#and then villain has a breakdown during the mission

[save-the-villainous-cat]

hmmmmm how about villain trying to calm down hero (who's so fed up w/ their job, snapped and tried to kill v nearly 5 minutes ago)?

“You’re a bit of a psycho, don’t you think?” It only added fuel to the fire which the hero was right now, forming two very, extremely, small pupils and a death stare that was in the last stage of actually working on the villain. They held up their hands in defense. “Just saying.”

“Psychopath doesn’t even mean crazy, you dumb fuck,” the hero spat before they punched the villain again, this time harder, hard enough for them to take a few steps back and hold their bloody nose. It wasn’t enough to wipe that smirk off their face, though.

“Gosh, someone didn’t have a good night,” the villain said, laughing as the blood ran down their fingers. They probably looked a little unhinged like this but they had also shot some politicians on live TV earlier this year…it couldn’t really get worse than that, could it?

“I’m gonna skin you alive,” the hero promised.

“I doubt you have the expertise to do that, but it would be cute to see you try.” The bleeding had only just begun but the villain lowered their hands and grabbed one of the many hidden knives their suit offered. “This is fun.”

Though the hero delivered another hard blow, the villain managed to block and twist their arm, putting enough force into it to make the hero hiss in pain. The villain smiled to themselves when they managed to disarmed their enemy and hold them close, arms pinning their bodies against each other. The hero was strong but they were also a very simple person. Predictable fighting patterns usually occurred after a while in battle.

Adorable, really. But not beneficial for winning.

Blood from their nose dropped onto the hero’s shoulder.

With a hum, the villain pressed a blade against the hero’s throat but despite the struggle, nothing happened, the hero’s back was touching the villain’s chest. Cursing, the hero tried to wiggle themselves free.

“You’re a feisty kitten today. Love it.”

“Fuck off,” the hero replied. However, the villain only chuckled and pulled them closer.

“So tense today, darling. What’s gotten you all worked up?” The hero continued to struggle but the villain could tell their fight lost its spark as exhaustion overwhelmed them. Weakly they clawed at the villain’s arm and let the back of their head rest on the villain’s shoulder. It was more like their fingers dug into them to stay on their feet but the villain thought that to be quite impossible right now.

“I hate you,” they whispered.

“Congrats, get in line,” the villain joked but only silence echoed. The hero stopped the theatrics and stilled, somehow holding onto the villain in a desperate manner.

“They killed my sidekick,” the hero said and the shaking of their voice turned into a broken melody. “Suicide mission. They killed them.”

Oh.

“Christ—” The villain let go of them and when the hero turned around, the villain saw the tears rolling down their face. “Holy shit, I’m so sorry.”

“I don’t want this,” the hero said. “I don’t know if I want to kill every single person in this city or if I want to forget and move on. Eating is difficult. Stop eating is difficult. I don’t know what’s going on. I feel this anger all the time and it makes me sick and it exhausts me.”

The villain knew that feeling all too well. After losing their first sidekick, they had decided to never work with anyone ever again. They knew the hero had successfully trained two sidekicks already.

One for sorrow, two for mirth, three for a funeral.

“I’m sorry,” the villain said. “I’m really sorry.”

“I want to quit.”

“I don’t want you to.” The hero shot them an evil gaze.

“It’s not about what you want. It’s about what I want.”

“But if you’re quitting, I’m quitting and then I won’t have a job anymore,” the villain said. The hero seemed agitated again which was definitely better than being sad. Grief was messed up and the villain preferred being angry. “I need this job.”

“Then don’t quit?!”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“Not everything is about you.”

“Alright. Revenge. We kill those who killed your sidekick,” the villain suggested and the hero…froze. Eyes wide, mouth open, very much quiet. “We work together and make them pay.”

They had never thought they’d say these words ever again.

[brucewaynehater101]

Red Robin AU: Maximum Angst

Tim left to go save Bruce. It didn't matter that no one believed him. It didn't matter that his loved ones, people he trusted, tried to stop him. It didn't matter that everyone wrote his theories off as some sort of mental breakdown and grief stage denial. None of that mattered.

Tim was right, and he was going to prove it.

Two years after Tim left, Dick gets a phone call. It's from Superman.

During a JL mission, some villain gets away from a large JL team up by mentioning one fact: Bruce died in the timestream waiting for someone to save him. He had left clues, as many as he could given his circumstances, of his continued existence and predicament.

Dick, with the help of Damian and some of the JL, leaves Gotham to gather the evidence. Even after two years, art curators and museums are weirdly tense when he brings up the exact piece he wants to see.

A few months of carefully collecting his dad's last momentos occur before Dick has the realization: Tim was right.

Oh gods, Tim!

He can't believe, with all the responsibilities he had to juggle, that he just forgot about Tim!

This cues another frantic search as Dick retraces all of Tim's steps. The man allows himself a little laugh when he realizes that Alvin Draper is wanted for being an art thief.

Despite the sloppily covered trails, Dick finds himself at a dead end. The last location Tim might have gone to is in the middle of a desert. When Dick arrives at the spot, an LoA assassin is waiting for him.

Batman is glad that he's dressed in his uniform, he's glad that Damian didn't accompany him, and Dick prepares for the attack.

The assassin regards him neutrally.

The vigilante lowers his fists, but he's still tense in preparation. The assassin rolls their eyes and holds their hand out.

There's a com.

"What's that for?" Batman growls out.

Another eye roll from the assassin as they sigh. "Ra's knows you're looking for Timothy Drake-Wayne."

Hesitantly, the retired acrobat plucks up the com. After placing it in his ear, a smug voice greets him.

The Demon's Head cordially invites Batman to dinner.

Great.

Dick, wanting to find out where his brother is, has no choice but to follow the assassin to what's most definitely a trap.

Later, when Dick is haunted by the memories he desperately combs to liberate himself from his guilt, he'll darkly chuckle as he longs for it to have been a trap.

When the doors swing open to reveal Ra's al Ghul lounging at the head of the table, a feast is laid out before the young man. He forces himself to sit at the opposite end and listen to Ra's prattle on and on about how extraordinary Tim is. How the young outcast knew his father was alive. How he had to resort to taking Ra's hand in order to finish his quest.

As the evening is winding down, Dick had only spoken a handful of sentences. Ra's swirls a wine glass and gazes wistfully into its crimson hue.

"It's a shame, Richard, that it took you twenty-six months to scour for information about Timothy. I'm sure the realization of such would bring him despair."

There's a pause as the Detective's successor runs mental calculations. It has been thirty months since Tim left Gotham.

Emerald eyes, not too dissimilar to the shade of green Dick's son owns, bear down on a man too small for Batman's mantle.

"He died knowing his death would kill his father. It's a shame we lost them both that day."

[giotanner]

Soo, I read your previous posts about Tim and I want to hear your opinion on the matter regarding his morality. What I've seen so far in the fandom are two (stereotypical honestly)versions of Tim:

The Batman's-moral code-is-the-one-I-follow because-he's-my-boss-so gotta-respect company-policy thing and the Robin-doesn't-kill because-he's-the-light-of-Gotham-just-like Batman thing.

And weirdly enough both of them fit his character but I'm not sure if they can coexist somehow.

As a Tim Drake fan what do you think?

Even in the comics it is inconsistent as far as I know.

Hi, thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts on Tim (mainly the comics version) because there's so much about his morality and ideals that has been "erased/misunderstood."

For example, let's start with the fact that among all the Robins, Tim is the least likely to become a villain. However, there's this fanon idea that he could make a great criminal, the first to become a skilled manipulator who screws over the system, because there are stereotypes about him that have erased Tim's moral code.

This thought is completely wrong in the canon. Even when Captain Boomerang kills his father, Tim has every reason to kill him, to hurt him—he's trained and knows how to inflict pain—but Tim STOPS himself. During that period in the comics, Dick was Batman and had many responsibilities, and he feared for Tim's mental and moral breakdown, but that doesn't mean it was real, that Tim was ready to cross the line.

Tim stands firm in his convictions. He's a kid who obviously has feelings and is obviously angry at the enemy, but he doesn't become a criminal and leaves the cruel murderer of his parent in the hands of Dick and the police.

There are many instances where Tim questions himself, his limits, or his role as a sidekick, making him very similar to Batman in this regard.

He could take the step that leads him to become a villain, but he doesn't. He knows his worth as Robin and doesn't feel inferior or lacking.

This is because he's the only Robin who CHOSE to be Robin.

He chose that life, decided he would sacrifice himself for the cause, for the mission, because he believes in Batman. And he believes in what Batman believes in. Therefore, it would be out of character (OOC) for his moral code to be different.

He can be stubborn and obstinate towards Bruce, but he's truly Batman's partner (as fortunately seen in the recent Batman (2016) issues). And this bothers some readers who haven't read and appreciated Tim from the '90s and 2000s. The Tim who, although having his own team, is still the Robin who chose that life.

His mindset is not "Batman is my boss, so I follow his rules," but rather "I admire Batman and followed his footsteps, and that's how I discovered his identity; I'll do anything for the mission."

In many comics, you see Tim's spirit of sacrifice because he is the "peacemaker/the one who fixes the family," but also a daring and eager kid.

Sure, he's a computer whiz, a tactical genius, and a great detective

(Ra's calls him detective, but in the comics, Ra's also calls Dick detective, just to specify), but his greatest trait is that he was a kid with a great sense of justice and a big dose of recklessness to believe and succeed in being Robin

[dumpster-fire-sapphic-failgirl]

Some more imodna brainrot:

During her half of the split, Imogen literally bashed her brain against a wall of magic and then dissociated a little as a treat. But all in all she focused on the mission and was mostly fine. Part of this was Chet and Fearne and even FCG just refusing to believe it could be otherwise. But a big part of it was that there is no ambiguity in Imogen’s mind about her feelings for Laudna.

Laudna is her tether. And she has and will follow that tether beyond life to bring her back

But Laudna is a bit more… undefined and unstated

Imogen is her tether to sanity, sure. Her tether to life. But I still don’t think she has a full appreciation for Imogen’s tether to her

Not to mention, Orym is having a full on (quiet, very polite) breakdown. And one of the new people they encountered questions if their friends could have even survived

But most importantly Laudna knows she is Imogen’s tether to this world, and to not becoming a full on villain. She knows that Imogen is at the peak of her magical strength and the depths of moral weakness without her. She has to know that if Ludy ever had a chance of manipulating Imogen into doing something foolish, the first step is removing Laudna from the board

Without being able to communicate with her, Laudna fears that Imogen has become untethered

She doesn’t feel the entirety of it yet, the bond between them

Ashton, tho, Ashton can see it, better than Laudna at least right now

There is no universe where Imogen gets willingly subsumed into Predathos. There is no universe where Imogen meekly moves on in the afterlife. There is no universe where Imogen is not grasping tightly to that tether and fighting her way back to Laudna

and I think Laudna will need to come to terms with the fact that Delilah “I broke the world for us” Briarwood’s got nothing on Imogen “I’ll reshape the universe for the chance to stay by your side” Temult

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Hearing how Kuripa is trying to hunt down ASOOT!Hajime, I just feel given what's going on over DTFA; Nagi might not be able to really say or do much given her mission about her finding Utsuro and holy hell, there was more then she bargain for and I think she'll need some tylenol after that massive headache.

Like girl had to not only deal with Void but also the Kisaragi Foundation and her just having this mental breakdown over not just reforming the Remanats of Despairs, the guy she's interested in accepted a project, having Future Foundation breathing down her neck, her former teacher in a position of power, learning she has Divine Luck, Akane Taira deciding to communicate with her and Oh yeah, having to deal with Void and the Kisaragi Foundation's nonsense...

Yeah, girl's really going through it and just needs to rest but I do think Kuripa and Nagi's interactions would be pretty interesting since they seem like polar opposites where one is all violence while the other is mostly avoiding violence, so that be a rather fun interaction. 8P - Mod Poi

//By the way, this meme applies to both Hajime AND Kyoji for Bubbles, and Kuripa AND Uchui for me.

//Real talk, yeah, I definitely don't talk about Nagi as much as I talk about Hajime and Aliza, but it really is interesting to see how she is kind of the complete antithesis to Kuripa in terms of how they've coped with the pain they've been through.

//Nagi always goes out of her way to help relieve people of their burdens, and I feel in a party of these four MC's, she's the one who manages to remain the most emotionally stable. Meanwhile, Kuripa's way of dealing with his trauma is projecting it through violence, and it drags so many other people down with him.

//Like, you understand his pain and that he's not completely the villain, but he's still a rotten bastard for subjecting people to that.

//From what I know of everyone's blogs aside my own, I do feel like Nagi is the anchor of the trio. When bad things happen to Kuripa and Hajime, they shut themselves out or devolve into an unconscious state of pain if they can't deal with it. Aliza, similarly, while innocent at heart, is not above feeling emotional pain or rage towards people.

//Not to say Nagi doesn't, but the point is she has much more emotional maturity than the other three. Her story literally starts with "Bitch took mah fuckin LEGS!" so she's already come to terms with the idea that crying about it will not make things right.

//Point being that, I genuinely don't see a situation where Nagi could interract with any of the other blog protags and benefit from it. In fact, her conversation with Aliza during Aliza's little post was about NAGI helping HER with her issues.

//It is really...surreal, seeing Nagi have a panic attack, wheras it wouldn't be with the other three. And honestly, it makes me feel a lot of shit, because that's the team mom right there having an emotional breakdown, and it's gutteral.

//Or maybe I'm just talking out of my ass and reading this whole thing wrong. You be the judge.

//Unfortunately, as of late, it seems the stars of depression are aligning, because none of our MC's are doing so hot.

-Mod

[squibwashereat3am]

MHA OC (Void)

So this is a MHA oc if mine! Im going to rant about him now :3

So Aoi Namaka was sold to the League of Villains when he was 6. His parents sold him for money and also because he was quirk-less. He was used as the LoV experiment until he was 14. They wanted to create someone who could make voids in order for them to travel and escape from places faster without being caught by hero's. The LoV sorta adopted Aoi and took him around on missions (not super dangerous ones though). He was mainly brought to meetings with different gangs and villains to discuss fundraising for experimenting on Aoi. Though the LoV was somewhat nice to him, orders from All for One was to “teach him a lesson” if he disobeyed or failed to show sponsors enough of his power. This led to brutal whipping sessions which were conducted by Dabi (not in a sexual way u simps). Because Toga and Twice refused to do it and the others were busy and didn’t have time to interact with Aoi too much. So Dabi was his main caretaker. (Beating Aoi could often break downs for Dabi in relations to his past)

As time grew on, Aoi’s name was changed to Void as they had finally acquired a quirk to him. The quirk was the Manipulation of Space. They originally wanted his quirk to be mainly for voids, but something happened turning the experiment and made him WAY too over powered. One of his main moves was that when he opened his mouth a yell someone’s name, the gravity around them was tightened and the said person would be crushed into a small ball of blood and guts. All for One decided that it was too much to for this kid to have too much power so he order the LoVs to cut out his tongue. The LoV did as they were told and Void was left mute. Though the removal of his tongue caused a chain reaction and his genes and his eyes got corrupted by the quirks they had merged into him. His eyes now possessed the ability to cause anything he looked at to float. So to prevent this from happening, the LoV gave him a see through blue blind fold to cover his eyes. (He still needed to communicate with sponsors though, so Toga thought him sign language.)

In his tween years, Void was basically emotionless and saw him self as an object. He let people do whatever and the only emotion he really had was pained when he was whipped. (Which happened less often) One day, Void happened to ease drop over Toga and Dabi arguing. When listening he found out that All for One wanted to take Voids quirk for his own, but, Void would die durning the transition process because his quirk was so damn powerful. Toga was devising against it while Dabi was basically saying, “what else are we gonna do with him.” Void, not knowing what else to do, used his power to create a small void to escape the base and went on the run.

For about two months he was homeless and starving. Constantly in fear and pain. Until one day he met Ms. Clementine.

Ms. Clementine found Void under a bridge while on a walk, wearing nothing but his blindfold and he was covered in scars and burns. (The scars were the whip markings on his back. And the burns are when he uses his lightening. He cant control it and it tends to shock him.) She took him home and gave him clothes/clean him up and offered him a place to stay. Ms. Clementine is old lady who owns a candy shop and above the shop there is a spare room. She allows him to stay there as long as he helps her around and guards the shop when she goes home. Void agrees and lives there for about a year and a half. During this time, Ms. Clementine helps him with decisions because of his strictly obedient nature. He slowly learns and has emotions again, but he still has trouble with decisions. They celebrate his 14th birthday and he has a few mental breakdowns because of trauma and Ms. Clementine is there for him to lean on. She also finds out about is quirk and the LoV, but she doesn’t say anything to anyone else because Void is actually shy and doesn’t like that much attention. By now he has a bubbly but soft personality and is actually a very kind a caring soul. Though sometimes a switch will flick in his head and he will basically become a cold blooded killer. He struggles with this switch a lot.

One day, Present Mic comes into the candy store cause why not, and sees Aoi (Void). He immediately goes up to him and is like: “Hey there! Whats a boy like u doing this?!” Obviously he’s terrified of Mics loud appearance. Ms. Clementine steps in and tells Mic to politely back off. He does and he asks her some questions. She tells him lightly about Aoi’s situation and Mic offers him to come to UA. Aoi says he doesn't want to but Ms. Clementine takes him away to talk. She tells him that it’s time for him to make his own path and meet his own people. He wants to argue with her but because he still has trouble with his decisions he takes Ms. Clementine request as an order. Ms. Clementine smiles and says if he ever needs her, she’ll be hear at the candy shop. Mic collects him the next day and they head to UA. He is given a dorm and he only has one teacher, Mr. Aizawa. For about two years, Mr. Aizawa trains Aoi in order for him to be able to stabilize his quirk so he can use it around students and for the trail to get into UA. Mr. Aizawa is the only one who can teach him cause if his ability to pause quirks. During his time, UA provides Aoi with a phone so he can chat to Ms. Clementine. He had a few small party's to celebrate holidays and birth parties which Mic and Aizawa were invited too and came. Aoi eventual grows on Aizawa and he accidentally calls him dad alot.

At age 16 he joins class 1-A. And ill rant to u all about that more.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk 🫡

If u all read all of this i love u 😭😭

also he gae 🏳️‍🌈

[bnha-more-like-bnh-gay]

Name: Izuku Midoriya

Quirk: Found Family - Unconsciously, Izuku constantly emits a low-level psychic field that, when someone gets caught in, makes that person want to adopt Izuku as their son/nephew/brother/etc. When in distress, the psychic field strengthens, forcing all those who have "adopted" Izuku to become murderous towards whoever or whatever distressed Izuku. Curiously, the only ones immune to this quirk are those with shitty/douchey personalities (e.g. Bakugou, Mineta, Endeavor, etc).

I love you, @ tumblr user onimi18

It’s so true though

The, “I’m not here to make friends squad” (shinsou and Shouto) both become besties with izuku (shinsou loves him, I don’t care what anyone says. After izuku tells everyone about ofa and rants about how great shinsou’s quirk is? Shinsou pledges his soul to this green demon.

Aizawa tries to resist for the longest time, but soon comes to realize that he would do anything for his son, Problem Child

Present mic accepts that he has a son within the first four days of knowing izuku. Izuku asks if mic could teach him JSL, he already started to learn because he’s hard of hearing (thanks, bakugou), but he figures that Mic would be able to help more than YouTube.

Midnight finds izuku’s hero analysis blog online and raves about it to the other teachers she reblogs from him and screen shots it to every social media she has and proudly proclaims that this is her student, and that he’s going to be a great hero

All might starts sometimes taking him out for ice cream after training him a few months before ua

Uraraka is the first of the UA students to be affected by his quirk. He helps her out during the entrance exam, and she promptly declares herself president of the Izuku Protection Squad/Club, Iida soon becomes treasurer

Kirishima one day asks bakugou why he’s such an asshole to the literal embodiment of heroism and sunshine, and bakugou just goes on a highly rude and offensive rant about how useless izuku is, which is like,,, #1 way to find yourself with a bunch of people angry at you. Kirishima stands up for izuku though :)

I don’t care who you ship izuku with, they will get SO many shovel talks. Not just by the adults, but by izuku’s friends too

The most terrifying one to give the suitor The Talk tm is Inko. That’s her baby, and she trusts his judgement on who he chooses to date, and by all means, she knows that he can take care of himself (can he though @ the vigilante arc), but she’ll be damned if there isn’t the added factor of, “hurt my child and face my quirk that can tear you apart atom from atom”

Big brother izuku and his little sister Eri. They are adorable. They could kill you and you would thank them because, honestly, if they decided to do so, there is a good reason for it.

Izuku is Eri’s favorite person, and he is literally overjoyed when she tells him this. She finds him when she has nightmares, and he is always ready to comfort her and assure her that everything is, and will be, okay

Izuku stands up for Kaminari after people start making fun of him when he short circuits. He makes sure that he’s okay, and protects him from any harm that could befall him. After that, Kaminari too, pledges his soul to the green demon

Monoma tries to hide the fact that he does care for izuku, but after izuku fucks off for his vigilante arc, Monoma has a mild breakdown along with most people who have interacted with Izuku in recent months. Where is the class a bastard? Why is he not here? Why did he think this was a good idea? Why didn’t he ask for help? Why is he putting himself in so much danger? If he had asked literally 90% of UA would be at his side in an instant

Mei decides that Mr. 1 million is great after he helps her with her babies and helps her tests them. She decides that he’s even more reckless than she is after his solo mission where he goes off the grid for a while and tries to hunt down the worst super villain known to man. But hey, who is she to judge? She’ll support this mad man and help make all the tech he needs as long as he partners with hatsume industries, and she knows he will, because he’s great and definitely meets her crazy

Momo realizes how great Izuku is after he helps reassure her after she lost her fight at the sports festival. He finds her and talks about how great her quirk is and how smart she is. They are paired up for a project one time, and completely dominate. They help build each other’s confidence so much. I literally love these two so much, they’re both smart and insecure as shit. Momo loves listening to izuku’s analysis and makes comments every now and then too, and izuku just dies inside because he’s not being told to shut up or being called weird

Jirou always walks into the dorms on Saturday mornings asking for song recs. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, izuku makes her a playlist of some rare songs that she might not have heard yet, and Jirou promises that she would burst eardrums for this dude

Speaking of the dorms, when they are set up, the quirk becomes so much more powerful. Like, everyone already loved izuku, but now? He is their son/brother/cousin/nephew/crush/whatever the fuck, they care about him.

One time, he got to talking with toga, and soon enough, she’s spilling her tragic backstory Shouto style. *another one bites the dust plays in the distance* izuku has a new sister. Congratulations, everyone, a new member of the Izuku Protection Squad/Club has been found (I know this probably wouldn’t happen in Canon, but I love toga so much and if given proper quirk counseling and/or caring parents, she would have found her way into the izucrew. I stand by this and my mind will not be changed.)

Mina teachers izuku how to deal with his curly hair. She was appalled when she found out how he used to take care of them and makes it her mission to fix this tragedy. But she also really helps with his confidence. I love this duo so much, the chaos that they reign on UA is great.

Izuku is one of the first people to treat dark shadow like their own individual entity, and Tokoyami is shook. Sometimes, dark shadow, Tokoyami, and izuku hang out at night when they can’t sleep. So does anyone who wakes up from nightmares and can’t go back to sleep

Now. Aizawa was terrified of Nezu getting his hands on izuku’s analysis notebooks. He still has nightmares about how it happened, honestly. But one day, izuku was called out of class by Nezu and Aizawa honestly wondered if he should hand in his resignation. It took mic to convince him not to, but mic was also terrified of what would befall the world after Nezu got his hands on either izuku or momo (which we’ll get to in a moment). After a very long and interesting conversation with izuku, Nezu requests that he be shown all of izuku’s notebooks.

His laughs can be heard echoing across the school. Shivers go down spines. The sun hides behind the clouds.

Izuku tells Nezu that sometimes momo will do analysis with him, and that she’s a really great strategist, just lacks confidence.

Again, Aizawa feels his world tip on its axis as momo yaoyorozu is called into the principle’s office.

Soon, they are both appointed as nezu’s personal students, meeting up twice a week.

No one knows what goes on during those meetings and no one has the Gaul to ask.

Except Mina. But she doesn’t get a real answer from either of the students.

Koda loves that izuku is the first student of UA that he can comfortably communicate with through JSL, other students start learning after a few weeks though after learning that it’ll be easier to communicate with izuku, koda, and present mic if they can, and they don’t want anyone to feel excluded!

Sero loves pre-quirk era superhero movies, and overhears izuku talking about them one day. Immediately runs over and asks if he knows spider-man. He does. They need out about it for hours. Izuku overheard someone saying that Sero is, “plain looking” and stands up for him,. Sero is sinfkwnfitjsjks. Izuku tells izuku that people say the same thing about him, which Sero honestly cannot understand, because this boy is obviously precious and deserves the world. Yes, he could easily destroy said world, but if he decided to do so, he’d definitely have a reason and sero would support him

Izuku is not sure how he went from having one (1) person (his mother) care about him, to having a whole fleet of people who have his back 1000%, and he honestly struggles to accept that people genuinely care about him. Shouto theorizes that it’s a quirk first. He blatantly says that izuku has a quirk that makes people want to adopt him in some way, shape, or form bur shouto’s conspiracy theories are never taken very seriously by most people. He will never let them go though. He’s right. He knows it.

I love this so much, pleaseeee😭😭😭😭 thank you for this wonderful theory that is 1000% true 💙💙

[thessalian]

Thess vs TLOVM S3, Ep 1

I've been so exhausted and fed up this week that I forgot TLOVM was starting today! How remiss of me! So here we go with liveblogging! One episode at least. I may draw this out some.

Oooh. This is new. I mean, I did see the first three minutes or so on YouTube, so it's not a huge surprise, but that level of spycraft is ... at once too well-planned for the "At Dawn, We Plan" Brigade and also just fucking reckless enough for that bunch of yahoos.

Also, pouring one out for Lance Reddick. I knew this was gonna hit different, but ... damn. Is it okay if I say that he's replaced Matt Mercer as my Official Voice of Thordak? 'Cos he totally has, and it's the best memorial I can give him - two of my top villains or at least antagonists (Sylens is still my number one douche-canoe).

Damn. Liam O'Brien vs ... Liam O'Brien. Also, every time I think "Damn, he has range", I kick myself for forgetting his Speak-N-Spell Liam ... thing during that one-shot he did that one time. I mean. Holy shit.

DAAAAAH! I mean, I knew it was coming because I've already seen this bit but DAAAAAAAAAAH!

...Is the mood a bit wrecked when I see Thordak cram his head into a crevice and all I can think is "Themberchaud"?

Now, see, I did not see how he got out of that. Now we are getting into the "What the fuck did you people cook up?!?" territory.

One Day Earlier?!? ASSHOLES! HOW DO YOU HAVE A CLIFFHANGER AT THE START OF AN EPISODE?!?

Fuckmuppets.

...Okay, I knew Raishan sounded familiar. Now, keep in mind that Atlantis: The Last Empire was the last movie I saw before I landed in a psychiatric hospital because of an ongoing nervous breakdown finally hitting crisis point, and never watched it again, so it says a lot about me that I can find the voice of Princess Kida familiar.

...VIOLENT ELF FEMALE VOICE FOR DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS?!? BWAAAAAAHAHAHAHA!

Okay, get OFF IMDB, Thess.

Yeah, I knew we were getting the Plate of the Dawnmartyr. We'd have to, given the trailers about the hells.

...Wait. Putting some of the snippets together ... and given that they have to streamline stuff for a series like this ... are they going to combine that trip to the hells for the Plate of the Dawnmartyr with throwing Yenk at Vorugal?!?

(No, I literally don't know; I'm kind of calling it here, though.)

Also ... would you call that spell a series of Silent Images? If so ... cool.

OMG GILMORE.

Grand Poobah de MAYONNAISE?!?

Ah, I missed this side of Pike in the first couple of seasons.

...Not sure if that was the dumbest possible thing Grog could have possibly said, or the only thing that could have broken the tension. ...Porque no los dos?

N'awwwwwww. I mean, I know it's a shame that some of this stuff has to be ... rushed, a little? But they're doing it pretty damn well!

[snipped because character limit]

Okay, get OFF the rage at the narrow-minded bullshittery of reviewers, Thess.

...Oh. Ooooooooh. So instead of having Keyleth cast Foresight on him before that whole thing with Thar Amphala, it's now ... something he gets from the Raven Queen? That makes sense.

Also ... I'm taking it that no one's going to flag up that if Keyleth goes Archdruid, of fucking course she's going to outlive the entire rest of the party! Chill, Vax!

You guys are DORKS.

"Well, one can certainly--" WHO WROTE THIS?!?

.........Sam Riegel was one of them. Because of fucking course he was. You are not a gnome, Sam, nor are you specifically a goblin. What you are is a troll.

.........Aaaaaaand Travis Willingham is the other. I wonder if he wrote any of the Vex/Percy stuff, given he was always the captain of the good ship Perc'halia.

...Trinket, really?!?

Okay, that was Matt, doing a little Sun-Tree whisper. Not "Sun Tree; A-okay!", but I'll take it.

...I feel a Leverage "explaining how Vax got out of that mess" moment coming on. Also ... it's nice to see Gilmore do the charm without quite the innuendo.

On the list of "Things To Never Say Before A Mission", Grog? "What could possibly go wrong?" is right at the top, so shut up.

...Okay, not quite what I was thinking, but ... oh gods, Gilmore, you adorable glorious narcissist! (Okay, part-time narcissist.)

Yeaaaaaah, see, I would have asked Gilmore for a Scroll of Dimension Door, personally. Or maybe Clairvoyance? Anyway, this is more exciting.

Yeah. No. So glad Lance Reddick got this done before he passed. I have chills. May you live as long as your name is spoken, sir.

...I ... literally can't praise Reddick enough. Holy shit.

Ooooooooooh. Marquet is so pretty!

...Given that "high noon" is not usually that much of a D&D phrase, and thinking of who Matt Mercer voice-acts with a ... certain phrase? I'mma say that's Sam being a troll again.

Oh, that's a great way to get Ripley back into it. ...Wait, does this mean she already has Cabal's Ruin? .........Wait, does this mean she kept Cabal's Ruin from Umbrasyl?!?

So ... gunshots. And ... Percy's the only one in evidence with a weapon of that type. And ... they just ran in. Hey, Percy, remember when you used Bad News' scope as a telescope? And when Pike followed Vax with Clairvoyance? WHY DIDN'T YOU DO THAT?!?

No no no Percy DON'T HAVE THE GUN OUT WHEN--

She does have Cabal's Ruin.

Also ... oh FUCK.

...So it's not Percy's turn to have the brain cell today. Okay.

And, I mean, it's almost never Grog's turn to have the brain cell. He is very generous with the brain cell.

STOP DEMONSTRATING THAT YOU HAVE THE KIND OF WEAPON THAT KILLED ALL THOSE PEOPLE, PERCY! I DON'T REMEMBER INT BEING YOUR DUMP STAT!!!!!

...Okay, so INT is Percy's dump stat just for today, then.

...Wait. Who does have Vox Machina's collective brain cell today? Please tell me it's not Scanlan.

Percy would you--?!? Ooooooh fuck.

Oh. Okay. Cabal's Ruin in action is the coolest fucking thing...

Also I don't remember their trip to Marquet being this--

Hi, Matt!

"Does ... she ... spice?" "...Dude." Good one, Scanlan.

I do love the banter between these two--

Ooooh. As a televisual reveal of Orthax and Ripley's whole deal, that is next level awesome.

Oh. Oh. Oh so are we ... not having the fight on the tit-crevasses? We're doing this right here?

"In Memoriam - Lance Reddick" ...Yep.

But at the same time ... I DO NOT HAVE ROOM FOR SAD; FIRST YOU GAVE ME YIKES AND THEN GAVE ME A CLIFFHANGER SO GO FUCK YOURSELF.

(Not you, Mr Reddick; rest in power, and on your laurels because you were badass.)

Okay, so who the fuck is voicing Anna Ripley?

Kelly who? (Kelly Hu, that's who, but-- Sorry; I'll see myself out.)

Lady Deathstrike?!? VISAS MARR?!? Okay that's awesome.

I'm sorry, but Scanlan jazzy flight singing is not what I need right now. Though I guess it kind of drives home the "We are cliffhanging you right here; cope".

Right. I could watch another episode, but ... no. No, I have to work tomorrow and that means I need to wind down, and--

Wait. Did they say Draconia?!? Did Orion Acaba let them use that?!? Oh, I don't even want to think about that level of negotiation, after everything.

[zerm2v0hg]

TToaCMC Remnant Timeline - Part 2

FOUR TO SIX MONTHS AFTER THE FALL:

The heroes consider their chances of summoning the Brother Gods with the Relics without the Brothers destroying Remnant, since the Brothers are the only known things which can take away Salem’s immortality. Most of the heroes dismiss this idea for multiple reasons, but Ozpin is reluctant to let his original mission go.

As the months pass and RWBY/J don't reappear, the high of putting RWBY/JNR on a “Messiah” pedestal dies down amongst some (though not all) of the heroes and populace. Accusations are slung – a few of the heroes are called out for helping RWBY/J in Atlas-Mantle, for their initial willingness to absolve Team RWBY of all blame for their actions’ consequences, and for repressing their grief and going into denial that RWBY/J are dead. Ozpin is one of the most fervent in insisting that Team RWBY set the right example for them to follow.

If Salem could see the above with her own eyes, she’d have a shit-eating smile on her face.

Cinder learns that Raven is also in Vacuo. Realising that all three other Maidens are in one place, Cinder goes against Salem’s orders and beelines to Vacuo, intending to take all the Maiden powers for herself at once.

A minority of the heroes including Ozpin secretly make their own plans to steal the Sword of Destruction from its vault.

(ADDENDUM: Besides Ozpin's psychological instability from living so long and from his breakdown in Volume 6, Ozpin is probably stubborn about resuming his original mission set by the God of Light in the long-term, intending to hide the Sword of Destruction for a few more centuries so he can try rebuilding and "uniting" humanity again, because the Brother Gods are the only ones who can end HIS curse as well as Salem’s. Without the Gods’ last judgement, Ozpin’s resurrection cycle will continue practically forever and he fears that he’ll never rest, and after all that Ozpin has suffered through and sacrificed for the good of others, he inwardly feels that he’s earned the right to a happier ending than that for himself.)

One of the non-renegade heroes eventually forces the other non-renegades present to realise what’s happening: they’re doing Salem’s job for her by dividing themselves up with arguments.

Ozpin’s group get Omaira to open the Summer Maiden vault for them. Tyrian and Mercury, seeing their opening, strike while the vault is open, attempting to take the Sword of Destruction quickly.

At the same time, Cinder arrives, seeking to claim the Summer Maiden from Omaira. Salem, having anticipated Cinder’s recent actions in advance, has sent a massive Grimm army on Cinder’s coattails to keep an eye on her, to step in if Cinder, Tyrian and Mercury fail or get in each-other's way, and to increase the villains’ chances of decimating the heroes while they're at it. Cinder's arrival slows Tyrian and Mercury down enough that one of the other two Maidens arrives in time to join the heroes in fighting off the villains and defending the population in Shade. The residents of Shade Academy mobilise to defend their school and the people residing around it as much as possible.

Ozpin, Emerald, multiple huntsmen and huntresses and two Maidens clash with Cinder, Tyrian, Mercury and a massive horde of Grimm.

The heroes try to re-seal the Sword of Destruction in the vault, but the villains’ counter-efforts and the chaos of the battle hinder them. Emerald briefly confronts Cinder, and she encounters Mercury amid the battle. Tyrian and Qrow fight, with Tyrian psychologically exploiting Qrow’s anger over Clover’s death to make Qrow vulnerable. Mercury switches sides to the heroes during the battle. Ozpin considers using more of the Long Memory’s limited "nuke" magic to decimate the Grimm and cripple Cinder. The Sword of Destruction’s spirit is awakened and its power used against Salem’s forces. The fourth Maiden enters the fight, and Winter, Raven and Omaira with their combined Maiden powers overwhelm Cinder.

Cinder is killed, and the Fall Maiden power transfers out of her into one of the heroines present: this is helped by a few of the heroes, having planned for a post-Atlas confrontation with Cinder for months, exposing her pre-mortem to a Vacuan narcotic concoction which affects Cinder’s mental focus, so that she was more likely to think of one of her immediate enemies before dying and thus accidentally pass the Fall Maiden onto them.

(ADDENDUM: I think the new Fall Maiden could be someone who doesn’t already have a Maiden power, or alternatively, it could transfer into Raven, Winter or Omaira and we could then see just what a Double-Maiden infused with two Maiden spirits looks like. And while the hero-aligned Maidens overwhelm Cinder, their power might not necessarily be what lands the killing blow on her - maybe the killing blow is delivered in a way which disproves Cinder's whole "might makes right" mindset.)

The villains and the Grimm are defeated, and the Sword of Destruction is saved from being taken.

-

(To be continued in Part 3.)

[brw]

Hank Pym being in chronic pain is literally part of his character arc in Marvel Disk Wars, a weird anime where the Avengers become pokemon (they wanted to imprison/rehabilitate villains by storing them in the titular disks, but an accident led to the Avengers getting put in disks too, and now the only ones who can let them out temporarily are a group of kids).

In the context of that show, Wasp does something reckless on a mission, which causes Giant Man to overstretch his growing powers, which then causes him crippling pain every time he grows. He's forced to retire and becomes increasingly bitter that his old friends get the spotlight and he's a nobody. Then his old friends ask him for help releasing them from the disk sub-dimension. Their kid partners especially bug Hank to hurry his project up so much he's forced to upgrade his robot butler Ultron. Unfortunately, he manages to implant his own feelings of bitterness into Ultron, which turns Ultron evil, and Ultron sabotages the experiment, which forces Hank to use his powers to save everyone and then collapse from pain. The ensuing battle with Ultron hospitalizes him. SHIELD is severely unimpressed and drags him out of the hospital to court martial him, and during the process the strain makes him faint. After he wakes up, he panics about SHIELD wanting to jail him for Ultron's crimes and, with the help of a guilt-ridden Wasp and her partner, jacks a plane and goes home. However, SHIELD refuses to leave him alone and surrounds him with helicarriers, forcing him to use his powers again to get them to leave him alone. However, his rampage is a short one because he has to stop and clean up his own collateral damage before it harms Wasp. Then he gets hospitalized with worse symptoms than before.

If his life couldn't get worse, Ultron returns too, and Hank feels obligated to make a virus to stop him, but between his failing health and failed attempts to make the virus, he goes through a major nervous breakdown where he just wants someone to "wipe me off the face of the earth". Since this is an anime, the Avengers message Hank with their support for him, and it's enough to fire up his willpower and get him to succeed at the virus. Then he turns giant and fights Ultron, holding him down so Wasp can upload the virus. He's so badly battered and in pain that the Avengers' kid partners put him in a disk to heal him, but he's glad he could be a hero and help people and hang out with all his old friends.

To add insult in injury, in that show, Tony insults his coffee brewing skills because Hank only brews the cheap-ass stuff.

OOOO i have very little to add bc i have not watched but i did try to track it down once n failed... anon if you have a link please share i would absolutely love to observe this. that shield plot kinda reminds me of in ant-man/giant-man double feature, when he's forcibly institutionalised by the us gov. bc they don't listen or trust him, and again the beginning of avengers a.i..... man's can't catch a break 😔😔😔

[truthseekerthedragon]

i just read your entire thing (props for you for doing this since i agree with it all) but what would you do differently starting with TDG for the series?

This took a while because I had to give it some thought, and I was also planning to write a chapter-by-chapter breakdown or something like that. Fortunately, I changed my mind. (Also, I forgot Tumblr existed, whoops.) This is just how I would’ve written the series if the responsibility had been given to me and is not meant to criticize Tui, since unlike me, she's actually a published author.

Book 14 will focus on Hazel and her new responsibilities as queen, with her being indecisive and insecure. She goes to the Kingdom of Sand, then Possibility. During this time the HiveWings launch an invasion of Pyrrhia, and it's revealed here that Wasp has a limit on her mind control and can't hivemind dragons who are too far away, so she has to rely on her generals. Hazel has to step up during this time of crisis, constructing barricades and coming up with battle tactics. She will eventually confront a HiveWing soldier on the field, during a pitched battle that pushes them from Pyrrhia, and capture them. She will then use her newfound confidence, which she gained via character development, to convince them to switch sides.

Book 15 will focus on the HiveWing soldier who has turned to the side of good in the last book. They'll be fairly young (keeping with the character ages in all the books, even if I personally dislike how young everyone is) and accompanies the Pyrrhian counteroffensive to Pantala. They're one of the first to receive the breath of evil antidote, which they'll have helped to develop by gathering materials or something. The soldier then infiltrates some Hives, slips the antidote into the water supply, then instigates rebellion. We're getting our revolution arc back, folks. The breath of evil will be dealt with by a squad of LeafWings and RainWings (as the latter's venom can safely neutralize the BoE) as the rebellion confronts and captures Wasp in a fight that the protag will actually participate in--although later, a crowd of angry dragons will kill Wasp quite gruesomely, giving her the death an arc villain deserves. The epilogue will reveal that the BoE has been destroyed and that the SilkWings, HiveWings, and LeafWings are working to mend their relationship, including a scene where Blue reunites with Admiral as well as other miscellaneous details that will wrap up all the loose threads.

It's not perfect, but I couldn't find ways to, say, involve 15's protag in the destruction of the BoE since they have no reason to be on the mission and are probably busy with the revolution part of the story. The BoE's motivation will be retconned to it being a plant that wants to grow and spread, with all the "everything is mine!" talk in TPJ being an imperfect translation of sorts.

[auradon-bore-a-don]

Hi! You're on my Bingo card, and this is such a great opportunity to delve into new fandoms! Tell me about Daphne, when did the Radcliffes have her, who does she take after, and what are her thoughts on Cruella?

Hello! Glad I can introduce you to a new fandom!

To give you some backstory on Descendants: Belle and the Beast have been crowned the sole royalty of the United States of Auradon - a world where all the classic Disney stories have merged sort of Pangea like. They rounded up all the villains, both dead and alive at the end of their movies, and moved them to the Isle of the Lost where they live in horrible conditions. Fast forward 20 years where the children of the villains are given a chance to come to Auradon and live normal lives. Of course, their parents have given them a mission to steal the Fairy Godmother's wand and breakdown the magical barrier that surrounds the Isle so the villains can take their revenge. So the VK's (villain kids) will need to choose to follow in their parent's footsteps or to be good.

I'm still working on my exact timeline of events, both prior and post the wedding, but for me, the end of 101 Dalmatians happened before the wedding. Roger and Anita found out they were pregnant at the same time as Pongo and Perdida. Anita gave birth to a baby boy, Daphne's brother RJ. I imagine raising 101 dogs, mostly all puppies and a baby to be decently difficult. It took Roger and Anita quite a few years to get the Dalmatian farm up and running and to get to a place in their lives where they were ready to have another child. They had Daphne 4 years after Belle and Beast's wedding, a full 8 years after her brother was born, making her 16 years old during the events of the first movie.

It's hard to choose just one parent Daphne takes after most. I like to think she's a bit of a combination of the two - she has Roger's love of music and plays the piano, much to his delight, as well as a love of books from Anita, as I headcanon her to be an author as we don't know what she does in the movie. She also has her dad's sense of humor, much to her mother's chagrin. Daphne will stand up for anybody she thinks is being wrong, making her a fierce friend as well as a caring one. One of her flaws however, is that she tends to put those relationships above herself and will try to make other's happy before she is happy herself. One example of this being her crush on Ben, when he and Audrey, Aurora's daughter, get together it hurts, but she would rather they be happy together than hurt either of them by admitting her feelings.

Like most kids in Auradon, Daphne has grown up on stories about the villains living on the Isle. Her father has always been very vocal about his dislike of Cruella and while Roger and Anita try to not talk about her in front of Daphne, it's hard not to know about what happened when it's taught in your history class. Especially when she was young, Cruella was a sort of boogeyman figure for Daphne. She used to be extremely afraid that she would come back and take the Dalmatians away. As she grew up, Daphne's realized that Cruella is just a person, a mean and cruel person, but a person all the same. Daphne may not like Cruella but she's not afraid of her anymore.

-

Thanks for the ask, I answered this on my lunch break and it took way longer than I expected lol so I'll answer your other asks when I get home!

[daydreamerdrew]

Comics read this past week:

Marvel Comics:

The Defenders (1972) #76-85

In this batch of The Defenders issues I’ve gone from July 1979 to April 1980. Issues #76-77 were scripted by Steven Grant, with Mark Gruenwald assisting with the plot of issue #76. And issues #76-77 were penciled by Herb Trimpe, with Steve Mitchell inking issue #76 and issue #77 being inked by Steve Mitchell, Al Milgrom, and Chic Stone. Issues #78-85 were scripted by Ed Hannigan. The breakdowns for the art of issue #78 was done by Herb Trimpe, which was then finished and inked by Mike Esposito. Most of the pages of issue #78 were penciled by Herb Trimpe, with a few being done by Ed Hannigan, and all being inked by Mike Esposito. Issue #80 was penciled by Herb Trimpe and inked by Dan Green. The breakdowns for the art of issue #81 was done by Herb Trimpe, which was then finished and inked by Jack Abel. And the breakdowns for the art for issues #82-85 were done by Don Perlin. The breakdowns of issues #82-83 were then finished and inked by Joe Sinnot, of issue #84 by Tex Blaisdell, and of issue #85 by Jim Mooney.

These issues are largely split between three different storylines of the original defenders- Dr. Strange, Hulk, and Namor- on a mission in Tunnelworld, Kyle being charged in his civilian identity for tax fraud and so not allowed to adorn his Nighthawk identity, and a uniquely all-female configuration of the Defenders made up of the Valkyrie, Hellcat, the Wasp, and for a brief time also Moondragon.

That last storyline is light-heartedly referred to by Hank in issue #78 as "the world's first female super-team" but it is not actually referred to by the characters themselves as them being the Defenders. In issue #76 Val is wondering, "I have no other home… If the Defenders have truly disbanded, what options are open to me. Where can I possibly go?" And Janet refers to helping Patsy, not as her being willing to join the Defenders, but because, "We Avengers have to stick together!" But the narration frames this differently and in issue #77 refers to the group as, "Hellcat, the Valkyrie, the Wasp, and Moondragon- who now comprise of the dynamic Defenders."

It was interesting to me how that reflects the unique concept of the Defenders. The typical opening narration refers to them as "the greatest NON-TEAM in history." My understanding is that this is because typical superhero teams in the Marvel universe have the members living together and formal rules, including an obligation to show up to help with missions and punishments for not doing so, but the Defenders eschew all that and so don't quite qualify as a proper team. It's been presented as that someone is a Defender once they've teamed-up with the group, even if that character didn't recognize it as joining the team during their team-up. There does tend to be a core group of people, who may consider themselves to be the main Defenders, that consistently appear in the book across multiple missions. But that's because their interpersonal bonds mean that they're in close proximity to each other and so are more easily reachable for missions. This all makes it possible for how, back in issue #52, Namor, who hadn't appeared in the book for a while, is surprised when Kyle, who joined the team as Namor was leaving, reminds him that they are a part of the same superhero team, but also accepts that as true. The Defenders are literally whoever is regularly appearing in the book The Defenders, but also in perpetuity whoever has teamed-up with any past configuration of the Defenders.

That group was also interesting to me with that that storyline did with gender. This is actually not the first time there's been an all-female configuration of the Defenders, as back in issue #45 the Hulk, Nighthawk, Luke Cage, and Dr. Strange were under the power of a villain, which left Valkyrie, Hellcat, and Red Guardian to fight and free them. This time they ended up fighting the Mandrill, a supervillain with the ability to control women through making them fall in love with him and therefore willing to do whatever he wants. In issue #80 Val is horrified and disgusted after getting freed from the Mandrill's control, shouting, "The Mandrill! He used us- used us! I swear by Hela's dark legion- he shall pay!" None of the others react with this strength, but it makes sense that she would be the most affected. Her concept as this idealized woman warrior with established principles but limited actual lived experience on earth makes her really bothered by any form of male attention. In issue #53 she gets really uncomfortable being on a crowded subway until she finally pushes the people away from her and shouts, "Enough! I cannot abide this intimacy with strangers! Stand away from me- now!" Also, in issue #85, after Patsy has striked a serious blow against the Mandrill's supervillain plot, he comments, "Incredible that I, the master of women, should have my efforts thwarted by a self-styled female super-hero!" I'm really curious as to how much future issues of The Defenders will play the gender ratio of the team and how much it'll be relevant to the stories.

break because of the character block limit

In issue #84 Dr. Strange returns home from a mission and finds Patsy and Val there with Clea. Patsy says to him, "We decided that the three of us had some common interests- welcome to the first meeting of the new Defenders! Wanna join!" While the follow-up to this was delayed by a supervillain plot, we're clearly leading into an articulation of the new configuration of the Defenders. It's clear that Val and Patsy will be a part of it. Clea has actually been talking about wanting to join the team for a while now, but had so far been prevented by Dr. Strange who believed that she wasn't ready for that kind of independence, though in the meantime she has still been forming bonds with the team-members. She complains about that in issue #78, "I feel so out of place, alone on Earth… Better I had faced the prospect of death [on Stephen's latest Defenders mission] than boredom and unease in a world of strangers!" Dr. Strange has been distant from the group for a while, which was prompted by him needing the space to deal with a personal issue that was negatively impacting his magic, and I don't think that he really wants to be closer to the others at this point. If Clea's a part of the team, then his specific skillset might be redundant; but also if Clea's a part of the team, then he might want to be there to look out for her. I fully expect the Hulk to rejoin as he's quit many times, so we've seen him repeatedly quickly come back and what the team provides for him in terms of companionship remains true. We actually have been getting some conflict around the Hulk's feelings about friendship lately. Back in issue #75 the Hulk had been having some doubts about whether or not he even wanted friends because he's had so many experiences with friends hurting him either by betraying him or dying. He ended up deciding that he did want the other Defenders in his life, but he got back just as the team was falling apart, which made him get upset and run off again. In issue #78 he repeats that he doesn't want friends, and prefaces his agreement to Dr. Strange that he'll help him and Namor with Defenders business with, "Defenders? Bah, Hulk has quit Defenders, even other Defenders have quit- Sword-Girl, Cat-Girl- all quit!" But in issue #85 he agrees to help even the Defenders that had hurt his feelings, so it looks like that's headed on the right track. Surprisingly, it looks like Kyle's also gearing up to rejoin as long as there isn't anything physically stopping him from doing so. He is still in the middle of a tax fraud investigation that's inhibiting him from being Nighthawk. He had disbanded the team in a rage back in issue #75 after they'd contributed to events that led to the riding academy he owned getting burned down, but he seems to have gotten over that because his response in issue #79 to learning that they're in trouble is the casual, "Sure, I know Val and Hellcat are my friends- even though they are responsible for burning down my house!" And then he risks further legal trouble by going out at Nighthawk to help them. And there's no mention on their part of any kind of grudge against him for having tried to end the team when he was upset. But, at the same time, it would be strange for this overarching plotline to end up with the Defenders largely right as they were before it started.

Iron Man (1968) #54-62

In this batch of Iron Man issues I’ve gone from October 1972 to June 1973. Issue #54 was written by Mike Friedrich from a “story idea” from Bill Everett, penciled by George Tuska, and primarily inked by Vinnie Colletta with Bill Everett just doing the heads of Namor the Sub-Mariner, a character he originally created. Issue #55 was plotted and penciled by Jim Starlin, scripted by Mike Friedrich, and inked by Mike Esposito. Issue #56 was plotted and penciled by Jim Starlin, plotted and scripted by Steve Gerber, and inked by Mike Esposito. Issue #57 was written by Steve Gerber, issue #58 was plotted by Steve Gerber and scripted by Mike Friedrich, and then issues #59-62 were written by Mike Friedrich. Issues #57-61 were penciled by George Tuska and issue #62 was penciled by Craig Russell with assistance from John Romita. Issues #57-58 and #62 were inked by Mike Esposito and Frank Giacoia and issues #59-61 were inked by just Mike Esposito.

Issue #57 opens with a scene of Stark Industries workers protesting the company. They have signs that say things like, "sell-out phony Tony shares secrets with the enemy." They're saying things like, "We've been workin' an' slavin' for a crummy traitor!" And most dramatically they're burning a doll replica of Iron Man in front of the company's building. This leads to an awkward scene where Tony is talking about how, "This strike could spell the end for Stark Industries. If it drags on- keeps us from meeting our production quotas- we'll be a financial disaster area! It's soon revealed that the man running the union who wants to represent Tony's employees, who has convinced them all that Tony's become a communist, and is therefore a traitor to the United States, because he's pivoting the company away from weapons manufacturing and instead towards environmental research and has offered to share their discoveries with communist countries, is actually Tony's old villain the Mandarin. In issue #58 Tony is able to calm people down after they storm into his office and trash it with a speech about how what he's doing isn't unpatriotic, revealing to them that their union leader is a supervillain, and telling the police that show up that it was a company matter and so he won't be pressing charges for the damages in front of his employees. However, at the end of the issue, while they've verified that the union leader was actually a supervillain, they're still not convinced that what he was telling them wasn't true. Their ultimate decision, which Tony is happy with, is, "We're not about to join in undermining our country! But if Stark's right, we wanna be in with him… So we're taking the gamble!"

I sort of wonder if that little storyline wasn't written to ensure readers that Tony hadn't abandoned his anti-communist principles, which have been more emphasized in his comics than in the other Marvel comics I've read from this era because of his character concept as a representative of capitalism. It didn't come up again later in this batch. But there's a letter that was printed in issue #55 from a fan named Irwin T. Lapeer expressing concern that Tony was being made to no longer be a conservative and said that, "There was a beautiful irony (no pun intended) in having Tony Stark, the one-man military-industrial complex, as a peace-making good guy." The response said, "Actually, Irwin, Tony Stark was and is basically a conservative guy. His reordering of priorities is based not so much on politics, as on basic human values."

This batch of issues included the introduction of Roxy Gilbert, the sister of the radical villain Firebrand, who hated the current state of the U.S. and Tony Stark as emblematic of it, and the daughter of the late Simon Gilbert, who had attempted a takeover of Stark Industries and died during his own scheme to blow up Tony's munitions plant to make him look bad. While Firebrand had hated his father while he was alive, he's upset by his father's death and blames Iron Man for it. In issue #59 he kidnaps Pepper and his own sister to lure out Iron Man so that he could try to kill him. Roxy stands up to her brother, and not realizing that she's fully committed fires a blast at her, which she takes completely. Tony is disgusted that he would have so seriously hurt his sister, but as he's wailing on Firebrand the grievously injured Roxy tells him, "D-don't h-hit him… He's my b-brother… Violence is not the way… to make them see… even him!" Tony's deeply impressed, thinking, "Roxie is the real hero here- and she's given me a lot to think about… Questions about my very way of life! She must live! She must!" Tony's first knowledge of her was that she was insisting on selling the Stark Industries stock that she inherited from her father, calling it "blood money," and was insisting that Tony personally handle the transaction, which turned out to be so that she could lecture him. In issue #60 Tony visits her in the hospital as Iron Man, but she's cold to him, saying of her brother, "I'm sure your savage pounding only strengthened his hatred! I'm sorry… I'm being harsh!" Tony thinks he might, "break thru to her as Tony Stark… turning on the old suave charm." But then he quickly finds that she'd already told the nurses that she didn't want to see Tony at all if he arrived. The nurse explains to him, "She detests a man whose fortune rests on the inventive savagery of Stark Industries munitions!' Tony is shocked, but the nurse follows that up with, "Let me add, sir- I personally agree with her! No amount of well-publicized 'reordered priorities' will wash away the Asian blood your weapons shed- not merely once or twice- but for a decade, Mister Stark!" Tony thinks, "Is this my legacy- to be constantly criticized for doing what at the time I believed right?" Later, in issue #62, Tony thinks to himself about how he's, "hiding a fascination of my own with a little young lady named Roxy Gilbert! While she doesn't care a wit for me!" So I'm assuming that we'll be seeing more of her, and the conflict she represents, in future issues.

break for character block limit

Pepper Potts, and with her Happy Hogan, returned to the book as recurring characters in issue #57 when Pepper asked Tony for her old job as his secretary back, and with their return came a very quick dissolution of their marriage. It's actually a little difficult to really be convinced by the dramatics of their relationship falling apart, because it's made clear by how quickly is happens that they were already on their way to this before they became involved with Tony again, so I'm not convinced that any of it wouldn't have happened even without the specific events of the issues in this batch. The conflict between them is largely based around Pepper not being satisfied with being a housewife and wanting a job, while Happy is unhappy with her not being home enough by his standards. In issue #57 Pepper explains her asking for her old job back as because, "It's hard just keeping ahead of inflation, so Happy and I decided… I need a job." This is contradicted in issue #59 where Happy tells Pepper that he's bothered by, "You bein' away- from the home… from me!" Pepper defends her getting job by saying, "Darling, I've tried to explain… I can't stand being cooped up!" and "If I don't grow… expand… I'll go nuts! How can you want a wife who isn't first a human being?" Happy is dismissive and says, "I always liked your college fancy words- now I ain't so sure! Sounds like you're swallowin' that women's lib malarkey!" Pepper tells him, "Oh, Hap- I don't want to be 'liberated'- I just want to be me!" This conflict escalates when Pepper and Tony go on a business trip together, starting in issue #60. Happy calls her and says, "A week is too long! You belong here at home! I wantcha to quit being Tony's secretary!" Pepper says, "I can't- I'd go nuts with nothing to do! Don't worry, Hap- I still love you!" But Happy says, after angrily hanging up, "Not my kinda love, it ain't! What happened to that woman? She ain't the girl I married, that's for sure! She wasn't a high-flyin swinger then- and that's the way I liked it!" And this all prompts Pepper to think, "There were bound to be some change- yet Hap can't cope with them! I once loved Hap's stability- but now it's almost a drag on our marriage! If only he had Tony's flair, things would be so much simpler! Why can't love stand the strain?"

Later in issue #60, Pepper and Tony go out to dinner together. Pepper is privately thinking, "Steady, girl- why's your hand trembling? It can't be because you're near Tony, can it?" Meanwhile Tony is thinking, "Look at her- straight, level-headed business-woman- who has a picture-perfect marriage- with somebody else!" And, at the same time, Happy is off by himself thinking, "I can't even stay mad! My job's great- my home's cozy- only Pepper ain't there! I don't know- maybe we weren't really each other's kind- maybe it's right that she's left me here… alone- while she and Tony have such a swinging time!" In issue #61 Happy sees a newspaper with a photo of Tony and Pepper out to dinner. His immediate reaction: "That little lying witch!" He's dismissive of that she "sez she's gotta 'expand' herself- 'n' 'grow'… and can't do it here at home!" And so he calls her, intending to tell her that he's insisting on her quitting being Tony's secretary, but Pepper isn't able to answer because she's currently wrapped up in an Iron Man crisis. His assumption is that she's "probably gossiping to her new high-society friends!" The issue ends with the reveal that Happy has sent Pepper a telegram telling her he's leaving her.

At the beginning of issue #62 it's established that neither Tony nor Pepper had been able to speak to Happy since he sent the telegram and Tony thinks about how Pepper, "decided it best to continue on this trip! It's normal, something to grab onto! Pepper must be realy bottling some heavy feelings inside!" The story of this issue is that Tony and Pepper are in Cincinatti meeting Vicki Snow, who is Stark Industries' first woman plant manager, as well as Mark Scott, her assistant and head of research, as well as her fiance, and secretly also the villain Whiplash who has a serious grudge against Iron Man. He's plotting to get Vicki's job through their relationship, under the assumption that she'll become his housewife once they're married. He has no interest in marrying her if he can't get her job through it, and he's actually really bothered to be working under a woman. He conspicously refers to her as "the little lady who's gonna soon be minding the kitchen for me" in front of Tony. Her knee-jerk reaction is, "Mark?! How can you talk about kitchens? I've got my work here- which is much more important!" Then she thinks, "Why'd Mark have to bring that up in front of my boss? That could've really hurt my career?" Vicki tries to salvage the interaction, but as Mark leaves he tells Tony, "Oh, 'tween us men, Mr. Stark, Vicki can't wait to set up house-keeping!" Tony thinks, "Hmmm… He seems like quite a climber- as well as rather insensitive!" But Mark is thinking, "Hope I got Stark thinking of me in a favorable way!" Later, as Vicki is giving Tony and Pepper and demonstration, Mark attacks them as the whiplash. Vicki is impressed by how Tony runs to 'find'' Iron Man, rather than running for safety, thinking, "He's so… dedicated! What other big-wig would go to his trouble." And later still, as Vicki sees Iron Man continue fighting Whiplash despite the damage to his armor, she thinks, "He's as dedicated to S.I. as Mr. Stark! Barehanded! I'm… awed!" Whiplash ultimately escapes, and at the end of the issue Vicki breaks up with Mark, saying, "Your demands are too much to go along with my job!" Mark tells her, "Then quit the job, dummy! A guy like me's better equipped for it anyway!" She says, "That's an insult, Mark! I saw the dedication that Iron Man showed yesterday- and determined I could give Tony Stark no less!"

break for the character block limit

It's revealed in issue #58 that Tony's transplanted heart is beginning to naturally heal after he had a heart attack and then miraculously recovered even though the chest plate hadn't been charged. He realizes, "For increasingly lengthy times I can live without my chestplate power! who knows, in short time I may be completely free of it- Free!" He very briefly reconsiders that he could have a relationship, specifically in the context of reflecting on history with Pepper, before reprioritizing superhero business, saying, "Though now with my heart perhaps healing! C'mon- who you kidding! Pepper's changed- you've changed- think of the future- and this hero's future is finding the Mandarin!" Still the issue ends with Tony is a positive place, thinking, "I must work on extending the time I can go without my chestplate- but after all these years, it's a glorious pleasure! This truly is the first day of the rest of a free life!"

Issue #59 begins with Tony in a very, very negative place as he learns that his ex-fiance Marianne is in a sanitarium. He had broken up with her back in issue #51 after she had abandoned him while he was having a heart attack because she was overwhelmed by one of her visions and became convinced that her presence would kill Tony. That made him come to the conclusion that his life was too fragile to have her instability in it, and he broke up with her without much compassion for how her visions were negatively affecting her, which were often about Tony's experiences as Iron Man, and actually also dismissed their legitimacy in his anger. In this issue he's told by her doctor that, "Miss Rodgers was admitted here at Milford Sanitarium suffering from dangerous hallucinations! Fearsome monsters and weird menacing aliens are standard- except she'd keep screaming about you- and your bodyguard Iron Man! I'm afraid she's gotten worse, Mr. Stark- twice this week she's threatened our counselors- and now her behavior's that of a child- who's lost total control of herself!" Tony is devastated and puts on his Iron Man armor so that while can destroy stuff in his office, as well as punch his Iron Man helmet, in a rage, all the while thinking, "So it's come to this? From a soft, warm woman- to a psychotic human vegetable! And who's to blame? Her- for mysteriously blossoming with extra-sensory perceptive abilities? And for falling in… love- with a man who thought he loved her in kind- then learned he didn't- or at least couldn't, because, until recently, an iron plate perpetually shielded his heart- put there to pump the blood- but cutting off as well all… feeling! And now she may never see the light of sanity again- because I denied her powers- because I rejected her love- because the iron took precedence over the man- because of me, blast it- me!!"

The Incredible Hulk (1968) #245-253

In this batch of Hulk appearances I went from December 1979 to August 1980. Issues #245-253 were written by Bill Mantlo. Issues #245-248 and #250-253 were penciled and inked by Sal Buscema and issue #249 was penciled and inked by Steve Ditko.

Issues #245-246 followed the Hulk as he attacked Gamma Base in an attempt to retrieve his dead girlfriend Jarella's body. Issues #247-248 was about the Hulk in Jarella's microscopic homeworld, burying her body and then moving on. Two convening subplots amidst all that was Leonard Samson taking care of General Ross, as he's had a mental breakdown, and the Hulk's friends Rick Jones, Fred Sloan, and Betty Ross going to Gamma Base to confront Glenn Talbot and then deciding to go visit General Ross so that Fred can interview him for his book about the Hulk. Issues #249 and #250 were both separate largely stand-alone stories. And then issue #251 established that the group of characters from the subplot were in trouble and ended with the Hulk learning that. And issues #252-253 were about the Hulk attempting to help his friends.

Rick Jones and Fred Sloan have a joint TV interview in issue #245 to try to help the Hulk's reputation. Rick Jones says, "The Hulk would be harmless if left alone- but someone- some power- mad super-villain or the military- always provokes him!" And Fred Sloan says, "The Hulk is a man- a brilliant physicist named Bruce Banner. The brain of a genius- trapped in the body of a brute!" Later, in issue #251, this is referenced when a kid, who's father allowed Bruce to stay the night at their house and then called the police on him, goes to wake Bruce up and warn him because he's a fan of Rick from his time with the Teen Brigade and "The Hulk used to be friends with Rick Jones! I heard that on the Mike Douglas show!" Fred Sloan is still working on his book about the Hulk, which is intended to, as he explains in issue #245, "get the truth about the Hulk in print- that he's not just a mindless monster!" I'm curious to see if this TV interview will have any other effects, what the rest of Fred's book research will look like, and if when it's published if it'll have any actually long-lasting effects on the Hulk's reputation. We've seen very brief periods of time where the Hulk's life gets better, which always gets quickly and decisively ruined for him. Of course this can't lead to a permanent improvement in the Hulk's reputation, but it would be interesting to see what it could look like for the Hulk's life to get better in a way that doesn't end in a few issues.

I enjoyed the conflict between the Hulk and Glenn Talbot in issues #245-246 as a story in which the human enemy was incredibly unhinged and unreasonable and the Hulk had a rare opportunity to articulate himself well to an enemy. Talbot tells the Hulk, "You will find death long before you secure your freedom, Hulk! I intend to end your life! As your intrusion into my life ended the dreams and aspirations of Glenn Talbot!" Talbot provides a retelling of his character's history up until now, in which he emphasizes the unreasonableness of Betty loving Bruce even after she learned that he was the Hulk. Later Talbot feigns ignorance as to why the Hulk attacked Gamma Base. When Captain Marvel explains to him that the Hulk only wanted Jarella's body, Talbot says he'll give the Hulk what he wants for the sake of his men's safety and that he recognizes that, "the Hulk only became destructive because I stood in his way!" But that was really just a ploy to get Captain Marvel to leave so he could go back to trying to kill the Hulk, as he didn't actually care that he was unnecessarily endangering people. And this section of the story ends with Talbot purposely destroying the machine that could bring the Hulk back from Jarella's world after Captain Marvel sent him there with her body, saying, "At last I'm rid of him! The Hulk cost me my marriage, robbed me of the love of Betty Ross! Now let him drift for all eternity in subspace- in the embrace of his dear, dead Jarella!" What we see of the soldiers' perspective of this is one of them saying, "This is madness! That monster's tearing Gamma Base apart with his bare hands- and we're wasting millions of the taxpayer's dollars keeping him from the body of a dead alien! Why??" And then another responding, "Because those are the Colonel's orders, airman- and I'd hate to be the one to tell him he's wrong!" While they hadn't manifested yet in this batch of issues, I'm assuming that all this will have negative consequences on Talbot's career, at least for some period of time.

The Hulk's response to Talbot is, "But what of Hulk's life? What of Hulk's loves?? Hulk had friends once, Talbot, but you and Ross kept Hulk from Betty- and Rick, and Jim! Now when Hulk just wants to take the body of his friend home- back to world where Jarella was a queen, Talbot says, 'No!' Hulk is tired of 'No!' Talbot! He is tired of puny soldiers who try to keep him from his friends, even when his friends are dead!" Later, when Captain Marvel intervenes to prevent the Hulk from killing Talbot, Hulk says, "Talbot is the one who put on armor to kill Hulk! Why is it always Hulk who is wrong for fighting back?!" This is part of an interesting trend that continues on later in this batch of the Hulk doing a remarkably good job of expressing himself and what he recognizes as injustice against him. He repeats a similar sentiment later in issue #252 when Fred asks him not to hurt Siren as Siren is actively attacking him, saying, "Fred doesn't want Hulk to hurt Bird-Girl, but Fred says nothing when she hurts Hulk! It is Fred who must decide who his friends are- Hulk… or animal-people!"

break because of the character block limit

In issue #246 there's a scene where Leonard Samson, while taking care of General Ross, says, "If only he could accept reality- that the Hulk is as tortured and tormented as he is!" Later in issue #252 there's a dramatic scene when a grievously injured Samson pathetically crawls after the Hulk to try to stop him from going after Betty, Fred, Rick, and General Ross, who've all been kidnapped and are being held hostage, because he believes "there'd be a fight" and "if you go after them, the changelings may kill their captives! When Samson next appears in issue #253, he's recovered, and it's after it's after the Hulk had left the group behind because they falsely believed that they could handle the situation themselves and his presence would only make things worse, which hurt the Hulk's feelings. Hulk tells Samson, "Hulk came to save Hulk's friends- but they did not want his help! Not Hulk does not care what happens to them!" Samson angrily responds, "Well I care, you brainless monster!" This obviously upsets the Hulk and prompts a fight between the two of them. Samson recognizes that, "If I had approached him calmly, I might have learned what I needed to know! Now there's no possibility of preventing a fight!" Later Samson and the Hulk receive word that the group is not, in fact, actually able to handle the situation themselves and calm down to go help them. During that, as they're fighting human-animal hybrids, there's a moment where the Hulk says, "Take a good look at elephant-man and cat-man, Samson, and remember next time you call Hulk monster!" Samson thinks, "I've always more or less regarded the Hulk as incapable of reason. Yet, he just made a fairly complex point! Maybe the Hulk is far more capable of analytical thought than I, or anyone, ever gave him credit for! I'll have to delve deeper into that- if we come out of this alive!" At the end of the issue, Samson says, "Hulk, I tried to prevent you from coming to help here, afraid that you'd endanger the changelings' hostages by reacting brutishly, mindlessly! I was wrong! Today I saw you reason analytically and fight strategically! Maybe I'm the one who needs to think before I act!" I really hope that Samson does delve deeper into the Hulk's mental capabilities and that they at some point have a therapy session that's more like a diagnostic examination.

Samson has previously goaded fights with the Hulk when he could have tried to handle things more peacefully because he wanted the opportunity to try to prove that he could take him in a fight. During their fight in issue #253, Samson asks himself "What good is it being Doc Samson- super hero- if I can't bring this unthinking brute to his knees" and thinks, "If only I could somehow sublimate my intellect- become as savage and unreasoning as the Hulk- perhaps then I might find my power increasing in proportion to my rage!" Later there's a scene where, even after having seen the Hulk reason, Samson is self-conscious about his approach to being a superhero, saying, "Listen to me! Even while fighting I sound like I'm preparing a doctoral dissertation! I wish I could decide who I am- a scientist or a super hero!" This is even though it is in no way negatively effecting his fighting, which the narration points out. That Samson is still subconsciously sabotaging his interactions with the the Hulk for the sake of trying to prove that he's better and is still jealous of the Hulk has interesting implications for any future therapy they might do together.

After the Hulk first defeated Talbot in issue #245, Talbot has, "the sudden irrational conviction that he may have lost the woman he loved- not because of any failure of feeling on his part, but because Betty Ross never stopped loving Bruce Banner, the man within the Hulk!" He confronts her about this in issue #247, asking, "Why don't you admit you never stopped loving Bruce Banner- the man trapped inside the Hulk!" To this Betty only says, "I won't even dignify that with a response, Glenn!" And, in issue #248, when Talbot sends one of his soldiers to ask her to come see him before she leaves, she tells him, "You can tell Col. Talbot I have no wish to see him, soldier- now… or ever again!" She also says, "It wasn't so much the Hulk that Glenn feared- but me! He could never believe that I had gotten over my love for Bruce Banner, even after I consented to become Mrs. Glenn Talbot! His insane jealously came between us more than Bruce ever did! But now, strangely enough, I can thank Glenn for awakening me to the realization that- where he is- I may yet love Bruce Banner!" In issue #249 Betty says, "General 'Thunderbolt' Ross is a tired, broken old man! The Hulk is a misunderstood monster! The hunt goes on- with neither of the two men I love ever finding peace!" The opening narration of issue #252 describes her as "Betty Ross- Once she loved Bruce Banner. Maybe she still does." At the end of issue #253 Betty says, "Even at his worst, the Hulk always possessed some small part of the persona of Bruce Banner- a brilliant physicist, a dedicated humanitarian, a man I loved!" Betty's relationship with Talbot lasted for most of the 70s. It's been a while since Bruce and Betty have been in a relationship and I'm really hoping that that's genuinely where this is headed because I'm really curious to see how that'll be portrayed outside of the 60s comics' styling.

Marvel Team-Up (1972) #97 and What If? (1977) #23

The Marvel-Team Up issue was published in June 1980. The issue was written by written by Steven Grant, penciled by Carmine Infantino, and inked by Al Gordon. The story was a team-up between the Hulk and Jessica Drew, Spider-Woman. It was overall not a very significant story, but I liked the opening narration stating that the American southwest, and particularly New Mexico, was where the Hulk was created and "it is the land that he always returns to, no matter how far-flung his journeys, for it is the only place that the misunderstood monster can think of as home!" And I liked that the ending of the issue had Jessica Drew trying to save the Hulk from a collapsing building because she didn't know that he could easily survive that on his own, and then she doesn't identify him to the police when he jumps away and "silently, fervently, she wishes him luck."

The What If? issue was published in July 1980. The issue was written by Peter Gillis, penciled by Herb Trimpe, and inked by Mike Esposito. The story explores an alternative universe of "what if... the Hulk's girlfriend Jarella had not died?"

In Jarella’s first appearance it’s the Hulk she chooses to form a relationship with, but then Bruce’s mind is magically given control of the Hulk’s body and that’s who she actually depicting as having a relationship with. In the immediate aftermath of that story it was the Hulk who was longing for Jarella, whereas Bruce was still in love with Betty Ross. But then Bruce resigned himself to pursuing Jarella after Betty chose to form a relationship with Glenn Talbot. None of Jarella’s appearances from that point up until her death actually reconciled who was actually in love with in a satisfactory way. Sometimes it would seem that she was more in a relationship with Bruce and sometimes that she was more in a relationship with the Hulk, but also her characterization outside of that seemed to just haphazardly change for the sake of either having Jarella elicit a certain response from the Hulk for the sake of the story or to get Jarella to remove herself from the story when it was time for more typical Hulk adventures.

Early on in this story she tells the Hulk, “I would find my exile pleasant with you, my love- except that your mind is so woefully clouded when you are in this world! In mine, you have your full intellect.” This isn’t appealing to me as a Hulk fan! It’s just someone that the Hulk really cares about telling him that she wishes she was actually with Bruce. But the Hulk isn’t allowed to respond to this in the hurt way that he would with anyone else because this is supposed his beloved girlfriend that he tragically couldn’t have a happy life with, his characterization just unconvincingly warps whenever he’s around her. And that’s really the crux of the issue, I’ve honestly never able to find Jarella interesting either as her own character or what she brought out in Bruce and the Hulk. Later in this story the two of them return to Jarella’s world, and so she is once again with Bruce in the Hulk’s body. And there’s a scene where Jarella is endangered and he says, “My pulse is racing- mustn’t lose control- have to think- No! If I keep repressing the Hulk side of me, Jarella will die! And Hulk will not let her!” He realizes, “All my life I’ve been afraid of my rage- my destructive urges! No longer! At last I’ve found something worth raging for!” And he declares, “Today the Hulk and Banner both rage- we both stand and fight together- and together we are greater!” However, the way that they’ve been portrayed with Jarella in the past doesn’t given me any faith that there’s going to be any sort of fair shared existence after this.

DC Comics:

Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods (2023) #3-4 and Wonder Woman (2016) #798

In the main story of Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #3, written by G. Willow Wilson and drawn by Emanuela Lupacchino and Cian Tormey, Billy is blessed by the goddess Hippolyta, after having been seriously weakened by the Wizard Shazam in the previous issue, which allows him to properly participate in the big battle. In this story Billy expresses, “I had no idea what I was doing and I should’ve said so. The Wizard was right. Mary is smarter than me. But I couldn’t just sit around in Earth doing nothing while people were suffering.”

This miniseries continuing the strange trend of Billy being emphasized as particularly inexperienced and not knowing what he’s doing as a hero, which has stopped being believable as more and more time passed and stories are published where he’s framing as not having any experience while we can see him getting more and more experience. Though this particularly approach to it comes as responding to the way people talked about Billy and Mary after the Shazam! movie in 2019 was released, and not anything that anyone’s ever said about Billy within the comics world prior to this miniseries.

In the main story of Wonder Woman #798, written by Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad and drawn by Amancay Nahuelpan, Mary joins the main group, having concluded off-screen a fight that began back in Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #2. She chooses to give Diana her powers to help her in a battle against Hera, which leaves herself vulnerable. Billy’s role in this issue is very minimal.

In the back-up story, written by Josie Campbell and drawn by Caitlin Yarsky, Diana takes the time in the midst of the war to talk to Mary, who now feels that she’s just a human liability, and reveals that in sharing her powers Mary also showed her past with Diana. Diana says, “I saw you, growing up in a world far crueler than mine. Hurt by those who should have loved you best. Possessing a warrior’s heart in a fragile mortal form. Despite it all, you rose to become a hero. To save others. To save me. You are not a burden, Mary. You are a marvel.” And she gifts Mary the weapons the Amazons she met in the previous issue’s back-up story were fighting with: the helm of Victory, which can be used as a projectile weapon, the sandals of Hermes, which grant the power to fly, and the gauntlets of Atlas, which enhance strength. Mary then uses her new abilities to fight the god Typhon, who refers to her as the “so-called champion of Shazam.” Mary’s response is, “That’s a mouthful, huh? Honestly, the name’s overused. Billy can have it. You’re about to lose to Wonder Woman… and… Mary Marvel!”

That phrasing came across to me as weirdly belittling to The New Champion of Shazam! (2022), which’s portrayal of Mary I had really enjoyed. I was already bothered by the concept of Mary losing the superhero name Shazam because I didn’t think that Mary Marvel worked really well for modern comics and I didn’t see Mary losing the name Shazam as necessary because it was already been announced that Billy wasn’t going to be taking it on. I also thinks it’s inherently awkward that New Champion concluded in January and it’s story was so thematically-focused on Mary taking on the title of Shazam despite sexist resistance, and it’s being followed up with that being very quickly walked back. This specific execution is unideal for me because, as a primarily Marvel Family fan, I don’t like Mary becoming this tied to the Wonder Woman mythos. I was, however, glad that Mary at least chose the name Mary Marvel for herself, rather than be labeled that by someone else. Also, Billy’s brief appearance in this story was just one panel of him waving at Mary from a distance.

In the main story of Lazarus Planet: Revenge of the Gods #4, which was written by G. Willow Wilson and drawn by Cian Tormey, Diana quickly loses her Shazam powers as the Wizard Shazam appears and gives some to Hera and when those two collide it seems that they cancel each other’s out. This also largely ends the overarching conflict as it’s then determined that the sides are too evenly matched for the war to continue on. This story also has a scene where Mary and Diana have a nice heart to heart while Billy is off in the background being foolish.

And in the back-up story, written by Josie Campbell and drawn by Caitlin Yarsky, Billy and Mary finally have an extended conversation. Also, Mary has her Amazonian gifts again, which she was missing in the main story, presumably because their existence was not communicated between the creative teams. Billy calls upon the Wizard Shazam and tells him that he’s not holding a grudge against him for siding with the gods in the war, he assumes the Wizard must of had a reason, and also that he thinks Mary is more worthy and capable and that she should be the Wizard’s champion. Both of these things feel discordant to how Billy was portrayed prior to this miniseries and I’m not convinced that the experiences he’s had in it would have caused him to take this bold stance. What ends up happening is that the Wizard Shazam gives Billy his powers back, and Hippolyta gives Mary an updated version of her original Fawcett pantheon of goddesses. As a classic Marvel Family fan, this isn’t actually what I wanted as I was happy with how Mary was portrayed in New Champion as am sad to see that portrayal abandoned. But I’m also not really expecting to see Mary appear in much for a while after this, so I'm not expecting to have to deal with it that much.

Also, the Wizard explains his behavior as that he had thought Billy betrayed him back in Lazarus Planet: We Once Were Gods (2023) #1 when he got cut off from the Rock of Eternity, which happened when Billy freed himself from it by absorbing it into himself. This disappointed me as I thought the implication in that issue was that the Wizard's mind was being warped by the Lazarus rains, which was then further emphasized by how menacing and cruel the Wizard was in this miniseries. I hadn't liked it because that portrayal was really so much like how he was portrayed back in the Shazam! (2019) ongoing, but it worked just a bit better for me when I thought they were going for that he was being mentally influenced and not that he was just being that evil.

Fawcett Comics:

the Captain Marvel stories in Whiz Comics (1940) #66-69 and in Captain Marvel Adventures (1941) #47-50 and in The Marvel Family (1945) #1

In this batch of classic Captain Marvel stories I’ve gone from July 1945 to December 1945. There was one Captain Marvel story per issue of Whiz Comics and three per issue of Captain Marvel Adventures and there were two in the issue of The Marvel Family for a total of eighteen stories read in this batch. These stories ranged from seven to fifteen pages.

The story “Captain Marvel vs. Billy Batson in the Trial of Mr. Morris” (writer unknown; possibly drawn by C.C. Beck) in Whiz Comics #66 had Billy as a witness to a crime that outwardly seemed to have been done by his boss Sterling Morris, but who Billy trusts wouldn't have done it. While it all works out by the end, I really enjoyed reading Billy's distress as he tries and fails to testify in Mr. Morris' favor and just keeps saying, "N- no, but..." as the opposing lawyer points out how bad everything he heard makes Mr. Morris, who Billy has a really positive relationship with, look.

The story “Captain Marvel and the World’s Mightiest Dream” (written by Otto Binder; penciled by C.C. Beck; inked by Pete Constanza) in Captain Marvel Adventures #48 has a really cute premise where Billy is having a bad dream and so calls on Captain Marvel in his sleep, who takes over for Billy in the same dream but then also struggles with it because of dream-logic. The two of them switch back and forth as bizarre circumstances come up that would necessitate Captain Marvel’s ability to fly or Billy’s smaller size or what have you. Meanwhile wily old Sivana is creeping into Billy’s apartment to kill him with an axe, but ultimately Billy happens to transform into Captain Marvel just as Sivana is swinging down the axe to kill him. In the end Captain Marvel wakes up and says “Gosh, what a horrible nightmare Billy and I had! Am I glad Sivana wasn’t really about to try chopping off Billy’s head with an hatchet! It was only a dream!” Then, seeing Sivana’s discarded axe, asks, “Or was it???”

The story “The Mighty Marvels Joins Forces” (written by Otto Binder; penciled by C.C. Beck; inked by Pete Constanza) in The Marvel Family #1 had an interesting framing device of the Wizard Shazam chiseling the story into the Rock of Eternity throughout the issue as his way of recording the Marvel Family’s adventure. This significant adventure being recorded was the Marvel Family fighting Black Adam, which included not just his backstory but retellings of Captain Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr., and Mary Marvel’s backstories.

The story “Captain Marvel and the Twisted Powers” (written by Otto Binder; drawn by Pete Constanza) in Captain Marvel Adventures #50 has a switch-up where the lighting bolt that Zeus throws to transform Billy into Captain Marvel accidentally doesn’t come with powers, and the lightning bolt that transforms Captain Marvel into Billy does. In the end Zeus is made aware of the defective bolts and switches to properly-made ones, but before that we get to see Captain Marvel just completely fail to defeat some basic crooks, while witnesses are briefly convinced that all those stories Billy told about Captain Marvel on the radio were lies, and then Billy gleefully getting his chance to fight with superpowers. In his concluding radio broadcast Billy says, “I must confess I got a kick out of having the great powers for a while! But I don’t think Capt. Marvel enjoyed it at all!”

[missathlete31]

THIS!!!!!!

Rooster was the real antagonist.

He never listened to any of Maverick's teachings. He purposely went slower during training despite Captain Mitchell fighting with Cyclone over the time needed to complete the mission.

He went to physical assault a teammate who only stated facts. Meanly done but Hangman didn't say anything wrong. He said that Maverick was flying when Goose died. That is correct and that Bradley wasn't ready. Also correct. I wish he had said Mav was only picking Bradley to make up for their fight. That would have also been correct.

Also Rooster has a complete mental breakdown DURING the mission. First flying too slow, then speeds up without warning Payback and Fanboy, then takes the shot without guidance because he doesn't want to wait (what if he missed), and disobeys orders to go back for Mav.

Just saying

Editing this because @dragosfiction is 10000% correct. THAT EARLY GRAVE COMMENT- Bradley was mean- true villain. I will say it forever.

“No wife. No kids. Nobody to mourn you when you burn in.” Is one of the meanest things a character has ever said to another in a movie and it’s even meaner when you know it was said by the recipient’s surrogate kid I guess Maverick really did love his stupid asshole son huh because he should have made chicken cacciatore out of Rooster for that one

[peachsukii]

𝔥𝔬𝔩𝔩𝔬𝔴 𝔥𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔱 𝔪𝔞𝔰𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝔩𝔦𝔰𝔱

『 ♡ pro-hero fem!reader x pro-hero bakugo; pro-heroes au | friends to lovers 』

#✩.hollowheart status: on-going rating: mature (16+) ao3 version | wc as of ch.6: ~33.4k

꒰ summary ꒱ the dynamic duo of dynamight and deku are unstoppable, climbing the hero charts like they always dreamed of as kids. their journeys were tough, but offered them the world - fame, fortune, protection of their family and friends, a comfortable hero life. the recent increase in crime around tokyo kept their entire sector busy, sending heroes out non-stop, desperate to keep the statistics as low as possible to maintain a clean reputation. when a nearby sector is requesting assistance, the boys are tasked with a mission to inspect a villain's lair in a deserted area outside of the city. reports have noted people going missing, specifically with rare quirks. with plenty of other heroes being unavailable, you're chosen to tag along with the duo for the night operation. everything is going according to plan until the villain lands a surprise attack, resulting in the your kidnapping and whisking you away through a mysterious portal. it's been a month since your disappearance with no help of the hero agency. bakugo and midoriya take it into their own hands and are determined to get you back - no matter how long or what it takes.

꒰ tags & warnings ꒱ mentions of blood/violence, eventual & mild smut, kidnapping/abduction, experimentation, physical & psychological torture, PTSD, implied/referenced self harm, cursing, talks of trauma | angst with happy ending, emotional hurt/comfort, regret, mutual pining, friends to lovers, insomnia, eventual romance

꒰ chapter index ꒱

Chapter 1 | Hurricane [5.0k] ⇢  prepare for the heartbreaking journey of bakugo battling with his feelings when it's too late...or is it?

Chapter 2 | The Ghost of You [4.7k] ⇢  a month’s time has passed since your abduction and the boys have not given up on finding you by any means necessary. between late night phone calls, midnight confessions, and endless breakdowns, they’re struggling to go on with life as usual like everyone assumes they should. bakugo in particular is struggling with your absence, cursing how he wasn’t strong enough to save you and locking himself away. midoriya has opted for the opposite, spending multiple sleepless nights searching for you on his own.

Chapter 3 | Choke [3.9k] ⇢  you have zero clue where you are after your abduction. white walls, medical instruments, the smell of rust, and hazy memories are all that keep you company during your time in the mystery lab. the horrors that lurk between these steel walls are going to give you nightmares for an eternity. all you can think about is getting home to your best friends and family, back to the life you sorely missed.

Chapter 4 | The Grey [6.7k] ⇢  a glimpse of hope appears out of nowhere, giving bakugo and midoriya the lead they needed to pursue your location. it proves to be much more difficult than they imagine, so they call upon some friends for a search party.

Chapter 5 | The Good Left Undone [4.7k] ⇢  the compound is in disarray as the scientist behind the whole operation injects her own serum to fight bakugo and midoriya, granting her a mysterious mishmash of quirks temporarily. Still reeling from the effects of the quirk suppressant mixed with the overdrive drug, you're left powerless - a statue forced to watch your beloved friends fight for your safety. they need to keep her busy until the agency's forces and cops arrive on the scene…but how long will that take? Chapter 6 | Tourniquet [8.1k] ⇢  devastating news is dropped in your lap about your future career as a pro hero. A few days in the hospital leaves you listless about life in general before being sent back home to reality. even though your environment hasn't changed, your world has been rocked and coming back down to earth feels impossible. thankfully, Bakugo's more than patient with you and willing to walk you back into normalcy, one day at a time. Chapter 7 | There is Fear in Letting Go

꒰ info ꒱ 

✧ All Class 1A characters are 22/23 years old and pro heroes; Dynamight is 4th, Deku is 5th and Reader is 37th ✧ Reader is female with she/her pronouns ✧ Reader has an energy manipulation quirk ✧ Reader's hero type is "The Kinetic Hero" (i.e. - "Explosion Hero," "Gravity Hero," etc.) ✧ Bakugo's "nickname" for reader is Lite-Brite (a pun on her quirk)

⇢ hollow heart playlist

♡ last updated; 09/05/24

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[just-a-tiny-goldfish]

You guys know something else that drives me crazy 👀 when they’re a couple but also not a couple….

Like get this you cuddle then you kiss them, maybe u guys get it one few times 👀 but neither one ever talks about it afterwards cause they don’t want to be the one to cement it or!!! Or! One of them wants it to happen but doesn’t know how the other feels so they choose to stay silent instead. Ugh and don’t get me started on practically living with each other but one of them still has their separate place they paying for even though they don’t even live there half the month🙄.

I KNOW THOUGH todoroki fully believes y’all are soon to be married like- imagine y’all never explicitly say you two are a thing- you are NO cheater but is not cheating when your not together-even if you wouldn’t mind being with Shouto-Like it even! BUT He’s a busy guy. Sure he buys you all sorts of expensive goodies but he’s rich? Isn’t that what people with money do? So why should you think you’re special. Sure you guys have gone and hidden from a few crowds just to get a quickie in after a mission but you know…adrenaline and shit! You’ve probs seen denki and minoru sneak off with a few girls after missions too so what’s the difference??? The difference is they probs wouldn’t get mad if one of their hook ups messed around with someone else. Imagine- you show up at one of your fancy hang outs at one of the newest restaurants (cause once again-he’s rich, all rich people just causally choose candle lit dinners as hang outs right?) sporting some fresh bruises on your neck from an imprompt make out session (cause who doesn’t want you) and why would you hide them? There’s no secrets between besties-Shouto looks absolutely floored, dumbfounded. Please this man is head empty, not processing what he’s seeing. And just abruptly stands up. Your like ??? Bro we just got here what happened? But damn he’s starting to look less confused and more pissed off and now you’re like 🙂…🙃…☹️? Until both of you are quite a bit away from the restaurant and prying eyes does he finally turn to you and Fuck he looks angry. ☹️☹️☹️. “ you cheated on me” ….what? Please, I feel so bad for everyone in this situation. You’re confused and hurt and upset cause wtf you had no idea Shouto even thought of you as anything other then a close friend and Shouto is obviously going through a breakdown and you just barely got him home before he started naming off every single instance he’s ever done something romantic with you-and yeah… okay now that he is making a list it’s pretty obvious-but look you genuinely didn’t know and even though his hurt is very real he can also tell you are being very much honest. It’s definitely going to take a while before you two are back to norm- oh no wait he’s at you’re apartment door the next day, those gourmet chocolates you live so much along with flowers and he’s definitely going to make sure you know this is him coming to you as more then a friend.

Bakugou- ohhhh bakugou. He’s definitely the childhood friends to lovers. Why? Cause I said so. You guys definitely had a little “she’s my girlfriend-no one can touch her” moment in elementary. Him picking you up little dandelions but only the poofy ones so you could pretend to make little explosions with him 🥺. You definitely didn’t go to the same middle school. Only cause he was a little shot and you for sure would have called him out on his behavior-nah, you guys would meet up after at parks and shit where he wound being you sodas and snacks and definitely still little dandelions. You guys get separated during his UA years, each of you go off to do your own thing and grow as your own person. Meet again at some point-a little before he’s super well known as a pro hero, maybe it’s all cute and shit at some park just after catching some low level villain. He sees you in the middle of some trees and wildflowers and he’s like damn they are familiar then he realizes the only flower u got out of the whole bunch is just a bunch of fluffy dandelion heads and he’s like !!!!!. Maybe at some point after y’all have reconnected and shit (and obvi you guys are close! You’ve known each other since you were kids!) it’s not weird for you guys to be comfortable with each other, hugging and cooking together(him cooking mostly💀), maybe the occasion kiss on the forehead or cheek-your apartment is part of a collapse after a villain attack and you’re all worried about having to find a new place-he’s like? “Are you fucking with me? Just move in already” (Aw how sweet! You’re friend let you move in with him while you search!💐) obviously this only brings you guys closer together and bakugou has the train of thought that-yeah, you guys are going steady. Right? Who cares if he’s the main one initiating the cheek, hand, forehead kisses-you’re just shy right? Everything is going great. At least he thought until “I found a new place!” “A new place for what?” Confused as fuck “ a new apartment!” You’re all giddy and he’s like huh? Did you not like his home or something? Is it the decor? But you practically run that department in the house? He’s basically let you run the WHOLE house? So what’s the issue, maybe you just want a bigger home? But if that’s the case? Why an apartment that’s a downgrade from the fucking 5 star house he’s got right here? “Why would we get a new apartment?” “Not we-just me?” Now you’re confused, why would he think that? While Bakugou is now currently rethinking every interaction he’s had with you in the past week-did he say something? Did he do something? Overstep? He doesn’t think so-he’s been respectful, patient, he’s HELD BACK doing certain things just to let you give him the go ahead even if you make uf difficult-especially with the way you’ve taken to wearing his shirts and boxers straight out of a shower- so what’s the issue? Eventually he just bites “what did I do?” And he’s so 🥺 cause he’s been trying. And you’re like “🙂????”

Izuku is def the one where he probs overheard about your commitment issues so his brillliant plan is to just never bring up the relationship even though both of you are clearly dating. He will gladly do all the pinning-pleaseeee ugh. Him coming over to your apartment almost everyday (gotta bring takeout with him too-less of a chance of being told to go home💀) and eventually you just expect him to be there and when he’s not you’ll text him like ‘ when you coming home’ and he melts cause you’re telling him to come home☹️🫶🏽 little sappy bitch. The first time you guys fall asleep in the same bed and waking up tangled together and him apologizing over and over cause shoot did he overstep??? But your like “ I love cuddles 🙄 chill dumbass” and that’s basically his green light to just become a teddy bear every time he stays over( which is a lot) -maybe one day y’all are out together shopping for groceries (Jesus just move in together guys🙄) and some of his friends show up and are like omg I didn’t know you had a girlfriend!!! And he’s sees you just stiffen and even though he doesn’t want to deny it he’ll gladly say “actually, we’re just friends!” Just to give you peace of mind but even after he can tell your uncomfortable with the whole encounter. Maybe you stay up late watching a movie, he offers to keep you company and you shoo him off “you got work tomorrow, you’re going to be tired” so he leaves for bed, tries to stay awake but even after he hears the movie end you don’t come. He wakes up and your side is still empty, you slept on the couch. He can’t shake the feeling it was on purpose. A week goes by and you guys finally got back to you’re regularly scheduled denial and pinning. Izuku had and interview with some fancy blog and he obviously invited you along and everything is peaches an cream and then the relationship question is asked and he can’t help but glance in your direction and your white as a ghost as the people there suddenly become aware of your presence-though you’ve been there the whole time. And he panics because it’s clear everyone here has come to the same conclusion on who you are. “it’s compli- no! I’m not in a relationship” but it doesn’t matter what he says cause you’re already out of that set. He has to wait another 3 hours before he’s allowed to go chase you down, cause the whole thing is live. And when he does he’s like “oh?” Cause your just outside the building waiting for him but you’re clearly not okay. So he’s all worried and trying to explain he didn’t think they were going to get all personal with him cause he really didn’t want a repeat of last time and you’re just like “are we not dating” (how the tables have flipped) just genuinely curious. And he’s like the 🙂? Cause if he could have said y’all were dating from the start? he would-shit, he would yell it from the roof top baby girl😤 he’s version of keeping it on the down low was basically living with you-get ready for an overbearing bf.