#the anime did a great job at emphasizing how much he runs away—it’ll be great seeing that culminate in him literally being a prey rabbit

[lavenderjewels]

These recent eps are reminding me how mahito used to be my favorite character in jjk, alongside yuuji

[bookandcranny]

Beatrice - Chapter One

“What’s that garden over there?” she asked the landlady.

“Oh, so you spotted it,” she replied. “It’s a funny thing to see around here, isn’t it? How’s the saying go? ‘Like a sore thumb.’”

“Or a green one,” Gianna agreed.

“It’s a bit small.”

The landlady nodded and gave Gianna a sympathetic smile. She was a stout, older woman with drooping features behind wide-framed glasses that dominated her face. Gianna’s more generous first impression of her was that she looked kind, and the way she spoke reminded her faintly of her mother, though the landlady’s accent was thicker and her voice crackled and dragged with age like a damaged film reel.

It was due in no small part to this assessment that she’d chosen this apartment in the first place. That and the low price of rent. Although it was a decent neighborhood the building was fairly run-down and the long winding staircase leading up to her floor was creaky and narrow.

The unit she was supposed to be living in when she’d first made to move in had suddenly had to undergo renovations after a pipe burst behind one of the walls. Gianna couldn’t wait for the repairs or for another cheap space to miraculously open up in New York City, so she agreed to move from the second floor to the only other available unit, which was on the sixth floor.

It was little more than a single room with a bathroom and kitchenette attached and-- she could not emphasize this enough-- it was on the sixth floor in a building with no elevator. Thankfully, the rent was also considerably cheaper, and the landlady had offered her a discount for the inconvenience as well. Even if she’d stuck her on a cot in the basement for twice the amount she would have had little choice but to take it. It was either that or take the long, shameful train ride back to her parents’ house, tail between her legs.

Living with her parents after college had been fine for a while, but only just fine, and she wasn’t willing to settle for fine any longer. She wanted a life, a career, maybe a girlfriend? No, no, probably not that. Not yet. Being trapped in a town where every eligible bachelorette was somebody she’d gone to highschool with-- no thanks-- had left Gianna touch-starved and sexless, but that wasn’t enough to make her lose track of her priorities. She’d start her new job on Monday, focus on saving up enough for a marginally nicer place, then she could think about getting laid.

“Be careful about the light in the kitchen,” the landlady warned. “The wiring is old so if you leave it on for too long at a time in the summer it’ll start to spark.”

“Oh great,” she deadpanned.

“Tsh. You won’t miss it. On a sunny day like today you don’t even need the extra light.”

That was one thing she did like about the apartment. There was indeed a lot of natural light that came in through the windows along the east wall. She walked over and opened one, hoping to air the place out before she finished bringing up what little she’d brought with her. Despite the recent heatwave, the breeze that afternoon was cool and sweet, only smelling very faintly of car exhaust and asphalt. She sorely missed the sea-salted winds that had blown in from the shore when she had been traveling abroad, and reminded herself again that this was a temporary arrangement.

As she admired the view-- one of the few true perks of her new living arrangement-- a splash of green amongst the brown and gray colored landscape caught her eye. She pulled up the mesh screen and leaned her head out, one hand braced on the windowsill, expecting to see maybe a stubborn curl of ivy that had climbed its way up the neighboring brownstone. Instead, she was surprised to see a lustrous garden growing out of a terrace a couple floors below. If she took a good running leap, she mused, she could jump right onto that ledge from here, providing she didn’t miss and end up splattered all over the alleyway.

The elevated garden was too high and too hidden to be seen from the street, but from above she could get close enough to count the leaves on the shrubbery. It was quite an impressive collection, particularly the many-colored array of flowers. Gianna wasn’t exactly a florist, but they looked exotic, unlike anything she’d seen before.

“What’s that garden over there?” she asked the landlady.

“Oh, so you spotted it,” she replied. “It’s a funny thing to see around here, isn’t it? How’s the saying go? ‘Like a sore thumb.’”

“Or a green one,” Gianna agreed.

“Honestly I almost forgot about it. You can’t see it so well from the other apartments. The man who lives there is a… what’s the word? A stay-inside man. You know, someone who doesn’t go out much-- a shut-in! He likes his privacy. I remember once he called the office phone one day in a terrible mood, saying if I got in the habit of housing peeping toms he’d have to inform the police. Horrible old man.”

She tutted disapprovingly.

“Geez, all that over someone looking at his plants?”

“Well, he didn’t say it outright, but I got the feeling it was more about the girl. His daughter, I think, or granddaughter maybe. I never met either of them in person, and for that I thank God.” She blew a kiss towards the ceiling and chuckled raspingly. “Now come this way, I need to show you what to do if the sink gives you trouble.”

With no small effort Gianna pulled her gaze away from the window. The richly colored blooms just across the way captured both her attention and imagination in a way that made her wish she hadn’t given up painting. When the last of the paperwork was settled and she was alone in her-- her!-- apartment, she returned to the spot and stared.

At the center of that mass of plantlife, that color swatch of eden, there was a big ceramic fountain with even more flowers filling up its basin, taking root who knows where. Delicate vines dotted with purple and yellow flowers spiralled up the center statue, a broken, half-eroded thing which must have once depicted a human figure, though now all that remained was an offwhite pair of naked legs and the beginning of a torso.

After a few minutes of languishing by the sunlit sill like some lazy housecat, a door slid open and Gianna saw a figure enter into the garden. She took one look and knew this must be the man that the landlady spoke of. He was wearing a dark dressing gown over his clothes, which hung loosely from his bony frame, and moved as though he were ankle-deep in quicksand, plodding through the mass of green at a snail’s pace. As he came more into view, Gianna began to glean why. The man’s face was sallow, sunken, with an unscrupulous smattering of pure white stubble on his chin. Even from a distance, he was unmistakably ill.

Just like the beauty of the terrace garden had caught and cradled her attention, so too did the ugliness of its master. She felt bad for spying, but it was like a car crash on the highway or a particularly inane online argument; she couldn’t look away.

The man pulled on a heavy pair of gardening gloves and a paper mask and began to prune and pluck at certain growths. He gathered and sorted the clippings into little plastic bags. If he had some sort of system driving his path, it was an inscrutable one. After a while of picking through the garden seemingly at random, he retreated back inside.

However, just as he was shuffling through the sliding door-- the phrase, “back from whence he came” came to mind-- he paused with his hand on the glass and raised his head. He turned and, as if guided by some preternatural intuition, stared directly into Gianna’s window.

Their eyes met and Gianna withdrew with a gasp. Of course after the moment had passed, she laughed at herself for her reaction. There was no way he’d been looking at her. Coincidence paired with a chronically overactive imagination had made her see something where there was nothing. He was a sick old man with a perfectly normal hobby, not some sinister ghoul.

Nevertheless, she lowered the blinds and kept them lowered for the rest of the day.

-----

By Monday, Gianna had more or less forgotten about the creepy old man and his garden. There was unpacking to do, furniture to acquire and then spray with bedbug killer, and most importantly, a fancy new job to buy some fancy second-hand clothes for.

That was maybe overstating things a bit. She was hired on to work with a small team restoring and preserving a local university’s art collection. The reality of the occupation wasn’t glamorous, but it was dignified. It was something Gianna could and did take pride in, undoing the damage wrought by the passing years one cotton swab at a time, revealing the beauty underneath.

Being back in the city, she nostalgically recalled a field trip to the Metropolitan back at the age when the nude sculptures made her classmates giggle, earning rolled eyes from the chaperone, and made young Gianna deeply uneasy in a way she didn’t yet have the words to explain. But it was the women with the flowing finery and piercing painted stares that caused her insides to flutter with something like hope. Billowing skirts caught in suspended animation mid-twirl, whether staged in the dramatic light-vs-shadow games of the baroque period or abstracted by a million tiny brushstrokes in a more impressionistic style. They had changed something in her.

But in spite of her love of the arts, she could never seem to sum up the same confidence when the brush was in her own hands. After long struggling on her own, she reluctantly accepted her dad’s offer to put a word in for her with connections at Fordham. Once upon a time the idea of returning to her dad’s alma mater would’ve warmed her with pride. Now she was just thankful the surname Alexander was common enough that the chances of anyone recognizing her was slim. The last thing she wanted was to start her first day with people already thinking she was only here by the grace of her family connections.

In spite of all her apprehensions, her first day went by without a hitch, save for the belated realization that she’d forgotten to tear the tag off her new blouse. She didn’t think anyone noticed. By the time she stepped on the subway that evening she was practically vibrating with a frantic, ecstatic energy that didn’t abate into exhaustion until she was home and sweating off her six-story hike. That, more than anything, was going to take some getting used to, she mused.

She shed her good-first-impression suit in favor of a cropped halter top and sweatpants. The setting sun cast beams of golden light through the slats in the blinds and over the back of her neck, the curve of one freckled shoulder. It wobbled iridescent through the glass and on a whim Gianna got up to open the window. There was that sweetish scent on the wind again, overpowering even the smoke that wafted up from the tenant below as he ground his cigarette butt against the masonry. Innocently, almost incidentally, she cast her gaze upon the little eden. There was someone new in the garden today.

The woman in the violet dress was opposite to the old man in every way. Dancing through the garden, touching every bloom and bud as if it were the hand of a treasured friend, Gianna had never seen anyone more alive. Short, dark curls like fiddleheads bobbed around her plum-flushed cheeks. In the pink twilight, she almost seemed to glow.

It wasn’t like Gianna to start waxing romantic over a stranger. She hadn’t felt that sort of blind infatuation since her first year of college, when she left home for the first time and a whole new world of opportunity suddenly opened to her the way it never could have with her passionately Catholic mother looking over her shoulder. This, she reasoned, must be something like that. She was just getting high on that feeling of possibility and freedom again.

Before she fully realized what she was doing, Gianna had opened the window and climbed out onto the fire escape. She climbed from platform to platform until the neighboring terrace was only a stone’s throw away, until she could hear the young woman’s voice as she murmured fawning nonsense to the flowers. In her distraction, Gianna’s foot slipped on the last rung of the ladder. She caught herself, though not gracefully and not before making a notable clamor on the way down.

The woman’s head shot up. Her eyes were the same color as her dress, and there was a leaf caught in her hair.

“Hey,” Gianna said, trying and failing to recover smoothly.

“...Hi.”

She swallowed. “I live up there.” She pointed. “I’m not, like, a burglar.”

“You wouldn’t be a very good one,” the woman said with a timid, uncertain smile.

She stepped away from the ledge and started to walk away. As Gianna’s heart sunk, she glanced back over her shoulder.

“I just need a refill.” She held up an empty plant mister. “I’m coming back.”

“Wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t,” she said under her breath, hands covering her face from the embarrassment. What is wrong with me?

“Are you the new tenant? My father said there was someone new. He hated the last person who lived in that apartment.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “But, I mean, I’m sure he’ll like you.”

She huffed a laugh, taking some comfort from the knowledge that she wasn’t the only one so utterly awkward at introductions.

“I’m Gianna.” She put out her hand, although it was obvious she couldn’t reach to shake it.

The other mirrored the motion. “Beatrice. It’s a pleasure to meet you, new neighbor, and a relief.”

“Oh yeah, why’s that?”

Beatrice fiddled absently with her dress, twisting one thin strap around her finger. “None of the other neighbors ever come to say hey. It’s been boring.” She smiled. “You don’t seem boring.”

That fluttery feeling returned, the tender thrill of standing before a piece of artwork. Here like there, now like then, something just clicked.

Insects filled the silence with their buzzing hums of contentment. A butterfly alighted onto Beatrice’s shoulder as she settled on the garden wall and a faint woozy feeling overcame Gianna as its wings slowed, spasmed, then went rigid as it fell motionless to the ground.

--

next chapter

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 256: Fucking Superb You Funky Little Hero Eggs

Previously on BnHA: Aizawa and Mic’s frankensteined best friend Shirakumo, better known to us as Kurogiri, had his memories briefly restored through the Power of Friendship, and was all “YO Y’ALLS BETTER GO CHECK OUT THOSE HOSPITALS” before his head started steaming like a tea kettle and he randomly fell asleep. Aizawa and Mic were all “!!” and Aizawa was all “(ಡ �� ಡ)” and Mic was all “Aizawa are you crying” and Aizawa was like “NO!!!” and then they left the prison and Nao called HPSC Lady who called Hawks and was all “eck-chay ethay ospitals-hay” because Hawks, as you recall, is still a secret agent and all that. Anyway so Hawks was all “EUREKA!!” in his head which doesn’t really add up but hey, and then the chapter ended with Dr. Ujiko dancing in sadistic glee as he watched Tomura get all mad scienced. It was pretty freaky. I could use some wholesomeness right about now so let’s see if this chapter will deliver.

Today on BnHA: Class 1-A shows off the fresh skills they learned during their assorted internships, such as “determination”, “enhanced search techniques”, and “becoming a literal blob of acid.” The Wonder Trio is a particular highlight, and All Might is all “my little baby off to destroy people :’)” as he watches Deku shred a robot to pieces using Blackwhip. We then cut to Aizawa and Mic, who may or may not be planning some rogue vigilante style investigations of the whole Noumu thing, or maybe they’re just brooding, but either way they’re interrupted by Mirio and Tamaki who come running in to get them to stop Eri’s quirk from going haywire, which, yikes. The chapter then ends with All Might handing Deku a notebook full of DETAILED, CATALOGED INFO ABOUT THE PAST SUCCESSORS AND THE FUCKING SIXQUIRKS. We just have to wait two more weeks to find out what that’s all about. 2020’s got some fucking zip to it so far huh.

so it’s about a quarter past 7 right now and it’ll be a miracle if I can have this recap up by 10pm tonight. surprisingly the wait for this chapter didn’t really bother me, but this Sunday/Monday release schedule is really doing a number on my punctuality. but anyways we’ll figure it out eventually. if memory serves, there’s about a 90% chance that this week’s jump will also be a double issue, so that gives me another extra week to get my shit together lol

(ETA: so that wasn’t too far off actually! I think a three-hour turnaround time isn’t bad for 3000 words lol. and actually it was more like two hours of reading/blogging and one hour of editing/photo cropping. anyway so in all likelihood either Sunday or Monday night releases will become the norm, depending entirely on how busy that particular Sunday is. not quite the same as getting the chapter on Friday and having the whole weekend to ruminate over it but we will adjust!)

anyway, so I’m somehow remarkably unspoiled for this chapter despite it having been out for nearly a week and a half at this point. so that’s something! let’s see what we’ve got here

yaaaay my babies

All Might was offering free cotton candy, yes? I didn’t expect we’d cut right back to this lol, but you sure won’t see me complaining. I want to see what everyone else learned during their internships, and also what with the break and the last couple chapters being Tartarus-focused, it’s been about a month since I last saw my little hero eggs, and of course I missed them I’m only human

omg

did the original dialogue really reference Skynet. Horikoshi truly gives no fucks about copyright. like one or two episodes ago the anime made some copyrighted reference which you could clearly hear in the Japanese but which the English subs hilariously glossed right over. I’m trying to remember what it was now. damn. anyways we millennials can never resist a good pop culture reference, facts

OH MY GOD AOYAMA

THEY’RE EATING THE COTTON CANDY

TOKOYAMI EATING COTTON CANDY IS THE GREATEST THING TO HAPPEN IN 2020 THUS FAR. LET ME TELL YOU, WE REALLY NEEDED THIS

SHOUTO EATING COTTON CANDY IS THE SECOND BEST THING TO HAPPEN IN 2020. IT WAS VERY CLOSE

I STALLED FOR TIME SO MUCH AND I STILL DON’T KNOW WTF TO SAY ABOUT AOYAMA’S NEW ATTACK OH MY GOD. JUST. I DON’T KNOW YOU GUYS. THIS BOY IS REALLY OUT HERE SLICING ROBOTS IN HALF WITH HIS BRAND NEW LASER PENIS. THE AMOUNT OF FUCKS THAT HORIKOSHI GIVES IS IN THE NEGATIVES I DON’T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY

OH ARE YOU STILL GOING

is... what’s... ldkfj okay nothing to see here guys just the naked invisible chick getting all friendly with Aoyama’s beam boner. just manhandling his sparkle shaft. there are children reading this manga. I mean, they’re already mentally scarred from all the dead dogs and child quirk wine and whatnot, but still at what point do we put our goddamn foot down

anyway so somehow she’s redirecting his laser beam?? I guess with her light refracting quirk skills?? great job Hagakure with your help Aoyama can finally shoot lasers at stuff that’s behind him. you’ve mastered the power of making it so that he doesn’t have to turn around great job truly an internship well spent

“now I can yank light and warp it!” you go girl now you can whip that thing around like it’s a fucking fire hose I guess

YOOOOO MINA!!

THIS GIRL LITERALLY COATED HERSELF IN ACID AND DID A FUCKING BARREL ROLL AHHHHHHHHH. NOW THAT’S MORE LIKE IT, NO OFFENSE TO CAPTAIN DISCO DONG AND COMMODORE “I CAN DO EVERYTHING A MIRROR CAN DO” BUT THERE ARE UPGRADES AND THERE ARE UPGRADES, AND LET’S FACE IT, THIS IS THE REAL DEAL HERE

AHAHAHA I LOVE ITTTTT

is it too late for Mina to actually change her name to Acidman. what is she calling herself now again?? Pinky?? come on Mina strike some fear into the hearts of your enemies

and now All Might and the others are applauding. I don’t see Shouto’s cotton candy anymore. boy fucking inhaled that shit

oh wow, they interned under Yoroi Musha? if memory serves me, and I’m honestly not going to bother to check right now, isn’t that the samurai dude who somehow beat Ryuukyuu in the billboard charts? not that I’m still salty about that, oh wait I absolutely am but anyways

OH MY

IS THAT SOME KIRIMINA CONTENT UP IN MY PANELS. hot damn that is some cute fucking shit. Mina better not get any undue hate for this. everyone please remain calm this cute interaction does not threaten your ship in any way (unless you want it to in which case have at!!) and we can all have fun if we just play nice you guys

lmao All Might

“WE’RE ALREADY ON PAGE FOUR AND THERE ARE TWENTY OF YOU, WE DON’T HAVE ALL FUCKING DAY CHILDREN”

so Satou and Ojiro learned how to punch harder and stuff. again, it’s fine, we can’t all be Acid Men. but meanwhile they interned with some lion guy named Shishido whom I INSTANTLY LOVE so that’s badass. only one character away from Shishida though, but that’s Horikoshi for you

OH MY GOD

BLAH BLAH YES ENHANCED SEARCH TECHNIQUES ZZZZZ BUT FUCKING LOOK THOUGH AT THE FLASHBACK OF HIM YEETING THEM, YESSSSSS. THE OLD WAYS HAVE NOT YET BEEN FORGOTTEN, GANG ORCA YOU ARE THE HERO WE DESERVE

meanwhile Sero, Kami, and Mineta learned how to literally kill people with their quirks flkdjsflk

(ETA: btw I really love that Mt. Lady’s internship emphasized teamwork. now there’s someone who’s come a really long way her own self. anyway I stan and she had better join the other two in the the top 10 real soon. come on BnHA society get with it.)

damn Mt. Lady what the fuck. “if you guys work together you can suffocate and electrocute villains to death with ease!” the government’s plan really is working huh; these children have become bloodthirsty, ruthless killers in a shockingly short period of time

anyways so Iida as we all recall learned how to be more footloose and fancy free, and meanwhile Kouda learned “smooth communication” from Wash, the literal washing machine man whom I also don’t still harbor a grudge against for inexplicably beating my dragon queen in the hero polls, and once again that is a lie because fuck you Wash! you’re adorable but fuck you!!

man this is taking forever why are there so many kids in this class. for anyone wondering why Horikoshi doesn’t focus on class 1-A as a whole more often and leaves them as supporting characters, this right here is why. I love these children to death but we would still be stuck in the basement arc. oh my god I just shuddered

Tokoyami mastered “improvement on all fronts” because I guess he kind of peaked at flying when it came to new moves huh. that’s fine for now

and Kiri mastered “making baddies lose the will to fight real quick” which sounds like some bullshit you’d write while desperately trying to pad your hero resume, except that it’s accompanied by this convincing panel of him chomping a steel bar in two or some shit which YIKES

can confirm, if some demonic rock man came trotting up to me and snapped off some railing from some stairs and fucking snapped it like a twig with his GIANT FOSSILIZED DINOSAUR TEETH, I’d lose my will to fight pretty quickly too

and Ochako and Tsuyu learned “determination” smdh. Horikoshi did you fucking fall asleep towards the end of this segment or what

WHO IS MAJESTIC OMG

excuse me did she just create a bunch of fucking dynamites. is that what those are. is my girl encroaching on my young son’s turf. because if she is, ENCROACH, MOMO, ENCROACH! FEEL FREE TO FUCKING IMPINGE, EVEN!! god, and I know I was bitching just a moment ago about these “lessons” becoming increasingly vague and intangible and motivational poster-y, but I read Momo and “predicting and acting efficiently”, and my thoughts immediately ran to Nighteye and Mirio’s fighting styles, and I was like “YESSSSSSSSS” because, I mean. YES, though

meanwhile Kacchan has learned...

this fucking -- I swear -- YOU LEARNED WHAT YOUR FUCKING HERO NAME IS GOING TO BE YOU TROLLING PIECE OF SHIT. oh my god. Katsuki I swear to god I will take your internet privileges. NO SRIRACHA FOR A WEEK UNLESS YOU TELL ME WHAT IT IS

oh for fuck’s sakes

don’t mind him he learned boom with five b’s and three oo’s what did you all do this week. and somehow Todoroki learned how to be even more fabulous

so All Might’s looking on in pride and giving Endeavor some mental props, and waiting for Deku to go do his thing too

sdfkj he’s thinking about the day he gave Deku THE HAIR and that “[it] feels like ancient history now.” DOESN’T IT THOUGH?

OH MY FEELS

“you don’t look back at me anymore... and you don’t need to.” oh Aizawa’s dry eye has spread to me now huh. must be those January allergies. and that’s some nice bloop there kid. great jorb

someone tell All Might he’s not allowed to look on at Deku with this much fatherly love without giving me at least a week’s notice in advance

sigh. now you’ve done it you two I’m going to become a big cat blob of feels right here and it’s all on you. you did this

oh my god a whole big panel of reactions from the other kids and I’m ( ˊᵕˋ )

lol Kacchan can’t agree with anything even if it’s a compliment. and lmao, who the fuck was that who was all “TODOROKI FINALLY YOU’RE A FAST FUCKING HIMBO HUH!” like they really went and put that “finally” in there, like they were so fucking tired of Todoroki Shouto and his LANGUID FUCKING PACE all the fucking time, GOD, FINALLY SOME SPEED BOY WE WERE DYING OUT HERE

Mineta being happy for Deku also warms my heart, ngl. we’ve gone almost an entire chapter with Mineta not doing anything even remotely perverted, can it be, has Horikoshi finally chilled the fuck out. or did I just jinx it we shall see

also love how Deku is just reduced to an inkblot here and it still is him beyond any shadow of a doubt. and poor Sero, you are also being impinged on huh

lmao Mineta’s just socking Deku in the solar plexus out of comradery and Deku’s fucking vomiting on reflex and not even paying the slightest attention wtf

I love this panel there I said it

so he’s going over and thanking Ochako for “that time” and says he’s using Blackwhip a lot better now. I assume he’s referring to when he first unlocked it and went hog wild and she was all “smh” and went and hugged him to put an end to that nonsense

oh, right!!!!

I forgot about those!! looool Horikoshi’s 2020 resolution is to make everyone Spider-Man now huh. hey everyone guess what I LOVE THIS

oh my god this wholesomeness

I fucking can’t?? yo I’m seriously living for this? I don’t get why some people think Deku inhibits Ochako’s character growth tbh. or that her story is becoming all about him. if it is, then it’s in the same way that Bakugou’s is. Deku keeps inspiring her to be better, ain’t nothing wrong with that. yes she has the crush, and she’s honest with herself and in tune with her emotions enough to be aware of it and to acknowledge it, but she refuses to be distracted by it. I actually really like that, because it shows that romantic feelings can actually exist and not be the central focus of a character’s story or their development. and I think the fear is that it somehow will become the focus, but so far I haven’t seen that happening, so it seems unwarranted to me

anyway

shit’s cute

oh no Mineta’s doing something weird I fucking did jinx it I’m sorry guys. it’s a fucking fistbump dude relax

so All Might seems to be dismissing them now, and he’s saying something about how he reordered (?? rescheduled, maybe??) class so that Aizawa can watch later. that’s nice. he’ll need something to cheer him up, and if Acidman can’t do the trick I don’t know what can

and now we’re cutting back to the dorms!! dorm shenanigans yessssss

oh no shit wait

these are not playful dorm shenanigans these are depressed Miczawa shenanigans to bring me down. nnnn

but Aizawa fucking knows something is up now, shit. that’s right son your babies are in danger

KLJKLGLKSH

okay (1) HOW HOT IS AIZAWA THOUGH HOW DOES HE ALWAYS DO THIS

and (2) is “have a karaoke contest” code for “fuck shit up” or what. son of a bitch, having these two so personally invested in the Noumu arc now is such an unexpected and wonderful gift

MIRIO NO

(ETA: but you all know Aizawa was about to say “I’d go and fuck shit up” though.)

I LOVE YOU BOTH BUT THEY WERE HAVING A SEXY ANGSTING MOMENT, MIRIO CAN YOU NOT READ THE ROOM!! DO YOU NOT SEE THEM BEING ALL ANGSTY AND DARKLY CONTEMPLATIVE!! YOU TWO OF ALL PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW WHEN LOVERS ARE BONDING OVER THEIR ANGST WHICH ONLY THE TWO OF THEM UNDERSTAND! FUCKING GODDAMN

NO!!!!!

[SLAMS HANDS ON TABLE] HORIKOSHI I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU LAY ONE FINGER ON HER PRECIOUS HEAD

NOOOO MY SWEET BABY GIRL

oh my fuck that sweater is the cutest fucking thing and this girl has had no shortage of cute outfits let me tell you. BUT ANYWAY SHE’S SCARED AND CRYING NOOOO. holy shit her horn is fucking huge now I don’t feel comfortable with this at all, and Nejire is Best Mom for not giving a single fuck and holding and comforting her regardless of the risk, I love her so much

OH THANK GOD

PALPABLE RELIEF. boys I’m sorry it was wrong of me to yell, you did the right thing interrupting their sexy brooding

BREAK ROOM AHHHHH THE SCOOBY SQUAD LIVES AGAINNNN

it means you constantly amaze him!! you have so much potential he doesn’t even know what the limit might possibly be! don’t act like you don’t love it. or stop being so suspicious and trying to look for the hidden meaning and just accept the praise for what it is. you did good. now ask him if he’s heard any news about Best Jeanist :/

!!

that’s right, he was researching and making faces a while back, are we finally gonna find out what all that was about??

DSLFKAJSLDKFH

HE MADE A NOTEBOOK FOR HIM AHHHHHHHH HE KNOWS WHAT HE LIKES THIS IS AMAZING

DOES HIM GIVING HIM THE INFO IN NOTEBOOK FORM MEAN IT’S UP TO DEKU WHETHER OR NOT HE WANTS TO SHARE THIS INFO WITH KACCHAN. HMMM. OBVIOUSLY HE WILL, BUT THAT’S A REAL POWER MOVE THOUGH, DAMN

“PAST SUCCESSORS / QUIRKS” EVERYONE, THIS BOOK CONTAINS THE SECRETS OF THE SIXQUIRKS. AND THE PREVIOUS OFA AVATARS. THAT’S FINE I’M JUST GONNA. ...I’LL BE FINE. FOR TWO WEEKS. FUCK

shit. well I know it was coming, that’s another reason why I didn’t feel particularly rushed to read this chapter lol. I kinda wish I’d had the foresight to save the Korean scanlation though, just to compare. ah well it’s probably still lying around somewhere

and lol and here’s the bonus page, and this one I did see floating around tumblr haha

I’m not sure how the three smartest kids in class are all present and yet not one of them had the foresight to consider that maybe, just maybe, this could be a bad idea. let’s let the kid with the combustible sweat handle the mochi I’m sure it’ll be -- [everyone immediately dies]. anyway so that’s some good friendly advice from Horikoshi there. happy new year friends!

[autobuttonsanddeceptistitches]

Viper’s Vengeance Chapter 2: Beware the Wild Weasel

Chapter 1

Hey guys, so I’m finally returning to this story. There’s been a lot going on right now, so hopefully updates won’t be too far between. This chapter also contains graphic depiction of gore for one short part near the end as a trigger warning.

Grand doors opened up to the sight of three thrones. The three Megatrons resting upon their high horses. All different bodies, yet the same name of an atomic weapon as powerful as one million tons of dynamite. Soundwave took attention of the sudden appearance, a new bulky body with Cobra armor. Viper clenched his servos, detesting the sight of another bearing the same curse as him. The true blue mech bowed down, wings remaining high. The gray leader smirked, getting off his chair.

“Viper, how good to see you again, I didn't expect you to come back. It seems Cobra was much weaker than I expected.” He said in such a twisted glee. Armada Megatron scoffed, as Beast Wars Megatron paid attention to the T-Rex head for an arm. Viper rose, his true blue sight unseen before.

“Its over now, we don't have to worry about them or the traitor anymore.”

“So you got rid of Luca as well?” The Cobra prototype nodded, remembering the flesh melting from his bones. How the calcium fell apart.

“I told you it wasn't a good idea to team up with those humans!” Came a shrill shriek. Everyone turned to face Starscream and his two Seeker buddies. Among them being Skywarp, wearing far uglier armor than before. Viper glared at the jet, feeling pity oozing out of his seams. The dark armored bot ran up to the snake, gripping his wounded shoulder.

“Hey, could you tell me that you salvaged my body?!” Came such a loud noise that echoed across the room.

“Sorry Skywarp, I didn't want any humans to use those parts, so they're all melted down. You should go to Cybertron and get a new one.” He teased, right as a fist crashed into him.

“Enough! Viper's done his work and we're moving on from that.” Armada Megatron interrupted, his powerful frame standing up and glaring at the fliers.

“Indeed Armada, I am happy to see your attack was successful.” The gray mech replied, he seemed to be happy to see another one of himself, let alone two of them bearing his name. Sure, on the surface it seemed they all detested each other. Yet, Viper could tell something lied beneath that. Soundwave detected it as well, but chose not to speak. The dark blue mech got up, wiping his face of the purple fist that whammed into his.

“Thanks, I needed a warm welcome from the likes of you. Lord Megatrons, may I request a few days off from the raids? Hook mentioned that I needed more repairs on my armor before I can fight.” Blue optics reflected the three Emperors of Destruction as they whispered among themselves. Starscream and Thundercracker dragged Skywarp off as he screamed out various Cybertronian swears.

“Fine, it seems you've done far much more compared to the rest of the army. Go on then, before we change our minds... Yessssss.” The Predacon leader hissed. The former Cobra soldier exited, making sure to avoid the bitter Nightraven. Who knew he loved his old self that much.

Back here again, staring at nothing as Hook tinkered. This time, a lot more precise with the sensitive wings. Good thing the irate Seeker's fists weren't strong enough to make a dent. The vibrant red mouthplate came off, showing the forever hidden white armored face. In the green mech's reflection is markings of a scar. New one gained from the chaotic battle from last night. Nothing to worry over, not if it doesn't hurt.

Dirty work, that song they listened to earlier, quite symbolic of such a situation. Done working for Decepticons, done working with everyone. A few days off is what he needs. It was nice that the dinosaur gave him an agreement. A lot of time to think, to question life's choices. One grew in his head as the Summer Breeze made him feel fine.

How did Cobra get the idea to make him? It couldn't be an idiotic idea that some crazy scientist could come up with. Come up to the boss and proclaiming they could make a jet that'd transform into a large fighting warrior. That urge to dig deeper, to discover why he came to be in these dark times. Who is he?

“I repaired your visor the best I could with what little I had. Sure its not the right color, but at least it'll shield your optics like it did before, so be happy with that.” Hook moved back to pick up a thick orange visor. Must've ran out of black and ditched the primary color for one not found on dark blue armor. The left part of it still broken that'd expose the optic. Its not the prettiest job, but it'll do for now. Servos soon placed the visor back on, fragments of glass included, but tight enough not to go loose and stab him. Hook smirked, knowing how much of a patch job this is. It'd contrast well with his vibrant blue vision. Then came back on the mouthplate, hiding the most human aspect of him.

After Hook finished, Viper sat up, looking towards the medic. “Thank you, I needed that a lot.” He exhaled, wings moving to show that they looked a lot better.

“You know, I could use a paint stripper and get rid of those ugly symbols.” Hook suggested, yet the former Cobra soldier got off the medical berth and adjusted his visor.

“Your repairs are all I needed. Our Megatrons agreed that I needed a break from the fighting. Its my time off now.” Blue armor left the room, closing the door behind him. Hook scoffed as the door opened again. A damaged Build Bot and Shrapnel getting dragged in by Kickback, with a cheeky grin on his face. How wonderful.

The human made machine got out of the shade and into the sunlight. The bright light displaying the restored paint on the weary body. What a strange part of the world to be at, a desert with hidden patches of life. Its often nice to listen to the soft sounds of distant animals and birds. I'd be best to go to the best spot to observe the vast wilderness of this planet. Time to concentrate and think, think over what to do with his past and how life became the way it is.

Viper saw two figures standing on the edge of the ravine. One that guarded the place from any ground vehicles from reaching the base. Breakdown and Drag Strip, two of the Stunticons enjoying their time off from the battles as well it seems. The Rattler came closer, noticing little rodents popping out of the ground. Some traveling across the large holes they dug up.

“Hey, look at those weasels, they're all over the place. Isn't that wild!? Hey, wild weasels!” Breakdown laughed, right as his brother smacked his helm.

“No you dummy, those are gophers! Or groundhogs? I remembered hearing a crazy old man tried bombing his farm to get rid of them. Left a giant hole that's used for tourism in Japan! Best place to dump you off!” His brother chided, before noticing Viper staring at them. “Hey, what's bothering you?”

“Wild....Weasel....” Came a whisper, optics going blank before his processor bloomed into a familiar pain. This damage came from when Cobra tore through his head. The last sight before shutting down was Drag Strip running up to him while Breakdown kept screaming apologies...

A sight returned of blue skies over a forgotten base. An old place with worn out red paint hidden in a faraway jungle. A figure sat inside of the cockpit of a Cobra Rattler. One bearing the iconic symbols, yet having the Decepticon ones embedded as well. Before a consciousness, all that existed was a lifeless husk, a prototype.

“Wild Weasel, how is the Viper performing?” A harsh voice came out, Cobra Commander's own, escaping from the radio into the cockpit. A pilot wearing red, hiding his face behind that intimidating helmet of black and red. He picked up the message, glancing back at the other prototype Rattlers.

“Wild Weasel here, this change to my plane is performing well. I haven't heard anything from the others yet. But I can tell they're performing the same as always.” A blank voice chimed, his pronunciation of s emphasized. An older one, still bearing a cocky attitude matched by his flying skills.

Wheels landing onto the ground, a sweet sensation to anyone bearing a fear of flight. Such bliss for anyone as the other tires began to land onto the soft surface. Overgrown plants, the typical sign of forgotten memories. A row of Cobra Rattlers, seven in total, yet one had the unique marking of purple. Upon command, six had changed their shape, walking on two legs rather than the three wheels. All remained static as their faces showed silver and black. Regular Cobra soldiers hiding at the back of the armored heads, adjusting to the new shape. All eyes left onto the main one, piloted by the great Wild Weasel. His fingers rested onto the controls. Muscles tensing, to soon hear the transformation as everyone watched.

Then, everything came to life. The flickering of an ember, growing into an inferno at the pouring of gasoline. A harsh scream filling his cockpit, crushing of bones as machinery filled the small spot. Never giving the weasel a chance to weasel away from the rising metal. Life, upon the begging of death. The firstborn stood, staring upon the crimson red dripping in his optics. Blood, what flows in the veins of humans. So much of it, the first memory, to hear a horrid screech, then watch the fear on the small creatures faces. A gun slipped out as armor malfunctioned, acid fired and melting the other prototypes. How could they be under full control, yet he could not?

Vision flooded, death, screaming, orders refused to follow. Then, a horrid shot hit his face, breaking the glass. More shots filled the sky as his vocalizer began to function. A scream of his own, startling everyone before they kept firing. Like a feared animal, fighting back against what he couldn't understand. Angry creatures, others identical to him melting down into puddles consumed in green. Such horrid sights, before one powerful blast took him down. Broken glass, staring at the strange color up above. Blue, its so beautiful, glistening the blood before going to sleep.

The prototype couldn't move, arms and legs tied down to slabs of steel. He struggled, making random noises towards the creatures, startled upon his awakening. Right in front of him, a man in the same color of the up above. Face hidden by a shield of silver, black gloves clenching the worn railings. Two other figures stood there, a woman with black, and a man of white. They whispered among each other, before a scientist ran up to the three. This person gave mention for something to be ready. Ready?

Upon the orders, a tremendous pain broke the functioning processor. New thoughts silenced, a forgotten voice. A vegetable, a robotic cabbage, never to be seen again...

“Viper?” Came a whisper, oh that sweet voice. Nightbird's, but, why is she here? Viper turned his numb helm, vision clearing up to find her staring down at him. He perched up, seeing Breakdown and the other Stunticons close by.

“How long was I out?” Came the first words, armor burning at his frame remembering the forgotten memories. The ninja rose a hand to his shoulder.

“A few hours, we thought of taking you to Hook, but he was busy. But, it seems we don't. Alright you five, the show's over.” Leading to the groans of the five mechs. They transformed and drove off into the desert. Ready to do their usual dangerous stunts for the others and their self amusement. Nightbird helped the former cobra mech up.

“What, were they going to ditch me in the middle of nowhere during that?” Came irritation in blue optics upon Nightbird's nod.

“You know them, I would've expected them to use you for their ramps. I've seen what they do with overcharged Decepticons. Need to go somewhere?”

“Yes, I was going to head somewhere, until I heard Breakdown and Drag Strip talk about the darn weasels.” An emphasized hiss on the rodents.

“Well, we'd better get going to wherever you're going. The sun's starting to set, what happened in your vision?”

“Its the reason I'm going there. I wouldn't suggest you coming along, its all for me to take care of. Although, you did make sure I wasn't Stunticon roadkill, so I should repay you in that way.” Viper transformed as Nightbird performed a cartwheel before entering into her alt mode. She drove off alongside him towards the one path able to let anyone in and out of the base.

Gotta pass the long roads that are famous for their tourist attractions in this side of Nevada. Few cars tonight, which is good for any Cybertronians during this time of the dying day. Viper seemed to be feeling a lot calmer since his episode, which should be a good thing. Nightbird remembered the first time she saw him on the floor during a large meeting. Stuck unconscious due to remembering another one of his 'memories'. She remembered hearing Soundwave and Hook discuss the cause of these episodes. The fracturing of his neural systems, vital parts to a Cybertronian to function. It may be repairable, given the time and resources from Cybertron come together. Viper did come into the Earth Wars a few months after her, so they were new back then. Now, a lot's changed since those days. More soldiers, more adjustments to the base's inner structure. What strange days, still having their sense of joy. Although the questions rose in her helm during the drive. Pondering of Viper's intentions.

What seemed to be forever lead them to California in the dead of night. Nightbird's engine hummed, used to long drives after frequent testing by her creators. Oh those days in the labs, born and built for one purpose, yet her own Spark lead her to this. She noticed Viper swooping towards a tunnel in the side of a mountain. A bridge abandoned for so many years. He waited on the old bricks, finding his tag along nearby landing onto the said bridge. Both their optics and armor lighting helped illuminate the tunnel.

“So, what was your memory about?” Nightbird chimed, seeing how Viper remembered his way down these long unforgiving paths.

“My birth, how I had my first kill. Tell me, have you seen blood?”

“In the horror movies Swindle and others watch.” Nightbird chuckled to herself. She'd often sneak into their little parties, such a shame it'd be American and British horrors. They needed some Japanese stuff to watch too.

“I saw it drip down my face and pool out, my optics, stained in so much of it. I'm amazed that Cobra left me alive, but, that's why I'm here.” Said with no emotion. Both reached an aged door with the infamous symbol of red worn away by time. Upon pressing a few buttons, it opened to the sight of forgotten technology. Old machinery whirled to life for the first time in years.

[whateverisbeautiful]

Reveling in Richonne

#152: The Intensity (9x14)

They said this episode would get intense and that was a very accurate statement. The last eight seasons is estimated to have covered the span of about six years, so you know within this six year time-jump these characters probably went through some crazy things considering the craziness they went through in the first six years. 

And that proved to be real true cuz this has got to be one of the most insane things a character has had to go through on this show. 

Jocelyn was clearly nuts so Michonne understandably had to let her know; if you want to get crazy...

Michonne wakes up and her and Daryl are tied up like animals as Jocelyn makes her legion of evil kids brand them both. It’s insane. 😰 And the acting from Danai and Rutina when Michonne’s branded is so well acted and super striking. The intensity is real. 💯

Michonne yelling in Jocelyn’s blank face is so raw and powerful. 🤭 I heard about how Rutina actually wasn’t supposed to be in this shot and so her reaction isn’t scripted. I’m glad they kept her in cuz I really think the scene is elevated by having her in it with this expression. 

To me, Jocelyn’s emotionless expression really emphasizes how she’s too detached to even care for Michonne’s pain as a human being. And Michonne’s expression communicates that she’s going to mess Jocelyn all the way up one way or another. 

Not even a horrid predicament like this can stop Michonne or make her give in when it comes to saving her kids. And this yell is like her telling Jocelyn, even through pain that...

Michonne and Rick have this drive to protect people that’s unmatched so, despite all the abuse, Michonne and Daryl make it out. It’s definitely a testament to the two of them as survivors.  

(Side note: If Rick and Michonne had been the duo in this episode this would have been the most graphic episode for what Rick would do to Jocelyn and anybody who hurt his family. 👀 Imagine the acting we’d get from Andy when they brand Michonne. All bets would be off from the second they even took Judith. And then after the branding of his pregnant wife. 🤭 Rick would’ve been another level of brutal once he faced these people who are trying to hurt his immediate family.)

In the present, Michonne rides her horse and takes out walkers in her search for Judith. And then back to the past, they gloss over how exactly Daryl and Michonne break free (which I thought was really odd) but they do break free and they end up deciding to split up. 

Michonne comes across Jocelyn and her kids and demands to know where Judith and the Alexandria children are. You can tell that the branding isn’t even a concern for Michonne right now, it’s all about the kids. And that’s motivation enough for her to push through this pain. That’s Mama Michonne for you. 

Note that’s “Where are my kids.” Plural. She was talking about all the taken Alexandrian kids. They were all her kids in that moment cuz she’s a real one. 👏🏽Her and Daryl were the only ones out here getting branded for these kids and then the community wants to give her attitude?? 🤔)😑 Cuz again, with those other adults at Alexandria...

Jocelyn responds with, “Why? She’s better off. You live in the past chasing a ghost while Judith’s here with me.” Tried it to capacity. 😡 Quick question, Jocelyn...

Cuz this lady clearly doesn’t realize that she’s dealing with the undeniable baddest chick in the game and Judith’s mother who prioritizes her over anything including a so-called “chase”. 

And also I was like, Jocelyn, Rick def isn’t a ghost, so...

So then the kids run out and Michonne can see Judith running with them. Judith’s all smiling cuz they have her thinking this is a game. And it’s crazy cuz she’s so little and has no clue her mother is going through literal hell just a few feet away. 

Michonne is left to fight these two kids and even as they approach her she tells them she doesn’t want to hurt them. But then that awful little boy strikes her pregnant belly, causing her to start bleeding, and that’s when you visibly see the rules change. Cuz Mama Michonne reaches her final form, once they try to come for her unborn child like that. As she should. The way she swipes at them after that is so genuinely intense.

Danai did such a great job showcasing the ferocity of maternal instincts when it comes to protecting their child. The hands become rated e for everybody when you come for a mother’s child. 💯

Michonne continues to run and yell for Judith but when she makes it outside, Jocelyn just starts brutally beating her. It’s way too much. 🙅🏽‍♀️ And Michonne uses all her energy to stab Jocelyn and kill this evil horrible woman.

Rick and Michonne have had a lot of similarities in their character and journeys. And now “having to kill your best friend because they came for your kids” is added to that list. 

This moment again also reminds me of how Rick had to tap into a dark place to take out that perverted Claimer and protect Car. And because R&M are cut from the same cloth, Michonne had to tap into that space as well for Judith.  

When Michonne gets up and looks around, the Children of the Corn are all aiming knives at her. She tries to tell them it doesn’t have to go down this way and they can all go back to Alexandria, but at this point I was like nah boo we ending this right here and now. It’s the only way. 💯

But I get how difficult and complicated this would be for Michonne. Most everyone can feel sympathy for a child but when you’re a mother I’m sure you’re even more sympathetic to children. Especially right now as a pregnant mother. So Michonne feels for them extra hard and wants to spare them as much as she can. 

These baebae kids should’ve taken her offer to come back to Alexandria, cuz under her supervision they would’ve got it all the way together had a good safe life. 

However, they refuse to listen and the blonde kid Winnie is instructed to kill Judith and the Alexandria kids which at this point in the episode I was just like...

You mean to tell me that just months after losing Rick, Michonne had to worry that she was going to lose Judith and possible her unborn child too!? This episode was piling on the trauma in extreme doses. And it was just time to shut it down. 

So then Michonne does what must be done and takes all these kids out. She tries so hard to avoid it but it becomes clear there really is no other option if she wants to save her children. It’s “look at the flowers” times like ten extra kids.

So to avoid getting too graphic, the show smartly cuts from Michonne slicing walkers in the present to dealing with these kids in the past. And after the sequence, Michonne has got rid of all the killer kids and yells for Winnie to not hurt the kids inside that RV. 

Again, Danai does a terrific job of conveying the anguish and conflict Michonne feels having to kill these kids in order to protect her own kids. She by no means wanted it to be this way. But they took Michonne’s daughter so she had to take them all out.

Daryl walks out too with bloody knives implying he took care of business as well. Winnie knows she lost so she runs off, and Michonne is generous to just let her leave.

Then, with the last bit of energy she has left, Michonne cries and her voice breaks as she calls out for Judith. 😢

Judith walks to the entrance of that RV and again looks so beyond adorable. I love that she heard her mom calling and knew to walk out. Like I’m sure the rest of those kids inside were scared and hiding after what they heard going on outside but Judith was like look y’all I gotta go cuz...

Judith stands at the entrance and stays there looking at Michonne with what could appear to be a scared and uncertain expression.

Michonne notices Judith’s hesitancy so concern etches across her face as she worries that Judith has been too traumatized to recognize her mom. 

But after a moment of silence the cutest thing ever happens, cuz Judith smiles and runs to Michonne with open arms saying, “Mommy!” 

My cup runneth over with how adorable this moment is. 😭😊🙌🏽 

And then Michonne feels utter relief (and me too) as she embraces Judith and doesn’t let go. Y’all, this mother and daughter content is just the best. 

And after holding my breath all episode it was at this precious moment that I could finally be like...

It’s cute that little Judith got to act a bit with her expressions this episode. ☺️ And I’m so beyond glad that we got to hear the little one call Michonne “mommy”. I had wanted to hear that from her for some seasons now, so to bring little Judith back and hear her say it was everything.

(Side note: I love thinking about how this Judith would totally have been calling Michonne “mommy” when Rick was around too cuz they were just such a family in every way.)  

Still embracing her daughter, Michonne turns over to Daryl and the two share a smile. And then even despite her own physical pain and trauma, Michonne puts on the sweetest calming voice to ask if Judith and the kids are okay. 

It’s moving to see how, so shortly after such a draining experience for her, Michonne’s focus is still on the kids first and foremost and wanting them to feel safe and like it’ll all be okay.  

And it’s a sweet subtle detail that as she hugs the kids, Daryl runs up to them so they don’t have to see the bloody scene.

I appreciate the unity and bond between Michonne and Daryl. They go through it together and know this is what had to happen. Of course there’s heaviness cuz no one ever wants to take a young life, but I think those two know that in this situation they aren’t monsters for doing what had to be done.👌

I love that Judith, this baby who’s been looked after by so many characters, who at this point in the flashback has just lost her father, still has the best mother in the world to raise her, love her, and fight for her no matter the circumstances. 😌

This whole event is significant for a couple reasons. And one of the biggest ones is that this moment made Judith apart of the apocalypse. 

This appears to be the first time Judith saw the darkness of the world she’s apart of, rather than being inside safe walls just playing. She’s not just that little girl in the house anymore. She’s seen things now that has made her aware. 

Y’all, this has got to be one of, if not the, darkest subject matter this show has ever done. And I really feel like Michonne is one of the few characters who could ever endure something like that and not go completely crazy. Not cuz she’s some warrior robot, but because Michonne has demonstrated an ability to put in the work required to rise above the pain time and time again.

And her desire after this to keep the communities closed makes total sense. Other characters might’ve reacted even more extreme than that had they been the ones in this situation. So Michonne def deserved more empathy from people within and outside of the show (and that empathy should’ve been long before this episode ijs). 

This also showed me that RJ is a miracle baby. Michonne is so resilient to have been branded, cut, and gone through extreme physical and emotional trauma and still give birth to her healthy baby. She’s a queen and RJ’s been persevering since before he was born. 

All that being said, imma need the show to not put Michonne though any more abuse. Like for real. 

Of all the women characters, I feel like she’s had to endure the hardest beatings and it’s time to stop. Just cuz she can take it doesn’t mean she should have to, so I really hope her final season lets her be when it comes to stuff like that. 

Back to the present, Michonne continues to slay walkers and then she finds Judith who’s also using her baby katana to take out walkers. Like mother like daughter. 😊

And when Judith’s using her baby katana you just know she wants to be like her mom. It makes sense, Michonne’s the ultimate role model. And I love that Judith is this fighter like her mother. 😊

Michonne doesn’t take anything laying down so why wouldn’t Judith. She’s fierce and caring and determined, just like her mom. (And she doesn’t stay in the house, just like her big brother lol.) 

It was deep to have Michonne in the past taking out kids and in the present taking out walkers with the same motivation; getting to Judith. It’s like she said in that 8x16 deleted scene; “Everything you do is for that child.”

She gets to Judith and they smile as Michonne sees that her daughter really does take after her in some ways. But before their moment of being happy to see each other can last, a walker grabs Judith. And I so adore the fact that Judith’s immediate instinct is to yell for her mommy and of course her mom is right there to help her. 😌

Judith has been written to be extremely mature for her age, which I don’t mind cuz it would make sense for her to not be like other kids since this is the cutthroat world she’s had to grow up in. But at the end of the day she’s still a little girl and she does need her mommy so I’m glad that older Judith had a moment of not being too grown to need her mom. 💯

Michonne runs to her and takes out the walker and then they hug and it’s precious. 🥰 I really adore the parallel of little Judith and older Judith saying “mommy” to Michonne and embracing. 🥰 Both Judith’s know their mom has got them no matter what.  

Michonne asks if she’s okay, as that’s her first concern just like when they embraced in the flashback and then she lets Judith know they need to talk.

And yeah they definitely do. And it’s one of the most heartfelt conversations.👌🏽😊😭

🏽gifs source: @michonnegrimes @winterswake

[ask-svt-hearteu]

Vampire! Joshua

Genre/Warnings: fluff, historically incorrect probably, mentions of religion that are purely because of this supernatural au, cursing

Word Count: 2278

A/N: surprise :p i was kinda feeling inspired bc this is a superior concept sorry it’s not a request :( but i really hope you guys like this! it’s been a minute since i’ve written something, i hope i portrayed joshua correctly too - admin seri

1800s poster church boy

until he fell in love 

or so he thought 

he was strumming his guitar at choir practice 

sitting at the side while the nun yelled at the girls, a usual day at the church

and he looked up at the sound of the doors opening and saw her

immediately he’s fascinated by things he’s never cared about before 

it was like just the flutter of her lashes made him swoon

poor unsuspecting Joshua Hong, didn’t he know what compulsion was 

for a month after, people said he changed 

he quit choir and began chasing after this one girl 

as were many other men, as they were all too blinded by the compulsion to realize, him included 

but she liked him best, it was the only explanation, because why else would she

he remembers that night, dressed in a tux as her date to one of the many balls she was invited too

being pulled into one of the many secluded rooms by the tug of her nimble fingers on his tie 

feeling the soft touch of her lips 

feeling the pain of her teeth sinking into his bottom lip

she seemed to take great amusement in watching him pull back in horror 

she bit down on her own lip, hard

he watched, horrified as the blood dripped from her lips while she smirked

and she kissed him again in his frozen state

next thing he knew he was laying on his bed with a terribly sore neck 

left with only a short, vivid scene of her baring her fangs and wrapping her hands around his neck 

she was gone and so was the compulsion

he looked into the mirror, ran his hands over the puncture wounds on his neck, and hissed at the pain of a new set of teeth growing

it didn’t take long for him to realize he needed to escape town 

it also didn’t take long for him to meet another vampire

Choi Seungcheol offered him an understanding smile and handed him a ring 

from then on, he was with Seventeen 

becoming a vampire killed any belief Joshua had in god

he was even the ‘I've read the entire bible five’ type, but then again what else was there really to do

there wasn’t much he could say about the topic now, the evidence was clear 

however, his knowledge made him the absolute perfect candidate for his role in Seventeen

because where there’s a small, close-knit town, there’s a church

prominent members of the community reside in the church 

and they know all the dirty secrets

all he was to do was wiggle his way into the church slowly as the young, pleasant man offering to play the guitar during mass 

getting along with all the kids

become the major’s kid favorite 

shaking hands with the major as he grins ‘shyly’ when the major dotes on how much the kid loves him 

sly, sly Joshua 

his job, primarily, is to make sure none of the town leaders catch on to the recent rise in animal deaths 

and that no other vampires left any loose ends or some people suspicious

and especially make sure as hell there aren’t any vampire hunters

so he’s at choir practice with a guitar at his side, smiling softly at the nostalgic sight of the kids singing

til he smells a familiar scent in the air and turns to see Jun

“What are you going here?”

smiling brightly, Junhui points, “the kid my girl babysits gets to play this weekend” 

“she’s adorable” Joshua looks to the little girl standing next to the piano bouncing on the balls of her feet 

“yeah I am,” Jun’s girlfriend buts in cheekily, “thanks Josh” 

he hums nonchalantly, “no problem” 

while the three of them settle to watch the practice, Jun leans in and whispers, “so any updates?” 

“one lady, she’s on the council and is always asks me about our living situation whenever we talk. it’s obvious she’s skeptical. I overheard her talking about the deer Vernon forgot to bury last week too”

“are you going to compel her to stop?” 

he shakes his head, “no, she’s been so adamant, it’ll be too suspicious if she suddenly stops caring” 

“what are we going to do?” 

he shrugs and gives a reassuring smile, “I’ll figure it out” 

later that evening, he finds himself at a council member’s dinner party 

the amount of dinner parties Joshua has been to is astonishing, it really felt like they had nothing better to do with their lives 

so in his dress shirt and slacks, he greets everyone with a shake of the hand or a polite hug

secretly wanting to just down ten glasses of champagne because that’s how utterly unlikable the council members are

managing to escape, he finds himself in one of the many hallways of the mansion and spots a lone figure 

Joshua watches as you examine the picture frames in close detail, as if you were looking as to see what color shoes each person was wearing 

slowly, he takes light steps towards you, standing behind to take a look at the frames himself 

you feel a strange sensation, like that unexplainable feeling that you’re being watched

so you turn your head

“Jesus fuck!” 

you stumble a couple steps away from him

how could you not even hear his footsteps

despite your loud exclamation, he remains cool and only smirks 

“saying God’s name in vain?” he shakes his head mockingly 

you huff, gathering your composure, “I wouldn’t be if you weren’t being so creepy” 

seeing him simply shrug and turn back to the frames, you scowl

“who even cares about that anyways,” you mutter under your breath

“never said I did,” he smiles at you calmly

a very unmannerly snort rises from you, “geez you just keep getting creepier and creepier” 

he chuckles, “Joshua Hong, nice you meet you. you can call me Josh.”

how he hasn’t been the slightest put off by your unfriendliness, you don’t know

“Y/N L/N” 

for the first time, you take him in, finally noticing how insanely handsome he is

in fact, he seems perfect

seeing as you let a little bit of your guard down, Joshua asks, “so tell me about the pictures”

“if you really want to know, Joshua“ you tease, emphasizing the ‘ua’, “this is my family” 

he looks at your impassive expression, noticing the way your tone becomes lifeless when you talk about them 

“this is your house?” 

you smile bitterly, “yeah, it’s nice right?” 

shaking his head he exhales, “I don’t know seems kind of lonely” 

you eye him with a look of surprise and he laughs 

“I live with twelve other guys and I think that’s the only way you could fill a house like this” 

seeing you crack a smile, he grins triumphantly 

“twelve guys? that’s an odd arrangement” 

“it works” 

lifting his finger, Joshua points to one of the pictures, “where’s this at?” 

“the woods just outside of town, that’s my family and the major’s family camping, we go every year” 

finally getting to what he came here for, Joshua says, “you guys probably heard of all the animal deaths in the forest then huh” 

you sigh dramatically, “not you too, seems like the whole council is obsessed with it these days” 

“oh?” 

oh fuck

the chances of this town knowing about vampire seems very high

in a town where a couple families have been in control since forever, those families passed down the secrets

he’d have to ask Wonwoo for more history

“I can’t believe my parents are making me join the council, I don’t know what about turning twenty-one suddenly allows me to handle city politics” 

he makes a note of that and chuckles, “mmm yeah, seems more like a clubbing night instead of an inauguration”

you reach and nudge his arm naturally, “that’s what i’m saying!” 

“another thing also,” Joshua raises his brows amused and tilts his head towards the champagne glass in your hand

“what are you a saint,” you can’t help but smile, “okay holy one, take it from me” 

he almost bursts into laughter at the irony

simply just clinking your glass with his, his eyes sparkle with a playful gleam, “cheers” 

after getting your number, which you will never admit you happily gave him, you both start to talk

from daily conversations simply about each others day 

to both of you dying when the conversation leads somewhere completely random 

you honestly just think, like wow, when has your adult dating life ever been this successful 

but Joshua, when he first found out about you and your family, his only thought was how useful the information you had could be 

though he’s being honest with himself, you had him since that dinner party

not head over heels compulsion type of attraction

just your tough snarky demeanor, no doubt because of the way you were raised 

and the way it fell into a giggly mess meshed with sarcastic comebacks as if you weren’t just laughing your head off

and even if you pretend to be cold-hearted sometimes, you’re the first one to give someone directions or to pick up their fallen papers 

“clearly you like her” Jeonghan laughs, entertained by his close friend’s struggle

“I know that much” he chortles, “Y/n likes me too” 

“and you haven’t made a move because? there’s only so many coffee runs and choir practices you guys can use as an excuse” 

Joshua stares into the moon from his spot on the rooftop, realizing it must’ve past midnight by now 

“today is Y/n’s birthday, they’re going to tell her today” 

“well didn’t she invite you to her dinner party?” 

his lips twitch remembering you ranting about it to him, complaining about the formalities of it all, how you really didn’t want all the council members and their snotty kids, no matter how cute, at your twenty-first birthday

you had reached over and tapped his arm, letting your hand graze against him, “looks like it’s your job to make it worthwhile” 

arriving at your mansion, he’s dressed in his best suit and clutching a bouquet of flowers

he can smell your distinct perfume getting closer and closer to the door and smiles softly when you pause in front for a few moments

you’re feeling just as nervous as he is

“Josh” you greet, finally taken to calling him by his nickname

“you look lovely” he says warmly

he reaches for your hand, bringing it up his lips tenderly and presses a kiss

eyes never leaving his, you breathe deeply

“old-fashioned” you mumble, hoping your twenty-one year old self isn’t seriously blushing right now

“i prefer romantic but you’re the birthday girl” 

you glare at him playfully, “hey only i’m allowed to be cheeky today” 

he lets you lead him around the house, pointing out all the elaborate decorations your parents had set up

he really tries his best to pay attention, but the entire time all he can focus on is how he’s going to break the news of being a vampire to you

for a moment he even thought he could hear his heartbeat but stupid, his heart doesn’t beat

you ended up giving him a tour of the entire house with the pool as your last stop

grabbing his hand, successfully sending sparks up his arm, you lead him outside

he doesn’t let go 

“at least the weather is pretty today” you hum, purposely not talking about your hand in his

“looks like the guests are starting to come” 

you both can hear the sound of guests chattering and expensive cars beeping

“just let me be alone with someone a like for a moment” 

before he can show you any type of reaction you let out a tiny giggle, and use your intertwined hands to tug him closer to you

“do you like me too?” your eyes hold a teasing glint, already knowing the answer

“yes, i do like you” Joshua says firmly

you become serious at his sincere and determined expression 

“so what have we been waiting for?” 

Joshua sighs, unknowingly gripping your hand tighter

“I feel like I should tell you something first, and if it doesn’t work, I need you to forget it” 

“okay”

there were other ways where this could’ve gone smoother, but this information never is smooth anyways

“I’m a vampire”

he watches you cautiously, hoping he wouldn’t have to compel you to forget, because that would really mess with his heart

your serious expression falls into a blank one and he almost isn’t sure that it’s you gripping his hand tighter or the other way around

you let out a shaky laugh, “since when were you so dramatic” 

“what-” 

you cut him off, “that was a bit easier to process than i thought” 

 “than you thought?“ he questions incredulously

“Josh, I found out about vampires when I was 16. I was a pretty sneaky teen so do you know how funny it was for me to pretend this was new information this morning to my parents?” you grin mischievously, ignoring his dumbfounded expression

“so what about me?” 

“you Joshua Hong,” you tap him on the nose, “aren’t as subtle as you think, I’m just smarter than you I guess” 

recovering from his surprise he smirks, “all this time, I was worried about you feeling betrayed, but now I do” 

he pulls you closer, letting the hand not holding yours fall on your waist 

you roll your eyes and stare up at him, realizing how utterly smitten you are with him

“just kiss me already, and please no fangs” 

The Seventeen Vampire AU Series:

| Mingyu | Junhui | Seungcheol | Joshua |

MASTERLIST

[ugyeoms]

Adorn//Jeno Scenario

Title: Adorn//Jeno Scenario (Day 6 of Nct 15 Days of Christmas Collab with @floraltenwritings)

Word Count: 2.1k+

Plot: Shopping for Christmas decorations for the Dreamies’ dorm with your boyfriend turns into a cute and fluffy day.

A/n: Day 6, yay!!! These scenarios have been so much fun to write so far, and I can’t wait to see how you guys like this one! Be on the look out for Sicheng’s on Sunday (@floraltenwritings) and Mark’s on Monday (me)!

Nct 15 Days of Christmas Masterlist

“Jeno, hurry! I want to leave!!!!” You beg. 

“Coming!” He replies from his room. 

As a new holiday tradition, you and Jeno decided to go shopping for Christmas decorations together. Since neither of you live on your own, you had spoken about it with the rest of the dreamies and they decided to let the two of you decorate the dorm. You were more than happy to make the dreamies’ place as festive as you possibly could. However, Jeno was still getting ready to leave, even though you’ve been standing in the doorway for almost ten minutes.

“Hi y/n!” A voice greets you. You turn your head to follow the sound of the voice to see Donghyuck approaching you. 

“Hi Hyuck!” You exclaim, pulling him in for a hug. 

“Are you guys going shopping now?” He asks.

“Yeah, but Jeno’s taking FOREVER to get ready.” You emphasize.

“It’s just because he wants to look good for you, it’s not his fault he’s ugly!” Donghyuck says sarcastically, making you laugh.

“Hey!” Jeno yells, coming out right as Donghyuck says that.

“Well, I gotta go! Nice seeing you y/n!” Donghyuck states, running away before Jeno can reach the two of you.

“Hey babe.” He greets, pulling you into his arms and kissing you on the forehead.

“Hey Mr. I take 5 years to get ready even though I knew exactly what time y/n was coming.” You smile, pulling away from his hug.

“I’m sorry, I overslept ok?” He pouts, grabbing your hands and trying to persuade you with his cuteness, since he knows it’ll work.

“Ugh, let’s just go.” You sigh, pulling Jeno out the door while he laughs in content at his victory. 

The two of you make your way to the store while blasting Christmas music in the car, discussing what kind of decorations you’re going to buy, how you’re going to decorate the tree, etc. You’re practically squealing when you finally pull up to the store.

“Yay! Babe, come on!” You tell Jeno, grabbing his hand once again to pull him into the store.

“Y/n, slow down! The store is not going anywhere!” He giggles, trying to keep up with your pulling pace.

“Just let me be excited ok?” You say. The two of you finally manage to get inside the store, and you feel your eyes opening in awe at the sight in front of you. There are holiday decorations surrounding you everywhere you look. Reds, greens, whites, golds, and silvers are displayed all throughout the entrance of the store, and before you know it, you’re already running over to the first stand you see. 

“Jeno, look at this! It’s adorable!” You gush, picking up a little snowman stuffed animal and showing it to him. He simply smiles and puts his arm around you.

“Babe, why do we need a stuffed animal snowman to decorate the dorm?” He questions.

“We’ll put in on display! Like on one of the tables, or a mantle, or a stand, or something!” You list, excitedly throwing the plushie into your cart. The two of you are not even five feet into the store and you already have something in your cart. This is going to be interesting.

This continues for a while, you seeing something that you like, you throwing it into the cart, and Jeno asking why you’re buying it and where it’s going. Jeno does pick out a few things too, and you usually don’t argue it as a gift for him having to deal with your shopping. Finally, the two of you reach the tree section of the store.

“Ok, so I think we should get a tree that’s not too big and not too small, just average. A tree that’s too big and tall won’t fit in the dorm and make it seem cluttered, and a tree that’s too short and small will be no fun.” You explain thoughtfully, carefully looking at every tree as you walk by them.

“How about this one?” Jeno points at a tree with an average height and a good size. It’s the normal evergreen color with white lights already applied to it. You look over not expecting much, but are shocked when you see that your boyfriend managed to pick out the perfect tree in literally under two seconds.

“Jeno, how did you find that so fast? It’s perfect!” You say with delight.

“What really? I don’t know, I guess I’m just great.” Jeno boasts, proud of himself. Rolling your eyes, you ask him to help you lift the box. The two of you struggle, but manage to get the relatively large box inside the cart.

“Now ornaments!” You speak, pushing your cart over to the tree decorations without giving Jeno anytime to answer. He doesn’t follow right away, but instead just looks after you for a minute. He loves how excited you get over the smallest things like this, and is so so content to see you so excited.

“Ooo, what about these?” You ask, breaking him out of his thoughts. He quickly heads over to the decorations you’re standing in front of and wraps his arm around your waist. 

“Those look nice.” He grins.

The two of you take about an hour to finally pick out the perfect decorations for your Christmas tree, and decide that it’s time to head home and start decorating. However, just as the two of you are getting on line to check out of the store, something catches your eye. A display of little Christmas ear headbands scream out to you, and you’re pulling Jeno off of the line once again.

“This is the final touch babe! We each have to get a pair!” You say, picking up a few and looking at them to see which one you’d like. “They have Christmas trees, snowballs, reindeer ears, Santa hats, which one do you want?” You ask, turning to Jeno with bright eyes. 

“Uh, the reindeer ears seem cool.” He says, pointing to the pair he likes. You pick up his chosen pair, and place in upon his head. Adjusting the headband to make sure it’s comfortable and in the right place, you mess around with it for a bit until it’s perfect. Then you start to fix his hair so that it falls around the headband well. The concentration you have in that moment causes you to fail to see the slight blush on Jeno’s face. However, when you look at his face to see how the headband looks and make intense eye contact with one another, you can’t help but feel your face heating up too. It gets to the point where the two of you are standing in the middle of the store just blushing and staring at eachother.

“So... ready to go back?” You ask, breaking intensity of the moment.

“Yeah.” Jeno says, smiling and grabbing your hand and pulling you towards the check out line again.

The amount of decorations you bought ended up being an insane amount of money, but you both decided it was worth it for how amazing the dorm will look once it’s all decorated. The two of you mutually decide to put the tree up first, since it will take the most effort and look the prettiest. The box is heavy as you and your boyfriend lug it inside of the dorm, plopping it down to the ground once you make it inside. 

“Ok, so how do we put this together?” You ask, walking over to him and hugging his side. Jeno automatically hugs you more and leans his head on top of yours.

“I think it comes in two parts, so it shouldn’t be that hard. Especially since we bought it with the lights already on it.” He says, going to let go of you to open the box. However, you lock your arms and hold him in place. Jeno looks at you with a confused expression.

“What?” He questions. 

“I just wanna hug you for a second!” You pout, knowing it to be his weakness, just as his pout is yours.

“Awe y/n!” He gushes, leaning in to place a light kiss on your nose.

“Guys, the children!” Mark interrupts, walking in shielding Chenle and Jisung. 

“It was a kiss on the NOSE!” Jeno argues.

“Still a kiss! Now let them help you decorate the tree ok?” Mark tells you two before running back into his room.

“But-” Jeno starts, but Mark is already gone before he could finish his sentence.

“Ok guys, looks like your helping me put the tree together.” Jeno states, looking at Chenle and Jisung.

“WOOO!” Chenle yells, running over to the tree box and trying to open it. Jisung follows him shortly after, and the both of them struggle to open the box. 

Once the tree is up, the two of you decide to leave Jisung and Chenle to decorate it while you work on the rest of the house.

“Do you like this here?” You ask for maybe the tenth time in the past hour, looking at the small little snowman plushie that the two of you bought first.

“It looks great babe.” Jeno says, also for maybe the tenth time. The two of you have managed to decorate the house fairly quickly, and now the last thing you have to do is put up the garland you bought around the door.

“You stand on the chair and i’ll hold your waist so you don’t fall, ok?” Jeno tells you, pulling a chair over for you to stand on.

“Hold on, what if I fall and crush you?” You ask worried.

“Babe there’s no way you’re going to crush me. Plus, I wouldn’t let you fall in the first place.” Jeno winks, causing you to giggle.

Slowly but steadily with Jeno’s help, you step on top of the chair. The garland feels heavy in your hands given the situation, but you manage to get it securely around the top of the door. You make sure it’s secure and then tell Jeno he could let you down. He picks you up off of the top of the chair and pulls you into a hug. 

“Jeno!” You muffle out the best you can from being pressed against his chest. Jeno just laughs at the sound and kisses the top of your head.

“See? I told you I wouldn’t let you fall! Let’s go do the star on top of the tree now!” He exclaims excitedly, finally it being his turn to pull you.

When you enter the section of the dorm with the tree, you have to admit you’re fairly impressed with what a nice job Chenle and Jisung did decorating it. 

“Wow guys, it looks amazing!” You tell them.

“Thanks y/n!” Jisung responds happily.

“That’s all we’re going to need of the two of you for now, y/n and I are going to put the star on top of the tree.” Jeno says. The two younger guys nod and go to head to their room, leaving the two of you alone.

“Ready?” Jeno asks, the star in his hand. You nod in agreement and let him pull the chair over. The tree is still slightly taller than you even with the chair, so you have to stand on your tippy toes in order to reach the very top. Jeno’s grip on your waist tightens, sensing the increase of your shaking, but you finally manage to put the star in it’s rightful place.

“Yay!” You shout, jumping down into Jeno’s arms once again. He presses the button to turn on the lights, and the two of you take a second to step back to awe at your tree.

“It’s beautiful.” You proudly say.

“Just like you.” Jeno says back, nudging you and causing you to blush.

‘‘Hey, why are you being cheesy?” You shyly ask, looking down at the floor.

“I just had a lot of fun with you today.” He starts, but stops to look at you before he continues. “I love you.” He says.

“I love you too.” You respond, heart beating insanely fast. Of course you two have told each other you love one another before, but you don’t often say it because you already know it’s true. So it’s no surprise that every time Jeno says it to you, you get all giddy and nervous. Jeno grabs your hand and pulls you into him. You know that he’s looking at your lips, which makes you feel even more shy. Slowly, he leans in and places his lips on yours. The familiar feeling makes you smile into the kiss, it feeling so satisfying after a long but enjoyable day of decorating. Jeno begins to deepen the kiss; however, the two of you are cut off by a loud screech and padded footsteps running across the floor.

“Guys, what did I say about PDA?” Mark yells from his room.

“I guess we’ll have to apologize to Chenle.” You say.

The two of you just laugh in response, Jeno leaning in to place a quick kiss on your lips once again.