#the ninja world will play nice if he has to hold it at knife-point

[not-so-terrible]

Konoha: Wow, it’s so great our double agent within the Uchiha Clan has the selfless Will of Fire, completely cancelling out the possibility for trauma, repressed emotion and deep love to trigger the Curse of Hatred and cause them to sacrifice the many for the few they care about. We can relax and leave it all to him :)

Itachi, trapped on a burning clifftop, wrapping Sasuke in duct tape in preparation to throw him over the edge: ~ I will kill our friends and family to remind ☽  you ☺ of ♬ my ☮ love ☠ ~

[royaltealovingkookiness]

So, in the Fire Nation there are several female soldiers, and Ozai literally names his 14 years old daughter Fire Lord. Said daughter also went with her fire nation girl gang to capture a bunch of people and take over Ba Sing Se. In the Fire Nation, women can be respectable (and feared) leaders. Which contrasts with the Northern Water Tribe straight up not letting women waterbend (+ Sokka being a sexists at first so maybe the Souther Tribe had problems with that too?) Idk i think its interesting

Oh, but Azula aside (who is yes a girl, but also the only viable heir of royal bloodline left in that moment), do we really see women as respectable leaders in the Fire Nation?

Maybe in their military?

Sure, there are female soldiers, but their leadership?

That’s right. Old dudes.

Maybe their religious leaders?

Yeah, I didn’t think so.

Wait! But there was this female guard in The Boiling Rock! I remember.

Sure, she had no name or rank and her boss is an old dude.

How about them police-women? Don’t they look intimidating?

Haha. Meet the boss.

But surely you must remember Aang’s class-room teacher - whats-her-name, I think she did actually have a name…

Sure, but guess what? The headmaster?

Yes, you guessed it right. This guy. 

So no, there is absolutely no evidence that there are women in respected leadership positions in the Fire Nation. 

The installation of a female monarch has more to do with bloodline, and it does not make a society less patriarchal (just look at any pre-modern female ruler in history). But Azula’s case in point - when she was sent out by Ozai to bring back Iroh and Zuko, she did not get a formal military rank like Iroh did when he laid siege to Ba Sing Se. And the same way, she did not pass any formal authority to Ty Lee or Mai. Those two did not even get any formal recognition / badge for the role they played in the conquest of Ba Sing Se. 

The Northern Water Tribe was singled out for its patriarchy. 

And sure, all the important decisions are taken by men, the girls are refused to be allowed to learn to fight, Yue cannot even freely choose her husband. Clearly, they are bad.

But is the situation better in the Southern Water Tribe? 

Not much, if Sokka’s initial sexism is any indication (because that attitude is not born in isolation- and if Gran-Gran went to the South Pole to escape the Northern patriarchy, I’m sure Sokka didn’t learn it from her, which leaves the quite likely scenario that those views came from Hakoda and his circle). 

Yes, btw, the decisions here are also made by the men.

Maybe in Earth Kingdom things are better?

Yeah, I didn’t think so. Let’s move on.

No wait, what about the Kyoshi warriors? Bastion of girl power?

Sorry, there is this guy who makes the actual decisions...

But the Air Nomads? They are so enlightened…

Sure they are. 

How about the White Lotus? It’s all about beauty and harmony and balance…

Well, this looks awfully diverse…(look they each have a unique beard style)

The truth is, there are no examples of women in authority position in the entire ATLA world. Azula comes close to being crowned Fire Lord and that’s it. 

Now if I’m nice, then I can say that maybe since the Avatar-world was inspired by pre-modern Asian societies, the creators just decided to stay true to the history of women’s status in those societies (like… cool tidbit…Fire Nation is influenced by Japan, and in medieval Japan women were commonly trained to fight, but that didn’t mean that they could hold leadership positions) the same way they tried to give a faithful depiction of the fauna of the continent. 

Or - I could be mean and say that because the creators were largely men - it never occurred to them that there is more to “feminist” writing than creating a couple of kick-ass female characters and give them traditionally male hero attributes (the strongest bending, fighting prodigies, knife-expert,  chi-blocking queen, or super-ninja) and then congratulate yourself for being so open-minded and progressive and proceed to focus the overwhelming amount of screen-time, bonding moments and character-development on your male characters. What do you mean you want more female bonding? Or female mentors? We made you the greatest benders and non-benders. What else do you want? Can’t you see how g-e-n-e-r-o-u-s we are? Go, argue if Azula, Toph or Katara would win the cat-fight. We made them totally OP. We are feminists.

The truth is, ATLA is a great show, it has many strengths. Female representation is not one of them. 

[sailor-cresselia]

Zi-O 29-30: Blade spoilers within (from someone who has NOT watched Blade)

Ha! Black!Woz walks out of the Storytime vault and into 9-to-5.

White!Woz: Haha sweet I get to choose Another Blade

Swartz: Hey, what do you think of being a person who gets used… you know, hypothetically speaking…

White!Woz: ...ah. Well. Shit.  

(We continue this super spoiler-iffic liveblog under the cut. It gets long - this one made it to about 3,000 words. My apologies to mobile users. Just... scroll. Scroll like your life depends on it.)

Awww… the café from Blade has photos from back then on the counter, that’s so sweet. And Amane’s actually wearing the recent necklace for Chalice – that’s a really nice touch there, Toei. Product placement, but it’s a really nice tribute.

Another Blade’s design is – that’s terrifying, that’s a lot of knifes. I like how the spade symbol glows red, and it doesn’t have the ‘handle’ part of a spade. It’s a heart, too. But the thing is… this is the second Another Rider to not have the lens-eyes. Everyone up to Another Zi-O had them, and he notably didn’t.

I know people have been saying they’re proud of Sougo for managing to graduate, and I agree. I really do. I’m happy for our book-dumb protagonist. It’s actually kind of nice to see all four of the ‘team’ together. You know, for certain definitions of ‘team’.

Noting here the Tsukuyomi hasn’t told Sougo that his ‘dream’ was. Not actually a dream, so much as a memory. It makes sense that a small 8-year-old reality warper would take the trauma of something like what Swartz did, and assume the first time he saw it was a nightmare, too.

(Seriously, screw that guy.)

Okay, so, I have not watched Decade, but… from the two (2) films I’ve seen with his cast – WxDecade and the first Hero Taisen movie – this seems to be pretty damned in-character for this Daiki guy. “Lol sup hi just saying hello don’t mind me” *proceeds to steal all your transformation trinkets*

Case in point… Sougo and Geiz don’t notice their personal watches are missing until they go to activate the button on the side. Not when they don’t pull anything out – no, when they go to turn them on. Boys. Boys please.

Also, can I just say that I’m starting to see why people pair Tsukasa and Daiki? I mean, the guy came out in a ~magenta~ apron. And they’re both little shits.

Sougo just shoves Woz in front of them. Woz!Kikai is so OP, oh my god. First the mind control thing when it debuted, the satellite dish lasers in Another Zi-O, and now it has extendable robot arms to grab the watches back. Oh my god.

(Kaito, suddenly copied into another existance as Baron: GFDI just let me be a tree spirit already)

(I know it’s a doppelganger, but seriously. So many Barons. So little patience on his end for people constantly trying to revive him as a pawn.) 

Sougo: Okay, so, you guys’s past is my future, and since it’s 2019, anything that happens in 2068 is the future now, so aren’t you talking about things that haven’t happened yet?

Woz: My lord, please, verb tenses get complicated enough without you speaking.

OOF. Yeah, uh, there’s gonna be a. A few problems with Blade ‘2019’. Namely that he isn’t supposed to be in, like. Japan. Ever again. Because Bad Things Happen when he is around fellow Undead. (He made an exception for Gorider, because a certain zombie f*er was stealing his gig, and poorly at that.

((Am I saying that he’s an asshole who is also a zombie, or that he would do a zombie? … Both. I’m saying both.))

Sougo: Okay, so, we need one person who can fight on both ends, and really, if a team is going after Geiz’s watch, it ought to include Geiz, and you guys want me to go after the Another Riders, so of course the groups are me with Tusukyomi, and Geiz with Woz! :) It’s only rational! :) And if you happen to work out whatever’s going on between you, well, that’s just a bonus, isn’t it? :)

Geiz: ...if I kill him, it’s your fault, you know.

Tsukuyomi: This is a terrible idea.

Sougo: I know! :)

(gasp) Dark Toei is giving us the forbidden rebel backstory!

Oh goody Woz was the leader of their team! And he said he was going to ‘infiltrate’ Oma Zi-O’s camp! And everyone died because he seems to have switched sides. Delightful.

White!Woz: Excuse me? I see a pair of powerups here, but not the one I specifically requested you get.

Daiki: Lol you mad?

White!Woz: ...fight us irl bitch.

Daiki: Heh.

Huh… So… when White!Woz’s tablet makes someone do something, they’re supposed to hear his ‘narration’… and maybe that’s a recent idea from the team, but. When it seemed that he was compelling Sougo to come after him – I can’t remember when, it was during either Shinobi or Quiz, but Sougo and Black!Woz were talking in 9-to-5, and he summoned Sougo away, that didn’t happen. Hm.

Sougo: Dang, couldn’t even knock the watch out temporarily. Drat.

Hm. Regulus is showing up in the daytime now… and so is the rest of the constellation. That can’t be good.

Oooh, nifty. Another Blade has the inverted heart for Chalice on her torso, but the spade for Blade on her. Well, blade. As well as a circular saw, which is a bit overkill when you consider the literal knives sticking up from her shoulders.

Oh, hey, remember that theory about how the Another Riders are technically the enemy that each rider fought? Like how Another Gaim opened cracks into the Helheim forest, and Another OOO bled Cell Medals like a Greeed?

And remember why Kenzaki can never return to Japan?

Undead are drawn to fight each other.

Okay, I get why a speed versus speed battle, to counter Woz!Shinobi, would wind up with Diend summoning Accel. But why Birth? Date’s version was never particularly fast – he’s more of a Mighty Glacier. And the suit isn’t really intended for speed, since Gotou was only particularly speedy when he used the Cutter Wing ‘attachment’.

And then I am immediately answered. Bike juggling to get Woz into the air, so that ‘Birth’ can shoot him down without mercy. (Was reminding us of the bike form really necessary? Was it? I don’t think it was. I could have done without seeing that in-action again.)

Diend: Wow, that’s cold, even for me, watching your friend get beat up like that.

Geiz: Bold of you to assume we’re friends. He’s a born liar. I mean, he’s using a ninja form right now.

Geiz: Yeah, no, Woz, screw you. I know you wanted a distraction. Asshole.

Diend: Aw, look, they do like each other.

OH THANK COSMOS it’s Chalice Versus Zi-O. ...for now. There’s about minutes left for everything to go terribly, terribly wrong. (Because Blade.)

And then it immediately went terribly, terribly, wrong.

Kenzaki and Hajime haven’t transformed in years, because they can’t. They would feel each other’s power, seek each other out, and be forced to fight. Probably the only time Blade has reappeared was in a slightly-alternate reality. (shakes fist at Gorider). And Kenzaki looks absolutely terrible. How did you get here so fast, sir? That jacket has clearly seen far better days, is the damage recent?

Some excellent ‘teamwork’ on Geiz and Black!Woz’s parts – using Shinobi’s finisher to get the two targets in one spot for Geiz’s finisher. Clever. Pity that the other two watches aren’t here.

And with that, and some brutal slashes exchanged between Blade and Chalice…

we move to episode 30.

The power-up watches get all electro-staticy, and try to start a chain reaction with White!Woz, but it doesn’t hold up. Hm.

Geiz: What’s your issue?!

Diend: Looking for my boyfriend-rival. No big deal.

Oh man, neither of them want to be in this fight, but they don’t have a choice. Zi-O accidentally knocks Another Blade into the line of fire for Actual Blade’s finisher, so naturally Chalice steps in to try and take the hit.

It doesn’t… technically work. She still gets knocked out of her transformation, back to Amane, and he’s still in his armor.

Kenzaki: oh god oh shit what the hell?! Amane?! what’s going on oh shit

Woz’s storytime vault…

Oh… The Day of Oma is apparently meant for Sougo to stop the end of the world… apparently as brought on by the Battle Fight.

… Rider versus Rider, right? A pair of Riders who can’t coexist, but also can’t not coexist. And yet another who is supposedly erasing all Riders from history. Starting with the primary members of each group. So… if Blade goes, the world goes. If Chalice goes, the world goes. If they both go, Oma Zi-O rises.

“An interesting game, Professor. The only way to win is not to play.”

Zi-O II’s shot in the opening has been replaced by Zi-O Trinity.

Geiz can relate pretty hard to Kenzaki’s resignation to having to fight Hajime, but also to his desperately not wanting to do that thing.

Once again, we have the question of “What is the future you are aiming for?” The question of “And then what?”

Geiz wants to see the one that Sougo – that they will create.

<3

Junichiro: Hey, what are your plans for the new era?

Sougo: ...Uncle, you have no idea how loaded that question is with this group.

(or does he?)

Hey, that camera’s a clue in more ways than one, isn’t it? Another Blade was attacking photo studios, because Hajime’s a photographer. But that camera’s awfully similar to Tsukasas. Who asked you to repair, that, I wonder…?

Yeah, Woz, you’re kind of being a hypocrite here. Criticizing a woman for wanting to reconnect with an old friend/mentor, while unable to get over the urge to lord over having been Geiz’s superior. GEIZ has a point in his anger. WOZ is just being an ass. And Sougo hones directly in on this.

Kid’s got a decent Charisma stat, too.

When Amane picks up the photos, through to when Kenzaki calls for Hajime. That! The Background!

I think that’s a piano ballad version of “Zi-O: King of Time”!

OST when?

And, also, can we get another instance of Future Soldier in-show anytime soon?

Okay, okay, sorry, back to the show.

OH NOOOO.

Firstly, White!Woz summons the two into a fight.

Then he forcibly activates the Another Blade watch inside of Amane.

The transformation has a screen with Another Blade’s face appear and move over her, just like the card that appears when Kenzaki transforms.

Ow, my heart.

OH SHIT RIGHT.

These two episodes have made no effort to hide the green blood that both Kenzaki and Hajime have – from the miscolored bruises to actual bloodstains. And Undead can be ‘sealed’ away – that’s where the Rouze cards come from in the first place. Another Blade – no. Amane doesn’t want them to fight – doesn’t want them to have to fight. So she seals their powers. Their emblems move onto the Another Blade… armor, I guess is as good a word as any.

And now their wounds are red.

But she just took the powers of two Jokers, absorbing them into one person. Leaving one person with the Joker designation.

Herself.

Please note that I typed this immediately before restarting, only to watch the Sealing Stone appear.

It’s the end of the world as we know it, and nobody feels fine.

Oh, the cinematography of this show. A beam visually separating Sougo and White!Woz from their angles on the stairs – it’s going the opposite direction, making an x with the handrail behind them.

We’re back to the question of “And then what?”.

White!Woz’s future is gone, the potential isn’t there anymore, so he’d rather there not be a future at all. I guess we’ll never see if my ‘a future frozen in an endless moment’ theory was right. Pity. I was wondering if they would go that route for him.

Oooh, an orchestral version of ‘Zi-O: King of Time’!

“You can’t just give up! What’s the use in assuming that it’s over?” Sougo is cheering on even his enemy this boy is not nearly as dark as he assumed in the Ryuki arc, oh my goodness. “You can’t say that any one future is set in stone, so keep trying, keep opposing us! I’ll... No. We’ll keep foiling your plans, but you can’t just give up on the world.”

And the orchestral theme just keeps rising in the background.

Oh… and Sougo said the same thing to Woz. Geiz says that he can’t stand living in the past. And, like I guessed last episode, in like, the fourth section of this liveblog… The past that they’ve lived is, technically, still in the future from where they are now. From Sougo’s perspective, and from the perspective of time itself, none of that has happened yet.

Besides, like Geiz is saying, they came to the past to change history anyway. They’re making a new future, all of them – Sougo, Tsukuyomi, and Geiz… and Woz.

“Do you want in?”

“… That sounds interesting.”

Hm. The Trinity watch – which is somehow successfully created by White!Woz – has all three of the current Belt Voices, doesn’t it? The two that the Ziku Driver uses and the high-pitched one from the BeyonDriver.

“If you use this, I will accept it.”

… accept what? The option to create a new future? The future that Sougo’s aiming for?

Nifty – the light from Regulus and the Day of Oma burns out the clouds from the Sealing Stone.

Pffft - ‘the light is guiding us’ no, no it’s not so much that…

(I love the ‘wtf is going on’ faces from Kenzaki and Hajime)

GEEZ Trinity’s basically a mini-Sentai mech, with all three of them in one place inside.

“Guys, no, I’m sorry, I know none of us know what is going on, but I have to take control for a second, I have to do my speech okay, it’s in my contract. This is not optional.”

I like how the hand on the clock moves to point to whoever’s in control of the body.

I really like how Trinity forms all of their weapons – and how they dissolve when discarded. Nice touch.

And I really like the triumphant section of ‘King of Time’ playing behind this fight.

...Regulus is shining still, brighter than before. With a ‘shine’ of pink, yellow, and green. Their colors.

“Why did you choose to let me stay?”

“Because I think you have more potential.”

White!Woz accepts that ‘his’ world will never exist, and that Sougo will create a better one. He goes out peacefully, and warning Black!Woz – no. Warning Woz that Sir Swartz is planning more than they know.

He goes out with a shimmer of golden motes of light, and the glitching effects that have been a key sign of time re-writing an existence.

Oma Zi-O: You’re almost done… only six more until you’re me.

Sougo: But what I don’t want to?

Daiki yoinked the Future Note. Show off.

Which, of course, creates a slight problem for me and my potential ‘fix it’ of Zi-O, down the line in the Re-United ‘verse. Or, rather, a complication.

See, the draft I’ve got has at minimum one of the Den-O’s and Zeronos ferrying Riders back and forth. THAT is how I plan to deal with the amnesia issue. Not warning them in the present and past, like I had planned. But having the ‘contemporary’ versions of them just. Sorta travel backward, and pretend that they’re the ones that from in the past. Just… ya know, keep their past selves unaware of what’s going on, take the brunt of temporary power removal. Fill in for themselves when Zi-O and Geiz meet them.

And I had everyone scheduling this from Tsukasa having somehow duplicated Black!Woz’s book when he grabbed it during the Ghost arc. I have never seen Decade, and have no idea if that would even be part of his powerset. But, like, Trinity just knocked off his ability to turn Riders into weapons and stuff, so. Ya know.

I’m apparently not that far off, if I can work Daiki into it. … need to watch Den-O and Decade first, but that’s just how it goes.

The complication is my stated ‘not wanting to touch on Zi-O’ aspect. I now admit that I want to handle it somehow, but if they keep airing concepts similar to ones I’ve been working on for months, I’m going to get accused of lying.

Arceus, Cosmos, and Gaim DAMNIT.

Of course, you may have noticed I skipped a scene there during the re-cap.

Because not for the first time, something has been saved by Zi-O taking powers away. I’m still decidedly not here for the amnesia concept, and I am not okay with the fact that certain characters have potentially been un-created – Ankh, Parad, Poppy and the like among them – but here’s the thing.

Both Kenzaki and Hajime remember being Blade and Chalice. They can properly retire – They’re both bleeding red. Hajime was never human to start with – he was using the Spirit card to be human. But he seems to be human now. The Blade and Chalice watches appear to have taken their Joker situation out of the picture.

Like how his intervention by introducing the father to Emu, who clearly went on to point him to Hiiro, saved the son during the Ex-Aid arc.

Like how the girls would have never gone missing during the Fourze and Faiz arc, to say nothing of Takumi and Kusaka being decidedly more alive than usual.

Like how Kaito also appears to be alive again after the Gaim arc.

And how neither the girl or her brother died in the Ghost arc.

How Rentaro can become Shinobi in a newly created potential future.

How Mondo got to meet his father.

… admittedly, his apparently re-creating the events of Ryuki might be a problem. I haven’t had a chance to watch any of the RIDER TIME specials, but I hear that’s what happened? Sorry, Shinji.

But here’s the thing. A not-insignificant number of things have turned out for the better… and as long as the ‘you were never riders’ thing can be… worked around…

Hmn.

((also, just a quick note, if you comment on any of the sections in here, I’d really appreciate it if you specify which statements you’re talking about. These recaps get really long, so... y’know, it’ll make it a little easier for a conversation.))

[thecomicsnexus]

True Stories

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #11. June, 1987. By Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird.

The issue opens with April having nightmares about being attacked by ninja monsters who look similar to the turtles and the Shredder. April wakes up screaming and then heads off to write in her diary. The diary becomes the framework for this issue.

Jan. 15, 1987 Yes, it's almost three A.M. again... My Night Mare alarm went off Big time tonight. It's been over two weeks now, with no relief... I was hoping to shake them before this... I think—The last time I closed my eyes and actually slept (and I believe exhaustion had a hand in that) was on the trip here... Even then my awakening was a shock... April recalls Casey startling her awake during the trip from New York City, wanting her to see downtown Northampton, Massachusetts. She is underwhelmed by the sight.

Considering my state of mind, my reaction was a few notches below "I couldn't care less." I guess I should've looked around a little; I hear that Northampton's nice... at least it might have afforded some kind of comfort for my next sight... From the road, Casey's late grandmother's house looked like a classic old New England farm house—big old barn, family-sized house, sheds, trees and rolling hills; you know, postcard material. That was from the road... Casey is full of nostalgia seeing the Jones Farm, but April is introduced to a dilapidated old building with broken windows and a front door falling off its hinges. April wants to start a warm fire and to get the still-injured Leo into the house. But she is fatigued, and falls asleep on a chair inside.

Jan. 25, 1987 Winter remains with us... snowed two days straight... Clear today. Leonardo's still pretty out of it. The battle tore him up terribly in both body and mind. Physically he has healed incredibly well, but mentally... I'm afraid has a lot of catching up. He's always put himself in front of the rest of the guys; taking charge, bearing the extra weight playing the Big Brother... When someone like that feels they've failed they fall hard! He's recently developed an intense obsession with the surrounding forests and spends all of his time there... I hope he finds what he's looking for and comes out of this depression soon... We all need him back. Leonardo, dressed in an improvised winter hunter's garb and armed with a yumi, stalks a stag through the forest without much success. The stag ambushes him, knocking him down. Leo pulls out of a knife and charges the stag head-on, but the powerful creature instead grabs the turtle with his antlers and throws him over and behind. Leo sits feeling defeated as the stag runs off.

I guess I could never know for sure how he feels inside. But I do know what losing your home—and everything that you own—feels like... Those things that you felt gave you a sense of being and strength in this world... Belongings that touched memory chords of loved ones. Father... I know he's hurting. Feb. 10, 1987 Everything is so strange... I feel like I've never looked at myself or the guys before; we're all so different now I try to identify the people I used to know with those that surround me now... and it's hard. Don isn't doing too badly, although he does work obsessively at the huge amount of repairs that need to be done here. The place has been vacant since Casey's Grandmother Left four years ago, it was pretty run down then. Besides a million little things, Don's rebuilt the windmill to pump water, devised a water wheel that creates enough current for lights and the fridge, and also installed a wood stove for better heating, all around. His most recent undertaking will—if it works—satisfy a craving we've all had lately... ...Hot running water! Feb. 15, 1987 Success! Showertime! Everybody's going nuts! Feb. 17, 1987 Feeling strangely depressed lately... I guess I expected Don to rest a bit after the last hard-won victory... No such luck. I heard him rummaging around in the attic early this morning... who knows what he's working on now. Feb. 17, 1987 Don's Writing Too! He must have found an old typewriter in the attic yesterday. I awoke to the tapping of busy keys around seven A.M. and he's been at it ever since! I wonder what he's writing about... is it a journal, like mine? I'd love to know... Donatello is shown in the attic room with the typewriter...and a trash can filled to overflowing with crumpled up pieces of paper.

Feb. 26, 1987 Michaelangelo worries me the most Mike, who could find a joke in just about any situation, doesn't laugh much anymore. Except for some half hearted goofing around with Casey and Raph, he's been almost painfully solitary lately it's so unlike him. But then all of us seem to have a need to be alone these days. Has what's happened made us unable to be close? I don't know... Mike's chosen a back section of the barn for his sanction... cleared a lot of junk out and created a little work-out space. The other day I happened in on one of his sessions. He was already on edge. Michelangelo is shown repeatedly kicking a punching bag until it breaks completely off its chain. He bashes and destroys a workbench with his arms. Unsatisfied, his takes his rage to the barn wall, ripping a hole out of the wood. He rests his arms on the new hole and groans.

We all feel so much pain and confusion— Each of us keeping his personal torment bottled up inside... Each seeking relief in his own way. The cure hangs plainly, clearly in front of our faces, but who will be the first to reach out? We Need Each Other! March 2, 1987 Raphael scares me. The rest of the guys I can feel for, worry for... but not Raph. Raph runs Hot and Cold... very unbalanced, unpredictable. I keep my distance. Lately I've noticed he doesn't sleep much. He's always always the first up and the last to bed. I think I've heard him Leaving the house late at night, too. I wonder what he's doing... standing guard? Late at night out in the cold on top of the barn, standing guard is exactly what Raphael is doing. He judges the front of the farm clear, then flips several times across the barn rooftop to the back, and judges the back of the farm also clear.

March 10, 1987 I've known some odd characters in my time, living in Brooklyn most of my life, But the likes of Casey Bernid Jones is beyond compare. I believe that in Casey's mind there's a petulant, mischievious ten year old waging constant war with a somewhat mature, Bright young man... unfortunately the ten year old wins far too often. Casey spends all of his time with Raphael, fighting, or "doin' projects, doin' projects!" as they say— usually more damage. What next? In the barn, Casey is trying to repair the engine of an old pickup truck while Raphael sits behind the steering wheel. As they work, they carry on a debate.

One day later in the month, April is out walking on the ice of a frozen lake. But the ice cracks under her weight, plunging her into the freezing water. Leo is hunting nearby and hears her shouts. At the edge of the lake, he takes off his hunting garb which unrolls into a long strip of cloth. He stakes one end of the cloth into the lakeside with his katana, and crawls out onto the ice holding the other end of the cloth, successfully pulls April to safety, and carries her back to the farmhouse.

Back inside, April is resting and recovering from hypothermia. Splinter, the turtles and Casey are gathered around her.

May 1, 1987 I can't believe it's been over a month since I fell through the ice... and even longer since I've picked up this journal. I almost didn't this time, either. it all seems to mean so little now. I started this book to rebuild all I had lost in the fire. I guess after my mid-winter swim (HA, HA) I realized how little my life long accumulation of possessions had. I thought I was all I had in this world. Not true. I've got me, and I've got memories. I also have friends, real friends that I care for and that care for me. I'll always be there for them and they for me; we have each other, we are a family... one. This will probably be my last entry. I guess I just wanted some kind of final word ...sort of wrap up all I had written so far. Life is Good... and Life Goes on. After a day of training, Splinter and his sons are gathered around a campfire.

April wakes up in her bedroom to the sound of creaking. Is this another nightmare? She is pleasantly surprised by the four turtles: One serves her breakfast in bed as another prepares to give her flowers and another opens the window blinds to let in the morning light.

From Turtlepedia

This title needed one of these stories to “catch up” with time. It is early in TMNT history and at this point, time kind of passes by just like in real life. In reality, they really didn’t need such a thing, but this interlude is the source of many stories, presenting a status quo for guest artists.

It seems to me like it is finally Splinter who can put them all together and working for the same goal, in a way this make sense, as he is the father. But he can also influence Casey and April.

I give the issue a score of 8.

[yukiwrites]

Morgan, Blending In

Thank you so much for commissioning me again, @xpegasusuniverse! I’m really glad with this one came out, so I hope you like it! :D

Summary: Morgan managed to follow her brother Owain to Valla and, under the alias of Linfan, now tries to blend in with the people of that strange and new world on her own Morgan-like way!

Commission info HERE and HERE!

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4  - Part 5

After Morgan, now Linfan, was accepted in Corrin's army, not much apart from fighting happened -- or rather, could happen. That place called Valla was crawling with enemies, to the point that even the people keeping watch at night had to be armed to the teeth since they would most certainly fight a battle or two before the sun came up.

That upside-down world was vast and hard to travel -- they had to make sure they stepped on the right bridges after the area had been scouted by flying units. It seemed like their guide, some Anthony fellow, wasn't very well liked amongst the entirety of the army, so Morgan's arriving right after Anthony’s made things a bit complicated to her side, or at least they should be.

"COMBINED..." She took a deep breath, holding her Thoron tome with one hand, the other one pointing to the sky.

"SIBLING ATTACK!" Odin yelled at the same time Linfan did, they tomes' magical powers swirling around them before exploding at the group of enemies right ahead. "YEAH! That was soo cool, Linfan!"

"Heehee, that was actually fun, Brother!" The siblings shared a high-five. "And since this place is crawling with those things, we can try out a lot of different magic!"

Odin had to hold his cursed hand in an extravagant gesture. "Yess! That's what I'm talking about! This is the place where we can truly use our full powers!"

"With my trusty Thoron, no enemy shall be left standing!" Linfan winked, doing a side peace sign over one eye. Odin almost shed a tear of pride. Finally... finally someone who understood and enjoyed his antics!

"... Don't you guys feel any shame?" Selena approached, her battle stance completely drained up due to second-hand embarrassment. "This isn't a joke, you know! They're here to kill us!"

"You wound me, silver-tongued maiden! This is serious business, I'll have you know! Isn't that right, Lin-"

Linfan giggled, "why don't you try it too, Selena? It's so silly, it's fun!"

"LINFAN!" Odin fell on his knees. "Betrayed... by my own blood..."

"Hah! I knew Linfan wouldn't let me down like that." Selena nodded, putting one hand by her hip.

From their posts, Corrin and Leo observed the interchange, both of them smiling at differing scales. "It's really lively out there, isn't it?" Corrin commented after felling the last enemy at their premises.

Leo sneered. "Humph. It's like we got another Odin; I got my work cut out for me."

The dragon prince scratched the back of his head. "Haha, I'm sorry for dumping her on you, Leo. But I thought that since she's Odin's sister, making both of them be deployed side by side would be better for her to fit in faster..."

"Please, don't apologize for that, Brother." Leo dismissed Corrin's worry with an uninterested wave of hand. "She is... a bit too eager for my tastes, but I AM used to having the most eager one, after all." He bobbed his head. "Besides, her talent for magic is real. So much that even by looking at her from this far I can still feel her inane power, waiting to explode. Very intriguing."

Corrin smiled. He knew how much his little brother loved to talk about magic, AND how competitive he was. He would probably push himself harder so as not to 'lose' to Linfan. "Just don't overdo it, okay?" He let out part of his thoughts, making Leo raise one eyebrow.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Oh, um, why don't you go talk to her, then? This can be a great opportunity to make new friends!"

"Hah, hear yourself, Brother." Leo scoffed, urging his horse to move. "I'm simply interested in her potential for combat, not in to suddenly invite her to our inner circle. Come, let's rendezvous with Camilla." He extended his hand to Corrin, who promptly took it so as to mount on the horse.

"Alright, but I still think that you two would get along if you wanted!"

"Yeah, yeah."

At the same time, Linfan, Odin and Selena arrived at the camp after clearing out their position. For the past few days, Laslow has been deployed far from Linfan, surely Xander's way of saying he didn't trust her yet.

At the entrance, Linfan unconspiscously looked at all sides, squinting as though she wanted to see something invisible. "Do you think he's here now?"

"Yikes," Selena shivered, "are you looking for ghosts or something? Aren't the invisible enemies we fight everyday enough?"

Without missing a beat, Linfan looked at the other side. "No, I mean the guy who likes masks Lord Corrin told us about."

"Oh." Both Selena and Odin cleared their throats, ever aware that the ninja could be anywhere around them at any moment. "If you keep being indiscreet like that, he'll stick around even longer!" The mercenary said, slapping her friend's back.

Linfan's eyes sparkled. "Will he?! Maybe this time he'll actually fall into one of my traps!"

Odin snorted. "You never even got Father to fall for them, Linfan!"

The apprentice tactician puffed her cheeks. "Well, YOU did."

Selena pointed and laughed as Odin retorted. "I was indulging my own blood, a-alright? The sacred vow of heroes always tells us to be kind to our kin!"

Morgan put one hand over her chin, her eyes wide in thought. "Will I have to marry him, then...?"

"WHAT? NO!" Both mage and mercenary yelled, slapping her shoulders. "Mor-Linfan, we need to play nice here, you understand? Stop digging these stupid pitfalls!"

"B-b-b-b-but," her voice trembled as Selena aggressively shook her, "but what if I dig deep enough that I can see the sky from below? I need to find out!"

"Linfan!" Odin exclaimed, making both women shut up in shock, the random passerby also staring unbelieving. "Don't do anything reckless, please..." He held her hand. "I won't bear if anything happens to you."

Feeling a bit guilty but also nostalgic, Linfan smiled. "That brings back memories, heehee." She brought Odin's hand to her face. "Sorry for worrying you, Brother; but it's going to be okay! This time, I won't bang a tome on my head or walk around looking up instead of down. I just want to catch him!"

"Aaand we're back at where we started." Selena groaned. "Listen here, Linfan..." She pulled her friend as they walked, leaving Odin behind.

He didn't follow out of pure shock, since Morgan had spoke not only of a new memory they made, but of an older memory of when they were children: She had the habit of looking up to the birds and clouds when she was very small, to she always hit her nose on trees, posts and walls, to the point of Owain needing to hold her hand at all times whenever they walked.

The feeling from way back then flourished inside his heart, making a relaxed smile sprout on his lips. She remembered more each day, and also learned more and more about their lives in this new world.

She would be fine. Sure, not without supervision, but would be fine nonetheless.

The sun took a lot longer than usual to set in that strange world since the sky was upward and downward as well, which only made it even more interesting! What would happen if Morgan started digging a pitfall during the sunset over her head while it was still bright under her feet? Would she be able to catch a glimpse of the blue sky all the while having the stars shining on her head? She simply had to find out!

And no, watching the sunset at the edge of an island did not cross Morgan's mind, nor would it: She was so focused on digging during dusk that she lost track of time. Although it was still clear out, she had dug so deep she leaned on the wall to catch a breather.

It was then that she looked up. "Oh, wow, that's my new record! Someone's REALLY gonna hurt themselves if they fall. Look at the sky wayyy up there, just a tiny round bit." A few moments of rest later, she placed one closed hand over her open palm. "Oh! I'm stuck!"

Laughing, Morgan slid down the wall to sit on the wet earth. "Heeheehaha! That's a first! I didn't know this island was so deep, whoops!" After calming down her giggles, she took a deep breath. "Welp, let's come up with a plan to get out of here! I won't disappoint you, Father!"

Morgan looked on her person for something that could help her up: her levin sword, her Thoron tome, a carving knife, a few samples of masks she always kept on a pouch and the shovel she was using to dig. "Aw, if I had brought a wind tome instead, I could fly myself out of this hole." She crossed her legs, looking at the items in front of her, trying to come up with a connection. "Father, I barely started and I already failed you... how can an aspiring tactician NOT walk around with a rope? This will haunt me to the grave!"

More worried about her lack of preparation than her own situation, Morgan kept thinking by herself, as the sky darkened and the temperature dropped. She didn't notice the time pass by, mind, since she was too busy thinking of what her father would do if he were in her shoes. Faraway whispers could be heard from above a long time later, breaking her concentration.

"Look, Sakura! The sky is soooo bright because of all the stars!" Princess Elise twirled around herself, pulling the shy hoshidan princess with her so they could watch the stars under that big tree over the hill.

"N-not even in Hoshido did they shine so brightly," Sakura commented, huffing to accompany the eager princess. By her own nature, Sakura always walked looking down -- in contrast with Elise, who always looked up -- so she noticed a big enough hole to swallow them both approaching at a fast pace as Elise happily dragged her. "P-Princess Elise, watch out!" She pulled her friend back with all she had, making both of them roll away from the hole.

"Wah- Oof!" Elise fell on the grass right beside the enormous hole that was simply there in front of the tree they were going to watch the stars under. "Whoaa! We could've really hurt ourselves there! Thank you so much, Sakura!"

The hoshidan princess sat up, patting the dirt out of her white clothes. "O-of course... I'm glad you're alright, Elise."

"Weh? Is someone up there? Heeey!" Both princesses heard a voice from below.

"KYAA!" Sakura shrieked, hugging Elise with everything she had. "G-g-g-ghosts?!"

"Whoa!" Elise laughed, bending towards the hole. "Ghosts? From this hole? Helloooo?"

"Oh, there really was someone!" Morgan got up, fastening her sword and tome back at her belt. "You're Lady Elise, right? I can barely make out your face since it's so dark, haha!" She opened her hand, channeling the thunder from her tome to her fingers, lighting the hole she was in. "Do you happen to have a wind tome with you? I'm a bit stuck in here!"

"O-oh, so it was a real person..." Sakura breathed out in relief. "A-are you okay? You fell down from such height..."

"Oh, no, I dug this! Impressive, isn't it?"

"Oh, wow!" Elise put one hand over her mouth, her hair dangling beside her face as she popped her head into the hole. "You did all this? Amazing! But what's this 'wind' tome you speak of? I never heard of it!"

"Oh, so they don't have wind tomes in this world? Whoops..." Linfan bit her tongue with a smile, thanking the heavens that her brother wasn't there to scold her.

"What was that? I didn't catch it!" Elise yelled, lying down at the edge.

"Um, if you don't have it, then it's okay! Do you happen to have a rope or something? I think I can work with that!"

"D-don't you think we should get help, Elise? We shouldn't be having such a leisure talk while she's in such predicament!" Sakura gripped at her friend's sleeve, worried about the new girl.

"Oh, yeah! Wait here, Linfan! We'll call for help!" Elise sat up.

"Oh, no, no, no! Please, no!" Linfan laughed nervously. "If my brother and friends find out, I'll be in deep trouble! I need to get out of this on my own."

"B-but what can we do? I don't think both of us can pull you out by ourselves..."

"Oof, yeah, I can barely flex without getting tired." Elise concurred, feeling sympathetic to Linfan since she, too, didn't like getting in trouble with her siblings. "Maybe if I call my brother? Leo's super good with magic; he can think of a way to get you out of there!"

"L-Lord Leo? Oh no, if he finds out, so will my brother!"

Elise deflated. "Oh, yeah..."

"U-um, maybe my sister Hinoka can help? She's strong, so she'll be able to pull you out in no time!"

Linfan put her free hand on her chin in thought. "Hmm... And she's hoshidan, right? There's no need for her to be a snitch to the nohrians..."

"I-I don't know about 'being a snitch', but Big Sister Hinoka is responsible and strong! I'll bring her here!" Sakura got up too fast for her own legs to follow, her feet wobbling as they tried to get a proper foothold.

They found none, as she was too close to the hole. Elise widened her eyes and yelled a "watch out!!" as Sakura felt the ground slip away from her.

Morgan closed her eyes, scooting to the side to give Sakura room to fall, but she never did. When she looked up, the princess was safe on a ninja's arms.

"Hah... For how long will you two keep this up?" Saizo groaned, putting his princess on the ground. "I won't stand idly if you endanger Lady Sakura any more than this."

"S-Saizo!" Sakura managed to let out her voice. "T-thank you, thank you, thank you so much..." She trembled as Elise breathed out in relief.

"Pheew! That was a close one! Thanks a bunch, Saizo!"

The ninja glared at the nohrian princess, then downwards to the foreigner. "How long do you plan on staying there, woman?"

"Oh no! MASK! IT'S THE WRONG TYPE!!" Linfan yelled, the sparkle on her hand getting out of control and spiraling upwards before flashing out. "I thought it'd be covering the eyes, not the mouth!"

The ninja sighed deeply, getting tired of watching that girl run around in her own little world and staying stuck inside a pitfall for hours.

"P-please, help her out of there, Saizo..." Sakura grasped at his scarf.

Once again did the ninja sigh and, faster than the eye could see, he jumped into the hole, surprising all three princesses. He landed soundlessly besides Linfan, grabbed her by her waist and jumped out.

"Oh, wow, that was easy." Morgan blurted out, grabbing Saizo's scarf as he pulled away from her. "Wait! You're him, right? The Saizo fellow? Lemme take a look at your mask!"

"Unhand me, woman!" Saizo pulled his own scarf back as Linfan studied his face with scrutiny.

"Oh, that sounded familiar, heehee," she giggled, remembering Lon'qu from her world. "But that's not it! Lemme just do this..." with her free hand, she grabbed one of the masks she had made previously and stuck it on Saizo's face. "Aw, I got the size wrong!"

Saizo flicked the mask away, managing to whisk himself out of Linfan's hold. "Do not do this again, girl, lest my blade finds itself in your gut by accident." He said and disappeared into a curtain of smoke.

"So he really was watching..." Linfan crouched to get her mask back, deep in thought. "Guess I'll have to relearn how to make them, huh? Now, to cover the mouth instead!"

"Wow, did you make this yourself, Linfan?" Elise picked one mask up -- since Linfan's pouch wasn't properly tied due to the surprise, it fell down when Saizo pulled away from her. "This is so pretty! What kind of paint is that?"

"Oh, there's one here, too..." Sakura picked one that looked like a fox. "So cute!"

"Do you like it? You can have it! I need to make bigger ones to fit Saizo..." She smiled, gathering the remaining dozen so as to tie them back on her pouch. "I can teach you to make it, if you want? With three heads, we can come up with more designs than me alone!"

"Really? You'll teach me?!" Elise trotted to Linfan's side, the foreign girl only one head taller than the nohrian princess. "I'm very good with my hands if I may say so myself! I love to make flower necklaces and crowns!"

"I-I don't like handling knives, but if it's only to carve, then..." Sakura shyly wore the fox mask, her cheeks flushed under it.

Elise and Linfan laughed. "It really does suit you! You really should keep it, after all." The apprentice tactician said. "C'mon, I'll teach you two right away! Let's get back to my tent for some light!"

Both princesses giggled, taking Linfan's extended hands. Their older brothers had advised them to steer clear of that girl, but she looked like such a fun person to be around! They surely would get along well from then on!

[dabbledrabbleprose]

·         [ DAY 6 ] LIFESAVER / RECOVERY

 Genji wondered how it would have played out if things had been different. If he had been different. If he had paid attention to the whispers about his father’s unexpected death, would he be lying in a hospital bed, staring at the same ceiling day after day? If he had heeded the warnings (threats?) of the clan elders, would he be listening to the steady beep of a monitor, reminding him that his every heartbeat was only possible due to a machine? If he had listened, just once to his brother, would he be here, a thousand miles away from home, drowning in the knowledge that his clan, his family thought he was so worthless, so shameful, that it would be more honorable for him to die than to be himself?

Dr. Ziegler had saved his life, even though at the time he wasn’t sure he had wanted anyone to save him. The agony of betrayal was worse than pain in his chest or the sight of his severed arm lying across the room, and death would have been, ironically, a Mercy. He was listless, without purpose, numb, empty but for the pain and regret in his body and his soul.

That was how Commander Reyes had found him when he walked into his hospital room and made him the offer.

“Hey, kid,�� He stood at the foot of the hospital bed, thick arms folded over his chest.

Genji didn’t respond, eyes staring at the off-white ceiling, listening to the soft hisses of the ventilator covering the bottom half of his face, assisting his damaged lungs. His prototype body wasn’t much of a body at all, more of a glorified life-support machine, and the constant beeps and whirrs only emphasized how much he had lost.

“Kid,” Reyes tried again. “Commander Gabriel Reyes. I’m here to talk.”

Genji continued to ignore the man, staring

“Angela told me you speak English. No use playing dumb.”

“I am not playing at anything,” Genji replied in accented English, his voice muffled slightly by the respirator. “I simply do not wish to speak with you.”

“You don’t even know what I have to say,” he said, and Genji could hear the smirk in the man’s voice.

“You have nothing that I want to hear.” He turned his head away. “I wish to be alone with my thoughts and the shadow inside my soul.” He anticipated pity, empty reassurances, or bland comfort, like all the nurses had offered him already. What he didn’t expect was for Reyes to burst into laughter, and it startled Genji enough that he looked over at the man. He was standing at the foot of Genji’s hospital bed, arms folded across his broad chest, head thrown back in laughter. His laugh was loud and sharp with an edge to it, perhaps mockery, perhaps something else.

“‘The shadow inside my soul?’ Are you shitting me? How pathetic is that?”

“H-hey!” Something within stirred within the fog of apathy Genji had surrounded himself with. “Stop that!”

“You’ve been here for what, three weeks? And you’ve really spent all this time staring at nothing and just thinking about how miserable you are? Do you have sad music to keep you company? Do you need me to get a pen and paper so you can write about the torture you feel inside your soul? Oh God, do you write poetry? Bad poetry?”

“Get out, or I’ll have you removed!” Genji snapped.

“Hah!” Reyes smirked at him. “I’d love to see a little shit like you try to do anything while you’re literally only half a kid.”

Something inside Genji cracked. His eyes blazed above his mask and he sat up as best he could, straining against the machinery. “You know nothing about me! You do not know what I am capable of! I am an assassin, a ninja of the most dangerous crime syndicate in Japan! In all of Asia!” He saw Reyes raise a bushy eyebrow skeptically and it was enough to keep Genji’s mouth rolling with the momentum he’d gathered. “You have no idea what I have been through! My clan turned their back on me and my own family tried to murder me! I am a Dragon of the Shimada and I will not be treated like a child by the likes of you! Saving my life does not give you the right to mock me, and giving me this flimsy body does not indebt me to you! If you have something of value to say, then say it, otherwise get out and leave me in peace!” Genji was breathing hard by the time he finished, his face red behind the mask and respirator hissing and whirring as it kept up with his respiratory rate.

Reyes let out a low whistle and clapped slowly, the mocking smirk gone from his face. There was still a gleam in his eye, but Genji thought it seemed less pointed.

“So,” Reyes said. “The Dragon still has teeth. Good. After all the moping you’d been doing, I was wondering if your old clan had succeeded in putting you down.”

Genji’s good fist clenched. “…I still live.”

“Great,” Reyes grabbed a chair and pulled it alongside Genji’s bed, taking a seat. “Because I have a proposition for you.”

Genji narrowed his eyes. “I am listening, but skeptically.”

A grin flashed across Reyes’ face, and this time it wasn’t mocking at all. “Right now, Overwatch is planning on doing some further work on your body, make you functional again, try and weasel some information on the Shimada clan out of you, and then set you up somewhere nice and quiet where you can live out the rest of your days in peace and domestic drudgery.”

Genji felt his expression sour at the thought. Living the rest of his life in this barely functional body, tucked away in some witness protection program? He��d wither away from misery if the boredom didn’t get him first.

“Or,” Reyes continued. “We could offer you something a little more…exciting.”

Reyes sat back in the chair, eyes gleaming. Genji could tell the Commander was waiting for him to take the bait, and almost just let Reyes wait it out, but he really wanted to get on with this conversation. “…Exciting?”

“I can authorize some very specific modifications to your cybernetic body. Some modifications that would be ill suited to a civilian life.”

“…Like what?”

“Anything you want.”

“I don’t understand.”

Reyes watched him with a half-smile tugging at his lips. “You were trained by the Shimada clan to be an assassin. A ninja. We can give you a body that surpasses anything a normal human can have. You want to run up walls and jump twenty feet in the air? Done. You want to have nightvision and infrared sensors in your eyes? Easy. You want to breathe fire and shoot shurikens out of your ass? You got it. Combined with your training, we can make you the best goddamn ninja to ever exist.”

Genji stared at him, then looked slowly around himself, at the machines connected to what was left of his body, keeping him alive. “…You could make me more than…this?”

“Kid, we can make your body into a living weapon.”

Genji’s gaze returned to Reyes. “Seems generous.”

“It is.”                      

“Is there a catch?”

“Of course.”

Genji’s eyes narrowed sharply, making his scowl visible even from behind the respirator.

“In exchange,” Reyes continued, “you work for me. Join Blackwatch.”

“Blackwatch?” Genji asked, working to keep his tone neutral. He hadn’t heard of it. “I thought I had been saved by Overwatch.”

“Technically, yes. Blackwatch is the special ops division of Overwatch. The public doesn’t know about it. You’d report directly to me, not to Strike Commander Morrison.”

“What is it exactly that you do? What are you asking me to do?”

“We do what Overwatch doesn’t. What Overwatch can’t do under the scrutiny of the world and its politics. The dirty work that doesn’t look good on the headlines. We do what needs to be done when no one else can.”

Genji snorted. “It sounds like you want me to leave one criminal empire and join another.”

“Not quite,” Reyes said. “We do what we have to, politics be damned. But we do it to make the world a better place. We’re not running drugs and guns, like some gangs one of us has a connection to. We’re cleaning up. The dirty underbelly of world peace.”

The snide comment about gangs made something click in Genji’s mind. “You want me to tell you what I know about the Shimada-gumi.”

Reyes nodded. “I want you to tell me everything about them. Where they operate, who they work with, who their suppliers are, where their drops are, their factories, their holding facilities, who’s in charge, absolutely everything.”

“And why would I tell you how to destroy my family?” He met Reyes’ eyes, but couldn’t match the conviction he saw there.

Reyes leaned forward, resting one hand on a knee. “Because I’m giving you the opportunity to personally be responsible for ending the Shimada criminal empire. Are you really going to protect the people, the family that betrayed you? With the resources in Blackwatch, we could give you the tools to tear apart the Shimada clan with your own two hands.” He glanced at Genji’s prosthetics. “Relatively speaking.”

Genji gave him a sharp glare and looked away, but the thoughts began running through his mind. Take down the Shimada clan? He hadn’t thought it possible. He hadn’t even considered it. His family had ties and resources all over the world. They were as deeply rooted and widespread as a cancer. But…with his knowledge and Overwatch’s resources, perhaps they could be poisoned from within. He thought of his father, dead under mysterious circumstances. He thought of the Clan Elders, who had berated and disciplined him over and over. He thought of Hanzo, standing over him with a sword in hand, eyes black and cold.

The fog of self-pity and apathy that had clouded him was pierced by a knife of rage. He held onto it, clung to the anger like a crutch, letting it wash over him, filling him until he shook with anger, suddenly feeling more alive than he had since Hanamura. He would bring about the end to his family’s criminal empire. He would destroy the Shimada clan and watch their empire fall into ruin. He would face his brother in battle and prove that revenge was best served on the tip of a blade. Genji looked up at Commander Reyes.

“I’m in.”