the divorce she desires, and in the end, she accepts the distance as reward enough.

Vance Welles is groomed for higher ambitions than he could ever imagine on his own. He becomes his father's puppet without ever knowing the strings attached to his limbs. He sees Marvin as a supportive and wise figure. He becomes a producer, is introduced to families Marvin has made connections with over the years, narrowing down which one has the most eligible daughter to push his son towards.

Lilith Aldridge is well-known in New York. She's a powerhouse in her own right, name sprawled along the marquees on Broadway. This theater actress is the best of her kind, able to have the luxury of focusing on it without ever wondering about money. Her family's coffers are endless, and Marvin is well-aware. When Vance meets Lilith, she shows little interest, but the Welles are persistent. They begin to date casually until several months later Lilith becomes pregnant, in spite of her plans not to be, opposite to the plans of others in the equation.

With pressure from the Aldridges, and the persuasion of the Welles, Lilith and Vance marry to avoid scandal. Asher Welles is born seven months later, the healthiest premature baby you will ever meet, according to hospital records. Although their marriage is arranged by higher powers, Lilith grows an attachment to Vance that can almost be regarded as love, but motherhood doesn't replace her passion for the theater she misses so much. Hollywood can't compare to New York in her eyes, and she makes the mistake of asking Vance to move the family there.

Vance is not angry by the idea or disinterested, even presenting it to Marvin. In return, Marvin's support shines through by giving an alternative to his son: allow her to build an acting studio here in Hollywood and he'll recruit her students. Lilith eventually accepts, sold on the idea that's painted by Marvin's gift of gab and her husband's nods of encouragement. She does not fully comprehend the documents she signs for a few children who are under-privileged, without a guardian of their own, but with the love of acting. Vance repeats only what he is told: they want to pay back to the community, become philanthropists, allow the children to flourish under their name; he excludes a vital piece of information that Vance himself never believes will cause a problem: she is signing the contracts to become the childrens' proxies in the system.

By the time Asher is 16, he is already enveloped into the business, as well. He's labeled as a film prodigy. He has a great eye for detail, even if his movies are geared towards the fancies of a teenage boy. With Drive, he's working with A-listers and one of the new child stars his family is able to produce. With The Impossible, he's working with A-listers and one of the new child stars his family is able to produce. This trend repeats itself throughout all of Asher's young adulthood until he reaches his mid-twenties, where the dynasty begins to tilt.

Marvin dies, leaving the brains of the Welles' legacy in the less than capable hands of his son. It's fine at first. The business runs itself for a little while until the last contract ages out of the proxy agreement, leaving him to book the next one. It will be the last one.

The child actor is thrown into Asher's latest film with little experience, rushing the process against Lilith's and Asher's advice, but they're not the producer, they're not the leading Welles. The film is titled Almost Famous and although the critics' reviews are favorable, the audience is not there.

Shockingly, Lilith is cancelled with Lilith the most surprised of them all. Overwhelmed, Vance leaves like his mother and grandfather before him, leaving Asher to clean up the mess, barely even knowing the survival tricks that had sustained the family name this long.

Asher's prospects evaporate when the money that Vance didn't take is funneled away by Prometheus Productions. The Welles mansion is caught in the crossfire of legal ownership, eventually falling into disrepair and ultimately being bulldozed many years later. His betrothal to Astrid Winters is put on hold indefinitely. His career rocks unsteadily without a producer in his corner until Atticus offers him his only chance at redemption.

It's more curse than blessing.

[the-firebird69]

ATK 700 Cruiser Specs & Photos - 2009, 2010 - autoevolution

This is the starter bike for the cruiser line for ATK and it is the 700 and it's almost 700 CC's and it has a lot of horsepower it is an 80 but it's up there and I was guessing it's probably 70 not 64 and it is a lot okay it moves that bike fast and a Sportster weighs about the same it has like 40 horsepower and this has twice that so think about it okay. And his bikes are going to all be like that very very powerful and ken always complained so he made a new company victory motorcycles and we don't own that didn't take it over and he's not doing a damn thing with it and nobody is running the factory somebody owns it and doesn't want to give it up well sort of it's really John Riva Lord so we're going to collect it and use it because he's a puts and those are some money and threatens them all the time so pay up. We're going to take it now and we're going to start making bikes

Thor Freya I'm helping to make this one too even though I am making makeup and we are making KTM shortly they're going to be popping them out and people think it's them and then want their money then the a****** trying to get our son too getting some money from ATK

I thought of the name of the dream now it needs something and that's what it came out like I remember doing it and she does too

Zues

There's a lot of things going on here you finally got a little rest they could do some more but this is great. I'm actually very happy with this and happier than I was with victory and Ken doesn't want to do anything so going to take the factories to make these he wants victories will make a few thousand and send them out it's actually kind of cringing. It was a good chance to start a new company and this cruiser looks really nice and he designed a lot of it and I did but we are going to redesign in a bit and make it more modern and cooler looking and the other handlebar is kind of cheesy but you need something that looks beefier this is kind of handlebar shape I don't know why then damn things are small like that. We're going to head pretty soon and some of the symbols are cool in some arnet we like to scream at eagle symbol because it's ours. And Mac is getting testy so he's played it cool and we say you might even take Harley back and he's going damn it all shut up. Reagan Harley-Davidsons but they don't sell that great and we are the Davidson side and it's also Dave's and he's going to come out for a while and he'll want it back, first thing we say is how much do you want back is the whole thing and right now and what you say is get in your car the whole thing and drive out of here right now, even though they're still stuck here with nothing this is why the attitude and you say why wouldn't I have it. So he says f*** it again you say I don't really know so you check and you check and it's a percent of ours and Max doesn't want to give any so he's like I got these factories in stores it starts fighting mack. There's a whole bunch of things that he's doing like that when you come when he gets out and they don't last long and he doesn't last long he was actually so computer to bring it somewhere and it doesn't work that great that's what he does. He hates Joel and has to get rid of him he says everyone hates him and he's stuck and they don't know what to do she says telling people what to do and it works.

Hera I'm excited about this company this is our company and we need manufacturing and victory is just sitting there doing nothing and has all the stuff we need in it it's modern assembly equipment for motorcycles and it's fast enough for right now and we're going to make simple bikes and we're going to sell the ones that were already made and we're going to buy a bunch of them he wants us to so we're going to get down there

Hera

Zues

So he called me a scumbag and started laughing and then until said funny until I heard what he was talking about then I thought it was funny so we're down there and we know the bikes are coming and this other people there we want to buy them and we suddenly saw it was like they're getting vicious but where vicious and we will have them and they're saying no you won't and we're up front and we have cash and we're ready to pay and we know who the guy is and they're saying who are you people and they drop their drawers Jaws actually and smiley and said okay sir and it's a cruisers and each outlet has like it's really not that many left it's like a million bikes total and didn't make it sound that way but that's pretty much all there is and it's per area in the area is like the United States so the smile but they're older models but we want them and we want to ride around and get into races and other stuff so they're selling them they're getting a lot of them and they're getting some as thier head bosses. So it's a good that's how it works and the smiling and stuff and we are leaving much longer only a few hours no a few minutes and they'll be sold out but he says to the store guy I have no fear we're sending clothing and gear and helmets will be out shortly and we say it'll be there hopefully Monday and they're happy and they say which ones it's the new line and it said the new line it's apparently there aren't many of these left is true so they said so we get up and stuff to sell these to see how it would be and they all walk off of the pile of cash each store will probably sell probably 50,000 bikes and they'll make a lot of money and there's gear memorabilia tons of it we sat down tons of it and they're selling it still and they're selling the geared memorabilia and we're buying that we're probably 50% of the sales tons of people are coming down is huge today's advantage gigantic I love my husband and I want him to be here for me with me because we could drive around a big ship well I guess I'd like to do that so smiling that's better.

Is making me feel comfortable it's a great at the Milky Way and that's the Earth so I'm going to help him

Hera Zues

[sanstropfremir]

what do you think makes someone have good stage presence? do you think it's something that can be taught or something one just naturally possesses?

i read your answer to the other ask. and re. super m, i like lucas. don't get me wrong. he's very much a hong kong beauty that i love (sm is really missing out by not putting him in more editorials).

but in terms of stage presence, he isn't a standout to me? maybe that's because he's in a group with, in my opinion, two of the best performers (taemin + kai). i put him in the same category as baekhyun. like you mentioned, he doesn't stand out but makes up for it by screaming. but for lucas, he's not the best rapper or vocalist and isn't given a lot of lines.

also, what do you think about nct's infinite concept? this is a bit random but wanted to group together since we're talking about nct members. nct2020 was a whole mess for me (as someone who absolutely LOVED nct2018 concept wise and thought maybe, hey this could work). watching nct2020, it seems... asjhdakjhlgds for a lack of better words. like if i was a member and wasn't taeyong/mark/ten/lucas/doyoung, i would be :/ there's definitely a reason why sm pushes them the most because they're just better in capturing the audience. the other members feel like glorified background dancers.

in my personal opinion, stage presence is how well a performer can convince the audience that they are alive, and that they belong there. the stage is an artifice. it isn’t real, nothing you do on it is real, all performance is just that: performative. a human being’s natural state is not on a large platform being stared at, obviously anyone put in that situation is going to find it difficult to act in a natural way. why do you think people hate public speaking? why stage fright is a thing? those of us that can make it over that initial hurdle of being looked at have dual challenges; we as the audience know this whole scenario is fake; what makes it real is our willingness to be convinced that it is real, and the performer’s ability to make us believe that it is real. a huge part of this is making their bodies move and respond in a way that we recognize. this includes making facial expressions. it also includes exuding the confidence that you belong on that stage. that we should be looking at you. this is no place for timidity or nervousness. yes, i do think this is something you can learn, it’s acting and anyone can learn to act. do some people have an advantage over others? absolutely, it's the same with any skill. are there some people that despite being on stage for years never learn? also yes. i don’t think it's a ‘you have it or you don’t’ scenario, like with all reductivist binary statements, it belittles the effort of the people that work extremely hard to get where they are. this is the fallacy of mozart***; those with a high level of natural talent cannot coast by just that talent alone - a true artist is dedicated to pushing their own boundaries and skills regardless of what others deem you as. no one is born a genius, but we all have predispositions that, if applied cultivation, can become fully fledged ‘genius’ level skills. 

i’m gonna put the rest of my responses under a cut because i got extremely deep in the weeds on that one, whoops.

i can totally see why lucas and baekhyun would fall into the same category for you, that's valid. obviously a lot of how effective someone’s stage presence can be is pretty subjective. my standards have a slightly different skew than the average kpop fan, since my life has been working and making performance for over a decade. yes, lucas doesn’t have the same presence as taemin or kai, and yea he's not the best rapper or best vocalist by far, but i think he carries himself extremely well despite that. he's got advantages from the start; he’s the tallest in the group and he’s pretty, but the few times that he is in center i am absolutely paying attention to him. ‘im the other one chilling with them other ones’? no idea what the fuck that means but i absolutely believe him. honestly i can't even remember any other parts of that song. if sm ever decides to give him more parts i think we’ll see a uptick in his skills. he really knows how to work a camera; his expressions and body language are already really strong and he exudes confidence like an overeager puppy.

i think nct’s infinite concept is ridiculous and a bit disrespectful to the original members who’ve done the lion's share of the work building the brand. obviously i understand why sm did it, when you have an established brand that you can keep plugging new members into you essentially never have to take the risks involved with debuting a new group ever again. plus with nct’s whole.....new culture + technology thing, they’re primed for any of the weird awful tech updates that are inevitably coming in the next decade. no shade on the girls in aespa, i just find the idea of debuting a girl group with overly sexualized ai robot versions of themselves into a world where the boundaries between idol and fan are already constantly violated uhhh...........distasteful. to put it mildly. i also think the concept is disrespectful to the new members that constantly get added in; because they get added into a system that has a clear working structure based on those original members, who are going to be in every iteration ever. because they’re the proven selling points. at least when you debut a totally new group you’re giving those idols a clean slate. any of the new nct boys will never really have a chance to truly establish themselves outside of that context. plus they will forever be plagued by exclusionist stans. if you’re lucky and charismatic and pretty like lucas you might get the chance to get beyond that (he made it to superm after all), but for pretty much everyone else? anon you said it not me.

*** i know this is not actually what the mozart fallacy is. hence the wording change. but as far as i'm aware there isn’t actually a name for this phenomenon so i'm calling it like how i heard it first described, which was using mozart as an example.

[quirkless-accident]

LoV kidnapping: arent you tired of being nice? Dont you want to go ape shit? Theres evil in you, BECOME A VILLAIN!!!!

Danny who already went through Dan: lol what?

Danny groaned as he woke up, blinking the stars out of his eyes. He tried to lift his hands, but one simple tug told him they were being restrained against the chair he was sitting in. Maybe he could-No, intangibility apparently doesn't work. His parent's invention? Maybe Vlad's?

"Spooky's awake," somebody off in the corner said. It didn't take a genius to figure out who it was. He did, after all, engulf the training camp in blue fire. How long ago was that? He could still feel the burn of ash in his lungs, so he either hasn't been out for too long, or he's a lot more injured than he originally thought.

He looked around, throwing a particularly nasty glare in the fire user's direction. He was in come kind of bar, with a TV on a small stand across the room and a bunch of villains hanging around looking very put out.

"Oh, I loved your performance in Phantom of the Opera," Danny told him, venom lacing every word. And, yeah, Danny knew it wasn't okay to make fun of one's disfiguration, but he was an asshole that hurt his friends, so he'll make an exception just this once.

"He's familiar with the theatre?" Marble Man asked, almost hopefully.

"Enough, already," said a voice from Danny's side. Even without looking he knew who it was by the chills that went down his spine.

"Nomu," he had said at the USJ. "Kill him."

"Eraserhead is so cool!"

"This brat is more than just an NPC. Maybe he's useful..."

"Shigaraki," Danny spat. "What the fuck do you want?"

"That's no tone for a hero," Shigaraki leered as he came into Danny's view.

"Perhaps you should extend our offer," Mr. Compress said with a flourish.

"Join us," Shigaraki said, putting his hands on Danny's arms and leaning into his face. Danny tried to lean back, but the chair was stopping him. He instinctively turned his face away, acutely aware that the only thing keeping him from turning to dust were Shigaraki's pinky fingers. God, did villains never brush their teeth?

"Why would I do that?" Danny asked, voice strained from the awkward position.

"Because!" Shigaraki threw himself off of Danny dramatically. "Aren't you tired of being nice? Don't you want to go ape shit like you did at the sports festival?"

As if on cue, the TV flickered to life, showing a reel of Danny in his fight against Bakugou. It was a closeup of his face, with his glowing fist pulled back for a massive punch. His eyes were wide with anger and his lips were pulled back in a snarl, showing off his fangs that insisted on growing in. He remembered being upset, though he can't remember why. He just needed someone to take it out on, and Bakugou had been more than willing during their round.

"The potential is oozing out of you, Fenton," Shigaraki said, gesturing to him burying Bakugou's face in the dirt and pulling his fist back for another punch as his other held his classmate's face down. "I've never seen a more bloodthirsty look on someone so young."

Danny's gaze flickered over to Toga, but he remained silent. These guys were seriously asking if he wanted to join the dark side? Do they even have cookies? No, it would appear not. It doesn't matter either way, though. Danny's seen what happened in a world where he was evil. He had no intention of making that a reality.

Every time he thought about his future he wanted to throw up, because every time he thought of Dan. His wicked grin, piercing red eyes, flaming hair. He had been so cold, and a powerhouse that decimated Japan in one week. The memory of his friend's dead bodies lying around the ground, bleeding and broken would forever haunt his dreams.

He was not going to let that happen.

"I think you got the wrong guy," Danny told them. In the corner, he heard Dabi snort, but it was quickly covered up by an elbow from Spinner.

"You're him, though," Magne said, looking between Danny and the TV.

"Yeah, I'm him. But if you want a superpowered brat to join the dark side, you got the wrong guy," he clarified. "So you can take your offer and shove it."

"I know all about you, Fenton," Shigaraki said, enunciating the syllables in his name. "Your parents don't care about you. Society cast you aside when they thought you were weak. They would have rather seen you splattered across the pavement than someone who stood up to them. So why? Why be a hero?"

"So I can help people," Danny said with a shrug. "I don't care about being famous or known or any of that dumb bullshit. I just want to do what I can."

"But why?" Shigaraki was genuinely angry now. Like he couldn't wrap his head around why someone would ever want to be a hero. And Danny could understand why. He knew why he had become evil in an alternate timeline. Because heroes and people alike disregarded him at every turn and never gave him a chance. And from the looks of it, Shigaraki got the same treatment and a worse support system.

"I don't know how to explain it," he said honestly. "It's just a gut feeling. I know my purpose in life isn't to help you destroy the world and kill All Might or whatever other super cliché evil things you've got planned. It's to help people the way I never was."

"How naïve," Shigaraki sneered, turning away from him angrily. "You share the ideology of children, blindly worshipping a hero world and a hero government that-"

"-I'm not," Danny says firmly. "I don't trust the system. The Commission is just as terrible and corrupt as the GiW. And the hero ranking system is a joke. But the best way to change something is to do it from the inside. Not world domination."

Shigaraki opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a knock instead.

"Pizza's here," someone said. Everybody stared, confused for a moment. Danny just grinned, and heaved his chair to the side. As he hit the ground, a group of very brightly colored individuals busted through the wall, right where he had been sitting.

"Nice of you to join the party," Danny said with a lopsided grin. "Now untie me so I can help kick some ass!"

[sunmoonchanlix]

Superheroes That Look Like CHANLIX

This is something outside my usual posts. Since CHANLIX enjoys Marvel and the superhero world so much, here's some inspiration couples costumes they could pull from the Marvel and DC worlds.

It's so crazy to me that Marvel and DC have stepped up their game in LGBTQ+ representation on the comics side (the movies will follow though) especially in the past two years! This is not even counting folks like DC"s Jackson Hyde Aquaman, Tim Drake Robin, The Ray, Obsidian, etc., or Marvel's Shatterstar, Rictor, Daken, Somnus, etc. And that's not even counting the women!

Marvel's premiere gay couple: Hulkling and Wiccan

This half of Scarlet Witch's twin sons goes onto being foretold as the next Sorcerer Supreme surpassing his mother and Doctor Strange in power. He'll soon be seen possibly aged up in Doctor Strange 2: Multiverse of Madness.

Hulking is not affiliated in anyway with the Hulk family, but instead gets his green skin from alien royalty with lineage from the Kree and Skrull line (as seen in Captain Marvel). He and Wiccan founded the Young Avengers team together and had an instant connection. He is currently a literal space king.

Marvel's newer couple: Speed and Prodigy

Scarlet Witch must be a miracle worker because her other twin son, Speed, has discovered his bisexuality and has finally reciprocated his feelings with his Young Avengers teammate, the X-Men mutant and fellow bi-king, Prodigy.

Marvel's newest couple: Hercules and Marvel Boy

This pairing is not even a year old. Heck, Marvel did not finally confirm that their main version of Hercules is bisexual until this came out. Marvel Boy is another bi-king and fun fact: he was part of the popular Young Avengers roster that also included bi-king couple Speed and Prodigy, gay couple Hulkling and Wiccan, lesbian powerhouse America Chavez, and the lone, token straight character for a change, archer Kate Bishop.

Marvel's Iceman and Christian Frost

I always had a soft spot for Iceman, so I jumped for joy when this broke out that after decades of living the closet, Iceman got to come out! Iceman is one of the founding five members of the X-Men team (and one of the very first Marvel characters in general) and one of the most powerful mutants in general. Christian Frost (brother of Emma Frost) was newly re-introduced into more recent comics as someone Iceman helped as both suffered suppressing their homosexuality.

DC's Midnighter and Apollo

These two were once owned by a separate publishing house before being absorbed by DC and they were funnily enough, created to be gay counterparts to Batman and Superman.

And what a perfect CHANLIX analogue! Chan in all black as the Midnighter. Felix Sunshine as the man who literally absorbs and gets powered up by the sun, Apollo.

DC's newest couple: Jon Kent Superman and Jay Nakamura

DC made headlines (good and bad) when Superman was revealed to be bisexual. Irrational people were outraged over the clickbait headlines not realizing the Superman mantle has also transferred over to Clark and Lois' son, Jon Kent. This couple is less than 10 issues old, but they are expected to be a premiere DC couple mirroring the Lois and Clark dynamic as Jay Nakamura is revealed to be a fellow hacktivist reporter... but with his own phasing superpowers.

I mean damn, this is such a CHANLIX photo already.

[burningfeathersx]

couple other notes:

ducan's body forces more performative limitations on what lucifer can or can't do, but he can also push the body to horrific levels of past it's limits to the point it's not even natural. he can keep making a completely destroyed arm like it's still whole, for example. It's harder to do, but he'll do it in a pinch. and his super-super-human strength is unhindered. but he's slower, less flexible, and can be made unconscious if, say, choked. he can suppress his need for air and blood flow, but only for so long before he can't make the brain continue to function in deprivation.

(he's also susceptible to intoxicants, though not able to be poisoned due to being able to break it down into harmless elements and quickly rejected though he'd have to be aware of it to combat it which would make a non-symptomatic poison at least effective in declining his health state. he can get sick, but rarely. has to be something with more kick than a common cold.)

speaking of, due to lucifer's occupation, the only lethal blow for duncan while possessed is his cranium (brain). For whatever reason, lucifer can't fix the brain tissue. Likely due to no longer being able to manipulate it to do anything without it being there. that's the only thing im disallowing in the form of character damage at the moment. lucifer is too attached to duncan and would probably go fucking ape if he lost him to that sort of thing.

on the flip side, lucifer out of host is...

well he is The First Fallen, I guess. An infernal celestial short king and all that. He is insanely quick, agile, and strong. A powerhouse package.

He is susceptible to supernatural poisons and drugs like Ashema's smog or Valentino's smoke or Jericho's venom. He hasn't encountered any viruses or anything that effects him, but im sure there's some unnatural thing out there that might do it considering he did get 'infected' by Crown/Satan corruption that he can't seem to kick out of his system...

When he's damaged to a point of low physical functionality he can't maintain range of motion like he can in Duncan. Though, at some point, he might cut his loses and de-manifest to remove those physical limitations and get away. He's a bit stubborn about that, though.

His heart gem is the manifested core of his being. it's already damaged (he did it himself) and is otherwise the one part of him that can be catastrophically destroyed--thus annihilating his 'living' existence. i would want to talk about that. newark likes to revive people so....ya know. MIGHT WORK SOMETHING OUT FOR THE FUNSIES on that.

if lucifer is hurt in or out of host

he can either consume a soul and force his healing factor to accelerate that way

or snooze it off for a while and his body(ies) will heal slightly quicker, but nearly as fast as if he used soul energy to power it

big ol' honk-shoo regeneration lmao

[thevindicativevordan]

On Kong Kenan/Super-Man

It should've been him. He should've been the Superman of 5G/Future State/right now not Jon, and he should be the one getting an HBO Max series not Val. Hell he should be getting a movie!

God this dude is literally the best legacy character Superman has ever gotten, wholly his own person with his own lore and status quo while still building on the idea of "Superman". I am so pissed at DC for essentially just dropping him after his ongoing ended, what the hell Lee? You keep trying to make the Wildstorm characters happen, I need you to get my man Yang another Kenan book.

Have to admit I was a bit nervous at first about whether or not Kenan would be a worthwhile character. Yang's New 52 Superman run had been a disappointment to me overall, with only the the arc where Superman has underground wrestling matches against forgotten gods really sticking with me. Now he was introducing a brand new Superman? Didn't feel like he had "earned" that yet. But from the first issue I was hooked on this new character.

Kenan was unlike any other member of the Superfamily. He wasn't kind or sweet, he was an asshole! He was a bully! He was fantastic! Right from the start Kenan was set up to undergo a very different kind of character journey than the other members of the Superfamily. Empathy, humility, respect for people weaker than himself, these are all traits most heroes wearing the S-shield already posses by the time they first don the crest, but not Kenan.

Like all bullies he was even a bit of a coward himself at first, trying to bail on the experiment meant to give him Superman's powers right as it begins. After "saving" Lixin (the kid he bullies and steals lunch from every day) from Blue Condor he demands all the money Lixin has on him as payment. He's not courageous or selfless either at the start, Kenan is as much of an opposite of Superman as you can get short of being Bizarro. Learning the appeal of these traits formed the basis for his growth over the course of his series.

Seeing Yang bring in a lot of recognizable "Superman" elements in the series, but with a twist, was also great. Kenan is the one who bullies "Luo Lixin" rather than the traditional Clark/Lex friendship of Pre-Crisis and Birthright. Initially Kenan develops a crush on intrepid reporter for Primetime Shanghai, Laney Lan, but she dismisses him as too young and Kenan eventually ends up pursuing Avery Ho (Flash) instead. Baxi the Bat-Man of China has a similar relationship with Kenan as the traditional Superman/Batman in terms of being vitriolic best buds, however Baxi is the one who has the most respect for authority while Kenan is the rebel. Kenan is a part of the "Justice League of China" which does not meet with the approval of the already established Chinese superheroes, the Great Ten. That contrasts nicely with the good relationship the Justice Society and Justice League have, as well as seeing Yang lampshade the "Chinese copy" trope and incorporate that into his storytelling.

One of the funniest differences is how Kenan chooses to immediately reveal his identity as Super-Man to the world by taking off the compliance visor he was forced to wear, contrasting with Clark's choice to hide his identity. He was so eager to impress people that he never gave any thought to the danger he could put himself or his family in by revealing his identity until it was too late, something Clark is well aware of and has taken great pains to keep his identity secret. Was a missed opportunity for DC to have Kenan comment on Clark copying him for once when he outed himself under Bendis.

But one of the most poignant differences between Clark and Kenan is the gulf in separation between their relationship with their parents. Clark has a loving relationship with Ma and Pa Kent, trying to live up to their lessons as best he can. In contrast Kenan's mom was believed to have died in an airplane crash when he was just a child, and he never really knew her. His father was distant from him after that and the two weren't really close despite Kenan's attempts to impress him. So Kenan lacks that strong connection while still clearly loving both of them.

Pa Kent's death is one of the most tragic examples of Clark's love for his parents, and I've always been a fan of takes where Clark promises his father to fight for the powerless on Pa's deathbed. Kenan gets a similar scene at the start of his career, his dad "dies" (after being exposed as Flying General Dragon, a pro-democracy "supervillain" from the Chinese authorities perspective) and wants Kenan to promise he'll fight for Truth, Justice, and Democracy. But because Kenan's dad never really bonded with him, Kenan doesn't know what those mean, and can only promise that he never wants to see people die, something his father takes comfort in at least. In classic comic book fashion it's revealed that Dr. Omen, Kenan's "boss" and the one who gave him his powers, saved Kenan's father, because she is Kenan's mother! Kenan's relationship with his parents forms a lot of the crux of his character arc, and seeing how Yang utilizes the classic Superman concept of family kept the storytelling exciting.

Yang's brilliant exploration of the concept of "Superman" through the prism of Chinese culture was a great way to differentiate Kenan as well.

I absolutely freaking love how he tied to the concept of Qi to the S-shield in particular. Connecting the shape of the shield with the way Kenan has acquired his powers along the path of the Bagua (eight trigrams used in Taoism that represent the fundamental principles of reality), with his octagon S-shield outline representing all eight principles together, was mindblowing! So was the idea of restricting Kenan's access to his powers unless he was actually acting in a Superman manner, that tied his character growth to his power growth in an entertaining manner. There were so many characters and concepts that meshed Chinese and DC lore together, like how Emperor Super-Man was Kenan's "Doomsday", they even recreated that iconic dual kill shot! The Chinese Wonder Woman Peng Deilan, being based on the Chinese Legend of the White Snake! There was even some Korean mythology referenced with the Aqua-Man member of the JLC "Dragonson".

Yang also managed to do a Superman Blue/Superman Red story with Super-Man Yin/Super-Man Yang!

Shameful that it took me a while to realize what Gene Yang was doing but once I caught on I was touched. You can tell how much Yang loved Superman and his mythology, and how he was excited to incorporate as much from Clark as he could, while still using it in a way that was solidly Kenan's. And not just Superman's mythology, but the history and lore of the entire DC Universe. I-Ching got to be brought in, fleshed out, and used as Kenan's mentor! The "Yellow Peril" villain from Detective Comics #1, the comic DC gets its name from was brought in and revamped as I-Ching's twin brother All-Yang! Hats off to Yang for taking a racist caricature and attempting to make him into something more.

This series was a beautiful attempt by Gene Yang to build a space for Asian heroes and villains where they could be more than stereotypes, Kenan himself being a defiant mold-breaker in every regard as the complete opposite of most Asian characters in Western media (a jock, a bully, loves his dad but not on great terms with him, a powerhouse as a hero, etc). So much thought and hard work was poured into this by Yang and his team of artist collaborators.

Especially the costumes, man Kenan had so many great looks. From his starting outfit (which is my favorite Superman variant not worn by Clark himself), to the one with the Yin/Yang shield he acquired later on, to his Super-Man Yin & Super-Man Yang outfits, Kenan looked damn cool. Part of me is bummed they didn't go with the Chinese character shield they toyed around with, but I loved how Yang used the "s-shield" as a plot point, so I'm not too broken up over it.

All that great work Yang did to build that space up has been more or less forgotten sadly. It was nice to see Kenan in the DC Asian Month Celebration issue. Avery is going to be in Justice Incarnate at least (unsurprising considering she was created by Williamson). So fucking bummed that Superman Family Adventures cartoon didn't happen, they were going to have Kenan and John Henry Irons in it! Would've been a dream come true for me to see Irons in animation again, and Kenan making the jump to outside media! Maybe that would've encouraged DC to let Yang keep writing New Super-Man, or at least encouraged them to use him elsewhere instead of allowing him fall into Limbo.

Unfortunately I'm not sure what the future holds for Kenan. Jon is being pushed as Clark's replacement in the comics, with DC keeping all the other contenders such as Kon benched. Calvin is leading the Justice Incarnate team likely due to the upcoming Coates reboot that will make Clark black. Val will probably get something once Taylor leaves Jon's book or once they officially announce the HBO Max show is happening. So where does that leave Kenan, my new favorite PoC legacy hero? Currently my only hope is that Yang is working on something for DC involving him. Yang left Batman/Superman, where I was hoping to see a Baxi/Kenan team up, to go work on "exciting other opportunities" per his Twitter. So fingers crossed that there's something in the works for Kenan!

One day I hope he gets his day in the sun again.

[ukaiknowsbest]

breaking down Ace of Diamond - the "Hero's Journey."

Using the model/guide presented by Overly Sarcastic Productions in their youtube video Trope Talk: The Hero's Journey, I will attempt to discuss how Sawamura Eijun's story in DnA is his Hero's Journey to becoming an ace pitcher in the Japanese HIgh School Baseball environment.

Blue from OSP put forward the 12 basic parts of the Hero's Journey Cycle. The illustration below will be our reference. I simplified a graph made by Signy Wilson in order to match OSP's less rigid guide.

disclaimer: I am by no means any kind of expert. I was just fascinated when I learned about the Hero's Journey as a general trope/framework when it came to writing stories. I want to apply what I learned by breaking down the story created by Terajima Yuuji in Ace of Diamond.

A. ORDINARY WORLD

STAGE 1. THE HERO IN HIS NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Hero: Sawamura Eijun. Captain and Ace Pitcher of middle school baseball team. He has no formal training in baseball whatsoever but was the one who gathered and convinced his friends to start a baseball club. He's the best player in their small team. Good at sports but bad at academics .

He is generally a baseball idiot and quite a naive/simple guy with a strong heart. He does not have any idea what competitive and pro baseball looks like because not only does he not have experience but also he does not watch the broadcasts on tv/radio at all.

Ordinary World of the Hero: rural town in Nagano Prefecture, where Sawamura formed a small baseball team with his childhood friends. Acording to him, as long as they all stay together they can always play baseball anywhere.

STAGE 2. THE CALL TO ADVENTURE

2.1 Problem/why hero's ordinary world is going to crumble: - He lessened his chances of being scouted/accepted in a good baseball school after he btchslapped an entire opponent team and the umpires in their first and only match as middle school team in Saitama Stadium.

He also has low chance of being accepted into the high school in their area (where his friends are all going to) because he struggles with his academics a lot.

Unless he does something he won't be able to be together with his friends and/or play baseball at all.

2.2 Caller of the adventure - Takashima Rei pursues Sawamura into Nagano Prefecture in order to scout him as a sports scholar for Seido High School, a baseball powerhouse school located in the West Division of Tokyo Prefecture.

2.3 medicine/ solution to hero's crumbling world: being a sports scholar for Seido. This would solve almost all of Sawamura's highschool enrollment problem and also give him the chance to play as much baseball as he wants.

STAGE 3. REFUSAL TO THE CALL

3.1 reluctance to go: Sawamura refuses to leave Nagano despite Rei's "sales pitch" to him and his family. He doesn't want to leave his friends just to play baseball in a stronger school far away because he had promised his friends that they would always stick together.

3.2 hero punished for this - his grandpa literally smacks/slaps him in being stupid and doubting his friends.!!! / technically circumstances are already punishing him for being a hotblooded baseball idiot in the first place.

3.3 do you think you have a choice - this is probably the only chance he'll get to play baseball with all his strength AND finish highschool.

B. EXTRAORDINARY / UNKNOWN WORLD

Venturing out into more competitive/pro baseball is a world beyond him. It's scary and unknown and he'd rather defeat bigger teams than leave his friends.

STAGE 4. CROSSING THE THRESHOLD

4.1 crossing physical threshold - Rei persuades him to at least check the school out with his own eyes. They leave Tokyo together for one visit.

4.2. crossing a metaphorical threshold - in that visit, sawamura, picks a fight with a senior who's bound for baseball drafts, works together with a nationally acclaimed catcher in defeating the senior player, thus changing his worldview because he had so much fun.

4.2. conscious and irreversible decision - Because of the experience he goes home conflicted. His family encourages him in their own way to follow his guts and heart and go to Tokyo.

STAGE 5. REALM OF ADVENTURE

5.1 hero learns to navigate the unknown world - Sawamura learns the harsh realities of being in a baseball school once he actually starts to live there. Our boy also gets educated in Baseball and Pitching 101. He also finds out the true personality of the catcher he played with before.

5.2 meeting allies/rivals/mentors - he learns about the team better when he meets a whole bunch of people: batchmates, coaches and senpais. He builds interesting dynamics with all of them.

5.3 trials and initial failures - Sawamura undergoes difficult initial training and is barely allowed to play in matches.

5.4 meeting enemies - Sawamura being allowed to play as relief pitcher in the games and face talented pitchers and scary batters mostly in tense situations.

5.5 growth, new skills - Sawamura grows with each match, thus bolstering his confidence. Sometimes he falters but he learns from his mistakes.

5.6 first major success - striking out scary batters with each new thing he learns.

5.7 major challenge that leads to downfall - seido vs inashiro finals match where he goes in full of confidence and courage but then he and his team gets defeated in a devastating way.

STAGE 6. BELLY OF THE WHALE

6.1 lowest point of hero where hero physically or metaphorically goes down - one month after their major defeat, a lot of intense practice matches and change in team dynamics, the team find out that Sawamura has the YIPS. This condition took away Sawamura's ability to pitch in his trademark style/ the only thing he was good at.

6.2 hero's darkest hour - without the ability to pitch, Sawamura questions his reality and why he is still on the team.

6.3 Face and overcome inner demons - with a lot of help from allies and mentors, Sawamura finds a way to bring back a bit of his ability.

STAGE 7. ROAD OF TRIALS

7.1 Discarding old self - In the duration of his downfall and eventual healing, Sawamura turns to books, meditation and becomes even more careful in maintaining his form and body.

7.2 Accepting the new role - instead of fixating on the ace position like before, Sawamura is just glad that he is still allowed to pitch as relief.

7.3 Finding path out of the belly of the whale/The road back - After figuring out a solution to fix his pitching, he focuses on it and regains some of his ability. Sawamura is then allowed to play in matches. Just like before, he improves little by little as he recovers from each failure. He gains fresher mindset and new weapons, thus becoming an even stronger pitcher than he ever was before.

7.4 more trials - they face new opponent schools and old but improved opponents which test the best of Sawamura and the team's ability

STAGE 8. PRE SHOWDOWN BREATHER

every major match in ace of diamond has this part of the story but usually the most critical breather episode is the one before the final match.

8.1 show humanity of other characters - Somethng bad happens to the other mc without Sawamura knowing. This could absolutely wreck their chances of winning the final match. This shows that the other guys are not 100% invincible after all.

8.2 last chance to relax. - calm before the storm. It is also the time where they finalize sawamura's weapons.

8.3 quiet moment to reminisce - usually happens before each match. However the night before the finals was the major one because their old senpais went to visit their practice and encourage them.

STAGE 9. CLIMAX / STEPPING UP TO THE CHALLENGE

9.1 Final Showdown - Sawamura helps in the team defense with the best of his ability and weapons and he succeeds. Their team eventually wins Fall Tournament even with a few setbacks.

9.2 Apotheosis - Sawamura's worldview changed once he realises that even with his improvement and skill, his goal of being the ace is still out of reach for him.

9.3 Ultimate Boon - Sawamura gets to be a pivotal member of their baseball team and can play baseball as much as he wants with his team.

STAGE 7. ROAD OF TRIALS start again after the Fall Tournament Act 1 because Sawamura faces new challenges in Ace of Diamond Act 2.

Meiji Jingu Tournament - Play in matches without Miyuki

WInter camp and break - Intense Physical Training and development and improvement of his weapons which he will use and improve on throughout the rest of Act 2.

Spring Koshien where he realises that he has to do more in order to surpass the current ace which was Furuya.

Start of New Term/ Practice Matches - Sawamura and co. meets their new kouhai and team dynamics shift once again.

Spring Tournament / Summer Tournament - Sawamura meets old foes and new enemies. He also becomes the Ace Pitcher of the team, which adds more pressure on his part.

ACT 2 STAGE 8. PRE SHOWDOWN BREATHER

This is the big and long one before Summer Tournament Finals match where injuries and problems were discussed and feelings were explored.

ACT 2 STAGE 9. CLIMAX

Final (Or most hyped and awaited rematch) Seido vs Inashiro in order to qualify for Summer Koshien Nationals.

**everything after this point will be prediction and just my opinion

STAGES 7-9 start again

Koshien Nationals Arc.

STAGE 10. CROSSING THE RETURN THRESHOLD

Miyuki/3rd years retirement/graduation. Sawamura and his batch will have to lead the team.

STAGE 11. THE REWARD

Sawamura gets to play with his team as ace pitcher.

STAGE 12 / STAGE 1. THE HERO IN HIS NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

Sawamura may become both ace and captain, same as his role back in his middle school team, albeit in a stronger school. Even if he won't be the next captain, as ace he will still be in a strong leadership position.

CONCLUSION

That's how Ace of Diamond is written in the style of A HERO'S JOURNEY.

Act 1 writing especially followed the trope quite rigidly.

Notes:

I still don't want Sawamura to be the next captain. I hope that does not happen. However if it does, it means the story will have gone back full circle. That would be quite poetic ngl.

Gotta applaud Terajima's pacing. Can you believe that the story only reached its lowest and most pivotal point at around episode 70 of the anime???? thank godt that after ep 63 I read spoilers about yips arc in tv tropes or else i would have dropped the series completely.

I had difficulty in classifying the events after the climax stage into hero's journey stages because technically sawamura has not gone "home" yet. Moreover the challenges and trials just kept on piling up after Fall Tournament.

In this whole story, Sawamura has experienced only one true "Belly of the Whale stage" during his YIPS arc. I don't think he really came to a low point in Act 2 other than his first official match as Ace Pitcher. I treated that in the same vein as the effects of Raichi's first homerun off Sawamura back in Act 1.

I realized that having stages 7-9 recur starting from Meiji Jingu to the current summer tournament is what made reading Act 2 quite frustrating for me. That's at least 5-6 arcs of endless roller coaster ride loops.

I consider Miyuki's departure to be the "CROSSING THE RETURN THRESHOLD" moment because playing with him was the major reason for Sawamura's decision to study and play in Tokyo. Something will change Sawamura when this eventually happens.

As Blue from OSP said, the Hero's Journey is just a general guide/framework to writing stories. It is flexible, writers don't even have to use it or all of its parts to make a good story. Terajima just seemed to have adopted A LOT of the hero's journey trope in his baseball series.

I wanted to add more pictures tbh but tumblr is a killjoy :(

This was a fun thought exercise. There were probably even some parts which I have used the tropes wrongly. Please feel free to dispute me.

I talked about Sawamura's mentors here (x).

[caffernnn]

I've been binge reading fics a lot lately and I find it funny that it is rin who almost always thinks that "an evil makoto is threat to humanity" like it appears in at least 5 separate fics that I've read where rin ponders that the world would be in danger had makoto been a bad person- or something like that- because of his charm alone and his ability to unconsciously make people bend to his requests, and it's good to see where despite makoto's insecurity about how he'll never be good as rin, rin acknowledges makoto's "power" that he is unaware he possesses and his authority that he never puts to practice but is absolute when makoto needs or wants; i mean rin caved in to a smiling makoto in a drama cd and they were just dealing with CATS!!!

Talking about the possibility of an evil Makoto is always interesting because he uses so many of his skills already to make people trust him that purposefully using those for chaos could be messy. We’ve briefly talked about Makoto as a powerhouse and a villain before, and I can agree with the take that he could be manipulative and devastating in the wake of getting what he wants; we’re lucky that most of the time, the things he wants are positive, or he prioritizes peace/people over those other desires. I’ve noticed that trend in a few fics too, where Rin makes note of how scary-good Makoto can be at persuading and convincing others to do things. I think that comes from an important part of Rin and Makoto’s friendship in canon that gets overlooked: he recognizes Makoto as someone with so much potential for individual greatness. His friends and other people around him express gratitude and have faith in him, sure, but a lot of the compliments he gets relate back to how good he is at helping others (being a good brother, a good friend, a good leader, a good teacher, etc.). Besides Haru’s whole “Makoto is Makoto” speech and that phone call with Goro from DttF (need to rewatch it, but the one where he talks about being proud of Makoto), Makoto isn’t specifically recognized as somebody powerful until Rin talks about Makoto needing to consider scouts looking at him in ES. Even after Makoto has started letting go of any hopes of swimming competitively beyond high school and is looking more and more into a dream built around supporting others, Rin steps in to say that Makoto could be a contender in that world, if it was something he wanted.

This might be something to talk about in a separate post, but Makoto’s insecurities and jealousies regarding Rin get interpreted into fics in… somewhat weird ways?? Like I get how it was so vaguely referenced in the show that it became a detail for people to latch onto in Makoto-related ship fics (I see it in older makoharu fics a lot, but I’m sure it’s in soumako or makorin fics as well). It’s a fine interpretation to use in stories, the idea that Makoto is envious of Rin’s importance/position in someone’s life, but I personally don’t see that jealousy in canon as really having to do with Rin specifically. It feels removed from jealousy aimed at a specific individual, and more of this confusing feeling of “I wish I could have that self-assured nature, I wish I could have a clear direction to take, I wish I could have a path that aligned more with what my friends will end up doing… but that’s not in the cards for me right now and I need to make peace with that.” People who’ve taken steps towards majors or career paths that are supportive in nature (teachers, social workers, caretakers, etc) can probably relate to that sort of internal struggle, where it’s not like you don’t want to have a dream that helps people, but the whole “those who can, do; those who can’t, teach” mindset grates at your self-esteem a little more than usual, and you wonder what it’d be like to take on a path that involves a little more personal glory.

Many thoughts, many thoughts. Makoto is a puppet master and it’s fun considering what he can do with such power.

[everythingithinkiknow]

I DON'T CARE HOW INDEPENDENT YOU ARE, YOUR MAN SHOULD ALWAYS COME THROUGH! LOL! LOL! MATURITY AT ITS BEST! [- MEN ARE SUPPOSED TO WOO YOU LADIES!!!! YOU SHOULDN'T TRY TO MATCH THEM OR OUTDO THEM IN THE AREA OF PAYING FOR DATES, SUPPORTING THE FAMILY OR PAYING BILLS!!! THAT'S MASCULINE ENERGY!!!!

IF YOU'RE AN AMBITIOUS WOMAN ON YOUR OWN, THAT'S GREAT!!! BUT MEN SHOULDN'T BE EXPECTING YOU TO DO WHAT THEY DO OR MORE!!!

[***THEY SHOULD ALWAYS STRIVE TO OUTDO YOU!!! PERIOD!!! LOL! LOL!]

[-THIS IS A TRICK FROM THE PIT OF HELL TRYING TO GET WOMEN TO ACT LIKE MEN & BE MASCULINE & TAKE ON THE ROLE OF PROVIDER WHICH IS THE HUSBAND'S OR MAN'S JOB!!!]

Women Are Meant To HELP & Flourish Into What They Are Put Here To Become, NOT To Outdo the Husband Or Some Man By Matching His Male Energy To Wear Themselves Out By Taking On TONS Of Responsibility & Acquiring All These Things To Be "ACCEPTED," "WORTHY" Or To Feel "RELEVANT", "IMPORTANT" OR "SPECIAL."

NOPE!!!

Women ALSO Shouldn't Be Getting In Men's Faces Puffing Their Chests Out Bringing Up All Their Education & Accomplishments Making Men Feel Unneeded & Inferior Or Like They're Their Mothers Paying All The Bills. NOPE!!!

Women Don't Have To PROVE Their Worth By Outworking Men To Puff Their Chests Out Like They're Masculine. If They've Accomplished Some Things Or More, THAT'S GREAT!!! Women Should Be Proud Of Their Accomplishments & The Men That They're Dating, Engaged Or Married To Should Be Proud Of Their Accomplishments Also. (Without Feeling Competitive, Inferior, Jealous Or Less Than.)

Women Were Not Meant To Take Over Men's Roles As The Head Of The Household To Lead, PROVIDE & Protect The Family!!!

Women DO HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY To HELP With Love, To Nurture & Take Care Of The Husband, Household & Children As Well As Themselves In The Most Healthy, Loving & Spiritual Way, So That The Family Continues To Thrive & Remain At Peace & There's Cohesion.

- Of Course, Some Women Are More Ambitious Than Some Men, But That DOESN'T NEGATE THE MAN'S RESPONSIBILITY AS THE LEADER, HEAD, STRONGER VESSEL & PROVIDER. He Shouldn't Be Able TO SIT BACK & NOT EXCEL IN WORK, CAREER, BUSINESS, OR LIFE BECAUSE HIS WIFE OR WOMAN GOT THIS!!! NO!!!!

- THE MAN SHOULD GO HARDER, IF HIS WIFE OR WOMAN IS A POWERHOUSE TO MAKE SURE SHE & THE CHILDREN HAVE ALL THEY NEED TO MAINTAIN THEIR LIFESTYLE OR BETTER & OBTAIN SOME OF THEIR WANTS THAT ARE REASONABLE & ATTAINABLE!!!!

(The Husband Or Man May Not Make More Money Than The Wife Or Woman Does, But He SHOULDN'T EXPECT HER TO TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING!! OR FEEL LIKE IT'S AN OBLIGATION OR EXPECTATION OR REQUIREMENT FOR HER TO BE THE WOMAN IN HIS LIFE TO PAY FOR & TAKE CARE OF EVERYTHING!!) I DON'T THINK SO!!! LOL! LOL! That's A Man Exuding Feminine Energy!!!

Men SHOULD NOT EXPECT THE SAME KIND OF TREATMENT AS WOMEN!!! MEN ARE MEANT TO WOO, WOO, WOO A WOMAN!!! That's With His Time, His Intellect, With Experiences & With His Resources!!!

(Yes, If Men Are At A Certain Level In Life & Progressing & Want To Continue To Live A Certain Way, Yes Men Can & Should Want & Expect Women They Marry Or Date To Have Something Going For Themselves As Well.) There's Nothing Wrong With That!!! That's Not The Problem.

THE PROBLEM IS THIS:

IMMATURE GROWN MALES LOOK TO BE SERVED!!! WHILE GROWN MEN LOOK TO BE OF SERVICE!!!

- But If ANY Man Have Not Care Of His Own, And Especially Of Those Of His House, He Hath Denied The Faith, And Is Worse Than An Infidel. 1 Timothy 5:8

1) THE CONVERSATION IMMATURE GROWN MALES HAVE WITH THEIR FRIENDS OR OTHER LIKE-MINDED IMMATURE GUYS THAT CONVINCE THEM THAT WOMEN SHOULD PAY FOR THEM BECAUSE NEITHER OF THEM UNDERSTAND THEIR PURPOSE OR PLACE IS THE ONE SIMILAR TO THE RECENT POST ("SHE AIN'T ONE OF THEM BEGGING FEMALES...SHE CAN BRING ANOTHER TABLE TO THE TABLE." )

2) THE CONVERSATION THAT IMMATURE, MISGUIDED, ARROGANT GROWN FEMALES HAVE WHEN THEY LEAD WITH THEIR EDUCATION, ACCOMPLISHMENTS & WHAT THEY MAKE OR DO FOR A LIVING!!! IS THE ONE SIMILAR TO THE RECENT POST ("SHE AIN'T ONE OF THEM BEGGING FEMALES...SHE CAN BRING ANOTHER TABLE TO THE TABLE." )

(Which SOME Women Use To Make SOME Men Feel Unneeded & Inferior Because They Don't Know How To Take The Hat Off When They're In A Man's Presence. YOU DON'T HAVE TO DIM YOUR LIGHT WHEN YOU'RE ACCOMPLISHED! JUST KNOW THAT WOMEN SHOULD BE FEMININE & ALLOW MEN TO WOO THEM & LOVE THEM PROPERLY!!!)

- The Right Man Won't Allow You To Dim Your Light. He'll Encourage You & Help You Even More Because That's What He's Built To Do!!!

FOR MEN & WOMEN: (The (2) Scenarios I Posted About The (2) Different Conversations Is Where The Problem Lies.

For Example: 1) Grown Males Telling Other Grown Males That Women Should Go Harder Than Them Or Equal To Them Is What MEN SHOULDN'T EXPECT!!! Nor Should They Expect For Women To Pay For Them, Take Care Of Them & Just Service Them All The Time Without INITIATING & CONSISTENTLY Doing Loving, Kind & Thoughtful Things For Women. They Don't Realize That When They Don't Do This & Have An Expectation Of Women That Exceeds What They've Actually Invested In The Relationship & Invested In Women, That They're Acting Just Like The Women In The Relationship - They're Exuding Female Energy! 2) Grown Females Leading With Education & Accomplishments To Make Themselves Feel Better Because Of Insecurity & Not Sure Who They Are, Which May Lead Them To Bash Good Men & Unable To Rest In Their Femininity To Allow Men To Woo Them Properly & Provide For Them, Even Though They're Able To Do It Themselves, Most Times Is The Other Problem.

It's When Men & Women BOTH Don't Understand Their Own Purpose, Value & Worth & PURPOSE For Each Other That They All Talk Like This - IRRATIONALLY!!! (I COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW MANY WOMEN WERE PUFFING THEIR CHESTS OUT AT BRINGING ANOTHER TABLE TO THE TABLE EXHIBITING MALE ENERGY FOR MEN THAT FELT ENTITLED TO RECEIVE FROM THEM WITHOUT HAVING TO WOO THEM FIRST OR INVEST IN THEM CONSISTENTLY!!! I ALSO COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW MANY MEN BELIEVE THAT WOMEN SHOULD PAY FOR DATES & WOO THEM INSTEAD OF THE OTHER WAY AROUND!! I COULDN'T HAVE MADE THIS STUFF UP!!! I WAS MIND-BOGGLED!!! LOL! LOL!)

***When MEN Understand Who They Are & Their Purpose, They Already Know That They Are Valuable, Needed & Worthy!!! [e.g. Leader, Protector, Provider] - That's What They Operate In Also.

***When WOMEN Understand Who They Are & Their Purpose, They Already Know That They Are Valuable, Needed & Worthy Also!!! [e.g. Helper, Maker Of The Home, Nurturer Of Men (lovingly, NOT motherly) & Nurturer of Children (motherly & lovingly)] & To Take Care Of Themselves. That's What They Operate In Also.

- THIS DOES NOT MEAN WOMEN CANNOT HAVE JOBS, CAREERS, BUSINESSES & RUN THINGS OUTSIDE OF THE HOME!!! WOMEN SHOULD JUST BE ABLE TO LEAVE THE HAT OF "RUNNING THINGS" OUTSIDE OF THEIR RELATIONSHIPS, SO THAT THE MEN OF THE HOME CAN TAKE THEIR RIGHTFUL PLACE (AS THE HEAD, THE LEADER, PROVIDER, PROTECTOR) & NOT BE UNDERMINED OR SEEN AS LESS IMPORTANT, DISRESPECTED, UNNEEDED, UNWORTHY & UNLOVED!!!

THEN, WOMEN WILL BE IN A POSITION TO BE LOVED, WOOED, PROVIDED FOR (Even If She Has Her Own) & CARED FOR PROPERLY!!! [Men Should Also Provide Love & Respect To Women.] **It All Works Hand In Hand!!! Men & Women Should Work TOGETHER In Their Respective Positions & Lives, NOT AGAINST Each Other.