#she had been rescued by the third character and after she was brought back with the goop™️ ruby put a good word in for her and got shaded

[arolesbianism]

Finally got around to designing some of the oldest members of the og magic cat world story, yknow only took me like 5 years fhfksgkfg

[deliciouskeys]

1 for ZM please

About a month late because this was the hardest ask on that meme I think!

Fanfic/Authors ask meme : Write a scene from [ZM] in another character’s POV

Terror POV for the entire fic: Ever since my dad brought me to this house, I'm trying to figure out what the deal is between him and his friend. They speak in angry tones a lot, but my dad really works to take care of him. They also get in bed and rub on each other, in which case they're not usually angry. My dad's friend seems disabled or something, because my dad wraps him up in a very long shiny leash. Maybe his friend will fall apart if he's not held together by that?-- I haven't seen him without it. He can't even eat on his own, he never goes outside, and he's usually in a bad mood. Like even more than my dad usually is. I'm really not sure what's wrong with him, but I'm having a good time living out here in a house with a yard.

Juuuust kidding lol.

I rewrote the second half (after the time skip asterisks) of chapter 4 (Depression) in HL's POV. It's probably not that different-- I'd like to think I write in such a way that you can tell what both halves of a dialogue are thinking, even if the third person narration is closely aligned with only one. But someone at some point was asking me what HL's gambit really was in that scene. Well here you go, 3.9k words. Not all of it brand new, of course.

~~~

Homelander never expected to find himself in such impossible circumstances. When he first found himself blind and unable to move, all his other senses felt that much sharper, and he was keenly aware of everything around him. But the more time he's spent in this state, the more it feels like he's undergoing mental vertigo. He's left alone for… he's not even sure how long. Time is now measured by how hungry he's gotten, how often he's urinated on the floor beside himself. His days used to be so full, agendas with meetings, appearances, rescues, end to end, 8 am to 8 pm at minimum, weekends included. Other members of the Seven got tired of it, took daily breaks, took long vacations. Maeve couldn't stand being forced to account for her time, and she her schedule was much more sparse than his. Homelander never resented the full agendas. No, what he dreaded was free, unstructured time, dreaded holidays when everyone would stop caring about business. He always felt uncomfortable in his own skin if he had to spend any more time alone in his apartment than the time it took him to get a full night's rest. And for his physiology a full night's rest was, for better or worse, usually only a few hours. So he'd often go on flights while most of the city still slept– he told himself he was patrolling for crime, but really he just didn't want to feel like he had to stay still in any sort of confined space. And now… now that's all he can do– lying on the floor, maybe contorting himself into a sitting position if he's feeling really ambitious. With absolutely nothing to do, nothing to see, no ability to leave, he feels numb. He feels like he's losing his mind, and not in the flashy way– just slowly feeling his sense of self disintegrating. When he was a child he used to be able to converse with himself without looking at a reflection, but that was when he was younger, and not when he was forcibly blinded. Now he only listens to the voice in his head telling him that he was stupid to think he'd be able to free himself, telling him he was going to die without seeing anything again, telling him he may have already gone blind for all he knows.

It must have been at least fifteen days since he was put in this cage, but maybe it's been thirty. He got depressed and stopped trying to keep diligent track of William's comings and goings at some point. He needs to get back to thinking clearly, if he's ever going to escape out of here, but there's nothing left that he wants to think about. He doesn't want to try to think of ways to free himself, because he spent the better part of a week trying all sorts of maneuvers and never made any tangible progress. He doesn't want to think about anything to do with his past life, because every thought is tainted by remembering that higher-ups at Vought were ones who decided to betray him and sacrifice him. Because of what? That he dared to try to act on his own instincts instead of just obeying? That he was too dangerous if he so much as expressed mild disagreement with their tactics? 

So Homelander's thoughts turn to the most basic fixations. Thirst, hunger– those get satisfied periodically, although never in the way he really wants, and he still daydreams about warm milk, other warm, bland, sweet things that could soothe his nerves. His other need has started to gnaw on him day in and day out. At this point, if one of his hands somehow managed to free itself, he'd probably waste precious time jerking himself off before trying to free the rest of his body. He daydreams about being able to shove himself inside something warm and slippery, reminisces about his vigorous nights with Maeve when she still tolerated him, remembers that one precious time with Madelyn. But he can't think himself to completion, it only makes matters worse, and he whines quietly as his painfully hard erection dies down.

His other favorite daydream these days is about being reunited with Ryan. Like the first time he found him, but even more dramatic this time. In these fantasies Ryan would come running, leap into his arms, wrap his arms around his neck, and Homelander would take off into the sky with him, take him someplace safe, away from Vought, away from Butcher's band of misfits, away from the US government. When he thinks about Ryan too long, a lump starts forming in his throat and he starts crying at the unfairness of it all– of being deprived of his son almost as soon as he found out about his existence. He can't open his eyes, but the tears seep out anyway, drip out of the metal plate, dribble down his chin, and he can't even wipe them away.

It should be embarrassing that William returns during one of these bouts of feeling sorry for himself. Homelander can recognize his car from miles away, so he sits up, legs bent, forehead pressed into his knees in a last ditch effort to retain some dignity. But there's nowhere to hide. 

"You alright mate?" he asks, and Homelander genuinely wonders if he means him or his damned dog whose loud breathing is the only sign of anyone else in his vicinity. William must be able to see that Homelander's face is covered in snot and tears. And why should he care or try to hide any of it? Any sense of embarrassment Homelander may have had is long gone. Even in the days of the lab, he was never kept this helpless for this long, and never had so many basic functions tended to by someone else. If William wants to keep him here and clean up after him for the rest of his life, that was certainly his prerogative. 

"Oi, I said, you alright?"

"Oh, fucking fantastic," Homelander says, raising his head had off his knees.

"I'll get you some more water," William says.

Homelander leans back against the unforgiving bars of the cage. The metal William has used to trap him makes him feel weak as he touches it, but it's becoming almost an addictive feeling, the strange diffusion across his muscles that makes them weak, ordinary. Is this what being a normal human feels like? Has he become warped enough that he enjoys feeling like his body's fibers are turning into jelly?

He can hear William refill his bowl of water and set it down next to him. It's a wonder that Butcher hasn't laid out newspapers on the floor for him yet, or maybe some nice sawdust or whatever it is they put in rat cages.

"You want anything else?" William has the nerve to ask.

Why yes, being allowed to feel like a person again would be nice, Homelander thinks. "You can't treat me like a fucking... hamster. You leave me here all day with some water. Nothing to fucking listen to. I'm bored out of my mind. You have a TV in here, but you're just a heartless sadist who won't even turn on some Vought News."

"You know I ain't turning Vought News on," William tells him, as if it's something to be proud of. "Here, you can listen to this."

Homelander feels stupid for being curious for a moment before he hears what must be that painter from TV describing what colors he's about to use. "Motherfucker," he mutters when he hears that William's left the house. 

Today I'm using an 18 by 24 inch double prime pre-stretched canvas, but you use whatever size you'd like.

Is he supposed to feel calm from listening to this infuriatingly self-possessed voice droning on and on about painting techniques?

And I've just covered the entire canvas with a very thin coat of liquid white. The liquid white is just designed to make the canvas wet and to make it slick, it allows us to actually blend color right here on the canvas.

Homelander groans. The slightest allusion to anything that could be remotely sexual wakes his body up, as if it's not in on what dire situation he's in. His body doesn't care. It's begging for an orgasm. Homelander tips back on the floor, desperately trying move his thighs against his cock, but it's not effective. It doesn't help that the painter has moved on to describing the painting techniques and once again, but he's still desperate. Homelander struggles, praying that he can pry his arms apart– sure, the metal wrapping them his forearms together behind his back makes them as limp as noodles, but shouldn't his desperation to touch himself count for something? It doesn't, and Homelander's body finally gives up after getting no physical encouragement.

No, this can't go on like this. He's unable to think straight. Most powerful man on earth and he can't manage to touch himself? He has to get his mind off this infernal fixation.

William comes back in, and although Homelander hasn't spoken to him much in the last few days, he just has to try to extract some information out of him, reorient himself, get back to living in the real world rather than drifting around in his thoughts. If nothing else, he has to better acquaint himself with William, because he clearly underestimated his patience and his cruelty.

"Did they hold a funeral for me yet? I can't even keep track of the days like, this."

He listens to William's breathing change, but he doesn't know if it means he's about to be lied to. "They announced they'll have one. Finally deemed you MIA enough on a classified mission that they're going to have some pomp and circumstance. The whole nation is in mourning. I'm sure Starlight is going to record a new song in your honor."

"Fuck her," Homelander spits out. The fact that she saw him in this pathetic situation, and gets to go back to her dayjob– on his team– makes him that much angrier. "What're you gonna tell Ryan, hm?" he asks. "Or are you not showing him any TV, keeping him captive too. You seem to like that, William. You and Vought."

"Fuck you. I'll tell him the same bullshit the media is going to say. You died overseas on a mission."

And although this should make Homelander feel more hopeless– Vought announcing his funeral means they've really decided he's as good as dead and won't ever return– this gives him a sudden renewed sense of purpose to get out of this confinement and show them all what he's capable of. "You're a sadistic, lying bastard," he mutters, not even sure William's impaired hearing will notice, but he heard.

"And it took you this long to deduce that, mate?"

Homelander can hear that his jailer is grinning ear to ear, clearly pleased with himself. It's a tone he hates, the tone of William when he thinks he's won something. He's won nothing, as far as Homelander is concerned. If he's so proud of being sadistic, and Homelander isn't– not in any particular way–, why aren't their positions reversed if there was any justice in this world?

"You'd be just like me if you had powers," Homelander says. "I guarantee you."

"Whataboutism rubbish. You may well be right," William says. "But I don't have powers and you do, and here we are."

It's a dead end with someone this stubborn and myopic. But Homelander just wants to keep talking. If he can't see, at least talking to someone proves he's not alone– something the voice in his head starts telling him when the house is empty and he only hears William's dog milling about.

"Can I see my son?' he demands, seeing how this tone might work out for him. He has so little that he doesn't really have anything to lose.

"Really? You're going to ask me that? Mate, you're not going to see anything ever again, not if I can help it."

It's an odd sensation, but Homelander can actually feel his eyes rolling despite the metal plate pressed firmly against them. "Fine, can I hear my son?! Jesus Christ. I haven't had contact with him in a year."

Homelander doesn't expect William to agree of course, so his breath hitches when William answers him with a curt "Fine." followed by a child's voice saying "Hello?" 

Homelander's heart skips a beat– it's Ryan's voice, distorted by the phone, maybe sounding older, because God knows he hasn't heard him in a year and that alone make Homelander emotional, that he's missed even more of his childhood. He scrambles to answer, stuttering in his agitation  "Ryan? Ryan, it's your dad, your real dad, don't believe the—"

"Hello?" But of course it was too good to be true. Homelander's shoulders slump as he realizes that he was on mute. 

"You're a fucking monster," he says, sighing, sitting back against the wall and burying his face in his knees again. This is why he stopped talking to William in the first place. It's always frustrating exchanges like these. But this last part was a dirtier trick than usual. Homelander hates that he can feel tears pricking at his eyes yet again. He should be grateful he could hear Ryan was alive and well, but that's a low bar if there ever was one.

"He's doing good, he's in good hands," William assures him, and oh Homelander's hands curl into fists, wanting to punch him full-force. There's be nothing left, and he wouldn't have to hear this patronizing tone anymore.

But as much as he hates talking to William, this is also the most exciting part of his day, and he might as well get all his questions out now that he's deigned to speak to him again and break his short-lived vow of silence. "What are they saying about me online? Can you at least tell me that?" he asks. He's glad he can still pull off an angry, haughty tone despite feeling less and less sure he'll ever be able to get out of this embarrassing imprisonment.

"I don't rightly know, I don't have time to look through Twitterspheres and Reddit threads searching your name. I'm sure it's mostly positive."

Homelander can feel his mouth twist into something that would look ugly on camera but it's just William here, and he has no reasons to disguise his emotions here. "Yeah, and people are just going to forget I exist in another couple of weeks."

"They'll always have the movie franchises to remember you by."

Homelander sniffs in disgust. He never guessed he'd be trapped long enough to even have this conversation. When he was first captured this ragtag band of misfits tried so many different methods to off him, and he thought they were bound to make a mistake somewhere along the way. With William taking him on alone, it seemed even more probable. But William barely touches him nowadays except for what's absolutely necessary– including retightening the wires around his body with annoying regularity so there's little hope of escape.

"Why haven't you even tried to fucking kill me?!" he finally yells. 

"Like I told ya. I want to really hurt you. And you are really fucking hurting like this," Butcher says. "I get to live my life, come home and get to watch you suffer. Don't see any reason to change it."

Homelander would see red if he could see anything. In what universe was any of this fair? What crimes has he committed that deserve being so tortured with boredom and humiliation by turns. He's tired of being talked down to. He's tired of being lectured by someone who clearly has his own demons and issues. He wasn't going to say this, because he wasn't sure of how the conversation would pan out, but at this point Homelander's desperate to get any sort of riled up reaction from William. Anything that increases the chances of William doing something out of the ordinary would increase his chances of escape more than being despondent and doing nothing.

"May I make a personal remark?" he asks.

"Never seen you stop and ask before," William replies, sounding amused but curious.

"Well. People tend to take offense at this one." Homelander pauses one last time, wondering if he's right to play this card now, but at this point he's desperate to shift anything about this terrible setup. "Ever since you undressed me... well, even before that sometimes, but definitely after... you just... reek of wanting to fuck me."

William burst out laughing and for some reason that's one reaction Homelander didn't anticipate in response.

"No I mean it, literally reek. I know it when I smell it. Fucking disgusting, but explains a lot. Wish you'd get it over with already, if that's really what you want, and then let me fucking go on my way."

He pauses but William's still laughing, and it's a sound Homelander hasn't heard before. William isn't faking it. He's actually in rollicking spirits after hearing this, probably because he doesn't believe him. Homelander is at a loss.

"Hurts to hear, I'm sure," he adds but his voice is getting smaller. Is there really nothing he can say to perturb this man?

William finally comes up for air from his convulsive laughing. "Mate... oh my god… Thanks for that, I haven't had that good of a laugh in years."

Homelander can't believe it, all that bitter venom roiling and unable to come up with anything more hurtful. "It's not my fault you're attracted to the man you keep accusing of raping your wife. That's fucked up, I must say," Homelander blurts out, desperate to find something to pique this man, and realizes he's found the magic topic.

He hears William approaching but can't move away before he's grabbed by the neck. "Oi, you fucking self-aggrandizing cunt. You mention Becca again, I dare you, I fucking dare you."

And Homelander opts not to say more even though this is what he wanted– contact, violent contact, and William losing his calm and maybe making mistakes in his rage. But he's out of ideas, and he hates how good it feels to be touched when he's had so little contact. His throat bobs under William's grip, and WIlliam releases him, as if somehow guessing that Homelander's getting something pleasant out of it and immediately depriving him of it.

"And you can tell all that just from the way I smell, can you?" he asks, no longer laughing, but sounding unconvinced. Homelander knows what he senses. He shouldn't be surprised his captor's not aware of his own feelings and proclivities.

"I’ve smelled it plenty. You walk into a crowd of fans, there's always a bunch of mouthbreathers drooling over you. Women mostly, but some men too. But I must say William, I didn't see it coming from you."

"Well, it's rich coming from you," William says. "Getting all worked up every time I say you've behaved yourself, or threaten you with something real embarrassing."

Homelander bristles. "That has nothing to do with you," he mumbles. "Whataboutism," he adds vindictively.

"Maybe, but let me just demonstrate. I'll fucking upload a video of you on your knees in your cage, hovering over a bowl of milk, lapping it up like a little cat or whatever the fuck, ass up in the air."

Homelander can feel the color drain from his face, but unfortunately can also feel the instant reaction. He remembers when it happened. He was desperate for something to soothe his nerves. William served him the milk he asked for but made him get into an awkward humiliating position to drink it. Not like William didn't exude a whole cloud of lusting pheromones or whatever it is that Homelander senses. But apparently only he's the one being blamed for getting hard over strange things. 

"Least dignified thing I've ever seen in my life. I'll fucking do it. They can think that's your captivity footage from your overseas classified mission before you ended up 'dead.'"

There's nowhere to hide. Homelander hates it, but he knows his body responds. When he was growing up in the lab, the scolding over masturbation intertwined shame and arousal into a weird mixture in his mind until they were, if not always inseparable, still unfortunately concomitant.

"Yeah, you like being praised and humiliated, you fucking sick cunt." William sounds triumphant, even though none of this seems particularly relevant. Homelander's not attracted to him, at least. And as soon as that thought crosses Homelander's mind, another one follows closely on its heels, and he regrets it. It's so easy to imagine William sucking him off, and his body has been so desperate for release that the thought is suddenly very appealing.

"I'm not the one collecting footage on his phone," Homelander says, trying to sound angry to cover up how shaky he feels, and how obsessed he's immediately gotten with the idea of making William act on his stupid depraved wishes.

"Look at yourself. Your cock is right begging for it."

"Then touch it." Homelander blurts out without thinking, his cock already throbbing, his body so so hopeful that thinking about sex means it's going to happen. He's feeling so disoriented that he doesn't immediately comprehend that William really reached through the bars, really wrapped his calloused hand around his erection. It feels so blissfully wonderful when his hands starts to move that Homelander's moved to tears of gratitude. And yet just as the corners of his mouth turn up, lost in the pleasure of it all, the contact is gone.

"MOTHERFUCKER," Homelander pants. "You're a FUCKING sadist." He bucks his hips seeking contact with anything. He knows there's nothing around him that could really satisfy– he's tried countless times. "Please, William, please don't just..." Homelander can't even get the words out, before he feels the hand again, just one stingy touch this time, only making things worse.

"Fuck," Homelander practically sobs out. When he hears William recede from the cage, he realizes this is it, he's about to be abandoned again, and that he's only armed William with yet another form of torture against him. He moans and weeps, not caring about how pathetic it looks and sounds, not caring if William is filming him again, sick mind that he has. Homelander tries to rub his erection against the floor, jammed between the hard surface and his body, but it never cut it before, and apparently won't cut it now either.

Homelander is reeling with so much unfulfillment that he hardly notices that William leaves the room entirely. His ears finally perk up when he hears something coming from the room William sleeps in. He can't be sure but it sounds like masturbation.

I hope you're thinking of me while you're doing it, you stupid cruel savage, Homelander curses to himself. He's close to shouting it loud. He would, if he thought there was any chance William would come back and finish what he sadistically started.

Homelander has no cards left to play, no relevant secrets. He could try to bargain, information about Vought for … for what exactly? Handjobs? William wasn't going to let him go for anything, he knows that.

[raointean]

So, I started a new job hanging out with my friend (yeah, it's a sweet gig) and one of the activities we like to do together is drawing. She likes to draw characters from her show that she's watching (pretty little liars, I think) so I've been drawing things from my fanfictions and I thought I'd share some of them.

These are both from my Broken Souls series, "At Least I Can Do This" specifically.

This is Yrithiel, the oldest peredhel in the camp. She actually came there voluntarily, leaving her dear friend Erestor behind, after hearing that General Tathaen's camp was full of other peredhil. The elves in the camp she and Erestor were a part of were distainful, and she left looking for better treatment. That... did not work out well for her.

This is Maechui (from the same story) reuniting with his mother. Maechui was separated from her while they were traveling as refugees on their way to Lindon and captured by orcs. He was rescued from said orcs by Tathaen’s men, but instead of returning him to his mother, they took him back to camp and put him to work. His mother thought he had been killed by the orcs until Gil-Galad brought the peredhil slaves to Lindon and Maechui tracked her down.

(I also did one of Daniel in the third age, but it was Wrong. I have a very specific image of her in my head, and that was Not It)

This is actually a scene from my fic, "A Million Miles Apart, I Hold You Close." The story itself is actually based on "To Partake" by @runawaymun

In this story, on the eve of battle during the war of the last alliance, Eärendil/Gil-Estel swings low enough for Elrond to speak to telepathically. He climbs up the Ephel Duath a ways to make contact and they have a very emotionally charged conversation. I've tried to represent their fëa through color (and the silmarill has its own soul surrounded by the glow of a paint-sharpee) and I'm actually pretty proud of how it turned out!

[ecargmura]

Hirogaru Sky! Precure Episode 34 Review - Sudden Battamonda Focus

For an anime that has villains, the villains for this anime don’t really have much focus unless it’s for the routinely formula of summoning Ranborgs. This episode gives an unexpected character some focus: Battamonda. We never got to see what happened to him after Episode 23 and it turns out that he’s been living in Sorashido City and struggling to get by as he works at a construction site. He still swears to get revenge on the Precures, but he’s been reduced to a comical character. However, while Battamonda is a big focus, the main character of this episode is actually Mashiro.

Mashiro’s doing well for herself with the whole picture book author thing. She even goes to libraries and reads her stories to kindergarteners. While her Princess series is quite popular (she even made ten volumes!), during one of her story times at the library, a little boy gets distracted and leaves the building during the middle of it after calling her story boring. This gets Mashiro into a bit of a slump. She knows her stories are more suitable for little girls, she tries to make something that’s suitable for both genders, but cannot get an idea; she even gets a bit depressed about this whole picture book artist thing. Although Ageha tries to cheer her up by saying that some kids prefer moving around rather than sitting and listening, I do like how that comment doesn’t make everything better for Mashiro. This whole ordeal of Mashiro’s slump is actually something I really enjoy seeing. Because I am also a writer, there are instances where I get slumps. I’ve gotten so many writers’ block in the past; it’s reflected with how many times I’ve rewritten my story, Lavender Eyes (you can read it on Tapas, Royal Road, Webnovel and Wattpad). Even for my other story, Boundaries, I’ve gotten writer’s block with it too, especially when I was wanting to make a full-length story for it and couldn’t figure out how. It’s all about finding the motivation to continue. For Mashiro, Battamonda’s unexpected comments help motivate her to realize that all of her stories cannot be loved by others, therefore she’s still going to write what she wants because she enjoys doing it—she even makes it her goal to become a picture book artist for real.

While Battamonda was very impactful in his debut, he did start to get a bit one note throughout his stint and only his evil personality showed off again during episodes 22 and 23. Afterwards, he was MIA for the third act of the story until now. I do wonder why Battamonda didn’t get as much of a focus as a character like how Kabaton did; speaking of which, Kabaton shows up in this episode as Battamonda’s next-door neighbor, but they both aren’t aware of that fact. During the first arc, Kabaton was full of personality. While he was a villain and did dastardly things, he was gross, loved to eat and even had a friend with the oden cart man; he even took his loss against Cure Sky with grace after she rescued him from getting killed by Empress Underg.

In regards to Battamonda, I can’t believe it took until Episode 34 to finally get some depths into him as a character. He’s childish and petty as he was shown in the second arc, but he’s also too scared to return back to the Underg Empire because of the harsh punishment. That’s why he stayed in Sorashido City as a wage slave. What makes Battamonda shine a lot is the fact that his negative behavior was due to him not having anyone support him. Hopefully, Battamonda will start redeeming himself now that Mashiro has given words of kind gratitude towards him. Overall, I did enjoy seeing him again as he made the most hilarious and craziest faces that brought a smile to my face.

Speaking of villains, Minoton is even more one-note than Battamonda as he gets cast aside and Skearhead becomes the new villain for Part 3 (or are we in Part 4 now?). Skearhead is now the one making Ranborgs, but since he’s a much stronger foe, his Ranborgs aren’t even Ranborgs; they’re Kyoborgs! Where will this arc head off now that Skearhead has taken the reigns?

Overall, I am still a bit confused why Battamonda gets this depth all of a sudden. Is it because he’s popular with the fanbase? Will the villains help out with the final battle? Is Minoton living in the rundown apartment like the other two subordinates? Before I end this review, I have to admit something shameful: human Battamonda is hot. Okay, what are your thoughts about this episode?

[random-movie-ideas]

Superman: Doomsday (Movie Outline)

I opted not to do the character arc breakdowns here and just did them on my own time. This would be the third in a Superman trilogy, following Son of Krypton and God Among Men, and would be couched within a cinematic universe, following a Justice League featuring Zod and his follower, a couple of Supergirl spinoffs, a showdown with Darkseid, and a Crisis on Infinite Earths event that wiped out the universe of a separate Superman trilogy, leaving only the young Clark of that universe behind. This would be one of those first movies following the event.

Millenia before, alien scientists released a small gray creature into a controlled jungle environment. After only a few moments of being alive, it is quickly killed by a predators. Several hours later, the small creature's body reanimates and heals of its wounds, now altered slightly so that the predator's standard attacks would no longer affect it. The scientists cheer, their experiment a success to create a special organ that would allow a creature to heal from any wound and become immune to suffering such a wound again. They have big dreams for this organ.

The creature endures test after test, being slaughtered in increasingly cruel ways over and over and over again, driving it to a state of desperate anger and constant fear, raging at its creators for doing this to them. With every single death, it grows stronger and stronger, until finally, it is powerful enough to break free of its enclosure, slaughtering its creators and getting its first taste of blood.

For a dark period of the galaxy's history after the creature's escape, the monster rampaged across the galaxy, slaughtering everything in its path, only able to be stopped for short periods at a time before it came back even stronger. This creature became such a threat to the galaxy, that some of the most influential groups came together to find a solution, including Darkseid, the Kryptonians, and Brainiac's people. The Kryptonians use their technology to create a small, inescapable pocket universe that the creature wouldn't be killed by, but wouldn't escape from. The Kryptonians face it, and trick it into being trapped inside, sealing it off and leaving it there forever.

In the present day, Clark is living on Earth, in a new era of peace brought about after the fall of Darkseid and the end of the Crisis on Infinite Earths. He protects the world from all harm, frequently visiting his cousin Kara, her alternate universe self Power Girl, and his own alternate universe self, now going by Jordan, in New Kandor, a Kryptonian city in Northern Scotland (Established in Supergirl I), covered by a barrier that filters out yellow sunlight so that the inhabitants can live normal lives if they wish. He also has a brief scene where he rescues a construction worker named John Henry Irons from a fall.

Clark is surprised one day when his wife Lois reveals to him that she is pregnant. Concerned about the complications of a human-Kryptonian baby, he takes her to his uncle Zor-El in New Kandor. Zor-El pulls him aside at one point with grave news from the Green Lantern Corps.

Zor-El tells Clark the history of the creature from the beginning, a creature known only as Doomsday, as that is all that the future holds for any planet it lands on. While it had been sealed in the Phantom Zone for millenia, the events of Crisis on Infinite Earths had ended up destroying the barriers between it and their dimension, releasing Doomsday back into the universe. Green Lantern scouts had picked up on numerous sightings of the creature, and it appeared to be on a collision course with Earth.

All of Earth's defenses are put on alert, including the Justice League, ARGUS, and so on. Clark, Kara, Jordan, and Power Girl all head to Watchtower, where they are joined by the most powerful Justice League members gathered so far (I'd need to flesh out the Cinematic Universe a bit more to know exactly who, but what matters is a good mix of them). Emil Hamilton and Zor-El are both recruited to help consult, and the Green Lantern Corps sends a squad.

Clark, reading all of these stories of Doomsday and worrying about his ability to stop this creature, takes Lois and his parents to New Kandor, asking them to stay there until it's over. Lois is adamant about helping, until she sees the genuine fear on her husband's face. Clark also brings some of his closest friends, like Jimmy and Perry, who he comes out to as Superman, though both reveal they had already put that together.

As Clark continues his preparations, Lex Luthor and Metallo approach him, Lex in his battlesuit, offering to help. Given their history, Clark turns Lex down, telling him he'd be of more use using his money and resources to get civilians out of Doomsday's path. Lex says he's already doing that, but Superman will still need help. Clark retorts that he'll never need his.

Eventually, Doomsday finally arrives on the planet. Our heroes launch into battle, taking him on, but Clark is quickly taken by surprise by the sheer raw power of Doomsday, a power level he hadn't seen since Darkseid. The battle rages for a while, and it is all the heroes can do to keep the monster at bay. At some point, Doomsday manages to get its hands on a civilian and rips them apart like they were nothing. This death sends Clark into a rage and he puts his all into fighting Doomsday, stumbling into killing Doomsday in a way it hadn't quite been killed yet in its centuries of life.

The creature dead, ARGUS binds the creature with the strongest bonds available to them and locks its body in its most secure facility, as the heroes rest and prepare for it to resurrect again. As Clark is resting, he encounters John Henry Irons again, having volunteered to help with cleanup, and they bond a bit as John talks about his daughter Natasha and Clark mentions his own imminent fatherhood.

For just a moment, Clark returns to New Kandor, and asks Zor-El about that thing his uncle had mentioned to him years ago, how his father Jor-El had saved a piece of himself as an AI, something Clark had avoided using, partly out of loyalty to his father Jonathan, partly out of fear of the kind of man he would find. He tells his uncle he's ready to meet his father.

Encouraged by his wife and parents, Clark takes the AI up into the arctic and activates it, the AI creating a fortress around him so that they can talk. Clark gets to meet Jor-El, and they talk. They talk about Jor-El's decision to send his son away, what Clark's mother had been like, Clark's life now and the people who raised him, and his relationship with Lois and their expected child. Jor-El is especially surprised to learn that both Kara and his brother had survived Krypton's destruction. The pair hug and Clark gets that closure.

Back at the facility, Doomsday comes to life. The security measures hold for a little while, but soon the monster breaks out, killing several ARGUS members, Amanda Waller just making it out with her life. The Justice League are called in, and Clark answers the call first. He arrives on the battlefield, fighting the monster with everything he has. He ends up taking a big hit, and is about to be killed by the monster, when Lex and Metallo fly in, saving the hero.

Accepting their help, Clark, Lex, and Metallo work together, fighting the monster for a while before the others arrive. Both Clark and Lex take injuries that force them down for a while, and Metallo throws himself at the creature to keep it off of them. Despite holding his own for a while, he is ultimately no match, the beast ripping him apart and crushing his metallic skull, killing him.

Left behind as the creature carries on its rampage toward a nearby series, Lex ejects himself from his battlesuit and helps Clark up. Both mourn Metallo for a moment before regrouping and talking about what they can do. Clark asks why Lex is helping him, and Lex initially gives him a sarcastic response about this being his planet too, before talking about the history of Doomsday that he read and mentioning that it reminded him of his own mistakes with Bizarro.

The two put their heads together. Clark wonders if Brainiac might have known a way to defeat Doomsday for good, given his knowledge of the universe and his contingencies for various threats. He takes Lex and they fly up to Watchtower, asking the Green Lantern squad leader there for access to Brainiac's capsule. Being unwilling to set him free, they transfer his consciousness to the main computer to talk to him.

Brainiac tells them that the source of Doomsday's resurrections and adaptation was a special organ genetically engineered by its creators in hopes of curing death forever. He mentions that in his research, her had found that the organ's functions would likely be disrupted by a dangerously high concentration of kryptonite stabbed directly into it. If one managed to do so, Doomsday would then remain dead permanently upon its next death. Brainiac gives a serial number for one of the capsules in his collection, which the Green Lantern leader then sends to headquarters.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, the remaining Justice League have been fighting non-stop to hold Doomsday back. They work out that it seems to be heading in a specific direction, heading for New Kandor. The creature speaks, surprising the heroes, muttering that Kryptonians must be destroyed for what they had done to it by sealing it away. It reaches the city, and Kara, Power Girl, and Jordan stand in its way, refusing to let it through. An intense battle takes place, with even Lois Lane finding a way to help out.

Just as all seems lost, and Kara is about to be killed, Clark and Lex arrive, Lex carrying a spear wrapped in heavy lead, as the concentrated kryptonite would be lethal to Clark if he touched it. An intense battle ensues, with Lex trying and failing multiple times to stab Doomsday in the right spot with the spear while Clark distracts it. Finally, Lex takes a heavy hit and the spear goes flying. John Henry Irons, having been evacuated to the city with his daughter, puts together what needs to happen and runs out to distract Doomsday, giving Clark the chance to grab the spear and plunge it into the right spot.

Doomsday stumbles in shock, feeling something has changed inside its body. It turns and impales the severely weakened Clark on its claws, just before Lex rises in his battlesuit again and hits it with a blast that kills it. The monster falls, briefly looking at Lex and asking why it was born before it dies. Lex looks down with a guilty look on his face.

Clark is quickly surrounded by everyone who cares about him: Lois, his parents, Supergirl, Power Girl, Young Superman, Jimmy, Perry, Zor-El, Emil Hamilton, whatever Leaguers are there, with Lex and John Irons on the perimeter. Clark manages to hang on just long enough to thank Lex and to tell Lois he's sorry before he dies. We then get multiple scenes of the world in morning, with big memorials and funerals everywhere, his closest friends holding only a small burial for him on the Kent farm. Lois mentions to Clark's parents that Clark had wanted to name the baby Jonathan.

In two post-credits scenes, we see John Henry Irons in his garage, piecing together what looks like a metallic suit, looking at a clipping of Superman and taking inspiration from it. In the second, we see Lex approach Emil Hamilton. Hamilton initially tells Lex to get lost, before Lex tells him the world needs Superman. He mentions the possibility of restarting the Bizarro project, this time offering his own DNA to help stabilize a clone.

I kind of thought going into this, that the Doomsday storyline wouldn't have nearly as much meat for me to work with going into it as the previous two, but I found I especially enjoyed the dynamic this story could build between Lex and Clark, giving Lex almost a redemption arc of sorts. Some details are still a little shaky, given the larger universe it would be a part of, but I liked the opportunity for little callbacks and cameos from past foes like Brainiac and Darkseid, as well as the lead-ins for Jonathan Kent, Conner Kent, and Steel to come later.

What do you think? Next up, I'm going to flesh out the Supergirl installments that would have fallen in between the episodes of this trilogy.

[pof203]

A Summoner Birthday

Previous post: https://pof203.tumblr.com/post/723142188705464320/a-summoner-birthday

Battle ahead.

Enemies:

Fire Mermaid

Water Mermaid

Wood Mermaid

Aether Mermaid

Nether Mermaid

Fire Merman

Water Merman

Wood Merman

Aether Merman

Nether Merman

Preselected Characters:

Lupin

Wakan Tanka

Maria

Xototl

Hogen

Selected Support Character:

Mind Scan Shuichi

Story (Chapter 7 Part 2)

After a vigorous battle, you mange to beat the pirates back to their ship and they sail away.

Ha! That should teach you not to mess with us!

We're not out of the woods yet. We still have to get out of this storm.

Right! Everyone, hold on!

You run to the wheel of the ship and try to stir it out of the storm. But it's just too powerful for even you to handle. Then, without warning the force of the wheel force you to let go as a huge wave covers the ship... and washes you away.

He's gone overboard!

MY LUPIN!!!

Hogen: Hold on! ... Something else is coming!

You feel the power of the water pulling you down to the bottom. You can feel the air in your lungs cringing in pain at they start to empty and fill with water. You feel a terrible pain in your chest as many thoughts come to your mind all at once. Then, you start to close your eyes, ready to accept what fate now lies ahead of you... But before you do, you see something swimming towards you... Or someone.

For some reason, you cannot make out their face, but you can tell it's a man... A familiar one at that. He then takes you in his arms. Then, he takes out what you can tell is a bottle of a strange liquid. He opens it and tries to get you to drink it. But you are too weak to do so. Then, he takes a swig of it, puts his face up to yours (thought you still can't make it out), and then... he presses his lips on yours. You feel a strange something going into your mouth. You quickly guess that this stranger is feeding you the liquid with his mouth. Using whatever strength you have, you manage to swallow it. When you do, the stranger releases you and swims away. Suddenly, you feel the pain in your chest leave you and the water in your lungs don't feel like water anymore... It now feels like air. Then, you start to black out as you see something else above you breaking through the surface of the sea and swimming towards you. But you can no longer keep your eyes open as everything went blank.

You don't know how long you've been unconscious, but in time, you finally begin to move again as you slowly wake up.

Ugh... Ugh... Where... Where am I? Is this under... Is this underwater?

My Lupin! You're awake!

Lupin: Wakan!

The two of you embrace each other as Maria, Xolotl (turns out this is how you actually spell his name), and Hogen swim in.

Hey, welcome back! We thought for a second, you were gonna leave us.

Don't say that. We were all very worried.

Wait, can you die here in this world? What happens if you die here? Now I'm worried. I don't wanna die here!

Boogeyman's Voice: Relax, you'll be fine.

Kurogane's Voice: He's right. When you die in a virtual world, you don't really die in the real one. More like, you're just put on hold, like they do on phones. You have nothing to worry about.

Xolotl: (relieved) Phew! Gracias for the heart attack. Anyway, I think I know what story we're in.

Lupin: What's is the story?

Xolotl: Once, there was a little mermaid you dreamed about going on land to see what the humans there were like. Then, one night, she finds a ship where a human prince was celebrating his birthday. But suddenly, a storm hits and prince fell overboard. Fortunately, the mermaid rescues him. When she brought him to shore, she got a good like at the prince and she fell in love with him. But sadly, they could not be together as she was a mermaid and could not live on the land while he was a human and could not live under the sea. Desperate, the mermaid goes to see a sea witch who told her that she can make her human for three days. But there was a catch, before the sun sets on the third day, she had to get the prince to fall in love with her and give her true love's kiss. If she succeeds, she would remain human permanently. But if she fails, she will die of a broken heart. And when a merperson dies, they turn into sea foam. But the mermaid was ready to take any risk to be with her prince. So the sea witch agrees to turn the mermaid into a human woman, but to do that, she had to pay her with the one thing she valued just as much as she does the prince... Her voice. The mermaid agreed and the sea witch takes her voice and turns her into a human. One land, she meets the prince and they spend those wonderful three days together. However, on the third day, the prince decides to marry a princess that he believed was the one who saved him that day. Heartbroken, the mermaid goes to the sea where she meets her sisters. They told her that in order to be saved from turning into sea foam and let her return to the sea, she had to kill the prince. So, with a knife given to her by her sisters, the mermaid was ready to kill her prince. But she stopped herself because she could not bear to see him dead. So instead, she threw the knife into the sea and jumped in. And just like that, her heart completely breaks and she dies and turns into sea foam. However, her soul goes up to Heaven where she becomes an angel.

Hogen: (confused) Is that it? She dies?

Maria: But at least she went to Heaven. She even becomes an angel.

Xolotl: Well, in modern version, she does succeed in getting her prince and becomes a human. But I don't know if this is that version. But I can tell you once thing, in this version, there's no little mermaid... But there is a big merman.

Lupin: Really?

Maria: Yes. Actually... that merman is how we're able to be down here.

Lupin: (surprised) So, that strange swimmer from earlier when I fell in...

Maria: Yes, that was him. After you fell in, Wakan Tanka was about to jump in after you. But then, he showed up a gave us a potion that allows us to breath underwater.

Wakan Tanka: (unimpressed) And I have to say, I'm not too happy with how he gave you the potion, but I guess there was no other way. You were practically at death's door.

Lupin: I know... But something about him seemed... familiar.

Xolotl: Familiar how?

Lupin: ... I just can't put my finger on it. Did any of you see his face?

Maria: No. He swam off before we could talk to him. He had the merpeople bring us to this place. But I can tell you one thing. As they were taking us here, I overheard one of them saying that the merman found something on the surface. Something block with buttons a a handle on it... I think he found one of the breakers.

Lupin: Then that's where we must go.

Wakan Tanka: (a bit worried) Are you sure you're up for it? You just woke up.

Lupin: (trying to get up and succeeds) I think I'm well rested enough. And as I recall telling you, I'm a pretty decent swimmer.

Wakan Tanka: (laughing) Better than me, anyway. I still have trouble swimming.

Maria: You don't have to worry about that. The merpeople told us that the potion also makes us really good swimmers. We should be able to go to the breaker.

Hogen: Then let's get to it... I think my wingers are getting soggy.

Xolotl: And my nose is getting irritated since it was already cold.

And so, you swim off to find the breaker.

Outside the palace, you are about to swim up to the surface when you are stopped by several merpeople.

Fire Mermaid: Stop! Don't go any futher.

Xolotl: Why not?

Fire Merman: By the laws of our kingdom, no one can come up to the surface.

Hogen: (confused) Isn't your prince up on the surface?

Water Mermaid: That is besides the point. Our prince is powerful and strong. Though, he cannot stay up on the surface for too long.

Maria: But we are from the surface. Surely you cannot deny us that.

Water Merman: Rules are rules.

Lupin: I don't think they're going to let us by.

Wakan Tanka: I guess that means we have to fight our way then.

Lupin: Pretty much.

The battle begins.

To be continued...

NOTE: I will continued to use Xototl in the tags because that's what I've been using so many times. Sorry.

[wesavegotham]

The thing with Batman vs Robin is, I actually like stories in which Bruce frantically tries to rescue Damian (as long as Damian is still written as somewhat competent).

Bruce searching the whole city for Damian when he thought Damian left him to join Nobody? Again when the Arkham Knight had captured him? Or Bruce Chasing Ra's half around the globe when he stole Damian's remains? Fighting the forces of Apokalips to revive him after they took the body? I loved that! I'm here for a complex, overdramatic father-son-relationship that sometimes involves Bruce having to rescue Damian from a villain, I am!

But so far Batman vs Robin just isn't doing it for me.

The first issue was kinda mean-spirited towards Damian and Bruce came off as more annoyed and agressive than concerned. Instead the role of being concerned and protective over Damian was reserved for Alfred. But with Bruce being the one who is supposed to do the rescuing it would have been far more important to set up Bruce's emotional investment in this. Batman is a hero who is often written as wanting to save everyone so badly he will even rescue his greatest enemies, so if you want to make Bruce rescuing Damian seem special you have to do more.

The second issue did a better job creating a sense of urgency and showing Bruce's concern for his son, but ultimately the flashbacks to Damian's time on Lazarus Island aren't there to give Bruce a deeper understanding of his son, they exist to get Bruce and the readers who didn't read Robin (2021) up to speed on who Mother Soul is and how Nezha was freed.

Close to the end of the issue Nezha even openly admits that he thinks of Damian as the perfect tool for revenge against his jailer Batman (even though it should be Clark) simply because he is related to him. It's not about Damian's qualities. Bruce also acknowledges that it's about more than Damian and him. In fact I would say it's not about Damian and Bruce at all. It's about Bruce and Nezha. Nezha doesn't care if Bruce and Damian have beef or not. We see all the other robins fight Bruce in the third issue like Damian did in the first one and most of them are on good terms with Bruce right now.

The role Damian serves for the narrative is not as the second protagonist next to Bruce whose relationship the story revolves around, but as the one tying everything together through his prior history.

Damian killed the Lazarus Demon so Mother Soul (his great-grandmother) manipulates events to make Damian open the tomb to the new demon she wants to ally with. Nezha possesses Damian because he wants revenge against Batman. Batman would want to defeat Nezha one way or another, but Nezha having his son creates a personal stake and this way Nezha can keep Batman busy while he collects magical artefacts and magic users to absorb into the Helm of Fate. Both Waid bringing back Damian's desire to replace Batman is brought back from ages ago and writing Mother Soul giving Damian the Batman 666 suit is probably purely because Waid somehow wanted to tie the other Robins into this, so he made Damian into a Batman to command his predecessors against Bruce. It's about Damian's connections to other characters, but very little about him.

The only thing Damian as a character gets out of this so far is some praise for his competence in fighting his father. Even though he didn't manage to kill Bruce he managed to cut him off his resources in their first fight and Bruce came out of his fight with the robins with several injuries and an empty utility belt. But of course this isn't going to end with Damian defeating Batman (which would end up being held against him anyway in this context), so its not really enough to make me as a Damian fan think this is all worth it. The goal of the story isn't to show that Damian is a better Batman than Bruce. It's about Bruce showing how great he is even under dire circumstances.

[storytellingdreamer]

Star Wars Feels: Rogue One edition

My partner and I decided last year that after Andor finished, we’d watch Rogue One and then the Original Trilogy movies. The holiday period meant we had to hold that thought, but we started it tonight. For the next four weeks, we’ll be watching them on Saturday evenings. 

Tonight was Rogue One. I watched this for the first time a few years ago and it still holds up so well. I love it to pieces, which is a highly unusual thing for me to say about a movie where all the main characters die by the end of it! 

SO MANY feels.

This is my second watch. It means I can pay more attention to the different layers instead of getting swamped by them.

Cassian and Jyn, from Jedha onwards, lean into each other - they pick up each other's lines and support each other's actions. It's why Cassian's (almost) betrayal on Eadu hurts so much for both of them. I love them both so much. The way they start apart, with walls up, then slowly (and then very quickly) the walls crumble, until suddenly: “I’m not used to people sticking around...” and “Welcome home.” Before of course, the finish: “Your father would be proud.”

And the family these two build around them along the way. 

Bodhi. Bodhi, Bodhi, Bodhi. The way he grows in confidence across the film but especially from Yavin IV onwards (it started at Eadu but Cassian's betrayal meant there was a setback, effectively). I love him.

Baze and Chirrut are another gorgeous pair, and I love how well matched they are. The cynic and the dreamer. The protector and the believer. Totally bad arse. A love story, whether you read them as romantic or besties, brothers or QPPs. 

I love all of them.

Also, the roles of Guerra and Mothma and Bail Organa and the politics and all of that - it’s so good. My partner wants a Saw Guerra TV series now. I agree. He’s such a complicated, tragic character. 

My favourite Mothma moment is the little smile she gives when told the Rogue One team are on Scarif. And my favourite Bail moment is of course the one where he talks of going back to Alderaan (noooooooooo) and he’ll send a messenger to his old friend - “I’d trust her with my life.”

Moving on. 

I love the score. I adore it. The music is just -!!

The real genius of Rogue One is that (whether by accident or on purpose) it hasn’t forgotten its roots. This Tumblr post explains what I mean by that. This affects the pacing, the way scenes are cut together, the different POVs of each battle, and more. It works so well. 

Quoting that Tumblr post: 

There’s a moment some time during the third act when every viewer realizes, “Oh wow, this is actually how things are going down. I suddenly know how this movie is going to end, and yet I can’t believe they’re really doing this.  Are they really going to let a Star Wars movie end like this?”

You know, basically from when they shut the gate, that it's now a suicide mission; the plan changes from "retrieve plans" to "send plans", and their chances of survival are not good. 

(There have been powerful moments in the battle before this, of course - for example, the feeling of visible joy on Blue Leader and the Rogue One ground team's faces when BL comes to the rescue of some is just -!!)

But this sense of inevitability persists throughout the rest of the film with a growing dread, disbelief, and awe. 

There's the struggle to send the plans, with the main character sacrifices falling, and the moment of terrible triumph where Admiral Raddus's plan sends the shield gate open - but almost immediately, it's swamped by the overwhelming sense of the oncoming storm - the music turning dark, and ominous, and sombre. 

And the last 2-5 minutes of the film still punch me right in the gut.

Those last five minutes are a real case study in "on and on until every chance is spent" - the race against time, the awesome (terrible) power of the Death Star, followed by the terror of Vader. 

And then.  AND THEN. 

"Your highness... what's this they've brought us?"

"Hope." 

It destroys me. 

That’s the theme of Star Wars, you see: that there is hope, and light, even in the most unlikely places. If we choose to act on it. 

I can’t wait for next Saturday and A New Hope. 

Luckily this is also coming at a time when I’m getting my mojo back about the Seize the Light fic - I’m hoping that watching the films continue to help with that. 

[nerves-nebula]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO OMG OKAY QUESTIONS (no pressure to answer or go too in depth !)

What inspired you to make the characters? like where they an instance "YES I HAVE A CHARACTER IDEA" or was it more of a development over time?

Will Etik and Groe get along?

Will Etik ever have to pick a side between Maureno and Groe? (oo possibility of angst but also Etik.. Etik deserves to not be put in that position)

I LOVE how you do your character designs, like all of them feel unique but not overly complicated/hard for eyes to make out (if that makes sense? it's a compliment my eyes are wonky alerkgm). do you have any tips for character designs?

Thanks!!! I can't wait to learn more about Etik as you share more about Etik's story with Maureno (and Groe!)

OK SOOOO you've given me the chance to ramble AND SO I SHALL.

FIRST QUESTION: buck up cuz this is a long one.

Etik, Maureno, and Groe are all pre-existing characters. Sort of. They originally come from a story where Groe is the main character and is dealing with a lot of PTSD and has to teach a class of teens/young adults how to Use Magic! Etik is one of his students, and Maureno (called Maurice in this story) lives in the palace Groe is teaching at on a boat they can never leave (for backstory reasons)

(scenes of Maurice and Groe on the boat can be seen here)

so they didn't really spring up wholesale, but the next story put them in they were just background characters. Still, this version of them was wayy different. this was also the version where I changed Maurice to Maureno, sicne the characters were very different and i wanted a more funky name of this Evil Version. Etik isnt an important part of this story.

(I've posted that second version here)

WHICH LEADS US TO the maureno and groe that YOU, the ASKER know.

this version of them is relatively new compared to the other two, i just came up with it earlier this year. YOU SEE, I developed a bit of an infatuation with Sun Wukong and a dozen or so iterations of his character. I also later on fed my affection for honey badgers, and SO! I wanted to write a character that was inspired by Sun Wukong but like, for honey badgers. (sort of, there's plenty of differences but yea)

I also wanted to include Groe because I LOVE to torture him, and because I'd had this idea of him being killed/brought back which fit in well with my sun wukong fascination. Plus Groe's personality was perfect for it cuz he's already really bitter and petty and a bit of an asshole. I ended up including Etik and making her play a more main role because she's been underdeveloped for a while so I figured Why Not give her some attention?

SO IN SHORT: It was a combination of "YES I HAVE AN IDEA" and then mapping that idea on to pre-existing characters.

SECOND QUESTION: Etik and Groe already get along! Etik thinks he's cool and mysterious and admires his craft/work (his plants & his potions). Groe likes Etik too, it just hates that she stays with Maureno because it doesnt trust Maureno to look after a kid. and also because of its own child-related trauma.

THIRD QUESTION: Sort of! Etik is kind of caught between them already, but in more of a "Divorced parents trying to one up each other" sort of way not a "You have to choose one of us!" way. She'd probably choose Maureno anyway because she lives with her, and because she made a pact with Maureno to rescue her siblings. But she wouldn't be happy with or accept the idea of cutting off contact with Groe.

FOURTH QUESTION: Uhhh once again I'm kind of at that stage as an artist where I've internalized a lot of shit but cant exactly explain it. I basically just try to follow the rules of like, Shape Language and designing recognizable silhouettes (Groe is tall and thin and mostly pointy so that he looks like of like a wilting flower, Maureno is short and round but with a few edges that show that she's not just a big softie and is a potential threat, Etik just has a pretty average build cuz she's a pretty average girl. probably the least recognizable silhouette except for her little AAC snake)

my only other advice is to make more of your characters fat and transgender and disabled and non-white. fsdfmkdsfmsdf those arent really tips though, that's just what i like to draw hah.

[somacruising]

TALES OF THE RAYS: MIRRAGE PRISON

CHAPTER 5: THE DARK WOLF THAT SMOLDERS (PART 2)

(Part 1) | (Part 3+4)

Hello, and welcome back to the next part of this chapter! This one discusses exactly what the Empire is doing that’s so heinous and introduces us to one of my favorite characters from this game: Mercuria (she doesn’t appear in this part, but she’s mentioned)

Let us begin.

...

Part 2 (Milenna’s Base)

Jade: Well, let's resume our meeting.

Karia: Yes, sir... It's a continuation of the story. This is exposition is too difficult for me. It would be nice to be able to poof away or skip.

Kyle: Poof away? Skip?

Klarth: It gets even more serious from here. —Chester, I know this is hard for you, but tell us what you know.

Chester: Oh...You're talking about the Living Doll Project.

Chester: …It was Princess Mercuria, the only survivor of the Bifrost royal family, who initiated the project in the first place.

Mileena: ……….

Leon: Bifrost perished after losing to Selund in the Mirrage War, right?

Mileena: Yes... According to Gefion's memory, the Kaleidoscope helped the Selund win the war and Bifrost was conquered.

Chester: From what I've heard, Mercuria was brought to Selund as a hostage at the end of the war.

Chester: Demetrius was raising her. He became her surrogate parent.

Mileena: …Demetrius did that?

Chester: That’s what Mercuria said. The Salvation Army met Mercuria through Phantom.

Chester: At first they didn't know she was a Bifrost survivor, so they assumed she was the daughter of an anti-Gefionist nobleman.

Chester: Before we knew it, she had taken up with the Salvation Army.

Chester: The reason I was able to infiltrate the castle during the Mirrorshift was because of help from the Mercuria Faction.

Chester: At that stage, Mercuria looked like she was trying to cut off Phantom and join forces with Phillip.

Raine: Let me get this straight. Mercuria approached the Salvation Army as an associate of Phantom.

Raine: Then, for whatever reason, she decided to cut off Phantom, took control of the Salvation Army, and became involved in the 'Phantom Sealing Project.’

Chester: Yeah. After that, Mercuria and her guardian, Demetrius, started talking about bringing back the Empire and reviving the Bifrost.

Chester: They wanted to take members of the Salvation Army to use as Mercuria’s personal force.

Chester: That's when Philip and Mark fell out with the Empire. I guess after they left the empire, they started hanging out with Zelos and the others.

Chester: Alvin probably knows more about that than I do, but it sounds like he's talking to Senel right now.

Jude: Is it because of the Living Doll Project that Phillip and the others fell out with the Empire?

Chester: I don't know... Maybe so, or maybe for some other reason.

Chester: Either way, what we do know is that the Living Doll is a way for the—

Chester: All we know is that the Living Doll is a terrible thing, putting the soul of one person into the body of another. I have no idea why anyone would want to do such a thing...

Raine: …Thank you, Chester. That must have been difficult. I don't need to hear it anymore. Just be there for Ami.

Chester: …Yeah. I'm sorry I couldn’t be more help.

Jade: Ami is sedated and sleeping. She's stable now, but we haven't found a way to fix her yet.

Julius: To sum it up, we have three major problems.

Julius: One is rescuing of Ix, who is having an Overray Outburst. This is compounded by the problem of the Sandstorm of Death.

Julius: The second is the Living Doll Project. We need to find out why Princess Mercuria is doing this.

Julius: Of course, we'll have to find a cure for Ami as well.

Julius: Third, the Asgard Empire itself. They’re after Mileena and Ludgar, and they’ve captured Luka, Illia, and many others.

Julius: There is no doubt that they are trying to exploit the otherworldly anima of the nexuses.

Jade: So we, too, will try to solve the problem by dispersing our forces. —Guy, explain.

Guy: Did you ask me to come up here with you just so you could say that...? I guess it can't be helped...

Guy: First of all, we’ve decided to set up a dedicated department for gathering information. I'd like to ask Rose and Karol here to help us out.

Rose: Are you joining too!?

Karol: Eh, me too!?

Guy: I’m not, but Karol is going to take the lead on this. Karol’s going to be the chief of the Karol Investigation Division.

Karol: Chief!? Me!?

Guy: That’s what Professor Raine suggested. We all have to live up to her expectations.

Karol: …Heh…heheh. Well, well, if you say so, I have no choice but to accept it.

Rose: Hmmm, hmmm, that's good, isn't it? Raine decided, right? I think it's a good choice.

Rose: So the members so far are me, Dezel, and the members of Brave Vesperia?

Raine: I'm glad you're so quick to guess. I think you guys would be better suited to a guerilla type of force.

Jade: I'd like Chief Karol to gather all of our most eccentric people there and collect information.

Jade: Please fill in the necessary personnel accordingly. I’ll leave the selection to you.

Karol: That's a lot of responsibility... But leave it to me.

Julius: Keele Labs will gather knowledge from other worlds to build the means and organize the steps necessary to rescue Ix.

Julius: Those who can fight will proceed with the search and rescue of the stray nexuses.

Julius: However, Mileena, Ruca, Illia, Ludger, and Elle—

Klarth: You too, Julius.

Julius: —And me, too. Anyway, these people should avoid acting alone.

Raine: That's all for now. Thanks for your help, you all.

Mileena: Oh, um, do you have a minute?

Raine: Mileena, what's wrong?

Mileena: I need to have a quick word with you later. Also with...Jade. It's about...General Nazar.

Raine: …I see. Come to the strategy meeting room later.

(Part 1) | (Part 3+4)

[thancredsgf]

Seifer and Quistis in Act 3: Chapter 9, Part 1

Few months ago, I waited for the release of this chapter with excitement because of this picture; Quistis on Seifer's Hyperion. This post will be a recap and highlights of Seifer and Quistis in this chapter. This picture is the banner for the second part of chapter 9.

Firstly, it was good to see that Seifer was boosted in part 1 while Quistis was boosted in part 2.

Basically, the plot for this chapter is that the whole cast of FF8 have lost some of their memories on what originally happened in their world. The ones with all their memories intact were Squall and Rinoa. Lunafreya from FF15 was also introduced in this chapter.

The chapter opened with Luna forgetting who Noctis is and losing most of her memories. They found out that Ultimecia is the cause of this and has been stealing memories for power. Then, we see the FF8, FF14 and FF15 cast discussing on how to save Luna.

When they were discussing about what to do with Ultimecia, Seifer appeared wanting to know more about her. Then, I was blessed when Seifer interacted with Thancred a.k.a my fave character from FF14. Thancred was worried that Seifer was thinking about joining Ultimecia's side again to which he immediately declined.

From their reconnaissance work, we find out that Ultimecia had Luna and Irvine's memories at her disposal. She becomes more powerful as she gains more of their memories. So to rescue Luna so that Ultimecia doesn't steal more of her memories, Seifer suggested that Rinoa be the bait for Ultimecia since she has all her memories.

The plan worked and they managed to rescue Luna away from Ultimecia. Seifer brought Luna, Rinoa and Rydia to a separate safe place. And while they waited for Squall to catch Ultimecia in a surprise attack, Rydia was surprised that Seifer and Squall were working together in this plan. So Seifer said:

This was referring to a separate event when Raijin and Fujin saved him from becoming Ultimecia's knight again. When he said this, I definitely thought this chapter was really setting up to be Seifer's redemption arc. I'm all for Seifer striving to be the good guy and doing his best to protect his friends, including the orphanage gang 🥺😭

Then, Seifer being impressed with how tough Luna is said this:

And I was immediately reminded when Seifer said to add Quistis to the list in FF8. A list which we don't specifically know about. It's highly possible it's the same list that Seifer said here too, since we all know Quistis is definitely a tough nut to crack 🤣

Then, after Squall and the others arrived, they all confronted Ultimecia. After defeating her, we see a scene where Luna gets all her memories back.

What was interesting here is the fact that both Seifer and Quistis were in this scene with two famously established couples of the Final Fantasy franchise: Noctis and Luna, Squall and Rinoa. The couples all had their own sweet moments too in this scene. Seifer and Quistis must really felt like third wheels but I'm sure it's fine because they had each other 😉

The creators of this scene could literally choose anyone else since the rest of the FF8 cast was also there in the previous scene but they really picked Seifer and Quistis for this scene. Also loved how they seemed at ease with each other (as per usual in all their scenes in Opera Omnia). Seifer never belittled her like he did with other characters sometimes and Quistis never doubted his allegiance or the true purpose of his appearance like other characters do. She's always had faith in him too (as shown in her Lost Chapter which I have recapped in another post). They just have this unspoken respect of each other in this world and it's one of the best things ever. I was glad that they were paired up together and I honestly thought it was appropriate and they really gave off the protector vibes for both of the couples, while also looking like a badass couple themselves 😗

I know that them appearing with 2 other couples is just crumbs but I'll take all the crumbs I can get with Seiftis 🤣

With Ultimecia running away and them finding out that their memory fragments were somewhere deeper in the area, this chapter continues to the 2nd part and I will do a recap of that in another post.

[anneapocalypse]

On Nona's Identity

I'm sure I'm not the first to think or suggest this, but as I've just finished my re-read of Gideon and Harrow and the Nona preview and it's my current working theory, I figure I may as well put it out there! Spoilers for all of the above.

I think Nona is Alecto in Harrow's body.

I mean, Nona being in Harrow's body is hardly a theory; I'd say that part is almost a given based on what we know from the preview. Nona looks like Harrow. She and Pyrrha were rescued and brought to Blood of Eden by Camilla and Palamedes after some Big Event. Most critically, Nona's hair grows unnaturally fast (which Harrow's has done ever since her brain surgery thanks to Ianthe's little trick).

Initially, I sort of assumed it was going to be some new character hopping into Harrow, some ghost we hadn't met yet, but re-reading the epilogue of Harrow the Ninth, in which we are first introduced to Nona though not by name, there is considerable emphasis placed on the question of who she is.

Moreover, in Harrow's final moments in Harrow the Ninth, she finds herself seemingly back in the Locked Tomb, climbing into the empty coffin where the Body once lay, as if to symbolize that they have switched places.

I think Alecto has already been haunting Harrow. There's some solid foreshadowing of this in Harrow when Abigail explains the mechanisms of hauntings to explain the presence of Commander Wake in the two-hander, and later Cytherea's body. But in that conversation, which centers around Harrow seeing written messages that no one else in the River bubble can see, Harrow never brings up her visions of the Body which has visited her, on and off, since the day she broke into the sepulchre there by the sea and beheld the face of the Holy Corpse—the Body being the reason Harrow believed herself to be insane in the first place.

As understandable a response as that would have been to the various traumas of Harrow's childhood, I don't think the Body was ever a hallucination. Sudden and violent death, as Alecto's murder likely was (and per this theory I am inclined to believe it was not her first murder but her second) has a tendency to produce revenants—spirits that cling to some vestige of their former life in order to complete unfinished business. I think that one way or another, Alecto's soul found a thanergetic link to follow and a way to follow Harrow out of the Tomb.

We've been told repeatedly (and shown, via the unfortunate case of Colum Asht) that a body left vacant is vulnerable to possession by lost and hungry souls. And if she was already right there, Alecto would have had first dibs when Harrow and Gideon left Harrow's body vacant aboard the Mithraeum.

The memory loss is easily explained by the length of time since Alecto's death. Ten thousand years trapped in isolation is more than enough to result in some kind of madness.

Nona feels like she has heard and been told many things before, and forgotten them. Sometimes she knows things but doesn't know how she knew them. Though she was initially unable to speak, she now can comprehend and speak every human language, something her companions could not have taught her, which speaks to what she was before (see again the theory I linked above).

Finally, as an incidental, there's the question of Nona having tantrums, which comes up a couple of times in the preview:

In the bad old days she used to have to be helped even with the nightshirt, because she couldn't be trusted not to get stuck with it halfway over her head and get all hot and upset from claustrophobia. It was incredibly important that she not get upset like that again. She had only ever had two tantrums in her life, but it would be humiliating to have a third.

And later:

All she had was a good nature—that wasn't true all the time, but Nona didn't want it bruited about that she had a bad temper when she had only ever thrown two tantrums in her life and couldn't remember either of them.

Any of this could be just as easily explained by Nona, bereft of memories and struggling to communicate, getting upset about her lack of control over herself and her environment. But also, boy I bet being a soul for 10,000 years in a facsimile of the place you died (a la Palamedes in Harrow) could make you pretty damned claustrophobic. And if we know one thing about Alecto's personality, it's that she could get very angry.

So that's what I've got! Could be right, could be wrong, but either way I can't wait to read Nona the Ninth as soon as it's here.

[maemi324]

Mafia

Hey there friends! It’s been a hot minute since I’ve actually posted something. 

Let me just say, Happy Holidays! I hope you are having a wonderful and safe holiday. 

This fic was inspired and written for @butterscotchbaku​ and @in-this-house-we-stan-izuku​ based on some requests I had written in, as well as just ideas passed back and forth. 

I hope you two are having a wonderful day and may that continue into the new year! Thank you for all you’ve written and done!

Pairing: Izuku/Fem.Reader

Warnings: mentioned beatings, mentioned assault but nothing described in detail. all very vague. uhh violence, or hinted at violence. Edited only by me, so i may have missed something.

 I think that’s it. 

I hope you two enjoy this! 

Cigarette smoke hung heavily in the room, walls filled with generic knickknacks and warm colored walls gave the meeting a false sense of pleasantness. To any unsuspecting person, this was any other meeting room, one long table with rounded edges and somewhat padded chairs, the head of the table having the one most plush. 

Hell, even the people occupying them would have anyone turning up their nose in disinterest. Nothing but business men and women in dark, smart looking suits.

But you knew better. Sitting at the head was the infamous Izuku Midoriya, known under the name of Deku, direct descendent of the greatest Mafia leader Japan had ever seen; All Might. 

And here you sat, comfortably in Izuku’s lap, your temple pressed against his neck as you listened to his voice rumble on towards the other members. You were hardly paying attention to what was being said as you glanced around the room to the others.

Katsuki Bakugou- Dynamite, or TNT if you were feeling particularly cheeky. He was head of interrogation, finding out who knew what and definitely had too many ways of making people talk, and only one sure fire way of keeping them quiet. 

Todoroki Shouto- Bakugou’s counter in interrogation. He was mainly there to keep Bakugou from killing every target. He could control his temper, sure, but Todoroki added a sense of cold unease to their targets. He was effective against the folks who didn’t rise to Bakugou’s jabs and threats. He tapped the ashes of his cigarette into the small dish provided.

Kirishima Eijirou- Red Riot-another strong man and a third in the interrogation squad. He kept Bakugou from grousing the entire time, as well as leveling the two tempers in the group. Though he was a strong man, he was also incredibly sweet. You recalled that, while dealing with some unsavory characters that had children- typically rescuing the children at the other parents pleading- Red Riot was a favorite with them, his bright smile and charm keeping them distracted as Bakugou and Todoroki dealt with the problem.

Iida- Ingenium-was the getaway driver, best out of the best. He somehow always managed to get them out as quickly as possible while still following the law. It made losing the police all the easier. Ochaco Uraraka, or Uravity, was the treasurer, in charge of keeping account of all of the mafia’s funds, who owed them money and why. For more problematic clients, she was a stickler down to the very last penny. 

There were others, but those were just the ones in the room at the moment. You sighed softly, adjusting in Izuku’s lap. Someone at the end of the table was pleading for something. You could tell by the unimpressed glare on Izuku’s face that it was going south for whoever this was- a blond man with an inferiority complex for certain.

You glanced down at your left hand, engagement ring shimmering brightly despite the warm fluorescent lights. It wasn’t very large, an emerald surrounded by diamonds. He’d only given it to you a few days ago. On a rare day, you were able to go out with him in public-the benefit of a mask and some contacts while on the job- you had decided to flit about a few museums. The ring caught your eye immediately, the prized possession of some rich so and so, dating back who knows how long in their family.

Maybe it was because of how brightly it matched your lovers eyes, but the ring called to you. You didn’t mention a peep to your lover however. You knew he would have taken it right then and there. You rather liked coming to this museum, with added security after a robbery, you would have to frequent it less.

Your lovestruck fool of a man decided to do it anyway. He’d said that the plan went off without a hitch, though the smudges of dirt and a bit of blood- not his own- said otherwise. At the time, you had to question why, sure he’d robbed plenty of other places, gifts for trips that took longer than expected, but a place that you favored going?

“I’m just crazy about you doll, You deserve the best of the best. The way you eyed that ring, I knew there’d be nothing else that would be more perfect for you. But, it’s not just because you fancied it that I got it for you. We’re together, we always will be...but I want to make it more official. I wanna be yours forever, and I want you to be mine. What do you say doll? Marry me?”

You couldn’t say yes fast enough.

A gentle nudge to your shoulder brought you out of your daze. You looked up to the love of your life.

“What do you think dollface? What should we do with Monama?” 

You sat up in his lap, watching as the blond shivered in his spot, a smirk on your fiance’s face hidden by his fist as he leaned against it.

“Monama, what is it he did again?”

“Well Doll, he owes us money. He swears he’s good for it, but this is the third time he hasn’t been good for it.What should we do with this foolish, foolish man?”

Monama...ah yes now you remembered him! A little wanna be Mafia leader who went under when he ran out of money. He placed bets with other rival gangs against Deku, proclaiming that not only could he and his group get it done, but get it done better. 

There were times when they had, though just barely. It was hardly enough to keep a betting pool aimed against Deku however. Everyone but him seemed to know it. The overconfidence in his group and underestimating Deku lead to his downfall when Deku pulled off an impossible mission without even having to undo his tie.

When these gangs came to collect, he begged Deku to allow him and his group safety, help paying off the debt. Deku agreed, but in return, he had a year to earn the money back, only adding interest when the blond began getting too cocky. 

“I just need a little more time! A day, give me a day!” he pleaded, voice shrill and desperate. 

You winced, brows scrunched in annoyance.

Honestly, you didn’t care for Monama, and weren’t all too excited for his continued presence in the gang. You looked down at your nails idly.

“Have Dynamite follow him for a day then. If whatever magic he seems to think he can pull off, doesn’t in fact pull off, then he can have fun beating the change out of him. Or, whoever he’s seeing to get the money can pay it” You figured, even though he’d be annoyed at the idea of tailing that worm, Bakugou would have a good time beating it out of him.

Izuku gave Bakugou a look, who only snarled in response. A tilt of his head and Bakugou got up from his chair, footsteps heavy as he grabbed Monama by the arm, “Let’s get this over with you pathetic extra,” rolling his eyes as Moana sagged in slight relief, gratitude spilling from his lips.

Izuku held up a hand, “Let Red Riot escort him out for now. We have some business that you’d like to be here for I’m sure”

Bakugou’s eyes widened a fraction, a grin making its way onto his face as he shoved Monama towards Kirishima.

As Bakugou took his seat and Kirishima exited with Monama in tow, another man entered the room, a small man with purple hair. You recognized him as Mineta’s father. His son’s invention, a sticky substance that rendered anything in its grip as good as stuck, was what kept him in the group. What had him on thin ice however, was his treatment of the women in the group, all things he learned from his father. Izuku left Iida to beat it out of him however he saw fit. All it would take is one more strike. 

His father, however, was all out of strikes. The way he leered at you and the other girls had you all walking on eggshells around him. You only came forward to Izuku about it after you and the others had confided in one another. He had groped at you after a party the gang had thrown. It was the first and last time he’d ever made a physical move towards you.

You could feel the man's lecherous eyes on you, making you lean into Izuku, his body blocking the man's gaze. 

While you told him your story, Izuku’s face had remained calm, though the cup he had been holding shattered into thousands of pieces. He knew there were rumors about the senior, but to have it be found out as fact, and not just rumors from other gangs... He was furious, you knew that, and you knew somehow, someway, that Minoru senior would pay.

“Doll, why don’t you go talk to YaoMomo about wedding dresses, hm?” You nodded your head, though hesitant to leave the safety and comfort of his lap. You knew you were safe with Izuku by your side, but that didn’t mean you were comfortable passing by this...Disgusting being. His gaze softened and he hooked his arm around yours, escorting you personally towards the door.

Izuku tilted your head into a sweet kiss, his thumb rubbing comforting circles onto your side.

Izuku opened the door for you, but before you left, he kissed you again, deeper, sweeping away the sickly feeling of being watched with his tongue as it danced with yours, one hand cupping your jaw to pull you close.

He pulled away all too soon for your tastes, hand leaving your jaw, “Actually, maybe talk with her about the cake too, this may take a bit...” he turned away from you, eyes turning cold and jaded as the door closed.

“It’s about to get ugly in here”

[roberttchase]

Manner minded or double trouble? Both SO matty? Maybe Christie looking after him?

double trouble: [character] is sick and injured.

I will be writing the manner minded one separately :) I hope you enjoy this (somewhat more detailed than I'd originally planned) ficlet.

Send prompts to my inbox.

+ + +

If you were to ask Matt Casey if he thought he was lucky, for the most part he would answer with 'no'. Yes, he's lucky enough to have Sylvie Brett as a girlfriend, lucky to have gone to the fire academy, lucky to have been promoted to a lieutenant and then captain. But he also had an emotionally abusive father as a teenager, a murderer for a mother, his girlfriend of eight years was killed, his wife left him. For every good thing, it feels like there are three bad things in his life.

So he can't even really say it's a surprise when, while on scene helping squad rescue two victims in a car that's balancing precariously close to the frozen Chicago River, Matt loses his balance, slips from the hood of the car, and falls almost twelve feet onto the ice that then suddenly cracks underneath him, submerging him in below forty degree water. Nothing in his life is ever easy. Intense pain radiates from his chest, his body feels like it's on fire, and then nothing.

From there, the scene is absolute chaos. Sylvie and Violet are both off shift, spending the entire week in Joliet helping teach at a conference. The two paramedics that are on scene are instantly calling for backup, while both Severide and Tony frantically suit up in scuba gear for precaution. Boden's yelling orders, but the three other members of truck are all frozen, staring at the large hole in the ice, from which their Captain is currently very much not getting out of.

+ + +

"Christie, you really don't have to do this, Severi-"

"I know what Severide said, but I'd feel more comfortable if you stayed with me." Christie Casey frowns, looking at her younger brother. He's at least four shades paler than he should be, cheeks flushed and eyes dull. Stubble consumes the lower half of his face, and the firefighter looks exhausted. She can't say that she blames him, not with the hell that he's gone through the past thirty six hours.

She'd gotten the call from Stella Kidd yesterday, a kind but shaky voice telling her that Casey, Matt, had fallen into an icy river, and was at Gaffney Chicago Medical Center being treated for two broken ribs and mild hypothermia. Arriving half an hour later, she'd been taken into Matt's room, where they had him on enough pain medication he was basically incoherent. One of the doctors had explained to her that the next few hours were important for any person who'd almost drowned- inhalation of the river water had occurred, and aspiration pneumonia was a large possibility. For a naive moment, Christie was certain that Matt would be fine.

Matt's never that lucky.

It's how she finds herself now, half glaring at her brother, who's been given instructions to stay with someone for the next forty eight hours, while his body wars with itself. The red haired doctor had explained that unless the mans fever reaches over 102, or his breathing deteriorates, he's allowed to stay out of the hospital. Severide's offered to let him stay at the loft, to take next shift off and watch over his best friend, but she tells her brothers best friend no. She needs to be able to watch over her little brother, if his paramedic girlfriend can't.

She's already talked to Sylvie, had called her only an hour after getting the call herself. They'd come to the conclusion that as long as someone was there to watch Matt, she needed to finish up the week for the CFD and CEMS.

"You ready to leave? I'm bringing you back to my place. Violet's got the guest room all ready for you."

Matt blinks and then nods, shoulders curved in slightly, one arm wrapped around his side. He looks a little woozy, though that could be from the pain pills being pumped through his body. That, or the fever he's sporting. April wheels him to the front of the hospital while Christie grabs her car and pulls it up to the curb.

Half an hour later, Matt's being helped into the guest room, where, sure enough, the bed has fresh sheets and a few extra pillows have been added for the man who isn't supposed to lay flat on his back. She gets him under the covers, thankful he's cooperating, and by the time she's back with the meds in a little plastic cup, as well as a glass of water, Matt's asleep.

"Matt, hey, you have to wake up and take your medicine, then you can go back to sleep, okay?" She shakes him as gently as possible, not wanting to hurt his ribs any more than they already are. She must knock something loose though, because not a second later he starts coughing, low and harsh, and his eyes flutter open. Gasping for air, they wait for his chest to stop spasming. His arm is cradling his side and she feels terrible, wishing she could help.

"I just need you to take this medicine, then you can sleep again," she promises, holding the cup out for him. When he nods, the woman lets the small pills tumble onto his open palm, and soon he's swallowing them tiredly.

"C-Can you stay?" The words are quiet and hang in the air as she turns to leave. Pausing, Christie turns back and is struck by just how young Matt looks, laying there with fever flushed cheeks and sallow skin.

Moving slowly, the woman gets into the other side of the bed, carefully shifting to get comfortable.

"Just like old times huh?"

She knows he's referring to their childhood. Christie can't help but smirk a little at the memories.

"Are you talking about when you would come crying to me because you were afraid of the dark?" Her tone is teasing, and instinctively she lets her fingers find his hair, running them through it just like she did when they were young teens and their father had been yelling at them.

A laugh bubbles out of Matt's throat, but it quickly changes to coughing, and it takes a moment for Matt to calm down, sipping water before replying.

"I was actually talking about when I was eight and caught whatever that punk across the street had after he coughed on me. I remember I was out of school for a week, and you stayed with me as much as you could."

She remembers it well.

+ + +

Matt never gets sick, not when he was a baby, and not now. She's always been the one to come down with colds or strep throat, and Matt always manages to avoid germs. He had been sick once when he was a toddler, once, but other than that, she can't remember him ever even getting a runny nose. And then Michael Jeffries goes and coughs all over him on the bus when she's in fifth grade and he's in third, and Matt's record of not getting sick goes down the drain.

It had been on a Monday. That following Thursday afternoon, Christie's waiting for Matt to get on the bus when their bus driver tells her that her brother has apparently gone home early. The whole ride home, the eleven year old is upset, not for her brother, but at the fact she wasn't taken out early either. Why did Matt get to go home and play when she didn't? By the time she's walking into their small home, the blonde is stomping her feet and slamming the door behind her, ready to ask why her stupid brother gets such special treatment.

Instantly though, she realizes something is wrong. Mommy isn't downstairs like she normally is, but instead of being worried, the girl let sher anger build. Running up the stairs, her ponytail swaying behind her, Christie's ready to yell and throw a tantrum, but she freezes when she sees her mom sitting on Matt's small twin bed. She's holding their big blue bowl that she always gets out when Christie's stomach is sick, and Matt is throwing up, coughing and spluttering after, while she rubs his back. Cautiously, Christie walks into the doorway.

"Mommy...what wrong with Matt?"

Nancy and Matt look up, the older woman rubbing her sons back.

"Matt's just not feeling well honey, he'll be alright."

Christie frowns and looks at her brother, whose cheeks are a startling bright pink, his skin pale.

"He looks really sick..." Suddenly she's not mad at all anymore, instead she's worried, no, scared. Matt doesn't get sick. That's his superpower, just like hers is liking vegetables.

Before any more words are spoken, Matt coughs and lets out a strangled little whine. "M-Mommy..."

Christie turns her face away as Matt gets sick this time, not wanting to watch anyone throw up. Instead, she goes and busies herself with finding paper and her crayons. Sitting down on her bedroom floor, the eleven year old goes to town with making her brother a get well soon card, the only thing she knows she can do in this moment.

That night, while she and mommy eat downstairs, Christie can hear Matt crying with Daddy. The second she finishes her food and washes her plate off, the blonde runs upstairs, wanting to make sure the younger boy is okay. She stops in front of his room, but no one's there, the twin sized bed with dark green sheets is empty, even his beloved stuffed bear is gone. Walking further down the hall, she sees the two she's been looking for in her parents king sized bed.

Matt's laying against Daddy, Bear clutched in his hand, his ear against the boys lip. Daddy smiles at her and puts a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet. Nodding, Christie tiptoes in and peers at them both, before climbing in putting a delicate hand on Matt's shoulder, hoping he'll be ok.

+ + +

Brought back to the present, Christie feels Matt's forehead and sighs. "just try and sleep okay? I'll be here if you need me, okay? I won't let anything bad happen to you Matt."

It's as if it's all he's been waiting to hear. It takes him all of two minutes to fall back asleep, head resting against his sisters shoulder. She supposes that this can be the start of all the years she'd missed taking care of him after she'd left for college. He deserves it.

[tsarisfanfiction]

Carry Me Home

Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Gen Genre: Family Characters: John, Scott, Virgil

Back to back rescues is a recipe for exhaustion.  Luckily, Scott’s got an eye in the sky looking out for him.

A random discussion with @janetm74 about how much we love sleepy Scott fics somehow turned into this...  Well, it feels like it’s been a while since I posted any fluff, so here you go.

John didn’t have alarms rigged to alert him just before his eldest brother crashed out, although at times that certainly sounded like an appealing prospect.  Maybe one day he’d implement it, considering Scott’s penchant for working until he dropped – literally – but for now it remained a vague concept in the back of his mind.

Today was one day where it might be useful.  It was, he supposed, fortunate that the rest of his brothers had just returned from their respective rescues, leaving him with only Scott to monitor as his big brother packed up after his own rescue.  If he’d been distracted by another brother, or some new stream of important data that needed instant attention, he wouldn’t have caught the signs in time.  As it was, the only thing on his conscious radar at that moment was Scott, and John saw the moment his older brother’s vitals plummeted.

His immediate reaction was panic, his heart jumping up to land in his throat as Scott’s blood pressure and heart rate dropped from its high, adrenaline-fuelled state.  But Scott didn’t keel over, or faint, or outwardly show any reaction at all, and logic sidled its way in before John did something unadvisable.

This was Scott’s third rescue in the past twenty-four hours.  None of them had been easy, but this final one had been particularly physically demanding, with his brother clambering in and around a large and challenging area of craggy rocks - in a couple of cases having to carry a rescuee while doing so.  John was also aware that Scott hadn’t had much by way of sleep, and while he hadn’t been tracking his brother’s every move, he suspected food probably hadn’t featured as much as it should have done, either.

It was the perfect storm.

He watched the camera feed closely as Scott packed away the last of his harness equipment before sitting down heavily in his pilot seat.  A dirty, tired hand rubbed at his face, leaving streaks on the skin in an admittance John knew Scott wouldn’t have made if he’d realised he was being watched.  The yawn, splitting his brother’s face in two and beading moisture in the corner of his scrunched closed eyes, was the last straw.

Scott was not piloting anywhere like that.

Pulling up Thunderbird One’s controls took barely a thought.  By the time Scott’s weary hands rested on the levers, ready to guide his ‘bird into the air, John had locked him out and activated her remote pilot.

It only took a second for Scott to realise that Thunderbird One’s controls weren’t responding to him, but a second was far too long for a man who lived and breathed flight.  John let his hologram flicker into view as Scott grumbled and poked at the controls again, clearly not yet realising that the reason they weren’t working was because John had decreed it.

His brother jumped when he noticed him.

“Everything’s fine, John,” he said, although he was still scowling at his ‘bird’s controls as if he thought there was something wrong.  “I’ll be in the air in a minute.”

“I know,” John agreed pleasantly, and was relieved to see the scowling blue eyes turn suspiciously towards him.  Scott was exhausted, but could at least still do the bare minimum of realise when a brother was up to something.  “Strap yourself in.”  Scott gestured at his shoulder harness, and John barely refrained from rolling his eyes. “The turbulence straps,” he clarified. While the shoulder harnesses did their job in most conditions, Thunderbird One’s pilot seat also came with additional security in the case of heavy turbulence – or, in a worst-case scenario, a crash landing.  Considering Scott was undeniably more creeping further towards sleep every moment – proven by another yawn which he couldn’t stifle – John wanted him fully strapped in.

“Don’t need ‘em,” Scott grumbled.  “Conditions are clear.”

“Scott.”  John had mastered the disappointed parent voice years ago out of necessity, and sometimes even Scott reacted to it. Today, with the older man more asleep than awake, the stars aligned in John’s favour, and the turbulence straps were fastened.  Scott still grumbled, but John didn’t care as long as he was secure.

“What is the point of this?” his brother demanded, failing to hide yet another yawn.  His eyes were half-lidded at best, and another glance at his vitals showed that it was only Scott’s stubbornness that was keeping him awake.  There was absolutely no way he was fit to fly, and John was going to enforce that.

“Relax,” he said, keeping his voice level and low.  “I’ll get you home, big brother.”

“Wha-?”  Blue eyes shot open.  “John, what are-”

John didn’t let him finish his sentence before powering up Thunderbird One’s VTOL and lifting his brother’s ‘bird – complete with said brother safely ensconced within – into the sky.

“You’re dead on your feet, Scott,” he pointed out calmly.  “Get some rest.  You’re in no state to pilot.”

“I’m fine,” Scott tried to protest, but yet another yawn interrupted him and he involuntarily slumped back in the seat.  John took the opportunity to ignite Thunderbird One’s rear boosters and accelerate her up through the sound barrier.

“Scott.”  This time it wasn’t the disappointed parent, but rather the wheedling little brother.  Scott was always weak to wheedling little brothers, and this was no exception.  He slumped back further in the chair, head resting back against the headrest.

“Fine,” he huffed, finally accepting that this was a debate he was never going to win.  Another yawn crossed his face and his eyelids fluttered closed for several moments before they were wrenched open again.  “Just for now.”

The fact that he had caved at all proved how unfit to fly he was.

Blue eyes fluttered closed again, but this time they didn’t re-open.  Scott’s vitals stabilised themselves, far too low for consciousness to be on the cards at all, and John kept an eye on the camera feed as Scott’s chest rose and fell in slow and even breaths.  His brother badly needed the sleep.

After a moment, during which he brought Thunderbird One to a safe, comfortable cruising speed of Mach seven and confirmed nothing was in her flight path, he opened a line to Tracy Island, and his immediate younger brother.

Virgil wasn’t long back from a rescue himself, and still had a smudge of grime on his nose that no-one had pointed out to him yet.

“Another rescue?” he asked. He looked somewhat weary himself, although far from Scott’s own level of exhaustion.  John shook his head.

“No,” he promised.  “Scott’s fallen asleep.”

That perked Virgil up straight away.  “In Thunderbird One?” he demanded, incredulously.  John gave a wry smile in response.

“I’m in control,” he assured him.  “Scott’s exhausted, but safe.”  To prove it, he sent along a copy of Scott’s suit telemetry, which was currently reading vitals consistent with a deep sleep.  Virgil scrutinised them closely for several moments before sighing.

“He needs to stop pushing himself so hard,” he despaired quietly, before collecting himself.  “What’s Thunderbird One’s ETA?”

John glanced across at the figures.  “Half an hour,” he said.  “Scott’s probably not going to wake up before she lands.”  He hoped he didn’t.  Scott needed actual sleep, not a half hour nap in his Thunderbird.  “Judging by his vitals, I wouldn’t be surprised if he sleeps right through.”

Virgil’s eyes glanced over the data again, and his lips thinned in agreement.

“Get him home, John,” he said.  “I’ll take it from there.”

“F.A.B,” John agreed. He didn’t close the line with Virgil, but he did turn away from his younger brother to instead watch his older brother as he continued to guide Thunderbird One home.

As predicted, Scott slept right through the landing half an hour later.  There was a slight stir as she decelerated and rotated, but his eyes stayed closed and he remained slumped bonelessly in his seat as John settled the Thunderbird on her castors and allowed her to roll back to the hangar.

Virgil was ready and waiting on the gantry when John let his hologram flicker back into view.

“Still asleep?” the middle Tracy asked as the Thunderbird came to a stop.  John nodded.  “Okay, I’ve got this.”  Virgil stepped forwards onto the extending loading ramp, and as he neared the cockpit, John disengaged the pilot seat so that it swung out to meet him.  His younger brother didn’t hesitate, reaching out and releasing all the straps and harnesses holding Scott in place before scooping the still-sleeping man up into his arms.

That was, in theory, the end of John’s domain.  With Scott safe and still slumbering away in Virgil’s arms, he was the dark-haired Tracy’s responsibility now, and his hologram stopped projecting so as not to distract Virgil.

Still, John watched as the platform retracted, bringing his brothers back to the gantry, and Virgil walked across the metal towards the elevator.  In his arms, Scott shifted, a sleepy murmur indicating that his sleep wasn’t quite so deep any more.  Virgil was no stranger to handling him, however, and a small, fond, smile crept onto John’s face as his younger brother murmured something quiet and melodic.

The microphones couldn’t pick up exactly what it was Virgil was saying – or, John suspected, humming – but whatever it was seemed to do the trick as Scott settled back down.

There were no blind spots in Thunderbird Five’s coverage of the villa.  John didn’t normally pay close attention to areas outside of the den, kitchen and hangars, largely content to let his family get on with their personal lives without him spying on them, but today he tracked Virgil the entire way from the hangars to Scott’s bedroom.  Virgil was frowning a little by the time he got there, clearly a little suspicious at how little effort it had taken to keep their big brother asleep, and the same unease filtered through John’s mind.

Was Scott really just that exhausted, or had they missed something?

John watched the feed like a hawk as Virgil gently stripped off Scott’s uniform, revealing the plain undershirt and shorts, and his telemetry data disappeared.  Nothing new flagged up as a point of concern, except for the ongoing fact that Scott barely stirred.  Virgil rested a hand on their brother’s chest, and instantly made a face.

The next moment, Scott’s underclothes were also being stripped away, leaving him in just his underwear, and Virgil was dropping them on the floor by the uniform judgementally. Despite the underlying concern, John smirked a little.  Scott had done a lot of physical work on the last mission; it made sense for his clothes to have absorbed the sweat that came with that and he didn’t envy Virgil for dealing with that at all.

Pyjamas were retrieved, but before Virgil began the unenviable task of trying to dress their sleeping brother without waking him, a familiar yellow light skipped over Scott’s body.  John immediately tapped in to the medscanner as Virgil scrutinised the results; just like the suit telemetry, it simply flagged up sheer exhaustion, but with a small caution for dehydration added in as well.

Shoulders slumping in what John assumed was relief, Virgil eased the still-sleeping figure of their brother into loose pyjamas and tugged at the comforter until Scott was nestled snugly in bed.  Just before he pulled it all the way up to Scott’s chin Virgil hesitated for a brief moment, and then a monitor was being carefully attached to Scott’s pyjama top.

John tapped into that as well, relieved that Virgil had thought to attach one, and immediately got the data streaming straight into Thunderbird Five for him to check periodically. Just like the scan, it currently declared no causes for concern, barring an advisory for mild dehydration, and a little bit of tension bled from John’s shoulders.

Seemingly satisfied, Virgil then pulled the comforter the rest of the way, tucking Scott in firmly, only for their brother to stir again.  The pianist’s hand immediately threaded into brown locks, and John watched fondly as Virgil ran his fingers gently through Scott’s hair soothingly.  The microphones in Scott’s room were more sensitive, adjusted for quiet night time conversations, and while earlier John hadn’t been able to hear how Virgil settled their brother, now his voice resonated through Thunderbird Five.

John recognised it instantly.  How could he not, when he’d heard it so many times as a child, first from Mom, and then overheard as Scott did his best to fill in the gaps after the avalanche?  A quiet and gentle lullaby from years long gone by did the trick to settle Scott again, but Virgil didn’t stop singing even after Scott stopped stirring.

That, John decided, was his cue to leave.  Scott was home safe and in good hands – and he had the readings from the monitor to keep an eye on if he wanted to check up on him.  There was no point lurking around and listening to a brother who may or may not realise he was still watching.

He dismissed the feed just as Virgil finished a verse, suddenly plunging Thunderbird Five into silence before the quiet background hum of his ‘bird’s ever-running machinery registered again.  A glance at the monitor readings brought his attention back to the dehydration caution, and John checked to see who was near the kitchen.  Virgil, no doubt, would be staying with Scott for a little while yet, but there was no harm in sending someone else up with some electrolyte drinks for when Scott finally woke.

Well, no harm as long as he made it perfectly clear to the rest of the family that Scott was getting some long overdue and well-deserved rest, and anyone who disturbed him would find out exactly how creative John could get with technology.

[bumblingbeasblackhole]

Why Momo Yaoyorozu would have been a more effective hero as a plus size woman.

Hello all, it’s time for a BNHA rant. A rant in my opinion that is long over due, and that my friends is on one of my favorite characters in the franchise. Momo Yaoyorozu AKA Creati.

Buckle up lads were in for a hefty analysis. (Note the read more) I promise it’s worth the read.

Now, we all know Class 1-A’s vice class rep and resident braniac Momo.

Just in case you’re new here or need a refresher, Momo’s Quirk is called Creation. The basic breakdown of her quirk is that her body uses the Lipids (fats) in her body to create any inorganic material of her choosing.

Now, there’s two key things to remember about her quirk.

First, her quirk requires her to use her physical body reserves in order to function

Second, she has to know how to make those matierals. From bottom to top. That means she has to not only have a design of what she wants in her head but the exact molecular compounds to create those objects as well.

Momo to her credit does this well. She’s been flushed out slightly enough to see various instances where she’s had to improve either on her knowledge of materials and compounds or her speed to achieve the full creation of an item. It’s something we see from her constantly in both the Manga and the Anime.

For example, the first time we are (formally) introduced to Momo’s quirk she creates a few items

A staff for herself, a sword for Jirou, a net to contain the thugs, a thick insulated blanket large enough to cover both her and Jirou, and finally the remembrance of her hero suit.

These items all together begin to wear Momo out as she’s left panting and even tells Jirou that she has a hard time creating such taxing objects on her body. This is stated to the audience the first time we see her in action. It takes her time, concentration, and most importantly her body’s lipid reserves.

This is the first time we see Momo wear herself rather thin. While this in itself is impressive and a great introduction into the character and her abilities and strategic wit in a battle, the rather more harmful implications are yet to be seen. This incident, while foreshadowing her later issues, does not compare to other instances later on the series.

There are three key issues with Momo as she is currently.

Her body/character design inherently limit her abilities as a hero.

The push for her to be a sexy hero/character is ultimately determinetal to her effectiveness as both a character and a hero.

Her intellect is not reflected by the way she operates as a hero. Instead, it is often negated for the sake of her design.

These points seem vague or over harped but I’ll go into detail about them. (Hang in there, this is well thought out and developed, I promise)

But before I get into the key issues and solutions, there’s a lot that’s absolutely fantastic about Momo.

Momo is a great character because she is more than the typical snobby rich girl trope. In fact, she’s not at all snobby. She is the most helpful, kind, and oblivious rich character I’ve ever seen. It’s part of her personality sure, but it’s not the only factor. It’s more or less just a gag for laughs between the other characters.

She is also relatable in the way she has self worth issues, different from Midoriya’s self worth issues. She was never (that were aware of) beaten down or belittled. Her issues sprouted from the way she was confident in her abilities, intellect, and quirk only to be thrown in the deepend UA.

Which idk about y’all, but honestly that shit hits home. If you were ever the smart-kid-who-learned-quickly-and-skated-through-school-only-to-be-out-of-your-depth-with-new-self-worth-issues-when-that-is-no-longer-the-case (or anything similar) than you catch my drift. So score for relatability.

Alas, onwards.

Let’s tackle the first problem.

The way she treats her body now is detrimental to her quirk usage long term.

I’ll explain,

Momo’s quirk functions relatively similar to another hero we are later introduced too, Fatgum.

Now I know what you’re already thinking,

“Bea! She’s supposed to be sexy! She’s supposed to be feminine! Her quirk burns it all so she can look like that! Fatgum has to only store it all!”

On some levels you’re right.

On most though, incredibly wrong.

Momo’s figure is one of the main (and slightly controversial) aspects of her character. I mean, look at her design versus Fatgum’s

See the key differences? I sure do.

Fatgum’s quirk is called Fat Absorbtion. Basically it grants Fatgum the ability to adhere any objects to his body and make them sink into his body fat upon contact with it. And/Or he can build and channel all of the fat in his body into one overpowered and energized punch or attack. (As seen in the overhaul arc) which leaves his body, you guessed it, deprecated and thin. Much like Momo’s, they both use their body’s fat as a tool whether through expelling it or storing it for later use.

I point this out because we see time and time again throughout the series where Momo pushed herself to the limit where she has to expel extraordinary amounts of her body to get the job done. But in reality she only makes a few larger objects. This compared to Fatgum who uses his fat reserves strategically and only in the toughest of battles does he push his body’s reserves to zero. Whereas Momo does this constantly. This is because of her inefficient way of treating her quirk and ultimately, her design.

Let’s discuss some prime examples:

In the training camp arc, Momo makes roughly 15-30 masks for all of Class B students, and half of Class A. Which in itself is a tall order. When we see her again, she’s bloodied, exhausted, barely conscious, worn, and welded to Awase half alive. She even struggles as she makes the tiny tracker she places on the back of the Nomu. After this, in the hospital (pre Kamino rescue) she was unconscious for a day and half due to quirk overuse and dehydration.

Third, in the first movie, My Hero Academia: Two Heroes, we once again see Momo’s fatal flaw as she and a group of Class 1-A students race through the security tower on I-island. She uses her quirk to make cannons of course, a Momo signature, to fend off the security bots fairly early on in the battle. As she continues to make ammo and other items needed to win the battle Momo teeters on the brink of passing out from, you guessed it, dehydration and starvation. Jirou ends up catching Momo as she’s nearly passes out from the lack of fat/substance in her body after making the cannon and ammo.

Then we see the same issue in the second movie My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising. Where Momo is used both to create extra supplies on the island. She passes out after that alone and only wakes up later as the class is regrouping after four villains attack simultaneously. Even after rest and food, we see her later again to make two massive cannons as the first line of defense against the incoming villains. From the start of the second battle Momo is worn out and clearly lacking in lipids to participate fully in a fight. Here, she even keels over and says that she’s at her limit and looks like she’s on the brink of death via dehydration and starvation. Which she very much is.

We also so see this in Provisonal Licensing Exam arc when Momo, Tsu, Jirou, and Shoji are trapped together by a group from another school. Here this is important because the leader of that group has super intelligence granted to her by her quirk (and tea lol) has come up with a “fool proof” plan to beat the group. The bottom line of that plan is simple. Wear. Momo. Out. Which half way works too, until Momo figures out what the other group is trying to do and thinks her way out of that situation. Although, she does use up a decent amount of her body’s reserves before she figures out their plan.

^^^ this scene brings up an extremely concerning point. If a villain knows what her quirk is, and has i don’t know, seen her, then they’re going to do the exact same thing Saiko (the girl in the photo above from the licensing exam arc) attempted to do. Exhaust Momo’s resources.

Now, this has been brought up once in the actual show. During the training camp arc, we see each students training method (designed by Aizawa) in order to overwork and strengthen their quirks. For Momo, that looked like binge eating and creating simultaneously.

This also shows us that Aizawa is at least somewhat paying attention to the drawbacks of her quirk. He may not have been there for some of the more concerning times she’s over worked herself, but it’s not a hard thing to work out just by how she looks and how her quirk functions. He also sees how her speed with her quirk hindered her like in her battle against Tokoyami. However, this is the only time we see this. Plus, this is not nearly enough of solution to the problem. Which in all honesty is simple.

For all intensive purposes, Momo should be a Plus Sized woman.

Not just for diversity or validity of readers. Although it would have been a score for the plus size community since it’s always lacking here for us bad bitches but because it would have been more natural to her character. If she had a bulkier physique or even just a chubbier build she would be way more effective in a battle or even just as a hero.

Her quirk burns the fat in her body instantly while in use. Which means she needs to have a healthy reserve of it at all times, especially since I’m willing to bet her metabolism is crazy fast. Relying on the normal/average caloric intake is irrational for her quirks functionality. Her diet should look more like Fatgum’s where we see him constantly eating in order to fuel his quirk. At the very least, Momo needs to always have foods dense in fats on hand in case she’s in a dire situation where she’s running low on reserves. She would be much more effective that way. I cannot tell you the amount of times I’ve watched a scene where she’s wearing herself out and been exasperated by the fact that she didn’t have even a simple granola bar on her for emergencies.

Hear me out,

Plus size people are extremely capable of doing extraordinary things. As well as also being fit while still having a larger/healthier frame. It’s not all that uncommon. In fact, it’s something that fictional storytelling (an ex machina if you will) isn’t needed in order to cover the realistic applications. There are plenty of people in the word who are of a larger build and are also active, fit, and in overall good health standing.

In real life, Ashley Graham is an excellent example. For those who aren’t privy to this goddess, she’s a plus size model, mother, and fitness enthusiast.

Here’s just a taste of this wonderful goddesses workouts can look like:

(Credit Instagram : @ashleygharam)

Which brings me to my next point

The need for Momo to be sexy is detrimental to her effectiveness as both a hero and as a character.

I know, I know, half of Momo’s whole thing is being sexy, rich, and oblivious. I’m well aware.

But here’s a fun tidbit. Plus size women can be sexy too! Shocker I know! Sarcasm aside, having Momo be a plus size woman wouldn’t hinder her sex appeal if done correctly. In fact, I think it would only make her more appealing, marketable, and effective narratively.

Not that she really needs to be sexy at all, but we will swing back to that.

Remember Ashley Graham? The model I mentioned like a paragraph ago? Well, she’s an example that plus size women can be just as sexy/attractive as anyone else. Which only proves that Momo could still have been an attractive character even as a plus size woman. In fact, it would have been uplifting to see a plus size character who’s whole gag isn’t revolved around them losing weight to fit a societal goal, but instead a character who is plus sized, healthy, and proud. Who utilizes her body in a positive manner. I mean imagine the marketablility to younger audiences! If you still don’t believe me that a plus size woman can still be attractive and show skin like Momo would ultimately have to do in order to use her quirk, check out Ashley motherfuckin Graham doing just that

No matter how they would have gone on to design her as a plus size character, she could have still been stunning. Even if they kept her in the same costume design! Which is garbage but that’s a tangent for another time

But beyond equality and all that good stuff:

Momo being a plus size woman would mean she would have more ability for long term endurance in a battle. As it stands now, Momo taps out of a battle fairly fast. She’s tends to make one larger item and then she’s tapped. Which is highly inefficient in a battle. If anything it seems to be on par with how Midoriya’s quirk affected him in the beginning of the series. He had to sacrifice a part of his body in order to land an effective attack. Sound familiar? Well yeah. Because Momo does the same thing with Creation and she’s had it for years.

Each time Momo over uses her quirk, she’s left on the brink of passing out, if she hadn’t already, leaving her vulnerable and useless in the field alone. Each time she’s pushed herself past her limit she’s had her classmates to catch her when she falls. That’s not practical. Aizawa said it himself in the quirk apprehension test way back in chapter 6 of the manga.

So why is Momo considered differently? Why doesn’t Aizawa say something? Simple. He’s typically not around for these occurrences.

Momo doesn’t have to over use her quirk in simulations. She only does that when there’s real stakes and people on the line. The issue with that is that once she leaves UA, the stakes will always be real, all the time. Isn’t now the best time to nip this issue in the bud? I think so. But also I understand how Aizawa either hasn’t fully caught on, or hasn’t dealt with it. I mean, between villain attacks and our main character constantly almost killing himself recklessly in battle, he’s got a lot on his plate.

The other issue with her “sexy” design is that it negates from her overall character. In all official art we see for BNHA we see Momo typically left out, or hypersexualized. This detracts from her substance of being intelligent and creative. She’s often the butt of the joke when it comes to Mineta’s perverted jokes/schemes as well. Between the cheerleader outfits incident and the locker room scene Momo is constantly written off. Whereas Midnight, a pro hero and teacher at UA, who is known for her sexiness and uses it as her brand, uses her sexuality effectively without diminishing her actual worth as a hero or teacher. But then again Midnight is an adult, who is branded as the 18+ hero. Momo is a student and minor. But y’all still aren’t ready for that conversation yet.

Which brings me to the final point of this long winded rant. (Thanks if you’ve stuck around this long! We’re almost done! Follow me if you don’t already. I write stuff, paint stuff, and theorize/analyze stuff for bnha)

The way Momo is now, Discounts/Negates her supposed intellect

As I’ve mentioned already in this rant, how Momo operates now isn’t working out so well on her favor.

But that doesn’t really make sense considering she’s so fucking intelligent. I mean she’s literally top of the class academically. There is no reason for her to be so brilliant and also so bullheaded in her own quirk use. She shows us time and time again that she has brain power. Her quirk requires she be extremely intelligent in order to comprehend and apply molecular compounds in order to even sort of correctly use her quirk.

So it makes no sense that such simple solutions evade her constantly. Like I find it extremely hard to believe that Momo has never thought, “hmm I’m on the brink of death, maybe I should have eaten more” or “the last few battles left me weak, maybe I should find a solution or ask a teacher,” or even “man, my endurance isn’t all that great. I should work on that,” like anything along those lines would lead her intelligent brain to the conclusion that since whatever caloric intake she’s doing now is far to easy to burn through and perhaps the simple solution is to gain more fatty mass.

It honestly discounts Momo as a character if she’s constantly breaking down when such a simple solution is available to her. Plus on a more lighthearted note, it would be kind of great for Momo to be old money rich and plus sized. I mean it would be kind of ironically hilarious in my opinion.

Okay Bea, so what’s the point?

The point my friends is that female characters can be so much more. Especially Momo. There is always an opportunity for characters like Momo and Ochako (who’ll I’ll be breaking down next/soon) to have more substanse and impact to them than just being the second line of defense sexy characters.

Even in the actual universe that is BNHA, Momo as a hero student has far more potential than she is currently operating at.

Now, don’t get me wrong I understand that Horikoshi has a plateful of characters to deal with and Momo is probably on the bottom of the list, but it doesn’t mean we can’t imagine more for her. Because honestly it doesn’t even really matter if she changes for the better or not in canon, it’s the idea that there’s a character out there who all people can relate to whether it be average watchers/readers, plus size hopefuls, people with insecurities, readers/viewers who just like her quirk/design, or someone like me who saw a character and gravitated to the mostly relatable way she was written.

I love Momo as a character truly, she’s one of my favorites and I heavily associate with her. (Shocker I know, I mean she’s literally my icon that I painted myself) I am in no way tearing the character, franchise, or Horikoshi down. I am just observing what could have been (or could be but probably not) and pointing it out. So that maybe, just maybe, in the future there will be more characters who others can relate too. Other characters who are used at their full inspirational potential. But also, to point out some things that not only round out perspective on a character, but maybe even highlight how worth it it can be to look deeper into a characters through analysis. Hopefully I’ve done at least one of those things through this long post.

_____

Finally, thank you if you read this far into my gigantic breakdown.

Follow me if you don’t already and want too. If you do already follow me, please reblog so that others can read it if they want too.

I plan on doing more character breakdowns for BNHA, I’ve got a few already in the drafts and a cc if you have suggestions or questions. I also write fics for BNHA, so check out my AO3 link on my blog page for that. Also, you can bet your ass I’ll be writing a plus size Momo fic sometime soon. I’m really inspired on the topic (if you couldn’t tell already).