#but you do have to start from the getgo of meeting him and you likely need our friend hindsight to do it

[transingthoseformers]

Silly idea for the Time Travel Fx It Rodimus AU: Rodimus figures out the best way to make sure that Getaway doesn’t go full on crazy and evil: seducing him.

Rodimus contracts ‘I can fix him’ disease. More at 11

That would be hilarious, especially since I was worried the Getaway stuff would be worse in Round Two but if he puts his mind to it I believe he can at least try to fix Getaway (maybe even prevent the mutiny with the right treatment)

Will he fix him? Probably not fully, IDW Getaway is distinctly a bastard and we see that in MTMTE and LL. But, they managed to help give IDW Megatron a redemption arc. They can totally foster a bastard who's trying now dynamic in Getaway.

Getarod is an interesting ship in my opinion, and I hope a more psychologically mature Rodimus would handle the relationship better than a round one Rodimus would

[sparrowsoupp]

some of the most iconic queer poster children of the warrior cats fandom. happy pride to the girls gays and theys (particularly those who enjoy brawling feline content)

dabble in my headcannons for these pairings under the read-more button if i’ve piqued your interest…

RAVEN x BARLEY (gay x gay)

i know there’s been a bit of controversy going around about these two and how they could be seen as toxic, with barley being insecure over ravenpaw’s connection to thunderclan. i get that perspective for sure, but i think it’s representative of REASONABLE flaws in a real relationship. obviously it’s not ideal that they never completely resolve it (since it’s ‘solved’ in the graphic novel but reopened in ravenpaw’s novella) and i wished that they addressed that more concretely (i say about a fucking middle grade book about talking cats LOL) but even more so i think you could see it as a realistic relationship as with issues in those, they often subdue and reoccur at intervals. it’s just about talking it out with your partner 🦭👍 plus if the majority of their relationship outside of this is good (which i definitely see it as, since obviously the books have to take place at points of conflict for there to be interesting things to write about) then it seems to be a somewhat small flaw.

that being said i haven’t actually read the books this comes up in so take my opinion with grains of salt, just online discourse about it. totally get if your life experience makes you see their interactions another way as this is just my two cents based on my experience with people.

overall i’m not a superfan of the sickly-sweet reputation these two get but i do like them for what i see them as, which is a Normal Relationship with Some Flaws. i like that they find solace in each other in a peaceful place after fleeing their less peaceful pasts. it’s a great dynamic (and i’m a sucker for farms) and i think they compliment each other’s personalities really well, with barley bringing ravenpaw out of the shell he’s been forced into and ravenpaw inspiring more cautiousness in a very brash barley who would otherwise probably jump into fights at the drop of a hat.

on a somewhat unrelated note, as a kid did anyone else wish that ravenpaw dropped his paw suffix? or blue/firestar granted him an honourary suffix for everything the poor kid went through? this isn’t like a super big meanigful thing but it just annoyed me when i was younger that the paw suffix kind of belittles him to apprentice level when after the fuckery the poor kid went through i think he deserves more recognition from the clans than that.

BLUESTAR x YELLOWFANG (bi x bi)

OKAYYY old women! while fanart of the two of them being in a loving happy relationship is very cute i like to take my old woman yuri one-sided and traumatic.

i think that yellowfang would have an unrequited crush on bluestar. what’s there not to like?! at the point when they meet bluestar is a compassionate but commanding cat in the prime of her leadership. after a bit of her being in the camp i think bluestar would also start spending a curious amount of time in the medicine den… unconciously she definitely saw the appeal in yellowfang from the getgo- it definitely strengthens the reasoning of her surprising decision to defend yellowfang as a member of thunderclan depsite risking a full on war with other clans from it, and her other clanmates lives in the process. obviously bluestar’s a leader that wouldn’t base a decision like that just based on a crush, and it was definitely because of what she wants her clan to stand for, but it’s Not a downside that the cute lady she used to see at gatherings gets to stay a while

bluestar’s definitely not letting it occupy her mind though, of course, totally not (the lady has Trauma from her relationship with oakheart and i see her as having an attatchment issue where she doesn’t feel like she deserves to have a healthy relationship, especially after losing mosskit. she’s just not fully ready yet). yellowfang pines as she watches bluestar throw herself fully into her work to distract herself from the growing feelings, and at some point probably grows annoyed with the cat-and-mouse and starts dedicating herself fully to her own work as a medicine cat too. there are moments of sweetness and clarity and words on the tips of tongues, but just as unexpectedly as they come bluestar will turn her head back to her duties.

unfortunately once tigerstar’s betrayal happens all cute flirting comes to a screeching halt as bluestar is consumed by the paranoia. on the good days she’ll hold stilted conversation with her clanmates, but not so much on the bad days. yellowfang hurts as she watches her crush sprial into madness and dysfunction, the likes of which is only heightened when the fire happens and yellowfang passes- completely insetting bluestar’s hatred for starclan for taking her love (who she still does have deeply-buried feelings for) away from her.

overall, can you tell i love inflicting mental anguish on bluestar? it’s my favourite hobby. i’m not even joking.

LEAFPOOL x MOTHWING (bi x lesbian)

okay this one might make you realise i love doomed yuri. Anyways,

put simply, i think leafpool and mothwing find each other attractive and secretly hook up on a frequent basis for some…. Funny Business. Hanky-Panky, if you will. ‘no-strings-attached’ yeah right i don’t think sapphics have ever pulled off a no strings attatched relationship without casualities.

mothwing definitely wants to confess but leafpool by that point has been forcing herself to move on and ends up telling mothwing about ‘liking’ crowfeather right before mothwing works up the courage (reading leafpool x crowfeather for the first time in the canon books geniunely felt like someone’s ao3 crackship. i guess that’s what traumabinding will do to two mfs). or maybe mothwing notices that leafpool is pregnant (which HOW THE HELL DID NOONE NOTICE IN CANON) and backs the hell off from that. maybe a very angsty argument over that… delicious.

how very ‘good luck babe’ by chappell roan of them! i think things end pretty awkwardly for mothpool and neither leafpool nor crowfeather are really in love with each other they’re just something shiny and distracting from each of their respective circuses of personal lives. i literally hear the clown music playing as they run away together. maybe it’s tinnitus.

they probably pine for each other forever and ever after that, neither falling in love again because they never get over each other. damn. how awkward is it to see your kind-of-ex at the moonpool every month…

anyway thanks for reading though beau’s cat rambles! if youve stuck it out to here… a tip of the hat to you

[crushedsweets]

Hello! I hope you are well!

Do you think it’s possible for you to go into Jeff and Nina’s relationship please? Like are they together or is like Jeff taking advantage of Nina liking him so much?

Sorry if you’ve already done this! I love your writing, you’re so talented 🕸️ x

its actually crazy to me that i havent actually written a thing about jeff and nina oh my god. thank you by the way you are so sweet. of course tw for manipulation, abuse, etc

OK BACKSTORY

nina is a year or two younger than jeff, and was only around 12-13 when she found out about jeffs murders and rampages. since she was like 7, she was always obsessed with horror movies, gore, eventually true crime and stuff . . just awful things that kids shouldnt have access to but thats what the internet does

she started behaving incredibly weird after her obsession with jeff began (though she was always odd). just really creepy true crime fan behavior in school, acted completely rebelious and eventually cut a shallow smile into her cheeks. her parents were livid and sent her to her to live with her grandparents in Mississippi.

eventually she realized jeffs brother moved to alabama, a state away. she was 18, at the lowest point in her life, and there was now speculation that jeff died after his most recent murder in the arkensaw household in tuscaloosa, alabama.

SO SHE MOVED. stole a ton of money and jewlery and stuff from her grandparents, barely managed to secure a dingy apartment in tuscaloosa, and she went On The Hunt.

she's constantly spamming fangirl rhetoric on creepy forums and catches jeffs eye. dunno exactly how, but he ends up meeting up with her, where he realizes she was just. perfect ? like, he found her annoying from the getgo and knew she was a weirdo, but he knew how easy she'd perfect to manipulate, how much shit he could get from her, and she immediately was like 'COME HOME WITH ME ILL MAKE U DINNER' . so he does. theyre about 19-20 here.

okACTUAL RELATIONSHIP

they never actually date in the traditional sense. neither of them asked the other out, jeff doesnt even touch her if he doesn't have to. he does not love her. but nina truly, fully, completely believes they're together. she swaps between calling him her boyfriend and fiance. she tells all her coworkers about how 'oh my boyfriend finally proposed! im engaged guys!' and 'ohh we're thinking about kids..!! he said he wants a girl:)' and all of that. which its all lies, she just lies and lies and lies all the damn time about how great jeff treats her and how in love they are. she does it to all the other creeps too for a period of time, telling toby and nat about how kind jeff is to her and they know shes lying.

jeffs not really mean to her most of the time. she'll make him food, do his laundry, she's lied to the police for him, she's probably been an accessory to murder ... definitely actually since she's cleaning and bleaching his bloody clothes... so he's Nice (?)

by nice i mean like. he'll let her sit and rest her head on his shoulder, let her hold his hand, let her say she loves him. he'll joke with her sometimes, play video games with her, bring her on walks or whatever. wore a bracelet she made for him once. (emphasis on once). he tells her she's pretty if she asks

but again, he's using her - just for a place to stay, some extra money, and he'll even send her on runs to go get weed or something from dealers that give discounts to pretty girls. he won't hug her, won't buy her things, won't help clean up, etc.

NONE OF THIS IS SHIPPING OR ROMANTIC LIKE ITS ALL REALLY SAD AND HORRIBLE. most of the creeps are inherently violent, half are murderers, almost none have any emotional regulation . . theyre just very . yeah.

which is why eventually, he kinda like, loses his shit - he starts screaming about how she's a dumbass who threw her life away for him, how he doesnt give a shit about her, he's shoving chairs around, knocking things off tables. eventually he stabs her, once in the side of her stomach, and leaves.

nina knows jane from the other creeps and calls her as she's frantically trying to fix her own wound, and jane swiftly gets her. jane doesnt like her but jane has morals and knows jeffs mistreating nina - but ninas losing her shit when jane mentions a hospital and refuses to go to the ER, so she ends up in jack's cabin getting stitched up.

theyre all kinda shocked that jeff didnt just kill her. its real weird for him to stab her once and leave, but jeff knew how far ninas devotion went and completely expected her to grovel at his feet and beg for forgiveness, and now he can continue using her just like before . but nina twisted it in her head and convinced herself 'oh its because he loves me! he didnt kill me because he loves me! BUT HE'S MAD AT ME AND I CAN'T FIND HIM AND WHAT IF HE'S WITH SOME OTHER GIRL I NEED TO FIX THIS' but literally nobody wants to help her 'get back' with him because like ...... why would they ?????

so she gets onto whitepages, finds liu, and ends up on his doorstep.

that's where my drawing of her crying on lius kitchen floor comes from

ive kinda hit a point in the story where like... this part is the 'current' plot ??? like this is where we are at in this very moment . so i have nothing concrete for the future...

but overall she does get over him, thats probably where ill put more emphasis on her friendship with nat/toby and her eventual little sister type relationship with liu... i just need to figure out how to do that without it coming off as like 'and she went to therapy and everything was fine !^_^'

i want jeff ... to be... vbery miserab;e....... basically.

[myrabbitistryingtokillme]

Thinking about gwen and miles as students and mentees and how different they are story wise and experience wise and yet the PARALELLS!! Specifically with their mentors!! Specifically Jess and Peter b.

Into the spiderverse very heavily emphasizes the mentor/mentee relationship between Peter b and miles. Peter b being a reluctant and seemingly-incompetent mentor who’s kind of lost in the world? And yet is exactly what miles needs and is just ! So ! Earnest!! he’s so scared of committment and yet he is everything miles needs. Thinking about gwen seeing this relationship and how it changes miles and Peter for the better.

Thinking about gwen and Jess.. The way where miles always has a choice and his story is about choice gwen doesn’t. She doesn’t choose her mentor in the same way. Miles has to beg Peter to teach him because he’s like that!! And the kind of parallel between jess having to convince Miguel. Because even though jess is her mentor

Peter b doesn’t want to be a mentor and yet he cares so deeply about miles. He had everything to gain because he was at rock bottom and miles inspired him. He didn’t want a mentee but he needed miles.

Jess wants to mentor gwen so badly. She wants to help her but she has everything to lose from doing so. she takes a risk mentoring gwen and she’s scared it could ruin everything but she wants so badly to help this kid.

Idk if any of this makes sense but just like.

The way when we meet Peter b he has nothing. He’s the one lost in the world despite being older and knowing more he’s still very markedly lost. In Miles’s universe and his own life. Miles gives him a reason to commit. Miles makes him want a son but Peter doesn’t necessarily look at miles and see a father figure (no offense Peter b lol)Miles doesn’t ever feel intimidated by Peter because he’s just Peter! There relationship starts on such even footing and develops so much throughout the film.

And when we meet Jess she seems so sure. So on the right track in life. She’s pregnant, shes sure of herself and her standing and seemingly knows what she needs to do. Gwen looks at her and sees what she’s not. I mean the “will you be my mom” line. Gwen sees her as both a parent and authority figure from the getgo. There’s a very distinct power dynamic between them that is immediately clear. Gwen is looking for a parent and something to hold onto. Jess is scared having a mentee could cause her to lose everything.

For Peter b miles represents something to gain and lose at the same time. He already feels like he has nothing to lose in life, even when he’s not sure what to. At the end miles represents peters chances in life to do better and be sure of something for once. Miles represents everything that can go right for Peter. They both push each other to become better versions of themselves.

For Jess Gwen represents her fears (for lack of better phrasing). Just saving gwen from her own universe is a risk to her. Gwen represents something to lose for jess. Jesses superior is Miguel who’s already lost everything. Jess is scared to lose everything she has. And in that sense Jess kind of holds gwen back. she’s her mentor and she feels sure she’s doing the right thing but she’s also scared. And that’s part of what makes Jess finally giving in and letting gwen go at the end of atsv so powerful.

It really parallels us seeing peter knock the door. Seeing him come back in the new movie with mayday. Because that was his leap of faith. That’s what being a mentor to peter meant for him and his story.

Her letting gwen go? That’s her leap of faith and she just has to trust that it will land. That’s part of what makes that scene so satisfying and yet kind of terrifying.

When Peter knocks on that door you never question if things will go right for him. When miles jumps despite everything you are still sure it’s the correct choice but your still a little scared. You just have to trust that he will land.

Jess is risking everything because she has things to lose. Gwen thinks she has nothing to lose.

Gwen and Jess foil miles and Peter in so many ways and I think it is very interesting!!

Sorry if this is rambly but I needed to type it out

[radioactive-earthshine]

In a world where Kon got taken in by Ma and Pa from the getgo like Mae, what do you think the butterfly-effect-ripples would be?

Hi, I apologize for the time it took me to get to this. I really wanted to get some writing done first.

To answer your question...

Nearly everything that happened in his comics likely would not have happened due to placement because much of his narrative was focused on his location and situation. He was in Hawai'i in the start of the comics and thus went through many adventures there, his relationship with Tana was there, his... experiences... with Kay Fury were there too because she herself was there so he would likely never meet her to get those... experiences... He would not have gone back to Cadmus and experienced his mentorship under Jim Harper 😢 (in which case Jim may or may not have avoided his second death) and finally Kon would not have been (temporarily) homeless nor would he have ended up in Suicide Slums in that apartment complex.

The ENTIRE series would likely have been drastically different and depending on the writers his series may have come off more as a typical Superman series with familiar surroundings in Smallville with more typical issues that some iterations of Clark went through as a teenager.

It would be nice though to see them trying to raise Kon the exact same way they did Clark and it just.... not working.... and them sort of butting heads a lot to show a great contrast until there was some sort of understanding and acclimation.

I also wonder how their own parenting of Kon might have been impacted by Clark's death and suddenly there's this kid they are responsible for and all the sorts of baggage they would need to unpack. Would Kon feel like he's replacing Clark in their hearts and that's the only reason why they are doing this? Because they are lonely? It's a interesting thing to explore.

Kon would definitely be mentally better off and emotionally - his exploitation would never have happened and I feel that he would have found out who he is sooner because he would not have had 100 issues of being on his own with little proper guidance (except Jim and I am sorry Dubbilex did not do the best job at protecting Kon from anything).

Another major different would be Kon would likely not have an identity so intrinsically tied to Superboy and he would have the ability to explore who he was more as Conner and not Superboy.

The butterfly ripples would be... massive. Tim would not have likely had that teamup with him in Hawai'i in World's Finest, as stated above all of his adventures in Hawai'i and the multiple crises he helped to mitigate personally would not have come to be, the kid that was murdered because he looked like him would still be alive (a plus), Tana would be alive, Amanda Spence would be dead sooner (a plus), I'd have to reexamine the D.N.Angels to see how Kon being in Smallvile from nearly day one would have gone but I feel like that would have gone differently because Jim would likely not have been murdered and the whole story of Kon running away with his clone baby would not have happened. I don't see how his presence in Young Justice would be entirely different, he likely would still be present but his meeting Tim and Bart likely would have been different.

It would be an interesting AU.

[guzmapkmn-archive]

HIII WAVING you should tell me abt one of your *favorite* aus ,,, like do you have a favorite one to think abt or that has the most lore? :3

- @linkclick

UMUMUM.... well obviously im thinking abt my maniax au rn akdfsdkjs, and i also rlly like my assassin au!! i dont want to say a Lot abt them actually bc spoilers </3 and we only just finished 2x02 BUT!! i will try to give a mostly spoiler free rundown on them :00

so for my maniax au. my s/i is a version of my assassin au s/i matt blackwood, and gets freed from arkham along with jerome and barbara and everyone else. oswald hears abt the maniax from the news and such, he dislikes them bc hes very much for organized crime and doesnt like anarchy. im actually thinking abt having galavan use matt to get to oswald specifically, bc he wants to take the underworld from oswald (surprise) and he knows matt would be good at deceiving him. but matt doesnt like galavan from the getgo and ends up liking oswald so that doesnt go to plan

my assassin au!! is my favorite i think..... so i mentioned my s/i is called matt blackwood, and in this au he exclusively goes by crow. no one knows his real name. so crow works for this lady called the lady as a contract hitman, and he meets oswald in season 3 by saving his life (not on purpose, he just Happened to be there as death was coming to oswald). oswald was begging to be saved, promising crow a reward if he did, crow didnt stick around but joked that he'd be back for his reward, and then left. oswald kinda forgot abt him bc he was busy, and crow never actually came back for the reward but once oswald opened the iceberg lounge in s4, crow found the perfect opportunity to start messing with him, hoping he’d remember that he saved him. he didn’t really care abt a reward, he mostly just wanted to mess with oswald

[solarsavoy]

Fandom Saturday, My Hero Academia

I finally watched it. I watched MHA.

I can't say I regret putting it off for so long. It's not a bad show, and one of the ways this show really shines is how thorough the author was at considering the different types of powers, "quirks", could be utilized in different situations. However, I do have a really big gripe with this show.

Sometimes, the god hand used in the writing is so blatantly obvious it's annoying.

Two vital moments come to mind for this, but first I'll give you a warning...

***SPOILERS***

The first one is when Izuku meets All For One, indirectly. So we have this team of kids and I really appreciate that they make these kids super powerful, but also don't make them super badass in all situations. AKA, it never makes Izuku out to be the most powerful person from the getgo. He works for it, and you see the potential, but he makes so many mistakes that you can see how badly he's going to fail before he goes and fails gloriously. Very important when creating OP characters. Part of this is the overwhelming fear these kids have just being in the presence of the biggest baddie that they show.

So, we have this group of kids wandering around to try and see if they can save their friend Bakugo. Okay, makes sense, and they all have their own reasons for going. Iida is making sure they aren't all being stupid. Kirishima can't just abandon his best friend. Albeit one-sided, Izuku can't abandon his friend either, and he blames himself for it. Yaoyorozu is the one that made the device, and also joins to keep the others in check. But... why the hell was Todoroki there?

I'll tell you why, simply because the author needed him there to help pull off the stunt they did.

And maybe some of you will point out that he has a reason, that he feels guilty because he was paired with Bakugo when he got kidnapped, but they just glossed over it like it didn't matter. Well guess what, it fucking matters. You don't just spend an entire episode deeply analyzing everyone's reasons for going to save Bakugo and then not include Todoroki's with the same depth and weight. For all I know, he went because he "felt like it", which is such a copout on the writer's part. He was barely utilized throughout that entire part of the show, except for the "absolutely necessary" involvement at that one particular moment?

I'll tell you another reason the writers did that, fan service. That was all it was. That's it. 😒

Another time they do that is when they face Overhaul.

So, you got Aizawa because you really should have him there otherwise you won't be able to take down the badguy, which makes sense, but then I imagine they thought it'd "take all the fun out of the fight", so they needed a way to incapacitate them. Okay, so the building starts to collapse because of the fight, and for the entire duration, instead of a number of other things they could've kept him busy with, Chronostasis makes him super slow and just sits there the whole time because Overhaul "might" be interested in him. No tying Aizawa up, no taking him anywhere, just "sitting and waiting for help".

... What??

But you want to know why they did that? Because they needed Aizawa to stop Eri from erasing Izuku from existence later! So they used Chronostasis to hold Aizawa hostage just long enough for the battle to get really really interesting and only released him at the last second because otherwise you got no more Izuku.

🙄

These were just the ones that stuck out to me the most, and like I said, it's infuriatingly obvious that the characters are just there because the writers needed them there at that particular moment. They also have a habit of making characters have certain quirks just because they needed them for a particular scene to work the way they wanted, just for the character to never be seen or heard from again. (Like Chronostasis. >.>) And there are entirely too many characters in this anime. They literally have more characters than episodes and it's nearly impossible to keep up with them all.

Anyway, more good stuff because I don't hate the anime, I just get frustrated by it sometimes.

It didn't start out this way, but I like how relatable or endearing the villains are. I only watched up to the end of season 5 (saving season 6 for when I can watch it all in one sitting) and just with those final episodes, I find that Shigaraki is very interesting. Imagine his father's hate for his own mother was so strong that it manifested Shigaraki's power of decay and his insatiable need to destroy everything. Just the possibilities themselves are fascinating. And then I'm also a sucker for Todoroki and his whole backstory. 😏

But I like how not everything is black and white and there's this underlying battle centered around the perception of powers going on too. Anyway, I wouldn't say I'm a hardcore fan by any means, but I can see a lot of the reasons it's a really popular fandom. It's more than just another hero story.

And that's it for today! But also, I'm attaching my Todoroki pic because posts with pictures always do better and I'm so absolutely in love with how it came out. ^^

Have a good day!

[mmmthornton]

Abbott Elementary D&D Episode WHEN baby?

What can I say, I'm a simple lesbian. I see a show with a great group dynamic and I gotta think about what they'd be like at the tabletop.

Plus, I'm...responsibly imbibing and putting off work so HERE WE GO!

Jacob becomes determined to start some kind of gaming club at the school, but he hadn't actually DM'd before so he asks the other teachers if he can do a "practice run" first and bribes them with takeout and beer to let him run a game for them in the gym in the evenings. Surprisingly Barbara has come around to it NOT being a tool of the devil thanks to her and her husband watching Stranger Things together ("If it can help those kids beat a demon and learn to appreciate family in the god-forsaken 1980s, it can't be all bad"). Melissa says she could learn a new game since its no fun card sharking the same five people at her local bar, and Gregory is pretending really really hard that he's not EXTREMELY excited about this because he's always wanted to play but never did as a kid. Ava laughs until she cries when Jacob first asks if she wants to join then flips when Gregory will be there..."and when those craft beers go right through his skinny hipster body" she wants to be there to see his "wild" side. Janine knows nothing about the game but is excited about a new extracurricular activity and thinks its a great way to bond with the kids, and Mr. Johnson wasn't invited but shows up with Coke and a Costco-sized bag of Smartpop because he KNOWS whats up.

Barbara : Definitely a Cleric. She is willing to physically fight Jacob though if she has to "choose a god" from the pantheon, so to keep the peace AND the immersive experience they agree Not To Go Into It but its enough that her healing and spells are faith-endowed. Early on though, she gets some REALLY good rolls to hit when they're surrounded by enemies and she becomes more of a "warcaster" in addition to healing. Lots of buffs and she gets into the idea of a powerful warrior who gives holy blessings with her presence. Probably should've chosen Paladin from the getgo with how she ends up playing, but she makes Cleric work for her.

Melissa : Definitely a Rogue. Okay, I promise all my thoughts aren't basic but also listen to me. The whole concept of the rogue network is SO up her alley. She almost seems like she's not even playing a character at first, but then JACOB surprises her with his NPCs and the two of them roleplay thieves cant as a sort of south philly slang. I think Jacob would be an AMAZing DM so he's ready to meet her where she is (not really invested at first, kind of skeptical on the whole thing), and draw her in by accurately using terminology and making the world feel gritty, lived-in, and familiar - and Melissa LOVEs it. She starts to really get into the fiction of this fantasy world and take the threat/plot hook seriously. Gets yelled at by the support for jumping into fights and going unconscious because she's not a tank class; maybe multiclasses into Barbarian or at least takes a feat or two so she's not going down every fight.

Gregory : The archetypal wizard; old, beard, pointy hat, the whole deal. I hear you thinking "Why not human fighter?" but no. Gregory will not do human fighter, he's been waiting to play D&D for like twenty years and hes researched EVERY aspect of every class. Could be a minmaxer, but moreso is just WAY overthinking the choice so finally Jacob just gives him a premade, high-fantasy, Gandalf-ass wizard named something like Geoffrey Jankins or whatever. Gregory spends a lot of time making his : [ face, worried that he's already destroyed his chance of "having fun in a tabletop game with work friends" because he's THAT kind of person. Once he relaxes, he starts to feel a lot more kinship with his wizard character; he's got a backstory in the premade sheet where he's trying to find a spellbook that was stolen from him that contained years of his hard work and research. Over the course of the game Jankins kind of works with the others the same way Gregory did as he warmed up to them as a substitute, and in the end has the Real Emotional Moment in-game as he realizes what his work was keeping him away from (the relationships with the others in the group being his found family). No one leaves that game with a dry eye.

Ava : Elf Bard, College of Swords. She refused to make a character when Jacob mentioned it involved adding numbers because she's too hot for math, so she got another premade that he knew she'd enjoy. She's actually pretty stoked on the idea of a Creative and Powerful Artist who's dripping with charisma enough that she actually gets the ins and outs of the spell rules really well and is very generous with her Bardic Inspirations ("even to Gregory's old-head-ass"). She does however seem to only use Cutting Words on her own team, specifically Janine ("Jacob! How could you let her use that spell?" "In my defense I didn't think she'd even read the spell sheet!"). I say College of Swords because the worst thing about being a bard is having to share the spotlight with someone else, so she decides she wants to be the hero AND the sexy song vixen who makes the ballad about it.

Janine : Some kind of Genasi or fey druid. She wants to connect with the nature in the world and tries to channel a kind of Pan-from-mythology-meets-Steve-Irwin-depicted-by-Simone-Biles character. Her character motivation is she wants to write a guidebook of the animals - both common and magical - that they come across but keeps absolutely failing her rolls. She rolls a one and slaps a Mystical Enchanted Forest Deer in the face, launching a fight that the party is NOT prepared for. IS very good in a fight; she'll transform into an owlbear and headbutt an enemy away if one of the other party members are in trouble. Only remembers how to use like, three spells total and doesn't tell Jacob that she has no clue how things like spell slots or materials work so she just doesn't track it / makes up a number when asked how much she has. Jacob catches on pretty quickly, but side eyes into the camera to let us know he's deliberately letting it slide because she keeps rolling badly and could use the break.

Mr. Johnson : Makes his own dwarf warlock who's ABSOLUTELY minmaxed to hell. The overall playstyle of the group though is more laid back, but he's after a harder core play experience and only drops in sometimes if he hears there's a boss fight. Can do things from the book that are completely legal but have Jacob looking up obscure status effects and rules to try to keep up. Would probably make a good DM, but says he's more of a Warhammer guy.

Jacob : Obviously the DM, but I imagine that once the kids get into the game one of them might want to take a turn DM'ing. Jacob, gleaming with pride, would be happy to pass the DM screen to the "younger, brighter, woker generation". He joins the party as a ranger ("...which in the fifth edition classic is not the most capable class however with updates and features can be utilized in very specific cases for role-play and battlefi-" "For f*cks sake Jacob just take a shortbow proficiency and lets get on with it"), and spends most of the time that they're playing being extremely proud of his student....until the kid catches him on a technicality on his animal companion range.

[blood-starved-beast]

@katyspersonal

The impression I get from how the Research Hall was set up and how Maria seem to glean the most respect and everyone knew her was that it was her lab and she happened to be a very involved PI (Principal Investigator) who successfully connected with her patients (even if she was letting them live in squalor and turning them into giant heads and dumping their failed corpses to feed her beloved flowers - but we'll ignore that. it's the 1700s Yharnam Nuremberg Code hasn't been established it's ok [😬]). We see this in how she's influencing variables left and right (the whole bias with Adeline and all) and that doesn't seem to change anything (thus is the power of the PI without an IRB).

It's interesting therefore, that the research there doesn't seem to really allude much at all to the Old Blood. Maria as any Byrgenwerth scholar looks to the stars, craves that knowledge even dying making the same "Make Contact" gesture like Gehrman (I'd argue her pose seems more desperate though. I mean, Gehrman did made contact. She never really did in a way that mattered to her). It makes sense that her work academically was is transpiring here, and I do headcanon that was what drew Adeline to her.

So I headcanon that Adeline and Lawrence (and also Maria, his peer) have a number of years on Adeline (7-8 ish) so by the time Adeline was 18 or so Laurence already had a bit of a name to him. Adeline is coming into his Shadow and people see her as an extension of Laurence. She's despondent cause people don't and won't judge her based on her own merits (she has some ideas, but also this Adeline they are unhinged and getting from Point A to Point D is a problem).

Then she discovers Maria's thesis, of which Laurence of course has a copy how would he debate her otherwise?? Adeline is obsessed. Maria's theory lines pretty close to what she'd like to study/her own thoughts. A school of thought completely divorced from Laurence! So she forces her brother to take her to their next symposium as his +1 to meet this Academic of her Dreams. She meets Maria and infodumps her thoughts on the Horrors and how it relates to the paper and Maria's like "Uh" in Autistic Creature fashion. Adeline is in love. (Helps too, that Maria is Hot. Wow what a pleasant surprise Adeline was already planning to hitch herself to whatever Researcher this was but Oh Man She did not expect this Hot Piece of Ass???Laurence why did you introduce her sooner? On the other side of the ballroom, Laurence is getting the immediate urge to beat Maria to death with hammers). The rest is well history.

But Maria is also Gehrman's student so she doesn't really establish her lab from the getgo. Fieldwork, she calls it, hunting beasts and eldritch creatures from beyond. (As opposed to Gehrman, who entertains fantasies of like, Maria inheriting his workshop after he retires or dies prematurely. Something too domestic for Maria, Girl Prince extraordinaire, decked out in the Latest of Cainhurst fashions is the Talk of Yharnam and the hero to save them all from the Evil Beasts). So Adeline is in a relationship, but it lacks the academic edge she hoped for. It's in fact, painfully domestic in the "husband leaves home to work and wife waits until he returns" and such (I'd like to think this is why Laurence allows the relationship with little complaint. He knows of Adeline's obsession with deep Sea Horrors but fortunately Maria is proving a distraction for her in this sense even if she's a thorn in his ass in every other occasion).

Adeline's still in Laurence's shadow, still inadequate and people are starting to talk. When the opportunity arises she signs up to become a Blood Saint so at least, okay maybe she can do something here? This causes the first Major Rift between her and Maria who absolutely doesn't approve of this. A disagreement turns into a fight and ends up with some glasswear and vases taking the hit as Maria smashes them in a rage (I do headcanon the picture frame on the table in the Clocktower is something she broke in anger/frustration) but quickly apologizes for afterwards. Normally this is a Red Flag. For Adeline it is not. In the end, Adeline is now a Blood Saint.

Eventually the Fishing Hamlet disillusions Maria to the Hunt and she quits. Adeline is there to soothe her when she's in her Byronic hero Slump of Immense Dramatic Woe™ and brings up her research - she has enough fieldwork now no? She can start working on it? And Maria's like "you're still thinking of that???" and Adeline's like "Of course??? I could get funding" and convinces Laurence, who currently losing his mind over the Bad Press of Maria Quitting the Hunt and also dealing with Gehrman sending like a 1000 letters asking after Maria and where is she is she ok, funds it immediately if it means she's out of his hair.

The rest well you know. I do love the idea of Adeline emotionally cheating on Maria with Kos cause honestly I do have that headcanon too?? I mean it's only fair I do have this horrible headcanon that Maria does cheat on Adeline with this one cute Nurse in the Hall some time after Adeline develops a Giant head. She is immediately guilty afterwards and tries to improve the situation for Adeline (the Balcony Key) and also gets rid of the Nurse but the act haunts her and is a contributing factor to both the Heel Realization and the Suicide. Also she's also emotionally cheating on her with Nameless Moon Presence (though I doubt Adeline would have be offended by that) and also Kos but like in the Opposite Direction to why Adeline is obsessed with her (in trying to avoid anything to do with Kos and the Fishing Hamlet it becomes obsession and it adds to the Irony of Maria's situation in the Nightmare later - her own special little cage where she's the Absolute Monster [herself]). There's no ~ divorce ~ but there's definitely a rift neither can really bridge by the time Maria commits suicide (which I headcanon happens before Adeline dies if only for the tragedy of Adeline waiting for Maria to show up again but she never does).

Adding this cause it's relevant here but I don't think Laurence really needed to feed suicidal idealations for Maria. Her own ruminations and preoccupations over her own shortcomings starting from Cainhurst as a human being does all the work for him. The impression I get from Maria, based largely on how she misses Gehrman's 'mania'. (HOW does one Ignore that Kind of Person/behavior??? Pretty sure the Doll post-mortem isn't the first Time either.) The only logical explanation is that it is deliberate willful Ignorance, which given Maria's whole deal as the only person to regret her actions while changing absolutely Nothing of her morals/future actions, reads to me as someone completely utterly self-obsessed in their own flaws and actions. I.e. she is is so preoccupied by her own flaws and Introspective to a Fault that everything and everyone is secondary to those preoccupations in her mind. Adeline, her work at the Hunt and in the Hall, all of that pales to the Spot ruminating about how much She Sucks So Bad while lying on her back on the floor or slumped in her Clocktower chair holds in her mind. Very much Byronic. Adeline would find it a lot Hotter if it didn't interfere with her own goals to reach the Horrors though.

I also headcanon Maria comes from the branch of the Vileblood line that has the high potency for blood magic but that has the added side effect of that line being prone to schizoid type symptoms and depression. Very much Gothic horror vibes. No one in Cainhurst was surprised when she made the sudden decision to leave. It's Yharnam's problem now!!

And again, I do think while alive Maria has a big following/admiration by the public. So her disappearing would be just as bad as her firing up a storm. Especially when the Romantic Image of the Lady Maria and the Vicar's Sister is so so good for publicity and tabloids. He lets them be as long as Maria doesn't cause too much of a fuss with the Old Blood Rejection. Doesn't stop him from fantasizing about blowing her head off with a Repeating Pistol anytime she sits in front of him in the Lecture Hall or he finds her with her tongue down his sister's throat when he comes back home from the Cathedral.

I do agree Maria was the Biggest L in Laurence's book. Especially after discovering what happened in the Research Hall (I imagine he never really looked deeply into what was going on - he had so much on his plate especially the Beast Plague). He doesn't care about the other patients but his sister??? His Little Sister??? How dare she turn her into a giant head creature??? What did that awful Vileblood bitch do?? Adeline assures him it was her idea and Maria didn't approve at first, but also can you find her? She's been gone a while and well, Adeline still needs brain fluid :(. The biggest L Laurence took was finding her bloated corpse up in the Clocktower and not being the one to take the knife to her neck himself.

At least he can unleash his executioners in Cainhurst in peace. The offense is now personal.

I headcanon that Lady Maria and Laurence have an animosity that goes beyond the typical rivalry that is common between academics with competing theories on the same subject and part of it is cause Maria was one of the earliest and most vocal opponents (or as vocal as Maria would ever be) of use of the Old Blood. Unlike Master Willem's cautioning she straight up tells him the Old Blood is shit and will bring bad consequences (totally drawing from Cainhurst experience here).

She further emphasizes this point by largely refusing to use the Blood to heal in Hunts, largely relying on her skills and is why she's a Master at the Art of Quickening. And lowkey, it's also why her HP is so low compared to other DLC enemies. She had to whether a lot of hits that normally Hunters would heal with the Old Blood and eventually it did have a long-lasting toll on her body. After one pretty bad fight Laurence had walked up to her with a bottle being like "oh wow Maria that's a pretty bad gash you've got there :))))) A shame there's no way to heal that quickly :))))" and was even more annoyed when she refused him even then. Needless to say having a major academic and Hunter snub your work like that, is well a pretty nasty thorn to have on your side.

That is to say, that I don't think Maria was against blood ministration (heck, it's the main thing in Bloodborne). I do think she would be very picky as to where it's sourced from. One of them being from Adeline, and Maria only took it (after much refusal and protest to Adeline being a Blood Saint in the first place) was in a different and worse fight than the aforementioned, it was practically forced onto her by a sobbing Adeline who thought she was going to lose Maria then and there. From then on Maria carried a blood vial of Adeline's blood (at first Adeline would sneak them in, later as the beasts became more dangerous Maria took them willingly) with her on the Hunts.

I also headcanon, with no evidence, that Adeline was Laurence's sister. Surprisingly, this was not a direct point of contention in these colleagues' relationship, but it did cause Laurence to grind his teeth when anyone reminded him of this, or when he'd come home and see Adeline sitting on Maria's lap in their parlor. Laurence, being the first Vicar, was a huge source of Adeline's feelings of inadequency, though she'd never tell him that. She felt she had to measure up in some way, and when she didn't, she felt like nothing. It also compelled her to be a blood Saint, something Maria was strongly against. It was Adeline's insistence that led to Laurence and the Church to ultimately fund Maria's research at the Research Hall, and part of it cause it would distract away from Maria (potentially) being a vocal opponent of the Church and the Hunt.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

What if Alya knew Marinettes identity since origins (if you’ve already done this, my apologies

(What if Alya knew the truth early)

-So for the sake of story cohesion. I will put this in part two. Where Marinette tries to hand off the earrings to her

-Now Alya finding out that Marinette was not only the new hero, but trying to give her the hero item. I think Alya would deny it.

-“You were chosen for a reason girl. I know you can be a hero. You need to have faith”

-now Alya would still head to get some shots of the akuma and sure enough Marinette rushes to go save the day.

-Marinette still iffy on being a hero, it isn’t until Chat noir gives the pep talk that Ladybug does her speech like in canon.

-Now we could have Fu just take her miraculous after exposing the truth to Alya… but that would be boring and Paris would be doomed shortly after.

-So Lady wifi doesn’t happen

-Marinette gets a LOT better excuses thanks to Alya covering for her.

-Alya being loyal would do her best NOT to get akumatized. And I imagine that Volpina would be the first Big change.

-Alya wouldn’t have posted Lila’s interview on the Ladyblog. In fact, she would have told Marinette to watch out for Lila. Because Alya knowing Marinette is ladybug would have had Lila hella sus of her from the getgo. Marinette then follows Lila thanks to the warning.

-Then Marinette gets the book. Like in canon and shows Fu.

-Fu reveals himself and reveals that he knows Marinette told someone.

-But instead of being mad, he witnessed how this helped out (and as he had Marianne) he really had no leg to stand on.

-Now Marinette has suspicion on Gabriel Agreste. So she tells Alya to investigate him. Now the Collector happens and Marinette tells Alya to stop digging… but Alya finds some VERY interesting things.

-Her getting the Fox is more or less the same but with some dialogue changes.

-Syren is a lot more personal as Adrien’s anger at people hiding things from him (and the unbalance of situations) grows

-Fu still meets with Adrien and clears the air.

-Alya starts noticing some weirdness with Gabriel agreste in her investigation. Which has her tell Marinette that her suspicions on Gabriel weren’t wrong.

-By heroes day, everything is fine… until it goes wrong because an akumatized Rena Rouge exposes Ladybug.

-And that’s when things start to unravel

[legolasghosty]

I would love to read that essay about Willie's responses to Alex's anxiety and how good it is if you want to write it and have time for it☆

They are very good for each other and that is a fact♡

Alright, this ended up taking a while to write, Idk, brain being weird. Sorry! But... I can always talk about Willex...

Okay, let's go chronologically and start at their first meeting.

First off, Willie doesn't ever judge Alex for asking a million questions. He's a bit surprised at first by Alex's question about what a lifer is, but he just answers it and clarifies that Alex hasn't been a ghost for long. And while he laughs a lot in both this scene and later scenes, it's never at Alex. Alex makes him laugh, but it's always very clear that he's never being mean or looking down on Alex. This continues later when they're on the bench, with Willie listening and not making Alex feel stupid for not understanding stuff, even if he does laugh about it a couple of times. He just explains things and asks questions when he doesn't get something. Good traits for the partner of someone with anxiety, especially Alex, who at this point has just left a situation where the million questions he has are sort of being brushed off by Luke and Reggie.

Second, and I could go on forever about this bit, we have the little bit where Alex mentions his 'minor afterlife crisis,' then immediately follows it up by teasing Willie about running him over. Willie laughs and accepts the joke, then returns to the afterlife crisis thing. To me, what Alex is doing here is sort of a cry for help that he's too scared to really make. He admits that something is wrong, but quickly follows it up with a lighthearted comment meant to distract Willie. Like, he wants to talk about it, but he also doesn't want to put his issues onto someone else, especially someone he just met. And it works for a second. Willie laughs and gets distracted by the jab. You can see the disappointment in Alex's eyes though. He wanted to talk to Willie about it, and while he was trying to distract him from the concerning comment, he's still a bit sad when it works. AND WILLIE NOTICES!!!! He notices, he backs up, and he lets Alex talk.

Alex is a bit surprised, because people don't usually pick up on what he's doing when he pulls stuff like that, but he dives right in, almost like he's afraid that Willie will take it back once he realizes Alex has things to say. But Willie just asks some clarifying questions and lets Alex blow off some steam. As someone who regularly uses this same tactic Alex does, it means so much when someone picks up on it. Cause like, Alex doesn't want to burden Willie, but he does want to talk about it, so Willie actively giving him an opening to talk means the world and is a prime example of Willie being so so good for Alex.

Willie really is good for Alex right from the getgo.

Moving on, we have the museum scene. All the Willex gold in this scene, but I'll just pick on a couple things. First off, Willie is pushing Alex out of his comfort zone in several ways during this bit, but he's always there to help Alex do whatever it is, and he isn't trying to get Alex to do things he really doesn't want. When he pulls him into the museum, when he gets him to move the bench, and when they scream, Willie is there to help Alex do all of it. He grabs Alex's hand to pull him through the door, helps him focus enough to lift the bench, and screams right along with Alex. He's pushing Alex to do new things, but he isn't just leaving him to try and figure them out on his own. So important in any good relationship, romantic or otherwise, and something I think Alex really needs, especially at that point in the show where there are still so many unknowns for him and his band.

And of course, gotta talk about the screaming, cause what Willex analysis would be complete without it. I'm gonna talk about their communication again because I love it so much, but Willie notes Alex saying he's anxious, remembers it, and makes a point to ask. Alex shares, Willie connects it to his drumming, and is like, "Wait, I have something kinda like that that I do, maybe it would help him." Again, he doesn't force Alex, but he helps him do it and let loose and stuff, and it's a really great moment for them! Sharing coping mechanisms, my beloved!

At this point in the show, we run into the club stuff, which makes things sad for a bit between Willex, so instead of thinking about that, we're gonna talk about how openly happy Willie always is to see Alex. Speaking from experience, anxiety really likes to try and convince you that people don't actually want you around, but Willie is always so freaking happy when Alex is around, and it's very obvious. He's noticeably more cheerful and relaxed when Alex is around, and even Alex can see it, which has got to be so good for Alex. The reason Alex is so freaked out when Willie starts avoiding him is that he could tell Willie liked being around him. And Willie knows it. He immediately tells Alex that he isn't the issue when they talk outside the garage. Because he loves being around Alex, and the only issue is Caleb, and while Willie knows he can't actually tell Alex that, he doesn't want him to go crazy trying to figure out what he did wrong. Willie being so obvious about loving to be around Alex is so important for them, and is probably really good for Alex's anxiety.

From there, we have the lovely, "Because I care about you, Alex!" bit. Both in that scene and in the scene between them at the Orpheum at the start of episode 8, Willie is being completely honest with Alex, which is so so important in any relationship, but especially so when one or multiple people involved have anxiety. Willie doesn't dance around what he thinks and wants to say, he just says it. And Willie's honesty gives Alex permission to be honest in response, with the "I would have still followed you," bit and stuff, as opposed to deflecting and hiding with sarcasm like he does at many other points in the show. Good communication between the boyfriends!!!

And finally, we have the last scene in front of the Orpheum and the hug. So much good stuff here, but I'll just talk about the hug and one other line. First off, the hug. Alex is the one who initiates it, but Willie immediately grabs him back and hangs on just as tight. Alex isn't nearly as touchy as his bandmates or Willie, but he trusts Willie enough to reach out for him, and Willie instantly confirms that the comfort is both allowed and appreciated. They both know that this is probably goodbye, but neither can stand to say it, so they just hang on for dear life until Alex forces himself to back away. Willie lets Alex hold him for as long as he wants, and doesn't try to pull away. Another edition of the 'Willie counteracts the anxiety that makes Alex assume people don't want him around' show.

The last thing Willie says is to tell Alex he'll see him around, which, even though they both know it's probably not true, is really sweet. Willie is just like, "Of course I'll see you again, and I'm gonna love it so much when do." So like, post Magical Hug of Destiny, I don't think Alex has any question in his mind that Willie wants to see him again. Which is so good, and honestly hard to get with anxiety screaming in your brain. Because Willie makes sure Alex knows that he cares and wants to be around him.

Anyways, in conclusion, Willie is good at communication and making sure Alex knows he wants him around, and is so so good for Alex's anxiety. I love them.

[chessdaze]

@khoc-week Day 3! Alphabet P:otion

I couldn’t draw the prompt for today (data) cause I was out all day, but I decided to write a drabble instead! It showcases Quest, who I was originally going to do solo for this week, and him first joining Leopardos and how he knows all the foretellers from the getgo. I had to stop myself from making this any longer than it already was, there’s so much I could write about this time of Quest’s life.

It’s super long and going under readmore but I hope people enjoy learning about Quest’s backstory!

“You're….the new wielder?” Gula hesitates in his normal welcome ramble after taking a moment to take in the appearance of his new wielder. God damn, it looks like he had gone through hell and back already.

The boy had messy amber hair, cut unevenly, and was a ratted mess. His clothes were dirty and loosely hanging off of him, Gula worries about how skinny he must really be if such small clothes were so baggy on him. He was barefoot, his feet and hands covered with dirt. His dirty hands were gripping onto the starlight keyblade like his life depending on it, pointing it towards the foretellers as he breathed heavily.

But what caught Gula’s attention the most was the wielder's eyes. They looked like twilight, yellow fading into amber. But besides that, they almost looked lifeless. Did this kid even have a heart? That was his first thought upon seeing those emotionless eyes.

“Who…are you?” The wielder asked.

“That’s Master Gula! Put your keyblade down!” The wielders charity jumps up and tries to grab onto the wielder's arm, and he stumbles. As he does the keyblade disappears, and Gula takes the chance to take steps forward.

“Easy.” Gula said, reaching out to catch the other. God he really was all skin and bones. “You look like you’ve been through hell.”

“No need to be so blunt, master Gula…” the Chirithy said softly. Gula ignored it and focused his attention on the wielder who was actively not trying to put weight on Gula. “It’s okay, you can lean on me.”

“Master…Gula?” The wielder asked and he gave a nod.

“That’s right, I’m the one in charge of the union you chose.” He smiled. “But we can talk about that later. Why don’t we get you somewhere you can rest?”

There’s silence as those twilight eyes looked at the ground for answers. Then he nodded and began leaning against Gula at last. Gula wraps an arm around his thin waist and puts one of the other's arms over his shoulder.

“Why don’t we start with something easy.” Gula started as he began to walk towards the house that would soon house the wielder. “What’s your name?”

There’s silence for a couple of steps, and for a moment Gula wonders if he has the strength to talk. But then he hears the other faintly speak.

“Quest….Quest Belrose.”

“It’s nice to meet you Quest.” Gula adjusted his grip and continued walking. Quest dragged his feet a little, but he managed to keep up with Gula’s pace. “Where I’m taking you now is going to be your new home.” He explained, “you’ll be the first one to live in this building but soon enough other wielders will occupy the rooms near yours.”

He wasn’t sure if Quest was taking any of this in, but he continued. “Normally, I’d ask for you to head out right away, but I can make an exception this once.”

“Sorry,” comes a mumble.

“Don’t be, I’m impressed you managed to get it this far.” Gula looked at quest as he came to a stop in front of a housing building. “You should be proud of your accomplishment.”

Quest looked at Gula for a moment, Gula just now realizing that the other was taller than him, if only barely. How old was he? Gula couldn’t help but wonder. He was the youngest foretellers sure, but he still managed to be older (and taller) than his wielders. Would Quest be another exception?

“Is this it?” Quest asked weakly, looking towards the building.

“Yup, your new home.” Gula faced forward and started to pull quest up the small set of stairs and into the building. “You get first dibs on a room, aren’t you lucky?” He chuckled softly as he looked around. There were a few rooms on the bottom floor, then a few on the second, and one attic room. “We should probably put you on the first floor so you don’t have to deal with the stairs.”

“I can handle the stairs,” Quest announced, Gula’s eyebrow raised underneath his mask.

“You could barely handle the walk over. Cmon, at least until I see you’re doing better we’ll take this room. Master’s orders.”  He notices a sigh coming from Quest, but at least he’s not arguing. They turn into the closest room.

It was the bare basics; a bed, a nightstand, a dresser, and some toiletries in the attached bathroom. They were made so the wielders could customize them as wanted or needed. For now, it would definitely work for a sick wielder. He walks over to the bed and puts Quest down, the wielder groans a bit but moves to be laying against the headboard. “Chirithy,” Gula called, and both his and Quest’s appeared. “Do either of you have a potion?”

“I do!” Said Quest’s chirithy. He reaches into his little pouch and pulls out a bottle of potion, and Gula contemplates how the pouch on the Chirithy’s works for a moment before taking the potion. “Thanks.” He took out the cork and handed the bottle to Quest. “Here, drink up.”

“…..What is that.”

“A potion.” Gula explained. “It’ll heal your wounds.”

Quest looked at it with an unimpressed look before taking the bottle. He took a sip and coughed, “it tastes strong.”

“Really?” Gula tilted his head. “It’s just a basic potion, not a special one, it should be fine.”

Quest raised an eyebrow before attempting to drink the rest of the potion.

‘Ava has the best healing magic, maybe she should come to take a look at him too.’ Gula thinks as he turns his back to Quest for a moment, ‘then again, what kind of keyblade master would I be if I can’t take care of one of my own? I need to not rely on anyone, especially if I’m to find the traitor-‘

His thought process is cut off by stomps behind him. “Quest!” The Chirithy calls before the bathroom door slams shut. Gula walks up to the door quickly, only to hear the poor wielder throwing up his guts on the other side.

‘He can’t even keep down a potion? It’s worse than I thought.’ Gula thinks, ‘perhaps I can make an exception….’ Another one. How many exceptions would Quest make him make?

“Quest?” He calls, knocking on the door. The door opens, and Quest leans against the doorframe, breathing heavily. “Okay I’ll admit, the potion was a bad idea.” He holds up his hands defensively. “I didn’t think you couldn’t keep it down and that’s my bad. Why don’t we get you washed up and I’ll use healing magic instead.”

“….there’s such a thing?”

Gula smirks, “You have a lot to learn. Now into the bath with you.” His hands move into a shooing motion as he silently tells the wielder to get back into the bathroom. “I take it that you can do this much by yourself?” Quest nodded, “Alright, yell if you need anything. Your chirithy will watch after you just in case.” The chirithy salutes and finds a place upon the sink counter to sit as Gula exits the bathroom and closes the door behind him.

“Do you want me to call Master Ava here?” His chirithy asked, and Gula gave a nod.

“If you could. I have a feeling this is beyond battle wounds.” And out of everyone, Ava would be willing to help the most. He wonders if this would count as an alliance. He shook his head. Right now he was focusing on a person more than a wielder, despite just meeting, Gula finds himself compelled to help this wielder and not just as his master but as another person. He hasn’t felt this way before with his other wielders. Perhaps it was the way Quest looked at him, with those dead eyes. His curiosity was getting the better of him. Could he change that look? What caused it to begin with?

“Also bring an extra pair of robes from my closet.” He calls to his chirithy before it leaves. “He needs something more than those rags he’s wearing.”

“Sure thing.” The chirithy spins and disappears into a puff of smoke. Gula goes to stand near the window with a sigh.

A while later, the water stops and there’s a knock on the door. “Wait a minute, Quest. I have a change of clothes for you.” He called into the bathroom before going to the door of the room. He opens it to see Ava standing there with his robes over her arm. She must’ve stopped by his room for his chirithy.

“Hi Gula.” She greets with a smile. “ You needed this?” She offers the robes which he quickly takes.

“Thanks, I’ll explain in a second.” He shuffles over to the bathroom and knocks. He waits a moment before opening the door and handing the robes to the chirithy. “They might be a bit small but it’s better than nothing.” He said before closing the door again. When he turns back around, Ava has already let herself into the room, looking around for a moment before her eyes settle on Gula. She’s waiting for an explanation. He sighs and rubs at the back of his hood for a moment before going over to her. “I have a wielder I want you to look at.” She tilts her head. “He’s…sick. Not just hurt but sick. He couldn’t even keep down a potion.” He shakes his head. “I’m a little out of my element here. Normally wielders come to us in perfect condition but…this guy went through something Ava, I don’t know what but he—“

The door to the bathroom opens and both foretellers jump a little and turn towards the door. Quest is standing there with soaking wet hair and in Gula’s blue robes. They were a bit small on him, but they fit well enough considering they were still somehow baggy on him. Ava and Gula share a look before Ava moves to stand in front of Quest. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Master Ava.” She gives a little bow, and Quest glances at Gula. He makes a motion with his hand, telling the wielder to return the bow, so he does so and looks down at Ava.

“I’m Quest…”

“Well Quest, Gula asked me to take a look at you so why don’t you go ahead and sit on the bed.” She motions for him to do just that, and he follows the instructions. “Gula get another towel and dry his hair.”

“What?”

“You heard me!” She shooed him into the bathroom much like he had done to Quest not to long ago. He shakes his head and grabs a towel before going back to the bed. Ava has Quest pulling up his sleeves to inspect his arms. Gula climbs onto the bed to get behind Quest and flip the towel on his head.

“Hey—“

“Don’t complain.” Gula huffs as he starts to rub the towel over the other’s long hair. It’s longer than he thought, and still a little knotted, but it looks much better than before. He sees the soft green glow of Ava’s healing magic and can’t help but watch for a moment as he rings out the ends of Quest’s hair.

“When was the last time you ate something, Quest?”

The silence is deafening. The foretellers give Quest a worried look. “Quest, answer the question.” Gula encouraged as he moved to sit at Quest’s side.

Quest looked like he wanted to disappear.

“I don’t know.”

“Well,” Ava dusted off her robes, “that has to change. No wonder you couldn’t keep down a potion.” She brings a hand to her chin as she bums. “Invi’s stew might be the best option here.”

“I don’t really want to get anyone else involved,” Gula said with a shake of his head.

“Well, it’s too late for that,” Ava waved her finger.. “Besides, Invi used to feed us that stew when we were sick, I don’t think she’d have a problem making it for Quest.”

“You….really don’t have to,” Quest spoke up softly but both foretellers gave him a look. Even if he couldn’t see the full expressions with their masks on, he shrank back.

“Just lay down Quest,” Gula said as he slid off of the bed. “We’ll figure it out. You’ll be better in no time.”

“I’m not sick, though.” He tries to argue.

“Quest, you could barely walk here by yourself.” Gula cuts him off. Quest opens his mouth, shuts it, then opens it again.

“I’ve always been like this…”

The foretellers look at eachother again. “Then you must have an extremely strong heart to have gotten through this burden by yourself all this time.” Ava sits on the edge of the bed, reaching over to cup the side of Quest’s face. “I know Gula is proud to have someone whose heart is as strong as yours in his union so please, let us help you get physically better.”

Quest looks frozen in place, eyes wide at Ava then glancing towards Gula. Gula nods, affirming Ava’s words. And just as he did so, he swears he sees light in Quest’s eyes, finally.

Maybe he had a heart after all.

“Okay.” He looks back at Ava and nods. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Ava smiles and stands up. “Now just try to rest. We’ll get to work.” Quest nods, and moves to lay down. The chirithy sits down next to him and covers him with a blanket. The two foretellers carefully make their way out of the room. “Gula-“

“Fine, fine,” he shakes his head. “I’ll ask Invi to make her stew. Maybe having something in his stomach will help him keep a potion down.”

“I don’t think this is something a potion can fix.” Ava crossed her arms with a worried look still showing through her mask. “He’s clearly malnourished, probably dehydrated too.”

“And probably pushed beyond his limits. He beat a Darkside all on his own before I could even meet with him.”

“Really?! All by himself? In that condition?”

“He looked like he had been to hell and back, Ava.” He shook his head. “His eyes barely have any light in them, he looked so empty.” He paused, “until just now, but even then, it’s just barely.”

“You might have to watch him for a while.” Ava uncrossed her arms and started to head towards the door. “I’ll talk to Invi for you, you should stay with him.”

“Thanks.” He watched her leave before sighing softly and going back into the room. When he shuts the door, the chirithy shushes him. Gula looks to see Quest passed out on the bed. He must’ve been seconds from passing out before. Gula releases a sigh of relief, had he not been tired he’d be worried that Quest wasn’t human after all.

Gula sits at the end of Quest’s bed, watching Quest. “He reminds me too much of me.” There’s a low chuckle as he reaches out to pet the chirithy who now sat beside him. “You have a big job ahead of you, be sure to watch after him.”

“You can count on me, sir.” The chirithy whispered.

It must’ve been an hour or two later when he heard a knock on the door. Quest was still asleep and Gula had almost fallen asleep himself. He quickly shuffles up and crosses the room to open the door. Invi and Ava are on the other side, and both giggle at his appearance.

“Have a nice nap?” Ava ruffles his hair, and he realizes his hood fell down. He grumbled and shoves his hood back on.

“Thanks for coming Invi.” He looks down to see her holding a bowl of her famous stew. “And for cooking.”

“Well, Ava explained the situation to me. It sounds like you have an exceptional keyblade wielder on your hands. It’d be a shame to let him continue on as he is.”

“I brought him some water as well.” Ava motioned next to the door where there was a case of water. She must’ve put it down to knock. “If we don’t get rid of his dehydration he might break out into a fever.”

“Right, right, here, come on in.” Quest moved aside to let the girls in, grabbing the case of water from Ava to carry it inside the room. The noise has Quest stirring, but he doesn’t quite awaken, “he’s been asleep since Ava left.”

“So I guess you haven’t had time to explain much to him,” Invi said, putting the bowl onto the nightstand. Ava goes over to the bed and shakes Quest slightly.

“Wakes wakey!” Ava giggles.

Quest stirs for a moment more before blinking his eyes open. For a moment, he looks confused, jolting up and away from Ava and into the corner that the bed rested next to. He looked at all the foretellers in the room before slowly calming down with help of his chirithy.

“Sorry. I…thought it was a dream.”

“It’s okay, I’m sorry for scaring you,” Ava said with a nod before standing up. “We brought you some food. You should try to eat some.”

“Thank y—“ Quest moved to the edge of the bed before finally noticing the new face in the room. “Um…—“

“I’m Master Invi.” Invi introduced herself with a bow. “Quest Belrose, correct?” Quest stands up (just barely managing it), and gives a bow himself. “Please sit, I can tell you’re not at full strength yet.” With a soft sigh, Quest sits back down on the bed. Invi picks up the bowl of stew and hands it to the wielder “It should be cool enough to eat now. I would make this for The other foretellers when they were sick. I hope it helps you as well.”

Quest gives a small nod, pushing back some of his semi-dried hair behind his ear. “Thank you.” He says before grabbing the spoon and taking a spoonful into his mouth. His eyes shine, dimly but it’s still there. “This is good.” He mumbled and started eating with more vigor.

“Slow down! You don’t want to make yourself even sicker.” Invi scolded and Quest slowly swallowed the spoonful he had in his mouth.

“Sorry, ma’am.” Quest mumbles.

Ava and Gula chuckle from a few feet away. “She’s giving him the big sister treatment,” Gula whispers.

“Yeah, but maybe he needs it.” Ava whispers back.

“Gula!” The younger foreteller straightens up as Invi calls his name. “Get Quest a water.”

“Oh uh sure,” he said, breaking open the case of water and putting it on the nightstand. Quest thanks him quietly and takes it to take a couple of sips from it.

“I’m sorry, I think I’m full.” He hadn’t managed to eat even half of the stew. He puts the water back and the bowl on the nightstand. Then a hand flies to his mouth and Gula jumps forward. “You okay?”

“I just….feel sick again.”

“Was that too much for your stomach?” Invi asked, tone sounding very worried even if her face was covered by her mask and scarf. “You might need something not as rich, like bread and some basic soup, not stew.”

Quest squeezed his eyes shut. “Okay, no more talking about food I think we’re just making it worse.” He helps Quest to his feet and helps him over to the bathroom. Quest thanks him and shuts the door after his chirithy walks in after him.

Gula turns toward the other foretellers and gives a small sigh as he rubs at the side of his neck.

“It’s worse than I thought.” Invi hummed as she crossed her arms. “My stew isn’t that rich, it’s almost as basic as you can get.”

“He said he couldn’t remember the last time he ate anything so many he just had too much.”

“I told him not to eat too fast.” Invi huffed and Gula gave a nervous chuckle.

“Try not to hold it against him.” Especially since they could hear him getting sick in the bathroom again, Gula winced and motioned for them to leave the room. The noise wasn’t noticeable out in the hall.

“You need to feed him very basic food and make sure he drinks enough water.” Invi instructed. “It’s going to start getting dark soon, maybe wait until tomorrow to give him any more food. If we can get him to keep something down then that’s progress.”

“Progress for what?”

The three freeze up as a new voice enters their conversation. They turn around to see that Ira and Aced have both joined them. When did they even get in here without the three of them noticing?!

“Ira! Aced!” Gula greeted, giving a nervous laugh. “What- what brings you two here?”

“I saw Ava and Invi enter here, but I know this building was given to you for new wielders so I couldn’t help but check it out.” Ira explained, “I brought Aced with me in case something was the matter.” There was a heavy pause, “so what are you all doing here?” He finally asked.

“Master Gula?” A soft voice calls that gets all of the foreteller’s attention.

“Coming!” Gula called before opening the door, “Please explain, I’ll be back in a minute.” Ava nodded and Gula thanked her with a smile before entering the room and shutting the door behind him.

Quest was gripping onto the doorframe of the bathroom, looking…scared, almost? “Hey it’s okay, I was just talking with Ava and Invi.” Quest nodded, his grip loosening on the doorframe. Gula holds his hands out and Quest hesitates, but grabs onto them. Gula gently and carefully leads Quest back to the bed, getting him to take a couple sips of the water before laying down. “How are you feeling?”

“Sick still…” but he gets comfortable under the sheets regardless.

“That might take a bit to go away. But don’t worry I’ll be here watching after you.”

“You can’t always be here to watch him, Gula.” Gula swallowed thickly and turned around to see Ira walk into the room, Aced and the girls not far behind him. “You have your duties as a foreteller.”

“Um….” Quest was understandably confused, having all these fancily dressed people in his room. Ira cleared his throat before approaching the bed as Quest sat up.

“Forgive us for intruding. I’m Master Ira, and this is Master Aced.” Aced only huffed at being recognized, and Quest nodded to the both of them.

“I’m Quest…Quest Belrose.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet such a strong heart.” Ira gave a bow of his head. “But I’m afraid I can’t let you have Gula all to yourself.”

“Ira, he’s my wielder, I can take care of this-”

“Ontop of your normal duties and your role?”

“Of course!” Gula huffed.

“How about this.” Ava cut in, breaking into the front of the group. “Why don’t we take turns!”

“Hey, don’t drag us into this!” Aced huffed.

“Well Gula needs help, and Quest definitely needs help, so why not? We’re a team in the end too, right?” She looks at all of the other fortellers. “We’re all master’s apprentices, and keyblade masters, taking care of one sick wielder shouldn’t take too much time out of our schedules if we just take turns.”

“You don’t have to–” Quest tried, but Ava waved her hand to shush him. He closed his mouth and looked down at the sheets.

“Well, I,” Ira coughed into his hand. “I was going to suggest he get members of his union to help him -”

“Oh come on, you heard Quest’s story, how can you not want to help him!”

“We’re all very busy, Ava.” Invi intervened. “I do not mind coming by with food but you shouldn’t drag everyone into this–”

“Why not!”

“Ava, really,” Gula chuckled at her antics. Before anyone else could speak, there was another noise that interrupted them. A….sob? The foretellers were quick to turn to Quest, who was wiping at his eyes with a shaking breath. Ava quickly moved to Quest’s side and puts a hand ontop of his head.

“Quest? Are you okay?”

“It–It’s nothing–” Quest sniffs, wiping away tears from one of his eyes. “It’s just…..--”

“Just?” Gula approached aswell, holding onto Quest’s hand.

“You guys remind me of my family.” Quest shook his head.

“Your family?” Ira, now curious, moves closer to the bed aswell.

“Yeah. My parents they–they bickered alot.” Quest explained, taking a deep breath. “But I could tell they cared for eachother, just like you all do.”

“Well….--”

“How are your parents, Quest? Do they know you’re here?” Ava asked.

Quest shook his head. “My parents are dead. I buried them, and then right after the monsters showed up.” That got all the foretellers to freeze. “Next thing I know, I’m here and saving that girl, fighting those big monsters back to back...”

‘This poor guy….he can’t catch a break.’ Gula squeezed Quest’s hand tighter. ‘He buried his parents and then got attacked by heartless? No wonder he looks so dead inside.’ “Wait, what girl?” He blinked in the realization, looking up at Quest, who looked at him with red swollen eyes.

“Oh, yeah, there was a girl when I showed up, and she was scared, so I, uh, took over the fight for her, she ran away somewhere safe.” Quest shook his head as if it was nothing. “Then afterwards, another big monster showed up, so I beat that one too. That’s when you showed up, Master Gula.”

“So let me get this straight,” Aced suddenly spoke. “You beat TWO darkside heartless? Back to back? In your condition?”

“Heartless?”

“That’s what we call the monsters of darkness, heartless.” Gula quickly explained. “But is that right Quest? You beat two giant heartless?” Quest nodded. The foretellers are just staring in silence at Quest, while he looks sad and confused. Had he said something wrong?

“Now that he mentions it…” Ira cups his chin as he thinks, snapping out of his daze. “There was a girl wielder hanging around the building. I didn’t think much of her at the time, but I wonder if she was the girl that Quest saved. She might be looking for a way to approach him.”

“I’ll go get her!” Ava hopped and quickly made her way out of the room before anyone could stop her. Ira and Invi found themselves chuckling at her childish actions.

“Well, what do you think of Ava’s idea?” Gula offered to the other three. “I can handle it, I promise. Like Ira said, I can just rely on my union members.”

“But that would make Ava upset.” Invi said with a shake of her head. “And I’d rather not deal with that.”

“Agreed.” Aced crossed his arms. “I’m quite curious to test Quest’s strength aswell. Let me know when he can hold his keyblade again, then I’ll help him train.”

“Th-Thank you, sir.” Quest bowed his head, and Aced huffed. Gula could tell he was embarrassed, and chuckled softly.

“I’m back,” Ava suddenly announced and the fortellers (plus Quest) looked over towards the door. There was a girl standing beside her. A nervous looking girl with blackish hair with a ribbon tied in it. She wore a white and yellow dress that flowed slightly as Ava pushed her forward abit.  Gula remembered her, she was a somewhat lazy girl that joined his union just last week. The girl swallowed nervously and gave a bow to the foretellers, who split apart to let the girl approach the bed. She blinked and took the hint, slowly walking towards the bed and looks at quest.

“Um, th-thank you for saving me!” She quickly bows again, and Quest looks more confused than ever.

“It-It’s okay, really-” Quest waved his hands, giving a shake of his head. “I’m just– glad you’re not hurt.”

“But you are.” She frowned abit and held up a bag. “I bought you some potions. I wasn’t- sure how else to thank you.” Gula puts a hand on the girl’s shoulder, causing her to jump somewhat. “Master Gula….”

“I hope you’ll learn from Quest’s example.” He said, taking the bag of potions from her and placing them next to the nightstand.

“I-I will!” She nodded, reaching forward to grab onto Quest’s hand. He flinches slightly, but no one seems to notice except for Gula. “Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you.”

“Why don’t you help watch him?” Ava said, trotting up to stand next to the girl. “We’re all pitching in, do you want to help?”

“Yes, Yes of course!” She looked towards Ava and nodded before back at Quest. “We’ll get you up and att’em in no time!”

“Er….thanks, I think.” He mumbles, looking away from the girl.

“Alright, I think we’ve crowded him enough.” Ira steps back from the bed. “Let us go, Gula can handle everything tonight then we can work out shifts later.”

“Right…” The girl let go of Quest’s hand and was about to leave, when suddenly Quest grabs it. “Hm?” Gula looks at Quest aswell, and he seemed to have a confused look on his face. Did he not realize he reached out to her? “Something the matter?”

“I….never got your name.” He mumbles as he let go of her hand.

“Oh! Silly me, it’s Penelope.” She smiles softly. “It’s nice to meet you….”

“Quest. Quest Belrose.”

“Quest! What a cool name!” She clapped her hands together. “I’ll come over first thing tomorrow!” She made her way towards the door, waving at all the occupants before going out of the building.

“She’s a lively one.”

“She wasn’t a few days ago, so I’m glad.” Gula sighs softly. “Alright, everyone out, shoo.” Aced didn’t take kindly to being shooed out, but Gula only teased him along with Ava as they left the room. Ira looks back at Quest, who stared back at him.

“Your eyes….” Ira started, then shook his head. “Be sure not to lose track of what is infront of you.”

“....Yes Sir, I won’t. Not again.” He bowed his head, Ira frowned abit but returned the gesture to Quest before leaving the room.

With a few seconds alone, he leaned down to look at the bag Penelope had brought. He reached down and picked up a potion, looking at the green liquid. “Don’t even think about it! You couldn’t keep it down just a few hours ago!”

“But I ate–”

“You couldn’t keep that down either!” The chirithy bonks him on the head. He rubs at his amber locks with a huff.

He looks at the potion then at the water bottle he had next to his bed. “Do you think I could mix them?”

“Dilute the potion, you mean?” He looked up to see Gula walking back into the room. “Not recommended. I’ve tried it and it just tastes like sour water which wouldn’t be good for your stomach right now.”

“Hm. Worth a shot.” He puts the potion down on the nightstand.

“You’re really something else.” Gula chuckled before pushing on Quest’s shoulder. “Alright, back to bed with you.”

“...Is taking care of me really going to be that time consuming?”

Gula shakes his head. “Ira’s just a busy body. He only thinks about work.” Gula waved his hand. “Don’t worry about him. But I am going to have to step away sometimes but I know for a fact Ava and Penelope won’t leave you alone, so you’ll be fine.”

“I can handle myself–”

“I don’t doubt that.” Gula sits on the edge of Quest’s bed and crosses one leg over the other. Quest lays down as asked before Gula speaks again. “But right now you need to let others help you. You’re apart of a union now. A team. You need to be a team player.”

“....I’m not used to being in a team.” Quest mumbles as he turns on his side, turning his back towards his foreteller.

“Trust me, I know the feeling. But it’s nice, to rely on others and be relied on. It’s a fulfilling feeling.” Gula reaches to run a hand through Quest’s hair. He closes his eyes shut at the feeling, slowly starting to relax. “We can be your new family.”

“....I want my old one back.”

“I know you do.” His tone is sympathetic as he puts the outstretched hand on Quest’s arm. “But think of it this way. Your parents would be so proud that you saved Penelope today, wouldn’t they?”

“....Yeah.” Quest mumbled, slowly starting to drift off. “They would be.”

“Get some rest Quest, you deserve it.” He patted Quest’s shoulder before standing up. The wielder was out before the foreteller could even get his feet back onto the ground. “Watch after him, Chirithy.” The wielder’s chirithy gave a salute. “Call mine if anything happens during the night. And I mean anything.”

“Yes sir.”

Gula nodded and made his way out of the room. He takes one last look at Quest, the potion on the nightstand, and then turns around to walk out of the room. This was going to be a busy week….

[milkacchan]

Request for anon: Can I have Present mic, Aizawa, and all might where they learn their young student is fatherless? Like... their father walked out/went to prison when they were young. I'm sorry if this is time consuming, but I can't stop sobbing over my father.

I'm the situation baby but remember it wasn't your fault

I changed it up a little bit with Mics- I hope you don't mind

Present Mic:

• from the getgo something was wrong

• The moment you walked into class he could tell

• You looked like shit

• Dark bags under your eyes, hair messily brushed, just to get it out if your face, and your eyes were a light red.

• You didn't look particularly happy to be there either

• something turns in his stomach, a gut feeling that something really had went down

• And he hated seeing his students upset

• but he was relatively close to you to begin with, his felt different

• He felt like he had to do something

• Everyone settled into their seats as the bull rung but his eyes remained on you

• You honestly didn't pay attention during the lesson

• He could tell as much

• class finishes and the bell rings but you sit still, and it's not until most of the students have trickled out of the room do you start packing up

• He walks over and kneels in front of the desk "You okay there? You don't look so good," he looks concerned and his heart drops when he sees your lip start to quiver

• It takes you 0.27 seconds to break and you're frantically wiping your eyes as sobs wrack your body

• He's got his arms wrapped around you in seconds and you're leaning into his shoulder.

• He isn't sure exactly how long you're crying for but eventually you calm down enough to get out a coherent sentence

• "My-My dad was arrested Friday night. He won't tell me why- he won't let anyone else tell me why and I don't know what else to do," you cry, "I miss him so much and its only been a few days- I don't- I don't have anyone else, Mr. Hazashi,"

• And you're crying again.

• He has you take the rest of the day off, in fact he takes the day with you

• He calls in a sub (you don't know what strings he had to pull for that but you don't ask, at this point you don't care) and you two dip

• He takes you to get food, real food, that'll make you feel better

• He knows that'll help a little

• and after that he takes you to get something sweet- that tends to help mood and blood pressure and anxiety

• So he does his best with you

• He nutures you the best way he knows how

• if you need anything and I mean ANYTHING this man has you covered

• He does his best to step up in any way he can

• first off he extends his assignment deadlines and cancels two tests. Who needs them anyway.

• And you eat lunch in his classroom because he can well tell you don't want to talk to anyone else right now

• He closes it off (seemingly) so in reality its just you and him

• He'll probably tell Aizawa too but on the downlow (just so he knows)

• When holidays roll around, the dorms close.

• In this case- he let's you stay with him. He has an extra bedroom. He doesn't want you to stay in an empty house.

• You also get his phone number (which you gladly use) for anything really

• Bored? He'll deliver some shitty puns.

• Confused about homework? Text him.

• having a mental breakdown? He's got you covered.

• You got memes? Please for the love of God send them to him.

• The dynamic eventually shifts to a VERY father daughter relationship.

• He knows he'll never replace your dad. He understands that wholeheartedly, but he wants you to have someone

• He actually gets a letter from your dad, thanking him for taking care of you

• but he really doesn't mind

Aizawa:

• He had a feeling that there was something going on at home. Or rather, a lack of something.

• He's dealt with it in the oast- with himself and with past students and current ones

• Shinsou

• I mean, aside from that fact whenever parents were mentioned, you'd either stiffen up or wrinkle your nose

• You didn't really like the subject of parents

• There was an essay prompt about parents (nothing too personal) nd you ended up writing it on the extinction of dinosaurs and why God fucked up instead

"It'd be absolutely stellar to see huge lizards roaming the earth and occasionally stepping on people, you know? Jurassic park was onto something."

• Man's couldn't even fail you on it because it was written v well

• Anyway, he doesn't pry too much. He just silently figures it out by process if elimination and pattern.

• He doesn't really care too much

• In the sense if it doesn't define you and he doesn't help you because he pities you

• he helps you because he seems potential

• He takes you under his wing with shinsou

• Yall spend a whole summer training

• And that's when it all came out

• It was an accident really.

• Shinsou was tired, exhausted really

• and when people get tired- that tired- sometimes they spout random shot they wouldn't usually say

• and thats what he did

• he went on about his home life

• and if he could, you could too right?? You could trust them.

• "My dad walked out when I was a kid. Little, like 3. I have a few pictures of him holding me, but I guess it wasn't enough. I don't have any desire to meet him. Not anymore. But it left me feeling like I did something wrong? I guess? Which I suppose is why I train. Because then I feel strong. Which is a good difference from how it usually feels."

• He knew it.

• He called it.

• He was right again.

• He reassures you that you are good enough, strong enough, and his decision to leave had nothing to do with you

• and when he saw you give him a soft smile, he warmed.

• I mean really, it only goes up from there

• he'll deny it, or grumble under his breath, but he seems you two as his own

• Like these aren't my kids but they are my kids

• When dorms close on holiday yall get to stay because that's where he lives too

• Like if you chose too

• he's not gonna force you to stay but if you don't want to go home, you don't have too

• He has that power

• He will buy you food

• all you gotta do is ask

• and he'll roll his eyes and grumble something he doesn't really mean, just secretly happy that you feel comfortable enough around him to ask for something

• lmao family group chat

S: 'Hey Mr. Aizawa I found this cat. Hold on lemme send a pic'

A: 'Dont need a pic. Bring him home'

Y: 'What if he's ugly??'

A: 'gremlin. Bring him home.'

Or

Y: 'Hey I saw this tweet that said 'kids be like watch this and do a half roundhouse spin kick clap and waste my fucking time' and it make me think of you.'

S: @ mr. Aizawa when he has to watch deku do sumn

Y: Lmaoooo like when he threw the baseball

S: LMAOO

A: Me watching you too try to figure out how to beat me in training

Y: Yikes bro

S: That was a rough one

• Does he regret giving you and shinsou his number??

• Maybe

• Not really

• Lmao super secret lunch movie days

• Every week on wendesday yall watch a movie. Usually it takes 2 or 3 days to watch the movie since lunch is only 70 minutes

• @ you accidently calling him dad one day and shinsou snickering but it stuck

• dadzawa lmaoo

Allmight:

• Man's has 2 underlings.

• You and Deku.

• Picked you up when he started teaching at UA

• Ion know let's say one day you popped off bc he said some dumb shit and you were like no sir that's clearly wrong

• schooled him in his own damn subject

• the other kids were like 😳

• what the fuck

• Anyway

• He see's you have potential

• And though he's not the best teacher, you seem to respond better to the way HE was taught

• So tbh its easier to teach you

• 'okay, now I want you to beat the shot out if that wall,'

'Okay lmao bet'

• Midoriya is like, hey mayhaps we should analyze the situation

• N ur like noe

• You just don't give a fuck

• about anything really

• other than moving up the ranks

• But even then- its not a super super big deal, you're just gonna do your best but you aren't gonna stress

• However he noticed a pattern w you (even before Midoryia brought it up to him)

• You don't let anyone in

• Midoryia knows a bit more than the other students but that's really only because he's always with you

• a good majority of the week he's w you

• but its not really a deep connection

• you don't rely on either of them

• You do your best to do things on your own.

• He knows midoryias life story

• he knows why he acts the way he does

• but he doesn't know why you do

• he has a gut feeling it could be the same as midoryia

• I mean he already had one kid who's dad dipped

• he'll surely be able to figure out you too??

• So he makes himself a promise that he'll figure it out and he'll become someone you trust

• And he does just that

• When you tell him about your nightmare of a family history he's like mm, makes sense

• but he's happy that you trust him!!!

• He's a BIG suckered for movie nights

• he's got popcorn, snacks, candy, chocolate, soda- he's prepared

• list of movies lined out all ready

• I lowkey feel like he'd be into lord of the rings or fast n furious

• fast n furious at LEAST

• He's really into American action movies

• and he has no problem sharing those movies with you

• he doesn't have a whole ton of money, like he's not rich, but if you or midoryia need something he's definitely there to get it for you

• even if ur like fam no you don't need too

• he'll buy yell food a lot

• a l o t

• and cards

• when you and midoryia get him a father's day card he thinks he's gonna cry

• You guys also have a group chat

• 'da faemilee'

• Y: "Hey dad do you have milk?"

A: "???? Do I have milk????"

Y: "ya I'm looking in your fridge n ion see any???"

A: "How'd you even get in????"

Y: "Izuku."

I: "lmaoo"

Or

Y: Izuku you dumb bitch I left for ONE day

Y: And you got into a fight with Bakugou

I: He wanted to throw hands. I just did what you would do.

A: He's got you there

Or

A: What do you guys want for dinner

I: Sushi

Y: Chicfila

Y: Izu square up

I: K

Or

Y: Izu is fighting kacchow again

A: Beat his ass young midoriya

Y: Lmaoooooo

[monkey-network]

The Beauty of Tekkonkinkreet

Tekkonkinkreet is a story that from the getgo offers a powerful sense of freedom. The main duo of Black and White are orphan kids that can literally leap and climb around the bustling slums of Treasure Town. The two aren’t constrained by anything, any authority, and their close bond is generally all they have apart from their home metropolis. The book can offer how it feels to be a kid, one that has been around the city for a long while to know where is what. It’s all reminiscent of how one might feel about a place they’ve lived in for so long, knowing every corner and special place to hang out at, with the occasional meet-up of regular faces you’d find at their favorite spots.

That is why the story slowly hits hard when for as much as Tekkonkinkreet is about the joy and innocence of being a kid, it comes with the pain and emotional journey of having to leave that behind. It’s a graphic novel about childhood aimed for a more mature audience.

Black and White from the start live carefree despite their status and day-to-day scrounging. The duo have their enjoyable lifestyle, brutal as it can get, but there’s a looming sadness to it where you can tell it won’t last. While it’s their chemistry that gets them through things, there is good reason why they’re inseparable. White is the more out of touch, as mentioned before, to where his innocence and lack of groundedness is why he loves Black being there for him. Black is the older, more responsible and savage of the two, very protective of White and hostile to everyone that isn’t his younger partner.

Of course with their names being colors do they resemble yin (Black) and yang (White); the philosophical symbol of balance that, over the course of the book, is put to the test when the threats on Treasure Town start to overpower them. It doesn’t help that both characters are in the twilight of their childhood and notably have been for too long. And when I say this story is “reminiscent of how one might feel about a place they’ve lived in for so long”, as the town is forced to change things slowly go wrong.

Treasure Town has become a target of a construction renewal project funded by the Yakuza. Leading this side of the story is the Yakuza office Kimura, a man caught between believing in the preservation of the city’s traditions and Serpent, his new boss that seeks to destroy everything and start anew. The Yakuza’s influence starts to affect Treasure Town, where street gangs are driven out by professional criminals and our duo slowly see things change. The harshness of the violence amps up, and it’s when Black and White are forced apart where the darkness of the story shrouds everything. White feeling empty without Black, and Black becoming more hostile, delusional, and savage now that White’s not with him. The spirit of the alleged minotaur consuming Black, while White can sense this regardless of their separation.

The world they grew up in becomes something they no longer recognize. As much as it can appear grim, as much as what happens with every character is an inevitable fate they can’t escape from though, Tekkonkinkreet offers hope in that when something ends, happiness can come in a new world. The unique art style by Taiyo Matsumoto is what strengthens the story, everything standing out as a spotlight on both the roughness of reality and the scrappiness of a child’s imagination. 

There are many shots of our duo perched above the city, notably telling that the two are above the city, they are the city, but aren’t really part of it. Treasure Town itself is this busy and complex theme park looking place and you’re essentially with the characters as we roam the streets and there’s never a panel without some part of the city being in the background. And while not in full color, Treasure Town consistently has a look to it that you might imagine having stand out varied colors, whether worn out or vibrant, which gives reason to why characters like Black and White would want to fight over it.

Look to the film if you truly want the world to pop

For teens, it’s a stand out coming of age story that is simple but remarkably intricate in its multiple plot threads and doesn’t shy away from getting gruesome at times with its action and imagery. You get to love Black and White, why they love each other, and why the city means so much to them, and how every character we get to know fits flawlessly in the world. Personally, they might resonate with the struggles that can come with growing up. It can feel lonely, frustrating, for Black and White it isn’t easy and they kept pushing against their awareness of their reality. At the end though, change is inevitable and it’s the brotherly connection Black and White have that lets them move on. Tekkonkinkreet is simple, but it doesn’t hold your hand. 

It was a wonderful blend of liveliness and melancholy; a layered story that, ironically, isn’t so black and white.

[olivia-anderson-fanfic]

Satisfied, Part 13

First

Previous

Next

~~~

Her head reeled as she got in the limo that Bruce had prepared to get her home. She’d gotten the Wayne’s numbers. She was allowed to come back any time. She apparently had an honorary bedroom to decorate already.

She fidgeted with the coffee she’d brought from home, still trying to get rid of the nervous energy from the night. It doesn’t matter how much time you have to prepare yourself or how nice the family is, meeting a friend’s family is a nerve-wracking experience.

Her eyes found their way to Tim across from her. He had his head in his hands like he was nursing a headache.

Marinette glanced at her drink and handed it over. “Caffeine withdrawals already?”

He looked up and smiled, taking it before speaking: “It’s not that, but thanks.”

She pouted. “Well, if it’s not that then you have to give it back!”

Tim laughed and took a sip, then his nose scrunched up and he handed it back. “Gladly. What type of coffee is that?”

She shrugged. “Instant.”

“Why?”

“Cheaper.”

His eyebrows knit together. “Do you need any help?”

She rolled her eyes and leaned back in her seat. “Just because I go for cheaper things when I can doesn’t mean I’m broke, it just means that I don’t spend money where I don’t have to.”

“Yeah, but that’s awful.”

“Not if you drink it fast enough,” she shrugged. “Weren’t you adopted, though? Wasn’t there a time where you didn’t have, I don’t know, millions of dollars to sit on?”

His face reddened slightly. “Um... about that... I was kinda rich from the getgo.”

She snickered. “The ultimate rich kid, huh? Does the money stack or can you even tell at this point?”

All he could do was grin before the car came to a stop. She glanced up and realized that it wasn’t a stoplight, she was actually at her place. That was quick. Maybe she should learn to drive.

She smiled as Tim walked her up to the apartment and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “That was fun. Terrifying. But fun.”

He grinned. “I’m glad you liked them. And, now that you’ve met my family, you don’t have to go back!”

“Incorrect.” She stepped inside and slipped off her shoes. “I’m going back every day.”

He groaned. “No, don’t do that. I can only keep you and Damian apart for so long! There’s only so many excuses!”

She walked to her mirror and started pulling bobby pins from her hair. “Don’t even see why you’re doing that.”

“It would be a disaster.”

She gave only a short laugh in response.

“No, really! You guys are way too different to get along, and he’s not exactly the most pleasant person to be around at first.”

Her hair came down in an awkward poof over her head and she sighed as she continued to run her fingers through the mess to try and fix it. “Bet you a coffee that it’ll go fine.”

“A coffee that I would already be paying for?”

Marinette snickered. “Of course,” she said, wiping her face.

“Great.” She could almost feel his eyeroll. “But, seriously, the longer it takes for you two to meet, the better. Maybe I can postpone it until one of you dies stupidly. Preferably him, but.”

She finally turned back to look at him and couldn’t help but snicker. He was still hovering in the doorway, apparently unable to come in without express permission to do so.

“I guess I’ll be stopping by Wayne Manor a lot for the next few weeks.”

“You wouldn’t. I’ll revoke your coffee privileges again.”

She didn’t even blink, rifling through her purse for a few seconds to pull out her phone. He frowned curiously as she pulled up her texts. “Mr. Wayne...”

His eyes widened and he finally came in, if only to try and snatch the phone from her hands. She grinned as she dodged his grab and slid away on her socks.

“Have those rich people not taught you that you shouldn’t wear shoes inside?”

He huffed and slipped off his shoes, tossing them at the door and making another lunge for her. She ducked out of the way and then ran to her kitchen area. But now he was blocking her only real exit. Great plan.

She laughed and tried to still look confident, but her eyes were darting around anxiously for escape. “Just give my privileges back and I won’t send anything,” she cooed.

Tim smiled smugly, apparently aware he had won. “No. I don’t think I will.”

She typed a bit and mumbled along: “Please tell Tim to give me back my coffee privileges.”

His smile dropped as her finger hovered over the send button.

They were at a standstill. She couldn’t really run (well, she could technically hop the counter, but that wasn’t exactly a thing normal people could do). Any slow attempts for him would end in her pressing the button, and any fast ones might startle her into pressing it anyways.

He sighed. “Fine. I really need to stop letting you grab phones... You can come once a week.”

She grinned and let her hand fall to her side. “Twice.”

“I won’t let you in.”

“Jason would.”

He shrugged. “Not if I explained why I was doing it.”

She pouted. “C’mon, pleeeease?”

He looked at the puppy-dog eyes. Big mistake. He groaned and threw his hands up in defeat. “Fine. Fine. Twice a week.”

She grinned and wrapped him in a hug. “You won’t regret it!”

“Definitely will, but...” He smiled and hugged back, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “See you tomorrow?”

She nodded and pulled away. “Of course. You’re paying, after all.”

~~~

Alright comet-kun has won comedy everyone go home--

But yeah I could see that. Imo Jason would probably make a bunch of really bad dating AUs for his siblings because ‘they need to find love SOMEWHERE’ and he has exactly 0 clue why they’re so popular. He never does any about himself and when someone asked why he doesn’t like Red Hood he outright ADMITS to being him. No one bats and eye. Everyone thinks Jason is just a master shitposter and/or vigilante superfan.

~

Taglist

@comet-kun @thatonecroc @trippingovermyfeet @swiftie-miraculer13 @nickristus-dreamer @moongoddesskiana @i-am-ironic @indecisive-mess-named-me @thebooki3h @insane-fangirl-of-everything @deepestobservationwombat @theymakeupfairies @fatimaabbasrizvi @clumsy-owl-4178 @fanofalittletoomuch @iamablinkmarvelarmy @nathleigh @lilkymilky @silvergold-swirl @dino-lovingreen-angel @thestressmademedoit @kissa-chan @ladybug-182 @alysrose-starchild @t1dwarrior-of-earth @spyofthenightcourt @rowanrouge @nik-nak-3 @momothefemur

does anyone know why nik-nak-3 and nathleigh don’t work

[a-crimson-lion]

Ultimatum: The Art of Lying In A Made Bed

(Or Why My Experience With Chapter 285 Is Contrary To Everyone Else's)

[Manga Spoilers Ahead. Also Opinions. Feel Free To Ignore.]

After Chapter 284, many fans were wondering how the story of BNHA would follow up on Katsuki's development. Now that Chapter 285 is officially out, fans are clamoring about Katsuki's latest acts of heroism, about how his arc is finally kicking it into high gear.

I'd be inclined to agree, but… you know how these things go.

[Heads up fans/stans, if you like Katsuki you might wanna bail. The word vomit that follows is pretty much incoherent and reflects my disaster of a thought process.]

I was looking forward to Chapter 285. I had my reservations on the execution of Chapter 284, but if the next chapter could follow it up and then some, I'd be pleasantly surprised. But then the leaks came out. And then the fan translation. And as of today, the official VIZ translation.

While everyone else is cheering for explosion boy, I'm just… done.

285 didn't get me to see how far Bakugo's journey has come. 285 didn't get me to finally root for him. And maybe I am making this decision prematurely, maybe I am missing something, but…

...the way things are going in the story I just- I just CAN'T root for him.

And I'm not saying the rest of you can't, if you're still reading. Katsuki is definitely a different person compared to Chapter 1, a better person, and he's definitely been heading on the up and up! If you can and want to support him, then by all means, go for it, don't let me stop you! It's just…

For me, chapter 284 was a wavering torch: a flicker of hope that sometimes dwindled, but was still there. Chapter 285 was the moment where I wanted to jump on the Katsuki Development Train, to finally gain some semblance of respect for him. But when I jumped, I landed on the tracks, and had to crawl back onto the platform.

I missed my chance to jump on that train. Whether it's because of previous circumstances or recent circumstances, I'll never know…

You probably wanna ask me at this point, "But Crimson, why DIDN'T Chapter 285 make you see the awe inspiring pinnacle of character development that is Katsuki Bakugo???"

To put it simply: it's a culmination thing.

For starters, there's a sort of… whiplash with Katsuki's development in the last few chapters. People like me will complain that Katsuki's development is too slow, in the case of the last 2-3 chapters, it feels like a switch was flipped, and now it's become too fast. Perhaps it's a me thing, but let me try to explain…

Shoto starts out as a standard background character. By the time he gets his spotlight in the Sports Festival, he comes off as reserved and antagonistic. After the whole "it's your power" moment, Shoto is finally able to accept the side he always hated. Then Katsuki fights Shoto, and we're shown he still needs time to grow; his left side comes with a lot of baggage he can't just brush off in the span of a single sparring match.

Fastforward to Hosu. Shoto's starting to take other people into better account. He's starting to learn to better control his fire. He's reconnected with his mother. His goal is no longer one-upping his old man; he has goals, people, that he wants to protect. He's coming into his own and wants others to do the same, like Tenya.

He joins the Katsuki Rescue Squad because, like Izuku, he had an opportunity to save Katsuki, didn't, and now he wants to make up for it. When we get to the Provisional License Exam, we're yet again slammed with the fact that his growth is still not done via Inasa, that there's still a bit of Endeavor he has to shake off, even if it was in the past. And he does progress towards that with the Remedial Course Arc. And while I have my opinions on the Endeavor Agency Arc, I'll admit that it was another development opportunity for Shoto and the Todoroki family. Shoto's growth comes with setbacks, but overall it's consistent.

Let's shift gears to Tenya, who's characterization I find fascinating. He starts out opposed to Izuku when they first meet at the Entrance Exam. He sees how Izuku is (for lack of a better phrase) "better qualified" at heroics thus far, reassesses his position, and apologizes whilst making amends. When Tenya resorts to LITERAL MURDER against Stain, the narrative does not let him go off without reprocussions. His arms are damaged, his supervisor's teaching license is revoked, and while he managed to avoid legal charges via police cover up, it still came close. Tenya listened to Stain's words, and opted to improve himself by that notion. He tries to set a better example, be a better class rep. It isn't a one and done.

Him lashing out during the Hideout Raid Arc is an offshoot of that. He doesn't deck Izuku just to be a dick; he's trying to knock some sense into him. They're so focused on Katsuki that they're forgetting about everyone else. Their friends, their teachers, their parents. If they f*** up like Tenya almost did at Hosu, they'll have hell to pay, and he doesn't want that. Of course, once they explain that combat/murder is not their M.O., Tenya tags along, if only to ensure the operation goes smoothly without this hitch. And again, Tenya keeps up. He looks after his classmates, looks after Izuku during the Shie Hassaikai arc. His growth is also consistent.

There are probably more characters I could elaborate on (Ochako, Momo, Eijiro, etc.), but I'll stop there. So, what's the deal with Katsuki's arc?

Well, it's… frustratingly back and forth.

It's one thing to have setbacks like Tenya and Shoto. It's something else entirely to have multiple setbacks and to keep trucking on with only abstract signs of development, but otherwise feeling like a very similar character compared to several chapters ago.

This is (in my opinion) Katsuki's problem. If we're going by what the manga stated, his arc technically started in Chapter 11: "Bakugo's Starting Line." But this is a rocky start. Izuku tells him about OFA right from the getgo out of guilt, but this neglects the fact that he's technically lying to everyone about it (including his new friends Ochako and Tenya), that OFA is a world-shattering secret, and that Katsuki is likely the worst person to tell this to considering that Izuku just handed Katsuki's ass to him and Katsuki was willing to use lethal force in their Trial. That aside, instead of say, sucking up his pride and opting to try and learn from everyone else, Katsuki doesn't really change strategies or approaches. He essentially does what he was planning to do since the start of UA; he's only crying because, SURPRISE, people are better than him. You'd think he'd expect that considering he called his middle school crappy…

After the USJ, once everyone had their "Lol Bakugo sux" moment on the bus ride, we get to the Sports Festival and everyone is clamoring to join Katsuki's team despite his apparent unapproachability. This feels less like something happened in the two weeks leading up to the Sports Festival, and more like history repeating itself from middle school. Moving on to the tournament, we don't even get to see how capable Katsuki is at serious combat. Two of his matches resort to Deus Ex Machina pulls, and the other two are in his corner by principle instead of difficult.

First off, Katsuki vs Ochako. I don't know why people praise this fight. For starters, it makes Katsuki HEAVILY OoC. Ochako is the only person he asks if she wants to back out before the match even starts. The ONLY person, which kinda undermines the whole "he didn't underestimate her" thing. Then he takes a reactionary stance the entire battle. Like, I thought we were still dealing with the "fist first" Katsuki. He does this to Eijiro, Fumikage, even Shoto, but Ochako? Stay still and then attack. Even if he did get his gravity removed, couldn't he just… propelly himself and let her have it. If he was proactive, he could have ended the fight quicker. Instead, he just plays sitting duck and headless chicken. If you're gonna have Katsuki win the fight, don't bulls*** it.

Which brings me to the final bit of that fight: the meteor shower. Having Katsuki blow that away after supposedly expending most of his energy earlier in the match just does NOT sit right. Ochako gets the upper hand, and then you just… negate that? You expect me to believe that Katsuki could generate an explosion at that magnitude, if nothing else? And what exactly does that do for him in the end? No one else tires him out for the remainder of the festival, which is pretty sketch.

(And yeah, I know I know "What part of her was frail?" but that's more of a retrospective thing than in the moment, coupled with the facf that it's never elaborated on again in any capacity, with Ochako or with someone else. It's a throwaway moment; a waste. Moving on…)

You really can't say much about the matchups with Eijiro and Fumikage. With Eijiro, it's an endurance match, and Katsuki apparently has infinite stamina and is on the attack. And he just… rushes him, which I'm pretty sure anyone else would do. Then with Fumikage, Dark Shadow is weak to light. Katsuki's explosions emit light on contact. Do the math.

And I am especially mad at Katsuki vs Shoto because one, he stays in place yet again at the start of the match, and two, he can apparently ignore his Quirk' weakness to low temperatures. In a gym uniform. Against a glacier the size of a building. Even with his power output, you don't see his explosions dampening in magnitude. It's obviously in his favor, which defeats any tension the fight could have had. It sucks, and in the long run, as a wise man once said, "Todoroki should have folded [his] ass."

Then we get to the Final Exams (ABOUT DAMN TIME) and… Katsuki hits Izuku for trying to cooperate, nearly gets knocked out once, and gets knocked out the second time around. He does not want to work with Izuku despite it being All Might, is petty enough to consider losing, and actively grumbles against working with Izuku. And all of his supposed self-preservation goes flying out the window when he's willing to try and beat All Might, leaving Izuku having to come and carry this boy out of the gate, which should not have let him pass.

Then there's the Training Camp attack. The second Izuku is mentioned, Katsuki decides to go AWOL, and while being kidnapped sucks, I am less sympathetic when you're boneheaded enough to help them capture you because you wanted to fight villains instead of getting to safety like the professionals recommended, all because of your one-sided hatefest with one of your classmates. Congrats, you played yourself.

Then we get to the Provisonal License Exam, which feels like a step in the right direction… until you realize this will boil over into Deku vs Kacchan 2, which will get both of them in trouble, which will give Katsuki insight into OFA while Izuku gets shunned by his classmates, and which will prevent Katsuki from the one ass beating that could have potentially taught him something. It's essentially the narrative covering his ass, and then he has the gall to be happy about other people potentially getting set back just because he was set back. Geez dude.

The Cultural Festival essentially undoes what the Remedial Course Arc accomplishes, having Katsuki look down on the rest of UA when he said NOT to look down on people earlier. And then his speech is still heavily antagonistic to the rest of the school, and to the idea of basic human decency and kindness in general. And if I'm being honest, that whole "he can play drums" feels like a big ass pull to keep him in the spotlight. At least the story brought back his ability to cook down the line.

The Joint Training Arc is just shoe horning in regards to Katsuki. It acts like his gearing up towards saving, but the circumstances are heavily, heavily in his favor, and not in a good way. I've already brought up how Katsuki won't get "saving" until the Endeavor Arc, and how here he's just doing it to show off, so I won't go into it here. Then apparently he gets to outwit a recommendation student 'cause why not? It makes him look more impressive than he actually is, even though he outright states he hasn't changed much if at all. Not to mention the narrative makes it sound like he was some sort of underdog, even though he only got kidnapped and didn't get his license. And I know those are big things, but not enough to warrant his victory feeling that triumphant. I'd probably buy it if he didn't win the Sports Festival or pass the Final Exam. Keep him in that slump for longer than you actually do, or it lessens the impact. And let's not forget, he might have been willing to help Izuku with Blackwhip via fisticuffs, but the second he realized he wasn't getting anything out of it, he noped out. And it's been what, almost 200 chapters since his "starting line?"

I don't have much to say during the Endeavor Arc (that was its own can of worms),  but as for the War Arc thus far… here's what I mean by "whiplash." The arc begins in Chapter 253. By Chapter 257, Katsuki will demonstrate how much he just does not give a f*** about Izuku's mastery over OFA so long as it looks like he'll come out on top. By Chapter 274, when Izuku's gotta split, it'll look like Katsuki has been thinking about some stuff, but by 275 he's gonna throw that out the window so he can attempt to one up Tomura and Izuku, and then he'll nearly get killed for it. And we won't know what exactly Katsuki is thinking until a flashback in Chapter 284 (which chronologically takes place after 257), where he has a conversation with All Might about his past with Izuku. Or at least the bullet points. If you're me, the start of the conversation feels less about Izuku and more so about his situation: his situation with OFA. And as much as I want to believe there was at least one good kernel in Katsuki that he was too stubborn to let out with Izuku, I feel like Katsuki only brings up him and his capabilities now because he got a Quirk. That's what put him on Katsuki's radar. That's what forced Katsuki to take notice of Izuku, what caused him to be unable to ignore his own weakness. Because of a Quirk. That's… borderline shallow, if not remarkably so.

And even when Katsuki is attempting to save Izuku in 285, his first thoughts are still on OFA. And even if we go by the line of thought that Katsuki is thinking "Even if OFA sucks, it's still Izuku's Quirk." And that's nice and all, but the flashback makes it seem like the Quirk is still All Might's Quirk as well. That all of Izuku's worth is hinged on the fact that he got a Quirk now and therefore can't be written off. Maybe he doesn't owe this to his accomplishments, but the narrative is terrible in its implications that Izuku wouldn't have gotten as much attention without it. At the end of the day, Katsuki is still associating Izuku's worth with his Quirk. And as much as I want to vaguely, vainly hope that this will change later on, I'm already at my limit

...and now that I've said my piece on almost the entire narrative thus far, let's shift gears to a few more tidbits in 285.

Again, the flashback. I think it's significant that they're shifting the focus briefly on middle school again. But you wanna know what sent me the wrong way? They didn't include the god forsaken suicide instigation. They can show Katsuki gloating. They can show Izuku up against a wall. They can even show a notebook and Izuku's face during the Sludge Villain rematch. But they can't show Izuku reacting with sorrow mixed with almost fury. That can't show Katsuki threatening him with a mere "What?" and the sparks on his palms. They can't show Izuku standing and crying, small and defeated.

"BUT HORI SAID HE WENT TO FAR WITH THAT SCENE!1!" Blah blah blah, doesn't change the fact that it still happened. Doesn't change the fact that it should be addressed, at any capacity. Doesn't change the fact that the story had the balls to recall middle school but couldn't bring itself to remember the one thing that could get its audience raising eyebrows.

But that's alright, it gave you the notebook; clearly it's done enough.

And maybe in another timeline, I could have let my jaw drop when Katsuki was hit and the chapter title was revealed. "Katsuki Bakugo: Rising" It would have been pretty damn powerful too.

...but with all the previous crap the narrative has pulled, it feels like more shoehorning. It feels like more Erasehead stepping in and shaming the audience. It feels like more All Might letting Katsuki in because he's not completely familiar with the finer details. It feels like more people. In narrative parroting that Katsuki changed when he does the bare minimum, as a hero or as a person. I can't treat this development legitimately, because so many other "legitimate" developments pulled a "psyche!" and headed out.

So, I'm done. I'm done with Katsuki, done with hoping his development will be done in a somewhat satisfying manner. Done with people telling me "it's actually good though!" like I'm blind and deaf or something, when I have enough brain cells to formulate my own opinions, and we both have enough brain cells to leave each other alone if we don't agree. Maybe when the series ends and we can all look at this in hindsight, and Katsuki has either found a way to redeem himself, or remain deplorable, I might talk about it then. But for now. I'm drawing the line. I might talk about what we've gotten up to this point, but everything past 285 I'm taking with a grain of salt. 'Cause I'm sick of hoping for something that obviously won't come through, and it's better for me and everyone involved if I just pack up and move on. BNHA isn't just Katsuki's story after all.

And if you made it to the end of all this… I hope you'll either respect my opinion, or respect my thought process. That's all I can ask.

-Crimson Lion (27 September 2020)