#hey maybe this kid is literally 15 let’s not make him fight our battles

[icepop680]

I do not stand for Molly Weasley slander

there is not a person on that earth that would have been a better surrogate mother for Harry.

Was she weird towards fleur ? Sure. But Ginny was weird too, and no one blames her as much.

She is not infallible, but she is one of the few people who tried to let Harry BE A KID!!

Harry, who, from day one, is forced to be a pawn in Dumbledore’ as fight, and is really the Order’s only plan of action, is never truly given a choice to fight. Molly tried her damndest to keep this from being Harry’s fight.

Yes, he wanted to know more and join the fight, and did, eventually, but Molly Weasley did everything in her power to let Harry BE a teenager!

She took an abused, starving boy, who had never known a family or love, and gave him a home to come to and a gaggle of family. I don’t want to hear anyone call her less than what she is - a fucking hero.

[technofantasia]

Rise of the TMNT Timeline

Alright, by piecing together some clues from the show and making some educated guesses, I’ve put together a tentative chronology for Rise!

(Note: not all episodes are included, just a couple that either have timeline evidence or are somehow plot notable. This is assuming the canonical episode order is also chronological order.)

[EDIT] Added some more information (namely Splinter’s birthday month).

1600s-ish: The Shredder was created and sealed away September 1960: Splinter was born 1966: Splinter’s mother left (Finale part 1 flashback) 1979: Splinter left for America (Finale part 1 flashback) 1980-1984: Splinter became an action film star, dated around 1984: Splinter started dating Big Mama 1987: Splinter’s “Hot Soup: the Game” was released 1989: Splinter proposed to Big Mama, was imprisoned in Battle Nexus November 2002: April was born April-August 2003: (Presumably) Raph was born April-August 2004: (Presumably) Leo and Donnie were born April-August 2005: (Presumably) Mikey was born October 2005: Splinter and the Turtles were mutated February 2014: The first Lair Games was held 2014-2016: Donnie made his first battleshell, goggles, and tech bracer Early 2018: Piebald was flushed August 2018: Mystic Mayhem (the series begins), Down with the Sickness September 2018: The Turtle Tank was created (The Fast and the Furriest), Bug Busters, Hypno part Deux October 2018: Bullhop,  Evil League of Mutants, Shelldon was first created (Smart Lair), Shadow of Evil November 2018: April’s 16th Birthday (Warren and Hypno), April meets Sunita (Operation: Normal) December 2018: Snow Day January 2019: S1 Finale February 2019: The sixth Lair Games was held (Lair Games), Repairin’ the Baron March 2019: Air Turtle April-May 2019: S2 Finale

(Reasoning below the cut!)

So. Assuming that the episodes occur in chronological order, we can reasonably assume that the course of the show proper takes around or slightly less than a year.

In Hypno Part Deux, April is going to a homecoming dance; homecoming dances happen usually around the beginning of the school year, in late September or early October. Since she is canonically 15 at the time (she says she’s 16 in Always Be Brownies, which happens after her birthday) and has a birthday that comes after homecoming, that would likely make her a high school junior! That’s not important, just a fun fact. Placing the beginning of the series around August makes sense, then, since it’d be before April started school and during flu season, giving Splinter a good reason for catching the rat flu in Down with the Sickness.

The other solid time marker we have is Snow Day, which obviously takes place during snow season in New York (which is usually December to March). It’d likely be closer to December, since I’d like to imagine that they would have gone out to have fun in the snow as soon as they could have, potentially even at first snow. Since Lair Games comes chronologically after Snow Day and confirms the year as being 2019, we can assume that most episodes that happen before Snow Day happened in 2018 while those after happened in 2019.

Another, slightly more tenuous time marker is Bullhop, where a calendar is shown that says the 21st of the month was on a Sunday; by our previous assumption, this is 2018, so a calendar shows this must have been during the month of October, which falls in line with the rest of our timeline here! Neat. The 2018-2019 NBA season went from October 6 to April 10, so, since Air Turtle presumably showed a late season game with potential for turnaround, early March seems like a fair bet. All of those episodes combined give a pretty good sense of time throughout the series, spanning from probably around August 2018 to Mid-2019. The finale could have happened any time after March and before June (when high school would end, meaning Sloppy Joe wouldn’t have had to be working Draxum’s kitchen). Because there were quite a few episodes that should have happened before the finale, though, I’ll split the difference and say the S2 finale happened in or around May.

Fun detail: by this timeline, April’s birthday is sometime between October and December/January, likely November (seeing as it comes after Bullhop but before Snow Day, and judging by the fall colors of the foliage in Operation Normal which comes directly after her birthday episode.)

As for the brothers, we can assume that they might have different birthdays judging by how in Lair Games, Mikey says that one of his favorite days is “my birthday”; if they all shared a birthday, he might have been more likely to say “our birthday”. They were mutated sometime close to October, but since they didn’t seem to see the date of their mutation as anything special in ELoM, we can assume they don’t celebrate it as their birthday. We know that at the beginning of the show, Mikey is 13, Leo and Donnie are 14, and Raph is 15; at no point during the show do any of them have a birthday, which leads me to assume that they are the same ages by the S2 finale. They COULD have had a birthday offscreen, but since birthdays are a pretty big thing for teenagers, I’d think that if one of them had a birthday it would be pretty noteworthy. I’ll just guess and say they didn’t have one. If that’s the case, then all of their birthdays would be some time between April-ish and August-ish. By the time the show starts, then, they would have already had their birthdays, confirming for us their (probably only guessed anyway but whatever) birth years as 2003, 2004, and 2005. Realistically, Splinter probably didn’t know how much older Raph was from any of the others or anything like that, but the years are still somewhat important for age calculation purposes. I could try to guess their birthday months by saying they might all have wanted a unique birthday month, but that would be complete conjecture on my part (as compared to the rest of this which is just mostly conjecture), and would honestly be more headcanon territory than an educated guess? So for the timeline I’ll just say that their birthdays are between April and August.

Now, reaching further backwards to figure out Splinter’s life timeline!

In Splinter’s memories in E-turtle Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, we see a clip of a teenage Splinter. Said “teenage splinter” looks to be on the older side of teenager, as he seems to have his own apartment and just looks older besides, so I’d place him at either 18 or 19 (leaning towards 19). Additionally, taking a look around his room, it looks like he might be using a Sony Walkman (first made in 1979), and has what looks to be a Star Wars poster on his wall (1977). Additionally, he has a TV in his room that looks to be a Toshiba Blackstripe model that was popular in the mid-to-late 70s. While I can’t tell if he does actually have a walkman or not, I’d probably place this scene as being 1978 or 1979 anyway, so let’s just say it’s 1979. If he was 19 in 1979, that would place Splinter’s birth year as 1960, which is nice and even so I’m keeping it. That would make Splinter 58-59 during the course of the show, which seems to track! He has a birthday in Mascot Melee (the turtles are buying him a new robe as a birthday present), which, according to my episode timeline, puts his birthday around early September.

The flashback of Splinter as a kid is a little bit tricky, since he looks to be about five or six judging by how he acts in the scene? But he’s also holding a Kamen Rider doll, and that show didn’t exist until 1971. I nonetheless place the scene in 1966, since this is a cartoon and hey, maybe the Kamen Rider equivalent came out a few years earlier in this world, who cares. The bottle flip challenge already apparently happened in 2014 here, why not move some other stuff around? This exercise has already had me comparing calendar days, I will not be deterred

In Many Unhappy Returns, the clapperboard for the film “Crouching Shrimp, Hidden Tiger Prawn” in Splinter’s flashback shows that it was 1984 when he first met Big Mama, meaning that he was not only Lou Jitsu by then (at just 24 years old!), but that he had been making movies for at least a few years. After all, he and Big Mama were supposedly inseparable after meeting, and in The Shadow of Evil, it’s shown that Splinter did date around a bit as a star. Assuming that rat dad isn’t the cheating type, that would have had to be before meeting Big Mama. In Fists of Furry, Splinter mentions that he hasn’t seen any of his dojos in thirty years; while he may not have meant literally thirty years on the dot, assuming he’s at least close, that would mean that he was first abducted around 1989 (age 29). At that point, he and Big Mama would have been dating for around 5 years, which seems like a reasonable amount of time for him to wait before proposing. He also would have had time to build up quite a bit of fame as a movie star; the game he had of him looks to be on a system similar to the Atari 2600 and in fact looks pretty similar to the real life game “Kung Fu Master” that came out on Atari in 1987, a year which would have been the prime of his career. Sure, that date works as well as any. After that point, we know he was imprisoned in the Battle Nexus until Baron Draxum kidnapped him in order to use his DNA to mutate the turtles 13 years before The Evil League of Mutants. That would have placed his kidnapping and their mutations at around October of 2005, judging by the monthly timeline of the show. So, Splinter would have been around 45 when he adopted the turtles, after having been imprisoned and forced to fight for ~16 straight years. Dang.

Finally, I figured that the whole deal with Shredder and Karai would have happened at some point in the 1600s as it was 18 generations ago, judging by the number of “greats” in Karai’s grandma title, and if you average out a generation to be about 20-25 years, that lands you in the range of the 15th century. That works especially because Ninja apparently first started becoming a thing in the 15th century, so the timing checks out well enough.

(and, just as an extra fun note for the timeline, the lair games was said to have been going on for 6 years as of early 2019, meaning it must have started in 2014. We see that, in 2014 (year 1 of the Lair Games), Donnie doesn’t have his goggles or battleshell and is instead wearing glasses. In 2016 (year 3), though, he looks about the same as he does in the present, meaning he must have created all his tech that he wears on him (battleshell, goggles, tech bracer) between 2014 and 2016.)

So, the above timeline is a guesstimated and shoved around compilation of all this totally meaningless investigation, typed in a form that makes some kind of chronological sense! I hope that someone finds it useful, or just fun to think about :D

[storydays]

Legend of Korra X Male Reader

Hey guys! I’m loving all the likes you’re giving. I want to hear more of your questions and comments. Also I would really appreciate it if you would tag me and give me credit when you reblog my work. Thanks

(All credit for Legend of Korra goes to Nickelodeon and it’s creators ❤️)

Season 1, ep 5, p2

Kazan and Meelo yawned sleepily, full from dinner. "That was really good, (Y/N)." Pema complimented, rubbing her belly happily. "Glad you liked it Auntie." You then turned to your Aunt Rene who was sulking in the corner with a smug grin. "So, Auntie, thoughts?" you teased, making her start. "Listen little boy! Don't you dare give me attitude just because you're a better cook than me!" Everyone laughed at the banter between you two. "It's late, and the children are sleepy, why don't you guys sleep here for the night? Nagisa can sleep with Jinora and Ikki, and Kazan can bunk with Meelo." Pema suggested. 

"Yay! Sleepover!" cheered Ikki and Nagisa much to Jinora's annoyance. "Here, I'll help but the boys to sleep, Uncle."He smiled appreciatively at you, grabbing Meelo while you carried Kazan. "You did good tonight, nephew." Tenzin said, leading the way to the boys' room. "You heard from the radio?" you tilted your head, adjusting your grip on the young firebender. "No, I saw from the corner. You really are your parent's son."

You stared at his back in shock before smiling. "Heh, thanks Uncle."

*That night*

You inhaled the fresh air as you and Nevermore walked to the arena to get ready. But stop seeing Mako and Korra each facing different ways, and leaned against a pole, out of their sight line. "What kind of game are you playing?" asked the Firebender. "Um, pro-bending? We have a quarter final match." Korra stated like it was the most obvious thing. "No, I mean with Bolin. You got him all in a tizzy, and I know you're only using him to get back at me." Mako accused. 'Ooh bad move, Mako.'

"I am not. We're just having fun. What do you care, anyway?" Korra defended. "I'm looking out for my little brother. I don't want to see his heart get broken." 'That is such bull.' you laughed silently. Korra knew it was too, "Wait a second. You're not worried about him; you're jealous," Korra was smirking and you were too. "You do have feelings for me." Mako didn't miss a beat. "What? Jealous? Don't be ridiculous." 

"Admit it, you like me." Korra didn't realize she was playing with fire, quite literally. "No, I'm with Asami." "Yeah, but when you're with her, you're thinking about me, aren't you?" The Avatar sounded so smug right now, and you were silently rooting for her. "Get over yourself." Mako snapped. "I'm just being honest!" "You're crazy!" Mako denied. "You're a liar!" cried Korra.

That was when you decided to step in. You splashed the two with water you kept in your pocket, and sent your teammates a raised eye brow. "If you two hot heads are done, we do have a match to go to." You then walked away, your pony tail swinging behind you. You stopped the two from entering the room and to keep Bolin from getting him involved. 

"Listen you two, don't bring this energy around Bolin. And while you are out on that ring, keep your personal feelings out of it. We've come too far for you two to mess it up. Am I clear?" The younger teens looked at each other and sighed, when Nevermore snapped her jaws for good measure. "Yes, sir." "Good, I'll be here when the match is over." You walked in and over to the railing, waiting for the match to start. 

*15 minutes later*

"Eight teams have been eliminated, and eight advance into the quarter finals, which get underway tonight. The rookies are about to take on the former and longest running champs--the Boar-Q-Pines. Youth clashes with experience in a battle for the ages or rather of the ages. Korra dodges and--ooh slams right into her teammate! Down goes Mako, and Bolin and Korra." You face palm and growled as the second announcer said, "Round One goes to the Boar-Q-Pines." 

Your (e/c) eyes narrow, noting Mako was saying something to Korra in a very aggressive way. Poor Bolin looked so confused. The waterbender part of you wanted to switch out with Korra, but the airbender part of you, reminded your that this was how Korra and Mako were going to make up. Nevermore nuzzled your cheek making you chuckle and rub her head. "Thanks, girl."

"The Ferrets looking to mount some offense here in round 2. Bolin lets fly a flurry of attacks. He's a one man bending battalion." "Yes! Way to go, Bolin!" You cheered for the Earthbender. "The Ferrets having a tough time finding their rhythm tonight. But thanks to Bolin, they narrowly notch round two." 

Round 3 started and at this point the crowd noticed their was something wrong as well. "Not sure, what's eatin' them, but this is not the same team that took out the Rabbaroos." You winced in sympathy as the Avatar took Earth disk to the stomach. "Round 3 is a tie. We go to a tie breaker to decide the match." A referee tossed a blue and red coin into the air, and caught it, covering it up. 

He moved his hand to reveal the red side. "The Fire Ferrets win the coin toss. Which element do you choose?" Immediately the three tried to decide who would go to fight, until Bolin stepped up with the older Earthbender. "Looks like the Earthbenders will collide in the tie breaker face off. Bolin goes in for the grapple, Chang reverses." You grit your teeth as Bolin was flung into the air but cheered when he fired from mid air. 

"Bolin strikes from mid air, knocking Chang to the edge of the circle, and another strike from Bolin, knocking Chang into the drink!" "The Future Industries Fire Ferrets win their quarter final match!" You, Mako, and Korra sighed in relief as the announce continued talking. "Ooh, close one folks, youth trumps experience tonight." 

You met the trio at the edge and grinned at Bolin. "Good job, Bo! You were awesome out there!" You watched as Korra and Mako went their separate ways. You sighed, and walked over to Mako and whispered in his ear, "You better get your act right, Mako. You maybe my best friend, but I won't hesitate to kick your ass." He looked at you with wide eyes, knowing you were dead serious. "Hey, (Y/N), come with me! I need your help!" Bolin dragged you out the room, making you laugh. 

*Time skip*

You and Bolin walked up to where Korra could be hiding and you stopped seeing Korra and Mako kissing. 'Are they kidding me?!' "Wait, Bo, don't--" 

You were too late, as he stopped seeing the scene in front of you. You hid half your face in your hand, Nevermore trying to hide her head in your hair. It was silent until Bolin started crying and ran away. "Wait, Bolin, this isn't what you think!" He turned to Korra with a glare on his face. "Great! Look what you did." "You're blaming me?" demanded Korra. 

"You kissed me!" "You kissed me back!" Both gasped being splashed with freezing cold water, and turned to you. Nevermore's teeth were drawn back into a snarl, and you had a dangerous look on your face. "It doesn't matter. You are both at fault! Now what matters is how the hell you are going to fix it." You and Nevermore growled as Mako groaned and ran after his brother. You turned to the city view and didn't even look at the Water Tribe girl.

"Korra, I know you've been isolated all your life, and you probably thought you would get your happily ever after with Mako. But there's so many fish in the sea for you to explore with. Don't settle for the small fry." "Well played, Korra." she said, hugging herself. "Live and learn, Korra." you sighed, "Live and learn."

*The next morning.*

You followed Mako into the restaurant.  "Morning, Narook. Is my brother here?" The man behind the counter gestured behind you guys, and Mako waved in thanks. "Thanks." He walked over to Bolin and shook his shoulder. "Come on, wake up. I'm taking you home, bro." That cause Bolin to sniff and look up sadly. 

"Don't call me that. You're not my brother!" He drunkenly slapped Mako's hands away from him. "You're a brother-betrayer." He sobbed into his arms. "The only ones I can trust: are Pabu and (Y/N)! They love me!" "You're a mess, and we've got the biggest of our lives tonight. Let's go." Mako tried grabbing Bolin who screamed at him. "No! I'm not going anywhere with you traitor!" You sighed, pushing Mako and grinning at Bolin. 

"Come on, Bo. I need my favorite Earthbender to fight with me tonight!" He finally got up with his arm slung over your shoulder. "Only you Bolin, can drunk off Water Tribe Noodles." You laugh gently. "I told you dating a teammate was a bad idea." Mako sighed. "You're a bad idea!" You laugh at their antics, even if you were pissed at Mako. 

*That night* 

You finished braiding your hair so it hung down your back, and out of your face, as Korra walked into the room. She looked at Bolin slouching on a bench,and noticed you over at the mirror. You were lost in thought, but it was clear something was bothering you. You suddenly snapped out of it and stood up, putting your helmet on. "Let's go guys. And leave your personal feelings here." 

"You can't find a team more evenly matched. In age, size, and strength than the Fire Ferrets and the Buzzard Wasps. Believe me, I looked." he joked. "This should be a pulse-pounding semi-final, folks." The bell rang and the Buzzards fought first. "The Buzzard-Wasps open with a flawlessly executed combo. 2 of the Ferrets take an early visit to Zone 2, and Mako's knocked all the way back into Zone 3! The Ferrets have been struggling to stay alive since the opening bell. It seems Bolin and Mako are out of sync tonight. (Y/N) taking the brunt of the impact from the front lines." 

The crowd groaned with Bolin as he was hit in the gut, hard. "Ooh, that has got to sting." You heard retching and groaned, knowing it was Bolin. "And Bolin looses his noodles, literally." All the players seem to have froze with that disgusting scene. "Which reminds me, this match is brought to you by our sponsor, Flamey-O-Instant Noodles. 'Noodlest- Noodles in the United Republic.' " Soon Bolin was knocked back into Zone 3 with Mako, leaving you to get defend from Zone 1. 

You were suddenly knocked into Zone 3 by an Earth disk, while avoiding a flame burst. "The Buzzard Wasps fly deeper into Ferret Territory. And Mako plunges into the pool. Can the Fire Ferrets hold on?" You and Bolin looked at each other and continued to fight with all you got. "The Ferrets are backed to the edge now, and are saved by the bell! They had better pull themselves together, folks, for round two. Otherwise they can kiss their finals goodbye. "

"Round 2!"  You used water in a arch to knock two of the Buzzards back into Zone 2. "Oh, what a strong start from (Y/N)!" Mako groaned being knocked into Zone 2, and sent fire towards them, hitting Bolin in the process. He cried out, and turned onto his back to glare at Mako. "Hey, watch it!" He gasped being knocked into the water, from his distraction. "The Wasps take advantage of Mako's unforced error, and move forward." 

You and Mako spun your elements together and knocked the opposing  Water and Earth benders out and into the drink giving the round to you guys. Round 3 came and you looked between the boys. "Look, we've been working for a long time for this. Get your heads in the game guys. Please." You begged slightly; they knew what this tournament meant to you. "Let's get this over with." Mako sighed.

When the match started, Mako was already in the drink, and Bolin's shoulder was messed up,and then he was in the drink. "The Ferret's dream of making it to the finals rests on Councilman (Y/N)'s shoulders." You smirked to yourself, used your waterbending to get the team into a line of three, and knocked them down like dominoes. "It's the big kaboosh! What a knockout!" 

The crowd went wild and you could hear Mako and Bolin cheering for you.  "It didn't seem possible folks, but the Fire Ferrets are headed to the finals." You laughed, waving to the crowd, before walking away. You took your helmet off and groaned when Korra gave you a big hug. "Korra! Korra! I need my....lungs...to breathe." "Oh! Sorry!" she sheepishly let you go. "Sometimes, I forget about my own strength." You sent her a lopsided smile, "It's okay, Korra." Bolin and Mako walked up to you. 

"That was pretty much the coolest thing I've ever seen." "Thanks for not giving up on us; we never would've made this far without your level head. We owe you big time." You rolled your eyes, walking past them, taking your helmet off. The three looked at each other, uncertain. "(Y/N)--" "Look, I know things are confusing between the three of you, but this team means everything to me, and the last thing I need is for some petty love triangle is to mess it up." 

Your sudden attitude caught the other's off guard; you were usually so carefree and cool. You got ready to leave the room when your ex walked in, making a scene. "Ooh, ooh, you boys smell something in here?" Tahno pinched his nose before smirking. "Oh, wait I know what that is. Yeah, it's the scent of losers." "I hope we see you in the finals. Then we'll see who the real losers really are." Korra said back. 

"Yeah, I'm peeing my pants over here." Tahno said confidently before turning to you, with a very faint blush on his cheeks. "I'll win this match for you, (Y/N). Maybe we can go out to that Water Tribe restaurant you like so much." You turned to him with a bored look and said, "Gag me. We are not together anymore, Tahno, I just can't trust you." You brushed your bangs into your face and left without another word. 

You ran into Asami in the hallway. "Oh, hey Asami." she hugged you and took a step back, noting your mood. "Great job! What a comeback! I--Hey...what's the matter?" she asked, green eyes shining earnestly. "Nothing, why don't you go see you boyfriend." You began to walk away when she grabbed your arm. 

"Hey, you don't need to be strong around me, (Y/N), you've been there for me when I needed it. You can talk to me--" "No! I can't talk to anyone and especially not you because on of my main problems is I'm in love with you, and I just think you're wrong for Mako because he and Korra kissed and they belong together and I--" Asami cut you off by hugging you tightly, your arms tight around her waist. "(Y/N), I-I didn't know you felt that way." You took her hand in yours and kissed the top of it, locking eyes with her. 

"Asami..." you left it at that and walked away, leaving her to her thoughts. 

You ran to where you hid Neo, and hugged him with all your might, begging your tears not to fall, and while the polar bear dog didn't know what caused your pain, he simply nudged you with as much warmth as possible.  You took such good care of him, it hurt him to see you so upset.

You sniffed, and looked into Neo's blue eyes with a watery smile. 

"Let's go home, boy."

[mysterylover123]

Mysterylover Watches Bleach Episode 363-

1. OK so Video game World has turned into a model of Ichi's city, because apparently one big fight in that location wasn't enough, we had to do it twice. Way to be original, Bleach.

2. OOH but we're getting an Ichigo/Uryu team up against this guy! Yees the Shonen rival team up some tropes were meant to be followed

3. They're making up after their recent fights, which is nice to see. Though I really wish they'd just kick Villain Dude's ass already.

4. Kenny and Pink Hair are done with their fight and like me annoyed that everyone else is sitting around playing video games instead of getting out to deal with the real problem - world.

5. Hitsu then takes out his opponent really quickly, thank god. Let's get this train a rolling!

6. Ooor maybe not. Dammit I agree hitsu this guy is really annoying. Please make him shut up for me.

7. Pigtails vs Ruki involves Ruki being like "Do not tempt me with stuffed animals, my one weakness!" LOL I forgot ruki likes stuffed animals I MISSED HER.

8. RukiBro elsewhere banters a bunch with Generic Vlllain Dude (I'm sure he has a name and a fanbase but I don't care) about the moon for a while. DAMMIT RUKIBRO YOU'RE OUR MOST EFFICIENT FIGHTER HERE QUIT WASTING TIME.

9. And finally on our rundown list we have blah blah vs ikkaku and I don't care. But hey, Renji vs Dirty Boots lady! That's a fight I'm all over.

10. We get a cool back and forth battle between those two full of kicks and loud attack names. All that good Shounen stuff.

11. He beats her but interestingly refuses to kill her. Oh, good. I honestly liked her, and I'm not sure (because I can't follow the plot this arc very well) if she's being mind controlled or not.

12. OH BUT DAMMIT SHE DIES ANYWAY. DAMMIT THE REALLY COOL ONE DIES AND THE OTHER ASSHOLES LIVE? WHAT KIND OF JUSTICE?!

13. OH DAMMIT and now Hitsu's enemy is cheating and doing stupid stuff to prolong their fight. HITSU YOU HAVE ICE POWERS FREEZE HIS ASS ALREADY.

14. Oh and Hitsu got him monologuing too. Don't do taht Hitsu once you get a Shonen villain monologuing it'll never stop.

15. Back to Ikka and whatshisface you gotta be kidding me! KILL HIM ALREADY IKKA I DON'T CARE.

16. Whatever so we end with Rukibro's fight again. Is it just me or did literally nothing happen in this entire episode? And I've already written about a full review about basically nothing.

17. Man I think I'm starting to see why people didn't like this arc. There's an attempt at emotional stakes, with Hime and Chad getting brainwashed and everyone forgetting Ichi, and if they'd run with the "having to fight his friends" thing it almost could have worked. But now it's just another showdown with all the Shinigami fighting disposable goons. And not even interesting ones. Ah well. I guess they tried something new, (Or I should say Kubo did, since Shounen is very much a "one author" kind of media) but people I'm betting didn't care for a Shinigami free Bleach; so they decided to bring back the Shinigami crew, which was awesome at first, but really killed what could have made this arc interesting. Just kinda reverted to the same choices we've seen before.

Ah well. There's another big action arc coming up next and hopefully this one will wrap soon.

[mooshs-crack-headcanons]

Hey. Could I request headcanons of shanks' s/o feeling invisible and lashing out due to the bitterness that surrounds feeling invisible and Shanks comforting them and spending a day focusing on them to help lessen them feeling invisible? Hurt/comfort with fluff at the end? Thank you. Love your writing.

(I hope this came out okay ☺️)

It's really hard to feel confident about your strength when you're in a Yonko crew. 

Literally everyone around you has unhuman-like strength, and enough power to conquer a piece of the New World.

And especially with the Red Haired crew, who had the smallest crew out of all four emperors, was considered by many in the Grandline to be arguably the strongest with that fact alone. 

And also that fact the captain in his hay day was able to stand equal to the strongest swordsman in the world there's that too.

Without a doubt you had love and admiration for every single member of your crew, all of them were incredibly down to earth and especially kind, your captain being the most passionate out of all of them, one of the main reasons you fell in love with him. 

But you always found yourself envious of all of them.

You weren't necessarily a fighter, sure you would willingly be ready to up arms once trouble came but not strong enough to eventually find yourself being saved time and time again. 

Every time it made you sick to your stomach and disappointed in yourself, why were you a part of a Yonko crew when you couldn't even fight like it?!

So came a day when one of these fateful rescues took place. 

The crew faced down some cocky group of pirates fairly new to the New World, and stupid enough to go after a Yonko (*cough cough* it's fucking Kid *cough*) 

In the battle you twisted your ankle and began to tumble down and the same moment one of the pirates saw an opening, and in the moment of pure panic Shanks, who normally would stay out of your fights knowing your complex, dashed over and with a clash of his sword, he looked back at you before calling Roo over to get you back to ship. 

You laid in the med ward for days refusing to speak to anyone. 

The rest of the crew would pass by worried but Shanks gave the okay that you'd be okay in a few days.

Though the fact you even refused to speak to him did worry him a bit. 

Then came the day you finally recovered. You made your way out to deck where the crew sat and drank and partied, you know, the normal. Shanks sat at his seat and his eyes immediately lit up as they fell on you. 

"(Name)! Good to see you out of bed so soon, I was worried that 'ya'd find the bed in the ward so comfortable that you'd refuse to sleep in ours ever again!" His contagious laugh caught with the rest of the crew around him. 

You shook your head as you began to make your way to your shared cabin. Seeing this, Shanks immediately rose to his feet, dashing over to you and grabbing your hand to stop you from leaving. 

"Come on, love! You know I'm just joking around." 

"Yeah I know, Shanks." You tried to pull your arm out of his grasp. 

"Come on, have a few drinks with us. After all you've been through, you need it." A frown made its way on your face. 

"I'm not in the mood, Shanks." Already aware of what's up, he gave you a small smile as his grip on your hand slightly tightened. 

"Come on, I'm sure a few with the boys will make you feel-" 

You finally yanked your hand from his, your cold expression already crackling with everything you held inside, the Yonko already regretted his choice of words. 

"I said I'm not in the mood! I'm not in the mood to go over there and be reminded that you and all of those men would be damn fine without me! Now if you'd excuse me, I'd rather go somewhere where someone weak and normal like me can go and not need constant protection." 

He watched you trudge away back to your shared cabin with a heavy smile, the soft secure smile he put on just for you quickly fading away. 

"Looks like someone's in the doghouse." Fucking Yasopp. A loud blunt force echoed from his head.

“Yewouch! Benn! The hell is your problem?!" 

Shanks clicked his tongue, undecidedly. He could go in there to comfort you, or (most likely) get slapped and thrown out on his ass. 

“You'll never learn to shut your mouth, will you?" 

The Yonko reflexively reached up for the top of his hat, but only to touch the top of his head. Oh yeah, Luffy. He turned around to look back at the rest of his partying crew, who seemed to have no clue what had happened. 

He grudgingly trudged back over to his original seat, the image of your broken expression still fresh in his mind 

Oh he needed to fix this. 

Then the relationship saving lightbulb went off his head. 

Oh he had just the right solution to solve this. 

At exactly 5:02 am did the loud knocks on your bedroom door yank you out of sleep. The early morning light filled the room, but your fresh out of sleep eyes couldn't make out what the fuck was happening and what was making that ungodly noise. 

After a few long waking moments did you finally piece it together and after glancing at the time did you throw your legs out of bed to get yourself up to get to the door. 

"Either Yasopp better be dead or the ship's bring hijacked to be an excuse to get me up at this ungodly-" 

You opened the door to meet a tall figure. 

"-hour…" 

Benn stood in your doorway, the vice captain scratched at his nose biting down nervously at the cigarette in his mouth. 

"Benn?" 

"I uh...overhead your outburst yesterday, and I uh...wanted to ask if you wanted to go out to town with me today?" 

Benjamin 'I show no signs of weakness' Beckman was acting nervous. 

Benjamin 'My only love is my gun' Beckman never is nervous. 

"We uh...docked not that long ago."

This immediately tipped your suspensions. Something in the back of your mind told you a certain Red Haired bastard had to be behind this.

"Sure Benn, I'd love too. Around what time do you want to set off?" 

Something in him seemed to be caught off guard, he looked around before biting the slightest bit tighter on his cigarette. 

"Around nine." You gave him a smile and a nod. 

"Well, see you then." 

You gently closed the door back. You sighed as you took a step back. 

Shanks, what were you planning? 

At 9:15, the two of you met on deck to set off. As you went to get off ship you took note that every member gave you a warm smile and a gentle greeting as they all carried large barrels out of the ship's storage, which really wasn't all that ordinary since the barrels all contained alcohol and your crew was nothing but a bunch of alcoholics. 

No what was another tip off was not only was Yasopp not being a piece of shit towards you. He actually gave you a kind hello and said something along the lines of that Shanks went off to take care of some business earlier in the morning. (That didn't stop him from making the in the doghouse joke and about the deck not being very comfortable) 

Benn then took you to the small port town, Benn letting you decide to go everywhere you wanted. The two of you went shopping, saw a street performance, went and got dinner at a small restaurant, and rode on some small rides at the visiting carnival (Which Benn wasn't a big fan of.)

You might've even regretted your decision of choosing Shanks as your boyfriend (but the Red Haired bastard already had your heart for too long) 

Around the evening did the two of you decided to head back to ship, the deep dark thoughts of you being an unneeded part of the crew, while still there, was pushed back to the farthest part of your mind. 

As soon as your feet hit the deck of the Red Force, did another tip off went through your mind. 

No one was on deck. Not a single drunk soul.

Benn lit up a cigarette next to you and shove his hands in his pockets. 

"Well that's strange. Where'd everyone go?" 

You looked around, looking for any signs of your lover. He had to be behind this. 

Benn made his way to the door of the mess hall. 

"Maybe we missed dinner?" You cocked your eyebrow. Yup, he's leading you. 

You followed Benn into the mess hall. 

What time of surprise party shit were you going to find yourself in?

The moment your feet left the stair and landed on the planked floor did the scene in front of you bring tears to your eyes. 

Shanks stood in front of you, flowers in his hand as the rest of the crew held up their mugs of alcohol to you and a shitty made banner with your name on it in your favorite color hung from the ceiling. 

Shanks walked closer to you and handed you the flowers, his only arm wrapping around your waist to press a kiss to the top of your head. 

You felt your heart thump happily in your chance as he looked back to you to give you a small loving smile. Your arms wrapped around him to bring him into a kiss and you could barely hear the whistles and cheers around you as he was the only thing your mind became focused on was him. 

He pulled back with a laugh and lifted you up and spun you around. He leaned close into your ear. 

"I love you, (Name). I'm really sorry about yesterday and that...that you feel not that appreciated that you should be...I'm sorry." You felt your cheeks tinted as your arms wrapped around his neck, his red hair tickling your arm. You smiled. 

"It's fine, Shanks...love you too."

The two of you ended up in Shanks' captain seat in the mess hall. His hand with a mug of whiskey wrapped around you, and you with yours in his lap. 

The crew around you laughed as they drank. 

"Oh! And there was that time (Name) saw one of Kaido's ships! If it wasn't for them we all could've been food for Sea Kings!" 

"No wait, the best thing I can recall (Name) doing was saving Yasopp's ass in that territory raid two years ago!" 

"If it wasn't for their observation haki, we would've never made it out of Big Mom's territory!"

"Oh I remember that! Didn't they flip off what's his face...uh…the candy cane guy! One of Big Mom's older children."

"Charlotte Perospero."

"Yeah, that guy!"

The crew all laughed and you found the big smile on your face still hadn't left as the crew helped boost your confidence.

"Men, men. We can all agree (Name) has done many great things for us all." 

The Red Haired crew looked back at their captain excitedly. 

He looked at you with a knowing smile, you covered your face with your hands knowing what was coming. He raised his mug in the air, whiskey sloshing out of the brim.

"To (Name)!"

The crew raised up their mugs.

"To (Name)!"

The crew broke into a loud laughter and cheers as you shook your head. The Yonko let his chin rest in the dip in your shoulder as the two of you watched your crew having a good time. He then pressed multiple kisses to your cheek. 

"I just hope you know that you mean the whole world to me. Weak and normal, Love, none of that matters all that matters is that every single person on this crew sees your strength, sure that might not be physical, but you've done so much more than just battle strength wise, you've brightened up crew so much and we all can't wait to continue on with you at our side." 

[hamanuelton]

my favorite parts of hamilton:

- “I imagine death so much it feels more like a memory.”

- every time Leslie Odom Jr. as aaron burr begins another part with “how did a bastard, orphan-“ or like in that same way ‘cause he doesn’t always start it that way but you know what I mean

- the way Leslie Odom Jr. as My Boi Burr™️ says “well, the world got around, they said, ‘this kid is insane, man!’”

- also when Leslie Odom Jr. as A. Burr says

“WHAT’S YOUR NAME, MAN?!”

- “our man saw his future drip-dripping down the drain, a pencil to his temple, connected it to his brain”

- “Alexander Hamilton. My name is Alexander Hamilton. And there’s a million things I haven’t done, but just you wait, just you wait...”

- background “just you wait, just you wait”’s as hammy’s putting on a new jacket and ensemble is praising nyc

- “and me? i’m the damn fool that shot him.”

- “Burr, sir” + the continuation of this all throughout

- “If you talk you’re gonna get shot” / FORESHADOWING WOOOEEEEWOOOOO

- “i’m John Laurens in the place to be”

- Lafayette’s fuckinf accent

- “BRRRAH! BRRAAAH! HERCULES MULLIGAN UP IN IT LOVIN IT”

- “if you stand for nothing, Burr, what’ll you fall for”

- “‘Onarchy?”

- hey, yo, i’m just like my country, i’m young, scrappy, and hungry—

- the way Odom Leslie Jr. as The Hamburrglar™️ says ‘shot’ and they all take a shot

- this ⤵️

- Hammy getting //flustered// about friendship

- WHEN ARE THESE COLONIES GONNA RISE UP

- Angelica’s face when Burr is tryna tell her bout herself and she shows him up and ships him out

- Act 1: 6. Farmer Refuted

- honorable mention: “my dog speaks more eloquently than thee!" "but strangely, your mange is the same." "is he in jersey?”

- King George pouting

- Jonathan Groff’s overarticulation of each syllable as King George is a work of art

- “♪ Da-da-da-dat-da-dat-da-da-da-dai-ah-da! ♪ Da-da-da-da-dai-ah-da! ♪

- “Everybody! —“

- “We keep meeting.”

- “i imagine death so much it feels more like a memory. when’s it gonna get me? in my sleep? seven feet ahead of me?”

- “See, I never thought I’d live past twenty.”

- “this is not a moment, it’s the movement”

- “I’m laughin’ in the face of casualties and sorrow, for the first time, I’m thinkin’ past tomorrow!”

- “dying is easy, young man, living is harder!”

- “i’m being honest. i’m working with a third of what our Congress promised.”

- “you need all the help you can get. i have some friends. Laurens, Mulligan, Marquis de Lafayette, okay, what else?” — “we’ll need some spies on the inside, some king’s men who might let some things slide.”

- “watch this obnoxious, arrogant, loudmouth bother be seated at the right hand of the father.”

- “Martha Washington named her feral tomcat after him” — “That’s true.”

- “Yo, if your marry a sister, you’re rich, son!” — “Is it a question of ‘if’, Burr, or which one?” and then the little ‘hey’ ‘hey’ thing they do gets me every time

- literally the use of yo throughout the production fucking gets me every single fucking time

- “i’m writin’ a letter nightly. now my life gets better, every letter that you write me. — THE PURE UNBRIDLED SENSE OF FORESHADOWING IN “laughin’ at my sister, cuz she wants to form a harem” — ft. “i’m just sayin’, if you really loved me, you would share him!”

- the irony in “Eliza, i don’t have a dollar to my name”, you’ll be on the $10 bill, my man

- top-notch brain

- Angelica TRIED TO TAKE A BITE OF ME

- the way Anthony Ramos as John Laurens says “alright, alright. that’s what i’m talkin’ about!” and also the face that he makes

- hunger-pang frame

- “You strike me as a woman who has never been satisfied.” — “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. You forget yourself.” — “You’re like me. I’m never satisfied.” — “Is that right?” — “I have never been satisfied.” — “My name is Angelica Schuyler.” — “Alexander Hamilton.” — “Where’s your fam’ly from?” — “Unimportant. There’s a million things I haven’t done but just you wait, just you wait...”

- tbh the way ‘Schuyler’ is spelled is oddly satisfying to me

- honestly just the way LMM says Alexander Hamilton+/ my name is Alexander Hamilton, and there’s a million things i haven’t done, ‘just you wait, just you wait...’ throughout the production

- “i’m the oldest and the wittiest and the gossip in new york city is insidious”

- “You are the worst, Burr.”

- Act 1: 12. The Story of Tonight (Reprise)

- “love doesn’t discriminate, between the sinners and the saints, it takes and it takes and it takes”

- “love doesn’t discriminate, between the sinners and the saints, it takes and it takes and it takes and we keep living anyway. we rise and we fall and we break and we make our mistakes. and if there’s a reason i’m still alive when everyone who loves me has died—“

- “Chick-a-plao!”

- the way they say ‘raise a glass’ is both elegant and (appropriately) reverent

- “i go back to new york and my apprenticeship” — i shouted MY BOI HERCULES MULLIGAN UP IN IT LOVIN IT DID NOT JUST SAY THAT, IF HE ACTUALLY LEFT AND ISN’T JUST UNDERCOVER OR SOME SHIT IMMA WRITE LIN-MANUEL MIRANDA A STRONGLY WORDED LETTER

- the minute General Charles Les came into the picture i hated him so hard, even though his literal first word was ‘Whee!!!!’, though i can appreciate the sentiment and what LMM was tryna do there

- “Washington cannot be left to his devices indescisive, from crisis to crisis” — sweet baby jesus that alliteration, and jon rua totally pulled it off (i hate General Charles Lee not the person who played him, i can also appreciate the fact that as an actor it takes a lot of talent to be able to make you hate a character so easily, also shoutout to Jonathan Groff as King Georgey-Boy™️, Sydney James Harcourt as james reynolds, and the general way LMM somehow made me fed up/turn on Alexander with the whole scene with him and Maria Reynolds — and not only that but somehow redeemed himself to me which is easier said than done for characters and people alike.. i’ve been hurt too much to play like that.

- Act 1: 15. Ten Duel Commandments

- honorable mention: “if you don’t reach peace, that’s alright. time to get some pistols and a doctor on site. you pay him in advance, you treat him with civility. you have him turn around so he can have deniability.”

- Act 1: 17. That Would Be Enough

- honorable mention: the melody that LMM went with for that turn of phraseis a truly beautiful thing

- “Immigrants:” — “We get the job done.”

- THE FACT THAT MY MAIN MAN HERCULE MULLIGAN WAS ON THE INSIDE NOT ONLY DID I CALL IT BUT DAMN HE REALLY GOT THAT GOOD HOT TRIBUTE HE DESERVED

- “To my brother’s a revolutionary covenant! I’m runnin’ with the sons of liberty and I am lovin’ it! See, that’s what happens when you up against the ruffians. We’re in the shit now, somebody gotta shovel it! Hercules Mulligan, I need no introduction, when you knock me down I get the fuck back up again!”

- Act 1: 21. What Comes Next

- honorable mention: “i’m so blue” — the little squat that Groffsauce does as the light turns blue really got to me

- Act 1: 22. Dear Theodosia

- Leslie Odom Jr.’s voice is so ding dang delightfully airy

- honorable mention: “You have my eyes. You have your mother’s name. When you came into the world, you cried and it broke my heart.”

- Act 1: 23. Non-Stop

- as someone with siblings i can appreciate that they’re bickering like that’s just what they are

- “I was chosen for the constitutional convention! *squeal*”

- “Burr, we studied and we fought and we killed for the notion of a nation we now get to build. For once in your life, take a stand with pride. I don’t understand how you stand to the side.”

- Act 2: 1. What’d I Miss?

- honorable mention: “But the sun comes up and the world still spins.”

- Act 2: 2. Cabinet Battle #1

- honorable mention: “DOIN’ WHATEVER THE HELL IT IS YOU DO IN MONTICELLO!”

- tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

- “Daddy, daddy, look.... My name is Philip. I am a poet. I wrote this poem just to show it. And I just turned nine. You can write rhymes but you can’t write mine.” - “What!” - “I practice French and play piano with my mother.” — “Uh-huh!” — “I have a sister but I want a little brother.” — “Okay!” — “My daddy’s trying to start America’s bank. Un deux trois quatre cinq!” — “Bravo!” — “Hey, our kid is pretty great.”

- as much as i hate Act 2: 4. Say No To This (because for some reason i though Alexander Hamilton was better than that) Jasmine Cephas Jones sings in it is like a hot knife through butter — namely; “My husband’s doin’ me wrong beatin’ me, cheatin’ me, mistreatin’ me...”... I guess maybe I understand it ‘cause damn Jasmine Cephas Jones is so ding dang pretty and ding dang talented and wow what a remarkable person

- the way that Lin says “And her body’s saying, ‘hell, yes’ is um.. 😓

- “You see, that was my wife you decided to” — “Fuuuu—“

- Act 2: 5. The Room Where It Happens

- honorable mention: “Bros.”

- “Talk less. Smile more.” LMM being a dramatic bastard

- Act 2: 6. Schuyler Defeated

- Act 2: 7. Cabinet Battle #2

- “revolution is messy but now is the time to stand."

- honorable mention: “Ooh!!”

- “We signed a treaty with a King whose head is now in a basket. Would you like to take it out and ask it? ‘Should we honor our treaty, King Louis’ head?’ ‘Uh... do whatever you want, I’m super dead.’”

- Thomas Jefferson all like “but sir do we not fight for freedom” MY BAD SIR YOU ARE A SLAVE-OWNER HOW ABOUT YOU NOT

- mentioning Lafayette because apparently LMM has no problem with breaking the fourth wall

- “Daddy’s calling.”

- “I’m in the cabinet. I am complicit in watching him grabbin’ at power and kiss it. If Washington isn’t gon’ listen to disciplined dissidents, this is the difference. This kid is out!”

- “Southern motherfuckin’ Democratic-Republicans!”

- “The emperor has no clothes.”

- “Sir, I don’t know what you heard but whatever it is Jefferson started it.” — “Thomas Jefferson resigned this morning.” — “You’re kidding.” — “I need a favor.” — “Whatever you say, sir, Jefferson will pay for his behavior.” — “I’ll use the press. I’ll write under a pseudonym, you’ll see what I can do to him—“ — “Yes! He resigned you can finally speak your mind!” — “Ha. Good luck defeating you, sir.” - “I’m sorry, what?”

- Act 2: 10. I Know Him

- “—Vice President.” — “— No more Mr. Nice President.”

- “Sit down, John, you fat motherf—“

- Act 2: 12. We Know

- honorable mention: “You see that was my wife you decided to—“ — “WHAT—“

- Act 2: 13. Hurricane

- Act 2: 14. The Reynolds Pamphlet

- honorable mention: *DEEP VOICE* “DAMN”

- Act 2: 15. Burn

- i’ll be the first to say i wasn’t a huge fan of Eliza at first aside from Phillipa Soo’s killer voice

- this gave me a lot of respect for her

- honorable mention: “You have married an Icarus. He has flown too close to the sun.”

- Act 2: 16. Blow Us All Away

- i would like to point out that tweet where someone @‘s LMM about not mentioning Philip’s hot and he responds “I’M FAIRLY F**CKING SURE I DID”, y’know ⤵️

- “The ladies say my brain’s not where the resemblance stops.”

- “God, you’re a fox.”

- Act 2: 17. Stay Alive (Reprise)

- The ‘I know, I know. Shh.’ and the full circle back to his mom teaching him french on the piano really got to me for the beautiful artistry in it but also damn them feels

- Act 2: 18. It’s Quiet Uptown

- “I spend hours in the garden. I walk alone to the store and it’s quiet uptown. I never liked the quiet before. I take the children to church on Sunday, a sign of the cross at the door, and I pray. That never used to happen before.”

- “Philip, you would like it uptown. It’s quiet uptown.”

- “You knock me out, I fall apart.”

- “Eliza, do you like it uptown? It’s quiet uptown.”

- “There are moments that the words don’t reach. There is suffering too terrible to name. You hold your child as tight as you can and push away the unimaginable. The moments when you’re in so deep it feels easier to just swim down.”

- “There are moments that the words don’t reach. There is a grace too powerful to name. We push away what we can never understand. We push away the unimaginable.”

- “Can you imagine?”

- Act 2: 19. The Election of 1800

- honorable mention: “And they say I’m a Francophile: at least they know I know where France is!”

- “You used to work on the same staff” — “Whaaaat.”

- “Honestly, it’s kind of draining.” — “Burr...” — “Sir!” — “Is there anything you wouldn’t do?” — “No. I’m chasing what I want. And you know what?” — “What?” — “I learned that from you.” / this moment made the blow that he voted for Jefferson like a damn hole in my chest and i actually really felt for Burr. i get Hammy’s reluctance, i think if anything he was hoping voting for Jefferson would give Burr the chance to have experience as VP and then the next election he might vote for him then depending

- Act 2: 20. Your Obedient Servant

- A. Burr

- A. Ham

- “I just need to write something down.” / really resonated as one of the last things they showed him doing before going off to the duel, his life really was writing and that was the perfect way to say that in a very subtle sort of way. i really appreciate it artistically, whether it was intentionally so or not.

- Act 2: 22. The World Was Wide Enough

- okay but first of all i would like to comment on the fact that Ariana DeBose PLAYS THE GODDAMN BULLET, I JUST

- THE FACT THAT THE BULLET HAS A PART

- “This man will not make an orphan of my daughter.” / this made me really sympathize with Burr, as well as when he tries to go towards Hamilton (at least in the play but I sincerely hope that was historically accurate) / but also that fact that Theodosia Burr was lost at sea at 29 makes me sad because Hamilton’s life was taken to give her one and then she just up and disappears in a freak accident

- Act 2: 23. Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story

- the orphanage got to me

- i loved that he (LMM) didn’t end it with himself or anything

- he let Phillipa Soo tear my heart out

- it killed me but i died quite happily

- and really what more could you ask for.

[mostfacinorous]

Stoki Whumptober Day 17: I did not see that coming [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]

When Thor arrived, the sky announced his mood before the expression on his face did. Both could be described as stormy, and Loki whimpered a little and all but hid behind Steve. 

“That’s Thor?” He asked, voice hushed and a new fear taking root there. Steve swallowed-- this whole situation was messed up, and this new version of Loki felt like something he shouldn’t be seeing. He knew the Loki they knew would never want to be seen like this. 

It had been a revelation, the expressions he was capable of, the openness that a younger Loki in this body was capable of. Even his bearing was looser, less restrictive, less uptight. 

Steve hadn’t really realized how rigidly Loki held himself, both figuratively and literally, until he had this version in comparison. And, for all that he seemed vulnerable and innocent and all of Steve wanted to protect him, he couldn’t help but want the Loki he knew back. Which was a confusion sensation, and one that didn’t need to be scrutinized too closely. 

He was more helpful as a fully grown adult, was all. 

“Loki.” Thor’s greeting sounded more like a warning, and Steve found himself raising his hand to keep Thor back a pace or two. 

“There’s been an accident, Thor. He’s not who you think he is.” Steve spoke quickly, then paused, aware he’d already messed it up. “Well, he is, he’s Loki but…” 

“Thor, I messed with a timestone, and the things they’re saying-- none of it makes any sense. Mother dead and I’m banished and you-- what happened to your eye?”

Loki sounded plaintive and young, and from his position between them, Steve could see the way his words hit Thor like a slap. 

“What is this?” Thor demanded, pulling his gaze to meet Steve’s, then Tony’s, then finally Bucky’s. 

Bucky held up the time stone.

“No trick. Just what we said, an accident. He says he’s like, five hundred years old.” 

Loki, thankfully, didn’t correct him about the exact age. But Steve could feel him all but trembling behind him. 

“Thor?” Loki asked, voice small and lost sounding. “Why do they hate me? Why do you?” 

“We were hoping you’d know how to tell if he was faking it.” Tony said, suddenly, and Steve glared at him. 

He didn’t know how anyone thought Loki could be this good of an actor. 

That possibility seemed not to have occurred to Thor before then, but he turned a considering look back at Loki, and Steve knew he wouldn’t like whatever came next. But he figured Thor wouldn’t hurt his brother. Especially not if it was what it seemed like, and the brain in Loki’s head hadn’t done anything wrong, yet. 

“I cannot tell.” Thor said finally. “I have rarely been able to see through the best of my brother’s lies. But I can think of a test.”

“I’ll take it!” Loki said eagerly, stepping out from behind Steve. Steve wished he wouldn’t, wished he’d stayed back there, where he could keep him safe, but he fully acknowledged how ridiculous that was. The guy might be a kid inside, but he was at least a full inch taller than Steve, and could shoot magic out of his hands and probably still deadlift a semi truck. 

He caught Bucky staring at him, and shrugged, hoping that conveyed that they should go along with it. 

“Loki, what would you think if I told you that you were adopted?” Thor asked, and Steve felt his mouth fall open.

That was a hell of a way not to pull a punch, considering that was apparently the news that had sent Loki into a homicidal rage spiral in the first place. 

This version of Loki, though, younger, less grown into his powers, merely went still. 

“That’s not true.” He whispered. “I-- it can’t be.” He sounded doubtful, hurt, like he might cry again. Steve rolled his hand into a fist, telling himself to ride it out, wait and see where this was going. 

“It is. Father brought you home from Jotunheim after the last battle with Laufey. You are a Jotnar runt, who was left to freeze to death, and he felt sorry for you. My parents lied to you your entire life.”

Loki shook his head horrified, and took a few steps back, and still Steve let him be, let Thor do what he needed to-- trusted he was doing this for a reason. 

“Why are you saying this, Thor? I thought-- you can’t mean it. Mother’s dead, isn’t she? She wouldn’t have… she would have told me.” 

“Oh, she did.” Thor advanced, eyes skating across Loki’s face, looking for something. Steve hoped he found it soon; this was painful to hear, and much worse to watch. 

“She told you, Loki. Right before you killed her.” 

Loki backed into a wall, his hands pressed against it at his sides, and shook his head. “I didn’t. I wouldn’t. I-- please Thor, tell me this isn’t true.” He was begging now, pleading. 

“And then you killed Odin.” Thor continued, advancing ruthlessly. Steve didn’t think it was the truth, but for all he knew it could be. “And then you tried to take the throne. Tried to have me killed.” 

“No, not you, Thor, not Mother, not-- why? Why would I-- I couldn’t, I didn’t--” Loki had tears streaming down his face now, and he looked like he was going to be sick. 

“And when you were banished from Asgard for your treason-- allowed to live because I still thought of you as my brother--” 

“No--’ Loki moaned, the past tense clearly not having escaped him. 

“You came here, and brought an army of mercenaries, and you slaughtered-- how many, Stark? Hundreds? Thousands?” 

Loki slid down the wall to grasp at his knees, rolling into a ball and keening. 

“I don’t-- I’m sorry. I… If I did all of that, you should just kill me. I don’t know why I--” His words dissolved into gasping sobs, and Steve had had enough. 

“Okay, Thor, back off. Do you have your answer yet?” He demanded, putting a hand on Thor’s shoulder before he could take the last couple of steps toward Loki. 

Thor turned and sighed. 

“Aye. He is not lying. He does not know the truth of any of this, and he did not deny it or defend himself. This is my brother, though… from long ago.” 

“Great. Fantastic. Thanks for that,” Tony said, babbling through his own horrified reaction. 

Bucky was looking around as if he was weighing something, but Steve didn’t have time for that. 

He knelt beside the ball of misery that Loki had become. 

“Hey, Loki? Hey, listen, that was-- that was the test, okay? You passed, it’s okay now-- everyone believes you.” 

“But I’m a monster.” Loki moaned, and curled into himself more, if possible. 

Steve looked up and glared silently at Thor, demanding without words that he fix this. 

Thor heaved a sigh and sat down on the ground in front of his brother. 

“Loki?” He asked, the name now a soft rumble that was much less of a threat. “I need you to know that I lied.”

Loki looked up, his face streaked with tears and his nose running, his hair sticking to his face in wet tendrils that curled slightly in the damp.

“I’m not--?” He asked, looking hopeful, and Thor shook his head. 

“You are my brother.” He said firmly. “You did not kill our parents. I am sorry, Loki. I needed to tell these falsehoods because the older you would know the truth, and would not be able to resist the urge to clear his name.” 

Loki sobbed again, then launched himself forward and into his brother’s arms. 

Thor held him, and Steve felt again as if he was intruding. But after watching all of that, he didn’t feel like he should leave, either. 

“Thor?” Bucky asked, and they all looked up at him, surprised at the interruption, all but Steve probably having forgotten he was there. 

“If you have a sec, I need to talk to you about this time stone, and how we go about fixing this whole,” he waved his hand at Loki, then at his own arm, “thing. And I’d like to talk to you alone.” He gave Steve a significant glance that Steve didn’t know how to decode, but when Thor nodded and gently pushed Loki away, he realized it probably meant that he was on babysitting duty. 

And judging by the way Tony had retreated to the bar, he was probably on his own. 

“Why don’t you take a break, Tony, maybe pull up the tapes for them in case Thor has some insight on how to reverse what happened?” He framed it as a suggestion, btu Tony snapped off a salute and looked about as relieved as Loki had upon hearing the false accusations had been lies. 

“Yeah, I can do that. Cool.” Tony took off, carrying his glass with him, and Steve eased Loki back up and over to the couch before steering him into sitting down. 

“Alright there champ, that was… rough.” He winced, not sure what he was supposed to be doing, much less how to do it. 

“But I passed.” Loki said quietly, looking down at his hands in his lap. 

“You sure did. And now Thor’s here, with any luck, we’ll get it set to rights soon.” 

“He said he lied,” Loki said slowly, before looking up. “He didn’t say it was all lies. And he didn’t tell me the truth. You said my mother was dead. Is that true?” 

Steve swallowed, feeling very much out of his depth. 

“It is. I’m sorry.” he confirmed. Loki just nodded and looked down again. “Thor said it was a-- a dark elf, I think. During an attack on Asgard.” 

“But they are extinct.” Loki said, looking back up, his face full of distrust. 

“I don’t know the whole story.” Steve admitted, pulling out his stark phone and pulling up a video, “But I know that some of them came to Earth, and there’s some video of Thor from our news, fighting them.” 

Loki accepted the phone and watched the screen, a mingled look of fascination and horror on his face as he watched Thor fighting the dark elf leader. When the video ended, he passed it back to Steve delicately, as if he was afraid he would break it. 

“So Thor avenged her, at least.” He said, as if he was trying to find some comfort in that. He took a deep breath, then pushed on. “What of my father?” 

“That one I don’t know.” Steve admitted. “I just know that Thor has had to split his time between here and Asgard since his passing.” 

“So he is also dead.” Loki confirmed. Looking up this time, and Steve wondered if he was trying to get the tears to stay in his eyes by sheer force of gravity. 

“And me?” Loki asked, not looking back at Steve. “Is it true, what he said, about my being adopted?” 

“Seems like it.” Steve said, apologetically. “Sorry about that. And it sounds like… when you found out for real, when you were supposed to in the timeline… it was a bad time for it. Hit you hard. You uh… did some bad things.” He winced, wishing he knew better what all that entailed, beyond the vagaries of the reports they’d put together based on Thor’s rambling and nonlinear retelling. 

Loki’s mouth thinned into a tiny line, and Steve knew for certain he was trying not to cry. 

“Hey, it’s okay, all right? It’s done, it’s in the past.” He reached out to wrap his arm around Loki’s shoulders, trying to be comforting. 

“For you, maybe.” Loki muttered, pushing the arm away and launching himself up and to his feet to begin pacing around. “When I go back, I hope I get to keep all these memories. I’ll confront my mother-- in my time she still lives. And I will tell Odin, my father, that the dark elves yet live, and we can hunt them down and stop them before they kill her, and I won’t do… whatever it is I am supposed to. I won’t become whatever I was that made you fear me.” 

That gave Steve pause. 

Did he fear Loki? Mistrusted him plenty, for sure, had a healthy respect for his abilities and strength, but he was trying to think of the last time he actually feared him. Maybe back at the beginning of all of this, when he walked in and found him on his couch, drinking. He’d thought maybe he’d come to kill him, but that had quickly gone away. 

Steve didn’t know what to say to that realization, and was spared it by the return of Bucky, Thor, and Tony. 

“Alright, short stack, I think we’ve got it figured out.” Tony announced, and Steve saw him clearing the video of before from his tablet. 

“So the metal my arm is made of, vibranium, it takes power aimed at it, and bounces it back amplified. But the metal that Thor’s hammer is made out of, it sucks power in like a sponge, and Thor knows how to safely discharge it.” 

Steve frowned, considering the implications. 

“You’re going to use the hammer on Loki?” He asked, and Thor tipped his head a little in acknowledgement. 

“Gently,” he added, obviously a little amused by Steve’s defensiveness. “Mjolnir has never taken Loki’s power before, and I do not expect that it will begin to now. We tested on the stone itself, though, and it seems it can siphon the power from it. And so…” 

“And so the hammer’s going to suck all the time juice out of Loki, and if that doesn’t put him right, Thor can zap him with it.” 

Loki clasped his hands in front of himself, then nodded. 

“Do it.” He decided, and Steve wanted to argue, but the plan seemed to have some logic to it, and it wasn’t like he had anything else to offer. 

Thor took the hammer from his belt and held it out. 

Loki reached out, closing the distance, and laid his hand on it. 

“What do I--” he started to ask, and then his eyes rolled back in his head, and a green light arced from his head to his hand and into the metal below. 

Thor’s eyes glowed with restrained lightning, and Loki’s legs folded, letting him drop like a sack of potatoes. Steve was right there to catch him, though, and he helped him to the ground, making sure he didn’t his anything on his way down. 

The power stopped as soon as it had started, and Thor shook his head, replacing the hammer by his side. 

“That ought to be that,” He announced. “I could feel his years returning to him. But if you will excuse me, I would rather not be here when he wakes. I don’t imagine he’s going to be too pleased with any of us-- most especially me.” Thor looked around, but no one objected. 

Steve considered it, but in all honesty, he figured Loki might be better off without Thor hovering while he recovered from this one. 

“Yeah, I’ll walk you out.” Tony said instead, and Steve nodded. 

“Thanks, Thor. For everything.” He wasn’t sure he really meant it, but Thor didn’t seem to notice, or mind. He raised his hand in farewell, and headed outside with Tony in the lead. 

“Well.” Bucky said. “That was one helluva show. Bet no one saw that coming.”

Steve looked down at Loki’s unconscious face, and wondered if his life would have been easier if he had-- if the small version of him had actually been able to go back with the knowledge, and make the changes he wanted to, how much differently that might have turned out. 

How much differently it might be to know him now, the type of people they’d be…

“Nope.” Steve answered. “I did not see that coming.”

[acidproofnotebook]

One-Punch Man Chapter 84, Update 125

As published online

Date:

Translator: u/hdx514

Rough page by page translations for those who don't want to wait. I'm skipping most pages with only sound effects.

Title page

Not lonely, but a solitary one

Pages 2-5

Bang wrecking Garou

Page 6

Genos: perfect moves that combine attack and defense into one

Ge: even though both use the same water stream rock smashing fists, the difference in master is night and day

Ge: the battle about to reach its conclusion

Page 7-11

Garou continues to get wrecked

Page 12

Garou: w…what is this

Ga: these vicious attacks are nothing like damn geezer’s style…

Page 13

Ga: bad…this is bad

Ga: my consciousness is…

Ga: it means…death…

Ga: Ahhhh

Page 14

Bang: what is that strange movement

Ba: where did he learn it?

Ba: he’s moving like a beast

Ga: I’m not done yet!

Page 15

Ga: if I use the fallen heroes as hostages, there might still be a way out!!

Bomb: I won’t let you

Page 16

Monsters get sliced up

Page 17 Bomb: Bang, we finished the monsters from the hole in the ground

Bo: it’s just Garou now

Page 18

Genos: life signals from monsters still remain

Ge: not sure why, but I cannot accurately assess their location or numbers

Ge:if we go down that hole, will we find the Monsters Association hideout?

Pheonix man: The Monster Association members were all killed? Damn, they really are unreliable.

Page 19

Phoenix man: even though we deployed significant forces to capture Garou alive

Ph: that Demon Cyborg…the power he possesses is unbelievable

Ph: even Silver Fang is here, there’s no chance we get Garou away from here

Ph: but if I leave empty handed after this crushing defeat, I might get eaten by Orochi

Page 20

Ph: regardless, I can only hope Garou can escape on his own …

Ph: ...what a desperate situation… Ph: does this mean I have to plan an exit strategy from MA…?

Ba: (referring to Bomb) if you were this badly injured, could you still be standing?

Bo: …if I were 60 years younger, I might be able to tough it out

Bo: …maybe

Bo: we’re almost there!!! Let’s finish him before the other heroes arrive!

Ba: roger

Page 21

Ga: can’t even move my wrists…

Ga: attacking your former number 1 disciple when he’s at his weakest, how despicable of you, Bang

Page 22

Ga: this other geezer, isn’t he Bomb, master of the whirlwind iron cutting fist?

Ga: to think the two reclusive masters of the martial arts world would gang up on me, shameless

Ga: even if I pretend to beg for my life, Demon Cyborg still won’t spare me

Ga: If I want to survive this crisis, I have to kill all three

Page 23

Ga (or Bang?): it’s impossible

Ba: do you know how much pain you have caused my number one disciple Charanko

Ba: Garou!!

Page 24

Garou flashback

Kids: let’s play a hero game!

Kids: you too, Garou

Kids: c’mon let’s play

Garou: huh, sure

Page 25

Kid: drum roll~~

Kid: justice man is here!

Kid: justice kick

Kid: aah it hurts!

Page 26

Ga: hey that’s dangerous

Kid: huh?

Ga: I feel bad (for the kid playing monster)

Kid: …how about you play the monster

Kid: justice cross

Ga: waa (steps out of the way)

Kid: what’s wrong with you?

Ga: s…sorry, Tatsu

Kid: I almost had you

Kids: what’s your problem, you’re a monster, you’re not supposed to do that

Kids: let’s pin him down

Kids: okay-

Page 27

Kid: justice man kick!

Kid: monster Garou defeated~

Ga: what is this, pre-death flashbacks?

Ga: these memories disgusts me

Ga: that kid…right, I remember him…Tatsu, that popular kid

Page 28

Kids: hey, what’s going on? Why are you fighting?

Kids: shall I call the teacher?

Kids: Garou is being violent

Kids: we were only playing, but he got mad! What’s his problem

Ga: I….I can’t take it any more!

Ga: come Tatsu, me vs. you, let’s figure it out

Tatsu: ha? What are you talking about, I thought we were just playing

Page 29

Ga:  I DON’T want to play monster! It’s no fun at all!

Ga: let’s duke it out, if I win you stop bugging me, that’s the deal!

Tat: Sabu, Yotsu, hold Garou down

Ga: despicable….stop…let go! I…

Ga: aah…damn it!

Kids: he’s crazy, let’s call the teacher

Kids: run Tatsu

Kids: pin him down, pin him down!

Kids: what happened?

Kids: you guys should come and help

Kids: Tatsu was being nice and Garou took advantage of him

Kids: he’s the worst

Kids: Garou got serious with Tatsu all of a sudden while playing the game

Kids: what’s this guy even thinking

Kids: I feel so bad for Tatsu

Page 30

Tatsu is a king among the kids, Tatsu is a bully, Tatsu is nasty

I’m in the dark, always alone I have no friends

Tatsu is a good athlete, Tatsu is popular

I despise the popular ones

not sure of the order of the following dialogue

Teacher: why did you get violent?

Te: I heard you got mad while playing a hero game, is that true?

Te: can you not even tell the difference between a game and reality!

Ga: no teacher, it’s because Tatsu is so popular that everyone is badmouthing me

Te: you were the violent one, weren’t you? What if a window got broken, how are you going to pay for that!

Ga: Tatsu always…always treats me like a monster

Ga: NO!

Page 31

Ga: I don’t dislike playing the monster

Ga: am I holding a grudge against Tatsu for playing the hero?

Ga: no, that’s not it either

Ga: it’s just that playing the hero game has made me realize how absurd it is

Ga: the one who’s popular can bully the one who’s hated however he wants

Te: you are in the wrong, apologize now

Te: call your parents

Ga: this is not just bullying, this is a faithful, real life adaption of a kids’ game that is accepted by the public.

Ga: you are free to choose your role, but the ones who ends up playing hero must have the support of the people, how could that ever be me.

Ga: naturally, the script in which the one playing monster scores the victory doesn’t exist in the first place. I was destined to lose.

Page 32

Ga: what is justice! What is evil!

Ga: at the end of the day it’s just following the will of the masses, and the masses wants me dead!

Ga: unforgivable! There is no logic!

Ga: I can’t explain the reason behind it, but it makes me mad!

Ga: I will make you understand! Ga: I will deliver my punch on behalf of the disenfranchised!

Ga: and I reject your notion of good and evil!

Page 33

Genos: he fell

Bang: it’s over

Page 34

Ga: no way it ends at a place like this!

Page 35

Garou shatters earth

Page 36

Bang/Bomb: what?!

Page 37-39

Garou lifts tree and swings it

Bo: this is bad, his body…

Ba: what’s with this burst of power?!

Page 40

Bang: don’t you realize it yet Garou!

Ba: if you keep going like this, you really will die!

Ge: Bang, above you!

Page 41-42

Phoenix man lands and grabs Garou

Page 43

Bo: more monsters!?

Ba: there’re still a few left!!!

Page 44

Ba: !

Ba: Genos-kun

Ge: Bang, you saw that just now, didn’t you

Ge: that thing has become monster, it even befriended one

Ge: I trust that you won’t object if I shoot both of them down

Page 45

Phoenix man (calling to Elder Centipede): Can you hear me!!?

Ph: I have Garou

Ph: just finish these guys off!

Ph: I’m leaving the rest to you!!

Bo: ???

Page 46-47

Ge: spiral incineration cannon

Ph: Elder Centipede

Page 48-50

Elder Centipede emerges and tanks Genos’ cannon fire

Page 51

Bo/Ba/Ge: What was that!?

Page 52-53

Elder Centipede breaking ground

Page 54-55

Disaster level: dragon

Giant monster insect Elder Centipede

Page 56

Bo: w..what…

Bo: is this a living thing!!?

Ba: damn, we must protect them (the fallen heroes)

Page 57

Ba: up you go

Page 58

Bomb using whirlwind iron cutting fist to save the fallen heroes

Page 59

Ge: those life signals must have been caused by it…

Ge: it’s not that I wasn’t able to pinpoint its location, it’s simply too massive

[very long -- rest under cut]

Page 60

Ge: completely unharmed after taking the cannon fire

Ge/Bo/Ba (not sure who said it): an opponent that can easily break my wrists…

Garou (I think): that centipede…

Page 61

Ga: why did you come here?

Ph: don’t worry, Elder Centipede will handle the rest down there

Ph: that guy is a literal natural disaster that swallows everything

Ph: his indiscriminant power of destruction is truly shocking

Ph: an anti-climactic “hero hunt” as usual, wouldn’t you say?

Ph: you  can’t just knock them out, they must be eliminated permanently

Ph: heroes who are knocked out will be always come back bouncin’

Page 62

Ph: …you just rest easy

Ph: Elder Centipede will end it all

Ga: ! (starts struggling)

Ph: stop wasting your energy

Ga: those heroes are my prey

Ph: yo yo, stop moving!

Ga: damn you, let me go! Unforgivable!

Ph: hey hey, don’t get angry

Ph: it’s your fault you didn’t finish them off after all

Ph: plus, this is a golden opportunity for us to off 2 S-class heroes

Ph: the S-class heroes are the biggest threat to the Monsters Association

Page 63

Ph: you experienced it firsthand, didn’t you

Ph: there is such thing as battle compatibility

Ph: if our advisor Gyoro is right, in the entire Hero Association, there are only four who could take on Elder Centipede

Page 64

Ph: The wielder of unparalleled supernatural power, “tornado of terror”

Ph: The sole commander of a military force that’s beyond even HA’s control, “metal knight”

Page 65

Ph: The strongest human “King”

Ph: And…the one who almost killed Elder Centipede, the strongest hero, “Blast”

Page 66

Ph: Elder Centipede is working with Monsters Association in order to seek revenge against Blast

Ph: he just can’t wait to lure the hermit Blast back onto the battlefield

Ph: unfortunately…those two down there (Bang and Genos) do not possess the power to turn the tides in their favor

Ph: Silver Fang has obtained unmatched power through martial arts, but that only works on opponents of a similar size

Ph: Demon Cyborg’s capabilities are terrifying

Ph: but he carries nothing on-board that will threaten a monster of this size.

Ph: He cannot go beyond the destructive firepower of his weapons

Ph: that is the limit of Demon Cyborg

Page 67

Ph: with a lineup like that, they are surely doomed

Ge/Bo/Ba: It’s coming!!!

Page 68

Page 69-70

Elder Centipede charging against the three

Page 71-72

Ba/Bo: Whirlwind water stream air-blasting sky-splitting fist

Page 73-75

Impact, Elder Centipede cracking, Bang and Bomb posing

Page 76

Ge: what a technique (flashback of Bang and Bomb talking about their technique: it’s a killing blow, but it has openings, my understanding is they needed Genos’ attack to act as decoy in order for their combo to land, because it’s not yet perfect)

Ge: it even shattered such hardened shell…

Ge: this must be

Ge: the pinnacle of technique/skill

Page 77-78

Ba/Bo: it’s not over yet x 10

Page 79

Elder Centipede pushes Bang/Bomb back

Page 80

Ba: ouch…that was careless

Bo: but we got it

Bo: the impact will ravage its body

Bo: turn into powder, monster

Ba: for two old folks like us, using this grand technique once is our limit

Ba: great thing we landed

Ba: a little help, Genos

Page 81

Ba: it’s over

Page 82

Elder Centipede molting

Page 83

Ba: it can’t be

Page 84

Ba: this guy just molted!!!

Ba: and it’s even bigger than before!?

Ba: how could this be

Page 85

Bo: we cannot defeat that thing…!

Bo: and we need to protect the unconscious heroes…

Bo: what shall we do!? Bang!

Ba: it’ll catch up to us if we tried to run

Ba: this forest park is just outside the city limits …

Ba: if we leave we’ll get civilians involved

Page 86

Ge: Bang, I will fight it

Ge: try my best to lure the centipede over here

Ge: you guys grab the injured heroes and get out of here

Page 87

Ba: Genos kun

Ba: you want to go alone

Ba: can’t say I agree with this plan…

Bo: I know there’s little chance of success, but don’t be reckless

Bo: the future belongs to the youths

Genos’ flashback of Dr. Kuseno: whatever you do Genos, don’t be reckless

Page 88

Ge: am I really going to…

Ge: leave this monster be

Page 89-90

Ge: That is not

Ge: possible

Page 91-92

Genos fighting Elder Centipede

Page 93

Ba: this is madness

Ba: cannon fire cannot harm it

Page 94

Ge: whether it’s this thing

Ge: or the monster from yesterday (Gouketsu)

Page 95

Ge: or Garou

Ge: they’re all part of the Monsters Association

Ge: this fight

Ge: is unavoidable

Page 96-97

Genos attacking Elder Centipede from above

Page 98

Ge: Dual Blade Rush

Ge: that’s what you have to do to fight them

Page 99

Ge: I’m participating

Ge: destroy

Page 100

Ge: if this is me being reckless

Ge: !

Page 101

Ba/Bo: Genos kun!!!

Ge: at this rate, I’ll…

Page 102

OUT OF THE FIGHT

Page 103

Genos recombines

Page 104

Ge: Jets drive arrow

Page 105-106

Genos kicks Elder Centipede tooth, which cracks

Page 107

Ba/Bo: he’s inside its mouth

Elder: it’s over…

Page 108

Ge: ! digestive acid

Elder: I’ll melt you in a few seconds

Ge: it’s you who are going to melt

Page 109-110

Ge: Super Spiral Incineration Cannon

Page 111

Aftermath of Super Spiral Incineration Cannon

Page 112

Bo: …!!!

Ba: he finished it!!

Page 113

Elder Centipede tanks the hit, is fine

Page 114

Ge: at the end…

Ge: I am unable to…defeat…

Ge: nor able to protect…

Page 115

Ba: let’s get out of here

Ba: Bomb!

Ba: grab the rest of them!!

Elder: futile struggle

Ph: what’s the matter

Ph: you were still responsible for taking out half of the heroes, it can’t be that bad

Page 116

Ga: not like that!

Ga: This is not what I had hoped!!!

Ga: I…I wanted to beat them with my own strength!

Ga: only then I can be a symbol of terror…!!

Ga: that’s the purpose of the hero hunt!!!

Ph: symbol of terror? You? Hahahaha…

Ph: in your current state, if you went back there, you’ll just end up getting trampled to death with the rest of the heroes

Ph: right now, you do not possess the strength to disobey Elder Centipede or executive members of the Monsters Association

Page 117

Ga: crying…

Ga: sooner or later…I’ll show you what I’m capable of…

Ge: how could I…

Page 118

Ge: what am I missing…!?

Ge: are there several others like that?

Ge: in front of those monsters…

Ge: what can I do, besides look on with envy…?

Bo: Bang! This is bad

Bo: at this rate it’ll get outside the forest park!

Bo: there will be casualties in the city!!

Page 119

Bo: at this rate…I won’t be able to walk

Bo: how old do you think I am

Ba: I’ll leave it to fate…

Ba: brother

Page 120

Ba: for the last time in my life, I’ll give it my all

Page 121-122

King: Elder Centipede~!!!

K: yo! Pest!!!!!

K: I’ve brought your target – “Blast”!!!!

Page 123

Ba: !?

Ge: that voice…King!!?

Ge: Blast!?

Ba: what…!

Bo: !!!? Look!!

Bo: it’s stopped chasing and is going towards another direction

Page 124

Elder: Blast…?

King: thaat’s….riiiight!

K: the very one that beat the crap out of you and made you wet yourself, the hero Blast!!

K: if you want to fight him again, come over here!

K: why are you so scared you can’t move?! Straighten up!!! Hey, if you’re about to shit yourself you should go home!

K: a bug like you, you must want to run back underground and suck on your mom’s tits!!!!

Page 125

Association staff: King arrived at the location near S city where Elder Centipede has reemerged!!!

Staff: thank god! It’s King, he’ll have a solution…

Staff: …there are several other heroes onsite

Staff: when I warned him their battle might cause collateral damage and injure the innocent, he told me “I hope you could give me information that can provoke Elder Centipede”

S: he might have wanted to lure the monster to him and fight it one on one.

Page 126

Staff: it sustained grave injuries at the hands of Blast in the past, but escaped with his injuries underground

S: it would be great if we could finish it off this time…

S: even though it’s top secret information, I still told king the past between Blast and Elder Centipede

S: and explained to him if the battle were to become dragged out or increase in scope, it might causegreat disaster for the surrounding areas …

S: what did he say?

S: he just said “understood”.

The roar of the King Engine……

Page 127

K: luring it here so no one else gets involved…

K: finish it off with one shot before it escapes underground

K: damage must be contained…blowing it back into the city is not an option…

K: there’s very limited time to make your decision

K: that’s it

Page 128

K: …

K: …Saitama?

Page 129

K: Saitama~!!!?

K: it’s about to

Page 130

Shot of Elder Centipede charging

Page 131-138

SERIOUS PUNCH

Page 139

Saitama: ah

Page 140

Sai: Genos, is that you?

Page 141

Sai: you really are here

Sai: just like King said

K: by the skin of my teeth…that was a close call…

Sai: it’s all good, we’re here aren’t we

K: huh? Saitama, you sound…happy?

Sai: I feel awesome for some reason

Page 142

Sai: it’s a great stress release after getting owned by you in video games

K (thinking): it’s still bothering him …

K: that’s not it…I thought I told you it’s because of your inflexible, singular approach towards battles

Ge: Saitama sensei, can I ask you a question

Sai: what?

Ge: what am I missing?

Sai: huh

Sai: power, I guess?

Page 143

Ge: …!!!!

Ge: thank you very much

K: aaaaaaahhhhhh…that’s no good Genos…

K: you cannot use Saitama as reference

Ge: sensei has guided my path with his battle

Ge: the symbol of great strength, that is my goal…

Ge: I will be there

Page 144

Ph: Garou…he has finally lost consciousness

Ph: rest easy

Ph: we’ll soon be with Orochi

END

[nathalie-sancoeur-assistant]

This is filled w/ spoilers

So here it is, time for me to pull myself together and post all my thoughts and feelings on the new episode into one big long post. 

So my overall feelings?

I am upset

Not because it was a bad episode- it was amazing, literally so good- nope, it’s because of Nathalie- but I’ll get into that in a moment. I’m gonna put a read-more here cause this is gonna probably be really long- and could very well be a recap of the whole ep with my commentary. 

-----

First off, when Plagg seemed not to like Adrien’s birthday present for Marinette, he seemed so concerned (these screenshots aren’t going to be very good quality because I REALLY don’t feel like going through all the trouble of making them look nice & take hours on one post)

Look at the little bean! SO concerned. It’s perfect Honeybun, she’ll love it. 

Then onto the next scene...

Even during meals, they sit so far away from each other. Why? I’ve often wondered what the point of such a long table with so many chairs could be, especially in a house that’s so big yet so empty. I suppose that it could do well for meetings, but still, this is a family meal, not a company get-together or business meeting with people you have to impress. They have to practically yell at each other to be heard. 

Also, look at this

He basically asked Nathalie for approval. “Should I let him?” “Yes sir, I would.” “Very well, Adrien.”

Also, the fact that Gabriel and Lila have the same meeting place each time. He isn’t just driving by hoping to catch her, they have a time and place set up. And the idea that Marinette is a bad influence? Preposterous! But of course, this is Lila. 

Screw Lila. 

“You work to hard, sir” 

Yes Nathalie, I’m sure you know what working to hard feels like. You’re not exactly relaxing, yourself. 

---

Next scene! 

Ms. Bustier: Marinette, would you bring your school bag to me please, I need to check something

Okay so first off, you’re going off of an anonymous tip that one of your best and most well-behaved students (Aside from being late quite often) is a thief and a cheat? And secondly, you really think that she is SO STUPID that if she had taken them knowingly, she wouldn’t have maybe removed them from her bag? Third, why did Marinette not FIND them in her bag before school started, take them out, and maybe call Alya or something. 

“That’s impossible Marinette, Lila got the worst grade in the class” not impossible if she stole them after the test- also, way to be subtle on grades. I thought teachers were supposed to keep that stuff relatively undercover. 

And Adrien really said “Marinette Rights”

---

So.

There’s no sound of crashing. 

Lila just yells “Ready?” in the most mischievous voice she can

Then she starts screaming

And no one stopped to think “Hey, not only is Marinette really not known to assault people, but we didn’t hear a single thud that would have sounded like someone falling down the stairs preceding her screams.”

“She keeps calling me a liar, getting the others to gang up against me...” SINCE. WHEN?

Also. 

“Oh...I have proof”

How would she have known that the proof was in Marinette’s locker? And again, if she knew, why would she be surprised to find the pendant in Marinette’s locker??

UGH. 

---

Now we get to the part that started lil miss me to get so upset. 

“Are you ready, Nathalie?”

“More than ever.”

She just bounces out from behind him, ready as she’ll ever be. 

Look at her 

Then she goes on to call him the Almighty Scarlet Moth and I just smh 

Awww. She looks like she’s ready to punch those butterflies in the face. You punch those akumas. 

Varity Queen? Princess Justice? Oh yeah. I wanna see those. 

And now to the scene that hurt me

“What’s wrong?!”

“Nothing, everything's fine! Keep going..”

She was so ready to just fall down and choke while he continued his fight and she would have still loved him if he hadn’t stopped to help her

But this seen makes it so clear

he loves her too

Even if it’s just as a friend and assistant, he loves her. And it just...the voice acting, her voice actor was so good, it physically hurts me to watch that scene. 15/10.  

And Tikki yelling at Marinette...well not really yelling...but holy crap, there is a lot riding on this 14 year old girls shoulders when it comes to her own emotions. She’s still learning what some of them are, puberty is far from over with her, so now she just has the added pressure of not being able to feel the natural emotions that occur with hormone fluctuations and righteous anger from being falsely accused without having to be fearful of Hawkmoth’s akuma. 

But on the bright side, Alya FINALLY believes Marinette! She may have her flaws and push Mari a bit to much IMO when it comes to Adrien but hey, when it comes right down to it, she’ll stick it out with her pals. A true friend. 

---

Is that the same doctor we saw at Master Fu’s?

And despite her state, still the only thing she’s thinking about is him, his goals, what he wants- and he’s not even thinking about that right now. 

He looks so distraught too. He needs her. But she’s just so laser focused on one thing that she’s not thinking about the other possibilities. Mark my words, her persistence is what’s going to drive him to stop being Hawkmoth. 

“I don’t care, Gabriel. I want to help you.” I swear, I’m gonna start crying again. She’s telling him how she feels when she says stuff like that! It’s loud and clear. If he hasn’t seen it by now, when it’s more obvious than Marinette could ever hope to be- then literally nothing but her straight up saying the words “I’m in love with you” is gonna make it click. He has to know!

“Not at that cost! Never at that cost again...” then it cuts to his family portrait. 

Why, pray tell, does it cut to his family portrait? Of all things. Why did it cut to anything at all? They didn’t need to go to the trouble of creating a whole new picture to cut to if they didn’t NEED to. It’s saying something. And Im pretty sure that its that he’s not willing to give up Nathalie, not even for Emilie. 

I would also like to point out that in that picture, he is wearing blue- but now, he primarily wears red. What is a combination of blue and red? Purple. The color of Nathalie’s suit. 

Hmm...

Nathalie: Shh

Me: *handing Nooroo pots and pans*

She’s so desperate to help him- and look at how she treats Duusu. She isn’t being cruel. Duusu just told her “No, you should be resting” and she’s just like “Yeah, but what if I didn’t?” not “Don’t tell me what to do!” or any crap like that. Instead she stops and explains herself. And then Duusu...

No, not it’s not romantic. It’s twisted. I love Gabriel and Nathalie as a pair, but this isn’t a romantic gesture. Nathalie is losing herself in her desperation to help him, get the miraculous, end it once and for all, and her desires to please Gabriel even if it means that he’s not going to want her in the end. She is fighting a losing battle, no matter what happens, she’s going to get the short end of the stick- and it just breaks my heart that she is so willing to throw her life away when there are other ways she could be assisting him that don’t include her deteriortating. That’s why I cried so much during this ep- she wants to prove a point by using this miraculous when it isn’t necessary. And that is why I officially HATE seeing Mayura- because each time she transforms she’s one step closer to falling down and not getting back up. 

Also, I thought this scene was super interesting. That’s how she creates a sentimonster? That is so cool. 

Moving on, when Adrien pulls out his phone 

“I am Mayura, and I’m about to annihilate Ladybug, Mwahahaha!” Points for subtlety, Hon. XD

She’s so cute

“I’ve always gone out of my way to hide my true feelings for you but I just can’t do it anymore” possible foreshadowing? Hmmm?? “Your feelings for me haven’t changed and mine are growing stronger every day” I can’t help but think she was speaking from her own heart in some of that. 

And our poor little kitty

So desperate for love, he refuses to believe that

Ladybug wasn’t actually moving on

“She’s so perfect” “I’m nowhere near as perfect as her.”

Also “Senticharm!” *gets big gun blaster thing*

“Lucky Charm!” *gets fork*

Seriously Gabriel and Nathalie belong together at this rate. 

“Nathalie?!”

“Nooroo why didn’t you wake me up?” “I couldnt bring myself to you were sleeping so peacefully” because “Im scared of you and Nathalie told me to Shh” wasn’t the right response. 

She gets tired even when using the miraculous

And she still goes out in the field 

Heeeerrres Hawky!

Legit tho, this is what an anon was talking about earlier from the Gabenath ask meme I did a while back. I said that what I look forin a fanfic would include Hawkmoth needing to save Mayura on the battlefield. And it JUST became canon. Lord have mercy, I think I’ve died XD

Also 

“You’re the real monster!” 

“Oh, that...you’ll find out very soon” He doesn’t even care tho. Like, where’s all his givacraps fly off to? Oh yeah that’s right they’re akumatizing people, they just keep flying away.  

He is huge compared to them. And just going to town trying to whap this 14 year old girl into oblivion. Boy. 

“All I need to do is wait a few minutes until you two turn back into regular kids, so fragile, so easy to break” Absolutely no filter. Do you think that’s going to make you seem less like a villain? We don’t say stuff like that! You can’t just take that back! I swear, if you have a redemption arc it had better be Paarthurnax/Zuko-level convincing because there are very few people willing to forgive you after you say things like that with no remorse. 

“Release her”

You can’t tell me he doesn’t love her- he sucks at it, but he does. Im really hoping he’ll learn from this mistake and never ask her to use the peacock miraculous again- if she uses it, it has to be on her.

“Don’t mind me” Babe if he doesn’t mind you and you’re discovered then it’s just a hop skip and jump from Hawkmoth being Gabriel Agreste, 

He’s carrying her again

Idk if I should focus on how little Nathalie seems to care about how much danger she put herself in or the fact that we have a Gabriel booty close-up

He’s reprimanding her, she starts coughing, her glasses fall off, and he immediately softens up. 

Look at that soft look. And the music that’s playing in the background? It’s so...sad..and enhances the way he’s looking at her. 

And now.....Adrien

As soon as the adults leave, he growls and the music gets more aggressive. Intimidating. 

He is ticked. “Because we’re friends aren’t we?” that was just laced with venom and malice. They say demons run when a good man goes to war. 

Well Adrien’s started packing. Lila better watch her step. 

And in the end, she basically outed herself as a pathological liar. She admitted it, though she likely didn’t word it that way. 

Well, that’s all I have to say. Remember, God made you special and he loves you very much. *veggie tales theme starts playing*

[destielfanfic]

Group Ask #178, part 2

Relevant links to find lost fic

previous group asks

spnstoryfinders

Guide to Finding Fic

Guide to Finding Lost Fic

Ask #10 ( @cactusphillie​ ​):  there’s this fic…#10

hi is there a fic where mary works/owns a daycare and i think cas was the single parent but his kid is autistic maybe? and dean gets them to say their first word or am i crazy? i’ve read something like that before but i can’t for the life of me remember it

Found by @anupalya:

Start of Something Good by tricia_16 [NC-17, 184,000 word count]

Dean Winchester is introduced to his new neighbor, Castiel, and his daughter, Claire, in an unexpected way. When an unlikely connection forms between Dean and Claire it also helps to push Castiel and Dean closer together. But Castiel has been hurt badly in the past and it's up to Dean to prove to Castiel that he can be trusted with both his daughter and his heart, even when outside sources try to make Castiel believe differently...

Ask #11 ( @gerard-wee​):  there’s this fic…#11

Hi, uh, do you think you could help me find a fic? it's a destiel highschool au, and cas is sort of a druggie/tortured artist. R U Mine by Arctic monkeys gets brought up a lot in it, and its a really beautiful story. (castiel also wears a ton of ugly sweaters) i tried using your search engine to find it, but to no avail....

Found by @pomegranatedaffodil and @sunshinegukkie: Get Inside My Soul by angelivenantium (submitted rec)

Ask #12 ( @awkwardpotatonk ):  there’s this fic…#12

Hey,I’ve been looking for specific destielfic a while ago I was wondering if you could help mefinding it.It’s about OmegaCastiel and AlphaDean.He andhis AlphaBrother Sam hunt badpeople who neverbeen arrested or caught.Cas life isboring.One day Cas decides to take a shortcut through thewoods to go to college orwork andbumps intoDean who is covered inblood.He tries to run but deanknocks him out cause hepanicked.They had Cas handcuffed in a motelbathroom and took himwith them cause heknew too much

Found by @anupalya

Lonicera by zation [NC-17, 46,000 word count]

Original prompt: dean and Sam are serial killers and they for some reason kidnap Cas and Sam wants to kill him but dean wants to keep him and while Cas is their captive he learns they aren't really the bad guys and they kill only people who have managed to escape justice and prison time. So over time Cas falls in love with dean and stops trying to get away from the brothers. Until he's rescued and the brothers are incarcerated then he has to save them while everybody thinks he's crazy. Bonus if Cas is a teenager like 17-19 also bonus if it's abo universe, if you do the abo I would prefer alpha dean omega Cas and maybe some mpreg  Or,The one where destiny had a discussion with faith and they decided to have some fun, much to Dean and Cas’ chagrin.

Ask #13 ( @anupalya):  there’s this fic…#13

Hello! I can't get a fic out of my head, but can't remember its name, and i can't find it by searching (so far). It's an AU, where already-friends Dean and Cas are dating (according to Dean) but Dean never said the words "will you go out with me," so Cas thinks they're just hanging out. One day they're with their friends at a bar and someone dares Cas to ask someone out, and Cas says he'll do it. Dean feels betrayed and leaves, crying, and Cas chases after him, and they sort it out.

Found by @anupalya​: Taking It Slow by FagurFiskur [Gen, 1,500 word count]  

 After years of thinking about it and trying not to think about it, of endless ‘what-if’s and ‘almost’s and ‘if-only’s, Dean finally bites the bullet and asks Cas out on a date.

Ask #14 ( @holisticfansstuff):  there’s this fic…#14

Hi. I love your blog! I was looking for a specific destiel fic featuring MoC! Dean and Cas in the bunker. Dean slams Cas into a wall. Castiel's face is unreadable. Dean feels Castiel's heart flying fast beneath his fingers. Castiel is *terrified* of him. I'm not sure if this fic has been deleted. I remember reading it on either Tumblr or ao3. I looked through the MoC! Dean tag but couldn't find it. If you find it anywhere, please let me know ? It was really incredibly well written

Ask 15 ( @runawaymarbles):  there’s this fic…#15

Do you guys remember the name of the fic where angel trueforms were actually dragons? (It might have been the one where Cas spends the first 20 or so chapters dead while Dean assumes he's going to come back to life, but I'm not positive.)

Found by @heidi-reads-them-all:  Into the Fire by NorthernSparrow [M, 259,000 word count] Dean accidentally kills Castiel, and is tormented by grief and guilt afterwards. Dean becomes convinced Cas still exists somehow, and that he will be resurrected; Sam’s not so sure, but is determined to help his grief-stricken brother recover. Meanwhile the Darkness is eating away at Creation, and soon both brothers realize they may have to embark on their longest and strangest journey yet. This time they might not come back. Will they have to fight their last battle without Castiel?

Ask #16 ( @fruitshreddies ):  there’s this fic…#16

This is gonna be such a far fetch but I read a fic literally years ago that had a few parts to it. I remember shit like Cas didn't get on with his family and he and Dean lived together with Sam and Cas dyed his hair blue impulsively once and Dean loved it and loved it every time it faded to green and Cas redyed it. One of the parts was them visiting Cas' family but Dean got in a fight (continued in new ask)  ...Cas gets quite severe anxiety at one point and uses weed to cope with it and Dean loves him and Cas gets worried the house smells like weed when they're adopted kid comes home for the first tim. Anyone know a name from tjay garbage please??? Hahah

Found by @anupalya​ : Rock ‘n’ Roll Queer Bar by ChasingRabbits (submitted rec)

If any of our followers have anything to suggest, drop it in our ask box (mention which ask you are talking about by number or bolded title). Our anon is switched off for good, if you know the lost fic but don’t want your url to appear on this list, let us know and we will call you an anon! If you don’t see your ask here, it is because we have quite a few in the inbox. Thanks!!

~ Hey guys, sorry for delay! This summer was incredibly busy for both mods and lost fic Group Ask was left unattended. We did answer privately when we knew the answer, so, these are all the rest. ~

[emoshinso]

What Makes Purple Boy so Weird?: Notes on the storytelling strategies employed in Shinsou’s introduction arc

*By ‘weird,’ I mean intriguing/interesting, but in a break-the-mold kinda way.

This really has no objective other than I wanted to break down what makes Shinsou’s intro arc so impactful. Specifically, the buildup before his quirk reveal.

As heroic and well-intentioned as our boy is, the creators do a very good job creating an air of ominous suspense before revealing his true character and quirk in his match against Deku. Up till then, it’s like they wanted us to think Shinsou was a bad guy...

Part commentary, part analysis 

Just kinda… finding an excuse to rewatch the Sports Festival arc while focusing on Shinsou’s perspective.

this post goes from his first appearance in episode 15 to the beginning of episode 20

in the future, I plan on dedicating an entire post just to his fight against Deku - but in the meantime, this one centers on the buildup before his quirk reveal

So, if you’re interested, read on! If not, I understand. This is gonna be one heckin nerdy ramble. oh gosh im so excited

First Appearance: Episode 15: Roaring Sports Festival 

Confrontation with Bakugo

First, some background on what’s going on right before our boy shows up: The day after Aizawa introduces the sports festival, a bunch of kids from the general studies department show up at the hero class’s threshold, right? There’s no explanation as to why. They’re all kinda just... there (psst it’s for the drama. Large crowds create intrigue.)

Dekusquad mutters collectively, wondering if the general studies kids are scouting the competition… The general studies kids don’t really answer or react. They just keep gawking awkwardly. (psst once again: it’s purely for the drama)

Enter: Bakugo. Trying to leave for the day, but those damn gen studies kids are in his way.

“Move it, extras.”

This prompts a reaction. From one student, at least. 

“So this is Class 1-A? I heard you guys were impressive, but you just sound like an ass.”

First time we see Shinsou: pushing his way unapologetically through the other general studies kids. First impression: he already kinda looks like a jerk. Him being at the back of the crowd also makes me think Shinsou didn’t exactly jump at the chance to size up 1-A after school like his classmates, but eventually gave in and followed them over a bit later. Then after that “extras” comment out of Blasty Boy, he decided to retaliate. A jerk with a bit of a proud streak.

”Scouting the competition? Maybe some of my peers are, but I came to let you know that if you don’t bring your very best, I’ll steal your spot right out from under you. Consider this a declaration of war.”

What a drama queen.

That’s all he says. That pretty much concludes his first notable appearance as a character

His appearance essentially serves two purposes: 1) to (fleetingly) introduce him as a character 2)  to establish how resentful the general studies department is towards 1-A

It’s important to note that he didn’t get any of those usual name + quirk tag thingies that occasionally pop up whenever a new character is introduced (or as a reminder for recurring characters)

AND he never introduces himself (he just straight up declares war and falls silent, the little shit xD)

Point being, forget his quirk, we don’t even learn his name right away. For all intents and purposes, he’s just that random purple asshole who declared war for no good reason

And as soon as Shinsou delivers his little war monologue, Tetsutetsu shows up, shouting loud and a n g e r y. His and Bakugo’s little shouting match quickly overshadows Shinsou’s cold declaration, making it even easier for both the other characters and the audience to forget about Shinsou pretty quick. Despite that very conspicuous purple hair, the chronic insomnia, and the WHITE PUPILS.

I know I kinda forgot about him - the first time watching, at least.

Sports Festival Opening Ceremony

The next time we see Shinsou, he’s walking into the arena with the other 1-C kids, who are all looking pretty dejected about being forced to participate in a competition rigged to make them look inferior:

“We’re just here to make [the hero kids] look better...”

“Yeah, I can’t wait for this to be over...”

It’s a key reminder that Shinsou is one of these kids, and by all logic should be thinking the same thing. But his expression is hard to read: 

Is he bored? Tired? Ready for it all to be over like those other kids? Or is he steeling himself to make good on his declaration of war?

We don’t really get a chance to find out. Not until MUCH later...

Todoroki’s Ice Trick

The next shot we see of Shinsou is my absolute FAVORITE. After getting through the tunnel to the obstacle course, Todoroki uses ice attack. It’s super effective, but somehow there’s still plenty of students who dodged it including our boy Shinsou

A LOT is going on. We see shots of all the different students who evaded Todoroki: Yaoyorozu, Bakugo, Aoyama (lol), Ashido... the montage ends with Uraraka, who makes a comment about waiting for the right time to show off her quirk, and hence alludes to someone else who’s trying to be sneaky:

“So they are good at using their powers, huh?”

What I love most about this scene is first time watching I LITERALLY DID NOT QUESTION the fact that he was being carried by three other students

I chalked it up to him being a charismatic figure in his class who somehow convinced his fellow students to carry him as part of some elaborate grand strategy

And hey... I wasn’t wrong?

Also interesting to note how none of the three non-brainwashed students around him seem too concerned he’s hitching a free ride on their classmates... they’re all too busy dealing with Todoroki’s ice

Point being, between Todoroki’s flashy ice attack and the other students’ equally flashy evasive maneuvers, it was pretty easy for us as an audience to overlook that one purple-haired kid who decided to play cavalry battle a little early. The inclusion of the extra kids stumbling around him in the frame also helps him blend into the background. All this seems very intentional on both the animators’/Horikoshi’s part AND as part of Shinsou’s grand strategy. 

Episode 15 ends with us still wondering what this guy’s deal is...

Episode 16: In Their Own Quirky Ways

We don’t see Shinsou at all this episode, which both builds up the suspense and leaves me with a lot of questions:

Q: How did he get past the robots? (Theory 1: By using other kids’ quirks and directing them like his own personal quirk army 2: (more likely) waited till a path was clear and ran through)

Q: How did he get past the chasm? (Theory 1: Again, by hitching a ride with a kid with the ideal quirk 2: Human rope?)

Q: How’d he get past the MINES?! (Theory: By brainwashing other students to walk ahead of him and clear a path)

Regardless of how he got through the course, the ONLY glimpse of Shinsou we get is when Midnight goes over the rankings in the race. Shinsou came in 27th, by the way, not that you’d even notice because the camera cuts off almost before you even see him in the rankings. (I couldn’t even pause it that fast) I have no idea if that was intentional or not, but man does it fit the mood:

This is also the first time we see his name.

But it’s so fast literally no one could’ve actually read and retained it without the help of a quirk. I know I didn’t. BUT I remember from the first time watching, this one tiny glimpse of the random purple asshole with the derpy ass smile ranking so high was enough to make me start wondering just what this guy’s deal was...

It was enough to get me curious. But I wasn’t invested quite yet. 

Also, in retrospect, my absolute favorite thing about this screenshot is all the other contestants look angry/disappointed by their ranking EXCEPT FOR SHINSOU. Nope, he just looks like a smug little asshole happy to be the ONLY rep from Class 1-C.

And that further adds to the suspense...

Episode 17: Strategy, Strategy, Strategy

Once again, we only get glimpses of Shinsou this episode. But they’re crucial: 

1: Him smirking as the rules for the cavalry battle are explained. Makes us wonder, as an audience: why does he look so confident when everyone else is gritting their teeth over this? What advantage does he have?

(Notes brought to you by 20/20 hindsight: He was probably so confident because he literally had his pick of teammates. As soon as he asked anyone about teaming up and they answered, boom, they were on the team. I would guess he intentionally picked teammates that wouldn’t stand out (no offense Aoyama,) so he could hang around and not call attention to himself during the cavalry battle, both from other teams and from the commentators.)

AND WAIT. LOOK HERE:

2: Once all the teams have coalesced, they’re all just kinda standing around haphazardly, or facing each other slightly to talk strategy... BUT NOT SHINSOU’S. They’re all facing the same direction he is. Yep, you guessed it... they’re already brainwashed.

3:

At the ready with his team. This also marks the second time we see his name. But it’s not announced, it only appears in tiny letters/kanji in the scoring bracket. Also note that his teammates are definitely all brainwashed now, but we wouldn’t be able to tell unless we were looking for it. Aoyama really doesn’t look too different lol

4:

Before the episode ends, we get our first glance at the scoreboard. The game’s already been underway for a bit by now, and Shinsou’s team is at 0 points. Which means Shinsou most likely let Monoma take his bandana to avoid being targeted later in the game, and therein, avoid attention.

End of episode 17. Still no name (unless you were super attentive), and no quirk.

Episode 18: Cavalry Battle Finale

Between the Todoroki vs. Midoriya and the Monoma vs. Bakugo showdowns, there’s so much drama happening it’s no surprise Present Mic didn’t pay much attention to Team Shinsou...

...and that really left me wondering... What were they up to this whole time?

Quick glance at the scoreboard tells us he’s still at zero, and he stays that way for most of the episode again:

BUT. WAIT FOR IT.

HERE’S THE SCOREBOARD RIGHT AFTER PRESENT MIC ANNOUNCED THERE WERE ONLY 11 SECONDS LEFT:

TETSUTETSU STILL HAS HIS POINTS.

Which means...

TEAM SHINSOU MANAGED TO SWIPE THE POINTS IN LESS THAN 11 SECONDS.

Just look how smug he is about it too:

“In third place is Team Tetsute- wait, what?! It’s Team Shinsou! When did they come back from the dead?!”

Point being, Present Mic is so surprised by Shinsou’s comeback he almost says the wrong name. Thanks to all the drama radiating off of Monoma and the Traffic Light Trifecta and Shinsou’s strategy of staying out of the fray until the last possible second, he pulled off a victory without anyone even knowing who the heck he is or what he can do.

This also marks the first time his name is stated clearly enough to catch.

Also note his confused (and frightened) teammates behind him. How ominous...

Little by little, we’re getting hints at who he actually is as a character, which up to this point, still looks a lot like ‘first class jerk’

that smug grin gahhh

Episode 19: The Boy Born with Everything

Okay, here’s where things get  s u p e r  dramatic. 

First half of the episode is dedicated to Todoroki and Deku’s little confrontation, so gives us more time to forget about our purple son...

Second half jumps into discussing the next round: sixteen contestants remaining, waiting to be divided into one-on-one matches. Things are progressing smoothly until....

OJIRO WITHDRAWS. 

Everyone’s shocked, why the heck would this kid pass up on the chance of a lifetime? Ojiro explains it’s a matter of pride for him:  “It just wouldn’t be right. I barely remember anything from the cavalry battle until the very end of it. I… think it was that guy’s quirk.”

“Wait, who was Ojiro with again?” 

Again, no one seems to remember. But once Ojiro points him out, the camera pans over to Shinsou, who looks away. As if he’s worried about getting exposed. Interestingly enough, however, Ojiro doesn’t immediately reveal what Shinsou’s quirk is (which also might have to do with his personal honor code), instead just presses to withdraw:

“Everyone gave their all in Round 2, but I was just someone’s puppet. I don’t want to advance if I don’t even know how I got here.”

‘Someone’s puppet’? That’s ominous as hell...  but once again, it doesn’t fully reveal what Shinsou did. Ojiro could’ve been speaking metaphorically for all we know at this point. But it sure makes us start wondering what the heck’s up with this purple guy, and just what his true motives are...

Later on, once the full bracket’s announced, Izuku looks at the lineup. He’s initially more concerned about the prospect of facing down Todoroki, but then he remembers he’s got a whole match ahead of that: “First I’ve got to worry about this Shinsou guy (whoever the hell he is...)” As someone who  l o v e s  to collect and analyse data on heroes and quirks, it probably bothers Izuku to no end that he knows absolutely nothing about his upcoming opponent. 

“Izuku Midoriya, that is you, isn’t it?”

To top it off, SHINSOU SNEAKS UP ON HIM. I mean, in all fairness, it probably isn’t even that hard to sneak up on Izuku, given how lost in his head he gets. But again, it helps build that aura of suspense: Shinsou’s the type of character to sneak up on people. He’s also the type to stay out sight, use clever strategy instead of shine in the limelight like a typical hero in the BNHA world would. In all fairness, he’s acting a lot like a villain would.

Izuku: “You’re the guy from before, from general studies?”

Shinsou: “A pleasure. So, are you excited?”

Once again. Doesn’t even properly introduce himself. What is with this guy and introductions? And before Izuku gets a chance to respond, Ojiro intervenes, covering Izuku’s mouth with his tail and leaving Shinsou to smirk and walk away.

Izuku: “Ojiro, what’s the deal?”

Ojiro: “You can’t say a word to him.”

These are the first real clues we get as to what Shinsou’s quirk actually is and how it works. but we still. don’t. get. full. disclosure. 

The scene cuts to the side games / preparations of the remaining contestants for the final round: 

I really appreciate the sheer amount of dread on Izuku’s face. 

This is a meme. We all have Shinsou to thank for this meme. At this point, we can’t even hear what they’re discussing, we just know it’s making a nervous boi  e x t r a  nervous...

A few scenes later, and we finally get what we’ve all been waiting for:

“Whoa, he looks kinda scared in that picture, doesn’t he? It’s Izuku Midoriya from the hero course!!” 

VS.

“Hitoshi Shinsou from general studies, who really hasn’t done anything to stand out yet…” 

Once again, Present Mic reminds us just how much of a dark horse Shinsou is. Discounting a few strategic bits and pieces, two whole rounds have passed already, and we still know next to nothing about him. It’s interesting to note how Present Mic explains the rules of the match too:

“The rules are simple: immobilize your opponent or force him out of the ring!! You can also win by making the other person cry uncle. Anything goes… so don’t be afraid to put your morals aside and play dirty!”

Which Shinsou does. 

He starts playing before the match even begins, already trying to get Izuku to talk:

“So you can just give up, huh?”

Izuku doesn’t respond, so Shinsou continues:

“In a way, this is a test of how strong your spirit is. If you know what you want your future to hold for you, you can’t worry about what other people think.”  

Present Mic: “READY?!”

“That monkey was going on about his pride earlier...”

Present Mic: “BEGIN!”

“...but I just think he’s an idiot for throwing away his chance like that.”

Shinsou started playing even before the match began, and he started off by saying a whole lot of incendiary things: 

Why would you care what other people thought of you? (In a world where pro heroes depend on popular appeal for their livelihood, that’s not something a typical aspiring hero would say...)

“That monkey... is an idiot” (insulting a former teammate... not very hero-like) 

Who cares about pride? (People who say that often hint they’re willing to get their hands dirty if the ends justify the means... again, not very hero-like)

In retrospect, of course we know Shinsou’s primary motivation for saying all those things was to elicit a response from Izuku, but at the time... it just made him look like a jerk. Maybe even a jerk with a potential villainous streak...

Regardless, it does get a rise out of Izuku, and that’s when it finally happens. 

We openly see Shinsou use his quirk for the first time.

Izuku freezes.

Everyone’s shocked. But even then not everyone understands what’s going on yet... even Present Mic seems confused, even possibly chalking it up to stage fright:

“Huh?! What’s the dealio? This is the first match, it should start out with a bang! The fight has just begun and Izuku Midoriya is… completely frozen?!”

AND THAT’S WHERE EPISODE 19 ENDS.

WE STILL DON’T KNOW SHINSOU’S QUIRK.

Yes, we’ve seen it in action, we can infer, but it still takes a whole episode to put a clear label on it...

Episode 20: Victory or Defeat

Way to build up the suspense with a corny episode title am I right

Present Mic introduces us back into the fray:  “Izuku Midoriya is completely frozen?! He’s not moving a muscle! And what’s with that look on his face? Could this be a quirk at work? Hitoshi Shinsou seems to have Izuku Midoriya completely stunned!”

Let’s take a quick inventory on just how sh00k everyone is:

Concerned frens. I was too the first time I watched this. I think we all were. Our baby Izuku’s been frozen by the weird purple jerk who we don’t really have any sympathy for yet.

Even the pro heroes are stunned. They don’t seem to have any idea what’s going on either, which suggests maybe they haven’t seen a quirk like Shinsou’s before...

BUT what really gets me are these guys. I’m pretty certain they’re all general studies kids. Shinsou’s classmates. Meaning they KNOW Shinsou. And assumedly they know his quirk too, since that’s like the second question that comes up whenever you meet someone in this universe, right after “What’s your name?” YET THEY’RE JUST AS SHOCKED AS EVERYONE ELSE. Which makes me wonder... what if Shinsou never told his UA classmates what his quirk was?

Regardless, it builds up the suspense even more. 

And at long last, as the crowd still sits stunned, Aizawa steps in to finally answer all our unspoken questions:

“Since we’re on to the individual matches, I had some information compiled about our final competitors. Shinsou failed the practical exam to get into the hero course. Since he also applied for general studies, he probably figured that would happen. His quirk is incredibly strong, but that entrance test consisted of fighting faux villains. It gave a huge advantage to those who had physical superpowers they could show off. Despite his abilities, Shinsou never stood a chance at passing.”

He never stood a chance beCAUSE...

*cue ambient unsettling music*

Izuku turns around and starts walking out of bounds.

EVERYONE FLIPS THE HELL OUT.

All Might, watching from the sidelines: “What is this power?”

And finally, thanks to Aizawa’s data, Present Mic tells us:

‘When an opponent answers his question, it flips a switch in their minds, forcing them to do whatever he says. Not every question does it though. He only brainwashes when he wants to.” 

There it is.

After five episodes of ominous, behind-the-scenes buildup, we finally have it. I don’t know about everyone else, but I was blown away. Looking back, it made total sense, and I had no idea how I didn’t figure it out beforehand, (maybe someone did, lol, I am kind of a dumbass). But, main point here: Shinsou’s intro had a lot of great suspense built into it, culminating in his match with Izuku, which reveals not only his quirk but also his true character (which I’ll talk about in a future post - specifically how Shinsou’s backstory reveal completely flips our perception of him). Along the way, we had plenty of opportunities to forget about Shinsou, discount him - at least in favor of our already well-established favorites - and most importantly, type cast him as villainous. But all that turns on its head the moment we learn what he can do - and as I’ll talk about later on, when we find out his true intentions.

What a brilliant intro. 

And he knows it too. Just look how smug he is.

[mlb-shit-post]

block by block pt 2 [1] [3]

“I think you should throw the challenge,” Alya said as she threw some popcorn into her mouth. “Do you hear his voice? He sounds hot.” Mari rolled her eyes.

 “Ladybug,” she said, lowering her voice to sound like Chat’s, “I am a hot dude from another school who really wants to take you out. Lose to me so we can finally have an excuse to meet each other in real life.”

Mari rolled her eyes again, this time sending them so far back into her skull she could’ve sworn she witnessed the creation of the universe.

“AND he already likes you, so you have nothing to worry about.”

Marinette sighed. “Alya, I am not throwing this challenge. You know how competitive I get. Besides, whoever Chat Noir is doesn’t know me. He likes my online persona, that’s all.”

“Okay, well maybe don’t throw it. He just wants to get to know you, Mari. That’s all! Just admit that it wouldn’t be the worst thing if you lost.” Alya set the popcorn bowl down beside her.

“Alya, he could be some fifty year old man with a thing for teenage girls for all we know! There’s no way I’m going on any dates because of this.”

Alya sighed. Her boyfriend Nino happened to know Chat Noir and he was not an old man. Nevertheless, there was no getting through to her friend once she had her mind made up.

An hour earlier, after Ladybug’s response video accepting the challenge came out, Marinette received an email from Chat setting up the date and time of the fight.

My Lady,

I am so honored that a woman as beautiful as yourself has decided to accept the challenge that will ultimately result in you falling madly in love with me;) tomorrow morning around 1130 I would be honored to live stream this for the world to see and hold us to our promises! My username is @chatthecatnoir. I can’t wait to find out who’s underneath YOUR username;) if she’s anything like she sounds, then she’s the most beautiful woman in the world! I’m thinking we see a movie, take a walk through the park, and finish off the night with a stop along the seine to watch the sunset;););) can’t wait buggaboo!

Chat Noir

He had then proceeded to follow all of Mari’s Ladybug accounts and even the fan accounts run by Alya. This included that unfortunate Flickr account Marinette had set up on accident. Until Chat had followed she had forgotten all about it. Marinette was stressed out of her mind. She had less than twelve hours to binge watch all of Chat’s videos to figure out his weakness. It was gonna be a long night.

The next morning came all too soon. Watching Chat’s videos had little to no desired affect on Marinette’s performance. In fact, she felt that by watching his account she had only contributed to the problem she was currently in by supporting the crazy person behind Chat Noir’s furry persona.

Either way, Mari got up around 10 and got some breakfast. She rolled out her yoga mat and sat down. It was time for her pregame stretches. The stretches were a sight to behold. It was a cross between the US Navy’s ridiculous PRT warm-up exercises and the cult favorite “Prancercise.” Although not very pretty, it got the job done.

Mari sat down at her desk and cracked all of her fingers. It was game time. She repositioned the sweat bands on her wrists and forehead before popping open her laptop. Marinette made it all the way to the livestream website and began to set up her half of the stream. Chat had already begun, so Marinette just clicked on his name and joined in.

The screen went dark. Although no games were displayed yet, the audio transmitted back and forth.

“LADYBUG YOU CAME!”

Mari jumped. What was this kid on anyways?

“Yeah you got me here I guess. Want to start this thing a little early?”

“Oh you know it buggaboo!” Mari rolled her eyes and signed onto Minecraft.

“We’re going live in three, two, one.” There was a pause. “Good Morning Minecrafters! Welcome to the livestream! Today I have the honor of having the lovely Ladybug here with me! She’s here to challenge me to a survival match!” “Hi everyone!” She greeted all of the fans that had begun to appear on the livestream.

“So right now we are about to begin! When I make the new world, as soon as Ladybug appears on the server we will begin! Remember, the rules say that we will only have 7 days and 7 nights to get ready for the big showdown! Whoever wins the big brawl dictates the prize! If I win, I get to go on a date with my lady, and if she wins, I will sign off every video by yelling ‘LADYBUG I LOVE YOU!’ In case of a draw, both prizes will be claimed. May the best Crafter win!”

Chat Noir opened the world up and paused it after it loaded. He added Ladybug to the mix and the split screen appeared.

“Three, two, one, go!”

Mari’s fingers flew over her controls. She needed to put a little bit of distance between herself and Chat. She was gonna suck down as many resources as she possibly could in the next couple days, so she was gonna need all the space she could get.

Marinette started by collecting dirt and punching trees for wood. With only 7 days in the game, she would need to work quickly. Her goals for the first day included finding/making shelter, collecting enough wood to make a crafting table and bin, and also finding iron and coal.

Her and Chat bantered back and forth as they played, concentration showing on both of their faces. Mari worked diligently to secure her gear, creating iron armor for herself and making multiple swords. She collected lots of food as well, and she went out at night to try and cop some old enchanted weapons off some of the zombies and skeletons that roamed. Mari was taking it very seriously. Across town, Chat Noir’s strategy took a slightly lighter tone. He would use his position to prod and poke at Ladybug, even taking 15 minutes to create a massive sign in the air that declared his love for her. It only solicited an acknowledgement response and a comment about how hard Ladybug was rolling her eyes. It didn’t deter Chat. He still felt convinced that Ladybug was going to be his lady.

At the end of the 7 days and 7 nights, Ladybug and Chat Noir both made it back to the spawn point. They met in the middle and took twelve block paces backwards until they were separated equally.

“Ready, My Lady?” Char asked.

“Ready to destroy you, kitty.”

Chat smiled to himself. There was no way he was letting his lady get away.

“3. 2. 1. CHARGE!!!!!” He exclaimed, running his character at Ladybug’s. She yelled into her own microphone and the two youtubers clashed in the middle. With a flurry of swings, hits, and misses, the duo fought to the death. The battle raged on and on. Mari was glad she wore her sweatbands because she was sweating so much she could barely see.

Unfortunately, both parties were pretty terrible at defense. After a lengthy fight, Chat and Ladybug lined up to deliver a final, killing blow.

“FINISH HIM!” Ladybug screamed. No way she was about to lose to some mangy furry.

CrASh!

At the same time, the words “you died” appeared on the screen, with prompts to re-spawn.

“Goddamnit,” Mari cured under her breath.

“Well, well, well, my lady. You made it farther than most, but it looks like we’ll be spending some time together very shortly.”

“In your dreams, Chat.” Fucking Minecraft stans were literally the worst. At least Mari was a cool Minecraft stan.

“Hey, a deals a deal Purrincess. I didn’t make the rules!” He paused and turned back to his mic to finish off the livestream. “Thank you all for joining us! This was by far my most exciting episode yet! Ladybug has earned the Chat Noir seal of approval for sure! A formidable opponent.”

“Thank you for having me, kitty!” Mari died a little inside. There was no way she wanted to go on a date with whoever Chat was.

“I’ll have my people contact your people, and we’ll see about that date my lady. In the meantime, have a great day guys! Don’t forget to subscribe to our channels. I LOVE YOU LADYBUG!” And with that, the livestream ended as quickly as it had began.

[buffyversefanfiction]

Tristan Tormented

Warning: I do not own the rights to the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, its spin-off series Angel, its dark horse comics continuation series, or any of the characters created by Joss Whedon and others in the Buffyverse. 15 years +, Mild to Strong Violence, Sexual References and Suicidal Themes that may be triggering. F/F, F/M, M/M, Other + 

Volume 9 - Shadow Self (Part Three)

PART ONE HERE

PART TWO HERE

Eons ago long before slayers roamed the earth monsters reigned supreme with nobody there to stand against them until one day three men known as the shadow men managed to lure and trap the shadow demon to use it in a spell that would merge the demon’s heart, spirit and soul with a young girl known as Sineya, making her the first slayer. She alone stood against the vampires, demons and the forces of darkness although unlike those who came after her, here newfound super strength came at the price of her humanity, changing her forever until one day she died and another slayer was born. Into each generation over the years a new slayer would be called until eventually the all-consuming destiny called on Buffy Summers who changed things for the better with the help of her bewitching best friend Willow Rosenberg a new era was born, one in which all potentials would be slayers. No slayer had ever merged as fully with the shadow demon as the first slayer until one vampire led a man down a path into the past toe become a monster travelling back to the primordium age where the shadow men merged the shadow demon with Tristan Summers. Unlike the first slayer Tristan managed to hold on to his humanity largely due the shadow men having perfected their spell, however when the first male slayer met an untimely demise only to rise again as a vampire the shadow demon inside of him had awakened from his slumber. Which takes us to now as the vessel known as Tristan Summers found himself battling against the literal demons inside of him, one wanting to consume him completely,

“Look I’m not saying I ever expected parenting to be easy because why should it when nothing is, but I at least expected it to be easier than slaying.” Buffy complained to Angel as the two of them walked through a New York cemetery late night. “To be fair Buffy you have been a slayer for a long time now that comes easier to you than most things.” Angel replied as they continued their former lover’s walk. “And searching for your son who is being haunted, potentially possessed sounds like typical slayer stuff to me.” “Trust me there is nothing typical about a slayer having children least of all a child who is almost the same age as them thanks to some time jumping nonsense courtesy of Willow.” Buffy replied, venting her frustration over her current situation. “It’s just Faith…she was the rogue slayer, the sleeps with your boyfriend slayer, the I murder people slayer and yet she is a million times better with him than me. They have a freaking bar together!” “They get on better because he doesn’t have to live in her shadow, she gets him and there’s no complicated biological ties, but she is not taking your place as his mother nor would Faith want to.” Angel explained to the slayer, eager to reassure her. “I know,” Buffy admitted with a reluctant sigh. “It is just so hard trying to get through to him you know, and I just want…to be honest I do not know what I want.” “You want him to be safe, happy and most of all happy with being with you, but things are never that simple especially when portals take your children.” Angel stated, having experienced that situation more than once. “You just got to take it all from them and hope one day they do not hate you, that’s parenting I guess.” “Your right which is incredibly annoying when I just want to be mad.” Buffy complained to him. “And what is with Spike suddenly hanging around New York ready to pounce on any problem Faith or Tristan may have?” “Now that I agree with.” Angel replied, happy to know he was not the only one unimpressed by Spike’s presence. “I swear Spike is Drusilla’s ultimate revenge against me for slaughtering her family when I had no soul and clearly, she’s won that one.” “I think Drusilla’s revenge for taking Spike and you off her as she sees it, was twisting up our child so much he’s basically more hers than ours!” Buffy admitted out loud, before realizing how harsh those words may have sounded. “Do not say that,” Angel demanded as the two stopped walking and he looked at the slayer with anger on his face. “Sure, he is a little messed up but who would not be after everything he has been through…he is not Drusilla’s kid Buffy he is ours!” “I know I’m sorry I did not mean that.” Buffy apologised. “Okay well maybe a little but it is just so hard being a mother to a child who last time you saw them tried to kill you.” “Welcome to the club Buffy,” Angel told her. “Tristan’s come a long way since then.” “Without anyone informing me about it.” Buffy butted in. “It sure would have been nice to hear about his improvement or heck even a damn note through the letter box saying hey your son’s not a full-blown psychopath anymore!” “It would’ve been nice to have known he existed before you and Willow threw him into a portal to the past.” Angel snapped back at her. “If you do not like how your son turned out maybe you should stop blaming it all on Drusilla and take some ownership to your actions.” Buffy believed splitting up with Angel while searching for their son would be easier than teaming up with Spike or Faith, but she quickly began regretting her decision after they exchanged heated words. She could not blame Angel for his resentment about Tristan, knowing she was in the wrong for keeping the truth from him and it would be a long time before those wounds would be fully healed. With Tristan missing, falling out with Angel and getting jealous over Faith this trip to New York for Buffy was so far nowhere near as bad as she had built it up being in her mind but then again for her the trouble would truly begin when she saw her son again.

Tristan Summers was no stranger to darkness having hunted slayers for years before coming face to face with former rogue slayer Faith Lehane but this new darkness he felt inside him was a stronger force than any he had known before. He could feel what was left of his sanity rapidly slipping away and this terrified him more than anything had ever done before as he feared completely losing control. “You and I both know the only reason you are fighting me is because fighting is all you have ever known.” The voice inside his mind told him as he walked down an alleyway with New York. “You are tired of all this; you have been tired a long time just hand over control and this will all end.” “You are not real!” Tristan screamed out loud, frantically pleading for the voices to stop. “You know I am real you have felt me wriggling around inside for a long time now and you finally got a taste of what I can do there is no going back now.” His inner voice argued with him. “This is your chance to shut it all off, to be free from the constant drag of humanity and to never have to feel anything again.” “What are you?” Tristan wondered, fearing the answer but needing to know at the same time. “I am genderless, I am older than this world or the one before it.” The inner voice revealed to Tristan. “I’ve been sleeping a sleepless slumber longer to be what I once was, and you were born to be my vessel.” “No, I was not born for you or anybody else to dictate what I am meant for!” Tristan argued with his inner demon. “Get out of my mind!” “There is no way out we are one and soon I will be you.” The shadow demon said from within Tristan’s body. “There is no fighting this Tristan!” The shadow demon was far from wrong all Tristan did was fight and it was that reason he wanted now more than ever to give into the demon, let him orchestrate his life and free him for the burden of having to feel. A year ago he would have done just that, given in without a moment’s thought but that was before he witnessed his own friend’s death, knowing she died because of his past mistakes made him sure now more than ever before that he had to do the right thing whatever that might be.

“I remember you.” Tristan proclaimed as he walked back into the bar, he shared with Faith to find Illyria stood there waiting for his return. “Are you real?” “It seems you have undergone many changes since we last met.” Illyria stated as she began slowly walking towards the demonic slayer. “You’re masked in the body of a bloodsucker, but I see much more than mere mortals can.” “The shadow demon,” Tristan replied to her, realizing she was the only one in the world old enough to have potentially come across the demon inside of him. “He’s…” “Inside of you yes, he’s inside of all slayers but more so you than any other.” Illyria revealed as she stopped walking and stood right next to Tristan. “He is old not as old as me but not far, you must be his vessel to this time, I am wearing mine.” “Will I…” Tristan began to say, before getting cut off by the goddess. “Die most certainly, Fred had more hold over her vessel than you do now, and she barely held on…” Illyria shared with him, not noticing the terror in his eyes, nor caring. “You have to die but you already know that don’t you?” “Yes, only this time it’s a permanent death.” Tristan admitted, “I cannot let me or something inside of me cause anymore evil.” “Angel had said you had changed but I…” Illyria began to say but before she could finish her sentence her hair began to change as she transitioned into Fred, a not so surprising shock for Tristan, knowing the goddess shared a body with the scientist. “You must be Fred I have only met the god version.” Tristan greeted her, wondering why Fred had fought through at this current time. “Illyria wants you dead and she tends to get what she wants you should leave before she gets her way right now!” Fred warned him, making it clear she did not want to hurt Angel’s son. “I cannot…I am just too tired.” Tristan replied to her, exhausted by his ordeal. “This thing has latched itself onto me and it is not letting go…I know that now.” “No, you do not understand, Illyria is not the kind of person for talking well she is not really a person at all.” Fred continued to warn him, fearing he was not getting the extent of how dangerous her goddess counterpart really was. “This thing inside of me is a greater evil than anything I’ve felt before and I’ve seen my fair share of evil.” Tristan explained to Fred, eager to make her understand his decision. “I need to die and if it is not by Illyria’s hands then I’ll have to do it myself.” “No, do not say that! I mean sure there is a demon inside you well two if you count the vampirism but that does not mean there’s hope.” Fred stated, attempting to reassure the demonic slayer. “When Illyria took me I did not think I’d ever have any control over my body and I’m still shocked to this day that we’re sharing the one body but yet I have so there is hope for you!” “Yeah that is cute and everything Fred, but this shadow thing wants to do something awful I can feel it and I cannot be responsible for anymore damage.” Tristan argued with her before Fred began transitioning back into Illyria. “Your father is a tolerable blood sucker for that I will make this quick.” Illyria promised him as she quickly grabbed a hold of his neck with both hands, applying more and more of her godlike strength onto the demonic slayer’s neck. “It will be over soon!” Tristan had given up in that moment ready to meet his demise at the hands of Illyria, better her than himself or worse, somebody who cared about him, not that there was many of them left. The shadow demon had to be gone before it took over him and after all the bad that Tristan had done, he was ready to make the ultimate sacrifice to make right some of his many wrongs.

“You are going to want to take your hands off my son because goddess or not I will kick your ass and before you get all goddess like on me just remember you are not my first god!” Buffy warned Illyria after walking into Rogue’s with Angel by her side to find the blue haired goddess choking the life out of Tristan. “You do not understand slayer!” Illyria replied while keeping her hands around Tristan’s neck, ready to snap his head off his shoulders at any given moment. “Let him go!” Angel shouted, only for Illyria to reluctantly let go off Tristan before once again transitioning back into Fred. “I did try warning him, but Illyria is tricky at the best of times.” Fred attempted to explain to Buffy and Angel, as Buffy rushed over to Tristan eager to check on her son. “What the hell did you do that for?” Tristan snapped at Buffy and Angel as he rose to his feet. “She was helping me…helping everyone.” “How exactly does killing you help anyone?” Buffy asked him, confused by her son’s revelation. “Because the shadow demon is gaining control over him and it wants to destroy the very thing created by it being captured.” Fred explained to them, making it clear she knew what Tristan did about his recent ordeal. “The shadow demon was captured by the shadow men to make slayers.” Buffy stated as she looked at her son with a look of shock in her eyes, realizing what Fred meant. “The shadow demon wants to kill all slayers.” “Yeah and if he hit me up over a year ago, I would’ve jumped straight on that bandwagon but call me crazy I have already killed one too many slayers.” Tristan admitted to Buffy, showing her how much her son had changed. “I thought you were being haunted? Instead your possessed…” Angel asked his son before going on to say. “It is okay we will find a way round this there is always a way around this.” “How did you keep your humanity after becoming a slayer? The first never did, why is it only taking over now?” Buffy wondered, struggling to come to terms with revelations. “I never had much humanity to begin with the demon probably thought it was a waste of time, in fact if Drusilla’s right the shadow demon’s soul is the reason I’m not a soulless vampire right now which says something.” Tristan answered his mother. “Which does not give me much belief I’d even stand a chance against this thing.” “The fact that you are willing to sacrifice yourself to stop this is proof you can beat it.” Angel told his son, eager to reassure him and talk him out of his suicidal mission. “Theoretically speaking I may have something of a solution, but it requires one powerful witch and potentially triggering all kinds of evil.” Fred admitted to them all. “We will do it!” Buffy chimed in, eagerly accepting on her son’s behalf. “Look guys it would be much easier if I…” Tristan began to say, before being interrupted by his father. “We will do it!” Angel interrupted his son, backing Buffy on her decision to do everything to save their child. Tristan was touched by the level of love he felt from his biological parents as he realized for the first time just how much they truly loved him which only served to make him feel worse for his past actions towards them as well as the danger he was putting everyone in by just continuing to be there. He argued with them for the first time like a son would argue with his parents but once his parents informed Faith and Spike and convinced Illyria to return to their side of the argument Tristan Summers had found himself truly outranked and outpowered against two vampires, two slayers and a goddess who were determined to save him from the shadow demon even if he was not willing to be saved.

[minimoll7]

Aaaayyyy so I found a post where someone shared their top 20 favorites and I decided I wanted to make my own to xD I made this template myself and I have a blank one (tho without text at all, I can input the “Top 20 Favorite Shows” if anyone wants me to). If you wanna do your own with my template, just shoot me an ask or PM!

Hit the read more if you really want to know my opinions on each. I suck at summarizing so it is a bit of a read, sorry about that heh

20) American Dragon: Jake Long - I thought this was the coolest show when I was a kid and I would always try to watch it whenever possible. Tho, while its not as cool now to me as it was back then, I still love this show and its characters

19) Milo Murphy’s Law - As soon as I saw the first ep, I just knew I was going to love this show. I’m a bit behind as of now but I cannot wait for new episodes! This show has a lot of charm and great characters, not to mention catchy songs!

18) Code Lyoko - I absolutely adored this show as a kid and it still holds up as a big fav now. The whole idea of going into a virtual world really fascinated me as a kid. I mean yeah sure Digimon had that to, but I was never really lucky in catching it on TV. Plus, the idea of the virtual world being animated in 3D while the real world was in 2D? Sign me up!

17) Xiaolin Showdown - Another show that I adored as kid and still do now. The characters and animations really made this show for me. I love how they all react with each other and some of the expressions it had to offer are top notch. And let me tell ya, this show has probably one of the funniest villains out there, Jack Spicer. He cracked me as a kid and no matter how times I rewatch the series, he still cracks me up

16) SWAT Kats: The Radical Squadron - I never grew up with this show but I had just recently finished watching it for the first time. The animation for this show, especially at the time, feels amazing and it really does have this nice 90s feel to it. The show itself is really fun to watch and I am a suckers for cats and cool aircrafts. The SWAT Kats’s Turbokat is almost just as cool as an Arwing! I find the characters to be really likable and while I do question some of the designs for the female characters, I overall just really enjoyed them all

15) The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius - Jimmy himself was a huge part of my childhood and it still saddens me that his show doesn’t air on TV anymore. The characters are incredibly memorable to me, especially Sheen. The humor in this show never fails to get me to laugh and I always loved the interactions between a good chunk of the characters

14) Wander Over Yonder - I fell in love with this show after just watching a few episodes. The characters are well-written and the art is jaw-dropping, well, to me at least heh. The show itself is generally very sweet and the humor is great as well! I also adore the fact that Wander himself is always willing to help and its always kind to others. He’s a protagonist that we all need in our lives. Hopefully, we’ll get a season 3 someday

13) Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja - Love puns? Love action? Love ninjas? Well, this show is definitely for you (maybe). This show has a lot of cheesy jokes and puns, which is something I can appreciate. Puns are always an easy win for me haha The characters themselves to I find to be really likable, especially the main protagonists, Randy and Howard. The villains to are really entertaining as well. The animation for the show can be pretty awesome at times and its a shame that nobody talks about it

12) Fullmetal Alchemist (Brotherhood) - Despite my distaste for blood and guts kind of violence, I couldn’t help myself from watching this anime. The story was amazing in every sense of the word. I’ve never watched anything before that has played with every single emotion I have (and I’m emotional to so that’s saying a lot I suppose haha). The characters and their development was well done as well. I highly recommend this show to anyone who hasn’t seen it (and can stomach the violence)

11) Avatar: The Last Airbender (and by extension, Legend of Korra) - I’m a complete sucker for elemental stuff, which is probably my favorite aspect of this show. Watching the characters fight each other with an element is pure entertainment for me. And speaking of entertainment, the humor. My goodness, this show wasn’t just action-packed, but also hilarious. The character development to is astounding and I’m sure we know just how well-written Zuko’s arc was (like damn son, it felt like a real experience almost). Another show I highly recommend to anyone, along with its sequel series

10) My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic - I remember just how shocked I was when I watched the first episode and found myself loving it. I was never expecting a girly show like this to be as good as it is (and don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a cartoon being girly, I just expected to be aimed for little little kids). I adore the animation, the characters, the story (when its present) and the lessons that each episode teaches. This show will never stop being entertaining to me, no matter what anyone else has to say

9) Animaniacs - I would’ve rated this show higher but I had to consider every segment the show has, not just personal favorites. Despite that, tho, I absolutely adore this cartoon. I didn’t grow up with it, but I first found it about 5 years ago and have loved it since then. While there are some segments that I strongly dislike, the ones I do love are completely worth it. Buttons & Mindy, Rita & Runt, Slappy Squirrel and the Warners made this show for me and I love them all (especially the brothers ha). The humor is some of the best I’ve seen in cartoons to

8) Over the Garden Wall - This miniseries captured my heart almost instantly. The animation, the story, the characters, I just can’t really hate anything from this show. I love how scary and unsettling the characters can be but yet there’s always a simple reason behind them (well, not always lol). And Greg, like come on, how can you hate this kid. True, he was annoying every now and then, but his innocence and his “words of wisdom” just makes him really likable, to me at least. I can rewatch this show over and over and I can never be tired of it

7) Ed, Edd ‘n Eddy - Whenever I think of cartoons, this one is usually the first to come to mind. This was one of my big favorites as a kid and its still one now. The humor in this show is great and its a gift whenever Ed speaks. And there’s just something special about how the entire show was animated and I can never truly put it into words on just how much I love it. Ed, Edd ‘n Eddy is just one of those where I can’t really explain why I enjoy it so much, but trust me, if you haven’t seen it, its well worth your time (and it also has a really catchy theme song)

6) Pokemon - And by Pokemon, I mean the entire series, not just a specific arc or two. Before I was even into the games or just the Pokemon themselves, I enjoyed watching the anime even as a little kid. The anime is really the only reason why I got into the games in the first place. I know the series can be repetitive, some arcs more than others, but I just can’t stay away. I love Ash, Brock, Misty, Dawn, Serena, Clement, Team Rocket and etc. The slapstick humor in the original season is probably the best of this show’s humor but as the years went on, the battles have become better and better and I just love that. I just love Pokemon and no matter what people say about the anime, I still enjoy it to this day!

5) Watership Down - I would have never imagined liking this show as much I do. I mean true, I’m a sucker for rabbits, but I wasn’t sure if this show was truly great or not, but hey its at number 5, its obviously great! Yeah, the animation and some of the voice acting is quite lacking and the design and voice change in season 3 was hard to adjust to, but the story and characters are well worth it. Its definitely one those gems that don’t get a lot of attention, I highly recommend this show!

4) Generator Rex - Similar to Watership Down, I went in not expecting to love it as much as I do now. I knew the show was going to be great, but boy do I love it or what. Like dudes, this show is incredibly underrated. The whole concept with the nanites and E.V.O.s are just insanely cool. It also had a crossover episode with Ben 10 which was an awesome episode to say the least (also Ben merged with Rex in his Upgrade form and it was freaking sick). Like seriously, if I were to try to explain why I love this show so much, we’d be here for a while. Just please, watch this show if it interests you

3) The Amazing World of Gumball - I fell in love with this show upon seeing the first episode and by that I mean I became obsessed. I love everything about this show. The characters, animation, humor, the references, designs, just everything! And seriously, if there’s any kind of animation I had favored the most from a cartoon, its this one. I adore this show so much and I literally cannot wait for the next episode. It sucks that more story related shows, like Steven Universe and Star vs the Forces of Evil (both of which are still great, don’t get me wrong), takes all the attention away from this one. Its sort of underrated in that sense but seriously trust me, everything about this show is completely worth it. I highly, HIGHLY, recommend this one

2) Teen Titans - Aaahh Teen Titans, was obsessed with it as a kid and I still am now (to bad its hard to find stuff to reblog bleh). This is just one of those shows were I can’t explain why I love it as much as I do. I mean, I know I’ve repeatedly said this (because I’m actually bad explaining why I like things and tend to reuse the same sentences over and over oops) but like, I simply adore the characters and the stories. While Starfire lacked some good character development, the rest of the characters really grows and it never gets boring watching their arcs over and over. Like, I don’t know why I can never bored of this show, but I can’t. I just love it to much (and it also has one of the best theme songs ever)

1) Fairly OddParents - No no no, not the newer seasons. The older seasons! This show was my jam back as a kid and surprise surprise, its still my jam now. Excluding shows meant for toddlers, this was the first cartoon I ever got into (probably, it could’ve been SpongeBob or Looney Tunes but I kind of doubt it). This show means more to me than I could ever say. This show sparked an interest for animation and helped really get me into drawing. I was always interesting in drawing, but this show was what pushed me to keep going. It was also the first show I ever drew fan art for. I remember drawing Timmy and Cosmo almost nonstop for a year there, back when I was 2nd grade and finally taught myself how to draw them. I remember making comics with these characters, sharing and reenacting jokes with friends, never shutting up about it aahhh and come on, well all remember the Jimmy Timmy Power Hours, that crossover was legit the coolest one for me. This show is incredibly important to me and despite the direction the show has gone now, it’ll forever remain as my favorite show <3

[kim-reapers]

BTS - Rapmonster x Reader

(A/n: Thank you @sobbedbangchabish for helping me with each of the members abilities! 😊)

Word Count - 2600

— The wind blew fiercely, snow pouring from the sky. You see, you and your team were a well known adventure team in Fyrei, a large kingdom in the land of Lilibethia. The eight of you were trudging through the snow that rest on the mountain, looking for a place to stay until you all get some rest and can continue your journey.

As mentioned earlier, you have a team of eight people. There’s you, the second in command. Despite the large great sword that lay rested on your back, you wear light armor that barely kept you warm. One could say that, due to your personality, were the mother of the group. But you weren’t even as close to it as Seokjin was. 

Ah yes, Kim Seokjin, the oldest member. He was the support member of the group. The healer. He took care of all of the members with your help. As of right now, he was walking ahead of you, talking to the youngest member. The two of you are probably the closest in the entire group. You personally want to get closer to him but a certain someone always gets in your way. How bothersome.

The youngest member, Jeon Jungkook. Currently he didn’t have a set role aside from carrying the supplies that the rest of you weren’t able to carry. You felt a little guilty but you knew he was strong. He did help defend Seokjin when he would be healing another member. He’s a really good kid and he treats you with respect, so that’s enough for you. Sometimes you teach him to dos and don'ts of swords.

Walking alongside of you, on your right side, was Kim Taehyung. He had the ability to talk to animals and use them to attack his enemies for him. Although it was heartbreaking to see the nearby animals get hurt and wounded, Taehyung would always rush to the animals’ sides after the fight. He genuinely cared and enjoyed about any living specimen nearby; well, except for the ones that have done harm to those he cares about. Even if your team would be resting, he would be petting some sort of animal.

Ahead of all of you is Min Yoongi, you call him the “emo” of the group. This is mostly due to because of his ability to manipulate the shadows around him. And the fact that he’s pale. And mean. Maybe also because he’s sleeping the majority of the time too. He mentors one of the members of the maknae line. You get along well but it’s mostly thanks to his apprentice. He’s not trying to be a wingman though, he thinks it’s weird to see his mentor and close friend interact despite all neing part of the same adventure team.

Straying slightly far behind all of you is Jung Hoseok. He’s a literal sunshine. The opposite of Yoongi, as you say. His ability to manipulate light and fire astonishes you. He’s so bright and happy. Some of your favorite moments with him consist of you trying to “rap.” Keyword: trying. You aren’t that good but you can throw some pretty good rhymes. It’s honestly such a crime. Hoseok would sometimes join you in little rap battles you have with the other members.

A man on your left, opposite of Taehyung, was trying to get your attention. Sigh. His name of Park Jimin. He is Yoongi’s apprentice in the dark arts, which is what he uses during scuffles with the enemies. Another thing that helps him in battles is him being able to cast charm spells which seduce the enemy and it puts them in a daze for a while. He often fights Taehyung for your affection but they were still close friends. It’s quite hilarious to watch them go at it in all honesty. Or whenever Yoongi tells him that he isn’t in the right state of mind to manipulate the shadows, Jimin whines and asks you for help. Even though you don’t know anything about magic. At all.

The last member. The leader. Your rival. Maybe saying rival is a bit too much, but the two of you don’t get along at all. Kim Namjoon. Despite you being the second in command, it doesn’t necessarily mean you two are close. It just means that you capable of taking care of the group if needed. You call him your rival due to you trying to get closer to Seokjin. Sort of like the situation between Jimin, Taehyung, and you. Except you and Namjoon weren’t close. Everything he does infuriates you, ranging from the smug smile he shoots at you when he’s with Seokjin and you’re not to him cutting off your commands that would’ve been of use to the team.

There are things you admire about him, however. He’s quite handsome and his dimples make his smiles less annoying. His leadership skills are outstanding and he doesn’t have a hard time getting the members attention. His smarts are outstanding which is why he’s a powerful wizard. His knowledge is what you envy the most. From him being able to brew any potion, to casting any spell. Although the two of you constantly go at each other, you really admire him.

“Hey!” Yoongi suddenly shouts while turning around to face the seven of you. “There’s something that looks to be a small cavern up ahead, should we stay there for a while?” He asks Namjoon. The leader shakes his head. “No, there should be an inn nearby. We’ll keep going,” he declares. You continue the journey on the path, letting the cold nip at your exposed face.

You hear quiet shivering from beside you and you turn your head away from Taehyung and focus your attention on the pink haired male. “Jimin, are you cold?” You ask him. “What, what does it look like?” He says between clenched teeth, trying to keep them from chattering. You sigh and remove the scarf that you wore to keep your neck warm, softly wrapping it around Jimin’s neck and over his mouth. “There,” you chuckle. “Now you won’t be so noisy.”

“But (Y/n)!” Jimin protests. “You’ll be cold too, you kn-” “You need to be healthy and warm, Jimin,” you cut him off. Jimin links your arms together, a grin spreading across his face. “You’re too nice, ah~ What did we do to get you on our team?” He gushes. You roll your eyes at him and smile. “Stop messing around, we need to go on,” Namjoon yells at the two of you from the front. You scoff and press on, keeping your arms linked with Jimin’s.

About half an hour later, you were shivering violently with Hoseok’s arms wrapped around you as you walked, letting his extremely warm body engulf you. Oh, how wonderful the pros of being friends with this sunshine is. “Hero’s Retreat, just up ahead,” Yoongi shouts, loud enough for the seven of you to hear. “Hero’s Retreat?” Jungkook tilts his head slightly to the left. “Did I stutter? Yes, Hero’s Retreat. That’s the name of the damn inn,” he snaps.

Hoseok lets go of you as you step onto the wooden stairs that lead to the entrance of the wooden building. Namjoon opens the door and you can feel the warmth push itself outside, hitting you and your team. Suddenly, you’re pulled inside by Yoongi and he look at you with a frown on his face. “Don’t stand out there when the rest of us are already inside, idiot,” he scolds. You nod your head slowly and start to saunter towards the fire that was lit in the center.

You sat down in a chair, rubbing your hands together and sniffling quietly. Chances are that you most likely got sick while traveling due to the cold weather but as long as the other members weren’t, it couldn’t be that bad. The only thing that was annoying about it was how your members now constantly asked you if you needed anything or if you’ll be ok. It’s just a cold, what’s the big deal about it?

The night passed fairly quickly. You were the first one to fall asleep, completely bundled up in the covers and sheets of the bed. You all were forced to share rooms and beds according to age, except for Jin and Jungkook, who shared a room with eachother. Yoongi shared with Hoseok, you with Namjoon, Jimin with Taehyung. So now you lay in a bed with the member you like the least.

Your back faced him and he sat up in the bed, nose buried in a spell book. He glanced at you and your sleeping form, sighing to himself. He brought his pocket watch up to his face to check the time. “6:15,” he whispers to himself. He had somehow managed to stay up the entire night, which was unusual. You were usually the one to stay up the latest. Namjoon threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, fixing the blankets beside you and removing the pillow barrier you had between the two of you.

He stepped out of the room and looked at the owner of the inn, who stood behind the counter and washed down the surface of it with a rag. “Excuse me,” Namjoon spoke up once walking up to the man. “Yes? What can I do for you?” “Is there a shrine nearby that my friend use? They’re sick,” he asks politely. “I’m afraid not. My wife and I were hoping that we could install one once the nearby trolls are killed, we’re sorry for the inconvenience,” he apologizes. Namjoon lightly waves his hand and speaks up, “It’s not your fault, so please do not worry about it.” He glanced at the room he stayed in then back to the owner. “Do you think I could get some cooked salmon, however?” “Of course, of course. I’ll get started on the right away.”

While he waited, Namjoon sat at one of the many tables and continued to read. After a good fifteen minutes, in the corner of his eye he saw Jin poke his head out from his room. “Good morning Jin,” he greeted the older man as he took a seat next to him. “Morning. What are they cooking?” Jin asked between yawns, gently rubbing his eyes and resting his head on the table.

“Salmon.”

“Just.. Salmon?”

“Well, yes. However it’s not for me. (Y/n) wears very thin armor and they even gave up their scarf so that Jimin wouldn’t get sick. I would also appreciate it if our only melee weapon user wasn’t sick before we start traveling,” he explained to his friend. Jin sighed before responding, “I wish I could use magic and spells to heal sicknesses and diseases. Healing wounds is definitely helpful during battle but what about the overall well being for the person? Not that I don’t respect our Gods but I sometimes wish they we didn’t have to need a shrine or altar to heal ourselves.”

Namjoon nodded and closed his book after gently placing a small, folded piece of paper that served as a book mark. “Anyways, salmon is good to resist colds. Hopefully it’ll help (Y/n) recover,” he says, standing up from his seat. “You know it’s good that you actually want to start helping them. It seems like for the longest time the two of you had this little rivalry. I’m glad that you’re showing them you actually care,” Jin smiles at him and stands up, heading back towards his room.

“I’m going to wake up Jungkook, then the others. You go wake up (Y/n) and bring them their, uhm, salmon?” His voice was laced with question near the end. “Why couldn’t you just ask for soup, honestly it’s not that hard.” Namjoon smiles sheepishly, “I could go ask now, it doesn’t take that long to make.” “No need,” the owner yells from the kitchen. “The second you said that your friend was sick, I started on making some soup because I figured that it would be much easier to consume!”

A couple minutes later, he carefully comes out with a bowl in his right hand and a plate in his left. The man placed the dishes down in front of the leader and smiled brightly. “Let me know if you ever need anything else,” he spoke kindly. Namjoon nodded and smiled back. He took the two dishes in his hands and started to make his way back to the room he shared with you.

To his surprise, he saw you sitting up in bed with Yoongi by your side, giving you a small smile as you talked about how you wanted to start learning spells and working with other weapons that interested you, such as a simple single handed sword or a heavy claymore. You used your hands to make different and weird gestures as you spoke, as it was a habit you thought was quite embarrassing but you looked so comfortable with it while you spoke to Yoongi. Namjoon just stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do.

He cleared his throat and both of your attentions moved from each other to your leader. “I bought food for you, (Y/n), since you’re sick,” he obviously stated. Yoongi stood up from the chair that he sat on beside you and began to walk out of the room but not before he gently ruffled your hair. “Take it easy Kiddo,” he told you. “Eat as much of that as you can but don’t force yourself.” You nodded obediently at his words and fixed your hair.

Namjoon then took a seat where his friend last sat amd placed the salmon on the bedside table and handed you the soup. “They don’t have a shrine so I got you the next best thing,” he tells you. You chuckle and hold the warm bowl in your hands, “Well it’s nice to know that you actually care.” “First Jin now you? Of course I care. You lead the team when I cannot and I’m extremely grateful for that. All the members admire you, including me.”

You smile brightly at him and sniffle slightly, “Aww, thanks Joonie!” Pink lightly tints his cheeks and he frowns. “Don’t call me that.” “Too bad, ‘cause I’m going to Joonie.” “Please,” he begs. “It’s embarrassing.” You laugh again and look down at the soup, pulling the spoon up to your mouth and softly blowing on it before enclosing your mouth around it.

“Hey, thanks again,” you say after pulling the spoon out and placing it back inside the soup. “Are you going to say it a million times? You don’t have to, you being alright is a thanks enough,” his gaze on you softens and you laugh. “Hey don’t get all soft on me! What happened to the smug and annoying Namjoon I know?” “What why? Do you miss him?” He cocks an eyebrow at you and you puff out your cheeks, “Kinda? You know it’s better than when you look at me as if I’m your sibling or something.”

He smirks at you and stands up. “Oh, goodbye then (Y/n)~ Now that you’re sick I won’t have you to interrupt me when I talk to Jin,” he boops your nose and walks to the doorway that leads back into the main room. Your grip tightens on the spoon and your eye twitches.

“HEY, YOU TWAT! GET BACK HERE I DIDN’T MEAN IT! DON’T STICK YOUR TONGUE OUT AT ME I’M OLDER THAN YOU!”

[superman86to99]

Superman: The Man of Steel #22 (June 1993)

REIGN OF THE SUPERMEN CONTINUES! Presenting John Henry Irons, a.k.a. Henry Johnson, a.k.a. Shaq-- uhh, STEEL. John is the big dude we saw emerging from the rubble of the Superman/Doomsday fight in Adventures #500. Now we find out more about his backstory: he was a military weapons designer who quit his job/whole life for some reason, and has been living in Metropolis’ Suicide Slum under an unfindable fake identity (he just switched his first and middle names around). A few weeks ago, John was saved by Superman after falling off a construction site -- so when the Doomsday battle broke out, John decided he should return the favor and save Superman. This didn’t go so well (for anyone), hence the whole “buried in rubble” thing.

(Note the “energy” being passed from Superman to John as he saves him. Artistic license, or something else...?!)

Anyway, once John is out of the hospital from that little incident, he sits down and tells the tale of his namesake John Henry to some Suicide Slum kids (including Superman’s pal, Keith the Unlucky Orphan, because this is a really small neighborhood). As the kids are leaving, they get caught in the middle of a gang fight and one of them is literally fried by some sort of hi-tech gun.

“You BASTARDS!” (Sorry.)

John chases after the gang members, and as they try to kill him for butting into their business, he recognizes their hi-tech weapons as his own design. When he gets out of the hospital (again), John decides to do something about it. With Superman dead, someone has to step up and protect the city, so John forges himself an iron-- uhh, STEEL armor designed for crime-smashing. John debuts his new heroic identity against the same gang from before after they come back to finish the job and firebomb his building.

John kindly asks the gang members where they got such sci-fi-esque weapons. Just as one of them is about to talk, he’s sniped by a mysterious lady with a big-ass gun, “The White Rabbit”. She seems to know John from before, and decides not to kill him because he might be "profitable” in the future. (I’ve got bad news for you, lady.)

Meanwhile, Metropolis is abuzz with news reports of John’s exploits. A psychic lady he saved when that building blew up explains that he’s not “a” man of steel but THE Man of Steel -- according to her, Superman’s spirit has returned from beyond and possessed the body of a man whose own spirit left him (John, after whatever happened that made him leave his old life). The still bed-bound Pa Kent seems convinced, while Lex Luthor Jr. is at least intrigued by the idea, and who knew Superman better than those two? No one. Welcome back, Superman!

Character-Watch:

The White Rabbit actually appeared briefly during John’s segment in Adventures #500, but I forgot to mention it. Here’s a gratuitous shot of her shorts to make up for it.

Plotline-Watch:

Futher evidence that John is the one true Superman: he says that when he was buried in the rubble, he saw "Fog. Angels and demons. I think my grandfather. He didn’t want me to die.” That sounds like a spot-on summary of what Superman’s soul went through in Adventures #500.

Poor Lois Lane’s life is bound to take a turn for the better now that the love of her life has returned: I mean Jeb Friedman, her douchey ex. To be fair, Jeb did wait like a week (comic book time) after Lois’ fiancee was presumed dead before putting the moves on her, so he’s not that bad.

I should also mention that Myra the Orphanage Lady has the hots for John -- she gets a new Halle Berry hairdo when she and Keith visit him in the hospital. You may now begin shipping them.

Lex Luthor Jr. orders his crony Dr. Happersen to find out who’s furnishing street gangs with futuristic weaponry. That’s his job, dammit!

And my job here is done, so click below to read the great Don Sparrow’s section:

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):

Probably the most abrupt change from the Funeral for a Friend storyline comes in the pages of SMOS, where we’re thrown into  an almost entirely new cast of characters (aside from the much loved Myra and Keith), a great departure from the Superman comics we know.  We begin with the cover, which features probably the s-shield closest to the official one, with some slick, great looking Walk-Simonson-esque shading on the chrome of the insignia—this pattern will be a theme throughout the run of this character.

Inside the first page we get our first full look at John Henry Irons in full regalia, and it looks great.  The colours help a lot in selling the metallic look, and I love the elements of his costume that are a cheat—There’s no way a metal mask could so closely follow the contours of John’s face, particularly as he speaks and emotes.  But it looks awesome so we accept it.

As I mentioned, we can feel a bit lost being thrown into this story with a wholly unfamiliar character, so they subtly let us know which character we’re supposed to be following by helpfully putting him in the familiar red and blue as we first see him. 

To my eye, in this storyline, Bogdanove abandons his usual slick, fluid, Fleischer cartoon look for a much hatchier, urban feel.  The faces are more caricaturized (sometimes, perhaps, to a fault) and the action a lot grittier.  Indeed, I don’t remember so much violence in the first couple pages of story since before the Doomsday storyline.  The effect is intentional I think—we’re supposed to be horrified by the destruction these toastmaster weapons leave behind, but man, that smouldering skeleton of a teenager on page 4 is tough to take, as is the brock wall smeared with Irons’ blood at the bottom of page 5. 

Still, even in his first appearance, Bogdanove has this character’s physicality and wardrobe very well established and down pat.  The parachute pants go a long way in suggesting his athleticism, and also hint at a possible inspiration in the sports world, as Shaquille O’Neal was just entering the NBA (and rap and video game worlds as well) at the time. It might be a chicken or egg argument, but I suspect some of Irons’ look is based on Shaq’s, for better or worse.            

The flashback sequence of Irons’ inspirational meeting with Superman is well-told, and there’s some interesting imagery as there appears to be some sort of beam transferring between them on page 8, lending credence to the “spirit walk-in” spin this book put forward.  The full page splash on page 11 is a good one, as you really feel the heft of his hammer in his body gesture—though maybe a little more time could have been put into the face.

The low point follows soon after—no, not dead teenagers (though there will be more of them), something worse—Jeb Friedman makes his obnoxious return to Metropolis. Worse still, Lois dives into his arms knocking off his cowboy hat.  Oh, yeah, apropos of nothing, he was wearing a cowboy hat, by the way. [Max: He seems more like a fedora kind of guy.]

Page 15 has a great look at Irons’ mask, as he perches, Batman-style, on a rooftop before jumping in to bust the gun-runners.  More dead torsos follow as one of the gang gets disemboweled (and then some) in order for the Toastmasters to blast Irons.  The cracked image of Martin Luther King is an effective way of relating some of Irons’ guilt—his actions in the past certainly haven’t advanced Dr. King’s noble causes.  Rather, they’ve just made the streets a deadlier place.

We get a good look at Irons’ array of weaponry in the story as well, as page 19 features his gauntlet, which, appropriately for his namesake, drives steel railway bolts (I’ll just accept that Irons is a great shot, and ignore how utterly deadly that would be as a weapon).  We’re then introduced to the White Rabbit, our apparent villain, in booty shorts as revealing as a code book would allow at the time. [Max: See above.]

There’s a LOT of exposition to get through, and the issue does a good job of all of it—Irons’ guilt at having dedicated his life to weaponry, and donning a costume to atone (shades of the first Iron Man film), some interesting issues with power, race and inner-city crime (with both gangsters like the White Rabbit and big businessmen like Luthor trying to take full advantage) some history on Irons’ own tragic childhood, and also some upsetting scenes with Lois and Jonathan Kent dealing with the emergence of all these new characters.    

STRAY OBSERVATIONS:

Does John Henry have eyebrows?  They seem to be missing in his closeup shot on page 4, and elsewhere.

GODWATCH:  John Henry prays he’s wrong when he sees the what looks like an old weapon of his on page 4.

The story makes a couple mentions of Irons’ voice as being like Darth Vader, and later the voice of God.  Emphasiszing someone’s voice is an interesting way to establish character in a silent medium like comics, but definitely does help us flesh out who he is.

I’ll admit, I’ve heard better pickup lines than “Superman is dead and Clark is dead.” Bizarrely, it seems to almost work.

I remember reading an article (I think it was in Wizard magazine) about the spirit walk-in idea, and either Simonson or Bogdanove saying that the psychic would decidedly NOT sound like Mike Myers’ Linda Richman character from SNL.  In spite of their assertions (or maybe because of them), that’s how she sounds in my head, so they might have been better off not even bringing her up. [Max: Dang, now you’ve passed on the curse to me! Hey, maybe she was possessed by Mike Myers’ ghost?]