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The Plot Thickens

almost thought I clicked on the wrong manga

Do not be fooled by pretty faces.

For an agent of shadows, display of emotions is always purposeful.

Void: certified 疑心暗鬼* sneaky ass, wonders if Blast meant to pry about his village, so he prods him back…with crocodile tears(?)

(ready, set, cry)

Mission Blast

get close to him,gather intel about associates, financial flow, unknown technology, can be used for village or not, then get rid of unnecessary elements.

“As you wish”

Meanwhile Blast snores sonorously like an uncle, asleep like a log.

Luna: Void's younger sister, refers to him deferentially as if a master

Ofc it's all related… Void schemes…

Funny how it looks like Blast just accepted pretty lady out of nowhere & life henceforth without an ounce of suspicion. Happily bamboozled.

No clues if Blast knows it's Void's sister yet but I doubt Void reveals it while the mission went on.

Void: his eyes are unreadable…

Maybe he's got no motives to read. Unlike you.

Luna is known to Blast &co. as Maya

She died from combat with a particularly strong ‘agent’ of the cube. And her brother's reaction?

Void: to be eliminated by such circumstances, pathetic.

“I don't even get sentimental about my sister's death. You died because you are weak. It's all your own responsibility.”

“…incompetent bastard…”

Or so he says, while he looks like he is haunted by her ghost.

Maybe he is in denial about grief, maybe he only saw her as a means to an end, a tool for his plan anyway, not as a person. Who knows.

His guilty conscience even suspects Blast knew & let her die to get rid of spies,as the timing of her death was when she delved into crucial details of his circles.

How much did it affect him? Hard to say, he's the calculated unreadable bastard who puts on facades.

Only the weak die, peak survivalist mentality. You only die because you are weak sounds real tough until it happens to yourself.

He may deny it, but I suspect his most useful subordinates still had some value to him… else, why would they appear to him when he was hit with cube vision? And why he didn't go for Blue… surely smb as ruthless as him could if he wanted. He has his reasons, and weaknesses.

Truly apathetic humans do exist,but how far can you stray from yourself & how much can you reject your humanity at the end?

*疑心暗鬼: a bit difficult to explain but it's like, your heart is always so full of suspicion, it becomes plagued by ghosts of endless, often irrational thoughts.

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The Mystery of Monsters

where do they come from, what do they seek, how did they come to exist, why has nobody of the OPMverse questioned why there had come to be so many monsters recently.

I learnt from a history class once:

Monsters exist to demonstrate - to show some important perspective, to teach us a lesson, to let us learn of what we would miss without their exaggeration of it. Their behaviour shocks us to revelation through extremity.

Not 怪物, Not 怪獣, But 怪人. lit. Strange People

notice how OPM uses the term *怪人* for the monsters, rather than common default of 怪物 lit. Strange Things, or 怪獣 lit. Strange Beasts.

人: a character for person, people, human.

which might imply, just as we read, some of the Mysterious Ones were once Human

The Human who becomes ill of heart & mind, taken by obsession, driven to madness, full of desperation, resort to extremity. Ill of senses, sanity lost, they defy reason, they manifest as macabre phenomena.

The Human itself harbours seed of monstrosity.

Rather than treat the symptom of an epidemic & fight them when they appear unpredictably, why not try to understand root causes of their emergence, look into why they exist first of all, from where or what they originate, how to curb their descent to monstrosity from resolution of base issues?

It's shown human-origin monsters can revert if they regain sense of their humanity & have will of heart to do so. Even non-human origin ones often escalated from environmental factors, eg. pollution, unethical experiments, etc. then they go out & wreck havoc to air their grievances, so it seems an endless battle for humans, who also undeniably caused some of the issues bound to fester into monstrosity.

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Saitama moves: normal ground slam

………(oh they're just regular swords)

I thought Saitama would walk out of the forest to check on commotion as Void burst out of the ground, then swat him anti-climactically as OPM does, maybe some good ol' lectures. But perhaps he is lost, or confused as usual.

*dramatic gaspspsp*

Look, more lore, more mystery.

*sips tea, bombastic side eye*

oh dear… oh dear… 🤭😬

Blast,are you surrre you still want to prioritize his life? Is it wise?

Void's attachment was Blast's wife, but what's their relationship?

Blast still has hopes for Void, but Void is pissed at him, for whatever valid or not reason, or maybe he is just manipulated by the… critter on the moon.

Void said Blast brought misfortune around him by how he irresponsibly preached lofty ideals, at the end, he could not protect anyone.

Who was it Blast couldn't protect? What were his mistakes & failures? What caused such rift between them? Why is Void so pissed at him years later? What did they do prior fallout anyway? Was it shady work? You don't just go search for mysterious cubes on a whim. How did they learn about it?

Do Blast's personal flaws tie back to his power? How they contrast his power of darkness with Void?

I mean Void is also plenty unhinged …almost blinded by his light & what -ever vision he was planted with. Clearly, his earthly attachment was his weakness, it let him be whisked away by the nefarious critter. Both of them got deep faults to work on.

I wouldn't be surprised if it all stemmed from small issues neglected & snowballed to resentment, which could've been resolved if only they communicated, but ofc dudes refuse to talk it out so they spiral down a bloody brawl. Maybe Saitama will smack them both to clarity, idk.

Tbh we don't know much about Blast, his motivation, character, etc.

Blue is his son, but by the way he started his own organization, & the fact Blast has been absent probably more than half his life, seems like their relationship is not too good…no mention of his mother yet either …well, a distant dad raises no son.

Flash questioned why Void did not target Blast's child/family first, could it be his weakness is not his son or wife? Not unlikely, if I had to guess. There's some complicated relationship dynamics afoot.

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Neo Disciplinary Agents

*chills*

She got jacked arms under her suit, no doubt…crazy spider-leg hair, she has full control over every thread of organization members… what were they prior? Ex-mercenary? They emit prison guard… or executioner vibes…

You simply don't fxck around. You will not find out, you will simply be gone, gone like a speck of dust.

Let's talk about neo org structure, (ex?)-criminals, cult leaders, big-shot bourgeoisie… 99% guaranteed to each have their own purposes, grand delusion of world conquest, & their nefarious deeds:

Loot, tax evasion, human experiment & underground market etc.

Such an exemplary bunch, what could possibly go wrong?

Allow me to tell you a story:

Once, X worked at an establishment* with decent pay but manager bullied them so they left for another sect. across the block, who promised them better pay & fair treatment. Except when they arrived, to their dismay, other staff were jealous saboteurs, back-stabbers, rumour mills who did all they could to drag others under no matter how low they stoop.It was even implicitly encouraged.Boss did not want X bc of age, manager later also did not want X bc of “ability” despite prior promises, but they do not get dirt on their own hands, so they “borrow other's knife to k!ll” so to speak,which is why some staff turn on X as if they get paid… they do, though reward may not be money.

X decided to quit when they found out just how shady they operated:

identity fraud & faked marriage for immigration, debt entrapment, money laundry, tax evasion, exploit staff by tip confiscation, gambles are on the tables & obligatory, prostitute to the top, join cult for promotion

Their method:

financial & social entrapment, back scenes manipulation,subtle coercion

At the end X went back to prior org …at least they had rigid management who know how to run an operation on the table… all hands visible.

Sound familiar?

… … …

Not to dismiss the benefit of doubt but when you fill your ranks & esp. the executive echelon with egoistic characters of dubious backgrounds & even more obscured intentions… what would you expect happen?

Already on first encounter somebody expressed vehement protest. Truly smart opposition don't show their fangs until it's too late for you. Ex-criminals who look ready to pick a fight anytime? You rly think they would change for good? Mayyybe… but words are cheap talk, watch what they do. Cult leaders… never good news. Immediate boost of followers for your organization? Sure. Long-term goals? Hmm… Well, what can the bourgeoisie do? Anything they want & their money can buy. Easy funds? For now. You think they will just fund you for free? It's a world of Give & Take, & who knows better how to seize* than an elite capitalist. An iconic idol can't be bad, we get loyal popularity!Except she's wired to the organization's server, which seems convenient,for communication? Or maybe… mind control? She already experiences “glitches”…seems like a cyborg power boost clearly has draw -backs.How long can the power boost of borg op. last? What happens when it's worn out? We all know hardware needs maintenance & upgrades. About the disciplinary agents? Also borgs …But they look uncanny, like they'd be unfazed under any circumstances, like they know…things.Idk about the ex-mercenary part… they thoroughly creep me out.

Hey at least the young leader seems honest & competent? Keyword: young* Can we expect a circus of hooligans to obey a 16 yr-old boy? …How much control does he actually have over them? I don't doubt his competency, I doubt the members' extent of will for cooperation.

(no no I'm just paranoid~) oh but…

For example,

Suiryu is obligated to work for neo now to pay for the suit he damaged, debt entrapment at work.

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Blast & Void 🤔🧐🤨

Blast: *sigh* “Look at him yap…”

“Hold my glasses, I need to lecture my partner…” What do his shades do? X-ray vision? Look into space-time?

You know space uncle means business when he takes off his shades.

MURATA SENSEI!! ONE?! EXPLAIN!!

WHAT IS THEIR RELATIONSHIP??!??

nawhhh the way he looks at void 6.6

Murata's art is *chef's kiss* alrdy but he portrays Blast almost like a real person. The way he illustrates characters who got some age on them gives them *life*, yk what I mean? Such skill. (art analysis noises) it is easy to skip details on ppl & draw youngsters as perfect immortal youths, but to make elder ones look so full of soul & story? You'd have to be patient enough to rly observe real ppl, and *practise*. I respect his dedication & great attention to detail. So meticulous. orz

But I am also extremely unsettled by whatever the hell sort of move Void conjured.

Dude wtf?! Did you just rotate your head & limbs like an action figure?

?!What is he made of?!

Blast, there's something wrong with your buddy. I think we need to send him back to the deepest trenches of earth, man. Call an exorcist.

Seriously though, why is Void angry at Blast, why did they fallout, why … what happened 15 years ago? Blast still obviously has a soft spot for Void, even if he wanted to drag him back to HQ for question, two kunais to the eyes won't k!ll him.

Mercy cost our top hero an arm… what will happen next?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Cube®︎

Several Qs:

Cube®︎ exploits ppl's vulnerability, what would happen if it met smb who had no tether to humanity — no dear person, no ambition, no ideological or mental crevices to exploit? Or would god(no ID) just avoid them?

If Void got his cosmic power from god(no ID), How did Blast get his power? His is based on black holes, right? He seems human otherwise? If Void refers to Blast's ♾as power of darkness & opposition to god(no ID) what is he then? Eternal light? lol Radiation? An outward projection of power as opposed to bottomless warp of cosmos? Both seem like they can travel through space-time & predict possibilities.

Quantum mechanics is beyond my comprehension… +superpowers which defy all my senses of logic is too far… I simply suspend my disbelief.

Remember kids, when shady strangers approach with promises of paradise almost too good to be true, it is. Never fall for candy Cube®︎, it only hides nefarious schemes.

Terms & Conditions always apply.

god (no ID) is NOT on your side.

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OPM moments of jest.

I can hear the “teehee” from galaxy uncle all the way over here.

It looks like an emoji blep pasted onto his face lol

“Dad?” “No.”

Responsible Adult appreciation here

…they look alike, don't they.

Sekingaru is there to keep the kids out of trouble. You know the drill, pick your fight wisely.

If Blue was at the back of the room the whole time they squabbled, then his slouch must testify how well he tolerates ruckus.

I would be out of there the moment the boxer knocked the door off its hinges, if not for business.

I'm no psychic, but if I had to guess, he looks sick of their shit.

Well,they hired a gang of hooligans & whatnot, what else can I expect.

Welcome to the circus on steroids.

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Ashy Crusty Dry & Grimy lizard peel

Hydrated & Moisturized

noiceturized, if you will

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Not just Sweet.

My first thought was it's the first time I see Amai and not immediately get uncanny vibes. Seems to me like it's the first time he is drawn so… humanly? Is it the dress shirt? The eyes? The realistic arms/physique? Hm…

New Ones Debut(?!):

Amahare's daughter, Zanbai's son, & Nichirin back stronger than ever …?!?!

Amahare's daughter and Zanbai's son …wait… awhooOmm-

AMAHARE's DAUGHTER & ZANBAI's SON?!

…i…ok I'll go sit down at the back…

But look at Nichirin, it's true, elder masters are always metal asf. Literally and figuratively.

Look at them metal legs

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自分とは似ても似つかない人間にあこがれる所から人生の失敗は始まる

Failure of life:

…when you try to become someone who is not at all like you,

when you strive for what you do not stand for, aspire to become who you know you cannot be for it just does not align with your character…

you would fail even if you tried for it is not who you are nor who you are meant to be.

Poor guy, even though he was an ex-delinquent, he had his standards.

Now it's one more dark side exposed and it's good to see Child Emperor trust Genos to tell him about it. They look like they would work well together if they actually got along with mutual trust.

Look at his soft expression u.u

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Genos' voicemail barrage

Almost forgot, but here it is. I translated it to the best of my auditory comprehension ability.

***

先生、これが*くまらない*ですか？なるほど！

Sensei, does this not bother you? …I see!

————————————

*…kumaranai…is what I got but seems to be slang or some context I miss…

***

*as he chops vegetables*

スーパーには行けませんでした。

I could not go to the supermarket*.

—————

-には: as for *specific*, …etc.)

***

先生！先生の順位がC級2位になっています。

Sensei! Sensei's rank has gotten to C-class rank 2.

——————————

-なっている: (roughly)= has become

***

Saitama mumbles to himself as he listens to Genos' voicemails

*exasperated sigh*

hh本当、何やってんだろ俺… *chuckles*

hh…Seriously, what am I doing? hah…

*plays the next voicemail*

***

あと少しで、B級に昇格できます。

In a little while, you can be promoted to B-class.

***

先生、大丈夫です。裁判では俺が弁護します。

Sensei, it's ok. I will defend you in court.

***

先生、ドアの外に昆布がたくさん置いてありましたが*

Sensei, there was a lot of kelp left outside the door…

—————

-が at end can seek for explanation, or for “…but,” and other nuances.

***

てっきり先生は道場に行く者だと思っていました。

I definitely thought Sensei was someone who went to the dōjō.

***

先生！無事でしたか？敵の大将*は片付けたんですか？

Sensei!! Are you alright?! Have you dealt with the enemy heads?

—————

*大将: General/Admiral, big boss.

*片付ける: tidy/clean/straighten up, put away, get rid of, settle

***

*goofy music*

<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>

Feel free to correct if any of it was weird :D

I pretty much got all of it except the first one, I just could not seem to figure out what it was he said. I guess I need better sound recognition lol.

We can see why Saitama doesn't have a cell phone

My kingdom to anyone who can translate this.

Also, to anyone who can tell me about the source of this.

Yes, that makes two kingdoms, but who's counting?

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New Chapter: 曲がり角

——- 答えは進んだ先に。

——- the answer lies ahead where you go.

He who walks on alone,

I almost thought it was a photo, new pixel art!

Text heavy chapter, fairly quiet plot wise, but the little development we see seems to lay out a recipe for future conflict.

One of which must come to head is Genos and Saitama's master-disciple relationship.

Saitama realized he should probably encourage Genos somehow but we see now comes a time when he really cannot bullshit his way out of an undercurrent serious matter.

The pretend wisdom face did not work, and for the first time I saw Genos seem to truly feel sad and let down about his expectations of Saitama as his chosen mentor, for the first time it seems like the perfect image (illusion) he had conjured of the person he admired and revered has been broken through. And really all I could read of his expression from the next two panels of his slow and silent realization was just, baffled, ridiculed, sad, followed by broken heart and crestfallen.

I almost felt like he could cry, but he would not, he would just try to become stronger. Although he knows Saitama is on another level he doesn't see his own growth has been exponential too, it is just when compared to Saitama, who cannot be compared to, his tremendous growth seems small only bc Saitama is so ridiculously strong it overshadows perception of his own progress.

Now hold on, see any familiar sight?

An aura of conviction, determined to execute all evil who dares stand to the world.

I got thrown back to his early fight with DSK. He has his heart set.

And yet, word of Neo-heroes is not good news. For Genos to be scouted by them concerns me, for him to be persuaded, and only dissuaded by Saitama who does not want to move, concerns me even more. Neo has good tech, yes, and it is precisely bc they possess such excellent tech it would be very dangerous for Genos to go. Org. with mysteriously powerful Cyborg tech poses much suspicion and risk to a lone, young, goal-oriented, thus easy to trick, cyborg.

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Tsukuyomi Trilogy

Chapter I: Apollo

Chapter II: Icarus

Chapter III: Hermes

Messages, Escapades, ESPionage, Trickery, Unknowns(x), Psyche.

(skip to conclusion if tl:dr)

You see why I said Moon Craters Highway, right …Earth is literally on its way to become another Moon with how dented it is from various battles as if metaphor for God's salty plan to rid…whom I wonder…

It already looks like an isolated dystopian space city, Mars, or Moon colony, whatever sci-fi likes.

S'long as road work ahead, get'cha car n bail ay. Not to dwell on logistics, but I must wonder just how they escaped—how Spy managed to sneak near rock takoyaki, how both of them got out of it and to their car, consider last we saw they still were immobilized as heroes arrived on scene. Mb Jr. Spy got to his Sr. Agent while Tatsumaki mangled B13, drilled a hole down to their car, n escaped together. Mb Spy got out first from the larger crack Tatsumaki made while with contact to his Agent still stuck, then when heroes came, he tunnelled out of there n they bail like lab rats.

“Apollo-san! Are you alright?!”

How nice of you ask about your senior but Boy, does he look alright to you?

He's not daijoubu at all

See, Apollo? Thank your precious junior later for he's nice enough to bail you out so speedy.

Btw I assume their hierarchy as such bc the spy asked him with -san honorific & formal speech. I can somehow hear his voice as a specific type of shounen, usually reserved, but dutifully takes action at an order of his management.

For us, it's not until now we actually learn moon agent's name is Apollo (bit ironic, no?). It makes me wonder why a Sun associated person would work for the Moon, ref to space mission aside. Also makes me wonder if his junior's name is Hermes, consider he was spy (messenger) and now driver for our Agent Apollo… just a thought. Why do I feel like one of them (spy) will defect… also spy's shook face at Tatsumaki is priceless.

Not much to add for Greek mythos bc I feel like it's well-known enough, but apparently “Apollo” can mean “destroy”? Which is curious bc he is a deity often associated with creative attributes, but actually, he can both heal (+) and destroy (—diseases).

He's named the Sun but is he really the Sun? Or is he just another Shadow of the Moon?

Now as they run for their lives back to base with tails between their legs like disgraced dogs,they pass by the grand sight of a tornado's terror of a tantrum. Tatsumaki is so outraged by Saitama she didn't catch the Tsukuyomis on the run.

Overall:

Tatsumaki has the lead. Tsukuyomi took the hit. They lost not only their generous sum of money donated to secure Psykos, they also lost Psykos herself and they and their dignity got hurt. They only escaped bc Tatsumaki got distracted n too wild but they barely got out with a sliver of their lives and prides. Big, disgruntled loss, if I say so.

Psychic Sisters: +2

Psykos: secured (seized)

Tsukuyomi spy: exposed

Tsukuyomi: –5

Psykos: lost

Money: lost

Health: at risk

Safety: endangered

Dignity: critically damaged

Conclusion:

Gearsper, McCoy, Tsukuyomi, Org.

At the end of it all,Blizzards try to be productive with their number: they make use of their group work & personal expertise to exert pressure on execs to extract information and sort out clues.

Cooperation is a Powerful Tool, isn't it. On both sides of the negotiations, of course.

I wonder if the exec noses get bigger as they lie, it's as if Murata drew them such unique noses on purpose. Except they're so terribly obvious liars you'd be a fool to believe them. McCoy? Oh his shady face at the back is coy as he schemes

Here comes Gearsper at a suspicious moment, who proposes they “must've fallen for tricks.” Well, Whose trickery? What sort of tricks?

Without an answer to my previous question, he assures them Tsukuyomi is merely a rumour, no more than expired gossip, and so ridiculous a rumour it's not even worth to expand on as conspiracy theory.

Hold on boy, care to explain your forehead scar? And Why do you seem to smirk as you speak?

Suddenly, the button on his helmet looks a little too much like the dented Moon God resides on. And his well fit suit looks too neat for hero work …He hides Tsukuyomi's existence, for whom?

He proceeds to list the reason for his logic, with known presence of psychic members at MA, he makes a fair argument, yet his suggestion raises my subconscious alarm.

Needle Star doesn't say a word but you can tell he's got some thoughts about Gearsper.

Next panel McCoy exhales his obnoxious fumes with a sleazy smile and you just know he's up to no good. Mb he's let Gearsper cover Tsukuyomi, or he's got more schemes to execute.

Eloquent Evil

Remember I said Apollo gives me the creeps. I figured out exactly why he destabilizes every atom of my existence. His speech unsettles me so.It has no particular abnormality but I noticed he tends to not only speak with long (aka polite) conjugation (desu-masu), but also often uses a form used for suggestion, like let's & shall we, or …right? (deshou-mashou). Both are much used as standard formality, totally normal for real life, and expected politeness to strangers, senior, at work, etc. types of non-familiar speech. Except, bc manga & anime tend to use short conjg., and often super casual speech, esp, action shounen or seinen, courteous articulation can feel out of place with boisterous shouts all around you. It's like when smb is excessively civil it feels uneasy rather than relaxed, bc you feel like they're onto some nefarious schemes, down to exact details.

Best example without evil is Forte's 180° switch from fight me to would you mb like to hang out sometime which creeped Saitama out royally.

And right now, the way Gearsper speaks with all his polite desu-masu & deshou gives me prickly hairs on my neck. An uncanny recall to Apollo's courteous exchanges while he tries to KO ppl. Like, do all mad hatters & smiley mask suit-man present themselves so nobly? Sweet words drip poison from an executioner's tongue. Civil mask hides monstrosity without heart.

Gearsper, Without the Gear, Who are you?

I really don't want to doubt his prior merit, or for him to turn out as spy, bc he seemed to actually enjoy work with others like we saw with support team and they seem to get along well too, but if he is a spy, and it was all a ruse to pretend to be loyal to HA then he's damn good sneaky spy.

See, his humble rank makes him perfect for spy work. A little man with little presence. Nobody would suspect him if he is smart and discreet.

He is timid, not loud or keen to show off, helpful when needed & eager to help, nor likes to flaunt his accomplishments.

His mild manners, low rank, and small presence overall mean he's not easily noticed, no doubt a lament for heroes who want recognition, but an excellent way to conceal among crowd & gather precious intel.

Of course he could just be soft spoken, psychic, met the wrong people at the wrong place at the wrong time and felt the need to conceal himself and his past to keep his job, mb he was deemed a failed experiment, who escaped and wants no contact whatsoever with his past, sort of like Zombieman, although he did pursue Genus for clues about the limiter and God.

But for him to step out right now, to basically say: I know Tsukuyomi, but you need not know, bc it is non-existent… It would have been better for him (personally), to not speak at all, than to draw suspicion to himself, spark more curiosity about Tsukuyomi, and essentially expose the existence of the organization even more.

He could be manipulated, who knows. It's hard to read people without their full expression, eyes and brows are very subtle but honest indicators of truth emotions after all.

I was about cite his “weak” psychic power as part of why he's not easy to notice, but we only saw so much of him and he's really not half bad. I just feel like there's more to what his hero rank dictates about his ability. We all know ranks are BS often times.

I rambled about Gearsper's potential psychic capacity before, over here. It's just an old idea but bc his Gear is part of his hero identity, I do want to know what it does and how it works.

Thus concludes my Tsukuyomi arc.

It has been an unforgettable experience, fellow highway adventurers, see you next ride.

Guest commentary brought to you by Apollo's poison pill, with great relief we can tell you the poison has dissolved and he is now asleep :DD

_:(´ཀ`」 ∠):

[nyxrev]

Tsukuyomi Trilogy

Chapter II: Icarus

A boy who flew too close to the sun

………….————- *Moon Craters Highway radio,

Welcome back. Last time we left off at eugenics and esp tricks. Buckle your seatbelts folks we're about to go downhill. Full throttle ahead with an Eastward turbulence.

“From our surveillance data…” *!!!* **red flag**

…eh? we could't even grasp the battle situation (much less catch any data) on our end though?

With the sisters held hostage, our moon agent releases Demon level monsters from the floor below. Now, exactly how much he knows about the HA floor plan idk, but the extent to which he is familiar with mechanisms of what we can see should already draw concern, if earlier mention of their “data” did not already perk up our ears.

Unfortunately, though execs felt brief confusion they brush off their uneasy sentiment, and soon forget about it as the agent thanks them for the valuable “specimen” and their focus is drawn to money matters.

The fact they don't immediately feel suspicious, nor try to discreetly ask an outsider about how they acquired such extensive data on what was supposed to be so secretive an operation, even their own people could not get data, and are so gullibly unwary of the outsider with undisclosed data to proceed “trades”, not only exposes how desperate for funds they are, it also exposes their catastrophic lack of critical awareness. Smb boutta get caught for gross negligence, except them execs will prolly get let off easy.

See, the world runs on money most luxurious of which often acquired through nefarious means. Sure, money can buy you comfort and security, but comes with an equally expensive cost. Well, you could buy comfort, but you might soon find out you pay for it… For example, perhaps we are already *quite very* familiar with circumstances of compromised critical security… You see…we can't let you have both at once now, can we…

The agent prepares to make his grand exit, and as he juggles the psychic sisters he declares all smug, “nobody would question the de*th of the witch sisters anytime soon, now would they?”

Excuse me young man I wholly disagree. In fact everyone who knows them would question their de* th more than anyone else's for no one would believe they'd go down so easily to some caged monsters. You should know better by now, what with Tatsumaki as an indispensable pillar of HA, and Fubuki an influential figure.

Cosmic Mad Hatter and the Oreo Hoops Boy

…A new party emerges from the suited group…and leaves the fray. Eyelashes shouts, enraged, “so You're the bastard…” who dr—gged Fubuki. Outrageous. Traitor. I mean, can you really call him traitor when he'd always been a spy?

It'd do well for Blizzard regulars to stay together get to know each other well so they can discern who (among them & out) is trustworthy.

Furious, they attack n I realized it's the first time I've seen Eyelashes' we.*pon, I always wondered how he'd fight with a pair of eyelash curlers. Not so benign a cosmetic tool now, eh?

But they're no match for psychic retaliation…Oh and doesn't Mad Hatter look like Choze there? Eyes of eugenic superiority complex.

Fubuki cares about her subordinates and I hope she cares about them as people and not assets, as I'm sure they each can learn and grow strong enough to hold their own, to truly help her grow as a person as well.

At the critical moment, Saitama crashes out of the monster den with his usual punch, shock on every face present, but distraction is fatal for an agent on mission and Tatsumaki seizes an open defence to strike. As expected, she would never let herself be compromised for naught.

“Found it” she reclaims autonomy…and oh how the tables have turned. All while she was bound, she located the p!ll. Smart.

silent agent panic “the capsule won't react…!?” Of course not, once Tatsumaki has control, you will never be able to reclaim control over it. Behold her power and precision, amateur.

What happens next, we all know. He gets gently poked 3x by 1 lil p!ll n-—-dle.

Excellent now your brilliant plan backfired most disastrously, you*&*your cult is humiliated, and I'm stuck here with you for the next 24hr as you try to rush to a psychic hospital if it even exists.

Why did he turn two shades darker as he teeter-totters two steps away from de*th, oh pois0ned bl*-*d mb. Tbh, at first I thought mb the p!ll was just sleep, and he said it had poison to bluff, but his pitiful state now, doesn't look too well. Hope you not allergic or got antidote for whatever it is

“Look I'll have you spit out all you know about Tsukuyomi later, you hear me” Now you rly see and feel the terror of tornado, right next to you.

I, too, want to t0rment you gently, for you made the most careless mistakes and lost your prizes.

Fly next to the Sun too keen and get burnt.

As Tatsumaki, at full threat, makes our poor fool of an agent spill the beans I can't help but recall an uncanny similarity between Apollo and Amai when he got poked by Do-S. Look at him, vessels emerged, almost monstrous.

Makes you wonder what they did to them, what happened under the kn!fe to get their artificially activated psychic power and how they maintain or strengthen it, right? I wouldn't be surprised if they did contact God on the Moon to get power or try to anyway. Maybe some of them, artificial psychics, are even monsterized for their hunger for power. Just a stray thought but I do wonder.

Now Apollo's mission to the Moon is honourably jeopardized, his failure might get him fired who knows, but Tatsumaki rightly spares no pity nor mercy and not only keeps enemy compromised but gets the job done thorough and through, all the way to the last precautionary step.

The spy, he manages to slip out of house arrest, but gets no pass and is thrown on the wall most gracefully as he makes meagre attempt to run.

My humour is broken as Garou's hut but I found it funny he just went “Bu-” … if you squint extra hard his knocked out form might even look a lil bit like the shape of ぶッ bahaha

On a serious note, I didn't expect Tsukuyomi to get their prizes or even escape unscathed, but I did wish they proved trickier to defeat, not* bc I want to see Tatsumaki suffer (MA was :'|) but bc I want to see her be decently challenged, not to traumatic extent, but by what challenges her to problem solve and use her smarts as well as but more than brute strength. To see her grow from catalytic challenges or experiences, so she is no longer so stubborn to fend for herself, her sister & co. alone, but can learn to work with and trust others, like we saw with Genos.

Let's stop here for now. Next chapter will be the last. It is short, but I should like to address what will prompt more questions than answers.

…^^^vroom vroom zoomies on highway to hell*

Pardon my weird amount of text censors. It got flagged or whatever it's called last time n idk what triggers the algorithm so. I had to crop out the first two panels of the scene where he got backfired literally cuz idk if photos also trigger the system. But the first two were most obvious similarity to Amai's broken mask so ifykyk

[nyxrev]

Tsukuyomi ツクヨミ

alt. 月読、月夜見: Japanese Moon God, implied to be male, not major deity but has some tales, notably when he killed a food goddess at a feast bc he was disgusted by how she created food from her body. His sister-wife Sun Goddess Amaterasu, horrified by his action, was so angry she exiled him from Heaven and refused to look at him again, thus is how day-night separated as Sun & Moon never meet.

With our snotty sleazy God on the Moon, I must wonder if Tsukuyomi, lit. The Moon God Org., is related, as they seem so eager to fetch Psykos, the “Third Eye” who can see the future, who we know from the swirly planetary mental imagery, has had prior contact with God.

Chapter I: Apollo

——*Welcome to Moon Craters Highway Radio for road rage therapy and drive escapades, what a lovely sunny noon out here! All's calm yet why do I smell the musty rot of evil afoot? Whatever could it be?

We hear your engines rumble with excitement, so take a seat on the passenger's side as we go full throttle on a wild ride through the hearth of our roads! —Only at the Hero Association HQ~*

Commentary brought to you by Apollo's poison pill (still stuck in his eye help me out)

Of course, damp stagnant underground spaces, with lack of ventilation n ever loom of darkness, are the perfect ground for unhygienic practices, such as the proliferation of (virulent) microbes…

Why is it always the smiley mask suit man

Rich. Mysterious. Creepy. What an atmosphere.

He comes to collect samples for experiment on behalf of his assoc., “for research purposes,” he says humbly, but not surprised to see him refer to live human like an object. Mad scientist? No, meticulously evil scientist.

God I can smell his perfume two lots away and it reeks of evil, ill omen.

Which brand d'you bet the Moon agents wear? I throw Hugo as an option. Strong and obnoxious

Notice how a mere agent exudes enough latent, passive psychic energy for Fubuki to sense it? And she seems to feel it quite strongly. I expect him to be decently troublesome.

Oops… it would be all for naught if the precious brain gets damaged, now, wouldn't it… because as the rumoured “Third Eye” we heard so much about, the secret to future vision also lies here…he says, as cradles her head gently, coldly, with -out an ounce of affection, only ambition for an excellent sample acquired for nefarious deeds.

“Would you like to torture her?” “No need,” he replies, brief but courteous enough.

Now I'm not sure what he did to Psykos there, it looks like a psychic gunshot or taser, but clearly all they care about's her brain and what it holds. They may not torture her (doubt they wouldn't), but they would only keep her sane/alive enough to extract momentous pieces for their research.

ラボで開頭して隅々まで調べます

隅々まで sumizumi made (reduplicative): lit. to the end of every corner, every nook and cranny, all the ins and outs

調べる: to investigate, examine, check, look into

“We'll perform a craniotomy back at the lab to explore every nook and cranny”

No need for torture, they'll do much worse.

His way of speech makes my skeleton want to crawl out of my flesh.

Absolutely Unhinged.

I can't tell what emotion he has capacity for, but mb he's so surprised his pupils went o_o; or mb even it's his spark of idea expression to bait and catch Fubuki too. He has no eyebrows, must've exchanged them for maximum zappy. N why he look like a Demon Slayer chara except deflated.

Notice how exec went “Oi guards, can't you see our generous Mr. Sponsor is…” at Fubuki group, straight from diplomatic, an almost obsequious customer service voice* to an imperative voice of displeased authority.

*eg. prior scene when exec welcomed him with: お待ち申し上げておりました｡どうぞこちらへ｡ “We've expected you. Please, this way.” It's hard to explain but they used respectful language for every part there. It's humble deferential speech, expected formality, but the fact they're polite to an outsider w data (next) yet irritated by Fubuki and only scared when Tatsumaki comes… they know their shady deals can't be exposed.

Now as Tatsumaki cracks down the door roof to your crimes, fearsome as a tornado can be, I fell for their act like a diet pill down a beauty's tea.

“Don't interfere, you outsider!!” And she makes modern art out of our Moon agent.

Fear not, he is sturdy. And smart enough to knock out unneeded eyes of execs and security.

Don't we all love an ambidextrous multitasker?

“How convenient. I'll make you sisters souvenir too.” An excellent addition, if only you could get your hands on them so easily as you wish.

She yeet him so hard he lost his coat, or he took it off bc he activated Serious Solar Storm. Well, the starry Cosmic Garou shirt looks dapper but better not just toss your coat on the ground at a rival's house if it has your valuables.

His tie has a U crescent idk the specific term for but if I search without scientific names is weird. Prefer scientific detail til I can sort out the lores. Apparently, the moon is related to clairvoyance. Believe what you will but I feel Moon Readers of Tsukuyomi seek out prophecy not to be sought.

Maybe moon phases on their ties correspond to rank and power.He's just a henchman after all. If agents have phases, mb the boss has full moon. Mb also means “power” is completed, but I feel it is dangerous to reach completed power.

When we saw God crawl out of his crusty moon den, the moon was lit on top ◠ an angle difficult & unnatural from earth. If ◡ crescent is humans, opposite you reach God, “ascended” as Fubuki said. Except it's NOT somewhere to ascend. We already saw why not to connect with God.

So break my tangent, let's get back on track.

As his aura crackles with flames, our agent pats off dust and engages Tatsumaki. Heh, not bad… She looks down at him, literally and figuratively, a little lab rat should be no big deal for her, but,

Fubuki comments, “He's strong.” Perhaps not unmanageable, but def stronger than expected.

Sure enough, he starts off strong.

Fubuki may not be the strongest esper by sheer power output-wise, but she is not imperceptive. Remember when Gearsper's energy output was so strong she almost mistook it for her sister? When she senses power, she really senses it. So I'd trust her judgement of its strength at least.

Oof—the gust, the gales, what sandy breeze on our sails. Guess he can hold his own, for now.

Let's take a moment to appreciate Murata's flex of artistic muscles before moon agent tires out.

“…I may be at a slight disadvantage…” Slight??Pathetic, Tatsumaki ridicules.

Your starry scars look about to burst, heed your limit, man. You'll get dust in your eyes- oh oops, I'll shut it, I'm an ill omen. Bite my tongue Bide my time Baby I'm not even here

“Poor Guinea Pig”

“Hmph, you needn't belittle me so, you know…” I do wonder if you can still keep on your air of condescension if you know what I'm about to do.

Did she really just call him a “Pitiful Marmot”?

モルモット: transliteration - marmot.

I thought it strange for marmot to mean guinea pig as an experiment animal like an equivalent of lab rat, so I dug round, turns out it's historical language confusion, not much we can do about it now. What's the unfortunate chosen animal of your language(s)?

Tbh, I'd add Pitiful Marmot to my vocabulary, for most affectionate purposes, of course.

It looks like she hit the nail on the head cuz her slight hurt the artificial esper's pride enough to set off the next step of Apollo's mission.

Now y'all done it. He broke the capsule! sleepy…

No! You Fool. Afoollo Why you gotta expose me like that. Why'd you out your strategy?! You had Data yet can't grasp her ability??! Thought you could outsmart and overpower her? Fool. You just jeopardized your precious junior's effort and lost your trump card. Well, I don't know how precious he is to you but you should prolly cherish him a little for he's considerate enough to bail you out of your stupid mistakes and drive you home with a bloody concussion.

“Natural Espers are a defective species. Perish.”

Brother your logic is defective. If natural espers didn't exist how can artificial ones like you ever exist hah? You even need existent natural ones alive to create your artificial comrades.

I must ask though, what did he mean with they “lack balance and harmony”? Did he mean they rely on psychic power so much they're physically weak??

His face just gets creepier. Then he pulls a stunt and I wonder if Tatsumaki rly had a hard time or just let him get the illusion of victory to locate the pill. —*More on Apollo's Mission next post.

Notes:

[nyxrev]

I feel like Saitama all jittery on the street as he panics about his hero quota rn cuz I want to get my rambles out of the way before the new chapter comes out and my focus is dispersed like dandelion seeds, gone with the wind shhuuuww~

Also I need Boros earrings with the little dangly Saturn-like planets and gold frame

And Psykos ouroboros pendant cuz sssjjssjjssjs

[nyxrev]

Details

Just some stuff I noticed, from small to serious.

旦那 (dan'na)

K so I found it funny Black Sperm calls Saitama “dan'na” bc the term can mean different by its context, eg. an honorific for husband, patron, or master, etc. I believe it's translated to English as “Boss” which is most fit but when I first read it I automatically associated it with “master” of the more softer nuances and not the rougher casual “hey boss” sort of vibe, so I was surprised like, huh BS is unusually deferential to Saitama, esp. bc the rest of his speech pattern is fairly casual. But, makes sense bc he's seen enough to know. Also makes sense bc on one hand, rn he has to pretend to be a benign, goofy “monkey” …idk how ppl see a black teletubby n just believe it's monkey but s'ok, story logic… to get by heroes, hence the casual goofy monkey speech, but on the other, he absolutely does not want to cross Saitama, so he chooses to refer to him politely.

master (of a house, shop, etc.)​

husband​: can be used to refer to your own, or smb else's husband (add honorifics). Some other ways of address: 夫 otto, 主人 shujin,

sir; boss; master; governor​: used to address a male patron, customer, or person of high status

patron of a mistress, geisha, bar or nightclub hostess; sugar daddy ​(パトロン)

alms; almsgiver:​ Buddhism, usually written as 檀那 for Buddhist context

As you can see, a non-exhaustive list of what it can mean. With automatic association to house -hold and patronage nuances, my mental image got mildly confused for a moment. Like can you really see an obeisant, nice little BS who humbly serves Saitama with utmost formality??

I feel myself make an uneasy face I cannot quite describe.

Also it was good to see him ask about Manako, but I do want to know if she's alive and safe.

Homewrecker? No it's (unlicensed) Demolition. Opennenoorn Get Out

^after the scene when Forte got hit, Fubuki told Saitama to go with her and said:

あなたの住処を破壊した張本人に会わせてあげる

Basically the reason she gave for their excursion was, “I'll let you meet the person responsible for the destruction of your residence.”

Whom I thought was Psykos bc at the moment, we saw parallel scenes of Tsukuyomi guy at her cell and Tatsumaki had not arrived, but Saitama doesn't know Psykos yet, so when Fubuki made her speech, Saitama confused without so much as context to who all the ppl on scene are, then Tatsumaki arrives most destructively, he must have thought it could be absolutely no other than the “chibi” who threw Genos on a wall.

Which is why Saitama went “I see, the one who destroyed my home was…(Tatsumaki) ಠ ◡ ಠ##”

But I had to wonder who did Fubuki really mean to refer to with “the person who destroyed your place”? If Fubuki meant Psykos how would Saitama react?

Fortress Haven or Death Maze?

Hige Coffee: lit. Beard Coffee (lol)

Well it's good to see Max and Shadow on break, but an emergency call cuts it short, and amidst the commotion, one of them (I assume it's Max) laments the place is so big it's easy to get lost.

What can I say, it's almost like the new HQ, with its concentrated yet puzzled pyramid structure, complete with a moat of self-isolation, remotely omniscient surveillance, a manufactured façade of paradise with luxury security atop seven hells of hidden disasters eager to be released, and so on…almost like it's a direct visual representation of HA's operation hierarchy: centralized system of power and economic monopoly, yet rife with office politics, factions at tension, dysfunctional management, corrupt unstable foundation, and unsavoury secrets to hide.

Cohesively staffed, an impregnable fortress. Yet improperly managed, an exit-less death maze.

And I say it bc the place is not only complicated and spacious but also uniform. Its grand Jenga-Lego stack of cluster structures look so similar, if not literally the same, from every angle, if you rotated it on a turntable, I couldn't tell the sides from each other nor which faced NESW at first.

Of course, part of why they got lost is, it's newly built, heroes just moved to residency, obviously, it's not out of expectation for heroes, or anyone who's never step foot there for the matter, to be unfamiliar with exact floor plan details of such a vast, complex structure, its design sleek at best and dystopian at worst.

But I must wonder, for I feel like it will become a problem later, HQ's isolated vast complexity… If it doesn't fall apart from its core first, what with overpowered resident, destructive visitors, and let's not forget the basement full of a nasty little monstrosity of pets the corrupt executives keep for cash flow they don't use to pay heroes.

Air and Blue Fire: Cyborg Surgery?

On a scale of beneficial to suspicious, question.

Notice the text right next to Air? It's an SFX.

キュイーン kyui—n (onomatopoeia): like a whirr sound effect, low sounds of machinery at work, usually small technical ones which contract or spin. For example, camera lens… how ominous, don't you think?

While Forte is eager to get out of bed and make a quick work of the noisy monsters who disturb his already bad day, blow off convenient steam, it looks like Air can't even emote natural, human facial expressions, and it unsettles me so!

If you look long enough it almost looks like he is controlled like a puppet Σ(-᷅_-᷄⁉︎)

As for BlueFire, I can't tell if it's an empty sleeve or a prosthetic arm but hopefully he got an arm with extra spicy flamethrower fingers so he can be extra terribly efficient. He'd probably max his specs to roast evildoers out of spite. I sense one step to Genos. Same age, similar personality.

Bonus: List of Every Hero Present

aka. faces you see the last moments of your life, if you happen to be a mischievous monster at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Top panel: Golden Ball, Spring Mustachio, Red Muffler, Funeral Suspenders, D-pad, bottom L hat prolly Gun Gun, Shooter, Smile Man, Skunk-Boy Gasmask, top L corner Eyelashes, Mohawk Hacker, Brass Knuckles guy, Great Philosopher, Magic Trick Man, Darkness Blade, Bones, prolly Blue Fire's back (front of Bones), All Back Man? (didn't he quit?), Butterfly DX, Kusari-Gama, Mushroom, Horse-Bone, Twin Tails, can't tell who the mop of dark hair next to her is but prolly Blizzard member, Tank-Top Al-Dente, Tank-Top Rockabilly, another two Blizzards by the suit,

Bottom: Eyelashes, Brass Knuckle, Spiked Club Blizzard, L- Max, Genji, Stinger, Tank-Top Mask, Tank-Top Racer, Crescent Eyebroll, Green, Wild Horn, Skunk Boy Gasmask, Tank-Top Al-Dente, Tank-Top Rockabilly, a sliver of Darkness Blade, Heavy Kong.

Fubuki Group? More like Mafia?

Look at how they stand. Look at how they walk. Look at their formation. If each of them were as strong as Needle Star got, fought as well as the support team cooperated, if equally valued and given opportunity to contribute their expertise, they truly would be formidable, fearsome foes, and reliable allies Fubuki can trust to hold their own and not constantly worry about. Of course part of the problem is Fubuki's own insecurities but we know she has the potential to be a great leader if she put her focus on the right path and used her power to maximum beneficial strategy

Counted around 33 members without Fubuki or Saitama. Rowdy Suit Gang. Mountain Ape n Lily stand out and you can see them from far away.

Extra Bonus: Spot the Spy 6-6

Nah cuz I really need to talk about the cursed Tsukuyomi guys. I brewed some praises n some toasty roasty jokes. I need to cook some wacky, juicy conspiracy about them. Just a little gentle speculation.

[nyxrev]

An Album of Reaction to Various Difficulties

How to Avoid Responsibility:

When you fall down a research rabbit hole at an ungodly hour & ghost civilization for next week:

^. …(n emerge from your den two months later) ^When the Bus hits a steep road full of potholes

Unstoppable Force meets Immovable Object

Halfway through full-shift of customer service: …ughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I Want to Go Home

When you need to play along with smb's angelic public facade but you know they are disastrous privately. :^X:V (tries to make grimace face)

… oO- *freefall beyond*

she look exactly like how I would expect an HR agent sent out to recruit fresh potential to look

Except, Shizuka went to recruit Axcel(?) but out of expectation, it's almost like she got scouted for (Neo) instead

Attention Class:

(full-house attendance at the start of semester)

4hr lectures with a circular lecturer

(mid-sem: 50% ………end sem: 20-45% alt. ppl)

Types of Students: (clockwise)

Tried to Pay Attention but Cannot Comprehend

Can't Stand it but tries to listen Out of Courtesy

Zoned Out Early On & didn't bother to refocus

Truly Concentrated but Lost Track Halfway

Either Completely Absent or Escapes Partway

Bonus: Backbenchers get Unlucky Drawn to Answer The Question (snoozy guards) + the one teacher who always asks “Do you understand? Do you understand??” (Genos) + student who understood & urgently awaits teacher to move onto next topic (ZM)

Hear Me Out. (Ok ok calm down)

…My dog ate my homework ē-ē (HAa!?)

Zombieman's world weary expression lmao, and the one panel where he literally fumes at Amai.

Sometimes I feel like only few of them keep the sanity of S-Class (& management) consistent, like fairly cooperative and do not unnecessarily escalate situations, can think critically, eg. Child Emperor, ZM, Pig God, Bang mb but he retired, hm…

Anyway how has the HA roster shuffled now, with Saitama promoted, an unknown number out of commission, possibly even some who quit, or moved affiliation?