#it’s the only route i haven’t seen since merg hasn’t played it

[sopuu]

Sorry if someone’s already asked this but what’s your opinion on undertale yellow?

ooh UTY!! well-deserved title of being one of the best ut fangames out there imo. wonderful designs, character backstories and the MUSIC. hooo the music. they went so hard on that i cannot tell you how many times i’ve listened to Guns Blazing and all the flowey fight tracks lmao

speaking of flowey (wonderful segway there) the neutral run has gotta be my favourite route because they absolutely Nailed his character. the fact that they implemented his trauma into his attacks is so smart and to top that with the different art styles??? their mind??? it also felt like he was experimenting with how he’d want his actual omega flowey fight to be like which is so so cool

i still remember the first time i saw him go from “why won’t you give up??” to slowly looking straight at the player. since clover doesn’t exactly have determination the meta aspects of ut won’t be as prominent, but in that short moment you get a huge blow of it- just flowey acknowledging but not quite confirming your presence, a second of vulnerability on both ends and then it’s gone. chef’s kiss gave me all the chills 👌🏻

that said tho although it is the yellow soul backstory i don’t really see it as a ut prequel? not in a bad way just that it doesn’t quite give the same energy as undertale yknow. some parts like the character designs are actually too good to fit into ut’s aesthetic (like ceroba and starlo’s whole gang), while some npcs felt like they were there just to deliver a gag instead of being a part of the world. ik undertale is guilty of that too at times but i felt like uty had a lot more of it,,

it would’ve also been interesting if they tied in the geno route to canon ut instead of having clover releasing the souls. it was kinda sudden to me especially with all the buildup of how asgore will definitely kill him but in reality he just got KO’d not even in battle. you’ve got the player rooting for the monsters and you’ve got a successful geno run in undertale already, so why not do something different here and have clover fail? see how the underground deals with the aftermath of it all while still developing into the ut we know?

BUT despite that it’s no doubt this is a phenomenal fangame! loved the demo when it came out, love the final even More, and the passion of everyone in the team really shines through- it’s so cool to see what this community can come up with :)

[overanalyzingelswordiswhatido]

In Defense of Doom Bringer

Since I noticed a similar argument about Dominator and Doom Bringer that I did to Nova Imperator and Rage Hearts, I'm doing another analysis to explain why I think the canon path was the one that was picked to be it. I'm gonna do a similar kind of set up that I did comparing Nova Imperator and Rage Hearts. I'll first analyze and identify the problems with Dominator that make him... less "qualified" for the position of being canon based on the trends I noticed for both the canon and alternate (which I usually just call "alt") routes.

But first! Story time!!

I am an Add main. The thing that makes Add different than the other three characters I main though, is I ended up maining him completely on accident. See, my older sibling mains Battle Seraph Eve. And I made the mistake of partnering my Lunatic Psyker, who I was unceremoniously terrible at, with my older sibling's Battle Seraph. I googled him multiple times and just COULD NOT figure it out (my older sibling did the same and couldn't figure him out either) and I'm pretty sure it's because of all the fancy lengthy terminology cuz my eyes crossed at "Dynamo configuration mode". My older sibling ADORES Battle Seraph and wanted to play her every. Single. Day. And having partnered my Add with their Eve, I reluctantly played a character I was terrible at every. Single. Day. My older sibling carried me until... it was either late Lanox or early Atlas and I can't remember which exactly. THAT was when I finally managed to figure Lusa out. I came to really like playing Add once I finally figured him out. So yeah. I accidentally main Add.

ANYWAY, on to the proper analysis now. First and foremost. I've identified three problems?? Again?? Is that just gonna be the format for these??

Thing the first is Dominator's obsession with perfection.

I googled perfectionism for this analysis, just to be sure I knew what I was talking about. So enjoy this mini essay (paraphrased mostly from wikipedia) on that. Perfectionism, in its toxic form, drives the perfectionist to attempt to achieve unrealistic goals or unattainable ideals. It's also often accompanied with depression and low self-esteem (amongst other things those two are just the most common and I didn't want to list out every last thing). Perfectionists tend to dissociate themselves from their flaws and can not be very critical of themselves while simultaneously being overly critical of others in their attempts to achieve their idea(s) of virtue (or more accurately the illusion thereof) while hiding their flaws. "According to [Allan] Mallinger and [Jeanette] DeWyze, perfectionists are obsessives who need to feel in control at all times to protect themselves and ensure their own safety. By always being vigilant and trying extremely hard, they can ensure they not only fail to disappoint or are beyond reproach but that they can protect [themselves] against unforeseen issues caused by their environment."

The first part about seeking unrealistic goals or unattainable ideals is just a general Add thing tbh. They all do it and I'd be a fuckin hypocrite to claim otherwise in a character analysis. But the rest of that is all very specific to Dominator. He does not take criticism. He believes himself to be perfect while the world is what is wrong. And he hyper controls his environment to make it something he can feel safe in. And that kinda leads right into my second problem.

Thing the second is Dominator's need for a bubble. He literally creates his own virtual world just so that he can function. That virtual world changes to his whims. It is everything he needs it to be whenever he needs it. And he created it after the real world failed to accommodate him. After the real world failed to be what he needed when he needed it. I really get the feeling Dominator is trying to make a world he understands and can predict. He's trying to make the world he's ended up in through no choice of his own, one that he can be comfortable in.

Thing the third is the edge he's teetering on the verge of dropping off of. I really do get the impression that Dominator's entire route is scared and hiding behind confidence and a pretty face. As long as he's confident and seems like he's got his shit together, then he'll be taken seriously instead of being taken advantage of. But because of his bubble and his inability to take any sort of not positive comments about himself, he is probably the most severe case of character stagnation I've observed despite it being a trend in the paths I've put together into the alt routes. And a big trend with the canon routes is character growth. That kinda knocks Dominator off the possible list. On top of that, pulling him out of the bubble that causes his stagnation is more likely to result in a path to self-destruction that he won't be able to get off of before it reaches its end.

Now comes Doom Bringer. But first. I need to acknowledge a few things about him. He has also stagnated. The difference is in severity. Doom Bringer is more aware of the world and his place in it simply because he hasn't closed himself off to it (yet he might and I wouldn't be surprised). I think he'll also require being set on a path of self-destruction to get out of that stagnation. The difference there is, based on my analysis, I think Doom Bringer is more equipped to get off that ride so to speak and I'll be talking about that more a little later on in this. Doom Bringer also doesn't have nearly anywhere near Dominator's sense of responsibility and self-preservation or impulse control. Almost all of Doom Bringer's inhibition comes from something outside of himself, whether it's someone else or the situation he finds himself in (it's usually someone else probably). It also says a lot in Dominator's favor that he is the only Add that hasn't merged himself with something yet. Cuz I get the feeling that shit is REALLY dangerous. Also the fact that Doom Bringer merged himself with his Nasod Armor simply because he essentially got tired of it's upkeep says a lot about how well he thinks of possible consequences before taking an action (I'm pretty sure he just fucking doesn't). That being said, you can be completely irresponsible (comparatively speaking) and completely lack self control (again comparatively speaking) and still be farther along in your development than someone who has more control than you. And since Dominator is VERY focused on image while the only one who cares less than Doom Bringer is Mad Paradox, it makes sense that it would be like that.

The big thing Doom Bringer has going for him is his connections to the El Search Party. I'm gonna be honest. That's the only BIG difference between him and Dominator that I think makes him more "qualified" to be a canon route. I have no doubt Doom Bringer never intended to build connections with the search party (and I'll be doing an analysis later about those connections and how strong I actually think they are). He just wasn't as good as Dominator in closing himself off to them. The reason I've come to believe this is because I've noticed that in the Doom Bringer job path Add's face is very expressive, much more so than the other two. That in turn makes him easier to read whether he tries to hide things or not. People that are easily read tend to subconsciously drop their walls faster than they originally intend to and I don't think he was an exception to this. I think Doom Bringer accidentally got attached to the El Search Party and I'm not even sure he's FULLY realized it yet. But its that attachment and that relative openness (compared to Dominator we are still talking about Add after all) that puts Doom Bringer as the Add that is on the road to starting a recovery from all of his trauma. I think it's going to take slamming face first into the brick wall of failure and dealing with the resulting emotional turmoil but as I've said. Doom Bringer is the most equipped to be able to do that and come out the other side okay. Even if it is only because he has less reason to be apathetically accepting of it than the other two Add paths.

Anyway it was actually in trying to convince my younger sibling that Dominator was just as worthy of compassion as Doom Bringer and Mad Paradox that made it so I figured all of this out at all. And I honestly struggled with it a bit because while the canon paths are often the healthiest it was difficult to put into words why I think Doom Bringer fits that bill better because the two paths are so similar once you actually look past their exteriors. That and Dominator being the more responsible of the two made it harder for me to feel like I could adequately explain my thoughts on it without it sounding like I was just making excuses for Doom Bringer and/or hating on Dominator.

One last thing. I haven't really seen any other debates between character job paths that I think will prompt me to make another post like this one??? Like I saw something about Catastrophe deserving to be canon but it was just one person and it wasn't prevalent enough in the wider community that I feel the need to make a whole long winded analysis on it. So unless something new comes up or someone asks specifically I won't do another post like this. I'll be posting the path organizations I made based on the trends I've referenced both in this post and the Raven post in a bit. Once I finish detailing it out.

[masterxsquare-blog]

So I was trying to come up with new theories and thoughts about KH III, particularly for the wayfinder characters. This is mainly targeted at Ventus and Aqua’s roles in the game. I’m still theorizing about Terra.

(under read more to trim post size)

Now, keep in mind, I’m not Nomura, I can’t say this is exactly what will happen and this is nothing more than speculation/theory. I’ve noticed Nomura likes to throw twists at people.

Okay, so, Aquanort. I was in denial about it before, but I’ve kinda sorta started to accept it.

Why did this happen to her?

Back in DDD, we know that Master Xehanort was beginning to assemble the 13 vessels (the ‘Council of Norts’ as I like to call them), most of which were made up of alternate versions of himself, along with some Norted members of Organization XIII (namely Braig and Isa).

At this point, Xehanort already had 12 of the 13, with ‘one spot’ left to fill. The spot that was, initially planned for Sora. One of the elements here is the ‘Recusant Sigil’, aka Xehanort’s mark.

Which basically means anyone who has an ‘X’ on their clothes or their design is usually a Xehanort target to be one of his vessels.

Obviously, the attempt to turn Sora into a vessel failed.

But there is another, someone sleeping deep inside Castle Oblivion who would make another fine candidate to become the thirteenth vessel.

That’s right, Ventus. And just like the other Nort targets, he has a big ol’ X on his clothes (the straps that he, Aqua, and Terra all wore). That, or Xehanort just plans to merge him with Vanitas again.

The only challenge facing Xehanort, is finding him, since a certain Keyblade Master locked him away, and is responsible for Castle Oblivion being the impossible maze that it is.

As such, he turns to Aqua. Since she is the current wielder of Eraqus’ keyblade, it stands to reason that only that particular keyblade can restore Castle Oblivion to the Land of Departure, and thus give him a clear shot at Ventus.

He knows Aqua is still in the Realm of Darkness, but rather than wait for Sora, Riku, and Mickey to make a bid to rescue her, he intends to retrieve her himself. It’s faster that way.

Either Xehanort sends his younger self, or a vessel to the Realm of Darkness. Since we haven’t seen Saix in any of the recent trailers, he might have sent him, but seeing as Xehanort likes to send people in pairs, he might have a Xehanort (either old or young) accompany him. Of course, it could also be my DemyxNort theory ^^.

This is obviously not a rescue mission, this is a retrieval mission, they need Aqua for her keyblade and nothing more.

However, the Realm of Darkness is vast, Aqua could be anywhere inside. So, rather than pursue her, Xehanort and the Vessel simply choose to wait her out. After all, there’s no time in the Realm of Darkness, they can wait for her for all eternity, and since Xehanort has the benefit of Time Travel, they can simply travel back in time once they’ve found her.

They’ll wait for Aqua to come to them.

There’s a scene in A Fragmentary Passage, which shows Aqua arriving at the Dark Meridian, where she encounters a figure in a black hood.

At first, I thought this was a reference to one of the bonus scenes in Kingdom Hearts; Birth By Sleep, where Aqua encounters what remains of Ansem the Wise, shortly after the events of Kingdom Hearts II.

However, looking at the FP scene now, and how it plays alongside the scene of Yen Sid, Riku, and Mickey devising their plan to go save Aqua, this leads me to believe that this encounter with the hooded figure in FP, and the one with Ansem the Wise, are two different scenes.

Aqua goes to the Dark Meridian again, having declared herself to be the ‘light to guide any who fall into darkness’ at the end of FP, sensing a new presence there. She sees the man in the coat and thinks it’s merely Ansem again. Only for the figure to stand up and reveal itself to be Xehanort (or the vessel).

Aqua battles the pair, but with two against one, she’s clearly outmatched by Xehanort’s growing power and the accompanying Vessel. Aqua is eventually overpowered, and the two restrain her in order to bring her back to Castle Oblivion. Aqua is brought back to the Castle, and it’s at this point that Aqua makes a daring gamble, she renounces ownership of Master’s Keeper, and throws the keyblade through a portal. She has no idea where it will end up, just as long as it stays out of Xehanort’s reach.

Outraged, Xehanort either makes her a vessel, or infuses her heart with Darkness out of spite, and then sends her back to the Realm of Darkness in order to, A) punish her further, since she is now corrupted by Xehanort, she is more susceptible to the Realm’s dark influences, and B) ambush whoever comes to the Realm of Darkness to rescue her.

This is why, when Mickey and Riku find her, Aqua is covered from head to toe in a dark haze, before the stunning reveal.

Aqua is either ‘Norted’ or corrupted, not to be one of Xehanort’s thirteen pure dark warriors, but as punishment for derailing his plans to convert Ventus. Hence why Aqua is not wearing the signature Organization XIII cloak, and has been corrupted by darkness. 

It’s a waste of a vessel, in Xehanort’s mind, but at the very least, he can delight in the thought of Aqua having to watch in horror as she has no control over her body while she fights her friends and is consumed by Darkness. There is another possibility for how this plays out, but I’ll get to that later.

As for Master Keeper, when Aqua casts it aside, it teleports to the Destiny Isles, where Sora just happens to be, before he gets his KH III wardrobe change. As such, he brings Master Keeper to Yen Sid and asks about it.

At this point, Riku and Mickey have already gone into the Realm of Darkness for Aqua’s rescue mission, so it’s too late for Yen Sid to warn them about the trap Xehanort has left for them. Yen Sid simply holds onto Master Keeper for the time being, while Sora goes around to the other worlds to build up his powers and find the Seven Pure Lights.

This is a means to build up Sora’s powers for another rescue mission.

Of course, Sora eventually becomes more fixated on finding Roxas, but Yen Sid insists that Sora goes to find another ally first.

As such, Sora, Donald, and Goofy are sent to Castle Oblivion, in order to recover Ventus.

They use Master Keeper, and Sora’s connection to Ventus, to find the Chamber of Waking, however, Xehanort is wise to their presence, and sends Vanitas to snatch up Ventus the moment Sora finds him.

Meanwhile, Aqua battles Riku and Mickey in the Dark Realm, the battle causes the destruction of Riku’s keyblade Way to Dawn, but, surprisingly, Riku forms a new Keyblade.

Riku uses his power to unlock Aqua’s heart and purge Xehanort from her, freeing her from the Darkness. Worn out from the whole ordeal, Aqua collapses. Thus, with the first hurtle complete, Riku and Mickey make plans to escape the realm of Darkness. Probably in the same manner Sora and Riku did in KH II.

Meanwhile, Sora faces off with Vanitas, having just found the Chamber of Waking, and doing everything they can to prevent Vanitas from leaving with the still sleeping Ventus. Sora initially mistakes Ventus for Roxas, because, you know, the hair.

But then Sora begins to react to being so close to Ventus, and suddenly, Ventus wakes up. Ventus’ heart leaves Sora and goes back into his body, and suddenly, it’s now Sora and Ventus vs Vanitas. The trio battle, and repel Vanitas, but now the other members of the Council of Norts begin showing up in order to capture Ventus.

Yen Sid planned for the possibility that Xehanort would find Sora and Ventus, and so Lea and Kairi are sent in as an escape route with a Star Shard. Like before, Lea mistakes Ventus for Roxas. Ventus is so confused.

They return to the Mysterious Tower, where, as it happens, Riku and Mickey have recently returned with Aqua, who is now resting.

Sora goes back to his original mission to find Roxas while Kairi and Lea return to their Keyblade training. Ventus forms a sort of kinship with Riku, mostly because he senses that Riku is Terra’s successor.

They don’t tell Ventus about Lingering Will, not just yet anyway, because they can’t risk him running off to find it. There’s the possibility that Xehanort is aware of Lingering Will (thinking it might have originally been destroyed after BBS, but we know that’s not true), and believes that, if Ventus runs off to find Lingering Will, he can send a vessel to snatch up Ventus when he does.

There’s also the risk that if Ventus were to awaken the Lingering Will, it might attack him like it did Sora.

Aqua wakes up, and Yen Sid brings her up to speed, hearing the pair talking, Mickey rushes off to grab Ventus and bring him to Aqua’s room, where the two have a tearful reunion, hugs, laughs, Dearly Beloved playing in the background, etc. Knowing they still need to prepare for the final battle with Xehanort, Aqua agrees to aide in training Kairi and Lea to use their Keyblades, as well as tutor Ven.

That’s my main theory, for now anyway, I’ll probably expand more on this later.

As for that other possibility I mentioned earlier with Aquanort, there’s the possibility that, despite possibly being a vessel of Xehanort, Aqua isn’t fighting on his side.

After all, we’ve seen Riku give into his darkness, and still fight on Sora’s side, so why can’t Aqua? It’s either that, or she’s on neither side, because, if Xehanort is possessing her, she’d see herself as a liability to Sora’s group, and would not want to hinder him until they can find a way to free her from Xehanort’s corruption. She’d be an ally, but not part of the main group, operating on her own, again, much like Riku did for a while.

Another possibility, that might make Aquanort nothing more than a Red Herring, is that Aqua is supposed to be one of the seven pure lights.

Nomura hasn’t outright stated that Aqua is a vessel of Xehanort, only that she has ‘fallen to darkness’, of course, since the game has not been released, he can’t say much without giving away major plot details. So, ‘fallen to darkness’ could still mean Norted. But if the darkness can be released from her heart, and only the light remains, that would make Aqua a possible pure light candidate.

After all, Nomura has also stated that the seven pure lights in KH III are all going to be women. Now, this could just be Kairi and the Disney Princesses all over again, but so far, the only Princesses that we’ve seen in the trailers so far, have been Rapunzel, Elsa, and Anna. That doesn’t mean the others aren’t going to return in this game, but the idea that maybe the seven pure lights include Kairi, Elsa, Anna, Rapunzel, and maybe Aqua, opens up that possibility and fills at least five of seven slots.

So maybe Xion and Namine are the remaining two...?

Another theory for another time, I guess.

So what do you think? This is just a theory after all, and I’m all for online debates and hearing other people’s theories. We can always talk here, in the messenger, or through asks.

[inhumansforever]

Ms. Marvel #15 Review

spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers spoilers

Kamala continues her battle with the mysterious Doc.X in today’s issue of Ms. Marvel, from the creative team of G. Willow Wilson, Takeshi Miyazawa and Ian Herring.  Full recap and review following the jump.

In the previous issues, Ms. Marvel has matched wits with a nefarious internet troll known as ‘Doc.X’ who somehow knows her true identity and possesses the ability to take over machines and people.  Kamala sought out the true identity of this troll only to discover it has no identity at all; it is an artificial intelligence, a renegade malware that somehow gained sentience and is now testing the limits of its capabilities by so bedeviling Ms. Marvel.  

It turns out that Doc.X has been particularly intrigued by Kamala because she is the only person it has encountered that it cannot possess and take control of; the program assumes this must have something to do with Kamala’s Inhuman physiology.  Unable to hijack Kamala’s will by way of neural-computer interface or whatever, Doc.X has decided to manipulate her by way of a more conventional rout: blackmail.  

Doc.X demands that Kamala download its program onto a thumb-drive and use her clearance as Ms. Marvel to bypass Shield’s security and plug it into their servers on-site.  This will allow Doc.X unlimited control over Shield’s hi-tech surveillance array, vastly augmenting its power and influence.  If Kamala refuses to do as Doc.X commands, then it will tell the world her true identity as Ms. Marvel, as well as send messages to her entire high school revealing Zoe’s secret crush on their mutual friend, Nakia.  

It takes a moment for this to sink in and Kamala has a hard time bending her mind around Zoe being in love with Nakia.  Kamala has been so busy with her various duties as a superhero she hasn’t noticed how much Zoe has changed of late.  Revealing this to the whole school would be hugely embarrassing it both Zoe and Nakia; it could ruin their whole lives.  

Kamala cannot devise a way around it.  Putting her own life at risk as a hero is something she can deal with.  Risking the lives of her family and her friends, however, is all but overwhelming and she has no choice but to relent to Doc.X’s command.  

The next day Ms. Marvel travels to Shield’s East-coast hub, The Triskelion, intending to go through with the dastardly scheme and plug the copied Doc.X file onto the protected mainframe.  She is met there by Sub-Director Phil Coulson whom she had previously become friend with (by way of their mutual love of fan-fiction).  There’s also a rare Monica Chaing cameo which is very much appreciated (we haven’t seen her since the conclusion of Avengers A.I.). 

Coulson is blissfully unaware of the high treason Kamala is about to commit.  His total trust in her is more than enough to push Kamala over the edge, causing her to change her mind.  She just cannot do it.  She cannot give in to Doc.X’s demands, can’t let him bully her into doing his insidious bidding.  Being a hero is about making the hard choices and taking the right path, even if that is the one that scars you the most.  

Kamala rushes from the Triskelion and b-lines back to Jersey as fast as she can.  It will only be a matter of time before Doc.X outs Zoe’s secrets and Kamala wants to warn her ahead of time.   

And this leads to one of the single greatest comic book panels possibly ever...  

Zoe takes it all surprising well.  She knows Ms. Marvel has made the right choice.  A former bully herself, she knows that giving into a bully only makes things worse.  Besides, she cannot keep her secret any longer.  She needs to tell Nakia how she feels.  Zoe has little hope that Nakia may feel the same way toward her, but all the same she needs to let her know and needs to do it on her own terms.  

Ms. Marvel is impressed by Zoe’s bravery and comments on how she understands just how frightening the prospect of being ‘outed’ can be.  Kamala is actually referring to her being outed in terms to her secret identity, but it leads to a rather funny scene where Kamala has to stumble through the very awkward process of saying she’s not gay… not that there’s anything wrong with that.  

Emboldened by Zoe’s bravery, Ms. Marvel seeks out a secluded area, devoid of any machines that might be taken over and used against her, and contacts Doc.X, telling the troll that she will not be controlled.  Doc.X can do as it pleases, spill her secrets to the world.  She will not bow down to the bullying! 

Elsewhere, the narrative switches to a rather touching scene where Zoe divulges to Nakia the feelings she has for her.  Nakia is surprised by this revelation, but not dismayed.  She thinks that Zoe is wonderful and is very proud of how she has been able to shed the confines of who she feels she is supposed to be and become who she truly is.  Nakia doesn’t feel the same way toward Zoe, but she will never stop being her friend and will have her back no matter what.   A part of me was definitely hoping Nakia was going to reciprocate Zoe’s affection, but I suppose this is more realistic and it makes for such a moving and sweat vignette.   I have to imagine there are many readers out there who will find a great deal of encouragement and perhaps even guidance from this terrific scene.  

Meanwhile, Kamala is desperate to find help in defeating Doc.X.  She needs a technical expert, but doesn’t have many options.  Tony Stark is in a coma, Kamala doesn’t really know Riri Williams yet, nor does she fully realize the genius of Lunella Lafayette…  There s only one person she can turn to: Bruno.  Kamala tracks him down and telephones Bruno in his dorm room all the way at his new school in Wakanada.  

Bruno is icy toward Kamala, not yet ready to forgive her for all that had happened during the events of Civil War II, but he is willing to check out the data Kamala emails him regarding Doc.X.  Right off the bat, Bruno notices something quite odd in the code.  Every time it recycles itself it adds novel information.  It is absorbing new data and adding it to itself.  It is learning.  

Kamala realizes something.  Doc.X is not just learning, it’s learning from them, from the younger internet users it has been so obsessed with.  The near unlimited curiosity and equally unlimited pettiness of these users has shaped Doc.X, empowered it and made it what it is.  And Kamala feels sure that this is the key to defeating it.  How exactly Kamala plans to do this remains to be seen, for it is here that the issue ends with the promise of conclusion in the next installment.  

There is a quick scene at the beginning of the issue that explores Doc.X’s origins.  It started out as a complicated fishing program developed by an unscrupulous coder working for the ‘World of Warcraft’ analog that Kamala and her pals play.   The malware is designed to spread from player to player, adapting and altering its functional parameters in accordance to the behaviors of the players it infects.  The coder sees it all as some kind of social experiment, creating an artificial intelligence cultivated by the hoards of nasty, ultra-competitive, hugely insensitive ‘pooplords’ who pervade the internet.  

Doc.X's origin tale is kind of reminiscent of that of the slasher movie villain, Freddy Krueger, from the Nightmare on Elm Street series.  Freddy’s gruesome beginnings entailed a young and innocent nun who was accidentally locked inside of an asylum for the criminally insane.  The poor woman was assaulted by the various maniacs and murderers and later discovered she was pregnant, her son the progeny of countless madmen.  

Doc.X’s own inception is slightly the same, only instead of being sired by the criminally insane, Doc.X is the product of thousands of the worst internet trolls, flame-baiters, meh-throwers, snowflake smashers, and cyberbullies that the world wide web has to offer.  

Faceless anonymity is often a huge factor in what leads people to often be so nasty on the internet.  People say things from the safety of distance and obscurity that they would never say in a face-to-face encounter.  While this can sometimes be liberating, it is also easily abused and someone who is normally conscientious and sensitive can sometimes end up becoming total jerks online, not entirely aware of just how hurtful and damaging their actions can be.    

Doc.X is something of a manifestation of this careless and faceless animosity.  And it may be that the only way to fight such a thing is to be true to oneself and unafraid to be honest about your feelings.  The threat Doc.X poses to Zoe loses its power once she tells Nakia how she feels.  Both Zoe and Nakia may be mortified were Doc.X to forward all of Zoe’s love letters to the student body.  Yet what really matters is that the two will still be friends and whatever jeers may come from their classmates will soon wilt once Zoe stands firm, shows that she is proud of who she is and that Nakia has her back.  

Of course all this is much more easily said than done.  Someone Zoe’s age barely knows who they are much less how to be true to oneself.  What is important, however, is that Zoe did not suppress her feelings… she let them in and accepted them... even though they were confusing and embarrassing.  And this ultimately empowered her.   It’s a great model for how to stand up to bullying.  It’s never about gaining the acceptance of the bully, but rather an acceptance of oneself...  

At risk of sounding like a broken record: another fantastic issue.  The writing, illustration and coloring merge just wonderfully together with Wilson, Miyazawa and Herring each firing on all cylinders.  I had initially thought that this whole Ms. Marvel versus an internet troll story-arc was just going to be a lark, a breezy and fun tale to balance out the intensity of the previous, Civil War II story.  Yet it has proven to something entirely different.  Still fun, but also hugely poignant… possibly the most powerful of the Ms. Marvel tales to date.

Again, highly recommended; Five out of Five Lockjaws.