#I am once again pouring my heart out about a cartoon that actually irritates me more than anything

[nightwings-robin]

having a lot of feelings about the Young Justice cartoon in this chili's tonight since it's the ten year anniversary of when the last episode of season 2 aired back when the show was first canceled.

I know I've criticized and complained about yjtv a lot before but I do truly love the show. it's what got me into dc comics. I remember watching the very first episode when it premiered back in 2010. before that, the only dc things I had seen were bits and pieces of Schumacher's Batman and Robin and the Teen Titans Trouble in Tokyo movie (and I didn't even know that that was dc related at the time, like I didn't know Robin from TT was the same character as Batman's sidekick).

I knew nothing else about dc outside of that so watching Young Justice all those years ago is what got me hooked into dc comics, which has become such a huge part of my life. so I feel like I really owe yjtv for introducing me to dc comics.

like I said, I remember watching the first episode, I remember being blown away by Failsafe, I remember watching youtube reviews by MangoSiren and TheSirkShow. I remember the tumblr fandom for it in like 2012. I remember watching it at a friend's house and theorizing about what would happen next. I watched AMVs and read fanfiction. even drew some fanart and wrote my own fic.

I remember being devastated when it got canceled. I signed petitions and literally wrote a letter to Warner Bros begging to renew it.

and I remember watching the finale Endgame on saturday March 16, 2013. I volunteered at the animal shelter that day before watching it. It was cold. I can't describe the emotions I felt watching that "last" episode but it sure did make me feel a lot of things.

I totally understand why many people dislike or even hate the Young Justice cartoon. like I get it. if I had been more knowledgeable about dc comics prior to watching it, especially if I had read the Young Justice 98 comics, I probably wouldn't have liked the show so much (like seriously why is it even called Young Justice if it was going to be so vastly different from the comic of the same name????)

but I still love the show so much despite its flaws and I credit it with saving my life. it came out when I was a depressed high-schooler with suicide ideation but I didn't make an attempt on my life literally because I didn't want to miss a new episode.

I will always owe yjtv for that.

[mammasapling]

Prologue - Part 5: Enter the Headmaster

Those who had been swimming hadn’t been given the chance to change so were all barefoot and wearing their clothes over their swimsuits. Jana hadn’t actually seen the park yet and she was sure that, in the sunshine, it was a beautiful place. It would be perfect to run around at night. The bronze statue in the centre looked incredible and was probably an awe inspiring sight but in the current dim light, it looked menacing and intimidating. The park in general held a menacing aura now. Jana caught up to Sonia as Usami called out into the empty park. She was about to make sure her friend was alright when she heard a strange laugh. ”Upupupupupupu!” Jana turned her head wildly, trying to pinpoint where the sound was coming from only for the voice to maniacally laugh again. ”Aaaahahahahahahahahah!” The statue? Once again, she turned out to be correct as a black and white teddy bear leapt up from behind one of the bronze creatures and greeted them all with a smile. At least... The white half was smiling. The black half was grinning insanely. Was her handbook still on detect speech? Okay Japanese speech to English text was what she needed right now. ”Why hello there! Thank you all for waiting so patiently~” The bear said.

 It spoke so politely but Jana felt nothing but fear listening to him. Why was she so frightened? He was just a stuffed toy like Usami... But Usami wasn’t just a stuffed toy and while she was harmless, there was no telling what this one could do. ”I am Monokuma, the headmaster of this academy!” That couldn’t be right. Surely the headmaster would be a person? ”And now that I’ve made my dashing appearance, I’ve only got one thing to say to you all.” Monokuma jumped down from the statue and began pacing in front of the gathered students. “This little trip of yours... Is so friggin’ lame! The lamest!” ”Ooooo just as I thought... It’s you!” Usami angrily told Monokuma, holding her sceptre ready to use it. “But how? Why are you here?!” ”Shut up, you!” He snapped at the rabbit before turning back to the student’s, red eye glinting in irritation and plushie body tense. “Now as for the rest of you... Your lukewarm attitude is making me want to vomit. It makes me livid! Heart throbbing school trip? What is this crap, anyways? I’m bored! So knock this crap off right now!” ”Oh I’ll knock something off alright.” Jana muttered under her breath only to receive a whispered scolding from Sonia. ”We’ve got world demands to meet, ya know! No one wants to see happy peaceful teenagers! They wanna see misery and despair.” Did this bear ever shut up? Thankfully, he stopped his little monologue as Fuyuhiko decided to pipe up, looking pretty mad himself. ”T-The hell’s up with this stuffed animal? Nothing he’s saying makes any damn sense!”

  Usami stepped forward towards Monokuma. “Be careful, class, leave this to me and please stand back.” ”Usami, are you sure?” Jana asked slowly. ”As long as I have my Magic Stick... I don’t know why Monokuma is here but I will keep you all safe.” Usami didn’t stand a chance. She was so busy reassuring the class that Monokuma leapt towards her with a roar. The students watched as the two stuffed animals exchanged blows... Or rather, Monokuma beat the stuffing out of the rabbit, taking her sceptre and smashing it under his paw. ”Noooooo!” Usami cried. ”Victory! Now... How to celebrate such a flawless victory.” He leaned down to the rabbit, the grin on his black half getting even wider. “First of all, white rabbits are waaaaaay too plain~” She could see Usami shaking in fear. ”Sooooo I’m going to remake you in my image! Ahahahah~” Was that even possible? Jana didn’t really have time to think about it as Monokuma pounced on Usami again. This fight was even more one sided as Monokuma pinned her down and both of them disappeared in a cloud of cartoon like smoke only for things like screws, bows and the occasional nappy went flying. ”Will you keep still?!” Monokuma snapped. “This piece isn’t going to shove itself in, ya know!” ”Nooooo!” Usami squealed. “That’s a no-no. That’s a big no-no!” But it was no use. The smoke and dust cleared and Usami was no longer a white rabbit The bow on her ear had stayed but she was now pink and white, reflecting Monokuma’s black and white with the eye on her pink half now bright red. But at least it was still round and somewhat friendly; Monokuma’s right eye looked a bit like a red bat. Embarrassingly, Usami was now also walking around in a nappy. ”Noooooo! Change me back to normal!” Usami cried, tears pouring out of her eyes. Could stuffed animals really cry? ”Ooooohhhh? Defying your big brother’s fashion taste? Are you a trouble maker, Monomi~?” Monokuma asked, sounding almost innocent apart from that constant something in his voice that made Jana want to back away several feet. ”W-what? B-big brother? Monomi?” Usami asked through hiccups and small sobs. ”Mhm. Your current position is so wishy-washy so you are now my little sister~” ”Hey!” Usami yelled back, already mimicking the way Monokuma moved. “Why do I have to be the younger one?!” ”That’s not really the point...” Jana whispered. ”Jana, you really should stay quiet and not draw attention to yourself right now.” Sonia reminded her. ”But-” ”Jana!” ”Fine.”

~ ~ ~

“So that’s how it’s gonna be~” Monokuma said with a finality in his voice and that glint returning to his red eye as he held up a paw threateningly. Jana has missed part of their conversation while being told off by Sonia. “And from now on, Monomi, if you ever disobey me, I’ll never forgive you!” ”Oh, if only I still had my magic stick. I could have beaten awful Monokuma.” Usami mourned. Her confidence and playful nature was completely gone. ”It’s your fault for leaving yourself open~” Monokuma taunted. “Even the smallest opening can mean life or death on the battlefield~” Annoyingly, Jana had to agree with him on that point but only that one. ”What’s with this stupid performance?!” Fuyuhiko snapped. She really wished he hadn’t. It was one thing to whisper to yourself like she had been doing because at least for a while, Monokuma hadn’t been paying attention to them. But now... Now they were in for it. ”Who friggin’ knows.” Akane responded to Fuyuhiko. ”Whatever this is, it’s obvious something bad is happening.” Chiaki added, looking in worry towards Usami. ”W-Wha’? What is this? What’s going on?” Teruteru piped up, shaking in his clothes much more noticeably than when Jana threatened him earlier. ”And now she looks all weird.” Mahiru added, mimicking Chiaki and looking at Usami but not using her name. Why? Her name was Usami, not Monomi. ”She looks like me now and you don’t like it? How insensitive.” Despite the phrasing and the way he hung his head, Jana doubted Monokuma truly felt hurt by Mahiru’s words. ”Aaaaaahhh! There’s more of them!” Ibuki screamed. ”Wh-What does this mean for us? What exactly is that black and white demon?” Peko asked, intense gaze focused on the bear. ”Hey, I’m not a demon! I’m a bear, Monokuma!” ”I-I don’t really get it but now... There’s another stuffed animal?” Kazuichi said aloud, maybe he was just thinking out loud? It sounded like something he was probably meaning to keep inside his head. “And it’s talking? How is that possible?” ”Grrr... I am not a stuffed animal! I am Monokuma, the Headmaster of Hope’s Peak Academy!” Monokuma grumbled to himself for a few moments as various students tried to understand how this... Thing could be their headmaster. ”Anyway.” Monokuma continued. “You’ve all gathered. And as headmaster, I have a formal declaration to make. From this point on, the killing school trip shall now commence!” The... The what? ”S-Sonia... Could you please double check this was translated correctly.” Jana asked, gaze transfixed on Monokuma in outright terror as she held out her handbook to her friend. Sonia didn’t take it. She was even paler than before at the statement. ”N-no you really did just read that. T-this has become a killing school trip according to Monokuma.” ”A school trip where everyone gets along is just so damn boring! So let’s begin this killing school trip with you, the contestants~” No one could move or even speak for a few moments there until Teruteru spoke. ”U-us? Killing contestants?” ”NO!” Usami yelled, breaking herself out of her misery and stepping towards Monokuma. “I will not allow a bloody event such as this!” But Monokuma didn’t care one bit. His leg snapped up and hit her straight in the face, sending the rabbit flying. ”Usami!” Jana cried out ”OW!” Usami yelled as she went flying. “It hurts when you kick me!” ”Oh Monomi, you have such a small brain. How many times do I have to tell you?” He wasn’t even using her proper name and he’d just hurt her. Yes the rabbit was suspicious and had taken them away from the school but she was harmless! She was making sure they were alright! Jana clenched her fists, biting back the urge to growl and attack Monokuma herself. She couldn’t let anyone see that and besides, who knew what the consequences would be? ”Unless it’s a manga, the little sister is never more intelligent than the big brother.” Usami soon went back to her moping.

 “We got off topic there for a while, so allow me to explain the new trip rules~” Monokuma stated, totally ignoring the rabbit. ”W-what do you mean, k-killing school trip?” Mikan fearfully asked. She was another one Jana wanted to protect and she would definitely do so in the future. Mikan was always so skittish but this was the most tense she had seen the nurse all day. ”Isn’t it obvious? You guys are gonna try to kill each other.” What?! Kill each other! But... Animals was one thing but other people?! Jana couldn’t do it. There was absolutely no way she was capable of that. ”Oh, I see.” How was Kazuichi so calm?! “KILL EACH OTHER?!” He screeched. Jana would be impressed at how high his voice went if the situation weren’t so dire. ”An island life where you can’t leave unless you all get along is kinda boring, don’t you think? So now I want to change the rules! If you want to leave the island... Kill one of your friends! And then survive the class trial without being identified as the killer!” Monokuma instructed, laughing with insane glee as the teeth on the black half became pointed. They had to kill someone among them and not get caught? Commit a perfect crime? How could they?! Why should they?! ”Class trial?” Chiaki asked slowly. ”Thaaaat’s right~ The class trial is the real charm of the trip! Allow me to explain more clearly. If one of you gets murdered, all surviving members must take part in the class trial. The killer will of course, be among you. It will be a big debate showdown between the blackened student and the other spotless students. You will present your arguements as to who you think the blackened is and then vote. The outcome will be based on the majority. Should you arrive at the correct answer, only the killer will be punished and the rest of you may enjoy your island life. But be warned, choose poorly... The killer will be the only survivor and the rest of you receive the punishment~” Only survivor? That... Didn’t sound good. That sounded like death was involved in the punishment. ”So, get away with murder and you’ll live and get to leave this island~” Monokuma added as one final statement. Death was involved in the punishments! She was right! ”What exactly is the punishment?” Kazuichi asked slowly. He was as pale and tense as the rest of the class and sounded as if he didn’t really want to know. But they all had to know exactly what they were facing. ”Oh well basically, it’s an execution.” The bear spoke so calmly and casually about it, as if it were just a short detention. He would murder the student who was found guilty of murdering another student... He was mad! Jana’s free hand sought ought Sonia’s wrist, just to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. She could feel her friend shaking in her loose grip. ”E-execution?” Sonia asked fearfully. Both girls yelped as Monokuma was suddenly in front of them, leering up at them, red eye glinting madly. ”The pleasing punishment that follows the class trial~ It’s one of the perks of the killing school trip! Upupupu, what kind of spine chilling punishments will we see~? I’m already getting excited! There might even be some unique ones... Like impaling your head through an arcade machine claw!” He told them gleefully before heading back to his spot in front of the statue. Jana felt a little sick at the mental image he’d given them. ”Now, any method of killing is fine.” The bear went on to list them but Jana tuned him out, she couldn’t listen to any more of this. She was scared and nauseous and wanted to go to sleep or just run somewhere. Anything to work all this off. She looked around, in front and behind her. Everyone looked scared and pale but all seemed to be denying the idea that they would kill someone. She snapped out of it when Sonia tapped her arm. ”You should listen... He seems to have a reason for us to want to kill each other.” Sonia’s voice was so quiet and shaky. She could hear it crack every so often. Her friend was as terrified as she was. Akane, Nekomaru and Peko were all in fighting stances, facing Monokuma. Peko was the only one with a weapon, reaching for the sword strapped to her back. ”You want force? I’ll fight back with force!” Monokuma growled at them all before turning his back on them and facing the statue. “Surge, O gods who dwell between light and darkness. In accordance to our contract, I summon thee now! Come forth, Monobeasts!”

~ ~ ~

At first, all was silent but then the statue rumbled and cracked to reveal five huge metal beasts all surrounding Monokuma. Sonia and Jana took several steps backwards, as did most of the class. Some silently, some gasping and others screaming. Jana couldn’t understand; this was supposed to be peaceful but now something had come out of nowhere and turned their already strange reality onto its head. She seemed to have totally zoned out again as suddenly, Usami was suddenly standing in front of them, tiny arms out stretched as if to shield them from the beasts and Monokuma... Monokuma was on the metallic beast with wings, screaming about punishment time. The winged beast stretched out  revealing several gun turrets, aiming them all at the tiny rabbit. She was hit with bullet after bullet, and Jana could only watch, frozen in place by fear and her own senses being overloaded by the noise and the brightness of each shot. One bullet stayed too close to her and Sonia and she quickly pulled her friend out of its path. Sonia hadn’t even seen it but then, Jana’s eyes were better than most. There was soon nothing left of the rabbit except a little bow covered in bullet holes floating down before coming to rest on the park’s pavement. ”U-Usami?” Jana mumbled in complete shock, neither seeing nor smelling any sign of the rabbit. The class was in uproar, all yelling out in fear and asking what the hell was going on. There was at least a little amusement from Jana as she saw that Gundam kept hamsters in his scarf but even they were frightened. Monokuma was just cackling and saying... Something. Jana had long since put away her handbook, she didn’t care what anyone said right now and why should she?! She’d just watched a gorgeous day become the beginnings of a fight for survival. She’d witnessed the death of a teacher figure who’d been kind of annoying but totally harmless. And anyway, Sonia would probably fill her in later... Or tomorrow. Everyone looked so tired and frightened and pale. Today had been so draining first from the excitement and then from the fear and the danger presented to them. Jana was tired too, her body felt heavy but at the same time, there was this big ball of anxiety in her chest and too much adrenaline running through her to be able to just go to sleep. She could see everyone staring at each other... Had someone said something? Jana wasn’t really in a good state of mind to bother following the conversation with her handbook.

~ ~ ~

Sonia tugged at her arm, leading the two of them back along the bridge to the first island and towards the cottages they’d seen by the hotel. There were little nameplates on each of the letterboxes now and Sonia stopped outside of her own one, dully wishing Jana a good night and pointing her to her own cottage. Across from Sonia’s own and then two doors to the right. Jana headed there, heading inside and spending all of a minute just sitting on the comfortable bed. She couldn’t just stay still, she had to move, she had to stop thinking about Usami’s death and the fact that leaving the island meant killing someone else. Jana slipped off her jacket, boots and left her e-handbook on the little table beside her bed before quietly heading back outside into the night air. She turned to face the hotel, intending to just walk that way to get to... Well Jana didn’t actually know where she wanted to go. All she knew was that she couldn’t sleep and her thoughts were racing out of control and she just needed some space to think and calm down. Hajime was there by the pool. Sitting hunched over something and looking about as troubled as she was. While she wanted to go and comfort him as he seemed like a nice enough boy, Jana had to put herself first this time.

 Turning silently back towards the cottages, she jogged down the path that separated the boys from the girls and kept going towards a large brick wall with a gate that was currently locked for the night. Didn’t matter to her. Jana put as much power into her legs as she could and jumped, grabbing the gate’s handles and pulling herself up to grab the top then dropping down the other side. Back onto the beach. Jana kept jogging for a few moments, waiting until she was hopefully out of view of the camera before breaking into a full out run. She ran faster than any person, bare feet hitting the sand hard but she didn’t mind the sensation. Her grey eyes became a rich golden amber and black veins crawled up her face and along the backs of her hands as she ran and left the cottages and the cameras behind. Then suddenly, instead of human feet, red furred paws were impacting the sand. Instead of a red haired person running along the coast, the silhouette of a lithe and powerful wolf was running across the night time horizon and towards the bridge leading to Jabberwock park. Jana didn’t slow down as she crossed the wooden bridge, she didn’t slow until she was within the park once again when she screeched to a halt and started to sniff the air. A scent. She wanted a scent. She was determined to find somethi- there! There by the statue! She was hunched a little as she approached, sniffing cautiously and ears pricked to take in any sounds that might be a cue to run. But she reached the little perforated bow without any trouble and let out a loud, mournful howl before shifting back to her human form in the blink of an eye. There was no flash of light, no smoke, no complicated transformation sequence, she was simply a human in one breath and a wolf the next. Jana picked up the bow, holding it close to her chest before gently tucking it into her jeans pocket and running back, remaining human so she didn’t lose her little treasure.

 Once back at her cottage, Jana found all of the things she’d packed for Hope’s Peak and found her favourite light pajamas. Usami’s bow was placed in a drawer in her bedside table and Jana finally found it in her to drift into an uneasy sleep.