#fighting the way the riot team failed

[mellifluousoctopus]

Mel and I are one in the same because I, too, am a very capable badass who is cursed to look as a only a support class to the men around me

[le-panda-chocovore]

I think the reason for all that discourse in the JJK fandom is that we had some expectations about what this story would be about, and we were wrong. I'd say it was our fault for having them, because Gege had his own story in mind and it isn't our role to tell him what to write/draw. But I'd also say that we were misled into having those expectations and then being deceived, because shock value is fun.

(I'm not in the AOT fandom so maybe I'm 100% wrong, in which case don't pay attention to me. I'm just rambling I'm not trying to make a point)

See there's not such a thing in Attack On Titans. I mean I know people are arguing whether a decision was good or bad or a character development was positive or negative, but no one is rioting the way JJK readers are even when someone dies, kills, or does worse (they do start a genocide lol). Because in AOT you know since the beginning what this story is about : surviving, war, and liberty. With time you learn that it's also about racism, destiny and injustice. But the story starts with death and blood and it never calms down, characters keep dying or getting hurt and no one's safe all along the story. So you just know it'd end the same way, you know what to expect, that power of friendship won't save anyone here.

But Jujutsu Kaisen is different, because it has all the codes of a basic Shonen. Everyone was comparing it to Naruto during the 1st season so you would believe it'd follow the same path. Of course there's fights and fails and suffering and death, because it's necessary for the growth of the protagonist. He'd learn he's not strong enough and he'd try harder and mature more and be better. Jujutsu Kaisen makes you think it's your One Piece-type manga where 1 person dies every 4 arcs and the main team survives everything, even when it looks impossible.

And then Shibuya happens and you're shocked because it's way to early to kill so many valuable characters in a row. Usually that kind of massacre happens during Big War arcs like in MHA. At first you think it's an interesting writing choice because it changes from other mangas, and you wonder how the main character will evolve from that. But then the training arc never happens, because shit keeps falling on them and there's a pile of deads and you start to wonder when it'd stop. Spoilers : it doesn't.

So at some point you realize it. This isn't a classical shonen. This isn't an happy-ending after a hard fight kind of story. There's no power of friendship to save them, there's no important moral path to keep following no matter what (like "I won't do to you what you did to me because it'd mean that I'm the same" no it doesn't work here), and there's not even a chance to run away from that cursed role no one wants to bear. There's no one protecting the kids anymore. The MC isn't strong enough and the mentors are dead and close friends are off-fight and the one person able to end this has to make the horrendous choice to give up his humanity.

In AOT, you were shocked, but it felt logical in the sense of where the story was leading you from the beginning. In JJK, you feel betrayed and manipulated because everything made you think about those other mangas where people ended up fine, but it was just a cover.

Honestly you COULD have guessed it'd end that way. Many people did. You just ignored it.

You thought Junpei's death was an exception, the Major Point for Yuuji's development, the Shock Value Kill to put some depth nuance in the story. But in reality it was a warning, a taste of the future. There WERE signs after all, and Gege never pretended to write another Naruto. You were so used to the classical shonen that you read the signs and fell for the trick.

JJK has never been a nice story from the beginning, Sukuna was at the center of every event since the beginning. You can dislike what is happening but you cannot say it's bad, as in a scenaristic choice. Gege is a writing genius and unfortunately he's also pure evil.

You shouldn't have trusted a one-eyed cat after all.

[gravychips]

Being a reporter during the age of heroes was difficult, not in the sense that there were no articles to write however more in the sense there were too many articles to write! With constant villain attacks and battles not to mention reporting on the charity or social work of local heroes it was a struggle to stand out from the crowd and actually make a piece which could get published these days as well as also publish it before everyone else. Number 1 hero Deku defeated another villain? Six papers already got that story printed before you could blink, Endeavor under fire for MORE child abuse allegations? Don't even think about it, its printing as we speak! That's why you were determined to get a story nobody else would dare to report on no matter how nitty and gritty you had to get to obtain it.

That's how you found yourself tailing Dynamite, He was well known for being extremely private and hating reporters, often being 5 seconds away from exploding them and landing himself in villain ranks but that didn't stop your determination. He absolutely HAD to be hiding something and you knew it had to be good.

If you had a small voice inside your head it would probably be telling you to turn back right now after all you had just seen Dynamite destroying a class S villain like it was a small bug on the floor but something about the way he had sprinted off afterwards ignoring the medic team trying to check for injuries under his ripped uniform had peaked your interest. Perhaps he was heading to another fight? You had heard Red Riot had also quickly moved off from his own battle a few blocks over. Maybe you'd get to report first on a dual battle starring them? That was bound to at least reach headlines!

You ran off without thinking leaving your camera crew behind as you chased the small chance of potential reporter glory.

That's why when you turned the alley corner sharply your shoes skidding on the gravel from nearby exploded bricks you expected to see more destruction not hear the soft moans carrying out from further in the darkness. Was it an injured civilian? You thought back quickly to your camera crew really wishing you'd stayed with them especially if a villain had somehow managed to escape the local area however you quickly pulled out your phone and make use of the flashlight function hoping it would illuminate whatever threat was hidden as you creeped further into the darkness after all "Dynamite fails to stop villain during fight" was bound to be just as good of a story.

After finding the source of the noise you really began to regret leaving your crew because what you found was surely going to be the cause of your death.

Red-riot was leaning against the brick wall his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tilted his head back, his lips parting to reveal those famous jagged teeth of his as his neck was attacked by another mouth. You peered closer. A villain you thought? That was until your eyes caught sight of what was "attacking him" or rather WHO should you say.

That shock of blonde hair alongside the famous clash of black and green was instantly recognizable and so was how both bodies were entangled moving as if the other would slip away and fade into nothing should a tiny gap even appear between their legs.

As soon as the light of your phone landed on their faces red orbs appeared below lowered blonde eyelashes and landed on you instantly, his mouth curving up in a smirk, no fear present that they had been caught.

The same could not be said for you however but hey at least you managed to get some eye candy before passing out over the shock of it all.

[nrdmssgs]

TF 141 + Nikolai, Zhar and Riot playing monopoly

Masterlist

Riot is an OC of my beloved @gamergirlbonestaskforce141riot

Zhar is my OC

Captain John Price

Sets the ground rules: no fighting, no yelling, no abusing anyones national slang, keeping firearms outside the common room. He knows, that at some point all the rules will be broken, but it's only fair, that his people know in advance, why will he ground them later.

Plays simple and safe. Others think, this will be the end of him, but Price is actually one of three people, lasting till the very end of the game/

Starts a game, mumbling "any of you, muppets, gets that 'get out of jail for free' card - I'm complimenting it with a 'get escorted right back by Captain Price' card". Ends up getting all free jail passes himself, never uses them, enjoying his gaming pauses with a cigar puff or a sip of whiskey.

Johnny Soap MacTavish

The first one to start suggesting others to form an alliance. Convinces Gaz, almost convinces Ghost.

Seems to buy stuff super-randomly, but he actually has a pretty good strategy, and he calculates every move with a demon-speed.

Lets others not pay him on his properties, if they are willing to try to repeat some Scots proverbs after him. Almost everyone fail.

Bargains so furiously as if his life depended on it.

Kyle Gaz Garrick

He actually hoped for a quiet, relaxed evening with his friends. Starts regretting a decision to take part in this chaos the very next moment, Soaps insults start rumbling over the desk.

Ends up teaming with Soap, so that Ghost doesn't do any real harm.

Voice of reason. Encourages everyone to relax and just have fun. Because of this, everyone at the table begins to suspect that Kyle has a secret, sinister plan.

Tries to explain to others, that they're breaking all the rules simultaneously, but fails to deliver the message and just watches this hell unravel.

Simon Ghost Riley

Does his best to stay as neutral as Switzerland.

Deep inside, loves every single person sitting beside him, but is on the verge of strangling some of them alive.

Nikolai

Devastated by the fact, that nobody wants to team up with him. Finds his ways to almost every other player nevertheless.

Temper, negotiator, fixer - he is not shy to use all his skills at the table.

Somehow bargains favors for real services or goods. Everyone is pissed, but Nik has an offering, that can't be refused for every single 141 member.

Lets ladies (aka Zhar and Riot) to roam around his properties free. Others believe, it's just a chivalry, but Nikolai is not completely innocent.

Zhar

"Let me be very clear from the start: if you invited me only to look after Nikolai - I'm doing that only on the Chimera base. When I'm with Prices gang - I'm on vacation."

Warns everyone to not team up with Nikolai. "Trust him - and you will be facing real charges tomorrow morning. If this guy isn't planning international fraud - he must be sleeping." (Nik: "She's just being dramatic, I behaved for the whole last week, I promise!")

Overall tries to spend a quality time and just chills out by Kyles side, while Johnny starts a new banter and Ghost is about to throw him to some far corner of the room.

Carelessly uses her 'pass Nikolais streets for free' prerogative, until he completely eases her of her purse on a late stage of game.

"Ok, I guess, this is the end of the game for me. I'll go make some tea." "Not so fast, nebo. You paid back only a half of your debt. The rest will have to be given... in other ways." "... Captain, would you mind if I take a sip of your whiskey?"

Riot

Good news: everybody love her dearly, bad news - she is in the mood to win this game one way or another.

Riot and Soap are besties. Kindred souls. Two pieces of one chaos. But today they somehow end up on different barricades. Each too stubborn to give a quarter to the other.

So the main conflict are those two, gathering allies around them. Ghosts manages to stay neutral.

Riot ends up pairing with Nik, who is just genuinely happy to help his little ray of sunshine (and make Zhar his debtor).

Bonus

Price, getting back to the table with a full glass: "What the hell are you two doing? Why is nobody stopping you?"

Nikolai and Riot, applying torn orange stick-it notes to Prices properties: "We are rising street riots!"

Price: "...why am I doomed to end the game with you two teaming against me and others fallen asleep?"

[lovinkiri]

More Than A Wild Cat, Chapter Six

Author's Thoughts: Next Chapter is going to be a lot. Expect an actual fight scene and a very angry Sasha, a lot of feelings I've been setting the scene for.

Description: Sasha teaches her classmates another important lesson, and has the chance to even spar with Aizawa. Hatasu starts making moves, a backup plan in mind.

Warning: Cussing, Death Mention, Blood Mention, Etc.

OC Credit: @jix-the-dragon

Art Credit: @.jabberwockyface

The morning sun rose over the horizon, casting a soft glow across the training ground. The air was clean, a light breeze moving across the area. Sasha stood in the center of the field, her amber eyes focused and full of fire as she sparred with Eijirou. Her movements were sharp, each strike swift and precise, even with the weighted belt strapped tightly around her waist.

Eijirou, ever supportive, had woken up with her, more than happy to train at the crack of dawn if it was with Sasha. As he ducked beneath a roundhouse kick aimed at his face, he couldn’t help but marvel at her agility. The weights didn’t seem to slow her down much, if not at all. She was as fierce as ever, each kick, punch, and movement filled with strength and grace.

“Training can’t be easy with that thing on,” Eijirou said with a grin, catching his breath as he straightened up after dodging her attack. He glanced at the belt wrapped around her waist, impressed. She had been pushing herself harder than usual lately, determined to get stronger.

Sasha smirked, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. “If it was easy, it wouldn’t be worth it, right?”

Eijirou chuckled, stepping back into a defensive stance. “Guess that’s true,” he said, his eyes gleaming with admiration. He couldn’t help but take in the sight of her—her blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, loose strands framing her face, and her skin glowing under the rising sun. But it was her eyes that always captured him most, those beautiful, determined amber eyes that never lost their spark, no matter how hard she pushed herself.

He felt lucky, so unbelievably lucky, to be with her. Sasha wasn’t just talented and gorgeous; she was driven, resilient, and kind. He had never met anyone like her before.

Sasha caught his look and raised an eyebrow. “What?” she asked, a teasing smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “Getting distracted, Red Riot?”

Eijirou laughed, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Maybe a little. Can you blame me? You’re kinda amazing.”

Her smile softened, and for a moment, the intensity of the sparring match faded into the background. Sasha felt her heart warm at his words. Even in the middle of training, he never failed to make her feel special and loved.

“Thanks, Eiji,” she said softly, then, with a quick move, she lunged at him, shoving him back with her forearm before sweeping his legs out from under him. “But don’t lose focus.” She grinned down at him playfully.

Eijirou hit the ground with a thud, blinking up at her in surprise before he broke out into laughter. “Okay, okay, I deserved that.” He shrugged, knowing he let himself get distracted. 

Sasha laughed too, reaching down to help him up. “You did, but I’ll go easy on you next time.” 

He grinned as he took her hand, pulling himself to his feet. “No way. Don’t hold back. You know I like a challenge.”

The two of them stood there for a moment, catching their breath, the morning sun casting long shadows across the field. Soon, their classmates would join them, but for now, it was just the two of them, sharing this quiet moment together before their day really began.

Sasha looked up at Eijirou, her heart full. “We make a pretty good team, huh?”

Eijirou smiled, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Yeah, we do. And we’ll keep getting stronger together.” 

Without saying a word, they both leaned in, their lips meeting in a sweet, loving kiss. The world seemed to fade around them, just for a moment, as they shared this quiet, tender connection.

When they finally pulled away, they gazed into each other’s eyes, amber meeting crimson, both full of warmth and affection. Sasha’s heart swelled as she smiled at Eijirou, and he returned it with that bright, beaming grin that always made her feel safe and loved.

But the peaceful moment didn’t last long.

“Awww!” came a chorus of voices, followed by a few chuckles.

Sasha and Eijirou turned their heads, blushing in unison as they saw their classmates approaching. Mina, Sero, Denki, and even Jiro had amused grins plastered across their faces.

“Wow, morning workouts and morning makeouts? You two really do everything together, huh?” Sero teased, his grin wide as he slung an arm over Denki’s shoulder.

Denki snickered, nudging Sero back. “Gotta admit, it was pretty cute.”

Mina clasped her hands together dramatically, batting her eyelashes. “Love is in the air! I’m feeling all the romance vibes. You guys are too adorable!” She cooed at the pair.

Jiro shook her head but smirked. “You know, I should’ve known this is what we’d walk into,” She chuckled softly.

Sasha and Eijirou exchanged embarrassed smiles, their cheeks still flushed. Eijirou rubbed the back of his neck, laughing a little. “Guess we should’ve expected this, huh?”

Sasha playfully elbowed him. “Yeah, but I’m sure we can handle it.” She turned to their classmates with a grin. “Alright, alright, get your teasing in now, because we’ve got training to do.”

Their friends laughed but didn’t let up, playfully poking fun as they all stretched and prepared for training together. Despite the teasing, Sasha felt a warmth in her chest—surrounded by friends, supported by her teammates, and, most of all, loved by the boy who stood proudly by her side.

Once the playful teasing had died down, Sasha stepped forward with a determined gleam in her eyes. She knew the importance of learning new techniques, especially in the field, and today, she had something special in mind for her classmates.

“Alright, guys,” Sasha said, clapping her hands together to get their attention. “Enough fun for now. Today, I’m going to teach you all about pressure points.”

The group blinked in surprise, and Denki tilted his head. “Pressure points? Like... acupuncture stuff?”

Sasha chuckled softly. “Sort of, but we’re not talking about healing here. Pressure points can be used to incapacitate, disarm, or even knock someone out if you know what you’re doing.” Her tone shifted to something more serious, a faint echo of her days as an agent coming through. “Like I said yesterday, in a fight, knowing where to strike can give you an edge—especially against a stronger or faster opponent.”

The others exchanged curious glances, now fully focused on what she had to say. Even Bakugou crossed his arms and gave a nod, clearly interested in what Sasha had up her sleeve.

She motioned for Eijirou to step up beside her. “Eijirou here is going to help me demonstrate. Don’t worry, I won’t hurt him... too much,” she teased, flashing him a playful grin.

Eijirou chuckled, rolling his shoulders as he prepared himself. “I trust you. Let’s show ‘em how it’s done.” 

Sasha stood beside him, turning to face the group. “Alright, there are specific points on the body that, when struck with enough precision and force, can either knock someone out or incapacitate them. These can be incredibly useful in combat situations where you need to take someone down quickly, or when you’re dealing with an opponent that might be too powerful to take head-on.”

She gestured to a spot near Eijirou’s neck. “The first one is the carotid artery. If you strike it just right, you can temporarily cut off the blood flow to the brain, which can cause unconsciousness. It’s effective, but you have to be careful. Too much pressure for too long, and you can seriously hurt someone.”

She lightly tapped the spot on Eijirou’s neck, and he nodded in understanding, standing still as she continued.

“Another one is here.” She pointed to a spot just above his elbow. “This is the ulnar nerve. A sharp strike here can cause intense pain, possibly making someone drop a weapon if they’re holding one. This is one of my favorites.”

Denki shuddered, rubbing his own elbow instinctively. “Yikes, sounds painful.”

“Oh, it is,” Sasha said with a smirk, “but that’s kind of the point.” As she spoke, she could remember using that move against Hex. They’d argued on a mission and he threw a tantrum, attacking her with a blade. It was thanks to her knowledge on pressure points that she was able to disarm him.

She then moved her hand to a spot on Eijirou’s torso. “There are pressure points on the torso that can cause shortness of breath or intense pain, like the solar plexus. A well-placed strike here can knock the wind out of your opponent, leaving them gasping for air.”

Sero raised an eyebrow. “Have you used all of these…?”

Sasha hesitated for just a moment before nodding. “Let’s just say I’ve learned a lot of things over the years. I’ve been in a lot of fights with a lot of powerful villains. My quirk brings me a couple advantages like my claws and speed. But without skill and knowledge, they won’t help much.”

Mina raised her hand excitedly. “Can you knock someone out with just a light touch? Like in the movies?”

Sasha smiled. “That’s more myth than fact. Pressure points can be effective as they are in movies, but as I said earlier, you still need the right amount of precision and force. Still, if used correctly, they’re an incredibly valuable tool in close combat.”

She turned to Eijirou. “You ready?” She asked, her eyes gleaming with excitement. She didn’t know teaching could be so fun. Maybe she’d come back to UA as a teacher after she retired from being a hero. But that wouldn’t be for a long while. 

With fluid movements, Sasha demonstrated the strikes, her fingers brushing lightly over the designated areas without causing harm, but her explanations made it clear that if she had used full force, the effects would’ve been significant.

As she wrapped up the lesson on pressure points, she stepped back and faced her classmates, who were all paying close attention, clearly impressed by her knowledge and how many weak points were on the body.

As Sasha finished her demonstration, the sound of approaching footsteps caught everyone’s attention. The students turned, spotting their homeroom teacher, Aizawa, walking toward them, his familiar laid-back expression softened by the morning light. His hands were in his pockets, and his usual tired gaze seemed more thoughtful than usual.

“Mr. Aizawa!” Mina called out cheerfully, waving at him. The others quickly followed suit, calling out greetings as Aizawa approached.

Aizawa gave a faint nod in response, stopping just short of the group. His eyes flicked over each of them, taking in their confident stances, the sense of responsibility they shared, and the clear signs of improvement in their movements. For a moment, he didn’t say anything, and the students exchanged curious glances.

Finally, Aizawa spoke, his voice as calm and measured as ever. “It’s been a while since I’ve watched you all train like this.” He paused, his gaze lingering on Sasha and Eijirou before moving to the rest of the group. “You’ve all come a long way since your first year.”

The words, though simple, carried a weight that made the students stand a little taller, pride welling up inside them. Sasha’s heart swelled as she exchanged a glance with Eijirou, and she could see the same sense of accomplishment mirrored in his eyes.

Aizawa continued, his tone still casual but tinged with something that almost felt like fondness. “When you all started out, you were rough around the edges—hot-headed, inexperienced, and more than a little reckless. Some of you more than others,” he added, casting a brief, amused glance at Bakugou, who grunted and rolled his eyes but smirked nonetheless.

“But now, seeing how far you’ve come…” Aizawa’s gaze swept over the group again. “It’s clear you’ve grown—not just as fighters, but as heroes. You’ve learned to rely on each other, to support each other, and most importantly, to adapt.”

Denki scratched the back of his head, grinning. “Coming from you, that’s like the highest praise ever.”

Jiro nudged him, smirking as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder. “Don’t let it go to your head, Denki.”

Aizawa gave a rare, almost imperceptible smile before turning to Sasha. “I see you’ve been sharing some of your skills, Namir. Good work.” He gave her a small nod.

Sasha blinked in surprise at the compliment, warmth filling her chest. “Thanks, Sensei,” she said, her voice steady despite the flutter of pride she felt.

“You’ve all been working hard,” Aizawa continued, addressing the group again. “And it shows. Keep pushing yourselves. I came out here to check on your progress, and I’m glad to see I wasn’t disappointed.”

Mina grinned, practically bouncing on her toes. “Hearing you say that makes me wanna train even harder!”

“Same here,” Sero added, cracking his knuckles with a determined grin.

Bakugo crossed his arms, trying to hide how pleased he was. “Tch. We’ll be even stronger next time you see us.”

Aizawa’s gaze softened just a little. “I don’t doubt that.”

The group exchanged glances, all of them feeling the weight of their teacher’s words. Aizawa was never one to give out praise freely, and hearing it now made them realize just how far they had come. They weren’t just students anymore—they were on their way to becoming real heroes.

“Now get back to work,” Aizawa said, his tone slipping back into his usual no-nonsense demeanor. “You’re all capable of more, so don’t get complacent.”

The students grinned, energized by the rare praise, and quickly prepared to resume their training. Sasha, still feeling the warmth from Aizawa’s words, glanced at her classmates. She could see the same pride and determination reflected in their faces. They truly had come a long way.

Sasha stood among her classmates, feeling the buzz of energy Aizawa’s praise had stirred in all of them. But as they prepared to return to their training, a sudden idea sparked in her mind. She glanced at Aizawa with a mischievous glint in her amber eyes, a smirk slowly forming on her lips.

"Hey, Mr. Aizawa," she called out, causing her classmates to turn their heads in curiosity. "Would you spar with me? I’d like to see just how far I’ve really come."

The air seemed to shift as her words hung in the space between them. Her classmates were shocked, wide-eyed as they exchanged glances. Mina gasped, while Denki, Ojiro and Sero's jaws practically dropped.

“Sasha… are you serious?” Hagakure exclaimed, not believing what she just heard.

Even Bakugo looked mildly impressed by her audacity, but he kept his usual cool exterior.

Eijirou was the next to speak up, his expression torn between pride and worry. “I love you, but… winning against Mr. Aizawa? That’s a stretch, Sash.”

Sasha smiled at him, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. “I’m not trying to win,” she said, her voice calm but filled with determination. “I just want to see where I stand, and learn something new in the process.”

Aizawa raised an eyebrow, his tired eyes watching her carefully as if weighing her challenge. After a long moment, he exhaled and slowly began pulling his capture scarf from around his neck. “Alright, Namir,” he said, folding the scarf in his hand. “But remember, this is a spar. Don’t take it lightly just because I’m your teacher.”

Sasha nodded, excitement bubbling up inside her. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Her classmates stepped back, creating a circle around them as the anticipation built. The sparring ground was set, and a thick tension filled the air.

Aizawa stood calmly, his body relaxed but ready, as always. Sasha took a deep breath, centering herself, and dropped into her own stance. She knew this was a tall order—Aizawa wasn’t just a seasoned pro hero, he was a master tactician. But she wasn’t aiming for victory. She wanted to push herself, to learn.

“Begin,” Aizawa said simply, and in the blink of an eye, Sasha moved.

She darted toward him with incredible speed, her weighted belt barely slowing her down. She threw a series of quick jabs, testing his defenses, but Aizawa sidestepped each one with smooth, effortless precision. His movements were fluid, almost as if he knew what she was going to do before she did it.

Sasha wasn’t deterred. She pressed on, increasing the intensity, launching a high kick aimed at his head. Aizawa dodged again, his capture scarf snapping into his hands as he blocked her next strike. His movements were minimal, almost casual, but he was always one step ahead of her, reading her attacks with ease.

Still, Sasha kept pushing, her mind racing as she tried to anticipate his next move. She threw a sweeping low kick, trying to knock him off balance, but Aizawa caught her foot with his scarf, expertly pulling her momentum forward. She stumbled but caught herself, spinning into a defensive stance before he could capitalize on the mistake.

“That’s it,” Aizawa said, his voice calm but approving. “You’re learning. If you aren’t able to read an opponent’s moves, you should be able to adapt to them quickly.”

Her classmates watched in awe, unable to believe how well Sasha was holding her own. Eijirou’s fists were clenched, both in excitement and concern. He knew how strong Aizawa was, but watching Sasha push herself like this made him swell with pride.

The spar continued, a flurry of movements and counters. Sasha was fast, skilled, and strategic, but Aizawa was simply on another level. Every time she thought she had an opening, he would shut it down with minimal effort, always staying just out of reach.

Then, in a swift motion, Aizawa used his scarf to disarm her, pulling her off balance. In the next moment, she found herself with his scarf wrapped tightly around her wrists, her arms pulled gently behind her back, signaling the end of the match.

Sasha let out a breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she stood still, the adrenaline coursing through her. She’d lost—but not without putting up a good fight.

Aizawa released her and stepped back, his expression unreadable. “You’ve improved, Sasha,” he said, tucking his scarf around his neck again. “You’re faster, stronger, and more focused than before. But you still have room to grow. You need to read your opponent better and anticipate counters. But your instincts are good.”

Sasha smiled, wiping the sweat from her brow. “Thanks, Mr. Aizawa. I’ll keep working on it.” She couldn’t imagine what fighting him would be like if she was actually a threat. She was glad Aizawa was a hero, that was for sure.

Her classmates burst into cheers and applause, clearly impressed by her performance. Even Bakugo gave her a short nod of approval, which from him, was high praise.

Eijirou rushed over, grinning widely as he pulled her into a hug. “That was amazing! I knew you’d do great.”

Sasha laughed breathlessly, leaning into him. “Thanks. I learned a lot.” She leaned her head against his shoulder. 

Mina beamed. “Sasha, you were incredible! I don’t think I’d have the guts to ask Aizawa to spar.”

Denki nodded rapidly. “Seriously, that was awesome! You went toe-to-toe with Eraserhead!”

Aizawa, ever the composed teacher, gave them all one last nod before turning to leave. “Good work, everyone. Keep pushing yourselves. And Sasha—well done today.”

As he walked away, Sasha smiled, the sting of her loss fading in the glow of her teacher’s praise. She had taken on the challenge, learned from it, and hopefully used the opportunity to teach her peers a few things as well. That was more than enough for her.

Sasha wiped the sweat from her forehead, still catching her breath from the intense sparring session with Aizawa. Her body ached, but there was a sense of accomplishment in her eyes as she looked at her classmates, all still buzzing from the match they’d just witnessed.

She took a deep breath and straightened up, rolling her shoulders as she focused back on the group. “Alright, everyone,” She said, her voice strong despite her exhaustion. “I’ve got one more thing to teach you today. Let’s talk about the major arteries.”

The others exchanged curious glances, and Sero raised an eyebrow. “Arteries? Like, the blood kind?”

Sasha nodded, her expression serious. “Exactly. Knowing where the main arteries are and how to target them can be just as important as knowing pressure points. This kind of knowledge can make the difference between life and death in a fight, for you and your opponent.”

She scanned the group, then locked eyes with Iida, who stood tall with a thoughtful expression. “Iida, come on up,” She said with a grin.

Iida immediately stepped forward, always eager to contribute to any lesson. “It would be my honor, Sasha. Anything to help the class learn.”

Sasha nodded and motioned for him to stand in front of the others. “Now, the thought of cutting into or hitting an artery might sound scary. And it should—arteries are vital to keeping the body functioning. But, in some situations, knowing where to strike can subdue an opponent without killing them. It can force them to slow down, making them lethargic and less able to fight, without putting their life at risk—if done properly.”

She gestured to Iida’s neck, touching lightly with her fingertips. “This is the carotid artery,” she said, indicating both sides of his neck. “You’ve already learned that cutting off blood flow here can knock someone out. But if you’re in a dire situation and need to incapacitate, a cut here will make them lose consciousness as well. Of course, this is risky and should only be done with extreme caution.”

Sasha moved her hand to his inner arm, near the bicep. “Next is the brachial artery, which runs down the inside of the upper arm. If you can’t reach the neck, this is another target. Striking here hard enough or cutting can cause major blood loss, but it also makes it harder for the opponent to use their arm effectively.”

The students were watching intently now, hanging on her every word. Bakugo seemed intrigued, while Mina and Denki exchanged nervous glances.

Iida, for his part, was standing still like a statue, ready to assist wherever needed.

Sasha then pointed to the inside of Iida’s thigh. “Finally, we have the femoral artery, located here in the leg. This is one of the largest arteries in the body, and a serious cut here can incapacitate someone quickly. They’ll be unable to move effectively, and blood loss will make them weak.”

She straightened up, her expression serious as she glanced at the group again. “I know this sounds intense. The idea of cutting or striking someone's artery is pretty terrifying, and I’m not teaching you this to encourage anyone to go around slicing people up. But knowing where these arteries are and how to control a fight with precision can give you the upper hand. It’s about understanding the body and using that knowledge to stop a threat without unnecessary violence.”

Sero gulped and raised a hand. “But… if you hit an artery, won’t they bleed out?”

Sasha nodded, but her expression was calm. “Yes, they could. But if you know where to strike and how to control the fight, you can incapacitate someone without killing them. It’s a fine line to walk, and it requires a lot of focus and control. And if something does go wrong, you need to know basic first aid to stop the bleeding.”

She smiled gently, trying to ease the tension. “The goal is to avoid permanent damage whenever possible. But in high-stakes fights, knowledge like this can be the difference between getting out alive or not. Use it responsibly.”

Iida, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. “Thank you, Sasha, for the insightful lesson! It is always vital to remember that as heroes, our priority is to subdue without causing unnecessary harm!” He looked out at the rest of his classmates. “But in extreme cases, this kind of knowledge is indispensable.”

Sasha smiled, nodding in agreement. “Exactly. It’s about balance. Protect yourself, protect others, but always aim to minimize harm.”

The group seemed to relax a bit after that, though they still wore thoughtful expressions as they absorbed everything Sasha had taught them.

“Any questions?” Sasha asked, looking around at her classmates.

Bakugo cracked his knuckles, smirking. “Hmph, sounds like something I could use.”

Sasha grinned back at him. “Just make sure you practice that precision first, Bakugo. Otherwise, you’re in for a mess.”

The group laughed at that, the tension easing as they absorbed the lesson, all of them more determined than ever to grow as both heroes and fighters.

Sasha watched her classmates practice the moves she had just taught them, a deep sense of pride swelling in her chest. Each of them was focused, taking the lesson seriously, trying out the safer strikes and techniques on each other under her guidance. The sparring session with both Eijirou and Aizawa had left its mark on her, not just physically, but mentally as well. She felt sharper, more grounded, but she was also tired.

As the morning wore on, she decided it was time for a break. “I’m gonna grab something to drink,” she called out to the group, waving them off as they continued their training.

Eijirou, always attentive, immediately looked up from his sparring with Denki. “Want me to come with you?”

Before Sasha could respond, Bakugou swung at Eijirou, narrowly missing him but grinning as he shouted, “Stay focused, dumbass! You’re not done yet!”

Sasha chuckled, shaking her head. “Bakugou’s right. Keep training, I won’t be long.” She smiled at Eijirou, reassuring him before turning on her heel and heading toward the vending machines at the edge of the training grounds.

The walk gave her a moment to breathe and reflect on the day. She felt good—stronger, more capable. Her mind wandered briefly to her sparring with Aizawa. It had pushed her limits, but it also reaffirmed how far she had come. 

As she approached the vending machine, her eyes scanned the options. She hesitated, trying to decide between an energy drink or water when she heard faint footsteps behind her. Her senses immediately heightened, and a familiar scent drifted through the air—Hatasu.

Sasha’s body tensed. She spun around quickly, her amber eyes narrowing as she locked onto the man standing a few feet away. Hatasu, with his calm demeanor, watched her with a neutral expression, his hands in his pockets.

“What do you want?” Sasha demanded, her voice steady but edged with suspicion.

Hatasu raised his hands slightly, as if to show he meant no harm. “Relax, Quinn. I just want to talk.”

Sasha didn’t relax, though. She knew better than to trust him, especially with recent events. “Talk about what? You know I’m done with the commission.”

Hatasu’s expression softened slightly, though it was hard to tell if it was genuine or just another manipulation tactic. “It’s about your parents.”

The mention of her parents hit her like a punch to the gut. She instinctively straightened, her guard still up but her heart aching. “What about them? Why do you both keep bringing them up?” She clenched her fists. Thankfully, she’d wrapped bandages around her palms to prevent her claws from penetrating her palms when she made fists. Normally, she’d wear special gloves with her hero suit.

Hatasu took a small step closer, keeping his voice calm and measured. “I know you’ve always had questions about their deaths. The truth about what happened… I have those answers. All you have to do is come back. Become an agent again, and I’ll tell you everything.”

Sasha’s fists clenched tighter at her sides. It was a low blow, using her parents like that. She shook her head firmly. “No. I’m not going back. You can keep your ‘answers.’”

Hatasu tilted his head slightly, his tone growing more persuasive. “Think about it, Sasha. Your parents were agents. You’d be following in their footsteps, continuing their legacy. Don’t you think they’d be proud of you for it? For doing what they did?”

For a moment, Sasha wavered. Her heart ached at the thought. She had always wanted to make her parents proud, to live up to the heroes they were. And part of her, deep down, still wondered what really happened to them and why they became agents in the first place.

But then she remembered their voices, the love they had for her, the way they always wanted her to be free to choose her own path. They had never pressured her to follow in their footsteps; they just wanted her to be happy, to live her life as she saw fit.

She straightened, her resolve hardening. “My parents wouldn’t want me to go down the same path that destroyed them. They wanted better for me.”

Hatasu’s calm mask faltered for just a second, a flicker of annoyance crossing his face before he regained his composure. “Sasha, you’re being stubborn.”

“No,” Sasha said firmly. “I’m being smart. I’m not falling for your manipulations anymore, Hatasu. I’m done with the commission, and I’m done with you.”

Hatasu sighed, looking at her with a mix of disappointment and frustration. “You’re making a mistake. The truth will come out, one way or another.”

Sasha held her ground, her gaze unwavering. “Maybe. But I’ll find it on my own terms. Not yours.”

Without another word, Hatasu turned and began walking away, disappearing into the shadows as quickly as he had appeared. Sasha exhaled deeply, her heart pounding in her chest.

As she stood there, her thoughts briefly swirled around what he had said. The temptation, the lure of knowing the truth about her parents… it had been real. But she wasn’t going to let herself be manipulated anymore. She was stronger now.

With a renewed sense of purpose, Sasha turned back to the vending machine, grabbed a bottle of water, and made her way back to her friends. They were her family now, her reason to keep fighting, and she wasn’t going to let anything—especially her past—pull her away from that. She cared for her parents, and she wished she had answers. But she had to move on.

She just hoped she could.

As the training session continued, Sasha remained quieter than usual, her mind preoccupied with the encounter with Hatasu. She watched her classmates, occasionally offering a small correction or bit of advice, but the usual lightness in her demeanor was missing. When they finally wrapped up, she let out a heavy sigh and gave the group a small, tired smile.

"You all did great today," she said softly, her voice carrying a mix of pride and exhaustion. "Let’s take a break and grab some lunch."

But her smile didn’t seem to convince them. Mina tilted her head, concern in her big eyes. "Sasha, are you okay? You’ve been kinda off since you came back."

The rest of the group turned their attention to her, their worry evident in their faces. Bakugou, always perceptive in his own way, narrowed his eyes. “Something happened, didn’t it?”

Sasha sighed heavily, not wanting to burden them but also knowing that they deserved to know. “Yeah… something did.” She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts, then finally spoke. “The commission… they’re trying to use the death of my parents to manipulate me. One of them approached me earlier, and said he had answers, but only if I became an agent again.”

Her voice wavered slightly as she admitted it, the weight of it pressing down on her. Before she could say more, she felt the warmth of Eijirou behind her. His arms wrapped around her gently, pulling her into a comforting hug from behind. His chin rested on her shoulder, his strong presence grounding her in that moment.

“That’s so messed up,” Denki said, his usual lighthearted tone gone. “They’re seriously using that against you?”

“It’s unforgivable,” Iida added, his expression firm, as if he were ready to march over to the commission himself. “How can they exploit such a personal tragedy like that?”

Mina’s face was filled with empathy, and even Mineta, who was usually quick with a joke, just shook his head in disbelief.

asha nodded, feeling their concern and anger for her. “It is messed up,” she admitted quietly, “but I’m not going back. My mind is made up.”

“We know,” Eijirou said softly in her ear, squeezing her a little tighter. “We trust you. But… we’re worried about you. This is a lot to deal with.”

Bakugou crossed his arms, his usual scowl in place, though there was a softness in his eyes. “Yeah, you’re strong, but don’t be an idiot and act like this stuff doesn’t get to you..”

The others nodded in agreement, their faces full of genuine concern. Sasha could feel the warmth of their support surrounding her, and for the first time since her encounter with Hatasu, the weight on her chest felt lighter.

Her heart swelled with emotion as she looked at her friends—her family. They were worried, but they believed in her, and that meant everything.

She smiled, this time a true, heartfelt one. “Thank you,” she said softly, her voice steady now. “It’ll be okay. I’ll be okay. I promise.”

They nodded, still watching her with protective eyes, but it seemed to ease the tension in the air. The bond they shared was strong, and in that moment, it only reinforced Sasha’s earlier thoughts. She couldn’t do anything about her parents death, so her focus would be on her new family.

With a deep breath, Sasha stepped out of Eijirou’s embrace and clapped her hands together. “Alright, enough heavy stuff. Who’s ready for lunch?”

They all let out lighthearted cheers and began to make their way back to the dorms, Iida leading the way and telling everyone how proud he was. 

Ochako was excited to shower. 

Momo offered to make tea, and Sato said he had cookies to go with it. 

Bakugou and Eijirou argued over who won their match. 

Izuku was jotting down everything he learned as they walked, Todoroki looking over his shoulder.

Mineta fawned over his female classmates and Mina smacked the back of his head when he ran his mouth too much, with Ojiro, Hagakure and Asui laughing at the sight.

Denki planted a big kiss on Jirou’s cheek and she scolded him, but blushed and smiled nonetheless. This led to them being teased this time by Sero.

Koda spoke with a few birds and chuckled when they landed on Shoji, who moved stiffly.

And Aoyama spoke with Fumikage, the two being total opposites who surprisingly got along more than anyone would think.

Sasha looked at all of these amazing people bustling around her. Normally, so much noise would overwhelm her, but this was different. There was comfort in her classmates and their shenanigans.

This was what she was protecting. 

- Elsewhere… -

Hex paced back and forth, his frustration bubbling over as he glared at Hatasu. His sharp eyes narrowed, his hands fidgeting with a knife he casually tossed and caught. "This peaceful crap isn’t working, Hatasu. We should’ve grabbed her when she was alone, taken her by force. We could've broken her by now, made her realize she doesn't have a choice."

Hatasu remained seated at the rickety table in the center of the room, calm as always, his fingers drumming thoughtfully against a suspicious-looking folder. It was thick, well-worn, and bore the name "Quinns", with “Confidential” stamped under it in bold red letters. His gaze was sharp, calculating, as he considered Hex’s outburst.

“We haven’t failed yet,” Hatasu said smoothly, not even glancing up at his partner. “Remember, patience is key. She’s stubborn, but everyone has their breaking point.”

Hex sneered, his temper flaring. “You keep saying that, but it’s been a week. She’s not taking the bait. We should’ve made our move today while she was away from her little group of heroes. We had the perfect chance.”

Hatasu finally looked up, his expression unreadable, though a flicker of annoyance crossed his features. “Kidnapping her would have been messy. Her classmates would’ve noticed she was gone, and the police would be hunting us. Not to mention the heroes she’s surrounded by.”

Hex scoffed, but Hatasu held up a hand, stopping him mid-rant. “We push a little more. That’s all we need. She’s already shaken. I can see it in her eyes every time we meet. She’s fighting it, but deep down, she’s still curious. She wants answers, and that’s what we’ll use.”

Hex crossed his arms, clearly unconvinced. “And if that doesn’t work? Then what?”

A slow, calculating smile tugged at the corner of Hatasu’s lips as he lowered his gaze to the folder in his hands. “Then we bring out our trump card.”

He ran his fingers over the folder, lingering on the name “Quinns.” The contents inside were enough to break anyone, even someone as strong-willed as Sasha. He knew that if she wasn’t swayed by the promise of the truth, this file would push her over the edge.

Hex watched him, eyes narrowing as he noticed the shift in Hatasu’s demeanor. "What's in there?"

Hatasu’s smile widened, though he didn’t answer. Instead, he carefully closed the folder and stood up, his calm confidence unshaken. “Trust me, Hex. She’ll come to us. One way or another.”

[ginger-snap-talkin-nonsense]

American Dad eps for review. This isn’t all my faves, but I didn’t wanna give you too much 😅

Delorean Storyan

Merlot Down Dirty Shame

Cops and Roger

The One Who Got Away

Fart-break Hotel

Joint Custody

Stanny Tendergrass

Independent Movie

Alright, I’m finally sitting down with this list!

I think you’ve got some fantastic picks for favorites here, Fart-Break Hotel and Stanny Tendergrass are personal favorites of mine as well.

-Delorean Story-An is an episode I tend to get mixed up with Toy Whore-y because it’s got such a similar set up but it’s a great pick if you’re looking for a Stan and Steve character piece of which there are relatively fewer than other characters. I specifically love the twist at the end that Steve had been laboring under the idea that at least they shared a love of Back to The Future to make him and Stan bonded only for Stan to reveal that he’s never even seen the movie and has his own reasons for wanting the Delorean so badly. It’s a good joke but it’s also a great way of reminding the audience that these two both want similar things, they just have so much of a personality gap that it’s hard for them to see it in each other, which is the running theme.

Also Roger and Francine dogging on Hayley for being boring and Hayley pranking them with one of two Chris Angel appearances in the show will never not be funny.

-Merlot Down Dirty Shame is a great Roger centric episode. I think it’s interesting the depth of character Seth brings to this cast despite the shallow demeanor of the series itself. Roger is self centered, horny, and impulsive but his genuine love for the family and his fear of losing their love is a topic that they keep consistent and this is one of the strongest contenders for an episode of that ilk. The lengths Roger will go to just to keep Stan from getting angry at him over such a small thing are hilarious and deeply in character. Plus this episode has some killer dialogue.

“I’m just gonna give you some time to cool off”

“IM GONNA RIP YOUR FUCKING HEAD OFF”

“Okay so you need more time.”

-Cops and Roger is the funniest Roger alone episode Roger going off the rails as his persona of a guy who failed to become a cop and now takes it out on his family entirely because of Steven and his friends stupid prank is gets progressively more absurd to the point that you just find yourself invested in this family that you’ll never see again and have never seen before. Kelly Clarkson’s “What Doesn’t Kill You” playing as he now widowed wife walks out of the restaurant with her kids is one of those great testaments to how well the team uses licensed music.

-The One That Got Away is one of those easy great American Dad episodes. A deep dive into Rogers personas being so much more than costumes to him, and how becoming all of these people can lead to some crazy consequences. I would say while something like “Roger Needs Dick” explores the emotional side of the personas all being facets of Roger, this one handles the mental presence of it phenomenally. I feel like I’m watching a thriller. There’s some obvious Fight Club inspiration going on and doing a Fight Club story but flipping the premise of Tyler Durden on his head was a stroke of genius on the staffs part. This is one that’s kinda hard to discuss because…like…it’s just a phenomenal episode You’d be hard pressed to find a fan that doesn’t agree.

-Fart-Break Hotel explores Francine as a character and I’ll be honest I’m very soft on Francine centric episodes. I think she’s an absolute riot any time she appears being a perfect balance of being a out of pocket as Roger while also feeling the most normal. She’s the duality of womanhood and an episode exploring how that balance has been thrown off by her lot in life is bound to be great.

-Joint Custody is one of the few early episodes I actually really enjoy. There’s some genuinely funny stoner jokes (the entire gas station scene is in my top 10 funniest scenes for this show) and it’s one of the first episodes that seems to get Jeff really nailed down in a lot of important ways. Considering Jeff is my favorite character, that’s pretty important to me.

Also, another episode with some killer fucking one liner deliveries

“He hasn’t spoken to his dad in years and his mom ran away before he was born.”

“How…how could she do that?”

-Stanny Tendergrass sees Stan get his ass kicked by Hulk Hogan this episode is perfect

-Independent Movie is a rare really good Snot episode! I think Snot episodes tend to lack because they so often have to focus on Steve and him getting into it over something which is obviously the case here. But here there’s so much going on between Snot very genuinely dealing with his father’s death to the manic pixie dream girl to the rare form earnest ending. Fun fact, this one is Curtis Armstrong personal favorite of the series and you can really tell why. It feels like Snot gets treated like more than Steve’s friend in this episode and Steve’s selfishness doesn’t feel overblown by the plot like it often does in similar episodes.

All in all some great picks, I can tell you’re a fan of the character deep dive episodes which I have the upmost respect for!

[sylvanas-girlkisser]

So! Today I beat Convergence (The new League game starring Ekko). I have a lot of thoughts about the story, so that goes below the cut - or really its just "did it have to be so mediocre?" said with a lot of words.

As for the gameplay: it's fine. It fails to deliver on the exploration aspects of a metroidvania, but if you ignore that branding and approach it as 2d platformer instead, it's pretty decent.

It delivers well mechanically on what Ekko is like as a character. By essentially giving you rewinds, instead of hit points, fights all feel like the absolutely iconic "seconds" trailer: Rewind, adapt, rewind again, until you get it just right.

When the game is at its best, you feel absolutely untouchable, jumping and dashing around Zaun, beating people 4 times your size at lightning speed.

However, there are some absolutely Celeste level difficult platforming sections (especially once you unlock the air dash), except for Jinx and Warvick, every boss gets brought out at least twice, and most of the gadgets are just not that exciting.

Now as for the story: is it really so much to ask for, to have an actual character arch? Like I know its not gonna be on the level of Arcane, but between this, and Ruined King, it almost feels like there is some mandate from Riot Games, that the spinoff games aren't allowed to change the status quo.

Okay let's take it from the top:

One: Is future Ekko supposed to be the worst version of Ekko? The current Ekko taken to his natural extreme? Or his mentor/older brother in time travel? These are 3 very different characterizations, and you cannot keep swapping back and forth between them.

Two: What is it Ekko is supposed to learn in this story? Is it that you cannot save everyone all the time, or is it the necessity of finding the good solution rather than picking the lesser evil? Is his problem that he's a control freak or that he doesn't think things through?

Three: You cannot both sides did bad things your way out of the Piltover and Zaun conflict. Piltover is both directly responsible for, and directly benefitting from the state Zaun is in! Did Benjamin Netanyahu write this shit???

Fourth: Did you seriously have to name Redd's shitty boyfriend Chad? Were you afraid the player wouldn't otherwise get that this vaguely dorito shaped man who spends his entire screentime belittling Redd isn't a particularly good match for her? I'm not even against Ekko having a love interest outside of Jinx, but why dear sweet Sappho did you make the boy who shattered time a nice guy™ ?

Lastly: Pour one out for the wasted potential of a Camille - Ekko team up. Like, when you think about it, these two are basically each other's polar opposite. Ekko is young and idealistic, with a family that love him but can't provide for him. Camille is old and jaded, from a wealthy family that see her as little more than a tool to maintain their power.

Ekko is Zaun's protector, Camille is Piltover's. Ekko fights because he loves his city and the people in it. Camille had the love of her life, and her very ability to love, taken away so they wouldn't distract her from her duty.

[dyedcomrade]

tw: dark, transph0bia, vi0lence, kind of unrequited love, cheating mention but a side character that doesnt exist canonically does it, gore additional tw: chris is dumb

reminder: i do this because i myself am trans and it's insane out here, especially knowing i wont get gender affirming therapy ever. i do this because i project myself onto almost every resi man i find hot. blocc, dont report. i dont support irl transphobia.

the fucking plane. fucking Chris. Wesker doesn't have time to get to uroboros, Chris tackles him before, straddling him and starting to beat him up spewing out profanities at him.

and in the heat of the moment the tought just slips out:

he tells Wesker he is an abomination and no matter how much he riots against biology he will always stay mortal and cant change the core of him which will always make her a woman.

and Wesker just fucking breaks. having to be lied to his entire life by some mad scientists and people thinking he is the same - he just wants to save the world! can't they see? how humanity is running towards their own destruction?

then the heartbreak he had realising he has to betray his team. chris not getting the fucking hint ever - why did he let him stay alive for so long? it would have been so easy to kill him, but he gave the boy so many chances to see his vision, to join.

despite all his efforts, decades of work, his dream being stolen from him.

first he degrades him by saying he is just one of umbrella's leftovers. and now ripping away all of his humanity, his identity, just like umbrella did.

going through files, he and Jill were in the Spencer estate, they found out Wesker is trans. the wording too in those files were strange, not stating Albert is his name, rather "refering to him as from then on". rather medical documents proved it as well and a brief mention in one of the diaries they found. at that time or maybe it's just Chris, transness was really something he couldn't grasp. of course he doesn't think it's on the same level as b.o.w.s,

Wesker goies into a panic attack. now is one of the rare occasions Chris realises he went too far. he may not get exactly what was it, but..Wesker always stood up whenever they tried to mess with his plans.

the feeling is new for Chris as well. until now one of his main motivation was to show his former boss just how capable he is, how his resolve is just as worthy as the older man's. this thing that kept lingering in his mind, even after he saw Wesker die before him. 'what could he be doing right now? maybe he isn't dead. maybe a miracle happened. someone other than them from the s.t.a.r.s. team made it out alive and searched for him, brought him to the hospital.' he could't grasp what this strange attachment he felt could be. he tought of love sometimes. and even more about what his friends reaction would be if he came out gay. he once had a high school romance, although it was kind of unrequited even though they put a label on themselves. the girl kept declining every one of his offers to hang out and he was only good for feeding her ego. in the end while Chris was away in a sports camp she cheated on him and lost her virginity with a guybin a one-night stand. since then he couldn't trust anyone enough to feel love towards them. sure he knew what comradery was and he always was a trustworthy friend but those butterflies upon seeing the other never returned.

but he expected Wesker to always show up somewhere along his fight against bioterrorism. he expected that in some way he always came out losing from these encounters. he looked forward to the next challenge this terrorist would give him, the sheer power of the two against eachother. always trying to beat some sense into the blonde, despite all his previous efforts failing. although he didn't expect their fighr to end anytime. it was impossible, yes, but what would they do then? did one of them have to die for it to end? maybe, he had hope that one day they could see eye to eye.

here they were, sadly, only the literaly sense of it and..the sorrow that he could see on Wesker's face..it broke his heart. was it over? what happens now? he felt just as lost as the man he just destroyed his life's work. in a sense Chris' life was over too. all this time he had been rebelling. at home, in the military, even in s.t.a.r.s. he was known for his thick skull.

he wanted comfort and wanted to give Wesker cimfort too. he didn't want to see this untouchable little god to cry.

he reached down and touched that red and puffy face. all the damage he can take without breaking a sweat and crying is what makes it an unrecognisable mess. he wipes the tears and blood away from his face, stroking it gently. then, as if it comes naturally, without thinking, like he has done this a thousand times before, he leans down and kisses his forehead.

Wesker is exhausted. he lets Chris throw in as many punches as he wants - let the boy have his enrichment. he will have to build another empire from the ground again. at least now he knows what they are doing and it needs a lot less experimentation. maybe some samples of uroboros remained intact..but now that he lets the outside world in, the punches have stopped. sure there is still someone sitting on top of him, but..why did he..? and he feels it. a gentle hand on his face. it's so unfamiliar. noone ever touched him like this. maybe he is hallucinating and Chris had managed to beat his brain into mush. not that it matters. his regeneration abilities can't be outmatched. a kiss? definitely brain damage. what he really feels is his frontal cortex oozing out.

- hey, i'm..i'm sorry. i didn't want us to end up like this. we may have gone too far with blowing your shit up.

is this really happening? his former pointman.. although it sure can be Chris. not realising what he fucked up is just like him.

Wesker puts his hand on Chris' thigh and taps it three times. he pats out just like old times when training with his agents. an ingrained response to this maybe, or Chris is really bad at risk assessment - he could still snap his neck in a heartbeat, still - he gets off and sits beside Wesker. the older man stays on the ground, his hand never leaving the other, holding onto those dirty cargo pants as if they were the only thing in his life he could cling onto. for sanity, a reason to keep going, for a chance to start over. but maybe now he didn't have to do it alone. or didn't even have to do it. terrorists could retire, right?

- you.. are so dumb...cretin. i have an apartment away from here in eastern-europe. wanna retreat, soldier?

[archoneddzs15]

PC Engine - Kiaidan 00 [Double-O]

Title: Kiaidan 00 [Double-O] / キアイダン・ダブルオー

Developer/Publisher: Alfa System / Riot (Telenet Japan)

Release date: 23 October 1992

Catalogue No.: TJCD2031

Genre: Horizontal Shooter

Format: Super CD-ROM2

Shooters cover all stripes, from the ever-popular space shooter to the less common fantasy shooter. You’ve got cute em-ups, bullet hell, and boss rush titles too. Yet the most obvious, the giant robot is not as commonplace as you would expect. Kiaidan 00 from Telenet's Riot team is a love letter to giant robot anime like Getter Robo and Gundam and is awesome. It does not do anything new for the genre but is pure awesome because it knows exactly what it is and makes no apologies for it. On a system overloaded with shooters sometimes that is all you need to stand out.

Kiaidan 00 stars Takeshi, the son of the giant robot Kiaidan. When an evil dictator amasses a massive robot army and invades Japan it is up to Takeshi, along with his girlfriend who provides support, to push them back. While it has the look of an 80’s action anime Kiaidan 00 is an original property that nails the aesthetic it is going for, right down to its hot-blooded hero. This aesthetic is part of what helps the game stand out among a sea of similar shooters. But unlike the games that tried and failed to do anything interesting with its theme, Kiaidan is an underrated gem for the PC Engine.

In terms of weapons Kiaidan arms you with everything from the start. You have five separate weapons you can switch between at every turn. The Vulcan cannon, wave beam, rotating ball, force field, and homing lightning comprise your arsenal. Each has situational uses that you need to take advantage of as there are no power ups outside of shield replenishing. The Vulcan is basically your default while the wave beam has a wider spread but is weak. The homing lightning is not great on its own but does have a better use. The force field is the oddest; at first, it seems useless as it is not strong, and you will take damage if you use it wrong. But it is the best way to rack up points; you just have to use it properly.

When not active the power meter charges. When full your weapons change dramatically. The Vulcan throws your fist out which, to be honest is terrible. The wave beam produces a laser that sweeps in a 360-degree arc and is awesome. The lightning produces a massive lightning storm that will utterly decimate bosses. That stupid rotating ball gains longer reach but is still terrible. The force field becomes a full body shield that is important if you want to truly get a high score. Points are important as they increase your shield. You start with three points but can expand that to seven. Every million points adds another point. It sounds like a lot but if you abuse the brief period before delivering the final blow on a boss you can max it out quickly.

Each of Kiaidan 00’s levels has two halves with a cool mid-boss and an even larger end-level boss. Even the map in the UI looks short each level is long. Some might even say too long; the longer stages tend to be repetitive as they feature multiple identical enemy waves in a row to pad them out. The awesome boss battles make up for this in my opinion. Each general has their own mech, be it a robot or animal-themed mech. They have a variety of attacks like a fighting game character and more importantly, their patterns are fun to suss out. Even when you figure it out it still comes down to execution and the game puts up a decent fight.

Even though you have one life and limited credits I found the difficulty in Kiaidan 00 to still be reasonable. There is an optimal weapon for every situation and once you find it managing enemy waves becomes easier. Bosses are large and feature a variety of attacks but have simple patterns that the charge lightning makes trivial every time. Weapon switching would be so much smoother if the PC Engine controller had more buttons (there are Avenue Pad 3 and Avenue Pad 6 controllers with three and six face buttons respectively), but you make do with what you have. The early stages when your shield is weak can be a little frustrating, especially as every level only drops one shield power-up. But by abusing the game’s scoring system you can max out your shield, making it simpler. You still have to survive the long-drawn-out levels, but this is a perfectly accessible game for novices.

[keytoyourhearts]

Review of The Mask of Mirrors by M. A. Carrick (2021), 1st book of the Rook & Rose series

SYNOPSIS:

Ren goes by many names: Alta Renata Viraudax, Arenza Lenskaya, Renyi.  Though she wears many masks, the face of Ren below them all is the same: a con artist.  Her latest con is to infiltrate the noble House Traementis, posing as a long-lost cousin, to steal a cut of their fortune.  Fate has other plans for her, as she is swiftly swept up in the political intrigue of Nadezra, a city colonized and lorded over by the Laganti while the founding Vraszenians are left to fight over their scraps.  Along the way, she meets Derossi Vargo, a “reformed” crime lord; Grey Serrado, a Vraszenian Captain in the city Vigil; and the Rook, a masked vigilante fighting against the corruption that runs rampant among the city’s elite.  All is not what it seems, however, as an unknown force threatens it all, harnessing the power of dreams and nightmares.

See my full review and rating below the cut!

RATING: 5/5 STARS

MY THOUGHTS:

The Mask of Mirrors is an impressively and intricately woven tale of intrigue with many mysteries to be had.  The author team, made up of Marie Brennan and Alyc Helms, had such a strong hold of my attention, I could barely put it down.  After I was able to tear myself away, I was so enraptured that I found myself puzzling through this novel even when I was not reading it!  I cannot wait to get my hands on the second one.

TAGS: fantasy, political/court intrigue, magic & alchemy

CW: graphic depiction of injury & death, violence, drug-use, drugging, colonialism, discrimination, rioting & police brutality, sexual content, pseudo-incest (fake cousins), mentions of SA, infantilization of someone with a disability

RECOMMENDATION: I would recommend this book to any reader with an interest in fantasy and intrigue who would like a solid introduction into something with more mystery.  This novel has it all; there’s even a little sprinkle of romance!

THE GOOD:

The mysteries strewn throughout the pages are numerous and interwoven in such a way that, while I had no issue keeping them straight, I found that I had the desire to stop and write out my thoughts and predictions regarding their solutions.  And I was pleasantly surprised to be incorrect with each one!  Looking back on them having finished reading, I distinctly remember small details that foreshadow revelations being sprinkled throughout.

The character of the Rook was just plain fun, and I loved every second of every scene they were a part of.  I found myself falling for each trick the authors used to lead me into guessing the identity of the Rook, and I knew that I was.  The reveal was a shock to me, but it made complete sense; the hints were all there.

The ending was so satisfying, everything was wrapped up in a neat bow…until the true source of conflict was revealed, effectively setting up the overarching plot for the remaining books in the series.

I also loved how the cadence of dialogue changed between accents and languages.  I found it to be a clever way to show the language had changed, without the actual text needing to (italicized, etc.).

THE BAD:

First, a small nitpick.  What day is it?  What time is it??  There was no explanation I could find for the calendar system until the glossary…at the end of the book.  Even then, I’m still not sure I completely understand it without it being in context.

Here’s another common critique: Ren is a Mary-Sue.  She has a tragic backstory, she is always being described as pretty and charismatic, she never seems to fail at anything, she is incredibly clever, and everyone seems to forgive her for everything so easily.  In all honesty, I did not mind it that much, but it was pretty blatant.

My biggest gripe with this book is the “cousins” romance plot.  Sure, Ren is not actually related to Leato and is only pretending, but everyone believes them to be cousins and even plays matchmaker between them.  It’s even stated that if two characters who swore a familial bond were to sleep together, it would be considered incestuous but not cousins?  What?

Lastly, a character dubbed as a “dawn child” was introduced briefly near the end.  From the context and physical description, I believe she is meant to be a girl with Down syndrome.  Unfortunately, she is immediately infantilized for it, and I believe it carries on into the next book, if not further.  In a book with such incredible diversity and representation throughout, I was disappointed to read this.

[measuringbliss]

Spider-Man Read-Through 050: Night Of The Iguana (SSM 32-34)

MASTERPOST

I hope you love reptiles, because we're getting a bunch! But it's good (great?) batch, honestly.

So...

Peter goes back home after his fight with Carrion, Warren's clone.

First off, Peter with facial hair is something I've always wanted on his specific face in the right side of the upper right panel is perfect. It's a shame the rest... isn't. And then, I really love it when Peter's friends help him. This is really cute! The last issues have given him a hard time.

Gloria's leaving with her perfect outfit, damn! Peter, I don't need you to remind me that my days as a freelancer are complicated... *looks anxiously at Riot Games which JUST laid out 530 employees* I'm so fucked...

Something I appreciate in this issue is that previous events are continually references: Peter recovers from his fight with Carrion, a night guard at ESU mentions last issue's fire, some cops investigate the debris, and so on.

No! Nooooooooo! Marv Wolfman, I know you said you wanted to change up Peter's personal life every issue, but this is too much! I love Holly! I love Hector and his White Tiger! And now you're getting rid of them for me?

And I know Wolfman didn't even write this issue or supervise Spectacular much (for now?), but still! Not a change I like! Maybe because it hits too close to home? Where EVEN is South Bronx?

Oh. But... Okay. This isn't so far. They can pretty much meet up anytime! (They probably won't and this is probably to get them out of the magazine. Dear Lord...)

On his way to his first teaching assistant job, Peter meets Dr. Sloan and Marcy Kane. Hm, never heard of them.

Interesting way to introduce her, hahaha. Oh, Peter...

On their way, they find Curt Connors on the ground, knocked out... He seems traumatized by one of his test iguanas, which was implied to have grown up quite a bit the previous night to wreck some havoc.

The three of them go to the Bronx Zoo to give a lecture there. Things don't go well...

Okay, Gwen Stacy...

Folks, I have a confession to make...

This issue is really good. I enjoy it a lot. We got a lot of Parker scenes, and so far the Spidey scenes are quite original.

Actually a stellar issue, loved it, it was really good. The Iguana sharing his weakness is such a beginner's mistake though...

In #33, the Iguana is just as lousy a villain you would have guessed, but I kind of love it.

After a fun scene (yes, Spider scenes can be fun!), the Iguana escapes.

Later...

I actually forgot that they used the Enervator to resolve this crisis! But yeah, that plot point as bonkers.

So basically, Curt continued his research to recover his missing limb and accidentally separated his reptile persona in a human-sized Iguana, and it hypnotized him. Well. That's something alright.

Connors lets Spidey go, but resigns himself to voluntarily becoming the Lizard again to stop his creation.

The Iguana tries to kidnap Connors's wife and son, but Spidey stops him, and we get a great last page:

This is a really good one.

#34 time! We immediately see some nice world building.

It's also a nice set up for a few actually funny jokes that comes a few pages after.

The roof fight becomes a sewer fight (which is immediately less exciting), and Spidey loses track of both reptiles.

Later, Peter goes to ESU to check something about the enervator and runs into Dr. Sloan once again, who seems like he's trying to resurrect a corpse or something.

That's promising.

Marcy surprises Peter and reminds him he has a class to teach in the morning. Peter asks her to cover for him, but she's not agreeable to that.

Alright, Gwen, we get it! I bet she hates Spider-Man and is gonna fall for Peter too.

When Spidey finds the Lizard and the Iguana, they've become best buddies and team up to beat Spidey. Obviously, they fail.

What's more, Spidey transfers all the Lizard side of Connors into the Iguana before making it overload and explode. No more Lizard!

For now.

I hope it stays, but somehow, I doubt it. This storyline has already proven that Connors just can't stay away from his research and radiations. He never learns!

Still, we get a great final panel.

In the letters:

I don't think the supporting characters are dull, but I understand the criticism. Overall, the readers seemed to appreciate the mag's direction.

Next time: Black Cat's here!

Are you as excited and curious as I am?

[mmhaterade]

2023 Hater's Guide to the NCAA South Region.

1. Alabama (29-5). Nate “Quaker” Oats has a long way to go before his squad graduates to levels of orchestrated murder and cover-ups not seen since the 2003 Baylor squad – but buddy, we are getting close! Let me recap: their best player has yet to face any discipline for delivering a gun to his (now former) teammate, who committed a murder shortly after. As a result of the shooting, there’s now a five-year-old who will grow up without a mother because apparently “nobody fights without guns anymore.” The response from the university, athletic department, and head coach has been – at best – tone deaf and at worse, embarrassingly trite. Now, their fans are wearing shirts reading “Killin’ our way through the SEC in ’23.” Nuke this entire state from orbit – it’s the only way to be sure.

2. Arizona (28-6). They always manage to have a solid team despite their location in the middle of a desert. You know, playing basketball in a desert offers a lot of difficulties. Number one being, you’re playing basketball in a desert.

3. Baylor (22-10). During an external review of how the university handled sexual assaults, a final report stated Baylor administrators actively discouraged reporting of sexual assaults, the athletic department continually failed to address sexual assault and high-ranking school officials suppressed reports of 52 (!) rapes and sexual misconduct incidents between 2011-14. FIFTY-TWO. Like most institutions of higher education, Baylor is more interested in protecting their brand than their students. Cocaine Bear is 100% based on the daring and exhilarating adventures of Baylor live mascots (Buckshot and Juan) rampaging through Waco!

4. Virginia (25-7). If we wanted to watch the most boring brand of basketball ever, we would have invited the Wisconsin Badgers to this tournament. Virginia will always be the school for students not racist enough to get into Mississippi or Tennessee but too white to go anywhere else (looking at you, Sam Hauser). 

5. San Diego State (27-6). Every year we are forced to read a myriad number of stories detailing how experienced (read: old) this team is, or how “it’s finally the Aztecs’ year!” Until this team employs traditional Aztec warfare strategies – capturing their opponents to sacrifice them in religious rituals -- you can count on them never making the second weekend of the tournament.

6. Creighton (21-12). Stop trying to make Creighton happen. It’s never going to happen. These idiot fans practically rioted when the basketball team hired a black head coach. For the last twenty years they’ve sported a full erection for white three-point shooters who can’t play defense. You might as well root for a team of IT project managers playing basketball while wearing those inflatable dinosaur costumes; they have the exact same chance of making the round of 32 as Creighton.

7. Missouri (24-9). The Tigers have not won a conference championship in 30 years. 96% of their fans pronounce the state name as “misery.” That is the perfect way to describe living in this state. Can you name one relevant historical “moment” about Mizzou basketball? Don’t bother checking the internet; their Wikipedia page is just a list of their records against Big 12 and SEC schools. This school has no redeeming value, every single one of their 24 wins could be defined as “empty,” and I would rather drink battery acid than watch them play.

8. Maryland (21-12). The charter member of the ACC will never be accepted as a member of the Big Ten, but oh wow, look at these bags of money we got from TV networks! Oh, well we guess you can join. Where do I start with these people? 

Kevin Willard ain’t it. This guy bitched nonstop the one year the Big Ten played their conference tournament in NYC. He still looks like a penis in a suit.

The women’s team is tougher than the men’s team six days a week and twice on Sunday. 

People usually riot when they are angry about something; these idiots do so when their teams win key games.

They had a student group called “The Turgeonites” who dressed up as…their head coach? 

This program’s glory days ended before the ink could dry on Gary Williams’ retirement papers. 

9. West Virginia (19-14). It’s hard for me to like anything Buzz Williams has done during his career traveling to various backwoods outposts of college basketball, but this moment of him dancing to “Take Me Home, Country Roads” on the WVU logo after a Marquette win in 2012 was incredible. Fuck Bob Huggins and his stool; get this guy a Lazy Boy recliner already. West Virginia recently gave Huggins’ stool a degree because its IQ is better than 2/3 of the student body.

10. Utah State (26-8). Between 2000-2010, the Aggies amassed the fourth most wins in college basketball behind Duke, Kansas, and Gonzaga, but nobody noticed because…it’s Utah. The campus boasts the oldest continuously operating college of business in the West. They are too busy claiming they invented fry sauce (ketchup + mayonnaise mixed together) and catching powder to pay attention to a bouncing orange ball.

11. NC State (23-10). It’s OK if you’ve forgotten about this school, what with their proximity to Duke and North Carolina – Chapel Hill. The Wolfpack have not won their conference since 1989 and their conference tournament since 1987. In the late 80’s, the program – led by Jim Valvano, now known as “Jimmy V” – was accused of grade fixing, lowered or waived entrance requirements for athletes, frequent drug use by athletes (hey, it was the 80s), and the selling of sneakers and game tickets for spending money. Look, those Cookout burgers and milkshakes weren’t going to buy themselves. Any school that boasts Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson as alumni can be rocketed straight into the Mariana Trench.

12. Charleston (31-3). They’ve had a nice season and are a bit under-seeded here but miss me with this team as a popular upset pick; four appearances in the last quarter century have netted a 1-4 record. Pat Kelsey seems like a genuinely nice guy though. Charleston is the 13th oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and their most famous alumni are “not good enough to be a Wayans brother” Orlando Jones and Erick Avari, a guy you vaguely recognize but HAVE NEVER HEARD HIS NAME UNTIL NOW.

13. Furman (27-7). Yes, this is a real basketball team – with uniforms, too! The always entertaining Eye on College Basketball podcast noted that this school should adopt FurMan – just a hairy beast – as their mascot, and I’ll never not think of that now. Fun fact: the university was closed from 1861-1866 so most students could enlist with Confederate forces during the Civil War. Cannon fodder indeed.

14. UCSB (27-7). What is a Gaucho and why has this university chosen a folk symbol of…Argentina as their mascot? Apparently, a gaucho is a skilled horseman, reputed to be brave and unruly. I usually laugh out loud when I think about horses, solely because of this skit. It was a horse.

15. Princeton (21-8). I fully expected this spot to belong to Yale and had a great writeup by longtime Hater’s Guide contributor CW. Everyone wants to pick these paper tigers because a long, long time ago they managed to upset UCLA in the first round 43-41. While you ponder that blindness-inducing final score, read the writeup on Yale anyway:

Yale. It’s always a question about who is smarter: Harvard or Yale students? Well, this story should answer that question. Harvard Pranks Yale With Hilarious Fake Admissions Tour. Harvard students buy Yale sweatshirts then march onto the Yale campus where they pose as tour guides. It’s not entirely clear how they do this without the notice of the Yale admissions staff (Editor’s note: they are dumb), but in the video, they attack a group of a half dozen prospective students and their parents and proceed to give a spiel that makes Yale sound far inferior. “Yale is in many ways Harvard’s little, perhaps less successful sister,” says one fake tour guide, who goes on to make fun of the excessive amount of Gothic architecture on campus. “Yale students are stupider than Harvard students, Yale students are not as successful as Harvard students, Yale students are not as attractive as Harvard students,” he says, while the touring families look on, weirdly unfazed. Even the potential Yale students are trash.

16. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (23-10) / Southeast Missouri State (19-16). Neither of these teams has a snowball’s chance in Hell of upsetting Alabama, so when picking a rooting interest here, just think about where you would rather live – Corpus Christi, Texas, or Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Missouri just scares me for no other reason than a lot of people got their heads blown off in Ozark. At least in Corpus Christi you have actual beaches on a nice body of water -- the Mississippi River doesn’t count, you savages.

[driftwithme]

I totally agree!

In that sense, this post must be read like a basic reference to be changed and adapted, instead lf a definitive timeline. The only piece completely canon is the 2013 movie, exactly what Beacham stated when asked about the novels and other material. However, the info avaible is limited and highly contradicted, so I guessed many fanfic writers and pacrim fans could benefit from a basic timeline of the jaeger program, even if mistaken in some points. Like a starting point, you get me?

.

This are the answers I offer:

1) In regards of the real number and names of all the jeagers that have ever participated in the jaeger program.

I propose taking the statistics above as the official information released for the public in the years the program was active. The PPDC agreed that it was not wise to make a jaeger public from the start, since something could go wrong in any phase and the jaeger could end up not even getting to the pilots phase or simply never working its way to a real fight

Announcing a jaeger is not a light task. You're playing the hope of the people, the opinion of nations. In the movie, the people started rioting in protest after Mutavore in defense of the jaeger program. That's the influence the program holds. So, I can see why it was a political strategy to make the jaeger program see as successful as possible from the start.

That's why only 24 jaegers in total achieved the public status. Yet, there's an entire secret branch of jaegers that never made it to the public for several reasons, be as:

They halted construction phase to use the parts of that jaeger to fix another big and already known jaeger after a fight.

The already known jaegers are the priority.

In other words, it means that any part from an unknown jaeger that could be used to fix the damage caused to a public jaeger in a kaiju fight was to be used, no exceptions. Those were the champions of the program with an already stablished j-pilot and j-tech crew, a kaiju killing score, famous to the public eye and millions of dollars invested in their existances.

So yeah, they were the priority.

Two jaegers ended up getting mixed into one to save funds and hurry the process.

There's a possibility that there were many jaegers in the making that ended up hurried and mixed together because, well, maybe their traits complemented each other nicely or they had only one j-pilot team avaible or they needed a jaeger asap, so it was cheaper to mix the best of the j-tech crews and build one jaeger, not two. In the papers, it counts as three separate products, the two originals and the result.

The jaeger failed the first drop. It could be a mismatch of pilots, a problem with the jaeger parts or anything, really. If it didn't make it to the fight (and thus the public) in its first drop, the announcing was delayed.

To avoid embarrassing themselves, the program decided that the jaegers were only to be announced after their debut. This rule could have been stablished on the golden era of the program as a PR strategy to keep the public optimistic.

Whatever other reason you can think of.

Provisional names could have been assigned left and right, with the rule of never repeating elements that were already used by one of the public/famous jaegers. Or they could be used as a reference, but must had changed before the debut of the jaeger in question.

Alternatively, Pentecost comment about the "30 jaegers" could be regarding the capacity of the Hong Kong Shatterdome and not the real number of active jaegers there.

It could be that the Hong Kong Shatterdome was created to house every avaible jaeger in the program, active at the moment or not, in case it was needed to get them in one place. It doesn't make sense to me that Hong Kong alone could have 30 active jaegers. The cost would be too high, it meant they had over 60 j-pilots that died or got incapacitated, etc.

Maybe (maybe!) they projected the war to be slow passed and were planning 30 jaegers in the future, like from years to come. Or they were already researching in smaller, lighter, one-pilot jaegers. Who knows. Truth is that is impossible for the Hong Kong Shatterdome to have housed 30 jaegers during the golden era, so this is a rational solution to that.

.

2) In regards of abandoning jaegers given the inability of the rangers to continue piloting.

Talking specifically about the Lucky Seven to Striker Eureka case, it could be that it was cheaper and safer to focus all efforts on the first and only Mark-5 ever than force Chuck and Herc to continue to pilot Lucky Seven. Also, they could have used parts of the old jaeger to fix or even make Striker, or other jaegers. If the old jaeger had any damage and needed money to fix, I don't see why the Australians would have halted the repairs to concentrate on Eureka.

Tacit Ronin could be something like that. In that sense, the pilots not being avaible could be more of an excuse to decomision a jaeger they planned to decomision anyway. Maybe the particular cost of reparing the jaeger was too high and it was more useful as scratch or the jaeger had too many internal issues for it to be worthy of a whole repair.

If we think of the Gipsy Danger restoration program, we could say many fallen jaegers contributed to Gipsy getting in shape again. Oblivion Bay was like a crazy lab for j-techs to mix and play and create new jaegers from already existing parts. Maybr anything older than Mark-3 was to stay decomisioned after some level of damage, maybe everyone was too excited with the Mark-5 pre-Knifehead and then they were too busy repairing the active jaegers to pay attention to the oldies.

You can even take Pentecost's comment of Mako being one of the brightest and apply it to this mess. Maybe hers is the first solution to a restoration program that not only was sucessfull but also had a cost that the UN would agree to cover.

I know this post is freaking long and that this solutions are tentative at best, but well, I had to raise to the challenge.

I hope this proves useful! I love pacrim and the pacrim fandom creations, so I wanted to contribute to the worldbuilding in whatever way I could!

According to the pacrim wiki, Coyote Tango was the first jaeger the program lost. By that time, Pentecost and Tamsin were not piloting anymore. It was June, 2016.

The order of pre-knifehead fallen jaegers is:

- Coyote Tango. Destroyed in combat against Itak. On its second set of pilots. June, 2016.

- Victory Alpha. Destroyed in combat against Raganarok. The pilots survived. July, 2016.

- Tacit Ronin. Abandoned because its pilots died of neural overload. July, 2016.

- Lucky Seven. Abandoned because one of its pilots was decommissioned. 2019.

Following this pic from the wiki:

We know that the first jaeger was launched in 2015 (Brawler Yukon) and the last in 2019 (Striker Eureka).

The golden age of the jeager program was from 2017 to 2019, three years of gaining more than they were losing. The peak was in 2019, with 20 active jaegers. The bottom was in 2025, with no jaegers left.

2024 was the year with more deaths, with 8 j-pilots going KIA. Then 2025, with 7 deaths between the Double Event that killed both Cherno and Crimson, and Operation Pitfall, who claimed Pentecost and Chuck.

Between 2019 and 2023 there were 9 KIAs.

Which means Yancy was the first jaeger pilot to die on combat. It makes sense, given the reaction of Penecost to hearing that they had lost Gipsy's signal (and Yancy was dead).

It marks:

- 2019-20: 1 lost jaeger, 1 pilot KIA.

The list of fallen jaegers Post-Knifehead:

- 2020-21: 2 lost jaeger, 1 pilot KIA.

- 2021-22: 3 lost jaegers, 2 pilots KIA.

- 2022-23: 2 lost jaegers, 3 pilots KIA.

- 2023-24: 8 lost jaegers, 2 pilots KIA.

- 2024-25: 0 lost jaegers, 8 pilots KIA.

- 2025: 4 lost jaegers, 7 pilots KIA.

Let's compare all this info with the following Kaiju War Timeline from the wiki:

A) 2013-2014: The Feral Burst. There were no jaegers yet to defend humanity against the 3 kaijus that invaded the world.

B) 2015-2019: The Long Game, Part I. There were 24 jargers up around this period, with a total of 13 kaijus making contact.

Special mention to the Beckets, who got an impressive mark of 5 kills during those years. It means they helped killed more than a 1/3 of those bastards during the golden era of the jaeger program. For what I see, Raleigh is the only pilot who had ever abandoned the jaeger program because he wanted to, not because he was hurt or kicked out.

C) 2020-2023: The Long Game, Part II. The amount of kaijus who invaded in those three years equals the amount of kaijus who made contact within the first 6 years of the war. It means the precursos sent as many kaijus in half the time. Humanity went into this phase with 19 jaegers. By the end they had 4.

2024 reports 13 kaiju attacks. It makes sense that they lost 8 jaegers and 10 pilots more or less in that year. With 12 jaegers active, it is more than a 1vs1 situation. Something tells me that most of Striker Eureka's kills were during this phase.

Special mention to the Hansen, btw. *During Chuck active years, he participated in almost third of the kaiju killings that happened then. I don't know Lucky Seven's score in this race, but *Herc's win amount to a 1/4 of the whole kaiju fights during his active time.

*The count stops at Mutavore. It does not include the Double Event or Pitfall.

If we include Post-Mutavore but not their participation/assistant at killing Leatherback:

- Chuck: 11 kills, 35 kaiju appereances during his active career (almost a 1/3).

- Herc: 12 kills, 44 kaiju appearances (not counting 2016 and adding at least 2 kills of the Lucky Seven era; around a 1/4).

Yet again, if by statistics alone, Mako is the most winning jaeger pilot of the movie. In her active years there had been 5 kaijus and she has helped kill 4. It's worth mentioning that her debut was on a double event followed by a triple event, with the only Category-5 ever saw. Impressive, to say the least.

On the other hand, Raleigh has helped kill or killed himself almost half of the kaijus that had appear on his active years.

Here: (ratio is 19-20 kaijus, 9 kills).

- 2025: 6 kaijus, 4 kills.

- 2015-2019: 13-14 kaijus, 5 kills.

The Hansens record is impressive just in the sheer size of their killing count, which is still not complete given I don't have the info on Lucky Seven. Meanwhile, Raleigh and Mako are impressive for the efficiency record.

Of the 51 kaijus that invaded the Earth, Gipsy and Striker combine to 20 kills. That means 2/5 of the total.

The last three j-pilots hold the best or most insane records of the program. Herc with the most wins, Mako with the best efficiency and Raleigh fucking Becket who had solo piloted twice and explode a jaeger in another world.

[kimbapisnotsushi]

itachiyama hcs <333

. . . .altho they're really just sakusa, komori, and iizuna headcanons LMAAAO. anyways!! happy birthday komori motoya!! i absolutely adore him and he deserves all the love!! so let's go!!

sakusa accidentally called iizuna 'dad' once and couldn't look him in the eye for two whole weeks after and you bet your ASS iizuna milked it for all it was worth

iizuna: sakusa!! do you see me as a father figure? sakusa: NO I SEE YOU AS A BOTHER FIGURE BECAUSE YOU'RE ALWAYS BOTHERING ME komori: hey! show your father some respect!

komori does NOT help at all btw he's like "oh my god!! does this mean you're my uncle now, iizuna-san?"

it catches on tho bc one day iizuna tells sakusa, no, you can't hitchhike all the way to hyogo just to murder miya atsumu for sending you memes, and sakusa just mutters "i hate this fucking family" and iizuna and komori RIOT

KOMORI REMEMBERS TO TEXT BACK

after the training camp komori and sakusa set up a gc with kageyama because "he's so much like you when you were younger, kiyoomi!! we should look out for him!!" (never mind the "motoya, he's only one year below us what are you talking about")

iizuna is so PROUD when he finds out

komori is the friend who goes "EXCUSE ME, THEY ASKED FOR NO PICKLES"

(yes, he used to do it for sakusa all the time)

sakusa and ushijima DO have each other's numbers and their convos are 75% volleyball 10% venting about their Family Issues™️ and 15% exchanging tips

ushijima: Yes, my father took off and left me and I try not to hold it against him because I recognize that he was struggling here and my mother's family did not treat him as they should have, but the burden fell on me as a child to comfort my mother through the shame of being a divorced single woman while her family still thought I was the devil. By the way, how do you get vinegar out of bedsheets? Tendou tried to pull off a prank and it failed horribly sakusa: damn that's rough. so you want to rinse with cold water-

everyone gets SCARED when sakusa and komori fight bc. they usually don't. but when they're avoiding each other and look on edge and like they're about to break lightning at any second the entire team SCRAMBLES to fix it

komori really really likes exploring the city. he's got an ig account documenting everything he finds: a random stationary shop tucked in a tiny plaza, some bookstore event he stumbled across, a cute cafe hidden in a back alley

(lots of these pics are just candids of sakusa)

suna follows the account and he is NOT slick at all LMFAAO

he sees a new post and drops EVERYTHING to text komori like "oh hey the waffles at that cafe you went to look good, you should take me there next time"

he also. comments like that on all of komori's posts and every single time sakusa wants to reach through the screen and strangle him bc "dear lord can't he flirt in private why must i bear witness to this"

actually. sometimes i think it's really funny that sakusa and komori don't look alike and don't have the same surname because. how the fuck else are you supposed to know they're cousins.

cue suna wanting to strangle sakusa in turn because "who is he why does komori spend so much time with him ugh can he just take a step BACK"

atsumu knows but he doesn't say anything bc he likes watching suna suffer

(they clear it up. in true romance manga fashion, it ends with a confession and a promised date to the waffle cafe)

[hellzballz]

Team Bee and S1 Steeljaw's pack family rolls

Team Bee:

Fixit is the Grandpa who's stories you actually need to text a safeword to get away from.

Bumblebee is the single mom 150% who tries so hard to be the "cool mom" but fails until he means business. He also thinks drinking coffee is a personality trait.

Sideswipe is the rebellious teenage kid who would be either popular or head of the gay kids table. Mom has to pick him up from the police sation on the weekly basis for doing something dumb.

Strongarm is the bossy older sister who looks up to mom and shares everything with him. Also the sister who will tattle on bro whenever he does something against the rules in the slightest. She's on his ass like Airachnid and the moon.

Grimlock is that one, um.. dull, uncle. If you have one you know, if you don't, you might actually have a decent family. Anyway he's pretty much the overly excited uncle that loves things he doesn't even know.

Drift is the grumpy uncle with a criminal record everybody is scared to ask about.

Slipstream is the quiet cousin nobody can really tease becuse he's just there and everybody expects him to snap. Basically like the quiet kid you have or had in your class.

Jetstorm is the extroverted, obnoxious cousin I know everybody has. The one thats always in your business, trying to relate to everybody. He means well tho.

(I'm not saying he's annoying he just tends to speak his mind more in the show when he can't help it)

Optimus is the biological Grandpa with the war stories.

Steeljaw's Pack(S1):

Steeljaw is the single pissed dad who's so fed up with everyone's shit he might actually go mental when the alcohol wears off.

(He and Bee are the divorced parents who would have killed each other if the damn kids didn't get in the way.)

Thunderhoof is the 50 year old uncle who keeps telling dad how to run the nuthouse and both are so tired of the other's shit they might just kill eachother.

Fracture is the aunt who talks shit about everyone and shows up to family events uninvided for gossip and money, but nobody cares because he makes good food.

Divebomb is the emo cousin who's obsessed with cats and drugs (I do not encourage this he just sounds stoned okay)

Airazor is the other cousin who tries really hard to be cool and a bad boy but will cry and out himself if stole money from Fracture. He also still believes in Santa because last time Fracture tried to tell him the truth he bawled for 2 hours straight.

Quillfire is the son who starts riots at school because he doesn't agree with their policies

Springload is the mentally unstable son who always acts drunk but that's just him. You can tell he has issues okay.

Clampdown is the cowardice brother who tries to be "normal" but lives in a crack house so he's whiney, nerdy, and worrysome.

Underbite is the mean just out of jail uncle who can't stop getting into street and bar fights.

[aliceinborderlandsquidgame]

Sangwoo x Reader

You and Sangwoo were like night and day. Way too different, both of you were intelligent but your personalities crashed hard.

While he was cold, you were bright, always with a smile, he was distant, you liked to be close to people. He never showed his true emotions, you were a open book.

Since kids both of you would fight a lot, for the smallest and most insignificant things.

You hated how he alwyas seemed to look for the "strongest" people to make up his team for the games as kids. Gi-hun was the one who kept both of you from getting into physical fights but sometimes both of you would end getting dirty as the others kids would call "fight fight!!"

College was another story. Even if you two matured more, still crashed. Sangwoo learned that you and Him would never pass the friendship stage (even that was strong enough).

Your chats consisted in polites "hey" or asking how a class was going.

"If you keep being this late to class you will fail" Sangwoo gissed as he moved his backpack to the side for you to sit.

"Relax Sangwoo, besides who was the one who got the highest score in the last test?" You said in a playfull tone taking the seat besides him.

"Pure luck"

"Yeah sure" you said with a smile starting to take notes.

"You need to stop smoking"

Maybe knowing each other from a young age and have to face college together helped your relationship to grow a bit.

Sangwoo helped you in a few classes and would save you a seat if you were late (you always were).

You would get him coffee for late nights of study or pass him your notes (he said once that yours were better but he denied that he ever said that).

If what took both of you to grew feelings for each other but never act on it.

You always had someone with you, trying to fill up your heart, but everytime you saw Sangwoo you would feel pain.

Sangwoo was almost the same story. Seeing you (apparently) happy with someone sparked a feeling of jealousy on him. Causing him to look for quick company and avoiding you for a while. But he stopped doing that, he decided not to screw up the friendship you both had over a "small" crush.

When you two graduated it was a bittersweet feeling. You promised him to keep in touch but Sangwoo decided to distance himself, after all you were (by what he heard around) going to marry your current partner. It hurted him a bit, he tought for sure, distance and removing you from his life would make it better.

It did not. You were in his mind from time to time, he was close to contact you but decided against it.

Then the Squid Game happened.

Sangwoo was angry, the first thing he did after see you was scoll you like a child, while you were smiling at him he had not changed at all and that made you happy somehow.

Sangwoo was furious when he discovered that you were there because you ex-husband had used your name on some shady bussiness and now you were in debt.

And with a kid, alone.

If there was one person in this place that could make Sangwoo worried it was you. During riots he was by your side, in games he would keep an eye on you and help you more than the others.

One night you asked to sleep besides him, he did not said yes right away, till he saw your pleading eyes.

He moved aside and you rested besides him. No one said a word till you started to cry in silence.

"Im going to lose my kid, if i dont get that price, social services will take him away from me" you said in tears. Then looked at him, he was looking down at you with an aching heart.

"Sangwoo, i dont know if im going to survive-

"You will" Sangwoo said in a firm voice. But you moved your head from side to side.

"Listen, if i dont make it, please Sangwoo, please take care of him"

Sangwoo felt thousands of emotions going into him, why would you ask him from all people to take care of your son?

"You dont know what you are saying, im not a good person to raise a kid"

At this you smiled, "dont you remember that one time? We went to the park for a break and a lost kid came to you, he was crying. You calmed him and helped him look for his parents. You smiled at him all the way and laughted at his stories about dinosaurs".

Now Sangwoo did remember that, it was a sunny day when one kid came to him. You were by his side, maybe that gave him courage to help the kid, somehow to prove to you how of a good partner he would be.

He also did remember how the mother had said that both of you would be good parents.

"You know, it was that day, i realized...i loved you Sangwoo, and still do".

Sangwoo's eyes opened wide, his hearbeat went up. Did you just said that you loved him?

"(Y/n)...you cant be serious"

"No, im sure. I love you Sangwoo, i wish i told you sooner but, this would have to do"

You smiled again, it was a bit sad but also a bit happy. Sangwoo was blushing hard and thanked that the big room was all dark.

"Fucking hell" he said in a low voice, then he went down and kissed you. It was a soft kiss, totally different from the ones he had gave all his life.

Because if someone deserves this type of kiss from Sangwoo was you.

"Listen, we will make out. I promise you, i dont care what we need to do. You will see your son again and-

"And you will stay with me?"

"Yes, I will stay with you"

Sangwoo knew both of you were different from the time he crossed eyes with you as kids.

But with the pass of time, he realized that he needed you. He needed your bright smile and personality in his life.

So, no matter the cost, or the how, both of you were getting out of here.

Tags: @mochacake2016 @maximumcoffeeme