#evil girls with menacing auras save me…

[waterghostype]

a lot of ppl donk on sora’s (old) minifig hair bc of how it’s not accurate to the show, which i totally get bc i also prefer the show hair, butttt

i think it’s nice that they specifically chose to recolor mei lmk’s hairpiece, instead of just choosing another ponytail one. bc mei’s hair was made specifically for her to have a dragon-like silhouette, with the buns being horns and the back spiking out to be like the beard

so even if it’s far from accurate, im very cheesed they decided to go with this hairpiece specifically

[maguro13-2]

Darkness Reborn ~ Origins of the Ink Demon Final Struggle (4/7)

Homura Akemi : So, you agree that I will put a stop to this evil meance you call him Lord Death, but he's actually a heartless.

Maka Albarn : You're right. I am absolutely a fool, always a fool to Shinra. If you're willing to make me risk own life, then I suggest that we start helping out.

Shinra the Devil Chaos : The girl's got a point, she's just risking for fighting with one's ideals, we need something that we could able to save Real World from this evil menace!

Tsugumi Harudori : Great Idea! We'll help you out! We'll help you out! I mean, the Ohkubo-verse is such a hot mess we caused! I mean, we got everyone involved because of or Demon Vibe perhaps. Please, we just wanted to be heroes, that's all we ever needed, Homura Akemi. Just give us a chance, and we'll never able to work for being under the influence of Shinra Kusakabe again! I promise!

Homura Akemi : Hmm? You got yourself a deal, kid. After all, you're still the same kids of the Ohkubo-verse who were all pawns in a corrupt, and it had to be you're fault, Shinra Kusakab or I say "Mr. Devil Boy".

Shinra the Devil Chaos : Alright..alright, this was entirely my fault that I made everyone from Soul World a complete arrogant asshole causing both humans and witches conflicting each other, the evil forces were just a divesrion by my creation, Death, who happens to be a heartless...(outbursts) THAT HAS BEEN A MAJOR ASSHOLE TO THE MAJO ORIGINATED BY INCA KASUGATANI!

Tsugumi Harudori : Inca Kasugatani?

Maka Albarn : You mean, that girl that you knew about...She originated the witches that the school has been conflicting them?! I'm gonna kill you, man!

Homura Akemi : URUSAI!

Maka Albarn : !?

Homura Akemi : Still having a freakin' attitude like that self-centered annoying vermin Black Star, always having the same attitude as their's. Boys like him are so selfish and annoying. It doesn't matter, since you four kids of the ohkubo-verse are no longer a trio, you'll be combining your efforts with the Ink Demon to stop an evil menace when you will arrive at the battle scene. But if you screw this one up, I'll take him out for you and then you will be exposed and expunged for being the so-called heroes of the Ohkuboverse. Understand me?

Maka Albarn : We...We understand.

Homura Akemi : Good now give us the final call. (holds out the Chaos Emerald) Just in case, I had to borrow this from a Black Hedgehog that uses jewels and guns that will make him to use the ultimate power that the Time Eater used. Now then, off to the Lands of Nevada!

*Sonic SFX : Chaos Control*

"Final Stage : Death Weapon Meister Academy"

*DBZ SFX : Big Aura+powering up*

Darkside Death : (chuckles) All the power of darkness and hatred flowing my veins, I must thank the devil for having gifted body of mine, all the hatred between Humans and Witches was simply my genius plan to rid of Ashley's people from existence. That Shinra Kusakabe was such a fool for having me as a creation of himself. I look forward to bring power to all.

*Sonic SFX : Chaos Control*

Homura Akemi : Alright, we're here.

Shotaro the Dokeshi : There he is!

[Master of the Universe - Sota Fujimori]

*DBZ SFX : Surprise*

Tsugumi Harudori : Hey, is it me or does he look small, in human-sized?

Inky Jr : Maka, right on time.

Maka Albarn : I've come to put a stop to this, Lord Death!

Shotaro the Dokeshi : This is the end of the line, punk!

Darkside Death : Humph. You blasted meddling Kids again, I see.

Maka Albarn : Lord Death, why on earth would you the cause the hatred between us humans and witches!

Darkside Death : To eliminate the need for sinners and heartless, is that we needed light and darkness to worry about each problems, and any responsibility for our own threats. And eventually, we will have the complete destruction in all of earth's structured society for conquest. So in any of Earth's society, there strict morals from the Devil's will, to annihilate a heartless or an enemy, we must conviently forget those morals from the Kasugatani. This hypocrisy is deplorable for you human beings that wanted to live in a universe full of weird and crazy stories that you wanted to be part of. If the author of four mangas have never made these stories or expanded the Ohkubo-verse, there will nothing left for us to bring the word madness to the Real World and the four of you should never become ultimate heroes.

Shotaro the Dokeshi : You're crazy! You made us all like a bunch pawns to your stupid corrupt game! Even if Ohkubo wanted a to be a weird guy to write these mad-ass stories he made. They're all just a bunch of make-believes that he made!

Darkside Death : (laughs evilly) Far from it, Kid! You see, our goals don't involve morals fulfiling with love. They involve winning wars again races like humans, witches, demons, and even the heartless their selves with death, destruction, and total carnage. That is the reason for the Ohkubo-verse's existence is what we truly think of ourselves to the universe! But enough, the time for talk is over! I'll dispose four traitors that despises the Ohkubo-verse in various ways.

Inky Jr : Don't push your luck to it, cretin! I won't be backing down!

Darkside Death : It's time that I will finally put you and those place.

Inky Jr : No...But this will do.

*DBZ SFX : Instant Transmission+slash*

Inky Jr : Ha! I finally got you red handed!

Darkside Death : Foolish demon! You have no idea with whom you are dealing!

[Master Contra (Phase 1) - Sota Fujimori]

Darkside Death : To think this is necessary for me, I'll give you the pavement to think humans are stubborn and arrogant, it's time that we plays fool's rule game, all in my effort of taking you down!

"Darkside Death : Heartless Reaper of the Kusakabe."

Inky Jr : Think fast before you leap!

(battle begins)

Inky Jr : You are really something don't ya? I underestimated of what a low-class warrior wanted to think that having Shinra's influence could make the DWMA stronger. But it's a shame that you couldn't even understand the true pain of your existence!

Darkside Death : For years, I have acquired the knowledge of my creator's ambitions about heroism and bringing evil to their knees, I despise that time when I realize that I let him and losing the hope that he found was none other than the light itself, and despair that the world tried to fall was simply darkness to conjure all that lives on this wretched planet.

Inky Jr : So what? If I'm done having the moments of Shinra bragging you about heroism, I'm surprised that you hid the truth from all the kids after the men of his influence that you ordered made humans and witches very arrogant to each other. Plus, I humbly accepted the knowledge of you trying to think witches were the enemies to you. But you got it all wrong, it's not about them, it's bout them and us demons as well. Humans, witches, and demons can get along too, ya know. So I bring no hesitation to heartless punk like you. Even your first son, Asura, couldn't handle the powers of a God. That's pretty low, I don't need powers to defeat a god, I can defeat one with all strength and my valorous effort!

Darkside Death : (snickers) You too seem to have yourself a point, I'm really appreciated that humans, witches, and demons can finally get along together in the equivalent exchange for peace, prosperity, and the future to this planet! I hope you and your brethren can feel the same fate as your own mother. She will complete that I made Shotaro the Dokeshi fooling her as a hero to all, that makes him another fool! Fool's a fool when it comes to the rules of a broken nature! Evolution provides the transcendence to achieve perfection and to fulfil their purpose on whether the keys that we may hold together in the pawn of our hands. Why don't we settle this and join our life long dream giving humanity to follow the progress that is inevitable!

Inky Jr. : You think that I was gonna settle this, I love to...BUT NOT!

(Scene goes in slo-motion)

*DBZ SFX : Broly Energy Charging*

Darkside Death : !?

Inky Jr : Demon...PUNCH!!!

*DBZ SFX : Strong Punch X4*

*DBZ SFX : Surprise*

Maka Albarn : N...No way...He...He actually did it. There's no way...he could've dodge his attacks in one singular blow, he really is Inky Albarn's son, a son that is worth to be king to all demons.

*DBZ SFX : COLLAPSE*

Darkside Death : ....

Inky Jr : Score one. (blows out his fist)

Darkside Death : (moans)

Shinra the Devil Chaos : Sorry to disappoint you, my creation. If you would've kept making humans and witches arrogant to each other, you would've made Ashley's people go extinct. Hope you will never see me again for the next 1000 years.

Tsugumi Harudori : Sorry to bother you, but I humbly thank you for your apologies, I guess I don't feel like working for the Kusakab'e man-made son anymore. Guess being a hero with a true story is way much better than my old one. Still, I don't have the ability to turn into weapon anymore since Shotaro bones would all make us human to think we absored the heartless energy, not the evil energy.

Shotaro the Dokeshi : Now who's ruler of the cosmos now, huh? You won't be ruler of Real World Au this time, Darkside Death.

Maka Albarn : As a girl who doesn't know about the world of Soul Eater, I'm thinking that it's finally time to move on and forget about that hero stuff that I was born to make! So you agree that we'll never be under the direct influence of Shinra Kusakabe himself? There's a better explanation to concern about your actions about bringing world peace to this planet.

Darkside Death (?) : (voiced by Todd Haberkorn) Well done, Maka Albarn. Sorry to keep the truth out of you, Maka Albarn. I knew that I wasn't much of a coward like you, that stupid demon bested me with one punch to defeat me. I guess I wasn't fit to become God of Death, I'm nothing more than a coward. I don't know if Liz and Patty we'll ever get back to me, I made that promise a long time ago.

Maka Albarn : Wait a second. Todd Haberkorn? That's Natsu's voice! Darkside Death doesn't sound like Natsu Dragneel, does he?

[The Barrier - Yutaka Minobe]

Shotaro the Dokeshi : Wait a second. I recognize that voice before.

*images flashing*

Shotaro the Dokeshi : That's right! I modeled him after Shinra Kusakabe when Darkside Death told me that I wanted a son to become the next Shinigami! Death the Kid! The young man that I created from my heart.

Maka Albarn : Heart? Did you say Death the kid was not conceived by anyone and is created just from heart?

Shotaro the Dokeshi : I had the responsibility to make him to be modeled after his grandfather, (to Shinra) Which is also you, Shinra?

Shinra the Devil Chaos : I have a grandkid, like a future grandkid that is modeled after me?

Inky Jr. : Not even a young man who's clearly made in birth, but made from both mind, heart, and soul.

Maka Albarn : So that means...(we then show Death the Kid's soul located inside the heartless)

*DBZ SFX : Surprise*

Maka Albarn : Oh no! Death the Kid, not you! How can this be!?

Shotaro the Dokeshi : I don't believe! Darkside Death was only Death the Kid himself! How can that be?

Darkside Death : I am impressed that you've been falling into one of my tricks. This was simply a form of entertainment, it's hardly to notice that the world of Soul Eater was connected by me all along! The fake is a fake, and the real one is real.

Shinra the Devil Chaos : You bloody turncoat! I gave you life, I created you! How can you do this to the Kusakabe Family!?

Maka Albarn : No! You're the real one...Lord Death?

Shotaro the Dokeshi : Lord Death? Wait a sec, that's the guy who enslaved me for years! I should've known it was that stupid prick that has been using me as a puppet to make Soul Eater's story a big cover up for him! [To Maka] And you! If this hadn't been for Shinra Kusakabe, we all would've listen to the truth!

Maka Albarn :[To Shotaro] Me? Why me? I had my influence to share with his!

Shinra the Devil Chaos : Hey, don't put this one on me, Girlie! You said that the editors of Square Enix that wanted to make you Shounen Protag Material. I wanted Real World AU would make you the coolest Shounen Protag in the world and that is the reason you couldn't, because humans think that they wanted to betray you. I'm sorry that my influence has spread across the world, making humans and witches be arrogant to each other and creating conflicts between them, that's why I created your world, your story, Maka Albarn. Ohkubo may have been a weird guy making weird stories, but he's not the fool that I said anything to him or he was, it's us! We're the fools, Maka! We human beings are nothing but spoiled stubborn brats is what being a hero or a villain is all about!

Maka Albarn : W-What?! We're we really...?

[Flashback - Ryo Yamazaki]

*various memories appearing before going pitch-black*

It's true. We we're the fools all along."

" It's a Fool's rule for fools."

" All of these crazy stories didn't were nonesene and make believes. "

"Where did the chronology of our universe makes a sudden end to these stories?"

So it's our fate that whether being a hero is never been that easy."

" I have a heart filled with valor and light."

" That is truly what I am, a hero to everything and to everyone."

~ 118th Scene : End of the Fool's game ~

[sabababa]

A Knight’s Heart

Mirio Togata x Fem!Reader

Summary: Mirio and (Y/n) take Eri out to the local playground, and since there is no one around, Eri asks them to play pretend with her. Mirio as the knight, Eri as the princess, and (Y/n) as the dragon guarding the castle.

Warnings: None

Notes: Reader’s quirk allows her to transform into a dragon when heat is applied, she can also be anthropomorphic in that form

Word count: 2k+

(this gif is so amazing I’m a sucker for pixel art)

     “Okay, Eri, we’ve arrived!” Mirio raised his hands in the air in a grand gesture, showing off the playground they arrived at. It was a decent-sized area, it had multiple slides, plenty of swings, and a plethora of things to climb.

     “This is a playground?” Eri asked as she stared in awe, never before had she seen one.

     “Yep, this is where kids like you like to play!” (Y/n) knelt down next to her, giving her a big grin.

     “Come on, Eri, let’s play!” Mirio grabbed the little girl’s hand and ran up to some stairs that led to a tall, winding slide. (Y/n) sat back on a bench nearby as she watched them. She giggled when Mirio hit his head on a bar, the set was clearly not made for his height, but of course, he laughed it off and brought Eri to the entrance of the slide. They disappeared into the tube and she heard Eri squeal in delight before they reappeared at the end, Mirio fell onto the ground with Eri in his lap, his weight gave them a bit of momentum as they slid down.

     Both laughed as Eri cheered; “Again! Again!”

     (Y/n) laughed from the side-lines, happy to see Eri was enjoying herself, and happy to spend the day with her crush. Mirio was everything any girl wanted in a man and (Y/n) wasn’t blind to his antics, she soon fell for the blonde.

     “(Y/n), you should join us!” Mirio called over as he followed Eri back up the stairs.

     “Nah, it’s fine, three’s a crowd!” She called back, waving her hand dismissively, she wanted Mirio and Eri to enjoy their quality time together, she could tell the small girl liked him more than she did her, which she wasn’t upset about, who couldn’t like Mirio?

     “Come on!” Mirio ran over to her and pulled her up by her wrists. “There’s no kids here, not even adults, no will judge!”

     “I wasn’t worried about being judged,” she laughed as she let him guide her to the same set of stairs he was at moments ago.

     “Then you should totally play with us!” Mirio grinned, now holding her hand.

     (Y/n) noticed that right as he turned he would hit the same bar again. “Wait, Mirio-” she tried to warn him, but was too late as he hit the same bar in the same place.

     “Owww…” He rubbed his head, it must have hurt the second time around.

     “Aww,” she reached her free hand up and rubbed the spot on his head, “poor wittle baby couldn’t watch where he was going.” She said playfully in a tone you would talk to babies in.

     “Maybe you should kiss it better?” He said back in the same tone, leaning his head over for her to kiss.

     “Maybe you should be more aware of your surroundings,” she said in the same tone again but complied to his wish. She placed a quick peck on his forehead and spoke again in her normal tone. “All better?” She smiled sweetly.

     “I feel so much better!” He grinned. “Your kisses are like magic!” He winked. (Y/n) giggled in response and he chuckled with her as they made it over to Eri on the platform. “Let’s all go down at the same time!” He suggested.

     “I think that’s too many people, Mirio,” (Y/n) said.

     “Okay, then how about you and Eri go in the slide and we make it a race? I bet I can beat you guys before you make it down there!”

     “You’re on!” Eri cheered with a look of cute determination.

     (Y/n) laughed lightly. “Okay, we can do that.” She agreed.

     Both girls readied themselves at the entrance of the slide, with Eri between (Y/n)’s legs. “Ready? Set. Go!” Mirio yelled at the end. (Y/n) quickly scooched herself and Eri into the slide and slid down. Eri squealed again at the twisting turns of the tube. (Y/n) saw light filtering at the end, but then saw Mirio appeared at the exit. “Gotcha!” He cheered with his arms open.

     “Mirio, look out!” The older girl yelped as she and the small one practically flew at him. 

     They crashed into him with a big ‘oof’ as he fell over and each girl fell onto different sides of him. They all lifted their heads up to make sure everyone was okay before bursting out into laughter. Mirio got a burst of energy as he sat up and wrapped each arm around them and squeezed them tight to his chest. “I’m so glad I’m spending the day with my two favorite girls!” (Y/n)’s heart soared at his comment. She felt a blush on her cheeks and scales appeared around her eyes from the heat due to her quirk. “Woah, (Y/n), are you okay? You’ve got scales.” Mirio asked concerned as he brushed some hair behind her ear to see the ruby-like scales.

     “Yeah, it’s just hot out, y’know,” she lied and rubbed away the scales with her hands, they turned back into smooth skin.

     “You’re right! I’ll get some water!” Mirio offered with a smile as he lifted them off the ground as he stood. “You two stay here, I’ll be back!” He said as he jogged off down the path to a nearby vending machine.

     “This kinda looks like a castle,” Eri mumbled as she looked at the playground. Then her face showed a big smile as stars filled her eyes with an idea. “We should play pretend!” She turned around to (Y/n). “I’ll be the princess, Mirio can be the knight, and you’ll be the dragon!” She pointed her finger as she named each role.

     (Y/n) smiled down at her. “That’s a great idea, Eri!” Scales began to cover her body again as she felt her body shift slightly. “Let’s steal you away to the castle, princess!” She said as she wiggled her talons at her. Eri let out a loud squeal as the older girl lifted her up over her shoulder and carried her into the castle. She had placed her on a platform near the slide entrance and walked onto a wobbly bridge that connected to a different slide. Her arms were crossed as she stood in a confident pose while she waited for the ‘knight’ to return.

     Mirio had heard Eri’s squeal and it worried him slightly. He knew (Y/n) was there with her, but he quickly ran back over with the bottles in hand. He slowed to a stop once he noticed (Y/n) was using her quirk and had a menacing aura around her. This worried him as he looked around for Eri and then saw her gripping the bars of a platform, a scared expression on her face. Did a villain show up? Were they hiding around here? 

     “Glad you could make it, knight!” (Y/n) yelled down to him at the path.

     “Huh?” Mirio gave her a confused look.

     “Save me, Sir Knight!” Eri jumped up and down as she tried to speak in an elegant tone.

     It easily clicked in Mirio’s head what was going on. He was the knight that had to save Princess Eri from the fearsome dragon (Y/n). He set the water bottles on a bench and picked up a long branch nearby before he pointed it at the mighty dragon. “I am here to save the Princess Eri, Evil Dragon!” He spoke loudly in a royal tone.

     “What will you do to save her, knight?” (Y/n) replied back in a low tone.

     “I will do anything for the princess’ safety! I will fight you even if it means my death!”

     “Glory and death are not what I want,” (Y/n) began, “I am a dragon, we covet things that humans prize and the princess here is a wonderful jewel to add to my collection!” She gestured to the princess before bringing a hand to rest under her snout in thought. “But perhaps we could make a trade?”

     “A trade?” Mirio’s voice wavered as he listened to her words. That wasn’t how the stories went, right?

     “Yes, a trade, what will you give me in return for releasing the princess?” 

     Eri looked confused as she looked between the two. That wasn’t how the stories went.

     Mirio lowered his sword as he looked deep in thought. What could he trade to a dragon who had everything? He was just a knight, he could hardly offer anything that would be worth more than the princess, not even his own life. His eyes then sparkled as he figured out what to trade. He stabbed his sword into the ground, the dragon and princess confused by his actions, and held his arms open as he stared at the marvelous dragon. “I give you my heart!”

     (Y/n) almost choked as she leaned back slightly as the bridge wobbled, his answer shocked her. “Y-your heart?” She stuttered as she tried to look menacing again.

     “I give you my heart in return for the princess’ freedom!” He held his arms open wider, a genuine smile on his face. (Y/n) stood stunned, she didn’t know what to say. She knew she couldn’t take his words seriously, it was just pretend, but she couldn’t help but imagine him actually saying those words to her out of love. 

     Meanwhile, Eri slid down the slide by herself and triumphantly cheered at her great escape. “I escaped the scary dragon!” She said proudly with fists in the air as she ran toward Mirio.

     “Aw, Eri, I was supposed to save you!” Mirio said disappointed as he crouched to her level.

     “Clearly this princess doesn’t need anyone to save her,” (Y/n) said as she flew herself down beside them before her body returned to its original form.

     Mirio stood up again when Eri ran off to play more, a grin plastered on his face. “I liked the twist you pulled, with the dragon, it was amazing!”

     (Y/n) smiled back. “I liked your answer, that honestly surprised me, I didn’t know what you were gonna say.” She laughed at the end, trying to stave off the ache in her heart.

     “Well, I just spoke from my heart.” He answered honestly with a gentle smile. (Y/n) laughed lightly at his answer, thinking he was making a joke back to the answer he made. She shoved his shoulder playfully. “I’m serious.” He spoke again. Her laughter died down as she looked him in his eyes, his beautiful blue eyes. “I meant it when I said I’d give you my heart.” He grabbed her hand and held it over his chest where his heart beat. She felt how fast it pounded against his chest, she tore her eyes away from their hands and looked back up at him. A small blush dusted his cheeks as he stared at her hopefully, waiting for an answer.

     A blush spread across her cheeks and scales soon followed. “W-w-wait- do you mean- you like me?” She stuttered as she tried to form a complete sentence.

     “Yeah, I do,” he replied instantly, “I’ve liked you for a while now, I wanted to tell you the moment I knew, but I had to make it special somehow and well you created that special moment!” He grinned and chuckled.

     (Y/n) couldn’t stop the smile from spreading on her face, she immediately covered it with her hand when she replied. “I like you too!”

     Mirio removed her hand so he could stare at her beautiful smile. “Don’t hide, you’re pretty,” he said as he cupped his hands around her face. They stared into each other’s eyes again, his eyes drifted down to her lips and hers did the same to his. They sealed the distance with a kiss as she rested her own hands on his neck, her heart sped up, butterflies filled her stomach, a tingle went down her spine, and her leg popped up from the sweetness of it all. It was a long and innocent kiss. 

     When they parted they heard someone screech in the distance. “Eww!” Eri yelled at them from atop a platform. They both looked at her and then hugged each other with a laugh.

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If you want to request some headcanons please go here for the rules!

Masterlist

[magicalgirlagency]

WBMR for Team RWBY plus Jaune? Since they have been isekai'd by the void, and fate of the series is said to be currently on limbo, you should do something about it.

I won't do Team RWBY, because they suffer from the same glaring problem that popular western MG shows like Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Star vs. The Forces of Evil and Steven Universe had: THE HEROES ARE ALL SELFISH AND NEGLIGENT PEOPLE.

They all do all sorts of nasty shit, and NEVER face the consequences for it, because the writers DO NOT percieve their mistakes and transgressions as something to be punished for!

And before any fan comes bitchin', whinin' and moanin' on my inbox, I got the reciepts right here. These girls ain't heroes, they are menaces to society.

They're just as bad as the Avengers! If you ask me, they're all better off DEAD and SEPARATED!

However, I will work on an WBMR for Jaune, because people are joking that Volume 9 might become a harem, since he's the only male character who fell into the void alongside the main girls. And because he deserves better.

And also because he looks like a Bargain Bin Togata Mirio.

Jaune Arc is now Aura Knight Jaune, B-Rank Magi, Assigned Gemstone is Sunstone, Essence is Light (Aether);

His mascot/familiar is a female sunbird named Jeanne (he calls her "Jiji");

Painting is his therapy-assigned hobby. His works are bright and colorful, surrounding on the theme of freedom and hope for the future;

He's rather popular with the Magis, but he wants to be seen as more than just a pretty face with a big title;

Most of his original personality remains, except that he now struggles with his morality;

Jaune masks his trauma and insecurities with his jokes, and he needs to work on this habit if he wants to properly recover;

He's currently doubting if he truly deserved to be saved after doing such stupid things when helping out Team RWBY;

To make up for his mistakes, he studies in the hopes of becoming a Fighting Egret, so he can join the Bureau and save the civilians that were left on Vacuo;

Jaune and Pyrrha are no longer dating, as they have both decided to break up. However, they still have a nice relationship of equal respect;

He also discovers that Penny is alive, and develops protective instincts towards her as a result, becoming her big brother;

As a Magi, Jaune aims to set himself free from his family pressures and set things right.

[a-forgotten-spirit]

Love Isn’t An Illusion (4)

Pairing: Todoroki x Bakugou, Todoroki x Reader x Bakugou, VERY SLOW BUILD

Summary: Training with the class, dealing with Mineta, waiting for parents and then studying with the class. 

Words: +-6500

Warnings: bad parents, the video about saving Stain, training, using reader quirk during training, Mineta, changing rooms, tight clothing for hero costume, making an illusion in the boys changing room to yell at Mineta, talking to Todoroki, crying, sad, fighting with parents, slight breakdown, excessive/destructive studying, being yelled at by parents, anxiety, depression, not sleeping.

Tagged:  @kittycatspervertedheart​ @lemorrite​ @gwendlynn​ @marleps​ @thicctati2​ @saitamastamaticsoup​ @succulent-momma​ @aurorahoneybuns​ @imjusttireddudes​ @misconceptualised​ @ochabby​ @katsukisuwus​ @gayverlinq​ @star-witchs-blog​ @fallbb123 

A/N:  I wrote this for the fans. I do not own My Hero academia or the characters, I don’t own most of the plot for this story, I had watched the show and re-written the dialogue and plot as if the reader was the main character. Everything is centred around the reader. Please comment, makes me happy. Ask if you wish to be tagged. 

Masterlist

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3

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Chapter 4

The week was over, though I hadn’t slept in days. Stain and I’s conversation running through my head like a mantra, I heard some of my other classmates had helped in areas around the city, I was happy for them. I didn’t want to go back to school, not while I was like this, coming home was nothing major. My parents ignored me still caught up about how I hadn’t gone to those interviews, not that I cared for what they thought anymore. I know I wasn’t meant to use my quirk without permission in school or out of school for that matter but as I walked through the school I made it seem like I wasn’t there. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. I had gotten messages and a few calls from Deku but not right now. 

Coming into the room I sat down making sure to not bump into anyone and listening to everyone's conversations. Both Sero and Kirishima were laughing at Bakugou, from what I had heard he was interning at ‘Best Jeaniest’s’ agency number four hero was extremely impressive. They were laughing at his hair, slicked down and neat, not the usual explosive hair he had. I thought it was cute but I did much prefer the raging hair, it suited him far more than this. 

“Stop laughing, my hair has gotten used to this and I can’t get it back the right way. Did you not hear me, I’ll kill you both” he was shaking as the words grit out of his mouth, I couldn’t imagine just how much product was in his hair right now. His hand was open and ready for one step too far from the boys and I was sure he would kill them. 

“I’d like to see you try pretty boy” Sero laughed out, mouth open wide and eyes bulging from his head. It was nice to know Bakugou did have friends, he may be very high and mighty but I couldn't imagine other people in the class saying those things and getting away with it. 

“What did you call me” and just like that his hair was back and spiky as usual. I liked his spiking hair, going in every single direction and not caring for looks. Even though he suited the style. My hand came to lightly play with my hair H/C locks smooth and silky to the touch. I don’t think I could pull off that hair but it was nice to look at, I wonder what it felt like. He seemed to take immense care of himself so I didn’t doubt his hair would be skipped. 

“Awesome, you got to face actual villains. I’m super jealous” my eyes moved from the still laughing duo and an angry screaming Bakugou to Mina. She was smiling and looking at Jirou, she helped those people in the hostage situation I had heard.

“Well, I didn’t fight. All I did was help people evacuate” I was going to speak up but my voice was caught. She shouldn’t belittle her internship, it was a lot to even do that. When you’re in such a situation, you do what you have too even if it is only escorting people to safety. “And provide logistical support” it was still more than some, she should be proud. Her voice was quiet and she was playing with her earphone jack, twirling it around her finger. 

“Still sounds like so much fun” Mina was leaning over the table as she called this fact out. She was always so happy and upbeat. I wondered what that felt like, to be so excited for like and things. Sure I was excited to be a hero but with that conversation still running through my mind, it was still a lot to take on. 

“I spent the whole time training and cleaning the ship deck,” Tsu thought out loud, her finger placed against her chin as the two other girls listened in. “Oh there was this one day we caught a bunch of drug smugglers,” she said it so calmly that I almost laughed. The two girls seemed to freeze, mouths open and shocked looks. “What about you Ochako, how was your week” when I turned to see Uraraka tense and looking ready to fight I too stopped in my tracks. 

“I’d say it was very enlightening” her voice was so cold and I swear to whoever could hear me she had this menacing purple glow around her. She was in a fighting stance then began to punch the air. She must’ve had a very good week if she was so in the zone on a Monday morning. 

“I think she found her fighting spirit” Tsu croaked out. I couldn’t agree more, she looked so ready and I wished I could have seen her train. Maybe joined in, not to say my training wasn’t enough. It was more than enough, Snipe and I bonded and got to know each other. I hoped he would still like me later on down the track for more internships. 

“Yeah, that battle hero must have been something else” I had to agree with that statement. He seemed nice enough even though Gunhead was a big guy and the name suggested a powerhouse. I had spoken to him and he seemed kind and compassionate, just what Uraraka needed. 

“After one week she’s like a totally different person” Kaminari pointed put hands out on the table and looking to be leaning away from where the girl was punching the air, the aura still moving around her. She wasn’t different, just more focused I thought. 

“Different. Don’t be fooled Kaminari” Mineta waved his finger back and forth in front of them but then, his eyes widened and he licked his lips a scowl coming to face “All women are demons at heart they just hide their true personalities behind pretty faces” he whispered out. His teeth were chattering and he was shaking?

“What did Mount Lady do to you” Kaminari questioned, gripping the smaller boys arms in a firm grip bringing him back to reality “Everyone at my internship loved me. It was kinda great” I enjoyed my internship even with all the inconveniences and the little mishap partway through the week. “Now if you wanna talk about the ones who changed was those three” Kaminari pointed to Iida, Midoriya and Todoroki conversing at the back of the room “and Y/N” 

“Oh yeah the Hero Killer, did you guys see the video that kept getting taken down. Y/N saved him” Sero pointed out, Bakugou having a tight grip on the boys collar his other hand occupied with Kirishima. 

“I’m glad you guys and Y/N made it back alive. Seriously” Kirishima sighed out, he looked so calm even though Bakugou had him by the collar though he didn’t seem to be short of breath so he wasn’t choking him which was good. 

“I worried for you too” the soft voice of Yaoyorozu spoke out, everyone moved to the back of the classroom and I was nervous someone would bump into me at my desk, no one did. 

“It was a good thing Endeavor showed up and saved you guys. Y/N too, her quirk is super powerful. I saw that she stood between Midoriya and the Hero Killer” Sato's voice seemed to be deep but also light in a way. Strange but I liked it, it was calming. 

“So cool” Toru wiggled around, her clothes moved as she moved her hands. Her voice sounded like she was interested and seemingly up to date on the topic. It was hard to gauge an emotion or expression with no face to look at. “Just what I’d expect from the number two hero” even though he had done nothing and it was all a cover-up, not that they could hear me. 

Todoroki’s eyes fell just as his head did “Yeah, that’s right” he wasn’t very good at lying, he looked uncomfortable and on edge. He had to learn how to lie properly, no one batted an eye but I could see the truth. My heart fluttered knowing I could see the difference. “He saved us” no he didn’t but, just something they had to let go. I got videoed and we couldn’t lie about that. Plus that mysterious video someone taped and posted. 

“Did you guys hear the news about the Hero Killer” my ears perked and my eyes left the dual coloured ones of Todoroki and turned to Ojiro instantly. What was he talking about, what news? Had he broken out? “Everyone has been saying he’s somehow connected to the league of villains” I froze, he couldn’t be right? He seemed far to prideful to work with them. He was on a mission, he went on about ridding the world of fake heroes, he wouldn’t associate with them but then again the Nomu were there at the same time. “Can you imagine how frightening it would have been if that creep was there when they attacked the USJ” I didn’t want to think about it if I was honest. I didn’t like thinking about that day. Though he only went after heroes, I don’t think he would have done much damage to us more so the teachers. 

“He’s scary, yeah but, did you see him in that weird video” again the video was brought up. I hated that video, it showed me helping him. My ear to his chest and then as I tried to help him. I had watched it so many times, every time it came up I watched it at least five times. Not that the real thing wasn’t constantly playing on a loop in my head. “It’s all over the internet. Stains’ a pretty evil villain but super tenacious, he’s almost kinda cool don’t you guys think” Kaminari pointed out. No, no I didn’t think that at all. He was crazy, totally and utterly bonkers. Mnirodriya called his name and it seemed to snap him back “Oh dude” his mouth was covered as he looked to Iida. 

“No, it’s fine. He is quite a tenacious villain. I understand why people might think he was cool but, instead of helping the world his views lead him to cold-blooded murder. No matter his motive killing cannot be condoned” Iida was right, it doesn’t matter your views or thoughts on anything you can’t kill people and everything will be fine. That’s not how the world works nor should it would like that at all. “To keep anyone else from suffering like me. Well” his arm was up straight and his voice rose to shout the next words “I promise, I will strive to be the perfect hero” I was glad he was getting back to his normal self again. He looked up to his brother so much, so many people did. 

“Speaking of recent events. Where’s Y/N she’s usually here before most people” Kaminari voiced and then looked around as did everyone. I sighed and let the illusion fall, all eyes turned to me instantly. “Wait have you been there the whole time” he shouted. 

“Sorry” I whispered and looked down scratching the back of my head, “Said recent events were quite a lot and it’s taken some time to” I paused and moved my hands around “Accept them” I saw a few nods. 

“You were in the middle of the city fight, weren’t you. I saw the videos of you taking down the Nomus’” Jirou turned and smiled. I nodded slowly and then came the yelling. Mina hadn’t seen the videos and was yelling that she was quite jealous of my activities. 

“Yeah, I was Snipe’s sidekick for a week. I told all the heroes that wanted me. I wanted to be treated like a hero not a tool for a week” again more yelling and questioning. Most said they thought I was kidding when I left the first time. I couldn’t blame them. “I trained and went on patrol. Even keeping a villain alive, it was a long week” I closed my eyes and smiled. No one other than the three boys at the back of the room knew I had, had a personal conversation with the said villain. I wanted to keep it that way. 

“Well now everyone. Class is about to begin” Iida shouted and I mouthed a thank you, I was met with a firm nod. I didn’t want to talk about it, it was quite a lot to deal with especially alone. I would manage. Everyone made their way to their respected seats quickly still quietly chatting away. Though Iida continued to shout. 

We were asked to change into our hero costumes and I was so excited. Sure some had seen it but I loved the new look. The iridescent colours and smoke looking mask. I loved it all. All Might was teaching us today and I smiled walking out of the changing room. I got a few looks and I walked down to the training area, my hips swaying and a smile on my face. 

“I am here” All Might shout loud and clear for everyone to hear, his hands on his hips. I hoped that one day I could shout something like that and everyone wouldn’t be scared. Everyone would know I was there to help. “I hope you are ready to return to lessons. Today it’s hero basic training, it feels like I haven’t seen you in a while” he wasn’t wrong it had been quite some time. A week at least though I had spoken to him once when I was dropping off something at the end of my internship. “Welcome back. Now listen carefully to what’s in store, we are going to be conducting a little race. Taking everything you’ve learned from your internships and applying it to this rescue training” he explained. Rescue training I admit was important but I didn’t like it at all. I wasn’t good with words and people annoyed me quite a bit but it was part of being a hero. 

“If it’s rescue training shouldn’t we be at the USJ instead” Iida yelled hand straight in the air. He still had bandages on and the memory that he might have permanent damage ran through my mind. He was always so confident and pointed out things, I had to thank him some time for talking so much that the teachers didn’t pick on me. 

“That facility specialises in disasters. As I said earlier this is a race” the way he spoke those last few words, head tilted down and smile wide I got nervous. Were we racing him because if so, I was going to quite enjoy making myself invisible and running away? “So prepare, you are about to step inside field gamma. Inside is an area full of factories, an intricate labyrinth. Good luck finding your way around. You’ll be competing in groups of five, each group starts on the outskirts of the model city. I’ll send out a distress signal and you do what you must to come to save me. Whoever finds me first, wins. But try to keep the property damage to a bare minimum please” I laughed lightly as his eyes changed from looking at all of us to only looking at Bakugou who was now looking away a scowl etched on his face. His quirk was strong, very strong but his quirk was also destructive which was a problem.

“Tch, why are you pointing at me?” Bakugous’ voice was low and croaky. He was offended by the poor thing. He was looking away not even bothering to make eye contact as I smiled laughing silently. I didn’t want to be on the receiving end of his anger. 

“Alright first group get to your places” and then we were off. Splitting up. Deku, Sero, Mina, Iida and Ojiro. The rest of us were moved in front of a TV screen where we could watch the playthrough. I had to learn everyone's attacks and weaknesses...for future reference of course. 

Everyone began to talk about who they believed was going to get to All Might first. Sero was at an advantage of simply being able to go over the buildings. Mina couldn’t destroy a lot, Midoriya I wasn’t too sure about. Ojiro could jump around and Iida was fast so they all had fast quirks. This would be something very interesting to watch. 

I ignored what everyone was saying. I needed to pay attention, I had to watch them closely in case they made us do it again and we had to fight them myself. I needed to watch them. Once it began Sero was the first to fly off, just like I predicted above everything. Then Mina skidded along the top of the buildings, she was fast. Ojiro on his tail and then Iida running along the ground. This was going to be a race of speed not so much anything else. Then out of nowhere came Midoriya, quick and jumping around on top of everyone. He looked like Bakugou and bit and from the angered look on his face he knew it too. Then he fell. The match was over quickly, Sero won just like I said. He knew his quirk too well and the fact he could easily maneuver through the place was definitely on his side. This was important to remember all their strengths. 

I was in the last group. I was up against Bakugou, Todoroki, Uraraka and Tsu. We were on the outskirts and I smirked. This would be easy, when we were allowed to go I watched as everyone began to quickly run off to get to All Might. I looked at the Camera and waved, then sent out an illusion, Cameras could only see the illusion. 

“Where did All Might go” I was running along a bridge to his spot, quick and fast. “Dammit Y/N” I could hear Bakugou yell then more explosions. The rules never stated I couldn’t use my quirk to confuse them. I was running full speed as I ran towards All Might who was smiling at me. 

Jumping down I let the illusion fade and down I was in front of him as the others landed and I got the sash. “Your quirk is so good” Uraraka looked down painfully her arms swinging by her sides as she sighed. “I thought I had a chance” 

“Sorry” I called out and leaned to one side. I could see the angered face of Bakugou as I smiled at him, he huffed and I shrugged. “I like to win” was the last thing I said as the class was over. I let everyone walk along another bridge with me so they didn’t have to walk the whole way to the entrance.

Jumping off I was met with congratulations, soon after we were sent to the changing rooms. I stretched as I walked, my hips swaying. An unfortunate side effect of wearing a skintight suit. I sighed out bringing my arms down and rolling my neck. I had gotten complimented on my new outfit and I flushed instantly. Sure I expected someone to notice but the way Toru went on about how pretty it was and how good I looked, then Mina and Tsu added in their thoughts and then it was all the girls. I couldn’t help but blush. 

In the changing rooms, I was getting undressed when I saw all the girls crowd around a little hole. I tilted my head walking over as I pulled my skirt up to my legs not having put my shirt on. I watched as Jirous’ earphone jack went straight through the hole. I could hear Mineta talk about what he wanted to see and I grimaced. I was guessing Jirou hit something at the scream we all heard. 

“Thanks, Kyoka” Toru spat out. I was so disgusted that the little pervert would try something like that. I could hear Iida going off at him and I didn’t think it was enough, he shouldn’t be in this course if this is how he acted. Jirou had her hands around her body as if to somehow cover herself. 

“Despicable, we will close up this hole immediately” Yaoyarozu huffed out, she had a very angry look on her face and I was sure my face mirrored hers. I was pissed, how low did he have to be to try something like that. 

“I’ll have it closed, for now, you can get changed Jirou. He can’t see in” I was met with a smile and then used an illusion to block the hole. “Just give me a moment” I whispered and then heard a scream as an illusion came into the boys' locker room, I could see if I wanted to but instead I only created the illusion. 

“You are honestly disgusting” I looked to Mineta, the illusion was clothed, I made sure to put that in as I looked down at the boy who was still standing in front of the hole. “If you ever try something like that again, I will personally make sure you know the full extent of my quirk” with those words the illusion faded. 

“Good one. Can you see through it” Uraraka asked and I flushed immediately as I moved to place on my shirt. I wasn’t looking at any of them and I couldn’t blame her for asking. 

“If I think hard enough yes. But an illusion isn’t me so no I didn’t see anything though I would have liked to do a bit more damage than yelling if I'm honest” I smiled and heard a group of laughter as I buttoned up my shirt before tucking it into my skirt. The skirt was shorter then I would have liked but that was a price I had to pay by not trying it on before I bought it. It was of a decent length and no one could see anything but paranoia was a key factor.  

-

Soon it was the end of the day and I was off on my way home. It was afternoon as I walked out of the main building and looked at my phone seeing a message. “Picking you up, wait” that was the only thing my mother had written. I was going to tell her not to worry but I knew it would just lead to drama and most likely another fight. Moving to a side bench I sat down and then waited. I continued to wait and wait and wait. An hour and a half later I was now staring at the parking lot waiting for my mother to arrive. 

“Y/N” I heard and turned and saw Todoroki standing behind me, book bag in hand and staring at me confused. I looked to Todoroki trying to see any emotion “Why are you still here, school ended hours ago” he commented. I could ask him the same thing. 

“Oh, well, you see” I stuttered, should I lie. Should I say I'm in an after school group, no he might ask which one. He could see my hesitance and my words fell “My mother told me to wait” I whispered and looked down to my phone. All the messages were delivered but none had been replied too. “I’m sure she’s just caught up with something” even though I could hear the lie in my tone. 

He heard it too as I nodded and looked back to my phone “Do you want me to wait with you” I felt like my heart stop. He was so nice, yet so quiet. I had seen him lose his cool though, at the hospital. I moved to meet his eyes “I’m happy too” he spoke as I looked down again.

I considered it, it was lonely and I needed to make friends. What was I thinking, I softly shook my head “No” I breathed out, licking my lips, shaking my head as I fakely smiled “No, it’s ok. You go home” I tried to smile again but it was small and didn’t reach my eyes. 

“Are you ok?” he asked and I tilted my head confused “You’re crying” I paused my hand coming to my eyes, I was indeed crying. Tears fell down my face as he moved to sit next to me. I quickly wiped my eyes. 

This was so embarrassing “I’m so sorry” I whispered trying to desperately stop crying in front of him. This was extremely awkward and my eyes hurt a little after as I rubbed them harshly. “It’s just been a long week is all” I smiled. 

“There’s no need to apologise. It’s ok to cry” no it wasn’t, it was not ok to cry especially in front of a classmate you’ve had one conversation with. I was so embarrassed I could feel my hands shake, I put them in my lap so he wouldn’t see. “You don’t have a good relationship with your parents do you” I looked at him quickly, he had a face as he understood and I sighed out and nodded. “I don’t either” he was always so honest not thinking twice about his words “I saw how your mother treated you after the festival” I nodded slowly. 

“Yeah” I whispered dismissively “She’s just got a lot on and is always busy” I rubbed my shoulder subconsciously “She doesn’t mean it, I don’t think” my fingers dug into my skin as I nodded and tried to hold back my tears “She’s just” I paused and then let the air leave my lungs. “Her”. 

“My dad isn’t the best” he admitted and I nodded agreeing. We spoke for a while, just talking and getting to know each other. It was fun to just talk to Todoroki. I found out he likes Cold Soba and wants to be the top hero to throw it in his dad's face. 

“You should head off, it’s getting dark and I don’t want you going home when it is dark. My mother will be here soon, I'm sure of it” a little bit more persuading and he was off walking out of the school. Teachers left as I sat there and waited. 

It was dark now and I was running low on battery as I tried to pass the time. I wasn’t worried as I was still on school grounds though I was getting angrier by the second now that most of the parking lot was empty. Then after almost four hours of waiting her car shows up, getting into the car I notice new nails and dyed hair. 

“Did you go to the salon?” I asked as she began to drive off. No, I just hadn’t been paying attention right? I looked back seeing bags in the back seat, she just grabbed a few things earlier today on her break. Yeah, she wouldn’t make me wait four hours for no reason. 

“Yes and” she commented brushing her hair behind her ear. We made it out of the parking lot as I was trying to reel in my anger, I could feel it rolling off me in waves. I was about two seconds away from losing my mind. 

“So you made me wait at school for four extra hours, when I could've gotten home by myself, to what” I began throwing my arms around but making sure to not go on her side. I may be angry but I didn’t want her to crash. “Piss me off. Why would you make me wait if I could’ve just gone home” my voice was loud and I was yelling. 

This started an argument, both of us yelling and her making excuse after excuse for no good reason. “I had shit to do Y/N” that didn’t excuse it. I hadn’t asked her to pick me up. I was fuming, my eye twitching “Besides I’m doing something nice for you, be grateful” she snapped her hair beginning to move. 

“Grateful” I whispered “Grateful” I screamed, we were at a red light as she turned to me “Be grateful for having to wait four hours. My teachers and peers are looking at me in pity. Be grateful for you not talking to me for a week, what else should I be grateful for” I yelled my hands rising above my head “Please enlighten me” I finished and her hair was now moving around in the air, she was pissed but by god, I was about ready to pull the car onto the other side of the road. She turned to the road ignoring me “Wow would you look at that” I commented.

The rest of the drive was silent, as soon as the car stopped I grabbed my things opening the door and then slamming it harshly a loud bang is heard and yell from my mother. I opened the front door and my dad was angry already. How amazing. 

“Where have you been?” he shouted and came to stand in front of me, chest puffed and nose flaring “I have been waiting for hours. No message, no call. Who were you with” I was about to talk when he stomped his foot “Tell me this second”

I was past my caring limit, past angry and past hysteria. I was so livid “Your wife made me wait at school for four hours while she went out shopping. If you were so worried, message me yourself for a change” as she walked in the door bags in hand I growled as she too began to scream at me. “Enough” I screamed and shook the house. My quirk running into my voice, both stilled. “Enough. I’m over this, I have had an extremely long week and I don’t want to deal with the two of you right now” with those words I stormed to my room. 

Putting up a sound barrier, my quirk did work wonders sometimes. I screamed. I screamed and screamed and screamed. Placing myself into an endless box, I flipped and broke things that came to mind. When I was a little calmer I let the box fade as I sighed out. My room was fine, no damage done. I was livid, I was over this house. Over my parents caring only for themselves. I couldn’t bear it. I had to calm down. I had to be calm. I sighed and then got changed into something more comfortable. 

Falling onto my bed with a huff I was glad I had locked the door as I was not in the least bit presentable at this given moment, hair a mess and only wearing a jumper and underwear with socks. I hadn’t studied at all today, lifting myself from the bed I moved to my desk getting my books and pens ready. 

I had muted the class group chat but when I got a notification on it I knew someone had said my name. Putting in the thumbprint I moved to look at the message. It wasn’t just me, it was ‘@everyone’ Kaminari was asking for help. Within seconds he had gotten a few replies. I was the top student in the class, something I had to keep. 

Putting on some light music I hummed along while I studied. Pages upon pages as I sat at my desk, the music changing and shuffling. I made sure to put on the ‘Calm’ list when studying. Mellow music with calm beats and slow lyrics. I loved it, it helped to stay focused. I skipped dinner, something I had been doing the last few days. When I considered myself done it was well past midnight and I knew I had to awaken in only a few hours. I had been overworking myself the past few days both physically and mentally. 

Getting up from my desk I stretched my back and then turned off the light. Heading to bed for at least a few hours. This routine went on for a while, I was getting more and more tired. I was showing up on time but later and later until I was walking in with Aizawa. I was using all my effort to participate and pay attention in class. I had helped Todoroki and Midoriya study a few times, Kirishima, Sero and Kaminari tagging along then it turned into a half a class thing. 

“Y/N you have such neat notes” Kaminari complimented and with hooded and under shaded eyes I thanked him. I helped whoever needed it, I began talking to them more often and even Bakugou had tagged along. I ended up helping him a few times even though I played it off as he was helping me for the others. 

“How does someone have the mental capacity to take these kinda notes in class and then study” Mina called out throwing her arms in the air and her head falling back with a cry. I was sitting next to Bakugou and Todoroki, I should say in the middle of them when I received a call. 

I didn’t even look at the caller as I tiredly answered “Hello” it was silent for a few moments as I yawned and held the bridge of my nose. I could see everyone being quiet as I waited for a reply. 

“Where are you” came a scream and I could see I was getting a few stares. With a confused glance and pulling the phone from my ear, I looked at the caller ID and saw it was my mother. I nodded slowly and put it back. “Answer me” she screamed. 

“I am at a study group with people from my class” I answered calmly, I didn’t have the energy to deal with her today. I hadn’t slept in days and my anxiety was through the roof at this point. “I told you I was going, you said and I quote ‘I couldn’t care less’” I didn’t care who could hear I was tired and on my last brain cells of living. 

“Don’t expect me to pick you up” she shouted, it sounded like she was in the car. I put my hand up to the class and stood, stumbling over a little way away from the table to have this conversation somewhat private. 

“I didn’t” I answered and leaned against a wall, not quite able to hold myself up at this given point of time. I sighed out and rolled my eyes as the yelling continued. 

“What time will you be home” as I was about to answer I heard a beep “Idiot” so she was driving, I rubbed my eyes just trying to keep them open. “Answer me” another scream and I pulled the phone away from my ear for a moment to not go deaf. 

“When it’s over, I have keys. I always have keys” I answered softly. If she even cared a little she would be able to hear just how tired I was and how much I wanted this conversation to end. More screaming. “I need to go” then all went silent. 

“Whatever. You know what, whatever. Do as you wish, as per usual” then she hung up. I pulled the phone away looking at the call symbol disappear and sighed. I ran my fingers through my hair. It was only just after dinner, I could go home but I wasn’t in the mood to deal with her but I was so tired. I had to study, I sighed, I had to study. 

Now I was angry, walking over I threw my phone on the table with a loud bang, not caring for the device at all as I grabbed my book and began to write. I was writing so fast, I was so mad, so burnt out. I was writing science formulas and going down the page as I changed colours and wrote my notes as I usually did. 

“Are you ok?” Kirishima asked slowly and I looked up, eyes lidded, the bags beneath my eyes felt like they were pulling my eyes down. I nodded with pursed lips “You don’t look ok” he added and I heard a few agree. 

“Just a normal day, nothing to worry about” I whispered and I could see the worried faces begin to blossom. I didn’t like the attention and swallowed, I looked down and saw all my calculations and noticed I had done an entire science calculation in anger. A hard one too. Dropping my pencil I rubbed my eyes. 

“When was the last time you slept?” Sero asked his smile fading but teeth still showing. Now everyone seemed interested in this question, I too was interested in the answer. 

I thought about it “Monday” I said questioningly “I think I slept on Monday. What day is it” I asked and looked down, it was Thursday. “Saturday I had an hour, I think I had about half an hour Monday” I answered and nodded “Or was that the Saturday study breaks” I whispered and shrugged “I don’t know” I answered. 

“That’s not good” Bakugou spoke in a calm voice. I turned to him and nodded slowly. My eyes closed for a second and I shook my head to bring myself back. I could hear people saying I should go home and sleep, eat something. “You haven’t been eating either” Bakugou pointed out. 

“I have to study” I swallowed and all conversations died down. I shook my head “I can’t fall behind” I whispered and I felt the air get sad. I began to highlight and write and the conversation came back into the room. Laughter and other things. I sat in between Bakugou and Todoroki just doing my work, helping them a few times before returning. It was well into the night when we all departed. I was packing up my things as I almost fell over being caught by packing up Bakugou. “Sorry” I whispered. 

I watched as people watched me stumble out of the room and then down the hall. I accidentally bumped into Aizawa who was holding papers and almost fell over again “Y/N” he asked and I was off again down the hall.

The next few days began the same until Monday morning when the class ended. I was having trouble staying awake through the whole class but I had to pay attention to every single second. I didn’t have time to fail. I needed to do this. I needed to pass, I needed to do well. I could only sleep on the day of the exam. 

“Alright, that’s it for today, you only have one more week before the exam” I was smiling ear to ear, I could sleep. One week, I had to sleep. I had to be fully rested for the exam, I was so tired. “I’m sure you’re all studying constantly, right?” I nodded. Yes, yes I was. “Don’t forget to keep training, the written exam is only one element” no sleep for me then. I had been training but not enough, I had learned skills but I needed to put them into action. I had to do well, there was not an option for failure. “There’s also the practical portion to worry about. Good luck” and with those words the door was closed and my anxiety shot through the roof.

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Chapter 5

[your-lady-star]

Fallen M!Corrin is Better Than Fallen F!Corrin

Bit of a hot take here for me to do, but I’ve honestly have had complications with Fallen F!Corrin for a while, and now that my baby boy has his own, I figured now is a better time than any to get into my issues with her fallen alt and why M!Corrin does it significantly better.

Now I’m not going to talk about their skills and usefulness in battle, mainly cause I don’t care about that at all, I’m going to be focusing solely on design and how well it connects to the thematic surrounding the story of Fallen Corrin. And that’s a good starting point.

I remember back when last years fallen banner was revealed and I saw a lot of people wondering why Corrin was on the banner since they never turn evil in game. I think people forget what the purpose of the fallen banner is; it’s not to show inherently evil characters, it’s to show, well, fallen heroes. Characters who’s mindsets, goals, an ethics were once just, but have been corrupted by a dark force, whether it’d be psychological or external. And, while it’s easy to forget, Corrin is fighting a psychological battle for his sanity every minute of every day.

Corrin’s dragon blood is very potent and very powerful, more so than any of the other royals, hence why he’s able to fully transform into a dragon. One downside of this is that dragons within the world of Fire Emblem are described as being inherently destructive and blood thirsty, something we clearly see with Corrin as his first transformation into a dragon had him go on a destructive rampage and attack Azura. He’s given the dragonstone for the express purpose of maintaining control of these urges and keeping his sanity in check. 

The fallen version is meant to showcase what would happen if they couldn’t maintain control, whether it’d be from not getting the dragonstone in time or the dragonstone not being of much help or maybe a completely different reason; it’s designed to show what would happen if Corrin surrendered to their draconic urges and became the monstrous killing machine they dread becoming, especially with the implications that Corrin may have possibly killed Aura during the initial attack. A Corrin who is lost to destructive urges and has become a monster that cannot be stopped, that is the theme to their fallen counterparts.

And while M!Corrin does that job fantastic, F!Corrin not so much.

Now we can finally get into discussing the art for these two and how well they do at showcasing this theme.

Let’s start with their default stance.

M!Corrin has a wide stance and is slightly hunched over, akin to that of an animal, and his tail being out further plays into that. The way its wrapped out to the front of his body with the spikes facing outward not only gives his stance a bit of a defensive feel, but also threatening, as though to let other know what they’re getting themselves into by challenging him. The way his hands are tensed up to look like claws makes it very intimidating and the way his left hand is positioned in that almost “come here” gesture gives a sense that he’s daring you to try to stop his, furthered with the way his right hand is placed in that cocky arrogance fashion that FE has used before. But the most telling feature is his eyes and face. That sense of cockiness is present with the way his eyebrows are raised and the slight curve of his mouth as well as that feel of lunacy with the ways his eyes seem to be different sizes, which anyone who has ever watched anime knows is clue number one that a character is a f*cking psychopath. But the most interesting thing is the dead emptiness is his expression. As though he isn’t truly there mentally, that he’s completely surrendered to the madness and is just a vessel for his cursed bloods madness. It’s downright terrifying and incredibly intriguing all at once.

Overall, this default art is fantastic and does a great job at giving a memorable first impression and teases for whats to come. It’s one of the best artworks to come out of Heroes for not only how well it does at displaying the theme of the character, but for being able to say so much with a single image.

On the other hand... 

Alright, so on an objective standpoint there isn’t anything wrong with the default art for fallen F!Corrin. It looks great, it’s nicely detailed and it’s clear that a lot of time went into it. My issue with it is how poorly it does at representing a corrupted Corrin. 

I get that the idea behind her design is that she’s slowly wearing herself down trying to fight back against her dark urges, but the art doesn’t do a good job at portraying that. The only real indication of her supposed exhaustion is a single bead of sweat running down her thigh and (maybe) one on her cheek, and everything from her facial expression to the way her arms are placed to her general stance comes off looking “embarrassed” rather than “tired”. She looks less like a woman desperately battling a losing battle to maintain control over her humanity and more like a typical anime girl who was walked in on by her crush while changing. The over-beautification of F!Corrin’s design already doesn’t do much to help with that (but that’s a discussion I’ll save for another day). Even the tail, one of the most striking features on fallen M!Corrin’s design, doesn’t have the same presence. It being mostly behind her not only loses that sense of defense and intimidation, but it causes the tail to blend into her and become less noticeable. I’m not even joking when I say that I didn’t even notice that she had a tail until the third time I saw this art.

Like I said, the art isn’t bad, it just doesn’t do the core theme justice. Rather than looking worn down, she looks slightly perturbed at best. Rather than looking menacing, she looks meek. And rather than fitting into a banner themed around great heroes falling into darkness, this feels like something that would fit in more in a summer or Easter banner (which is extremely ironic considering what I’ll get into later). It’s a build up for a set of art that’s supposed to make me feel sorry for her, but only accomplishes in making me think of how much she looks like me when I’m waiting for my brothers to hurry up in the bathroom.

Once more the dynamic weight and posing in the artwork shines brilliantly in his neutral attack pose. Lunging forward keeps in with the animalistic nature along with his hands once more tensed like claws, one reeling back to get ready to strike. With the way his cape and tail, curled almost like a snake or scorpion, flow behind him create a real feeling of movement and his expression dark but subdued, it makes for this real intense energy coming from his as he lunges for his prey. My favorite aspect being how the shadows form on his face, hiding it just enough to conceal his murderous intent while still allowing the harsh red of his eyes to shine prominently. And while there isn’t any discernible difference in his hair, the way it’s wrapped around his face and flowing to his movement give that much needed edge to his glare. And with the dark purple miasma flowing and highlighting points of interest, it makes for a truly great piece.

This isn’t really a problem that’s singular to fallen F!Corrin, as IS does struggle to give dragon units unique attack art that doesn’t just have the character either standing still or slightly curved with their arms either out at their sides or holding whatever stone they use to transform. So I can appreciate that they tried to do something different with her attack art. But, again, the problem is how it doesn’t fit with what they’re trying to represent.

Her expression is that of either mild annoyance or boredom, giving no indication that she’s in pain from having to fight. There’s no real tensity in any part of her body, having more of a grace and fluidity that is commonly used on dancer units. Her tail is more visible, but nothing is really being done with it. It’s not extenuating anything or highlighting a part of her body, it’s just curled on her legs. And any sense of intimidation is lost because the most threatening part of the tail, the spikes, are no longer in the foreground. Sense of movement is also an issue here. The way her cape and hair are framed makes it feel like she just jumped off of something and is having a rough landing and there’s no feeling for how she moved to attack, no ferocity in her actions. Again, it’s akin to more of a dancer than a feral dragon.

And this is small nitpick I have, but it really bugs me. I don’t like how the purple miasma for F!Corrin is lighter than M!Corrin’s. It might seem like a minuscule thing to be worried about, but the darker tone on his gives a real feel of dread and despair. The lighter tones are hers don’t stand out as much and don’t give any real negative emotion to her state. Yeah, she’s supposed to be fighting to maintain control, but having them be darker would help to represent that desperation and hopelessness. You can still have lighter hues, but they need to work in tandem to the darker colors.

Because when you do, you get beauty like this.

Just look at this masterpiece. The lighter purple flames mixing well with the darker flames, coming together in the center like a twisted mockery of where the dragonstone would be in any other art, curling around his body like a charging beast quickly closing in on you. His eyes glowing an ethereal mix of his natural red and the miasma around him, giving them a horrific shine that stand out a mile away and full of pure demented blood lust. And his mouth; wide open, fangs bearing in a horrific grimace, ready to sink into whatever stands in his way. 

I don’t usually throw this term around, but I don’t hesitate to use it here: this art is flawless.

This art, however, I can’t attach flawless to. The mix of purple and dark pink and the lighting it casts does look really good, but it’s an intense mix to a subdued reaction. Her eyes don’t look anymore ferocious than they do on any of her other alts and there’s no glow to them to make her look like her darker urges are beginning to influence her. The clawed hand could be a cool feature, but it’s hard to see since it’s being blocked out by all the pink! I actually didn’t even notice that her hand was clawed until I looked up her artwork for this post! Such a distinguished feature shouldn’t be this hard to notice. Not to mention, even if the claw was more visible, it doesn’t hold the same level of intimidation as her male counterpart due to how thin and spindly her arms and hand are. This feels like a slight upgrade to her original forms special art and is extremely disappointing.

After the Adrift banner, I am pleased to see a M!Corrin alt where his damaged art doesn’t tear his clothes off. But even with the minimal physical damage, you can’t deny how good this looks.

The rips on his left hand give it a jagged look that nicely compliments how tense his hand is.His right is clawed and raised, poised to attack and surrounded by the miasma in a way that highlights it without overshadowing it. His tail raised and thrashing about in a fit of rage, further complimented by his crouched over stance and, of course, his face. Corrin’s facial expressions across each form of his fallen counterpart has been his best feature, and this is easily the best of the four. That look of pure, unadulterated, unrelenting rage is so disturbing and amazing at the same time. Damage art in Heroes typically has the character looking shocked, sad, perturbed, or not phased by it. This is the only damage art I can think of where the character is f*cking pissed. That is a look that screams “I”m going to f*cking annihilate you for doing that” and it’s utterly glorious.

Oh boy, this art.

Nearly everything I praised about M!Corrin’s damage art is the exact opposite for the female.

The stance is very generic and holds no emotion other than “Ow, I’m hurt”. Her facial expression doesn’t register pain at all, looking more like she’s inconvenienced because someone splashed water on her. Her tail, despite being very dominant, is just sitting there with no fluidity. Physical damage is far greater here, but all it does is distract the viewer who is too busy getting off to her exposed legs and thighs! And whether it'd be because of shaky perspective or shoddy work, but her hands and arms are distractedly small and thin. It looks like her arms would shatter if she pushed someone too hard.

This is my lease favorite of her arts entirely because it exemplifies the main problem with fallen F!Corrin’s design and why M!Corrin did it better.

It focuses more on making Corrin look cute rather than having her actually represent the theme she’s supposed to be.

The titles for the two Corrin’s are Bloodbound Beast and Wailing Soul. M!Corrin perfectly embodies his title while F!Corrin struggles to just barely hint at. Both of them are meant to show a pure hearted and noble individual being corrupted by the very blood coursing through their veins, yet only one of them is really putting in any effort to properly represent this. And while I can’t give any concrete evidence of this, I feel like the main thing that kept the female variant from properly doing the job was because they got the wrong person to draw her.

And look, I don’t have anything against Sencha, fallen F!Corrin’s artist; they’re extremely talented. But looking at their record for art in Heroes can tell you that they weren’t the right one for this. This is the same person who did the summer and adrift art for F!Corrin (they also did bridal Tharja, but that’s not related here), and both of them have a distinctive style to them. They’re graceful, beautiful, serene, cheerful. Sencha is very good at drawing Corrin very pleasant and lovely. However, Sencha clearly isn’t that good at drawing Corrin miserable and withered. And that’s understandable. Making someone completely shift the genre they’re used to is a serous challenge and it’d be no surprise if they can’t handle it. So, despite my claim that they got the wrong artist for her, I don’t blame Sencha for not doing as well.

Then again, I doubt that this wasn’t a challenge for Argon, fallen M!Corrin’s artist. Their Heroes portfolio consists of mostly seasonal alts for various male characters, though they also did Cormag, which shows that they do more dynamic posing and harsher color saturation. If anything, the fact that they did such a phenomenal job on Corrin shows they got some serious skill at drawing more demented characters. Hopefully they get to do this more often, I need to see more of their work like this.

So, at the end of this long diatribe, I’ll once again reiterate that I don’t dislike fallen F!Corrin for any personal bias towards the male version or because the art is objectively bad. It’s a nicely done art, but one that doesn't suit what the character is to represent. And the fact that fallen M!Corrin utterly blew it out the water in his artwork really made it worse for her.

... Was this all just on big excuse for me to gush about fallen M!Corrin’s artwork?

Maybe.

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got orbs to hoard. 

[sebeth]

Fantastic Four # 9 - 12

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

 A Brief Summary: Doctor Doom suffers another embarrassing defeat

Debuts:

·         The Ovoids

·         Impossible Man from the planet Poppup in the Tenth Galaxy

·         Willie Lumpkin

Favorite Cover: #12 – The Fantastic Four Meet the Hulk!

Invisible Girl Hostage Count: 5 out of 9 issues

Points of Interest:

·         The issue opens with Reed using his “electronic x-ray camera” with “radioactive film” in an attempt to learn more about Sue’s invisibility power.  Sue urges Reed to hurry as it’s “hot and stuffy” while “Torch keeps his flame on”.  Said Torch is acting as Reed’s lab assistant. Johnny is taking notes while engulfed in flames – except for his hands.  Between the causal use of “radioactive film” and Johnny walking around in flames, it’s a wonder the group lives long enough to battle Doom later on.

·         The FF’s signal flare appears in the sky. The trio attempts to exit the lab but the door is locked. Johnny decides to burn through the door but is stopped by Reed: “Trying to stop you from blowing us up, kid! Did you forget how sensitive that nuclear device is to heat?!” Johnny was completely engulfed in flames only four panels earlier and Reed didn’t seem to care but now it’s a no-go.

·         Is it safe to keep a nuclear device in the middle of New York City? Especially with Johnny and Ben living in the building. The duo engages in destructive rough-housing on a near-daily basis!

·         Reed attempts to stretch his arm to reach the Fantasti-Car so the trio can leave via the window but the strain proves too much. No worries, as Johnny has learned something new: “I can concentrate my flame so much that it burns without heat!” What?!

·         The trio escapes the lab. Reed decides “Let’s forget the Fantastic-Car. We can make better time without it!” Again, what? Johnny, maybe, but not the other two. And this is the era where Johnny randomly loses power due to “exhaustion”. Wouldn’t it make more sense for Johnny not to use his powers until the group has reached the scene of crisis? Especially when you have an awesome car-plane just waiting to be used?

·         The three head to the source of the flare. Sue causes a car crash with her “now you see me, now you don’t” routine. I never understood how Spider-Man was a “public menace” and the X-Men were “hated and feared” by the general public in comparison to the Fantastic Four in the early days of the Marvel Universe. Spider-Man mostly stopped criminals and the X-Men were isolated in Westchester County minding their own business…meanwhile the Four, in the heart of NYC, can barely go an issue without causing a mass panic or massive property damage…many times caused by Ben having a tantrum!

·         The source of the “emergency” is Ben wanting to show off the new statues Alicia has made of the team’s enemies. Sue protests the inclusion of Namor. Reed questions Sue over her feelings for Namor: “I thought we had an understanding.” Sue admits she’s not sure of her own feelings.

·         Johnny’s glad he’s “not old enough to have all those kinds of mushy problems”.  Karl Kessel’s “Human Torch” series contains pre-transformation flashbacks of Johnny flirting with girls. And he’s flirting with Valeria, Princess Pearla, and soon to be dating Dorrie Evans in the “Strange Tales” series. Perhaps Johnny’s referring to “serious” relationships?

·         Doctor Doom has returned to earth! And decides to storm Marvel Comics and terrorize Stan Lee & Jack Kirby with the sight of his unmasked face?!

·         Doom proclaims: “I do no blame you for shrinking from the sight of me! I still cannot bear to gaze upon my face myself! But I must remove my mask at times else I feel it will strangle me!”

·         Reed has the nerve to question Ben: “What makes you so bad tempered all the time?” Seriously, Reed?!

·         We have a fun moment of Johnny & Ben uniting to prank Reed by stretching his clothes.

·         Doom ambushes Reed. Victor explains he was rescued by the Ovoids, an alien race whose “science and culture were a million years ahead of ours”.  Doom learned many abilities from the Ovoids including the ability to switch bodies with another person. Victor promptly switches bodies with Reed.

·         The rest of the team arrives and subdues Doom (Reed). Ben and Johnny are very excited to have captured Doom (Reed) and devise ludicrous ways to imprison him. Not to worry, Reed (Doom) had devised a cell to contain him.

·         Kirby draws some extremely creepy “Evil Reed” facial expressions.

·         Back at the Baxter Building, the rest of the team is overrun by a herd of miniaturized animals: horses, bears, kangaroos, moose, elephants, cows, camels, zebras, birds, etc. The trio scramble to contain the animals and return them to Reed’s lab: “You know how angry he gets if anyone interferes with his work!”  

·         Reed (Doom) returns and the trio questions him – 1) Are these the animals stolen from the zoo and 2) Why are you shrinking animals?

·         Victor spins a story that this “reducing ray” will expand the team’s powers and allow Ben to transform at will. I know Reed is the scientist of the story but that explanation makes no sense. The team chooses not to press the matter of the animal theft and forced experimentation.

·         Doom (Reed) escapes from his cell and seeks the aid of Alicia Masters. Unfortunately for Reed, an invisible Sue was visiting Alicia and knocks him out.

·         Alicia is confused: “How can that be Doctor Doom? There’s an aura of goodness about him…of nobility!” Really, Alicia? You can sense that from an unconscious man in a suit of armor? I wish someone would establish Alicia had minor empathic abilities – otherwise, her “sensing” is ridiculous.

·         Johnny & Ben arrive to defeat “Doom”. Ben is furious that Alicia was threatened: “You tried to scare Alicia, did ya? Nothing can save ya from me now, ya miserable ghoul…I ain’t kidding now! He threatened Alicia! Do ya hear me? He dared to threaten Alicia!”

·         There’s a cute scene where the team takes Doom to the parked Fantasti-car only to discover a group of neighborhood kids palying in it.

·         Johnny and Ben suspect something is off with Reed & Doom so Johnny uses his powers to create a mirage to test their suspicions. I love Silver Age powers – always used in ways that make no sense with actual science.

·         Doom is found out, re-switches bodies with Reed, and shrunk to nothingness by his own reducing ray. The next time Doom achieves god-like powers he should erase everyone’s memories of his ridiculous Silver Age-shenanigans.

·         Issue #11 opens with a cute scene of the team encountering a group of children playing “Fantastic Four”. The team shows off their powers for the children. Johnny wisely reminds the kids “Throwing fireballs is easy for me, fella, but don’t you ever play with fire. It’s too dangerous for little kids.”

·         We meet Willie Lumpkin, the team’s mailman. He volunteers for the team: “I haven’t exactly got any super powers, but I can wiggle my ears real good.”

·         The team goes through their fan mail: Johnny receives love letters; Ben gets pranks from the Yancy Street Gang.

·         Reed has yet another cure for Ben who is understandably wary: “I’m sick of being a guinea pig for you! None of these things ever work right!” Ben takes the cure and transforms back into his human form. Ben, Reed, and Sue are ecstatic. A more cautious Johnny muses to himself: “Poor Ben! If he changes back to the Thing again, I don’t wanna be around to see it!”. Johnny decides to head to the garage to “fool around with my new TR-4!”

·         Reed and Ben recap their meeting in college. Ben was “State U’s football hot-shot”. Despite being polar opposites, “I was a millionaire’ son and he was from the wrong side of the tracks”, the duo quickly became best friends. Their friendship persisted throughout World War II. Ben was “a Marine fighter ace over Okinawa and Guadalcanal” and Reed was “behind the lines, working with the underground for the O.S.S.” The timeline of these events would put Reed and Ben in their late thirties at the time of their transformation into the Fantastic Four.

·         Due to the sliding timescale, the World War II bit has been retconned from Reed and Ben’s past. I think Ben’s time in the military is still part of his background – the era has simply changed. I’m not sure about Reed.

·         Sue had begun dating Reed before he left for the war: “It’s always been you, since we were kids together living next door to each other”. This would be retconned later – Sue and Reed wouldn’t meet until Reed was entering college.

·         Sue brushes off Reed’s devotion as the “shadow of the Sub-Mariner” lies between them. The whole Namor storyline could have been resolved much sooner if it was acceptable for comic book women, or women in general, were allowed to have lustful thoughts about men. Sue hasn’t spent enough time with Namor that didn’t involve threats to her, her family, or the human race in general. Poor Sue isn’t allowed to admit she appreciates Namor’s fabulous body in a tight, small speedo so the audience is left with her swooning over his “gentle”, “conflicted” nature. I love Namor but there has been nothing gentle or conflicted in his FF appearances. Execpt for the time he swam with the dolphins but Sue wasn’t there to witness it.

·         We get yet another recap of the infamous rocket flight. I understand the “every issue could be someone’s first” principle but were at issue #11 and it’s been recapped in half of the books.

·         Sue’s upset because a few pieces of mail state she “doesn’t contribute enough to the team”.

·         Reed defends Sue by saying Abraham Lincoln’s mother didn’t fight but she still contributed?! Kick him, Sue! Kick him!

·         Ben becomes overly excited and turns back into the Thing.

·         The boys surprise Sue with a birthday cake.

·         Impossible Man arrives on Earth, causing confusion and chaos in his wake. The Four battle Impossible Man in the Flamingo restaurant. He eventually becomes bored and leaves the planet. If you’ve seen the Impossible Man of the 2000s Fantastic Four cartoon, you’ve basically read this issue.

·         Johnny uses his powers to create “hypnotic rings” during the fight with the Impossible Man. You’ve got to love Silver Age powers!

·         Issue 12 begins a classic rivalry of the Marvel Universe: the Thing vs the Hulk.

·         Alicia and Ben are leaving a performance of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. Ben comments “I get my kicks from low-down New Orleans Jazz”.

·         The army pours into town and mistakes Thing for the Hulk, prompting a mistaken identity fight.

·         Ben is quite irate over being mistaken for the Hulk.

·         General Ross arrives at the Baxter Building. He wants the Four to locate the Hulk.

·         Ross shows a picture of the Hulk. Sue fades from sight: “The sight of that monster unnerved me so that I lost control of my visibility power!” Really? I don’t buy it. First, it’s only a picture and secondly, she lives with Ben and has battled Skrulls and monsters from Monster Island. It’s not like large creatures are a foreign concept to Sue.

·         Even Ben thinks its bull!

·         The boys show off, proudly proclaiming how he – and he personally – will capture the Hulk. Unfortunately for Johnny, flying around the small room a few times exhausts him flame. I appreciate the time it takes Johnny to master his abilities – it’s more realistic as opposed to the “instant mastery” route but two laps around the living room shouldn’t wipe him out as this point. He’s been the “Human Torch” for months as this point.

·         Reed praises Johnny’s skills as a mechanic: “That flame of his is one of our most potent weapons as well as his mechanical skill.  In fact, I’ll give you a little demonstration! Johnny has just finished modifying our Fantastic-Car!”

·         Johnny encourages Reed: “You tell him, Big Daddy!” In an alternate universe, Johnny married Reed Richards – was that his pet name for him?

·         The Four and the General head to the Southwest to search for the Hulk. The Four meet Bruce Banner and Rick Jones.

·         Reed has “long been an admirer” of Banner’s atomic research. Banner returns the praise: “I’m highly flattered that the most brilliant scientific brain of our time should say that to me”.

·         Johnny both shows-off for and pranks Rick. Neither are impressed with the other. Johnny: “Look at him green with envy! Trying hard not to admit he’s overwhelmed by me!” Rick: “He wouldn’t be so swell-headed if he knew I was the Hulk’s partner!”

·         Johnny tends to dial up the obnoxiousness and showboating when he’s with another teen hero: Spider-Man, Rick Jones, and later, Iceman. Possibly a combination of eagerness to impress/work with someone of his age group and a desire to be the best of said age group.

·         The army base’s saboteur “the Wrecker”, but not the Wrecker, kidnaps Rick Jones causing Bruce Banner to unleash the Hulk.

·         The Four and the Hulk meet up in a “deserted Western ghost town” and fight. Ben finds and frees Rick. Hulk flees the scene.

·         The Four prepare to leave the base. Reed hints to Bruce: “I’ve got a feeling there’s a lot we have to talk about – like you, and Rick, and the Hulk, for instance!”

[charminglatina]

Riverdale Characters as Tropes (Part II) ⭐️.

#9. Hiram Lodge (Main Trope: Fiction 500; Secondary Tropes: Big Bad, Evil Overlord, 0% Approval Rating, The Don, The Patriarch, Bad Boss, Corrupt Corporate Executive, Magnificent Bastard, Sharp Dressed Man, Badass In A Nice Suit, Man Of Wealth And Taste)

Fiction is loaded with Wish Fulfillment, and being rich enough to bend reality is one of them. These are characters whose wealth is almost impossible to quantify. More Money Than God is the bare minimum. Now this could happen in Real Life, like royalty who owned literally thousands of Pimped Out Dresses, or a man in India who built a private skyscraper for his family, staff, and fleet of cars, or Marcus Licinius Crassus, who had three times as much money as Bill Gates and personally funded the reconstruction of the Roman army. But in fiction, that's on the lower end of this scale. Stuff that generally does not qualify you to be a member of the Fiction 500: Big Fancy House, Cool Chair, Cool Boat, Cool Plane, Cool Car, Battle Butler, Maid Corps, or even simply having assets in the billions.

Stuff that generally does qualify you to be a member of the Fiction 500:

You have become a cultural symbol for absurd wealth, and the story leaves no doubt your reputation is completely justified.

You routinely spend money on a scale normal super-rich people might do once or twice in a lifetime, whether it be major investments or mere Conspicuous Consumption. If a real amount is given, even if in the hundreds of millions, or billions, it's chump change to these characters.

You personally fund projects associated with major corporations, governments, aliens, etc. This includes Crimefighting with Cash.

You have the resources of a global superpower without yourself ruling a global superpower.

You personally fund projects that apparently break the rules of physics using only wealth and the Rule of Cool, or sometimes Rule of Funny. In other words, Screw The Universe; I Have Money! But if some other convenient fictional trope makes something possible, it doesn't count. You don't buy sound in space when Space Is Noisy. It's not impressive to have Infinite Supplies when everyone else does. Building a Humongous Mechais not noteworthy when any random scientist can make five in a weekend.

You're surprised to discover your latest project's market success has not increased your net income because you have a monopoly on the product it's competing with.

You can do any of the above without leaving a paper trail or an electronic footprint. Many of these Fiction 500 rich characters operate either clandestinely or under a secret identity, especially if they are Crimefighting with Cash, The Chess Master or Evil Mastermind types. They must have methods for secretly diverting hundreds of millions or billions of dollars to their schemes (like building that army of Mooks, Elaborate Underground Base, Bat Cave, or Batmobile) while making it seem like a legit and legal expenditure or keeping it out of the books. It should be noted that even if a character uses their personal fortune, these transactions would still typically have to show up somewhere when tax time comes.

Now personality doesn't really matter. You could be a Rich Bitch or Uncle Pennybags. You could be a law abiding citizen and even be Batman, or instead think you can screw the rules. Name is based on the top 500 grossing companies annually compiled by "Fortune" Magazine. And despite the name implying otherwise, there can be any number of characters here. Also, there is almost no way to objectively rank them, although Forbes tries with their "Fictional 15" list. Compare Arbitrarily Large Bank Account, Conspicuous Consumption, Undisclosed Funds, Organization with Unlimited Funding, and N.G.O. Superpower. For real people who are considered the richest in the world, see The World's Billionaires, an annual ranking made by Forbes (which has its own article on The Other Wiki, BTW).

The cause of all bad happenings in a story. A Big Bad could be a character with Evil Plans or it could be an omnipresent situation, such as a comet heading towards the Earth. In a serial story, the Big Bad exerts an effect across a number of episodes, even an entire season. This trope is not a catch-all term for the biggest, ugliest villain of any given story. In fact, it doesn't have to be a villain at all, as we just said. If it is a villain, though, it should be identified correctly; the badass leader of the outlaw gang that causes the most personal trouble is not the Big Bad. The railroad tycoon who is using the gang as muscle is the Big Bad. The Man Behind the Manis very common for this trope, leaving the reveal of the big bad as The Chessmaster behind it all and proving themselves far more clever and resourceful than the Villain of the Week. Sometimes the Big Bad is the grand enemy of an entire franchise as an Overarching Villain. At other times, the Big Bad is an Arc Villain who causes trouble for a period of time only to be replaced by another Big Bad. When you look at a season-long story or a major Story Arc and you can identify one problem being the cause of everything, that is the Big Bad. In its most general form, a Big Bad will be at the center of the Myth Arc rather than just any Story Arc. The term "Big Bad" was popularized in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It was characteristic of Buffy's Big Bads for their identity or nature, or even the fact that they are the Big Bad at all, to remain unclear for a considerable time. Occasionally, characters would even refer to themselves as "the Big Bad". Whether or not they were, though, this is a Big Bad Wannabe. The structure of Buffy placed the Big Bad as being crucial to the Half-Arc Season, half the episodes are filler dealing with unrelated enemies while the other half involved the ongoing Myth Arc with the Big Bad. Each season can easily be defined by who the Big Bad was. If a show has a series of Big Bad jeopardies, they can function like a series of Monsters of the Week that take more than one week to finish off. If there is a Legion of Doom, you can expect the Big Bad to be involved somehow. They're probably sorted by power, with the strongest for last, following the Sorting Algorithm of Evil. Evil Overlord, Diabolical Mastermind, The Chessmaster, Arch-Enemy, The Man Behind the Man, and often Manipulative Bastard are specific types of villains who are liable to show up as Big Bads. If they're a Magnificent Bastard or Hero Killer, the good guys are in big trouble. The heroic counterpart of this character is the Big Good, who will very often be the focus of this character's attention over The Hero at the beginning of a series. If a work of fiction is conspicuously lacking a Big Bad, it may be a case of No Antagonist. See also Big Bad Duumvirate for two (or more) Big Bads working together. Sometimes a Big Bad will get their start as a servant to another villain — if that's the case, they're a Dragon Ascendant. If the character who fills the role of Big Bad in most meaningful ways is nominally subordinate to someone else (someone significantly less menacing by comparison), they are a Dragon-in-Chief. If the story has many Big Bads at once who don't work together, see Big Bad Ensemble. The Big Bad Shuffle occurs when there are multiple candidates for the Big Bad position. If the Big Bad doesn't start out as bad but develops over the course of the story, it's Big Bad Slippage. If the Big Bad of one section of a work doesn't die on being defeated and stays around as a character in a different plot role (reformed or not), that's Ex-Big Bad. The Big Bad of a story is not always the most powerful or oldest existing evil force. Perhaps an evil presence along the lines of an Eldritch Abominationovershadows the work's setting, but is mainly divorced from the story's events — that would be the Greater-Scope Villain.

#10. Hermione Lodge (Main Trope: Femme Fatale; Secondary Tropes: Iron Lady, Proper Lady, Spicy Latina, Gold Digger, Corrupt Politician, Grande Dame, Silk Hiding Steel, The Woman Wearing The Queenly Mask, God Save Us From The Queen, Sugar-And-Ice-Personality)

First, she turns you on. Then, she turns on you. The typical client in a Hardboiled Detective story (French for "fatal woman," idiomatically "woman to die for"). You know the type. Dressed all in black with legs up to here and shady motives, she slinksinto the PI's office, sometimes holding a cigarette on a long, long holder, saying "Oh, Mr. Rockhammer, you're the only one who can help me find out who killed my extremely wealthy husband." Did she do it? Do I care? Wait, where'd that saxophone music come from? Whatever her story is, whether she did it or not, she's definitely keeping some secrets. The Femme Fatale is sexy and she knows it. Made famous by Film Noir and hard-boiled detective stories, she manipulates and confuses The Hero with her undeniable aura of sexiness and danger. Unlike the virginal and sweet Damsel in Distress (or possibly Action Girl), the Femme Fatale exploits with everything she's got to wrap men around her finger. (In some eras, use of make-up is a tell-tale sign.) He knows that she's walking trouble and knows much more about the bad guys than she should, but damn it if he can't resist her feminine wiles. If the Femme Fatale is vying for the hero's romantic attentions she will likely have a sweeter and purer rival. The hero might decide that she's not worth the trouble she causes, but if he doesn't, then they might become an Outlaw Couple. While related to The Vamp, the Femme Fatale is not just any seductress; she has a distinct look and feel. The main distinction is how she presents herself. If you know she's dangerous from the start, but she's sexy enough that you don't care, she's likely a Femme Fatale. On a lesser note, the Femme Fatale generally uses sensuality instead of upfront sexual advances. She may implythat you could have sex later, but she'll never promise it, not even say it—that would decrease her air of mystery and power. Her wiles may include apparent helplessness and distress, and appeals to the man's greed, desire for revenge, or gullibility, as well as the implication of possible romance or sexual rewards, while The Vamp more often reliances on raunchy sex or the promise of it sometime real soon. The Femme Fatale is generally villainous, and heroic exceptions—in an artificial context to snare the bad guy—are closer to Heroic Seductress. Frequently, she is a Wild Card, changing sides according to her own desires and goals; she does not often go through a High-Heel–Face Turn. If she's actually a kind-hearted person who puts on this facade just for fun, this is Trickster Girlfriend. She's often the Lady in Red but possibly dressed like everyone else so as to not be Colour-Coded for Your Convenience. The Femme Fatale is one of the female character types that can often be seen wearing High Class Gloves, especially in conjunction with her sexy evening gowns, and, during the daytime (particularly in old Film Noir movies), is often seen wearing a "fascinator" or "pillbox" hat with a partial- or full-face veil. She's definitely not above using the Kiss of Distraction. If she can fight, too, then she's really going to be trouble. Subtrope of Manipulative Bastard. The younger version of this is the Fille Fatale. The spy version of this is Femme Fatale Spy.

#11. FP Jones (Main Trope: The Casanova; Secondary Tropes: Action Dad, The Alcoholic, Alcoholic Parent, The Good King, The Quarterback, The Sheriff, Dirty Cop, Reasonable Authority Figure, Jaded Washout)

The (legal, and less repulsive than the better-known types) sexual predator — a man who relentlessly pursues, lands, loves, and then abandons members of the opposite sex, a skill bestowed upon him to demonstrate what a badass he is. Sometimes comic, sometimes a monster, always successful, this character leaves behind a string of broken hearts, and occasional vows ofrevenge that are rarely fulfilled. Casanova's only motivation is indulging his lust and desire, sating them with the bodies of his conquests.

This trope tends to suffer from three double standards when portrayed in media;

The first is that the Casanova is always male, given that women are usually shamed for having an active sex life. The comparatively rarer female version is an "aphrodite", but she’ll likely be portrayed as an evil character who exploits her sexuality to manipulate innocent men. The womanizing skills of the Casanova, on the other hand, will almost always be granted to him to make him look like a champion.

This trope also applies almost exclusively to straight men, given that queer people with an active sex life are usually villainized in media. Meanwhile, straight men get to be portrayed as badasses for having multiple women at their beck and call. Bisexuals or demisexuals are even rarer, though not unheard of; for example Oberyn Martell.

The Casanova trope is also usually only applied to Caucasian/white men. Non-white men having, expressing or giving into their sexual desires is often portrayed negatively or Played for Laughs. Also, while white male Casanovas being with non-white women is generally portrayed as fine, men of color are often limited in a work to dating, having sex, marrying or even flirting only with women of the same nationality or skin color as them. If they do have a romantic relationship or sexual encounter with a woman of a different nationality or skin-color, it is usually held in scorn by some in-universe (and sometimes out-of-universe, unfortunately).

Contrast with the unsuccessful Casanova Wannabe. Compare with the inexplicable Kavorka Man. A guy who gets the girls like a Casanova, but unintentionally, is a Chick Magnet. If kind-hearted, may overlap with Chivalrous Pervert. The Charmer is equally charming but less sex-obsessed. If they really get around but want to settle down, it's Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places. A Handsome Lech has more negative connotations and a sparser scorecard than the Casanova. The trope is named for Giacomo Casanova (1725-1798), a soldier, spy, diplomat, adventurer, and librarian whose extensive but unreliable autobiography (in which he almost literally described himself as God's Gift to Womennote ) established his eternal fame as a lover. It should be noted that the historical Casanova was closer to a Chivalrous Pervert who really was looking for love... just with women who were locked in loveless political marriages — and also gained his successes famously ugly. (Definitely◊ he was no Heath Ledger◊.) Interesting and prone to be noted for his modern wannabes, he was one of the few 18th century men who bathed almost dailyand asked the same thing from his partners. Many films, TV movies and TV mini-series are named for and based on that person. The best known are Fellini's 1976 film, the 2005 film starring Heath Ledger, and the 2005 BBC drama mini-series starring David Tennant. The latter is considered one of the more faithful adaptations of Casanova's memoirs, while Fellini's... wasn't. For the juvenile version — all of the above without the sex — see Kid-anova. Contrast the Serial Romeo (who falls in love with a long succession of women, one at a time and for reasonable periods). If the guy is actually only rumored to be a Casanova and has no evidence onscreen, it's the Urban Legend Love Life. If he develops feelings for one of his conquests (or someone who refuses him), he's a Ladykiller in Love. See More Friends, More Benefits for when the mechanics of a game encourage the player character to act this way. Note: It should be mentioned that even after the affairs were over, most of Casanova's ex-lovers still liked him, and he was reputedly quite the gentleman. This trope would probably fit (the fictional) Don Juan better.

#12. Gladys Jones (Main Trope: Evil Matriarch; Secondary Tropes: Dark Is Evil, Parental Abandonment, Action Mom, Drugs Are Bad, Bitch In Sheeps Clothing, Bait The Dog)

A mother is one of the most central figures that a character can have growing up, and her influence can have an impact on that character even as an adult. If the character is lucky, that mother will be a loving one, and if he or she is really lucky, she'll be an Action Mom who can kick ass and take names if the character is ever threatened. But if the character is really unlucky and isn't suffering from Parental Abandonment, the character's mother will be an Evil Matriarch and chances are, she will make that character's life a living hell.

The Evil Matriarch comes in two forms:

Comedic: Usually used in the Dom Com, this variety is usually the mother of one of the two parents on the show who comes to visit every so often, and someone on the cast dreads it. Usually (though not always) this variety of Evil Matriarch is a meddling parent, often to an irrational extreme. Classically, this is a Mother-in-Law situation, but from time to time, the kids themselves, or even the child of the mother is the one that dreads it. In some cases, everyone hates the Evil Matriarch, like in Malcolm in the Middle where everyone dreads Lois's mother coming to visit. In other cases, her visit is appreciated by everyone but the daughter or son of the Evil Matriarch, like in Family Ties, where the matriarch is evil because her daughter feels she can't live up to mom's perfection. Expect this variety of Evil Matriarch to have Power Hair and other Fashionable Evil.

Dramatic: This variety, which shows up in more dramatic media, is truly evil in a traditional sense, and is one of the worst villains one can face, especially if one of the Heroes or Love Interests is one of her children (or if she's married into his or her family as a stepmother). Many such Evil Matriarchs are completely convinced that they, and only they, know what's best for their children, and can be very controlling, manipulative, and perfectly willing to do anything they deem necessary for their children's sake, no matter how evil or destructive it may be. The most vicious examples of this variety of Evil Matriarch despise their children (or at least the one they've singled out as The Unfavorite) and are often physically or emotionally abusive towards them, and many of them are not above Offing the Offspring.

If she's not entirely human, then expect her to be a Hive Queen. If she is also the Queen, expect God Save Us from the Queen!. The Spear Counterpart of this character type is Archnemesis Dad. The inversion is Antagonistic Offspring. See Abusive Parents and Parental Neglect for the more mundane versions. See Offing the Offspring and/or Matricide for what this might lead to if the kids fight back. If it's not your mother but her replacement who's making your life a living Hell, see Wicked Stepmother.

#13. Hal Cooper (Main Trope: Ax-Crazy; Secondary Tropes: Serial Killer, The Bluebeard, Malevolent Masked Man, Knight Templar Parent, Insane Equals Violent, Light Is Not Good, Icy Blue Eyes)

An "ax-crazy" character is someone who is psychologically unstable and presents a clear and present danger to others. They are capable of extreme violence, whether carried out with a Slasher Smile, insane laughter, speaking in a Creepy Monotone, or out and out murderous rage, and with no way of knowing just what will set them off, which makes them extremely frightening to deal with. This mainly differentiates them from other eccentric characters who may themselves be obsessive, weird or seemingly crazy, but use this condition hand in hand with doing good, or at least not being in the way. However, some formerly established heroes can go through an episode of ax-craziness and still retain their heroic mantle. Despite the title, ax-crazies aren't limited to wielding axes. Any instrument of death will do, from knives or straight razors to swords to chainsaws and beyond. A good number of other ax-crazies are also Trigger Happy, preferring either Hand Cannons that blow really big holes in people, or weapons that allow them to kill lots of people with reckless abandon, such as any automatic weapon. And for the truly psychopathic among psychopaths for whom the above just won't do, a heaping helping of high explosives or a good-sized flamethrower will do quite nicely. Sometimes, they don't even need weapons and just use magic spells or other powers if they have them. There are also plenty who are just as happy to beat people into an unrecognizable pulp-like mass with their bare hands. It is rare for a truly Ax-Crazy character to be a protagonist, largely due to it being a Sub-Trope of Obviously Evil, and most Ax-Crazy characters usually are Obviously Evil. They're common as the antagonists in Superhero and Crime and Punishment Series, often serving as a Psycho for Hire. If they area protagonist, they will most certainly be a Nominal Hero or Villain Protagonist. The difference between them and Blood Knight is this trope is all about killing while the Blood Knight is only interested in fighting. There is, of course, plenty of room for overlap. See also Insane Equals Violent, The Butcher, The Dreaded, Mad Bomber, Cute and Psycho, Blood Knight, Psycho for Hire, Yandere, The Sociopath, Mad Doctor, Pyro Maniac, Hair-Trigger Temper, Colonel Kilgore, General Ripper, Insane Admiral, and Sociopathic Soldier. Compare and contrast Mama Bear, Papa Wolf, Big Brother Instinct, and Violently Protective Girlfriend, who may be capable of temporary Ax-Craziness when their kids, younger sibling(s) or mate are under threat, but are often played sympathetically. Contrast Suicidal Pacifism, when a character never, ever resorts to violence even if it is necessary; and Extreme Doormat, when a character is a complete pushover unable to fight back. The canonical Character Alignment for most Ax-Crazy characters is Chaotic or Neutral Evil, though a couple of Chaotic Neutral examples exist. Sometimes The Unfettered, depending on whether they feel freed or enslaved by their bloodlust. At least one or more examples are an Anti-Villian, where you kinda feel bad for them since their enemies pushed them too far with actions such as killing their family, their friends, or even the enemies trying to kill them, making them go Ax-Crazy. It's very common to be Played for Drama, usually as either the Big Bad, or The Dragon to the the Big Bad. It is far less common, but not unheard of, for it to be Played for Laughs; this is most likely to be seen in a Sadist Show, especially one featuring a lot of Comedic Sociopathy and/or heavy Satire, with it appearing most often in humorous comic strips, Anime, Web Originalworks, and the more adult-oriented Western Animation of the Renaissanceand Millennium periods. A very large number of pages link to this when they should link to An Axe to Grind. This page is about violent crazy people, not people whose Weapon of Choice is an axe (despite the potential for overlap).

#14. Alice Cooper (Main Trope: Ice Queen; Secondary Tropes: Education Mama, Control Freak, Former Teen Rebel, Female Misogynist, The Fundamentalist, Holier Than Thou)

Much like a Tomboy, the Ice Queen is a major character archetype which is somewhat hard to define. Her signature characteristic is that she is cold; the ambiguity comes from what "cold" means. She has a cold heart, a frosty demeanor; she attracts but will never be wooed. Scorned men are likely to call their failed conquests Ice Queens (after all, normal women would have given in to them). Due to the Double Standard, the Ice Queen is (almost) Always Female. The Ice Queen is considered dangerous to love because she will not (or cannot) love back. She's not much for friendship either, preferring to be alone. Situations where an Ice Queen "thaws" and learns to enjoy the company of others are so common that they have their own trope. Being an Ice Queen is purely about personality; having ice-related abilities does not make a character an Ice Queen. That said, it's not at all uncommon for a character with a cold personality to be given cold powers. Not to be confused with a character who has a royal title associated with ice or snow, though they two may overlap (and often do in more magical settings). An Ice Queen requires at least one "cold" personality trait that gets her labeled as an Ice Queen. 

#15. Fred Andrews (Main Trope: The Heart; Secondary Tropes: Like Father, Like Son, Betty And Veronica, Family Man, Standard 50′s Father, The Conscience, Big Good, Good Parents)

The Heart is a personality aspect that comes up in just about any ensemble. Their personality is based on getting the others to recognize that there are more things at stake than their personal vendettas, especially if The Team is becoming a group of Knights Templar, or if any individual becomes a Well-Intentioned Extremist. This is the person who will argue and fight against the justification of "I Did What I Had to Do". Quite often The Heart character will also be an All-Loving Hero, where they go out of their way to help all of the little people. Within the ensemble this character will most often be merged with the role of The Chick. Like The Hero and The Leader, they aren't one and the same, but they often overlap since they are a good fit. If The Chick is usually a non-action character, having personality traits of The Heart will give them more to do, especially if the team is always at each other's throats. For the same reason, The Heart can also be The Hero (in the case of the Magnetic Hero) or The Leader, as their leadership skills keep the team from falling apart. May be part of the Command Roster. The character whose death or loss is most likely to trigger Losing the Team Spirit. Where Elemental Powers come into play, other characters may be in for a Heart Beatdown. Due to their usual relative introversion, and tendencies towards pacifism (whether technical or actual), this character is sadly often C-List Fodder and a prime target for a single-character (rather than the entire show) version of The Firefly Effect. Many series will start out with a Heart character, but the writers will begin to view them as boring and impossible to write for, so they end up being either Put on a Bus/kept Out of Focus at best, or Character Death at worst. This also tends to happen when studio executives want to replace the character with a more talented or physically attractive character, in an attempt to boost ratings. Given that said characters are usually sweet types (and peacekeepers), this also tends to seriously anger a certain portion of the fanbase, but because the studio executives care more about ratings than they do about upsetting what is normally a minority, the character will stay dead. If fan outrage is sufficiently vocal, and the executives haven't managed to completely alienate the actor, then the character may come back periodically as a ghost or a clone. Compare The Face who does the talking on The Team. See also Restored My Faith in Humanity and Morality Chain. Compare The Conscience, Token Good Teammate. Not to be confused with What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway? or Heart Is an Awesome Power though this trope often overlaps with them. Contrast with Lack of Empathy.

#16. Mary Andrews (Main Trope: Fiery Redhead; Secondary Tropes: Missing Mom, Mama Bear, Heroes Want Redheads, Almighty Mom, Brutal Honesty)

A Fiery Redhead is a red-haired character who is strong, Hot-Blooded, out going, usually outspoken, and (if a love interest) often female. She has a big personality and she's not afraid to use it. Whatever you do, don't get on her bad side, or there will be hell to pay. (Especially if powers of personality and/or elements are present: she likes Playing with Fire. Thus, in a Four-Temperament Ensemble, expect her to be Choleric.) She will be unladylike unless it's the case of a redheaded Spirited Young Lady. She might be One of the Boys, a tomboy, or a lad-ette. Heroes do like redheads after all. This hair-color stereotype probably developed since red hair was associated with the Irish and Scottish (and before this, Horny Vikings) for a long time, and they ended up being stereotyped as loud, strong, and passionate (see the Fighting Irish and Violent Glaswegian tropes for more info on that). On the other hand, it's even found in Eastern Europe where any association would have been with Russians or Swedes, and these are nationalities not generally stereotyped as hotheaded. In addition to this, it extends even into ancient texts from Babylonian and Scandinavian Oral Historian. In the Prose Edda, Odin is depicted as blonde, green-eyed, cool, and calculating—while his son, Thor, is a redheaded, blue-eyed (something of an omen of war/perfection in Scandinavian culture) fire-breathing stereotypical Viking (the raiding kind) who treats Earth as a giant freshman mixer. Gilgamesh is also a Fiery Redhead with blue eyes whose duties include being a good precursor to Thor, for the most part—though with more reservation and a cooling trend near the end of his life (this makes both an eerie paradigm of Fiery Redheads at the creation of their respective people's writings). The whole "red-haired, blue-eyed" thing is usually split in Japan between two people. Although real redheads can have tempers like everyone else, this trait is exaggerated in fiction. Also, they can have Green Eyes and this association is also exaggerated in fiction. Compare Heroes Want Redheads, Dark-Skinned Redhead, Evil Redhead, Rose-Haired Sweetie, Red-Headed Stepchild, Redheads Are Uncool, Redheaded Hero. In anime, could be a Shana Clone. If you have a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead in close proximity (i.e. in the main cast), it's Blonde, Brunette, Redhead. Contrast Shy Blue-Haired Girl for Red Oni, Blue Oni and Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette for the realistic opposite hair color and personality. Please do not confuse this with a redhead being literally fiery, or having literal fiery head, although these tropes may overlap. And a red who's literally firey does have their hair color fit their elemental powers. See also Red Is Violent (in this case, the hair color).

#17. Clifford Blossom (Main Trope: Abusive Dad; Secondary Tropes: Archnemesis Dad, Faux Affably Evil, Offing The Offspring, Mean Boss)

Parents are supposed to be the protectors of children, but these parents are either so damaged themselves that they can't do the job, greedy or villainous to the point that they never had any interest in doing the job properly, or would rather use the child as a means to an end. Sometimes they're just sadistic assholes. This includes parents who are emotionally, verbally, physically, or mentally abusive, or who neglectfully allow their children to be abused by others if they don't abuse the child themselves; sexual abuse is typically treated as a special kind of evil. Sometimes, the abuse at the hands of their parents becomes a Freudian Excuse for a villain. Other times, the character manages to not grow up broken, bitter, and hateful, and instead a different and better person than the upbringing would incline one to think. Troubling Unchildlike Behavior is often a tell-tale sign that things are not right at home. Abusive Parents are commonplace in fairy tales and Classical Mythologywhich makes this trope Older Than Feudalism. Note that The Brothers Grimm, when they collected European fairy tales, were uncomfortable with the idea of Abusive Parents and so frequently changed the Abusive Parents in the traditional stories into abusive step parents. Sometimes, a parent will go as far as to kill the child in question, in which case this is Offing the Offspring. In other cases, the parent's abuse occasionally drives the offspring to snap, commit Revenge and finally kill them, thus becoming a Self-Made Orphan. Calling the Old Man Out occurs when a fed-up child retaliates with a "The Reason You Suck" Speech. If the child gets out of the broken family and forms healthy friendships, but reacts badly when their abusive parents show up again, well, Friends Are Chosen, Family Aren't. Bear in mind that not everyone agrees on the line between actual abuse and merely heavy-handed parenting (or even normal parenting). Is Moving the Goalposts merely inspiring the child to achieve more, or the most insidious form of abuse to instill mistrust and paranoia to the children? Some include spanking as abuse; others think it's appropriate given certain guidelines. Some believe it's okay to make a kid go without a meal (they won't starve that easily); others disagree. Making a kid miss a friend's birthday sleepover — is that emotional abuse? Raising a kid without exposure to TV? Telling your daughter she's getting fat? A little friendly name-calling? There's a line here somewhere, but not everyone agrees on where it is. If a parent has just dumped the child, for whatever reason, that's Parental Abandonment; if they aren't paying attention, that's Parental Neglect. If the parents refuse to discipline their kids, they are Pushover Parents. Contrast Mama Bear or Papa Wolf (where others abuse the children and the parents abuse the abusers), and the more extreme variant of Knight Templar Parent, where the abusive parent is violently overprotective. Abusive Precursors can be considered this on a metaphorical level. See Hilariously Abusive Childhood for when this is cranked up to absurd levels and played for laughs. Black Comedy is often connected in the comedic aspect of it, and a Big, Screwed-Up Family may be involved if it is adult comedy. In keeping with the above note, some may call the show on it and say Dude, Not Funny!. See Evil Matriarch and Archnemesis Dad for characters who are beyond abusiveand outright evil. For parents who are mostly abused by their children, see Pushover Parents. While they do not have to be the child's actual, technical parents to be part of this trope, it's pretty important that they are closely related and live together, like a Wicked Stepmother or an Evil Uncle taking care of the Parentally Deprived. After all, it's much more disgusting that somebody related to the child could bring themselves to hurt them, rather than a mere foster family. The polar opposite, of course, are Good Parents.

#18. Penelope Blossom (Main Trope: Black Widow; Secondary Tropes: Evil Redhead, Widow Woman, Straw Feminist, The Vamp, High Class Call Girl, Dark Mistress)

The man-eater, the woman whose husbands/Love Interests keep on dying. Usually, a Black Widow is a cross between a Con Artist and a Serial Killer, a woman who seduces, marries, and then murders men for their money, always using a different name and identity each time to keep the police and her intended victims from twigging to her real identity. She's very much a highly successful vamp. Black Widows' methods may vary, but poisoning is often favored: it doesn't demand superior strength or leave obvious marks, and it's traditional for wives to do the cooking for their husbands. Also, many types of poisoning can have symptoms similar to those of common illnesses, which makes it easier for a Black Widow to collect life insurance money (a very common motivation). There are too many Truth in Television instances to count. Occasionally there are more nefarious methods. The name "black widow" comes from the official FBI designation for this kind of killer and from the black widow spider, which is so named because of the occasional habit of female black widow spiders (particularly the Australian redback spiders and the southern black widows) to devour their mates after mating. For this reason the trope may be paired with Arachnid Appearance and Attire to really drive the spider metaphor home. A Sub-Trope of Sleeping Their Way to the Top, Murder in the Family, and Gold Digger (this one prefers to kill her Meal Ticket instead of living with him). A Sister Trope to The Bluebeard (the Spear Counterpart). Compare Yandere, Comforting the Widow, Widow Woman (for other widow tropes), Will and Inheritance Tropes and Cartwright Curse. When a pregnancy is involved, this intersects with Conceive and Kill. See also Literal Maneater, which is an actual monster that uses the disguise of a woman to lure in its prey.

Look out for Part III!

[pnf-lover98]

SVTFOE - Haunted by the Past

Song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=VNl4GF… I had this fict laying around in my room for ages, but now I finally found some time to copy it on the computer, to grammar-check it and post it. This is the one-shot I had announced in this intro: www.deviantart.com/pnflover98/…. I put some extra effort in it, because it was my first ghost story, and I really wanted it to have that special atmosphere and depth ghost stories have. Let me know what you think. 

Before the "Battle for Mewni" movie came out, I was trying (like most of us on the fandom did, after all) to imagine what the great "epic battle" between the heroes and Toffee would have been like. That scene would have opened this fanfict, and I imagined it to be set in the abandoned castle we saw in "Starcrushed"; While River, Tom, Pony Head and various other allies would take care of the evil minions and the rats, Moon, together with Star and Marco, would face Ludo/Toffee, still in their "fused" form with the wand hand. And this is where my fict starts. The super-badass villain who had such an epic battle with Moon during the episode "Starcrushed", surely knows how to resist against our heroes; he knows that Star learned the spell to split Ludo and Toffee, so he keeps her so busy that she can't even manage to cast it. He also knows that only Moon's magic is strong enough to beat him, so he hits her with a magic beam, knocking the woman out. Marco catches the queen when she falls unconscious to the ground and tries to wake her up. Eventually, Star manages to cast the spell, but it doesn't work because she's not focused enough. Toffee tells her that there's only one spell that could kill him forever, but that Star would have never been able to perform it. Challenging him, the girl replies that her powers are very strong, and that she would have made that spell work, but Toffee tells her that the spell wouldn't kill just him, but also the body that was hosting his spirit. Star, already trembling, is then told that she will have to personally ask Ludo's consent. Then, Toffee leaves the control to Ludo, who immediately asks Star what's happening and why was he having all those blackouts. Star explains the situation to him, and what Toffee said. Ludo looks at Moon, laying defeated on the ground, then he looks at Marco and Star's expressions, and eventually at his wand hand. Star is asking him something impossible; there has to be another way to solve that situation! But if the princess who's never scared of anything now has that terrified look on her face... The awareness of not even having the control on his own actions (Toffee can take the control back whenever he wants), and having seen how much damage Toffee can do to the kingdom and its inhabitants, make Ludo give his consent to "The darkest spell". When Star, surprised, tells him once again what would have happened, he replies that he has nothing left to lose and that it's the only way to save Mewni. Star, starting to cry, points her wand toward the monster and starts casting the spell. Toffee was wrong; Star actually found the strenght to do it.

"Come on! Come on! Don't leave me like this! I thought I had you figured out. Something's gone terribly wrong"  - - - - - - - 

The funeral is surrounded by a grey atmosphere, as grey as the clouds that cover the sky. Marco is late, Moon is busy talking with Mrs Avarius and Star finds herself alone. The princess feels uneasy; even if no one there actually knows yet how the things went, Star feels like everyone is staring at her, judging her guilt. On one side, she would like to leave, but on the other she knows that being there is a sign of respect toward her ex-enemy, to which she never showed any when he was alive. A bird-like girl gets close to Star and introduces herself as Leah Avarius, one of Ludo's sisters. Talking with Leah, Star learns that the girl was feeling uneasy as much as the princess was; Leah is one of those relatives that never cared about Ludo and overlooked him, and as his sister it is painful for her to admit she doesn't know him at all. Leah barely knows a few things about her brother, and she never cared to get closer to him. Star then tells her something about her own bad relationship with Ludo and about how even her, after all, never got to know much about him. This shared feeling of "being out of place" helps both Leah and Star to feel a little more at ease. Then, Leah leaves to reach Dennis and her mother. By that time, Marco has arrived, in the middle of Moon's speech, and is standing by Star's side. The princess stares at her mother speaking, but she's not listening to the woman's words. And, lost in her thoughts, the girl doesn't notice she's reached for Marco's hand and is now holding it tightly. - - - - - - - - 

Marco and Star's lives comes back to the normal routines; the mewmans fix the damages around their kingdom, Star and Marco talk out the things they left in half (after Star suddenly left him after confessing her feelings to him) and the princess goes back to Earth to live at Diazes' house. Every once in a while, the girl has nightmares about what happened just a few days before. Some times, she feels a thin cold wind blowing apparently out of nowhere, but she ignores it. As this phenomenon starts to happen more often, Star decides not to tell Marco about it; what is this "mysterious wind blows" thing? Marco would surely think she's crazy. A month later, an interdimentional gang of thieves starts to rob several dimentions, eventually reaching Earth. Led by an antropomorphic purple hedgehog, the gang faces Star and marco. The two teens are ready to fight; Star points her wand toward two monsters, but when she's about to cast the spell, she sees in that gang of odd-looking monters something familiar. Noticing Star frozen in place without attacking, the thieves make fun of her and Marco faces them with his karate skills, forcing them to retreat. A few days later, another monster, hairy and much taller than the two teens, comes out of a portal and starts to misbehave. Again, Star refuses to fight and Marco sends the monster away, confiscating its scissors. Marco is worried by his friend's behaviour; where did the Star that's always ready to fight go? It's not like her to stand still and watch who behaves badly! Another thing strikes the boy; some times, while the two of them walk around the town, Star suddenly stops in front of apparently random places and stays like that for a few moments. So, Marco tries to talk with Star, but the girl doesn't want to answer his questions, or she waves them away saying that everything is fine and that there's nothing to worry about. But deep within, Star suffers because she feels the differernce between the present and the life she was used to live; the usual attacks of the monters that she and marco fought against now suddenly stopped happening. Buff Frog is now one of the princess' friends, Boo Fly retired from his criminal activities, and, most importantly, Ludo is dead and he won't come back. When after a month spent without ever meeting a creature, Star and Marco are faced by the gang of thieves, the girl sees in them a group of desperate creatures, trying to make a living out of small robberies. None of them is a real menace; they're just lost boys in need of help. Just like the gang that used to be led by Ludo.

"He will try to take away my pain, and he just might make me smile, but the whole time I'm wishing he was you instead"  - - - - - - - - - - 

One night Star is abruptly waken up by a particularly bad nightmare: at age 21 her mother passed the throne on to her, but the new queen, during the coronation ceremony, is assaulted by her subjects. Mewmans don't accept her as a queen and, shouting she's a murderer and similar things, several people attack the royal family and kidnap Star, throwing her in a bottomless pitt. The young woman tries to halt her fall with her wings, but it doesn't work and she falls to the ground. In front of her, a massive shape of a green half-star towers over the queen, showering her with its green light. A voice comes out of the star shape, starting as a whisper for help and growing louder and louder to the point it's a shout. Star Butterlfy, crying, replies she doesn't know how to help the voice and she covers her ears trying not to hear that sound anymore. When she wakes up, Star feels again that cold wind blow and runs to Marco's room, waking the boy up. After listening to Star's nightmare, Marco undertands that it was the result of the strong guilt feeling the girl still feels inside of her. When the mewman princess confesses about the mysterious wind, Marco doesn't believe her, but to calm Star down he decides to talk with Janna in the morning; if those wind blows are actually a sign of something paranormal, their friend will know what to do. - - - - - - - 

After consulting her book about magical creatures, Janna suggests it might be a ghost. But because Star never witnessed big ghostly happenings (just a coulpe of "flying objects" moving by themselves, that Star thought were hallucinations), Janna tells her friends that the spirit is not necessarily evil; it could be just looking for Star's attention. Star and Marco go to Quest Buy, where they find a magic necklace that, once worn, allows people to see ghosts. Once home, in Star's room, the two teenagers activate the necklace with a spell. After a deep breath, Star wears the jewel and clutches her hand around the charm. Immediately, the girl gasps in surprise and takes a step back, but she trips and falls to the ground. Marco, worried by his friend's reaction, kneels down next to Star and grabs the magical charm, gasping in turn. In front of them, floating about a meter above the ground, stands a little creature with blank white eyes and a blue aura surrounding its shape. It's Ludo's ghost, and it's telling Star he needs to talk with her. In disbelief, Star stands up from the ground and tries to reach Ludo with her hand, in order to touch him, but her fingers pass through the ghost's thin body, and the princess feels a shiver running down her spine. It's real. It's actually happening; she's talking to an intangible ghost. Starting to cry, Star begs Ludo for forgiveness, repeating over and over how she never meant to kill him. Ludo, understanding, replies that he already knew and that he's not mad at her; instead, he's even grateful to the girl for freeing him from that oppressive control Toffee had over him. Star, for the first time, admits her biggest regret is that she didn't help the little creature when there was still time. In reply, Ludo tells her she can help him now with his "ghost mission"; he must apologize to everyone for the evil actions he did during his life. They will travel together through Mewni, and Star will have to deliver the messages.

"I know. I know. I just know; you're not gone. You can't be gone, no!"  - - - - - - - -

The first two steps of the journey are relatively easy; first, the mewman princess talks with moon and River, bringing them Ludo's apologies for having stolen the book, for having repeatedly tried to steal the magic wand and for the damages he caused to the Butterfly kingdom during his gang's various attacks. River is still not pleased by what the little monster did, but he accepts the apologies anyway. Moon remembers about Dennis, about how the boy asked her to help Ludo, and tells Star she has something to say to the ghost in turn; the queen regrets how she didn't take seriously Dennis' beg for help. And heaven knows, the woman thinks, that maybe all of that disaster Toffee caused could have been avoided. The second step of the mission brings Star in front of Buff Frog's house. The princess, warmly welcomed by Evgenij, tells thim that Ludo is sorry for having always been a terrible boss, and a terrible friend, and for having eventually fired (under Toffee's instructions) the frog man, that Ludo considered his best soldier. Buff frog replies that everithing is fine, and that thanks to what happened, now he has a better life, both on the working and on the family side. But right when the princess is strating to think the mission it's going to be easy... ...the girl finds herself standing in front of a worn-out house in the middle of nowhere in the Forest of Certain Death. And as if the place alone isn't enough to make Star feel uneasy, when the door opens, the girl meets a tall woman with a thin but impressive shape, white hair, and a big grey beak, that is staring at her with a visibly annoyed glare. It's Lady Avarius, former queen of the Avarian people and mother of the little monter that Star was forced to kill. The woman asks Star what brought the girl to that place, but right as the princess starts to explain she has a message from Ludo, Mrs Avarius halts her saying that it's impossible to talk with the dead. But when the young Butterfly refers the object of the ghost's message, that asked her to tell his mother he was sorry for the many mistakes he did in his life, the woman changes her expression for a moment, lets Star in the house and asks her how did she manage to contact the little monster. Star, nervous, instinctively touches the magic necklace's charm. Figuring out that the charm was the answer, Lady Avarius orders the girl to give her the jewel, and Star accomplishes with a nod. And so, the monster queen wears the necklace. Immediately, seeing her son's spirit, the woman gasps and covers her beak with her hands, both surprised and scared by what she sees. But what hits her the most is Ludo's appearance; he looks very different from the last time his mother saw him. He's much thinner and looks pretty older. How many years must have been passed, since the day the woman had completely burnt bridges with him, one of her own children? Lady Avarius' instinct moves her toward the little bird to hug him, but as she passes through him, the woman shivers. With a cold empty tone, Ludo tells her it's a little too late for hugs. Meanwhile, drawn in by his wife's and Star's voices in the living room, Lord Brudo enters the room and finds the bird-woman talking to the air. When the man asks her what's going on, mrs Avarius, still wearing the necklace, puts the charm in her husband's hands, in order for him to be able to communicate with Ludo. The latter repeats what Star had earlier started to say; the little monster wanted to tell his parents and his siblings that he was sorry for everything he did. For never following the rules, for kicking them out of their home, for never having been able to prove he could make it on his own, that he wasn't just a "runt", and for never having been the son his parents wanted him to be. Lord Brudo is at a loss of words, surprised by what he sees and hears. His wife, in tears, says that they are the ones who did it all wrong. They were bad parents to him, says mrs Avarius, and now it's too late to fix their relationship with Ludo, now that he's dead. In spite of his being prideful, that made him hate his parents, the ghost finally forgives them. Then, the little bird thinks about his younger siblings, and tells his mother that it's not too late for her; she still has a chance to become a good mother, and to form with Dennis and the other kids that bond she never built with him. Meanwhile Star has left the house to leave some privacy to the Avarius family, and is now sitting on the front porch's steps, waiting. Feeling a cold blow of wind, the princess suddenly stands up, and notices the magic necklace, that Ludo was holding, floating towards her. Now that they can communicate again, Ludo warns her that the mission is almost completed. The story closes with princess Star opening another interdimentional portal, off to the next step of the journey.

"You and I walk a fragile line; I have known it all this time. Never ever thought I'd see it break, never thought I'd see it..."

[sorayahigashikata]

Chapter 62: "No Means No 2: Patriotic Boogaloo"