#beautiful art op... my head exploded

[joelhasaschoolalt]

Fan Autoethnography, Final Draft

Many such tweets have been made seeking to get to the bottom of this whole “furry” thing. I happen to be partial to this one.

Fandom, as I understand it, is a lot like faith: a means of understanding my experience in the world. I first received salvation when I was thirteen years old.

Imagine this: It is 12/21/12, the night the world is supposed to end. Your friend showed you a movie a few weeks before, which has since been echoing through you like a song stuck in your head. Your family goes to a Christmas market in Dade City, and looking around at the string lights everywhere and the decorations and the old friends running into each other by chance—you think of the Christmas song which describes the holiday as “that time of year when the world falls in love”—you feel as though you’re in the world of the movie. It wasn’t that it echoes through you; you echo through it. The world isbeautiful, you realize, as beautiful as your favorite movie, and you feel lucky to have found a place in it. 

Fanart of two characters from the visual novel “The Smoke Room.” Artist unknown.

So you get involved. You don’t  just look up fanfiction on an iPad you stole from your mother and feel as if your heart were exploding with excitement and sudden purpose until early in the morning (and no, the world does not end that night, but something inside you blossoms and you think maybe a world began); you do your best to live that sudden purpose. You get involved. You get into writing because you want to make other people feel the way the fanfiction makes  you feel; you stand up straighter, laugh more at jokes, and settle into a new persona that might make others see you with the same awe with which you see the characters you love so much. You get involved.

The word hyperfixation is thrown around a lot in anecdotes like these, these days; though probably accurate, the word feels limiting. It feels more like what Didion wrote: we tell ourselves stories in order to live. In the fandom experience, one doesn't simply tell a story, or consume it; the story becomes like a hot tub, golden bubbling water into which you lower your body and are yourself consumed. And then you’re at peace. 

A meme made by a friend, featuring one of our favorite characters, Ranzo LeVant from the visual novel “Dawntide.” The image is now my Twitter banner. 

As an adolescent, I remember being awestruck at how welcoming this new side of the Internet seemed. I’d only known nerd culture in stereotype: fedora-clad men with greasy ponytails arguing which of them were “real” fans and which weren’t. I know now that division still exists in fandom circles, which are far from utopian—the role of capital-d Discourse in furry fandom, I’ve found, is like the electrical charge inside a thundercloud that might at any time explode into occasional lightning—but it did, admittedly, seem like a utopia, then. Fandom to me was a genuinely thriving literary and art economy in which everyone was making work for everyone else with little boundaries, assumptions, or requirements; and a space in which, with no entry requirements, people could simply gather to celebrate.

These were years I spent in conversion therapy; years during which I watched the openly-gay senior at my homeschool co-op be barred from graduation; years which, as a pastor’s kid, I spent in the panopticon, surrounded by people who felt close to me though I didn’t feel close to them, keenly aware that there was some invisible difference in me. I dreamt all the time of kissing boys. Fandom was psychological compensation for a kid who just couldn’t come of age in a safe or “normal” way in his environment and was pushed into the worlds he enjoyed in his head. It meant more to me than I could have known, then, to read a fanfic in which two men kissed who I felt I knew, and to be surrounded by people similarly overjoyed. I lowered myself into the hot tub and let the narratives, fan content, and art that sustained me render me weightless. I was only an observer in adolescence, but fandom then taught me everything I’m passionate about today. 

A drawover of a friend’s fursona on Discord.

These days, I’m no longer an observer. In fact, I’ve grown to participate as a hobbyist more intensely than I ever thought I would: for example, I thought in high school that fursonas (fursonae?) were for people who genuinely believed they were non-human on some metaphysical level—people I now know as “Therians.” But these days, mine are a great joy of my life. I’ve found the fursona is whatever you want it to be, nothing more than a character you create for yourself. According to Jung, the persona is a mask; furry or not, we all don masks online. What’s the harm in giving yours a tail?

In time, what you pay attention to, you eventually emulate. Having spent my thought-forming years online, inundated by images, I and other Gen Z-ers tend to think in categories of images rather than in images themselves; the phenomenology of the image is such that you, in your own diffuse and intangible way, become the image through emulation. This is self-actualization. (Egregious oversimplification, I know, but I’m no psych major.) As a furry—dwelling upon anthropomorphic images and aesthetics—I self-actualize in different ways, now. Which affects how I experience the world, what I want out of life, or how I want to be perceived. I find writing is more fun when in my head there’s a limber raccoon-guy doing it in my place; cooking food and joyfully tasting my creations is more fulfilling when, holding the spoon I am holding, is a badger. 

Myself and a badge of one of my fursonas, which I commissioned to wear at conventions.

And then there is the convention. If the fandom experience is lowering oneself into a narrative as into a hot tub, the convention is the literal lowering oneself down. Word made Flesh. The etymology of “convene” is, simply, “to come together”; I’ve spent my whole life convening around kitchen tables, car rides, restaurants, and airport gates. So have you. But there’s something more beautiful in it that can’t quite be put into words when everyone who’s in the room shares the same tender, intimate secret. I mentioned before growing up feeling invisibly different; only on the convention floor, I’ve found, am I really myself.

People in general, I feel, are starved of spaces devoted to celebration. We seem to have deluded ourselves into thinking that joy has to be earned. I find a lot of value in faith communities of any stripe for this reason. Fandom, as previously mentioned, is to me a means of understanding my experience of the world, and a reason to celebrate it; faith, I’ve found, is no different.

Stickers on the stop sign outside the Rosemont Hyatt on the third day of Midwest Furfest 2022, the largest furry convention in history.

At Furry Weekend Atlanta 2022, the main hotel had a soaring atrium nearly 50 floors up. The dashingly cute-in-a-nerdy-way boy who would eventually become my beloved and I raced to the top, and as we looked down from heaven to earth, a group of fursuiters on the ground floor began to howl as if calling to us. Their joyful cries echoed about the building. I remember thinking if I’d stepped off the forty-seventh floor balcony then I’d float the whole way down. 

Art on a window at a room party during Furry Weekend Atlanta. Our dancing would soon generate enough heat to fog up the windows again; new artists would draw new art, and new writers new words. The condensation dripped in long, slow lines from our handiwork. We do these things in order to live.

@officeofdocmalone

#com255

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 315: I Didn’t Expect This to Blow Up

Previously on BnHA: Horikoshi was all “guess which plot that you thought was dead is actually not dead and is making a comeback!” and we were all “EVIL HPSC??” and he was all “girl you know it,” and that’s the story of how we got a sexy Lady Nagant flashback with lots of guns and murder. Flashback!Lady was all “gotta murder peeps to preserve the people’s trust,” but then a little while later she was like “actually wait that makes no sense,” and so she shot her evil boss and they sent her to jail. Back in the present, Deku was all “okay fair, the hero system might in fact be a little fucked up, but hear me out... have you considered not helping AFO take over the world so he can murder like a bazillion more innocent people??” The chapter ended with the not-all-there Overhaul finally revealing himself to Deku, and I honestly have no idea where this is gonna go.

Today on BnHA: In what is unfortunately the single worst plan ever concocted by anyone in BnHA, Nagant is all “I’m going to try and get this Deku kid to panic and freeze up by putting someone in mortal danger.” Deku is all, “[doesn’t panic and freeze up at the sight of someone in mortal danger].” Nagant is all “omg no way.” Deku, who is now all of a sudden being so OP that even I have to acknowledge that it’s OP lol, is all “[smashes Nagant’s gun arm to bits]”, which sucks but is also really cool, and which also apparently makes Nagant decide that she actually likes this kid after all. Deku is all “NAGANT I REALLY LIKE YOU AND THINK YOU’RE GREAT SO PLEASE JOIN UP WITH ME AND STOP BEING EVIL.” Nagant is all “aw shucks (✿ •͈ᴗ•͈) well okay then” and everyone is all “( ･◡･) ✰ ( ˆᴗˆ ) ( ᵘ ᵕ ᵘ ⁎)” and then Nagant FUCKING EXPLODES LIKE AN EGG IN THE MICROWAVE AND FALLS TO HER DEATH!!!! except not really because Hawks saves her??? In conclusion, (a) THE FUCK, and (b) AFO TURN ON YOUR LOCATION I JUST WANT TO TALK.

so I have to tell you guys something, which is that barely ten minutes after I made that “please don’t send me spoilers” post the other day, someone replied to the comments in a stunning fit of “tell me that you’re twelve without actually telling me you’re twelve” energy and posted what seemed to be the copy-pasted spoiler summary from reddit or twitter or whatever lol. so here is my good news/bad news rundown of all that

good news: I have very well-conditioned ABORT!! reflexes and have trained myself to immediately look away from the screen (usually in dramatic fashion) as soon as I realize that whatever I’m reading is a spoiler

bad news: unfortunately as I was subsequently deleting said comments, I accidentally read the very last one

good news??: said spoiler was so unbelievably, absurdly over-the-top that I’m almost positive this person was just trolling. like, there’s just no way lmao

bad news: but in the unlikely event that it is true I will absolutely lose my shit I swear to god

(ETA: “NAGANT DIES.” that was the spoiler I read lol. like, literally all I read from the person’s comments was “My Hero Academia Chapter 315 Title: “Beautiful Words.” Chapter starts with...” and then I noped out of there, and then of all the comments to read as I was deleting, it had to be that one lol. I seriously was just like “SURE, JAN.” all “just how gullible do you think I am” sob. but I was wrong. a troll, but an honest troll they remain.

but anyways like I’m pretty sure Nagant isn’t even actually dead lol, so in the end this whole little adventure doesn’t even have a point to it, but for me it was a journey!)

anyway, so there are apparently two versions of the chapter today?? no idea what the difference is, but I’m going to go with the Bean version, because it’s the one at the top and I don’t feel like making decisions today

huh, so Overhaul is actually more coherent than Horikoshi was letting on

look at him having a whole back and forth conversation with her. side note, how is he still this jacked when he’s been sitting in a cell doing absolutely nothing for the past six months

anyway so he says he’ll go with her on one condition. I wonder what that condition could possibly be. do you think it could be the thing he literally hasn’t shut up about ever since he reappeared lol

yep! and damn -- maybe this guy will surprise me after all

still would be nice if you also felt a bit sorry for the little girl you tortured and traumatized, but this is something at least. maybe Deku will yell at him for that other stuff lol

(ETA: also can’t help but wonder if he wants to make amends because he put him in a coma, or because his plan was a failure and ended up destroying the family. just hoping you’ve finally had that “hurting other people is bad” epiphany dude.)

anyways so now Nagant’s arm is transforming again, and this particular transformation happens to be the only truly unsexy thing that Nagant has done thus far so I’m just gonna skip right on ahead lol

aaaaand we’re back to the delirious ranting

buddy. just. read the fucking room, guy

wow she really is aiming at Overhaul, then. those theories were spot-on

damn she’s really out here all “it really fucks with kids’ heads when you kill people right in front of them and make them blame themselves” like yo

I’m picturing her saying all this in a very loud stage-whispery tone while making very significant eye contact with Deku lol

uh oh but wait

um. okay. who’s gonna tell her. Nagant I might have some bad news for you about the kid you’re trying to capture here. specifically about the way he tends to do the opposite of what you’re thinking that he’s about to do

holy shit

so it’s basically just “tap x repeatedly to charge up your attack” lol

and okay, so that’s cool and all, but is anyone else wincing at the thought of what that must be like on his knees. oh to be young

anyway, but so to the surprise of basically no one, Deku did not, in fact, freeze. I am very sorry, Nagant. he’s just like this

LMAO

someone wanna tell me how getting yoloed in the fucking ribs by this fucking slingshot kid moving at literal sniper bullet speed is in any way even remotely better than getting hit by the bullet itself lol

(ETA: this is 10x funnier now that we know the bullet wasn’t even gonna hit him lmao.)

anyway so now Nagant is having an extended “!?!?!?” reaction about how Deku just moved with no hesitation, and I’m starting to get an inkling of fear that the rest of this fight isn’t going to go very well for her and maybe that’s what all the “hoo boy” is about

oh my god Deku are you about to Gomu Gomu no Rocket yourself at her you insane little man

now Three is popping up again and he’s all “I see you’ve learned your lesson and are now only using three quirks at once instead of five” like with all this effusive praise about how great and badass Deku is and sob, okay, yeah. this chapter is basically one of those machines that shoots tennis balls at people, except instead of tennis balls it shoots hot piping discourse

OH MY GOD

YOOOOOOOOOO but also, NOOOOOOOOOOO

lol oh my god it’s literally two opposing reactions at once wtf. do I love this or hate this. like just for once can Horikoshi actually let a badass lady character win their fucking fight without getting their arm ripped off, BUT ALSO fucking look at that absurdly cool “SMASH” onomatopoeia though. it looks like it’s about to float right off the page holy shit that’s some seriously good art

anyway so is this really the end?? do I need to break out my ಠ_ಠ faces

lmao okay yeah I can definitely see how this would piss a lot of people off

he basically one-shotted her and she’s all “damn this kid is so amazing that I’m about to do a complete 180 turn on all of my previous angst” lmao. Horikoshi is really shounening it up today

on the plus side though, maybe this means there’s still a chance for her to join up with him after all? unless that spoiler was true lmao, then all hell is gonna break loose

YESSSSSSS

OH MY GOD AND HE SAYS THE BULLET WOULDN’T HAVE DONE MORE THAN GRAZE OVERHAUL ANYWAY, wow, I’m actually more relieved by that than I would have expected. I mean I would have forgiven her either way, but it means that there was still more hero in her than she was letting on

YES!!! FUCKING YES, THANK YOU

lol but I mean, it’s also like, “oh so today they get to have brain cells”, thank you so much lol. sometimes it’s really hard to tell which times we’re supposed to question these character decisions that seem dumb, and which times we’re just supposed to full on embrace them and switch off our critical thinking

but okay, so in this case it really was Nagant going easy on him on purpose, and not just her fucking up for no good reason even though she used to do this for a living and was the best in the game. and I know in this case it’s probably just Horikoshi giving us some consolation headpats to soften the blow of her losing so abruptly, but you know what, shit. I’ll take it

also you guys the light is coming back into Deku’s eyes again for just a moment here and I’m having feels about it?? the way it still comes back when he’s reaching out to save someone, and following his own hero path instead of the much darker and lonelier Christopher Nolan path that’s been laid out for him instead that he never wanted?? it’s both reassuring and also very sad

YESSSSSSSSSSS

DO IT LADY OMG PLEASE?? PLEASE COME BE HIS NEW IRRESPONSIBLE ADULT SUPERVISION YOU KNOW YOU WANT TO

AHHHHHHH SHE’S GONNA DO IT AHHHH

p.s. I am now absolutely scared shitless that that spoiler was actually true sob. swear to god, I will throw this manga into a fucking volcano. but we’re almost at the end of the chapter and this seems just WAY TOO GOOD to be true fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck f

UCK

NOPE NAH SEND IT BACK, NOPE, NUH UH, DIDN’T ORDER THIS. “GULLIBLE” OKAY FUCK YOU?? “COUNTERMEASURES” NOPE, DON’T NEED ‘EM, WE’RE ALL FINE HERE. WE’RE ACTUALLY GOOD SO YOU CAN JUST GO, OKAY. PLEASE

fuck, lol, I don’t wanna do it. I don’t wanna scroll down what have I ever done to deserve this oh my god

WHAT THE HONEY-ROASTED FUCK

WHERE THE FUCK IS THAT FUCKING VOLCANO IN ICELAND THAT I KEEP SEEING ALL THESE PICTURES OF. WHERE THE FUCK IS THAT SHIT. LET’S GO

ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW

can someone please give AFO a really good, sharpish kick in the balls. just really let him have it. I’m so tired, what the fuck

-- ARE YOU KIDDING ME LOL WHAT

bro. I was literally going through my Excel folders to find the spreadsheet about female characters in BnHA that I made back when Midnight died. was gearing myself up for a wholeass rant. and honestly I might just let all of that continue simmering on low to keep it warm just in case lol, because to tell you the truth I have absolutely no idea what’s happening right now

my girl straight up does not have a face. she used to have a face. people usually need those, idk. like, even if she’s alive, her gorgeous eyebrows are definitely not making it out of this and I’m gonna throw a funeral just for them

how the fuck did AFO just blow her up?? how did he know what was going on?? and if he had a quirk that could explode people at will, why is this the first we’re hearing of it?? you’d think that might have come in handy at Kamino or Jakku, like what

(ETA: present!me, who’s had more than three hours of sleep and can now actually remember facts about the series, would like to remind past!me that AFO gave Nagant a quirk, and so this is probably just more Vestige shenanigans now on his part. that’s also probably why Air Walk suddenly stopped working out of nowhere. still doesn’t explain why he doesn’t go around blowing people up more often though but maybe he thinks it’s gauche.)

Hawks just straight up out of nowhere. just Mirioed his way straight into the chapter just in time to be too late sob. here I was looking forward to seeing your face when Deku showed up with his new best friend. can’t believe Horikoshi deprived us of that moment

on the plus side, WELCOME BACK, HAWKS’S FEATHERS. I have no doubt that in this chapter of Deku being an almighty threequirk-mastering god, and Nagant losing anticlimactically only to be immediately blown up because girl characters in BnHA can only be cool for one fight and one fight only, there are still some people who are focusing solely on the “how dare Hawks get his wings back when he is a MURDERER this is an outrage what about CONSEQUENCES” discourse, and to hell with all the other discourses lmao

anyway, so yeah. wow. and now it’s just occurring to me that maybe the real reason why Overhaul is there is so he can get a head start on that amend-making by actually doing a good thing for once in his life, and using his quirk to heal Nagant. assuming he can still do that

and so now Horikoshi has got me out here actually rooting for Overhaul. you know what, on that note I think I’m just gonna go ahead and call it a day sob

[burnedbyshoto]

a nurses job

— Bakugou breaks his arms and as a nurse, you have the responsibility to make sure that he is comfortable, even when he needs to use the bathroom.

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pairing: pro hero!bakugou katsuki x nurse fem!reader

warnings: smut, 18+, prohero!bakugou, golden showers/water sports/piss kink, degradation (giving), dirty talk, lusting/pining, handjobs

word count: 5,050

a/n: so, I was going to make this a piss in ur mouth and pussy type of fic, but I kept seeing all those beautiful bakugou piss arts where he’s with a nurse.... so this is inspired and brought upon by all the water sports bakugou x nurse art ive seen for three months.

kinktober day 21 main kink: piss | kinktober masterlist

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You’re not quite sure what persuaded you into wanting to become a nurse as a child.

Maybe it was because your quirk (when you hum at an A flat, everyone within 5 meters experiences accelerated healing properties) was useless for Pro Hero work, so you realized early on that being a Pro Hero was a distant dream. Maybe it was because medical staff were still hailed as everyday heroes despite being in a world with people who could perform extraordinary achievements. It started as a small obsession to prove to the soon to be jobless, dream broken, and graduated failures of the hero course high schools that you had done more than them. That you, unlike them, were recognized as a hero. 

You were decent with math and science, so you strove for medical school. But with the horrendous costs of schooling, your then living situation, and your dislike of unneeded and unwanted competitive stress, you deterred toward the nursing pathway. It was a pathway where you really found yourself, or at least, you thought so.

Empathy, emotion, and the need to see people come out of a hospital better than when they entered was something that grew on you quickly and obviously. Your earliest clinical rounds often left you with swollen, tired feet from walking around for restless hours, but with a smile on your face that was irreplicable. With every semester in school, you got better, connected better with your patients. Your feet still ache after long shifts, and sometimes your smile is hollow and broken, and if you look closely, you could see dried tears and puffy eyelids, but you wouldn’t ever regret this decision to become a nurse.

At twenty-five, newly graduated from nursing school, already working full time at the best hospital in Japan, while studying for your degree to eventually become a nurse practitioner. You loved your job quite a lot. They had placed you immediately within their Post-OP, ICU, and recovery wings, and even though you were somewhat new, you were celebrating a year of working in a few weeks, you already had some… more than familiar faces.

“Well, Ground Zero-san, I guess you owe me a drink because unless my eyes are deceiving me, it looks like both your arms are broken, no?” you hum, your grin bright and wide, not even attempting to hide it’s glee as your high profile patient sat seething on the hospital bed. “It’s been, what? Two weeks since you last showed up here? You getting old?”

“Oh, would you shut the fuck up, you shitty ass nurse?!” Bakugou snarled, his arms obviously trying to tense and move against the large casts that envelope him. “The fuck would you expect to happen when facing off with a quirk that’s specifically meant to break people’s arms?!”

“Deku didn’t break any arms,” you point out with a soft laugh, eyes still scanning and reading through his charts to check his medical needs and medicine prescribed by the attending and when he should be taking them. “A bit weird that only half of the Wonder Duo was indescribably injured, no?”

A loud snarl ripped from Bakugou’s throat, and you stifled your own laughter as you raised your eyesight to look him straight in his raging eyes.

“I took that damn nerds hits because he’s broken his arms so many fucking times he’ll be forced to amputate them if he breaks them again!” Bakugou’s eyes were near white in his anger, but the intensity of his emotions was heavily diminished by the fact that his arms were strapped to his chest in thick, round bandages.

“You can admit you care for him,” you chide, ignoring his ‘like hell I do!’ Placing the chart down and walking to his IV drip, you checked to see if anything he was hooked to required any changes or whatnot. “Besides, this is not the first time I’ve seen you in here! It was quite surprising to see Ground Zero on bedrest on my first ever shift here.”

That much was true.

You had been working at Tokyo Hospital for nearly nine months now. Within the nine months, you saw a lot of heroes; that much was true. Your quirk was versatile as a nurse, and you were bright, young, very good at your job, and definitely a beautiful individual. So, when you were assigned to be working most of your days healing heroes because they were the backbone of the country, it didn’t quite catch you by surprise. It was a common assignment you had as a nursing student too.

You just didn’t expect the head nurse of the floor to assign one of your five rooms to be holding none other than Ground Zero, a.k.a Bakugou Katsuki.

Of course, you weren’t an idiot. You had known about the explosion hero since high school! You had sat in front of your TV in high school, attempting to do your homework while watching the rather intensive first-year battles. He had done well in every stage, placing within the top three each time and even winning the game! You had cringed at the awards ceremony but had been horrified at the news of his kidnapping. 

But after that, with the rising tensions of the villain world upon the dying world left behind by All Might, you had forgotten him for a moment. As time went on, and finally, a new support system was brought forth, Ground Zero, much like his quirk entailed, exploded onto the scene alongside Deku and a few other young heroes.

So, sure, you expected to maybe one day run into the ash-blond hero, but you didn’t expect it to happen on day one.

All things considered, the two of you got along rather well.

His... strong personality did make you wary of him at first, taking his near verbal barrage until you, very flusteredly he will argue, told him to ‘shut up, you butthole!’

You were horrified at your lack of professionalism, and Bakugou had gone silent as he stared at you in silence.

“Did you just call me a butthole?” he echoed, his face full of emotions you could not read. You felt on the verge of panicking, unsure if he was going to potentially tell on you! The sounds of a barking laughter rang in your ear, and you looked up to see his grinning, much more relaxed form. “Are you some shitty preschooler?!”

Thus began a working relationship of sorts between you and Bakugou.

He was an asshole, and you tried your best to not let him talk you off a cliff. It didn’t take very long for you to find out what made him tick surprisingly enough, and you used that to your advantage. The best way to tease him right now was by reminding him that he had been hospitalized more times than Deku, who apparently had held the record for the number of hospitalizations between him and his friends.

“Are you going to mention that shit first meeting every time we talk?!” Bakugou barked, his eyes narrowed as he turned his head away from you.

“After you admit you care deeply for all your friends!” you chirp back, stepping away from his IV drip, satisfied by what you saw. “Well, you look good for now. I’ll be checking up on you every ten to fifteen minutes since you can’t press the button until we can get those casts off! Did ya need anything before I go check on my other patients?”

“Open the damn window; it’s stuffy in here,” Bakugou grumbled, his face finally facing you again. 

“Of course,” you smile cheekily, your eyes squinting with your broad grin. “It’s a nurse's job to make their patients comfortable and happy!”

Standing at the side of the bed, you stretched over Bakugou to grab the edge of the window and slide it open. Through your stance, you were entirely aware of how this looked, how this felt. Your breasts centimeters from Bakugou’s face, your eyes never once breaking from the window to feign your innocence as you finally pull away. Even with scrubs on, you could feel his hot, sharp breathes expelling through your clothes, his ears tinging just the smallest bit red as you smile.

“Anything else?” you asked sweetly, failing to hide your impish grin.

“Put the water cup close by,” he grunted, eyes staring at the liter of water at his side table. Well, he wouldn’t be able to use his arms until just before he was set to be discharged, so moving the water closer was a good idea.

Nodding, you grabbed a nearby cup, filling it three-quarters of a way full before placing it onto the feeding table and dragging it near his mouth, a bendy straw already secured into the cup. You watched as he shot forward, putting the plastic straw into his mouth and beginning to drink the cold water. His eyes were back on yours, deceivingly cold had you already not been an expert on his personality.

With one final soft chuckle, you waved at Bakugou as you headed out, a cheerful smile on your face as he continued to drink his water.

“See ya in a few!”

Well, you guess there was one more important detail about your relationship with Bakugou Katsuki. For the past five months, you have been doing everything in your power to seduce him — to get him to admit that he wanted you too.

You knew the ethics and the morals behind falling for a patient of yours, much less a high profile patient at that. You knew that if your little crush was ever found out, you would most definitely be moved from his room. You were also damningly aware that you should have brought up your initial feelings for the explosion hero to your admin the moment it arose. But the thought and the way you were always so happy to be around him eventually overruled your logic. Five months ago, you had stayed at the hospital until nearly three am, talking with a severely concussed Bakugou. You were stationed for an overnight round with the task of making sure that he didn’t fall asleep. And for the first time in your time knowing Bakugou, the two of you somehow clicked into place, and when he was discharged the next morning — the nurse who had a quirk to rid of concussions finally arriving — he had thanked you.

It was so benign, so incredibly simple, yet the way the golden sunshine illuminated his blond hair and made his red eyes shine like a ruby, you found your own tired body feeling heated and warm. He wasn’t such a lousy conversationalist, and you had already enjoyed all your interactions together, yet it still caught you off guard to feel your heart pounding in your throat as he pulled on his jacket and left.

So after coming to terms with your sudden infatuation for the stubborn hero, you began to express your desires and feelings for him without having to say it. For all that he was worth and all that he expressed himself to be extremely observant, Bakugou Katsuki still had no idea that you liked him.

Unfortunately, your scrub nurse uniform wasn’t precisely seductive. The light blue of the breathable, sterile uniform was about as unsexy as uniforms got. But that never stopped you from leaning in too close when doing what Bakugou demanded of you. It didn’t prevent you from accidentally dropping papers in front of him and bending over to show off the curves of your ass.

There had never been a time such as this one where you hated that the old, ‘sexy’ nurse outfits were no longer up to standard and banned from use. How you would have loved to be wearing gartered held stockings just to accidentally flash to Bakugou. But, you suppose that it’s alright. Even though your feelings and ambitions to get the Pro Hero to like you as much as you did him, you never tried to push it.

For now, you were just an asshole tease.

You carried out the rest of your rounds in peace, your pager sitting comfortably in your pocket, unused, unneeded for now. The rest of your four patients were doing well for now.

One was asleep, most likely due to the medicine coursing through his veins, but his vitals remained unchanged.

Another was in the process of getting ready to be discharged, her family there to help her in leaving.

The third was eating his dinner, eyes concentrated on a poker game on the TV as he asked you to help fluff his pillow.

The last was busy with a physical therapist, her forehead slick with sweat as she attempted to sit up from her chair.

All in all, they were all doing fine, and you were back to the beginning, back to Bakugou’s room.

You entered his closed room door to be greeted by an empty bed. Your eyes widened immediately, the initial wave of pure horror flashing through you that by some freak accident, some murderous villain had kidnapped the injured hero straight from the hospital bed. 

“Ground Zero-san?!” you called out, a pitched voice of concern frilling your voice as you stumbled through the room. Your eyes were frantically searching the room, fingers feeling the lingering warmth of his body on the bed and your eyes noticing the empty water cup on his table still. The sheets of his bed haphazardly thrown off as if in a struggle.

Your fingers wound around the panic button, your ears straining to hear any sort of sign of Bakugou still being here.

A gritted teeth snarl was muffled from the attached bathroom, and you froze, unable to move as you felt the untouched button in your hands turn as light as a feather. You approached the bathroom door with soft footsteps, the smile on your face, unable to be stopped as you pulled the door open.

The sight you happened upon was something that made your lips curl into a wider smirk as the hospital clothed-clad hero absolutely struggled with his lack of functioning hands and arms to pull down his pants. Something he couldn’t do himself because the socks and slippers on his feet kept him from even attempting to tug his pants off with his toes.

In his struggle, undoubtedly miserable attempt to get his pants and underwear off his waist, Bakugou seemed ignorant to your arrival. His back still towards you, his head tilted down in his struggle as he twisted and pulled at practically nothing.

And as you watched him struggle, you couldn’t help but let your eyes drink in his form that stood tall before you. Most occurrences where you found yourself face to face with Bakugou, he was always tucked in a bed (except that time you realized your feeling for him), whether it was because he needed to be or because he was forced to be. So seeing him in his full height, seeing how despite your size, you were still only at his shoulder, made your eyelashes flutter.

He was tall, so deliciously tall, you wanted to climb onto a chair to see if he would be taller even with that added height. And oh how the flimsy material of his hospital outfit was stretched then against the taut muscles of his back. They flexed and shifted with his aggravation, and the only thought on your mind was to rake your fingers against the tempting muscle and skin.

“Shitty. fucking. villain!” he hissed angrily, sweat trickling down the back of his neck as he still struggled to do what nature called him for. 

But you couldn’t help it; the flexing muscles of his back, the lower tenor of his voice, and the way he seemed ridiculously larger than life at the moment tipped your restraint over. Your ability to hold back crashing through you like a tsunami wave, drowning you until you found your hand tethered to the tight spot at the center of his spine, your hushed words drifting to his ear like sweet, warm honey.

“You need any help here, Ground Zero-san?” you asked, your voice just loud enough to have your hot breath fanning against his sweaty exposed neck. You could feel him twitch in your hold, his body stiffening as he whipped his head around to look at you, red eyes wild, wide, and dark.

“Don’t ya know how to fucking knock?!” he snapped, his body flushed at being caught in the bathroom, unable to shed his clothes. He doesn’t move from your touch, and that small detail makes you warm, knowing that he wasn’t entirely repulsed by your touch. 

“You were missing from your bed, and I called your name,” you smile despite his angry glare. “I know you are susceptible to hear loss, but I thought you were still in the clear.”

“I ain’t fucking deaf,” Bakugou growled, his face twisted with a frown. “And that still doesn’t explain why the hell you’re here!”

“Oh, were you not just completely struggling earlier?” you feign shock, the grin on your face unstoppable at the embarrassed scowl that sets on his face. You step even closer to him so that your torso is perpendicular to his side. Your hand still gently touching his muscled back, and your free hand gently pressing to his own abdomen, the feeling of his flexed muscles, making you dizzy as you peer down at the white toilet. “Is there a villain in the toilet? I didn’t think that was possible!”

“Of fucking course not, there’s not a shitty villain in the toilet.” Bakugou flushed, his body entirely trapped by you, but he made no play to escape.

“Oh, so did you need help?”

Bakugou stares at you, his mind whirling a kilometer a second as he contemplates his next course of action. The both of you know he needs help, and still, the both of you are aware that his ability to ask of that from you is slim to none given he couldn’t even wait for you to return to his room.

“Tch,” he clicks his tongue angrily, annoyed, completely fed up. His eyes rolling to the ceiling, refusing to acknowledge you as his head nods once. “Help me, shitass nurse.”

“Of course!” you chirp, your eyes finding his hooded ones.

You give him one last warm, sweet smile before the hand on his torso lightly drags down his stomach, soft in its unashamed way of feeling him up. Your head tilted as your fingers hooked into the tight waistband of his pants and pulled it down, the heat of your palm accidentally dragging itself over the imprint of his cock behind his boxers.

The slight, flustered choking noise at the back of his throat didn’t go ignored by you, but rather but aside for later. Your eyes flashing up to see his red eyes wide, his cheeks so lightly dusted with pink as you managed to pull down his boxers too. 

“There!” you exclaim, your eyes closing in your grin before you turn your attention back down to his exposed dick. 

Immediately, you had to hold back a noise of pure want and lust at the sight of him. He was long, undoubtedly eight inches, definitely more. Although you couldn’t tell how thick, you knew his dick would fill your palm without a struggle. The trimmed, dark blond pubes and the protruding veins are what did it for you, your tongue poking out for a millisecond to wet your lips as you stared at his dark pink head.

“Stop staring at it!” Bakugou hissed, clearly embarrassed if the slight voice crack said anything about it. 

You looked back up at him, fake confusion swimming in your eyes as you tilted your head. “It’s only a penis. I see millions of these all the time.”

“Yeah, but it’s fucking weird!”

A soft laugh escaped your lips, your eyes rolling softly as you sighed in retreat, “Fine, fine, let's pee big boy and get you in bed.”

With your dominant hand, you grabbed his dick with a soft grip, pleasure simmering through you at the confirmation of the thick dick in your palm. But it seemed you weren’t the only one who thought that for the moment you tried to steer his dick toward the toilet to assist in aim, Bakugou hissed loudly. His flesh twitching to life in your warm, soft hand as it began to grow upward.

You didn’t say anything; your jaw remained as tight and closed as your vocal box despite the egging need to tease him and celebrate his apparent approval of your touch. So, eventually, in a voice that defied the nervous energy coursing through your veins, you asked: “Didn’t you need to pee?”

Bakugou let out a throaty, guttural groan, his anger hissing between his teeth as his dick twitched again in your hold, growing longer and harder still.

“I can’t take a damn piss with a hard-on, you idiot!” he roared despite the strawberry red blush on his cheeks. You admired the way he was still fighting for control of an upper hand here despite — clearly — not having any.

“Oh, haha! Silly me!” you laugh, your hand shifting against his length, your warm palm getting closer to the base of his cock.

“W-What are you doing?!” Bakugou spluttered, your soft butterfly touches sending him through a loop he clearly wasn’t expecting. “You could just wait for it to die!” 

“It’s a nurse's job to make their patients comfortable and happy,” you repeat your words, your hold on his dick growing firmer and harder just as his cock continued to do. “You clearly need to pee, and there’s no telling when your cock will go down.”

“I’LL MAKE IT GO DOWN!” Bakugou yells, but the usual sharpness to his tone has deflated, diminished to nothing but whining embarrassed yell. You look up at his clenched jaw and how a pretty pink glows on his cheeks, and you’re mesmerized.

Looking back down at his growing cock that warms your hand immensely, you hum, slightly twisting your hand around his length. Bakugou shudders, a whine hidden in his throat as you open your own mouth.

“Do you want me to stop?” you question, your eyes fluttering up to look at his clouded red ones. “Do you not need or want me?”

That was a double-headed question if Bakugou ever heard one. He looked at your glossy lips, the way they were pouted, so ready to be kissed, to be claimed, and that delirious look of want and need in your eyes. And he knows better; he knows that this is not the place, not the time to act on emotions like this. The need to pee sits heavily on his lower belly, just like the need to cum makes him twitch and pace uncomfortably. God fucking damn his broken to smithereens arms.

But you already know this, of course, you do. But you also know how stubborn he can be, how anal he can be about the littlest thing. So with no answer, you weaken your grip, making him think that you’re ready to leave, and he falls right into the trap.

“Make it fucking q-quick,” his voice cracks, the embarrassment nearly tangible as you nod your head firmly, your fist tightening around his cock.

Your warm fingers pressed onto his length, beginning at a slow leisurely pace, your eyes glued onto his face, detailing how he reacts to every small flick of your wrist, every little difference of grip in his hands. Your strokes began to grow larger, your fingertips tracing the bulging veins on his cock, your eyes hypnotized by the way his face pinches in his pleasure, the blush on his cheeks, the way the hot pants expelling from his mouth curl warmly in your lower belly.

“Y-You do this with all your shitty patients?” Bakugou growls, but it sounds weak, too blurred and slurred with his increasing pleasure.

Your fingernails drag against the underneath of his cock, tracing the incredibly sensitive skin until he’s slowly thrusting his hips into your fist. “Only the hot ones,” you tease, your thumb pressing against the tip of his beading tip, the warm pre-cum slick and spreading quickly against his flushed tip.

“You’re fucking disgusting,” Bakugou continues, his head tipping backward, exposing the slenderness of his neck that begs for your teeth to sink into. “Just needed to take a fucking piss.”

“Nervous, you’ll pee all over me, and I won’t want to suck your dick?” you ask, your fingers brushing near his scrotum, eyes blazing dangerously at the sight of his gasping, jaw-dropping face. His hips rut forward, leaking cock dripping with his pre-cum, and you giggle softly, fisting him faster, spreading the pre-cum against his heated sex.

Your fingers run against his throbbing length, your palm tight and hot against his cock, the veins you drag across searing against your flesh, ingraining itself onto your skin and memory forever. Despite it all, the obvious near tangible horror Bakugou has on the thought of pissing on you, he continues to fuck into your fist. 

“Damn bitch like you would probably l-like it if I pissed on you,” Bakugou pants, his casted arms twitching at his chest. His head tilted away from you, but his eyes burning into you, the red eyes hot as fire against your skin. “You want me to piss on you? Make you my bitch.”

The words burn against your skin, your teeth biting onto your lower lip as you meet his gaze. You’ve never considered it before, never thought you’d be into it. As a nurse, you’ve been around piss, shit, and vomit, and while you had grown unfazed by it, you never considered the prospect of a man pissing on you. But you thought of it, of Bakugou standing above you, free from his casts, hands on his cock as he smirks down at you with golden liquid spraying from his cock, soaking you where you lay. 

You shudder, pleasant chills running down your spine as you stare into his eyes yet again. 

“And if I do?” you ask, fingers rolling the head of his cock between your forefinger and thumb, relishing in the way that he snarls low in his throat. “What’re you gonna do about that, Ground Zero-san? You gonna piss all over your bitch after you get out of here.”

“You want me to piss on you here?” he asks, his voice snappish, strained, his hips drilling harder into your hand that was quickly speeding up. A battle of power and speed between the both of you as he looms over you, face flushed, pink, and lips demanding to be kissed. “Wouldn’t be surprised if you do.”

“Why’s that?” you breathe, his lips tantalizingly close to yours, a breath away as your hand grips and tightens even more around the base of his cock, causing a pained-pleasured hiss to rip from behind his teeth as he looks at you.

“Don’t act like your shitty ass hasn’t been trying to seduce me every time I show up,” Bakugou gruffs, his hips continuing a drilling rhythm into your fist, his body no longer shy or embarrassed.

“So you noticed but never said anything?” you counter, your fingers shifting over to his swollen, hot balls. You fondle them, tugging at their weight gently, taking in the way his eyes roll to the back of his head and the way his teeth tear into his lip. “Coward.”

“Hah?! Who the fuck—”

You can’t help yourself anymore, your mouth coming to slam against his in a piercing, searing kiss. He moans into the kiss, and you gasp back, tongues clashing together, teeth knocking into each other as awkward, nearing uncomfortable kisses are exchanged. His sweet scent of caramel wafts into your nose, and his grunts and groans are addicting, entirely enthusiastic noises that send your own thighs clenching shut to quiet the heated need in between your thighs.

Your hand increases in its speed, his whines and groans so pretty and piercing into you. 

“How fucking gross,” you laugh into his mouth, the slicked heat of his precum lathering your palm until soft noises of your fisting hand begin to fill the sterile bathroom. “You’re a child, wanting to piss on things that you shouldn’t. You came to the bathroom and got a hard-on instead of pissing, Bakugou, aren’t you embarrassed.”

“Y-Y/l/n,” he hissed, his jaw falling slack against your mouth. His hips are drilling into you faster and faster, the throbbing of his cock, the growing, thick scent of his caramel sweat filling the room and your senses. “F-Fuck!”

“Such a dirty, childish pro hero,” you smile your tongue curling into his mouth and dragging against the roof of his mouth as he shudders helplessly against you. “Cum already, Bakugou, cum and piss over yourself like some small brat.”

He shudders, and you find your mouth leaving his own as you stare down, spurting white ropes of cum pour from his tip, completely covering the toilet seat with his sticky white cum. And you watch as soon as his body collapses onto you, entirely spent from the orgasm, yellow piss streaming from his tip.

The toilet fills with his cum and piss, and you grin once his balls and bladder are completely drained. His cock limp and weak in your hand as you hum, your quirk activating and causing the exhausted Pro Hero to recompose himself so that he wasn’t entirely weak against you. 

“Such a good patient,” you coo, pulling up Bakugou’s boxers and hospital pants without a second's thought. Patting his butt gently, you watched as his still exhausted red eyes stared at you. You walked over to the sink, washing your hands so that you could continue to finish the rest of your shift.

“Don’t think this is over, shitty nurse.”

You look at him over your shoulder, your fingers curling under the warm water as you grin.

“I expect to be fucked and pissed on next time,” you counter, your smirk devastating and sending a fire right back to Bakugou’s groin. “No freebies anymore.”

[analyzingadventure]

I’M 5 EPISODES BEHIND ON PSI, I CAN ONLY WATCH 4 BECAUSE THE NEWEST ONE ISN’T AVAILABLE YET AND IT’S KILLING ME BECAUSE I SAW AN OUT-OF-CONTEXT MEME ABOUT IT AND IT HAD SOME IMPLICATIONS ABOUT IT

ANYWAYS, LET’S CATCH UP ON PSI, EPISODES 20-23, LET’S GO

Okay let’s save that widdle baby from that test tube

HOLY SHIT PSI’S VELGRMON IS HUGE

THAT IS A BIG FUCKING BIRB

That is a weird way for Devimon to ask Velgrmon to fetch Takeru considdering he was technically already captured by Devimon but okay I guess

MEGADRAMON!!! YEAH

Leomon please don’t die

Ah, they are acknowledging that the kids were missing for three days during a horrifying black-out, I was worried they wouldn’t like, acknowledge that at all

Koushirou’s hesistant to talk about his parents... Oh baby... ;_;

TENTOMON!! How’re you messaging to the kids?? IS GENNAI THERE TO HELP?? Or are you just in the Network messing with stuff?? Probably?

Oh, great, Algomon still isn’t fucking dead. HOW MANY TIMES DO WE NEED TO KILL THIS FUCKER

Is that squid thing Calmaramon? It looks like Calmaramon??

oH MY GOD it took me a moment to realize what was happening but WEREGARURUMON HITCHING A RIDE ON THE GIGA DESTROYER MISSILE WAS HILARIOUS OMG HE’S USING IT LIKE A SKATEBOARD LMFAO

YEAH YAMATO, SAVE YOUR BABY BRO!!!

TAKERUUU!! SASUKEEEE wait

ANGEMON!!!! BABY!!! WHERE ARE YOU ANGEMON?!?!

Megumin Han.... I’m so happy to hear your voice ;___;

A beautiful reunion

Takeru seems to be taking... [/points at the DW and the Digimon] everything really well

Jesus Velgrmon is stronk

NOOO THEY JUST SAVED TAKERU, FUCK

ANGEMON WAKE UP!!! WAKE UP!!!! WE NEED YOU!!!

OHHHHH TAKERU IS ANGERY no talk to him he angy

YEAH ANGEMON, FLY LIKE THE FUCKING WIND

God I love WereGarurumon’s nail polish, it looks fantastic yo

ANGEMON!!!!! Feather symbolism yeee

Is Angemon gonna spend all his powers to kill Velgrmon and die instantly? That’d be hilarious

Awe, no Giga Destroyer? Just Giga Storm? D’aww

HE IS GONNA DIE, ISN’T HE

ENJOY YOUR TRAUMA TAKERU LMFAO

oh mY GOD SKULL KNIGHTMON CAME IN AND STOLE IT TOO, YOU FUCKER LMAO

EPISODE 21, LET’S GO

Yamato I’m sure you could explain a few things to Takeru while you’re just chasing Skull Knightmon

Ah Devimon, your arms are as long as always, how wonderful

Ah, more Xros Wars rep! Splashmon! :D

TAKERU WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING

YOU JUST GOT HERE LITTLE CHILD, DON’T JUST JUMP INTO THE HOLE HEAD FIRST, YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE DOING

Oh wow Devimon had prepared an Evil Incubator for Angemon’s Digiegg, how fast and nice

Poor baby is gonna get super corrupted, eh?

IT’S SO NICE... TO SEE THESE FAMILY MEMBERS OF THE KIDS, LOOKING SAME AS ALWAYS AND STUFF

Oh wow did Koushirou just hack the Digivices, WOW

IT IS CALAMARAMON! I KNEW IT, FUCK, I am so enjoying the Frontier/Xros Wars rep rn, thanks Toei, I wub you

Is that another nuke? Are they launching another nuke? No? Just a massive crash at a dock?

I was just gonna complain about Psi having a serious case of Takuya & Kouji Show-syndrome but if Sora and co get to deal with the threat in the Network while Taichi and Yamato are rescuing Angemon’s egg, I’ll be okay with it

Takeru, your Powers of Adorable will not save the world, I’m sorry, you’re just gonna get yourself killed and/or kill Yamato a third heart attack, PLEASE GO BACK

Holy shit METALGREYON NOOOOOOO DON’T HURT HIM LIKE NOOOOOOOO MY BABY ;A;

THAT IS A BIG EYE WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT

A Digimon that was sealed away by Devimon or something? IDK it’s kinda scawy

METALGREYMON NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

TAICHI PLEASE SAVE HIM ;_; YAMATO GO HELP HIM YOU WIMP

OWO WHAT'S THIS

A NEW METALGREYMON VARIANT? (Or a different Mode?)

Tbh the new cannon kida clashes with MetalGrey’s oldschool design a lil BUT IT’S FINE, IT’S COOL

Agumon deserves a nap

WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT

ELDORADIMON???? IS IT OH IT TOTALLY IS, RIGHT? YEAH

I love the textures on his face, the pencil strokes look really cool

EPISODE 22 WOOO

I think I’ve complained about this before but it has kinda bothered me before how the Digimon don’t have to rest or eat before entering into battle again, and like, while it’s been mostly fine up until now... Like ever since the kids entered the Fake Tokyo they have pretty much been fighting non-stop without resting or eating and like, it’s starting to get to me, their stamina to keep on fighting is a bit much and it’s just gonna keep on going until Devimon’s dead, isn’t it

How are you climbing this wall that’s this god damn steep, you are a little child HOW DO YOU HAVE THE MUSCLES FOR THIS, I’M A GROWN ASS ADULT I DON’T HAVE THE MUSCLES FOR IT

Gabumon is a sweetheart and I would die for him

Koushirou, why didn’t you have your partners evolve faster, jesus christ (like I’ll give Gomamon and Palmon a break but the other two? Jesus)

Oh that DigiEgg is getting so super corrupted, isn’t it? Oh yeah, Devimon is trying to turn Angemon into a fallen angel like him, amazing

I wish Skull Knightmon had like a personality... In fact I wish all of the enemies had personalities beyond Devimon being ominous and Orgemon dumb with lots of honor

Jyou is gonna get in such great shape from running up those stairs- he ain’t skipping Leg Day, not today

Skull Knightmon is so cool I wish he had more of a personality ;_; I wanna root for him but beyond doing cool shit he has nothing going for him

Ah, the upgrade to MetalGrey wasn’t permanent, just a temporary buff from the power of Courage

DARK KNIGHTMON! YEAAAH

I hope Eldoradimon is okay with all this chaos happening inside him; like I hope he doesn’t get an upset stomach from this

THE BABY TOLD YOU TO MOVE, SO MOVE, KNIGHTMON!

Poor Calamaramon died without ever getting a personality ;_;

How the fuck is this infact making these gigantic leaps over great distances

God Takeru you are so cute, you widdle baby you

Oh man the hightech wings really don’t fit with the punk look of WereGarurumon at all

Welp the DigiEgg got dipped in the miasma like an egg in soy sauce, Press F for Patamon, say “hi” to Tsukaimon

Oooo the egg is exploding! :D

Oh, the egg... I mean it didn’t explode but it destroy the fortress

POYOMON! :D

Devimon, are ya gonna finally show up in person

YEAHHHHHHH DEVIMON!!!! YOU LOOK SO PRETTY I MISSED YOU YOU EDGY GOTH BASTARD

OOOO DEVIMON AND ANGEMON GO BACK? THEY HAVE A HISTORY? Well this is a ship I’m into, let’s go

EPISODE 23!

DEVIMON AND ANGEMON USED TO BE FRIIIIIENDS ohhhhhhhhh I wanna know more about their history THIS IS A JUICY SHIP RIGHT HERE

Ohhh he is so OP, I love that, thanks

How’d MetalGrey and WereGaruru get the message to use the rubble as cover? Not that it worked really

Devimon can use finger beams, lovely

Sora and co should really evolve to Perfect, like they should’ve evolved earlier to begin with

OH SHIT, WE GOT EVOLUTION ALREADY! I mean it’s only Tokomon, which ain’t that useful rn, but okay

Oh Devimon just gave Tokomon this angry-ex look oh my god

I wonder if Devimon’s plan was to like, bypass the need to use humans directly to evolve, instead using the data from humans to forcibly bring forth evolution

NeoDevimon isn’t as cool and sexy as vanilla Devimon, F

Honestly I’m kinda sad he evolve to begin with because Devimon was already super OP, like he didn’t evolve because he was losing, he evolve because his ex made him angry (although I mean I guess that is funny)

Oh WereGarurumon can just do the wing thing at will? Seems OP but okay

Ah, but I know Devimon isn’t dead yet... Saw the new Digimon Bandai shared on Twitter, the new Devimon form that is VERY SEXY (IDK if this needs to be stated but I do say “sexy” here ironically)

OH, Dark Knightmon, you’re still alive? You gonna take lead from now on?

Ohohohohohoh let’s go, gimme that new Devimon

OH MAN, IT WASN’T THIS EPISODE? HE’S SHOWING UP IN THE NEXT EPISODE? Boo, now I gotta wait :(

So I saw some memes on Twitter (along with the art of the new Digi), them including Taichi dying, dark evolution, a clip from the Adventure dub finale where Agumon’s like “next time I’ll evolve into one of the Dark Masters” so like

NEXT EPISODE IS GONNA FUN, also I’m kinda unsure if I wanna watch the preview or not... Like I already know so much out-of-context so I’m afraid if the preview is gonna tell me even more to a point it gets too much, or if it should be fine...

No, I have no chill, Psi has been teasing Mugendramon to me this whole god damn time, I NEED TO KNOW IF WE GET MUGENDRAMON LIKE THE MEMES PROPHESIZED, I NEED TO KNOW

PREVIEW!

LMAO IT REALLY DOES JUST START WITH “TAICHI DIES” JKSDFHKJSDFGJSFDGHJ

OH MAN WE ARE GONNA GET MUGENDRAMON AREN’T WE

I’M SO EXCITED

ALSO DOWNDEVIMON OHOHOHHOHOHO

NEXT EPISODE IS GONNA BE GOOOD I can’t wait

[dougrobyngoold]

March Madness - Tucson, AZ

The above picture was taken from one of the cafeterias at University Hospital in Tucson, where I had breakfast while Doug was in surgery.  I think the surgery lasted a couple of hours, the surgeon talked to me after the surgery - all went well and the atrial fibrillation should stop.  After a one-night stay, Doug was sent on his way.  We were grateful to have the surgery over with and to be on the road to recovery.  Activities were limited for a week, then Doug was free to resume normal activities.  Onward we go!

A week after his surgery, Doug was back on the golf course, awesome!

HOWE TIME FLIES

About 10 days after Doug’s surgery, our friends Art and Donna Howe came to visit us.  It was their first time in Tucson, so we planned a whirlwind tour to give them a little taste of desert living.  

On their first day in town, we headed south to the Titan Missile Museum, we managed to arrive in time to sign up for a tour (they fill up fast!)  We have been on the tour three times now, we still love it.  I would recommend a visit when you are in the area, it is just off I-19, about a 30 minute drive from downtown Tucson.  After the museum, we drove further south to Tubac.  We wandered around town, taking in a few of the artisan shops and some of the local artwork:

One of multiple painted javelinas in the village of Tubac.

Donna made a new friend in Tubac.

After a lunch stop at one of the local restaurants, we meandered back through the village for a little more exploring.  Getting our fill of Tubac, we continued southward to the Santa Cruz Spice Company.  We did a little spice shopping and then made our final stop of the day at the Tumacacori National Historic Park.  It was a gorgeous spring day, which made for some fantastic photo ops at the mission.

Look at those spring flowers and the magnificent sky!

We stopped at the tortilla and beans stand inside the park - yummy!

Crystal-clear day, the Santa Rita Mountains in the distance.

The craftsmanship on the buildings is amazing.

This moth was on one of the sidewalks at the mission, such pretty markings!

What a fun-filled day!  We headed back to our trailer for dinner and games.  More adventures planned for tomorrow!

We filled the morning of the second day with a trip to Barrio Bread, a short walk along Pantano Wash, and then lunch on our patio.  We went out to Saguaro National Park East to show them a crested saguaro on the Loma Verde Trail and for a sunset from Javelina Rocks.  We ended the day with a trip to El Molinito for take-out and then went to the Arizona Beer House to enjoy our food and a few brews.

Day 3 - we headed to downtown Tucson.  We walked along the Turquoise Trail, checking out the history of the area.  We enjoyed adult beverages at The Congress Hotel Bloody Mary Bar and even found some ice cream for Art!  We ended the day at the trailer, perfect weather for outdoor entertaining!

Day 4 - after a breakfast of sausage gravy & biscuits (vegan-style), we went to the range to whack a few golf balls around.  We love the driving range at Fred Enke - the view of the Catalina Mountains is wonderful!

After golf, we made our way out to the Desert Museum.  At this point, we were experiencing a mild shut-down and a few restrictions due to Covid-related concerns.  A few of the exhibits at the Museum were closed and they were not doing the Raptor shows.  However, we ran into a family on our way into the museum and they gave us 4 free passes.  We had a great time wandering around the museum, it is always beautiful out there.

Brittle brush was blooming and the views to the west were spectacular!

Caught the javelinas during naptime.

March is usually a great time to visit the museum, the temperatures aren’t too hot and the cactus are starting to bloom.  We were not disappointed:

We completed our exploration of the Desert Museum and made the long drive back to our place.  Happy hour, dinner, and then more games wrapped up our final night with the Howes.  We are so happy that they finally came for a visit, we hope they will make it an annual thing!

Thanks for coming to see us!

COVID INTERRUPTUS

The week following our friends visit things became more serious around the Covid virus.  Restaurants and indoor spaces were closed down and we were forced to limit our activities with friends here in the park.  Luckily, outdoor activities were a good option for us - we took lots of walks and bike rides.  The weather was gorgeous and the flowers were blooming.

Pretty blooms along Pantano Wash during one of my many walks.

More desert colors!

Some evenings the sky just explodes around here, we feel pretty lucky to be in a place where we can be outside enjoying nature most of the time.

Photos from our 15 mile walk along Pantano Wash - the weather was cool, but we didn’t get wet, just a little wind-blown!

A nice rattler I came across on a bike ride up Harrison Greenway - yikes!

I was very grateful for my new e-bike, lots of great rides along the bike path here in town.  Kept me from going stir crazy!

TANQUE VERDE RIDGE HIKE

During March Doug started training for his planned 2022 trip on the Continental Divide Trail (CDT).  The CDT runs 3100 miles from the border of Mexico to the border of Canada, staying within 50 miles of the Continental Divide along its course.  He is doing 3 consecutive days a week of 15+ miles each day with his backpack, just to see how his body holds up.  Friday and Saturday he does his miles along the Pantano River Park path, then on Sundays he does an actual hike.  I am joining him for 2 of those 3 days, my feet need a day off!  Today we hiked around 16 miles on the Tanque Verde Ridge Trail.  The hike is fairly steep and I think it is an understatement that my toes were REALLY happy to be done with the descent.  Pretty sure I am going to need a few recovery days after this hike!  In spite of the physical discomfort, it was a beautiful day in the desert and things were blooming along the ridge and Doug grilled us Beyond Meat burgers for dinner. Perfect end to the day!

REALITY HITS

By the end of March, we had come to the conclusion that our trip to Europe for this summer was going to have to be canceled.  We had reservations to fly to England on May 9th and had planned to be over there until some time in August.  Our plan had been to stay at AirBnBs, we were very disappointed to have to cancel all our plans, but Europe was closed down due to the spread of the Covid virus and things here in the United States were not looking any better.  A large portion of our Canadian friends here in the RV park had already headed north, due to recommendations from their government.  Social gatherings were frowned upon and we were doing our best to follow all of the social distancing guidelines in place.  We decided that our best option is to stay in Tucson for the time being, as many RV parks and campgrounds are closed in the U.S. at this point due to Covid.  We feel fortunate to have a place where we can wait this out.  Guess we will just have to hang around for a few more Tucson sunsets.

[silver-lily-louise]

Everything I Need - a Shadowhunters fanfic

Word count: ~4k Summary: “Magnus desperately wants to accept, wants to promise anything in exchange for his Alexander’s safe return, but he knows he has to be smart about this.” Alternative events, starting at the end of episode 3x18, ‘The Beast Within.’ When Alec refuses his offer, Asmodeus takes things into his own hands. Warning for the implication of torture. 

~oOo~

When Alec walks into the bookshop, he’s still not sure what he’s going to say.

He’ll likely never know what it’s like to lose something as vital to himself as magic was to Magnus, but he can see the pain this is causing the man he loves. And Alec does love him, loves him more than anything, which is why he wants to fix this so badly.

But Izzy’s words have been echoing around his head ever since they talked, too. He wouldn’t want this. He loves you so much. Much as he argued that Magnus would get over their breakup in time, Alec can’t deny that his sister has a point. He wouldn’t want this. He’d said as much to Asmodeus, too, hadn’t he? Even if he thought taking the deal was right, that Magnus had already sacrificed too much for Alec, it shouldn’t be his decision. It should be Magnus’. If he can’t know, doesn’t Alec have a duty to choose what he is almost certain Magnus would?

The bell chimes softly as Magnus opens the door, a look of surprise on his face. ‘Oh. I thought you were Maryse.’ Alec walks past him, the anxiety in his gut ramping up a notch. ‘Yeah, where is my mom?’ ‘She retired for the night. She left me the keys so I can keep working. You know, I’m a perfectionist.’ Alec feels himself tense as Magnus’ hands are suddenly on his shoulders. ‘You okay?’ He hums with displeasure, feeling the strain in Alec’s muscles. ‘You seem stressed.’

Alec turns to face Magnus, mouth open to start the ‘We need to talk’ speech – but when he meets his boyfriend’s gaze, the words die in his throat. Despite his obvious concern, Magnus has a look of peace about him that he didn’t this morning, and certainly didn’t last night on the balcony. Alec forces a smile. ‘It’s nothing, just… it’s been a weird day. How did things go here?’

The concern doesn’t totally leave Magnus’ face, but he seems content to leave it for now. ‘Well, you can see for yourself,’ he says, gesturing around like he’s showing off a piece of art. ‘What do you think?’ ‘Looks good,’ Alec says, glancing about the room, and means it. Sending Magnus to the bookshop was mostly a ploy, but Alec isn’t surprised to find that he’s done a great job.

Magnus seems pleased enough with the praise, curt though it is. ‘The main thing is, Maryse seems to like it. I’m glad I was able to help her out.’ His smile takes on a gentler, more thoughtful look. ‘And besides that… it actually helped, spending some time with her today. I know it’s going to take a while to adjust to this… new lifestyle, and maybe I’ll never be fully there. But seeing how she’s managing – I suppose it gives me some hope. Besides,’ he says, taking Alec’s hands in his and looking up at him fondly, ‘I’m not doing it alone.’

Alec swallows a painful lump in his throat. ‘No. You’re not.’ And just like that, he knows that Izzy was right. If there’s another way to get Magnus his magic back, Alec won’t rest until he finds it – but they’ll make that journey together, not apart.

Magnus frowns. ‘Are you sure you’re alright?’ Alec closes his eyes for a moment, letting the last bit of fear drain from him. When he opens them again, he’s struck anew by the man in front of him – beautiful even in his worry, an almost blazing aura of love rolling off of him. A genuine smile spreads across Alec’s face. ‘Yeah. Everything’s fine.’ Suddenly, Alec becomes hyper-aware of the weight in his jacket pocket, and once the idea reappears in his head, he can’t wait another moment.

He clears his throat. ‘Listen, Magnus… You make me happier than I ever thought I could be. I love you with all my heart, and I…’ He takes a breath, willing his voice to stay strong. ‘If you’ll let me, I swear I will spend the rest of my days trying to make you as happy as you make me.’ Heart hammering, he reaches into his pocket for the ring box, dropping to one knee as he watches Magnus’ eyes go wide. ‘Magnus Bane, will you marry me?’

There’s a second of silence that seems to stretch on for eternity, and Alec can’t breathe.

But then Magnus is kneeling in front of him, reaching up to cup Alec’s face in his hands, and kissing him fiercely. ‘Of course,’ he breathes as he pulls away, almost laughing. ‘Of course I will.’

Alec’s heart soars, and he gets to his feet, pulling Magnus up with him. His hands are shaking as he slips the ring onto Magnus’ finger, but he manages it, and then they’re kissing again, but gentler this time, sweeter.

‘You had one job, Alexander.’

Alec whirls around, blade drawn, to where the disappointed voice is coming from, and his stomach drops as he finds a man with an unfamiliar face but hauntingly familiar eyes. He’s taken off guard as Magnus jolts forward, arm sweeping Alec behind him. ‘How did you get here?’ he barks, and Alec’s not sure if the anger or the fear is stronger in Magnus’ voice.

Asmodeus smiles. ‘My boy. We have so much to discuss. But for now, I’m afraid I have business with your fiancée.’ With a careless flick of the wrist, Magnus is thrown into the nearest bookshelf, crashing to the floor. Alec starts after him, but finds himself immobilised after half a step.

There’s the sound of a portal opening behind him as Magnus struggles up to his hands and knees, and then Alec is being pulled backwards, and he can see the sheer terror on Magnus’ face as he reaches out in desperation and screams Alec’s name -

The bookshop disappears from view.

***

‘No. No, no, no.’ Magnus gets to his feet, shaking with the force of his racing heart. ‘No.’ Alexander.

He tries to slow his breathing, hands fisted in his hair. Tries to recover from the whiplash of Alec proposing one moment, promising Magnus he need not face any of this alone, and being dragged away from him the next. With Magnus powerless to stop it.

Magnus closes his eyes, feeling the tears pool, but then he quickly blinks them away. He can’t fall apart now. Asmodeus has Alec, which means they’re already running out of time.

He turns and sprints from the shop, furious that he can’t just portal to the Institute. But the news can get there faster than him, and he pulls his phone out of his pocket, finding Isabelle’s name in the list and hitting call.

She picks up on the second ring. ‘Hello?’ ‘Isabelle,’ he says, panting. ‘Asmodeus. He took Alec.’ ‘What?’ ‘He took him, he – he came to the shop and portalled out with him, I couldn’t stop it.’ ‘Where are you?’ she demands, a professional snap to her words as she falls back on her training. ‘Running. To the Institute.’ ‘I’ll have someone meet you at the entrance. Come to the ops center.’ She hangs up without waiting for an answer.

Magnus slips his phone back into his pocket, pushing himself to go faster, faster, until his mouth tastes of metal and he can’t hear his footsteps over his terrified heart.

***

The ops center is swarming with people, different voices barking orders and relaying information. The appearance of a greater demon is cause enough for concern, but Asmodeus hasn’t just resurfaced – he’s kidnapped the Head of the Institute.

‘You have no idea where he could have taken Alec?’ Jace asks, not for the first time. They’ve tried tracking him, but came up empty-handed. ‘No,’ Magnus says, and it takes all his self-discipline not to lay into Jace for wasting time, repeating pointless questions. ‘I banished my father centuries ago, it’s not like many of the hiding places he was familiar with are still standing.’ He thumps the table in frustration. ‘I don’t even know why he would take Alexander. He just said he had business with him.’ He’s almost entirely sure this is to do with him; but if it were as simple as his father wanting to hurt him, why wouldn’t he have done that in Edom, rather than making that trade to save Jace? And why would he take Alec alive, rather than just-  

Thankfully, Isabelle interrupts that train of thought. ‘He did have business with Alec.’ They all turn to look at her, and she continues, if somewhat hesitantly. ‘Alec went to speak with Asmodeus. He made a deal to get you your magic back, Magnus.’

‘What sort of a deal?’ He tries to make it a demand, but it just comes out desperate. Alec wouldn’t trade himself for Magnus’ magic, would he? Surely he’d know that Magnus wouldn’t want it back at that price? ‘Asmodeus said that he’d return your magic if Alec broke up with you,’ she explains. If Magnus’ head receives one more reason to spin today, he swears it’ll explode. ‘What? Why?’ ‘I don’t know,’ Isabelle admits.

But when Magnus thinks about it for a moment, it makes perfect sense. Alec is all Magnus has left. If he walked out, Magnus would be miserable, and more vulnerable than he’s been in centuries. So when his father came swooping in, returning his magic…

He scowls, cursing the manipulative bastard. ‘But Alec didn’t break up with me.’ ‘So the deal’s off, right?’ says Clary. ‘So why take Alec?’ ‘Maybe he’s pissed that Alec screwed up whatever plan he’s trying to pull off,’ suggests Jace.

There’s the unmistakeable whirl of parchment behind Magnus, and his arm snaps up to catch the fire message. His heart stutters in a combination of hope and dread as he reads it. ‘Whatever his reasons, I’m about to find out.’

Thompson Park, by the lake. Half an hour. Come alone or he dies.

***

Twenty-eight minutes later, Magnus is pacing by the lake in Thompson Park, eyes darting to the shadows to try and spot Asmodeus’ approach. He’s alone, as his father requested. Some of the tacticians at the Institute fought him on that, but with Isabelle as Acting Head of the Institute in Alec’s absence, their arguments were quickly shot down. Not that anyone could have stopped Magnus following those instructions to the letter anyway. Not with Alexander’s life on the line.

‘Magnus.’ Asmodeus’ voice comes from the right, and Magnus stops pacing, turning to face his father, who’s standing there with his arms open as if in invitation. ‘Where’s Alexander?’ Magnus asks immediately, hoping his voice doesn’t sound too pleading. He’s in a weak enough position to negotiate as it is.

Asmodeus chuckles. ‘Straight down to business, just like I taught you. Don’t worry, your little Nephilim is safe enough. I’ll show you.’ He raises a hand, and it’s only centuries of keeping his cool under pressure that stops Magnus’ breath catching. Asmodeus has conjured a sort of hologram, and it shows Alec in an empty room, wrists shackled and arms stretched above his head, an intricate circle drawn around him which Magnus recognises as a silence spell. Alec’s twisting furiously, trying to find some leeway in his restraints, some weakness he can exploit. He’s also shouting, clearly unaware of the spell that renders that pointless.

The image shimmers and disappears, and despite how horrible it was, Magnus feels a pang. He meets his father’s eyes. ‘What do you want?’ Again with the amusement, and Magnus feels the hatred rise in his gut. ‘You, my son.’ He takes a step forward, his demeanour turning more serious. ‘I want you to come to Edom with me, to stand by my side as we take down Lilith once and for all. With your strength beside me, we could be unstoppable.’ ‘You already have my magic,’ Magnus points out. ‘I do, but magic is always more powerful in the hands of its true master,’ Asmodeus explains. ‘And in Edom, you could be more powerful still.’ He takes another step forward, and Magnus forces himself to stand his ground. ‘Come with me, Magnus. Regain your powers, and live out your days as the prince you were born to be – safe in the knowledge that your darling Alexander will be returned to his family in one piece.’

And Magnus desperately wants to accept, wants to promise anything in exchange for his Alexander’s safe return, but he knows he has to be smart about this. ‘When do you need your answer?’ If Asmodeus was expecting an instant agreement, he doesn’t show it. ‘You have six hours. Though for Alexander’s sake, I hope you decide soon.’ And with that, he disappears, and Magnus is alone again.

***

‘You’re not considering it,’ Izzy says disbelievingly. ‘Of course I’m considering it,’ snaps Magnus. ‘It’s the fastest way to get your brother out of Asmodeus’ clutches and back to all of you – maybe the only way.’ Izzy runs a hand over her face, clearly exasperated. ‘For two people who love each other as much as you guys do, you both really have no idea what the other would want. Magnus, if you go with Asmodeus, there’s no way he’ll ever let you leave again. If Alec comes back to find you gone, and we have to tell him that you’re trapped in Edom with your father, you think he’d be okay with that?’ No, of course he wouldn’t. But, ‘At least he’d be safe,’ Magnus argues.

‘Magnus, stop,’ Clary interrupts. ‘We all want him back, but there has to be another way. Maybe we can find him on our own. What did you see when Asmodeus showed you his location?’ The answer is easy, every detail of that image burned into Magnus’ memory. ‘An empty room. Low ceiling, a few high windows, concrete floor. Sounds of traffic outside. Not exactly a lot to go on.’ ‘Well, it narrows it down to somewhere in civilisation,’ Clary points out. ‘We know he isn’t keeping Alec in the middle of the desert or something.’ ‘Oh, excellent,’ Magnus mutters, rolling his eyes. ‘Civilisation. Why, that’s not even half a million square miles!’

Clary opens her mouth to say something, but they all freeze when Jace hisses in a sharp breath.

‘Jace?’ Izzy asks tentatively. Jace just grimaces, refusing to meet any of their eyes. ‘I’m fine.’ Which means that Alec isn’t, and Magnus’ stomach drops. For Alexander’s sake, I hope you decide soon. ‘Whatever the plan is, we need to get a move on.’ Clary’s hand comes up to rest on Magnus’ shoulder. ‘I know you’re scared, but this isn’t the way. We’ll find him, Magnus. We’ll get him back.’

Magnus closes his eyes briefly, refocusing. He wants to say I know, Biscuit, but can’t bring himself to. Jace could feel fear and anger through the parabatai bond earlier, but this is the first time he’s felt pain. Which means that Asmodeus is getting impatient, and they have to-

An idea strikes him, and it must show in his expression, because Clary asks, ‘What is it?’

Magnus smiles grimly. ‘Asmodeus just made his first mistake. I know how we can find Alexander.’

***

‘I don’t like this,’ Izzy declares. ‘The last time we tried to use the parabatai bond long-distance like this, Alec ended up in a coma. I don’t want the same thing to happen to Jace.’ ‘This is different, Isabelle,’ Meliorn assures her. ‘We aren’t sending Jace’s soul after Alexander’s. I’m simply going to trace the connection between them, using the pain Alec is feeling.’ ‘Why now? How is this different to when we tried to track him earlier?’ Clary asks. ‘Pain has a certain power all of its own,’ Magnus explains. ‘It’s the most basic of distress calls, and Meliorn can help us answer it.’ If the situation weren’t so dire, Magnus would feel like laughing. Asmodeus clearly thought that hurting Alec would pressure them, increasing his advantage. Instead, it’s going to be his undoing.

Meliorn closes his eyes, hands hovering over Jace’s parabatai rune. A few long moments pass, Magnus and the Shadowhunters waiting with bated breath, before he opens them again with a smile of satisfaction. ‘Alexander is close by, still within the limits of the city. I can take you to him.’

‘What?’ Magnus is taken aback. It should be a relief that Alec is close, but all he feels is suspicion. ‘My father could have taken Alec anywhere in the world. Why keep him in New York?’ ‘Maybe he thought it would be the last place we’d look,’ suggests Clary. ‘Or maybe he just doesn’t know anywhere else,’ adds Jace. ‘You said it yourself – his old haunts are long gone. If he’s only just gotten out of Edom, he can’t have explored much in that time.’ ‘Or maybe it’s a trap,’ Magnus counters. ‘Maybe he’s waiting for us to invade, and when we do, he’ll kill all of you and Alexander.’

Izzy raises a hand. ‘Enough. We could argue about this all day, but it’s four hours until the deadline, and we don’t have much of a choice. We know where Alec is, we just need a plan to keep Asmodeus away while we go get him.’ She turns to face Magnus. ‘If you set up a meet with him, will he definitely show up in person?’ ‘Yes,’ Magnus says, and he’s certain about that. ‘He’ll have to. He’s the only one who can restore my powers and return us to Edom.’ Izzy nods. ‘Alright. Then once we have Alec, what do we do with Asmodeus?’ ‘We banish him,’ Magnus says. He quells a shiver of revulsion at what he knows he has to do next. ‘And unfortunately, I know exactly who we need to do it.’

***

This time, when Magnus steps out into the clearing beside the lake, Asmodeus is waiting for him in the pale dawn light, still with that infuriating smile on his face. ‘Magnus. I knew you’d come to your senses.’ Magnus takes a deep breath, careful to let the right level of vulnerability show in his bearing. If Asmodeus starts to suspect anything, then everything is lost. ‘Before I accept your offer, I’ll need a few… assurances.’ He twirls the Lightwood family ring on his finger, letting his nerves show a little, but careful not to disturb the ring hidden above it. Asmodeus nods – he was expecting this. He was the one who taught Magnus to make deals, after all. ‘Name them. I’m sure we can come to an arrangement.’ We’re almost there, Magnus. Jace’s voice sounds in his head. Keep him talking.

Magnus pulls himself up straighter, looking his father directly in the eye. ‘I’m going to need proof that Alexander has been safely returned before I go with you. I need to see him, in person, back with his family.’ ‘Of course, I wouldn’t have it any other way.’ Asmodeus’ expression is earnest, but there’s an underlying smugness there, too. He’s won Magnus’ trust before, and clearly thinks he can do it again. ‘I’ll even let you say goodbye, if you’d like.’ Magnus ignores that, because if he stops to consider it, he’ll lose his nerve. ‘Additionally, I need your word that once we’re in Edom, you won’t send anyone after them. As long as I’m ruling alongside you, the Lightwoods are off-limits.’ ‘Yes, yes,’ he says, and there’s a hint of impatience in his tone now. ‘I don’t care in the least about the dealings of Shadowhunters, besides when you’re involved. Let them have this whole wretched plane – if they leave us alone, I’ll leave them alone.’ He steps forward until he’s within arm’s reach of Magnus, holding out his hand, businesslike but for the eerie smile on his face. ‘So, do we have an accord?’

We’ve got him, Magnus. Get rid of him! Magnus returns the smile, dropping the veneer of acceptance and letting it turn menacing. ‘No.’

Asmodeus’ face drops, betraying confusion – then anger, as Lorenzo Rey steps from the shadows and binds him. ‘You stupid boy,’ he spits at Magnus. He fights, but Lorenzo is borrowing power from every warlock in the city, and no demon is a match for that. ‘You could have been a prince at my side. Now, what do you have? A mundane existence, one without magic, and a measly handful of decades to suffer through it.’ ‘Maybe,’ Magnus allows, sneering back at his father. ‘But if I must die, at least I’ll never see you again.’

Asmodeus’ eyes burn with rage, and he screams in agony as Lorenzo completes the banishment. The demon disappears in a flash of blinding light, and Magnus stares at the spot he was standing, feeling oddly numb.

‘Goodbye, father,’ he whispers.

***

The rest of the morning passes in a blur. Lorenzo portals them back to the Institute, and Magnus paces Alec’s office while they wait for the Shadowhunters to return. And then Alexander himself appears in the doorway, alive and honest-to-god smiling when he sees Magnus, and everything else falls away. Magnus doesn’t even remember crossing the room, just finds himself with his arms around Alec, being held just as tightly in return. ‘I’m alright,’ Alec murmurs into his ear. ‘It’s okay.’ Magnus just nods, not quite trusting his voice yet.

Belatedly, he remembers Alec’s injuries, and pulls away. ‘I’m sorry, I- are you hurt?’ Alec shakes his head, and he’s still smiling, and it feels like a miracle compared to the despair of earlier. ‘Nothing an iratze couldn’t fix.’ ‘Good thing, too,’ says Izzy. ‘It was a lot easier getting out of there with all five of us able to fight.’ She turns to Lorenzo, regaining an air of professionalism even though her tone stays warm. ‘Lorenzo, thank you for all your help.’

Lorenzo huffs. ‘Yes, well. Asmodeus running loose is no good to anyone. Plus, what’s the point of the Head of the New York Institute owing you a huge favour if he isn’t alive to grant it?’ Alec nods seriously. ‘Thank you.’ The corner of Lorenzo’s mouth ticks up. ‘Now, if you’ll excuse me.’ With that, he struts out of the room, and it’s just the five of them, Meliorn already gone.

Alec sways in place, and Magnus steadies him with an arm around his waist. ‘Come on. You need to rest,’ he says, and with another grateful glance at the others, he starts leading Alec towards the bedroom. It goes to show how exhausted he is that Alec doesn’t protest.

But inexplicably, once they’re dressed in sleepwear and under the covers, neither of them can sleep. Not with the day’s events still weighing so heavily on their minds. Alec breaks the silence. ‘Long day, huh?’ Magnus breathes a laugh. ‘That’s an understatement.’ ‘I guess rescue-wise, this makes us even after what happened with Iris,’ Alec teases.  ‘Actually, I think this just means we both owe your sister twice over.’ Alec groans. ‘Oh god, don’t tell her that. We’ll never live it down.’

They both chuckle softly, and then there’s another moment of silence before Magnus says, ‘Isabelle told me about the deal my father offered you.’ The mirth slips from Alec’s expression. ‘Oh.’ He looks away from Magnus and sighs. ‘I’m sorry I brought him back into this. I didn’t know what else to do.’ Magnus reaches up, carding his hand through Alexander’s hair. ‘It’s alright. I’m just glad you didn’t go through with it.’ He sees the relief on Alec’s face – clearly, he wasn’t sure until this moment that he’d made the right choice, and Magnus’ heart breaks just a little at that. He leans in, planting a gentle kiss on his fiancée’s lips. ‘I miss my magic, but I wouldn’t trade you for anything.’ He pulls back to meet Alec’s eyes again. ‘Thank you,’ he says sincerely. For caring enough to try. For believing in how much I love you. For coming back to me. ‘I love you, Alexander.’

Alec clasps Magnus’ hands in his own. ‘I love you too. And if there’s another way to get you your powers back, I swear, we will find it.’ Magnus smiles. ‘I know. And I want to keep looking.’ He moves over, resting his head on Alec’s chest, arm curling around his waist. ‘But for now, I have everything I need right here.’ And for the first time, he doesn’t feel like he’s trying to convince himself when he says it.

When they eventually fall asleep, it’s in each other’s arms, and the last thing Magnus thinks before he drifts off is how grateful he is for that.

~oOo~

[franeridart]

Hiya dude! Sorry if this ask is annoying, but I was wondering if I could make an oc with a similar quirk to Akane? I was considering making an oc that can control color, but if I do actually end up posting about them, I don't want to make a character that seems like a copycat. :')

Sure thing! I don’t own the concept of that power after all hahaha

Anon said:Will there be any of the KiriBaku kids on your red bubble? :) They’re so cute!! 💕💕

Why not!!! Just gotta draw something with them that’s actually worth uploading first 💕💕

Anon said:Your blog is so.... therapeutic??? I think I went through it at least four times by now. I'm absolutely in love with your drawing style and even better au ideas.

Anon said:akane would be dangerous with red paint bombs

Anon said: Akane could shoot or throw paint balls of red paint or even powder to cover things and villains and since the paint isn't alive she could control it.

Anon said:Pertaining to the question of blood, red blood cells live approximately 120 days. If she kept blood in a tube and waited until the cells are dead, can she control them? Is one of her tools going to be capsules of red dye that she can use to paint her enemies?

!!!!!!!! Many people have mentioned that and it makes me actually super happy because that was something I thought about too, for when she’ll be a hero! The paint should be fast dry though or else she’d end up just moving the paint off the things she threw it on hahaha also about the blood thing, yes she’d be able to control it but, I mean, why would she do that hahaha

Anon said:Do you have any ideas for an older Akane? I image that she would get into UA and that she would have the coolest hero costume! With different shades of red so that she could possibly use it for defense or mobility, and a cloak that could withstand attacks. I LOVE the idea of her having red knives and weapons that she can use for offense hidden under her cloak, probably attached to her pants. OH and also she could have a red chalk pallet on her thigh so she could color things so she could move em

I do have a bunch of ideas!!! But since she’s a kiddo in the AU all ideas don’t really matter all that much yet, so I’m totally up for everyone imagining it however they wish! And I like all of your ideas so so much!!!!!! Thank you for liking my kid enough to think this much about her!!!! 💖💖💖

Anon said:i love your new bakushima parents au thing with akane!!!! it's so freaking adorable!!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! 

Anon said:What is your sexuality?

I don’t mind saying, but why do you wanna know? :0

Anon said:Do you think if Akane was raised by her biological parents she could be somehow trained to use her quirk on living things? Like her morals and pure heart are what stop her from ever even thinking about doing something like that???? Sorry, idk I just tend to want sufficient angst when it comes to things I like, and I LIVE FOR AKANE!!! She could easily be a top hero and I LOVE to see more of her!! Thank you for creating her!!❤️❤️❤️

I’m gonna have to hold the answer to this question cause it’s actually gonna be the topic of a comic I mean to draw soon-ish >:]c

Anon said:That fire diamond Bakugou and Pearl Kirishima au is everything. Hope we'll get more of it in the future. I'm curious about what happened with kirishima :D

Aw anon, I’m so happy to know you liked those but I don’t think I’ll ever get back on that concept :( posting those ended up with a lot of unpleasant things happening so now they’re tied to unhappy things for me :(( sorry!

Anon said:aww Akane, give him a chance, maybe he can be your 2nd papa ^w^

>:]]]]] s o o n

Anon said:I give her like 5 years and she will like Kiri. Nobody can resist Kiri long.

>:]cccc sooner than that 

haha

Anon said:u have only been drawing akane for a while and i 110% support it i love her so much

That!!!!!!! Makes me so happy!!!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!!

Anon said:I'm in love with this new au help

😭😭😭😭😭😭 thank you so much!!!

Anon said:God I am loving this please don't stop with our little red babbbey I wanna know what happens next 💙💙😔👌💙💙

AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Anon said:I have known Akane for a day now but if something happened to her i would kill everyone in this website and then myself

You guys are gonna make me CRY FOR REAL!!!!!!! so much love thank you so so much!!!

Anon said:The way you draw bakugou is so amazing I can't even,,,z that undercut???? Beautiful. The way his treats little red???? Fantastic.

I’m GLAD you like the concept!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 💗💗💗💗💗💗

Anon said:I'm very sorry to say this but.... What if Bakugo had a quirk that when he says "DIE!" the first thing he sees after saying that explodes. And what he will do with it? Will Kiri still be with him?

...................anon I’m gonna be very honest with you that sounds like the most OP quirk ever omfg does the intensity of the explosion change based on how loud it is? If so it’s such a strong quirk it’s fantastic !!! and I don’t see why Kiri would have a problem with it tbh haha

Anon said:I know this may be weird or personal but, what's your race/where are you from?

I’m Italian! It’s actually written in my faq!!

Anon said:Hi, sorry to bother you but ... Can I please draw Akane, your OC, she is so precious ! I really like your work on her, her design is truly cute ... Obviously if I post it, I will give you credit ... ( Sorry for my broken english, it's not my mother tongue )

YES!!! Thank you so much for wishing to draw her!!!!!!!!!

Anon said:You definitely don't have to stop this au any time soon. I love so it so much :D As always, your art and stories are incredible

Anon said: There is no need to apologize for continuing with this new AU, it's your blog and you can post what you want. Plus, the idea is really cute and your drawings are great! I think any kind of post of any AU is great, so don't worry about it, we're thankful for what you do, no matter the AU

You guyssssss!!!!!!!!!!😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 thank you so much for enabling me!!!

Anon said:I fcking love kirishima's hair in your latest comic, that undercut with vibrant red hair Is everyhting

THANK YOU!! I’m glad you like it since it was entirely self-indulgent hahaha

Anon said:The phone case I bought from you recently arrived and I love it a lot! You're my absolute favorite artist and I check your tumblr everyday to see if you've posted. I was wondering if you'll be connecting Akane with the other krbk kids cause it's really interesting. Plus Ultra!

Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And no, she’s a separate AU! I was actually unsure in the beginning (which is why Baku has the same hair in both aus!) but after I asked it seemed like people would have preferred it to be a separate AU so that’s where it went!

Anon said:Did you start using a different brush for lineart?

If this is about the pencil tool, no! That’s not a lineart tool, it’s just a sketch one :D I use it when I don’t feel up for detailed work and wanna be fast about what I’m making~

Anon said:Did Bakugo adopted Akane or is kinda like a teacher to her?

At the very first he was just a temporary guardian, but after a while everyone grew attached and he decided to adopt her! :D

Anon said:Ah I just had that image in my head of Akane training with her quirk so hard she can style her hair with it like super quick, like, at first she'd do it in secret then call Baku over and show him how she can make it braid itself then just has to tie the end (it's a messy braid but he's so. so proud.) (Btw I don't mean for you to draw this, I just thought it was p sweet :0 )

That’s!!! such a cute image oh my god TT0TT and I actually have half an idea for a comic for something on this line!!! well, vaguely haha maybe soon! 💕💕💕

[canardroublard]

TMFU, Gaby’s fashion, and some feminist film analysis

Back when I slapped together a reblog post about the men’s fashion in The Man From UNCLE in between physio appointments, which somehow got like way more notes than I ever really expected or even wanted, I didn’t address the fashion of the lead female character, Gaby. It was outside the scope of the OP, and I didn’t feel like I had anything new or interesting to say about Gaby’s fashion, or lack thereof.

(My beta says those earrings are the ugliest thing ever. I disagree. It’s a wonder we’re still friends)

Anyways, we see only one brief scene of Gaby in her own street clothes, and a slightly longer sequence of her in her work clothes. The rest of the film, she is wearing clothes chosen for her by Illya. Saying “we just don’t have enough info” is a perfectly reasonable approach to this. So this was the other reason I had no intention of making this post.

But then people started getting interested. Someone reblogged commenting about Gaby’s fashion, and I discovered that I have very strong opinions about something I’d previously claimed was unknowable, and it made me wonder what was going on in my brain.

Then I talked to some other TMFU friends who all seemed interested in what I assumed was common knowledge/nothing unique. So, they may have been feigning interest out of politeness, but it activated the art history side of my brain, and here we are now!

The boring stuff but please read this

I am not attempting to tell anyone how to interpret this film. I am not even trying to change people’s minds or persuade them to my thinking. All I am doing is sharing my thought process. I wasn’t even going to do this for Gaby until people asked. To this end, please don’t attempt to argue with me about this. I don’t want to argue. I won’t respond to it. If you disagree, then please, just move along.

And I’m going to remind people that I love TMFU. I love this movie so much it hurts. Why am I putting this reminder here? Because I am about to apply some critical analysis to it, and in places this will be cynical, and it will not always look kindly on the film. If you just want to exist in a happy “I love TMFU!” bubble and not hear anything less than 100% positive about the film (which is a totally valid choice, I don’t fault anyone for that), then don’t read. But don’t yell at me for being mean or criticizing the film, because I warned you.

Tldr; or, if I were still being graded for this stuff here’s my thesis statement

When analysing Gaby’s fashion, there exist considerations which don’t apply to the male characters. Namely, she is a woman and the male gaze is a thing. So I am very, very wary about taking at  face value any expressions of traditional femininity in the choices made  for her outfits, hair, makeup, etc. Therefore, when considering her character, I find it much more useful and informative to give more weight to the aspects of her appearance which do not connote traditional femininity, rather than those that do.

For readers who have studied enough  media analysis to follow my thought based on that alone, there’s the thesis statement, y’all can go home (or at least skip to the end where I come to a conclusion). If you’re lost, then read on.

(mobile readers, the cut here might not work, and if so I apologize for what is going to be a very long post. Tumblr’s “keep reading” functionality is inconsistent at best, but I tried)

Context is for kings essential for analysing media in a meaningful way

(Or, some brief background. Stick with me here, we’ll get to the good stuff soon)

So, art doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Attempting to analyze any artwork (in this case a film) while disregarding the culture it was created in and the intentions of the creator is...not going to get you very far. Asking “what is art” is a question that quite frankly exhausts me at this point (looking at you, Duchamp) but the closest I’ve ever come to an answer is that the only thing that separates art from everything else is intent. And intention only exists within cultural context. So yes, intent and context don’t just matter peripherally, they are one of the biggest considerations one needs to make when analyzing works of art. The creator in this case being Guy Ritchie et al, the culture being British/American Popular Cinema in The Year of Somebody’s Lord Two-Thousand-And-Fifteen. 

Everyone views and creates (if applicable) art through their own distorted, murky, imperfect lens of personal experience. And one of the most persistent Things in western art is that cishet men create art based on their experience of Being A Dude. This is crucial, because this lens of cishet male perspective literally underpins almost all of western culture including popular culture. And thanks to feminist film theorist Laura Mulvey, we have a name for this.

The male gaze and you

I’m going to quote Wikipedia here, because honestly this intro sentence sums things up rather neatly (with one exception which I will address momentarily).

In feminist theory, the male gaze is the act of depicting women and the world, in the visual arts and literature, from a masculine, heterosexual perspective that presents and represents women as sexual objects for the pleasure of the male viewer.

What does that all mean? That the Viewer and the Artist are both cishet men by default, and any women are Subjects of art. Women are viewed, never viewers. Men take action, women are subjected to actions. Furthermore, women are supposed to be pleasurable to view. By men. Since the Viewer is male by default.

But I would disagree that the pleasure is inherently based on women being sexual objects. That’s honestly a really damn limited read on the whole theory, and it’s one that Wikipedia itself contradicts later in the article. More broadly, cis men also derive other forms of pleasure from the presentation and viewing of female bodies, including aesthetic pleasure (the enjoyment of looking at beautiful things).

The theory of the male gaze is not without limits. As originally theorized, afaik it’s not particularly intersectional. It doesn’t really address queer perspectives or perspectives of POC. However, these issues are something I just can’t address here, unfortunately. And when looking at popular media, I still find the concept of the male gaze, imperfect as it may be, is a helpful means of analysis, so it’s worth having in your toolbox.

Circling back, the easiest way to sum up the male gaze, if you’re still not super clear on what it is, is with a demonstration.

Ever seen a shot like this in a movie?

And did you immediately roll your eyes? Feel gross? Congrats, you have just perceived and reacted to the male gaze.

Now we actually get back to TMFU

But the male gaze also shows up in many more subtle, insidious ways than fanservice-y boob shots. For this post, let’s focus on the following considerations, which might help everyone follow my thought process more clearly.

Gaby is a woman

She functions as the love interest of Illya in the script (I am not talking from a shipping perspective. What you ship does not matter for this discussion. I am talking about the narrative function of Gaby in the script as written. Put on your “cishet man” goggles for a moment)

Illya is a man who is attracted to women, specifically Gaby (again, I don’t care if your shipping conflicts with this. I am analyzing the film based on a literal reading of it as if I were a cishet man. Why? Because that’s who made the film. That’s who it’s “for”. I am all for queer readings of film--hell, I ship OT3, I myself have chosen a queer reading for how I interact with it, but I’m not critiquing people’s readings, I’m critiquing the film itself and to do that I have to critique its intentions and cultural context.)

Cishet men are traditionally only allowed to be attracted to women who are conventionally attractive. If they were to be attracted to anyone else it would destroy their fragile senses of self and their heads would explode or something. At least I assume that’s what must happen, based on how terrified they are of it.

Therefore, Gaby must be conventionally attractive, because it is literally required of her or otherwise the whole underpinning of western straight malehood crumbles and then where would we get such a pure, vast source of unadulterated toxic masculinity?

(Yes, this is a very cynical read on things. I’ve studied, like, three centuries worth of this bullshit. I’m tired. Let me be cynical.)

Or, to force myself to be less cynical, Gaby has to be pretty because...nope, this is still going to turn out just as cynical.

But what I will say in favour of this movie is that it gives Gaby and Victoria both a lot of agency and general awesomeness, which is quite unusual in this sort of big-budget action film, and it’s one of the big reasons I love it. I’m not saying that the entire film is sexist. On the contrary, there’s a ton of stuff to celebrate about how it portrays its female characters. But these aspects don’t change the cultural context, and we still have to consider the impacts of the male gaze.

Anyways, point being is that as filtered through the male gaze, Gaby is never given the option to, say, wear no makeup (or the appearance of such, as the guys are afforded, this being cinema where “no makeup” still means makeup) because that would look “ugly”.  Instead she needs to have a “baseline of pretty” which is way higher than reality because she is not a real human being with her own agency, she is a character created by a cis male writer/director team in a film directed by a cis man in a genre that caters to cishet men.

Gaby doesn’t exist in a vacuum. She exists battling centuries and centuries worth of sexist convention.

Now then, remembering all of that, let’s actually look at her. There are woefully few good pictures so I’m going to have to piece things together a little. Starting with the coveralls.

This is a great look, I love it. And I’m going to give Ritchie a lot of credit here because it would’ve been easy to go for a “Michelle Rodriguez in F&F sexy mechanic lady” look. In case I need to provide a visual:

(Repeat above gif about rolling my eyes)

Now, to be clear, I am not making any judgement about the way any real-life women dress. I’m sure there’s plenty of female mechanics who have their hair down and wear tank tops while working. That doesn’t bother me. I don’t care if real life mechanics choose to do their jobs in a string bikini. Or in cosplay of the bee from Bee Movie. I don’t care (and quite frankly it’s none of my business) because they are real people who can make their own decisions. But what I am talking about here is a fictional character who does not have her own agency. I am critiquing how male creators choose to dress their female characters.

So I personally choose to read much more into the unpretty  aspects of Gaby’s outfit, because these are not the “obvious” or “easy”   things. Obvious and easy are “of course she wears makeup” and “of course her hair looks good” and  “of course she doesn’t look like a swamp witch  who bathes in mud and spends her days cursing passing men”. Those things don’t challenge or disrupt the assumption that women must look attractive for male consumption.

Gaby’s introduction to us is with her in a pair of grease-stained, baggy coveralls, not wearing any obvious makeup (again, this is cinema, so she is wearing makeup. For cinema the goal posts around “wearing makeup” always need to be moved from where they’d be irl). There’s very little here that screams ‘pretty’. And that is fascinating to me.

I don’t know how deeply Ritchie thought this through when giving final approval to the costume, hair and makeup. But unpretty is not the default here. It’s a choice

And look at this. This is the stance and dress sense (and socks!) of a woman who does not give a damn about looking good for the male gaze, whether the in-movie gaze of Napoleon, or the implied gaze of the viewer and creator. It’s not ‘pretty’. And this is the only time in the film we see Gaby in her own everyday clothes, as she only escapes East Berlin with the literal clothes on her back.

So how do I think Gaby dresses? I think that for the most part she dresses....like this. Practical. Comfortable. With a few simple touches of things she likes/finds pretty, perhaps, but not with a specific interest in being pretty. She dresses for herself, not for others. And if that isn’t something to aspire to, I don’t know what is.

[whenjoshisjoseph]

TODODEKU/KIRIBAKU VIGILANTE AU: THE ART OF HAPPY ENDINGS

I am so, so pissed. The WiFi threw a tantrum and I couldn’t upload this on Halloween, and it’s still not letting me upload on AO3. So here, have this one shot that’s 5k words about my fav children and let me feel at peace.

The Art Of Happy Endings (whenjoshisjoseph)

Rated T. 

Summary: Bakugou, Midoriya, Todoroki, and Kirishima attend UA, a prestigious music school. Bakugou has a crush on Kirishima and vice versa, and the same is true about Todoroki and Midoriya crushing on each other.

Simple enough, right?

Wrong, because all of them are also a vigilante team that work together without knowing who the others are, and it stops them from pursuing relationships

.Until Shigaraki hatches his evil plot, that is.

full fic below the cut!! expect the italics doesn’t work :/

Midoriya recognises the song before Todoroki even starts to play, simply by looking at the way his slender fingers are poised. However, he still feels a rush of pride when Todoroki does indeed, begin with the opening note of Chopin’s Waltz in A Minor.

And of course Midoriya would know it; how could he not? It’s the first song he’d ever heard the other play, as well as the first song they’d played together. Part of him wishes that he could be on stage with him, accompanying Todoroki’s piano with his own violin. Then again, he’s content to watch from his special spot backstage, flowers hidden behind him.

Because this is the moment, the perfect opportunity: tonight, after the recital is over, and Todoroki is still on a high from his stunning performance (there’s no chance that his performance will be anything less than stunning), Midoriya will present Todoroki with the bouquet of red roses that he’s oh-so-carefully picked out, and with the roses, present his feelings too.

If he’s honest, it’s slightly daunting to think about, but it’s time. His best friend must know.

The gorgeous sound of Todoroki’s playing resonates within the concert hall, and the audience hold their collective breaths at the sheer beauty of his performance. Every trill and swift note vibrates throughout the space, and Midoriya, much like the rest of the audience, is transfixed.

But the sound is only half of Todoroki’s allure, and Midoriya unabashedly stares at the man as he plays. A single strand comes loose from the tight ponytail Todoroki’s hair is in, the colour matching the shade of roses that Midoriya holds. His chin is held high in the perfect pose to catch the light, and his heterochromatic eyes closely follow the notes he plays, building to a mesmerising crescendo.

Todoroki himself is, without a doubt, easily as entrancing as the song he plays.

Just before the piece finishes, though, a rough hand grabs at Midoriya’s shoulder, and he swivels in shock. Bakugou stands in front of him, gesturing for him to follow.

“K-kacchan?” he whispers, dreading what the blonde may be about to tell him.

“We gotta go; it happened,” Bakugou replies gruffly, sparing a glance at Todoroki, then at the flowers in Midoriya’s hands. His gaze softens a little.

“P-please,” Midoriya says quietly, voice beginning to tremble, eyes starting to water. God, but he’s so weak, he thinks to himself. “Not now, not now, anytime but now.”

This isn’t only the perfect chance to confess to Todoroki; it’s also his last, because Todoroki’s father has demanded he train internationally, and Todoroki has acquiesced to his father’s request. After this recital, Todoroki will be packing his bags and heading to the airport.

(The thought of it just further threatens the tears in Midoriya’s eyes to spill over.)

Bakugou steps forwards and ruffles Midoriya’s hair in sympathy.

“I know what it means to you, Deku, but there’s no waiting. It’s a shitty situation, but we gotta work with what we got. We have to be there. Now.”

And as much as it breaks his heart, Bakugou’s right; this is dire, and he has to put others above himself.

He allows himself one last glance at what could’ve been before he turns and rushes away with Bakugou, just as Todoroki skims the wings with his eyes for Midoriya, looking for support. When he realises that the person he perhaps cares about most in the world has stood him up, he steels his expression and begins Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2, the opening notes played with a dissonant detachment that does not fit the mood of the song at all.

The roses lay on the floor, forgotten, and a single petal falls from what was the freshest flower of them all.

*

The term vigilante is a little harsh, and the term villain is in a league of its own in terms of guess again, shitty ignorant civilian.

Bakugou prefers to be called a hero, please and fucking thank you, but it’s at times like this where he could maybe understand why some people disapprove of his team.

“Dude, calm down!” Red Riot pleads, holding Bakugou back lest he explode yet another rusty satellite. The friendly words juxtapose the strangely modulated voice that Red Riot’s chosen (they all wear voice modulators for the sake of protecting their real-life identities, although they all know that ‘Ground Zero’ and ‘Small Might’ know each other in real life. And no, Deku doesn’t sound any less annoying with his voice modulated).

“But Shouto’s fucking late as usual, and I’m pissed,” he growls in return, but allows himself to go limp in the hero’s grasp. There’s only one other person who can get him to calm down like this, and it’s not shitty Deku.

He glances over to Deku, or ‘Small Might’, as is his hero name, and notices the pain that flashes in his eyes at the mention of that name. It’s a bitchy coincidence, really, that Deku’s crush and his sidekick should have the same name. After tonight, it’s going to be a lot more difficult for him to face his emotions, and Bakugou once again curses the villains and their dumb-as-shit timing for hurting his nerdy ass friend like that.

No matter, though. Tonight, they’re going to take them down once and for all. Well, that is if the lame hero who calls himself ‘Shouto’ would fucking appear already.

As if spurred on by Bakugou’s grumbling, the tall man lands on the roof in an elegant crouch, straightening up and striding over to the other three in his team. His face is covered in an ornate mask that seems to be composed of half ice and half fire, like his ‘ability’, but Shouto had once explained that he’d had it made from Kevlar material to mimic the textures. Ever since, Bakugou can’t help but tease him about being a rich kid. And damn right, too. The hood that covers Shouto’s hair and the costume that cover his body are both made from freaking expensive material, and Bakugou can’t help but wonder what the fuck the guy must do in his free time to be able to afford such high quality. Not that he cares. Bakugou’s outfit is still the best.

“Fucking finally!” Bakugou exclaims, and Red Riot laughs. He turns to glare at him. “What’s so funny, Shitty Hair?”

(It’s true; the dumbass has his hair styled in some weird spiky style that really doesn’t flatter him. Not that he thinks that he’s attractive anyway. Because he doesn’t.)

“Nothing, nothing, just happy that the whole team has assembled,” Red Riot replies, grinning profusely. Deku, however, doesn’t seem to share his energy.

“Small Might, is something bothering you?” Shouto asks immediately, and Bakugou is tempted to tell Shouto that his gay is showing. But the last time he did that, the hero had burst into flames, and he’s not to keen to see that shit again.

“Personal life,” Deku mumbles, but perks up (honestly, can’t he make up his mind? Bakugou doesn’t know which one the shitty nerd is more head over heels for: his posh ass piano friend, or his posh ass hero friend). Shouto smiles sadly.

“Tell me about it,” he mutters. Red Riot, like that massive puppy dog he is, senses the morale lowering, and inserts his bright personality smack in the middle of the gay shit going on between the other two heroes. Bakugou breathes a sigh of relief.

“Don’t worry, guys; tonight’s the night we finally nail the bad guys!” he says enthusiastically. Bakugou snorts, and Red Riot flushes. “You know what I mean, bro, don’t make this weird.” Bakugou is about to reply when Shouto cuts in:

“Everyone know what they’re doing?” He looks pointedly at Bakugou as he speaks.

“Hah?” Bakugou sneers. “What you looking at me for, half n’ half? Wanna fight?” Todoroki raises an eyebrow.

“Yeah, I do ‘wanna fight’. To elaborate, I would very much like to fight the villains, Ground Zero, but of course, we can also wait until after I’ve knocked you down a notch or two.”

“Okay, okay, let’s all just…concentrate, right? This is our chance to take down the league once and for all, you know!” Deku tries to persuade, and Shouto simply nods, all glimmer of snarkiness gone from his eyes.

Liking someone can do that to you, it appears, and Shouto is all too obvious about how much he has fallen for Deku (although the stupid shitty nerd doesn’t realise it).

Bakugou shares a look with Red Riot, who has as much insight as he does, and rolls his eyes.

“Let’s go, already,” Bakugou announces, cracking his knuckles as he steps up to the edge of the roof. “We’ve got some villains to take down.”

And with that, he steps off the edge, all geared up to kick ass.

*

The mission yesterday had been a success. Well, duh, Bakugou had freaking smashed those weird ass freaks.

(The others were admittedly cool too, though he’d never let them know that he thinks that).

Bakugou tries not to dwell on the fact that the leader was the only member they weren’t able to apprehend (the man had yelled something to Deku about revenge as he’d ran, and god if that wasn’t so fucking cliché). But what’s a single guy gonna do by himself anyway? It’d been his underlings who’d been the real threat. Then again, Shigaraki had gotten pretty far alone before he’d recruited new members, so Bakugou thinks that he should maybe get together with the other three to see if they can track him down or some shit.

He goes from the fifth bar again, playing double time just because he can. The regular tempo’s too chill for him anyway, and drumming is meant to relieve his stress, so he can do what he fucking likes. The ride symbol harmonises perfectly with the hi-hat that he hits with his right hand (crossed underneath his left, because it’s easier like that).

Now this is real music, not whatever nerdy music Deku’s always playing with his half n’ half crush. As if some dusty uptight piece would ever beat simple, free sound. But the music school they go to offers both, so Deku can do as he likes; it’s none of Bakugou’s concern.

“Bakubro?” A voice pulls him out of his thoughts, and Bakugou comes to an abrupt halt to look up across the dimly lit practice room at his best friend. The streetlamps outside inform him that it’s after sunset, but as far as he’s aware, he’s got some time off from hero-ing tonight.

“Yeah?” he grunts, lifting himself off the seat and strolling over to where Kirishima is sat, acoustic guitar in hand. “Hold up; what’ve you got an acoustic for?”

Because Kirishima Eijirou, his best friend (and okay yes, goddamn crush too, who cares anymore?), plays the electric guitar. Although that’s sort of an understatement, he supposes. Kirishima doesn’t just play the guitar, he absolutely shreds it; his talent is unrivalled by the rest of the school.

When Bakugou had first met the cheery boy with straight, limp hair and a whole load of insecurity, he’d never expected him to be quite so…awesome.

But in the two years that he’s known him, Bakugou has never, ever seen Kirishima pick up an acoustic guitar. That’s always been something Kirishima keeps to himself; he has to practice with it, but he doesn’t do so when Bakugou is present.

“I,” Kirishima begins, taking in a deep breath. “I sorta feel like the acoustic guitar is my private self so I’ve never shown you what I can do with it, and I know it’s stupid-”

“For fuck’s sake, dumbass, it’s not stupid. Okay? You don’t have to feel pressured to-”

“No, no, no!” Kirishima hurriedly refutes, before slowing down. “It’s nothing like that. It’s just- I’ve been working on something for you, a cover, and I thought maybe you might wanna see it?”

Kirishima smiles at him so dazzlingly that Bakugou can hardly hold his gaze.

“Well, if it’s for me, you gotta fucking show it to me, dumbass. So yeah, let’s hear it.”

Bakugou sits down beside Kirishima and looks at him expectantly, so the other boy starts to strum.

It’s…it’s really good. It’s as if Bakugou is experiencing another side of Kirishima, something softer, something more personal, and the way his rough fingers gently pluck the opening of ‘Wake Me Up’ by Avicci hits Bakugou straight in the chest. But he’s not even remotely prepared for what Kirishima does next.

*

“What’re you all sad about?” Uraraka greets Midoriya, setting her tray down opposite him. It’s past ten in the night, but the school is still open and the cafeteria is all Midoriya’s. Well, his and Uraraka’s now. Uraraka is in the same class as Todoroki and himself, and plays the flute so brilliantly that the music practically floats about in the space. She’s also his best friend, and knows him almost inside out.

Note the almost.

Midoriya looks at her pointedly, but she doesn’t relent.

“What? Did the night end too soon?” she giggles, offering him a wink. He blinks at her in confusion.

“What?”

“What?”

They stare at each other for a moment, before Uraraka continues, slowly:

“Okay, so let me get this straight: when Todoroki rushed out of the recital early last night without even finishing the last song, and spread an announcement through the media covering the concert that his father could go to hell and that he was staying right where he was, that wasn’t all…for you?”

Midoriya spits out his noodles.

“Wait, what?!”

“He was especially off after he finished Waltz in A Minor. That Nocturne was just…wrong,” Uraraka muses, oblivious, until she catches Midoriya’s expression. “What, you didn’t know?”

It seems that the term ‘what’ is commonly used in their conversations. Or at least in this one. But before Midoriya can even process the fact that Todoroki isn’t gone, and he has another chance, let alone launch into the whole ‘I got him roses but I had to leave early so the whole thing flopped’ story, Todoroki walks into the dining hall.

And as soon as he glimpses Midoriya, he turns on his heels and walks straight back out again.

“Wait, Todoroki!” Midoriya yells, scrambling to his feet. He glances apologetically at Uraraka who waves him off, and then runs after the taller boy. It’s like Todoroki’s some sort of mirage or something, the way that he’s only seen around the corner and never close enough, but Midoriya finally catches up to him on the steps outside the large entrance to their school.

“Todoroki!”

Said person stiffens, but stops.

“Midoriya.” The words are cold and detached, and they send an unpleasant shiver down Midoriya’s spine. Nevertheless, he runs down the steps so that he’s facing Todoroki.

“Listen, about last night-”

“Don’t. I get it; I’m not worth your time. You’ve had enough of pretending to be my friend, so you didn’t bother to show up.”

“No, I was there! I…I left after the Waltz,” Midoriya tries to explain, but Todoroki isn’t even meeting his eyes.

“Isn’t that convenient? I looked for you after that very song,” Todoroki says, chuckling humourlessly. “Stop lying to me, okay? You can’t redeem yourself, and you don’t need to. We’re clearly not meant to be friends.”

Tears fill Midoriya’s eyes, and Todoroki has the decency to look guilty for a second or two. This can’t be happening, not after everything he’s already done. Midoriya lets go of his inhibitions.

“I was there for you! I was there, listening to your music and watching the way the shortest strand of your hair come loose like it always does!” Midoriya shouts, the tears spilling over at last. “More than that, I was there with red roses behind my back that I could give to you after the concert was over because surprise, surprise, I’ve fallen for you! I really, really like you, and I would never stand you up.”

Todoroki steps closer, a dangerous fire in his eyes.

“Who told you? Who told you that I…used to like you? Was it my father?”

“I…no! A-and…used to?” Midoriya manages to say. Todoroki nods, glare so livid that Midoriya thinks he may be paralysed.

“Yes, used to. Up until yesterday. Because I can’t bring myself to like someone who stands me up and then lies about it. Leave early? Really? Why? Was it a matter of life and death that you couldn’t have stayed just a little longer for me? I think not. You liar-”

“I’m not-”

“Shut up!” Todoroki roars, the loudest Midoriya’s ever heard him, and he flinches. Even Todoroki realises he’s gone too far, and almost reaches out for him, as if to console him like he usually would. But he controls himself this time. “Just…shut up,” he says quietly, walking down the stairs and away from Midoriya, who stands there for a few minutes, frozen, before breaking down. He doesn’t know how long he weeps for, out in public, before something buzzes in his pocket; his phone.

Unknown number

I’ve found you, finally

Who is this? you may ask

I’ll give you a hint

S H G R K I

But sshh

Don’t tell anyone

Come alone to the address attached

Cos I’ve got Shouto and you reallllly don’t want me to hurt him

Be there ASAP

Midoriya reads the texts three, four times. He’s just lost Todoroki, and now, Shouto’s gone too. Kidnapped. Unless he walks into a trap for him. How the hell is a person meant to withstand this? But he’s not just Izuku, he’s Small Might, too. And he knows who to go to.

His conviction doesn’t stop the tears, though.

(He wonders if anything will ever stop the tears).

*

“Feel my way through the darkness,” Kirishima sings, almost whispering, so shy and unsure in his own ability, that Bakugou wants to yell at him that he sounds like an angel. Since when has Kirishima been able to sing? And where did he learn to sing like that? Bakugou recalls that Kirishima is doing this for him, and something begins to click into place. “guided by a beating heart. I can’t tell when the journey will end, but I know where to start.”

And Bakugou can’t help it; he joins in. He misses a line, before singing, falteringly:

“’Say I’m caught up in a dream...”

Their voices are low, hesitant, and so fragile together that even the slightest wrong movement could shatter them. But this is something they could build on. Bakugou understands now, and the moment is perfect; he wants nothing more but than to make this, the way he feels, the way Kirishima looks at him, to last for an eternity.

Which is exactly why the universe has to cut it short. The shitty nerd slams the door open, face tear-soaked. Kirishima instantly stops playing and nearly drops the guitar in surprise. But Deku is fixed on Bakugou.

“Kacchan,” he chokes out, voice cracking, “I need your help.”

And Bakugou wants to say no, wants to close the door in the nerd’s face and pretend that he and Kirishima are alone, completely alone with no-one else but themselves.

He can’t do that, though, because if there’s anything he’s learned from his shared history with Deku is that Deku is not a foe; he’s a friend. A fucking good one at that, and damn but Bakugou’s gone soft because he can’t just say no to his oldest friend anymore. And judging by the tears, it’s probably got something to with someone he cares about.

Bakugou knows how that feels.

“I’ve gotta go with him,” Bakugou mutters to Kirishima, and it breaks him to hear how much it sounds like a rejection.

“Yeah, cool; I’ll be packing up and heading home now, I guess. See you tomorrow?” Kirishima replies with forced cheeriness.

Bakugou simply nods before grabbing Deku and stomping out of the room. He turns to confront his short friend.

“Now fucking what?”

“H-he, he’s got S-Shouto, and, um, he left me, uh,” Deku stutters between tears, “a t-threat. He I have to c-come alone or he’ll, he’ll…” But he doesn’t get anymore out before he openly starts sobbing.

Bakugou sighs and pulls the nerd into a hug.

“You go after him,” Bakugou commands quietly, “but attach the comms unit and take the signal locator so Red Riot and I can follow you there. We’ll be there in half an hour to give you some time to assess the situation.” He pulls Deku back slightly so he can look him properly. “Don’t do anything stupid, don’t fall into any dumbass traps, and don’t you fucking worry; we’re going to get him back for you. Got it?”

Deku sniffles, but nods, eyes taking on a determined glimmer.

“Got it.”

And then he’s off sprinting down the hallway, and Bakugou pulls out his device, sending an emergency signal to Red Riot. But there’s one thing he’s gotta do before he join the redheaded hero:

He’s gotta stop at Kirishima’s house and sort their mess of a relationship out, because he never wants to see the guy he’s half in love with fake anything towards him again.

He wants Kirishima to be genuinely happy, for as long as humanely possible.

*

Todoroki sits uncomfortably, blindfolded, and hates himself.

He hates himself for overreacting. He hates himself for making the one he loves cry. He hates himself because he can’t stop loving him. But most of all, he hates himself because the whole situation distracted him so much that Shigaraki was able to kidnap him. And even if a future with Midoriya is gone, he could’ve maybe had something with Small Might. But Small Might is inevitably going to end up hurt if he comes after Todoroki alone like he’s meant to. Todoroki only hopes that he at least consulta Ground Zero first. As rash as the hero is, Small Might and Ground Zero know each other in person, so there has to be some sort of backup Ground Zero can offer.

“Oh, Shouto; I can scare you, you know,” the deluded villain taunts. Todoroki grits his teeth.

“As if.” Physical pain is nothing to him.

“Hmm, but I know who you are, who you really are, and I’m sure if I revealed your true self to, say, Small Might, for instance, he’d somewhat recognise your face from the media. Your cover is blown.”

Todoroki’s blood runs cold. Of course, being him, the son of the musician Endeavour, most people in the city know his face, his voice, and even his hair, which is why he so completely covers himself up with his costume. Small Might would instantly recognise him. All the…the stereotypes and the rumours about Todoroki would cloud Small Might’s judgement.

He’d lose the special connection they had.

“You’re bluffing,” Todoroki growls. Shigaraki laughs.

“Are you sure about that? Only, that was an awfully long pause…Todoroki.”

Shit.

“Now,” the villain continues. “Do you think I can scare you?”

No reply. The villain snarls and repeats his line.

“Do you think I can scare you, Shouto?”

“What does it matter? There’s nothing wrong with being scared if you can be incredible anyway!” The voice belongs to neither himself or Shigaraki. Todoroki would recognise that modulated sound anywhere: it’s Small Might.

“Small Might, don’t! Don’t come any closer!” Todoroki pleads, but it seems that Small Might isn’t going to listen, because the sounds of heavy steel boots get louder. And it’s selfish, he knows; he’s primarily trying to stop the other hero from finding out that he is a Todoroki. But his concern isn’t just for himself – he has to keep Small Might safe, too.

The echoing sound of multiple guns resonates throughout the space, and Shigaraki pulls Todoroki’s blindfold off. The hero is faced with a grotesque, peeling face, before Shigaraki steps away and says, gleefully:

“Behold, my two henchmen!” Either side of Small Might appear two men holding guns at point blank range to the hero. Shigaraki reveals his own gun and aims it at Small Might, so that the only way he can go is backwards. “Oh, it was a struggle to get anyone so short notice, but these two kind men took my limited money and accepted the job! So now, Small Might, you have a choice: flee, and live, or try to protect your dear hero friend, and die.”

“I’m not leaving.”

Shigaraki laughs, louder this time.

“But of course not; you’re a hero!” He turns to Todoroki. “So really, the choice is yours, Shouto; reveal your identity to Small Might, and allow him to live, or refuse to, and be the cause of his death.”

The air is silent for a short while, before Todoroki manages, shakily:

“My hood and mask. Take it off.”

There really isn’t a choice, and Todoroki only prays that Small Might will accept him for who he really is, and not confine him to the Todoroki Shouto that the public knows.

“Why, certainly, Your Highness,” Shigaraki quips childishly, stepping up to Todoroki again. “Brace yourself.”

And with that, he whips the mask off and shoves the hood back. Before the villain can even announce his real name, Small Might blurts:

“Todoroki?!”

Shigaraki grins, and Todoroki feels like he may possibly throw up.

“Oh, who was I kidding, of course Small Might would recognise you! You see, I also know who Small Might truly is, and you two…well, I’ll let your eyes speak for themselves.” He pushes the gun into Todoroki’s temple harshly, and turns to Small Might. “Mask, off, or I shoot him.”

And it’s the same situation, except Small Might doesn’t even hesitate for a second. The green material flops onto the floor, and the sight he sees knocks the air out of his lungs. It can’t be.

Izuku Midoriya is stood before him.

And this is the worst time to think back to yesterday, and to think back to how Midoriya said he had to leave early. Was it a matter of life and death? Todoroki had asked. And now it all makes sense.

The tears spill before he even realises he’s going to cry.

*

Bakugou hadn’t accounted for traffic. He’s now only got ten minutes left before he’s got to be with Deku, which is why he barges into Kirishima’s room without knocking. Kirishima’s parents had let him in, and Bakugou doesn’t have a second to waste.

But none of that prepares him for finding Red Riot in Kirishima’s room.

*

Kirishima steps out of the bathroom in his full Red Riot outfit. He’d gotten an alert from Ground Zero about twenty minutes ago, and it takes him at least five minutes to get his hair set, so he’d responded immediately.

(And he wants to see Ground Zero as soon as possible, too; is that really such a bad thing?)

But now he has to explain why he’s dressed like this to Bakugou, his year-long crush, and he really doesn’t know what to say.

“…Red Riot?”

Okay, so Bakugou’s heard of him. Maybe he can spin this to his favour.

“Yup, that’s me!” he starts fully intending to pretend that ‘Kirishima is out and we’re friends, haha’, but then realises he’s yet to put his voice modulator on.

Oh no.

“…Tell me you’re not the Red Riot. The one that works with Ground Zero and stuff. Please,” Bakugou utters. Okay, so now he’s a bit offended.

“Uh, yeah. Yes, I am. Like, the Red Riot, I mean. That’s me,” Kirishima tries (and fails) to assert. Bakugou sits down on the bed and groans.

“Tell me this is not happening.”

“It’s not happening.”

“…Fuck off.”

“No, no seriously,” Kirishima says, “we can pretend this never happened. I know it’s super really weird to find out that your best friend is a vigilante when you yourself are just a normal music student, and I know my motives probably don’t make sense-”

“Tch, think again, Shitty Hair,” Bakugou mutters, and Kirishima stops mid-sentence. There’s only one person who calls him by that nickname.

“Y-you’re Ground Zero?!” Kirishima screeches, and Bakugou rolls his eyes.

“Congratu-fucking-lations, you guessed it,” Bakugou deadpans.

“N-no, it’s just that- it’s good! Really good!” Kirishima backtracks. Bakugou looks at him suspiciously.

“Why’s it good?”

“C-cos….oh god, this is going to sound weird, I’m so sorry, I have to say it,” Kirishima mumbles, before clearing his throat. “Because I have a crush on you and on Ground Zero and I was really torn between the two but now it’s all sort of a lot more clear and also who wouldn’t want to be superhero partners with their best buddy?”

“Huh.”

“What?”

“You…you basically voiced my thoughts.”

Kirishima looks at him for confirmation, wondering if Bakugou could possibly mean what he thinks he means. The red tinge to his best bro’s cheeks says it all, and suddenly, Kirishima can’t stop grinning.

Without giving Bakugou a second to react, he tackles him in a bear hug, and they both topple back on the bed.

“Hey, Kirishima?” Bakugou says from underneath him, and Kirishima pulls himself up a little to look at Bakugou.

“Yeah?” he responds a little breathlessly. Bakugou smirks, surging forward and pressing a chaste kiss to Kirishima’s lips.

“We’ve got people to save.”

*

“I’m sorry,” Todoroki whispers in his broken voice, and Midoriya catches his meaning straight away, giving him a small smile that’s both sad and hopeful, and it breaks Todoroki’s heart even more to see it.

“Well, as…sickeningly sweet as this all is, I’m afraid it’s all going to come to end,” Shigaraki mocks. “But don’t worry; I’ll position your dead bodies like Romeo and Juliet, if you’d like.”

But then two figures spring down from the walls and knock out the two henchmen; Ground Zero and Red Riot have arrived.

(Really, Shigaraki should’ve hired at least a few more men).

“Maybe I’ll position your dead body like fucking Macbeth or some shit, you twerp!” Ground Zero yells…except he isn’t wearing a voice modulator, or a mask, and neither is Red Riot.

Which is why he’s seeing Bakugou and Kirishima, two people in his year at school.

To call it a coincidence would be the understatement of the century.

“Okay, yeah, yeah,” Bakugou says when he catches Kirishima, Midoriya, and Todoroki looking at each other in bewilderment. “Kirishima and I came clean to each other accidentally, and that fucktard made you reveal yourselves, I’m guessing. Can we kick ass now and ask questions later?”

Kirishima chuckles.

“That we most definitely can do, bro.”

Shigaraki doesn’t stand a chance when Midoriya knocks the gun out of his hand; the four as a team are pretty much invincible, and being able to see each other’s faces does a lot for communication.

Todoroki could get used to this.

*

“Oh my god, stop sucking face,” Bakugou groans, and Midoriya pulls away from Todoroki guiltily.

“You’re one to talk,” Todoroki says, raising an eyebrow at Kirishima and Bakugou’s joined hands.

“That’s different!” Kirishima exclaims. Midoriya simply laughs, and tucks into his food.

It’s been a month since their identities were revealed to each other, and whilst they’ve gone back to the masks to keep any other villains from finding out about them (they’ve ensured Shigaraki and his two henchmen won’t be talking), they’ve adapted the designs so that they can communicate more easily.

They’ve also discovered in school that highly controlled drums and acoustic guitar really uplift a classical song, and that electric piano and violin add a touch of unique expression that sounds pretty awesome.

But by far the best discovery they’ve made are double dates. After that night, there was no more beating around the bush. Todoroki and Midoriya had a long, meaningful talk which ended in a soft embrace and the beginning of a relationship, and Bakugou and Kirishima…well, they just sat with an acoustic guitar and sang songs together, which was good enough for them. The mutual agreement of a loving relationship came from the sound of their voices melding together (in more ways than one).

“So are we going to patrol tonight?” Midoriya asks, and Kirishima stares at him, aghast.

“Dude! We’re going to the cinema tonight!” he cries. Midoriya laughs sheepishly.

“Oh, right. Sorry, I’m just nervous about that new group…”

Todoroki slings an arm around Midoriya’s shoulder comfortingly and pulls him close.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll take them down if they’re a threat.”

“Damn right we will,” Bakugou agrees. “After all, we’re famous now.”

“Not us,” Midoriya insists. “Just our hero counterparts. No-one knows it’s us!”

“Yeah,” Todoroki hums. “And let’s keep it that way, this time.”

They’re so engrossed in making conversation and plans that they don’t notice their friends listening from the other table.

“Oh?” Kaminari calls.

“Famous?” Mina repeats.

“Hero counterparts?” Sero adds.

“Keep it what way this time?” Uraraka asks.

The four heroes look at each other, and collectively groan.

[hazelandglasz]

For Posterity

Inspired by this post, I hope the OP doesn’t mind letting my fingers get away from me ...

As far as he can remember, Derek has always seen Stiles recording things.

A particularly stunning sunset, from the moment the Sun started turning a shade of orange that made Stiles’ eyes look like glowing amber, to the moment it disappeared beyond the horizon.

The smile spreading on Scott’s face when a previously-thought stillborn puppy licked his thumb.

The way Melissa closed her eyes for a moment when the Sheriff proposed before glomping him, for a lack of a better word, with a litany of “yes, yes, yes”.

The ruffle of the leaves as Autumn settles over Beacon Hills.

Derek’s profile in the Twilight before he turns and spots Stiles and his whole being softens.

Forget about floating balloons, Stiles’ videos of the mundane beauty surrounding them is a real work of art.

And yes, Derek is acutely familiar with Stiles’ need to record everything “for posterity”.

Whatever that means.

A week into their marriage--and Derek still needs to wrap his head around the fact that he is married to Stiles, this did happen, they have a video to prove it (“see, it is useful”)--, though, Derek didn’t think that Stiles asking him to come to their shared office space would lead to him sitting in front of a camera.

“This is ridiculous.”

Stiles reaches for the strand of hair Derek lets grow and pushes it behind his ear. “It’s only ridiculous if you glare at the camera. Don’t look at the camera. Just look at me, not the camera.”

Derek bats away Stiles’ hand, a flush already taking over his cheeks. “No one will want to see this,” he insists. “It’s … weird.”

Stiles leans back, one hand on the camera and the other on his hip. “Shut up, you love my weird.” He pauses, a soft smile stretching his lips. “You put a ring on my weird.”

Derek can’t help but smile back. “That I did.”

“So buckle up, Hale--”

“Stilinski-Hale.”

“--and tell me: one week into the marriage, what do you like about it? Any dislikes?”

Derek cocks one eyebrow at Stiles. “I like wearing this ring,” he replies, his thumb finding the ring on its own accord to make it turn around his finger. “The commitment.” He looks into Stiles’ eyes, a replay of the ceremony and of their vows at the forefront of his mind. “Knowing that I’m yours and that you’re mine.” The way his voice deepens into a little growl around the last word is beyond his control, but Derek finds the flush of Stiles’ face quite satisfying. “I dislike whatever is happening right now, though.”

Stiles pokes his tongue at him, barely restrained laughter shaking in his voice as he continues. “And what are you looking forward to?”

Derek smirks just for a moment as he huffs a laugh. “Definitely for the camera shutting off and for this to end.”

Stiles pouts and sends his best puppy eyes Derek’s way. Like it always does, Derek can metaphorically feel his heart exploding into confettis at the sight. “But also …”

He pauses, considering the question.

What does he look forward to?

For more weird/romantic moments with his husband.

For disagreements over small things and alliance over the big things.

To build a family with him. To build a life with him.

“To spend the rest of my life with you,” he says in summary.

Stiles lets out a little hiccupy sound before clenching his jaw, turning the camera off.

Derek doesn’t have the time to wonder what he said before he finds himself with a lapful of Stiles. His husband wraps his arms around Derek’s neck as he straddles his legs, his nose tracing a line from his ear to his lips.

“And you say you’re not good at romance,” Stiles whispers against Derek’s lips.

“Camera off?” Derek asks, his arms snaked around Stiles’ waist.

“For now,” Stiles replies before kissing him passionately enough for the chair to slightly tip backward.

[180abroad]

Seattle & PodCon 2 (Special Post)

For this post, I wanted to share a more recent adventure of mine. This past weekend, I flew up to Seattle to attend a podcast convention. I went with my friend Heidi (@electricabyss), who actually suggested it to me while I was in Europe with Jessica last year.

We landed at SeaTac early Friday afternoon. The flight was quick and easy, and we didn't have any trouble getting through security despite the ongoing government shutdown affecting the TSA. Getting from the airport into town proved simple--if not exactly speedy--by taking the super-affordable Link train from the airport to the main downtown train station, which dropped us off just a few blocks from the convention center and our Airbnb.

Heidi had never used Airbnb before, so I got to share a bit of my knowledge and experience from using it extensively in Europe. I'd managed to find us a very nice place right around the corner from the convention center and considerably cheaper than a double room at the convention center hotel.

After a slightly awkward check-in process, we set out to do some sightseeing. We wouldn't have much free time during the weekend, so we went straight for the place we most wanted to see: Chihuly Garden and Glass.

I was vaguely aware of Chihuly as an artist who created beautiful and extravagant glass installations, and Heidi, being an artist, was very aware of who he is. The museum is clustered together with many other interesting museums right next to the iconic Space Needle.

The museum, which was a pricey but tolerable $25, starts with a quick introduction to Dale Chihuly's career, starting with glass interpretations of Native American basket and blanket designs and moving on to his increasingly stylized and larger-than-life works.

After passing under the gorgeous Persian Ceiling, we saw the truly amazing Mille Fiori (Italian for "thousand flowers").

After some more stunning pieces, we came to Chihuli's Ikebana and Niijima floats, featuring boats loaded with floral and sphere motifs, respectively. We found the Niijima float especially tranquil and calming to look at.

On the wall opposite from the floats hangs a series of "Burned Drawings"--mixed media artworks created by Chihuly after he lost the use of one eye in a glass-blowing accident and had to relinquish much of the grunt work to his apprentices. He turned to drawing as a way to channel his visions into reality, using paints, metallic pigments, charcoal, and even an acetylene torch to create some truly unique mixed-media effects.

Yet another amazing display was the Macchia Forest--a series of scalloped bowls made using all 300 colors in Chihuly's workshop.

Moving outside, we wandered through the magnificent gardens, filled with colorful glass tendrils rising from the ground like a beautiful alien invasion.

At the center of the museum is the Glasshouse, which houses one of the largest and most complex suspended installations Chihuly has ever made. It looks like one continuous string of exploding flowers, but from the side we could see that it was actually composed of many smaller pieces cleverly hung together to give the impression of continuity.

And faintly visible through the ceiling, the iconic Space Needle towered directly over us.

Before we left, we got to see a live glassblowing demonstration by a team of three museum employees. They were using a mobile workshop converted from a vintage Airstream trailer.

It was fascinating to watch them work, and the darkening evening made the glow of the molten glass all the more spectacular. Even though they were only creating a simple cylindrical vase, we were enthralled to see them start with a small, egg-sized ball of molten glass and expand and shape it, adding bits of clear and colored glass along the way.

It was especially impressive to see the way the team worked together with practiced ease, each anticipating and preparing for the others' needs.

After the show, we took one last look into the gardens, then headed over to the Space Needle gift shop, where all of the artwork made by the glassblowing demonstrations is put up for sale.

We made our way to the Armory, a food court in the center of the museum plaza. Most of the restaurants were already closed despite it being early evening on a Friday, but we stuck around since we were meeting up with some of Heidi's old college friends. Afterward, we went home on the monorail, which exists solely to connect the museum plaza with the main train station downtown.

That night, as I tried to sleep on the pullout couch, I was reminded just how nice it is to sleep in a real bed.

The rest of the weekend was dominated by PodCon.

It was the second annual PodCon convention, featuring the Green and McElroy family podcasting empires, as well as a host of other great podcasters including--but far from limited limited to--Roman Mars of 99% Invisible, Helen Zaltzman of The Allusionist, Ross and Carrie of Oh No Ross & Carrie, the Hannahs Hart and Gelb of Hannahlyze This, and Cecil Baldwin, Jeffrey Cranor, Joseph Fink, Symphony Sanders, Dylan Marron, and Meg Bashwiner of Welcome to Nightvale.

Heidi and I were mainly fans of the various McElroy and McElroy-adjacent podcasts, but we were excited to discover new great podcasts and podcasters as well.

Saturday started with a fun opening ceremony. Highlights included listening to Hank Green and Travis McElroy talking about being dads of toddlers, Cecil Baldwin encouraging us all to take a break and appreciate floors, and Griffin McElroy passing on the crown of “cronching.”

Next, we saw a live performance of Oh No Ross & Carrie, which Heidi hadn't seen before. Ross talked about his experiment to see if their ban from Scientology had reached this far north, then they covered a Seattle ghost tour they'd taken the night before. There had been a bit of a mix-up with regard to the question of whether there would be a projector in the meeting room, but Carrie kindly kept us apprised of just how much we would have enjoyed the pictures they'd taken.

It was everything I'd hoped for.

We managed to get into a meet and greet with the Smirl sisters of Still Buffering, including Sydnee McElroy, who also hosts the medical history podcast Sawbones with her husband Justin McElroy, of My Brother, My Brother, and Me and The Adventure Zone. (Confused yet?)

I was able to get my copy of The Sawbones Book signed by Sydnee and Teylor, who did the book's fantastic artwork, and Heidi was able to have a very brief chat with Teylor about art school and continuing to do art even when you don't end up being able to make a full-time living off of it.

All three of them were incredibly sweet and wholesome.

After that, we saw a live performance of Buffering the Vampire Slayer, which neither of us had seen before. Hosted by the formerly married Kristin Russo and Jenny Owen Youngs, each episode recaps an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, reveling in its silly awesomeness while also appreciating its relevance to ongoing social, political, and LGBTQ issues. Even having never seen the episode they were recapping, it was very entertaining and accessible.

Last two shows of the night were Still Buffering and My Brother, My Brother, and Me, the two shows we had been most excited to see. They were both very fun, and the episodes have already been posted this week.

After day's events were over, we took an Uber over to Pair, a fine Franco-Mediterranean tapas restaurant in the university district where another of Heidi's old friends works. The food was absolutely delicious, and for dessert Heidi's friend prepared a special "raindrop cake."

It was… interesting.

The second day of the convention, we saw three panels: one on podcasting with family (featuring Teylor and Riliegh Smirl), one on dealing with anxiety and depression as a comedic entertainer (featuring Justin McElroy), and one on telling complex stories in a simple and accessible way (featuring Sydnee McElroy). The last panel also introduced us to the delightful Helen Zaltzman of The Allusionist, a non-prescriptivist podcast about the charms and foibles of the ever-evolving English language.

We also got to meet Clint McElroy, father of the McElroy brothers, co-host of The Adventure Zone, and author of the Adventure Zone graphic novels. He was a surprise guest on the family panel and was more than happy to lead his "disciples" out into the hallway afterward for book signings, photo ops, and fatherly hugs. Like everyone else we met, he was incredibly kind and respectful.

Taking a break, we walked down to the Pike Place Market for lunch. We got chicken katsu and a chocolate and strawberry crepe, both of which were among the tastiest either of us had ever had. We also checked out Golden Age Collectibles, which is apparently the world's oldest comic shop.

Last big show of the convention was Sawbones, where Justin and Sydnee talked about auriculotherapy--a pseudoscientific practice similar to reflexology that claims you can cure just about any ailment just by applying the right pressure, vibration, or radiation to specific pressure points in the ear.

The con ended with a wonderful closing performance. Highlights included an experiment to record an entire ten-episode podcast season in ten minutes (One Question, With Allegra Frank), Roman Mars and Justin McElroy conversing through prerecorded sound bites, and a hilarious and terrifying game where four podcasters had to compete to say catchphrases while wearing a dental mouthpiece. Carrie Poppy handily won, then proceeded to deliver an amazingly drawn-out and over-the-top victory speech--while still wearing the mouthpiece.

I’ve never been much of a convention person. I don’t like crowds, and I don't have a deep-seated desire to share my obscure obsessions with total strangers. Liking the same thing is good fuel for a friendship, but I don't see it as a basis for one. Still, getting to see the live performances and panels was a thrill, and it was truly touching to see people enjoy themselves and revel in their weirdness in a way that they probably don't feel free to in their regular lives.

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend and a much-needed break from the busy holiday work season. I have to say that, while our Airbnb experience was quite positive, in retrospect I probably would have stayed at the hotel instead. It was cheaper than a hotel, but not that much cheaper. Close to the convention center, but still a bit of a walk. And we didn't really have time to take advantage of the kitchen or any of the other amenities. Having a larger space and separate rooms was the main benefit, but the beds really weren't that great.

Anyway, we had a great time, and the trip home was as easy and uneventful as our flight over. In fact, the TSA agents were unnervingly friendly and cheerful--an experience I'd never encountered before in a US airport.

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #202: This Evil Undying

December, 1980

Merry Christmas, here’s the Christmas robot here to punish the naughty. Protip: Everyone is naughty.

Okay but no, this isn’t really a Christmas story. Preponderance of red and green aside. But if I read this during December it would be a sweet Christmas gift of sorts from Marvel.

Aside from that, nothing much to say about the cover because this is kind of a generic Ultron cover. All I can tell from it is that this is during a time when Vision, Cap, Thor, and Wasp are on the team. Because that really narrows it down.

Last time: After the #200 debacle, the Avengers wanted nothing more than to clean up and just forget that #200 had even happened. Mostly nothing happened but then a robot broke into the Pym house, stole some important resins, and blew up the Wasp.

This time: The art looks weird. There’s a weird lifeless quality that I can’t quite put my finger on. I think its the inking, maybe.

Also, Jim Shooter once again gets a ‘based on’ credit. And since last post, I’ve actually discovered what that signifies. This two-parter was adapted from a paperback Avengers novel that Jim Shooter wrote.

I don’t know how much of it is Jim and how much was added making it into a comic and I couldn’t find out much about the novel. I imagine everything situating this within the post-Carol time period was an addition. Probably much of the domestic slice of life moments in last issue.

Also also, the window explodes and Cap logically assumes that they’re under attack because dammit they just got this place cleaned up!

Also also also, they’re all here late at night because Iron Man called an emergency meeting.

Lot of context to this splash page of a window exploding.

No further attack comes and Iron Man’s iron ear heard a tiny cry. Looking among the glass shards he finds...

THE WASP!

Jubilation, she lives!

I knew they wouldn’t kill off the Wasp! At least not until Secret Invasion!

.__.

Besides she’s on the cover and it would be a real dick move to put her on the cover alive if she died in the previous issue.

Anyway, surprise alive Jan tells the Avengers about what happened to her, in a surprisingly lucid fashion considering she just flew through an exploding window.

She has the facts down. None of this ‘says one ominous thing and then passes out’ biz.

Wasp: “I guess I should explain, huh? It seems longer, but it was only about an hour ago when I was awakened by a loud crash. And since my better half had already left for a scientific symposium in Tokyo -- I went to investigate, only to discover a huge robot carrying a pair of metal cannisters from Hank’s ‘impregnable’ security vault. And I guess the robot didn’t want any witnesses, because... it tried to kill me!”

Luckily, although she was stunned by a recent explosion, she possessed the wherewithal to shrink to wasp-size and escape.

And then she flew alllll the way to Manhattan from New Jersey because dammit she can do that if she wants to. She has endurance like whoa.

Still she was tired by the time she reached the mansion and lost control and was headed to thump against the window so she shattered it with one of her stings instead. Because crashing into a pile of glass shards is so much safer than hitting a window?

But after all of that, Wasp only has one concern.

Wasp: “Golly, I’ll be my hair is just a mess!”

Scarlet Witch: “You look fine, Wasp.”

Crisis averted!

Wasp always going to Wasp. I guess I don’t mind it because that’s just her character. It’d be a problem if Scarlet Witch were the same because then it would feel like Women Just Be Like That. But Wanda usually has different priorities going on.

Anyway, although the hair crisis is averted, there is still an attempted-homicide robot out there and the Avengers here an ominous clanking sound coming down the hall.

So hey all take defensive positions at the door so that they could hypothetically all be taken out in one shot.

“The ominous rattling grows, getting closer... until...”

Oh, its just good ol’ Jarvis with the early morning coffee and buttered muffins.

He interprets all the signs of imminent violence as the Avengers wanting breakfast later. Or maybe that’s just his droll Bronx/English? sense of humor.

Later, after the Avengers have affirmed that actually yes coffee and muffins will be lovely, Jarvis, Iron Man questions if the canisters the robot was stealing were labelled... “Ad Resin X and Ad Resin Y”?

Because, this just confirms Iron Man’s theory that he didn’t yet share with anyone, not even us last issue that Ultron has returned. BUT APPARENTLY he was chums enough to share it with the cover artist?

I feel slighted.

Hawkeye being Hawkeye says the dick thing.

Hawkeye: “Aw, geez, can’t we ever get rid o’ that tin-plated Napolean? Maybe your hubby’s lab deserved to get trashed, Wasp. After all -- Ultron wouldn’t even be around if Hank Pym hadn’t created him!”

Why do the Avengers like to spend time with this guy, again?

I mean Cap immediately tells Hawkeye not to be a dick but Jan’s response to that is just ‘well I think I would recognize Ultron if I saw him.’

Because the robot that attacked the lab wasn’t Ultron. As we see on the cover (too soon) Ultron is still looking pretty Ultrony. He has a pretty strong self-image actually.

Iron Man decides that this calls for him to explain to everyone (all of whom have fought Ultron and/or were created by him) how dangerous Ultron is.

Mostly because he’s made of adamantium and even though adamantium is a pain to store (once you mix the resins you have to keep it at 1500 degrees Fahrenheit and even then you only have eight minutes to mold it) once it has hardened, it can withstand a direct hit from a hydrogen bomb.

It was fairly long ago in another Ultron story in Avengers #66 when adamantium was introduced but one thing that sticks with me is the creator going ‘well shit this changes everything in a bad way.’

Its so indestructible that its a threat to the safety of the world. Very few counters to it exist. We haven’t seen a few yet like Rune King Thor or Antarctic vibranium which is the vibranium that kicks adamantium’s ass because its from space.

But one counter that we have seen is the reliable ol’ Scarlet Witch, most competent person on the team.

The way that a fully adamantium robot can even work is a molecular rearranger built into Ultron. And Scarlet Witch’s powers can make that rearranger malfunction and tear Ultron apart from the inside. Also, hypothetically, probability alteration should be able to just break adamantium or turn it into a less durable material. Its probability alteration. It doesn’t have to make sense.

Captain America: “That makes you, in Ultron’s eyes, the most dangerous of us all -- and the one he’s most likely to strike at first.”

So with Ultron out there somewhere plotting nefarious plans, this time the Avengers are going to be proactive by being reactive! Their plan this time is: protect Scarlet Witch!

Scarlet Witch protests though that she is accustomed to taking care of herself and really they should just track down Ultron and beat him up. Jocasta can track him, right?

But no, she cannot. Something is jamming her otherwise OP pls nerf cybernetic senses. She can’t find Ultron and heck she can’t even track Beast’s mutant energy like she did before to find Beast and Wonder Man.

Remember? They went to go tape Wonder Man’s show last issue but then Wonder Man got fired? Who knows what they’re up to now. Probably getting ruinously drunk.

Anyway, Vision offers a compromise. What if he takes responsibility for his wife’s safety? They’d be hanging around each other either way and she likes him already. A double marriage with a tree proves that.

She seems partial to the idea judging by that look she gives him.

And. I don’t even know whats going on with that side-eye Jan is giving them. I just. Do not.

Anyway, the rest of the Avengers are dismissed to go about their duties but also to stay near the mansion because WE ARE ON YELLOW ALERT PEOPLE!

I don’t think a color-coded alert system was ever explicitly established and have to believe that Cap just made it up this instant and everyone is just kinda going ‘ok Cap whatever you say.’

Hawkeye catches up to Wasp and apologizes for being an ass. He’s got that problem where his mouth is faster than his brain.

Wasp forgives him but only because he’s cute. That’s how she rolls.

Later, the sun is finally rising. Do these Avengers ever sleep?

We get a cute scene of Scarlet Witch and Vision watching the sun rise.

Scarlet Witch: “The dawn is beautiful, is it not, darling? Do you think it was meant to inspire us?”

Vision: “Actually, Wanda, the coloration you refer to is the result of the unique refractive qualities of the various airborne pollutants present in this vicinity.”

Scarlet Witch: “Wha--?! Blast it, Vision! Can’t you see that I’m looking for a little tenderness? A little compassion?”

Vison: “What would you have me do, my wife?”

Scarlet Witch: “I’d have you let go of me, that’s what! If you’re so blamed insensitive that you can’t tell when your own wife needs comforting --.”

Vision: “But I cannot let you go -- my job is to protect you. Would you like me to list the refractional indices of the chemical pollutants now? Perhaps in descending order?”

Scarlet Witch: “You do and I’ll hex you into plastic slag, you computerized --”

And then he kisses her. Because he was just teasing.

Is cute.

Apparently Vision’s ‘I do not understand human emotions and it makes me angry’ routine has evolved into ‘pretending not to understand human emotions except its foreplay.’

You’re an interesting guy, Vision.

“And the comfort that these two warriors and lovers find in each other’s arms gives evidence that the sunrise has, indeed, inspired them both.”

So yeah. ‘Beep boop what is love?’ is how Vision flirts now.

I wonder how far a gulf there is between this and Wanda dressing up in a Starfleet uniform and Vision asking Captain Wanda to explain this human concept of love.

Anyway, this page is sure to make the Seeing Red shippers very happy. They deserve it.

Meanwhile, in the basement training room, Captain America relaxes his own way. Through constant training.

According to Iron Man’s computer study, the Avengers typically face an average of four opponents in a typical battle. Presumably a typical battle against mooks and not against one superpowerful opponent that kicks all their asses.

So he sets up a training exercise with four targets and breaks them all with his shield. Its just a quick little one-page action scene.

In the event that he ever has to face four guys at varying heights, he’ll totally be able to hit them all with his shield in only a few seconds.

Skills.

In fact, he did so good that he gets positive reinforcement from thin air.

Thin Air: “Wheeee! Do it again!”

I josh. Its actually the Wasp.

In yet another new costume?

This is a very mercurial period in her fashion sense. It looks good though. Although it looks like she’s wearing yellow Saiyan armor. Actually she looks a lot like she was cosplaying Vegeta but maybe hadn’t seen a color image of his outfit. Because she’s got the bodysuit, the boots, the gloves, and the armor with shoulders.

Anyway, she was peeping in on Cap’s training routine and riding on his shoulder for a very important reason.

Wasp: “Sorry, Cap, I couldn’t resist hitching a ride. You’re so adorable when you’re concentrating.”

Cap: “I didn’t realize I was that easy to sneak up on, Wasp. Thanks for pointing it out -- I’ll work on it.”

Wasp: “That’s not exactly what I had in mind, Captain. Oh, what’s the use? It’s no fun flirting when Hank isn’t around to get jealous, anyway.”

... A really healthy relationship you have there, Mrs. Pym.

I do love Cap’s takeaway of ‘she must be telling me to work on my situational awareness!’

Hawkeye pops into the training room to report that Ultron’s robot struck again, stealing ‘secret materials’ from a British arms depot and wiping out an armored division in the process.

Hawkeye grouses that while this was going on, the Avengers were just sitting on their thumbs. Cap counters that they’re doing a very important job that nobody else can do by guarding the Scarlet Witch.

Wasp: “You mean you’re guarding the Scarlet Witch. I’m going back to the Cresskill to clean up the mess that drone made of Hank’s lab!”

Captain America: “Wait a minute, Wasp! We might need you!”

Wasp: “I doubt it, Cap. Let’s face it -- I’m the lightweight of the group. If the rest of you super-strong Avengers can’t stop Ultron, what good is a Wasp going to do? But don’t worry, I’ll stay in touch between loads to the trash bin. ‘Bye.”

... Its true but you shouldn’t say it.

Geez. Even the character is self-aware of how ineffectual she usually is. She’s not going on any Clint Bartony pity party about it but still.

I feel that if the writers were better at figuring out the non-combat utilities that shrinking powers were good for, Wasp would contribute a lot more. Maybe I’m just thinking this because I watched Ant-Man and the Wasp before starting this post and there was so much good shrinking action.

Later in the day, a weary hasn’t-slept-a-wink-all-night-probably Iron Man records a voice log.

Iron Man: “This is Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man... and this is the most difficult message I’ve ever had to dictate. I had hoped to speak directly to Thor, but he hasn’t responded to the summonses I’ve sent. I can only pray that he will before it’s too late.

For I’ve reason to believe that the man who reconstructed Ultron was... myself!

The fact that only a handful of men in the whole world could have done the job, combined with the fact that certain necessary components at Stark International were accessible only to me, can lead to but one conclusion -- that Ultron planted a post-hypnotic command in Tony Stark’s mind before last fighting the Avengers, ordering him to recreate Ultron’s form should he be defeated.

In other words, I was his ace in the hole -- though I’m sure that getting Iron Man under his control was something that even Ultron didn’t anticipate!

What worries me now is that I may still be subject to Ultron’s influence. Which means that when Ultron finds out my dual identity -- he could use Iron Man to fight the Avengers!

Which is why I constructed a tracing device last night, tuned to my armor’s energy mode. It’s locked in the basement vault in the mansion, and is to be used if I should become Ultron’s puppet -- used to track me down... and to destroy me!

Print one copy, seal it in an Avengers priority envelope addressed to Thor, than erase tape. Communication ends.”

Phew. A lot to unpack there.

One: So Ultron prepares for defeat a lot for a guy that never expects to be defeated.

Two: When did Ultron even get the opportunity to put Tony Stark under manchurian candidateism? Geez, I hope being brainwashed by villains doesn’t become a big thing with Tony.

Three: So I guess the invention he was working on last time that would cause his death at his friend’s hands was this tracking device. Hmm. Not what I expected but okay.

Soon, Iron Man finds Jarvis cooking a nice roast and asks him to give it to Thor when he arrives.

Iron Man: “But if I start acting unusual, acting like I’m not, well, myself, then get it into the hands of any Avenger immediately! And whatever you do, don’t give it back to me -- even if I threaten to kill you. I’m counting on you, Jarvis.”

Jarvis: “Thank you, sir. I promise I’ll not let you dow- kill me --?”

God. Jarvis puts up with so much. Double his salary and vacation time. He deserves more but thats for starters.

Also, its evening. A full day! We started at night, then the sun rose, and now its night again.

And Iron Man has approached Jocasta with a solution to the sensor jamming. All she needs to do is plug into this console and the problem will be solved quite nicely.

I don’t mean to cast suspicion at the man who explicitly suspected he was under brainwashing (oh hey, a bit of minor karmic comeuppance for letting Carol waltz off while brainwashed. Weird.) but Iron Man comes off very ominous here.

What with the shading but also the random italics.

But that klak is the last bit of this scene for the very next page and mere moment later, Iron Man knocks (or rather ‘noks’) on Vision and Scarlet Witch’s room.

Where apparently Vision is helping Wanda with her hair? Cute.

Iron Man tells Vision that sensors have detected unusual vibrations in the bedrock below the mansion. Maybe Ultron is trying to sneak up through the floor?

Hey, since Vision can alter his density maybe go check that out? Iron Man will watch the Scarlet Witch.

Vision doesn’t want to leave Wanda (this is the most time they’ve had together in weeks and maybe months) but he goes off anyway.

Wanda questions why Ultron would attack so obviously.

Iron Man: “That’s simple, Wanda -- he wouldn’t!”

He then grabs Wanda and zaps her unconscious.

Gasp! The traitor is Iron Man!

-eats popcorn-

Iron Man places a call to Ultron, specifically identifying as “Tony Stark in Iron Man armor” which is technically correct but also an amazing way to weasel out of revealing your secret identity when you’re technically brainwashed. Outstanding, Tony’s subconscious.

Iron Tony reveals he has incapacitated Scarlet Witch and asks Ultron whether he wants her killed or brought to him.

There’s a second pause.

It would have been a good place for a beat panel.

To drag out the suspense.

And then Ultron tells Iron Man to bring Scarlet Witch to him.

But for the flip of a coin, imagine how things could have been. If Ultron had been more cautious and told Iron Man to kill Wanda. If Tony had come out of the hypnosis to find that he had killed a long-time friend and teammate. Even if Vision understood and didn’t kill Tony in his grief, I don’t think Tony would ever forgive himself even if it was something out of his control.

Now there’s some good fodder for a What If story. But its terrible and I never want to read it.

Anyway, Iron Tony blasts out of the mansion carrying Scarlet Witch but before he goes, he spots Jarvis napping in a chair near a window. With the important envelope on a table right in front of him.

“There, he raises a gauntleted finger -- and cybernetically activates a pencil-thin laser beam -- turning what could well be the most important envelope in the world into a cluster of blackened ash and shattered hope.”

Dammit, Evil Tony! Stop taking precautions against your precautions!

But at least he didn’t murder Jarvis. Small miracles.

So Iron Man flies off to Neville Island where an abandoned Davreax heavy metals plant hides an Ultronish secret.

Its Ultron.

That’s the secret.

He’s got giant bubbling cauldrons of adamantium set up and ready. Despite the high tech lasers and stuff, it gives it a real gothic vibe.

Ultron congratulates Tony on his clever thinking of dressing as Iron Man.

Iron Man: “I... feel the need... to serve you... Ultron.”

Ultron: “Yes, my psycho-hypnosis has seen to that. And you are but the first. For soon, all humanity will serve me. They will serve... or die!”

Oh. Good. At least he’s not trying to wipe out humanity this time?

Actually I’m very vague on what Ultron’s overall goals have been up until now. I’d go back and check but most Ultron stories are stupid.

But elsewhere, an electronic cry of human anguish.

Vision has discovered that Scarlet Witch is missing. Although in classic robo-angst fashion he immediately tries to dismiss his obvious display of emotion.

Captain America: “Vision! What’s wrong? That scream -- !”

Vision: “I apologize for that, Captain. My... vocal circuitry was misaligned. I merely wished to call the Avengers’ attention to an emergency.”

Just admit that you can feel feelings, Vision. You’ll be a lot happier if you do. Happiness, by the way, is one of those emotions you totally feel all the time and yet deny feeling.

But just as Vision is telling Cap that Iron Man sent him on a wild goose chase and tricked them, Hawkeye calls in on the intercom to say that he thinks Iron Man tricked them.

Because apparently when he said he was going to fix Jocasta’s circuits he meant ‘fix’ with scare quotes because when she plugged into that computer console, he scrambled her brain.

Weirdly, the book almost misleads you into thinking you were misled about the ominousness in the Jocasta scene. Iron Man has her plug into a computer to fix her cybernetic sensors and then moments later he’s upstairs going ‘hey something weird on the sensors.’

You kidnap one of the female cast, you turn another one’s brain into mush? Stop being such a dick, Iron Man!

Thor picks that moment to arrive because its the most dramatically appropriate time to arrive. He even says the equivalent of ‘then good thing I’m here!’ in Asgardian speak.

With Thor arrived, Jarvis tells him about the secret envelope Iron Man left for Thor but also that someone burned it while he was merely napping, only this and nothing more.

HOWEVER

Jarvis: “However, knowing the missive’s importance, I took the liberty of xeroxing the message -- without reading it, of course.”

Jarvis, you beautiful man! You beautiful boundaries respecting forethought having man! You deserve a dozen backup stories! Nay, a dozen dozen!

Thor reads the letter and immediately runs to the vault. Unfortunately, Tony welded it shut. Fortunately, Thor just WHA-KAMs right through it.

Which considering the letter was meant for Thor feels like the intended outcome. He welded it shut so that not even he could get in there. He took precautions against him taking precautions to his precautions! Tony, you magnificent bastard!

Inside the vault there is but the Iron Man tracer device that the letter spoke of. Although Thor says it traces Iron Man’s ‘energy aura’ because he’s gotta be fantastical about things.

But either way the device picks up a clear signal from the west so the Avengers Assemble their asses into a Quinjet and go looking for iron.

Or at least I hope that’s the tracer and that they’re following Iron Man’s signal because that device is clearly a cassette player and they may only be following Iron Man’s mix-tape.

... I kind of want to listen to Iron Man’s mix-tape.

Meanwhile at Ultron’s heavy metals plant, Iron Man is starting to come out of the hypnosis when Ultron reveals his plans to hurt the Scarlet Witch.

Apparently, he had Iron Tony bring her from the mansion because he personally wanted to kill her. And to do so in an ‘eye for an eye’ fashion. Since her power tore him apart last time, he’s going to do the same to her.

Iron Man won’t be standing for that and though he doesn’t know how he got here, he’s not going to let Ultron hurt Wanda.

Unfortunately, Ultron still has his Win Button from last time.

When Iron Man grapples with him, Ultron just instantly drains all of the power from Iron Man’s armor, leaving him... well powerless.

This scene would make a hilarious sequence animated. Just charge Ultron and then immediately get dropped to the mat.

It does mean though that the Avengers lose the signal. And without it, they have no choice but to set down somewhere and wait until daylight to make a visual search.

Uh oh. So much for the cavalry.

But back at the plant, Iron Man hasn’t given up. A scraping sound clues Ultron in that the dude is crawling across the floor trying to get to a wall outlet to recharge his armor.

I’m not sure how fast you can recharge a suit of powered armor from a standard wall outlet but I’ll give Tony props for determination.

Ultron decides to be smart and just kill Iron Man this time. Why take chances?

But a tiny but apparently painful and distracting tzzzing painfully distracts him.

The Wasp of all people has shown up out of nowhere and started blasting Ultron in the face.

The Wasp: “I knew I wouldn’t be much good in a frontal assault, so I hid away in Wanda’s glove, figuring I’d be more useful as a surprise!”

That’s that good shit! That is what I’m talking about! Good job, Jim Shooter and/or David Michelinie in having the Wasp use her powers in an intelligent fashion! Misdirection, stealth, and the ever distracting tiny energy blast to the face!

Please keep writing her this smart! Please!

Also, she was apparently in Wanda’s glove the whole time. And they’re not exactly roomy so Wanda knew the whole time that Wasp was there.

Anyway, Ultron threatens to crush Wasp like the insect she is because his superior robot intellect isn’t really great at one-liners but suddenly

SHRAK-OOOM

Ultron gets blasted through a wall.

It turns out that you can recharge an armor a lot in a very short time with a standard wall outlet. Who knew?

Humorously, when Iron Man thanks Wasp for the distraction, she replies that he can repay her with an autographed picture of Tony Stark. Oh, you!

Everyone involved is pretty clear that just blowing Ultron through a wall hasn’t significantly stopped him so the plan now is to grab Wanda and skedaddle.

But just as Iron Man scoops up unconscious Wanda, Ultron emerges from the wall hole and blasts at them. Its a near miss but it still knocks Iron Man off his feet and stuns him.

Ultron: “That’s right -- grovel in your pain! Rue that you are but flesh, while I am all-abiding metal! You shall die, but I shall go on forever! For there is not a single power in the universe that can stop me!”

Narration: “No, no single power... save perhaps the hammer of Thor!”

FRAKOW

I love it when the narration plays off the happenings like that.

So when Iron Man completely recharged his armor from a wall socket, as ya do, the tracer reactivated. So the cavalry has arrived after all!

Bursting through a wall like the Kool-Ade man because that's just how the Avengers roll.

While Hawkeye (really? Really??) distracts Ultron with concussion arrows, Vision and Cap run off to check on Wanda and Iron Man respectively.

Iron Man tells Cap to be careful of the liquid adamantium vats. Remember to remember the vats, he seems to be saying.

Thor scoffs at the need for caution because while Ultron has stomped mortal foes, now he faces A GOD!

And he throws his hammer hard enough that we need to zoom to the outside of the factory to show the impact.

Which is big ol’ lightning strike and the building and even ground cracking and crumbling from the force of uru striking adamantium.

But it is adamantium its striking.

I don’t know why Thor finds this so hard to grasp. Adamantium is really, really, really durable. Although, Thor at his strongest can break it. But we are talking Thor as All-Father or Rune King or whatever.

This Thor that we have right here is comparatively a baby Thor or perhaps a gawky adolescent Thor. He’s not there yet. He doesn’t even have a beard.

Ultron retaliate blasts at Thor but Cap jumps between them and uses his shield to angle the blast right back at Ultron. Because apparently when fusion blasts oppose his mighty shield, even they must yield. And also apparently, its the mirror shield.

Not that it does much. Again: adamantium. REALLY TOUGH.

Its funny though. The motion lines on the panel with Cap and Thor make it look exactly like Thor just grabbed Cap and put him in front of him as a human shield. Instead of the intended read that Cap jumped there.

It’d be way out of character but it made me laugh.

Thor decides that if he can’t just hammer time Ultron hard enough to break something, he’ll strangle him instead!

Okay. Okay. I’m pretty sure this is more of a grappling thing but he keeps pushing the handle of Mjolnir against Ultron’s throat. IT KEEPS HAPPENING.

Maybe it would make more sense to put him in an arm lock. It looks like Ultron designed himself with joints that work like a human’s would. And surely Thor could outmuscle him.

And then when his arms are pinned, I dunno, find a maintenance hatch or something and just start pulling wires.

It wouldn’t work because Ultron pulls powers out of his ass and could... electrify his carapace or something. But still.

I want to see Ultron in an arm lock.

Anyway, Thor’s attempts at grappling are for naught because Ultron just shoots blindness beams with his unlocked arm.

Because he has those. That’s just something he can do.

Then Iron Man calls him out on it.

Iron Man: “That was a dirty trick, Ultron! Let’s find out how good you are at going one-on-one with someone who’s onto your ploys -- like me! Or are you scared?”

Ultron takes the bait for bait it is and jumps over at Iron Man to smash him. Iron Man just flies away leaving Ultron confused and standing next to an adamantium vat that I hope you all remembered was a factor.

Hawkeye: “That’s right, motor-mouth! We humies have a few tricks of our own! Like f’rinstance, the ‘ol’ one-two’ -- in which Iron Man’s the one -- an’ I’m the two!”

And Hawkeye ziplines down at Ultron, kicking him into the adamantium chekov’ vat.

Surely breaking every bone in his foot but oh so worth it.

Then without missing a beat, Captain America and Thor throw their mighty shield and Mjolnir to destroy the lasers heating the vat.

And as the Avengers watch in trepidation, Ultron claws his way out of the vat screaming

Ultron: “No! I... must... sur... viiiiive... *”

And the adamantium cools, trapping Ultron in an unbreakable prison. And he’s powered by fusion so its possible that he’s conscious in there.

“And then it is done, like a tortured fly stuck in glittering amber, Ultron stands frozen, unmoving, unmovable. The threat of the evil undying is over.

For now.”

Couldn’t have happened to a more deserving prick, I suppose.

This is probably one of the better Ultron stories.

I’ve said before that after Ultron becomes adamantium and thus unable to just be punched to death, each encounter with him becomes a puzzle. How do we get rid of him this time?

And although it would be easy to just have Scarlet Witch take care of him every time, that probably wouldn’t be as engaging maybe.

So the solution this time was fairly creative. The Avengers can’t kill Ultron. Or, well, they could. Scarlet Witch was conscious. She could have done her thing. But minus that, the Avengers can’t kill Ultron.

How then do you make him not a threat?

You dump him into adamantium so he becomes a vaguely Ultron shaped statue.

Its an obvious but creative solution that hadn’t been used yet.

And then hopefully you dig a hole and dump him in that hole and dump cement on top of him and then fill in that hole.

I can’t think of a way for this specific Ultron to get out of this but why take any chances?

Also and amazingly: this is the one Ultron story where everybody is smart.

Ultron was smart, hiding behind his robot drones until Scarlet Witch was neutralized. Not having Iron Man kill her was dumb but dude is petty.

Iron Man was smart... ish. Suspecting that he had been compromised, he set up some contingencies to ensure that the Avengers would be able to find him. Making that letter, making the tracer, welding the vault door shut. Smart.

Not telling anyone and relying on a letter to Thor to find its way was not as smart. I understand why though. Revealing he might be under Ultron’s control and may have rebuilt Ultron might lead into revealing his secret identity. Its stupid he has one but its his.

Hypnotized Iron Man: also smart. Came up with clever ways to neutralize Jocasta and get Vision out of the way so he could abscond with Wanda. Also, even hypnotized he protected his stupid secret identity. He also burned the letter without causing much of a fuss.

Jarvis: smart. Realizing from Iron Man’s weird ominousness how important the letter was, he made a backup. While respecting privacy.

Wasp: faked writing herself out of the story for her uselessness, instead proved how useful her powerset is.

Usually, everyone is stupid in an Ultron story. But here, everyone was smart.

They could have done more. Tony should have a team of scientists working around the clock to find ways to deal with adamantium generally and Ultron specifically. They shouldn’t rely on either the Scarlet Witch or having a vat of liquid adamantium available.

Still, way to use your surroundings.

Okay, so despite the story having ‘waiting for Thor’ as a minor plot point, he doesn’t really do much besides bust open the vault but its still something that his and Tony’s mutual trust is what made him the person that Tony entrusted the letter and Iron Man tracker to.

So the real contribution Thor made was not his muscles but his heart. And that’s beautiful.

Its a bit weird that Ultron just so happened to have brainwashed Tony Stark off-panel but that’s not the first time that’ll happen.

Actually, this story is like a much more condensed and much less stupid version of the Crossing. Iron Man turns traitor because he’s brainwashed by a long-time Avengers enemy.

You cut 90% of the fat and the part where Tony is replaced by his younger self and yeah, the similarities are uncanny.

I’m really not looking forward to the Crossing...

Anyway, I think being based on a book helped bump this story’s level of quality up.

I understand that writing a monthly comic means you can’t put as much effort into the story. There’s not time for extensive revising. But you had this apparently pre-existing Avengers novel where more time was spent on refining this Ultron story.

I suspect that the characters that got written out were not part of the novel. Jocasta, Beast, Wonder Man, and Yellowjacket. Also why you had Hawkeye stick around after the nonsense with Marcus. Needed to get him in here so he could kick Ultron.

If anyone knows anything about this mysterious and legendary Avengers paperback novel, please let me know. I’d be fascinated to see what changed and what was kept during the adaptation process.

But yeah. I really enjoyed this two-parter. Its funny that they apparently had run out of ideas for after #200 and had to adapt an existing story but it was good.

Keep it up, Micheline and/or whoever.

How ironic that a machine intelligence who hates humanity would end up the one who has no mouth and yet must scream. Also, follow @essential-avengers because you like me and think I’m rad.

[davidjjohnston3]

/ first love / things of first love / looking on my parents as my first love / who looked on me as her first love / (but) "My Greatest Love' / commitment to truth about love / minjung theology / "total christology" - / returning love to the first love and greatest love (john 3:16) / "The Roommate" - Westfield (NJ) Snow - the Kim brothers - Trader Joe's - Zegna shirtmaker(?) - Tracy Espiritu - "The Faces on the Heights" (2008) - from social media, my governor's school friends, Mona (Monna?) Yao I never met, who made Chingwen stop hating Shanghainese, ECE girl from RU GSE (Graduate School of Education not Governor's School of Environment) - very black eyes - She wanted to buy the Minnie Mouse dress from the Disney Store - Jessie Lee, he drinks a diet coke then goes running - "California" is a frisbee play I thought only I know - Jessie wanted to be my friend or so b/c my brother is excellent - "That play is called California [dumb----] - Always California is a Law School Discussion person whose essay I told her what she meant / where she was going with her past-future but nowadays Millennials etc. can actually form a face-intent without finding themselves first and go forward forever instead of "whatever shrapnel in my back pocket could afford" or people who try to base their plans on available resources instead of aiming then looking for resources / materials.  Jessie told Lydia Han "Take care of yourself" - She was playing DDR at Fusion Ti and not talking to me - I don't remember her last words to me - They were making noodles in Edison - / what did i ever do that was not writing about my friends / alden's vanilla bean ice cream (maria / change mind), 2 everything bagels davidovich, earlier a few ginger coconut candies from h-mart but made in china, coconut oil for brain, MiO energy thing Acai Berry and Ginseng, earlier 8th continent soy milk thing, almond silk, spanish mixed nuts, 7 almonds (obama?) - i had more - avocado butter - drinking canola oil - californian olive oil burns - i have a cold sore - i can't have canned tomatoes anymore - 183 pounds AHC "All His Children" / my password used to be for tassadaromega... canisexmachina... then I changed to impluveam impluveam11 impluveam11et - jaeyoung's son "fullness" - a glass of white wine at centraal the full measure of god's spirit (sauvignon) - mushroom soup i didn't touch - Why did I not follow through on what was demanded not to talk a word with him - the beginning of "Stepfather" - It is clean at the Food Court at Mayfair Mall  - I feel powerless and pure - I will read the paper with you and explain why you should not take "Parasite" as a Gospel message about what has to happen, or... but it is easy for me to promise 'strong benevolence' is better than immediate economic justice or - In my first dream of "Searching For Towards the Eastern Empire" "lily Sarah" moved with her baby wrapped swaddled in light dove gray right to left through the woods to the field / meadow, in a cool spring or so, now past a frozen lake through the colors of "Elizabeth's Nightgown" or the summer colors of 2012 2021 left to right, the whole procession, carrying lanterns too, a bit like Caspar David Friedrich colors and a bit like that frozen lake out in the suburbs of Madison where Nikki called me and the phone vibrated on my heart to tell me Chi Hye tried to call me on Valentine's Day night - I called her - I forget - someone's phone ran out of batteries - the next day we got (?) at (?) Japanese "I really want to eat rice" - and a bit like "Fantasia Night on Bald Mountain" - the procession of the Saints with the lanterns, "we all of us."  The rainy cliff, the Korean refugees(?).  The image from "The Admiral" where the civilians flag Yi Sunshin from the cliffside shore.  In my 645 rendition they are walking, the notes are like babies on their heads.  But the image of the peasants signalling to YSS in another vision are chained together and being gatling gunned which is why I say some people want to kill all Koreans.  Maybe it is because of that short from Apocalypse Now or maybe it is because of and why I named Segalchik "Danilov" from "Enemy at the Gates" the Commissar who wants to build a new world and man and whose dying words are "There will always be rich in love and poor in love," then allowed Koenig to shoot him in the head to draw him out for his "teacher only friend" because I guess enemies are enemies and friends are friends and Russians are loyal, even in failure, like how Nabokov synaesthete said "loyal is like a gold fork," and Putin doesn't forgive traitors.  Putin reminds me of Houellebecq's voice from the end of Particulaires "This book is dedicated to the human race who saw beyond themselves" - as and with the poem from the beginning, "Now that we dwell in the eternal afternoon we can revisit the end of the old world order" - and in the end "the medieval grace and sin" - "ontology of states not space" - I still remember the bruised skin on the cover, which would come from limited beatings or a certain kind of holding sex - My favorite Houellecq poem is "Liquid Birth" from "Art of Struggle" - "This world has never been written of" - It makes me cry like thinking about Kendi's beauty - "It's there, at least possible." - What's Macron up to - He married his teacher(?) - "My thoughts are too complicated" - Putin's too - Russian elementary piano teachers hold the student's hand and split the fingers for toward cantabile - I learned the Goldbergs and the only book I'll touch anymore is Kempff's organ transcriptions with his precise description of pedaling like a certain kind of chapel organ - "Kempff played better than he could (Liszt's Saint Francis preaching to the birds) - and when he played "Berceuse" in 1946 it's like saying to Germany "Dream for a while" defeated in WW2 - He lived to be 95 - father-like.  Wilhelm Kempff is "saenggi(?)" - "Oh [Dave]."  He doesn't try to give, or make.  He just "says."  Like "the wave said what the sea broken once laboriously spoken."  That's why I say he's the best; he's one of the best pianists ever.  "Sospiro" final fioritura - I wrote "sospira" where the piano-teacher is mandatorily retired and euthanised after his best student - Arrau said relax use your soul - I drove through Indiana corn fields listening to his "Emperor Concerto" 1st movement - "Beethoven America power" - but Kempff does'nt rely on his own soul, he "waits for the Spirit of God" or "waits on the Lord' - "asks the sky."  This is why I like Stritch University Francis statue with the birds as well and Francis PP.  St Francis of Assisi from whom Michelangeli claimed to be descended and I bought Michelangeli's op 111 DVD at Seoul Arts Center at the Liszt Society concert actually married his secretary in secret or something and "loaded" pieces whereas Kempff loaded nothing, ABM offered to teach Martha Argerich who is my favorite Andante Spianato like Josephine Park but I don't think she took him up on it, he smoked, he practiced at night, his head exploded(?), he died in Lugano.  A pianist is a pianist (not a brand, franchise, go into teaching).  Jenny / Jaein said I want to be a pianist.  My first "Lullaby" was Idil Biret, IDK if the clock motif left hand is 1 2 3 4 5 6 or 1 2 3 4 5 ().  A steady lake lapping, not a clock.  In "Being Kim Poor" Krystal Jung fell asleep in the rowboat on the lake in Switzerland after the wedding in the chateau and trying to eat / hang out with the caterers.  KP is an ex-soldier, her bodyguard, his friend is a Southerner like those Blackwater / Academi types who got rich quitting SF gov't to do contracting but Paul / Poor won't really.  I thought about Sunny something something cyber stalkers in Whitefish Bay walking up the hill where I also listened to Fifth Season SSWFL later and in the neighborhood of the Obergefell blackout.  "Free firewood" a chopped-up desk - am I an "afterburner" for having a desk and "free."  

The original love-truth-faith-promise.  The Minjung Theology book is "whiteness-words," holiness.  

I feel like I almost arrived all in one piece for a while.  I put on my white shirt.  I weighed 160(?).  The caseworker said she couldn't imagine me another weight.  Pop was writing letters to the caseworker.  I recommended "Whisper of the Heart" to for her son.  

Now I feel like Hananim / God will let 300 saints die young so one sinner can be saved.  "I was born in 1970" - I thought she meant "I became an angel in 1970" maybe.  

[itsallavengers]

I had the worst day at work today, bartending for some CREEPS, ugh. What about some Cute Bartender!Tony dealing with assholes whilst Steve stands all smitten in the background, I'd really love that right now.

I’m really sorry you had to deal with that bullshit, my friend. But here- I hope this helps!

“Steve, if you keep starin’ at him any longer, he’s gonna call the cops.”

The sound was barely visible over the noise in the club, but Steve turned anyway, shooting Bucky a dirty look as the man simply grinned over to him and shrugged.

“Just say hi,” Sam encouraged, nudging his arm, “he seems nice. From what I can tell from the one drink he served me forty minutes ago, anyway.”

Steve blushed, turning to fiddle with the rim of his Pina Colada and cursing himself. He knew he should. He knew that’s what everyone said he should do, anyway- but the man was like... a whole other level. There was attractive, and there there was that guy.

Dark hair, tanned skin, a smile to die for. Every line and curve of his body was physically perfect. Steve had studied all about it in art school- Da Vinci’s Golden ratio and the divine proportion, all that stuff. He couldn’t say he’d ever really believed it himself, but Jesus- looking at that man, he guessed that that was what Leo had been banging on about all those years back.

-Aaaaand he was staring again.

Dammit.

(read more, mobile users!)

“What do you have to lose?” Natasha said with a huff, “we’re probably never gonna come back to this place again, and I’m sure he knows how to reject people nicely.”

“Oh, wow, thanks Tasha, that really instils confidence, you know? So glad I got you in my fuckin’ corner,” Steve muttered irritably, flicking his hair out of his face. He really needed a cut, Jesus, why hadn’t he thought of that before going out that night. Now he probably looked homeless. “I can’t go and talk to him. I can’t. I look like a scruff.”

Around the table, everyone groaned in unison. “Okay, listen, you are not allowed to talk about being scruffy,” Bucky poked him in the pec and snorted, “with your perfect styled hair and pecs an’ shit. Pretty sure everyone in a room stops to look when you walk in, so shut up.”

“Seconded,” Sam stated, clinking his beer with Bucky’s.

“We’ll just call him over, if you’re too shy to talk yourself,” Natasha said, beginning to rais her hand, but Steve jerked and pushed it down again, horrified.

“What? No, no, look- he’s just... I’m not- I mean-”

When all of his so called friends ignored him in favour of trying to catch the bartender’s attention, Steve jumped to his feet. “Fine! You want me to talk to him, I’ll talk to him,” he said sulkily, banging his empty glass on the table, “I’ll talk to him so hard he- he won’t be able to speak for days.”

Around the table, the stupid people he associated himself with all wolf-whistled and waggled their eyebrows. Steve just swore at them and turned away, eyes firmly on the floor as he made his way over to the bar.

God, this was going to be mortifying.

When he bumped into another body for the third time since starting his trek across the club, he decided that actually, it was probably better to look up and see where he was going. Of course- as soon as he did so, the beautiful guy at the bar turned toward him and caught his eye.

He smiled over, and Steve thought he might die. Mona Lisa his ass- this guy deserved to be put up in the Louvre instead.

It was only a second, and then someone else grabbed his attention, signalling for drinks- but Steve had been effectively paralysed by the simple show of emotion from Bartender Guy, and that meant he was seriously not ready to have actual conversations with him. He may well explode.

“Fuck this,” he muttered, turning on his heel- but when he looked back, he got three pairs of eyes all staring daggers at him, with the threat of a hundred different and equally embarrassing things hanging in the air between them in case he chickened out.

He hated his friends.

With a sigh, he turned back. Just a drink, he thought to himself, just order a drink and they’ll get off your dick about it.

“Hey, hot stufff- you be needing a ride home tonight? ‘Cause there’s a lovely little seat on my lap that’ll fit your ass just perfect.”

Steve frowned, turning his head a little and following the grating voice until he spotted another guy, leaning over the bar and leering at the turned back of the bartender. He was a big guy- about the same size as Steve himself, which was saying something, and he looked like he was more suited to prowling the streets than a nice place like this.

The bartender froze, and then Steve watched as those lovely brown eyes flicked up, glanced at the mirrored reflection inches from his nose and spotted the owner of the voice. It was clear from his reaction that they weren’t friends, and didn’t know each other. The guy was just being an asshole and giving shitty pickup lines to strangers.

“Sorry, honey,” the bartender spun on his heel and smiled sweetly over to the asshole in question, “but there’s actually a lovely little Benz with heated seats and memory-foam padding waiting for me at the end of the night, and I can bet you a thousand dollars it’ll give me a better ride than you ever could.”

Steve nearly choked on his own tongue, and he had to clamp a hand over his mouth to stop the sudden snort of laughter escaping.

Bartender guy glanced over to Steve, then, and he grinned too, before turning back over and gesturing around him, “so darling, what’ll it be- a drink or a rejection, because I can give you both, but it’d be easier for all of us if you just asked for the former and went on your way.”

Oh God, Steve had never wanted to kiss anyone more in his life.

The dick to his right sputtered a little bit, but he really didn’t seem to be getting the message, because after the initial shock, he just leered harder. “Ah, playing hard to get, are you? Alright- I love a little spitfire. Just a martini, if you don’t mind.”

The bartender said nothing- just rolled his eyes and looked mildly irritated as he nodded and turned away again. Steve kept his eyes fixed on the guy as he watched the bartender like a hawk, not liking him one bit.

Sensing the glare, the asshole turned around and raised an eyebrow at Steve. He really seemed to be lacking in awareness, though, because for some reason he took Steve’s staring as a sign of mutual agreement on the matter, and laughed, jerking a thumb back to the Bartender.

“I am so taking that home tonight,” he mouthed, licking his lips.

And okay- yes, it was true, Steve couldn’t talk to strangers he found attractive for the life of him, but for some reason he’d always been perfectly fine with confronting shitwipes on the daily. Maybe it was down to practise; Steve was a lot more used to getting into fights than getting into relationships.

“If I were you, buddy, then I would seriously consider turning around and walking away before we start to have a problem,” he replied immediately, and the smile on the asshole’s face dropped like a lead weight.

“What did you say?” He asked incredulously, standing up a little straighter, showing off his size like a threat. He obviously wasn’t used to confrontation.

Well, sucks to be him, because Steve sure as hell was. “I said back the fuck off, shitstick, or did you not hear the first time?”

The face the man made was quite amusing, and Steve was tempted to laugh for a second- but then he lost sight of the joke when the man stepped closer, face like thunder as he sized Steve up.

“You better stay out of my fucking business, fag, before I do somethin’ you’ll regret,” he said lowly.

Okay, and now Steve laughed, because really? The guy might have been big, but he was already half-way to wasted and Steve had been in fucking Special Ops, for fuck’s sake, the thought of him ‘regretting’ anything to do with this was goddamn amusing.

“I don’t like your language, buddy, and I really don’t like the way you treat strangers,” Steve told him, a small smile on his face, “so I’m gonna tell you again- get the fuck outta here, before I make you wish you’d stayed in whatever dark little corner you came out of.”

Steve saw the punch coming from a mile away- right hook, very obvious tell, and a little step forward which made it laughably easy for Steve to just shatter the fuck’s shins- but instead he waited for the perfect moment to just-

Someone else caught the guy’s wrist, and without another movement, the asshole just... dropped.

“Well, what a shame,” the bartender said, looking over the counter at the slumped heap of human on the floor, “must have had too much to drink. I’ll call security, they’ll deal with him.”

Steve stared, gobsmacked. “What- what the fuck just happened?” He asked curiously.

The bartender grinned, flashing his palm just for a second and revealing-

“enough electricity to knock an elephant,” the man said sweetly, before unsnapping the clasp that held the strange little device against his palm and pocketing it once more, “you’d be surprised how many times I have to use that thing.”

Steve stared, whilst the bartender- Tony, that was what it said on his tag- just smiled and then slid the drink over to him. “Fancy one on the house? Or at least- on that dude.”

Steve grabbed the glass instinctively, whilst Tony just pressed on a button under the counter and scrunched his nose. “Ugh, there will come a day when I can go a week without having to call security on someone’s ass, I know there will. Just gotta wait for it. Thanks, by the way.”

“For what?” Steve asked immediately, unable to stop the bashful shake of his own head as he said “you did all that yourself.”

Tony shrugged, and then pressed a hand to his heart dramatically. “Why, for being my Knight in shining armour, of course. I appreciate the sentiment, that’s all- even if I did indeed deal with it on my own.”

Tony smiled at him, and suddenly Steve remembered quite how attracted he was to the man, because all too quickly he forgot exactly how to make words form in his mouth, and even looking at the man became impossible.

God- cute smile, lovely hair, an ass to die for- and apparently the ability to take out men double his size.

Steve was smitten.

“What’s you name, soldier?” Tony jerked him out of his thoughts, and Steve jumped, swallowing the saliva in his mouth and pausing for longer than was probably necessary before saying “uh- Steve. And- and you?”

Tony just looked down at his name tag and raised an eyebrow. Steve wished there was a window to jump out of. “Right. The big ol’ capital letters right on your chest, that’ll be the one.”

Strangely, rather than use the taser-thingy on Steve too, Tony just laughed. He had a lovely laugh. Warm and soft. He had a lovely everything. “So- there a reason you wandered over to the bar, Steve, or did you just sense someone was about to be harassed and got drawn in?”

Steve opened his mouth, about to ask for another round of cocktails, but for some reason he glanced into Tony’s eyes and ended up saying something entirely, horrifyingly different.

“Can I draw you?”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he wanted to take the nearest bottle of alcohol he could find and use it as lighter fluid on himself, because holy fuck. Holy fuck that was... that was so many levels of bad, what the fuck was he thinking-

“I’m not a creep, oh my god, I swear I’m not, I didn’t even mean to ask that, please just forget I ever said anything,” Steve rambled, looking to the floor and resisting the urge to slam his head face-first into the counter, “it’s just- your face is really- and I’m an art student and so I see these things- and that wasn’t even... I didn’t plan to even ask, it’s just you’re really beautiful and it occurred to me-”

Tony was staring at him blankly, like Steve had just started talking Hungarian, and maybe he had, maybe this was all just some terrible dream where Steve said the most ridiculous thing he could think of at the most inopportune of times and then woke up at home, in bed, where none of this ever happened ever and he could just stay in his room for the rest of his life.

“Okay, I’m gonna just go, now,” Steve said bleakly, jerking a thumb over to the table and cursing his existence as he slipped off the barstool.

“-hey, wait-”

Steve jerked to a halt, looking down curiously at the hand that had snagged around his tie and clung on. When he looked up, Tony was grinning. “You didn’t even give me a chance to answer, soldier,” he said through his smile.

And then Steve was being kissed.

Which, considering what he’d just said, made no sense at all. Not that Steve was going to complain, mind- because not only did Tony have a killer personality and an ass he could bounce a quarter off, but he was also the best kiss Steve thought he had ever had. And it wasn’t even anything above chaste.

God, he was screwed.

When they broke away after a second or two, Tony just raised his eyebrows, hand still wrapped around Steve’s tie. “My shift ends in a few, if you wanna-”

“Yes please,” Steve said instantly, and then blushed a firetruck-red when Tony chuckled. For all Steve knew, Tony could have been about to tell him to walk into a wall. He was sure he’d been trained a little better than this. “And when I say draw, I do mean- like it’s not- not a euphemism, I do actually- not that I don’t want it to be a-”

Why was Tony still there? Steve was pretty sure he hadn’t actually spoken a coherent sentence since he’d begun.

“God, you’re gonna be the death of me, aren’t you,” Tony said it like a statement, shaking his head and then patting Steve’s cheek before finally letting up and stepping back into his own space. Steve barely contained a disappointed whine. “You got any of your stuff with you now?”

“I- yeah,” Steve said, “just came off from work, actually- got the whole lot here with me.”

Tony sighed. “Damn- I was hoping you hadn’t so I could give you my number and then give myself an excuse to call you.”

It was a clear opening, even Steve knew that much. “Well- when I say ‘all of them’... I mean, there’s probably a few really important brushes I left at home, so I might actually need that number-”

Tony raised an eyebrow and leaned over the bar again, linking his fingers together and looking up at Steve through his stupidly long eyelashes. “Or I could just... come home with you? Save the cost of a phone call, y’know,” Tony shrugged, and Steve felt his heart speed up in his chest when Tony ran his tongue over his lips almost absently (10 bucks said it was totally on purpose).

Steve sputtered, and Tony just waited in amusement. “That blush really is adorable,” he commented, poking Steve’s cheek.

“You free now?” Steve blurted, looking around, “‘cause I can call a cab, I don’t live far, and I really would love to... draw you.”

Without another word, Tony pulled off his apron and vaulted over the bar, taking Steve’s hand and tugging. “Now I’m not too sure what ‘drawing’ actually means any more, but I’m down with either. Come on, soldier, whilst the night is young.”

Steve let Tony pull him through the crowds as he tried to process what he’d just managed to do. Looking to the left and spotting his friends at the back, he rolled his eyes whilst they just cheered and pulled faces (and, in Bucky’s case, made some highly inappropriate gestures) in their direction.

“I wondered if you were gonna ever get up the courage to talk to me, or if you were just going to stare all night,” Tony said, not looking away from the exit he was headed for, “I need to thank your friends for giving you a kick up the ass, because otherwise I would have had to trek all the way across your room for your number.”

Steve smiled sheepishly, and Tony squeezed his hand as they ducked out and were hit with the cold night breeze. “How terrible for you,” he commented drily.

Tony laughed, head tilting backward, and Steve watched his throat in fascination for a a few seconds before jerking and mentally composing himself. If he was going to be the death of Tony, lord only knew what Tony was going to do to him.

When a cab pulled up next to them, Tony leaned forward again, pressing his chest up to Steve’s. “Let’s go do some art,” he said.

“Now that one was just cheesy,” Steve said, giving him a gentle shove and laughing as they both slid into the back seat of the cab.

They went home and Steve drew him. Tony took of his shirt and Steve said he didn’t need to, and then Tony raised an eyebrow and Steve hastily changed his mind.

Yeah. He stopped drawing after that

[yuki-d-raizel-blog]

Believe Me

Chapter 11/??

Relationship: Rin x Reader (Your/Name) , (Full/Name)

Summit: Inside the class there was the same confusion of always, Rin and Bon were fighting over something stupid, Shima and Konekomaru were trying to stop them while Shiemi and Izumo were laughing for the scene. Everything was as always. Until the bell rang. The Exwires notice that the professor was late, but nobody knew why. When the door opened… A new student arrived to the True Cross Academy. She’s smart and strong, still a quiet and solitary person. Moved by a strange feeling, Rin would like to know her, help her if he can but nobody would think that that student was someone so… special.

--- 

In the following days, after training, Rin comes to your place to play, talk and swim in the pool, or to drag you out somewhere he would like to go. Shura notices a huge improvement in Rin and his ability to control flames, so she decides to follow him and know the truth. She was caught by Yukio and his students, so she dragged everyone with her.

They followed Rin in a rich and beautiful villa.

<<What the- Who lives here?!>> she screams whispering, and Yukio tells that (Y/N) is the owner of the house, <<Hah? You’re kidding!>>

<<I’m not. She lives here with her brother.>> he adjusts his glasses and turns his heels, <<I’m not going in.>>

<<Why?>> the woman is curious to know what Rin do when he’s with you.

<<It’s rude to enter without announcement.>> “And she hates it. I don’t want to deal her again.”

<<Let’s go guys!>> Shura and the students break in the propriety and follow the demon carefully.

The group hides in the flowers and looks at Rin relaxing in the pool, while you are in a room watching the TV with a giant wolf. You look so nervous and your eyes are glued on the screen. What are you watching?

<<Ah, Yatsufsa it’s him!>> you pointed at the TV joyfully and Rin comes near too.

<<Is Shion’s turn already?>> he asks going out the pool, <<Woah, that’s an awesome costume!>>

You increase the volume to hear what your brother will say, even if you know that too well. He always says a phrase before the performance, and those words never fail to drive the audience crazy.

<<Now, the prodigy ice skater!>> the commentate is so enthusiastic to introduce Shion, <<He’s a rather quiet person and rarely talks. However, whenever talking about music he always mentions how “fate is written in the stars”. Interviewing his coach, we discovered something new about this mysterious and charming boy! He’s extremely dedicated to his duties to the point of suffering emotional breakdowns->>

<<Yukiya you piece of shit! You didn't have to say that!>> you are throwing chips to the screen, <<Now if Shion loses his change to get the medal due to this shit, I swear I’ll kill you when you come back home!>>

<<Why don’t you go with your brother?>> Rin asks stealing a few chips, <<You train him, right?>>

<<I can’t, Shion is too- Wait a second.>> she turns facing the friend, <<How do you know that?>>

<<Ops… I’ve never said that to anyone!>> he quickly takes a few steps backwards, <<Nobody knows that you’re his coach and prepare everything for him, from the music to the choreographies!>>

<<Double torture for Yukiya when he comes back.>> now she’s focusing again on the competition.

<<He's very hard on himself, as he believes he has to do anything to prove that he’s a valuable member for his brother. He eventually let down his guard and openly smiles and jokes around with everyone, but he is very close to his brother Orion.>> the skaters are warming up while the commentate is taking his time, <<Let’s remember him for a moment. He made his first and maybe last debut with his little brother two years ago, Canada. They performed with a new skate style and they conquested all the world with their voices, songs, and moves! Their win was declared with their duet song, “Immortal Inferno”.>>

<<Yeah, yeah, I remember that! C’mon, let me see my boy win against those idiots!>> Yatsufsa too is moving his tail faster, impatient to see Shion.

A young man skates on the court and stops in the center, the crowd goes complited silent, <<Ladies and gentlemen, Shion is here!>>

He’s still and silent with a microphone on his ear. The silence is cruel, but nobody tries to make a noise to not disturb and not hear the sweet voice of the skater, <<The stars have led me to you; now, whisper my name.>>

The music starts and Shion begans to skate gracefully on the ice. His voice is so deep and hypnotic, even Rin is staring at the TV with wide opened eyes. You sing along with Shion and move a bit your body to release the pressure to watch him trough a screen. The jury is focus on every movement, jumps, the position of the hands, the arms; they are stricter than usual.

<<You can do it…>> you hug tight Yatsufsa and continue to stare at the TV, praying that he doesn’t fall or makes mistakes. You know if that happens, Shion will blame himself for everything and will avoid you for a while. You don’t want it, you want he comes back home, hug you and show at you his pure smile.

Shion sings like a melodic instrument, jumps with an angelic harmony, spins like a top but he hasn't done yet. When the music stops, he stays still, the chest is going up and down with a crazy rhythm.

The audience is quiet like your living-room....

Suddenly, loud screams born into the arena and on the ice court there are so many flowers, flags, sweets, stuffed animals.

<<SHION! SHION! SHION! SHION!>> the entire stadium calls his name like one person.

<<Wow!>> exclaims Rin, he has never seen something like thath before, <<If he won, what->> you’re too focus on the jury. “Shion is really important to her. Look how she is praying for him.”

<<Come on, he did everything perfectly…>> your anxiety is almost palpable, <<Please…>> you close your eyes and hide your face in Yatsufsa’s fur.

….

<<Oh my goodness! That’s a new world record!>> the commentate screams joyfully, and you raise your head to see the score, <<He took a full score! And we know what this mean!>>

<<Oh my god Yatsufsa!!>> you jump off the sofa and join your hands firmily.

<<LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! OUR STAR SHION, RISES AGAIN! HE’LL GOES TO THE WOLRD CHAMPIONSHIP!>> after that scream, the entire stadium explodes with the loudest cheer of all the time.

<<YES! YES! YES! HE DID IT! HE FUCKING DID IT!>> you and Yatsufsa are celebrating the boy’s win; the wolf runs all over the room barking, while you’re crying tears of joy watching Shion’s doing the same on the screen.

Rin is clapping enthusiastic for him. He skated amazingly, his voice was like a blessing, the lyrics too… He deserves the first place more than anyone. Moved by an unstoppable happiness, you jump in Rin’s arm and hug him. He didn’t see you at all, so he loses the balance and both of you fall in the pool.

<<(Y/N), are you crazy?>> he scolds the partner, but you’re too busy on celebrate with Yatsufsa, which is in the pool too. “She is so pure… How can her presence be a catastrophe, I really can’t understand that.”

<<I must text hi->>

<<Not so fast girl.>> Rin grabs your shorts and pulls you back in the water, <<You’re gonna pay for this.>>

<<Wanna fight?>> with an invisible jump, you get on the edge of the pool and with a simple snap, the water is moving like a snake, <<Bring it on!>>

That tecnique hits Shura and her group's attention. They don't know anything like that. You didn't say any sutras or mantras, so what did you done to create a water wall so easily? The questions and dubts about you and your identity grows more and more. Are you an enemy? A spy? Who are you?

<<Woah wait!>> the blue exorcist jumps out and looks at the liquid, <<It's not fair!>>

<<Why?>> you hold the water still with a finger, <<I did the same the other time too. What's the problem?>>

<<Last time you used your swords! What is this?! How can you do that?>>

<<Hahaha look at your face!>> she laughes and moves the liquid, <<I told you at the exam before the mission, remember? I can manipulate Elements, which means I can use fire, water, wind, lightning, ice, light, darkness, earth and steel.>>

<<....Those aren't->>

<<These aren't japanese nor exorcism tecniques, you're right. I learned them in my village. Traditions, you know.>>

<<If you can control them bare handed, why do you use swords?>> Rin is curious, you are so new to him, like a strange but still affascinating lands, <<You told me that you’ve more than two weapons.>>

<<He, it's a secret, sorry.>> you avoided the topic and concluded the issue putting the water back in the pool with a smile, <<However, you’re weak Rin.>>

<<What?!>>

<<You depend too much on  your powers. First, learn how to use a sword.>> going near him, you hit him for adjusting his posture, <<Can you divide the water with a single swing?>>

<<...Like what?>>

<<Ah...>> sighing, she leaves an arm hanging, suddenly, moving it like a clawed hand, she raises it and a strong wind comes... <<Like this.>>

<<....What the hell are you? Really!>> Rin is speachless, all the water leaks from the pool and on the garden there is something like a path, the air you moved was too strong that crushed the grass on the ground, <<You were unarmed too!>>

<<If you move your body like a gear, you can do it too.>> calling Yatsufsa, you order him to bring two training sticks, <<Your sword skills are very bad buddy.>>

<<I'm not that weak!>> Rin protests, even if he knows that is true.

<<Even Shion can beat you. The son of Satan can't lose against a human!>>

<<Shion can't beat me, damn it! I'm more used to fights->>

<<I trained him for self-defense. He knows martial arts very well and can use a few weapons just in case.>> the student crosses her arms and makes a playful grin, <<You can barely use your body correctly->>

<<Ok, I get it! Yukio and Shura are enough!>> Rin sits on the grass and ignores you, <<Fuck.>> a light weight hit him on his blue hair, <<What?>> he has such an angry face, it's kinda cute.

<<I can teach you if you want.>> you pass him a long wooden stick, <<It's not a bother for me, and it’ll save your life one day. I'll make each lesson funny for you, don't worry. I understand which is your best learning method already!>>

<<You’re pretty secure, aren't ya?>> he stands up again and grabs the weapon, <<I'm in your hands again, (Y/N)-sensei!>>

Starting slowly, you show him the basic movements to loosen muscles and joints of the body. Being flexible is a fundamental requirement for learning martial arts. 

As the first lesson continues, Shura and the others decide to retire for the moment, go back to the Academy and reflect on what they have just saw. Rin knows about you more of them, but what exactly? What was all that force that came out of your arm in that istant? Rin said you have more than one sword... So it means that you’re used to fight with various types of weapons and how to take advantage of them. Right now, for the team, the main questions are: who are you and can they trust you? Making an immediate report to Mephisto, the principal decides to tail and watch the two Exwire until holidays are over. As soon as they'll come back, a very complicated mission awaits them.

Shura continues to follow the son of Satan, but one day she finds a powerful barrier surronding your house. Not knowing how to break it, she calls Yukio and the Exwire avaibles to formulate a plan. When they were speaking, the second gate opened, (Y/N) cames out the house and waits with Yatsufsa. While she’s waiting, a young boy suddenly appears next to her.

<<I checked everything, he isn't here.>> he says putting an arm on your shoulder for rest a little, <<If Yukiya finds out the truth we’re all in trouble, you know that, right Master?>>

<<Don't worry Raika.>> you rest your head on his arm, <<I made this barrier for Shion and you guys. I feel something weird in the air today... Bare with me a little longer.>>

<<I’ll be always by your side.>> Raika pats your head and adds sighing, <<Master, you need to sleep more.>>

<<Geez not again...>>

<<I know I'm a pain in the ass, but I'm worried about you. That man broken your peace and I can see that in your actions and your eyes. Do you want to move again?>>

<<No, Shion really likes here. Let's stay a little longer.>>

<<Master, you should stop to carry the burder all by yourself.>> Raika strokes your hair sweetly and his voice is so gentle, <<We’re here with you, so share it with us.>>

<<I'm only afraid, you know that.>> with a sad sigh you raise your head and cross your arms, <<I don't wanna be happy... When I'm too happy, something terrible always happens...>>

<<What you’re afraid of is quite stupid, Master. You’re the strongest in the world, and so we are... We don't go anywhere (Y/N).>>

<<If I'm lose all of you... I'll go crazy... I can't take it; another member of my family who dies on me... Never again...>> deleting all the sad memories, you add: <<You said my name. Call me that more Raika->>

<<Master, Shion is back!>> the boy points at the horizon and a car is moving to your place. Raika goes into the house to prepare something fresh and cool for your brother, today is hotter than usual so it will help him.

A car stops in front the gates and Yukiya is the driver for the occasion. Shion get off with a smiley blondy girl next to him.

<<Shiemi?>> you’re pretty surprised to see her, same as the team that are still watching your movements. Shion says that he finds the classmate on her way here, so he accompanied the young lady to her destination.

<<(Y/N)-san, I'm sorry for the disturb...>> Moriyama is a little embaressed.

"What was that?" you heard something, so smiling, you encourage the two to enter while you will check what was that sound.

---Continue...

Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

[thenichibro]

Fall 2017 Anime First Impressions

And so here I am again, three weeks late because I can never keep up. Fall 2017 thus far doesn’t seem too, too bad, but I’m sure that will change, considering the multiple original shows on my watching list. Luckily there’s plenty of cute girls doing cute things shows, which is all I need, really. As usual, here’s what I’m watching, with MAL links and original shows marked: Osake wa Fuufu (MAL) Starting off with a short show this time. Osake wa Fuufu follows a wife, Chisato, and her husband, Sora. Sora likes making drinks, and Chisato likes drinking. Match made in heaven, if you ask me. The show even includes drink recipes depending on the featured drink, and a food pairing with it. It's a three minute show about a cute, drunk wife. What's not to like?

URAHARA (MAL) Taking a sharp departure from the calmness of Osake wa Fuufu, URAHARA involves three fashion-loving Harajuku girls saving the planet from aliens. This show is Harajuku personified. Everything from the character design to the OP explodes with a bubbly, colorful atmosphere, wrapped up in a beautiful watercolor aesthetic. ORESAMA's fantastic brand of electropop is the exact cherry on top the art style needed. Rito is the skateboarding, soft-spoken girl with demon horns, Kotoko is the peppy blonde kemonomimi, and Mari is the twintailed idol who also owns the clothes shop the girls work at. After aliens sucking up cultural landmarks appear, an American girl wearing a talking fried shrimp shows up, gives them "physical manifestations of imagination," and they promptly transform into magical girls and fight the aliens, making them explode and turn into donuts. Sure, that made no sense at all, but everything's so colorful. Capped off by a similarly bubbly ED, this show is just outright fun. If it stays about three cute girls happily fighting fashion-stealing aliens, I'm in.

Dies Irae (MAL) Just as an FYI, Dies Irae aired an episode zero prequel, but I've waited until the formal episode one before doing any impressions, seeing as the prequel was a complete clusterfuck anyway. Now then, after the prequel involving Nazi supermen, Dies Irae's main series cuts to the future and the protagonist Ren, a solemn oft-hospitalized teen. Plenty of mysteries abound - a sudden murder, a strange vision at a museum, a runaway friend, a girl calling him Cagliostrio in a dream - interspersed throughout an otherwise thoroughly boring slice of life. Following that, the episode alos teases plenty of the insane bullshit the prequel was few of. In one line, one character drops 5 proper nouns we have had zero interaction with, with the off mention of one name from the prequel episode. Foreshadowing is fine; introducing three characters in the span of 15 seconds and then talking about 5+ more of them is a bit much. The art is nothing special, and the orchestral soundtrack is unique enough, but if the prequel was any indication, this show is going to get insane, really fast. And not insane like the fun, rollercoaster ride kind. More like the trying-too-hard, unnecesarily edgy, impossible to actually follow kind.

Net-juu no Susume (MAL) Ah, the MMO spin on the isekai genre. Net-juu follows Moriko, a NEET woman living alone who devotes her time to playing a guy (Hayashi) in an MMO. She meets with an amazingly cute girl, Lily (who later we see to be a guy IRL), and they start adventuring together. Cut to 70-odd levels of grinding, joining a guild, and an upgraded PC later, Moriko/Hayashi has settled in just fine. First off, Lily's VA is the fucking cutest, holy shit. My reactions about echoed Moriko's anytime she was being cute. Other than that, the first episode was surprisingly sincere. Relatively light on the "MY REAL LIFE IS ON THE INTERNET!!" in favor of Moriko just being more of an awkward, lazy video game nerd. Using video games to not have to deal with real life is nothing new, but the heart with which Hayashi/Lily meet and grow in just one episode impressed me. This could go either way, and I'm hoping it stays a interesting vignette on the trials and tribulations of the two lives Moriko lives.

[ORIG] Just Because! (MAL) Next up, Just Because sees Eita Izumi returning after four years to his locale's high-school, reuniting with people he lost touch with. The first episode sees a wonderful moment of return, as Eita practices with an old baseball friend, leading the practicing band to strike up into the chorus they played at games, seeminginly on their own. The trumpets flowing into the full orchestral matches the rising tone perfectly. Juxatposed with a Photography Club facing termination and a former class prez buried in obligations, a web of connections lies in wait, ready to reaccept Eita. The art is quite muted, and even with complaints about the hot weather, the sun is behind clouds and the cityscape is grey, as opposed to the beating sun we often see. Just Because's first episode, while not telling much, showed plenty, and indicated what the main issues would be and who would be involved, and that's exactly what a first episode should do. If an original work is showing that early on, maybe it has more direction than most - and that's a very good thing.

[ORIG] Two Car (MAL) Sidecar racing is something I haven't seen, for sure. The island of Miyakejima, with its uncontrolled speed limits, is home to famous sidecar racing, or "kneeler racing" competitions, and the show follows the endlessly arguing but amazingly similar local team of Yuri and Megami. A bouncy pop soundtrack plays over the high-speed racing, creating a light yet competitive tone that perfectly fits the colored visuals, featuring the same artist/production company as Masamune-kun no Revenge from a few seasons ago. Discord has cropped up between Yuri and Megumi due to their beloved coach leaving for greener courses and the feelings they had for him as he left. The cuts between the high-speed raising and the melancholic, reflective flashbacks does quite well in explaining their movements throughout the race - catching us up to speed, so to speak. The tone of the show comes across perfectly as the episode closes, backed up by the fantastic soundtrack and beautifully done OP and ED. You just feel this show is time spent on an island, split between relaxing and racing. It's wonderfully done. It remains to be seen if this show will echo others like Minami Kamakura and Bakuon and go really into the mechanical aspect of sidecar racing. However, this show is a surprisingly emotionally-based piece where emotions are expressed on the race course - and I'm interested in more.

[ORIG] Animegataris (MAL) Minoa is our orange-haired, ahoge-sporting protag, called out by the school princess Kamiigusa to talk about anime, of all things. Go figure. Coming off the trash that was Gamers last season, the blonde perfect girl actually being a huge nerd is already tiring. Minoa is looking for the name of an anime that moved her as a kid, and to do it suggests to get the anime club back in action, then promptly gets roped into leading it. Her endless optimism isn't original but it's always refreshing, and the use of anime to let Minoa see "more of Kamiigusa's faces" is a bit better than just having the red face of a normally "perfect" girl besmirched by the recognition she likes anime. Also there's a huge-headed cat and a somehow magical beret, which came out of the blue just a bit. We get a sneak peak of the future members, ranging across all archetypes and social cliques, and then the magical beret comes back and the cat now talks. Interested to see where the hell any of that goes, but if this stays more comedy and less Gamers romance-misunderstanding bullshit, I'll be satisfied. Also, both the OP and ED (especially the OP - GARNiDELiA is so good) are great. Some very strange plot choices, especially worrying in an original work, but if they pay off this will be enjoyable. Let's just hope they do.

Mahoutsukai no Yome (MAL) Backing off the slice of life, Mahoutsukai imagines a modern day world intertwined with fantasy - beastmen, magic, and the few humans who can see it - one of them being Chise Hatori, ostracized for her power until she is bought at an auction by a legendary mage, Elias, who aims to make her his apprentice. Chise is actually a "Sleigh Beggy," a rare being that attracts "faries and mysteries," whatever that will eventually entail. Mahoutsukai thus far gives off a kind of Uchouten Kazoku vibe as Chise moves into Elias' tranquil house. An ostensibly normal-looking environment inhabited by mystical beings, and a duality of calmness and turbulent themes below echo Uchouten's politics. The juxtaposition of the forcible buying of Chise versus the welcoming environment she is brought in creates an interesting dynamic that I'm interested in seeing played out. The animation is beautiful, and the small switches to a more chibi style aren't disruptive in the least. Aside from some confusion about the initial setup of the world, if this show becomes a magical slice-of-life with even a fraction of the heart of Uchouten, I'm in.

Shoujo Shuumatsu Ryokou (MAL) Two girls in old-school fatigues, cruising around a cold, apocalyptic, industrial wasteland. Sounds cool to me. Chito is the collected, tired foil to Yuuri's galavanting, charismatic self. The animation is a bit divergent, in that while the landscapes are detailed in their greyness, the art of the two girls echoes something like Hidamari in its style. While initially strange, it didn't become anything more than just "noticeable." The muscial backdrop is a flowing, airy tone that fits well with the girls having fun praticing shooting or walking around looking for supplies.The music and the attitudes of Chi and Yuu create an atmosphere to the point that doesn't feel like a depressing, sober look at war. Seeing it through the eyes of two children also puts the concepts of war and conflict in eerily simple terms, providing a new look at a concept done to death, so to speak. There's a strangely relaxed feel despite the landscape and color scheme. It remains to be seen if this will go the route of Made in Abyss, especially with an out of place scene at the end of the episode, but while MiA was fucking phenomenal, I could do with less bawling two seasons in a row. This is a strange one, but the simple story of Chi and Yuu trudging across the snowy landscape is appealing.

Konohana Kitan (MAL) Cute fox girls working at a traditional Japanese hot spring hotel? I'm in. Yuzu is the nervous newbie, Kiri is the charismatic head attendant, Natsume is spunky and atheletic, Satsuki is responsible to a fault, Ren is the doll-like one whose personality doesn't match her cute exterior, and there's the diminutive, quiet Sakura. The personalities of the girls are varied and interplay nicely, and I look forward to seeing how Yuzu fits in. Moreover, the art is fantastic. The character designs echo perfectly the individual personalities, and the landscapes of cherry blossoms are stunning. I personally love the traditional Japanese aesthetic the inn and surrounding town embody, and it obviously fits well with the fact that the girls are all kitsunes. Konohana seems to me like a slightly less energetic/comedic Urara Meirochou, which is a good thing. The aesthetic is great, the girls are cute - this is a show for healing, and I need it.

Blend-S (MAL) Maika, a perpetual job hunter with her naturally scary eyes, finds her home at a cafe where all the waitresses are archetypes, as the sadistic one. Blend-S is almost like a more overt version of the varied personalities in Working!, with all comedy and less romance. I quite like the juxtaposition of the girls' normal personalities when talking to each other and their work personalities (especially when the line blurs). While usually its a cute girl who's actually evil or something and used as boring shock value, being the point of the show pivots the concept into a new way I enjoy. Even moreso, Maika especially has plenty of quirks that bely her role as the "normal" main character. The art is clean and sharp, and the girls have great character designs - I really like the facial designs. The OP, by the VAs (which is always a plus), is fantastic both in design and music, and compliments the more relaxed ED (which is also by the VAs). Overall, this show is friendly and the girls are cute. Sounds good to me.

Boku no Kanojo ga Majimesugiru Sho-bitch na Ken (MAL) Adaptations with stock character protagonists and plenty of overt fanservice.  Yay. I'm amazed this isn't from an LN, because it is exactly that kind of show. Shobitch begins with our MC Shinozaki confessing to Kosaka, which she accepts. Then she learns "how to be a good girlfriend," which far more often than not involves plenty of fanservice. Also, despite him having a girlfriend, there's a whole variety of other girls interested in him - the childhood friend and imouto get ticked off the list int he first six minutes. On the bright side, the art is great. Character designs aside from the protag are varied and well-drawn. Kosaka's earnestness with which she wants to be a good girlfriend is endearing in itself, but the 100% focus on sexual themes is just a bit tiring. Sort of like how Kuzu no Honkai went from seriously emotional to reducing any character motivation to "the only way I can be loved is physically." Regardless, you know exactly what you're getting into with a title like this show. There are some genuine emotional moments, but they are few and very far between. Otherwise, Shobitch is a well-drawn yet bland ecchi definitely-not-LN adaptation.

Inuyashiki (MAL) Last but not least, adding to the limited action slate I'm watching this season, we have Inuyashiki. Inuyashiki is, for lack of a better term, strange. It begins with nearly all CG, but then transitions to a mix of normal animation and CG for the rest of the episode. The first half of episode one is one of the most solemn, depressing sequences I've seen, and that's blown away by a whirlwind of aliens, body-swapping, and mechanical bodies. While the tonal shift is quite jarring, the change wasn't anything completely incomprehensible. The problem will be where this will go, now that Ichiro, our man with months to live, is now equipped with alien technology. I'm hoping that within the mix of action there will be a sense that Ichiro, now unshackled by sickness, can make concrete steps to make his life better. While the action shots were nice-looking, and the CG actually doesn't look half bad, with how emotionally powerful the first half of episode one is I want to see more of that as well. Either way, Inuyashiki has my attention, and I'm eager to see where Ichiro goes.