#the beach city witch project

[redwinterroses]

OC and Mudlark meandering under the cut :)

So.

In Mudlark, my MC is a ~19-20yo girl named Jade Stellato, who grew up in a threadweaver colony on a planet called Keris, a relatively backwater world that hadn't even been settled for very long so things were pretty low-tech.

(Think 1930s/1940s in terms of how much technology impacts every-day life, but the technology that DOES exist is still futuristic. Like, farmers probably still often use draft animals to plow and harvest, but everyone's got the equivalent of a smartphone. Long-distance travel is more or less out of the question, but you've got satellite internet. Every teenage gearhead has posters of spaceships and hover cars on their bedroom walls, but the planet doesn't have interstates. They have the technology, just not the infrastructure for heavy machinery, etc.)

Threadweavers are people who can interact with and manipulate the "threads" that make up reality (uhhhh atomic theory plus laylines. mm-hm. Sanderson's spren minus the personification aspects. Something like that) and depending on where you are, you're either considered a skilled worker and valuable to society, or potentially a witch or a terrorist. It just depends. Keris is spread-out and colonial enough that every area kinda makes its own rules, but generally is considered weaver-friendly so there are a lot of threadweaver settlements there. The particular colony Jade grew up in was pretty strict on gender rules for what sort of threadweaving was appropriate. Women were supposed to stick to things like medicine and agriculture -- "natural" elements, while men were led more into manipulating inorganic things like stone, metals, etc.

So Jade is in training to go into the medical field, and she's not bad at it, but she really doesn't enjoy it. And one of the things she regularly gets in trouble for is doing things with metals -- shaping little tin dishes for her kiddie kitchen, making beads and stuff, etc. Then she discovers engines and machinery and it becomes a whole THING.

All of which is brought to a messy and screeching halt when the As Yet Unnamed Experimental Corporate Cultists swoop in on her settlement, steal every threadweaver they can subdue and murder the rest. She loses both parents and her brother in the chaos and only survives because she was out in some farmer's back pasture up to her elbows in a tractor engine.

She and the other few refugees get shipped back to the intersystem planets and pawned off from agency to agency until she's had enough and strikes off on her own, ending up scraping together a living as a "mudlarker" -- someone who trawls riverbeds and beaches for valuable scrap to sell to pawnbroker types. The city she's in at the time is pretty unfriendly to threadweavers and it's illegal without a license, so she keeps under the radar and only uses her ability to manipulate metal when she's sure no one is watching (but it does come in handy to find more valuable items in the silt and sand of the river.)

Jade is tall and stocky, and strongly-muscled, with thick freckles over every inch of her skin and dark brown hair that would be wavy if she let it grow longer than a few inches. (She cut it at the first refugee center and has kept it short ever since out of convenience.) She whistles absently whenever she's deeply engrossed in a project, has a fascination with birds (Keris had no avian species), and realized at about age sixteen (when a classmate tried to kiss her at a harvest bonfire) that she's ace.

She deeply, deeply misses her parents and her older brother, Quin. She hopes they might be alive somewhere, but half hopes that they're not -- no one knows exactly what the As Yet Unnamed Experimental Corporate Cultists do with the people they take, but no one ever sees them again, and the AYUECC is powerful enough to be above the law of any planetary system. Conspiracies about brain transplants, human experimentation, and an attempt to breed an army of unstoppable threadweavers come up any time they're discussed.

Jade's story is going to open with her learning of a place simply known as Haven -- a planet hidden from the AYUECC and beyond the claim of any multi-planet confederation, where threadweavers are protected. And there are supposedly two guys at a dive bar two neighborhoods over who can take her there.

So! That's my protagonist. <3 ty for reading, if you got this far!

[trans-rites]

Tagged by @larky-lark

coke or pepsi? Honestly neither, but I guess I'll take pepsi.

disney or dreamworks? If I must, Disney. A higher percentage of Dreamworks animation gives me the heebie-jeebies.

coffee or tea? Tea. An excessive amount. Every day.

books or movies? Books. Films are for watching with friends.

windows or mac? Windows. Mac is an illusion of the demiurge.

dc or marvel? DC. Marvel has Spiderman (and Gwen, and Gwenpool,) but DC has everything else.

x-box or playstation? Neither.

dragon age or mass effect? Dragon Age. It's not even close.

night owl or early riser? A secret third thing.

cards or chess? (Trading) cards.

chocolate or vanilla? ...like, ice cream? Vanilla.

vans or converse? Is it bad that I don't know the difference?

Lavellan, Trevelyan, Cadash, or Adaar? Lavellan. Shamelessly.

fluff or angst? The ideal story has both. Like that deadly pink candyfloss they put in walls.

beach or forest? Forest. Sand is hell. Dirt is truth.

dogs or cats? Cats. I respect a little guy who has their needs.

clear skies or rain? Clear skies, baby. I appreciate the whimsy of rain, but I want wind, and I don't want it to soak me.

cooking or eating out? Cooking. Eating out is always uncomfy.

spicy food or mild food? Mild. I have a weak, weak, palette.

halloween/samhain or solstice/yule/christmas? Halloween and Samhain! They aren't the same, but I love them both. The happiest time of year.

would you rather forever be a little too cold or a little too hot? Cold. If I want to be warm, I can put stuff on. If I want to be cold, there's only so much I can take off.

if you could have a superpower, what would it be? Shapeshifting. That's always been my go-to answer to this question, and I can't imagine it changing.

animation or live action? Animation! It's such an underappreciated medium and it deserves more big-budget respect.

paragon or renegade? I like being nice.

baths or showers? Showers, but I'm pretty sure I'd love a bath in a big enough tub.

team cap or team ironman? If we're talking MCU, then Cap. The Sokovia accords are a deranged invasion of freedoms.

fantasy or sci-fi? In my soul, it's fantasy.

do you have three or four favourite quotes, if so what are they? - Tiffany's 'All witches are selfish...' speech from Pratchett's The Wee Free Men - 'There is another shore, you know, upon the other side', from Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - 'Someone will remember us, I say, even in another time,' Sappho - 'This is the new touch,' We Know the Devil

youtube or netflix? Youtube. Anything else is for pirating.

[REDACTED] [expunged]

when do you feel accomplished? Too much of my self-worth is based on feedback for my creative projects, but, uh, then.

star wars or star trek? Trek. Easy.

paperback books or hardcover books? Either, or digital.

to live in a world without literature or without music? I wouldn't, not if I couldn't somehow bring one back.

who was the last person to make you laugh? @larky-lark <3

city or countryside? Anywhere with good internet.

favorite chips? Not a crisps sort-of gal.

pants or dresses? Dresses, baby. Skirt really do go spinny.

libraries or museums? Libraries. God, libraries.

character driven stories or plot driven stories? Character driven!

bookmarks or folding pages? What in the goddamn is a folding page?

Dream job? I do not dream of labour.

What gives you comfort? Gentle companions.

what are some of your favorite song lyrics? Play with matches if you think you need to play with matches Seek out the hidden places where the fire burns hot and bright Find where the heat's unbearable and stay there if you have to Don't hurt anybody on your way up to the light And stay alive Just stay alive

favorite ice cream flavor ever? Vanilla. No, I'm not ashamed.

first fandom? Err... Doctor Who?

Your desert island band? The Mountain Goats. Easy.

tagging @melleonis @kishona

[alsjeblieft-zeg]

007 of 2023

Was Your Year Like Mine? An End Of Year Survey [2022]

Created by hxcsingingsk8r

You went on a road trip with friends You took a snowy cabin road trip You rang in the new year on vacation You got some new clothes as Goodwill You had a family photo shoot You did at least one cosplay You went on a pretty walk/hike close to your home, but an area you hadn't been to before You were sent a care package from someone You got married to the love of your life! You went on a honeymoon You went to Hawaii You went to Waikiki Beach specifically You tried either Starlight Coke or Dreamworld Coke, or both (never heard of it) You tried either Mango Gem Mountain Dew or Baja Gold Mountain Dew, or both (never heard of it either) You played glow-in-the-dark golf at least once You got your first manicure ever at a nail salon You got a sparkly acrylic french manicure You ate at a bunch of new restaurants You ate a ton of vegan food You spent time at the beach You went to an art gallery where you really loved the art You hiked up a volcano You flew on a plane You visited a loved one at the cemetery You tried speaking to that loved one... but you didn't feel their presence at all... You went to Vegas You ate a restaurant where you dine in the dark [like pitch black, can't see a thing] You went to a selfie museum and took pics there You visited an ivy league college campus such as Princeton You saw a fox in person [not at the zoo] You moved across the country Your car broke down during a long trip You got stranded in a random city You were forced to miss Halloween You dressed up as a superhero like Scarlet Witch You took lots of selfies You moved into a new place You learned that you're very good at doing impressions of cartoon characters You got to see pretty fall leaves You read We'll Never Be Apart You read the whole Inheritance Games series You made lots of TikTok videos You posted lots of selfies You posted lots of pics of your pets You posted lots of pics of your food You watched The Black Phone You watched The Batman with Robert Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz You watched Everything Everywhere All At Once You watched Encanto You watched Avatar: The Way of Water You watched The Adam Project You watched The Watcher You watched Dahmer You watched Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy You watched Season 3 of Locke & Key You watched Season 4 of Manifest You watched Season 3 of Never Have I Ever You watched Season 4 of Stranger Things You watched Season 2 of Love Is Blind You started a new job this year!

[kandadiff]

Van Der Wulff - Castle 4.5

~~~~~

~ Everyone in the circus is above~

I strolled out of the castle wanting to be anywhere but here but looking around, it looked like everyone had a hangover. It looked like a school for the blind given all the large black sunglasses over everyone eyes. 

“Nice of you to finally join us, Miss Snow.” Professor Jefferson said, eyeing my outfit. “We said 10.”

“Sorry.” I mumbled taking a spot between you and Draven. both of you looking pretty rough. “I just didn’t want to come.”

“Me neither.” Draven groaned, the dark glasses showing my reflection as she looked at us. “I think I'm going to throw up.”

“Get in line.” You said leaning on Katya who was next to you. Her own dark glasses reflecting the sun into your eyes. 

“Okay kids, take the papers with your name. ” Miss Davidson said way too enthusiastic for the morning. She went on to say we were going to do a scavenger hunt while she handed out pieces of paper. A list of various things to find around the grounds of the castle. “The first team to find these 50 things-”

“50?!” Damien exclaimed. His hair was messy and his eyes had bags under then. Maybe Max was right, maybe he was too upset to sleep. I tried to make eye contact with him but he didn’t look at me. 

“Yes! And the team that finds all of them, gets a whole letter grade up in two classes of their choice.” She clapped and smiled jumping up and down. 

“What?” Kassie asked. “Any class?”

“Yes,��� Professor Jefferson said. “For example if any of you are failing math. Then you can bring it up to a D.” 

“Cool.” Katya said then made a face looking down at the paper. “50 is so many.”

“wait” I put my hand up. “You said team... we get to pick our teams.” Makayla linked her arms with you and Katya. 

“Yes!” Miss Davidson said “5 people to a group.” Everyone quickly scrambled grabbing onto people. Jackson reached for me but Professor Jackson quickly shut it down. 

“same gender to a group, kids.” he said quickly glancing at me his daughter then at the whole group “Makes things easier.” I rolled my eyes and Xavier grunted as he kissed your cheek. 

~~~

Our group wound up being you, me, Draven, Katya and Makayla and the scavenger hunt was as boring as it was originally thought. 

“I hate this.” I whined. “Its hot out here, I’m not dressed for this. I’m a city dweller since when do I belong in a forest?”

“Stop being such a baby.” Draven chuckled looking around. A think canopy of trees blocking much of the sunlight but leaving us with thick humidity. “We already have 24.”

“Out of 50!” Katya pouted. “My head hurt to much for this.” You nodded in agreement.

“Thats what you both get for drinking so much!” I said and you rolled your eyes. 

“I didn’t even drink that much.”

“Your hangover says differently.” Draven said looking around. “This place looked familiar.”

“Yeah it does.” I said looking around as we walked. Then the stream nearby hit me. “We were here last year.” Everyone looked at me, following me as I beelined for a specific path. 

“Stop going too fast!” You whined as a branch almost hit you when Makayla pulled it back. 

The leaves crunched under your feet and soon we were at a small clearing where memory quickly overcame you. A small decrepit cabin sat in the middle of the wood, looking like something out of the Blair witch project. We all knew that Cabin, the one Lux ‘tested’ us in last year only an hour or two before she went missing. Just a few feet from where me, you and Draven beat her bloody. 

“Oh god.” Makayla wrapped her arms around herself, the air suddenly feeling way to stuffy and thick. 

“Oh yeah” Draven said pointing south “The Jenners beach house is through there.” 

Memories flooded fast as we stood huddled together reliving that night. What if ‘L’ was still here? What if she was sending those texts or even living in this cabin? I looked at the group and walked closer to the cabin. “I’m going to look inside.”

“Why?” Katya hissed grabbing my arm. “It creepy and you don’t know if maybe a homeless person lives there.”

“Or a demon!” You shout but I roll my eyes looking at Draven. She sighed and nodded. “What! Come back!” You shouted as we approached. You, Makayla and Katya stood tightly together not moving. I pushed open the door and the loud creek was enough to make you jump back. I took out my phone clicking on the flashlight, walking in with Draven. 

The cabin was dirty, clearly abandoned and caked with years of dirt and grime. Spiders and bugs made their homes among the walls and corners. Whatever furniture that was still intact was unmoved from the last time we were in here. Layers of dust say untouched just small footprints from the mice calling this place there home. We moved deeper into the house turning the corner in what used to be the living room when we both screamed. 

You, Makayla and Katya heard what sounded like a symphony of screams and screamed yourself. “We have to go in there and help them!” Katya said moving toward the door but you and Makayla held her tightly. 

“No we need to get help!” Makayla said taking out her phone seeing the big ‘NO SERVICE’ written in the corner. “Oh no!”

“HELP!” You screamed but before you could yell for help again. The three of you screamed again as me and draven ran out followed by.... Kitty, Madeline, Jules, Maddy.... well everyone who used to be in THE CIRCUS. All holding something shiny in our hands. 

“You scared the shit out of us!” You yelled slapping my shoulder expecting me to smile or tease you but instead Draven and I were looking at the things in our hands. “Whats that?”

I held out four gold bracelets, perfectly clean and full of different charms on each chain link. Your heart dropped. You knew this bracelet. You all did because you all had one. Lux bought them all for us. Each bracelet complete with charms that she dictated were special towards us and you immediately knew which was yours. With shaking hands you took it from my hand. 

“Where’d you find this?” Katya asks looking at her own. 

“I did.” Madeline said “We wandered out here and I went into the house with Maddy and they were sitting in the living room on the table like they wanted us to find them.”

“Look what the box said.” Maddy said holding out a square purple box with big cursive writing on the label. Lux’s handwriting that said ‘For my besties! Missed you!’

~~~~

[cupcakeshakesnake]

Promo art for The Beach City Witch Project, a Steven Universe fan episode (on which I’m working as a colorist)

-

We aren’t taking in any more staff members!

Please direct any other inquiries to @mamalizmas

(Sorry dude I’m shit at advertising)

[koreankitkat]

Here are some backgrounds and props I made for the Beach City Witch Project Steven Universe fan animatic

[fem-usa]

“The gems try their hand at fortune telling...”

The Beach City Witch Project!! An in progress full length fan episode headed by @mamalizmas, boarded by me and an awesome team of people! The project will have original music, story, voice acting, and art. 

Follow me @fem-usa and @mamalizmas for future updates! Reblog to spread the word! 

[bucketofchum]

My character design sheet for Garnet for the Beach City Witch Project (fan animatic episode) !  [Full size]

[loycos]

HELLO!

So you all have probably already heard of our project, ‘Beach City Witch Project’. We currently have almost all of the positions filled in, but we’re lacking in voice actors! The 4 remaining roles that still need to be casted are Garnet, Amethyst, Peridot and Ronaldo (Peri and Ronaldo have relatively small roles- around 2 lines for each). 

Please join our Discord chat at https://discord.gg/fgGDqPv or PM me or @mamalizmas for applications and details.

[yeahimaloser]

Wingless

Hello! So this was the fic I've been working on, and I just wanted to quickly say this is an AU-based fic (Kinda).

WARNING MANGA SPOILERS

So I understand what's going on in the manga, but I started this fic when Keigo was injured. so I wrote a fic about how Keigo and you would deal with him losing both his wings and a part of himself.

this story contains manga spoilers, as well as warnings of mental and physical abuse (kind of), hurt to comfort, mentions of Depression, blood, someone gets glass stuck in their hand, and therapy.

no pronouns are given to the reader. Word count: 7k

. . .

You practically ran through the hospital, not listening to the nurses and doctors as they told you to slow your pace. Your mind only screamed out for him, screaming for him to be alive, for him to just be okay. You could hear your heart thumping hard against your chest, tears spilling down your cheeks.

As you ran near his room, a doctor finally managed to stop you.

“Please, calm down! He’s in this room but I can not allow you in if you act like this. You will only stress my patient out more, and we have just managed to sedate him.” the doctor held out his hands as he spoke, trying to calm you.

Although, it clearly wasn’t working. Your eyes only shone more with brimming tears, your hands shook as the doctor spoke.

After a few minutes of you catching your breath and calming yourself down, the doctor told you that you were able to see him.

You felt as if your whole body was on fire as you walked through the doors to his hospital room.

The window that overlooked the city gave an impressive view (if it wasn’t in a hospital, you probably would have stopped and looked down at the city below). The bathroom, you could see, was on your left. There was even a vanity and a television in the room as well.

But you really didn’t have time to look around, your eyes were already focused on the man that lay on the hospital bed.

Machines were hooked up to him, tubes ran out of his skin every witch way. He was flipped on his stomach to accommodate his wings or lack thereof. Bandages covered almost every area you could see, the blood on them was minimal, yet they looked new, meaning they had been changed.

You rushed to his side, stopping only when the line of his IV almost collide with your foot.

“Keigo,” you said it so lightly you were afraid only you could even hear it.

But Keigo’s eyes shot open, looking up at you, “...Y/N?”

God, his voice was a raspy mess, it sounded as though it wasn’t even his.

If you could, you would break down right then and there. Crying over him, telling him you were there for him, that you would always be there for him, no matter the hardships he was sure to overcome. You wanted desperately to hold him, to whisper love-filled words to him, to wipe away the pain you knew he was feeling.

But you didn’t, you couldn’t.

You knew you had to be strong for him in that moment, and for all the moments yet to come. You knew that what was going to happen to you two would not be easy.

So you couldn’t cry, no matter how much you wanted to.

You lightly stroked his cheek, “I’m here Kei, I’m right here. I won't leave you.”

Silent tears ran down his face as he spoke, his voice cracking, “I’m sorry.”

----

After what happened with Dabi Toya, the commission tried their best to cover everything up, telling the public that Dabi had to be wrong. But the public eye was persistent.

The truth was out, there was nothing you or Keigo could do to stop it. Everyone knew about his name, his father, and what he had done to Twice, as well as the fact that he had lost to Dabi. You knew it would be hard for him to come back to that.

The media had always been a bit ruthless when it came to Keigo, but now, it was up by tenfold. They talked about how they believed that Keigo was not worthy of his hero title. A false hero they called him.

And Keigo?

Luckily, he didn’t hear very much of it. You made sure of that. You wanted him to rest, to let what had happened wash over him little by little, and you knew if he heard what the news had been saying about him, that he might never recover.

When Keigo was a bit more stable, he still rarely talked.

His eyes didn’t shine like they used to, his face, once so uplifting and beautiful, was marred with a long scar that he had on his face.

But no matter what, you stayed with him, no matter what, you would be by his side.

But seeing Keigo like this? It was unbearable.

He would only eat if you were there to persuade him, he would only look at you if you practically begged him to.

You knew it was a selfish want, you knew it was, but you wanted your Keigo back. You wanted the man who held you in his arms, telling you he would fly to the moon and back if it meant you would give him your love. You wanted the man that stopped at nothing to protect others, you wanted the man that smiled when the going got tough, you wanted Keigo.

But you had to accept that this was Keigo.

And you wouldn’t leave him, you couldn’t. He was always there for you when you needed him most, and you weren’t going to do the same.

After what had happened with Keigo, the commission thought it would be best to send him away, let the media storm die down, letting him also take time to heal his wings.

You had to fight them in order to come as well. At first, they told you that Hawks should just be concerned with getting his wings back and becoming “hero ready”.

You should have known. You knew, of course, that the HPSC was corrupted, but you didn’t think they were heartless. Yet, you were proven wrong.

You wished they could understand, you wished everyone could understand. Keigo was so loving and kind, you just wished people would understand that about him. What Keigo had to do to Twice… you knew he didn’t want to kill him, Keigo wasn’t like that. He didn’t take pleaser in violence, all he wanted was to see others happy.

And it made your blood boil that the higher up’s couldn’t understand.

You told them how Keigo needed someone to be his caretaker, and you would be the best candidate. You knew he wouldn’t object, you told them that you would work for free, seeing as he and you had been dating, as well as living together for the last few years.

Finally, with a lot of persuading, they agreed.

They sent you and Keigo to a remote location near the shores of Japan, seeing as they wanted Keigo to not remember the effects of the fight, and thought the best course of action was to send him so far out that he would have nothing to remind him of, “The Incident”.

The house was a small little thing, a lot smaller than what you and Keigo were used to at least.

It was close to the ocean, giving it a more country feeling rather than the city vibe you and Keigo used to live in. The smell of the ocean hit you full force when you two arrived, the salty, yet homie smell was a nice difference to the fullness of the air of the city.

The home had a total of seven rooms, all on the same floor.

The master bedroom had enough space, it fit a bed, a vanity, and a closet as well as a connection to the master bathroom. The walls were painted a low white, you wouldn’t call it cream however that was the closest rendition. The floors were all wood, you could feel the sand beneath your feet, you had a feeling the stuff would get everywhere.

There were three bathrooms, a guest room, a living room, and a kitchen.

The whole house honestly just felt...nice.

The floors felt grainy against your feet, but it felt weirdly cozy, kind of like how a beach house should feel. The carpeting was a bit musty for your taste, you had a feeling that would be your first project to do with the house. The couch was a bit too firm, you expected that, but still, it just needed to be worn in. The kitchen wasn’t big, but for two people, it would do.

You spent the first week moving in, all by yourself.

Keigo would only stay in bed, looking out the window, in some far-off world he was in.

You wanted to cry when you would walk into the master bedroom and see him upright on the mattress, not doing or saying anything, just staring, a shell of the man you once knew.

It made your heart clench though, normally, Keigo would always be the first to lend a helping hand, that was just his nature, to want to help. But this, this was something that broke you even more.

-----

The first few weeks were rough.

Not hard, just rough.

The only way you could even describe Keigo was just numb.

His eyes were sunken, his hair a tattered mess. His face was droopy, the once perfect-looking man now sat alone in bed, looking as though he was almost near death.

And his scar.

It served as a perfect reminder of what had happened, a symbol of the pain Keigo had gone through. You knew what he felt when he saw it, you knew what he was probably thinking when he looked in the mirror to have the long stripe of red and pink looking back at him.

Yet, you pretended not to notice.

He would barely say anything to you, choosing instead, to be silent.

For the first few days, it was hard to get him out of bed, hard for him to even eat anything.

On most days you found yourself sitting alone when you ate, going on walks by yourself on the sandy beach, watching TV all alone.

You missed him, it was hard not to. But you knew that this was hardest on Keigo, so of course, you let him have all the time he needed. Letting him sulk and wallow in his self-pity, letting his feelings shroud him. You felt as though you had to, he had every right to feel this way.

But it was hard.

It was hard having Keigo sleep in the master bedroom while you slept all alone in the guest, it was hard to be so silent in the house, it was hard living with someone who was basically a ghost.

One day though, you found him crying.

You quickly ran over to him, scared that he had somehow hurt himself. But he didn’t, nothing had happened to him.

But he sat straight up in his bed, shaking like he was cold, his hands wrapped around something you couldn’t see.

“Keigo, honey?” you asked carefully as you stepped into the room, “Is everything ok hun?”

But it was like he couldn’t even hear you, whatever he was holding, it certainly had his attention.

You walked slowly over to him, reaching out to him, like he was a wounded animal, “Keigo? What is it?”

Finally, you managed to see what it was.

It was a picture of him, of him with his beautiful red wings, smiling at the camera in his hero outfit, with one hand giving a thumbs up and the other around your waist.

In comparison to the picture, you could barely tell it was Keigo anymore. With his sunken eyes and hollow cheekbones, the scar is a stripe of change.

“Keigo I-” you took a deep breath, what were you supposed to even say? How could you even console him? How could you help ease his pain?

You couldn’t.

So you just held him, held him in your arms, trying to hide your tears from him, so he wouldn’t see you hurting as well.

. . .

But one day, when you were sitting on the porch of your borrowed home, watching the waves hit the sandy beach below, watching the sun as it hit the horizon.

It was bitter-sweet, you were all alone, watching the beautiful sight without anyone to share it with.

You sighed, contemplating whether or not to go back inside, but then... Keigo came.

It startled you, you weren’t expecting him to come off his bed, much less to see you.

He sat down in the nice little chair that was right next to you.

He didn’t say anything for a good few moments, but then, all of a sudden he spoke.

“The ocean looks really pretty, I like...I like being here with you.”

You were shocked, to say the least. Keigo had barely acknowledged your presence during this time, he hadn’t spoken to you at all during these few weeks. So to hear him say that...

You damn near cried.

You had been holding in your anxiousness and, overall, depression of not having Keigo back to his regular self. It was hard, that much was certain, but still, he was going through such a difficult time, you had to be there for him.

You quickly brushed the tear that had feel from your eye, “I-I like being here with you too.”

----

After that, things were...different.

Keigo was a bit more clingy, although, maybe you should say protective.

You would go out on your walks and would come home to him being upset, asking where you were, and fussing about you going out.

“Well, what if something happened? Just stay here.”

You asked the doctors about that, they told you how some patients latched on to certain things or people after a traumatic event, most of the time clinging desperately to what they felt was the only thing they had left.

They told you his newfound desire to be near you could be a sign of him getting worse, or it could be a sign he was getting better.

The doctor told you it was much more likely that Keigo needed something to hang on to, a sort of attachment. And again, they told you Keigo needed to see a therapist, he had so much trauma after the battle that you probably wouldn’t be able to handle it.

You knew that you should listen and that you probably couldn’t deal with Keigo all on your own. But still, you wanted to move at Keigo's pace, and you knew he needed time.

. . .

The first night you and Keigo spent in the same bed after what had happened was...strange.

Although you two lived in the same little beach house for a month now, you two haven't slept next to one another, you weren’t sure Keigo was ready just yet.

And yet, he was the one who asked you.

It happened on a normal day, while you were making dinner when Keigo spoke.

“Hey...Y/N..” you turned back to him, giving him your full attention, “Could we….could we try sleeping together? I know...I know it’s been some time but-”

“Yes!” you hastily accepted, “I mean...only if you want to.”

And so, you found yourself curled up next to Keigo, feeling him cuddled up to you, which was nice of course, but his body felt stiff like it didn’t want to be close to you.

The whole experience was… different. Normally, Keigo would wrap his arms around you, holding you against him, holding you securely and tightly, like you knew he wouldn’t let you go.

But this, this was different, but you should have expected that by now. You should have known that, now, it was so unlikely that you would ever see the old version of Keigo again.

And then it was there again, that slap of guilt, that pang of hurt at your own thought. How could you think that? Keigo was hurting, and you were upset that he was in pain?

You bit your lip, quietly willing yourself not to cry.

------

Keigo’s mood swings would happen randomly, with no merit at all.

One moment, he was blindly looking at the TV, the next he would be offering to help with dinner, then the next he was screaming at you to add more pepper to the onions.

When his first outburst happened, you blamed yourself.

You had left Keigo for what only seemed like a moment, going outside to feel the air on your face, wanting to just get out of the stuffy little cottage.

You were just watching from the porch when you heard it.

The sound of glass shattering.

You whipped your head to the sound, to find it coming from inside.

You rushed inside, running towards the kitchen.

“Keigo!” you cried out.

You stopped at the doorway to the kitchen, looking down at Keigo on the floor.

A glass of some sort had broken in Keigo’s hand, from what you could tell. It seemed like he had gotten some of it stuck in his hand, blood dripped onto the floor, sticking to the hardwood floor.

Keigo just stared, his eyes the most lively you’ve seen them in weeks. He didn’t say anything, didn’t even acknowledge your presence, just staring at his hand, looking at the blood as it dripped...dripped...dripped.

And then, he screamed.

It was so loud and so unexpected you quickly covered your ears, trying to block out the head-splitting sound.

When you finally regained your composure, you rushed down to Keigo's side, trying your best to help him.

But Keigo shoved you away.

“No! Stop! Go away! I-I don’t wanna hurt anymore! Stop it, leave me alone!” he scooted away from you, holding out his palms, trying to make you leave.

But you wouldn’t.

Slowly, you spoke, “Keigo, I need to help you, ok? I’m not here to hurt you, baby, I’m Y/N, I love you.”

You inched closer and closer as Keigo hiccuped and sniffed.

“Stop it! Don’t c-come any closer!”

You stilled, only for a moment. Then, you moved forward again.

“Honey, I have to clean your wound, please baby.”

Keigo’s breath still raged, but he let you come closer.

Before you even looked at the wound on his hand, you gave him a light kiss on the cheek. Keigo was shocked, flinching a bit at first.

You carefully picked up his hand, observing it lightly. The glass pricked his hand, but the overall damage wasn’t all that bad, it might have been worse if you hadn’t rushed to him.

You took a deep breath, “Keigo, I’m gonna need to remove the glass-”

But Keigo cut you off, “No no no no no, please. Please, I don’t wanna get hurt again. Please.”

“Keigo,” you stroked your cheek lightly, “it’s ok, it’s me, it’s Y/N.”

You purse your lips, thinking for a moment, “Remember when I got that splinter from the hardwood at that crummy hot spring? And remember how you had to pull it out? And remember how scared I was?”

He thought for a moment as if the memory was buried deep inside him, a lifetime ago. He nodded, tears still running down his face.

“It’s gonna be like that, ok? Quick, and I’ll be right there with you, just like you were for me.”

After a moment, Keigo nodded.

You made quick work of the glass, helping Keigo through the little whimpers and hiccups he let out.

Keigo was never like this before, never fighting over glass in his hand, he was a hero, he dealt with pain daily. But this Keigo was beyond damaged. He was ripped in half, put through more pain than you would ever understand, the mental strain of that had to be so much, it had to weigh on him.

The thought only made your resolve stronger, only made your need to see Keigo get better that much more secure.

After you had bandaged his hand, kissing his knuckles and wrist softly in order to calm him down, you noticed how exhausted he was.

“Do you wanna go and take a nap, Kei?”

He nodded.

You walked him to the room, helping him to bed.

You planted a small kiss on his lips before moving away to leave.

But Keigo caught the fabric of your shirt, pulling on it lightly, “Wait.”

You turned back to face him, “Yeah. what's up Kei?”

“Um, could you...join me?”

Your body perked up. This was one of the first times he had seemed...needy for contact with you. Sure, he still slept next to you, but you figured that was mainly due to some comfortability. But the way Keigo was looking at you right now? His eyes softened with desperation, his body, while still heavy with drowsiness, had enough strength to pull you to him. He seemed to genuinely want you to stay.

You smiled, a real, genuine smile, “Of course I can Keigo.”

You slid into the spot next to him, and Keigo had his arms immediately around your waist, pulling you flush against him. His face nuzzled softly into your neck, his whole body trapping you in a needed embrace.

You played with his hair, giving yourself a mental note that you needed to wash it and brush it out later.

That's when you heard the sniffling in your neck.

“Kei,” you said gently, “what’s wrong?”

It took a few labored breaths for Keigo to respond, “I’m sorry.”

At first, you were confused. What did Keigo have to be sorry about? He had done nothing wrong to you, he hadn’t said anything bad to you, the most he had really done was worry you. But he continued.

“I’m sorry for being so weak, for letting myself get like this, it’s all my fault. And I’m sorry I’m a burden for you, I know how much you loved me, how much you loved being with a strong hero,” he took another shaky breath before continuing, “But I can't. I can’t do it anymore. It hurts so bad. And now, no one wants me. I’m a failure, they’re right,” Keigo squeezed you tighter as if you would leave him too, “I’m a false hero. I failed everyone, the commission, my friends, Tokoyami. And you,” he looked back up at you, “why are you even here? I’m useless now, why can’t you see that? Why won’t you just leave? It would be better for you.”

You hadn’t even realized you had been crying before you felt how shaky your voice was, “No. Keigo that’s not true, I love-”

But he cut you off, “No!” he bolted upright, “Stop it! Stop it Y/N! I’m not who you love, that Keigo is dead and gone, look at me! I’m a shell of who he was, I’m the failure he left behind! Christ Y/N, I fucking broke down because I had fucking glass in my hand!”

He cupped his ears, seemingly trying to block out some sort of noise that you couldn’t even hear. Rocking back and forth lightly, his bandaged hand squeezing hard on his left ear.

“Keigo stop it,” you tried to get his hand away, “you're going to hurt yourself!”

After fighting him for a moment, you finally got him to put his hands down. You pulled him to you, placing his head on your chest as you calmed him down.

“Kei,” you said after a long stretch of silence, “I love you, and I’m not leaving you.”

Keigo hiccuped, “B-but.”

You shushed him, “No but’s. I’m here to stay, it’ll be hard, I know that, but I can’t leave you.”

For the first time in God now’s how long, Keigo reached up and kissed you.

It wasn’t a light, small little peck either, it was a sloppy, desired-filled kiss. You were shocked at first, seeing as how he was yelling at you a second ago, but you let yourself indulge a bit. You craved Keigo, missed his lips, his strong, protective hands that run up your body, you just missed him really.

Your hand moved down to his chest, pulling him deeper. His hands grabbed onto your hips, pulling you more in.

His teeth clashed against yours, and maybe it was because you two haven't done this in so long, or it was because neither of you cared.

You couldn’t help but let out a small moan as Keigo pushed more against you, pushing you near the head of the bed.

After a few moments of the kiss, you pulled away.

“Please,” Keigo whispered lightly, “Please don’t leave me.”

------

After that, the situation with you and Keigo became so much more complicated.

Keigo would become so irritable, that you had to stand outside for hours just for him to calm down.

But the worst was when he acted so apologetic afterward, saying his, “I’m sorry”’s over and over again, sputtering about how he would, “do better.”

Of course, you felt like absolute shit, wanting to scream, to cry, to leave even. But you couldn’t. Keigo was in so much pain, you had to be strong now, you had to be there for him like he had been for you. You shoved down your tears, fighting the urge to scream and cry, waiting out your feelings.

Was it a bad coping mechanism? Yes. But you already felt so useless, you didn’t want to be a burden too.

For a while, you had hoped that he would help himself get better, you had hoped that he really was trying to get better and understand how to help himself more, but as time went on, you saw how naive you were.

You realized that Keigo was almost beyond repair, some days he would be silently upset, not talking or saying anything. While others you could hear it in his voice.

While some days you came into your shared room to see him curled up on the bed, crying and whimpering. And then there was you, unable to help, unable to tell him how, “it would be ok,” how, “I’m here for you, Kei.”

Because you knew he wouldn’t listen.

And yet, he would never yell at you, never scream or degrade you, he would only seem to be mad at...himself.

Yet, it was strange, because he seemed to grow more and more protective of you.

If you were to leave the house, he would become upset, saying how; “You could have gotten hurt, next time either take me with you or stay...please.”

It was strange how he always asked, how he never demanded.

But today, today was different.

You had noticed that Keigo was especially irritable, so you decided to just stay out of his way. Deciding to work on meal prep, because of Keigo’s accident the doctors told you to watch his meals carefully, making sure he eats a well-balanced meal each and every day.

Maybe Keigo would calm down, maybe today could still be ok, maybe you could salvage the day and make it a good one.

But that was before the broadcast.

. . .

You were outside that day, watching as the sun showned on the ocean.

You wished silently that Keigo could have enough strength to come out and see it with you. Yet, you didn’t push him.

Keigo, on the other hand, was watching some TV. Well, "watch" was a strong word. Keigo’s eyes were far off again, You never asked him what he was thinking about, but you knew it had to be something but what happened.

As you watch the waves crash against the shore, and the sun slowly sets, that's when it happened.

The broadcast.

At first, the broadcast was only just a news reporter talking about how; “us as a society must look forward, through these dark times.” Talking about the loss of certain Hero’s and civilians alike.

but the segment right after that, that's what sent Hawks into his spiral.

“And now, what has happened to the pro hero known as Hawks? And I posed a question to all of our viewers out there, should he be forgiven? Can a man who ruthlessly killed someone, even a villain, be considered a hero?”

You weren't there when the news reporter posed the question, you were only there for the aftermath.

At first, Keigo was in shock, and then, his outburst happened.

It was the worst outburst since the accident. He was screaming, yelling, hitting anything, he just needed some way to get his anger out.

When you heard the commotion, you immediately ran inside, worried that something may have hurt him. But as you went inside, you realized that there was nothing wrong, at least not from what you could see. But to Keigo, everything was wrong.

When you came in, all you could hear was yelling, “What was it all for?! I just...I just wanted to help!”

You were stunted into silence, only being able to watch from afar.

It was like you couldn’t move, your body glued down to the floor, unable to help Keigo.

And then, he hit the TV, hard.

And that's when you finally spoke.

“Keigo stop!”

You rushed forward, grabbing his arm from hitting the wall.

You latched on to him, “Keigo please, please honey just calm-”

But it was too late, and before you knew what was happening, Keigo had thrown you on the ground.

You landed on your hands, cushioning your fall, but that didn’t mean it hurt.

For a moment, everything was still, everything was silent. Keigo wasn’t yelling, he wasn't screaming, and when you looked back up, the only thing you saw was true horror and guilt.

You panted lightly, your eyes blown wide as you stared back up at Keigo.

“...Y/N-”

What was he to say?

He didn’t know.

“K-Keigo,” you were at a complete loss for words.

After a few more minutes, you stood back up. You took one, shaky breath, before you spoke.

“Keigo, I’m sorry. I-I...I can’t do this right now. It’s just… this is all too much for me right now. I think I need to clear my head.”

You moved past him, not even looking him in the eye. How could you? Your mind was a mess, a thousand thoughts jumbled through your brain.

You opened the door quickly, taking your car keys before you left, refusing to look back.

----

The ocean waves looked stunning in the sunlight, it might have been the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.

At least, you would have if the tears in your eyes weren’t blocking out your vision.

And your head wouldn’t stop spinning. Was Keigo ok? Should you go back? Could you even go back? What would you even say to him?

No matter how hard you tried to convince yourself that leaving Keigo behind was for the best, that you two just needed to be away from each other, you felt like your heart was being slowly stabbed through with needles, one for every second away.

You sniffed, wiping away your tears with the back of your palm.

There had to be a way Keigo could get better, some way you could help. But every thought eluded you, how could you help someone so far gone?

You thought back to the doctor's suggestion of getting a therapist, maybe it was time. Keigo was getting too out of hand for you, and as much as you loved him, you knew that this was hurting him as much as you.

A sigh escaped your lips, why did this have to be so difficult?

And that thought came to you again.

Why couldn’t he just be himself again?

You shivered at your own selfish, hurtful thoughts. Keigo was still him, he just needed help, and thinking about how much you wanted the old him back wasn’t going to help him or you. And it wasn’t fair either, to expect that after what happened he would just be fine.

You knew you would always be there for him, but you supposed you didn’t think it would be this hard.

You placed your face in your hands.

How the hell could you help him? You felt as though Keigo was on the edge of a mountain, and you were the only thing he could grab onto, but now, he was pulling you down with him.

A small, shaky sigh escaped you.

Crunch, crunch.

Footsteps. Fast approaching, almost running.

You cocked your head up, preparing to be kicked off whoever's land that you were on (considering how you just decided to drive to the middle of nowhere).

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought that this was public-”

But you stopped mid-sentence.

There stood Keigo, tears streamed down his cheeks, his panting breaths and sweat glistening from his body must have meant he came all the way out here on foot.

Your eyes widened in surprise, but before you could get a word in, Keigo had bent down to you.

“Are you hurt?”

You shook your head, still in shock, “N-no.”

He sighed, but his face concentrated like he was thinking too hard, “I’m sorry.” and then, a long, silent pause, “I don’t...I don’t know what else to say.”

“...I don’t either,” you looked back up at him again. “You could have really hurt me, and I just don’t know how to deal with all this. I don’t know how to deal with...you.”

Keigo flinched, the implications of your words stung.

“It’s just...I want to be there for you, I really do, but it’s so hard,” you looked down tears threatening to escape, “I love you s-so much, b-but,” a silent hiccup went through you, “I don’t know how to help anymore.”

Keigo stayed silent, his words trapped under his tongue. He also didn’t know what to do, he didn’t know what to say. He wanted to help himself too, but he knew deep down he couldn’t. He didn’t know how. But he hated what he was doing to you, he hated what he was making you go through.

“Keigo,” he looked back up at you, “Do you still love me?”

Keigo stared wide-eyed back to you, his words at a loss. “I- of course, I do Y/N-”

“Then why don’t you say it?”

He paused, “...What do you mean?”

You sighed, “Have you noticed that ever since what happened, you’ve not been able to say ‘I love you,' to me? Because I have. Each morning I wake up, and I always say, ‘good morning Kei, I love you,’ and you never say it back. It feels like I’m just invisible to you. I don’t want to look at you as something to fix, or as something to make me feel miserable, but I can’t live with someone who just sees me like a ghost.”

It took a while before Keigo finally responded.

“I don’t see you as a ghost,” he said, his voice as low as a whisper, “it’s that I see me as the ghost. I lost...I lost a big part of me in that fight.”

Subconsciously, he reaches back to his used-to-be wings, his fingers flinching when nothing is there.

“Keigo, you are not your wings.”

“How can you say that when everything I was...was built off of them?”

You leaned forward, a hand placed lightly on his cheek, “Your wings did not build our relationship, we did. And we still have each other. Your wings were never the reason I loved you, your wings were always just a part of you, they were never you.”

Keigo looked back at you, placing a hand on top of yours. After a few, dragged-out moments, Keigo leaned into you. But not before whispering lightly on your lips, “I do love you, Y/N.”

. . .

Things were hard, but they were better.

It had been three weeks since the accident that happened with you and Keigo. He agreed to go to a therapist, after what happened with you two, he wanted to get help.

What neither you nor he expected though, was for his therapist to also recommend you get help as well.

In his words; “After understanding the stress that Mr. Takami has gone through, as well the details that he has shared with me, I believe that it is necessary for you to also have some sort of mental treatment. Keigo was not in the right state of mind for a very long time, and you were the only person here to look after him. I believe you first need to talk about your problems separately and then move on to couples therapy. Some of the actions Mr. Takami has put you through may have had negative effects on your psyche.”

Although that was a shock to you, Keigo visibly became more saddened after that.

After the conversation with the therapist, Keigo even offered to move out of your shared room.

“If- if you’re uncomfortable with me being here, I can take the spare room.”

You only shook your head no, saying, “I’m not uncomfortable sleeping next to you, Kei, we’re in this together.”

And you were.

Keigo went to his therapist, as did you. At first, you weren’t sure, seeing as Keigo and you would see the same person and how that may make a conflict of interest, but he assured you that Keigo dealt with trauma relating to his fight, as did you of course, but your trauma and anxiety was more based upon him.

So, you made it work.

After a while of one-on-one counseling, you moved to couples therapy.

It was hard, mostly for Keigo, because he didn’t want to admit to himself, or you, that he had hurt you as much as he did.

So, you opened first.

You talked about how scared you were of losing Keigo, not just physically but mentally, how it hurt you that some days he wouldn’t talk to you. You even opened up about missing the old him.

It seemed like when you first opened your mouth, everything just came pouring out.

And so, after you explained your side, slowly, Keigo started to explain his.

He explained how he didn’t want to hurt you, but how he just couldn’t help himself in that moment. He felt like everyone was turning on him, abandoning him, he thought it was only a matter of time before you. And he couldn’t handle how that thought chased him, his mind just became so jumbled and uncertain.

But he wanted to get better, to show you the man you deserved.

Soon, you came to realize how your relationship would never be the same since that day, how you had lost a part of Keigo, and how Keigo had lost a part of himself. And that part, that part split you two, like a deep cut, and now you two had to sew it back together, and you both knew it would be hard.

Losing that part of your life took time, it took practice and understanding, it took watching Keigo wake up in a nightmare, watching as he screamed and all you could do was hush him and stroke his cheek softly as you told him how you were there, even as tears slipped down your cheeks as well.

But you let them, you let yourself show him that you were sharing the pain, that you were together in this.

Keigo was hurting, you knew that, but as your therapist told you; “You are grieving, grieving for that Keigo that died in that battle, and not only are you grieving, you are also trying your best to take care of someone who was already so broken that now they might as well be shards of the vase they once were.”

But that didn’t stop you from explaining how you felt selfish and terrible, how you felt like you were a bad person for feeling upset, for wanting Keigo to go back to you.

After each therapy session, you two would go out and sit on the porch, not doing or saying anything, because you both realized you had said plenty before.

. . .

After a year since then, things had gotten significantly better.

Keigo and you understood the inner workings of your relationship, not only that, you both understand each other a lot better. Understanding how you both needed one another, how you two could only grow to help each other.

Almost a year has passed since the incident with Dabi, a year since Keigo “lost” his wings.

But his wings were back, and he was back.

Although, maybe not fully.

Keigo was almost like a different vision of himself, a more, down to earth, real version of who he was.

Maybe, it was the person he always was, but just never could show it.

With you, he was the most caring he’s ever been.

Watching as you fell asleep in his arms, creasing your body oh-so-perfectly as he kissed you deeply, his sing-song praises in your ear. He loved you so much.

And you, you helped him grow as well. Being there for him, watching him, helping him.

You never left him, you carried out your promise to yourself, keeping him with you no matter what. You loved him so much, and you were so happy to see how he healed.

And here you both were, Watching as the sunset, as the ocean waves tied down, the sun Illuminating the water passing over.

You watched as Keigo’s eyes lit up in the bright light, his scar’s still reflecting the hard past that he's been through, and yet, reminding you how lucky you are.

At that moment you leaned in, giving him a light peck on his cheek.

Keigo turned to you, before laughing, “Why did you do that?"

"Because... I just realized how lucky I am to have you. Thank you, Keigo.”

"There's no need to thank me, dove," he said, kissing you as well "I'll always love you, and I always will be thankful that I have you as well."

[arctimon]

What If...? (Big Hero 6 Edition)

So the next Marvel series set to release is What If...?, a series of nine episodes that will focus on alternate events and timelines that occur within the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  The series, based off of the comic series of the same name, will premiere on August 11th, running straight through October 6th. The show was suppose to have ten episodes in both Season 1 and 2 (which is already being worked on), but producer Brad Winderbaum mentions in an interview that they had to push an episode back because of, you guessed it, the pandemic:

"We had to push an episode into Season 2. It was just, honestly, like everything else, that was a COVID impact," Winderbaum told Collider. "There was an episode that just wouldn't hit the completion date, but luckily we do get to see it in the second season of the show."

Judging by both the poster and the trailer, we know of a few scenarios: Peggy Carter becoming Captain America, an alternate Avengers lineup battling at New York, Black Panther as Star Lord, Marvel Zombies (of course there’s zombies), and Spider-Man as the Sorcerer Supreme.  Inverse has an article breaking all of the possibilities down.

A lot of the actors who portray their characters in live action will reprise their roles for the animated series, including the late Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther/Star Lord.  Star...Panther?  Black Lord? That last one sounds wrong. Among those not coming back are Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, and Dave Bautista as Drax.  Bautista was, according to the man himself, wasn’t even asked to come back to voice Drax.  Others include Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, Tom Holland as Spider-Man, James Spader as Ultron, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Elizabeth Olson as the Scarlet Witch, Letitia Wright as Shuri, Gweneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, and various members of the Dora Milaje.  They have all apparently been confirmed to be appearing in What If...? in some form or another, but voiced by different people.

It will certainly be an interesting show, but I hope you can see where I’m going with this.

The Big Hero 6 fanbase has a lot of burning questions for the show and movie, and it’s not all just unanswered ones about what happens after the show ended.  I think collectively there are a few common “what-ifs” that we have in our minds about the team.  I think the most obvious one involves one of the Hamada brothers, and that branches off into other what-ifs as well.

Granted, not all of these are reality-altering hypotheticals like there are in the show or comics, but they can still change the course of the movie or show in a huge way.

1.) What if...Tadashi had survived the fire?

Tadashi being a survivor of the fire that takes down the exhibition hall brings up a few interesting conundrums.  Would he be scarred for life?  Would he even be able to complete school?

And if Hiro still made the team, would he end up becoming Sunfire like a lot of fans theorize?

The thing is that Callaghan knows that Tadashi died in the fire.  If he knew that he didn’t, would that change his motivations?  Would he still be using the Microbots knowing that the person that was trying to “stop” him was still alive? Alternatively, you also have...

2.) What if...Hiro had died instead of Tadashi?

Hiro was probably about two seconds away from being fully engulfed in that giant fireball.  It’s entirely plausible that he (or possibly both Hamadas) could have perished in the fire instead of his brother, which sort of leads to the same circumstances as the first question, just with different powersets.  Tadashi would no longer be tied to fire-based powers but the magnetic equipment that that Hiro currently uses.

But one has to think about whether Tadashi would be in the right state of mind to be a hero long term.  Seeing his kid brother perish in the accident would probably cause him to go insane, and perhaps the rest of the team would have to reel him in.

3.) What if...Baymax had killed Callaghan?

It’s worth noting that if Honey Lemon had been about three seconds later on getting the healthcare chip back into Baymax, this wouldn’t have been a “What If?” question.

And sure, the team would have saved the day, but at what cost?  The permanent scarring of a fourteen-year-old?  And what would have come of the major revelations after that fight concerning Project Silent Sparrow and Abigail?

Maybe they would have been the ones to build the portal to the other dimension to try to save her.  That would similar to what happened in the original manga (where Tadashi actually helps with the construction of the original portal and got sucked in as a result). 4.) What if...Baymax had saved Obake in “Countdown to Catastrophe”?

Obake dismissed Baymax after his hideout started collapsing near the end of Part 2, and you could tell that Baymax was seriously considering rescuing him before leaving him in his chair amongst the rubble.  Ultimately, however, he did leave him behind after Obake’s insistence.

Imagine what would have happened if he had gone against his programming and saved his life.

The relieved group hug on the beach would have been replaced with a disheveled (and probably a little damp) Obake.  Hiro would have been staring hiim down in disbelief.  Perhaps there would even be another fight, or at least the makings of one.

And then Obake would give himself up for arrest.

Maybe that’s where Chief Cruz could have been introduced.  It would have given a good lead into the next season, and it would give Megan’s meeting with Hiro in Season 2 a little bit more meaning.

And finally, because I’m a shipper and we have to go there:

5.) What if...Karmi had never left SFIT at the end of “City of Monsters”?

We know from the boards that Bob Schooley posted that “City of Monsters” was originally going to end very differently than what actually made the final cut.  It seemed that Karmi, in addition to getting a nonsensical boyfriend named “Flammarion”, was not suppose to leave SFIT in the early draft.

So what if Hiro had shown up to her lab, and instead of seeing this...

He saw this?

Or...something a little less dramatic?  Maybe just her packing up stuff because she’s in the process of leaving?  And Hiro had to say something in order for her to stop what she was doing? And how exactly would you achieve that? See, if that scenario happened, I think that this particular point would be where Hiro told her about being in Big Hero 6.  And of course Karmi wouldn’t believe him, even though she’s now in love with him crushing on him.

Then, he takes her to the base.

And she turns back to him with an incredulous look.

And roll credits.  What a cliffhanger to go into Season 3 with. I vaguely remember fanart depicting that exact scene (Hiro taking Karmi to the base), but I don’t remember who did it.  I would like to give them the proper credit. Season 3 would have looked totally different if that took place.  Maybe it would have been an actual season and not a bunch of mini stories.  Also...perhaps Karmi would have joined the team proper.

And maybe we would have finally had a giant canonical Karmiro moment.

...Now that is a big “What if?”.

(Marvel’s What If...? premieres on Wednesday, August 11th on Disney+.)

[t-pose-to-assert-gayness]

Halloween Isn’t Over...

poster by @ajoiyab (twitter)

THIS WEEK!

The Beach City Witch Project is coming this week so keep your eyes peeled! (literally)

The episode has been in the works for over a year and it feels so great to announce it on the 5th anniversary of Steven Universe!

please don’t sue us sugar woman

[whatthewhenjustmighthavebeen]

2021 book meme

in honor of my job becoming full-time, meaning I’ll be talking about books even more during the week, I want to reflect on things I’ve read this year! (gonna tag @thiswaitingheart because I saw this on your blog)

1) Best book you’ve read in 2021 so far?

I’m going to limit this to four (tried to make it three but that wasn’t happening), in the order in which I finished them: Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq, Exhausted on the Cross by Najwan Darwish, Imajica by Clive Barker, Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.

2) Best sequel you’ve read in 2021 so far?

Days of Magic, Nights of War and Absolute Midnight by Clive Barker, both sequels to Abarat, his young adult novel. I enjoyed all of these greatly even though I’m an adult who became kind of done with YA before I was even done being a teenager. They’re weird and wonderful and have good illustrations and in-universe poetry. Also, Spring by Ali Smith, inasmuch as that can be considered a “sequel.”

3) A new release you want to check out?

A Ghost in the Throat by Doireann Ní Ghríofa and Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka Galchen.

4) Most anticipated book release of the second half of the year?

I’m only marginally aware of releases so to be honest I become aware of new books when they’re already out and I see them in the world.

5) Biggest surprise?

I think objectively the biggest surprise is that I decided I’d read some Clive Barker and then got very, very into his work in a profound way.

6) Biggest disappointment?

The two biggest disappointments were both ARCs I got sort of randomly at my job because they looked interesting but one (subtitled “essays on pop culture”) was not exactly what it claimed to be - instead it was essays on the author’s personal life loosely related to their experience with pop culture, which is not what I thought I was getting into (it was also meant to be Relatable but I mostly found it alienating because I didn’t relate). The other was one I vagued about on here (something along the lines of “when historical fiction books are geared toward people who don’t know about history”), which was set in the mid-19th century eastern US and very clearly intended for people who know absolutely nothing about that, including how people talked at the time...I was annoyed on almost every page.

7) Favorite new author (either new to you or debut)?

The aforementioned Clive Barker, new to me, and Tanya Tagaq, whose debut novel Split Tooth is actually from 2019 but I read it this year. (No idea if she’ll write another book but she is evidently recording some sections from that one as part of a spoken word/music project.)

8) Favorite new fictional crush?

tbh the last time I had a fictional crush I think was Werther (yes that one) when I was 16 but if I had to pick.....Prince Alizayd from The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty. I’d hang out in research libraries with him.

9) Newest favorite character?

Pie’oh’pah from Imajica, who would absolutely be a fictional crush if they weren’t otherwise attached. I love the titular character in Piranesi also, and the way he exists in the world.

10) A book that made you happy?

So, so many. I’ve gotten back into reading in a major way this year, so honestly with the exception of the two that disappointed me, they all have. I suppose the Abarat series has been bringing me the most joy most recently. I should also mention Thirteen Storeys by Jonathan Sims (yes, that one), which has the most satisfying ending of anything I’ve read this year. (Also because approximately half of what I’ve read has been nonfiction and I’ve mentioned basically none of it: The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green.)

11) A book that made you cry?

I read an excerpt of the poetry collection Exhausted on the Cross by Najwan Darwish and before I even looked through the book that one section made me cry (at a desk! in public! at work!). That was what convinced me to buy it, actually. And then later, while I was sitting on a bright, windy beach and getting the worst sunburn I’ve ever had on my face, Imajica.

12) Most beautiful book you have bought or received this year?

The aforementioned illustrated editions of Abarat and its sequel (I’m not sure “illustrated” on its own covers it; I don’t mean black and white drawings on standard book paper. They’re full-color reproductions of oil paintings on glossy paper. They’re practically art books).

13) What book do you need to read by the end of the year?

I need to finish Don Quixote.

14) What book do you need to re-read by the end of the year?

I don’t really prioritize re-reading and it’s not a thing I plan, but I am re-reading Thirteen Storeys as part of a book club with my friend.

not tagging anyone directly but if you have read things and would like to talk about them, feel free to say I tagged you!

[koreankitkat]

The Beach City Witch Project is still looking for voice actors, musicians, and background artists. This is a fan-made animatic project that was based on a scrapped episode draft on display at Cartoon Network’s art exhibition celebrating their 25th anniversary. (Link to main post with more info.) 

I’m feel absolutely blessed to be be able to work alongside many talented and lovely fans of the show. The people that I have met from this project are all amazing and fun to be around. Even if you don’t want to apply for a position, you can always join in our discord chat. They are supportive and a bit silly at times, but I genuinely enjoy chatting with them and I hope that you will too. :)

[fem-usa]

Some boards I did for The Beach City Witch Project !!! Please give it a watch! 

[bucketofchum]

cat ame and non cat ame are the best =w=