#My power scaling is off the charts

[piko-piko-chan]

Me trying to explain the plot of a story I've been writing since I was 10:

[shroomie-23]

My take on the Titan army warfare system

Basically, because of the very little cannon we have on the titan army it’s anyone’s guess on how they conducted themselves[both in a military context and a general sense, this post is my own guess on how the army was structured and how I[as a fic writer] view it. 

Before I start I would like to acknowledge that I am not either a pro-writer nor am I a historian, if I get something wrong just tell me. Also be aware I am HCing some of this, also that my entire reason for researching this is to create my own series that has its own cannon and focus–the whole reason I’m posting this is because the nature of my fic follows the percy jackson cannon through a TA perspective. So yes, there may be bias somewhere along the way. 

First off, we have to take into consideration the bases of the titan army, which is both ancient Rome and ancient greece. Due to Greeks[both historical and mythos] not having much of a definite military[mostly consisting of citizens of different polises depending on what time-period we’re looking at], I took the most inspiration from the roman army. I’m also taking a inspiration from  jflashandcrash on Ao3. 

We also have to estimate the actual titan army demigod population as well, which for here I am using a 200-150 person scale. This is because the army had to deal with both camp half-blood[20-70 fighters] and camp Jupiter[50-200 fighters] alongside the monster TA population[which from here on out I’m not mentioning]. 

We also have to assume Kronos has been planning/recruiting/gaining funding for the army for over 3 years[from at least when Luke went on the quest]. 

So what I’m thinking is having the titan army divided into 5 cohorts[each having about 40-25 fighters]. Keep in mind the army would likely use different titles then the roman titles, so these names are only really stand ins for what you would think they would be called.  

The first cohort contains our leaders, prophets, witches, head healers, and metalworkers. as well as a few of the more powerful demigods and the half-bloods that had joined before even Luke was recruited or at least before the war started as foot soldiers.

The rest of the four cohorts will have a more standard structure, being led by 2 centrons, and containing at least 2 healers[doesn’t have to be medically inclined half-bloods], and 2 messengers/scouts, the rest will be normal warriors and foot soldiers. This structure means each centron/healer is only responsible for at most 20 demigods under them, and having two messengers means that if one is taken out the other one is still on-route. 

The real major battles between the camp half-blood army and the titan army are really only 2[counting battle of manhattan and battle of the labyrinth, not counting the battle of orthys in ttc]. Due to this we can assume that there is only ever 1 or 1.5 cohorts responsible for keeping chb in line at a time[not including cohort one which has eyes on everything at all times], which leaves the rest of the army dealing with camp Jupiter. 

Besides that the only hard part of writing in a Titan army setting is organizing all the original characters, I’m doing this through a slowly progressing T-chart[idea from @mediumgayitalian], which I’m going to submit a screenshot of here so you can get an idea of what I’m talking about. Not going to lie, this is also just so I can show off my oc’s lol, anything that’s blotted out is due to it being important to my previously mentioned fic’s plot. 

After that I’ll link some sources I used. 

https://archiveofourown.org/users/jflashandcrash/pseuds/jflashandcrash

[windvexer]

Hey Chicken! I'd like your help with getting some perspective

There's a prosperity candle working I made and did once that worked decently well the first time I did it, but then because the outcome it brought was small in scale (it brought in a work project that brought a small amount of money, once-off), I set about tweaking it so that the spell outcomes would be bigger (ergo, more money, more regularly)

Problem is, the tweaked versions simply did not hit at all.

For additional context, the OG working was pretty simple (speaking directly to the herbs and working them) and the later versions involved planetary invocations and specific instructions and milestones for the working (e.g. Invoking planetary energies and angels, and specifically saying working must bring at least $xyz per month via business income, and xyz number of new clients)

My question is: can it happen that a working just fails because the working itself is only able to accommodate simple outcomes, and that if I want more detailed/complex outcomes I gotta completely rework it entirely to accommodate that complexity?

Or is it a matter of "more complexity, more energy and better working/ritual programming for the spell is required"?

I don't think I could really hazard a guess but these would be my first thoughts:

Planets are maybe not the most out-of-the-box power you could work with, in that how well planetary powers works for any individual can vary quite a bit. And to integrate/harness that power might require things like planetary initiations (which to me are somewhat like formal introductions, request for tutelage, etc).

In my practice, talking to an herb and asking it for help is very unlike a formal evocation of a planetary power. One lives in the ground and the other lives in the sky. That's like, two separate directions.

It sounds like you're still doing a candle spell, but instead of working with a plant ally you switched to planetary evocations, which to me would constitute an entirely different spell (of course, it depends on how you slice it).

Invoking something bigger and badder isn't necessarily an avenue of power. Consider that as the practitioner you're the bottleneck: if your skill level caps out at being able to raise and direct, say, 100 units of power, it doesn't matter if you switch from a plant willing to provide 1500 units of power or a planet that could provide 15,000 units of power.

Another level of difficulty in working with planetary powers is drawing them into spellcasting space; we can bring a bit of plant matter in no problem, but to effectively work with planetary powers a person might need not only proper timing but also perhaps talismans or other avenues of connection.

If I were in your shoes I'd consider these avenues of troubleshooting:

Examining if prerequisite skills are up to the task of raising and controlling much greater amounts of energy

Whether or not you were doing things when working with the herb that you stopped doing when you brought in the planets (like, maybe going deeper into magical headspace and focusing on the power of your words, whereas with the planets you just read hymns off a sheet and weren't dwelling with your power)

Returning to the original format of the spell and experiment with supercharging or other methods to attempt to obtain desired goals

Switching spell formats to something more long-lasting (in my paradigm, candle spells really just don't create ongoing cyclical effects like the kind you seem to want; I'd be more inclined to try something like a spell jar)

Examining your natal chart to see if the planets you're calling on are particularly poorly appointed for you

Researching planetary magic to ensure you're actually calling the correct planet for your purposes

Examining planetary invocation techniques and investigating whether or not you'd be served by additional magical techniques (planetary initiations, establishing formal working relationships, etc)

Switching spell formats: keep what works (speaking over the herb) and bring the planet in as a supporting power to open roads and provide energy, and see if that has any impact on your spell at all.

Calling those same planetary powers for other situations to see if they way you're working with them has any effect at all.

Trying to obtain a deeper working relationship with the plant ally and learning from it how to obtain the results you desire

[audreyscribes]

Ω PJO MISC. DEMIGOD HEADCANONS: 👩‍⚖️ THEMIS “TITANESS OF DIVINE LAW, ORDER, AND CUSTOM” ♎ {Wave 5.0}

A/N:  Here we go, time for Themis! She has always been a part of my mind as a kid how I found out that Lady Justice was sort of also Themis in inspiration and that always felt cool to young me. Doing research for her made her even more cooler, even if she isn’t the most exciting out there at first. Thanks for reading and have a nice day! MISCELLANEOUS DEMIGOD H/CS MASTERLIST LINK: [VOL. 1: TUMBLR] || [VOL. 2: TUMBLR] || [AO3]

When you get claimed at Camp, it was just after you meditated between two different demigods that almost brought both of their cabins into a war with each other.

Everyone was gathering around the two and you could see people were starting to talk about which side they would support. A rising feeling of anxiety and urgency filled you, as you listened from the rumors and gossip. You then went to talk to both the demigods of Ares and Athena separately to get their side of the story, before calling a meeting between them to come to a mutual compromise. When both sides agreed and made a peaceful conclusion, you smiled but it quickly dropped as everyone gasped and murmured around you. You looked up and saw the sign of Libra the scales ♎ before you were announced that you were the demigod of Themis, the Titaness of Divine Law, Order, and Custom.

If you were either born between September 23rd and October 22nd, or have more than one Libra Sign in your Natal Chart, then you are more than likely a child of Themis.

The Themis Cabin looks like a normal cabin in structure, but the materials and look of it reminded you of a white court building, especially with the greek columns. The inside of the cabin, aside from the separate part where there are living quarters, there is even a judge and jury section inside. People end up going to your cabin to meditate and you always feel like you’re Judge Judy; especially when there is always an audience. You always see Mr. D munching popcorn in the back, who looks thoroughly entertained.

(You also swear you see three old grannies sitting in the corner that no one seems to acknowledge, knitting away as they watch you with an interested look)

You love routine and thus rules, that you follow to the T and make sure people don’t break away from it. A ruler follower through and through.

You get along with the Nemesis cabin as their godly mother is the goddess of retribution and balance, providing order and law, and punishing the unjust, much like Themis herself. You also befriend a child of Nemesis who you get along with swimmingly.

You also get along with the Athena Cabin, for their more logical thinking and their reasoning. You also get along with Athena and her children as the goddess is the representation of justice for her wisdom, and established the Athenian Legal system (depicted in The Oresteia).

Another thing you surprisingly do get along with, in terms of circumstances, are the Furies or under another name, the Eumenides/Erinyes. If you go with the story in the Oresteia, where Athena persuades the Kindly Ones to help with the Athenian Legal System and to punish those who were judged against the court of law. Of course, this doesn’t mean immediate immunity from them if the Themis demigods broke the ancient Greek Law or if somehow pissed off Hades and he sent the Furies after you, you just get along better with than most for the shared fact of enacting law and order.

I’d imagine if the demigod of Themis were to have a power, they would have the power of Balance; the power to manifest opposites in any event or infringe on the concept of itself, or Justice manipulation; where in the face of the law, order, and customs, anything that goes against it, punishment and consequences are enacted. It has to follow a semblance of morality, laws, and crimes, but also follows Ancient Greek laws and customs (like killing a family member is a big No-No, regardless if it's an act of revenge for the death of another family member); then say human laid out laws.

I can see the child of Themis being good at wielding the sword since Themis, especially modern depiction as Lady Justice, is depicted holding a sword.

Being a demigod of Themis, also means having stronger prophetic ties than the average demigod, and that means you also have the potential to be an oracle or have the ability to see the future. This is because Themis was also considered a prophetic goddess who presided over most ancient oracles, including Delphi as she was the divine voice who instructed mankind in the primal laws of justice and morality

You might also have the ability as an oracle to speak for the earth, as Themis was identified with Gaea as the role of the oracular voice of the Earth. You end up being the voice of the nymphs and satyrs as well, as you also can feel the earth talking to you. You may also be allowed as an honorary or guest member of the Council of Cloven Elders for certain situations.

Speaking of Gaea, as the child of Themis, if they were there during the Gaea awakening arc, I can imagine Gaea speaking to you through the Earth, and using you to speak her words in her place. As Themis was Gaea’s daughter and as her grandchild, you have a deeper connection with Gaea and therefore may have been used in her plans if you were around for the war against Gaea. The only thing that kept you safe was being a neutral faction of the order of the universe, and your being adhered to the laws, order, and customs set by the gods and humanity following them as well preserving peace much like Themis herself.  

You met Hestia at the hearth at first as you both tend to the pyre for the gods, and she treats you well as she confesses that Themis is her favourite aunt. You get a good idea what your godly mother may be like as you get to know Hestia more and more. You inherit a shawl and it brings a warmth you can almost place; it was warm and as you wrapped it around yourself, you can see a woman’s arms hugging you in a motherly way. 

· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ —– • ·· • —– ٠ ✤ ٠ “If I didn’t value peace and resolution so much, I would’ve thrown the book so many times today at people” you bemoaned as you sat around the fire next to Hestia. 

The goddess hummed as she tended to the flame before pouring a drink for you with your favourite treat. 

“How many times does it make it today?” asked Hestia, even though you both knew she knew and was just asking this question to basically let you open up.

“13 and counting. I know Themis is the titan of divine law, order, and customs but man I didn’t think being her demigod basically made me a judge!” 

“And yet, it makes perfect sense,” she teased. 

You sighed but nodded. “Yeah, it does. It always bothered me for as long as I could remember of people fighting or arguing when you know something was wrong or could’ve been compromised, and got into more trouble for not reading the room to interject into people’s conversations, but knowing that it's literally in my blood to make the peace? It sort of validates some things but at the same time, did I ever have a choice?”

Hestia hummed as the fire crackled.

“And yet we both value peace and do what we can to maintain peace.”

You were silent as you pondered. “Is that why you gave up your seat for Mr. D?”

“Yes. Dionysus did his best when he was a demigod to be acknowledged as a god and he rightfully gained it. However, much like my eldest brother Hades, there was no throne for him. In order to keep the peace, I gave up my throne for a seat back at the Hearth, where I tend and create a space whenever of my family need a refuge.” 

“You and my mom have your work cut out for just some semblance of peace” you commented. 

“Perhaps we do, but it is nonetheless something we wouldn’t have any other way” smiled Hestia. 

[howlsmovinglibrary]

May Reading Wrap-Up!

I read 5 books in May!

TheSpear Cuts Through Water by Simon Jimenez (4.5 STARS)

This book wasn't perfect, but it was beautifully made. I think I realised quite how bad editing in fantasy has gotten, when I thought about the work that went into this book to make it function so perfectly (this is certainly dense at points, but it also feels like an example of careful craft).

Following two men as they attempt to rescue an aged goddess from imprisonment, this is a really beautiful novel that balances epic scale, multiple perspectives, horror, and personal emotion wonderfully. It's a challenging but rewarding read.

The Darkest Powers series (Books 1-3) by Kelley Armstrong (exempted from star ratings based on nostalgia)

This was a series I imprinted on at 14, and so I wanted to reread it to try and get a little joy back into my life. I don't think they quite held up to a more critical eye (particularly the love interest, who seemed less generic at the time, to teenage me, but there's been a whole swathe of paranormal romances between now and then, and i realise he's v generic indeed.)

the action isn't as tight as I remember, and the plot doesn't always make sense! but i had fun, which is all I set out to do :)

The Launch Dateby Annabelle Slator (4.5 STARS)

this was the best romance I've read so far this year!!! it follows two former friends turned corporate rivals, who are forced to work on a project together for the same promotion. the project is a series of fake dates, as they work at a dating app company.

this is a debut, and just very compelling all round. the pacing is great, the chemistry is off the charts, the way tension is built between them around their various misunderstandings is all very well done. if i was to describe this, it feels very like a kdrama - rich boy/anxious girl, romanticising the hell out of corporate life.

also reading on webtoon...

The Mafia Nanny (mafia AU and parenting, two tropes i hate. and yet. also hypercompetent women/simp boyfriend. and so i feel conflicted.)

books read in 2025: 19

wrapups: jan | feb/march | april

[theapexastrologer]

"Why is Saturn debilitated in Mars' Sign, but Mars is exalted in Saturn's sign?"

I came across this question on threads and wanted to share my answer here for those of you who might have a similar question regarding this exaltation, along with exaltations & debilitations in general.

To make this a little easier to understand I want to breakdown the planets as ppl. Saturn is the energy of the "butler" in astrology and Mars is the "general". (For reference understanding, the other traditional ruling planets are as follows: Sun= King, Moon= Queen, Mercury=Prince, Venus=Princess, Jupiter=Advisor).

Before we get started, I want to make a huge note here: exaltations & debilitations have *nothing* to do with friendly or enemy planets and *everything* to do with which zodiacal energy brings out the best & worst from each planet.

The Sun, who is the King, is exalted in Aries, which is the energy of the battlefield, and where the King obtains glory. So the butler, who is Saturn, doesn't thrive in Aries and actually struggles to fulfill his duties.

Why is that?

Well, Saturn is good at following rules and staying within boundaries, serving others, and keeping order, and it's also the same reason why he fails to uphold order in Aries— the battlefield is way too chaotic.

👉🏽Remember: Aries is explosive, spontaneous, sporadic energy. It's competitive and ego driven— "I have to be number one!" This is dramatically different compared to both of Saturn's domiciles, Capricorn & Aquarius— both of which relate to the collective, not the individual. It's part of the reason Saturn thrives in Libra. It's because he does best when considering others.

Saturn fails to function well in Aries due to his inability to easily put order to chaos. Saturn in Aries actually *requires* the energy of Libra -- diplomacy, compromise, balance, and harmony to grow.

One of the other commenters on that thread spoke about the potential violence of Saturn in Aries— at it's worst manifestation, it'll be "overbearing (Saturn) dominance (Aries)", because Saturn in Aries has the potential to become an absolute tyrant. 😬 It's a hard placement in order to force extreme growth (all debilitations are).

BUUUUUT, wherever Mars is will also influence the severity of Saturn in Aries as well as some other factors like mutual reception, conjunctions, squares, and oppositions with Saturn mainly, but also with Mars.

Now, let's address why Mars is exalted in Saturn's sign Capricorn.

Mars is the "general", right? The general, the army on a more grand scale, *thrives* off of strong structure and rules. Capricorn is rules, tradition, structure, the bones, the foundation, the plan, the map, etc. This provides the perfect middle ground of control for Mars to thrive in, because Mars has two different extremes.

In Aries, Mars is sporadic and impulsive— all over the place— and in Scorpio, Mars goes waaaay too deep, too focused, too intense, too obsessive, mmk? So with Capricorn providing the outline and the structure, it keeps Mars balanced and more directed. Capricorn *channels* Mars’ powerful energy— provides the perfect environment to get the best out of Mars.

So this is less about "why does it do well in one ruler's house?" and more about which type of zodiacal energy allows a planet to thrive and bring out the best from it or which sign hampers a planet's abilities the most.

Granted, this is the foundational aspect, but always remember that rulerships and hard aspects (conjunctions, squares, & oppositions) can play a big part in this.

For example, in my sidereal chart, I have Venus in Virgo, which is a debilitated position, but it's with my Mercury in Virgo, too, which is Mercury's domicile and exaltation point and ends up boosting my Venus and gives me a love for small cute things and manifests through my love for chibi things, youthful fashion, and delicate jewelry.

If you want to know more about how a particular exaltation or debilitation point is working in your chart, feel free to shoot me a message or drop it in my asks. I also offer limited readings (only able to take 1-2 a day, depending), but simply message me if you're interested in booking a consultation with me and I'll give you the details. 🙏🏽💕

[espionn]

SeaWing tribe sheet!

seawings my beloved. i didnt do anything too crazy with them but they deserve to be a bit over-the-top. (also, lmk if anyone is interested in a size comparison chart and/or an evolutionary tree for the tribes because i might do those if people would like it)

Physical Appearance + Traits:

-SeaWings are almost entirely aquatic dragons. They can live and breathe out of water, but vastly prefer their ocean habitat, and too much time out of water can dry and dull their scales. 

-They have short legs with wide, webbed talons which they use to propel through the water. They also have long, thick and powerful tails. SeaWings cannot be called comparatively large or small due to these unique proportions.

-Not unlike MudWings, SeaWings can fly, but aren’t skilled at it. Their wings have adapted to be used essentially as large fins to steer accurately through the water, and are not as effective for flight. They sometimes can leap from the water and catch air like flying fish, but they struggle to get fully off the ground; their wings are better suited for passive gliding.

-The pale marks that cover their bodies can be used to create bioluminescent light, so efficiently that SeaWings can turn individual lights on and off at will, and even control the dimness. They use these marks in flashing patterns to communicate underwater, in a language called Aquatic. Phrases in Aquatic are often less about individual words assigned to specific combinations - though that can be applied to some - but more about the overall visual expression. (For example, in the right context, random and scattered twinkling refers to stars, or the night sky.) Aquatic, like much of SeaWing culture, is loose, expressive and artistic.

-Large and airy frills run along their bodies, connecting at the tail. These bolden their appearance and make some swimming patterns almost mesmerizing.

-Colors, like many SeaWing traits, vary greatly, but blues and greens are most common. Grays, purples and even pinks also appear on occasion. 

-Due to the vastness of the oceans, there are multiple variants of the typical SeaWing. Living outside the sea kingdom, near the coral reefs bordering the mud kingdom and rainforest on the east side of Pyrrhia, are the fittingly-named Coral SeaWings, which are brightly-colored with rougher and rockier scales (and even minor color-changing abilities). Another group, with sightings so rare as to be unconfirmed beyond urban legend, is the Deep SeaWings; almost nothing is known about these besides a dark and spiny appearance with vivid bioluminescent markings. 

-Gills allow underwater breathing; small lungs allow above-water breathing, but not as strongly or reliably. SeaWings also have a few adaptations that allow them to withstand pressure changes.

Life Cycle:

-SeaWings are laid in clutches of anywhere between 6 and 12. It’s these large groups that will make up their friends and peers for the first few years of their lives. SeaWing parents are present for the incubation and hatching of the eggs, and they are fiercely protective parents when the dragonets are very young, but most dragonets begin to be more independent after that. 

-While the sibling clutches aren’t as close as MudWing troops, they do tend to be quite interdependent and prefer each other’s company. Once they get a bit older, though, they often branch off and find friends and romantic partners outside this group. 

-SeaWings are monogamous and mate for life. It isn’t uncommon for the first dragon they show interest in to be the one they stay with. Both parents are considered equally responsible for dragonets if they have them.

-Because they’re hatched underwater, dragonets don’t learn to speak aloud, walk on land or fly until they’re several years old; some never do in detail, instead living underwater without contact with other tribes for their entire lives.

Culture and Society:

-SeaWing society is structured and organized around the royal family, who have great cultural influence and wealth. The Deep Palace alone holds about 40% of the SeaWing population, and it is by no means a small tribe.

-Arts are a huge cultural mark of the Sea Kingdom - no other tribe, aside from the NightWings, has such expansive literature, and SeaWing sculpting and jewelry-making is famous across Pyrrhia. Before the war, in fact, one of the main exports of the Sea Kingdom came from art exhibits - festivals held on near-shore islands, where dragons from all different tribes would come, to enjoy the scenery as well as look at and/or buy various displays of SeaWing art. 

-This is one of the most social and closely-bonded tribes; with talons mainly made for mobility, dull horns, and no breath weapon, SeaWings depend on each other for safety, and their society is close-knit. Social norm intricacies, politeness in language, and subtly complex ranks and boundaries are all cultural things that dragons simply adapt to by being around it.

-The SeaWing education system is one of the most successful and robust, with every dragonet attending a school for at least two years. If they choose, there are also more specific career paths they can take if there’s an area they’d like to specialize in. They are taught extensively in literature and history, basic hunting and self-defense, and basic land language and skills, such as how to walk and fly. 

-Even more than other dragons, they take great care to keep their scales and frills shiny and healthy. In-depth cleaning methods are abundant, to keep barnacles and parasites off of them, and SeaWings in general are seen as much more attractive when they’re polished and unscratched. As they get older and move less, it may become harder to keep barnacles and algae off, but some SeaWings accept this and allow themselves to take on a “stones in a tide pool” look as a clear indication of age. SeaWings also enjoy jewelry, particularly made up of pearls and precious stones on strings; gold and silver don’t work as well underwater.

-They are resourceful and use a wide variety of tools; the fact that they have few natural defenses has led to a greater use of weapons than most other tribes, for example.

Diet: Facultative carnivorous (mostly meat). Fish, shellfish and crustaceans make up the vast majority of their diet, but their meals can also include a few types of seaweed, seagrass and other aquatic plants. In the palace, large hunting groups provide food for the entire population, but SeaWings who live outside of it usually provide food for themselves.

[airship-full-of-dragons]

Dive 1 - resting

Dive 1 - Complete The expedition is taking a well-deserved break. Once they begin their next dive, they'll immediately need to start replenishing their supplies. Check back later! While the event is in a Rest Phase, any supplies turned in will not contribute to the Sitewide Effort, but will count as participation for the purpose of collecting the reward from the phase.

Merrigan: Aha! What did I tell you? Treasure! Beautiful, glorious treasure! Oh, err, and more information, of course... We were able to map out what's changed since our last visit... oh, several decades ago, I'd say. Reefs are naturally resilient against most underwater currents—they double as wavebreakers for delicate shorelines—but the tempest was powerful enough to damage the coral. Upsetting, but at least it told a clear story for us to follow. If there were signs of the Tidelord here, they'd have been displaced. Any debris would have been carried off in the direction of Saltmire Trench. You know, it's strange. Fathoms have named wayfinder after wayfinder for generations, but we've circled the globe so many times that the role always seemed to me like some... outdated tradition, all pomp and little substance. Not that I wasn't honored to be selected! My grandmother carried out the same duties with such elegance and patience—all the navigation, the storm-tracking, the charts and maps and exploration, the... responsibility. It's just... well, I am younger than most in my pod. At this point, older Fathoms hardly even need to glance at an astrolabe anymore. I never thought they'd all be looking to me for something this... dire. Anyway, you didn't come here to listen to some overgrown hatchling wax on, you're just trying to help! Thanks for that, by the way. We've got the start of a base up and running, and the Sour Kelp is just what we need after a long dive. It helps ward off the Scale Scurvy! What, you've never heard of Scale Scurvy? Well, let me tell you, it's no j—nevermind, there's no time to get into details. You need to prepare for more gathering! Well, err, please. And... thank you. Again. Yeah, all right, I'll... I'll see you at the trench!

Individual images:

[tomose]

[Someday, in the Kitchen Where Echoes Smile] Chapter 2 Translation

CAIN: He probably wants to make up for what happened at our last mission.

Seeing Nero tilt his head in confusion, Cain explained in a soft whisper. Then, he shoots a sympathetic gaze towards Riquet’s direction.

CAIN: There’s this place selling these delicious apple pies at our mission destination. We had planned to swing by on our way back… But Riquet tripped in combat and it set us back a bit in wrapping up.

None of Central Wizards blame him for what happened, but he still thinks it’s his fault we had to call off our trip to the pie shop.

NERO: …

CAIN: If it’s no trouble, could you indulge Riquet’s request? To return the gesture, you can count on me to put my best foot forward in helping solve the anomaly.

NERO: *sigh*

Nero scratched his head, then eventually nodded in surrender.

NERO: All right. As long as the anomaly doesn’t cross the extreme danger line, we can do the cooking class.

RIQUET, SNOW & RUSTICA: Hurray!

CAIN: Appreciate it, Nero. You’ve got another eager participant here.

AKIRA: If you don’t mind, please let me join, too. I’d love to learn how to cook the proper way as I have been reliant on the magic frying pan all this time.

FIGARO: If Master Sage is coming, then I want in. What about you, Leno?

LENNOX: In that case, I’ll come too.

MITHRA: Count me in.

ALL: What?!

Everyone in the room was stunned by the unexpected participant.

Meanwhile, the said participant proceeds to move his mouth, all stained black from eating charcoal, in a leisurely tone.

MITHRA: Since you’re doing some cooking, that means I get to eat food if I come, right? I want to do something about this bitter taste in my mouth.

SNOW: That’s what you get for eating cooked tar.

NERO: Look, the main focus this time is the cooking part, not the dining part… Plus we’re not leaving right this ins–

MITHRA: <<Arthim>>

NERO: Hey, listen–

RIQUET: And there he goes! My word, he can be so fickle.

CAIN: I mean, I wouldn't say he's completely uninterested in cooking. He grills meat once in a while, right?

It's hard to tell if he actually understood what we’ll be doing and why, but who knows? He might enjoy the experience if he comes.

SNOW: In the unlikely event that he raises hell about not signing up for any of this, I shall take it upon myself to discipline him! So don’t stress yourself too much, Nerrie!

NERO: Talk about a tall order…

AKIRA: Umm… For now, let’s not worry about Mithra until the day of! Nero, thanks again for doing this.

Some days later, we all gathered again at the dining hall.

SNOW: Hurray! Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for! Cooking class, here we come!

FIGARO: Please stop hopping around. Don’t forget this still counts as an official mission.

MITHRA: Oh, does it? I thought you said we were grabbing a meal.

RIQUET: Nobody said having a meal was our main goal today. Depending on the situation, we could be concentrating on the mission, or we could be heading out for a mission-slash-cooking class.

If the latter plays out, a dining session is expected to follow.

MITHRA: Uh-huh…? That’s fine, I guess. As long as I can expect food.

AKIRA: (T-That’s it…?)

CAIN: Let’s hope our original plan goes through. After all, Chloe’s stylish creations deserve their time to shine.

LENNOX: Rustica, you were the one who requested our outfits, right?

RUSTICA: That was me, yes. Would you like to hear my pitch? I told him, “I am embarking on a quest to learn how to cook a delicious dish just for you. Would you be a dear and tailor the perfect cooking class attire for us?”

NERO: Sheesh, the expectations are off the charts. How am I supposed to deal with the fallout if it gets canceled…

SNOW: Oh, relax! First, let us head over to our destination!

MITHRA: …We’re here. This is the Town of Blue Scales.

ALL: Whoa…!

The scenery peeking out past the spatial portal took our breaths away.

You could mistake the great river for an ocean with how vast and powerful its currents flowed, summoning along a light, damp breeze.

In my arms, Sakitty twitched its nose at that distinctive marketplace scent–an aroma blend of vegetables, spices, and meat.

Although you could barely hear any hawking despite the number of carriages and travelers present, hushed chatter and laughter could be discerned from everywhere. The Town of Blue Scales gives an unusual impression of tranquil yet bustling at the same time.

RIQUET: Wow, look at all the stalls lining up the streets…

NERO: I know. Goods and commodities from all over the country are brought here for export.

LENNOX: I see a lot of carriages bearing the crests of the Central and Western merchant guilds around. Same with visitors from other countries.

CAIN: I gotta say, this is far from the bustling energy I had in mind for a port town. I thought it would be similar to my hometown…

NERO: Haha. Just so you know, this town leans on the livelier side by Eastern standards.

Here, it’s common for residents to stand around chatting with their neighbors. And given that it’s hard to keep track of all the foreigners visiting and leaving the town, law enforcement is fairly lax.

RUSTICA: The fish scale roofing lining the streets is a work of art. Was that also influenced by other countries?

NERO: Oh, that one? Nah, it's inspired by legends of Nadi the Great Fish.

AKIRA: Legend?

RIQUET: A legend you, say? Tell us more!

NERO: Whoa there. No need to tug at my sleeves, all right? I’m more than happy to fill you in. That said, I’m no expert myself.

From what I know, Nadi is said to be this ginormous fish living somewhere in this river.

A popular version of the legend tells us how a long, long time ago, Nadi took on a human form to warn the residents to flee from a coming devastating flood. The town was wrecked, but every single resident was safe thanks to that gesture.

There are other legends…but every single one is about Nadi watching over the town as it lived among humans.

AKIRA: Wow…! Considering how vast the river is, I’m not surprised a magical creature–or at least I’m assuming it is?–lives there.

NERO: Haha. At the end of the day, it’s nothing but a legend.

It is a fact that Blue Scales is a flood-prone area, so it’s no wonder that people capitalize on the legends as some sort of charm against water disasters. Think of Nadi as some honorary patron deity.

A warm, gentle smile graces Nero’s lips. I noticed he’s a lot more articulate today than he usually is.

Every time he finds these old and worn-out signages or large trees growing on the roadside, his eyes relax as if he’s walking down memory lane.

AKIRA: (…Nero seems fond of this town, so why did he have to leave? In just a decade, no less. He did mention once that he couldn’t stay in one town for too long due to his appearance, that could be why…)

FIGARO: Nero, could you lead the way to the haunted restaurant? Here’s a map.

NERO: Let’s see… *pause*

MITHRA: What’s wrong?

NERO: Nah, it’s just… Everything seems to have changed since I lived here. Mr. Shepherd, do me a favor and take over, will you?

LENNOX: All right. Master Sage, everyone, please follow me.

…We’re here. This is the restaurant in question.

We arrived at a restaurant situated in a corner of the town. It is decorated with the same blue fish scale roofing and simple beige walls you see everywhere in town. A small silver bell hangs on the door.

The place seemed fairly well-kept for an alleged haunted restaurant, but other than that, nothing was out of the ordinary. Yet for some reason, one look at the restaurant left Nero agape.

NERO: …No way…

AKIRA: (Nero…? What’s gotten him surprised?)

MITHRA: I can sense traces of the Great Calamity, although barely detectable.

SNOW: Indeed. A detailed investigation is in order, but as it stands, we are on track! To host the cooking class!

RUSTICA: Oh, I can’t wait! Why don’t we come inside and get right into it?

NERO: …

AKIRA: Um, is something the matter? Was there anything about the restaurant that caught your attention…?

NERO: …What? Oh, no, nothing like that. My memory might just be playing with me…

Anyway, after you, Sage.

The interior gave the same impression as the exterior.

The old bar countertop as well as the tables were marred with dents and scratches. The kitchen was lined with cookware.

I could easily picture a nice, cozy restaurant brimming with customers.

FIGARO: Well, would you look at that. Someone has been dealing with the upkeep. The report mentioned the place closed down a long time ago, so I was expecting it to be in a worse shape.

NERO: …You have got to be kidding me…

RIQUET: Nero? What’s— Whoa!?

The moment Riquet tilted his head, confused, white shadows wavered in the kitchen and on the bar seat before us.

CAIN: I'm detecting traces of the Calamity…

SNOW: Fret not. This is the phenomenon we talked about–what you're seeing is an echo of the past.

Eventually, the white wispy shadows took on clearer contours.

The one sitting by the counter seemed to be a customer–a good-natured elderly gentleman. And the other shadow in the kitchen, who I assume was the owner, serving a plate was–

ALL: Huh?! Nero?!

NERO: Ack…

Nero sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. Then, he looked around the room and let out an awkward chuckle.

NERO: Right… Uh, I’m still trying to process it myself…

So get this–this was the first restaurant I opened a long time ago.

ALL: !

Everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.

The shadows of Nero and the customer then suddenly disappeared, soon followed by excited reactions from us.

RIQUET: Your very first restaurant… Now that you mention it, your past self did seem to look somewhat younger!

NERO: You're imagining it. Also, I’d appreciate it if you stopped staring at me…

[graylinesspam]

This would honestly be such an interesting read and thank you for writing such a detailed response to my ask, didn’t expect that at all

“she is mostly too young to get married” I know it’s really not the point of the post but I think the minimal marital age in Mandalorian clans is 16 (if I’m not mistaken bc it might be a fanon) so in their eyes Ahsoka is perfectly suitable for marriage which can possibly result in some funny/awkward situations. Older mandos who have teenage kids are like “we noticed her first, we’ll take her thank you and fuck off”. And their every conversation with Ahsoka basically ends with “yeah so i have a kid right about your age, good lad, very capable, just so you know” and she’s like “¿¿¿ uhh k got it”

“they're saying fuck it, ima court the highly powerful ex-jedi anyways.” Ok I wrote that previous stuff before reading this part but yeah, my thoughts exactly

“Huge super powerful riduur move things with mind, fight with cool weapons, make clan strong.” I’m wheezing please 😂😂😂

“Ahsoka finishing kills with her teeth” feral Ahsoka goes so fucking hard ngl we need MORE FERAL AHSOKA

“Ahsoka using the force to snatch a knife off your belt to kill an enemy with.” Aaaand the owner of the knife might just plan a marriage proposal right that instant “Eat it losers she used MY knife not yours, she wants me so bad fr”

“#Oh oh she wouldn't accept your vibroblade? #cuz she's wearing my ammo belt right now #shame #that's my blaster on her hip” ok just got to this part dude are you reading my mind or smth

Anyway, I would absolutely LOVE to read whatever you have in mind for this au and I hope others will share my enthusiasm as well ❤️❤️

Mostly too young in terms of training i think. A lot of Mando maturity hinges on completing your training and on one hand Ahsoka is very competent and has began some mando specific training. BUT she wouldn't be considered fully trained. I think the mandos use the training = maturity scale not to circumvent physical maturity but instead to motivate in training. Like your all horned up and in love and ready to get married?? Fine, finish your training and prove it.

But Ahsoka's such a catch that like some mando clans are playing dirty and like you said their parents are trying to recruit her for their children. Like fuck memorizing star charts i want the jetti to throw my ass over her shoulder again. I should ask her to spar.

She's getting taller by the day. Regular nutrition means her montrals are growing taller, her lekku is filling out. She shoots up a foot at least after leaving the GAR. She is gonna be big pretty soon. We know she gets to be 6ft. BIG RIDUUR. Has them mandos resorting to cave man speech patterns.

Don't even get me started on Feral Ahsoka hunting. The things i could come up with.

The owner of that knife is drafting bloody love poems. The owner of that knife has steam coming out from under their helmet. The owner of that knife is cleaning it later mourning the stain of the blood of her enemies. Wack off material for sure.

AND THE CLONES????

The boys are so possessive of her. They can taste freedom on the horizon. They're talking about life after the war. They're shifting themselves into clan factions and daydreaming over camp fires. AND ahsoka is there with them. Tucked under Rex's arm. He said the vows first damnit. That's his goddamn vod'ika. When this is over and him and Cody decide on a clan symbol Ahsoka will be wearing it goddamn it.

She's wearing plastoid armor and GAR issued utility belt with a DC-17 in the holster. If they could pain PROPERTY OF TORRENT on her forehead they would. (They paint her face on their helmets instead)

They see those scheming mando clans making moves on her and they are having none of it.

Ahsoka gets asked to spar again by some gangly eager young thing in a helmet that tilts slightly and Rex is like "Y'know what? it's been a long time since we've sparred Ner Vod'ika. Can't let you slack on training. Why don't we go a round. Show the boys how it's done?"

Ahsok'ika

ner vod

Al'verde

jett'ika

kih vod

Truly i will bite you levels of 'don't touch my commander'

[canonmisogynyvictimstournament]

Now that submissions are closed, we can talk stats. There were 881 valid, unique submissions for 474 characters! Woof, women have it rough out there!

The most submitted characters, with a relevant propaganda snippet included, are:

1. Sakura Haruno (Naruto): 28 [where do i even fucking begin]

2. Cordelia Chase (Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel): 21 [OH SO MANY THINGS]

3. Misa Amane (Death Note): 20 [The author of Death Note invented new forms of misogyny just to apply them to Misa.]

4. Kaede Akamatsu (Danganronpa V3): 15 [Oh, you thought we would have a female main character in one of our mainline games? With a cool defining talent, no less? That's stupid of you]

5. TIE: Kairi (Kingdom Hearts): 14 [I'm so mad. I think she deserves a gun.]

5. TIE: Stephanie Brown (DC Comics): 14 [She does eventually get retconned as surviving the event and hiding out in Africa (don't ask, it does not make more sense in context)]

The canons with the most submissions, with a relevant propaganda snippet included, are:

1. DC Comics: 61 [DC has SO MUCH sexism it's laughable]

2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel: 35 [Fuck Joss Whedon, man.]

3. Naruto: 33 [because Kishimoto hates women]

4. Warrior Cats: 26 [Warriors is one of the most misogynistic children's series I've ever seen]

5. Danganronpa: 25 [I honestly had to think about it just to decide which woman is treated the worst because this series hates them so much]

The canons with the most characters submitted, with a relevant propaganda snippet for a specific character included, are:

1. DC Comics: 21 [Free her from the huge tits back breaking pose.]

2. Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel: 12 [Anyways she was so hot and for what. 10/10 my lesbian awakening.]

3. Supernatural: 11 [Yeah, she got randomly killed off-screen for shock value and manpain, but she sent an email right before she died so at least her death wasn't in vain, right?]

4. TIE: Star Trek: 9 [She literally gets teleported out of her clothes in one episode.]

4. TIE: Yu-Gi-Oh!: 9 [One loss is particularly brutal as she falls from a large height directly onto her head and goes into a coma (again. yes this was the second time).]

5. TIE: Warrior Cats: 8 [I'm sure she'll get submitted again just ask any reasonable fan they'll tell you about her and her sister]

5. TIE: Attack on Titan: 8 [As a child soldier, she does commit some war crimes]

And here are some charts to show how some of these entries fucked the scale on my charts:

Look at Sakura, fucking up my chart with her numbers.

On a similar note...

Good god, DC, I know what you did, but add fucking up my charts to your list of crimes.

And now, enjoy some rankings of my favorite things:

My favorite universal sentiment quotes from propaganda are:

She lived she served cunt and then she got killed off super early so that the male characters could experience man pain and also because I guess she would have been too powerful if left alive. [Wen Qing (Mo Dao Zu Shi)]

That design. Dear god. I don't want to live on this planet anymore. [Mitzi (The Queen's Corgi)]

In the end she may have girlbossed too close to the sun, but I support her anger. [Ling Wen (Heaven Official's Blessing)]

the victim of “writer doesn’t understand women and also hates them” disease. [Naomi Misora (Death Note)]

She could 100% kill somebody but nobody ever effing lets her. Rip queen. [Kairi (Kingdom Hearts)]

My favorite raging at a writer quotes from propaganda are:

1. You took every single protagonist to weird lion heaven, Clive, but suddenly Susan isn't good enough. [Susan Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia)]

2. Being a woman written by Joss Whedon should automatically entitle her to financial compensation tbh. [River Tam (Firefly)]

3. A lot can be summed up in a couple words, namely, "Furman, why?" [Arcee (Transformers)]

4. Can you tell respect women juice ran in Tolstoy's veins. [Lise Bolkonskaya (War and Peace)]

5. TIE: (specifically a guy called Dan Didio, who we all hate) [Stephanie Brown (DC Comics)]

5. TIE: until Geoff motherfucking Johns comes into the picture [Pantha (DC Comics)]

My favorite quotes from propaganda that have nothing to do with misogyny, y'all are just funny:

I wish I could use bold here, because there's no such thing as uppercase numbers. [Arcee (Transformers)]

the most convoluted and lore dense piece of media this side of the afton criticality. [Jane Crocker (Homestuck)]

ended up starting a gang war by accident [Stephanie Brown (DC Comics)]

Ashfur, who later turns out to be a murderous incel [Squirrelflight (Warrior Cats)]

Hawkfrost is actively seeing Brambleclaw and his evil father in cat hell. [Squirrelflight (Warrior Cats)]

[strontiumsun]

Happy New Year! As the clock turns, I have a special fakemon gift! I've already shared the regional Pikachu for my in-progress fan region, but we also have a regional Eevee with regional Eeveelutions.

This regional Eevee, known as "Smokee" to locals, is a Ghost type. Its body is made of ash and smoke. Despite its strong resemblance to Eevee, Smokee never reacted to any of the known Eevee evolution methods. That was until recent events in the region uncovered a material that, when exposed to Smokee, causes it to evolve!

Regional Vaporeon live in misty mountain valleys. They exhale thick plumes of vapor to hide in. They're known to be temperamental. They have the Marvel Scale ability.

Regional Jolteon live in the forest abutting the foot of the mountain. They fire off stinging spines from their bodies with startling accuracy. They have the Compound Eyes ability.

Regional Flareon fly about in the thin mountain air. The fluff on their bodies absorbs sunlight to keep themselves warm at high altitudes; at night, it releases a pleasant glow. They have the ability Flare Boost.

Regional Espeon have an uncanny ability to dowse for water in their alpine desert homes. When their tails straighten, it means water is near. They have the Water Absorb ability.

Regional Umbreon form packs in the swamps. A strange, sickly glow emanates from the jewel on their foreheads, making them look like will-o-wisps in the night. They have the Corrosion ability.

Regional Leafeon's blades are ultra-light razors that can cut nearly anything, even sheer mountain rock. When its blades dull, it sheds them and grows new ones. It has the Sharpness ability.

Regional Glaceon live in caves, where they use their gem-studded heads to bash open pathways in the dark. They have the Rock Head ability.

Regional Sylveon live in cities. By tightening and loosening the wraps on their legs, they can control the power of their blows. They have the Moxie ability.

As I hope you can see, my idea with creating these Regional Eeveelutions was to fill out the rest of the type chart while keeping the designs within the basic silhouettes of the existing Pokemon. I hope you guys like them!

[cornyonmains]

Got some more thoughts about episode 3 in no particular order.

Episode 3 really helped confirm this strange phenomenon I've noticed of the dark subject matter colliding with rather optimistic symbolic imagery. Almost all the numbers Great sees are angel numbers with messages about seeking enlightenment, harmony, and trusting the path one is on. Black and white cats are symbols of good luck, symbolic of yin and yang. There's a lot of imagery happening between Great and Tyme symbolic of harmony, luck, and enlightenment.

I did not miss, for a single dadgum second, that slanted shot when Korn and Great were talking to each other at the end. If you think of that shot as two characters sitting on opposite sides of a scale, it definitely implies there's a huge imbalance of power favoring Korn, and I found it telling the slant continued when he left the room. Between Title, Korn, Tyme, it's really seeming like Great, for all his flaws, really was mostly just this quiet and oblivious guy who got jerked around and manipulated by a lot of personalities much larger than his own.

Great's far from perfect, but the core part of him is that guy who wanted to play the claw machine, and that puts him on a VERY different level from Korn, who's running a gambling empire and keeping tweakers for sugar baby side-pieces. That doesn't strike me as anything Great would ever conceive of doing, but more importantly, it's something he probably wouldn't have to do. I could see Korn being jealous of the protection he enjoys thanks to his mother's manipulations. She's throwing Korn into a line of fire he doesn't necessarily seem to want to be in either, and I think that's going to cause an issue, especially with Tonkla going off the deep end.

Great outlining the word sex in red when making that chart will never not be funny to me. That's such a guy thing to do.

I'm starting to wonder if Tonkla is on a different timeline, because I'm starting to think that's not the case. I think Great saving Dome happened first, then the killing happened second. I think the cover-up could have been set into motion because Great's prints were found on the rock.

Early Prediction - I think if Title and Korn come into contact with one another, these are two people who both have cause to feel alienated by Great, and who are probably operating with a lot more knowledge and capabilities than he is. I've been trying to figure out why Title is hanging out with Great for awhile now, and I think it has something to do with him maybe being a bit more aware of Great's family than Great is himself. I could definitely see him getting up to something with Korn if he can use the chance to attach himself to what he'd perceive as the favored brother of that family, as well as get revenge on Great.

Anyways, that's all for now, I'm working up the mental fortitude necessary to log onto my work platform and write some reports.

[snarksalon]

MHA has a gender problem.

Before I begin unpacking my thoughts, I would like to make clear that I am aware that Shonen is a genre which caters to boys. I do not think that a genre catering to a specific demographic excuses poor writing choices.

I am not by any means the first person to make a case for the importance of well-written female characters, however, as a lifelong anime fan, poorly-written women are a consistent issue in many anime/manga. The treatment of female characters in MHA limits the story's potential and at times makes the manga utterly unbearable.

MHA presents us with an unequal society, however, in the world of MHA, women uniquely lose out. In the hero world, women are sexualised and clearly provided with fewer opportunities than men. This is reflected in both the gender distribution of the classes at UA as well as the hero rankings themselves. There are six girls in both class 1a and class 1b and there are only two women in the top 10 of the hero billboard chart, those being Mirko and Ryukyu. The costumes which female heroes in the story wear are often highly sexualised and impractical, and on numerous occasions in the story the sexualisation of these women is openly demonstrated to the watcher/reader. In our first interaction with Mt Lady, she is sexualised with her butt being focused on.

Need I say much more.

This isn't the only example of the sexism within the narrative. During the internships following the sports festival, Momo and Kendo internships with Uwabami, and instead of gaining valuable experience they participate in a hair commercial. To make matters even worse, the message that Uwabami imparts to them is that keeping up appearances is crucial. Here, Momo and Kendo are deprived of gaining training and development and the harsh reality of what the hero world is like for women sets in. This experience is humiliating, and the narrative plays this off as joke.

Beyond these two examples, other sexist things occur within the narrative which are barely commented on. There's a headline in a newspaper which references a rescue that Tsuyu and Uraraka are responsible for which refers to them not by name but as "two cuties". Endeavour literally purchases Rei to be his wife and domestically abuses her (let's not even get into the horrific power dynamics here). The women in class 1-a are sidelined and frequently saved by their male counterparts. Mineta frequently sexually harasses and violates women in the story (grabbing Tsuyu's chest in the USJ arc comes to mind here). Momo is made to wear a revealing costume because she wont be able to phase the items she creates through the fabric but Mirio's costume can stay on as the fabric in his costume is interwoven with his own hair.

Additionally, power scaling in this manga is gendered. The majority of female characters have non-combative quirks, and the female characters who have combat-oriented quirks are usually weaker than their male counterparts. Ryuku for example, struggles to take down Rikiya Katsukame in the overhaul arc and has to utilise her three student interns to accomplish this. In the overhaul arc, the girls are majorly sidelined and are thrust into a support role. Many of the women in the manga are sidekicks, and a lot of the female pro-heroes don't have heavy-hitting quirks. When characters do have heavy-hitting quirks, Horikoshi's poor power scaling becomes most obvious. For example, Mina's quirk allows her to produce acid capable of melting metal and she isn't regarded as having a formidable quirk within the story. Similarly, Neijire's wave motion quirk is under utilised.

Most disturbingly, though sexism is deeply entrenched throughout the story, none of the female characters acknowledge its existence and this is a bad writing choice because it is antithetical to the values held by someone who is pursuing a career as a hero. In the MHA universe, heroism is pursued to help others and to achieve justice within society. Within the story, heroes are presented as the protectors of the weak and the facilitators of order within society. Thus, as a reader it is hard to believe that women who are pursuing heroism as a career path would be content with their own oppression. The women in the story also do not strive to be at the top, save for Mirko who is the main exception.

UA is the top hero school in the country and has a highly selective admission process. It is astounding that the majority (if not all) of female students that we meet are comfortable with becoming support or rescue heroes. In classes 1a and 1b there isn't a single female student who has the ambition of becoming one of the school's top three. The female students are not as ambitious or competitive as their male peers and are forced into gendered rivalries with other women in the story (see the Kendo and Momo rivalry, Ochacho vs Toga).

The inclusion of moments of critical reflection by the female characters within the story would have made them feel more three-dimensional. If Momo's self-doubt during the final exam arc had been the result of being chosen for an internship due to her looks rather then her hero ability, it would have made her self-doubt more understandable and would have demonstrated her discontent with her physical appearance being valued over her talent. If Tsuyu and Uraraka had been disheartened that the major takeaway from their rescue was the result of their physical appearance, this would have added another dimension to these characters. Hakagure having to be naked all of the time is played as a joke at her expense, but understanding Hakagure's thoughts and feelings about this would have allowed us as an audience to greater empathise with her rather than viewing her as a spectacle.

Ultimately, MHA's depiction of women is disappointing and a lot of potential is wasted here.

[unlimited-sciuridae]

Dazzledoll Ship Chart!

Wooo okay so I was too tired to do this last night so let's break it down. Because my ass over thought everything buckle up and you will see my vision!

What it felt like doing this at 3am:

let's start with the art I put Mimzy in a dress I designed after her "flapper" dress, a subtle hint about how Vel likes to dress her up. Mimz is posses for a fan photo and Vel is taking a selfie.

Height: Velvette gives angry short person vibes so no she won't tell her height- fuck off. Mimzy is cutesie about it as "fun size". Honestly figuring out the height of shorter characters is difficult. Vox and Alastor are 7 feet tall and both ladies go up to the men's shoulders. Scale is so wonky, I suppose that would make them actually 6 feet? But then Charlie is 6' 6" and Lucifer is shorter than her commonly thought of as 6' :

Here mimzy and Luci are closer to the viewer so all and all mimzy is probably 5'10"ish. They'd be the same height. They aren't short just surrounded by giants. Niffty is short though, like 3 feet? Anyway.

Age: I answer this as age at time of death and not chronological age. I headcanon Vel is a "new adult" she's described as the youngest of the Vees. Mimzy won't say a lady never does. But late 20s maybe 31 at the oldest is my headcanon.

Relationship status: They live for the drama its on again off again and a few times they "broke up" because it was a publicity stunt.

Gender: This is actually a Lil juicy. I'm a fat woman the reason I put Lady is that I'm gifting my gender whoahs to her. She's used to being degendered by assholes who want to "put her in her place" for being too self confident and fat. Don't get it wrong people have the right to get pissy she does underhanded things but she doesn’t like the feeling of having her identity as a lady denied. Lady was the ultimate gendered compliment in her time, you should treat a lady a certain way, be nice to a lady ectra.

Velvette has had similar experiences along the lines of degendering and masculization of woc. Vel grew up when she likely had racists treat her differently than they would a white woman. Her femininity was ignored if she was too loud and opinionated- stereotyped. Different lenses to view womanhood and what it means to deserve your gender.

Sexuality: Vel is a confirmed Lesbian 🎉 and Mimzy is "sapphos sister" which isn't actually a period accurate term persay but I think it describes her pretty well. My headcanon is that shes likely m-spec with a preference for men but isn't afraid to explore her Sapphic side.

Occupation: Pretty straight forward, in the playbill it mentions Mimzy owning a club at a point and I headcanon that's her ideal job now. She can sing as much as she wants. She used to want to be a movie star but she mostly gave up on that because movies in hell are not to her taste.

Both are extroverts, Mimzy less so. She's used to smaller crowds of people on her wheras Vel is handling thousands.

Everyone knows when they are together and when they aren't they do have enough self awareness not to talk mad shit when broken up by playing coy about things.

Vel would kill for the people she cares about and has the power to back it up. Mimzy was always a bit squeamish about murder at least directly with a knife. She would put out a hit on someone or poison them. Her main issue is that she has very little power. It's more in her nature to be a bit selfish but if she loves you she'll die for you or with you. Bonnie and Clyde or Thelma and Louise. She's more of a sentimental romantic in that way imo. Vel will kill you or put out a hit on you or use her magic to make your gaudy scarf choke you to death. She a survivor by nature, she won't die for you but she will make your death everyone elses problem.

Vel takes a while to fall in love and like I mentioned Mimz is sentimental and a romantic falling faster.

Vel is messy in crunch time but will clean up, Mimz works better in choas.

I purposely draw them switching spoon order it depends on whose feeling which role. Mimzy slightly prefers little spoon but not by much.

Mimz can cook a limited amount of food very well. Vel I imagine died in the early 2000s and like I see a lot in British media had more take away and convince food with her mom cooking when she could at home. Vel didn't get to learn her mom's recipes. Now as a powerful Vee she has a chef and will sometimes eat hells version of microwave Ramen when homesick. Both are sentimental about food and flavors. "Coke hasn't been the same since they removed the cocaine" and since Europe in general has stricter food additive laws Vel would probably lament the way a certain chemical tasted good but can't get anymore. Mimz would try to recreate Vels mom's food for Vel.

Vel finds being in love (vs lust) unsettling. She's had her guard up for so long. Mimz actually loves the way love makes her feel wild and out of control.

Because of my 2000s headcanon Vel has had more dates and attempts at relationships. Mimz had her fair share but just not as much. Both eras (and today) have stigmas about dating around but it's easier to find like minded people now.

If I understand this scale right they both like to do stuff like this:

Whenever possible but due to height they don't get to that often. See above: surrounded by giants. If one of them is standing and someone else is sitting its open arm rest season.

Because of their nature of on again off again it's hard to tell but mimz is much more comfortable with a long term relationship with Vel whereas at least for now Vel can feel overwhelmed. The longer they are together they'll sus out their issues. Have a few mean fights about it. They are a messy couple with ups and downs and I love it. I did draw them getting married before but who knows if that'd be where they actually end up in my own headcanons.

Fundamentally they are attention seeking creatives. They are creatives in different areas which allows them not to sabotage each other.

Whats the appeal I take to mean as what they see in each and like it says they match each other's freak. Both are this guy:

If you gotta get people murdered for art so be it.

Howd they meet was so fun to imagine! Someone with a cell phone recorded a song at Mimzys club and it went viral. Which put Mimz on Vels radar.

(Actually it'd be hilarious if Vox is trying to remember where he knows Mimzy from as a running gag in the relationship. Velvette doesn't give a shit that Mimzy knows Alastor but thinks its hilarious that Vox can't remember and is letting his old man show)

A note on font: I wanted fonts to show their styles and then a generic font for other information. Basically implying they wrote some of it and I the creator wrote some of it.

[tearueful]

HEY tell me about your boys oc

You've twisted my arm, LMAO.

Time to dump my brain. My The Boys OC is PURE SELF INDULGENCE because she's basically an alt version of Tea but what if The Boys? So you know, a cringe almost self-insert OC that evolved into her own thing in my brain. She 300% only exists to smooch Homelander but as of today and runaway story ideas, MAYBE NOT.

I've got this whole vague outline of a story in my head I've taken notes on and written a few lines and drabbles for, but she'll most likely just stick in my brain cause OC x canon isn't well received and I don't have the free time to RP her with friends like I'd like.

ANYWAY - This is LONG. So LONG.

Her name is Stray, which is super not original to anyone who knows my online aliases or the fact that the first version of my vtube character was named Stray but I like short aliases and Stray is as good a name as any for a cat-based Supe.

Her supe power is that she can shapeshift into any feline. House cat, tiger, leopard, and even prehistoric cats because I want her to lay on Homelander as a polar bear sized saber. THE VISUALS.

Like Doppelganger, Stray fluidly shifts between forms in mere moments but unlike Doppelganger, these forms are all Stray. She can't transform into a visual copy of say, your pet cat.

Like Beast Boy, her animal forms are coded to her colors. She's a calico cat (surprise, surprise) if she's a house cat. A golden tabby coated tiger if she's a tiger. Basically all coat colors try to mimic orange, brown, white to some degree. If she's a lioness, it's a richer orangy hue instead of tawny.

I'd have to pin down the exact colors and make a coat pattern chart, but basically every coat is a little off on what the default is for wild cats. Enough to make you go, 'hmm that seems odd' more than seeing a big cat in a weird spot would. The other thing that's constant is her eye color, same green eyes in all forms. So her hair color / skin color reflect her cat coat patterns and her eye color is consistent, basically.

The main perk is that her supe power scales with form. She's a house cat? Well- That house cat could theoretically blast herself through your skull like Jamie the hamster and come out fine on the other side. This scales, so you get a jaguar biting you it's no longer a 1,500 PSI bite but idfk, biting through steel beams. The bigger Stray is, the more durable and the more damage she can do. Get her big enough and she could bite through Homelander's limbs. :D

The downsides are:

Stray is a perfectly normal, squishy person when not in a feline form. Very fragile, don't let near other Supes when she's a person.

She can't stay in feline form forever. Like Doppelganger, it hurts if she keeps a form for too long but she's been trained (forced) to endure it. After 24 hours, she starts to become debilitated from the pain but can push on depending on desperation level. Regardless, she'll be pretty useless quick.

Stray can be locked out of shifting or locked in a form with a metal band around her neck/wrist/ankle. Say, iron does it because uh- It's the most stable element or something which blocks Stray's atoms from doing whatever the fuck they do to reform her into various kitty cats. Having a power lock is fun for situations.

The backstory is that around the same time of Homelander's debut, Stan Edgar wanted to have a contingency plan. I don't know the exact timeline, but I assume Victoria Neuman was adopted by Edgar around that time as his backup plan for Homelander. Stray was picked up for the same reason, except she was more a creature to get locked away and trained to hate Homelander.

Her SUPER TRAGIC backstory is that she had a normal life, save for being a supe, until she turned 18. Then Vought snatched her up with the excuse of that binding Supe Contract, so her family was none the wiser that through daughter was shipped off to a lab. Meanwhile, Stray was fed some story that her family DIED HORRIBLY because of Homelander with her hatred of him encouraged subtly. Enough to make a bitch pissy, but not rampage through the lab. (That or they kept a bitch collared a lot)

Stan Edgar gets thrown in jail and Stray gets lost in the shuffle, forgotten for the most part until her file is dug up or The Boys are tipped off about something strange over in a SUPER SECRET LAB that Butcher is apparently good at finding, given how he found The Woods in Gen V.

The Boys get a new pet cat as they assume Stray is a suped up animal, since they find her collared and unable to shift. I get to write a few cute drabbles of Stray being tormented as people coo over her as a kitty cat until someone takes her collar off. Then the idiot is hell bent on revenge, which suits Butcher just fine.

She infiltrates Vought Tower by being picked up as a stray cat (haha) by Ryan Butcher. Cue Homelander having beef with a cat who keeps stealing his son's attention. Also, that cat keeps looking at him weird. More excuses to write cute fluff with Ryan getting a pet he can cuddle but can't kill. She chills in Vought Tower with Ryan, getting rather attached to the boy because he is SUCH A SWEETIE PIE.

Stray goes to chomp Homelander's head off eventually, hunting him down like prey and wrecking his shit because I just want to write Homelander being afraid. There's something fun about having Homelander hunted by a bigger predator, something primordial and feral. c:

Ryan intervenes before Stray eats Homelander and she pisses off for a bit. Also, probably dealing with a Compound V high given how much V must be in Homelander's blood.

Something something, Homelander researches the bitch who almost ate him. Figures out her weakness and there's probably MORE DRAMA with them fucking with each other. I haven't banged out the details but these lil shits will be toxic as fuck, but since Stray is a strong supe he'll want her for his supe army. Homelander even shows Stray that her family is alive and she's all, "Well fuck. Uh, my bad bro?"

Ultimately, Stray will waver between hating Vought for what they did, having some loyalty to members of The Boys for their kindness, but loyalty to Homelander and Ryan for similar. She's not a good person so she could go for the DESTROY VOUGHT or SUPE SUPERIORITY side on a coin flip.

She's just a character I want to put in situations within The Boys universe. (Sexual situations)

I want tiger!Stray sprawled out on the floor while Ryan uses her as a living lounge chair as he does his homework.

Bickering between Homelander and Stray. Stray being a VERY FUCKING ANNOYING CAT at Homelander before he knows she's a supe.

Therapy cat for Kimiko. 🥺

Butcher being a jerk and dubbing her 'Moggy'.

Stray leaving bite and claw mark scars on Homelander. c: