#heck even being friends to teenage hero’s

[soulrox]

DPxDC #5

Dani while traveling unintentionally becomes children’s imaginary friend. For many children all over the world.

Dani’s only knowledge about adults is that they’re untrustworthy:

- Vlad created her and discarded her

- The Fenton parents are ghost hunters, hunting their own son

- G.I.W

- No adults help Team Phantom

- No other hero’s help Team Phantom

So she instinctively just doesn’t let adults see her.

As she travels she obviously does want to visit other hero’s but wouldn’t trust them. She’d follow them invisibly to learn more about them and fighting styles. Following them home she’d see they have kids.

She would want to interact with the kids and learn more about having a superhero as a parent. Young kids have imaginary friends all the time so parents wouldn’t be too concerned.

She would teach the kids all kinds of things and tell story’s from all around the world. All the adventures she’s been on. Maybe even other languages.

Of course she makes friends with many non hero kids, some even villains kids. Villains kids would get a completely different perspective of the world thanks to Dani.

Down the line eventually it would come out that several different kids have seemingly the same imaginary friend. Parents like to share story about their kids. Like oh my child has this imaginary friend a little girl that can fly and phase through walls and stuff haha they are so silly missing so many hero’s powers together.

Or the parents are having a meet up and bring their kids and the kids can all see Dani. Which isn’t normal for others to see your personal imaginary friend. Kids are gremlins when they learn the truth they have fun with it messing with their parents.

[zahri-melitor]

In terms of trying to transplant how Dick’s generation grew up to independent adult heroes onto Tim’s generation, one of the significant issues is that the two groups have very different backstories.

The Fab Five and their generation were largely cared for children with present guardians during their teen years. Their ‘growing up’ rebellion moments were about wanting to establish their own identities separate to their parent/guardian. Then once NTT occurred and new young adult characters were added to it, you had a bunch who were escaping overbearing guardians with expectations the young adult didn’t want to fulfil, and leaving trauma behind.

The Core Four and other 90s heroes, in contrast, were mostly latchkey kids. They had loving but absent parents and parental figures. They were largely expected to grow up and show they were independent in their early teens. The arcs of their stories were not about growing up and finding themselves and ‘be your own person’, but about learning to trust others and interdependency and working together.

Like the shape of a Fab Five story is ‘in my preteens or earlier a Disaster Happened and I was taken in by a hero who cared for me and taught me the business as their sidekick. Then around 18-20 I moved out to live in a sharehouse with my friends as I wanted to find who I was outside of the shadow of being a sidekick’.

While…Tim’s generation largely aren’t sidekicks in the same sense. The shape of THEIR stories are of ‘teenager with largely absent adults is expected to grow up and show emotional maturity too early’. It’s actually notable that Tim, Kon and Bart all have long term story arcs that involve gaining a stable household right near the end.

Kon’s entire solo is the story of how he is neglected and exploited by every adult around him. He doesn’t have parents. He’s Peter Pan, the little boy who cannot grow up, who lives without parental expectation. He’s a celebrity kid exploited by Rex Leech and by CADMUS, who’s expected by those around him to act in an adult manner and held to that standard while simultaneously specifically being underage and not having the right to make his own decisions. His final arc in Superboy is about being so abandoned he doesn’t even have CADMUS to depend on anymore so he has to find an apartment and a job (the building superintendent) and is expected to act and function like an adult in that position. Superboy #59 (FIFTY NINE) is when Kon finally gets his own name. Superboy #100 is ABOUT Kon moving in with Jonathan and Martha Kent and finally having a stable home environment where he can be a child. Heck Kon’s already had a story where he’s ‘married’ and responsible for a kid. He’s had solo space adventures.

Bart’s solo is about Bart and Max learning to be a family together, but also: Bart’s childhood didn’t contain parents. Meloni turns up occasionally through his solo and loves him but also has to disappear away back to the 30th century at the end of each appearance. The final arc of Bart’s solo is about him moving in with Jay and Joan Garrick for more stability, because Max has disappeared (and stays disappeared). And then, post his solo, Bart even already has HAD an arc where he had to grow up and assume the Flash mantle (which went horribly wrong and led to his death).

Tim? Tim’s entire solo is about upheaval and change. The first time he’s expected to behave as an independent hero, not a sidekick, is literally Robin #1 when Azbats kicks him out of the Cave. Jack threatens to send him away to boarding school on multiple occasions and DOES for the Brentwood arc. He loses Jack, he loses Dana, he moves out to be a hero caring for his own city at 16, in Bludhaven post War Games. Bruce’s adoption of Tim was all about giving him back that sense of stability and support so that Tim had people backing him up again in his personal life and not only as a hero. And then he does the ‘leave and get a new identity’ thing during Red Robin.

And Cassie? Cassie starts with a loving mother and her story arc over becoming a hero is about periods of operating on her own. She moves away from her mum to go to Elias School. Due to operating as a hero under her own name she eventually has to come up with the alias of Drusilla Priam to give herself a non-public identity to retreat to (and isn’t living with Helena Sandsmark but renting on her own during this period to protect Helena).

This is a set of characters for whom it makes no narrative sense to tell a story of them growing up by ‘moving out and finding their own identity as separate heroes’ because their entire PAST is about being alone and looking for connections and people to rely upon. They haven’t been looking for their mentors to accept them as independent adults, they’ve been looking to their mentors to be present and work with them.

They have already all BEEN through the steps of moving out (while underage) and learning to look after themselves as nobody else was there to support them. Growing up for them is about learning to trust and be respected for the skills they already have and trusted to know what they’re doing, rather than leaving to show they can operate independently.

And that’s a harder narrative to show, because it’s a less common growth story in our culture. But in the Core Four’s case, I’d argue a lot of the traditional signifiers of adulthood (moving out; moving away for education; taking responsibility for a city on their own; travelling for quests) are things they were already expected to do while still significantly underage, and so sending them through that plot again isn’t showing anything new to allow them growth. What they need is the adults around them to treat them as adults for the things they already can and do do.

[puppetwoman17]

@ace-is-undead It’s nice to meet a new fan! I hope you make lots of friendships on here❤️

For anyone who’s curious, this person asked me:

as someone taking interest in Captain Marvel because of the movies (never heard of him before :/), I'd love to know why you think the movies ruined Billy's image! Bear in mind, I recently started reading some comics about Shazam

I knew I’d be making a hella long comment, so I thought, hell, let’s make a post!

Now, as a preface, I worded what I said a little too strong. The 2019 movie isn’t the worst piece of Shazam/CM media ever. There are definitely parts of it that I liked. The humor was 10/10 for me, and I did like the costumes. There are things about the story I don’t like, but for the purpose of all of us not sitting here for the next two hours, I will stick with just Billy’s personality.

This post will probably have stated everything more eloquently than me lol:

Many Golden Age heroes were created/used to combat war trauma. To the kids who read those comics, it made them feel safe. To read about these people with fantastical abilities, who regularly fought Nazis, supervillains, and entire armies.

Captain Marvel was a little different, though. It wasn’t an adult who was doing the protecting. Or, it wasn’t JUST an adult. It was also Billy Batson. A kid, like all of the other kids reading these comics. And it was different from kid heroes like Robin because he was the hero. The main hero.

Before the New52 reboot, basically from the 40s-2000s, but I could be wrong, Billy was a homeless kid. His uncle Ebenezer threw him out after his parents died and stole his inheritance. He got a job at Whiz Radio and became a reporter, giving him enough money to get his own apartment.

In one continuity, his friend Dudley becomes his guardian. In the most famous interpretation, the Power of Shazam series from the 90s, he is, after some time, adopted by his twin sister Mary’s adoptive family the Bromfields, and Nora Bromfield happens to be their mother’s cousin.

The important thing to grasp from this is that Billy was independent. Responsible. And when he got his powers, he was also responsible with them. He has a few fumbles, but he was always able to keep them and do good with them.

His Captain Marvel persona was also like that. He led the Squadron of Justice, a team of Fawcett heroes. There are also instances of heroes like Batman and Superman praising him as a trustworthy hero, even knowing about his identity.

It’s also important to note that, while in some times the Captain character is childish, he is never stupid. He makes mistakes, is a little goofy, but he never does anything outright cringe worthy.

A prime example of a good interpretation is the JLU episode Clash. The whole JL really likes him. For some reason my tumblr is acting up today so I can’t put any videos without it not allowing me to type afterwords. But the series is on Netflix. Like holy heck, Bruce says they all like him because he’s sunny. Bruce!

There’s also comic examples, like Action comics #768, which is in the POV of Superman. I’m just gonna put everything Clark thinks as text.

“And then it happens.”

“Armed with the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Atlas, and the focus of Achilles, a teenage boy in the body of a man defends human kind to a frog goddess.”

“I can’t imagine anything more ludicrous. I can’t imagine anything more moving.”

“With unmatched eloquence, he explains humanity’s needs, our weaknesses, and our relationships with nature to a being as old as time.”

“She retorts. It’s not the act itself that enrages her, but the fact that her people are taken for granted.”

“Bred, butchered, wasted. Without appreciation for the contribution to the lifecycle.”

“He emphasizes. It is a horrible thing to be underestimated, unappreciated, forgotten.”

“His sincerity is a living thing. They speak for an eternity until Heqt has been heard and appeased.”

“Then, the war is over. Diplomacy and reason succeeds, where force…where I… simply would have failed.”

This is another example:

I mean the whole Captain Marvel-focused panel is Clark and Bruce arguing with Diana that Cap will be a great asset to the League, and how Bruce wants him on because he’s just GOOD. They all knew he was a kid, and they didn’t care because they trusted him that much!

Many 80s and 90s comic showed Cap as this beacon of hope, very akin to his Fawcett era, which is why so many of us liked it. He was still goofy at times, but it never overshadowed how much of a hero he was. Hell, the Fawcett heroes never gave a damn about him being a kid. All they saw was a person doing good, and they automatically began working with him.

He would get into friendly tussles with Superman, and him and Diana hugged one time, and she confided in him about how she might die. I can’t find the issue, but it’s drawn by Alex Ross, so that may narrow it for you.

Cap was genuinely respected. There are even some comics where Billy’s is interacting with the League as himself and they treat him like any other friend!

And Billy was chosen not because he was a last resort, but because the Wizard saw so much good and purity in him. He still made mistakes, but he was never not worthy.

Compare that with, not just the Shazam movies, but the DCAMU movies(JL War & Throne of Atlantis), and you get a whole other monster. I mean, he is just dumb, awful. He’s good when he’s Billy, a little snarky while also being a good person and comforting Cyborg(before taking his jersey, lol). But when he’s Shazam(his name in the DCAMU) every single thing that came out of his mouth was just… not it. If gets even worse in Throne of Atlantis. Literally almost everyone on the team hates him. The only reason Cyborg doesn’t is because he knows his identity.

In the 2019 Shazam movies, hes very similar. They made him a lot more jaded, which just ruined his character for me because Billy is the type of person who would rather die than talk down to other kids going through what he did. I’m cool with the rebelliousness, it’s just that that I’m worried about. It’s even worse in the 2013 shazam comic series because he’s actually way meaner there. Like jeez, why do you want me to hate this boy so much DC??

And as his Shazam self, he’s like ten times more goofy and irresponsible, which is such a backwards take it’s insane.

The character of Captain Marvel was beloved by so many children because it showed that they could be just like those other heroes. They could fight the monsters and get the job done, and no one would look down on them. They would be taken seriously. Seeing this kid bond with and interact with and be trusted by these seasoned adult heroes was EVERYTHING.

I may not have a grown up in the 40s/50s, but I did get introduced to him in JLU, and then Young Justice, and then obscure media, and then comics. And through that journey, the take I loved infinitely more was of Captain Marvel being this guy who made mistakes, but always tried to do the right thing.

Making him out to be this…immature dude who never knew what he was doing just stomped on all of us. It also really irks me because that is how some people will be introduced to him. As opposed to who he really is. And they won’t be interested because the face value is all they’ll see.

Heck, some people think he’s one of the weakest DC characters when he ranks in the top ten. He’s the Champion of Magic and guardian of the Rock of Eternity for Pete’s sake! He’s fought and almost won against the Specter himself! (Day of Vengeance comic series, it’s so good!)

It’s unclear why his character has been so diminished. Some people, including me, think DC is trying to lower his…everything in general so he can never measure up to the Man of Steel, which is so petty it’s ridiculous.

Hopefully he’ll get something in James Gunn’s new DCU, a movie or a show. Because I feel like there’s a chance to reintroduce the true Captain/Shazam to people.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my petty-fueled rant😅. Sorry for the angry spews. Anyway, there are some good reading lists for Shazam/Cap on tumblr. I really advise you to check those out. Though there are also a few articles on google listing all of his appearances, so if you wanna get detailed then those are where you should go.

We also have a Captain Marvel fan club! Go over to @im-not-buying-it-ether and ask for an invite for more content.

I hope you have a fulfilling journey!

[bibibbon]

Hi again! So when it comes to friendships in MHA, I tend to notice that most of Class 1-A antics usually centre around mineta and bakugo's behaviour to the class, (Violence and Seggsual Harassment) like they just react to it, but never bother correcting them (Mineta being an exception, but not enough to completely change him).

Like the whole class as whole feels... Empty and stale when it comes to forming new friendships, since they're already established ones, but we never get to see them hanging out with the others. And some of them have potentials like Momo and Deku due to their self esteem issues or Ojiro and Uraraka training together to perfect each other's martial arts.

There's a scene where Momo agrees to tutor the other failing students thats cute as heck and it showcases Momo's willingness to help them improve to become better heroes, and I want more of that.

But with the series ending, I don't think this is even possible to have more that, and it almost comes off as fake to the audience that these are found family, where in reality we barely see them acting as friends. (Teasing has a limit, and making fun of Kaminari's dumb moments when he overcharges his Quirk doesn't count.)

What do you think? Again I don't watch the series full episodes, but I get these impressions from watching cut out moments.

Welcome back anon! Iam guessing that you're the anon who asked for writing advice and honestly Iam hoping that you found the post and the reblogs with advice useful as well. Good luck on your first project and make sure to have fun and take your time with it!

Now getting on to the ask you're somewhat right. Class 1A doesn't have a strong found family dynamic at all and I chalk this up to two main reasons.

The lack of "filler" academic arcs meaning that we don't get a proper focus on what they do as regular teenagers.

There are too many people within class 1A. 20 characters are a lot of characters to develop and make sure that they're all unique with different dynamics.

Due to these two reasons hori's attempts at making 1A seem like a big found family that would do anything for eachother fails and it's also why the the whole "we are all the greatest hero" thing fails and why the vigilante izuku arc feels so underwhelming.

When it comes to class 1A's dynamic they somehow always try to incorporate bakugo into whatever they're doing and sometimes even make him the center of attention which personally seems very weird to me since if someone is being aggressive and doesn't want to join I (and most people) would probably leave them out and let them be by themselves.

Mineta on the other hand is someone that's behaviour (like bk) continually goes unchecked by both students and teachers until mina tortures him into stopping. I get that this is supposed to be a gag scene but it honestly irks me out and shows 1) how neglectful aizawa is as a teacher to see this and only momentarily stop mineta while not putting a permeant stop to it and 2) how dense and persistent mineta is. Throughout certain arcs like the campfire arc mineta is literally tied up when the boys are sleeping so he doesn't do anything to the girls or we literally have a panel of mina staying close by to shoji's side to avoid mineta and his creepy behaviour.

This brings up the question of why does no one complain? It's at this point become a problem for both the boys and girls who have to deal with mineta. The boys are continually on his side, basically man handling him to stop him from doing stupid disgusting stuff to the girls and the girls are in constant fear/irritation around mineta. Do they not trust UA? Do they not trust aizawa or any teacher to properly deal with the issue?

We have established friendships in 1A but the lack of content of them hanging out and enjoying eachother company. Now you can find this in side mangas or light novels but not many read that and it's better to have it in main manga in the first place. Usually the opening or endings of MHA show us some scenes of the kids hanging out together but it's not much at all.

I remember reading a post that horikoshi wanted to include a karaoke scene with 1A after they finished their final exam but that sadly didn't make it into the final cut and Iam so disappointed because things like that could of helped us see the cute class bond they had and the found family thing that horikoshi tries to use later on.

Honestly momo and izuku interacting and becoming besties is a need and I know that @sapphic-agent has tried to prioritise that in her rewrite which is why in the battle trials it's Izuku and momo together instead of izuku and ochako.

The kaminari teasing is something that's a bit meh to me. I wish we could maybe see a duality in it that yes his friends would tease him but they would also worry and care for him. We could of seen this with ojirou who lets denki play with his tail whenever but that's only small little moments.

Horikoshi please make class 1A interact more in the main manga although it's now too late to ask for such things 😭

[evenmorefatallyobsessed]

Okay also here's my head canon for Jaune pre Beacon.

Basically I think the reason his dad never trained him was for a very simple reason... The fact that he had nine kids to support.

Before when he had 3 or so while they were still a lot I can see him having made the offer to train Saphron and the older sisters.

But by Jaune's time to start he simply had too much on hand trying to support them all to do so. Unfortunately by that time Jaune had been raised on stories of his family, on heroes who took Crocea Mors into battle and dreamed to live up to their legacy.

He simply didn't have time between his work and hustle to keep his houses mouths fed to train our boy and couldn't afford to pay for him to get training either.

Which leads to a another big problem to never unlocking Jaune's aura or teaching him about it. As aura without training tends to just make to stand out to the Grimm like bait.

After all he couldn't have known Jaune would have so much aura and because he could never train Jaune he didn't know about his son's natural talent and leadership (Dude lead JNPR to beat a Deathstalker 5 minutes after meeting them and beat a Ursa Major that made 3/4ths of CRDL run with no training and only a slight assist from Pyrrha. Honestly he could've probably tanked that swipe with his aura so really she just helped him end it sooner)

As for Jaune's interactions and awkwardness I think that steams from his sister's.

As many theorize Jaune probably comes from a smaller village (Otherwise he'd have been more exposed to hunters and known about aura) now in a small community that means less teenagers like himself...

So what happenss when you have eight beautiful sisters of varying ages. Well naturally most of his fellow teens likes or want to know at least one or two of them.

So with this I can see most people using Jaune to get to one of his sisters. And Jaune is fairly clever he'd catch on to that quick.

Add unto that that at least a few of his sisters might be protective or judgmental of who he should know and I can see him not being able to connect with people because of that and hence also aiding in him so passionately grasping unto the stories of his families legacy and making him further idolizing the idea of striking out on his own.

And because of this it explains why he so values his friends at Beacon as they are people who want to know him for well... Being him.

Heck even Weiss could simply be that he views her rejections better the when people wanted to get close to him simply for his sisters and so the heiress rejecting him appeals to him because she is still acknowledging him in a way.

Again these are just my thoughts

[quitealotofsodapop]

The wukongs having mac as there mate/friend is definetly a canon event

Also what would nezha react to his own counterparts? Would he even meet them?

haha Canon Event goth mate/bestie XD

Nezha already has anough headaches dealing with multiple Sun Wukongs, now there's more of himself??

Nezha at the very least gets along well with his younger and girl counterparts from the different cartoon series. He's a little confused why the 2000s cartoon!Nezha/Nata is female, but he's not looking into it. They all bond over their respective Monkey King stories and fear of disappointing their bio dad. LMK!Nezha quickly finds himself being the babysitter to a lot of them.

But the gremlin from the Ne Zha (2019) film? LMK!Nezha is close to pulling his hair out. 2019!Nezha is like Red Boy 2.0 without Red's quiet moments; demonic, moody, on fire, and will def kick his older self in the groin when annoyed. Eventually LMK and 2019 Nezhas end up bonding after a rough fight over their respective feelings of being treated as weapons rather than kids. 2019!Nezha begrudingly admits that LMK!Nezha is kinda cool, for a celestial that is. LMK!Nezha later has a mental blue screen when he learns that 2019!Nezha and Ao Bing are both only three years old??? Is the dragon using a gotdang glamour?

Also apparently a version of Nezha appears in the Hero is Back video game. They sassy af towards Sun Wukong for kicking their butt at Flower Fruit Mountain, and has been trying for a rematch since - but HeroIsBack!SWK thinks Nezha's just a kid playing a game.

Heck might be the same gremlin Nezha we know from the 2019 film with a glamour on. Not sure about the canon of this one since 2019!Nezha and HeroIsBack!SWK have interacted in crossover adverts before.

HeroIsBack!SWK/"Dasheng", looking at 2019!Nezha: "Hey squirt, when did you get shrunk?" 2019!Nezha: >:( *starts biting*

Yunxiang is a different ballpark of emotions all together; cus he's already got beef with his previous incarnation for killing Ao Bing and making sh*t harder for him, and now all these versions of his past life are just hanging around? And most of them are kids??? And why is there so many monkeys!? He needs to lie down for a moment or he's gonna have to fight someone.

So yeah, the multi-dimensional Nezha gang aren't having a lot of fun, but luckily LMK!Nezha is a responsible teenager (?) who's used to handling toddlers on fire.

[animeredhead101]

Minor Ships DP x DC Crossover

Duke Thomas / Danny Fenton

You Are a Monster (But So Am I) by TheWrittingOwl :

Gotham was not known for its snowy weather. Sure, they'd get decent snowfall in time for Christmas, and they often fell victim to the east coast blizzards, but never had they had snow earlier than Thanksgiving. Of course, it's while Duke is doing his Halloween patrol that a freak blizzard hits Gotham. As he waits for someone to relieve him for the night patrol, he comes across something... strange in the snow. The weather may be strange, but it is still Halloween. AKA 5 Times Duke denies he's a monster fucker and 1 Time he kisses the monster Word Count: 16,046 Completed

Cassandra Cain / Danny Fenton

lex luthor's ascent from supervillainy to fatherhood by halfgone(milkywxy) :

Based on this Tumblr prompt.

Lex Luthor has recently acquired a son. Weapon? Parole officer? ...Lex now has a teenaged god and he'll be damned if someone tries to take the kid away from him.

Word Count: 519,936 On-going

I wasn't expecting this fic but I love it! I usually hate Lex Luthor but I love how the author developed his character with Danny. One of my new favorites for sure!

Kon-El | Conner Kent / Danny Fenton

play it cool for you by aschriles :

Just because Tim had gone and got himself a boyfriend didn't mean Kon had to go and get himself a... whatever the heck he and Danny had going on. Fuck buddies. They were fuck buddies. Word Count: 18,409 Completed

Eat the Acid by DisillusionedDanny :

When Elle decided to introduce Danny to her new clone friend Conner, she was expecting a new brother. Not a new brother-in-law. Tie that in with some clone chaos, best friends Vlad and Lex, and a baby, and Conner and Danny are in for a ride of a lifetime. It could have only been fate that caused them to meet when they did.

Word Count:24,788 Completed

Seeing Double by Scififan33 :

What do you do when you find out you aren't who you always thought? Jazz knew it was the chance to get Danny away from their Phantom obsessed parents and Danny was just in shock. Hopefully, he'd be allowed to explain but why would he want Danny around? Word Count: 20,098 On-going What do you do when you find out you aren't who you always thought? Jazz knew it was the chance to get Danny away from their Phantom obsessed parents and Danny was just in shock. Hopefully, he'd be allowed to explain but why would he want Danny around? Word Count: 20,098 On-going

Thomas Wayne / Danny Fenton

Mourning a Young Soul Leads to Shared Custody by Olive_of_Vanders :

Danny was given a choice.

Become King or parent a ghost kid. Ghost kid sounded a lot more easier to him.

Word Count: 41,929 Completed

John Constantine / Danny Fenton

Completed

And My Exes, They Haunt Me by JoyLess_NightSky :

"Look, mate-" "Don't call me mate. That's weird." "Right. Your highness-" "That's even weirder. But, fine. Go on?" John sighed, obviously done with the interruptions. "This isn't just about us, luv. Alright? I get why you're angry, but me mates need ya. Heck, the whole bloody damn world needs ya! The twat that came through is very much about to do the whole bloody world domination schtick ya kept Pariah from doin'. That ain't something you're alright with, is it now?" The summoned man gave Constantine an unimpressed look. "If it's you asking? I might make an exception." OR: The Justice League is in over their heads with the new enemy. They need help, and Constantine may know a guy. But the guy… doesn't really like Constantine a lot right now. Word Count: 2,914

On-going

Lair of the Mysterious Reaper by Joshua2000 :

Danny's lair is the House of Mystery. When he enters it for the first time, he finds John Constantine and Zatanna Zatara occupying it. Between being the ghost king, the reaper of the souls of heroes and keeper of the balance Danny really needs a break. Based on a series of prompts by Sleepy (LonelyLittleWhiteRabbit) Original prompt here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/45336712/chapters/114063079#workskin

Word Count: 6,815

Like and Survive- Phantom’s Guide to Young Hero Survival by robinasnyder :

When the world becomes aware of teenaged superheroes there is an immediate and fierce wave of backlash and controversy. That's where Phantom comes in. Phantom saved the world from a meteor fifteen years back; an impressive feat back in the day but now that meteors threatening all life on earth is such a common event that hardly anyone thinks about it. Phantom is considered an old timer who deals with a small city and nowhere else. When he begins uploading videos with advice for young heroes, he hopes a few new heroes might avoid some of the pain he went through. He's shocked at just how popular his advice suddenly becomes. Word Count: 306,940

[itsnothingofinterest]

Been meaning to discuss this for a while; time to talk about how Toga’s still afraid of heroes and thinks they���d kill her even after her battle/girl talk with Uraraka, and ramble about all the ways I think that’s still a problem & why Uraraka will still need to address that in the future if she ever wants to actually save Toga. (Which I think it’s safe to say she hasn’t done yet, what with Toga dying ‘n all.)

Because yeah, for as much as Uraraka’s done for her in these last few chapters, Toga’s opinions of heroes as a whole is still less than nuclear waste. She still thinks the other heroes will kill her or lock her up for life. Y’know, half her character motive. And with how loosey goosey the heroes have been playing with their morals since Jin’s death, we don’t have much reason to think she’s wrong. Heck for as much as she thinks she’s different, Toga still thinks Uraraka was gonna lock her up and just give her blood in jail and we never really got a reason to think she’s wrong about that either, besides just assuming Uraraka wouldn’t do that anyway.

“Eliminating the freaks from the world” that’s what Toga thinks a ‘plain ol hero’ would do at this moment. (Or “Kill the deviant” if you prefer the slightly more upfront fan translations.)

And Toga cites this frightened opinion of heroes is a contributing factor to trying to off herself, in addition to wanting to save Ochako. It makes sense after all, if her only fates are death or life in Tartarus 2.0 then even if she’s given up fighting for her life and is ready to die; why flip that coin? And while I don’t want to take away from Toga’s love motivating her sacrifice to save Uraraka; this fear gets no such pass for motivating Toga to remove all of her blood. Even if I don’t expect the death to stick; if this issue nearly robs Uraraka of saving Toga, then someone should probably address it in the text at some point.

On that note, is this not proof that Toga hasn’t been saved if the heroes she’s been afraid of since middle school are still executioners to fear in her eyes? And the way that like 99.9% of the heroes over at UA were trying to kill Tomura just proves her right. So I think this one’s a systemic issue where the heroes need to change, instead of an internal issue Toga needs to get talked through. Because look, I know some readers I don’t much respect will say Toga deserves whatever’s coming to her; but if a teenage girl is killing herself so heroes can’t catch her, there’s an extent to which we’ve got to acknowledged those heroes having an image problem.

Man, stuff like this is why I keep hoping for a My Hero part 2. You obviously can’t resolve this kind of story line with Toga dead and being right to kill herself because that’s a messed up note to end on; but I’m sorry, you also can’t have her wake up in a villain hospital to see some hero tell her “What, of course you’re alive, why would you think we would kill you? By the way we still think we were right to kill your friend, we’re not sorry about it, and we’ll do it again the next time we face a threat with a quirk we deem too strong”. There’s no quick and easy resolution to half of Toga’s entire character motive, even less than there is for Dabi’s suicidal ideation; but that’s just where we’re left with this plot thread as it stands.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also if I may go on a tangent unrelated to Toga just to get some more stuff off my chest:

Man remember when it was publicly unthinkable for heroes to kill people, to the point that the closest Ending could find to such a hero was the guy who killed a Nomu zombie? I mean I know the HC had heroes assassinate people but at least that was discrete because it was expected heroes shouldn’t kill and was probably even illigal. It didn’t have public/hero support that gave the impression heroes killing people will become more common. How come every aspect of hero society looks like it’ll stagnate or get worse with this arc? I mean we’ve got the corruption, the heteromorphobia, the war crimes, the treatment of those labelled villains, all on top of this murder stuff. Is this not all embarrassing for the heroes who’re supposed to be symbols of hope and goodness? What is going on with these hero society plot points these past few arcs?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[fairytale-poll]

ROUND 2! MATCH 6 OUT OF 8

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Ylfa:

She just went through so much and so much growth and i love her very much.

She becomes a big bad wolf

She met Death and Death wanted her to live.

Great depiction of a teenager by Emily Axford. A lot of scenes get really emotional with her being a symbol of the cycle of life and death and eventually she will always become the Big Bad Wolf.

she faced off with Death and he told her to live. this Death, who was much older than the Death she was supposed to meet, stared off with Yilfa for days until she succumbed to hunger and ate him alive. other iterations of death apologized to her for the story she was forced to suffer through, for the punishment she had to endure over an unrealistic and unabidable rule she was destined to break. her corrupted story turned her into the big bad wolf, into death itself. she sacrificed the beloved memory of her grandma, her namesake, so that her friends would be able to save their world. even though she gained it back in the end, she was willing to live the rest of her life as the wolf, a harbinger of death, and when she was reminded that she was just a child, that it wasn’t her responsibility to guide the dead, she cried, and separated from the wolf. she was able to grow up normal and happy after suffering from the looming presence of death. i’m gonna make me friend also submit yilfa bc they’re smarter than me and can make better propaganda

my mutual really likes her

Her narrative arc about growing up and life and death is so beautiful and her being a werewolf is so cool. Emily Axford gets girlhood like nobody else.

she is the bravest little girl in the world she met death and death wanted her to live she split his skull and ate the innards of death himself she is just a little girl!!!!!!!

PRIMO Red Riding Hood adaptation. Ate the wolf who ate her gramma. Is a werewolf and a metaphor for puberty. Loves her friends. Can break her bones to reshape her body into various animal forms.

Not only did she have to lose her grandmother, but she also nearly dies of starvation and exhaustion until The Big Bad Wolf, aka Death, convinced her to live, by her killing him and eating his flesh, therefore making her Death

Ylfa has a snazzy orange top hat given to her by a very attractive fairy. Three Blind Mice is her favorite story. She brought her grandma lollipopcorn and threw the broth in the river halfway there. She first developed a crush on Pinocchio when she saw him use his nose as a stripper pole and didn't kiss him until they were twenty-one and having an awkward conversation about her grandma's death and Toy Island. She fought a baron with a spoon. She wants a bra. She jumped into The Terrible Dogfish’s stomach to save her friend. She has pinkeye and grandma hobbies. She fought off a shit ton of homicidal tables at once. She is pals with Little Miss Muffet. She killed her family. She sacrificed the memory of her grandmother to become Death. She was basically adopted by Mother Goose (who is a cool old gay dude). She Wildshapes by horribly contorting her body into animalistic forms. She is a Barbarian who acts as a support character. She is the bravest little girl in the whole world.

Behold, 3 minutes of the weirdest and best little girl! [Link]

Her weirdgirl swag is off the charts :) [Link]

Ylfa Propaganda: [Link]

Ruby:

She has a scythe that is also a high-impact sniper rifle.

She is literally just based on Red Riding Hood and she's such an amazing character holy heck

Red Riding Hood but with a gun. (Specifically a combination scythe/high-impact sniper rifle called Crescent Rose). Also she's gone through so much she deserves it. She's trying to save the world and keep going despite all the people she's lost. Grew up dreaming of being a hero who fights monsters. She knows life isn't a fairy tale and wants to make it better. Just went through a mental health arc where she had depression from trying to live up to her (presumed dead) mom and from her friend dying for the second time. Killed the Big Bad Wolf with her magic eye powers. Her sister is Goldilocks and her friends are Beauty and Snow White. also I love her <3

She’s the little red riding hood but also a powerful fighter with a massive fucking scythe that is also a sniper rifle and she’s so skrunkly and so gender. Also RWBY’s whole thing (well one of them) is that their characters are all inspired by pre-existing ones from older stories and Ruby’s the main character so like, poster child of ‘character based off [insert relevant fairytale here]’ so I think she deserves to at least get pretty far

Aesthetics, themes, meta, personality and raw coolness.

She is the main character of her show. The most common monster they fight is a type of wolf (its been a while since ive seen it). Her job is to hunt them down before they can eat her. this story is very much about failed fairy tales, many of the side character's inspired arcs end in failure, but (having not seen the most recent bits) Ruby is still going strong, and i really like her cape, rose petals, and use of a scythe.

She is THE RRH character of all time. She has a scythe that's also a gun and she has to be the hero because she's got super rare main character powers. She is my happy girl. Also her mom was Sleeping Beauty and her sister is Goldilocks, and she fights to stop Rapunzel from destroying everything on the world, the gods, and then herself.

Ruby as a character is literally based on little red riding hood! She has a red cape with a hood

the Red trailer is better propaganda than I could ever write

She is a badass with a scythe, inspired by her uncle and fueled by her mother's death and her sense of righteousness

She has a giant scythe

[koalas-koalas-everywhere]

Do you wanna hear what I think is my most unpopular PJO opinion? (don't get me wrong, I have some that would get me on lists, but this one is likely the one that would get the least traction):

Generally, demigods like quests.

(Insert booing noises here.)

Let me make my arguments:

We've all taken Annabeth's statement that campers train for the opportunity to fight monsters like the Minotaur to be a sign of how naive and headstrong she is. And... it is, but where did we get the impression that she was also the only one who thought like that?

Luke

Ironically enough, Luke's the biggest proof there is for my theory. Let's see how Luke talks about his quest.

Let’s just say I messed things up for everybody else. The last two years, ever since my trip to the Garden of the Hesperides went sour, Chiron hasn’t allowed any more quests.

Two things jump out here. While it's possible that "Chiron hasn't allowed any more quests" refers to putting his foot down and not allowing the gods to demand any, given Annabeth's attitude (and the likelihood of that holding much water with the gods), it's even more likely that it's the campers who aren't allowed to go. Luke certainly believes that he ruined things for the others by causing the ban.

Then, at the forest with Percy:

I trained, and trained, and trained. I never got to be a normal teenager, out there in the real world. Then they threw me one quest, and when I came back, it was like, ‘Okay, ride’s over. Have a nice life.’ “The heck with laurel wreaths,” Luke said. “I’m not going to end up like those dusty trophies in the Big House attic.”

Let me remind you that Luke is 19 here. There's no way Chiron and Mr. D could be holding him against his will at Camp the way they were, for example, with Annabeth and Percy at the beginning of the book. Annabeth also says that other counselors were in college, lending credence to the fact that, especially when they were older, they were free to come and go.

This is not Luke saying that he doesn't want to be stuck at camp. He's saying he doesn't want to end up on the shelf.

“You’re wrong. [Kronos] showed me that my talents are being wasted. You know what my quest was two years ago, Percy? My father, Hermes, wanted me to steal a golden apple from the Garden of the Hesperides and return it to Olympus. After all the training I’d done, that was the best he could think up.”

“Where’s the glory in repeating what others have done? All the gods know how to do is replay their past. My heart wasn’t in it. The dragon in the garden gave me this”—he pointed angrily at his scar—“and when I came back, all I got was pity.

His complaint with the quest? It was not "my dad used me as a tool" or "he put me in danger" — it was "the one he chose showed that I'm an afterthought to him". It was "he gave me no glory or recognition".

Also, "After all the training I’d done, that was the best he could think up"? Sounds a lot like quests weren't so much errand runs as rewards or shows of recognition by the gods.

But that's not the only interesting thing to happen in that conversation!

Percy

After a while Luke said, “You miss being on a quest?” “With monsters attacking me every three feet? Are you kidding?” Luke raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, I miss it,” I admitted. “You?”

Mister "I never wanted to be a half-blood" himself! (Almost as if characters are meant to change throughout a story... huh.) And let's remember this is Luke he's talking to — the only person he revealed his prophecy to. He has a history of trusting him over anyone else. There's nothing in this scene that points to him being anything but honest.

Putting aside Percy's hero complex that will have him harassing the Oracle so it will give him a quest because he's unable to stand by the sideline as his friends are in danger, how other people have pointed out that Percy was the one to propose and sometimes even force himself into most of his quests — I never saw anyone mention his admission that he liked them, at least the first one. Now, of course, it's undeniable that he does eventually get tired of it, but... to what extent, really? In TLO, he says he's ready to kick back and enjoy himself, but that's in reference to the Great Prophecy. It doesn't have both capitalization and the word great in it for nothing.

Then in Staff of Hermes:

If he was delivering a message in person from the gods, it was bad news. If he wanted something from me, it was also bad news. But seeing as he’d just saved me from explaining myself to Annabeth, I was too relieved to care.

Sure, he doesn't want a quest, but it's still preferable to a difficult conversation with his girlfriend. It's only when they really start to pile up and interfere seriously with his normal life (by, say, making him miss most of a year) that he puts his foot down.

But his is ultimately an unusual case, because others aren't as affected by their own quests.

"Except for how they're risking their lives!" you say, but...

How dangerous are normal quests?

Because all signs point to Percy's being an outlier. For starters, as a powerful child of the Big Three, he attracts more monsters than your regular demigod, and that's without taking into account the gods who hate him for it.

Then there's the fact that Kronos's rise has stirred up monster activity

“I saw a lot out there in the world, Percy,” Luke said. “Didn’t you feel it — the darkness gathering, the monsters growing stronger? Didn’t you realize how useless it all is?"

As well as brought older, stronger monsters out of the woodwork.

"The stirring of monsters." Dr. Thorn smiled evilly. "The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years..."

Not to mention that most of Percy's quests that we've seen involved jumping straight into a scheme by an ancient, powerful titan by the moniker "the Crooked One".

Compare them to The Stolen Chariot. That was... fun, all in all. An afternoon visit to the zoo. Got him out of class early. What if that's the standard for a quest?

However, the biggest argument for quests being usually pretty simple is, once again, Luke. Let's go back to that first quote.

Let’s just say I messed things up for everybody else. The last two years, ever since my trip to the Garden of the Hesperides went sour, Chiron hasn’t allowed any more quests.

So, quests were more or less normal two years before TLT, before they were forbidden, like the chariot races, because it was judged unacceptably dangerous. So, it could be that Luke's was the last in a recent string of injuries (possible — he said himself that already the world was becoming "darker" by the time of his quest) and/or it was considered to be bad enough in itself to justify ending quests entirely. Whatever the explanation, for all the "yeah, we make a shroud whenever someone goes on a quest" rituals, Luke's injury had to have been grisly by their standards.

Like. Not to diminish it, but. It's a scar across the face. It doesn't even seem to have affected his eyesight.

Everything points to...

That your average camper, before Kronos, would have either volunteered or been selected by the gods (probably their parent) to go on quests as recognition of their skills and a chance to earn glory. OH, and don't forget a chance to be a hero. That's important. After all, you don't wanna end up in the Fields of Asphodel because your life was too boring, do you?

TL; DR: The attitude towards quests and even probably the experience surrounding them are much different than we treat them in fandom.

[galactic-glamour-girl-posts]

RANT : ML Season 5's Ending

I don't post about Miraculous much, but I need to get this off my chest.

WARNING :

Salt. Just...all the salt.

Chloe:

I don't like Chloe, she's a horrible person and hogged a lot of screen time throughout the show that could have been given to other characters, such as Nino. However, I find it disturbing that they decided to send a teenage girl to live with her abuser, with absolutely no friends; meanwhile her father, who only deciding to put his foot down last minute, gets to quit the job he's always hated anyway (even though he's abused his power before, and not just for Chloe's sake) without being called out for how he spoiled his daughter AND the adult magical terrorist gets a statue.

Not to mention Felix, a teenage boy who also has done terrible things, basically gets away scot-free. Remember when he basically tried to kill EVERYONE except for four people including himself, remember when he tried to force himself onto Ladybug, remember when he gave all the miraculous to a terrorist, remember when all it took to "redeem" himself was to emotionally manipulate someone in a vulnerable state into watching a play to convince her to solve the problem he caused for him (btw I can't believe Kagami came up with that plan and revealed Ladybug's identity behind her back, what the heck?) I get that he was abused, at the end of the day he's an abuse victim doing literally anything he can to gain the freedom he never had, but if he gets sympathy after all of that, what about Chloe? She was abused, she was neglected. Felix not only is seemingly forgiven and "redeemed", but still gets to be a permanent miraculous holder. When you combine that with how the narrative treats Gabriel and Andre, it looks like a sexist double standard...probably because it is.

Chloe sucks but that isn't entirely her fault. Andre spoiled her rotten, Audrey was a horrible influence when she wasn't straight up neglecting or verbally abusing her, Miss Bustier coddled her and Damocles let her get away with pretty much anything (although in their case I guess the mayor would've prevented them from letting Chloe face substantial consequences), Gabriel (and Lila) manipulated her multiple times. I'm not absolving Chloe of all blame, but she's 14. Leaving her with her abuser is horrible. That isn't cathartic, it's cruel. I'm not even asking for a redemption, I just think this "punishment" is too much.

Gabriel (and Tomoe too I guess):

Let's talk more about Gabriel. Gabriel, the abusive father, the magical terrorist, the guy that spent some of his final moments manipulating a teen, not only gets to make his wish, but also gets to be remembered as a hero. Statue included. Never mind that pretty much all of Adrien's classmates knew he was a terrible father at this point, they all clap and cheer when it's revealed he's getting a statue. The whole world is lied to and told the Alliance rings were hijacked by Monarch and that Gabriel sacrificed himself whilst trying to help stop him (I don't blame Ladybug for that though, I'm solely blaming the writers here). And we're supposed to be fine with this because he misses his wife and "tried to be a good father"? No.

An abused teenage girl is supposedly terrible beyond redemption, but an adult abuser is essentially outright vindicated by the narrative (the person he abused is tricked into thinking he was a hero, and Paris is basically a utopia post-wish). What a horrible message.

Remember, this may not be the end of the show, but this is the end of Gabriel's Agreste's story, and what an unfitting end it is.

Oh, and Tomoe gets away scot-free by the looks of it, because of course. Maybe she'll get comeuppance in a later season, but I'm not gonna defend the finale because of what a future episode might do, especially when this would've been the perfect time (and this goes for the possibility of Gabriel's secret identity being revealed to the public too).

Adrien:

I think Adrien is easily the most overrated character in the show. He's constantly coddled by the narrative, tends to "inspire" Marinette to be more passive and forgiving than she should be, and is incredibly bland (or at least he was until they started pushing just how angry he could get and how entitled to Ladybug's love he could feel, which I guess is something, but that something sure isn't pleasant); but you're telling me he doesn't get to have a legit passion beyond knowing he loves Marinette, to be involved in the final battle, to find out his dad is Monarch OR even that he's a sentimonster? He needs to know his life is tied to that ring and that he should be careful with it. This isn't "protecting him" (he's not a baby, if Felix eventually came to terms with being a sentimonster so can Adrien), if anything it's the opposite. Not letting him know that is dangerous! If not Marinette, Felix? Kagami? Nathalie? No one's going to tell him?! I hate to say it, but by robbing him of his agency and deciding they know what's best for him, they're being controlling over Adrien too; and no, I don't think that's "interesting", not after five seasons of Adrien already being controlled by someone else.

What is the show even trying to say? That Adrien needs to be controlled because he can't handle his emotions? Forget about giving him time or a good support system, he just wouldn't be able to handle it? If it was just his nightmare that'd be one thing, but Chat Blanc seems to indicate this is legitimately what they're saying. Why is this show trying to portray an abuse victim as someone who's dangerous and needs to be kept under control? Not just dangerous, but ultimately more dangerous than his abuser, since Gabriel made his wish and everything turned out fine (and at worst maybe one innocent person would have died/fallen into a coma had his wish not changed), but in "Chat Blanc" EVERYONE other than Chat died.

It does not matter if he finds out in a later season; it doesn't change the fact that his family is willingly lying to him and potentially endangering him by doing so, all for the sake of his abuser. Sure, you could argue Gabriel emotionally manipulated Marinette, but what's everyone else's excuse? I don't care if it leads to "interesting conflict", a) it's a conflict they've done before (Ladybug keeping secrets from Chat Noir), I'm not gonna praise the show for repeating itself, b) don't tell me telling Adrien the truth would've been "too sad" for the show to do but Marinette having to keep her mouth shut about Gabriel for the rest of her life (or even temporarily) is "interesting angst" (at least try to hide your favouritism, besides it's never even implied she feels guilty over this), and c) it's not like it will have a satisfying payoff, after all, it didn't last time. Even if Adrien does find out, Gabriel's not around anymore, so chances are Marinette will have to suffer the consequences of that, not Gabriel. That's not satisfying.

Like...Gabriel may as well have been related to Marinette instead (not her father but her uncle or something). Why not? Remember when he was her favourite fashion designer? (Don't worry if you don't, the show doesn't either.) Maybe have him become her mentor, imagine how much more of a personal impact Ladybug and Monarch finding out each other's identities could've had on both of them.

Why even have the main villain be related to the deuteragonist (giving him a closer connection to the main villain of the show than the actual main character) if you were just gonna side-line him in the final battle and rob him of any sense of closure? Whatever drama they can squeeze out of him finding out who Monarch is (IF he does) won't be nearly as interesting as it would've been to see Chat Noir confront Monarch, face to face, knowing that he's his father. Adrien might not even remember Gabriel being abusive at all, it's not made clear. But if he doesn't, all that time spent on Adrien's relationship with his father, building up a big confrontation between them? Wasted.

Remember how season 4 ended? How it built up Ladybug and Chat Noir working together to retrieve all the Miraculous back, after a season of them being more distant?

What a joke.

Is he the deuteragonist, or a trophy? The show can't seem to decide.

Marinette:

And then there's Marinette who, in a show that supposedly wants to empower young girls, doesn't even get to defeat the main male bad guy. After multiple seasons with her as the main lead, after multiple episodes where she's apologised or made to feel bad for either completely justifiable reactions or things that straight up weren't her fault (remember when she was made to say she was "out of line" at the end of an episode that was supposed to be about racism and police aggression?) meanwhile other characters rarely apologise to her in return, we don't even get the satisfaction of seeing her truly defeat the person that's caused her so much grief.

Seriously, she went through so much in this show; between the class consistently siding with Lila over her (btw turns out Lila basically had nothing to lose the whole time because she had multiple identities, yet another unsatisfying conclusion to a conflict), being forced to become a guardian, losing all the Miraculous, etc, and for what?

She failed. That's not me being too harsh. She may have influenced Gabriel to change his wish (emphasis on "may have", I'm pretty sure that woman was originally Emilie but in that case Nathalie being healed doesn't make sense), but her goal was to prevent the wish in the first place.

And why did they have to make her look like a fool? Felix's play spelled it out for her that Gabriel is Monarch, she even realises that he referred to the day she lost the Miraculous, but from the way it's presented she only figures out Gabe's Monarch after seeing him de-transform? Why did she think giving him a another chance would turn out well? She tried that all the way back in season 2, and it didn't work. Marinette is kind-hearted but she has her limits. You're telling me Lila crossed a line but Monarch could maybe be reasoned with? Why? Because he has a sob story?

Marinette is strategic and quick-witted. She's not an idiot.

Gabriel gets to make his wish and everyone else (who am I kidding, just Ladybug) has to clean up after him. Not only that, Ladybug does him a favour and ensures everyone is tricked into believing he was a hero. If anything, Chat Noir, the main male superhero, landed the killing blow.

Great. Just great. How empowering.

Bonus nit-picks:

--Did everyone on the planet seriously forget that the Adrien and Kagami in the Alliance rings aren't real, they're virtual simulations? That wasn't a secret. How did they fall for Gabriel's fake plea?

--If they were gonna put the girls from the specials and Future!Alix on the poster, they could've have them do more at least.

--Okay, Luka training with Su-Han was random but I guess since he was a temporary Miraculous holder it kinda makes sense...Penny and ESPECIALLY Jagged though? Nah.

--Ivan was the first person to EVER be akumatized then saved by Ladybug and Chat Noir. So with that in mind, surely he more than anyone would trust that they'd never kidnap two virtual innocent people, and would join Alya in reminding everyone else how they were always there for them, in a touching moment that brings the "first arc" full circle...oh.

--Look, Marinette is very talented, and I realise she had the book to help her but...I'm sorry literally HOW did she fix the Miraculous? Gabriel needed high-tech, presumably very expensive, machinery to re-shape them.

Final thoughts:

What makes this all sting so much more is that, wasn't season 5 supposed to be the original ending, just in case future seasons didn't happen? All seasons after this one are basically bonus seasons. So originally the show ended HERE. The last we would've seen of Chloe was her crying, trapped with her abusive mother. For all we knew Adrien would've been living a lie the rest of his life, looking up to his abuser. Gabriel is never fully revealed as the monster he truly was and is honoured as a "hero". Marinette literally gets stabbed in the back (well, it was her stomach, but you get the idea). There wasn't even a reveal, Ladybug and Chat Noir would've just never found out who the other truly is I guess.

Oh, but don't worry. Marinette and Adrien kissed.

That's all that really matters, right? (Never mind the fact that they spent five seasons building up to the start of a romantic relationship, and it will undoubtedly take even more for it to become a healthy one.)

Maybe the ending was originally different. Maybe they modified the ending of the season finale after finding out season 5 wouldn't be the last season. Maybe this will all somehow be fixed later (no matter how long they may will drag it out for).

Or maybe Marinette's blatantly out of character action (she hates liars, and only lied about her identity because she had to, even considering Gabriel's attempts to emotionally manipulate her previous episodes have made it clear she would not lie to Adrien, let alone the WHOLE WORLD, about Gabriel) will come back to bite her for the sake of having something to blame her for next season.

I don't know.

I don't care.

The writing for this show has been poor for a LONG time. I only stuck around because I still found myself having fun watching it from time to time, even as the problems got worse. That, and I was hopeful it would at least stick the landing. But after this, I don't think I can stomach continuing to watch a show that will probably continue to push such awful messages, and with such awful pacing.

Word of advice, all shows have flaws, so feel free to complain when a show does something you think is stupid (I've never found the argument that kids shows shouldn't be criticised because they're kid shows to make sense), but if you're not enjoying yourself because you can't overlook a show's problems, if you don't find pleasure in watching a show...just stop watching it. It's a waste of your time. Don't "wait for it to get good", don't wait for future seasons to clean up a current season's mess, don't continue watching it just because the fandom makes better content. I promise you there are better shows out there that deserve (and need) your attention.

So with that in mind...I don't think I'll be watching what comes next.

[indominusavenger]

I'm gonna come out and say it; No Way Home sucked. Sure, it had some good moments but in my opinion, it does not live up to the first two instalments of the trilogy. I liked the first part of the movie but as soon as I knew where the second part was going, I fell off that train pretty quickly.

Not only did it make MCU Spidey end up with the same tale as his two predecessors but it also undoes Peter's entire establishment in Marvel's overall franchise. What was the point of the last four movies putting him on the roster with Earth's MIGHTIEST Heroes if you were just going to take all that away and make it like he exists in a completely separate world from them? What was the point of the three cameos we had from RDJ, Samuel L. Jackson, and Benedict Cumberbatch in their iconic roles to show that interconnected universe as with every other MCU movie, only for that to be stripped away at the very last second? Might as well have been another one of Sony's solo ventures at making a series after TASM but it's not and that's why I HATE the uncertainty of Peter Parker's future in the MCU. However, given the current failing reality of the MCU with every new movie that comes out, I can already confirm it's nothing good. In fact, it probably would be best if progress stops altogether before Marvel really is stuck in the dust and just a part of a magnificent past with no legacy to carry on. (This is a side note but that is still a big issue for me anyways that I may expand upon later in another post. In the meantime, go watch all the video essays on YouTube, I'm sure you'll find many good ones.)

He had a unique story that fit into the overarching plot of the MCU and the premise he had was different from the previous Spideys which is what was so interesting about his character development. This Peter Parker had friends that weren't introduced before, or at least, they were more developed than in other series; he had a superhero as a mentor, not a scientist turned villain due to unfortunate circumstances; he had a guy in the chair who wasn't after him or turned villain because his father was one, he had two crushes that were friends, he was part of clubs and acted more teenage-like than the last two. He interacts with other heroes, joins the Avengers, fights THE villain, perishes, comes back, loses his mentor, and is still expected to keep on going.

For crying out loud, he was asked if he was going to be the next Iron Man but he knew he wasn't which is what Far From Home set out to show us. And to all those who called him Iron Man Jr. in Homecoming, I hope you know that you make no sense and I think Marvel did a wonderful job making him stand apart. He was a kid admiring one of his role models and now that he actually had a connection to him, of course he was going to want to be like his mentor but even Tony recognized that he wanted him to be more, not like him. This shows Iron Man himself had great respect for the young hero.

Now, moving onto No Way Home, two main things that annoy the heck out of me; Peter being forgotten (obviously) and Aunt May dying. I'll start with Aunt May's death. To be honest, it was a completely unnecessary death and it actually doesn't make sense for the purpose it had in the movie. The punchline "With great power comes great responsibility." loses its premise as soon as you recall Civil War's intro to Peter in the first place. Uncle Ben had already died, Peter was Spider-Man at this point, and remember what Peter told Tony when they met, why the older hero related to him so much? "When you can do the things that I can, but you don't... and then the bad things happen... they happen because of you." So he already learned that lesson on responsibility and by the time we get to No Way Home, this kid had learned lessons also involving the universe at large. Why are we rehashing Uncle Ben's offscreen death with Aunt May if Marvel literally stated that was overdone? Make that make sense. But oh, it was to make something big and dramatic happen in the movie because we needed to mOve aLoNg. Peter lost his parents, his uncle, and mentor; can you come up with something new other than parental figure losses? Why do TASM Peter and OG Peter still have their Aunt Mays and even if it was just a deleted scene, technically TASM Peter's dad? Huh, then what do you say there? Why did MCU Peter Parker have to lose ALL his parental figures?

Finally, the thing that probably broke most of us; Peter being wiped from everyone's memory. As I stated earlier, his entire existence within the MCU just vanishes, like that, in seconds. So......... what was the point of his existence up till now in the MCU? What was the point of his specific development and growth if he was just going to get forgotten? Why was he meticulously introduced at the height of the Avengers' conflict and then constantly involved with some other MCU hero/important character if he was going to be removed from that? If the Avengers were never a big deal, why make him a part of that at all and why were we still bringing them up at the climax of the film? For those who bring up the argument that he's supposed to be a solitary hero, well that was the worst way to have introduced him then, right? But Marvel chose that route, not any other. Which is why that decision still makes no sense to me. You put him in a world where he wasn't the only superhero and he was going to interact with other heroes which none of the other Spider-Men had and that already put him in a unique position. Why give him a background that was going to get swiped?

Imagine that, making five blockbuster films that gave him a firm standing in the MCU at the peak of Phase 3 and then in his sixth film, his last standalone which is supposed to be his most shining moment, he gets the rug pulled out from underneath him to give him a blank slate? You might as well have thrown every script out from 2015 to 2019 including him before they were ever written or considered. It's the equivalent of undoing everything you just worked on in a school project that's worth 40% of your final grade. Think about that for a second. Marvel just undid 6 years of work and investment in a single character for them to go back to the beginning. Why didn't you just do that then from the start? You could have had more classic Spidey a long time ago by that train of thought (which I really didn't want because we already saw that twice and this Spidey was something fresh).

Anyways, thanks for reading. This is 2 years worth of disappointment and frustration put on the page.

[brown-spider]

Hi! I really love your Spidersona Sunny, they're such a mood. Ngl they crack me up with how done they already are with the whole hero gig😂 and I was curious about something.

Do you think Sunny and Miles would get along? They seem like they would be great friends for lots of reasons, like their shared love of art and how similar you said their worlds are. Also maybe a shared kind of disillusionment with heroing, cause let's be real, there ain't no way Miles is coming out of any of this even slightly okay. Highkey think he was a little depressed before he got jumped by hundreds of spider people and after having the friends and mentor he was desperate enough to give up his passions for, only for them to gaslight and betray the hell out of him, plus whatever fucked up shit that's for sure happening in Btsv, it's gonna get so much worse. That and I think Miles would find Sunny's ability to juke the canon, kinda like he does, so awesome. Deadpool joking about Sunny avoiding plot trauma by running off screen is everything. They just say, "nah, fam I'm good" and just leaves🤣

Miles: If you teach me how to juke canon I'll watch Deadpool for you.

Sunny: Deal

I feel like Miles could make friends with anybody tbh 😂

Miles and Sunny's attitudes towards heroing are a bit different, i think. Miles stepped up to the mantle after building up confidence that he deserves it, that he can be someone ppl rely on. He's outraged by the idea that Spiderman as a symbol of heroism/hope can't "always" win or can't do "both." He also has bit of pettiness around the lack of reward/freedom/gratitude for being Spiderman; it comes with the territory of being a teenager who does selfless deeds on the daily only to get grounded or have his roomate not bother to dial 3 numbers or be told that he isnt allowed to stop his dad from dying-

Ahem.

Whereas Sunny doesn't have a sense of duty or optimism towards being Spiderman. They don't WANT to be someone people rely on, they NEVER believed that one person could "always" or "do both", they're resigned to the things happening around them.

Sunny doesn't know about canon events, courtesy of their Peter not telling them because they freaked out at the mere concept of a multiverse and want nothing to do with HQ outside of removing anomalies from their own dimension. Deadpool makes 4th wall breaking jokes but Sunny sees it the same way you and I would react if someone pretended to break the fourth wall; its just a joke. Like "haha, what if we were in a simulation." Of course, ever since they found out about the multiverse, those jokes became much LESS funny to them 😬

So yeah, Sunny dodging canon doesn't come from a determination to live up to what they think Spiderman should be, or out of defiance of The Way Things Are like how it is for Miles, its the exact opposite. They're avoiding responsibility and expectations, they've decided that nothing they do will make a Real difference except to make them More Depressed when they inevitably fail.

If Miles told them about canon events, their response would probably be something like "......... I wish you hadn't told me that." Because what are they supposed to do?? Not only are they being told that Fate has guaranteed certain tragedies occurred to hundreds of thousands of heroes WAY BETTER THAN THEM- but ALSO that those same far-more-skilled-heroes have dedicated themselves to making sure those tragedies continue to happen. So tell them, what the heck are they supposed to do??

They wouldn't do anything. But they also wouldn't stop Miles. They hate the concept of fate and would hope he breaks the algorithm with his friends and saves the day, because its way easier to place their faith in people who can Actually make change than to get involved and get themself hurt.

[bibibbon]

More about my version of MHA, I'd like your opinion. Izuku is taken out of Aldera, when he becomes All Might's student (I'm really wanting to make him a better teacher and a father figure to Izuku), All Might wants to give a good education to his successor, so he puts Izuku in a prestigious school that trains those who will try the entrance exam for the hero course (I'm changing all the schools and giving them new names). You know the twist, Ochako studies at the school that Izuku goes to, but she still has financial problems, she managed to get into the school, due to a scholarship she received. It'll be interesting to see Ochako end up comparing herself to her rich classmates (Shoto, Tenya and Momo (Yes, she studies at a school in my version)), but she will be Izuku's first friend (It's fun to develop Ochako as Izuku's right-hand woman. Shoto will also be a more different character, the difference is that he shows more personality and more emotion (I'll be honest, I find Shoto's character a little boring and I like the idea of ​​him and Izuku creating a bond due to the abuse they both suffered).

Making all Might a lot more active in izukus life and directly having him change a lot of aspects for it would change the plot exponentially.

While I do enjoy these changes to all mights character you should still focus on introducing challenges that all might would still need to face as you should replace his weaknesses, aka being a bad mentor and teacher with something else.

Now, we can get into the legality of things when it comes to all Might. For example, does he even have a license to teach? Does he struggle teaching a class full of 20 overpowered teenagers?

There's also gonna be social consequences to all Might taking care and being active in his successors life, and @mikeellee had incorporated these aspects into their fic.

For example:

This would produce a lot of rumours like all might favouring one student more

or even conspiracy theories like izuku being all mights secret love child

This would also cause scandals, especially if all Might starts to use his name to directly help izuku

While all might doing things like transferring izuku from different schools this can effect izuku for better or worse.

We need to remember that izuiu is quite similar to ochako compared to everyone else they really aren't rich and izuku seems to come from a lower income background compared to characters like momo and iida so this would definitely effect his day to day life in that school.

This point could be used to help establish a bond between ochako and izuku a lot more quickly and help explore what it's like for someone of izukus and ochakos status to adjust to a momo or iida similar education or lifestyle. This could then breach into the worldbuilding of mha with multiple things like poverty in mha (heck you can even bring in twice here)

Having izuku be surrounded by future ua classmates is a great opportunity and would possibly allow for them to develop a quicker, more meaningful bond, then some of them did in Canon. For example, you can have iida and shoto be rivals from middle school and then really kick-start their relationship in the Sports Festival and hosu Arc. You can explore the parallels between iida and shoto, especially how they look up to /think of their older brothers and family.

It makes sense for shoto at first to be incredibly closed off in a way so keeping that aspect of his character makes sense yet due to him being introduced earlier on in the series you can definitely have that part of his character dissolve quicker then what was going on in Canon.

[alterchaos]

REGROUP

Hiding away on a planet of fortune tellers, Eve and Cream decide to make small talk to pass the time. Soon, the others return, sharing what they learned in their battle against Zelkova. Can that which is broken be mended before it's too late...

PREVIOUS CHAPTER: A POINTLESS WAR

NEXT CHAPTER: UNSPOKEN TRUTHS

“...”

tap tap taptaptaptap

“Um…Miss Eve?”

“...”

taptaptaptaptap

“Chao chaoo?”

The teenager ruffled her hair in frustration.

“Rrrrrrgh! I give up!” She flopped the right side of her head down on the card table before her, groaning loudly as the heel of her foot finally ceased its endless tapping against the stony road, “You win again, Cream…”

The rabbit smiled menacingly as she took a few rings in some fake exchange of payment, “Hehehe! Thank you, Miss Eve!” 

“Chao chaooo!”

“Uuuuugh…”

The girl with the golden, disheveled hair stared out into the busy street from the café at which she sat with the small rabbit. Beings of varying sizes and colors loosely resembling the chaos on Sonic’s world milled about, conducting business from stall to stall throughout the market, mostly that of fortune telling. The hero in question had brought them all to a planet far removed from any territory the Metarex now occupied, one his younger brother had discovered by mistake through an advertisement he’d received while the rest of them had been sleeping. A couple of calls later and the fox had secured both lodging and supplies in case of emergency, something no one was to know about unless that time came. 

Well…Eve certainly knew how that turned out…

She was worried about them. Heck, they all were, Sonic especially. He’d been silent the entire ship ride, refusing to acknowledge his obvious fears despite everyone’s best efforts to offer support. Once they’d landed and got settled in, he’d simply disappeared into his room, only emerging occasionally to check on the rest of them, which anyone could tell by the swift gusts of wind every so often. Cosmo made it her mission to check in with him too despite his protests. Given how deeply she cared for Tails, looking after his brother was the least she could do in such a crazy and uncertain time. 

As for Eve, she’d found herself before his doorway more than a few times in the past week since they landed, but not once could she bring herself to knock. How could she? After the way she’d hurt him…

Just why did she have to flinch like that?

Eve frowned, releasing a small sigh.

“Miss Eve?” Cream leaned sideways into her friend’s view, “Are you okay?”

“...” The bandaged girl glanced to the side. She inhaled, raising her head with a frustrated, but ultimately defeated, glance, “Yeah…”

The small rabbit frowned, “I’m sure Mr. Chris and the others are alright. Mr. Tails knows what he’s doing.”

“...Yeah.” Eve looked back out towards the bustling marketplace, “Say, Cream?”

“Hm?”

“Your world…it’s called Mobius, right?”

Cream’s eyes widened in surprise, “Yes, though the part of Mobius we’re all from is called South Island. Why do you ask?”

“It’s just…I’ve been wondering lately…What’s it like? I know we spent peaceful times together back on Earth but…what do all of you usually do when there aren’t any bad guys to fight?”

Cream closed her eyes in deep thought, “Hmm…well…” She followed her friend’s gaze towards the marketplace, “It’s actually a lot like this. That’s probably why Mr. Tails sent us here to keep us safe.”

Eve’s eye sparkled slightly, “Woah…really?”

The rabbit smiled cheerfully at her friend’s more enthusiastic demeanor, “Yes. We even have a marketplace of our own where everyone shops for fresh food and materials, and where the occasional festival is held. Miss Amy always does the shopping before visiting Mama and I, and together we bake super delicious food like cake and pie and-oh!! I can’t forget the healthy foods like vegetable soup or baked fish! Mama would be disappointed if I only thought about sweets! Hehehe!”

“Chaooo!”

“...” The teen stared at her friend in awe. Nothing quite like that existed back on Earth, at least not in her life. She leaned in slightly, “What else is Mobius like? Do you have any large cities? What about South Island?”

“Well, our world lives in peace with the nature around us, all except the mean Dr. Eggman. He wants to hurt that in any way he can, which is why he and Mr. Sonic are always fighting. Even our cities are built to honor nature, but South Island doesn’t have any major ones. We just have lots of green hills and oceans and flower fields! Hehehe! That’s where I like to go to make flower crowns like Mama taught me!”

“Chao chao chao!”

“Really?” Though she tried to hide it somewhat, the human’s interests were piqued, “You mean kids aren’t expected to stay inside all day?”

“Not at all. As long as I’m home by supper, Mama lets me go outside to explore and play with the other kids!”

“And what about the adults? Don’t they have to work all day?”

Cream shook her head, “Mm mn…I mean, everyone gives a little something to help everyone. My Mama gives away her baked goods for rings and other things she needs while someone like Mr. Tails gives the town bridges and houses and other neat inventions.”

Eve stared at the smiling rabbit with wide eyes.

A life where her parents lived off of goodwill and favors only…

A life where they didn’t have to travel all the time for work…

Where she…didn’t have to be alone…

Where she…could be happy…

Could someone as flawed as her…

In a world like that…

“...belong?”

“Hm?”

Eve jolted, not realizing she’d muttered that last part out loud, “N-Nothing!!” She blinked a few times while looking back out towards the street in a panic. After a moment, she softened, thinking back to the moment all those years ago that this idea of life had opened up to her, “...What about Sonic? What does he do when he’s not saving the world?”

Cream’s eyes softened, happy to see that the teen was still thinking of the distressed hedgehog, “Well, he’s so much of a hero that everyone just gives him what he needs.”

Eve frowned slightly, having wanted to learn more about her friend outside of his heroic acts, “Really? Just like that?”

“Yes. Although, you can often find him giving what he gets to those less fortunate on his daily runs around the island. Mr. Tails already gets enough from his services to support the two of them and Mr. Knuckles up on Angel Island.”

Eve smiled, looking back towards the direction of their shelter, “Always the hero, huh?” 

“Yes, he is.”

“It’s just that maybe you shouldn’t rely on me to be the hero all the time!!!”

The human’s eyes turned regretful as she remembered his words. Her gaze fell on one of her bandaged hands, her heart aching as it did.

Why?

Why did she have to flinch?

All she wanted was to talk to him, to clear things up between them, but what if she just made things worse than she already had? 

She didn’t deserve him.

He deserved better.

So, so much bette-

“-!!!”

The girl with the golden hair jolted as she felt the rabbit’s gentle touch against her hand, “Cream…”

She smiled, “Miss Eve…Why don’t you just go and talk to him?”

“Huh?” She jolted once more before pulling her gaze away shamefully, “N-No…I can’t…”

“Why not?”

“You saw how he was that day on the ship! Cream…” A few tears sprung into her eyes, “He may blame himself for what happened but the truth is…i-it’s…it’s all my fault!” She couldn’t hold them back anymore, “I’m the one who made him feel that way! H-He…He wouldn’t be hurting so much right now if I hadn’t-”

“Miss Eve…” The teen froze, falling silent as she watched the kind rabbit, “Mama says that when we don’t talk to each other, we don’t really understand each other. Yes, our actions matter, but so do our words. If you told Mr. Sonic how you feel, I’m sure he’d listen just as much as you would. You two are friends after all!” She smiled sweetly.

Eve looked back at the shelter, “I’m scared, Cream…What if I just make things worse?”

“Well…” She winked, “How can you ever know if you never try?”

“...”

In that moment, the human’s world grew just a little bit brighter, the memory of the two of them sitting atop that hill near Station Square playing in her mind. They’d been through so much since then. Even if it was too late, for her to give up so easily now…

She smiled, courage filling her heart, “You know what? You’re right, Cream!” She pushed back her chair, standing up confidently, “I’ll go talk to him right now and set things right!”

Cheese pumped a triumphant fist in the air, “Chao chaooo!”

Cream joined in, “That’s the spirit, Miss Eve!”

Even if it didn’t do much…

Even if she’d have to leave him for Earth soon after…

To say goodbye to the idea of Mobius…

Of…everyone…

Forever…

…

No.

She couldn’t think about that right now.

She had a mission to fulfill.

She had to make sure he was okay before that time came to pas-

“Yo.”

Eve jolted at the familiar, deep voice. She, Cream, and Cheese turned in surprise, joy and relief flooding their hearts as their eyes fell upon the voice’s owner.

“KNUCKLES!!!”

The echidna raised his hand in a small wave, stumbling a bit though as the bandaged human rushed him for a hug, not caring about the sensitive state her arms were in, “Whoa! E-Easy there! You’re going to knock me over!”

“YOU’RE ALIVE!!!”

Cream jumped up, flapping her ears and floating cheerfully, “I knew Mr. Tails would keep everyone safe!”

“CHAO CHAO CHAOCHAOCHAOCHAO!!!!” Cheese raced in for a hug as well.

“Oof!” Knuckles squirmed a bit in his struggle against the human’s grip, “Okay okay!” He chuckled slightly, “I missed you guys too…”

“We all did.”

Eve’s unbandaged eye widened, tears flying as she raced towards the new voice.

“CHRIS!!!”

She hugged him.

Her older brother hugged back, “We’re all safe. Tails did great leading us through the battle.”

“I’m so happy…”

“Where is Mr. Tails now?”

A new voice entered the scene, “He’s with Sonic.”

Cosmo approached alongside the pink hedgehog, “They’ll join us once they’ve had the chance to catch up.”

Eve frowned as she recalled her mission, “You mean…we can’t see them right now?”

Amy frowned slightly as she recalled her fellow hedgehog’s frantic, distressed demeanor just before seeing his brother, “After everything that happened…” The image of the Blue Blur tackling the fox in a swift, tearful hug replayed as well, “Let’s just give them a moment to breathe.”

“Oh…” 

The disappointment in the girl’s voice was palpable, causing everyone to go silent for a moment as they figured out what to talk about next. 

Chris started, “I guess we should get the most important thing out of the way first.”

“Right.” Knuckles nodded before closing his eyes in remembrance, “Zelkova is dead.”

Everyone jolted in shock.

Eve began to sweat slightly as she recalled the horrors she witnessed aboard Narcissus’s base, “H-How…H-He’s a Metarex lord…or…was…H-How did you-?”

“He sacrificed himself in order to save me.”

“What?”

“That isn’t all.” Chris pulled up a map on his wrist communicator, “He gave us these coordinates. There, we should hopefully find the answers we’ve been looking for, including a way to stop them once and for all.”

Cosmo folded her arms, “And how do we know we can trust him?”

Knuckles’s head remained low in respect, “Believe me…We can trust him…” He opened his eyes, “When we were battling, we came to a deeper understanding of one another. I didn’t want to believe it at first either, but then the two of us fell into a fiery chasm. I tried to save him but…”

Everyone fell silent.

Knuckles continued, “That was when he decided to give me the coordinates and help me to safety. He…asked me to ensure personally that we stop the other Metarex…to help put an end to this war once and for all…I know I haven’t always been the greatest judge of character, but I know without a doubt he was being sincere. That I can promise each and every one of you.”

Cosmo continued to fold her arms, “...”

Eve closed her eyes, “I believe you, Knuckles.”

Cream pumped her fists, “So do I!”

“Chao chaooo!”

“Knuckles is right…” The fox approached the group with his older brother in tow, “We can’t let Zelkova’s sacrifice go to waste.”

“Mr. Tails!” 

“Chao chaochaochao!”

“...” Eve stared at the pair of brothers with wide eyes, her heart breaking at the sight of the blue hedgehog in particular. His messy quills were sticking out in multiple places, his disheveled and sweat-soaked bangs only adding to the chaos of his thinner-than-average figure. Dark shadows lined the pale, peachy fuzz underneath his tired emerald eyes, and his lips had settled comfortably into a small, despondent frown. He stared ahead, not focusing on anything in particular.

That is…until his gaze happened to lock with hers.

They stared at one another for a moment, speechless as their minds attempted to find the words. This was it. This was her chance to set things right. It was now or never. 

She began to reach out.

However…

BA-BUMP!

Seeing him like this now…

BA-BUMP!

What if…

BA-BUMP!

What if she said the wrong thing?

BA-BUMP!

Could she ever come back from such a mistake?

BA-BUMP!

Could he?

BA-BUMP!

BA-BUMP!

She…

She needed to plan her words carefully before addressing him…

That was why…despite how badly she wanted to say something in that fleeting moment…

Anything…

BA-BUMP!

Eve…was afraid…

Too afraid to ever hurt him like that again…

To destroy him…

BA-Bump…

The girl with the bandages lowered her hand, pulling her gaze sharply from his as her prior confidence slipped away. As she did, Sonic’s heart sank. 

Why?

Why did he ever dare to hope she’d say something?

She could never forgive him…

How could she?

After what he did to her…

The disheveled hedgehog’s ears pinned back against his head as he looked away in shame.

He could never forgive himself either…

“...”

“...”

Tails sighed. The rift between the two friends was still more than evident despite what he’d hoped would come of their trip away from the Blue Typhoon together. He debated whether he should call it out and do something more, but then he remembered Sonic’s panic when Knuckles had tried the same.

They all did.

That was why, even if it didn’t help, he had to give them the space until they were ready. More than that, he had to keep them all moving forward together as a team. It was his duty as their captain…

And as Sonic’s brother…

“We should prepare to head to the coordinates Zelkova gave us. I have a feeling there will be information there that will help give us an edge in the coming battle. Everyone good with that?”

Everyone nodded.

They could all feel it…

This was the final battle…

Either they succeeded in taking down the Metarex once and for all…

Or they died trying…

There was no turning back.

“Good. Then let’s do this.”

CHAPTER END

[screwzara]

"You've been doing this since you were younger than me, haven't you abang?"

Only years of fighting literal aliens in battle kept Boboiboy from flinching. He turned around to come face to face with one of his oldest friends, well turned his head down. Ali was at least 15cm shorter, a fact that he forever loved to tease the younger boy about.

"Doing what?" Boboiboy asked sarcastically. They've know each other for more than half their lives-he knows Ali well enough to know that the conversation they're about to have is going to be emotionally taxing. Even if it's unhealthy or unproductive (Yaya's words not his) there's a part of him that wants to delay it as much as possible.

But Ali, strong, brave, stubborn-far too much like him Ali bin Ghazali doesn't let that happen. "Being a hero," Ali's voice is hard in a way that reminds him too much of the way his Dad's would shake after waking up screaming in the night, while speaking in hushed voices with his Mom and Mechabot when they think he's sleeping. The walls of their house were never that thick.

"Why," he asks, and stupidly he feels his eyes burn and throat tighten, "Why would you do this? It's not a game, Ali. You could get hurt."

"Of course I know it's not a game," Ali declares, voice cracking in the middle like boys on the cusp of puberty do, the same way his voice did just a few years ago, "I'm not a little kid, okay? Abang please I'm not stupid, you know I'm not. I know what you do is just as dangerous and scary. How do you think I felt whenever you got hurt? Don't ask, don't tell. We promised each other that after Mama died, but I feel like we should break it."

Boboiboy feel his heart break even more when he sees the tears building in the younger boys eyes. They did promise each other that. If you won't tell, I won't ask. It was unconventional with every other adult preaching honesty is the best policy, but they both knew somethings were just too awful to speak about. With parents that were the space version of ambassadors/soldiers, and a newly widowed dad and Uncle pulling away farther and farther each year. They both needed to talk about things that weren't stressful.

It would be hypocritical to be angry at Ali for doing the same thing he did when he was even younger. Didn't mean he almost didn't go into heart failure at the thought of his adik fighting with bloody weapons.

"If you're going to do this," Boboiboy says, voice somehow both resigned and hopeful, "Just promise me something, okay?"

Ali eyes are wide and shining while he nods, but not without the same weight his hold. He looks so young that it makes finding out he's a spy-a child soldier even more heartbreaking. But what can he say when he is but the same just doing it in space, with superpowers.

He can only hope Ali stays safer than him.

"Promise me," Boboiboy says, voice taut with the fact he knows Ali can't keep this promise, no matter how much he wants him too, "You won't die before me." A tear falls down his pale face as he says it.

Ali rears back, shocked. Before a sad look appears on his too young to be fighting, to be killing face. "You know I can't, abang."

He knows, God he knows. Just like he couldn’t promise Ali that he wouldn't get hurt while on his "job". He's not naive enough to think simple words from a mildly traumatised teenager can keep someone safe, as if casting a protective spell over them.

But....

Boboiboy crosses the barely 1m distance between him and Ali in barely a minute. Then engulfs him in a hug only the hecking apocalypse could tear apart. Ali holds just as tight.

"I can still dream, adik."

*sobs into my arms* omg omg omg-

This is.. i... i can't.. *screams*

I can just hear the pain in their voices as they have this conversation(and i see what you did there, taking full advantage of my mention of them seeing each other as their brothers)

I'm loving these, thank you *cries my heart out as i reread it*