#arc: the monster association

[webtoon-devourer]

i don't think it's necessarily the ruling opinion, but there are no doubt some people upset with the end of the Monster Association arc and how everything was "fixed" with time travel. i would like to express the level on which i disagree with this sentiment.

this dislike of the arc's conclusion likely stems from the general dislike of "it's okay, we can just go back in time!" and "it was all a dream :)" style endings, specifically the idea that these endings, under any circumstances, are cop outs. i disagree. if One Punch Man ended there, with saitama travelling back in time to stop everyone's deaths and his fight with garou, i would be immensely dissatisfied with the ending. i think that would be fair. however, vitally, it does not. those events are only the conclusion to a single arc. it brings us to a similar situation as the ending of the lord boros arc, with a city destroyed but none of the important characters dead. therefore, i would argue that such a conclusion to an arc is par for the course for One Punch Man. but there is also the vital matter of "it was all a dream :)" situations and how, in my opinion, while often used as cop outs, they are not inherently so, and dogmatic insistence against them is detrimental to good writing. having every possibility on the table is important in order to develop a plot in the way best suited to it - it's simply lazy writing which misuses these possibilities.

the vital question here is: was the time travel ending of the Monster Association arc a cop out? no, it was not. in my opinion, the events which were reversed could nearly be considered expositional. the cosmic garou vs saitama fight and the events which caused it tell us a heck of a lot about the characters. that garou retains his humanity even after becoming monsterised - when he sees takeo dead, he realises that his actions have not led the world in the direction he hoped, which was always a fairer existence. (he's really not a bad guy at all.) what saitama is capable of - man caused untold destruction during this fight without much of a care, including nearly destroying the earth if not for blast and co; on the technical side, we are shown that his power increases exponentially in response to another being even beginning to approach his level of power, leading him to easily beat a puppet channeling the power of literal GOD. that saitama actually cares a heck of a lot about genos, and clings to him for his sense of humanity, which he is barely hanging onto. it also gives us a taste of god's power, for future reference. the only reason i don't consider it expositional - that is, a "what if" scenario purely for the audience's benefit, which fleshes out the characters under otherwise inaccessible circumstances - is that genos remembers. therefore, these events actually do impact the plot through him. (there's a chance that blast and co also know, which would also affect the plot, but i'm not sure.)

the ever-increasing stakes are vital. we're still within the time frame of shibabawa's great prophecy of a god-level threat. at first, we thought it was lord boros, then garou, and now it's looking like the god-level threat might literally be god. whose power we have gotten a taste of, thanks to the cosmic garou fight. things are very much not hunky dory. there is still plenty of opportunity for things to go terribly wrong, even if it didn't happen this time. especially now that we know that saitama is barely clinging to his humanity. the deaths of everyone he knew affected him for sure, but particular emphasis was placed on the death of genos, because he's saitama's hinge to humanity. (if you deny this, i will be forced to call into question your reading skills.) this ups the stakes in a unique way. before, the concept of genos' death carried far less weight. genos fans would be upset, naturally, and saitama would be pretty sad, because it was clear before this arc that he cared at least somewhat about genos. but now? we know how saitama will react to genos' death. and it's not in a sane manner. genos' death now carries with it the stakes of the earth potentially being destroyed and saitama losing his sanity. at least personally, i will look upon any close calls genos has in future with greater anxiety. this newfound knowledge that we have only gives more ground to the idea that the final enemy might be saitama. either the final enemy of the earth, if he turns into a villain (quite possibly due to losing his mind), or the final enemy of saitama himself, as he battles his depression and struggles to stay in touch with his humanity.

the time travel ending was not a waste, nor a cop out. i encourage you to look at the bigger picture instead of allowing your instinctive reaction of "time travel clutch bad" to inform your opinions. there is still the problem of time travel now being on the table as a solution, but this can be avoided in various ways. for example, the existence of the alternate universe where everyone died and saitama fought cosmic garou as a parallel universe created by time travel, therefore not really fixing the problem, but merely rerouting it. or having time travel somehow taken off the table as a possibility. for example (this is just conjecture and not supported by canon), if god dies, perhaps time can no longer be manipulated, and saitama will have to make a decision between destroying god or saving everyone but letting god live and continue to manipulate events, a decision which he can never bypass because he ends up at the same crossroads no matter which path he takes leading up to that. i understand the concern, and am somewhat concerned myself, but i trust ONE and Murata not to end the series in a dissatisfying way. also, i think it adds another level of interest, even. if saitama's power is so great that he can manipulate time, that he can do basically anything, then hitting a single roadblock which he cannot bypass regardless of his power would undoubtedly have incredibly interesting effects on him psychologically. he could be glad to not be all-powerful, and have to actually fight for something for once, or - much like the events with cosmic garou - he might realise that finding a difficult opponent (in the form of a fighter or an impossible decision) at the expense of the people he cares about doesn't actually make him happy or excited. that perhaps he should have turned his search for feeling and a reason to live elsewhere, beyond fighting, a long time ago. idk 🤷‍♂️

[sa1tamasbiggestfan]

she’s just too pretty, I couldn’t help myself drawing her once again…

I need more fanart of her. Right now!!!

[anthurak]

Do you ever just have just like… completely random idea associations to form something that is both totally bonkers and utterly awesome?

You see, over the past couple days there are two things of particular note that I have been doing:

A: Building a Yugioh deck in Master Duel that I have dubbed that ‘What if Alexis Rhodes actually got to be the awesome fucking badass she deserved to be’ deck.

It’s a mix of Cyber Angel, Herald and Drytron focused on getting out badass ritual monsters like Cyber Angel Vrash, Herald of Ultimateness and the giant Dyrtron mechanical space dragons. Basically the kind of deck Arc-V Alexis could probably use to pound Yuri, his dragon and his smug Melvin-wannabe ass face into the dirt.

B: Watching the Bowser vs. Eggman Death Battle episode a few times, and specifically doing a post on how I found the dynamics of Team Eggman through the fight particularly interesting.

So now, after having been idly listening to the battle music after having been playing this deck a bit, I have now found myself with a particular… vision in my head:

Alexis Rhodes, commanding an ARMY of Celestial Cyber Angels, Heavenly Fairy Heralds and Giant Mechanical Space Dragons. Specifically in an epic battle against Zarc and his gimmicky gaggle of extra-deck dragons.

As in, it’s barely even a ‘duel’. Like Alexis throws down the Drytron Fafnir field spell and just starts commanding her forces from her GIANT DRAGON SPACESHIP, which can also transform into a mech. And is also crewed by various faeries, lesser angels and Cyber Girls.

And it’s all Cyber Angels, Heralds and Drytrons battling with the Dimensional Dragons and their followers. The ‘lesser’ Drytron modules going up against an army of Supreme King Darkwurms, the Cyber Angels battling the various ‘Magicians’ of the Supreme King, the various Light Heralds flying around providing support, Drytron Meteonis Draconids and Quadrantids battling the Four Dimensional Dragons and Drytron Meteonis DAD ducking it out with Supreme King Z-ARC.

Which ends with Cyber Angel Vrash wiping out all the Extra Deck dragons, Herald of the Diviner combining all the heralds into Herald of Ultimateness and cheekily negating literally EVERYTHING Zarc does in response, Meteonis Draconids clearing out all of Zarc’s remaining Special Summoned monsters, Meteonis Quadrantids wiping all of Zarc’s spells and traps and a super-charged Drytron Meteonis DAD obliterating Supreme King Z-ARC.

And then like… I dunno, Alexis and her Cyber Girls pummel Zarc into the ground until he agrees to not be evil anymore? Or maybe just punt him into space and vaporize him with Fafnir.

Like, uh… I have no idea if I’m every actually going to DO anything with this idea. I just wanted to put it down and throw it out there.

[carnaldesiresofawhore]

Pretty Manako

[quantumleper]

Genos vs Deep Sea King | One-Punch Man | Hero Association Saga

[starconductor]

WAKE UP BABE, OPM SEASON 3 ARRIVED AND WE'RE EATING WELL THIS YEAR

HOLYYY HELLL I CAN'T WAIT, I SCREAMED SO HARD BROOOOO

[velmashaircut]

Is it true Genos had a brother because I’ve seen people say he did but I don’t remember if it’s true or speculation. I know Genos says the mad cyborg killed his family which implies he had more than just parents but I don’t know where people specifically are getting brother from.

[omarwolaeth]

Once I'm comfy with their designs (and also monster designs and how one of them plays because OC archetype and all that), I could probably start posting Ritual AU stuff,, don't know what I'd start with though =v=;;

[sinceyousawvienna]

Wanted an extended scene where all the heroes’s wounds were patched up and they reunited with loved ones

[webtoon-devourer]

the monster association arc did so much for so many characters, but especially tatsumaki and amai mask... beforehand, i lowkey disliked them, because they just seemed mean and arrogant. but now i'm very sympathetic towards tatsumaki (and her love for fubuki just makes me melt 🥺) and super curious about amai mask. i also came to majorly enjoy tatsumaki and genos' dynamic, and look forward to the interesting response of amai mask to saitama's power which i've heard about. i can now say that i actually love lots of the opm characters haha

[meteorcrab]

Who cares about how good the animation will be in opm s3. The fucking pacing dude!!!!! How is s3 gonna be structured!!!!!!

[marshroom580]

the eyeball moon thingy in opm is giving me hi3 flashbacks and i dont appreciate it actually

[ohimsummer]

I'm telling you the second s3 comes out i'll be pumping out the opm content again no one will be prepared !!

i highkey miss writing opm but the jjk guys won't let me breathe !! i need to get it out of my system.

I simply lock gojo and geto away in their terrarium next to my desk and they watch me out the glass as I work. Foolproof (they escape and sit on my shoulders)

*idk if a manga spoiler is needed for the tags lol

[weeblmaodotcom]

cosmic garou was overkill for the monster association arc. i think if they wanted to make him they could wait more , Meme by Weeblmao.com

[meara-eldestofthemall]

Gee, thanks DC! You Just Turned Bruce Into An Irredeemable Ass.

So, at the end of Gotham War Bruce has officially lost everything. Alfred is still dead, Selina is "presumed dead" and Bruce is both financially and morally broke. Why, you may ask, is Bruce so much worse off this time? Let me count the ways.

He preformed a psychic lobotomy on Jason

The "it's for your own good" excuse only makes the mental rape undertaken by Jason's own father that much more heinous.

Just when you think Bruce can't sink any lower he does. When Dick recognizes that Bruce has lost it, he attempts to use a failsafe disconnect that Bruce himself built into the system. How does Nightwing get thanked for that? Well that brings us to number two on the list.

Batman attacks up his eldest son for doing what he's supposed to do when Batman has gone rouge.

Bruce beats him up because nothing proves you are in control of your sanity like hitting your children. While Dick is holding back, Bruce does no such thing. He hits Nightwing hard enough to send him flying. It could have gotten even worse if Tim hadn't shown up.

Tim arrives and attempts to talk some sense into Batman.

Tim tries to talk Bruce down. It doesn't go well. When Robin is trying to help, as he always does, Batman uses the attempt to reason with him to put the smack down on his son. Bruce could have killed Tim but apparently feels no remorse or guilt.

If there was any teeny tiny little doubt that Bruce will not win the Father of The Year award in 2023 it died a horrible screaming death when Batman abandons his children to potential arrest. Yes, he left a batarang for Dick and Tim but any glimer of possible hope associated with that action was instantly extinguished by Damian's reaction to Batman's callous betrayal.

Bruce abandons Damian.

Look at Dami; he's devastated. Since he came into Bruce's life, Damian has struggled with feelings that he can never earn his father's love and respect. Well, that negative self-image was reinforced in way that may never be repairable. Bruce just utterly destroyed a 13 year old child because of his inability to feel any kind of empathy.

And how does this all end? The best part is that Bruce takes all of his parental responsibilities and dumps them onto Dick.

Thank you Chip Zdarsky and Trini Howard. You've taken Batman from being an edgy anti-hero and made him into a callous monster. Part of me hopes that Bruce never comes back because he doesn't deserve his family.

The only positive aspect in this convoluted mess is that Damian and Tim will be far better off with Dick than with Bruce. Yes, Tim is mostly independent but he still needs guidance (particularly since Tim's first instinct is to try and save Bruce). Damian is essentially Dick's son emotionally anyway so this might help to sustain the positive character growth we've seen in him as of late.

The point of this rant is to wonder what on earth DC thinks they're doing. This story arc has been pure character destruction as far as Bruce is concerned. It's bad storytelling too; rushed, frenetic and massively disappointing.

Hasn't the popularity of Good Dad Bruce in Wayne Family Adventures proved that fans are tired of Bruce being a dark depressed and brooding edge lord? We all accept that Batman is a character with deeeeep issues who is in desperate need of therapy. I, however, draw the line at Bruce being an abusive a**hole.

In years to come when fans wonder when Batman jumped the shark, this is the plot line they'll point to.

[circeyoru]

Shadow and Void _ Part 6

[Yandere!Sung Jinwoo x Enemy Monarch!Reader]

Arc 1: Part 1 ― Part 2 ― Part 3

Arc 2: Part 4 ― Part 5

Arc 3: Part 6 (here) ― Part 7

“A monster colony with very high intelligence are targeting world-class Hunters. They are far stronger than many Hunters out there, and they do not care about weapons or ways of murder.”

“By monster colony, did you mean that the monster who killed Chairman Go Gunhee could be one of them?”

“These monsters specialize in blocking open space by magic, then isolating their prey. Thus, to those who believe that they are bound to be the prey, it is recommended that you stay around comrades who are willing to protect you. But to those who do not possess any comrades of my description. Please contact me through the Korean Hunters Association.”

The video ended and the feed stopped at the determined and vengeful look of Jinwoo who had singlehandedly declared war against the other Monarchs. You blinked and turned off your phone, placing it away as you leaned into the back of your chair. That had to have happened after that human’s death and during the time when you were held captive.

Your eyes glanced to the floor and saw your shadow. Your eyes narrowed as you thought back to your choices. Monarchs and Rulers, in their original forms, do not have a shadow, nor can they be turned into one of the Monarch of Shadow’s soldiers after death; they just cease to exist. You, however, still made a vessel to possess just so you could stay in the human world out of those other war-obsessed Monarchs’ reach.

“It’s about that time.” You muttered and got up from your seat. Though, it was only an astral projection of you that stood up, quickly retaining a misty form. Your human vessel or body continued to sit in the chair, still breathing and alive, but now eyes closed as if sleeping.

Without a word, you sank into a bed of mist and disappeared from your apartment to another realm. 

⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧

“Where… Where is the Monarch of Void?” Jinwoo balled his hands into fists. 

Igris shook his head, answering his Lord that he had lost you.

“How…” Jinwoo’s eyebrows furrowed as he plopped into his chair and sighed. He even tried asking the System, but nothing came up. Like a mist, you had completely disappeared. He held himself back from searching for you, he was a man of his words, you had won and Hae-In lost. So you had your free time away from him.

Away from him.

The thought alone made his blood run cold. If you could push Igris off your trails and leave no traces behind, how can he be sure you didn’t go to the other Monarchs and betray him? Right. The term ‘betray’ is only used when one considers the other as close. Does he already consider you so? With how focused he was on you during the duel between Hae-In and you, he’d think so. Why else would he only want you to join the guild and his raids that he would otherwise do solo?

It was initially thought that he only wanted you because of your powers and abilities. Yet, now… He saw the charm in you. You cared not for his strength, in fact, it wasn’t even enough. When the world saw him as the strongest, since he had even defeated Thomas Andre, you saw him as weak and vulnerable. There was no facade or strong persona that he needed to put up when he was with you because you didn’t care for it. Whatever and how ever he acted, you never cared. Not for his kindness or cruelty so long as you were fine.

Somehow, you were like him and not. He couldn’t describe it. There was this feeling that drew him to you. The moment you’re away or your attention wasn’t on him―good or bad―then he was close to losing it. If he could have you close to him, he wanted to be close to you. To give you a reason not to leave him. 

Would you let him stay by you if he was more lenient? If he listened to what you wanted? If he was stronger? If he was… like Ashborn? Right. Ashborn. The System did say you have a soft spot for Ashborn, hence the whole reason why you’re even here. As long as he held the title of ‘Monarch of Shadows’, you’d be here. Still. It wasn’t enough.

Jinwoo wanted and needed more. Jinwoo wanted you.

⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧⬪⬧

Meanwhile with you, you had reappeared, hovering over one of the taller pillars with your arms crossed and an expressionless look that made you appear as though you were detached. On the other pillars of your level and spread out were other familiar figures, their auras outlining them perfectly to tell who was who. You mentally sighed in relief when the one you hated to see wasn’t present yet. This was a meeting of Monarchs.

“The Shadow Monarch is on the surface of the Earth.” Sillad, the Monarch of Frost and King of Snow Folk, hissed. 

“Didn’t you say there was no vessel that could fully contain his true powers?” Yogumunt, the Monarch of Transfiguration and King of Demonic Spectres, mocked. “And isn’t that the exact reason why Dragon King can’t remain on the surface of the Earth?”

Not if you grow yourself a vessel with care. Of course, you didn’t say it aloud and only thought to yourself. You looked to the side still unable to accept the truth nor deny Ashborn’s prominent work now. Or raise a successor…

“I saw with my own two eyes.” Sillad spoke firmly, he pointed a finger in your direction, “The Monarch of Void can vouch.” Momentarily, eyes darted to your figure but you remained still and indifferent. So he continued, “He’s more of a threat than the Fragment of Brilliant Light. I will take care of him. Are you willing to help me?”

“By picking a fight against him, you are only looking for suicide.” Tarnak, the Monarch of the Iron Body and King of Monstrous Humanoids, logically refused. You seconded his sound thinking but never voiced out. “Your opponent is one of the strongest of the 10 Monarchs. Why not wait for the Monarch of Destruction, the Dragon King to return?”

Sillad gripped his heart area as if in pain, or perhaps he felt some phantom pain from his encounter with Jinwoo. “Although we are currently on the run, we are the Monarchs. And yet, all we can do is wait for the Dragon King? The only chance we have in defeating the Shadow Monarch is now, when he is still in the form of a human.” His gaze turned to you and directed attention to you once more. “The fact that the Monarch of Void is here proves Shadow Monarch is weak!”

Your eye twitched at the memory. If it weren’t for him, you wouldn’t be in this stupid acceptance and denial. You would have just killed Jinwoo and had Ashborn return! 

“What does the Mist King have to do with this?” Tarnak questioned as if sensing your frustration.

“The Monarch of Void was there when I killed that chairman and the Shadow Monarch appeared, the fact that the Monarch of Void made it out alive and here is proof enough!” Sillad repeated his point like a parrot.

Yogumunt hummed thoughtfully, “So what you’re saying is that you left the Monarch of Void, our greatest ally, to a potential Shadow Monarch that turned against us alone while you returned safely?”

Sparks of magic and a burning aura erupted from Tarnak, “You are aware that the Monarch of Void is not just for your own usage, right?”

“It’s all fine now. The Mist King returned safely as well and is here! Don’t underestimate the Monarch of Void, if wanted the Shadow Monarch would have been long dead!” Sillad returned the scolding with a yell of his own. “Please help me. This time, I will take responsibility and return him to nothingness.”

“Count me out of this.” Tarnak declined.

“I also don’t want to become like the Monarch of White Flames either.” Yogumunt refused to help as well.

“Scaredy cats.” Rakan, the Monarch of Fangs and King of Beasts, scoffed.

Tarnak’s sparks didn’t die down, as if preparing to launch an attack at Rakan. “You should know what happened to the Monarch of White Flames after he was defeated. I don’t want to be caught by the Shadow Monarch’s Authority and suffer through an ‘Eternal Slumber’.”

“I don’t think he can make us, who are in our original forms, into one of his servants.” Rakan spoke.

“It seems that the Shadow Monarch and the Administrator are working together now. He can create a replica of us.” Tarnak said calmly, a total opposite to his aura. “I don’t want to turn into a tool in his world.”

Administrator? You blinked. Was this how Jinwoo was able to grow into such a fine specimen? In that case, Ashborn was serious and this successor plan of his was final. If Ashborn really picked Sung Jinwoo among all the other humans and threw the idea of doing what you did out the window, then aiding Jinwoo was the best option for you to repay Ashborn for everything he’s done for you.

When you came to, Tarnak and Yogumunt had left.

“And the evidence that he is still a human?” Rakan asked.

Sillad held up a dagger that belonged to Jinwoo, “He applied poison onto his dagger. It’s not something Ashborn, the Shadow Monarch, would do.” 

“Poison, huh…” Querehsha, the Monarch of Plagues and Queen of Insects, chimed in while petting the head of her giant mutant centipede that she was sitting on. “If the Shadow Monarch could fully control their human body, they wouldn’t have had to resort to such trickery.”

You wondered if Jinwoo thought that far. You think that he only has poison on his dagger just cause it had those effect and it works. Basically, the logic of if it works, it works.

“Will you be joining me?” Sillad asked once more.

“I will help you.” Querehsha grinned.

“We will kill the Shadow Monarch together.” Rakan smiled a toothy smirk.

You closed your eyes and fell into your mist, reappearing again in your apartment. After inhibiting your vessel, you massaged the brink of your nose. You laid on your bed and hugged your pillow, glaring at anything in sight. If the Monarchs—no three Monarchs—were determined to kill the Shadow Monarch, you’re not about to let Ashborn’s hard work be ruined like that.

“There will be a time where you have to pick a side and I mean your priority won’t be just yourself.” 

You hummed, looking out the window to the city of Korea, Sung Jinwoo’s home country and a place that will be the battlefield for the Monarchs in the future. Yes, Ashborn, I have to and had picked a side. Whichever side you’re on, I will be there as well. You rolled to face the wall, curling into a ball. I just wish I realized this sooner.

Note: This arc is short, but the next one would be longer~ Promise. Anyways, the next part of this arc would be out on Friday~ Welcome back to this short novel~

𝕮𝖎𝖗𝖈𝖊 𝖄.

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*(regarding requests, check the Masterlist to see if it’s opened or not and other info related before sending one. Thanks.)

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