#this is prime ground for a recovery arc

[outrunningthedark]

It seems to me neither Tim nor the other writers know who Eddie is beyond the single dad with the dead wife and Buddie. I love Eddie, he's a fantastic character but it seems no one knows what to do with him because they built his whole identity around his marriage and his best friend and now they don't know how else to write him

Gonna cosign something I've seen @unfuckablebogtroll mention in recent days. As much as 911 fandom loves to talk about story lines that could happen in season 9, 10, and beyond, we're seeing what happens when networks allow prime time dramas to extend beyond an obvious expiration date just for the sake of claiming the #1 demo on a given night. We've gotten insight into Eddie's marriage and what brought him to LA as a single dad. We watched his (estranged) wife die literally right in front of him. We saw how he handled the initial grief and disbelief via the fighting arc. But we also saw him bounce back and end the season in a better place. Season four brought us Eddie finally attempting to date again. Eddie gets shot on the job. Eddie recovers (physically). Season five? Covered A LOT of ground. Eddie breaks up with Ana, gets held hostage (to add to the PTSD arc later), decides to quit the 118, starts a new job with dispatch, has his breakdown, finds himself on the road to recovery, and finally gets the all clear to go back to the firehouse. And don't forget season five was when Eddie started mending things with his father, too. Last year was not as Eddie-centric, but we still got a couple more scenes of Eddie in Dad Mode - without Buck's help - and a little background on his family (Isabel trying to speak to her husband after he passed through a "healer" and how it turned Eddie into a skeptic because of all the money she lost) before the (albeit rushed) dating arc that led to calling Marisol in the finale. And now it's season seven. Tim doesn't want Marisol to be endgame, but keeping Eddie single for the majority of the season wasn't gonna move anything along, so what's the quick fix? Reintroducing unresolved feelings about Shannon via Kim despite season six already moving past that (which is why having two show runners at two different times was never going to work as far as consistency is concerned). Which brings us to...this very moment. I would assume the Shannon plot isn't fully finished unless the hiatus is going to motivate everyone to skip right over the steps Eddie takes to adjust to his new lifestyle, but even so, when that part of his story is complete (again)? Where do they go from here? What's left? (They don't seem to know.)

[purplekoop]

Cutting things close, back at the Darkworld Showdown roster updates with day 13's character, as big as he is overdue: the megaton mashup, Frankenscrap!

Mary is a teenage prodigy in engineering, with a firm belief that she's the descendant of the legendary Victor Frankenstein. Following in the footsteps in his fabled creation of life, Mary gathered an extensive collection of whatever garbage she could gather, and, miraculously, combined it into a functional mechanical man. With one final jolt to bring him to life, Frankenscrap was thus born... and then proceeded to explore his surroundings with the excitement of a small child and the destructive potential of a poorly operated bulldozer. Now, Mary has to keep her creation under control, following Frankenscrap wherever he wanders off to next.

Frankenscrap is one of the heaviest characters in the cast, but also among the biggest and slowest. His movement is far from elegant in any respect, but his massive limbs mean most of his attacks have excellent reach relative to smaller characters.

When he struggles to bring the fight to enemies directly, Frankenscrap can instead play at a distance with his two distinct projectiles. The first is his neutral special, Trash Cannon, which has him ready a shot from his cannon arm, before unleashing an arcing cannonball of scrap and trash that explodes on impact. Holding the move charges the shot, increasing the range the cannonball flies and its power upon impact. Lining up a full-power shot to hit an enemy near the blast zone can lead to a brutal KO, while tossing a weaker but lower-angled shot can pester a low recovery attempt. His side special is a more distinct projectile: Tire Toss. Frankenscrap will bowl a spare tire out of his cannon, causing it to roll along the ground relatively slowly, rolling through enemies it passes to weakly hurt them. Using the move in the air will instead cause the tire to bounce upon hitting the ground. Once active, the tire can be hit by Frankenscrap's other attacks to launch it accordingly, increasing its power if hit by stronger attacks. However, enemies can also hit the tire, sending it backwards and causing it to hurt yourself instead.

If delivering the fight to the enemy from a distance isn't enough, Frankenscrap's other arm is custom-built for bringing the enemy to him. His grab when tapped is a normal quick snatch with his claw arm, but holding the grab input will cause the claw to extend off a chain, increasing its range greatly at the cost of leaving him vulnerable if it misses. This grab can also be used in the air to grab the ledge from a distance, but acts as a normal long-range attack rather than a grab upon hitting enemies. For a more specialized grab, Frankenscrap can use his claw instead for his up special, Claw Catch, where he reaches diagonally upwards with his claw with exceptional range. If he grabs an enemy while he's grounded, then Frankenscrap will slam them into the ground, prime for starting some combos. If instead the grab connects while he's in the air, Frankenscrap pulls himself towards the victim first, then spikes them downwards while giving himself an additional upwards boost. This move can also grab walls or ledges, though has major shortcomings as Frankenscrap's most common means of recovery. If the grab misses, he will still get a small upwards boost the first time it's used, but will descend upon further uses without landing again. The move can also be used on tires, which while the setup is difficult, can give you a point to grapple onto in the air if properly hit into place.

If this isn't enough to keep up the pace, then Frankenscrap can turn the tables around with his down special: Overcharge. By holding the move, Frankenscrap will kick his electrical generation into overdrive, filling up a gauge visible next to his damage display. The electricity surging between the prongs attached to his back is also potent enough to act as a weak but constant hitbox while charging up, which could serve as a niche combo starter or extender. Frankenscrap also fills up his Overcharge gauge slightly with each successful pummel. When the gauge is full, Frankenscrap becomes Overcharged. While in this state, Frankenscrap gets a major speed boost to all of his movement stats, rocketing along the ground with small wheels popping out of his feet. However, many of his moves also go Haywire from being Overcharged. For instance, his forward smash is normally a two-part attack, where the first hit is a thrust of his cannon arm, followed by a boxing glove shooting out of it as the second. While Haywire, instead the move is a single quick punch where the boxing glove fails to fully extend. Up tilt is normally a sweep of flame from a welding torch hidden in his mouth, which hits repeatedly but has low range. Instead, now the flame is a single larger plume that only hits once. You also can no longer extend your grab, but pummels will be able to recharge your Overcharge gauge. Otherwise, the gauge drains passively, and drains faster if you take damage. Your gauge also fully depletes if you are KO'd while Overcharged, but will only be depleted by half of whatever you had built up if KO'd otherwise.

These Haywire moves extend to Frankenscrap's specials, each gaining a new variant with altered utility. However, each of these will instantly drain a portion of the Overcharge gauge upon use, unlike the altered normals. Trash Cannon fails to shoot the cannonball, instead charging up a point-blank explosion that does massive damage when fully charged, though at the cost of some recoil damage. Tire Toss fires a flaming tire that does higher damage and goes at blazing speed, making it excel at pestering from a distance. The tire also can no longer be hit by any players, though still is subject to reflector moves. Claw Catch comes out faster, and if it successfully catches an enemy, Frankenscrap will pull them in (or be pulled to them in the air), then hold them tight as he circles his arm rapidly as he arcs up before diving to the ground, slamming the victim wildly into the ground upon impact to deal massive damage. While lethal, this version is more dangerous prospect for recovery, as catching a foe while attempting to recover will lead to a trip to the abyss for both parties. Finally, while Overcharged, down special is Overcharge Surge. This move causes Frankenscrap to discharge the built up electricity to blast enemies, where holding down the special button before releasing will drain more of the remaining gauge in exchange for increasing the range and power of the shockwave. In the air, the surge also propels Frankenscrap upwards, launching higher up with a bigger surge.

Frankenscrap's guard special, Servo Cyclone, interacts with his Overcharge gauge in a unique way. By default, the move is a quick spin of his torso, striking twice with his arms as a fast but modest attack that has armor on his torso. However, the move can be extended by holding down the input if the Overcharge gauge is only partially full, letting Frankenscrap walk as he continues spinning to repeatedly hit the opponent, which will drain the gauge until it either runs out or the button is released. If instead used while fully Overcharged, the move becomes a lightning-fast fully-armored spin that instantly drains the gauge with no variable input and reverts you to normal upon ending, though has notable endlag compared to the normal variant.

Frankenscrap is a heavyweight with traces of both a grappler and a zoner, but at the cost of being one of the least mobile members of the cast. He's heavy, but also a massive target that's subject to extensive combos. His big normals and projectile specials can help slow his opponents' approach, but he can easily be overwhelmed and heavily punished, especially with his flawed recovery. This dynamic can completely pivot thanks to Overcharge, turning his pitiful mobility exceptional and giving him some powerful bombastic options, at the cost of much of his standard kit's utility. Frankenscrap isn't wanting for raw power normally, so some of the options he has while Overcharged can be a bit redundant. What's far from redundant is his down special and guard special in this state, which serve as a much-needed recovery aid and exceptionally quick way of relieving shield pressure, respectively. With these options in mind, merely the potential threat of being Overcharged can pressure your opponent, so charging can be a great way to force an approach, which you can take as an opportunity to bait an attack to punish accordingly. This mode does take away many of your default unique options though, so it may be beneficial to charge only to near completion to have it on standby while you still have access to your normal kit. You can't be forced into using it, and can only lose it via getting KO'd, so managing it is entirely up to you. Frankenscrap has the powerful means to wildly change his tempo mid-match, with many different ways to utilize his wide toolkit with and without Overcharge. Play a messy game with projectile potshots and sneaky ranged grabs, or take out the trash in a flash with speeds no robot should reach.

alright I SWEAR we only have one more character with a convoluted special meter mechanic... this month at least, no promises for later.

But that's Frankenscrap, a character I attempted to get earlier this month, but failed miserably with his art. Conversely, very happy with how he came out this time, love how shaped he is here. Also, credit where it's due: Frankenscrap was originally made by my sibling! They made him a while back, but he's another one of those very core-feeling members of the cast we're both very fond of still. My sibling isn't as detailed or anatomically-adept of an artist as I am, but their recent updated take was a major help in getting him fixed up for this attempt of mine, especially in terms of nailing his unique body shape and some details. They also helped bounce moveset ideas and flesh out his backstory, which is something we've done for most of the cast, but it felt especially pertinent with Frankenscrap as their character first and foremost.

My sibling's got one more character for me to give a touch-up, and then I've got one brand new concept I think I can get in before month's end, and then after that I think I'm gonna slow down a bit. Darkworld won't be taking a year-long hiatus or anything, but I have been hoping to get back around to more casual art projects soon. This is on top of my free time getting cut thanks to more regular work every week, so I may try and just relax more with the downtime I do get. there's like, 50 games that came out lately, I gotta pick one and take it easy. Holidays are coming fast too, so expect breaks anyways with travel plans and the like. I've got some good news that should be coming by the end of next month though, which I'll definitely share when it happens!

[aroninshonour]

Hello!! :)

Could you do 🐍(fav kind of serpentine), 💎 (fave realm) and 📺(fave season and why) for the ninjago ask game? Thank you :D

Fhskfjqkfjej YESS !!

Okok so my fav kind of serpentine is definitely the Constricti, I think they are so cool and and and I love the blacks and the oranges and the grays and dhfkwjtkwjtjektje (I have a thing for like. The ground. Or like. Earth themes I guess)

My favorite Realm is definitely the Departed Realm, idk it just kinda...draws me in, in a way- yk? Like, uhm- ghosts and the death that surrounds it is interesting to me I suppose. It's ghosts have a ton of different stories too, and I like to imagine that the Departed realm can be exactly what a ghost wants it to be, at least in that ghosts view of it, if ykwim?

Controversial opinion, but it's Skybound. It's kinda always been my favorite season, even with the addition of other seasons after it.

Skybound, to me at least, gives the characters development that they needed, even if it's pretty much ignored after the season.

Jay, making the mistakes he does in the beginning, is able to learn from them and makes himself better about it by the end.

Nya is able to express how she feels about, well, everything. How she's always been defined by someone else, how she's just considered the 'girl ninja'. Her and Jay getting to have that talk is something really special that I think will always hold something special too it.

Nadakhan, although I hope he dies horrid painful deaths an infinate amount of times over, was an absolutely amazing villian. He did everything wrong in the right way. He was legit just an amazing villian, the trickery, the hostages, his demands, torture, the way he *knew* how to break someone, the control he has over basically everything is terrifying. All the way to the end he was a great bad guy, he had everything under control...until he didn't. Until he let his guard down after he got his infinite wishes. I could go on for hours talking about him but I'm not going too-)

This season we got reveals about Jay and his parents, we got a team up we never thought would happen, we got characters too (ECHOECHOECHOECHO) I dunno it just did so many things right. Although I don't like that they randomly made Dareth sexist- that was dumb -

So yes, Skybound has a ton of things wrong with it, but it also has so much to love about it, at least it does to me. (So do the other seasons but this ain't about them)

And the last wish Jay made, I know tons of people hate that because the show just ignored all the character development and all, but honestly I don't know what else he could've done. If he hadn't made that wish, and he chose to make it so Nadakhan wasn't a dijjn, then Nya would've died(No one wants that. I hope...) and Lloyd probably would've continued to get older because the wish was never actually reversed(Unless Nadakhans magic being gone reverses it but idk...)

So yeah, Skybound has its flaws and it's got it's good bits, But I love it regardless. (Prime Empire is second by the way...damn my favs are all Jay and Nya suffering...crazy)

Oh and also I think they should've waited a season or two before putting Nya and Jay together again, maybe could've gave them a little recovery arc and then putting them together......but they didn't which is sad but ykw whatever it's fineeeeeeeeee...I guess

[starseedfxofficial]

APAC Markets Delicate Dance: Stocks Shake Off Wall St Tech Blues APAC Markets: When Stocks Tango While Traders Watch the Sidelines Picture this: it's Monday morning, and APAC stocks are trying to shake off the tech hangover from Wall Street's Friday stumble. Like that awkward moment when you realize you've still got the club's wristband on at your Monday meeting, APAC markets are cautiously attempting to look poised and professional. With a mix of positives and negatives in play, let’s unravel this dance of utility stocks and unpredictable yen movements. Tech, Healthcare, and Financials Do the Tango (Backwards) The ASX 200 had a pretty tame start, staying contained (much like a toddler in a timeout) with tech, healthcare, and financials taking a hit while utilities, commodities, and consumer stocks seemed to be quietly flexing their muscles. It’s the classic story of sectors pulling in opposite directions — kind of like a tug-of-war where the finance folks had a bad weekend. If you think utilities and commodities are boring, well, today, they’re looking like the reliable friend who remembered to bring water to the party. The Nikkei 225: A Rollercoaster with Some Yen Drama Across the Sea of Japan, the Nikkei 225 was a little wobbly. Last Friday, the yen flexed its muscles (we’re talking Schwarzenegger in his prime here), which initially had the Nikkei diving at the open. Adding salt to the wound was the surprise contraction in Machinery Orders — like ordering a triple-shot coffee and getting decaf instead. But then, as if on cue, BoJ Governor Ueda’s comments threw the yen a mild weakness lifeline, helping the Nikkei climb back up just enough to reduce the bruising. Hong Kong and Shanghai—Liquidity Pumps and Diplomatic Finesse Over in Hong Kong and Shanghai, stocks were having a bit more fun. Earnings releases were in focus, and the People’s Bank of China (PBoC) continued with its liquidity efforts like an over-caffeinated barista handing out free espresso shots. And let’s not ignore the geopolitical side. President Xi casually mentioned that China is “ready to work” with Trump during a meeting with US President Biden. A classic move in diplomatic “we’re chill, but let’s see what happens next” attitude. US Equity Futures—NQ Rebounds, ES Tags Along Across the pond, US equity futures were trying to make up for lost ground, with the Nasdaq 100 (NQ) leading a minor rebound, rising by 0.7%. Think of it like nursing a hangover with the strongest recovery smoothie — tech underperformed last week, and now it’s back for redemption. The Emini S&P 500 (ES) futures joined in with a 0.2% lift, in what seemed like a reluctant “fine, I guess I’ll come along” response to Nasdaq’s lead. Meanwhile, European equity futures also hinted at a soft recovery, with Euro Stoxx 50 up 0.1% following its 0.8% Friday dip. Not a jump for joy, but a move that’s optimistic enough to be a decent conversation starter at the Forex dinner table. Lessons for Traders: What Does All This Mean for You? - The Resilience of Commodities: Commodities in the ASX 200 are proving to be the market's tortoises — steady and determined while others falter. This signals that defensive plays in volatile environments can help traders ride out tech sector blips. - Yen vs. The World: Currency strength plays a pivotal role in Nikkei’s movements, reminding traders of the delicate dance between equities and forex. Weakening yen could offer you buying opportunities in Japanese stocks if you’re playing the long game. - China Liquidity Watch: The PBoC’s liquidity pumping is a bullish signal, especially for the sectors that thrive on cheap money, like property and tech. Keep your eyes on how this flows through earnings seasons — liquidity can mean growth, but make sure you don’t miss when the tap turns off. - Tech’s Redemption Arc: The Nasdaq 100 leading a slight rebound? It’s like the return of a fallen hero. Traders might want to look for short-term gains, but also remember how volatile these “fallen angels” can get during uncertain economic backdrops. Key Takeaway: Navigate Wisely, Dance When You Can The overarching theme today is caution mixed with optimism. Markets in Asia-Pacific are moving like they’re balancing on a seesaw — resilience in commodities versus weaknesses in tech and healthcare. As always, it's about watching liquidity, analyzing currency trends, and keeping your ear to the ground for any unexpected announcements. Remember: You want to be that trader who doesn’t just react, but plans two steps ahead, ready to pivot when the opportunity strikes. And always, always pack your humor alongside your analysis; it keeps you sane when the market tries its best not to. —————– Image Credits: Cover image at the top is AI-generated   Read the full article

[katsidhe]

Ranking Every SPN Season Finale

15) 11.23 Alpha and Omega. Dead last because not only is Chuck and Amara’s conflict defanged with a frankly silly anticlimax, but a lot of runtime is eaten up with establishing Lady Toni getting on a plane. The great weakness of an otherwise very strong season is that none of the awful compromises Sam and Dean and Cas made (especially Sam wrt Lucifer) ended up having relevance at all.

14) 9.23 Do You Believe In Miracles. Cheesy dying dialogue, Metatron hamming it up for way too long, that facepalming “the radio was on the whole! time!” twist, uncertainty as to the motivation of the whole confrontation that ends in Dean’s death. Also, this is the beginning of the end of walking back the beautiful work the rest of s9 established, with Sam saying things like “I lied.” I don’t like Dean’s death here at all, in staging, or conceptually, or thematically.

13) 12.23 All Along The Watchtower. I am basically obliged to put this in C tier because it is quite silly, but frankly, I like it more than its ranking deserves. It has the late season finale sin of cramming in an introduction to next season’s conflict in the middle of wrapping up this season’s—but it’s absolutely hilarious that they brought in multiverse portals. And for Sam and Dean, thank god the portal appeared, because otherwise they had absolutely no plan whatsoever to deal with Lucifer, and they probably would have died gruesomely. High points: Sam discovering Rowena’s death on the phone with Lucifer; the spooky introduction of Jack, the raised stakes with Mary trapped with Lucifer. Lowest point: the utter silly pointlessness of Cas’s death.

12) 10.23 Brother’s Keeper. This is the finale that I have the strongest mixed feelings about. There is a queasy lack of self-awareness in the treacly sentiment when Sam presents family photos as evidence of Dean’s goodness. The excuse of MOC!Dean as not the “real” Dean allows for the reasons behind this confrontation to be elided, even as its themes are echoed again and again. The chilling horror of Sam on his knees in front of Dean the executioner is potent and darkly enjoyable, but the instant redirection into attacking Death prevents any kind of real culmination. I can’t decide if I like this episode or loathe it, but I do think I appreciate it more now, after 14.20 and 15.17, than I did when it aired. 

11) 7.23 Survival of the Fittest. We’re on to B-tier! There’s nothing significantly wrong with 7.23. Meg crashes the Impala through a glass sign, so that’s fun. Kevin’s there. There’s action, there’s some cool stakes for next season established, Sam is left alone, which I love. The main sin here is just that most of it is fairly forgettable, because the strongest part of s7 was always the psychological drama of the Winchesters’ disintegration and isolation, not the physical conflict with Leviathans.

10) 14.20 Moriah. Lots of my points about 10.23 apply here, but Moriah is a much better episode, both because there is actual conflict of opinion, and because there is a lot more built-in uncertainty about Jack’s fate than Sam’s. Jack and Dean are onboard with Jack’s murder, just as Sam and Dean were agreed on Sam’s death in 10.23, but this time Cas is staunchly against it, and Sam is on the fence, torn as to how to intervene. So it’s much better drama. But then the crux of the issue gets defanged by Chuck’s reveal. Great s15 setup, but kicks the 14.17-14.19 build down the road. Extra points for Sam shooting God. 

9) 13.23 Let the Good Times Roll. I fucking love the 13.21-13.23 arc. The only thing preventing 13.23 from being A-tier are some wholly avoidable mistakes. The staging is silly; a face-palming amount of time was wasted on Maggie; the wires were a deeply regrettable choice. But even with all that, what we got was great, actually! The Sam-Jack-Lucifer church custody battle is still my favorite goddamn thing. Dean saying yes to Michael was both his only smart move and a devastating sacrifice. The character dynamics here are so JUICY. 13.21-14.01 is, IMO, one of the most fertile grounds for fic and speculation in the entire show.

8) 2.22 All Hell Breaks Loose, Part Two. Now we’re into finales that are fantastic without reservation. Off the devastation of Sam’s death comes Dean’s iconic deal. The actual confrontation in the graveyard is good too, though it’s second to the way we’re all reeling from part one. Azazel dies, Sam and Dean are bloodied and facing down new stakes. The only thing I dislike about this episode is John’s cameo.

7) 1.22 Devil’s Trap. This is the episode that ups the ante! Azazel in John, and Dean, and Sam, and the delicious family dynamic here; the stakes are so personal, and it’s a great examination what each of them is willing to pay for their quest: an electrifying taste of what’s to come. And the music, and the sheer fucking balls of just, crashing a goddamn truck into your main characters at the end of the first season. Nice.

6) 3.16 No Rest for the Wicked. Lilith is delightfully evil. We’re on tenterhooks for Sam to save Dean, we’re narratively primed to expect him to pull off something amazing, a last-minute miracle. But—nope! Sorry! Dean gets graphically ripped apart onscreen and now he’s being tortured in Hell! Shocking and bold, and a crucial turning point in the series. 

5) 4.22 Lucifer Rising. Fresh off 4.21 comes an excellent culmination of season 4′s devastation. The reveals from both Ruby and the angels, Sam draining the possessed nurse, Cas at last choosing to betray Heaven, and the final arrival of Lucifer: it all just works, really well. 

4) 15.20 Carry On. Part of the reason I’m ranking this so highly might be spite. But goddammit, bad wig and worse Carry On cover aside, this is a good episode, and a really, really good series finale! The deliberate anticlimax of Dean’s death, the quiet strength in Sam’s grief, the untroubled, unrushed pacing of Sam’s recovery and aging, and Dean’s drive. Supernatural said Sam Rights, and I wept like a tiny little baby. 

3) 6.22 The Man Who Knew Too Much. Adventures in Sam’s mind! Cas and Crowley and Raphael and the double cross! The taste of cosmic horror! The end of season 6 and beginning of season 7, as Sam and Dean cope simultaneously with Sam’s psychological fallout and the consequences of their most powerful ally going off the rails, is fantastic. I love the literalism and the symbolism of Sam’s reintegration: this is an unapologetically Sam episode (as are the other top four, come to think of it). 

2) 8.23 Sacrifice. Sam’s heartbreaking deterioration in the church and Crowley’s disintegration are an electrifying climax to the trials. Dean and Sam’s final exchange is a breathtaking combination of raw emotion and delirium and a fascinating guilt trip. It’s a visually and conceptually stunning episode: the angels fall burning against a night sky; Sam surrenders the trials and collapses, dying. 

1) 5.22 Swan Song. You knew this would be number one, I knew this would be number one, we all knew this would be number one. It’s iconic for a reason. Sam and Lucifer talking through a mirror; the loss of all hope and the sky-high stakes. Stull Cemetery is the defining moment of so, so much of the rest of the series. Dean’s loyalty gives Sam the strength he needs to bury himself alive forever with his worst nightmare, and it saves the world, and it’s the highest cost either of them has ever paid.  

[bokunoheroanalysisforthefuture]

With the second half of chapter 11, I am ready for people thoughts / questions / comments on the opening arcs. Were there favorite parts of it? Parts you wish had had a little more to them? Who’s your favorite / least favorite of the characters as shown so far? Anything you found particularly interesting about certain scenes / panels / etc. that you want to share? Have at it! 

I’ll probably be doing some of that myself as I go back through for any little moments I liked, and sort of summarize my own thoughts on the opening arcs. Then, of course, we get to get into the USJ, and see some real action! <3

[No. 11 - Bakugou’s Starting Line]

We come back to the nurse’s office, where Toshinori is awkwardly hovering by Izuku’s bed while Recovery Girl tears into him for Izuku’s third time in her office despite the school year only just starting, and why he hasn’t prevented that damage from happening. Toshinori apologizes to her, and she tells him it’s not her he needs to apologize to. 

(Also, man he’s swimming in his hero costume - really gives a sense of the size difference between the two forms to be honest.)

She notes that Izuku’s come to her both that day and the day before completely fatigued, and that this sort of damage isn’t so easily healed. He’s on an IV drip and has gotten emergency first aid, but all that can be done now is wait for him to recover on his own. 

Which brings me back to chapter 4 with her managing to heal him while he’s completely unconscious and in way worse shape - I really do believe at this point that she CAN use her own stamina to help a patient in critical condition who doesn’t have the energy to heal themselves, but it’s not as effective and, well, drains HER to the point where she won’t be able to help others who might be in need. Ergo, in situations like this, she sticks to hoarding her stamina and letting kids heal their own reckless behavior. (She probably could do a lot more in her prime, but alas.)

She states that she knows Toshinori gave Izuku his power, but regardless of favoritism, Toshinori has to stop indulging Izuku. Toshinori scratches under his ear in embarrassment and says she’s right - he was sympathizing too much, so he hesitated. He then goes on to hesitantly ask her to keep it down while at least discussing One For All. 

She huffs and turns away, mocking him with his ‘natural born hero’ and ‘symbol of piece’ titles. He goes on to explain (for audience benefit alone tbh) that while the staff of UA know about his true form and injury, only Recovery Girl, the principal, an old friend of his (who will later be revealed as Detective Tsukauchi), and Izuku know about his quirk. To everyone else, it’s a secret.

(We know from later on that this isn’t quite true - there are a few others who know - but I suppose that this is the ring of people who he interacts with at this point in time, which is… really fucking depressing. 

Of course, Horikoshi might not have come up with either character beyond vague thoughts and outlines at this point, so I suppose he didn’t want to box himself in on a character design before he was sure they fit his needs. Gran probably was outlined vaguely at this point? But I think Nighteye might not have been created until around Kamino.)

Recovery Girl asks rhetorically whether that talk is just him resting on his laurels, then a bit more seriously asks whether it’s really that important that he be a natural born hero and the Symbol of Peace. We get another up-close shot of Toshinori’s intensity as he states that without him, superhuman society would fall to evil.

(A bit egotistical there, much? But I think it’s also a bit of the toxic mindset he’s had build up over the ages - that he’s alone in being able to hold things together, that there’s no one to fall back on, that he can’t afford to be ‘helped’ even as he keeps falling apart.)

Toshinori then goes on to explain that this is the responsibility that wielders of One For All must bear. Recovery Girl contemplates this quietly for a moment, then says that it’s then all the more important for Toshinori to learn how to guide Izuku properly. 

We transition to after school… which does end up leaving me to wonder whether I was off about heroics being the last class of the day, but at the same time, I don’t see how the teachers expect the kids to be able to focus on academics after two hours of heroics training, not to mention that the kids do need time to digest lunch, so,,, eh. I’m going to presume that here it’s more that with the battle trials ending a bit early, there was time afterwards for discussion before the school day ended.

Anyways, Izuku is just trudging back to class, still in his damaged costume and wearing a sling for his right arm. He’s slouched over, thinking about how Aizawa-sensei is ‘really gonna let him have it’ - which says a lot about his expectations for teachers at this point. He opens the door to the classroom, and is surprised when Kirishima notices him and announces his return, as well as welcomes him back. 

Izuku is quickly surrounded by several classmates (Kirishima, Mina, and Sato), all of whom are excited to talk to him, much to his confusion. Kirishima says that even without knowing what was being said, the battle was wild. Mina complements Izuku’s dodging (which makes sense now that I think about it - she does a lot of dance and incorporates it into her fighting, so she might have thought Izuku was similar? Maybe?) Sato says that everyone was pumped after the crazy first round.

Kirishima, Mina, Tsuyu, and Sato all then introduce themselves in order, with Kirishima saying that they were discussing battle training, Mina restating her admiration for Izuku’s dodging skills, Tsuyu that she just prefers to be called Tsuyu. Izuku is a bit overwhelmed. To the side, Tokoyami grumbles about them being noisy while sitting on the desk - much to Tenya’s concern as he demands Tokoyami get off of it. Someone else tells Tenya to not get bent out of shape. 

The true crack ship - KamiChako. Which is immediately ruined when Ochako makes her way over to Izuku, noticing and worrying over his arm and whether he’d gotten it healed. Izuku says it wasn’t quite healed, since he was so worn out, and then he apologizes and says he has something to do. That something being rushing after Katsuki.

(Literally, that boy walks in, looks around, sees Katsuki isn’t there, and immediately goes ‘sorry I have to go immediately’. Like, I know this is a shounen, but at the same time…)

Izuku catches up to Katsuki on the way to the gate out of the grounds, and is, uh...

Not looking that great, captain. Those bags under his eyes have really seen some cultivation in the time since the battle trial. 

Izuku’s internal thoughts note that where everyone else wanted to talk to him, Katsuki just clammed up and went home. Or maybe it’s Izuku’s memory of Toshinori recounting the aftermath of the class? But Toshinori left right at the end, so uh… I have no idea. 

Anyways, Izuku catches up and gets his attention, drawing Katsuki’s shadowed stare (it’s not quite a glare? So yeah.) Izuku is looking down a bit, narration noting that he hasn’t even told his mom his secret as he states that he can’t say much, but that Katsuki should know this. Izuku thinks about Katsuki’s comments during the battle trial about tricking him, and then…

Well that was a face adventure Katsuki went through. It’s a really good thing he was also too distracted by his own existential angst to really think about Izuku’s words.

But to dig more deeply into this, we can start from the top - literally. Starting at all that space at the top, and then the empty panel (asides from the two) where Izuku states he got his quirk from someone else. It really sort of gives a beat before such a weighty reveal, and more so how, in that moment, Izuku is only focused on Katsuki as he says it.

Izuku goes on to explain that he can’t say who it’s from, and that it’s a bit like a conversation out of a comic book, and that on top of that he can’t even really use it yet, so the borrowed power is pretty useless to him, which is why he tried to beat Katsuki without it… only to fail and be forced to rely on it. While this is happening, Katsuki’s expression goes from confusion/what the fuck towards outright pissed as Izuku rambles on, seemingly nonsensically from his point of view. Izuku states that he has a way to go, and then looks up and meets Katsuki’s gaze as he states that he’s going to make that power his own someday, and then overcome Katsuki with his own power. 

This seems to derail Katsuki’s anger for a moment back towards shock - possibly for the sheer boldness and earnestness of the statement. Izuku’s a bit embarrassed at his rambling reveal, thinking that he’d just meant to tell Katsuki he hadn’t been tricking him, but, well. 

Katsuki wobbles a bit in place, likely to keep himself from instinctively going after Izuku for being, well, Izuku. He repeats Izuku’s comment about borrowed power, then says he has no idea what Izuku’s talking about, but that Izuku is clearly determined to keep making a fool out of him. His anger boils back up as he grits out another swear, and then gets into how he lost to Izuku, and then if that weren’t enough, there was another student - Shouto - who he knows he can’t measure up to. He slaps a hand to his face, nails digging into his hair as he swears again and notes how ‘ponytail girl said it all’. He snaps his arms back down, swearing more, and demands a mostly rhetorical why from Izuku - likely in response to his fear of being able ot measure up to someone he had until then looked down on. Katsuki then declares through tears - and some repetition for emphasis - that from there on out he’s gonna beat everyone. 

He then spins back around and starts to walk off, rubbing at the tears while telling Izuku to enjoy his win, since it won’t happen ever again. Izuku holds himself firm a bit longer, then sighs and seems to lose whatever energy he’d dredged up for that conversation - methinks it’s also a bit exasperated with Katsuki? I mean, I have to admit trying to have a serious convo with the kid has to be a struggle sometimes.

Incredible. Thanks, All Might. And I can’t help but cackle at Izuku swaying in the wind created with All Might rushing right past him to get to Katsuki, as well as that ‘ow!’ from Katsuki. All Might is latched onto Katsuki’s shoulder as he kind of greets the kid, with Katsuki looking about five seconds from turning around and biting the man in the arm like a semi-feral cat.

All Might is wheezing a bit in holding this form while rushing to catch up, starting to offer some advice - that Katsuki’s self-respect is important, and that he definitely has the makings of a pro, just so long as he-

Katsuki cuts him off by telling him to get off, since he can’t walk. He then goes on to say that it’s without question that he’ll be a hero who surpasses even All Might. All Might is surprised at that rebound, taking his hand off while thinking that the usual egomaniac is back. All Might mutters about how being a teacher is tough while watching Katsuki stalk off.

Izuku’s narration notes that Katsuki’s fuse had been lit, but his own goals hadn’t changed - that he would keep chasing after him. While he’s staring dramatically after his childhood friend, All Might starts asking what he said to Katsuki.

We have a last transition to a few days later, the narration noting that the class learned an important lesson that All Might had warned them about - about how they should fear the cleverest of villains. The scene is set in a different area, with the frontmost building being a bar. Someone is shown reading a newspaper article about All Might teaching at UA, as well as his temporary leave from his hero agency. 

The person sets the newspaper down folded neatly, noting how All Might is a teacher now. The voice then goes a bit raspy (or maybe it’s a different speaker) as they wonder out loud about what would happen if villains killed the symbol of peace. 

Whoo boy, what a first introduction to the main antagonist of the series.

It seems like he has all five fingers on the newspaper in those panels? But it might just be the weird angle that keeps us from seeing how careful he is to not do so, which might have given away his quirk before it gets shown in the next arc. 

Also, hello misty character who definitely doesn’t have some deeper, tragic backstory we eventually learn about. 

About those hands… you know, I know what the ‘official’ story behind them ends up being, but like, they all look the same, so I wonder if those are just… random hands from his victims over the years. ...while the design is suitably disconcerning, it also makes sense that Hori would eventually chuck them aside thanks to how much extra drawing and detail they all need. 

Anyways, that closes out the chapter and the opening arcs, so again, open for any sort of thoughts/questions all of you have. I should have my own out in the next few days, I think.

[shih-coulda-had-it]

answering the rest of @thisauthorisscreaming‘s ask, because i completely forgot there were other elements to the ask game:

BNHA

Rated 9.5/10

Favorite character: Gran Torino

My least favorite character: It’s too easy to say Mineta, so my other gut-reaction answer is probably the doctor/Garaki/Ujiko.

Character I think I’d be friends with: Recovery Girl

Character I think I won’t hit it off with: Bakugou

Favorite episode/scene: ooh… I mean, it’s gotta be Sorahiko’s flashback to when he saw Nana give up Kotarou, and the rooftop parallel where she tells him something and he can’t summon any words at all. Then the juxtaposition of her crying into his shoulder (soft) versus Tomura violently punching him into the ground… I can’t wait for that to be animated. people who make gifsets, please. please please please. 

Whose clothing style I like best: Gran Torino’s

Times I watched it (and if I would again): OKAY CONFESSION TIME—I’VE SEEN A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF THE ANIME, AND IT’S ONLY WITHIN THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF THAT I’VE BEEN ACTIVELY FOLLOWING THE MANGA. The trajectory of me getting into BNHA is as follows: @toastyglow’s “HAPPINESS” amv à various Crunchyroll clips à All Might: Rising OVA à thinking very hard about Prime Torino and Nana + Young Toshinori à Gran Torino tracking in the PLF War Arc, culminating with the flashback à Vestigeland Lore à Finally beginning to collect the manga volumes.

[treasure-mimic]

So, for those of you that are familiar with the formatting this may seem a bit strange. While normally, I like to pitch newcomer characters from whole cloth, in this case I want to make a moveset for a character that’s already in Smash. Specifically one of its oldest characters. Because characters in Smash Bros. tend to be highly, immutable, changes happen very slowly, a few in between years of development, and no character has ever gotten a true overhaul. It’s taken Ganondorf 15 years to get a few moves wholly distinct from Captain Falcon, and the inspiration is still entwined in the DNA of his kit.

So this is less, “here’s a character that I would like Smash to add, here’s how I think they would play”, it’s, “here’s a character that’s in Smash but I don’t think has a very authentic or accurate playstyle, here’s how I would change them”, or more accurately, “here’s how I think this character would, or at least could, play if they were added today”.

So, Samus Aran is a heavy, yet floaty and mobile, mid-ranger. She gets a lot of mileage out of her projectile game, but is not completely reliant on them like her easiest comparison Mega Man. She’s closer to a cross between him and Simon in true playstyle, as a lot of her moves contain narrow pathways that require good aim and spacing to get the most usage out of.

General Mobility and Mechanics

Most of Samus’ basic stats and base level animations should stay the same, I’m not out to change her idle pose, dash speed, weight or jump. However, one big difference between the real Samus and my Samus is that my Samus doesn’t crouch. Instead she goes into her morph ball form. This can work with the same number of frames that most crouch animations go into, or it could take a few frames more (no more than a few though), it shouldn’t impact things either way. What is important about the morph ball, however, is that it has a very, very low profile, one of the lowest of any crouch, and it also gives her access to a crawl, which is just her morph ball rolling around. This crawl is notable for having greater acceleration and top speed than her dash, only being slower at the start due to its lower burst speed. However, the morph ball should be more than an option, it is one of her default forms of movement.

Furthermore, her roll attacks should change to fit this, no longer seeing Samus enter her morph ball form, but simply flipping or dodging out of the way, similar to the dodge system from Other M, with frame data much closer to the average roll dodge. I would also give her a roll attack, similar to Terry, but with her rolls instead of her spot dodge. She would simply fire one small energy pellet forward, with a slight angle up, with similar damage and knockback to Mega Man’s jab. More about these types of attacks will be explained later.

Normals

Jab - Samus has a single hit jab, similar to Roy and Chrom. In it, she swings her arm cannon in a wide arc in front of her, representing the parry from Samus Returns. This move should have a very quick startup, 2-3 frames likely, and see Samus with partial intangibility while it’s active, making it a strong reversal option. Unlike Roy’s however, this attack sends opponents away, popping them far at low percents but not a whole lot farther at high percents. This makes it hard to follow up on, and furthermore, doesn’t do a whole lot of damage on its own, probably not more than the first hit of her jab already does. It is solely a tool for getting close ranged opponents off of you.

Forward Tilt - A reverse roundhouse, can be angled, basically the same thing that she already has.

Up Tilt - Samus swings the arm cannon above her head. Covers a wide area, but the animation should be a bit more reserved than the over the head splits kick she has. Pops the opponent up slightly and can be used to chain into itself at low percents with bad or no DI.

Down Tilt - While in the morph ball, Samus shoots forward a short distance, on par or even less than Cloud’s slide kick, with similar effects, popping the opponent up. The green accents on the morph ball can glow a little and leave a light trail to emphasize this as a reference to the Boost Ball from the Prime series.

Dash Attack - Identical to what it is now, I would maybe make the animation a bit more stiff to accentuate this as a Shinespark reference.

Neutral Aerial - Samus tucks in and spins, similar to her Screw Attack but without the blue electrical effects. Hits once and knocks opponents away.

Forward Aerial - Samus aims forward and shoots three uncharged shots, the first two naturally combo into the third. The third launches, though doesn’t kill until high percents.

Backwards Aerial - Samus aims behind her and a missile. It travels a short distance before exploding, kills at mid percent.

Up Aerial - Samus straightens her body out and fires an uncharged shot straight up, it doesn’t go far but it launches straight up, meaning in air-to-air fights it could KO off the top.

Down Aerial - Samus punches below her with her arm cannon. If the tip of the move connects, and only if, the end of the cannon explodes as Samus fires a point blank missile, and spikes (this does not count as a projectile). Otherwise, the move just sends out.

Throws

Grab - Samus retains her tether grab utilizing the grapple beam. The only thing I would change is that the grapple should come out of the gem on the back of her hand as opposed to the arm cannon, to emphasize the fact that these throws are now proper grapples instead of swinging people around with the grapple beam.

Pummel - Samus shoots the opponent with an uncharged shot from her arm cannon. These shots can be spammed very quickly, though do little damage.

Forward Throw - Samus spins the opponent around to put them in a headlock, then blasts them in the head with a charged shot, sending them flying.

Backwards Throw - Samus takes the opponent in her one hand and spins and hurls them backwards. This is a kill throw at mid-high percents.

Up Throw - Samus tosses the opponent up and shoots them out of the air with a charge shot.

Down Throw - Samus throws the opponent to the ground and steps on them, letting loose two uncharged shots and then a charged shot, doing by far the most damage of all her throws.

Smash Attacks

Forward Smash - Samus leaps and rolls back then fires a charged shot in the area in front of her. This charged shot travels fast, fast enough to be comparable to a melee smash attack, though in turn the projectile doesn’t go far, especially considering she jumps back before firing. The total range is about that of Olimar’s forward smash with a purple pikmin, from her starting position. Because she rolls back, this is capable of crossing up and hitting opponents behind her.

Up Smash - Samus leaps and rolls forward, firing a charged shot straight up as she moves. The charge shot moves just as fast as her fsmash, and stops just below the top platform on Battlefield.

Down Smash - The morph ball glows yellow and begins spinning on itself. When the button is released, Samus releases five bombs from the morph ball, which fly up slightly and then scatter on the ground around her. These bombs explode when they come in contact with an enemy, shielding or no, or after half a second of being released. On their own, these explosions don’t do much damage, but if the opponent is caught in three or more they will be launched like a normal smash attack.

Specials

Neutral B - Aim Stance - Samus widens her stance to firmly ground herself and stops moving. Pressing B again ends the stance immediately, upon which any action can immediately be performed. Jumping will also cancel the stance. While in the stance, the control stick can be used to aim Samus’ arm cannon in a complete 360 degree circle around herself. Pressing the A button will have Samus fire uncharged shots from her arm cannon, with a maximum charge time of a second. These uncharged shots do scratch damage and do little more than flinch the opponents, but can be rapid fired to fill the space between Samus and her aim and make approach harder. Holding and then releasing the A button will have Samus charge a shot, the longer a shot is charged, the more damage it does, the faster it travels, the further it knocks back, and the farther it goes. If the shield button is held, then Samus’ arm cannon opens up, and when the A button is pressed she instead fires missiles. Missiles can’t be fired as rapidly as uncharged shots, move slower than charged shots, and don’t go quite as far, though they do go farther than uncharged shots, but kill very early. If a missile is charged for the length that it would take to max charge a shot, Samus shoots a super missile, which has all the properties of a regular missile but can kill as early as 50% on midweights.

Side B - Plasma Beam - Samus aims and fires her plasma beam, which is shown as being a glowing green and having several wavy strands. The attack can be charged by holding the button, it can be shield cancelled but the charge cannot be stored. While charging, the shot can be aimed, but it’s limited to a 140 degree range, 70 up and 70 down, in the direction the attack was done in. The plasma beam passes through all objects on the stage as well as items and enemies, multi-hits and launches, capable of killing at high percents. It also travels the farthest of any of Samus’ projectiles. However, the move also has the most startup time of her projectiles, even for an uncharged shot.

Up B - Screw Attack - Not much change from the real version of this move, I would just want the attack to travel forward more and have more of an identifiable “arc” in its movement.

Down B - Bomb - Samus drops a bomb in her morph ball form. Unlike the real version of this move, this attack should have little to no startup or recovery, and the bombs also shouldn’t be affected by gravity. They explode when they come in contact with an enemy, or have been active for a second and a half. And if the explosion hits Samus, then she’ll be bumped up in the air slightly in her morph ball form. If the attack is performed in the air, then she enters her morph ball form where her aerial movement is replaced with the same mobility as she has while rolling on the ground, but in this form she cannot use her recovery, double jump, or fastfall. This mode can be exited before touching the ground by hitting up on the control stick whereupon these options are returned to her.

Final Smash - Queen’s Nest

Samus jumps back and fires a large plasma beam shot forward and slightly down. This covers a wide area in front of her, though doesn’t have much vertical coverage. All enemies that are hit are put in a cinematic where they’re knocked back into a dark, green cave filled with glowing eggs. The Queen Metroid appears behind them and chomps them all down. Samus runs in after, turning into her morph ball form and diving down the Queen’s throat before laying a Super Bomb in her stomach, which explodes, destroying the queen and launching all the characters hit.

[ectoplasms-teeth]

My Tarot Academia! - Major Arcana

So I wrote out an entirely designed tarot deck for My Hero Academia >.> Below is just a quick listing of who I think the major arcana should be, under the cut features the designs as I see them in my head :D I didn’t explain my design choices because I wanted people to be able to interpret the symbolism as they saw fit, but I’m happy to discuss it! I did the entire deck, so follow the links for the Minor Arcana by suit! I tried to feature everyone, but a few people slipped out because they didn’t fit with the cards as well as my other choices in my opinion.

I’d shit my pants if someone drew them holy balls. Or asked me about them. Or talked about them at all ahhhhhh.

[Major Arcana] [Minor Arcana - Cups] [Minor Arcana - Swords] [Minor Arcana - Coins] [Minor Arcana- Wands]

0 The Fool - Midoriya 1 The Magician - Nezu 2 The High Priestess - Hawks 3 The Empress - Inko 4 The Emperor - Endeavor 5 The Hierophant - Aizawa 6 The Lovers - Prime Might/ Small Might 7 The Chariot - Iida 8 Strength - Tsuyu 9 The Hermit -  Gran Torino 10 Wheel of Fortune - Nana (and the other One for All predecessors) 11 Justice -  Naomasa 12 The Hanged Man -  Bakugo 13 Death - Midoriya 14 Temperance - Tokoyami 15 The Devil - All For One 16 The Tower - Overhaul 17 The Star - Uraraka 18 The Moon - Todoroki 19 The Sun - Present Mic 20 Judgement - Stain 21 The World - Recovery Girl

The Fool features Midoriya in his middle school uniform with the silhouette of UA looming over him. He is standing on the path that leads into the school, surrounded by his hero notes.

The Magician is a reflected portrait of Nezu, similar to Casino face cards. When upright it features the Nezu we usually see: the wise, kind school principal with a cup of tea. He is surrounded by droplets of tea spilling from the teacup being held by the reversed Nezu, where he is laughing maniacally!

The High Priest is Hawks who is in full flight towards the full moon, reaching for the stars. He holds a feather in one hand and the other is closed.

As the Empress, young Inko and Older Inko are each positioned on one side of the dining room table in the Midoriya home. Young Inko is smiling widely, standing with baby Izuku in her arms wearing his All Might jammies. On the other side, older Inko is sitting down and has a concentrating face -- she is sewing Izuku’s first costume. The table is overflowing with an amazing home cooked meal.

Endeavor is the Emperor, and he stands in the center of the card, filling it up with a stern presence. He is surrounded by flames. When the card is reversed, the flames seem to overtake him. As the Hierophant, Aizawa sits at his desk and is sleeping from exhaustion. He is surrounded by stacks of student’s papers, empty juice packets, and his capture weapon and goggles. Shinsou is peeking in the door in the background.

The Lovers are represented by Toshinori. Prime Might is kneeling or otherwise seated, with Small Might embracing him. They are surrounded by the colored beams of One for All.

The Chariot is represented by Iida who is running purposefully towards the viewer, smoke from his engine pouring out behind him. He is wearing his hero outfit without the helmet. Ingenium’s helmet is above him, surrounded by the rays of the sun.

Strength features Tsu posed in her hero outfit on an outcropping of rocks with waves blasting him. The sky is sunny and she looks hopefully towards the sky.

Gran Torino is the Hermit, and the card features the old man Torino with his cane, standing quietly. Behind him is an image of himself from the past; his back is turned and he looks over his shoulder at his older self.

The Wheel of Fortune has Nana at it’s center, encouraging the viewer to smile. Surrounding her in a circle at the silhouettes. Toshinori appears as himself, but in shadow. Izuku appears surrounded by light.

Justice is Naomasa in his police uniform, ready for action! It is a scene of him leading the hideout raid.

The Hanged Man pictures Bakugo working out in casual clothes. He hangs from his legs from a pull up bar, obviously exerted. Discarded in a mess nearby is his backpack with books and his hero outfit.

Death features Midoriya in the battered state he is in after fighting Muscular. His clothes are tattered or torn away completely and his body is bloodied and bruised. Behind him in the darkness are faint inky tendrils. He looks at the viewer with determination.

Tokoyami and Dark Shadow feature as Temperance. Tokoyami is in attack mode, coming forward in the card with dark shadow ahead of him in the low ground. When upright, Tokoyami is surrounded by light and the focus of the card. When reversed, dark shadow is the focus. Behind them is the forest from the forest camp arc

The Devil has a traditional layout featuring All for One. He is seated, looming in shadow. Chained to him on one side is Shigaraki, and All Might on the other.

The Tower is Overhaul in full villain gear, surrounded by crumbling concrete. He holds a crumbling clock in one hand, and a gun in the other.

As the Star, Uraraka appears in space in her hero outfit. She is surrounded by the milky way with one star shining brightly above her head.

The Moon is Todoroki. He stands on a dark road with the forest training camp’s forest surrounding him. The left side is caught up in Dabi’s blue flames, with a pillar of red fire by his side. The right side is his trademark wall of ice. Steam rises from both of his hands. His back is turned to the viewer.

Present Mic is the Sun. It features him in plain clothes hosting his talk show, surrounded by colored lights. His hero outfit hangs neatly in the background and he is smiling widely.

Judgement is Stain, who stands confidently in the frame of the card. He holds two knives: one dripping blood and the other glinting in streetlight.

The World features Recovery Girl in a serene, clean hospital room. The bed is made with no one in it. Flowers bloom in a nearby vase.

[fanfics-await-you]

Searching for a People (Chapter 1: Asset 26743)

Takes place between The Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron

Summary: The Winter Soldier is not the only asset that Hydra created nor is he the only one they’ve lost. When a highly powered individual breaks free from her shackles, redemption seems impossible. However, maybe she can find peace, perhaps even a home, with some dysfunctional superheroes with a flair for the dramatics.

Tags: some drama, mainly fluff, recovery

Notes: This will mainly be a fun series despite these first few bits.

Word Count: 1,622

SFAP Masterlist

Masterlist

———

The first sensation that pushes at the edge of my unconsciousness is the feeling of melting ice dripping down my neck. An instinctual and overwhelming wave of fear rises through my chest, although I’m not yet awake enough to consider why. The terror pulses through my lungs and feeds adrenaline into my heart, speeding my awakening.  This dread paired with the lights flashing across my vision is enough to finally wake me, and my limited memory of what life has become explodes into life.

“Asset 26743.”

Reflex rather thought drives my limbs into action and my vision intersperses itself with black as I stand. My right arm snaps to attention before my sight has even cleared.

“Mission imminent.”

The voice is familiar, cold and void of life, and by the scraps of a soul I still possess, I hate him. This man is the face I see when I am both frozen and thawed, when sent to kill and return. All I want in this world is to personally freeze the blood in his veins and watch life flood out of his eyes but… I never will. He’s my handler. There is no world but this one, and it is a world where even death is not an escape.

“Imminent, soldat!”

The lancing, arcing electricity of the cattle rod throws me to the floor but I’m on my feet before the weapon is even re-sheathed. I begin to suit up as my handler begins a muted Russian conversation with a faceless man on the screen before him.

“Will the asset be enough to hold them off?” The masked man’s words are measured and controlled, though frustration trembles beneath them.

My handler responds with a barking, sharp laugh, “Of course she will.”

I stand to attention as my handler stops in front of me and grips me by the chin, sending revulsion down my throat. There is a smile on his face that overflows macabre excitement and his words are tinged with gruesome pride.

“Not even the Avengers, curse them, can defeat my Wraith.”

———

The facility is in complete lockdown, every active asset is in the field, and still they’re quickly losing control. The facility has been attacked only five times in my time here but never breached before today; whoever these Avengers are, they’re good.

Every call of the harsh, repetitive alarm is music to my ears. Every explosion and burst of gunfire is another crack in this facility’s foundations and I am praying I will live to see the moment it collapses. Either way, some nameless feeling that surges through my stomach is telling me that this is the end. Of what exactly, I’m not sure.

“Threat approaching, soldat.”

My mind snaps to the present and I take a fighting stance beside my handler. An uneasy moment passes before the door is blown off its hinges and the room fills with smoke. The room is intentionally humid at my handler’s doing, and there’s enough water in the air for me to make quick work of neutralising the vapour. By the time the space is clear enough to see, two figures have entered the room.

One is completely covered in red and gold armour with blue slits for eyes. His voice is cocky and calm despite the havoc that surrounds him, “Don’t worry everybody, we’ve found our bad guy. You worry about clean up and we’ll deal with Agent Smith and- I don’t know who this is? Your sidekick? Hi sweetheart.”

“Mr Stark, what a pleasure to finally meet. Please gentlemen, remove your masks; let us talk face to face like men.”

Unable to resist the obvious bait, the armoured man’s helmet peels back. I regard him with derision. One jab at your manhood and you pull down your defences, saving me the trouble. I turn my focus to the armoured man’s companion. His suit is tri-coloured like a costume and his face is mostly covered by a mask and yet… There is something hazily and distantly familiar about him like a memory of a photograph. His eyes scan the room, studying every detail before landing on me. He moves to pull his helmet back (idiot) and for a second, a moment of something related to hope grows in my chest and then subsequently dies; his face, although handsome, is equally unfamiliar. I meet his gaze, trying to piece the echo together before it dissolves. My handler steals my focus and the memory evaporates.

“How fitting, the great Iron Man and Captain America-“ The name is familiar also: who is this man?!- “taken down singlehandedly by my Wraith.”

“Wraith? That’s fun. What’s she do, haunt us?” The gaze of the armoured man, assumably Iron Man, flicks to me before returning to my handler.

Do no underestimate me.

“Laugh if you like, Mr Stark, but the Wraith is a miracle of science and faith. She is a weapon forged by the glory of Hydra’s past but the key to building its future. Capable of breaking your strongest man with a touch, she is the reckoning of all Hydra’s enemies and any who block her path.”

Distracted by my handler’s ostentatious speech, the two men fail to notice the hand gesture he signs to me.

Prime.

A very small but surprisingly persistent feeling of wrong creeps into my mouth as I think of attacking this Captain America despite the fact that he is the easier target. The question of Who is he?!? continues to flash behind my eyes with every heartbeat.

“And you two are in the way.” Another flash of hands.

Engage.

I am across the room with my hand wrapped around Captain America’s neck before anyone can move. The room freezes as both Captain America and Iron Man realise the true threat at hand. My eyes are locked on my handler, waiting for a command, but the warmth of the skin beneath my hand stays at the forefront of my mind. The words of wrong, wrong, wrong have escalated to a roar. I feel dizzy. A kill hasn’t felt like this since… The thought drifts away before I can catch but the sentiment lingers nonetheless.

“I would consider your next movements very carefully, gentlemen, as the Captain will be dead before you could even beg for mercy.”

I realise with a painful start that I don’t want to kill this man.

“How pleasantly humbling it is to see Earth’s mightiest heroes cowed before a single woman.”

Heroes. The word strikes an unwelcome cord in my chest. Something from before I became this, something that I haven’t allowed a voice in so long fights its way to the surface. Heroes are the good guys. You can’t kill heroes, you’re supposed to save them. They’re supposed to save you.

I risk a glance at the man whose life I carry in my hands and once again I am swallowed by the feeling of wrongness as our eyes meet. His face is calm with only twitches of fear showing in the clench of his jam. His gaze carries no anger or loathing, only composure and something that looks like pity. It feels like I’m looking into a mirror. I return my eyes to my handler before my own calm cracks.

“No last words, Captain? Mr Stark, no final pleas for mercy?” My handler is mocking them, hungry for their supplications.

Each man stands firm, but the Iron Man’s body is fraught with tension; his hands shake, either from anger or restraining himself.

“We can help you,” The soft whisper comes right beside my right ear, “You can leave here.”

Is my turmoil so obvious? I give him no response, too afraid that my handler has heard his soft words.

Mayb-

No, they’re the enemy. Why would they help me?

They’re heroes.

So what, I am one of the bad guys. Heroes put bad guys in the ground.

I wasn’t always a bad guy.

I’m sure as hell one now.

But I don’t want to be.

The arguments sling back and forth in my head as Captain America speaks again, “You don’t have to be what they’ve made you. You’re more than a weapon.”

This time we’re caught.

“Enough with your lies, Captain! Soldat, neutralise.”

I turn to face the Captain as my hand tightens around his throat. The monster that has been honed by my handler and all his minions screams kill, and my power itches under my skin out of reflex. But, the little voice that speaks of heroes and my past builds into a steady roar underneath it, a repeating record of you’re more than a weapon.

Am I? No

Could I be?

Maybe.

“Soldat, neutralise!!!” A tremor of fear escapes from under my handler’s words and I realise that for once, I actually have a choice.

The facility is in ruins and there are no soldiers left here. If I kill him, there is no one to stop me. If I run away and throw myself into the sea, there is no one to drag me back here for resurrection.

If I follow these men, there is a chance of redemption.

I stomp out that hope out before it can grow.

Either way, for the first time that I can remember, my actions are my own.

My gaze turns slowly towards my handler. I can feel everything; the sweat running down his forehead, the moist air churning in his lungs, and the watery blood pumping through his veins.

He’s afraid.

Good.

“Wraith…Finish the mission.” His voice is low and measured, like trying to calm a rabid dog.

You wanted a feral animal. Here I am.

My voice is raspy from disuse but the word carries across the room nonetheless.

“No.”

———

So… this is hopefully going to be like a full series??? It’s just going to be something fun, with some drama but mainly fluff I reckon, cos that’s what I’m feeling.

If you want a cute scene at some point, hmu! All those cute headcanons that float around tumblr, heck yeah! Want Natasha to plait Cap’s hair because it’s been a long week, why not! Think Scott or Peter should pop up early, c’mon in guys!

There’s too much serious stuff going with the MCU and everything atm, I just need some chill stuff.

[khalilhumam]

What a second Trump term would mean for the world

New Post has been published on http://khalilhumam.com/what-a-second-trump-term-would-mean-for-the-world/

What a second Trump term would mean for the world

By Thomas Wright

If Donald Trump defies the odds and wins a second term, the next four years will likely be more disruptive to U.S. foreign policy and world affairs than the past four have been. Think of his reelection as a pincer movement, an attack on the international order from two sides. Trump will consolidate his control over the institutions of government, bending them to his will, removing any lingering resistance from the Republican Party. Meanwhile, by confirming that the United States has rejected its traditional leadership role, a second Trump term would make a lasting impact on the world right when it is at a particularly vulnerable moment. U.S. alliances would likely crumble, the global economy would close, and democracy and human rights would be in rapid retreat.

Trump’s first term has had a clear narrative arc. He systematically purges his government of those who stand up to him and replaces them with loyalists who indulge his whims and worldview. If he is still president on January 21, Trump will feel utterly vindicated by a second unlikely victory—thinking that only he is truly in touch with the American people.

In a second term, Trump will insist on loyalty with every appointment, but two types of loyalists exist. The first is senior Republicans who are steadfastly loyal even if they personally disagree with Trump on certain issues, such as Russia or military intervention in the Middle East. These figures are cut from the mold of Mike Pompeo. They include Senators Tom Cotton and Lindsey Graham, former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, and Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin. Trump may give these people senior positions, but they will not be free to contradict the president or to pursue their own agendas unless they temporarily align with Trump.

The second group is the ultra-loyalists, who owe their positions entirely to Trump’s patronage. These are political operatives such as Richard Grenell, who was Trump’s ambassador to Germany and acted as director of national intelligence for 96 days, and retired military officers and now–cable-news commentators such as Anthony Tata and Douglas McGregor. This group also includes the ultra-ultras—Trump’s family members, who have played a role in his first term, and could be given formal positions of authority in a second. Think of Jared Kushner as national security adviser or secretary of state if Republicans retain a majority in the Senate.

With a loyal team in place, what does Trump want to do? The most optimistic theory is that he will be a responsible nationalist. With no elections left to fight and with a conviction that he set the world straight in his first term, he will let things be. For instance, he will be happy with NATO because member countries have committed to paying more for their own defense. His administration’s key policy driver will be to transform U.S. strategy for an era of great-power competition, particularly against China.

The responsible-nationalist theory has very little evidence to support it, though. Trump has never personally endorsed the key argument of his National Security Strategy, about great-power competition—not even in his December 2017 remarks introducing the plan. He is currently very hawkish on China, but that is possibly because he sees his rhetoric as a way to deflect attention from his failures on the coronavirus. He is still more motivated by narrow trade and economic concerns than by broader geopolitical interests in the Indo-Pacific. This theory also leaves out Trump and highlights policy documents that he played little role in creating.

The most accurate guide to Trump’s behavior has never been his views on a particular issue. It has always been his psychological profile and disposition—his paranoia, how he sees himself, his desperate need to be at the center of the news cycle, his susceptibility to flattery, his fury at perceived slights, and his deeply seated visceral instincts. Mary Trump’s family history provides more insights into Donald Trump’s plans than official documents do.

Given who the president is, another theory—Trump unbound—seems more likely. In this scenario, his appetite will grow with the eating. As John Bolton concludes in his book, Trump in a second term will be “far less constrained by politics than he was in a first term.” He will be free to be himself—to pursue policies that benefit him personally by linking decisions to his business interests; by indulging his desire for ratings and drama; and by attacking people he does not like, such as Angela Merkel, and helping people he does, such as Kim Jong Un.

Substantively, he will double down on his instincts, leaning into ideas he had before he became president. He could pull the plug on NATO entirely by refusing to defend Germany, France, and other selected countries under the mutual-defense clause. He could make this decision unilaterally, without authorization from Congress, as it simply entails altering a presidential interpretation of the purposefully vague NATO founding treaty.

He’s already tried to withdraw troops from South Korea in his first term. But he could make it happen in his second by entering into a peace treaty with North Korea. His first comments on foreign policy in the 1980s were criticisms of Japan, but earlier in his first term he modified his long-standing hostility because of his friendship with Shinzo Abe, which the then–prime minister carefully cultivated. Now, with Abe out of the picture, Trump could revert to Japan-bashing and questioning the alliance with Japan itself. Both of these steps could weaken U.S. competitiveness with China.

China is the big unknown in a second Trump term. The Republican foreign-policy establishment hopes that rivalry with China will be the organizing principle of U.S. foreign policy. If Trump buys into that stance, then these officials might use that to make the case for their preferred positions toward the Middle East (stay engaged to keep China out), on Europe (get NATO on board against China), and on economics (trade with your friends to compete with China). But no one knows whether Trump will support this agenda or whether he will pivot back to a much narrower form of competition with Beijing, one focused solely on economics while pulling back from America’s alliances.

The second part of the pincer movement—how the rest of the world will react—is also important in a second term. America’s allies and adversaries took a deep breath after the 2016 election. They did not know if Trump’s win was a temporary blip or a permanent change—indeed, this is the top question most foreign governments have had about the United States over the past four years, because it is so consequential to their future. Before the coronavirus hit, most allied foreign officials I spoke with tentatively thought that Trump would win a second term. Now, like almost everyone else, they see him as the underdog. If he wins again, friend and foe alike will accept that the post–World War II period of American leadership has come to a definitive end. The effect will vary from country to country. Some allies may cut deals with China and Russia. A small number could seek an independent nuclear deterrent. All will prepare for a world with less cooperation.

The coronavirus makes matters much worse. Many now widely accept that ordinary life will not return until a reliable vaccine is developed and widely distributed. The global economy is still teetering on the brink, rocked by the virus and the rivalry between the United States and China. Cooperation, particularly between the U.S. and Europe, has ground to a halt. The Trump administration’s priority is to signal its “America First” bona fides to its base rather than to build an international coalition to tackle shared problems. In a second Trump term, foreign countries can expect no coordination on the global economic recovery, the development of a vaccine, the repair of international institutions, or aid for those that were destabilized by the crisis. Openness—in terms of travel and trade—will not return to what passed for normal before the coronavirus. Every nation will have to fend for itself. The European Union and a handful of other democracies may try to keep the multilateral order alive, but it will become a relic, largely irrelevant to world events.

Autocrats—Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, Mohammed bin Salman, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and others—have been both deeply insecure and emboldened during Trump’s first term. They see him as a kindred spirit and are confident in their ability to influence and persuade him. Trump acknowledged as much to Bob Woodward: “It’s funny, the relationships I have—the tougher and meaner they are, the better I get along with them … The easy ones are the ones I maybe don’t like as much or don’t get along with so much.” Those cozy relationships will continue and accelerate in a second term. Trump is easy to read, and with a mixture of flattery and inducements, the leaders will enlist Trump in their own causes, whether the elimination of dissent at home or turning a blind eye to regional aggression.

Looking back on U.S. diplomatic history, one of the great counterfactuals is what would have happened if Franklin D. Roosevelt had not replaced his vice president Henry Wallace with Harry Truman in 1944. Wallace was sympathetic to the Soviet Union and became an ardent opponent of the Cold War. If he had become president when FDR died, in April 1945, the next half century could have gone very differently—likely no NATO, no Marshall Plan, no alliance with Japan, no overseas troop presence, and no European Union.

The U.S. is now teetering on another historically important moment. With Trump, we would not only be deprived of our Truman. We would be saddled with our Wallace—a leader whose instincts and actions are diametrically opposed to what the moment requires. With few remaining constraints and a vulnerable world, a reelected Trump could set the trajectory of world affairs for decades to come.

[seasaltmemories]

Dennis’ Connection to Zarc: Arc V Character Analysis

So this may or may not be a little series I do.  While I have no hard plans, I’d enjoy going through the cast in whatever order I choose and talking about whatever aspect of the character I feel compelled to tackle at the moment in a very personal and subjective matter.  As a result if this is well-received and/or I find myself interested in continuing this I might share my thoughts on other characters in the future.

Due to @skittymon’s encouragement on this post and the fact it’s been about a year or so since episode 114, I think I’ll dive into what really stood out about Dennis’ character to me.

While I love the non-counterpart cast of Arc V to bits, I feel like Dennis is the prime example for why I believe that Arc V wasn’t really about the counterparts themselves.  Starting with the public reveal of his connection to Academia in season 2, every time he appeared I was left with this sense of  “this changes things”  His arc really builds on the themes and message of Arc V while giving a weight to different aspects of the plot.

Starting with episode 74-75 was really the first time I really thought deeply about Dennis as a character.  That’s not to say his earlier appearances are bad (I love his duel against Gongenzaka) but it introduces a very human element to Academia: reluctance.  He’s not like Yuri, the Obelisk Force, or Sora (from what we had seen so far) who deeply believe in Academia’s goals and enjoys fighting for the cause, but he’s not like Serena, someone who can turn his back on it so easily.  It’s just his job, one that he continues on doing despite the regrets it leaves him with.  Still this doesn’t excuse the harm he’s caused.  Even though he prefers to entertain as opposed to battle, there’s no erasing the fact he started a war.

Drifting into the hypothetical a bit, but this is why the only ship that I personally wish was canon is Janushipping.  Not even in a romantic context, just that they had explicitly known each other.  In the flashback we’re shown, he is on enough good terms with Ruri that waving to her as they pass by is not unusual.  Now this doesn’t signal a deep friendship or anything, but if there had been just a smidge more focus on it or at least an acknowledgment of it by Ruri, I feel it could have added a different type of pathos to the Heartland Invasion.  Seeing your home burn to the ground is very traumatic and horrifying, but it is an alien concept to most ppl and hard to empathize with.  Being able to add a human face to it through Dennis’ betrayal of Ruri adds a dimension (lol) that is much easier to relate to.  It would also give a bit more weight to Ruri as a person by showing her outside the role of Shun’s sister and Yuto’s friend/crush, but I digress.

By the time 112-114 roll around, it’s pretty easy to ignore this past revelation as Dennis acts the part of heartless soldier pretty well.  It’s only at the end of 114 do we see a continuation of this conflict.  By now he’s decided that he doesn’t want to continue and support Academia, but at the same time he feels he doesn’t doesn’t deserve redemption.  Yusho himself offers forgiveness to him with no strings attached, but the conflict between who he is and what he’s done drives him to card himself.  It’s one of the most somber moments of the series and deserving so bc we just watched a young teen commit the equivalent of suicide.  While by now we know he can return and we see this happen on-screen, there’s still the fact that Dennis thought the best fate for himself was to not exist.

Tying this in with other events, it really gives a weight again to redemption, something I think Arc V tried to do.  Winning people over to Yuya’s ideology in one duel wasn’t really done until season 3, when the show presents him as his most developed.  Before, the only person who switches so easily is Serena who unlike almost any other Academia soldier was not aware of the level of violence being done.  Sora took nearly half of season 2 before he declared himself as defecting from Academia and initially he was very much against doing more than making sure his loved ones (Yuzu and Yuya) were safe.  In season 3 the mass defecting of Academia forces can feel odd after such slow processes but in-between it all we’re smacked in the face with a character who feels redemption isn’t possible.  It’s a harsh reminder that comes very unexpectedly and also goes to differentiate the three ‘redeemed’ members of the “Fusion quartet”  as this post by @x-ali-chan-x nicely summarizes 

Next this also reminds the viewer that these are child soldiers.  In a fantastical series such as Yugioh the horror of this is nowhere near the level of reality, but it’s still hurts.  As many victims he’s hurt, Dennis is a victim himself, and it’s very hard to ignore that act when faced with these actions.  On another note it almost mirrors Zarc’s fall before he even learn his existence.  To declare either as blameless is to outright ignore the show, but outside circumstances are both a key factor.  If left to their own devices, both would probably prefer to simply entertain ppl. Even if the damage of their actions outweighs any sympathy in your eyes, that doesn’t take away the tragic elements to their struggle.

Interestingly enough, exactly 30 episodes later is when we get a resolution to Dennis’ arc.  To understand the impact of this, context is required.  The fanon around Dennis’ character was largely composed of angst and hurt with the only sign of recovery being shown as happen years in post-canon  I say this as someone who was writing fanfic like that bc the fact 144 is so optimistic hit everyone out of right field.   Not only was it positive, but it felt right, better than any conclusion others had proposed.  I remember discussing with a friend how the idea of him becoming a teacher and sort of finding his redemption in the next generation was something that had never occurred to her yet it was perfect.

Personally 144 is one of the reason I will never discount the “make Reira smile” arc as pointless.  To me the duel between Yuya and Dennis shows the best of entertainment dueling in several subtle ways.  At the beginning Dennis is falling into some old habits, painting himself as a villain for Yuya to defeat and make everything better with.  Though his self-carding is never outright mentioned its memory is hard to ignore as he still views himself as unworthy of being “good.”  Then Yuya flips the script and reaches out to him.  The duel becomes less about vanquishing a foe and more about understanding someone else to build a bigger and brighter future than before.  In a way this prepares the audience again for how Yuya will handle Zarc.  The way Yuya overcomes Zarc’s shadow is by trying to understand him and instead of damning him showing how better alternatives exist.

So again when I see the statement that the counterparts were the star of the show, I have to disagree.  Even if some of what I pointed out was more coincidence as opposed to intentional actions on the creator’s part, I feel you can’t argue that Dennis’ role in the story wasn’t meant to have importance to the overall narrative.  And for the most part I think many agree.  Despite supporting character I have only seen one person express dislike for him.  Usually the coldest reaction I see is indifference or neutrality, and that is overshadowed by the love I see showered on him.  His impact sticks in a way I think the character himself would be proud to see.

[tuckerfuckingdidit]

Carwash

YES. IT’S TIME. strap the fuck in, you knew this was gonna be a doozie when you sent it. obligatory tag for @capricornfraud.

when I started shipping it if I did: this started as a weird preoccupation with why no one else shipped it, and how it would work. like, wash is shipped with doc, who he held hostage, and donut, who he shot. i figured carwash didn’t work because their power dynamic is imbalaced in a pretty clear-cut direction, but then tuckington happened! so i assumed it was the Memories that made it weird, and carolina not going back for him. but honestly, ships with History that they need to work through are my fucking weakness—i have an entire tuckington au where tucker is a freelancer for this very reason. 

second, relationships aren’t always easy to put in boxes. “wash has memories from carolina’s father, so all of his feelings for her are familial.” uh, no. wash has come a long way from his initial implantation with epsilon—he knows he is not leonard, and he had a relationship with carolina before he got those memories. there’s no way his feelings are that easily defined. there’s admiration and resentment in there, and that’s just on his side, before you start to fill in the blanks with headcanons.

i ship it because it stands to arguably be one of the most complicated relationships between two living characters on the show. there’s so much there, and i think the writers have shied from carolina and wash having certain Conversations because they don’t know how to tackle them—or had no interest in doing so because they felt it was Too Serious.

my thoughts: i started out not really paying them any mind and now I LOVE IT!!!! i’ve yelled at freddie a lot in the past two weeks, but just. there’s so much there. a lot of people write them as giving each other a wide berth because they have a lot of similar scars—some that they gave each other. you have to remember that it’s not just that carolina didn’t go back for wash: from her perspective, wash put a gun to her head over strangers (who she later came to love, but they were strangers at the time!), and even though he had seen epsilon’s memories of what the director had done, wash stayed with the project. of course he had his reasons, but when carolina’s discovering that everyone is in the wind except for south, wyoming, and wash, she doesn’t know what shape his recovery has taken. all she knows is that he’s still with them. 

but i think it’s also important to bear in mind that they’ve moved a great deal past that. i talked in my carolina post about how i see her as moving full circle, not reinventing herself. i think the reason there aren’t more carwash shippers is because we aren’t given much of a foundation for them during the project for them to circle back to. we see it happen when they’re fighting, but nowhere else. and with carolina having called the freelancers family, i highly doubt carolina and wash only interacted in drop ships and battlefields. 

there’s a lot of empty space to be filled regarding the freelancers, but simply put, i think carolina was tactile, and wash was affection-starved. wash isn’t given a face because we’ve already known him for three seasons when the flashbacks start, so his helmet never comes off, and we miss out on one of the biggest headcanons i have—the team ruffled this kid’s hair constantly. before leonard realized everyone had gotten too chummy and the board was put into place (because what hurts more: people who were always fiercely competitive and shitting on each other abandoning each other, or a family with genuine camaraderie turning into strangers?), you could catch these two half on top of each other in the rec room every once in a while (which conveniently could be a great reason wash seems to rub york the wrong way). like, if you listen to the tone of voice that carolina teases wash in, she obviously thinks wash is adorable. i refuse to believe she wouldn’t have gotten a kick out of flirting with him just to fluster him.

this portion is getting way too long oh my god. basically, the carwash you get on chorus (and going forward), depends largely on your pfl era interpretation of them. that’s the ground work. just because the writers didn’t take the time to develop their relationship doesn’t mean it didn’t exist. do i think they go through the motions of Falling In Love? no. but i do see them as reluctant to ever let go of each other again. like, ever. especially if there’s really no epsilon anymore. they’re each other’s only relic from the project, and that history puts them in a prime position to be the other’s Person—if the work was put in. if you just write them as never talking, then there’s nothing of note to them, and red is a sad panda. but where’s the fun in that?

What makes me happy about them: her fierce determination to never lose him. her starting to reach out for him physically again on chorus, and wash surprising even himself, because holy shit, he’s not flinching. carolina’s quiet mix of amusement and happiness at the (re)discovery that wash still turns into a goddamn cat if you can get him to relax. her foot hooked under his ankle in the mess hall while she talks to the reds. wash deciding he is Done with his food early so he can jam his helmet on his head, because he can’t stop fucking smiling. 

and in restoration AUs where the reds and blues stay on chorus, once the fighting is over? oh my god. have Some Things:

the first time carolina gets her fingers in his hair and he nearly falls asleep on her

her utter dismay when he proceeds to go back to his room and not sleep at all. 

the fact that she would totally take scheduling a Communal nap super seriously if he started to look really exhausted. 

him showing up at her room at 3 in the morning the night he finally cracks and admits to himself that he sleeps best next to her.

the super chill, seemingly impenetrable bubble forming around them that follows. absolutely no one else understands it. they barely understand it. “are they fucking? wait, what if they aren’t? are they gonna get even more obnoxious when they do?” 

^ tucker, probably. it’s ok tucker, just come squeeze in if you don’t have kai.

and when epsilon is gone, carolina has someone who won’t allow her to wall herself off from everyone else, even if it means they just sit together and don’t talk about it. sometimes they do, but most of the time, they don’t. wash just doesn’t want her to be alone. he knows what that feels like, and he doesn’t want that for her. 

just. the sheer amount of forgiveness and trust that is required for them to even function together will never not Get Me. i love happy, healthy stories, and the idea of the two of them healing together will always be something i am here for.

but they’re also not perfect. she’s still going to be protective, and try to take on too much on her own to lower his level of risk. he’s still a fucking spaz. they’re going to get on each other’s nerves. there will still be days neither of them knows how to say the right thing, and days they both keep saying the wrong things. it wouldn’t be Them if it wasn’t awkward. but that just makes when it works so much better.

What makes me sad about them: there are bad days. days when it’s hard to look at each other. when their silences aren’t so companionable—both of them locked in their heads, mulling over past mistakes, could-haves and should-have-beens. 

the days wash can’t quite meet her eye, no matter how much carolina wants him to. 

the days she doesn’t want him to.

also?? if they get closer when epsilon is still around/alive/himself, LOL. awkward.

things done in fanfic that annoys me: there is no carwash fic to come to my attention so far, which is an annoyance in and of itself. *puts on captain hat*

things I look for in fanfic: FOR IT TO EXIST, CACKLING. but i like it when writers understand carolina’s opinion is one wash trusts, and vice versa.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: yorkalina, kimbalina, tuckington, suckington, and mainewash are all Good Shit. oh, also mainealina. how did i forget mainealina?

My happily ever after for them: if the reds and blues are all getting houses in the same cul-de-sac, carwash doesn’t just live under the same roof, their rooms are right next to each other. tucker, junior, kai and caboose can live next door. they’re loud. wash may be used to the blues, and carolina had church in her head at all times, but at the end of the day they still need a place to retreat when wash flinches at every loud noise and carolina can’t stop grinding her teeth. 

it’s really important to me that they have somewhere they can go be Quiet together ok, no matter where/when they are. i do love the idea that they never really slow down though. carolina’s not really the settling type, and i’ve always read wash with an inherent need to be Useful since serving as recovery one.

who is the big spoon/little spoon: carolina is the official big spoon. she is not the smol, fight me on this. first of all i literally cannot reblog art where she’s shorter than him—thank u rt, for giving us absolutely no tall women in the pfl arc Because Reasons. but snuggly naptime carwash and post-coital are two completely different animals. at first they can’t even both stick around after sex, and then when they start to, they plant themselves right on each respective edge and Do Not Move. 

you can tell the second they relax though, because they slide closer to the clothed, snuggly arrangement, which is less spooning and more wash on top of her with his head on her chest and her hand in his hair.

what is their favorite non-sexual activity: the exact above arrangement with clothes on. lmfao. NAPS, BRAH. but also don’t underestimate the value in them just Sitting Quietly and being present together, because i neeeed it. i crave it ok. it keeps me up at night.