#THE WORLD BUILDING WAS PHENOMENAL but they left so many loose threads that had the potential to make it great

[castles-crumbllng]

Jonah Hauer-King as Prince Eric THE LITTLE MERMAID (2023) | Dir. Rob Marshall

[just-a-quirkless-loser]

New Beginnings

Part Three: I Don’t Belong Here

Part 2, Part 4

Aizawa had followed Chiyo to her “home.” It was deep in the forest that surrounded the city. She led him to the woods, everything feeling devoid of life. No squirrels or singing birds, no animals or people, just trees. And, that’s how she preferred it.

They finally came across a weathered down shack, barely standing. Moss wrapped around the structure it didn’t deserve to be called a building. At least it didn’t smell that bad. The door creaked in its hinges when Chiyo pushed it open. Chiyo had tried to keep her home clean; there was a largish carpet on the floor so she could keep her feet clean and warm during the winters, a mattress laid in the middle of the floor with a few springs poking out of its sides with a very thick comforter, and a few sets of clothes folded and pushed into the far corner. What Aizawa didn’t see was a fridge, a heater, washing facilities, a bathroom, nothing of necessity.

‘Fucking horrible,’ that’s what Aizawa thought but, Chiyo felt differently. Sure, it wasn’t much to be proud of to most but, to her it was everything. It was a safe haven. It was a place where she could exist with no fear of being hurt. Her nirvana.

“How do you even keep yourself clean?”

“There’s a waterfall a little bit from here. It’s pretty clean and it’s secluded. Every now and then, hikers come so I always make sure to clean myself very early in the morning.” Aizawa really didn’t like this. It burned his blood that there was a possibility for anyone to take advantage of you. There’s no way he could go back without you. You’d have to stay with him in his room till they cleared some space for you in the dorms.

“Come with me,” he watched you plop down on the mattress. “I don’t want you here. “

“It doesn’t matter what you want. I can’t just leave with you,” Chiyo messed with some of the loose thread that sprang from the mattress. She knew that she would eventually want to live with her alpha but, wasn’t this too soon?

“Chiyo, omega, it’s been months since we met. How much more time do you need?” He replied snarkily. He knew that she was stalling for time, that she was waiting for an excuse to disappear from his life. Even if they had bonds, they were flimsy at best, prone to the smallest winds of change. “Are you afraid?”

She nodded her head. Aizawa plopped down beside her and slug his arm over her shoulders. He couldn’t really understand her fear but, he knew something had happened in her past to make he this cautious of others.

‘She’d get along well with Hitoshi,’ Aizawa made it a mental note. Once she got settled into the pack, he’d “slowly” start to suggest to the two that they should bond. ‘That’s gonna be a while from now though. It’ll be worth the wait.’

“I can’t keep sneaking to see you,” the omega’s eyes watered. “I can’t keep neglecting my responsibilities as a hero, even if you do act as my sidekick. I’d never want to push you into the hero world; I know how much you hate the attention. My pack also doesn’t like that I’m staying out longer and getting less sleep, fucking bugs.

I want you to live with us at U.A. I want to protect you and give you the family you never had. I want you with OUR pack,” Aizawa m’s hair lifted a bit. He was prepared to knock her out and drag her home if needed.

Chiyo just smiled. Looks like she was going home with the hero.

***

The silence between Aizawa and Chiyo spoke volumes. Normally, she’d crack a joke or make fun of the older alpha but, she could tell this wasn’t the best time to antagonize him. She stared down at her shoes, refusing to meet the alpha’s eyes. Class had ended for lunch moments ago and the students had walked out past her (most of them not bothering to hide their disdain for her).

‘Everyone’s got their panties in a bunch. It was only a joke,’ again, this was one of these moments where Chiyo didn’t understand her world. Being disconnected for so long had led to the ignorance on her behalf. She didn’t have the same developmental teaching as many of the people in the world did; while they had been learning of their instincts, she was learning how to survive on her own. For everyone else, it seemed like an outside case and attacked one of their own which definitely warranted an ass kicking as far as they were concerned. For Chiyo, it was a relatively harmless act of teasing. Neither side was wrong. Neither side was right.

“I told you not to use your quick,” her shoulders hunched in their own accord. She hated upsetting the alpha. “ I’m disappointed in your lack of discipline. You can’t make those types of jokes in the early stages. How do you expect to fit into my pack if you can barely control yourself without my guidance?”

She didn’t expect to assimilate into his pack. Hell, she didn’t even want to be there. The only reason she had agreed to any of this was because Aizawa had gave her that ultimatum. She didn’t have any hope of having a family. All she wanted was Aizawa.

“What do you have to say?” he tilted her face for their eyes to meet.

“You expect me to change. You want me to be something I’m not. It’s like you want to fix me and you know I’m already broken,” Chiyo pulled her face from his grasp. “Being nice isn’t my style.”

“You’re nice to me, kitten. You just want to be mean to everyone else to see if they’ll leave you but, we both know you’re just a kitty that needs cuddles,” her cheeks burned. “Now, lets move your stuff into YOUR OWN room. I don’t wanna see any more of your bras lying around.”

“Don’t talk about my bras, you shitty old man,” Chiyo turned and walked towards the entrance of the school. Aizawa smiled as he followed behind her.

“Aww, kitty, you don’t want anyone to hear about your purple bras?” He ruffled her hair.

“Don’t call me that when we aren’t alone, old man. Do you want to end up with a broken neck?”

“I’d like to see you try. You’re too cute to do anything like that.”

“Shitty old man,” they both had walked into the dorms. The class had been gathered in the common room, clearly having a discussion that abruptly ended when they walked in. “Old man, they’re gossiping about us...should I, you know?”

Aizawa facepalmed as the omega wiggled her eyebrows. What was he going to do with her?

“Chiyo, we just talked about this. Go get all your things so you can finally move into your own room,” she skipped towards the elevator. Finally, her own space!!!

“She’s staying here!? No, wait, she’s been staying here? You’re not even gonna reconsider this after what happened to Hitoshi today!?,” they could have at least waited till she got on the elevator.

‘And they say I’m the one that’s fucked up,’ Chiyo thought as she rode the elevator all the way to the top to Aizawa’s suite. Part of her began to argue over whether she should stay or leave. They didn’t even want here there. Was she really foolish enough to believe that Aizawa would pick her over them? Someone he barely knows over his family? She didn’t think so.

‘Am I really just gonna stay here and wait for him to throw me away?’ you were so consumed with her thoughts that she didn’t notice Aizawa come from behind and wrap his arms around her waist.

“You’re thinking hard, kitty. Stop that. They’ll warm up to you. I’m sure an apology would help speed that process along,” he gave you a pointed look. You sighed, knowing you were defeated.

“I’ll do it at dinner,” she purred as Aizawa rubbed her scalp. He helped her move her things into her room, noting that she was in a room tucked away from the other girls but, still close enough to keep her connected. She stared at her blank with a bit of astonishment. “Thank you, Alpha.”

“Don’t thank me, kitty. This is what you do for people you love; you take care of them.”

They eventually had dinner, everyone sitting stiffly as Chiyo felt awkward. Apparently, the loud one Aizawa had described to be Bakugou Katsuki was a pretty good cook well a phenomenal cook but she’d never admit that to the asshole.

“You cook good,” she kept her eyes on her food. “I cook better.”

“Shut the fuck up, shitty girl. Your food probably tastes like ass,” Bakugou yelled. If you were anyone else, you’d probably be a bit afraid but, she is sadly insane.

“You’re an ass,” she giggled as Aizawa chuckled. A few people sputtered out the Soba then blonde prepared. “Hitoshi, I may have gotten a bit carried away earlier. “

Silence. Sweet silence.

“My name, to you, is Shinsou,” the alpha said. Chiyo understood she wasn’t going to be forgiven any time soon. “Just, stay away from me. “

“Hitoshi-“

“No, Aizawa, it’s fine,” and it was left at that. You all finished eating, leaving Aizawa and yourself to clean up. Everyone else had gone to watch movies. They laughed loudly, the sound echoing in the young girl’s mind. Aizawa nudged her with his elbows as he tried to beckon her to join the others but, it was no use. She knew if she walked in, the room would grow tense and their fun would be ruined. She felt envious of the pack dynamics. She may have had Aizawa but, this was a different want. She wanted to feel what they felt; to feel normal.

‘I really don’t belong here.’

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 3 September 2018

Quick Bits:

Ant Man & The Wasp #5 concludes what has been a fun series from Mark Waid, Javier Garrón, Israel Silva, and Joe Caramagna. The artwork from Garrón and Silva has been excellent and this final issue allows them to show off some more incredible and strange ideas.

| Published by Marvel

Asgardians of the Galaxy #1 adds another fun little wrinkle to the current expansion and exploration of Marvel’s Asgardian characters, spinning out of the current Thor series, the Infinity Wars crossover, and other reclaimed threads from the past few years. You needn’t have read any of that, though, as this still serves as a good introduction on its own, the rest just adds flavour. Cullen Bunn adds some nice touches of humour to the story, while a large part of this story rests in the action depicted by Matteo Lolli and Federico Blee. This is off to a good start.

| Published by Marvel

Avengers #7 is a single issue story expanding upon the first Ghost Rider from Jason Aaron, Sara Pichelli, Elisabetta D’Amico, Justin Ponsor, and Cory Petit. I like the 1 Million BC Avengers, so this is a welcome exploration, especially when coupled with this beautiful art.

| Published by Marvel

Black Science #38 gives a very interesting perspective on the book’s reality, and the purpose of all of the different realities, as we reach the prime reality. Phenomenal art as always from Matteo Scalera and Moreno Dinisio.

| Published by Image / Giant Generator

Bully Wars #1 isn’t a bad debut, filling in a similar-but not quite as extreme-humour place as Skottie Young’s recently concluded I Hate Fairyland. Nice art from Aaron Conley and Jean-Francois Beaulieu.

| Published by Image

Call of Duty: Zombies 2 #1 serves as a prequel to the forthcoming co-op portion of Activision/Treyarch’s Black Ops 4 video game, introducing some of the characters who will be featured in that story. It’s very much a kind of Indiana Jones pseudoarchaeology type story so far, but it’s good. Nice work from Justin Jordan, Andres Ponce, Mauro Vargas, Dan Jackson, and Nate Piekos. 

| Published by Dark Horse

Captain America #3 teases out a bit more of the conspiracy of a group behind the Nuke terrorists and an attempt to take control of America in the void left by Hydra’s demise. It continues to be a slowburn, with Ta-Nehisi Coates leaving a lot of the moral and ethical decisions up to the readers themselves as to whether or not what’s occurring is a “good” thing, even if being a byproduct of potentially nefarious ends.

| Published by Marvel

Clankillers #3 is more gorgeous artwork from Antonio Fuso and Stefano Simeone as they bring the darker aspects of Irish mythology to life. I quite enjoy how Sean Lewis is constructing how incredibly messed up this family has become.

| Published by AfterShock

Cloak & Dagger #4 starts pushing us closer towards the endgame as Ty goes on the offensive to find and rescue Tandy. Marvel’s digital originals have really been delivering some high quality stories lately and this one from Dennis Hopeless, David Messina, Elisabetta D’Amico, Giada Marchisio, and Travis Lanham has helped lead the charge. I know this one’s only supposed to be a limited series, with a couple more issue left, but the story and art have been top notch and I’d really like to see more.

| Published by Marvel

Cosmic Ghost Rider #3 brings the ultraviolence as Donny Cates, Dylan Burnett, Antonio Fabela, and Clayton Cowles give us what amounts to an issue long battle between our time-spun, deranged Frank Castle and a seemingly infinite army of Guardians of the Galaxy led by Cable. It’s fun. 

| Published by Marvel

Dark Ark #10 concludes this arc in fairly spectacular fashion, including a very impressive double-page spread from Juan Doe of the confrontation with Echidna.

| Published by AfterShock

The Dead Hand #6 is the conclusion to the first arc in this series and it is rather good. It ties up the events throughout the series so far and gives us a very interesting change to what happens next. I can’t say it’s unexpected because pretty much every issue has given us a surprise revelation or twist in the story, but it’s very well done. Kyle Higgins, Stephen Mooney, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles have told a very compelling story of intrigue and spycraft here.

| Published by Image

Deadpool #4 is a fun single issue story dropping Deadpool into Weirdworld and just kind of running wild with it. It allows Scott Hepburn (with colours by Ian Herring) to really cut loose with some of the designs and layouts, and taps into the zany, bizarre humour and fantasy that Skottie Young has become known for.

| Published by Marvel

Death of the Inhumans #3 continues the slow, surgical excision of the Inhumans and much of their supporting cast from the cosmic Marvel scene. There’s some fight left in them, but I wonder if Donny Cates is setting us up for disappointment. I really quite like what he’s carving out for himself with this, Cosmic Ghost Rider, and Thanos Legacy. Also, beautiful artwork from Ariel Olivetti and Jordie Bellaire.

| Published by Marvel

Eclipse #10 makes me really quite appreciate Giovanni Timpano’s artwork more, especially finding out that he’s developing the layouts and panel progressions himself. Not only are they visually interesting, but it elevates the level of collaborative storytelling that he and Zack Kaplan are accomplishing here.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Giant Days #42 complicates things a bit between Ed and Esther, continuing to navigate the tricky relationships between the characters. The humour and heart are at an all time high this issue.

| Published by Boom Entertainment / Boom! Box

Immortal Hulk #5 gets pretty heavy as the issue drops a few bombs in regards to Sasquatch and on whatever it is that keeps bringing the Hulk back to life. Five issues in and this is already on part to me with much of Peter David’s run, particularly the Dale Keown, Liam Sharp, and Gary Frank eras that I greatly cherish. Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy José, Paul Mounts, and Cory Petit are crafting an enthralling horror story, while greatly developing and embellishing upon Banner’s history. This is damn good.

| Published by Marvel

James Bond: Origin #1 is quite good, spotlighting a young James Bond, still in school, set during World War 2. It’s pretty straightforward in its action, but the artwork from Bob Q is quite a draw. He’s got a style that reminds me a bit of Peter Gross and Patrick Olliffe and it works really well for this kind of story.

| Published by Dynamite

The Last Siege #4 attempts to shift fates again this issue as Lady Cathryn and the stranger try to free themselves from Feist. The intrigue and shifting tension to the story are palpable, with Landry Q. Walker and Justin Greenwood keeping us on the edge of our seat with the action. 

| Published by Image

Leviathan #2 is not quite as over-the-top insane as the first issue, as it starts to fill in the details of what’s going on, but it still tries really hard to throw as many crazy ideas at you at once. Especially Hollow Earth dinosaurs in addition to the rest of the madness going on. Another satisfying outing from John Layman, Nick Pitarra, and Michael Garland.

| Published by Image

Old Man Logan Annual #1 introduces us to the Punisher of the wastelands, with two stories centring around Old Man Frank. The lead from Ed Brisson, Simone Di Meo, Dono Sánchez-Almara, and Cory Petit is an interesting story about legacy, actions and consequences, as interpreted through the lens of this destroyed and crumbling world. After the start of the new Hillbilly mini, it’s nice to see Di Meo’s art again here.

The back-up goes further in to developing Old Man Frank himself with a “Punisher Wastelands Journal” story from Ryan Cady, Hayden Sherman,  Dono Sánchez-Almara, and Cory Petit. I want more of this story.

| Published by Marvel

Optimus Prime #23 is a bit scattered, delivering overlapping narrative points of view, while a larger conflict erupts on Earth between two factions of Cybertronians and a contingent of GI Joe operatives. It’s chaotic, which is part of the point, but it’s made more so in that you’re probably going to need to read it a couple of times to get the most out of who’s presenting what at any given time.

| Published by IDW

Outpost Zero #3 really starts to turn things up as interpersonal conflicts start coming to the fore and the colonists being politicking amongst themselves in the face of oncoming doom. I quite like it. Sean McKeever has really fleshed out the characters’ motivations and voices, engaging you to see how the pieces fit into the overall narrative.

| Published Image / Skybound

Paradiso #7 gives more insight into the dwellers underground, Jack, and the city itself, but as it does so more and more questions are raised. It’s very interesting how this story is being constructed and embellished, the world-building doesn’t ever seem to stop in favour of just following a singular narrative path.

| Published by Image

Pestilence: A Story of Satan #4 delivers a few revelations and some more nasty twists for our valiant knights. As usual, the artwork from Oleg Okunev (with colours this issue by Guy Major) really makes the series shine. The designs for the advanced stages of the plague are very impressive. 

| Published by AfterShock

Predator: Hunters II #2 has some really nice artwork from Agustin Padilla and Neeraj Menon. It’s interesting how Chris Warner is weaving some of the geopolitical strife in Afghanistan into the story and how it colours the Hunters’ hunt.

| Published by Dark Horse

Project Superpowers #2 is good. I’m sure that if I had read more than the original Alex Ross/Jim Krueger series, I’d get more depth out of this, but Rob Williams is making this story enjoyable for those of us that haven’t been following the broader story all along. Great art from Sergio Davila and Felideus.  

| Published by Dynamite

Quicksilver: No Surrender #5 leaves us a fairly interesting place after this character study, and quasi-redemption arc, of Pietro. While I’m really interested to see where this goes next, this has been an excellent series from Saladin Ahmed, Eric Nguyen, Rico Renzi, and Clayton Cowles. I’ve really enjoyed how this series has used colour to enhance the storytelling and this issue is no different.

| Published by Marvel

Relay #3 gets weirder. I’m getting even more David Cronenberg and Philip K. Dick vibes off of the story now, as it shifts even further into the mystery of the nature of the Relay and what exactly is going on with reality. There are some very interesting sci-fi ideas being played with here.

| Published by AfterShock

Shadow Roads #3 is another wonderful issue, giving us a bit of Henry’s history, and a lot of action. AC & Carlos Zamudio are really doing a great job with the artwork.

| Published by Oni Press

Silver Surfer Annual #1 is a pretty straightforward morality tale about the conflict the Surfer has with fulfilling his role as Galactus’ herald and the hidden beauty and value of worlds that he’s serving up to his master. It’s a decent story, but what really elevates it is the beautiful artwork from André Lima Araújo and Chris O’Halloran. It’s unsurprising that this issue was dedicated to Moebius, because that who I immediately thought of when I saw this book.

| Published by Marvel

Spawn #289 lays out some of the steps in Spawn’s plans to stop the shadowy evil elements seeking to control humanity, incorporating some old characters and plot ideas back into the overall story. It’s kind of what you’d expect from a Todd McFarlane-penned story and it is fairly entertaining, especially for longtime readers, even if a bit stilted at times. What takes it a peg above the norm, though, is still the artwork from Jason Shawn Alexander (with colours from McFarlane, Brian Haberlin, and Lee Loughridge).

| Published by Image

Star Wars: Doctor Aphra Annual #2 is easily one of the best Star Wars stories I’ve read this year, telling a humorous and exciting archaeological adventure story of Winloss and Nokk attempting to capture a legendary beast. Si Spurrier is great at humour, subtle winks to deadpan black humour, and it comes off in spades throughout the dialogue here. Winloss and Nokk’s banter is just perfect. To add to that, we’ve got Caspar Wijngaard’s first interiors for Marvel and he just knocks it out of the park. His creator owned work is phenomenal, beautiful, atmospheric art and he brings all that care, attention, and wonder to Star Wars. This is a great comic.

| Published by Marvel

Thanos Legacy #1 serves as a capstone to the recent Thanos series from Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw, while also being a companion piece to Cosmic Ghost Rider and being enmeshed in the current goings-on with Infinity Wars. The lead story written by Cates, with great art from Brian Level and Jordan Boyd gives Thanos’ perspective for the Infinity Wars events and is fairly essential in what looks like is coming next in Marvel’s cosmic realm. Like his work on the recent Avengers: Back to Basics digital original series, Level’s panel compositions, transitions, and page layouts are phenomenal. The craft that goes into his storytelling is impeccable. 

There’s also a silent back-up from Gerry Duggan, Cory Smith, and Ruth Redmond of Thanos training Gamora that highlights his sadism.

| Published by Marvel

Transformers: Lost Light #23 continues to tie up threads and drop huge revelations as we approach the end. James Roberts, Jack Lawrence, Joana Lafuente, and Tom B. Long are going out on a high note.

| Published by IDW

Transformers: Unicron #4 continues the systematic destruction of IDW’s Hasbroverse. It’s never looked so good with stunning art from Alex Milne, Sebastian Cheng, and David Garcia Cruz.

| Published by IDW

War Bears #1 is an interesting comic from Margaret Atwood and Ken Steacy, blending World War 2 working conditions, Canadian comics history, and propaganda comics into this tale. Great art from Steacy, especially as he incorporates the in-story comics pages into the work. I love when comics do that.

| Published by Dark Horse

Other Highlights: Aphrodite IX: Ares #1, Astonishing X-Men #15, Breathless #4, Come Into Me #3, Ghostbusters: Crossing Over #6, Invader Zim #34, The Long Con #2, Noble #11, Paper Girls #24, Secret Agent Deadpool #1, Spider-Man/Deadpool #38, Star Wars #53, Thief of Thieves #40, TMNT: Urban Legends #5, Unnatural #3, Vampironica #3, Venom: First Host #2, Weapon X #23

Recommended Collections: Brigands - Volume 2: Ruin of Thieves, Fear Agent - Volume 3, The Fix - Volume 3, The Further Adventures of Nick Wilson - Volume 1, Monstress - Volume 3, Monstro Mechanica - Volume 1, Old Man Logan - Volume 8: To Kill For, Prism Stalker, TMNT - Volume 20: Kingdom of Rats, Twisted Romance, X-Men Red - Volume 1: Hate Machine

d. emerson eddy does not have a brain slug attached to his skull. Why do you ask?