#i expect this to be in all fanart of him now effective immediately

[yyiimmppyy]

Chat yall see it too right

[lillypad-monopoly]

Wild Life Episode 5 Thoughts

(Except I'm insane about Martyn's ep)

LIFE SERIES TRIVIA is DIABOLICAL! The watchers literally being like "how well do you guys know your pain and suffering?" (also sorry only winners remember theory truthers)

The way Grian and Scar are such bitter ex-soulmates that Mumbo has to point it out is hilarious. (also them getting even and saying "Just like Third Life" hurt my heart)

Grian not remembering iconic moments from his own series is so funny. What do you mean he only knows Martyn beheaded Ren with an axe from fanart? Grian gaining possession of the Red Winter Axe was a whole plot point.

MUMBO FIRST OUT! IN SESSION 5! The canary curse is broken for real now guys but at what cost.

Grian standing on the ruins of the tower by himself going through the five stages of grief over Mumbo's death as the sun rises in the background is a gorgeous piece of fanart waiting to happen

Martyn you didn't need to start the episode by talking about how Ren is providing for you, you're asking for the shipping at this point 🤣

MARTYN YOU DO THE LORE OFC JIMMY AND TANGO WERE OUT FIRST. Also REN YOU WERE LITERALLY IN DOUBLE LIFE. RIP Ren/BigB we know where his true loyalties lie

THE TWO NICKLES MEME BREAKING CONTAINMENT I CAN'T

Ren inviting BigB to join the RenWood Mound alliance WITHOUT REMEMBERING DOUBLE LIFE is so insane I don't even know what to say.

OF COURSE SCAR REMEMBERS THE DESERT DUO FLOWERS I'M GOING TO BE SICK

Martyn and Ren saying they're going to be boat bros. This has been coming since last session but I NEED Joel and Etho to call them out on it

"We're boat boys," MARTYN INTHELITTLEWOOD WHEN I CATCH YOU-

Etho yelling for Bdubs to hit him so they could test if the wildcard affected damage and then Tango going "smack me harder~" in the background was diabolical. Suuuure you guys are all PG.

Etho sitting in a boat for Joel to jump over him feels like some boat boys relationship symbolism I'm not smart enough to explain

So Etho is currently living with team BET, but allied with the Four Gs, and in the family with Gem and Joel. Wildcard Etho is so back!

Of course Impulse immediately remembered the clock question.

Joel boasting about how he immediately knows all the questions is peak Joel form and I would expect nothing less. It is kind of warranted though because everybody else is waffling on the simple ones.

Joel is now two for two on unquestioningly trusting Etho only to have something bad happen to him and not even being mad about it what is wrong with this man 😭

Does Joel have the censor bleep on his keyboard or did he just straight up start swearing at Tango and know they would both have to censor it in post to get the effect that he was also making the noise?

Scott's gone from a creaking fanboy to a body horror situation and I'm living for it (also considering he's agreed to "go wild" this session--am I sensing a Scott corruption arc?)

Scott cutting directly from saying he and Jimmy were never married even though they called each other husbands to a scene WITH Jimmy was kind of an insane choice

Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss Girldad has been confirmed by Scott as the actual reason for the 4Gs. I still think Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss ImpulseSV is funnier but good to have an official ruling

Scott giving up his life for Pearl and them being good natured about it and calling it therapy! I love them so much!

Lizzie being the only person who's not exicted when a trivia bot spawns is so funny. Even the other players who weren't in all the seasons don't seem to be as miffed by them as she is.

Lizzie's flaming snail arising out of that hole while smiling is potentially the funniest thing I've seen all day. Why did it look like that 🤣

[autumnmobile12]

You know, when you get right down to it, I think the biggest reason fans were unsatisfied with My Hero's finale was the fact Horikoshi just completely blindsided everyone with a sad ending.

The series had its sad moments, sure, but the overall atmosphere was upbeat and hopeful. Classic 'we can do this' shonen, you know? But he didn't build up to the sad ending, mainly because, and to put it bluntly, he didn't kill off enough relevant characters.

Overall, the deaths that do occur in the series are minimal (not counting flashback deaths like Nana Shimura and the Shimura family as those are backstories to the main plot) and most of them don't leave a huge impact. Character deaths sadden me as much as the next person, but there's a reason they happen in fiction.

My Hero Academia had a conflict that ultimately evolved from a small disgruntled faction challenging hero society to an entire army challenging hero society. It was a war. Wars are messy and difficult and traumatic. You expect to lose people in a war.

So to analyze the few deaths that happen through the series...

Magne: I've said in a previous post her death was basically there to show Overhaul's abilities and willingness to kill, and sadly, I think that's the only reason Horikoshi didn't include her among the arrested villains of the Summer Camp Arc. All the other LoV members had an establishing moment when they first appeared, something that made them memorable. Magne did not get that kind of impact and sadly remains to be the least memorable character in the LoV. How many LoV related posts/fanarts have you seen that leave her out?

Snatch: Horikoshi created this guy for the sole purpose of killing him off. He had no further purpose and even Dabi forgot who he was immediately after the fact.

Sir Nighteye: A sad death because we did get a whole arc where he was adjacent enough to Deku to have development, but was Nighteye's death necessary or there for shock value? I say shock value because outside of Mirio bringing him up now and then, he's barely mentioned after his death. His Quirk wasn't regarded as a huge loss and his death didn't effect the outcome of the war all that much.

Midnight: A little closer to home since she was a teacher to the main cast, but she didn't have many interactions with the students that wasn't purely a student-teacher dynamic. She was more than the 'sex appeal comedy' character in that she's shown to be legitimately intelligent and levelheaded, but there are no scenes where she talks one on one with Deku or his classmates and provide a more meaningful dynamic. If Horikoshi was going for something that would really hurt the fanbase, he'd have killed off Aizawa in the Jaku City battle. Aizawa was the only one of the UA teachers who had the screen time and character development to be the 'surrogate parent' character supporting the main cast, so his death in the series would have been devastating, especially since his Quirk plays a key role in all the major fights. No hate to Midnight, but the little amount of screen time she had and the lack of relationships she formed with the main cast did not trigger much of an emotional response for me.

Twice: Twice is the only character death I can think of that really meant something to the series. He had impact, he was memorable, the fans got attached to him, and the reason he died was valid. Hawks kills him to prevent him from overwhelming the hero's side with a one man army. That threw a major wrench in the LoV's plans. Not a debilitating one, but it was a hit to the team and to a small degree, even Hawks regretted having to kill him. This is how you do a meaningful character death.

So compare that with other series.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Shit, a lot of characters die in FMA, major and minor. Nobody is over Nina and Alexander. Nobody is over Hughes. Nina was a little girl with her life ahead of her, and Alexander was her beloved dog. Hughes had a family. They both had things to live for.

D. Gray Man: Not as many core cast members, but the side characters that do die are memorable and it's heartbreaking. Even if they're only there for a brief time, the impact is there. All Suman wanted was to see his daughter again, even if it meant becoming a traitor. Chronically overworked Tapp's dying words are to say he would take on all the overtime in the world if he could keep living. Alma finally got to rest in peace after being non-consensually resurrected in a cruel science experiment.

Black Butler: Not very many character deaths, but the few that have happened hit hard. Not naming any names because I know there are anime-only peeps out there, but to my fellow manga-readers, you know who i'm talking about.

With My Hero Academia, Twice died for his friends. We see how much he cared about them. What did Magne die for? Her cause, sure, but she's not in the series long enough to leave that lasting impression. What did Snatch, Sir Nighteye, and Midnight have to live for? They didn't talk about their ambitions, their dreams, their families, their plans for retirement, none of that came up, and so we as the audience don't get that heartbreaking moment of, "No, they didn't get to _____!" Sure, I guess we can say Nighteye doesn't get to see Mirio become the greatest hero, but that's a pretty standard dream across all the teacher/mentor dynamics with their protégés, so it's not unique. Fuck, even Endeavor has that ambition for Shouto. AFO has that ambition for Shigaraki. So Nighteye’s dream is not unique enough to be its own matter of significance.

...

I saw someone's assessment on how the finale was realistic, that a social change wasn't going to happen overnight. And that's true, we couldn't realistically expect a social change happening overnight, but when you pair that against the unrealistic outcome where no major character deaths happened on the protagonists' side of things, it's off-putting and it actually made the fate of the main villains unbalanced.

Realistically, yes, with what the LoV did (mass murder, inciting violent radicals, terrorism), that would warrant life in prison, a death sentence, etc. But in a fictional sense, since they didn't do anything extreme to the main cast, thus eliciting an emotional response from the audience, we don't really have the satisfaction of justice served in this circumstance.

Dabi's crimes are background information. He says himself in his broadcast that he's killed 'up to thirty innocent people.' That's not insignificant, but from an audience's perspective...who were those thirty and why do we care? There were those protesters publicly shaming Endeavor by asking if he'd seen the families of Dabi's victims on the news. That's fine and well, but we as the audience didn't see that. We do see him kill Snatch, but no one cares because of the above reasons. Everyone else Dabi kills onscreen are either the PLF or those anti-heteromorph cult guys, both of whom were people the audience weren't going to miss because they were fellow antagonists and bigots.

The problem with all of this is we were told about Dabi's crimes, not shown.

Personally, I'd have been more comfortable with Dabi's fate had he actually made good on his threats to throw his family's charred remains at Endeavor's feet or if he'd managed to kill some of Shouto's friends and mocked their deaths to his face. That is horrific and would have more closely warranted what he was dealt in the end. There's being furious and in pain over a traumatic childhood, and then there's committing atrocities against people who weren't the sole cause of that trauma. Which is what the 'thirty innocent people' were supposed to represent, but again, who were they and why do we care? Instead, what we're left with is 'Dabi is an angry, traumatized child trying to enact a social change.' Not for the noble reason of preventing his fate from happening to another child but out of hatred for his abuser, but a valid cause all the same, and he was disproportionately punished for it. (From a reader's perspective.)

...

It's the same with Toga. We're told right away at her first appearance she's a serial murderer, but again, she doesn't kill any of the main cast. She killed Curious, but no one really cared. I don't even think Curious' allies cared.

Look at it this way: Imagine if Rock Lock's character had been given more screen time, had been part of the series longer, and he was built up as the new father and family man and he's genuinely looking out for younger heroes instead of being a roundabout asshole about it, and then Toga kills him the Shie Hassaikai raid. That could have invoked Maes Hughes levels of outrage in the fanbase.

Or a bit closer to home , she could have killed Aizawa in the Shie Hassaikai raid right in front of sweet, little Deku’s innocent eyes. If she, like Dabi, actually took out main cast members, characters the audience were emotionally invested in, then her ending might have been more appropriate.

We loved Envy as a villain, but he also killed Hughes, another beloved character, so damn were we satisfied to see him go out the way he did.

Toga didn't do anything onscreen that was half as bad as what Envy did and yet she died for it. Offscreen technically.

...

Spinner might be the only one of the group whose fate fit the crime. His reasons were an echo of Stain, but advocating for a change to a flawed government system is a worthy cause.

Where he went wrong is it wasn't a cause worth killing for. The Commission and hero society would have to be much worse canonically for that to happen. Like blatantly totalitarian policies. The PLF was put down because they were enacting a violent uprising, not necessarily because of their views.

Example: Destro's book wasn't a banned text and people were free to read it. When Hawks gave it to Endeavor, he wasn't scolded for carrying a banned book around. If the government placed those kinds of restrictions (imprisoning anyone who published it, owned a copy, quoted its teachings, etc.), that would be the worrying signs of censorship.

News stations throughout the series freely criticize hero society. In a true fascist government, that wouldn't happen.

The video of Stain's last stand being deleted over and over could be considered censorship, but one could also argue it was deleted in the interest of not causing a panic rather than blocking his message from reaching the public.

Now I'm not ignoring Nagant's story where corrupt heroes were being quietly dealt with because that is some shady cover-up bs, but it's also a brief blip in the series and not explored all that much, which really more so highlights Horikoshi's inconsistencies in just how corrupt the Commission actually was. (I mean, maybe they really were chewing their nails nervously when they found out what Hawks was doing with the Destro books. "We can't kill him! You have any idea how expensive training another one would be?")

So no, while Spinner's cause was right, the way he tried to achieve it wasn't the answer. Nothing of what the Commission was canonically doing was worth the level of violence reached. If he was writing articles that outed problematic heroes and flaws in the system and then was shut down/imprisoned for that, then we can revisit the violent uprising because if you can't solve a solution with words because those words are being forcefully silenced, then you have no choice but to either accept it or resort to other methods.

And Spinner lives in the end. Probably in prison for the rest of his life, but he lives and his closing message to the series is, "We lost our war, but I will tell our story. We won't be forgotten."

Notice I said at the beginning of his how his 'fate' fit the crime. Imprisoned, he can no longer fight his war with violence. But he can still fight his war, and possibly still win, with words. Since we can see it available for purchase, his book is not a banned text even though he is a convicted criminal.

...

As much as I loved the character, I think Shigaraki dying was the only way his story could definitively end given the parameters set down by the canon finale. His life wasn't saved, but what kind of life could he realistically hope to have after everything he did? Would a life in prison be better than what he got?

We could go into the fact he could have been rehabilitated, but given how the world barely changes after the fact...rehabilitated to suit the flawed system still doesn't seem like a great outcome for him either.

...

Then we have the main cast just...carrying on? A bunch of people Quirkless, scarred, crippled, unable to use their Quirks the way they had before, and essentially gave everything they had for a world that...ultimately changed very little?

Was this really where it was all going?

So yeah, for all the hope and upbeat attitudes that prevailed through the bulk of the series, I don't think any of that correlates particularly well with the ending. We went from 'we can do this' and slammed into 'we are physically and psychologically scarred for the rest of our lives' brutally fast.

And then we're just hit with, "And that's how we became the world's greatest heroes." Against the overall sadness of the finale, that hopeful line is a tasteless cop-out.

[shoggoth-the-bitch]

The Puppeteer

It's interesting that people seemingly are expected to sort of babysit Daisy at this point. Like, is she having trouble being left alone or is she really just not taking care of herself properly? Because I can imagine being trapped in there would probably mess her up about being alone for too long.

Though I'm curious exactly where Melanie needs to be. Aren't they all stuck in the archives right now?

Oh... Jon, you need to work on the honey.

I don't think Daisy is alright. Okay, basically confirmed that she struggles with being alone.

Oh, Neil Lagorio came up one already. He made crazy practical effects for movies or something like that. I'm assuming this is the Web again.

Oh lord, animatronic... hm, did this guy just know about the 14 entities and just used them for his horror stories?

Wait a second, was this man an animatronic? No, wait, he's working with the Web. He's full of spiders and the people he invited over were almost certainly filled with spiders when he was done with them.

Damn, it must suck that she was basically snubbed by the industry because she had a kid. Sadder still that I'm sure these are real issues people have in the industry.

"Dancer" you say? Mayhaps something to do with the Unknowing?

Oh, he didn't have Parkinsons. Were the spiders just getting restless?

Weird. What did this man get out of this? This sounds like such a strange thing to happen... Oh god, no!

Oh! I've seen fanart of this lady! She's the Web lady!

NO!!!!!!

Horrifying, awful, terrible time all around. Five month, that doesn't sound great... this poor woman.

Jon, do not watch those damn films!

No! Not just "Good point." Get rid of the damn lighter!

Daisy, honey, you deserve the world and you need to rest. Hon, he had MULIPLE ribs pulled out for you.

Oh... Jon? What have you done? Jon, no! Jon, how are you so smart but so dumb!

What? She works here? What?! She forcefully became employed. Amazing.

I can not believe that Jon immediately brings up Martin the moment it's mentioned that he's acting like he's all alone. Like, yes, Martin is actively avoiding him but this man can not be any more obvious. I can't believe these idiots are mutually pining for each other and they don't even know it!

Fuck yeah! Be friends! They're growing as people, finally! This won't last but a bitch can dream.

Oh, hi Melanie... oh... I get you but your therapist unquestionably has her work cut out for her.

[alittlebirb]

Some irreverent chaos from the MCC 24 Green Geckos!

Gem saying Oli is too loud and him replying "you can turn me down to zero if you don't want to hear my ~funny bits~!"

TapL saying he didn't vod review Turtle Run and everyone demanding he watch it RIGHT NOW, OPEN IT UP RIGHT NOW

I also need to mention this is the first time I've watched Oli and his sound effects+music is the best thing I've ever heard

"Do we know left from right? That's important to know before we start doing call outs. If you need a reminder just keep an L by the side of your screen." -Gem

Oli and Gem getting excited over saiko posting their fanart for the event

"They really know how to make me look like an anime protag!" -Oli

"Are we doing a cage stream? We will be doing two cage streams! But for this I've been freed from my cage!" -Oli

5up saying he's getting "bored" of SOT and he needs to "spice it up"

THEY'RE GOING TO BE DOING A ROTATING SANDKEEPER???

Oli freaking out over his sound and Gem shutting him down that she "does NOT want to hear about his tech problems right now."

"If you eat a burger, it slows you down." -TapL

"You are the mother duck, we are the ducklings. Go forth." -Gem to 5up in MD

TapL immediately following that up with a series of obnoxious quacking noises

Oli just flying through an empty map after he died, until he finally figures out how to teleport to mid

The disaster of that fight with Yellow, compounded with the fact that Oli turned his narrator on during the fight. That deadpan robotic voice describing their losing fight while Oli frantically tries to turn it off was a work of art.

Everyone just marveling over how cool MD is while watching the last fight

Oli's FAT DUMPY breaking the elevator

"This is it, after all the pvp teams are like, YES!, their mental high note, here is where we crush their mental." -5up, employing psychological warfare in SOM (Sands Of Mart)

The unhabitable conditions of the block rooms, with pillagers and skeletons breaking their concentration every 2 seconds

Oli and Gem occasionally fighting like bickering siblings

Oli accidentally dropping a "fucked up" in Gem's presence and immediately covering it up with "messed up"

Gem giving the brutal review that "our coms are rougher than I thought it'd be, not gonna lie."

"That remix helped nothing and hurt everything." -Gem

TapL spilling a "dollop" of water on his keyboard

"I've had a big scream!" -Oli

"I need to get my energy out in a stabby game, where I can punch and kick and flail!" -Oli

The chat calling them "the green anxiety's"

Half of the team getting frozen during the vote and demanding a recount

Oli beefing with Joel in the chat over the wait for 5up to rejoin

Oli giving Sapnap permission to pee, and TapL truthing that he didn't wash his hands

5up going through the most stressful experience in his life attempting to reconnect to MCC with the weight of 40 people's expectations on his shoulders

Gem calling TapL "our little green boy" as he flies in RSR

"I got a kill on Sparklez, so that's good. Gotta keep the old man down-" -Oli

TapL calling the way Illumina hit Purpled off the edge and won second round "sexy"

Oli coming in and interrupting 5up's pep talk, and Gem shushing him

TapL digging a hole in mid during SB, getting ferreted out by Pink, and then proceeding to slaughter 3/4 Pensioners

Oli asking if they can take Hamnah and Jojo, and Gem just responding with the most affronted "no."

TapL and Gem winning the second round!

"We've got our spirits awfully down for a team that's in 5th!" -Gem

TapL talking about how, when he was rushing to find a Turtle Run vod, he instead found results on a place called Turtle Run in Illinois

Gem being very rudely awakened about the amount of lava present in the BB map

Oli getting lost about how to get down to middle even though that was what 5up's pre-game pep talk was all about 😭

TapL whaling on Captain Sparklez and screaming "I'M SORRY. I STILL WATCH YOUR VIDEOS!"

"I got shot by The Gay." -TapL after getting killed by Scott

"Not THE GAY!" -Oli

"We don't follow rules 5up, we aren't even listening to our own words!" -Gem

TapL producing an AI generated sentence as an example of Things He Would Say In SOT

Oli eloping with Martyn in HITW during the Mega Chicken Vote, making them the only two HITW enjoyers in the dome!

TapL planning to speedrun AR and putting together a hype playlist (which sadly does not include the Jellyfish Jam from Spongebob SquarePants)

Just the wildly different vibes between each stream, with Gem and 5up being very chill, Oli blasting the loudest hype music available, and TapL listening to the MCC Update video on accident

Both TapL and 5up once again freezing??? 5up straight up crashing????

"They should just give us stimulus coins, for the oopsie." -TapL

TapL predicting his win the second time around and dubbing it TurtleGate

Oli narrating his AR journey and consistently improving the whole way through!

Everyone on Green finishing in a row, aside from 5up who finished a single place apart from them

The absolute travesty that was HITW getting chosen over GR. Who decided this. One of you is going to pay for this. 👁👁

TapL saying he's reaching for the moon this HITW round because it was Techno's philosophy, and getting first place!

"How are you feeling?" -TapL

"HOT." -Oli

Gem and 5up asking Oli if he knows what the colored walls mean in SOT, and the dead silence when he says no (as a funny lil joke, just a silly jest)

"No risky things!" -5up

"Oh no, I did risky things!" -Oli

"...I need to be unlocked." -Oli

5up getting locked in at the end, and Oli declaring "that's showbiz, baby!"

TapL putting on videos of cats to relax

"The reddit predicted us 9th...and I guess they were right!" -Gem

"The reddit can read me like a book." -Oli

TapL putting on the Benny Hill theme during DB

This MCC was a straight up fever dream.

Green Geckos finished MCC 24 in 9th place!

[myrskytuuli]

So, confession time, when I was twelve I was like Huuuuge Kishigo shipper and that’s how I for the first time found my way tot he wonderful world of fanfics and fanart, but now as an adult I obviously see how toxic and problematic the ship- HAHAHAH GOT YOU GOOD! In this house I don’t grow and don’t become better.

Anyway, now that I’ve dusted off my almost 20 years old Kishigo ship-sails, let me just say how pleasantly surprised and absolutely hopeful I am about their dynamic in the reboot, based only off the short clip in the opening. Because we all know that the original Kishigo dynamic was fucked up as hell. It would be really funny and enjoyable most of the time and then briefly take a sharp turn to completely fucked up and then return back to the genuinely funny like nothing had happened. Oh early 2000s you were truly a different time and Ichigo’s three weed smoking boyfriends were all very much trapped in their 90s boyfriend harem archetypes. The gentleman. The tsundere with a heart of gold. The actual psychopath.

(As an aside, remember how fucked up it was that every girl with several suitors always had to have one of them being an actual sex offender. Like that was just a thing. Remember when we as pubescent girls said shit like “I wish I was raped by character X” like that was just a normal thing to say. And we would all blush and giggle. How did any of us survive puberty in the early 2000s?)

Getting back on topic, the fact that they replaced the nonconsensual kiss in the intro with Kisshu just jumpscaring Ichigo fills me with hope that they have gone the sensible route and toned down the uncomfrotable intensity of Kisshu’s “crush” and maybe kept him as an annoying flirt without it veering into disregarding Ichigo’s actual boundaries. (aside from the fact that they’re fighting obviously.)

The relationship between kisshu and Ichigo was really funny when they weren’t being weirdly sexual, and I want more of that best nemesis dynamic from them.

I want Ichigo and Kisshu to immediately have the very special kind of chemistry that only two people who understand each other at their base clown level can have, the kind of where they immediately dumb each other down and truly bring out the least dignified version of each other that there is.

The kind of where they both think that they are L and Light from that Death Note opening, standing on those colour-coded pillars, the only equals to each other’s genius, expect that they’re both dumb and make each other actively dumber. Casual strangers on the street describe them as “those two best friends who were yelling at each other in the park again.”

The kind where they will both ditch much more important tasks to fistfight each other in the 7/11 parking lot. Both of their teammates are begging them to please just focus on the mission and ignore the other, but the clown music taking over their minds the closer their proximity is to each other is too strong. Nobody thinks their rivalry is impressive expect them. They also know stupid amount of useless information about each other because they cannot help but overshare a weird amount of personal and emotional information to each other while punching each other in the face. One time while fighting Kisshu accidentally teleported them both inside a movie theatre. They were both so tired that they decided to take break and watch the movie together. It was okay, Kisshu thought the spacecraft in the movie looked stupid and unpractical, Ichigo didn’t like how only female character was a love interest, but they both agreed that the special effects were good.

Aoyama-kun, being the saint that he is, understands that sometimes a girl needs time with her alien nemesis. He just wishes that it was less often in the middle of their date-night.

[tteokdoroki]

— “PANTY THIEF + BAKUGOU.”

author’s note(s): inspired by this fanart and everyone being horny on THE DASH !! dedicated to @honeykeigo n @lady-bakuhoe for enabling my horny behaviour ok ok. also this turned out longer than i expected so ,,, have fun?

warning(s): mdni, 18+, smut, dubcon, mentions of drinking, uhh sniffed and stolen panties, slight!exhibitionism, power play dynamics, fingering, pussy slaps uwu, fem!reader + pro hero!bakugou.

“y-you uh, you don’t haf’ta do this mishta—?“

“dynamight.”

“r-right, dy-ma-might!”

katsuki had rolled his eyes the first time you spoke to him, a sweet, darling little girl too drunk on whatever shitty alcohol you’d been served at the bar on friday night. you obviously didn’t drink much, maybe even drunk too much— the hero would tell by the way your eyes crossed with your legs as you walked and the fact that you couldn’t remember the right way to spell your own name and it was clear your friends were a bunch of assholes for abandoning their shit faced friend to find her own way home.

he hated, this part of the job but he’d have felt bad if the guy following you home had done something bad to you and besides— the way you pressed yourself to the explosive hero, breasts spilling out of your tight black dress, thick and juicy thighs exposed to the fresh night air makes the whole ordeal worth it. oh you’re so cute, got katsuki’s cock stirring in his pants— his baggy hero costume suddenly becoming way too fucking tight for his liking. you’ll pay him back, he knows that you will, all of his fans do in some way or another.

you’ll be special though, if the smell of your saccharine cunt is anything to go by. slick dripping down your shaky thighs while he guides you down the empty street, and of course you’d be attracted to him. bakugou will have to indulge in you; his reward for being such a gentleman, for being your hero. “this ish me,” you squeak when the pair of you arrive at the door to your apartment complex. your words are smooshed together by your own drunken haze while you unlock the door to let yourself in.

how rude of you, forgetting all about dynamight who’d basically saved your life tonight. without much of a fight, bakugou pushes you against the door, effectively keeping it closed, his eyes cloud over— a storm thick with lust as you look up at him so innocently he could break. “not gonna invite me up, sweet stuff?” he coos, amused at the shiver that runs laps down the base of your spine. your thighs jump apart only just, giving the hero an opportunity to shove his hand up your dress to cup your sweet little cunt.

“i— i didn’t know—“ your mouth opens and closes like a fish out of water, confusion etched so prettily across your face it makes bakugou want to bend you over and fill your hole to the brim. he’d save that for later though. “didn’t think you’d want to—“

the blonde growls, thick fingers easily finding your panties under that short dress of yours. the black lace is soaked to the bone, a sticky mess spreading across the digits that now pinch at your puffy clit. you jump and bakugou growls hungrily. “s’awfully rude don’cha think, sweet stuff? that’s okay though, i think you can reward me right fuckin’ here, don’chu?” a toothy smirk tugs at the hero’s lips when you dumbly nod in agreement, your body trembling from a mix of cold, neediness and excitement. “atta girl, spread those needy fuckin’ thighs for me then.”

you seem to have sobered up quickly, listening well for the hero that saved you and part your meaty thighs to let bakugou push your panties to the side and give him more access to your runny cunny. “p-please dynamight, d-do somethin,” comes your whiney voice as he lowers his to get a better view of your spread your pussy lips; he watches as your hole oozes just for him, desperate to filled and fucked. it’s too early for his cock, he needs to give you a taste of something else before you get drunk on him.

without warning, he pushes two of his expert fingers past your puckering entrance, immediately curling them in a come hither motion as his heated red eyes flicker up to watch your face. your ruby painted lips hang open in a silent moan while your fingers dig into bakugou’s shoulders so hard your nails form tears in his hero suit. “fuckin’ look atcha baby, barely even touched ya ‘n you’re already suckin’ down my fingers so greedily.” he snarls, sharp teeth coming down on your barley clothed breast.

bakugou’s thumb massages rough circles into your clit, pulling more honeyed cries from your lips as your eyes screw shut. “f-fuck, dynamight, need more of your touch, ‘m begging you please!” is all you can say, mindlessly babbling as you fail to keep yourself up right. the explosive pro hero steadies you with an arm wrapped around your waist, fingers curling again to explore more of your velvet walls.

“it’s katsuki, to you,” he barks out, using the arm around your waist to smack your sloppy cunt, the wet sound echoing across the street. “needy little thing, beggin’ me like this, who am i to deny your wishes?” bakugou grins, mercilessly scissoring his digits into your tight heat to stretch you wide open for him. he can’t believe his luck, the way you’re so pliant and responsive to him and him alone.

it’s too soon for him to be this addicted to your cute moans filling the crisp air but he can’t help himself, not when you clamp around his scarred fingers with every pump of them into your silken heat. not with the way your own fingers now curl in sun kissed blonde hair— pulling the hero upwards to suck on his bottom lip, followed by his tongue.

you cry out, the most beautiful sound katsuki’s every heard in all twenty years of living when his fingers press down hard on that gummy pleasure spot inside you, and like the good girl you are for him, you keep your shaky thighs open for him. “you’re such a good fuckin’ doll, letting me finger you out in the open like this, anyone could see us but you wouldn’t care, not when you’re creamin’ your panties for dynamight, right sweet thing?” bakugou’s lewd words go straight to your cunt, entangled with the squelching noises as he moves within you.

“yes! yes! wouldn’t care, don’ care...j-jus wanna cum for you, s-suki—fuck, please—“ you mewl into the night, doe eyes shimmering with tears as the knot in your lower tummy gets tighter and tighter until you can’t bare it anymore.

bakugou grins, curling his fingers once more to send you hurtling off of the edge. he can’t stop thinking about how soaked your little lace panties must be, about all the things he’s going to do with them once he gets them off of you.

“cum.” your pussy follows his orders for you, white flashing behind your eyes as a scream rips in your throat and shoots out into the quiet night. the knot in your stomach snaps, release splashing out against bakugou’s hand and hero suit— he makes you cum so hard you almost black out, a twitching mess in the hero’s arms.

when you finally come to, bakugou’s slurping your nectar off of his fingers, head cocked to the side as you shakily look up at him. “i, uh...t-thank you!” you breathe, blinking away the buzzing noise in the back of your head. “for...uh...”

you’re so cute, flushed with heat and slick dripping from between your legs. you obviously think that was a one time thing, but bakugou hasn’t finished cashing in his reward. the hero shakes his head, using a thumb and forefinger to tilt your own up to meet his ruby gaze. “give me your phone and take off your panties.” he orders, voice authoritative and never wavering— you’re confused, but don’t question him, just as a good girl should.

rooting around in your now discarded purse, you pull out and unlock your going for katsuki, who busies himself with your contacts. embarrassment crawls up your spine when you reach for your underwear, still wet with your arousal and release, you look to bakugou hesitantly. “do i have to—?”

“off.” he grunts, barely looking up from your device as you shimmy out of the lace garment and hand it to him. bakugou gives you the same evil smirk from earlier while you collect yourself against the door, sniffing the flimsily, wet material before shoving them into the pocket of his pants. his cock is hard as a fucking rock, but he’ll be able to deal with it appropriately after his patrol. “i’ll be keeping these. this is where we say g’night sweet stuff.”

the way you curl in on yourself, perhaps a bit humiliated at the idea of your panties being taken by the number two pro hero is adorable, and if he didn’t have patrol, katsuki would have eaten you up right then and there. “goodnight dynamight— i mean, k-katsuki, thank you for everything and h-have a safe night.” you squeak out quickly, moving to open the door again.

“not a problem, honey,” bakugou whispers with a lowered voice, pulling you in to swipe his tongue across your bottom lip, shoving his tongue down your throat in a kiss goodnight. “now get your cute ass upstairs, don’ want anyone to see your leaky cunt like this. that’s fuckin’ mine.”

you do as you’re told, bidding the hero one last farewell before dashing up the steps and into your apartment. your heart and mind race a thousand miles a minute, crazed with the fact that you had just been fingered to the best fucking orgasm of your life by the number two pro hero. you have to force yourself to shower, mapping out all of the spots that bakugou had touched you and growing giddy at the small burn marks he’d left against the inner workings of your thighs.

that night, or rather, early morning— you settle into the sheets, mind still plagued with thoughts of katsuki bakugou, when your phone pings with a text.

to: yn.

from: unknown.

— never got your name sweet stuff, care to tell me who’s name i’ll be moaning tonight?

( one attachment ).

your heartbeat thunders in your ears, familiar warm pooling between your legs yet again as you open the image— knowing that there can be only one person that it’s from. a quiet moan slips past your lips as the picture loads to reveal bakugou in your very same black lace panties from earlier— the slick from your release pressed up against his barely covered cock, while he jerks himself off, precum oozing from his blistering red tip.

you exhale, typing back your name and hitting send— thanking whatever higher power that lead katsuki bakugou to steal your fucking panties.

[scrollsfromarebornrealm]

scree.

Alright, so this has been banging around in my mind, I’m on lunch break in powerpoint hell, so you know what, it’s old gamer lady stands on porch and screams hours--aka my unhinged ranting on whatever topic my brain’s latched onto.

Case in point:

The reason why I’m going off?  The other day on Twitter, I came across a fanart.  It depicted Estinien praying at the feet of a statue of Aymeric.

Let me repeat that.  Estinien praying.  At the feet of a statue of Aymeric. 

When I tell you my brain had A MOMENT when it realized what I was looking at.  And then I thought about it--and I realized that at least in my experience so far, I’d not really seen anything in fandom media (aside from that art) that even dared to broach the deeper implications of Estinien being changed by and bearing/actively using Nidhogg’s aether.  Everything’s been mostly been one’s comfort level/flavor of dragon claws/scales/eyes/dick

(Do not @ me.  I’m calling myself out on this too.  AM I WRONG?!  ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED?)

(also literally, if there has been more stuff examining this please feel free to point this out and send it my way.)

So yeah.  Estinien and just what life might be like for him now/possibly turn into/WHATEVER THE HELL because hey guess what he’s gone dragon, in more ways than one!  And Endwalker I feel decided to go ‘hey, let’s point this shit out!’

EXAMPLE:

This scene I feel was pretty much Square Enix deciding to take out the baseball bat on Estinien’s alteration (not to mention FINALLY DRAGGING THIS MAN BECAUSE FOR HOW LONG HAVE WE NOT BEEN ABLE TO?  DRAG HIM DOWN TO THE SEVEN HELLS, LET’S FUCKING GO)

And then following that, when Varshaan’s duplicity is revealed, Vrtra makes a point to specifically say that he and Estinien knew each other immediately, yet instead of ‘baring fangs’, they settled for just side-eying each other and seeing who would crack first.  While ‘baring fangs’ can be implied just in terms of disagreement/violence, I think it’s rather telling that Vrtra decided to phrase it in possibly how dragons might traditionally deal with another’s enroachment on their territory.

(in this case, one elder wyrm trespassing in another elder wyrm’s domain)

And it doesn’t let up.  Estinien doesn’t back down when the Final Days hit Raz-at-Han, effectively nudging Vrtra into more cohesive action with a combination of biting words and reassurance, much like how Nidhogg might have been. Speaking to him before the Hyadalyn fight he mentions ‘his eyes’, where one might have expected him to just say “Nidhogg’s eyes’.  In Ultima Thule he directly confronts the dragons’ despair--again, much like how an elder wyrm would have done. 

But I’m digressing a bit, back to the main topic.

To start with, we don’t know if Estinien has any physical alternations from Nidhogg’s possession.  The idea of scales/claws/eyes/dick is purely fandom.  We do have an image of him half naked (the Pandemic Picture) and so far on that front he looked like a normal elezen male.

What we do know that is that he’s insanely powerful--and honestly, all the Scions are, by this point it can be argued the WoL and Scions are practically in demi-god territory--but Estinien seems to have carved out a spot specifically for himself.  For me at least in terms of physical health and fitness, I noticed that when Meteion attempts to kill the party via suffocation as they arrive in Ultima Thule, Estinien’s one of the last Scions to collapse from lack of air.  In fact (and I’m probably wrong on the timing, like so many things in this I’m open to correction), he falls, and then the Warrior of Light is right behind him.  When Thancred’s sacrifice overpowers Meteion to permit Ultima Thule to have breathable air, the Warrior of Light’s the first one back on their feet, and Estinien’s right behind them.  Military training can probably be argued for this point, but I personally find it interesting.

Another aspect that’s probably changed about Estinien may be his senses.  I don’t know how good elezen hearing and eyesight was, but he’s probably got WAY better than, now.  There’s a good chance that maybe he can see in the dark.  Maybe he can shift his vision to thermal view.  And here’s an even bigger thing.  Maybe Estinien can actually see aether now, and probably use it in some capacity outside of his skills as a dragoon.  More than just teleporting from place to place.  Maybe he’s on the level of say a beginning magic-caster. 

How fast can Estinien heal from injury?  What (aside from death) can truly incapacitate him?  Going back to that artwork I referenced before.  How long can he live for?  Has his lifespan been shortened? Has it doubled?  Has he basically become partly invulnerable?  That as long as he doesn’t get into a truly hairy situation, he’ll live for a VERY FUCKING LONG TIME?

(I’m not saying immortal because *gestures to Ultima Thule*)

What about his capability to reproduce?  Can he pass down the powers gained by Nidhogg’s aether to a child he sires?  Has he become sterile?  Can he actually possibly turn into a dragon and turn back?  Or if he turns, is he locked into that form permanently?

*gestures wildly* 

Low key, I’m wondering if Estinien’s potentially being set up for something major involving the First Brood and his own physical situation.  While Endwalker pointed out how much he’s grown and evolved from ARR, I’m willing to admit that maybe it was just the story, that there might not be anything major coming of this.  But the fact does remain that for all intents and purposes, the Scions have a an avatar of the First Brood’s power in their ranks.  Given that we don’t know what the Twelve are after-

 (hi Aglaia, how you doing, Deryk you still sus as fuck and if you don’t stop the innocent act I’m going to beat you with a motherfucker)

Then in Hydalyn’s absence, it can be argued that Midgardsormr and his brood are technically the planet’s protectors (aside from the Scions and the Lolporitts) which means anything involving the First Brood is an even bigger deal.

But all that aside...what’s his mental state like?  It seems like Estinien’s in generally good, if not grumpy spirits, but looking at the possibilities of his alternation--what’s going on in his mind?  Has he made his peace utterly and fully with all the changes wrought inside him, and what surprises are yet to come as a result?  Or is he taking it all on a case-by-case basis?  To me Endwalker seems to indicate yes, but I also feel there’s a lot of wriggle room to suggest possibly otherwise. 

Estinien flat out admits that his strength lies in his spear, in his skill in combat.  But you have to admit--he’s participated in defeating gods.  That alone would make the most battle-hardened solider actually fucking stop and check themselves.  You cannot tell me that at some point Estinien didn’t pause and just go ‘what in the entire HELLS’.  He is a far cry from the little shepherd boy that he once was, and even further from the dragoon he had originally trained to be.

*end rant*

[yinses]

nanami kento ft. f! reader + lots of praise + soft dom nana + fingering + semi clothed sex + domestic au

rating: 18+ wc: 2.2k a/n: inspired by this fanart that sister yulia blessed me with. nanami supremacy for all. 

you take notice in the shift the moment he crosses the threshold. hair tousled and tie askew is nothing new to expect from your husband after a long day at work. he takes his job seriously and his goal to provide even more so, often sacrificing extra hours just to provide for more than what you ask.

he strived for a life of comfort, he’d told you before marriage. it was something he worked hard for prior to you and only doubled his efforts to ensure that future after putting a ring on your finger.

it wore down on him, adding maturity lines earlier than they should present themselves and taking away years he needed to give back to himself. but nanami kento was a man of consistency, even when those boundaries started to fracture.

you could feel the splinters echoing beyond the slam of the door closing shut from the kick of his heel. it rattles straight to your core as you stand there, held hostage by the stormy pools of blue staring down at you. his day had likely been another one of agitation piled on top of another. surely a cup of tea before dinner would help soothe the cracks of frustration.

though neither your lips could form the words nor could your feet cross the distance it took to move in any direction.

this plight was not a fault of your husband who stepped confidently in your direction, a single finger coming up to remove his tie all together.

“is dinner on the stove?”

your mind blanked at the question, frazzled at the sight of him handling his cuffs with practiced care as he set one gifted metal piece aside one after the other. you had a plan set in motion from the moment he kissed your forehead in departure that morning, but everything beyond that suddenly felt trapped.

lips stumbled over answers and your cheeks warmed at the foolish display. what had swept into your household to shift the mood so?

nanami appeared otherwise unaffected as he finished rolling up the last sleeve. his tongue darts out to wet his lips, capturing your fraying attention as he looks around you towards the kitchen. you think you see his nose twitch once before his gaze falls back down.

“i don’t smell anything burning.” his intentions are becoming increasingly clear as his hand comes up to cup your cheek, a single thumb swiping at the fullness of your lips before pressing against the corner. without a second thought, you part them.

it provides a catalyst that gets you pressed against the nearest wall with one wrist pinned near the frame displaying your wedding day.

when his lips lower, you crane your neck in response only to have them stop just short of a whisper. his breath ghosts a trail down the exposed column of your throat, nose edge the line of your jaw. you swear you feel him smile against the shiver of anticipation rattling your form.

“i would like to fuck you in this hallway, if that’s alright, darling?” the thumb still trapped between your teeth, presses down against your tongue as if to prompt an answer yet he doesn’t pause for one.

“i’ve already put in a request for the cleaners to come and groom the rug tomorrow so you’ll need not to worry about that.”

your toes curl against the fine woven carpet at your feet, nerves tingling at the premeditated situation that you’ve found yourself in. your husband, who was now suckling soft blooms under your chin, had taken time out of his day to schedule a clean up for the mess he planned to make out of you. the idea made your knees go weak.

nanami chuckled knowingly as he caught your descent with the sharp line of his hips. “i imagine that’s agreeable with you, wife?”

the hasty nod of your head dislodges his finger, but he’s quick to replace it with his lips. the kiss is all consuming as his tongue slips between the seam, allowing you to taste the moan from his lips.

you may as well have had the script, dressed perfectly for the role as his knee nudges between your thigh and ride up the edge of your summer dress. he tells you all the time that you don’t need to try, that you look pretty in anything. but you like to go the extra mile. painting your lips a nice shade at home just to smear it in the passion of his kisses.

you know he appreciates it too. an inviting contrast to the mundane office view at work.

the same hand falls from the cut of your jaw to drag the hem of your dress up the ascent of your thigh. you’re more proud than embarrassed when his fingers tap against the tacky wet spot at the front of your panties.

his tongue clicks against the top of his mouth, “played with yourself while i was away again?” a firm swipe up followed by a press inward has you keening. “or did you just miss me this much?”

“yes.”

it’s both an answer and a cry for attention. a meaningless wail that meets no need of a man who would fracture the world to build you one better.

“my pretty little angel, it must be so hard when i’m away.”

he follows the panty line, teasing the sensitive skin there. the rumbling laugh you receive when your hips jerk in response makes your heart flutter. you’re still riding the tremors of your excitement when he nudges aside the lace of your panties to push a finger inside.

the intrusion meets minimal resistance as he slides from the first knuckle to the next. he still takes it as slow as your initial night, pumping in and out with care before adding a second. all the while, he peppers your face with kisses and words of adoration. nanami moves his thumb to flick over your nub before pressing down hard until you cry out.

pretty, beautiful, gorgeous, mine, are all formations of adoration that he mutters against your skin while he unravels you thread by thread.

“take it, darling, i’ll give you another.”

he utters a low curse at the sharp keening sound, enthralled by how your body trembled as he worked his fingers deeper. nanami lowered his head back to the junction of your shoulder, where he flicked his tongue against the feverish skin. your high whines and small gasps encouraged him to pick up the pace, hips rocking against yours with the precipice of something more, yet he ignored the growing discomfort in his pants to focus all the different ways your mouth formed his name.

his teeth mark your skin, where they tenderly nipped and sucked, leaving fresh marks while you twisted in his hold. you emit a shuddering cry, nails raking over his skin as your body pulls tight as a bow string. the shaky breath lining your lips forms a mantra of his name, over and over until the tremors ebb away. what remains are shaky legs that nearly slump over, caught by your husband as he follows you to the ground.

still floating down from your high, you could vaguely make out the sounds of nanami sucking off his fingers, removing them with lasciviously loud pops. when your gaze eventually focuses, you find him waiting with an eager, seductive smirk.

“ready for me then?”

swallowing a sharp inhale, you nod.

hands heading down to the zipper of his pants, nanami pulled it down and shrugged the material away to free his cock. one hand grabbing himself and the other reached for your left leg which he threw over his shoulder. you immediately try to grind down, slippery lips colliding with warm flesh.

“thought about you all day while i was at work.” nanami purrs breathily with half-lidded eyes, taking in the sight before he would take you to heaven. “thinking about how you would feel around me and mad with pleasure.”

his hand reaches for yours, capturing the digits and bringing them to his lips. he takes his time, allowing his tongue to glide up and down your fingers before kissing your palm, murmuring heated words against them; “thought about our wedding night… those twisted sheets wrung dry”

you feel his hips roll once, probing slightly, before he jerks forward and grunts at the overflowing heat engulfing him. still reeling from your first, your body was pliant and gracious while he chased his. your chest heaved up and down as you tried to calm your breathing while lips continued to release indecent moans.

his grip slides down to your wrists, pressing them above your head into the rug as he adjusted over you. there was an unmistakable provocative outline in his lust-darkened blue eyes. the blonde’s lips meshed intricate patterns against your cheeks, moving downward to capture your lips in a tight needy kiss that made nanami twitch even further.

it made his last strand of self-restraint snap before he met you stroke for stroke, grounding down on you deeply. your lips broke apart with a loud cry that milked with a following angled push as he snatched at your other leg to wrap around his waist. his movements were perfectly concise, designed to make you lose control with the potent effect of his affections.

picking up the pace when your high whines turned into full-blown moans, he inhaled sharply and choked out as coherently as he could,”together, darling, meet me there. i know you can.”

then he shifted on his knees slightly, that brought on a new change in the angle as he continued thrusting deeper, watching how your head thrashed from side to side and you repeatedly arched against him, trying to meet his every move. the delectable bead of sweat that ran down your throat was promptly licked up by the blonde as he sucked on your pulse.

his hands were ever so helpful in guiding your hips as he slowed down his speed to a torturous beat, rolling his hips in deeply to tease the edge. he knew where the peak was, hovering just at the horizon as he marched gradually up the hill. nanami was practiced in the art of getting you there, watching as your spine arched to accommodate is languid yet deep drives.

“ ‘m there, kenny-please”

it was silenced with on of his brain-numbing kisses again as he captured your lips. you could feel the slight curve of his mouth as he pulled out almost fully, making you slutter in the middle of your kiss.

“that’s it, “ he hissed, loving how you pant his name with each of his thrust, trying to manage coherency past how tightly you clenched around him. “we’re there baby. take me with you.”

nanami could feel himself losing control with your begging, fitfully aware you were going to tumble over the edge with him right behind. he abruptly accelerated his thrusts once more, bringing you to meet him sharply. each time he struck, he made sure that he prodded that spot that would drive you frenzied and wild, gazing in satisfaction as you squirmed harder under his skilled touches.

“c-come now, love.” he grunted, phishing past all bounds as he rammed into you repeatedly, losing himself to the sensation crawling up his skin. “do it. be good for me, princess.”

your head twisted and turned as your mouth hung open. vision getting lost in the blinding white. body growing weaker. as if determined to break you entirely, his hand traveled down your navel to come between your joined bodies. expert fingers quickly found you clit as he rolled it between his thumb and forefinger, coaxing you to let go of everything as he whispered lewd thoughts into your ear.

“k-kenny!”

that was all the warning he had when your toes curled and he could feel your walls spasm around him. the flow of sensations ignited his nerves, left to surrender as you became impossible tighter around him, jerking him into his own release as well. a hiss was all he could manage as he slammed into you, shuddering through his climax.

the world exploded into a disarray of hues as he slumped forward, bracing a single arm above your figure while he panted heavily through euphoria.

“bad day at work?” you manage to get out.

he grunts at first, a small sound of misunderstanding before the mutual foggy haze lifts to prompt clarity. a breathy chuckle leaves him.

“never a bad day with you in my life. just missed you is all.” his words are slightly slurred, much unlike your husband but very a keen to a man on the verge of undeniable sleep.

dinner could wait.

“why don’t we take an early evening nap and have dinner in bed later?”

who could deny that?

you get a slow kiss of affirmation in return.

[pumpkinpaix]

Hello! Feel free not to answer this question if it is in any way too much, but I've been wondering about something concerning the "western" mdzs fandom. Lately, i have seen multiple pieces of fanart that use what is clearly Christian symbolism and sometimes downright iconography in depicting the characters. I'm a european fan, but it still makes me vaguely uneasy. I know that these things are rarely easy to judge. I'm definitely not qualified to do so and was wondering if you have an opinion

Hi there! thank you for your patience and for the interesting question! I’ve been thinking about this since i received this ask because it?? idk, it’s difficult to answer, but it also touches on a a few things that I find really interesting.

the short answer: it’s complicated, and I also don’t know what I feel!

the longer answer:

i think that this question is particularly difficult to answer because of how deeply christianity is tied to the western art and literary canon. so much of what is considered great european art is christian art! If you just take a quick glance at wiki’s page on european art, you can see how inextricable christianity is, and how integral christian iconography has been in the history of european art. If you study western art history, you must study christian imagery and christian canon because it’s just impossible to engage with a lot of the work in a meaningful way without it. that’s just the reality of it.

Christianity, of course, also has a strong presence in european colonial and imperialist history and has been used as a tool of oppression against many peoples and nations, including China. I would be lying if I said I had a good relationship with Christianity--I have always faced it with a deep suspicion because I think it did some very, very real damage, not just to chinese people, but to many cultures and peoples around the world, and that’s not a trauma that can be easily brushed aside or reconciled with.

here is what is also true: my maternal grandmother was devoutly christian. my aunt is devoutly christian. my uncle’s family is devoutly christian. my favorite cousin is devoutly christian. when I attended my cousin’s wedding, he had both a traditional chinese ceremony (tea-serving, bride-fetching, ABSURDLY long reception), and also a christian ceremony in a church. christianity is a really important part of his life, just as it’s important to my uncle’s family, and as it was important to my grandmother. I don’t think it’s my right or place to label them as simply victims of a colonialist past--they’re real people with real agency and choice and beliefs. I think it would be disrespectful to act otherwise.

that doesn’t negate the harm that christianity has done--but it does complicate things. is it inherently a bad thing that they’re christian, due to the political history of the religion and their heritage? that’s... not a question I’m really interested in debating. the fact remains that they are christian, that they are chinese, and that they chose their religion.

so! now here we are with mdzs, a chinese piece of media that is clearly Not christian, but is quickly gaining popularity in euroamerican spaces. people are making fanart! people are making A LOT of fanart! and art is, by nature, intertextual. a lot of the most interesting art (imo) makes deliberate use of that! for example (cyan art nerdery time let’s go), Nikolai Ge’s What is Truth?

I love this painting! it’s notable for its unusual depiction of christ: shabby, unkempt, slouched, in shadow. if you look for other paintings of this scene, christ is usually dignified, elegant, beautiful, melancholy -- there’s something very humanizing and humbling about this depiction, specifically because of the way it contrasts the standard. it’s powerful because we as the audience are expected to be familiar with the iconography of this scene, the story behind it, and its place in the christian canon.

you can make similar comments about Gentileschi’s Judith vs Caravaggio’s, or Manet’s Olympia vs Ingres’ Grande Odalisque -- all of these paintings exist in relation to one another and also to the larger canon (i’m simplifying: you can’t just compare one to another directly in isolation etc etc.) Gauguin’s Jacob Wrestling the Angel is also especially interesting because of how its portrayal of its content contrasts to its predecessors!

or! because i’m really In It now, one of my favorite paintings in the world, Joan of Arc by Bastien-Lepage:

I just!!! gosh, idk, what’s most interesting to me in this painting is the way it seems to hover between movements: the hyperrealistic, neoclassical-esque take on the figure, but the impressionistic brushstrokes of the background AAA gosh i love it so much. it’s really beautiful if you ever get a chance to see it in person at the Met. i’m putting this here both because i personally just really like it and also as an example of how intertextuality isn’t just about content, but also about visual elements.

anyways, sorry most of this is 19thc, that was what i studied the most lol.

(a final note: if you want to read about a really interesting painting that sits in the midst of just a Lot of different works, check out the wiki page on Géricault’s Raft of the Medusa, specifically under “Interpretation and Legacy”)

this is all a really long-winded way of getting to this point: if you want to make allusory fanart of mdzs with regards to western art canon, you kind of have to go out of your way to avoid christian imagery/iconography, especially when that’s the lens through which a lot of really intensely emotional art was created. many of my favorite paintings are christian: Vrubel’s Demon, Seated, Perov’s Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, Ge’s Conscience, Judas, Bastien-Lepage’s Joan of Arc, as shown above. that’s not to say there ISN’T plenty of non-christian art -- but christian art is very prominent and impossible to ignore.

so here are a few pieces of fanwork that I’ve seen that are very clearly making allusions to christian imagery:

1. this beautiful pietà nielan by tinynarwhals on twitter

2. a lovely jiang yanli as our lady of tears by @satuwilhelmiina

3. my second gif in this set here, which I will also show below:

i’m only going to talk about mine in depth because well, i know exactly what i was thinking when I put this gif together while I can’t speak for anyone else.

first: the two lines of the song that I wanted to use for lan xichen were “baby, I’m a fighter//in the robes of a saint” because i felt that they fit him very well. of course, just the word “saint” evokes catholicism, even if it’s become so entwined in the english language that it’s taken on a secular meaning as well.

second: when I saw this scene, my immediate thought was just “PIETÀ!!” because LOOK at that composition! lan xichen’s lap! nie mingjue lying perpendicular to it! the light blue/white/silver of lan xichen in contrast to the darker robes of both nie mingjue and meng yao! not just that, but the very cool triangular structure of the image is intensely striking, and Yes, i Do love that it simultaneously ALSO evokes deposition of christ vibes. (baxia as the cross.... god..... is that not the Tightest Shit) does this make meng yao joseph of arimathea? does it make him john the evangelist? both options are equally interesting, I think when viewed in relation to his roles in the story: as a spy in qishan and as nmj’s deputy. maybe he’s both.

anyways, did I do this intentionally? yes, though a lot of it is happy accident/discovered after the fact since I’m relying on CQL to have provided the image. i wanted to draw attention to all of that by superimposing that line over that image! (to be clear: I didn’t expect it to all come through because like. that’s ridiculous. the layers you’d have to go through to get from “pretty lxc gifset” --> “if we cast nie mingjue as a christ figure, what is the interesting commentary we could do on meng yao by casting him as either joseph of arimathea or john the evangelist” are like. ok ur gonna need to work a little harder than slapping a song lyric over an image to achieve an effect like that.)

the point of this is: yes, it’s intentionally christian, yes I did this, yes I am casting these very much non-christian characters into christian roles for this specific visual work -- is this okay?

I obviously thought it was because I made it. but would I feel the same about a work that was written doing something similar? probably not. I think that would make me quite uncomfortable in most situations. but there’s something about visual art that makes it slightly different that I have trouble articulating -- something about how the visual often seeks to illustrate parallels or ideas, whereas writing characters as a different religion can fundamentally change who those characters are, the world they inhabit, etc. in a more... invasive?? way. that’s still not quite right, but I genuinely am not sure how to explain what i mean! I hope the general idea comes across. ><

something else to think about is like, what are pieces I find acceptable and why?

what makes the pieces above that reference christian imagery different than this stunning nieyao piece by @cyandemise after klimt’s kiss? (warnings for like, dead bodies and vague body horror) like i ADORE this piece (PLEASE click for fullview it’s worth it for the quality). it’s incredibly beautiful and evocative and very obviously references a piece of european art. I have no problem with it. why? because it isn’t explicitly christian? it’s still deeply entrenched in western canon. klimt certainly made other pieces that were explicit christian references.

another piece I’d like to invite you all to consider is this incredible naruto fanart of sakura and ino beheading sasuke after caravaggio’s judith. (warnings for beheading, blood, etc. you know.) i also adore this piece! i think it’s very good both technically and conceptually. the reference that it makes has a real power when viewed in relation to the roles of the characters in their original story -- seeing the women that sasuke fucked over and treated so disrespectfully collaborating in his demise Says Something. this is also!! an explicitly christian reference made with non-christian japanese characters. is this okay? does it evoke the same discomfort as seeing mdzs characters being drawn with christian iconography? why or why not?

the point is, I don’t think there’s a neat answer, but I do think there are a lot of interesting issues surrounding cultural erasure/hegemony that are raised by this question. i don’t think there are easy resolutions to any of them either, but I think that it’s a good opportunity to reexamine our own discomfort and try and see where it comes from. all emotions are valid but not all are justified etc. so I try to ask, is it fair? do i apply my criticisms and standards equally? why or why not? does it do real harm, or do i just not like it? what makes one work okay and another not?

i’ve felt that there’s a real danger with the kind of like, deep moral scrutiny of recent years in quashing interesting work in the name of fear. this morality tends to be expressed in black and white, good and bad dichotomies that i really do think stymies meaningful conversation and progress. you’ll often see angry takes that boil down to things like, “POC good, queer people good, white people bad, christianity bad” etc. without a serious critical examination of the actual issues at hand. I feel that these are extraordinarily harmful simplifications that can lead to an increased insularity that isn’t necessarily good for anyone. there’s a fine line between asking people to stay in their lane and cultural gatekeeping sometimes, and I think that it’s something we should be mindful of when we’re engaging in conversations about cultural erasure, appropriation etc.

PERHAPS IT IS OBVIOUS that I have no idea where that line falls LMAO since after all that rambling I have given you basically nothing. but! I hope that you found it interesting at least, and that it gives you a bit more material to think on while you figure out where you stand ahaha.

was this just an excuse to show off cool (fan)art i like? maybe ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

(ko-fi)

[sanchoyo]

danny phantom, season 3 episodes 3-6 thoughts!

see prev episode thoughts in this tag <3

-johnny was actually pretty civil with danny and left when he asked! thats nice. also, SKULKER?? HAD A FRAMED PICTURE OF EMBER?? oooo fuck wait had they established they were a Thing Before?? I dont think so. thats weird. its like that country boy/goth girl meme lmfao. I think i am going to choose to ignore this new info and pretend I didnt hear it. 100% unrelated to the jazz/ember fanart I already drew and posted....😳

-LADIES NIGHT EPISODE THIS IS WHAT ITS ALL ABOUT. wish it didnt really center around the guys or them being pissed at them, but. willing to bet this was written by men lol

-THEY ERASED ALL THE MEN??? meanwhile, jack and danny are fishing at. silent hill or something. im glad jack is trying to read a parenting book and making an Attempt. (theyre at lake erie, but, they made it actually eerie...thats fun)

-the girls alt outfits...cute. EMBER MADE A NEW SONG TOO!!! kinda. jazz being one of the backup singers and being AWFUL. NOOOO

-'how are we going to get kitty to blow a kiss?' 'she'll have to think there are still some males in town!' ...i dont know how to break it to you, but I dont know that a 100% het girl would wish for all men to Begone. I think. I mean im not a het or a girl so I dont really know for sure. she Is probably Bi tho. esp having the other ladies in town chanting NO MEN!!! excitedly............(then again, the kiss is to get Rid of men, so, she probably would have blown it at the ladies only if they were actively trying to attack/stop them, so...I MEAN. THE DRESSING LIKE DANNY BIT WAS SO EXTRA)

-I feel like an all female cast ep couldve been way way way way cooler than that was. like. why was it still somehow all about Men. ...anyway. (where was valerie...)

-next ep opens with the observants, and, way way more of them than I expected...existed? I mean I guess them being a council/jury of some kind is what I expected from their first appearance (bc at that time they were basically TELLING clockwork to kill danny, not asking,, so I figured they had SOME kind of authority) but. there were so many. anyway, here goes vlad! letting his own hubris go brrrr. releasing a weather ghost for political gain! #justvladthings

-okay say what you will about him (he IS an asshole) but having an umbrella with his own face on it and more prepared to share is SUPER FUNNY. and him being fanned by huge wads of money by his bodyguards. SO ineffective but so Dramatic. He UNDERSTANDS that if youre rich you need to be. you know. obnoxious and kinda eccentric about it! fuckign hate when rich people are boring about it. I would trust vlad with nothing except to not be a boring rich asshole who wears...fucking khaki or some shit. man knows his Presentation Skills. and that 'V' chair in his mayoral office. is that fucking embroidered?

-maddie get your MAN PLEEEEASSSE. IM SO EMBARRASSED FOR HER. the way jack stays simping for this man. in FRONT OF HIS WIFE!!!! ...my god its like a love triangle. jack clearly loves vlad, who loves maddie, who loves jack. jack fenton is at the very least bi, right................. this is an OBSESSION . 'THE V MAN COMETH'???? i...my god. (also, on a serious note, to have a friend THIS SUPPORTIVE...and still be SUCH A DICK TO HIM (TRYING TO KILL HIM AND STEAL HIS WIFE??) NOT COOL VLAD. JACK IS YOUR 1 AND /ONLY/ HYPE MAN. if someone loved and supported me THIS HARD...LIKE. CMON DUDE.

-STOMP the fucking GAS, JACK

-this would make a great shirt design, looks like a metal band design! we love The Maelstrom

-oh, so vlad did in fact get a mansion in amity park. and its purple! good color choice! not as flashy as a CASTLE or MURDER CABIN, but still pretty eccentric, which I appreciate.

-...vlad knows the difference between picasso and da vinci? in the ep last post where we were watching him fail at conquering every historical time ever he didnt seem to know history well enough to like. be effective...was vlad taking art history at college?? (was he an art MAJOR??? we never DID KNOW WHAT HE WENT TO SCHOOL FOR. I kinda assumed business because in the masters of time ep he was still rich without ghost powers so he had to have..known something about business or something, right...but also, art and or theater FITS HIS PERSONALITY. possibly also something science-y, I guess, but I always felt like he got roped into that, esp how pessimistic he was about the ghost portal in the flashbacks to college, like, i felt like he was just there for maddie and was uninterested/un-invested at the time...)

-THIS GHOST JUST ELECTROCUTED MADDIE (THE CAT) BITCH!! THATS MY FAVORITE MADDIE!!! vlad going after vortex and being ~shocked~ .....WHEN. WHEN WILL YOU LEARN. THAT YOUR ACTIONS. HAVE CONSEQUENCES!!!

-the way this random man with a camera sees the mayor laying in an alley covered in TRASH AND DECIDES TO TAKE A PICTURE HAHAH

*snap* this ones going in my cringe compilation!

-vlad 'if we're going to defeat vortex, we're going to have to do it together!' *immediately dips after dropping danny off in front of vortex* JKASDFHKJHJKN

-DANNY CAN DUPLICATE!!! ...he couldnt even attack with it, but he DID IT!!! INTO (4) OF HIMSELF!!! SO PROUD!!!!!!!!!!

-'THE ROLLER COASTER EMOTIONS OF A TEENAGER THREATEN MY PLANS!' ...0 self awareness of his own dramatic moodiness. incredible, how dumb this man is. its very close to circling around to endearing, if he was less of an asshole. at least its very very funny to see danny shooting him with tiny lightning bolts anytime he's even slightly irritated! vlad you should be nice to danny anyway. this is what you GET

-...making sandwiches and ice cream and playing video games with your nephew is a totally normal thing. WHY is vlad acting like this is the end of the world. if you were a GOOD UNCLE YOU WOULD ALREADY BE DOING THESE THINGS!!! bitch I make my nephew food all the time and dont forget what he does and doesnt like. if u didnt know danny didnt want tomatoes, thats on u. if u, a grown adult, are gonna piss of the 14 yr old by not letting him win, u deserve to have to pay for the arcade machines he ruins because he now has uncontrollable storm powers because YOU THREW HIM INTO A FIGHT WITH THE STORM GHOST. fuck u vlad. paypal me $400,000 while ur at it tho. (also, gamer vlad confirmed)

-VLAD CAN COOK THOUGH???! I assumed he had...people working for him that did that. I mean. billionaires usually dont do that. then again, we've only seen those vultures working for him (and I guess the dairy king was AT his old mansion, but it was never really clarified if he worked there...I think he probably just Hung Out and they Enjoyed Cheeses Together. thats what I think, I dont think a KING would be working for anyone and also the dairy king was nice <3) but then again he would be a private person and we cant have anyone accidentally finding Ghostly Things, so...still, that's hilarious. pour one out for that really cute banana split that got ruined 2 seconds later

-vlad just fucking picking danny up and THROWING HIM AT VORTEX TWICE WITHIN LIKE A MINUTE. JUST ABSOLUTELY LAUNCHING HIM. BITCH THATS MY SON BE CAREFUL!!! HES GOT ORGANS AND THINGS!!!!

-danny seeing those animal commercials and feeling sad is the biggest 2000s throwback so far. i legitimately had to change the channel or walk out of the room when those came on bc id CRY AND BE SAD ABOUT THEM FOR DAYS AFTER. fuck those commercials and fuck that IN THE ARMMMS OF AN ANGELLLL song 😭

-'vlads ego almost got the town destroyed!' yes danny thats the entire episode. the entire series anytime vlad shows up honestly. this episode was just him being really embarrassing the entire time, and, me laughing about it. 10/10 would laugh at him again

-NEXT EP WE HAVE A SHAPESHIFTING GHOST?? I've said it before but shapeshifting is the power I would want when asked those 'what superpower do you want' questions...its the Best power! this guy looks like a homestuck character. ive never read homestuck but thats the vibe

-I love every time we see tuckers family, they are by far the most functional family. and dash has a lil chihuahua!!! named pookie!!! i am crying (I've had 3 chihuahuas, so I am very biased, but...) AND HE WATCHES THE ROMANCE CHANNEL WITH POOKIE. POOKIE I WILL DIE FOR YOU YOU SWEET LITTLE BABY.

-danny can lift a bus! I shouldn't be surprised, but i am proud of my son. hes got lil kid fans. i am going to cry about this

-JAZZ KEEPS A SCRAPBOOK WITH DANNY'S LIL HEROICS AND NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS!!! we've actually seen it on her floor before, but I didnt realize it was a scrapbook!! thats sooo cute.

-...and danny has to stand there listening to his parents saying danny phantom sucks and is a 'filthy ghost' and calling him egotistical...i am once again stealing their kids!

-THIS GHOST RIPPING JAZZ'S SCRAPBOOK!!! ILL KILL YOU. SHE WORKED HARD ON THAT!!! BITCH

-yes, maddie, the one with red eyes is For Sure Actually Your Son. ignore the, red eyes... (CLEARLY she hasnt watched the other 2 eps where danny has been evil, she doesnt know red eyes= evil!!!)

-'billy fenton'.......................

-danny being stuck as phantom in his own house, no way out is a fucking NIGHTMARE. his parents pointing giant weapons against him and SHOOTING AT HIM. THIS IS A HORROR MOVIE.

-NINE INCH NAILS POSTER.

-this is the most screenshot of all time

-amorpho turning into mr. lancer because hes 'someone no one will want to be around' BUT HES WRONG, I WOULD BEFRIEND AND HANG OUT WITH MR LANCER SO FAST.

-tucker dressing as danny, now I have the full Tucker set of him being sam and also being danny. also saying 'the ghost...uh...RIPPED MY FACE OFF.' and then running. SMOOTH. NOT AT ALL CONCERNING TO ANY PARENTS.

-sam accepts the toast from jack. and then 2 seconds later is like 'why am i eating this.' THIS SHOWS HUMOR IS SO UNEXPECTED SOMETIMES ITS REALLY GOOD. and then the scene after, mr lancer running into his ghost doppelganger and being like 'YOURE GORGOUS' THEN FAINTING. I AM CRYING. AND DASH FAINTING TOO.

-sam disguising herself as danny again to help tucker run from the fentons. but leaving him shirtless in the streets. incredible. 'plEASE DOnt NOTice MY FACELessNESS I MUST LIVE IN EXILE' this episode is destroying me the humor in this show is exactly my brand of corny and cheesy

-the impromtu story made up by danny and amorpho to explain stuff to the fentons. my god they are both such bad liars. but amorpho is a good egg. wish danny wouldnt have said he didnt wanna see him in town again!! I want him to be reoccurring. not that thats gonna matter since I'm almost done with the series, but the idea of this being the Only Time We See him is :(

-NEXT EP SAYS STARRING MARK HAMILL??????!!! hello ! mr . joker....mr. star wars.... I feel like I should be. idk. taking off a hat im not wearing in respect. I shouldnt be surprised tho bc hes in a lot of cartoons as a very good voice actor, and dp has already had a lot of talented ones so I've been looking out for ones I might know, but....mr. hamill....

-sam has her own greenhouse, names all the plants, and says thank you to them (in the languages from where the plants are from) whenever she harvests from them. thats SO cute. and her lil gothy lunch box...

-and danny's lil red fuzzy lined jacket!!! ive said it before but every time the characters get alt outfits im like :D

-danny has ice powers now!!! THATS WHAT FROSTBITE MEANT. HE KNEW SOMEHOW WAY BACK THEN

-THIS SHOW NEVER LETS YOU FORGET VLAD IS A BILLIONAIRE, HUH.

-danny's lil 'holy hibiscus!' first off the 50s batman swearing is hilarious. 2nd. my username is from the flower sanchoyo hibiscus, so, shoutout to ME this ep. hi :)

-EURGH UNDERGROWTH MAKING EVERYONE PLANT ZOMBIES. HIVEMIND PLOTS SCARE THE SHIT OUT OF ME. and this dude made the city SO overtaken so quickly like how long was danny asleep?? oh god

-evil fucked up sam! now the whole trio has gone evil at some point! the voice actress did a really, really good job with making her sound like a zombie...

-frostbite's paws are so so so big compared to danny. oh my god. i want to hug the snow dog...

-the far frozen has an advanced medical stuff!!! very cool. very smart snow dogs

-im so glad danny has a friendly ghost snow dad to explain this new power and teach him!!! this is so sweet. DANNY'S GHOST SENSE WAS A PART OF HIS ICE POWER?? OOOH. COOL. we love a training montage!!!

-danny saying if he cant defeat overgrowth, that he'd want to stay with frostbite...oh my god...do you think this is the first real supportive adult figure in his life (I am NOT counting his parents because they threaten him on the daily even if they dont realize it.) I mean mr lancer is a Teacher, but he was also nice but this is different, but this is a GHOST WHO IS WILLING TO HELP HIM with his powers and also will help him when hes injured and is so so nice and comparatively so much more mature than 90% of the adults in this show!!!! god. dad frostbite is my everything.

-the framing and lighting this episode, and all the angles...they went all OUT and it looks really really good. this is my nightmare scenario, tho. like, FUCK zombies and dead city zones and hivemind shit. and using the humans as 'nutrients for the children' i am going to THROW UP.

-MALEFICENT VIBES WITH THE HORNS AND GREEN EYES! this costume kicks so much ass. sam is now mark hamills daughter, I guess.

-danny's ice powers making his eyes blue!!! thats neat. and him going for the roots underground was SO SMART. i will not stand for danny ever thinking hes stupid, hes SO smart.

almost done with the show... :"( thats a sad thought!!!

[yodawgiherd]

Incantation of Incineration

>>>Read on AO3<<<

Ok so this work is inspired by an INCREDIBLE fanart I've been blessed to see, do yourself a favor and check it out too - > https://twitter.com/NxngOna/status/1386048795595743239 Mwah, perfection Anyway, rating is M, so beware.

(It's also quickly cobbled together because its a heat-of-the-moment thing, so forgive me if you find mistakes :> I'm far from perfect.)

This had to work.

No, who was she kidding, this wouldn’t work.

It never did, no matter how hard Mikasa tried, how deeply she dug in the library, how much she searched on the internet. Magic was a myth, and it would never work, which saddened the goth girl to no end.

She was fascinated by the supernatural ever since she could remember, devouring magazines, tv-shows or books dedicated to the topic with unhealthy speed. Maybe she was a tiny bit obsessed, but that was okay. Her parents didn’t mind, as long as she kept her grades up, and because Mikasa was very bright that was not hard to achieve. In her free time she kept experimenting, she kept trying, she kept searching for a way to make it work.

To no avail.

No ritual worked. No spell changed anything. No incantation had any effect. Still, she wouldn’t give up. It carried her through high school and it stuck with her in college too. To Mikasa it didn’t matter that goth went out of style, that magic was a forgotten thing for all of her classmates. It was an ethereal thing, bigger than life, something that enhanced the mundane and boring existence.

And today, her faith was rewarded.

Mikasa was studying in a library by herself, having an exam coming up, when her session was interrupted. A small girl appeared, hair shadowing her eyes and an enigmatic smile on the youthful face.

“Hello,”, she said, “Do you like black magic?”

“I.. Uh…”, nervous, the goth pushed an unruly bang that escaped her pigtails behind one pierced ear, “Why do you ask?”

A frown entered her features when Mikasa realized that this was a college library, no place for a small girl.

“Wait, who are you? Where are your parents?”

The girl ignored all this, rudely.

“If you do like magic…”, she leaned closer, “Check the “Worlds Religions” section, the third row.”

“What are you talking about? H-hey!”

Not answering, the girl turned and walked away, disappearing between the bookshelves. Completely dumbfounded,  Mikasa sat for a while, wondering what kind of strange experience this was. Honestly, she should ignore that. It was a child, probably making fun of her because of the way Mikasa dressed. It meant nothing.

Maybe.

Most likely.

But what if…

“Screw it.”, two words that fell from between the goth’s lips and she was putting her stuff back in the bag, throwing it over her shoulder, and walking towards the religion section.

Deftly, her fingers ran along the covers as she searched, taking care that none of her rings scratched the books. Third row, was it? Eyes sliding over one book and then the next, Mikasa felt an uneasiness in her stomach upon finding nothing. It was a joke then. The girl….

Here.

This book didn’t belong here. Sure, it had a cross on the front, but that was the only marking. No title, no text, no explanation, only black leather and silver cross imprinted into it. Looking left and right, Mikasa made sure that she’s alone before grabbing the book and opening it, eyes widening immediately.

There were spells scribbled on the pages, strange words that made sense to her only because of the life-long obsession with the occult. Not that Mikasa didn’t see books like these before, but none of the spells in those worked. Yet this one – it appeared so suddenly, and the girl was so mysterious…..

Biting her bottom lip, Mikasa quickly stuffed the book in her bag, leaving the library right after. Studying could wait, her pursuit of magic could not. Nobody noticed her little thievery, nobody called out for her, and when she was walking home, a new hope was blooming in Mikasa’s chest.

Turning the key in its lock, she wasn’t surprised to see that her parents weren’t home. They worked long hours, days sometimes, and Mikasa was used to being alone. Kicking off her heavy leather boots she beelined towards the bedroom, shutting the door after herself. Bag dumped at the foot of the bed, Mikasa pulled out the book and sat cross-legged on the floor, truly studying it.

There were so many spells in the book, so many rituals, it made her head swim. Some were amazing, some terrible, some made her shiver, and other gasp in excitement.

“No point in getting worked up over nothing.”, she calmed herself, “If none of these work….”

A test then, a trial run of one of these, to see if this was real or yet another hoax. Randomly opening the book, her grey eyes slid over the text, taking in the chosen pages.

“A demon summoning ritual.”, she read out loud.

Okay, fine.

It was a fairly basic spell, and Mikasa had everything required. Chalk to draw a pentagram on the floor. Candles in each corner of the star. In the middle, a small bowl waited for her offering. Mikasa kneeled above it, as described in the book, a knife in one hand. Going by the instructions, she was supposed to cut herself, deep enough to bleed. That was fine, but the placement of the required cut was strange. Not a hand, as she usually did, this one had to be on her face beneath the right eye.

Well, Mikasa was determined.

Reading from the book, she began the ritual. The strange words made no sense to her, but it wasn’t the first time that she chanted something without understanding what. The spell was long and tedious to pronounce, luckily she had plenty of experience with speaking tongue-twisting words. Higher and higher her voice climbed until it was the time for the climax of the ritual. Gritting her teeth, Mikasa dragged the knife over her face, catching a few drops of blood into the bowl. Planting it back in the middle of the pentagram, she waited with bated breath, waited and….

Nothing happened.

Satan damn it.

A wave of sadness washed over her as Mikasa sat back on her heels, clutching the book to her chest. This was her best shot by far, and it didn’t do anything. Maybe it was finally time to accept that black magic simply didn’t ex…

A sudden explosion followed by black and red smoke threw her and Mikasa landed on her back, knocking her head against the floor. Her vision was swimming, but she could see that someone was standing in the middle of the pentagram now, a tall figure that angled its head back, a breathy chuckle coming.

“Damn, it's good to breathe air again.”

That voice. That damn voice. So deep, it rumbled through her entire being, tingled some parts that Mikasa didn’t even know existed. Pushing herself up on the elbows, Mikasa was about to ask what is going on when the being looked straight at her.

And she was lost.

Those green eyes pierced her, went right through any sort of mental strength, and dug into the deepest parts of her being. Not even giving her time to think the being moved, fast as a shadow, and suddenly her body was covered by someone. Falling back from the sudden assault with a yelp, Mikasa turned on her hip, still clutching that stupid book to her chest. Fearfully, she raised her eyes and finally saw what the hell did she just summon.

It was a demon all right. A man no doubt, naked from the waist up but (luckily) wearing black pants with multiple leather belts. Nothing strange on his body, at least from what Mikasa saw, but his head was quite a different story. There were horns on the top of his head, black and curved. Strange markings ran down from his emerald eyes, a bit like cuts, heading down the cheeks. Studying it, studying him, Mikasa realized one thing.

Their faces were damn close.

“So you are the one who summoned me?”, the demon asked, a smug smile crossing his admittedly very handsome features, “A girl?”

Mikasa’s throat was dry, so dry that she couldn’t even answer, but the demon didn’t seem to mind. He was looking at her too, eyes roaming all over her face and a certain satisfaction appearing. A strange ringing sound to her left, and suddenly there was a hand touching her, sweeping away hair that fell into her eyes.

He had claws, she realized, claws and torn shackles at his wrists. And while the claws did look sharp his touch was gentle, not hurting her in the slightest.

“A pretty girl at that.”, the demon continued his monologue, “Very pretty…. Beautiful …”

There was hunger in his words now, a primal one that made Mikasa shiver. She had to do something, otherwise this demon would devour her. Gathering all her mental strength, she clutched the book tighter and spoke.

More like squeaked.

“I-I am y-your master now! You c-came because of my c-calling, that ma-makes you mine!”

“Is that so?”, the demon wasn’t bothered by these words in the slightest, more like pleased if she read his face correctly, “Tell me, beautiful…”

Closer, closer he moved and now their faces were practically touching.

“Do you feel in power?”

Unable to speak, Mikasa shook her head as her lips trembled in fear. A single tear rolled from her eye, realizing that while she may have conducted the ritual, she had no idea how to control the demon. Yet before the tear could splash against the floor the demon caught it, a gentle claw swiping across her slightly bleeding cheek.

“There is no need to cry, pretty girl, I have no intention of hurting you.”

“Y-You don’t?”

“No, you are way too beautiful for that, I wouldn’t dream of tainting that. And…”, his nostrils flared as he took a lungful, “you smell wonderful.”

His head dipped low and suddenly it was on Mikasa’s neck. Lips parted and sharp teeth grazed the skin, making her think that despite the earlier words he might still hurt her. Instead of pain a soft kiss was planted on her neck, forcing a gasp from her throat. That sound pleased the demon.

“W-What are you doing?”, Mikasa choked out.

“I’m not going to hurt you, but you can’t expect me to come all this way from hell and want nothing in return….”, claws appeared again, this time on her upper thighs, dancing around the lace of her stockings, “There is an ocean of pleasure I could drown you in, my beauty, and I’m feeling generous tonight…”

Retreating from her neck the demon faced her again, the green eyes scorching with intensity.

“What do you say, mortal, want a taste?”

No! – her rational half screamed.

But…

He was so beautiful, so unreal, he was everything Mikasa dreamed about. Dark magic was real, it summoned a demon for her, one that was offering her pleasure. Those damn claws on her sensitive skin, the aftertaste of his lips on her neck, the delicious heat his body produced, pressed so close to her….

“Y-Yes.”, Mikasa found herself saying, unable to stop it, “I do.”

The smile that appeared on the demon’s lips, that was the epitome of smugness.

“Good.”

Without further ado, he crashed his lips into hers, finally kissing her. Mikasa was taken aback by this, head lolling back and jaw wrenched helplessly open. The demon’s tongue slipped into her mouth, abnormally long and dexterous, wrapping around her own in one slick motion. At the same time the claws moved, repositioning from her thighs to between them, pressing against her heat. Overcome at several places, Mikasa moaned out loud.

Black panties nudged aside, now the tip of the claw was teasing her wetness directly, building her frustration up. She couldn’t do anything, hands uselessly hanging on the side, the book cluttering on the floor. His tongue was everywhere in her mouth, taking it as its own home, even brushing against Mikasa’s throat. How long was that damn thing?

By the time he finally allowed her to breathe Mikasa was panting, eyes wide and cheeks boiling red. Observing the fruits of his labor, the demon noticed the blood still trickling down, his tongue sweeping out to lick at it.

“Delicious…”, he purred, gently caressing the tiny cut that was already healing, thanks to his tongue, “You taste wonderfully too.”

“P-Please…”, was all Mikasa could say, begging with her eyes more than with her words.

“Oh? Is there something you want?”, the rubbing grew even faster, forcing her to arch her hips and moan again.

“Please!”, she practically screamed, tilting her hips for a better angle.

Deciding that he had tortured her enough, the demon slipped a single finger inside her, exploring the fluttering walls. The penetration made her gasp wonderfully, eyes sliding shut from the intensity.  She was tight, tighter than he expected, making him frown.

“I don’t think that I can go all the way with you tonight, my beauty.”, he sighed, “It would hurt you too much.”

Summoning a single braincell to work, Mikasa cracked an eye open.

“W-What?”

The demon’s answer was a grin.

“Not to worry, I have many more weapons at my disposal.”

A second claw joined the first one, scissoring her open, and Mikasa lost control of her voice. With her mouth occupied by frantic breathing, the demon attacked the neck again, biting into the skin. She was so pale and colored beautifully beneath his teeth, and he chuckled inwardly imagining all the bruises that were sure to bloom on her.

There were wet sounds in the room, squelching as he fingered her, her body being such an amazingly reacting toy. Pulling his fingers out, the demon admired the trail of wetness that connected them to her twitching womanhood. Mikasa’s blood tasted wonderful, so how about….

The long tongue was back in action, she realized, watching as the demon licked his fingers clean from her essence, an expression of pure joy appearing on his features.

“Now this… This is something else.”, his eyes found hers, a wicked grin on the demon’s face, “I need to taste you properly.”

Faster than a snake he was gone, head appearing between her stockinged legs. With a quick swipe of his claw the demon snapped the waistband of her panties open, throwing the ruined underwear away. Grabbing Mikasa’s asscheeks he spread her open for him, planting his face exactly where she wanted it to be. Right against her throbbing sex.

If the abnormal demon tongue felt amazing in her mouth, having it down there was indescribable. Licking at her glistening outer lips first, he glided everywhere on the wet skin, cleaning it. And then he was inside. The long muscle slid into her, writhing around and Mikasa clasped her hands over her mouth just in time before a loud scream ripped its way from her throat. This was incredible.

Nothing ever came close to how the demon’s tongue made her feel. Never in her life did Mikasa experience this much pleasure because the tongue reached everywhere stimulating the entirety of her sex in long strokes and vibrations that she had no idea how he produced. Her eyes rolled back, her chest contracted, her legs clenched around his head. Relentless in his pursuit of Mikasa’s sweetness, the demon kept tongue-fucking her with a clear purpose in mind. To speed it up, to reach his feast faster, a single claw dragged over her swollen clit, pressing and rubbing and….

Mikasa lost it.

Complete whiteness washed over her vision as she came, her inner walls contracting wildly around the demonic tongue. She pulsed and pulsed and produced more of that delicious nectar that he eagerly drank in, not letting even a drop go to waste. Mikasa’s blood was delicious but this was beyond delicious, it was the best thing that he ever tasted and the demon couldn’t get enough.

When her body began to calm, a frown entered his handsome features.

“Oh no, this won’t do, I need more.”

Mikasa didn’t even get a chance to talk before the tongue slid inside her again and she screamed, eyes shutting and features contorting. Apparently once was not enough, and the demon was intent on making her come on his face again.

This was going to be a long night.

In the end, Mikasa lost count on how many times the demon made her cum. Not tiring, not needing a break, he kept pleasuring her, toying with her clit and abusing her sex. She was lost in an unending stream of happy hormones, drowning in that ocean of pleasure the demon promised her. His grip on her was firm and Mikasa’s hips were grounded, the demon didn’t allow her to move away from him, holding his prize close. Only when she was truly done and couldn’t do it anymore, when she whined in discomfort instead of pleasure did he pull back, sated.

For now.

Completely done and spent Mikasa was practically passed out, body unresponsive and eyes closed. Hands circled her, easily picking her up and carrying her a short distance. She was gently deposited in the bed and someone pulled the covers over her before a kiss was planted on her forehead. And then a heated whisper entered her ears, pushing its way into the brain even through the curtain of absolute exhaustion.

“If you want more, my beauty, you know where to find me.”, another kiss, this time on her lips, “I’ll be waiting.”

Finally, the darkness overcame her completely.

When Mikasa woke up, hours later, she thought that it all must have been a dream. That delusion lasted for only about a second before the rest of her body woke up, the ache in her lower regions demanding that she accepts the reality. Lifting the covers, Mikasa’s eyes shot open.

Her body was still fully clothed, as the demon didn’t bother with disrobing her, only her panties were gone. There were bruises, so many bruises on her upper thighs, the small part left uncovered by the stockings littered with bites. Her neck received a similar treatment, judging from the ache.

The pentagram was there, albeit the candles were snuffed out, the book lying innocently in the middle. Mikasa tried standing up to get it, only to realize that her legs refused to carry her and she fell back into the bed. Despite all this ache, despite all the unknown, Mikasa’s lips spread into a smile as she eyed the book.

The goth girl and her green-eyed demon are going to have so much fun together.

[crusherthedoctor]

5, 23, 26, and 30 for the fic ask meme, please?

5. What are your fanfic pet peeves? Do they have a huge effect on whether or not you decide to read something?

You can guess the obvious ones: killing characters off (bonus points if it's unnecessarily gory and/or extremely obvious that they're being killed off because the author doesn't like them), turning Eggman into a harmless villain or non-villain, turning certain heroes into OoC assholes/sociopaths/yanderes, flanderizations (Sonic, Amy and Rouge probably get it the worst, though Knuckles and Shadow aren't far behind), Mary Sues and Gary Stus that can do everything better than the entire official cast, with the smug personality to match...

Outside of that...

- I tend to roll my eyes at high school fics, especially given how oddly common they are.

- Alternate universe fics aren't usually my thing either, although part of that is because I'm not into AU stories in general, because I find a lot of them boring at best, and obnoxious at worst (since they tend to use it as an excuse for turning characters inside out to the point of being said characters In Name Only, rather than smartly playing around with them.)

- Archie-tier soap operas? No thank you.

- Villain teams up where they specifically make a point about not including Eggman because he's too pathetic. Doubly hilarious when some of the members needed to rely on Eggman and/or his resources in the past, like Eggman Nega, Lyric, the Deadly Six, etc.

- If Sonic and Eggman are forced to team up, no matter how briefly, I’m closing that shit. Because goddamn am I sick of THAT happening in the series as it is.

- I tend to immediately check out if Sonic says "Ames" or Amy says "Sonikku". Because I'm extremely petty, apparently.

23. What's your absolute favourite trope to write?

Too many to name, so here's a list of some of them:

- Build up. Whether it involves character development, the characters' interactions and fee-fees with each other, the background lore, establishing the villain's threat and personality, setting things up near the beginning or middle that may or may not be noticed by the reader the first time around, only to have a big payoff later on that gives earlier chapters a whole new context...

- Creating memorable locations and giving them their own details. Already talked about this in the previous ask, so I won't repeat myself here. Although, to add onto it...

- Creating a primary setting for the story as a whole. While there are exceptions, I've found that a lot of my favourite games tend to focus on one place in their world rather than going all over the place. (South/Westside/Angel Island in the Genesis trilogy, Dragon Realms/Avalar/Forgotten Worlds in the Spyro trilogy, DK Island/Crocodile Isle/Northern Kremisphere in the DKC trilogy, Beanbean Kingdom/Rogueport/other examples in some Mario games...) I think this might be because there ends up being a lot more passion put into their environments and overall character, rather than treating them as a footnote.

- Giving the villain a group of henchmen that have their own different quirks, yet are no less dangerous than their master. (Eggman has the Hard-Boiled Heavies of course, while Razor has "The Gifted".)

- Pushing the hero to their physical and/or mental limit, only for them to triumph through their determination/super power of teamwork/etc.

- Showcasing the friendship and loyalty shared between the heroes.

- In the case of new characters, making them stand out and be memorable without falling into Sue territory. With Trudy, it's fun to give the readers a feel of her personality, and (hopefully) endear herself to them without being annoying or overpowered.

- Letting shy or mellow characters come out of their shell. (Yep, Trudy again.)

- A final battle where everything around you is constantly changing.

- The heroes have triumphed, the nightmare is at an end, and peace has finally returned... but at a great cost, to cement how much of an impact the villain had even despite their ultimate downfall.

- Tastefully-handled aesops that either aren't as common, or are done in a more unconventional way. For example: "you may have your limits due to reasons beyond your control (like having a condition), but that doesn't mean you should limit your quality of life, and it doesn't mean you can't see the world".

26. What's your biggest distraction from writing?

It's a tie between constantly second guessing myself and worrying if my writing is good enough, and being discouraged by how it's a lot harder to get your fanfic noticed when compared to fanart...

30. Post a snippet from your current WIP without context - no more than 300 words.

(It's over 300 words, but screw it lol.)

"You... you..."

"What? No one-liners? No petulant nicknames? Or did you jump into all this with the expectation that I was in over my head, with forces beyond my control, being the ~mere mortal~ that I am?"

"But how...? How could you... do this...?"

"You were so pumped up and ready to lecture me, weren't you? So certain that this was another Chaos. Another A.R.K. Another Gaia. Another opportunity to point and laugh at the man who simply wanted a worthy empire."

"This isn't about your stupid empire," Sonic muttered breathlessly. Rage and confusion plagued his mind in equal quantities. "It's about-"

"Well you thought wrong." The doctor playfully wagged a finger, mocking the hedgehog's own tendency. "I took my time with this one, you see. I can do that, you know, despite what you may believe. Everything was set up perfectly, not that YOUR room temperature intellect would be able to appreciate the beauty of it. No one else on the planet could achieve this, not even dear old grandad, tried as he did... but I did! And this sad fossil right here...?"

His glance turned towards the motionless figure slumping between them. Then gave the body a kick for good measure, followed by a smug chuckle.

"Never stood a chance."

"You... you have to stop this," Sonic's fists were trembling uncontrollably. "This is wrong! WRONG! Even for YOU! Look around you, Eggman! Look at all this insanity! It doesn't have to be this way!"

"You're right. It didn't have to be this way."

He walked closer to him. Slowly. His grin carefully rearranged itself into a bitter scowl. Sonic could swear there were daggers pointing at him from behind those glasses.

"But you pushed me, Sonic. You pushed me. You pushed... and pushed... and pushed." His tone was quiet. Too quiet. As if he genuinely felt betrayed by not getting what he believed was entitled to him. "I have waited so long for my respect in this world, and it's all because of you. You and your insipid army of squeaky-voiced sheep. You've gotten in my way every time... every single time... and I'm sick of it. Sick of it. Sick of you not knowing your place like the rodent you are..."

Sonic's intense glare remained frozen. He never denied that the doctor was a villain. Never questioned that he was a menace. But with all their history together, there was a side of him - perhaps a selfish side of him - that wanted to believe he wasn't like the rest of them. He wanted to believe the doctor was a step above all those other monsters he faced through the passage of time, no matter all the things he did.

But...

He couldn't really do that anymore, could he...?

"You were fun in your time, hedgehog. I can't deny that there was some entertainment to be had between us, and had things been different... I may have remembered you as a worthy adversary. But like all toys that were brand new once upon a time, you became worn out just like the rest of them. And now?"

He pulled out another switch.

Sonic's heart almost stopped.

"I don't want to play with you anymore."

[bookworm-2692]

For the ZE Ask Game: 1b, 1e, 2a, 3d, 5e, 5f and 5n!

Thank you for sending the asks! I love talking about Zero Escape so thank you for enabling me :D

Questions from here

1b: Favourite character design?

Okay, you know how hard it is for me to pick favourite characters because they’re all wonderful and that’s why you went with this question haha. Hmm. There are so many good designs (especially with the colour coding!!!). I prefer the designs in the first two games, since they’re really bright and colourful, and the third game is darker and dingier. I like that each character has a main colour that stands out and doesn’t really belong to anyone else (except for Dio and K who both have the red and gold aesthetics, but that’s valid because red and gold is a brilliant aesthetic). I think in 999, my favourite is actually Junpei’s - I love the blue colour of his vest, and the blue vest and red shirt just. Work super well together. It’s a fashion disaster but it’s also an aesthetic I vibe with so. (also love the red blue colour coding with Junpei specifically so). In VLR, much as I loathe him, I really like Dio’s design. The top hat and the braids and the red and gold work really well together and it’s fun. Dio is super frustrating though, but his design slaps!

1e: Favourite scene?

Oooo tricky. There’s so many good moments. I think I have to go with the classic though - the moment in 999 True End where Junpei gets the safe end code, and the narration goes “How did Junpei know? He knew because I knew”. It’s so chilling and also so satisfying to see everything suddenly click. I love it, and I love watching people experiencing that for the first time. It’s like. The best part of the game, I reckon.

2a: Least favourite character?

Okay I’m trying to not immediately say Delta but like.... Delta. I think he had a super interesting concept, but the way it was executed made it so much worse. I hated that they just.... hid him from view so then the twist was that this character you didn’t even know existed was Zero? It just felt cheap. Also ~complex motives~ got really annoying - I would have much preferred it if he had said “yeah I’m only doing this to ensure my birth (and the birth of my sister). soz lmao”. Because that motive feels more real? Rather than just adding a whole random “religious fanatic” in a vague sort of way. I do like the concept of him and Phi being twins and being separated in such a way that they’re very different ages now, but again the execution of Sigma and Diana’s romance was like. Not done well.

So yeah, Delta is my least favourite because he doesn’t significantly effect the plot, barely exists, and when he is present his motives don’t make sense and his abilities are not foreshadowed at all (morphogenetic fields in 999 were good, the entire game was spent explaining the concept. Mind Hack? Right outta left field and also if we’re trying to make it work based on how morphogenetic field theory was explained in 999, the “reading minds” part of it is “extremely strong receiver”, and the “forcing people to do actions” part of it is “extremely strong transmitter”, so he should have one of the abilities but not both. And if he is a really strong transmitter.... he’s gotta mime out the action in order to write it into the fields to encourage others to follow! And I reckon natural transmitters, who are worse at receiving, are naturally slightly resistant to this, natural receivers are more vulnerable to this, and normal people somewhere in between. But yes, if Delta is gonna Mind Hacc Eric, then we should see him in the corner miming holding a gun, pointing, and firing!! Bleugh!

Wow that turned into a bit of a rant. Whoops?

3d: Rank the endings

I have been given the choice to either rank the true ends across the three games, or all the endings within a particular game. I am so bad at choices ugh.

Anyway, the true ends:

999 - it really tied everything together and explained everything. The sequence in the incinerator, seeing 12 year old Akane and 21 year old Junpei talking to each other, Junpei saving young Akane, Clover’s absolute joy at finding out Light is alive, the “he knew because I knew” thing that I mentioned above, just everything. It was a self contained story, so everything was addressed and it was good.

VLR - this is more second by default, since I love 999′s true end and hate ZTD’s true end. But overall, this is fairly solid, and I like the concept of them doing this in 2074 to change an outcome in 2028, but it loses points because it relies on ZTD to “complete” it

ZTD - I hate this true end. The game has very enjoyable moments, but unfortunately the true end amounts to “oh let’s just... SHIFT to a timeline where we all survive” and that’s it? Which just feels sort of pointless tbh. And is so unsatisfactory

Within 999, I feel all six five endings are extremely solid, and all have a part to play an a story to tell. Knife End may be the most unsatisfactory, but it’s still okay. True, Safe, and Sub Ends are the ends with credits, and they’re all full of great dialogue and story. Axe End is also great, and I love the way you get to see the other side of Clover (and I really like the art of Clover holding an axe, I actually drew it on Saturday (when I started writing these answers, but it’s Wednesday now because I’ve been busy) for a friend’s birthday, which is technically my first ZE fanart and I’ll post it here at. Some point. Knife end is a bit quick, but honestly that’s okay? Especially when considering how many bad ends the other two games have that aren’t even named. Coffin End was my first end, and I wasn’t expecting the “to be continued” so I basically just collapsed and lay face down on the ground for a fair bit, but again given how many plot locks the other games have, coffin end is chill. So 999 has the most solid endings overall.

Within VLR, there are nine named endings, one for each character, and 13 ish unnamed bad ends. The unnamed bad ends are all like.... basically as soon as you make the decision you die or whatever, they don’t continue onwards like they do for Axe End etc in 999. I like that the named endings are designed for you to learn about each character, even though some of them are kinda weak. Like Quark’s ending, we didn’t really learn about him, and most of what we learnt about him was from Tenmyouji’s ending. I agree with what you said, Finch, about how it would have been nice to get some more Quark content/bonding/something, after he wakes up. Clover’s ending was also pretty disappointing, since she vaguely alluded to 999 and then everyone killed themselves. But there were some really good ones, like Luna’s and K’s and Dio’s (very fun that Phi was about to smash his head with a rock even if betraying Luna to get to that point is painful). Actually I really like the whole murder mystery aspect of everything behind the Magenta door. 

Within ZTD, I do appreciate that the endings all served their purposes, but I disliked the way there were sometimes multiple endings in the same timeline, while other timelines... had none. It just was a bit all over the shop. Most of the endings were informative for the characters, but the true end sucks.

5e: Rant about something you liked from the games

I adore all the red/blue symbolism in the games, especially in 999. The way every time the morphogenetic field is described, the transmitters are red people and the receivers are blue people. And then when you learn who the espers are, you can see how the colours align. Clover is a transmitter, and her colour scheme is a lot of dark pink, close to red, while Light, a receiver, has lots of blue in his design. Junpei and Akane can both transmit and receive (with each other), and this is shown by Junpei wearing both red and blue, and Akane wearing purple, a mix of red and blue. It’s really neat. Also, Junpei is new to the morphogenetic fields, so his blue and red is still separate, but Akane is so entwined within them, and uses them so easily, that her blue and red have mixed to become purple.

In VLR, Clover is still pink, and Junpei still has blue (even though he’s lost the red, but that could show he’s lost connection to Akane and now has no one to transmit to, although I think it’s hilarious if he was still unintentionally transmitting to Akane over the years, and that’s how she kept tabs on him and found him again for VLR.

In ZTD, Diana is red and Sigma is blue. I actually headcanon Diana as a receiver and Sigma as a transmitter (as in, he transmitted his memories to himself across timelines rather than a natural receiver ability), so I like that in ZTD they have opposite colours/each other’s colours. Phi is blue in both games and still a receiver imo.

So the colour symbolism is obviously strongest in 999, but I really like it.

5f: Rant about something you disliked from the games

In VLR, Clover says that stronger espers absorb the powers of weaker espers, and that’s why she can’t contact her brother. I hate this “fact” actually, because it directly contradicts the way the morphogenetic fields work in 999 and ZTD, and also in VLR itself. In 999, we have nine sets of esper siblings during the First Nonary Game, and since they all survived, we know that their esper powers must have worked correctly.... which means we can’t have had one Super Esper absorbing all the powers. The true end of ZTD has the powers of all the espers working together to create a resonant effect so that even Eric and Mira, non espers, can SHIFT. I also dislike SHIFTing (a rant for another day), but the idea of multiple espers in a vicinity resonating/boosting everyone’s powers makes way more sense than.... one person absorbing everyone else’s powers.

And even within VLR.... Tenmyouji does the ally/betray swapsies thing with Sigma and Phi, which means he is also remembering another timeline.... which means his powers are still working and not being absorbed by Phi and Sigma. Also.... both Phi and Sigma are using their powers and SHIFTing everywhere. Why doesn’t one of them absorb the other’s powers? Also also, we learn in the True End that Akane was in K’s armour the entire time during the timeline where Sigma and Phi most use their powers for all the bomb passwords and locations etc. You cannot try to tell me that Akane isn’t the strongest esper, ever. She simply is. If absorbing was true, then we would literally never see anyone else use their powers, because Akane is always there (FNG, 999, VLR, ZTD) and would have to be doing all the absorbing. Gah.

So I reckon, even though Clover said that, that she was simply wrong. That was the current theory SOIS had, but.... they don’t have to be right.

In any case, there are other reasons why Clover might not have been able to contact Light in VLR. The first is simply that he is dead. Another is the idea that minds linked by the morphogenetic fields have a sort of... shape. That fits perfectly with those they are esper partners with. And as the espers grow, so do their mind shapes. Clover was frozen on the 22nd of December 2028, and awoke on the 25th of January 2074. Her mind shape was not able to evolve and grow, so it is preserved. Light however has been living those 45 years, which means that’s been a lot of time for his mind shape to grow and change. Clover can’t find Light’s mind in the morphogenetic field, since it no longer looks the same, and their shapes no longer fit together. This is my personal headcanon, and it means that when Clover finds him, their minds can get used to each other again and their shapes can align, and they can be linked again.

5n: Do you have any fanart/fanfic/fangame recommendations?

Boy, do I ever? The First Nonary Game by @airdeari . What it says on the tin, folks! Airdeari has named all nine pairs of siblings, and created unique sibling relationships and unique experiences with the morphogenetic field for all of them, and woven a beautiful story together, and it’s just wonderful. It’s my favourite fic ever, to the point where I literally bound it and it now exists as a physical book in my life. Like, I cannot recommend this fic enough, it is the best.

AO3 Summary: A tale of nine children aboard a sinking ship, and the unbelievable story of how they survived.

[sepublic]

Belos’ Deterioration

           Honestly I’m VERY fascinated by the implications of this fanart by @thedemondeity. Coupled with how Belos seems to have a rather deteriorated state to him, the implications of his connection to the Titan, and his unusual form of Magic… I’m going to go ahead and summarize my thesis here; I think Belos’ own body could lowkey be a magical construct similar to an Abomination, one that he regularly uses up to fuel his hybrid glyph-bile magic, while relying on the magical bile of others to constantly uphold and replace his used-up flesh. Belos was once flesh and bone; But after using up his entire body to fuel his magic, he’s become a Theseus Ship paradox, having more or less grown a new body made from magic that is constantly being used up and replenished, and is thus not all that tangible, cohesive, nor natural.

           To start, let’s go with the idea that Belos doesn’t have a magical bile sac. Either it’s because he’s a human, a witch with a disability, and/or some other third party, I’m not sure; But regardless, the results are the same. What if to get around his inability to perform bile-magic, Belos learned glyphs from none other than the Titan itself, just like Luz is doing! Though I imagine his lessons with the Titan were a lot more straight-forward and face-to-face than Luz’s, especially since Belos may be having an adverse effect on the Titan in the present; Even so…

           I’ve speculated and analyzed in the past on how magic works, and generally seeming, this show seems to take cues from Equivalent Exchange from Fullmetal Alchemist (which Luz would be a fan of according to Dana Terrace herself); To get magic, you need to sacrifice a ‘fuel’ source in return. When it comes to glyphs, this is usually pieces of paper and whatever medium they’re drawn on, and possibly the very magic/nature of the Boiling Isles itself. I imagine even air would serve as a useful fuel for a Fire Glyph; Different materials resonate more with different spells, essentially. An Ice Glyph carved into the snow could be much more potent than another Ice Glyph of the same size, but drawn on a piece of paper. The efficiency and strength of glyphs could also be reliant on a witch’s intimate knowledge and study of them…

           Regardless, not all fuel sources are created equal, it seems- Magic Bile seems to be a far more efficient, readily-available source of energy to create spells from, and it was early Witches who realized the usage of their bile sacs that spawned the current, bile-based magic that spawns glowing circles from thin air, that we see today. It’s magic coming more from the user’s body, than the surrounding nature itself; I could see some stuck-up snobs dismissing Glyphs as being weak and ‘dependent’ on the Boiling Isles, while bile-based users are more ‘independent’ and draw actual strength from themselves… Essentially, it’s a bunch of dumb, ableist rhetoric.

           If Belos lacked a magical bile sac, and serves as a parallel to Luz –who has a disability metaphor going on in her relationship with magic- then what if he was someone who grew up in that sort of elitist environment? Told that glyphs were lesser, that Witches who took advantage of their bile sacs were the future; And all others were to be left behind in the dust. It’d be an environment talking about hierarchy, about how there are those who are born with a literal, innate inclination towards magic moreso than others; And that THOSE witches are naturally more powerful and superior to the rest.

           After all, it’s worth noting that there seems to be various residents and denizens on the Boiling Isles that can’t cast bile-magic; But what about glyphs? Glyphs aren’t reliant on one’s body whatsoever. Going off-topic, but what if the abelist shift in attitudes towards bile-magic as being the only acceptable form, was in-part done to oppress those beings without bile sacs? I imagine that having access to magic grants you more opportunities; So what if an artificial hierarchy was enforced to set bile-users above those who only had access to just glyphs? And with the discouragement of glyphs, amidst the move towards more efficient bile-circles… It could’ve contributed towards society forgetting about glyphs; And thus resulting in a large number of the population unable to cast spells because they don’t know about glyphs, and thus set at a disadvantage while those with bile sacs have more opportunities.

           Given what this show has to say about artificial hierarchies, ableism, lower-class people having less access to educational opportunities, etc…. I think it’d be an interesting concept. And that gets us back to Belos- As someone who can’t cast bile magic, because he lacks a bile sac. As someone who may have been raised in an ableist environment that derided his usage of glyphs, or at least made it feel inadequate compared to bile-magic, which seemed to be embraced as much more efficient. Perhaps Belos didn’t start off knowng glyphs, perhaps this was after they were forgotten, and THEN he met the Titan and learned; But I can see Belos being mocked for his usage of glyphs. I could see the current power structure even seeing his glyphs as a threat that could upturn the hierarchy by giving magical access to those without bile sacs; And that could’ve made Belos become demonized alongside his glyphs.

           And/or, Belos recognized that some forms of matter served as better fuel for Glyphs, than others… If Bile was the ideal fuel for Magic, what of the body itself? Getting into some Body Horror territory and speculation here (which is to be expected when Belos is the subject here), what if Belos carved/tattooed glyphs across his body? We’ve all discussed about what would happen if a glyph was drawn on oneself and activated- Would this take a physical toll on oneself? In this scenario, I imagine that it would- Though through this knowledge of Glyphs, Belos didn’t immediately sacrifice an entire limb nor a chunk of skin; Instead, he distributed the loss across his entire body, losing nutrients and cells here or there, instead of having all of the damage concentrated wherever the glyph was located.

           Why would Belos do this, if he could just rely on his surroundings as a fuel source? Amidst the potential ableist rhetoric I’ve speculated about; Perhaps one’s flesh and nutrients, used to sustain one’s very own life, serves as an even more potent source of magic than your typical dirt, paper, wood, etc. It’s not as good as magical bile; But it serves as an adequate substitute, and is more easily applied across all glyphs, providing stronger spells than typical nature. Given Belos’ parasitic, downright cannibalistic motifs… I wouldn’t be shocked if he sacrificed a few people in the past for his own spells, before turning his glyphs unto himself and using his own body as a reliable, ‘independent’ source of energy.

           One or two glyphs here or there, which take nutrients and flesh across the entire body instead of from a single concentrated spot; It can be a bit draining, but not too life-threatening, right? You can just recover by having a good meal and rest… But if you’re Belos, who is possibly power-hungry, or up against adversaries? You need to be casting a LOT of spells, in rapid succession; And quickly the damage and toll on your body begins to add up, until your flesh becomes necrotic and you decay, feeling the starvation of your glyphs. It’s not enough to just eat normal food to replenish and heal your wounds, now; You need something a little bit more potent…

           And so- Belos turns to Magical Bile. His body doesn’t have the ability to directly convert it into magic, he lacks the sac and proper physiology; But he CAN cast magic in a more indirect sense. Belos began consuming the bile of others, usually palismans, to enhance his recovery and growth, as his body began to heal; Magical Bile could be incredibly nutritious, after all. And from this replenished flesh, Belos then sacrifices it to continue casting spells, before restocking on magical bile, etc. It’s like his own body is a coffee filter, an incredibly worn-out rag that is the process for his very unorthodox way of casting magic; A damaging process, but one he stubbornly sticks towards. Because unlike his counterpart Luz, he never truly learned to accept magic that was different in a way that specifically accommodated him; Belos still wanted to cast magic the way other witches normally did.

           Perhaps he transplanted a magical bile sac at some point, or took advantage of a potential connection to the Titan. Either way, as Belos rose to power; I can see him having a trusted ally, such as Kikimora and/or the Healing Coven Head, cast Healing Magic to help feed his recovering, collapsing body. But alas, Belos’ condition is a unique one cast upon himself; And the consumption of magical bile, combined with the clumsy application of Healing spells towards his own injuries, and… Let’s just say that his cellular growth was accelerated to a point where it was no longer beneficial. To a point where it just left Belos with MORE flesh and cells, and thus an even hungrier appetite… What I’m saying is, Belos basically gave himself magical cancer and tumors in his attempts to heal and replenish from all of the body-matter he sacrificed for his spells.

           So you’ve got a body that’s constantly decaying, only to replace itself with cancerous masses of flesh and tumors; Belos’ body is beginning to warp and distort, and I can see him making alterations to himself to become more powerful. Maybe replacing limbs and organs with lab-grown ones, or even body parts stolen from others! And as Belos’ power and authority increases, he gets hungrier and hungrier; And he sates this appetite by consuming more bile, but it just leads to more cancerous tumors that demand even more of him. It’s a self-feeding, never-ending cycle, a positive feedback loop; And it results in the horrifically messed-up, deteriorated mess of a monster that we see today. No doubt so disgusting and decayed and torn-up, that Belos wears a mask and armor; Both to hide his appearance, but possibly to literally hold himself together!

           Belos’ body is constantly falling apart, being torn apart; And then reassembled at a whim. His experience with this makes it easy for Belos to literally dissolve and reform here or there; And it leads to Belos knowing intimately how to create those fleshy, veiny constructs that he attacks his enemies with. He’s a scientist and an experimenter, and Belos himself was his main test subject; And that meant he suffered the most from the trial and error of discovering how to become more powerful. Perhaps his magic manifests as spheres instead of circles, because it’s dual-natured; Relying on glyphs AND bile, amidst Belos’ own body. I’m not entirely sure where his more technological staff comes into play, if it’s merely the result of his constant experimenting and toying around, or something else; Perhaps his staff is more a conduit for himself, than a separate Palisman! Either way, his spells manifesting as a blood-red would take on a whole new meaning, considering what Belos is sacrificing to fuel them…

           It’d really recontextualize his exhaustion, his need to drain bile from palismans- And it leads to the idea that Belos doesn’t have a lot of stamina. He can summon power and spells in terrifying bursts, and his unusual nature and knowledge make him seem all the more intimidating- But in a drawn-out battle of attrition, Belos is a witch who lacks substance. Manage to survive the first few waves of attacks, get Belos to tire himself out- And one can land a quick and decisive blow, maybe even victory! Perhaps it wasn’t just Belos’ arrogance that allowed Luz to damage him…

           This of course all speculative, and almost entirely baseless- But it’s definitely a fun ‘fuel’ for thought! I’m mostly just enamored with Belos as someone who has this impermanent presence, and as a potential parallel to Luz- And what this could entail, amidst his unusual form of magic and Belos’ obvious body horror at play here. If so much of his current body and flesh has been replaced with new cells, spawned more from magical bile and Healing Spells than anything tangible like food or water; Perhaps it’s a Theseus Ship paradox. Where so much of Belos’ current body comes from a magical source… And as a result, it’s not very tangible. Regular glyph-spells retain their form when attacked by a Greater Basilisk; But bile-based magic seems to be reduced back to its base components, or at least into a digestible one for these creatures.

           If a Greater Basilisk were to attack a tree, it’d be… A regular tree, getting torn up. But a tree spawned by the bile of a witch? I imagine that tree would almost instantly disintegrate, explaining how that one Greater Basilisk was able to so easily devour Amity’s Abomination and Willow’s plants. It all comes from magical bile, and thus lacks substance- At least compared to glyphs, which spawn their magic directly from pre-existing nature. Perhaps the Greater Basilisks weren’t just enemies to Belos’ reign, nor competitors for bile; Perhaps their unique feeding abilities served as a direct weakness to the Emperor himself. If a Greater Basilisk attacked him, perhaps Belos’ entire body would literally just dissolve, being made more of magic than actual physical substance and stuff found in nature; And this major weakness of his could’ve caused Belos to spearhead genocides against the Basilisks, under the additionally-credible pretense of protecting witches.

           And, if Belos is also constantly using glyphs, as well his connection to the Boiling Isles and the Titan itself, to sustain him? Then if he were to go to Earth, where Luz’s glyphs fell apart- The results might not be so pretty… Not that Belos is much of a looker himself, in general. He’s like an Abomination that’s constantly melting and trying to hold itself together; So Belos poured himself into the person-shaped mold that is his armor. And I suppose that’s both ironic/appropriate, given Belos’ insistence on making others conform to a specific mold within his Coven system…

[autumn-foxfire]

What are your least favorite types of mischaracterisation do you often see in fanon towards bnha characters? (Fics, fanart, meta, etc)

Hmmm, I’ll focus on the two characters that I see it most with as they’re my favourites so Dabi and Hawks.

With fanart, it isn’t that big of an issue because usually it’s just based on the artist’s individual style however I will admit I get weirded out by overly buff Hawks considering the man is more lean muscle that’s not too obvious but is still there. And I’ve always been a firm believe in Dabi having some muscle to him so the overly skinny art of him weirded me out too (but that’s just preference and I can understand why people would draw them this way).

It’s usually in meta or fanfics where I see the (in my opinion) the most mischaracterisation of Dabi and Hawks.

I’ll start with meta.

With Hawks, I’ve spoken about it a bit before but I hate when people make Hawks out like he has an ego. It feels like so many people are stuck on their first impression of him that they don’t realise that Hawks is a master at masks and hides a lot of self-doubt and self-deprecation under his cocky persona. He’s the first you see to berate himself for what he views to be his failures and we’ve seen that many times (and the times he has done it are things that were out of his control or something he should never have been expected to do to begin with).

I also hate the interpretation that Hawks is “for the greater good” type of person and that’s why he killed Twice. Hawks has shown multiple times before that he doesn’t do that, risking his mission to save the lives of the few, disobeying orders when he doesn’t agree with them and reaching out a hand to a terrorist instead of just immediately arresting him like what most of the heroes would have done. It’s why I don’t get the “he killed his humanity” takes that came out when he killed Twice because Hawks has plenty of humanity inside of him as we’ve seen in his latest chapter where he wasn’t even angry with his mother for what she did.

As for Dabi, I get frustrated at all the “he secretly cares” takes I see that surrounds him despite Dabi showing us time and time again that he doesn’t. He doesn’t care for the league (and he’s admitted this to Shigaraki’s face multiple times in the past) and he doesn’t care for Shouto (and it’s possible he doesn’t feel much for Fuyumi and Natsuo anymore). I know it was popular fanon when we knew nothing about Dabi but people still cling to it despite canon now showing us otherwise and it in turn they end up creating bias meta about Dabi. I’m not saying that Dabi will always be uncaring, just that at the moment in time he doesn’t. 

I’ve also never understood why for some fans that Dabi’s neglect from his father was never good enough for them to explain why Dabi become the way he has. I’ve seen so many fans insist that something more must have happened to him and want him to have been physically abused as Shouto and I honestly hate such behaviour because it really highlights how little people care about the effect neglect can have on people. I wish the fandom would acknowledge neglect as being something that can be just as severe as physical abuse.

In fanfiction, I don’t enjoy the above mentioned behaviours being used to characterize both Dabi and Hawks and I also hate how many fanfic writers will use the abuse that Dabi went though as a soapbox that he can use to berate Hawks with. I’m tired of Hawks always getting the short-end of the stick when it comes to discussing abuse and how he’s treated as the person always in the wrong.

I wished the fandom could be more nuanced when discussing the Todoroki family abuse to be honest but I think that’s a pipedream nowadays.