#he's going to die in the first 10 seconds of combat

[d-lanx]

[apollosgiftofprophecy]

Why Jason Grace is The Most Tragic Character in the Riordanverse

*in no way is this trying to dial down Nico's own suffering, I'm just stating my case for Jason because godsdamn SOMEBODY needs to say it!*

@most-tragic-character-tournament here's propoganda i came out guns ablazing

List of why fans are saying Nico:

Lost his mother

lost years of his life

found out he was a demigod at age 10

lost sister at 10

rough relationship with his dad

closeted gay

crush is madly in love with somebody else

forced to come out

List of why Jason is more tragic:

Lost his mom to alcoholism/mental decline

Lost his ENTIRE FUCKING CHILDHOOD because Said Mom gave him up to Juno to be raised by a PACK OF WOLVES who would've EATEN HIM if he was WEAK FOR EVEN A SECOND - AS A FUCKING TWO YEAR OLD

Was a trained demigod FROM THE GET-GO (again, TWO YEARS OLD)

Because of previously stated separation, was TAKEN FROM HIS SISTER WHO LOVED HIM SO MUCH SHE RAN AWAY BECAUSE SHE COULDN'T TAKE THE GUILT AND FEAR AND RAGE THAT FILLED HER AT HIS ABSENCE

Was set up into a "perfect" relationship by Juno/Hera WHILE HAVING HIS MEMORIES TAKEN

Jason may not have had the awful forced outting Nico had to go through, but...that's not really his fault? Nobody has any control over their sexual identity, and Jason? Well. He never really got to explore it. Because that was taken from him too.

Thinks he LOST LEO VALDEZ, ONE OF HIS ACTUAL FIRST FRIENDS, WHO LIKED HIM FOR HIM AND NOT BECAUSE OF HIS STATUS

FORCED TO COMPLY TO A DEMANDING SOCIETY THAT EXALTED HIM FROM DAY 1 BECAUSE HIS DAD IS THE OH-SO-IMPORTANT JUPITER (*cough victim of nepotism cough*)

AND WHEN HE TRIES TO COMBAT THAT NEPOTISM HE KEEPS GETTING PUSHBACK UNTIL HE FALTERS

then. then his girlfriend breaks up with him - not because of any drama, or even a disagreement, but over a very valid point

their relationship didn't exactly start out very...honestly. Jason had been mind-wiped of all memories and Piper had fake ones implanted into her to make her think she liked Jason as more than a friend. sure. they had a pretty nice relationship, but when everything slowed down and they took a look at their lives?

Piper's the one who sees it first, and makes the decision. Jason is heartbroken, but understands - he even, dare I say, agrees that they should end the relationship. it was built on fake memories - you could say it was built on lies.

and now Jason has this opportunity to step back and analyze who he is and what he wants.

what he finds is depressing. everything he's had, everything's he's been up till now...

it's not him.

he never wanted to be raised by Lupa and her wolves.

he never wanted to be Jupiter's son

he never wanted to be the exalted leader Camp Jupiter praised him for

From day 1 his life was somebody else's. his first steps were under the tutelage of a wolf, not of the loving eyes of his sister

Camp Jupiter only ever saw him as the demigod to be praised and turn to above all others, even before he became praetor.

Jason's life...was never his own.

and now that he's away from all that pressure and expectation...he doesn't know who he is.

Son of Jupiter?

Champion of Juno?

Praetor of the Twelfth Legion?

Member of the Prophesized Seven?

Hero of Olympus?

no. he was never himself under these names.

he was never...Jason.

but maybe now he could start navigating his own life. without some god intervening for once. this would be good for him, and for Piper, to find their own way.

but then. then they talk to Herophile...and find out one of them will die. And Jason? Well, he's not going to let Piper be taken from the life she deserves. he may not be her boyfriend, her knight in shining armor, but he sure as HELL loves her - especially as a friend. And if there's one thing you should know about Jason? It's that he loves his friends.

so what does he do? He sacrifices himself. He duels Caligula himself, and urges Piper, Meg, and Apollo to Go, save yourselves! and -

he's stabbed. through the chest. the only thing he can do? Look to Apollo, to the blue gaze so much like his own drenched in horror, and ask; Remember. because he didn't get to live the life he wished, but maybe Apollo could - no, Apollo can, he can make the difference Jason wanted. Because he trusts Apollo.

Jason doesn't regret his sacrifice. he saved Piper from the prophecy, after all. He saved Apollo & Meg's lives too.

in fact, Jason didn't really mind dying. Because he didn't have much of a life either. And a life like that? shrug It's worth sacrificing for those who deserve theirs.

and as icing on the cake, remember who Jason's father is? The almighty, all-powerful Jupiter himself, King of the Gods?

he doesn't do a damn thing to help Jason. Not a single. Thing.

because Jupiter/Zeus doesn't care about his children. Especially his sons.

Zeus saved Thalia. But he didn't even try to save Jason.

Trying would have at least lessened the pain...

People like to claim Jason is a bland, boring character who's never suffered a minute in his life. That he's a golden retriever with no flaws.

Well.

Take a look up there and ask yourself - it that the life of a boy who knows no suffering?

Because it sure as hell don't look that way to me.

To me, it looks like Jason was a used, depressed young man who never got to choose his own path. Who's father abandoned him first to his wife's mercy, then to a cruel emperor's.

Jason Grace suffered.

and he never got to live that happy life he saw within the Fates.

Never got to get that family, those grandchildren he saw himself telling the story of the Argo II to.

Because The Fall of Jason Grace is a true, utter tragedy.

[driftwithme]

According to the pacrim wiki, Coyote Tango was the first jaeger the program lost. By that time, Pentecost and Tamsin were not piloting anymore. It was June, 2016.

The order of pre-knifehead fallen jaegers is:

- Coyote Tango. Destroyed in combat against Itak. On its second set of pilots. June, 2016.

- Victory Alpha. Destroyed in combat against Raganarok. The pilots survived. July, 2016.

- Tacit Ronin. Abandoned because its pilots died of neural overload. July, 2016.

- Lucky Seven. Abandoned because one of its pilots was decommissioned. 2019.

Following this pic from the wiki:

We know that the first jaeger was launched in 2015 (Brawler Yukon) and the last in 2019 (Striker Eureka).

The golden age of the jeager program was from 2017 to 2019, three years of gaining more than they were losing. The peak was in 2019, with 20 active jaegers. The bottom was in 2025, with no jaegers left.

2024 was the year with more deaths, with 8 j-pilots going KIA. Then 2025, with 7 deaths between the Double Event that killed both Cherno and Crimson, and Operation Pitfall, who claimed Pentecost and Chuck.

Between 2019 and 2023 there were 9 KIAs.

Which means Yancy was the first jaeger pilot to die on combat. It makes sense, given the reaction of Penecost to hearing that they had lost Gipsy's signal (and Yancy was dead).

It marks:

- 2019-20: 1 lost jaeger, 1 pilot KIA.

The list of fallen jaegers Post-Knifehead:

- 2020-21: 2 lost jaeger, 1 pilot KIA.

- 2021-22: 3 lost jaegers, 2 pilots KIA.

- 2022-23: 2 lost jaegers, 3 pilots KIA.

- 2023-24: 8 lost jaegers, 2 pilots KIA.

- 2024-25: 0 lost jaegers, 8 pilots KIA.

- 2025: 4 lost jaegers, 7 pilots KIA.

Let's compare all this info with the following Kaiju War Timeline from the wiki:

A) 2013-2014: The Feral Burst. There were no jaegers yet to defend humanity against the 3 kaijus that invaded the world.

B) 2015-2019: The Long Game, Part I. There were 24 jargers up around this period, with a total of 13 kaijus making contact.

Special mention to the Beckets, who got an impressive mark of 5 kills during those years. It means they helped killed more than a 1/3 of those bastards during the golden era of the jaeger program. For what I see, Raleigh is the only pilot who had ever abandoned the jaeger program because he wanted to, not because he was hurt or kicked out.

C) 2020-2023: The Long Game, Part II. The amount of kaijus who invaded in those three years equals the amount of kaijus who made contact within the first 6 years of the war. It means the precursos sent as many kaijus in half the time. Humanity went into this phase with 19 jaegers. By the end they had 4.

2024 reports 13 kaiju attacks. It makes sense that they lost 8 jaegers and 10 pilots more or less in that year. With 12 jaegers active, it is more than a 1vs1 situation. Something tells me that most of Striker Eureka's kills were during this phase.

Special mention to the Hansen, btw. *During Chuck active years, he participated in almost third of the kaiju killings that happened then. I don't know Lucky Seven's score in this race, but *Herc's win amount to a 1/4 of the whole kaiju fights during his active time.

*The count stops at Mutavore. It does not include the Double Event or Pitfall.

If we include Post-Mutavore but not their participation/assistant at killing Leatherback:

- Chuck: 11 kills, 35 kaiju appereances during his active career (almost a 1/3).

- Herc: 12 kills, 44 kaiju appearances (not counting 2016 and adding at least 2 kills of the Lucky Seven era; around a 1/4).

Yet again, if by statistics alone, Mako is the most winning jaeger pilot of the movie. In her active years there had been 5 kaijus and she has helped kill 4. It's worth mentioning that her debut was on a double event followed by a triple event, with the only Category-5 ever saw. Impressive, to say the least.

On the other hand, Raleigh has helped kill or killed himself almost half of the kaijus that had appear on his active years.

Here: (ratio is 19-20 kaijus, 9 kills).

- 2025: 6 kaijus, 4 kills.

- 2015-2019: 13-14 kaijus, 5 kills.

The Hansens record is impressive just in the sheer size of their killing count, which is still not complete given I don't have the info on Lucky Seven. Meanwhile, Raleigh and Mako are impressive for the efficiency record.

Of the 51 kaijus that invaded the Earth, Gipsy and Striker combine to 20 kills. That means 2/5 of the total.

The last three j-pilots hold the best or most insane records of the program. Herc with the most wins, Mako with the best efficiency and Raleigh fucking Becket who had solo piloted twice and explode a jaeger in another world.

[elegantjellyfishwerewolf]

My top villains (from dumb to smart)

Warning: This post is not intended to offend anyone, the author is just sharing his observations

In this post, I decided to make up the top villains of trollhunters from the dumbest to the smartest (as for me, such tops are much more interesting than the placement of characters by strength, because in most cases you already know who will be in first place). The actions of villains from trollhunters only will be evaluated here.

10) Morgana:

Her main problem is that she does using her arsenal of spells on maximum and instead of attacking with shots of magical energy from a safe distance, she creates small energy daggers and goes into close combat, although this makes no sense (it is as if gunmar, fighting with his sword, tried not to hit the opponent with a sharp blade, but tried to hit him with the hilt of the sword). Her second fatal mistake is that she gave Angor freedom and was genuinely surprised when he betrayed her and decided to take revenge for everything she did to him (What prevented her from taking Angor's soul again so that he would not betray her at the most crucial moment?). And can someone explain to me why she didn't kill Merlin at the end of the third season? That is, she just tossed him from side to side, throughout the series she said how she wanted to kill him, and then just left him alive and went to deal with the hunter?

9) Otto:

For some reason, he sincerely believed that Gunmar cared about changelings and that Gunmar would lead them to a bright future. But what a surprise! It turns out Gunmar didn't care about changelings from the beginning, well, yes, he never hid his disdain for them. Someone will call it loyalty, but for me it's dibilism when you betray the current head of the Order of Janus and instead of taking the vacant throne yourself, you kindly waited for the tyrant who eventually used you.

8) Bular:

As for me, Bular is one of the most impulsive characters in the whole series. The most striking example is when in the second series, literally in the middle of the day, in a place where there could be unwanted witnesses, he decided to attack a new hunter and, as expected, was defeated. He also continues to underestimate his opponent, even when Jim killed stalking, it is not surprising that with such disregard for the enemy, he died before all the antagonists.

7) Goblin from the episode about creepslayerz:

He appeared relatively little on the screen compared to other villains, but during this time he, firstly, set Steve and Eli on Jim, and secondly, led the Creepslayerz on a false trail, thereby preventing them from finding out about their plans ahead of time.

6) Gunmar:

My main problem with Gunmar is that without asking for any proof, he believed all the nonsense that the Dictatus told him. I also think that Gunmar should be aware of the technical superiority of people (at least from Strickler's presentation) and that is why, instead of sending changelings to intercept at least a couple of warheads, he arranges their genocide. It's really funny that in the end Morgana needed a changeling to free him, and I'm just wondering what he would have done if Nomura and Strickler hadn't been in town? (I think he would catch a random person on the street and give him free troll language lessons)

5) Nomura:

She doesn't rank higher in the rankings just because she underestimated Jim in the first season. To be honest, I can't remember if she has had similar mistakes before, and compared to previous places, she is much less impulsive.

4) Angor:

As for me, Angor from the first season is a reference villain, almost all of whose actions are thoughtful and balanced decisions, for example, he reasonably did not trust Strickler and his promise that he would let him go as soon as trollhunter will die, so he did not immediately kill Jim, but only intimidated him so that our troll hunter had more reasons to make a deal with Angor and steal infernacopula. Well, the most striking example is that Angor will first study his enemy, and only then go into battle. if they hadn't made a cartoon villain out of him at the end of the first season, who, instead of immediately stabbing his defeated opponent, rolls up a long monologue about how weak our new hunter is without his friends, then in this top you Angor would have stood much higher (but despite this, he is still one of my favorite characters).

3) Usurna:

You might reasonably ask why she stands so high in the top if she supported Gunmar on an equal footing with Otto? To which I will answer that unlike Otto, who was looking forward to the return of the cruel lord, Usurna tried her best not to let Gunmar escape from the dark lands and joined him only when she knew for sure that he had returned, in fact, she simply chose the strongest, and therefore the winning side. And I think it's worth admitting that no matter how mean a bitch she is, she can reasonably reason that by sacrificing a pair of cubs of Kruber, she will thereby delay Gunmar's desire to attack her people for a sufficiently long time, and if the dark lord still falls, she can say that her children were simply kidnapped (which was common at that time (if we recall the background of the creation of changelings) so no matter how you look at it, in any case, it remains a winner.

2) Strickler:

(who could doubt that he would be so high in the ranking) I am still sure that he helped in the liberation of Gunmar only out of fear of Bular, because as soon as Bular fell, Strickler immediately took the vacant throne, leaving Gunmar in the dark lands. Strickler, as well as Angor, will not be the first to rush into battle, he will most likely just shift all the dangerous and dirty work to someone else, since the status allows. Also, he always plans an escape plan if something goes wrong, if he hadn't created a magical connection with Barbara then he wouldn't have had any leverage on Jim and therefore the hunter wouldn't have had any reason to protect Strickler from Angor. He is not in the first place only because instead of hiring a hired sniper who would quickly kill a young hunter and left, no! instead, he awakens an ancient killer who, if he can take the ring, will kill his unfortunate master first thing. Although if he also awakened Angor in order to strengthen his status as the head of the Order, then there are no complaints, but due to the fact that in the series itself Strickler said that he brought Angor only to kill Jim, then alas it was too unjustified a risk

1) Dictatious:

To begin with, he was able to survive in the dark lands for several centuries, so he was also able to become the right hand of Gunmar himself, who clearly respects only the strong, and the Dictatus, to put it mildly, is a so-so warrior. Further, after the Dictatus lost his sight and became virtually useless to Gunmar, he was still able to remain his most trusted subordinate (yes, this whole topic with Morgan's visions looks ridiculous to me, given that the Dictatus had no evidence of the truthfulness of his words, but most importantly, it worked). Also, the Dictatus has never had an insane devotion to Gunmar, he joined him only because otherwise he would not have survived, which is why he so easily switches to the side of the hunter and at the end of the series remains to chill in Toby's house.

[nerdthatsiriuslylovesteaxx]

Helpless part 10 (shocking that my internet hasn't given up yet)

"So Solace what exactly are we doing?"

"Down to play twenty questions?" Nico considered the offer and smirked,

"Sure." The two sat down next to each other on a log.

"Two skips each, but they get replaced with other questions."

"What's something that isn't a secret but most people don't know about you?" He was ridiculously bored and thought he could use this game to his advantage.

"I'm not actually blonde."

"Explain. Now."

"I was brunette but when I got claimed any part of my hair that was in the sun turned blonde." He pulled out a piece of his hair that wasn't normally visible, it was a light chesnut brown colour.

"Well that's shocking, you know when I asked that question that was not an answer I was expecting."

"I'm a mysterious person di Angelo, now, do you have any exes?"

"Solace I spend most of my time avoiding people."

"In hindsight that was a pretty dumb question."

"Too late, if you had to kill all the people in one cabin which one would it be?"

"Demeter. That was a bit of a violent question." He tried to play it off but his answer had been so quick and confident Nico started to wonder what had happened. "Have you ever drunk?"

"More than you would expect."

"Neeks! You're fourteen, have you ever wondered why there are age restrictions?" Nico just smirked,

"You asked Sun boy, anyways technically I'm older than that. What's the worst crime you have ever committed?"

"Love how you just assume I've committed crimes, but assult. The only reason it wasn't murder is Annabeth pulling me off."

"The fuck Solace, are you going to explain that?"

"I'd rather not, let's just say I was pretty...pissed that day."

"Well that's terrifying."

"I told you I have secrets di Angelo, who's someone you used to care about but now hate?"

"Skip."

"Is it true you liked Annabeth?"

"Really Solace? No it is not, otherwise Percy would have already murdered me."

"Had to ask, the Aphrodite cabin was trying to figure that out for two years."

"Truly incredible, can you fight with a sword?"

"Not in the slightest."

"I'm teaching you, archery will be useless in close combat. You will die in a matter of seconds ."

"You have so much confidence in me Neeks, but thanks for the offer."

"Wasn't an offer, more so a kidnapping where I teach you by force how to fight."

"Okay then...do you prefer the 1930s or now?"

"Now, better arcades."

"Great reasoning."

"What's your worst fear?"

"Pass, I would never hear the end of it."

"Can't be that bad."

"You would never shut up about it Neeks, I can guess that much." Nico locked eyes with the blonde boy, he considered the question he was about to ask.

"Do you regret coming out to all of camp?" So he did know, Will thought to himself. He didn't answer instantly but he didn't want to pass it either.

"Well, um.."

"You have skips, you don't have to answer Will." That was the first time Nico had used his actual name, Will desperately wanted to kiss him.

"I want to answer it just, thinking. I'm happy they know and I don't have to hide it but...some people aren't the nicest. Cabin four has the most for whatever reason, they seem to get joy out of making me feel like shit. Most people are nice enough, with the rest, well you get used to it." Nico grabbed his hand,

"Who. Has. Been. Giving. You. Shit? Give me a list, I will make sure they'll never do anything again."

"Neeks it's fine, I don't need you threatening them."

"I'll be doing a lot more than threats Solace, give me a list of every single person who has hurt you."

"Nico it's okay."

"Did I ask? You're a ball of sunshine, no one and I mean no one has any reason to hurt you."

"They do, there's so many people I couldn't save, I killed them. I deserve to suffer because of that, they deserve revenge on me for killing their friends." Will had tears forming in his eyes.

"Will it's not your fault they died, and either way you shouldn't have to go through this."

"Nico, are you straight?" He froze for a second, he had still been holding Will's hand but he didn't want to let go. He was warm, his thumb was stroking his hand warming up the usually freezing Ghost king. After Will had told him so much he couldn't lie, he always had a skip but part of him wanted Will to know.

"..n..no...I'm gay. Not that many people know, the seven and Reyna that's it. Please don't tell anyone." Nico shakes a bit and a few tears fell, he didn’t want to cry in front of him but he couldn’t help it. Will wrapped his free arm around Nico and pulled him closer to himself,

"Thank you for telling me, I know it's hard Neeks."

"How did you tell so many people?"

"Didn't like people assuming things, also I just...didn't want to hide I guess. Still though, I've been too scared to tell my mum, barely seen her since I'm here all year but even if I had the chance to I probably wouldn't tell her. As for the actual time well it was a while after Percy was missing, before Jason, Piper and Leo showed up, campfire, just kinda said if at the end."

"Did anyone know before that?"

"I told Annabeth first but Kayla and Austin found out by themselves pretty quickly. Who was your first crush?"

"Do not hold this against me, it was Percy." Will started grinning,

"Same, half the camp has liked him at this point I swear."

"Half of camp is pathetic."

"You're including yourself in that statement you know."

"I am fully aware, honestly I should have given up on him when I saw him talking to Annabeth the first time."

"Didn't they hate each other for a few years?"

"Hate is a strong word, I prefer to use hopelessly in love and oblivious."

"Lovely wording; I gave up when my brain started working and I realised he is straight."

"You think Percy is straight? Have you talked to him before?"

"Percy isn't straight?!"

"With the way he talked about Luke? Not a chance, and that was after he betrayed him. I can only imagine him pining over him at the age of twelve, completely oblivious, then also being hopelessly in love with Annabeth and being a helpless simp once more."

"So you are telling me Percy Jackson liked Luke Castellan, aka. the person who tried to kill him multiple times?"

"When he was twelve definitely, at least in the way he talked about what he was like before when I met him. Don't know if he realised it then, but he is not straight. You haven't seen him and Jason talk, if I didn't know how much he loved Annabeth, going to Taturus with her I would have been sure they're secretly dating."

"The more you know I guess. What's something you can do that no one knows about?"

"I can braid hair, I mean Hazel knows that but still."

"Emo Death boy can braid hair."

"Firstly, I'm not emo."

"Keep thinking that Neeks."

"Secondly, this is why I don't tell people this."

"Honestly the fact you can braid hair is adorable, also it proves that you are no where near as scary as you think."

"I could kill you right now."

"You sure about that di Angelo? Right now you can't do much without melting into a puddle of darkness, you're just a nerd that's pretending to be dark and mysterious."

"Oh shut up Solace."

"Never."

"Have you been on a quest?"

"Nope, I just try to prevent deaths after them."

"How many languages can you speak?"

"Wait give me a second, Itallian, Greek moderen and ancient, Latin, English, French, Spanish, Swedish, Portuguese, Polish, Finnish, German and Dutch. So that's twelve and a half I'm fluet in and I'm trying to teach myself Russian and Japanese." He said counting them off on his fingers

"Gods Nico, what exactly do you do with your free time?"

"Well first four are pretty obvious but Bianca taught me French and Swedish and the rest I've taught myself, writing's hell with dyslexia but I've survived. It's a pretty useful skill when you randomly show up in different countries."

"I can barely speak English properly half the time!"

"That sounds like a problem on your side Sunshine." He said messing up the blonde boys hair, Will desperately tried to hide his blushing. "Have you ever passed out because you healed too many people?"

"Yeah, happens quite a bit." Nico slapped him, not that hard but hard enough for it to hurt. "Hey what was that for?"

"You can't be overworking yourself like that Solace, you're a doctor for Zeus's sake. What help is it going to be if you pass out while healing someone?"

"It's the most effective way, plus I get more people healed."

"So let me get this straight, you risk your own health while telling people not to?"

"Okay when you put it that way-"

"Yeah it sounds bad! Please do not do that, can't have you dying on me Solace"

"I thought you were plotting to kill me anyways?"

"Exactly, can't have you dying before I kill you myself."

"Sure di Angelo, have you ever killed anyone?"

"Pass." He had become friendly with Will, he didn't need anyone else leaving him.

"Cats or dogs?"

"Do hellhounds count? I have a pet hellhound called Mrs O'Leary."

"Was that a gift from Hades?"

"Nope, from Percy."

"Wait what? I'm just going to accept that at this point."

"Good idea, I wasn't planning to explain."

"Course you weren't," Will checked his watch. "Come on Neeks, it's time for lunch, we got through ten questions each, same time tomorrow?"

"I don't have a choice do I?"

"Nope; head to the infirmary I'll get you some food."

"I'm not hungry."

"You haven't eaten for a few days, just try to eat a few bites."

"Fine.." Nico muttered before walking off to the infirmary.

***

[use-your-telescope]

When Everything's Made to be Broken - Chapter 2: And You Have Every Right to be Scared

Summary: Theo ends up on SHIELD's Radar. Loki ponders his place among the Midgardians.

Author's Notes: First chapter with Theo POV! This is a much lighter chapter than the last one. Hoping to post Ch. 3 on 10/22, but it depends on how helping my parents move next weekend goes (I have it written, but having the time to post is another thing. If you enjoy, please reblog!

Content Warnings: None!

Word Count: 3,843

Read on AO3 | When Everything's Made to be Broken Masterlist

Song: Some Nights (Intro) - fun.

There are some nights I hold on to every note I ever wrote Some nights, I say "fuck it all" and stare at the calendar Waiting for catastrophes, imagining they'd scare me Into changing whatever it is I am changing into... And you have every right to be scared

It was really easy for Theo to pretend there wasn’t a sudden infestation of shadow creatures attacking Earth until she was locked in a dirty subway car beneath New York City with a horde of them.

Sure, she saw the recent news reports about their appearance in New York, not to mention the videos of different organizations struggling to fight them. Hell, at work she had treated some of the people who came into the Emergency Room after getting into a tussle with the little terrors. However, she was perfectly content to ignore the reports, the calls from Nick Fury, the stalking by Maria Hill, and the pestering by her Mémère to put her abilities to use by helping eradicate the beasts. 

Nick Fury may have done her family a favor a while back, but they already repaid it tenfold. It was no secret that he always kept tabs on Theo, but she assumed it had less to do with him calling on a favor and more with ensuring someone with abilities like hers was always monitored. 

If anything, the more Fury insisted on cornering Theo “to talk,” the more it seemed like Nick Fury had forgotten that Theo swore off everything affiliated with her powers. Theo was a civilian. She left that life behind, trading it in for stethoscopes and scrubs, and she was not about to go back. There was nothing that the Director of SHIELD could offer her that would change her mind. Besides, the hippocratic oath specified that Theo would do no harm, and if she really wanted to push Fury’s buttons, she could argue that the oath could apply to shadow creatures, even if they were eldritch horrors.

Well, that was what Theo told herself. In reality, she was content to ignore the shadow creature problem until a pack of the little monsters barged through the steel door of a subway car, snarling and slithering and reeking of death. Running crossed her mind, until one of the damn demons launched itself at Fran, the little old woman with the perfectly permed hair and smoker voice who always rode the subway back from her poker night at the same time that Theo was on her way home from work. 

Hippocratic oath be damned, Theo was not about to let Fran die right after she won $200 from Eddie (who from what Fran had told her over the course of many train rides, sounded like an absolute asshole). Fran needed to live so she could celebrate, which meant the beasts needed to go, and Theo was the only one around with the skills to exterminate them. 

A bit of strategic maneuvering among the chaos ensured that no one saw Theo activate her powers. Not even five minutes later, the subway car floor was littered with the dust of what was once the pests; she may have chosen to abstain from fighting, but after all that time combat still came to Theo like it was second nature. When all was said and done she slipped into the crowds, deactivated her powers, and returned to the scene, pretending to be just as shocked as everyone else.

In the days following the confrontation, the video of her singlehandedly obliterating the entire pack had gone viral. Even though Theo’s powers altered her appearance so a casual acquaintance could not identify her, anyone who knew about her little secret would instantly recognize her. Unfortunately, Fury and Maria were among the select few who knew exactly what they were looking at. After the video got out, the pair were somehow even more incessant in their attempts to speak to Theo, to the extent that she had to start relying on back doors and climbing out her fire escape to avoid them.

When the other members of the cover band Theo played in noticed her aversion to taking the main exits, they assumed she had a stalker. It certainly didn’t help that there was now a table of middle aged men in suits at every bar gig, standing out like a sore thumb amidst the younger, more casually dressed regulars. The only reason they didn’t call the police was because she eventually made up the claim that Stark Industries was recruiting her for their hospital that they just opened in Avengers Tower, so she was trying to make it less obvious to the people around her that she was being observed.

As far as lies went, it was terrible  - certainly not one of her best - but somehow they believed it.

It was a bit harder to avoid the SHIELD agents when she was at soccer practice. They sat in their vehicles, parked far enough away that none of the other players noticed. Sure, it made Theo wonder if there were times other creeps sat there watching their practices, but she never brought it up. Her team had just qualified to play in their rec league championship, so they needed to stay focused. 

A week after having to talk her bandmates out of calling the cops, Theo came home from a bar show to find Maria Hill accompanied by a collection of SHIELD agents in her apartment. The stalking was one thing, but entering her private space? Theo was moments away from banishing them to an alternate dimension, even if it meant she’d be in deep shit later on. 

Before Theo could unleash her temper on the uninvited house guests, Maria uttered a phrase so startling that even Theo was rendered speechless. 

“Director Fury wants to speak with you immediately - it’s about your parents and your sister.���

Cause there are some nights I hold you close, pushing you to hold me Or begging you to lock me up, never let me see the world Some nights, I live in horror of people on the radio Tea parties and Twitter, I've never been so bitter…

Two decades prior, had one inquired whether Loki could imagine himself living his life anywhere besides Asgard, Loki would have laughed at the preposterous nature of the statement. 

In his naivety, he believed Asgard to be the golden realm, the very definition of a Utopia - why would one wish to live anywhere else? Certainly, other realms had their charms - Vanaheim’s lush landscapes always provided a peaceful retreat, and visiting Midgard to cause lighthearted chaos was a childhood pastime for both Loki and Thor - but why would one ever wish to live anywhere other than the realm of the Gods themselves? 

As he sliced through another of what could best be described as “shadow beasts,” it occurred to Loki that the Norns had a rather cruel sense of humor. How else would he be in his current position, residing upon and working alongside the Midgardians to protect a realm which he was once sent to conquer? That morning, he was summoned to fend off a multiversal threat unlike anything he’d encountered among his many travels. The day before, he represented New Asgard at an international summit on environmentally sustainable food production practices. He had lived upon Midgard for over half a decade, with no sign of leaving any time soon.

Had someone informed younger Loki of what the fates had in store, he would have collapsed to the ground in a fit of relentless, all-consuming laughter which was so intense that one might think him mad. 

Alas, Asgard was no more. The few Aesir who survived Ragnarok were brought to Midgard, to establish a new civilization on the very land where Odin uttered his final words. No sooner had the Aesir landed on Midgard were they called into battle, facing off with the Mad Titan himself, Thanos, as well as the Black Order. More Aesir perished in a truly intergalactic battle which barely succeeded in preventing the Titan from achieving his goal - eliminating 50% of all living creatures in the universe. 

When the dust settled, the once mighty Aesir were reduced to a mere shadow of their former glory. They struggled to make sense of the tragedy, to attempt to rebuild without any of the tools which allowed the Aesir to thrive in the construction of Asgard. 

The initial reaction to Loki’s presence in the realm he once terrorized was not kind. Had it not been for Thor’s advocacy and Banner’s testament that Loki was acting under duress when he attacked New York, Loki would have been banished from the realm, if not outright executed. Whether he deserved his brother’s arduous defense, Loki was skeptical, but without an alternative for where he would go or what he would do, Loki was forced to accept the support.

Selfishly, he was grateful for his brother’s foolish sentiment, though he would rather hug Sutur than admit it aloud.

Preparing the Midgardians for what to expect when Thanos would inevitably arrive, as well as fighting alongside the Midgardians to defeat Thanos brought a tenuous truce. He no longer endured harassment when venturing beyond New Asgard, but scandalized whispers followed him as if they were the shadow of his legacy - a legacy of destruction, of embodying the monster which parents told their children of at night, of betraying those who he claimed to love. Those nearby would put forth a concerted effort to avoid crossing paths with the trickster, providing him a wide berth wherever he went.  

While the Midgardians were unafraid to hide their distrust, the attitudes which the Aesir held towards Loki were more difficult to ascertain. Perhaps they were conflicted; the time which Loki posed as Odin was among the most peaceful and prosperous that the realm had known, though it was at the cost of banishing the Allfather to a care home on Midgard. Banishing the Allfather led to Odin’s passing, which brought the return of Hela, and eventually caused Ragnarok. Though prophesied, it was not a stretch to argue that Loki’s actions served as the catalyst for the demise of thousands. And while Loki ensured the salvation and evacuation of many Aesir by piloting the Statesman to Asgard, it never should have reached such a state where evacuation was necessary. Sure, he unleashed Sutur and ultimately ended Ragnarok, but that was simply a matter of finishing what he started. 

Then there was Loki’s involvement with the interruption of Thor’s coronation, the invasion of Jotunheim, the banishment of Thor, and the killing of his father, Laufey. All of which led to his involvement with the Mad Titan and the Black Order - a time which Loki had no interest in revisiting, but caused irreparable harm to many people and multiple realms. And though most were unaware, Loki could be traced back to the death of Frigga - had he not informed Kursed where to find Jane, the Allmother would have remained alive. He may have nearly sacrificed himself to protect Jane Foster, but one heroic moment was nowhere near the atonement required for his past actions.

The search for atonement was how Loki found himself fighting alongside Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. 

It had been Thor’s idea. The oaf believed that joining the Avengers would cast Loki in a positive light and improve his reputation, which would be important if he were to remain on Midgard and ruling New Asgard by Thor’s side. Additionally, joining the Avengers would provide the younger prince with a means by which to continue practicing magic, as well as access to knowledge and resources which might satisfy Loki’s more scholarly nature.

The case Thor put forth was not terrible; perhaps a lesser being would have been swayed. However, neither of the reasons he provided were the cause of Loki relenting to the constant pestering about assisting the Heroes.

Loki viewed the agreement to join the Avengers as reparations, or paying his penance. He did not expect the Avengers to welcome a villain into their midst, much less a monster - he certainly was no hero. If anything, he expected them to view him as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. They would be civil towards the Asgardian, and in exchange he would provide whatever assistance they needed while maintaining a safe distance.

That was years ago. In recent days, Thor swore the Midgardians had come to love Loki, though Loki was hardly convinced. Sure, the Midgardians no longer made a point to avoid the younger prince wherever he went; if he was out in public with Thor, from time to time a passerby would approach and ask for a photo with the trickster instead of the God of Thunder. The media relished opportunities to interview the God of Mischief, during which he turned on his charm and played the reporters like a fiddle. It was all a show. Loki knew that it was a facade, an illusion - a part he played in the elaborate scheme of things. Still, there were moments where he allowed himself to dwell on what it might be like to truly belong, to know he was not alone. 

A flash of movement in the corner of his vision caught Loki’s attention. He turned to find Maximoff unleashing a blast of chaos magic on a pack of the eldritch vermin which had overrun the streets as of late. She offered a bright smile and wave; Loki allowed one corner of his lips to quirk upward as he nodded at her. 

Even if his responsibility was little more than to play a part, there was something to be said for the recent challenge which occupied the Avengers’ time. Shadow creatures, for lack of a better term, randomly started appearing in New York, attacking random civilians and destroying anything they touched. 

In the many years since Loki had adopted Midgard as his place of residence, never had he encountered a situation quite like this. All efforts to identify the origin of the beings had been futile. The creatures were not like anything encountered by any of the Avengers, Loki included, and even among the seemingly endless supply of information available to the Avengers, no record of similar creatures appeared anywhere. The magical aura which emanated from the creatures was quite distinct from anything Loki had encountered before.

And yet, the prospect of a challenge that not only required skill in battle, but a certain intellectual pedigree brought a spark that he had not felt in quite some time. Perhaps it was an antidote to the drudgery. 

Or, perhaps it was a chance to prove to himself that he was in fact worthy of the title of “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.” 

He didn’t dare dwell on the thought.

And you, why you wanna stay? Oh my God! Have you listened to me lately? Lately, I've been going crazy... And you, why you wanna stay? Oh my God! Have you listened to me lately? Lately, I've been fucking crazy...

She must have lost her mind.

Flanked by a pair of SHIELD security guards, Theo cursed herself for agreeing to go with Maria. Really, she must have lost her mind - that was the only reasonable explanation that Theo could come up with for her lapse in judgment. After all, everyone in her immediate family was dead, and they had been dead for a long time. If she couldn’t bring back the dead, there was no way that anyone affiliated with SHIELD could. 

What could Nick Fury possibly want to speak with Theo about regarding her parents and her sister that hadn’t been discussed long ago?

When she considered the situation, it was more realistic to assume that there was probably some treaty that Theo broke by using her power. Given she wouldn’t come willingly, they must have realized they needed to lure her out so they could lock her up - even if the Sokovia Accords were no longer enforced, it didn’t mean people were still a bit put off by anyone with… abilities. Again, another reason why she had no interest in using her powers.

Along the cool tile floor, Theo’s black oxford shoes clicked with each step. The sound echoed off the sterile halls, while harsh fluorescent lights illuminated the path forward. Staring ahead, Theo had to stop herself from snickering when she realized Fury’s bald head actually shined under the light, as if he polished it for the occasion. 

What would happen if Theo told them she changed her mind? Would they grab her and drag her into whatever interrogation room they undoubtedly had set up for her? Would they skip the interrogation and toss her into a cell? Or would they let her slip away?

Probably the first option. Maybe the second. The third was laughable. This was SHIELD they were talking about; they probably had some kind of ward on the entire compound to restrict any special abilities.

No, it was too late - she had come too far, and she couldn’t turn back. She may as well play along and see what they wanted. If nothing else came from it, she was curious to see what on earth would be related to her family.

Then again, Curiosity killed the cat… or some shit like that. 

Well, nothing managed to kill her yet, so it was safe to say that curiosity probably wouldn’t be her cause of death.

Arriving at their destination, Maria scanned her badge to unlock the steel door. Fury entered first, not even offering a nod of acknowledgement to Maria. With a tense smile, Maria gestured for Theo to enter next. Theo forced the closest thing she could offer to a smile before following suit.

Based on the hallway they just exited, Theo expected an interrogation room to await her. Instead, she was greeted by black leather chairs with high backs, which surrounded a relatively small table constructed from metal and glass. A projector dropped down from the ceiling, pointed at a screen on the opposite end of the room. There were no windows. Pale gray walls echoed the metal finishes found throughout the rest of the SHIELD facility.

A conference room. 

“Sit.” Fury gestured to a chair, though he didn’t make any effort to sit himself.

Keeping her eyes trained on the director, Theo cautiously lowered herself into the seat.

“I thought you were done fighting.” Fury began, crossing his arms and glaring at Theo. 

“I thought you could control your interplanetary invasions better, but if it’s between having to fight versus watching little old Fran get ripped to shreds, I’m protecting Fran.” Leaning back in her seat, Theo crossed her arms and returned Fury’s glare. “You know that I want nothing to do with this, so why won’t you leave me alone?”

“We understand that you want to be a civilian, but you know more about shadow creatures and the world they come from than anyone else,” Maria answered, taking a seat across from Theo and folding her hands together atop the table. “We wouldn’t be trying to enlist you if we felt we had other options to stop them.”

“So you lied about having something I needed to know about my family so you could get me down here and beg me to help?” An incredulous laugh snuck out of Theo as she shook her head. “That’s low, even for SHIELD–”

“Your parents and your sister are alive.”

With seven words, Nick Fury rendered Theo speechless. 

It wasn’t possible; there was no way they were alive. Theo was there - she saw their blood spilled on the cobblestone streets, empty eyes reflecting back a city engulfed in flames. Their final cries still rang in her ears on the darkest nights.

Searching his face for proof that he was trying to trick her, Theo only found the harsh glare and narrowed eyes that the director cast at everyone around him. 

Fire coursed through Theo’s veins at the audacity of Fury’s claim; that he believed he could fool her was almost enough to make her leave right then and there. 

“Bullshit.” Theo clenched her jaw, her hands balled into fists as they remained in her lap. “You know as well as I do that they were killed in the massacre—”

“Proof.” To make his point, Fury slapped a manila folder down in front of Theo. “They may have been in the massacre, but they weren’t killed.”

Biting back her ire at Fury for the moment, Theo turned her attention to the contents of the folder. Photos, partially redacted communication records, measurements of their magical signatures, all relatively recent - her mother, her father, and her sister. 

An avalanche of thoughts cascaded in Theo’s mind. If this was the case - if they were really alive, how did they survive? Where were they now? Why hadn’t they tried to contact Theo, or Mém��re, or the council? 

Theo drew in a deep breath, holding it for a five-count, then released it slowly.

“This doesn’t make sense,” She said, scanning over the documents yet again. “If you know they’re alive, where are they? Why aren’t they here?” 

“Here’s the deal: you help us with the shadow creature invasion, and we’ll help you reunite with your family.” Rather than answer Theo’s question, Fury leaned forward, folding his hands together and resting them on the table. “Work with the Avengers to investigate and eliminate whoever’s at the center of these invasions. If you do, once you’re reunited with your family, we’ll leave you alone.” 

“Wow, that seems rather manipulative, don’t you think?” Theo drawled, her tone unapologetically sharp as she glared at the pair of SHIELD agents across from her. “Withholding my family from me in exchange for my services?”

“We’ll need to work together in order to reach your family anyways,” Maria pointed out with a small shrug.

“You help us, we’ll help you.” Fury pressed.

Some people believed in fate. Some people believed in destiny. Theo didn’t believe in either - while she had been placed in positions where it seemed like she had no choice more times than she could count, she knew that she, ultimately, was the one who decided her path forward. At times, the decisions were obvious, but there were plenty of decisions made that kept Theo up at night. 

This was one decision she was not ready to make.

“Give me two days to think it over,” Theo countered. “I’ll find you when I’ve made up my mind.”

Two days was reasonable - she needed time to do some research of her own, figure out what parts of the situation Fury was holding off on telling her, and weigh the risks of agreeing to the proposal. 

Then again, if they were alive… What did she have to lose?

There are some nights I wait for someone to save us But I never look inward, try not to look upward And some nights I pray a sign is gonna come to me But usually, I'm just trying to get some sleep... Some nights!

Tag list: @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @thedistractedagglomeration @lokisgoodgirl @simplyholl @mochie85 @coldnique @lokixryss @gigglingtiggerv2 @infinitystoner @loopsisloops @mischief2sarawr @crzyplantladyvibes @buttercupcookies-blog @vickie5446 @wolfsmom1 @sarahscribbles @loki-cees-all @the-lady-amphitrite @tripleyeeet - let me know if you want to be added!

[mikuni14]

The Sign - Ep 8

We all see you Tharn, how you are eager to be petted and kissed, like Namami! For a second, but still, because, like a true cat, you stopped it for reasons known only by you 😭 100% cat behavior 😆

...............

I have mixed feelings after this episode 👻 On the one hand, it was very interesting, we learned a lot of new things, most of my wild theories turned out to be true, there were a lot of funny scenes that made me laugh out loud. But this episode left me feeling very unsatisfied. For so many reasons:

Phaya looks terrified after waking up from a nightmare. And after a short conversation they both just go to sleep like…..roommates lol Tharn should have hugged Phaya and comforted him, I would give my right kidney for Phaya cuddling up to Tharn like Tharn was cuddling to him before. This scene begs for Tharn to comfort Phaya!

Phaya and Tharn spent a 💞🔥 night, confessed their feelings to each other, and Tharn even said that he made an important decision for himself and Phaya. And their morning after after all this was… nice. That's all. Phaya, Tharn and we deserve better!

Scenes from their past lives. Hmm. First of all, I find it strange to insist on calling Wansarat a girl when the series shows Tharn as a man. I know they didn't want to show Phaya (Billy)'s romance with Wansarat (Freen) so as not to damage BillyBabe's Brand Couple™ image, but there is a very simple solution to this problem: they could have hired another actor to play Garuda and Freen to play Wansarat! And it would even make sense, because at one point Phaya himself says what does it have to do with him, since he already loves someone and it's Tharn - a guy, while watching himself and… Tharn on a fantasy TV with us 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ Maybe it's just me, but I don't see any great love between Garuda and Wansarat, certainly not like between Phaya and Tharn. Like, they met, bam! they're a couple now, then in a very soap opera-ish (which makes it a bit comical) style, they both die. Unfortunately, in my opinion, this story lacked depth, emotions of these characters, their feelings. The most emotional scene was Chalathon's horror when he killed Wansarat. I just... I just don't believe in their love being powerful enough to want them to be together again, to create new reincarnations 🤷‍♀️

Ok, enough with tis negativity :) What I liked about it:

There was no awkwardness between them in their mornig after scene, they are both adults, they are both smitten, Tharn tries hard to hide how mushy he feels and I love his sparkling eyes and hidden smiles. 🥰 I like that Phaya immediately suggests moving in together, it's very much in his character. (It's a shame that there is no conversation about their relationship status, I think Phaya is the type of guy who immediately wants the rest of the world to know that Tharn is with him)

I love the abbot, how uncompromising and badass he is, how he has no qualms about fucking up the deity he serves, talking back to him, reprimanding him and how he uses his superpowers. He's super cool.

The training scene was great:

Khem is fun and a little shit in combat, but very skillful

Thongthai ending the fight and winning it with one, well thought, well placed, killer sentence 💀😎

Khem who puts being Thongthai's boyfriend above everything else, including his pride, him winning the fight, everything. The scene where he beats himself with Tongthai's hands: 10/10

teasing Tharn but again in such a nice, friendly way 😊

astounding detective work in figuring out where Tharn spent the night

Phaya coming to Tharn's rescue and stopping any situation that might cause Tharn discomfort 🤩

Phaya kicking Khem's ass and CALLING THONGTHAI TO HELP HIM AND THONGTHAI WITHOUT HESITATION JOINING IN KICKING KHEM'S ASS 😆😆😆 it was SO FUNNY

Yai telling Phaya to take care of his baby brother and Tharn smiling shyly and sweetly and not protesting at all! 🥺 ok, just kill me now, too much uwu 🥺

The scene of Tharn and Phaya by the river, how Tharn takes care of Phaya, them holding hands, Yai feeling happy for them and the scene of him making a heart gesture with a random guy 😆 I also really liked Phaya's panicked look when he doesn't see Tharn. The strange thing is that Tharn, who pulls Phaya away from the water, promises to take care of him, is stressed by the whole situation, when later doesn't see Phaya for a long time does… nothing. He's not even aware that Phaya's gone! Well, it's not the first time that Tharn is a victim of the plot and what currently suits the scriptwriters, and it probably won't be the last 😑

I liked Phaya saying: cool story bro, this cgi is nice and shit, but what does it have to do with me, as I already have a sweet boo back home, who is a whole ass DUDE (I know, I checked thoroughly last night) and also my whole world 😤 I love him for that 👌 I really wanted to make it clear that Phaya fell in love with THARN, not someone else's reincarnation, even if that's technically the case.

I liked Tharn's fight with that masked guy.

And I liked Tharn in white shorts and Phaya's oversized clothes. Phaya also served some sexy looks in this episode 👌

Absolutely perfect, heartbreaking scene of Tharn's anguish. I love Babe's voice in the scenes of his despair, his voice cracked just as much when they were pulling Phaya out of the water during their training, as it does now. It's... wow...

And finally, the question… what exactly are Phaya and Tharn paying for, what was the abbot talking about, what is their karma, what did they do wrong to keep paying for it? Because this story shows that they are both victims of OTHER PEOPLE, and that karma should be a bitch only towards Chalathorn?! Am I missing something?

(Phaya must have pleased and served Tharn well, since he did not wake up either when Phaya was being strangled and he tossed around in bed, or when he got up first in the morning 🤭🤭)

[pixiecapsalt]

okay my thoughts on the ending

i dont have any criticisms really or questions i think im gonna watch fhe revelando tomorrow so everything i’ll leave to say after i watched that

i cannot describe how heart wrenching it was to watch liz and thiago go through that. you just cant comprehend how it is for someone to stay waiting for years and just aging. i just feel so heavily for them because i just know that was agonizing and to see how liz acted afterwards broke me. cellbit definitely knew the right way to go with the writing in that combat because i wouldve accepted some gruesome death but it being mentally tortuous and liz losing so much of her life is another level of devastating.

then theres thiago which i already predicted was going to die the second he sacrificed himself with that symbol but the way everything played out was so fucking sad. he waited so many years for them to not be in the blast zone knowing he’d die. being unable to do or say anything to them. fuck. he loved them so much and died saving their lives. till the very end. he loved them so much.

liz lost her best friend. their dynamic was so important to her character and he really was her rock. and seeing liz without a thiago is. man. liz lost so much. they all lost so much. the ending had the perfect atmosphere of: was any of it worth it? did it even matter in the end? so much loss and so much pain. and it only led to so much more and its horrible and i detest the doctors for what they did to these innocent people and they all died not knowing. they had no way to live or understand. they all just died.

btw im crying while typing this lmao the more i think about it the more devastated i get.

all i can think about is when cesar felt like there was no going back when they were first entering that forest because theres no moment quite was accurate as that one. they were never coming back the way they arrived. they lost so much. it pains me to think about all their happy moments as a team when they played never have i ever and that damn cemetery scene. they were still so happy and together despite having lost so many people. they still had each other. and they lost even that by the end. they were never coming back from this. nothing was ever going to be the same again.

i kept thinking about when verissimo says oh youre team hope now right? and they still are but it felt so empty without thiago. i just thought back to his speech to liz when she wanted to shoot the old guy. saying hope was all they had. and now hes gone

liz’s attitude and fury towards verissimo in the end was just a direct parallel of the last mission when she had lost alex and daniel but now she lost thiago and she lost everyone she had from that mission and now its only her and she lost part of herself as well.

in the end it just felt like loss. only loss. and i know thats intention and fucking good writing but wow. theres no satisfaction in anything that happened.

i want so badly for them to be together again and happy and laughing and they just supported each other so well throughout the mission.

their first group hug and their last

in conclusion um. yeah o segredo na floresta is not for the weak. i honestly considered quitting at two points in my watching of it. its so incredibly sad. props to the players for roleplaying so damn hard and making me fall so in love with their characters and friendship that i wanted so badly for all of them to make it out okay even though i knew they wouldnt. props to cellbit for writing such a great story and building this world. props to the entire ordem team cause holy shit they are the backbone of all of this.

10/10 would rewatch and cry again.

[alexlwrites]

𝑱𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒌𝒐𝒐𝒌'𝒔 𝑱𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒍

✿𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈: Jungkook x Reader

✿ 𝑺𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚:  The one where Jungkook, a second year student in the Auror Academy, keeps a journal to vent about his unsuccessful attempts at wooing you.

✿ 𝑻𝒂𝒈𝒔: crack, humor, romance, Harry Potter Au

𝑨/𝑵: This is a Harry Potter AU but you don’t have to read Harry Potter to understand it. If you have any questions just let me know!

°•. ✿ .•°

(<<< part one)

November 5th, 10am

There are a few things I have previously done in my life that I believe could’ve added to the cosmic debt I am now paying, such as:

-Telling Jimin that “top me” is a muggle slang for “be my friend” and watching as he asked people to top him.

-Stealing leaves from Professor Sprout’s garden to figure out which ones were smokable and therefore profitable (up until I ended up with a third nipple from some hacky hocus-pocus weed).

-Jinxing Namjoon. Twice. But I stand by that. 10/10 would do it again.

All of the above and many countless other things are finally catching up to me. Maybe I should get my shit together, do charity work or something. Maybe if I had actually helped Taehyung with his Divination homework like I said I would instead of just making up all the shitty ways to die written in the stars, karma wouldn’t manifest itself in the shape of first years kicking my fucking ass in hand to hand combat without being allowed to fight back.

“Lovely demonstration on the effects of a throat punch, Jungkook” Coach Jin said, clapping his hands.

“I think the name is self-explanatory enough” I replied, voice cracking from the aforementioned punched throat.

“You never know”.

Coach Jin hates me. I am 100% sure of that. The reasoning is unclear and I’m honestly afraid to find out.

In the interest of maintaining myself less punched, I should invest some amount of energy to get him to like me.

November 5th, 11am

No energy was required to find out why that motherfucker didn’t like me. Now his dislike is fully reciprocated. I hope he chokes on his own pretty, juicy lips.

See, what happened was that one of the first years had gotten pretty carried away by the prospect of punching my pretty face and knocked me straight out, sending my karma-striken ass to the Infirmary, ears ringing and nose bleeding.

Now, I repeat that I am not the most romantic dude on earth (but I’m trying, okay? I even started reading Twilight to pick up some Hot Tips) but when all the signs are pointing towards that one person, who are we to go against fate? How can we spit on the forces of the universe like that? On Trelawney’s weed-filled legacy?

How can I not interpret Y/N doing an internship at the Academy Infirmary as the highest, clearest sign that we are meant to be? I am a student at the academy prone to causing and suffering accidents and she is a healer! The only way this could be more perfect was if she was a 100 years old vampire and I were a very pale high school student.

But alas, every great love story has its Jacob.

November 5th, 12pm

In retrospect, I do realize that my metaphor was flawed, cause if Jin was Jacob, he would’ve been into me, Bella - also why did I put myself as Bella and not Edward? - and if Jin was indeed into me he sure had a very weird way of showing it, completely ignoring me bleeding to probable death to flirt with the nurse, who I had claimed as my wife through the very legal power of “dibs”.

“Hi, Y/N” he said, leaning on my bed, hand resting on my bruised leg, making me whimper in pain embarrassingly, but also in a very manly way.

“Hello, Professor Kim” she said, professionally, not even bothering to look at him while tittering with her supplies.

“You can just call me Jin, you know. I’m only a couple years older than you.”

“That would hardly be appropriate” she answered, swatting his arm away from my bed. I think she said something else, but I honestly couldn’t hear shit when she cradled my face between her soft (so soft!) hands and for a split, dream-like second I thought she was going to kiss me.

“You shouldn’t let your students get so carried away.” she ended up saying “Poor Mr. Jeon. Look at him!”

Damn. 

I guess I did look kind of pitiful, all sweaty, bloody and bruised. 

Probably looked like I’ve been french kissed by a bludger. 

Coach Jin shrugged “He doesn’t look any worse than usual to me.”

The disrespect?

Before I had the chance to tell him very maturely to bugger the fuck off, Y/N stepped in “Then maybe you should be my next patient so I could get your eyes checked” she snapped and maybe those punches hit me harder than I initially assumed or maybe there was just something fundamentally wrong with me (place your bets!) but I thought that was very hot of her. Specially when she then proceeded to completely ignore Coach Jin’s presence and turn to me “How are you feeling, Mr. Jeon?”

“You can call me Jungkook, you know.” I mumbled. At least there was no stutter this time, so I would count it as a successful interaction had she not proceeded to ignore what I said too. 

“I’m going to give you an ointment for that bruise and it should disappear in a couple hours. Luckily nothing seems to be broken, but I would avoid any sort of exercises or tiring activities for the day.” she said as she ushered me out of the room with a funky looking jar thrusted into my hands “And hey” she called as I was about to leave the room with a very sour looking Coach Jin “take care of yourself, Jungkook.”

WELL.

WOULD YOU LOOK AT THAT.

Before I could fully express my happiness, Y/N closed the door to my face, but not even the hardwood hitting my bloody nose could wipe away my smile as I turned to my sullen coach. 

“Whatever” he grumbled “Don’t think you’re off the hook. You’re still with me tomorrow, Jeon.”

Bugger. 

I guess if worse comes to worst, at least Y/N can still look after me.

Actually, that’s not a bad idea at all…

°•. ✿ .•°

Jungkook's Journal taglist is open <3

 [Permanent taglist: @imknewattis ; @dreamamubarak ; @onlythebest-106 ; @betysotelo18 ; @havetaeminforbreakfast ; @uno7 ; @chimchimmarie ; @anaya123world ; @namjooningelsewhere ]

[drgairyuki]

My 1st Randomly Generated Marine Chapter

This was my first attempt at creating a Space Marine Chapter randomly.

So I decide to randomly create and generate a Space Marine chapter by using and messing around with 1d6chan(rip 1d4chan)'s Space Marine Chapter Creation Table and Roll A Die to get the results. Why? Because I thought it would be fun. Note; I did for fun, and there is going to be a lot of interpretation and speculation on my part, but I guess that's the part of the fun.

So here are the results of this me messing around;

______________________________________________________________

Chapter Origins: Why Was The Chapter Founded? (d10) 10: Crusade - "We need people running around and hitting the Imperium's enemies. Found a Chapter!"

When Was The Chapter Founded? (d100) 97: M41/M42; Ultima Founding consisting of Primaris Marines. Actually in two waves (+ intermittents in-between), first in 999.M41 and 000.M42, intermittent foundings during the intervening years to replace destroyed chapters or garrison key areas, and the second in 012.M42 after the first phase of the Indomitus Crusade ended with victory at the Battle of Raukos from the last core of Unnumbered Sons veterans, capping off the largest founding in history.

Who was the Chapter's Progenitor? (d100) 71: Dark Angels

Chapter Properties and Flaws: Gene-seed purity (d10) 10: Flawed - Chapter's gene-seed is flawed and sets them apart from their progenitor - roll on Chapter Flaws table

Chapter Demeanour (d10) 10*: Uphold the Honour of the Emperor - Performing unheroic acts? *BLAM* NO or alternatively, since I'd already rolled 10 once for above, I decide to roll again and I got... 1: Swift As The Wind - Going slowly and thinking things out? BLAM NO

Based on the Chapter's Progenitor, how likely are they to suffer gene-seed mutation? (d100/d20) Dark Angels - 10% (1-2) d100; 44/d20; 12

If they have a new mutation, what is it? (d10) 7: Lost zygote - Something's gone. One of the silly EMPRAH-BLESSED things like the Betcher's Gland or Melanchromic Organ, not something critical like the Black Carapace

Progenitor-specific mutation Dark Angels Lost zygote

Lost Zygotes (d100) 60: Oolitic Kidney Since I got really confused and didn't know really about interpreted them above as I didn't know if it there only need to be one lost zygotes or two, I decide to roll again 100: Roll twice on this Chart 68: Neuroglottis 59: Oolitic Kidney* I'd already rolled for Oolitic Kidney, so either the above is good enough or I reroll again 27: Occulobe

If one exists, what is the Chapter's Flaw? (d10) 4: Pride in the Colours - The Chapter hates doing anything that covers their livery, including wearing Deathwatch black.

Chapter Legends: Figure of Legend (d100) 96: Battle-Brother (roll d10 twice to determine company and squad). I decided to roll both 2d10 once and roll 1d10 twice 6 & 7: 7th squad of 6th Company or alternatively, 5: 5th Company 4: 4th squad

Deeds of Legend (d100) 69: The figure led an action against an Eldar craftworld, boarding it and inflicting grievous casualties before withdrawing. He and his Chapter are especially hated by the pernicious Eldar, for whom the event is still fresh and raw.

Chapter Homeworld and its Properties Chapter homeworld (d100) 35: Feral World

Fleets 10+d10 vessels: 8

Homeworld terrain (d100) 29: Desert

Rule of homeworld (d10) 3: Stewardship - "Hi, Planetary Governor? It's me, the Chapter Master. Just calling you to remind you that I outrank you, even if I don't do anything."

Not Fleet-Based, so I can ignored that

Tactical and Strategic Organization d10 Result - Chapter organisation and Variant Base Chapter 10: Unique organisation/Unique(Codex)

Combat doctrine (d10) 6: Drop Pod

Characteristic Chapter Training (d100 Result) 44: Endure Anything: Training in this chapter emphasizes the need for any squad to be ready to endure any trials they find themselves in. They produce tough, durable brothers with diverse specialties.

Chapter Specialities Specialty restrictions (units the chapter cannot field) - Only roll if Unique Organisation was selected (d100) 15: Apothecary (someone still needs to collect the progenoids)

Special equipment- Roll once if Divergent was selected, twice if Unique Organisation was selected (d100) Rolling 2d100 81: Preferred Fighting Style: The Chapter has a specific way in which it prefers to go about killing the enemy in the name of the God-Emperor of Mankind. Examples: Bolt Pistol and Chainsword, dual Power Swords, special Bolter pattern or ammunition 99: Modified Weaponry: When the Chapter’s forges produce a weapon, they produce them in a style that is specific to their Chapter. Examples: Power Sabre, Bolt Pistol with weighted butt for clubbing. or alternatively, Rolling 1d100 twice 58: Blessed Wargear: It is common for members of this Chapter to have their Wargear blessed by a Chaplain before battle. Doing so puts the Battle-Brother’s mind at ease and more focused on the task at hand. 81: Preferred Fighting Style: The Chapter has a specific way in which it prefers to go about killing the enemy in the name of the God-Emperor of Mankind. Examples: Bolt Pistol and Chainsword, dual Power Swords, special Bolter pattern or ammunition

Chapter Beliefs What form do the Chapters' beliefs take? (d100) 84: Totem Creature - "You know how we've got an animal as our Chapter symbol? Yeah, we're going to stick that everywhere."

Chapter Strength At what strength is the Chapter? (d10) 2: Under Strength: The Chapter is recovering from a defeat or accident that occurred several decades ago, or has recently suffered heavy, but not irrecoverable losses. It is probably at a minimum of half strength, and should return to nominal strength within a decade.

Chapter Relations Who are your Chapter friendly with? (d100) 24: Another Chapter (choose one) Hhhmmmm… Maybe either the White Scars or the Space Wolves, depending on how your interpreted it.

Who are the Chapter's enemies?(d100) 27: The Tau Empire (alternatively, you may select a particular Sept, Commander, or Ethereal)

Ooooooo, the Tau Empire, my favorite faction in 40k (mostly due to the battle suit, so sue me :P), but I think I'll go with selecting a particular Sept, Commander, or Ethereal option. But i'll most probably do that in one of the reblog of this post.

[blade-that-was-broken]

For the soldier au, imagine what Bruce’s reaction to jd having branches letter would be. Like jd is overseas and somehow managed to get one of baby branches drawings to put on the fridge. First thing jd does when he gets to Bruce’s house is place branches letter on the fridge.

or what the bros reactions as a whole would have been if jd managed to send branch a reply so they’re all reconnecting via letters with inconsistent replies while jd is overseas in active combat and they all have the knowledge that their brother could die at any moment.

Alright, so this was kind of fun to think about, although I'm sorry that is it a little different than your thoughts on the matter.

JD spends a fair amount of time in almost some kind of vaguely paranoid survival mode where he isn’t sure who he can trust, how much or what the future brings for him. Don’t get me wrong, he loves his brother and although he’s not big into showing it at the beginning (for several reasons) he is still hesitant because he is very used to a certain type of living and authority relationships. He doesn’t have a lot of items and is only sentimental with very few things. The letter from Branch would be one of them. For a long time, it would be something he could keep close to him and possibly even in secret. Not that he thinks consciously Bruce is going to take it away or accuse him or anything but it’s that he is very, very used to keeping sentimental things close and hidden.

So I don’t think he’d put it on the fridge. It’s kind of a thing that - he doesn’t have a lot when it comes to his family/brothers and so with what he does have, he keeps close to the vest. So to speak.

As for Bruce's reaction; well, he'd have to find it first. It's not something John is going to give up easily or have just lying around. There might be a confrontation. Not that there is a lot of anger but JD would get probably a bit defensive, mostly because he's protective of it - it's one of the very few things he has - but this is mostly first instinct more than anything and he'd calm down about it.

I feel like the exchange afterwards would be something kind of like...

"You've been in contact with Branch since he was a kid?"

"No."

"What do you mean? You have a letter."

"Schools send them."

"And this just happened to get to you? That is one heck of a coincidence."

"It didn't come to me. Someone else in my platoon got it."

"How did you get it then?"

"Dickory got it for me."

"How did you know it was our brother?"

"...how many people do you think are named Branch?"

Vaguely, I think that would be sort of how it went. Not an exact science, I imagine. Also, since it was Dickory that got it - probably stole it - for him, it's also kind of personal in that aspect too. His friend did this thing that he could get in trouble for, for him. He's gonna keep it. But that's kind of a non issue considering who it wrote it in the first place.

John would have a hard time letting it go - he probably won't, at least not until far later, mostly when he has an actual relationship with Branch. (Which is so friggin cute, like they are so adorable I love them)

So yeah, that's my thoughts on it. As cute as it would be for baby Branch's letter to be on the fridge, I don't think John would let it go, especially be public like that, even if it is just in the household. Besides, I think it's pretty safe to say that Bruce's fridge is covered in his own kid's drawings.

Now, when John get's his own place, Rosiepuff is definitely gonna let him raid they kids drawings she's kept over the years and his fridge will be covered in cute stuff from his brothers when they were kids as well as his nephews and eventually, niece's stuff. Possibly a thing or two from Tresillo, idk yet.

As for the second part; dude that sound be so cute. I think at first, Branch might kind of keep it to himself. He’s about about 10, Bruce would be gone, Clay would probably be gone and I don’t know, I think one: Branch would be a bit suspicious at first. And then once he does accept it (cause he doesn’t even really know JD exists) it’s kind of something he might want to keep to himself for a bit. Selfish? A bit sure but he’s just a kid. It’s no surprise.

So I think Branch would kind of go back and forth with JD for a bit, although it would be slow and therefore take a lot of time. Eventually, at the very least, Floyd would probably catch on before he leaves but this is kind of iffy.

There is a significant age gap between Branch and the rest of the brothers. Branch is probably only about 5-6 when Bruce leaves, 7-8 when Clay leaves. Floyd sticks around a little longer, mostly for school but he goes off on his music career and doesn't have a lot of time to come back for Branch.

Although Branch does not have the same level of abandonment as he does in canon and he understands that they just kind of aged out and it's not their fault that there is such a large age gap - and hanging out with him is awkward (he understands this better when he's older obviously) - it is their fault that they don't keep in good good/consistent contact. For this au of an au, John and Branch's letters would probably be one of the most consistent forms of contact.

It kindaaaaa wanna makes me make this canon but I don't think I can at this point lol. It's just a super cute concept and I'd love for Branch to have that at a younger age. Idk, maybe I could manage something, even if Branch doesn't know it's JD in the letters...hmmmm... idk. It's just such a cute concept.

If the rest of the bros did find out... hmmm I'm not sure. Like, none of them are really communicating with one another very well, although the fact that JD is in a kinda active warzone might make them more inclined to remember to do that sort of thing.

[danganronpasurvivoraskblog]

Seiko Kimura VS The Lizard [Danganronpa Survivor VS Spider-Man/Marvel Comics]

Hifumi: Dr. Seiko Kimura; the Ultimate Pharmacist!

Leona: Dr. Curtis Connors; The Lizard!

Hifumi: Part-human...Part-monster...ALL SAVAGE!

Leona: But when their backs are against the wall who's the most savage of them all!? He's Hifumi and I'm Leona!

Hifumi: And it's our job to analyze their weapons, talents and skills, to see who will win a DEATH BATTLE!

Leona: So for our combatant in Mikan Vs Fluttershy, we talked about a medical girl who's life just fucking sucked. THIS TIME however, we're going to talk about a medical girl who's life just fucking sucked! ...Wait a second.

Hifumi: We've talked many times already about the Biggest, Most Awful, Most Tragic Event in Human History. Also known simply as the Tragedy, it's origins lied in Hope's Peak Academy; a coed, private, city center high school with boarding facilities that was approved by the government and established several decades before the events that are known to us.

Leona: Before it was known as that though, it all started as The Tragedy of Hope's Peak Academy, the chronologically first mutual killing game to occur in our world, despite it's brevity. 

Hifumi: Many have characterized the Tragedy as a remarkable instance of social unrest that swiftly descended into meaningless chaos, violence, and fatalities. What began as the "anti-talent" movement quickly spread throughout the world and became more violent by the day, with the Masterminds, Junko Enoshima and the Ultimate Despair, working to fan the flames of unrest. Soon, chaos and death became the norm in society, and the initial reasons for the protests were forgotten. Before long, the majority of people had descended into chaos and hopelessness, and a significant global phenomenon had emerged.

Leona: But when things were at their bleakest, that was when a certain organization slotted themselves in to quell the Despair and return the world to how it always has been - The FUTURE FOUNDATION! Wow...We're 10 episodes in and only now we're really going into the history of the Foundation? I mean, it's basically our job.

Hifumi: That's simply because it hasn't been COMPLETELY relevant to our other combatants backstories thus far. For this particular character, it's quite an integral part of her tale. Alumni of Hope's Peak Academy founded the Future Foundation at some point during or after The Tragedy drove the world to the verge of destruction in an effort to defeat Ultimate Despair and repair the harm their actions had caused to the world. While initially founded by Kyosuke Munakata and Kazuo Tengan, it's unclear when they started operating, but they were clearly well-established during the events of the first killing game because they were able to support the Hope's Peak Academy survivors after they defeated Junko Enoshima and Monokuma.

Leona: And one of the founding members of this organization was a very interesting individual who served as a lead medical expert and the Branch Chief of the Fourth Division...Dr. Seiko Kimura.

Hifumi: Technically speaking, Seiko Kimura didn't OFFICIALLY get her doctorate until AFTER the events of the Tragedy and the Final Killing Game, and there's a rather tragic reason as to why. Not an awful lot is known about her backstory or her family life as a child, but what we DO know is that even as a youth, she had a terribly sick complexion and a chronic illness, hence her pale skin and grey hair. In order to stay alive, she had to submit to taking the same sample of medicine every single day of her life, otherwise, she could potentially die.

Leona: Because of her weak constitution, she didn't have many friends, except for two rather notable childhood companions in two other eventual Foundation leaders: Ruruka Ando and Sonosuke Izayoi. Though she hated being closed off, Seiko naturally learned a lot about the medication she was taking and the happenings of the medical industry. And it was thanks to this that she decided to make use of her pitiful life and do some good with it.

Hifumi: Though a younger Dr. Kimura had a tendency to undergo emotional spikes and snap at people for minor inconviniences, she was naturally quite humble and compassionate, and realized that there were many people in the world who were suffering like her, perhaps even moreso, because of sicknesses and illness beyond their control. 

Leona: So she studied hard to become a doctor, and went on to develop her own brand of special medicines with never before seen special effects, some of which she made when she was in Elementary School! 

Hifumi: This was what initially drew Ando and Izayoi to her. When Dr. Kimura was unable to save a dog from a car accident, the three of them first got together. They were surprised by how effective her medication was, and Ando warmed up to her, giving her some of her best-made candies. 

Leona: Sadly, Seiko was unable to eat them because of the harmful side effects that sugar has when combined with her medication; otherwise, she might not survive. 

Hifumi: Ando called Kimura a friend as a result, and Kimura promised to assist Ando in any other way she could to make up for this slight. She had gone to the same school as Ando and Izayoi all through elementary, middle, and high school, and eventually, all three of them got accepted into Hope's Peak Academy. Izayoi as the Ultimate Blacksmith, Ando as the Ultimate Confectioner, and Kimura as the Ultimate Pharmacist. Unfortunately, there was one other thing about Ruruka Ando that we need to mention...

Leona: She's a bitch! ~♪

Hifumi: I would not have put it so aptly but...Yeah, I suppose we can say that...

Leona: Though she kind of is so naturally, Ruruka Ando is probably the most toxic as fuck best friend you could ever hate to have, and I'm friends with Maya Canzanilla, so you know I mean that! Most of her relationships, ESPECIALLY the one she had with Seiko, was manipulative at it's core, with a "Get them to love you, and they'll do anything for you." kind of mindset. Mainly when it came to their practical exams at Hope's Peak, she made Seiko create sweet tasting drugs to put in her food to kind of...cheat-code her way through the exams.

Hifumi: And this HEAVILY came back to bite her in their second year. All thanks to the actions of one particular individual - Nagito Komaeda: the Ultimate Lucky Student of Class 77

Leona: Ugh THIS GUY again...!

Hifumi: After witnessing his classmates' depressing behavior all day due to the loss of Hiyori Sato and Natsumi Kuzuryu, Komaeda felt compelled to take action. He devised a plan after failing to get the exams postponed and went to see Dr. Kimura in her research lab. His plan was to lace laxatives in the judge's food, and should that fail, set off a bomb underneath the exam hall to disrupt the proceedings.

Leona: The fuck is wrong with this guy!? Ahem...Anyway, it's a pretty long and stupid story, but basically this led to a whole bunch of mixups, like Nagito swapping around similarly named medicines and then accidentally swapping bags with Seiko, that led to the judges ended up eating Ruruka's pastries laced with laxative, and Seiko accidentally switching on the bomb along with Ruruka.

Hifumi: Due to the mixup, Ando believed Kimura had purposefully given her the incorrect medication, which was why she failed her exams. Ruruka's comments hurt Seiko as well, and the two of them lashed out, releasing years' worth of pent-up resentment. Furthermore, the bomb incident resulted in the expulsion of all three of them, including Izayoi, whilst Komaeda, thanks to his talent, got off with a suspension. Due to these incidents, Seiko and Ruruka developed a deep dislike and mistrust for one another and thought the other was a traitor.

Leona: But to be branded a failure by Hope's Peak is to be branded a failure by ALL of Japanese Society. Seiko had NOTHING LEFT, and was implied to have been homeless and without a place to go when Munakata, Chisa Yukizome, and Juzo Sakakura stepped in to offer her help. Thus she became one of the Future Foundation's first members, and currently it's longest running.

Hifumi: Dr. Kimura's pharmalogical skills earn her the natural envy of even the most potent medical practitioners in the Danganronpa universe, like Mikan Tsumiki and Kanata Inori. As the Ultimate Pharmacist, the medical industry took a keen interest in Dr. Kimura due to her ability to discover novel applications for pre-existing medications in addition to developing her own. Many pharmaceutical companies had approached her, vying for her talent, saying they wanted to offer her their full support, but she took only minimal assistance with her research.

Leona: Seiko can create just about any kind of medicine, even with little resources, ranging from something common like laxatives and cold medication to more ludicrous concoctions such as strength enhancers and super-healing medication. Like the Doping Corn Soup that Akane Owari uses in some her battles that we covered in her episode.

Hifumi: Or the healing fluids that Mikan Tsumiki employed in hers. The Future Foundation trusted her to provide medication to the Tragedy victims, and she delivered. And Dr. Kimura carries a supply of these medicines on her person so that she's always ready to heal herself or her companions. The healing medicine she carries is so potent, it can regenerate even broken bones in a matter of seconds.

Leona: Though she unfortunately still suffers from her own affliction, she's been able to cure, repress and counter some of the most powerful afflictions and illnesses. She repressed Nagito Komaeda's cancer and frontemporal dementia, cured Nekomaru Nidai's heart virus, and balanced out Kuripa Kurafto's CIPA's disease by creating a drug that through ingestion, speeds up his already naturally slow healing process...Though this does have some nasty side effects if a person who DOESN'T have CIPA's takes it...As seen with Kaede.

Leona: And these medicines have helped herself and her friends survive the most powerful afflictions and adversaries they've ever come across, especially when she, Ruruka and the other Foundation leaders would be swept up in the Final Killing Game, secretly hosted and created by Kazuo Tengan as a weird as fuck attempt to save the world. For real though, I don't GET ANYTHING with that plan!

Hifumi: Don't think about it then. It's not worth your stress. But this came in clutch in the Final Killing Game, even after meeting her very unfortunate demise. Instead of executions, the Final Killing Game employed NG Code Poisoning in their place. The Monokuma bangles strapped to the participants wrists recognizes when a player transgresses their NG Code or Forbidden Action and instantly injects a deadly poison into their bloodstream, which almost claimed the lives of Daisaku Bandai, Koichi Kizakura and Kyoko Kirigiri.

Leona: Emphasis on that ALMOST. You have a deadly poison! WE have a Seiko!

Hifumi: Though it was only thanks to her research and Mikan Tsumiki's equal medical knowledge, Seiko Kimura developed a COUNTER-MEDICINE to the NG poisoning. A person would go into a comatose state rather than pass away from the poison injection if they took the medication prior to the bracelet activating. Taking the drug before her NG Code activated allowed Kyoko Kirigiri to survive. Even though she looked dead to her friends, the physical effects were significantly less severe, and after Mikan Tsumiki revived her, she had no lasting side effects. And she achieved this UNDER FOUR HOURS after Daisaku Bandai was first induced with it.

Leona: That's not even mentioning that she eventually developed a CURE! Even though she confirmed Bandai's almost instant death with the NG Code Poison, she was able to resuscitate both him and Koichi Kizakura hours after everyone believed they had died. But I know what you're all wondering. "MeH, thiS is A DeAth BaTTlE, HOw's she gUnNA uSe tHIs To FIGHT, mEh!?" Which is fair, since what's the point of being so smart if she can't hit hard? Fortunately, she can, with her most powerful and notable drug...

Hifumi: Dr Kimura was developing a "Reanimator" just before she was expelled from Hope's Peak, which had the added benefit of enhancing the user's physical condition. No matter how worn out someone was, she claimed that one ingestion of the pill she was developing would revitalize them completely when it was believed to have been added to Ando's confections. A small dog that was consuming some of the reanimator during Komaeda's antics soon transformed into a GIANT, which enabled it to completely breach a wall.

Leona: In the Final Killing Game era, it takes the form of these little green pills that Seiko takes by popping a handful of them in her mouth. And taking these little babies transforms Seiko into her BEAST MODEtm!

Hifumi: Dr. Kimura specifically enters a berserk-like state, exhibiting glowing purple eyes, longer hair, claw-like fingernails, and a more muscular body. When she was attacked by Ando and Izayoi, she used this transformation, and as soon as she transformed, Izayoi threw a knife at her, which she caught in her mouth and broke with her teeth!

Leona: The transformation gave Seiko the strength and immunity to power through all of the traps that Ando and Izayoi set for her. Given that Izayoi has previously shown to be on a similar fighting level as Remnants Akane and Nekomaru, Seiko being able to wrangle with him shows just how powerful she really is.

Hifumi: And it's not just Izayoi that Kimura was able to "wrangle" with. She also took Juzo Sakakura, the Ultimate Boxer, head on, and even fought and almost beat Kanade Otonokoji, who was able to defeat Kuripa Kurafto by catching him off-guard.

Leona: Not to mention that at the time they fought, Kanade was coked up herself! On HOPE SERUM! The same drug that was developed to gift Ayumu Fujimori and Nagito Komaeda the Ultimate Hope powers that Hajime Hinata recieved through the Kamukura Project, becoming an unstoppable being who's existence is talent and power itself.

Hifumi: ...Sort of. When Kanade Otonokoji took the Hope Serum, her body was not pre-prepared for it's effects. So instead of giving her Ultimate levels of capability, it instead boosted her strength by a fair margin, but not as much as it would have done if she had the right body type for it. Even still, with how ferocious she fights, it's still impressive that Dr. Kimura was able to fight with her on an equal level. It implies the effects of her drugs have the potential to keep up with Fujimori and Komaeda if they're developed further.

Leona: Seiko also broke down several metal doors and structures with relative ease, jumped great distances through and up into the air, and was even able to smell the scent of Ruruka while she was a great distance away, even through solid glass, giving her bloodhound-like senses. And this isn't even the full power that the form can reach!

Hifumi: The number of Reanimators that Dr. Kimura consumes at once determines how her form changes; consuming more of them lengthens the transformation and boosts her power. During her transformation into the advanced state, she bent a metal rail, sent Sakakura skidding away with a single blow, repeatedly punched through reinforced glass, leaped around a large room breaking lights along the walls, and then embedded her feet in a wall above the window of an observation booth, and tanked several missiles fired at her by Miaya Gekkogahara, causing a massive explosion.

Leona: But one interesting thing about her berserk state, is that even though her senses and bloodlust rise exponentially, it seems that her intelligence and consciousness remains...mostly intact.

Hifumi: Indeed. While she does undoubtedly go crazy in this form, she has always demonstrated that she is still capable of thinking when she uses it, as evidenced by the suggestion that she wanted to mend Aoi Asahina's injured arm or the fact that she was still capable of taunting communication during her fight with Otonokoji. And even though she is a beast, she still knows how to use her medical knowledge and equipment, like how she used her medicine to heal her arm when Izayoi damaged it.

Leona: Alas, as incredible as she is, she is far from indestructible. As a regular human without the use of the medicine enhancers, Seiko is just a normal human with normal human weaknesses.

Hifumi: And even though she poses a serious threat as a monster, her metamorphosis is only temporary and ends when the effects of the drugs wear off. And sadly, even the beastial form did not save Seiko Kimura from her demise in the Final Killing Game. In her last moments as her transformation started to wear off, she began to reflect on how all she really wanted was to be friends with Ando once more. She was also sorry that she was unable to stop her allies from dying. She fell asleep for the last time when the timer on her bracelet rang. She was brainwashed into taking her own life while she was asleep.

Leona: Until the Future Foundation's resurrections devices brought her back to life! Which by the way, she was kind of in on all THAT stuff as well!

Hifumi: Well, she didn't MAKE the machines, but she helped to study and improve them, which led to the ones who died in the first killing game, including yours truly, to be brought back to life. I really owe her a lot now that I think about it...I should show my appreciation more often...

Leona: Just get her some valentines chocolates or something.

Hifumi: I would if I didn't risk invoking Mr Komaeda's wrath. During the same time as her resurrection, the Remnant's of Despair, now reformed and back to their old selves, were beginning to work with the Future Foundation, and came initially under Dr Kimura's care; something that she personally did not like at first. Though this also had to do with her past experiences of being manipulated and not wanting to increase her social circle too much. But still, when she discovered that the prior terrorists had changed their tune, she changed hers, and went on to help them with lots of their long-standing issues and by this point in time, basically became one of them.

Leona: So you're telling me that after he got her and her friends expelled, ruined her life, became a Remnant, destroyed the world and then betrayed the Future Foundation for the sake of petty revenge, she hooked up with that weirdo? I'd judge her standards, but I'm about the same.

Hifumi: Well, Mr Komaeda became a very different person following the events of the Jabberwock Island Killing Game, and it's mainly thanks to Dr. Kimura. Though remaining an idealist, Komaeda was eternally grateful for the things that Seiko had done for him in spite of their rough history, and regretted what he had inadvertedly done to her and her friends. He committed a lot of his time to helping her out and getting whatever she needed for her, eventually falling in love with her. Genuine affection, that is.

Leona: I.e. NOT the creepy hope obsession affection that he usually displays. but yeah, Nagito's care for her allowed Seiko to keep going even when Zetsubou kidnapped her and forced her to develop their powerful Hope Serum, and boy did she style on them once she got her edge back. 

Hifumi: Seiko Kimura will always remain despite all that she has endured and witnessed, and will regretfully always be confronted with from her traumatic past. And among the many powerhouses of our universe, she will continue to be among the most astute and formidable women in history.

Leona: Ok, but seriously though, are there any medical people in our universe who's lives DIDN'T fucking suck?

Hifumi: Um...Dr. Inori?

Leona: Lost her parents in a car crash

Hifumi: Your friend Mr Ito?

Leona: Struggled with transphobia when he was a kid.

Hifumi: Mr Porosen?

Leona: Barely counts and you know full well how damaged that baby boy is.

Hifumi: Fair...

Leona and Hifumi continue their back and forth

Leona: The strange case of Curt Connors is one of the most tragic in Spider-man's career. Over the years, he has watched helplessly as his close friend has slowly devolved from human into animal. But the road to reptilian hell was once paved with good intentions.

Hifumi: Dr. Curtis Connors, known by his family and peers as Curt, started out life as a very good man. Born in Coral Gables, Florida, he studied a doctorate and became a gifted and talented surgeon, eventually joining the US Army as a combat medic, operating on injured soldiers in combat emergencies. He had many friends despite his introverted nature, and was a family man with a loving wife, Martha, and son, Billy.

Leona: Why does every superhero comic have a loving wife named Martha...Ahem, never mind! But then one day, tragedy struck...His arm went KABOOM!

Hifumi: While serving the force, Connors was caught in an horrific explosion that, miraculously, he survived, but his right arm was damaged beyond repair, and he had no choice but to have it amputated. Unable to serve the force anymore, Connors was discharged and went back to civilian life as a research technologist. His medical and scientific wisdom landed him a job at Oscorp, or S.H.I.E.L.D depending on the iteration.

Leona: However, coping with the loss of his arm turned out to be a NIGHTMARE for Curt, and he struggled to live with his lack of it. Using his wealth of knowledge and research, he and a few close friends set out to try and find a cure, or a way to help him regrow his lost limb. But his path towards a solution came from a rather interesting place...Herpetology! Wait...he got his solution from HERPES!?

Hifumi: NO! Ugh...Herpetology refers to the area of zoology which is dedicated to the study of reptiles and amphibians. What Connors was specifically interested in was a reptiles unique genetic "recipe," that provided creatures like axolotls or lizards their enhanced regenerative abilities of musculoskeletal tissues, 

Leona: ...Come again?

Uchui [off-screen]: They can regrow their limbs!

Leona: Ooooh! Ok, so by understanding the secret of how lizards regenerate their limbs, Connors set out to develop a potential way to simulate the regeneration of limbs in humans, helping them regrow amputated or damaged limbs. Not just for himself, bare in mind, but he figured if he could use his medication on himself, he could use it to provide revolutionary healthcare to the rest of humanity who were suffering like he was. What a SWELL GUY!

Hifumi: And it honestly wasn't that far-fetched of an idea, at least not on paper! Despite being cold-blooded reptiles, lizards essentially have the same genetic toolkit as mammals. In fact, lizards are the most closely-related animals to humans that can regenerate entire appendages. Researchers have found that in particular areas of a regenerating limb, such as the tail, they activate at least 326 genes, including those involved in wound healing, hormonal signaling response, and embryonic development.

Leona: Curt became obsessed with learning about reptilian limb regeneration. He finally developed an experimental serum derived from reptilian DNA while working from his home in the Florida Everglades with the assistance of war buddy, Ted Sallis, and in a few iterations, the one and only Peter Parker, the son of Richard Parker, an old friend of Curt's who attempted to help him before he mysteeeeeriously disappeeeaaared~

Hifumi: As it turns out, the experiment worked out pretty well at first! Connors put this serum to the test on an amputated rabbit, and it worked! To take this experiment to the next level, he discovered an even better test subject: Himself.

Leona: Despite his wife's desperate pleas, Curt used himself as a Guinee Pig and ingested his own experimental serum. Thus "Experiment-that-can-only-go-wrong No.342" occurred...Le sigh...THIS is why we LISTEN to our wives, people!

Hifumi: Once Connors took his serum, his amputated arm regrew within MINUTES, something that reptile regeneration actually doesn't do, since it takes a lot more time than that. The results of his experiment were frankly miraculous, and for a brief time, the Doctor believed he had revolutionized modern medicine...But then reptilian green scales started to spread over his body, and he spouted a long, lizard-like tail...!

Leona: Similar to a letter-day Jekyll and Hyde, Dr. Curt Connors had gone from being a mild-mannered scientist into a BLOODTHIRSTY villain...! The LIZARD! Because superhero comics...HATE DOCTORS!

Hifumi: When Connors is the Lizard, his altruistic personality takes a backseat to the reptilian rampagers brutal behavior. He is unable to control his transformations very well, and he is constantly in a state of rage and fury. Warranting him an unmatched destructive power, as well as MULTIPLE encounters with the web-slinging hero; even the X-Men at times.

Leona: Lizard is a ruthless beast who possesses incredible strength and inhuman powers. While he may walk like a man...sometimes...and is even capable of speech...sometimes...his behavior is anything BUT civilized. And he has only one goal and desire...to WIPE HUMANITY THE FUCK OUT!

Hifumi: To put it another way, his goal is to eradicate all mammal life from the planet. To his animalistic mind, the only way to restore reptiles to their rightful place as the planet's masters is to wipe out all warm-blooded species, including humans. Despite the fact that Dr. Conners and Spider-Man have grown dependent on one another over time, the Lizard despises the webslinger for impeding his efforts to wage war on humanity. And with his own unique powers, as well as how he can handle Spider-Man multiple times and quite easily at that, it's all the more important for Spidey that he needs to be stopped.

Leona: Let's talk stats. To start with, Lizzie's leg muscles are so powerful that he can leap nearly 12 feet into the air, and cover an average distance of about 18 feet with a single bound, which more than helps him keep up with Spider-Man, even though he's not as fast AS the hero. He's also used his incredible speed to keep up with characters like Morbius and Doctor Octopus.

Hifumi: He can whip his tail at speeds of up to 70 mph, and his top running speed is close to at least 45 mph. That's comparable to a Greyhound's speed. And thanks to the Lizard's natural ability to regenerate from wounds and fatigue, his stamina is almost immeasurable. The bio-regenerative serum gave him an enhanced, hybrid physiology that allows him to fight almost endlessly without fear of fatigue. He can withstand severe bleeding and brutal wounds thanks to his healing factor, and he has lost limbs several times without so much as blinking.

Leona: So he's got speed and stamina in the bag, but what about power? Well, if the big-ass teeth, fuck-off claws and hulking beastbody don't sell it...Yeah, yeah, he's REALLY strong.

Hifumi: The Lizard has fought and matched Morbius the Living Vampire in battle, who in Spider-Man's own words, "hits like an h-bomb," and while this is obviously exaggeration, Morbius' actual attack potency is indeed above and beyond that of most Marvel heroes, much more than Spider-Man's. 

Leona: And over the years that Lizzie and Spidey have been fighting, he's just gotten more powerful every time. Kind of like if Goku was a large angry reptile and also very evil! Evidence of the Lizard's passing is "a steel door torn off its hinges like it was cardboard," and he often causes mass environmental damage. In Insomniac's Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man's fight with Lizard infamously took them across most of New York, and whatever infrastructure the two came across was basically totalled.

Hifumi: Spider-Man even claims in the comics that unlike most of his recurring foes, Lizard is one that he can't afford to pull his punches with as he usually does. Though many forget it, Spider-Man's punches are ordinarily LETHAL in potency; especially since he's able to one-shot Tombstone, who can't ordinarily feel pain, and halt the charge of the Rhino with a single kick. If he struggles to fight Connors without holding back, that's certainly saying something!

Leona: But there's MORE to it! A few times in their early fights, Spider-Man outright states that the Lizard's reptilian skin is so thick and hard that's what she said...that he almost FRACTURED HIS KNUCKLE just punching him! And this is coming from the same guy during one of their fights, punched through a three-inch thick steel door!

Hifumi: This would take about 150 tons, or 300,000 pounds of force, for a mild steel door. The force for a HARDENED steel door could increase significantly but would likely remain below 1,000 tons, particularly if the door is composed of an exotic alloy like maraging steel. Either way, to know that the Lizard's skin is somehow DENSER than that makes you wonder how Peter is even able to HURT the Lizard in the first place.

Leona: Sometimes it feels like he CAN'T! Lizard's skin HAS proven to be bulletproof and explosionproof, and even when Spider-Man goes all out, it's very hard to keep the beast down! He's also taken hits from Stregon, another reptilian villain who put his fist directly through concrete with a punch, and he's taken hits from opponents that are just as strong, if not stronger than that, including, but not limited to, Wolverine, White Tiger, Man-Thing and the Last Son of Kraven.

Hifumi: It's a little bit complicated in lore terms, but the Last Son is a Kraven clone raised on an accelerated life cycle and trained from birth, who went on to hunt and kill 86 other Kraven clones raised in the same manner. Additionally, Kraven's Last Son has the ability to punch Kraven through walls while he is wearing the black Spider-Man suit, and Connors was hit repeatedly by the Last Son even when unable to retaliate because of an adamantium inhibitor chip in the back of his neck.

Leona: Even aside from his natural strength, durability and speed feats, the Lizard is more than just some movie monster. He's got some weird, wacky and FUCKING TERRIFYING powers under his scaly belt! Like Hifumi already said, for one, he can easily regenerate.

Hifumi: As I already said, ACTUAL reptile regeneration is not a quick process. The injured stump where the lost body part was originally located forms a "blastema" in reptiles with the ability to regenerate body parts, such as newts and salamanders. This is a mass of cells that will regenerate the damaged body part, including stem cells. The genetic program that initially formed the body part before birth or hatching will be activated by the blastema. If the creature LIVES for that long, this process could take a month or up to fifteen months.

Leona: Ok, I get it, it's slow, stop using big words!

Hifumi: But the Lizard on the other hand has a regeneration process that is just inhuman or...in-reptile I suppose; not just because it's much faster, but because it's far greater than just regenerating limbs. Not only has his tail and arms grown back, but so have his eyeballs. He has quickly healed from multiple gunshot wounds and made a full recovery from impalement. He swiftly healed his broken neck, avoided having the Man-Thing burn his head, healed after receiving a knife wound to the head and regurgitated his spinal cord after it was severed!

Leona: He ALSO adopts characteristics from other reptiles like Alligators, and by which I mean those bastards stealth skills. Though he as the power to tear down buildings at his leisure, Lizard typically relies on catching his prey by surprise, and he's damn good at it despite his large size and beastly aura. He uses his stealth skills to stalk his prey at the night, and is perfectly capable of causing distractions, like how he was able to sneak under a couple's car without them noticing. Wait, how the fuck does he fit under there!? He's like 3 times the size of me!

Hifumi: Lizard's hands and feet are also covered with tiny claws that create adhesive pads, like those of a gecko. The pads allow him to scale and slither even sheer surfaces, with naturally faster speed than a real lizard and ever greater ability than Spider-Man himself.

Leona: But among Curt's many abilities, what to me is his most interesting one is his telepathy. Yeah, among all the other insane bullshit, this guy can CONTROL MINDS! WOOOOO!

Hifumi: Well, sort of. As long as they're close by, Lizard's special ability allows him to control and manipulate the minds of all other ranges of reptiles, including snakes, crocodiles, and lizards. When it comes to Spider-Man, Lizard is more than happy to use the reptiles as his foot soldiers. This power is robust as well. He's even used it to control the mind of Man-Thing, and once, he summoned an entire swamp of creatures to attack Ben Reilly Spider-Man.

Leona: But surprise surprise, he can use this power on HUMANS too. Spider-Man explained that the telepathy is like an aura around Lizard that "makes the Id take over the Superego". What that fucking means, I don't know, but based on the dialogue I'm going to assume it means it makes everyone around him stupid. Considering it made Doc Ock act like an animal who talks like the Lizard, I'm gonna assume I'm right.

Hifumi: Sorry to hit you with more science and calculations, but the way the Lizard does this relates to the Triune Brain structure; a hypothesis put forth in the 1960s by American physician and neuroscientist Paul D. MacLean regarding the evolution of the vertebrate forebrain and behavior. One aspect of the diagram is the Reptilian Complex, or R-Complex. The word comes from the belief held by comparative neuroanatomists that these structures dominated the forebrains of birds and reptiles. According to MacLean, instinctive behaviors typical of a species such as aggression, dominance, territoriality, and ritualistic displays are caused by the reptilian complex.

Leona: So in summary, it's LITERALLY every man's inner beast. In order to employ this, Lizard's body gives off a noxious fume that can fuck with someone's mind in a DEVASTATING way if it's inhaled. He forces the animal instinct to be released, and to make human beings act mindlessly and destructively, which he's employed against and ON Spider-Man, employing the web-slingers lizard brain to induce fear in him and make him run away in terror.

Hifumi: As for any other abilities he might have, it has also been demonstrated that he has poisonous clawtips that cause excruciating pain, disorientation, and sensory impairment to those who are slashed by them. Additionally, he's resistant to heat and diseases. He was unaffected by boiling water, merely startled by a Bunsen Burner's flame, and had no trouble biting into flaming objects. 

Leona: Damn...We sure covered a lot of crazy as fuck feats. And I bet you all thought he was just some big green scaly monster. So the question is this...if the Lizard is such a terrifying foe, how is Spidey able to beat him?

Hifumi: For one thing, Lizard has a rather potent weakness to the cold. The main thing that separates reptiles from mammals is the formers cold blood, and in the case of Connors, severe cold severely impairs him and may even stop him entirely. It also drives him, on occasion, into hibernation.

Leona: Plus, as I said before, Lizard is only KIND of able to communicate and strategize beyond that of his animal instinct. The longer Curt Connors remains AS the Lizard, the more his abilities to talk and think slip away, and his hunger for violence and destruction only grows. 

Hifumi: When they first clashed, using Connors' notes, Spider-Man created an antidote to return the Lizard to his human form and mentality. The family man was back, and even though his mentality regressed over time due to the battle with the beast inside him, he went on to remain one of the webslingers most trustworthy allies, even going as far as to save May Parker's life when she was accidentally exposed to Peter's radioactive DNA.

Leona: But how long do you think THAT'S gonna last?

Hifumi: Good question. And the truth is I can't tell you for sure. It later became clear that the success of Connors' apparent cure from the Lizard persona was short-lived. A cycle began of Connors' transformation into the Lizard continually caused by stress or a chemical reaction; Spider-Man fighting him, forcing him to swallow the antidote to stop the transformation until the next time, rinse and repeat

Leona: At any time, be it due to reactions with chemicals or overexertion of stress, Dr. Curt Connors can at any point relapse into the reptilian beast. Until the day comes that someone finds a true cure for the monster, The Lizard will stay one deadly predator and one of Spider-Man strongest and deadliest rogues.

Hifumi: Alright, the combatants are set! We've run the data through all possibilities!

Leona: IT'S TIME FOR A DEEAAATH BAAATTLLLLLLEEE!

The scene opens to a dark, damp and grimy sewer, as Dr. Seiko Kimura, the Ultimate Pharmacist, carefully trudges through the sewage. With a worried look on her face, she sees multiple slash marks and the traces of what appear to be mutilated animal corpses lying in the grime. Her goal is to track down the perpetrator.

*hisss...!*

Seiko: ...!?

She suddenly senses a presence nearby, and barely spots a shadow as it lurks around a corner. Instinctively, she grabs a bottle of pills and equips a bag full of medicines to her side.

Seiko: Doctor Connors? If you're trying to scare me...It's working...!

Seiko suddenly breaks out into a run as the pressure gets to her. With her feet splashing along the damp pavement of the sewer, the Lizard finally crawls out from it's hiding place and scales the ceiling to catch up to her. It pounces and knocks both of them down a large drop where the sewage water falls.

Seiko cries out and very quickly shoves a handful of green pills in her mouth, as she and her reptilian adversary splash down into a pool of dirty water, with Lizard being the first to emerge by swimming through the 

Lizard: Hrrrgh...!?

To the reptilian ravagers surprise though, Seiko Kimura's hand, now more beastly and with claw-like fingernails, bursts out of the murky water. It slams on the concrete, cracking it, as she hoists herself out. The rest of her body then rises, with her hair now longer, her eyes a bright glowing purple like the Lizard's glowing green pupils, and her fangs as sharp as a staple remover. The Lizard however, is not threatened.

Lizard: You...think you can sssstop the LIZARD!?

Seiko: Whether I have to currree you orrr kill you...! One way or anotherrr...I'm taking you down!

With a growl, Seiko charges the creature that used to be Doctor Connors, but the Lizard's reflexes are quick, and he smacks her back with his powerful tail.

Seiko rebounds swiftly from the severe blow, and the Ultimate Pharmacist attempts another claw slash, but her opponent shrugs off the attack, lands a kick, then a second blow with the tail and finally a claw swipe.

Seiko: GRRAAARRRGH!

Lizard: GAAGGH!? RRAAGH!

Seiko scrapes the sewer's concrete wall, chipping away at a sizable portion of it before slamming Connors back into his obstruction. 

Lizard: HYAAAARRGGGGH!!!

Seiko: USE YOURRR WORRRRDS CONORRRS! With SYLLABLLLES!

Without any delay, she grabs the head of the reptile and violently bashes it against the sewer wall. Even though the Lizard doesn't seem to be affected much by this, the attacks are so strong that they indent and eventually shatter the wall, sending the two Devasting Doctors flying through it.

Seiko tosses her battered opponent to the ground below as they find themselves in a new, open area with rushing water behind them. The Lizard lands hard, but Connors rolls over onto all fours, his victims' blood streaming from his mouth as he snarls.

The vicious Pharmacist lunges in at full speed and runs along the ground to intensify her attack. In return, Connors roars and rushes in her direction.

Seiko: GRRAAARRRGH!

*BANG!* *BASH!*

Lizard: YOU'RE SSSSSOO PITIFFFUL!

*SHUNK!* *SMASH!* *BAM!*

Because of her agility and smaller stature, Seiko gains the upper hand and tackles Connors, hitting him twice with outright vicious punches. Connors then returns fire, cutting Seiko with his claws and hitting her again just as hard.

When the lizard tries to bite his opponent, she dodges and then tries to bite back, which gives the monster the opportunity to whip her severely with his tail.

After being knocked back, Seiko uses her claws to climb the adjacent wall and escape Connors's follow-up bite. Connors however, does the same, scaling the wall with the tiny claws on the pads of his hands.

Lizard: RRRRAAGGH!

*CHOMP!*

Seiko: GRRRAAGGGH!

*CRAASSH!*

As the two monstrous scientists grapple against the wall, the Lizard is able to bite Seiko and launch himself off, driving her into the ground in a manner akin to a German suplex, except with his mouth. Lizard keeps a tight hold of Seiko's arm, which starts bleeding profusely.

Lizard: You're ssssoo weak...! You're not even worttthh keeping alive in my empire...!

Seiko: You arrren't the scarrrriest thing I've seen...! RRRGH! Good luck getting out of these sewerrrrs ALIVE!

Lizard: HYAAUUGH!

Seiko bounces back swiftly from the hard landing, using her superpowers to deliver a vicious uppercut to the Lizard's jaw that tears it apart and frees him from her. She hurriedly digs through her medicine bag for a green syringe, sticks it in her arm, and instantly seals the wound on the her arm, quickly wiping it of blood.

Lizard: Hisss...That'ssss MY ssscchchtick!

With a growl of frustration, Lizard watches as Seiko tends to her wound before roaring and rushing back at her. In an attempt to evade the attack, Seiko leaps multiple feet into the air and bounces off the wall to get some distance. However, the Lizard simply makes an equally high jump, sending their fight into the air, at least 14 feet above the ground.

With the lack of footing, Seiko finds herself at the initial disadvantage, thanks to the Lizard's autonomous tail, but eventually she seizes an opening by grabbing the tail and jumping on the Lizard's back!

*SSSHUUNK!* *CRAACK!*

Lizard: REEEEEEEEAGGH!

Lizard cries out in pain as Seiko suddenly takes the syringe that her healing serum was in earlier and stabs him in the eye with the needle! Not only that, but while the pain shoots through his face, Seiko grabs both sides of his jaw and pries it open as they crash back down to the ground!

The Lizard's body breaks Seiko's fall, but Connors bears the full force. Even though he throws Seiko off of him by grabbing her with his tail, the Lizard breaks his jaw when he lands face-first on his pried-open mouth.

However, this does not have the long-lasting effect that Seiko aims for. Though in immense pain from the impact, the Lizard's jaw muscles and bones naturally regenerate very quickly, and within seconds, it's like the injury never happened.

Lizard: I'm not about to losssee my mouth when I sssstill have yet to feasssst on you...!

Seiko: You'rrre not eating me today, Connorrrrs...!

Lizard: Don't missssunderssstand...! Mealsssss are meant to be SSSSHAAARED!

To Seiko's horror, the scaley scientist summons several sharp-toothed reptiles to attack her, and they suddenly emerge from the sewer's dark crevices. She struggles to fend them off as they start jumping her and trying to sink their fangs into her, not helped when the Lizard makes follow up attacks with his own powerful claws.

However, Seiko is still able to fling the reptiles off of her with a powerful spin, and quickly starts pulling medicines out of her pouch. She quickly kicks Connors in the face to get him to back off, then starts combining medicines on the fly while avoiding his reptile minions.

Once she's created a concoction, Seiko bottles it up and smashes it on the floor in front of her, clouding the sewers with a pungent aroma that repels the reptiles from her, including the Lizard, to an extent.

However, something then happens that she doesn't expect. Lizard starts releasing his OWN gas from his body that overpowers hers. Not powerful enough to bring back his reptile army, but enough to allow him to push back towards Seiko, who is not taking to his fumes well.

Seiko: What...arrrre...you...doing...to...me...!?

Lizard: HRRRAASASSAAAGGGH!

Connors however, has given in to the beast, and cannot respond with words anymore. However, his scent starts to activate the R-complex in her brain, and what little sanity and stability she has left starts to slip away...!

Seiko: GGRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGHH!!!

Seiko also succumbs to her feral inclinations, roaring and spilling some of the contents of her medicine pouch onto the wet floor as she drops it. With each punch, slash, chomp and smack, the two ravenous monsters continue to pour blood as they trade several lethal blows.

Seiko's technique, though now sloppier thanks to giving into her monstrous instincts, is still potent enough to overwhelm Connors quickly, and the Lizard counters by pushing her back with several powerful whips of his tail!

Before Seiko can react, Lizard suddenly wraps his tail around her neck and starts to strangle her, but Seiko is able to pry herself free. Seeing this, Connors instead opts to send her crashing into the wall, which she is cratered into. He himself, needing to take a second to catch his breath, pauses, clutching his head as he feels his human side try and retake control.

Seiko: Haaagh...Ngh...gagh...

But then, in the brief moment of silence, Seiko Kimura starts to slip into unconsciousness...The effects of her enhancing medication start to wear off, and with the R-complex in her brain still active, she feels overwhelming exhaustion in what little senses she still has left.

Lizard: CONNORSSSSS ISSSSS DEAD! AND SSSSSSO ARE YOOOOOOOUUUU!!

With his sanity only barely intact, Lizard is just able to choke out these words before the Reptile consumes all! The Lizard lunges forward, slashing his claws at the now-defenseless Seiko, then bites into her leg, tossing her around like a rag doll until her leg is severed from her body, and her corpse once again impacts the wall!

In a desperate attempt to escape despite the loss of limb, Seiko claws at the wet ground, her vision blurring and her consciousness slipping. However, the Lizard pulls her back and, in an instant, slams his big mouth down on her head and bites it off, utterly DECAPITATING her.

With his opponents dead body at his feet and an army of small reptiles surrounding him. The Lizard lets out one last roar...A roar of victory...!

Leona: HOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLYYYYYYY SHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIT! That was...! I think that was our most brutal death yet! That was fucking awesome and yet...yet I can't help but feel really sick that it had to be such a kind girl who suffered it!

Hifumi: Although Seiko Kimura was an undoubtedly fierce opponent, the Lizard had most things going for him in this bloody brawl of jaws and claws.

Leona: Which is not to say that this was completely one sided. In fact, there are quite a few aspects that Seiko actually outclasses the Lizard in. First of all, considering Seiko was able to keep up with the likes of Izayoi, who has contended with the likes of the supersonic Akane Owari, and Lizard has managed to tag Spider-Man several times, it's safe to say that they tie when it comes to speed. And their transformations gave them very similar abilities, like their heightened senses and incredible strength.

Hifumi: And both are potentially as athletic and acrobatic as the other. Lizard is able to fight in midair, jump over buildings, execute drop kicks, and break falls by clinging to a ledge in quick succession, and he has also been known to backflip to avoid Spider-Man's attack and slap him with his tail in the process. Additionally, Dr. Kimura has caught knives with her teeth, and jumped across a sizable room, shattering lights along the walls, before sinking her feet into a wall and remaining perched there.

Leona: But the BIG ADVANTAGE Seiko has over Doc Connors is bleedingly obvious. Her INTELLIGENCE.

Hifumi: Neither Kimura nor Connors are fighters, and they rely on their animal instinct more than anything to win their fights in their beastly forms. But as regular humans, it's pretty clear to tell who the smarter one is. Connors studied enough to the point where he was on the verge of revolutionizing medicine, but Seiko Kimura has been doing that since she was SIX! Creating extremely powerful healing medicines and concoctions with varying helpful effects and basically NO side effects! Much less turning you into a giant green scaly monster.

Leona: So, here's a question I bet some of us are wondering. We talked extensively about Seiko's knowledge with medicine, so is it at all possible that she could fashion up her own brand of the lizard antiserum, use it on Connors to repress the Lizard, and then kill him in his weakened human state? Well, the answer to that is...Yes!

Hifumi: Within the span of four hours after seeing Daisaku Bandai's "death", Seiko Kimura was easily able to create a counter medicine that saved Kyoko Kirigiri's life, and then made a structure for a cure that saved Daisaku Bandai and Koichi Kizakura. It isn't THAT hard to assume that with her genius level knowledge as a pharmacist, that she could quite quickly fashion a cure for the Lizard Serum and turn Connors back into a human.

Leona: It's helped a lot by the fact that unlike Connors, Seiko actually retains her sanity throughout her transformation. Connors mind is basically turned to mush, but Seiko is still aware enough to avoid and counter traps, administer her serum and retain her empathy and humanity. So...what's the problem?

Hifumi: The PROBLEM is how she's going to actually ADMINISTER a potential serum. In order to properly apply the medication to Connors, she'd first have to either overpower him, or somehow incapacitate or restrain him. Neither of which was possible for her.

Leona: Curt has rather effortlessly torn through Spider-Man's webs, which have been stated to be as strong as steel. Curt has also easily broken through ACTUAL steel, and is generally shown to be much stronger and beastlier than Seiko. He'd overpower her pretty easily in a wrestling match, even if his opponent can outsmart and outmaneuver him in many ways.

Hifumi: Dr. Kimura didn't really have anything she could use to trap Connors either; no notable tools or anything that would really work. In addition to this, while she IS more aware and less of a mindless beast than Connors, the Lizard could easily reprimand this by taking hold of her R-complex, taking away what little insight she has left and turning her into a TRUE beast!

Leona: When it comes to that, Seiko's one big strength over Curt is just GONE, and she's basically at a complete disadvantage. But wait...Sonosuke Izayoi fought the likes of Akane and Nekomaru, who are SUPER strong. And Seiko was able to fight him and opponents beyond his level, like Sakakura and Otonokoji. With scaling, doesn't that mean that Seiko is technically the stronger one here?

Hifumi: That's actually not a bad assumption to make. Both Dr. Connors and Dr. Kimura have ripped through hard substances like steel like they're toilet paper, so even if the latter isn't STRONGER, she's at least on a similar, if not equal level. However, Spider-Man implied that Morbius' punch was tantamount to that of a Hydrogen Bomb. And the Lizard is just as strong as he is, so if we take this literally, his damage output is tantamount to at least 1000 Kilotons of TNT.

Leona: And we estimated in a previous video that Nekomaru Nidai's strongest attacking feats, like his superpowered shit, is tantamount to about 94 Tons. Ah, I getcha. That would realistically make the Lizard at least over 10,000 times stronger than Seiko.

Hifumi: Well, Spider-Man was obviously gravely exaggerating Morbius' power, even if the living vampires strength warranted such a comparison. But even in the case that it is, it doesn't really matter. Regardless of how strong she actually is, Dr. Kimura didn't have the attack potency to breach the Lizard's thick hide. Spider-Man is far stronger than she is, there's no doubt about that, and the web-slinging hero himself stated that punching the Lizard almost fractured his knuckles due to how hard his reptilian skin is.

Leona: So basically, if Seiko tried swiping at the Lizard with her claws, she'd chip a nail and then some. And even assuming that she somehow WAS able to get through his hide and damage him...what does it even matter? Connors can just regenerate the damage in seconds!

Hifumi: Both doctors possess healing and regenerative powers as part of their arsenal, but the difference is that the Lizard's is a NATURAL healing factor due to his reptilian genes, while Dr. Kimura's is provided to her by her medicine; a resource that is FINITE. If this were a battle of attrition, Dr. Connors would come out on top every single time.

Leona: Speaking of things that are finite, the same is true for Seiko's transformation. It only lasts a limited amount of time, and she turns back to her basic, measly strength when the effects of the medicine wear off. Meanwhile, Connors can retain his reptilian form basically indefinitely, and even if he regresses back into his human form through means like the serum, even the most minor interaction with a stressful situation or medical reaction can bring it back out in no time.

Hifumi: Lizard's regeneration factor also provided him almost unlimited stamina, so even if Dr. Kimura had enough pills to keep her transformation up, Lizard could still wear her down before she had the chance to do the same to him. Although, it's more likely he'd casually rip her to shreds before then, since her defensive capabilities are NOTHING compared to his.

Leona: Seiko has tanked missiles from the robotic Miaya Gekkogahara, but Connors has done the same thing against Gray Garrison, AKA Warrant; a bounty-hunter who first surfaced when he was hired to capture, or kill him. Lizard took a missile fired straight at him by Warrant, which knocked him back, but did not injure him even slightly. And that's without mentioning that Seiko's defense feats are wholly inconsistent. Despite the missile feat, when compelled to commit suicide, she repeatedly hit a concrete wall to embed herself in it, which ultimately killed her.

Hifumi: Seiko Kimura was relentless and vicious, but the Lizard had the strength, the skills, and the overwhelming bestiality to win brutally against her.

Leona: Such a shame that Seiko couldn't get through to him. She could have really helped Connors with his "a reptile dysfunction~"

THE WINNER IS DR. CURT CONNORS! THE LIZARD!

Next Time...

The masses need a savior when the world is in danger. In a society that consistently held them back, these incredible heroes began life with nothing and developed the charm, fortitude, compassion, and drive to defend the people they care about. However, which one of them will prevail when everything is on the line?

[moonsb1996]

Oc of my novel Irithyll Princes ! P1

Hello everyone, @the-invisible-introvert-2004 @lucia1234lizeth since I have another OC group, I'm going to post it here as well. And they are none other than characters from my own novel. I'll update it in my post later. Have fun.

Ship 01

Hakano Fenno or Ariona Alan Larx XIII, Prince of the Kingdom of Irithyll (ah, that name is so familiar) Class: Pyromancer, Priest Hakano is the adopted son of the Queen of the Irithyll Kingdom. Because he was orphaned by the war between the Dark Arts and the Free People's Alliance. Fate destined him to die at the age of 8, but he was able to survive death by fighting. The mother of love and fate, Hakano is cursed to encounter many unlucky events that are so bizarre that they are unlikely to happen.

Later he was spared another fate. and chose to become a priest in order to escape from the hands of The mother of love and fate, his position as heir to the throne was lost, but Hakano didn't mind anything. He has a favorite phrase: "As long as the world doesn't end, He will continue to sit and sip tea in his favorite chair.” Hakano has an interest in history and ancient legends.

Becoming a priest gave him the opportunity to study the ancient language found in many records and ancient sites throughout the Ashes. Hakano is also the only sorcerer who can create blue fire. However, his body was unable to withstand the enormous heat generated and thus developed scars all over his body from the first skin graft experiment of the era. (One of the reasons why he became the Queen's adopted son)

Hakano is very insecure about his appearance and considers himself very unattractive. Moreover, he is not interested in the opposite sex because he likes the same sex, which is not accepted in that era, making him not have the courage to express his intelligence or friendship, to the point where it can be said that he is afraid of loving others. Despite his gentle nature, Hakano can be considered cold-blooded. If anyone hurts his friends Don't be surprised if that house or those people Died by fire

Ping Yangchen Class : Fighter Yang Chen, or Northern Territory General, the second son of the Ping family. He was a young captain who received a contract called “General of the North” with the ability to use 10 excellent weapons and ride a horse. Making him the most feared general of the Green Empress' army. and is also called “The shapeshifter of the God of War” as well, but despite having excellent abilities and unparalleled skill,

Yang Chen had something to worry about. Fate destined him to be A young general who was so handsome that every woman who looked at him would fall in love with him from the first time they saw him. In such a way that if the woman didn't get married, it would make her even more obsessed with him. And it was a pity that Ping Yangchen liked men and he was gay. It made him feel awkward that so many young women were flirting with him. until it becomes sexual harassment

Yang Chen had been sent to investigate secretly once in the Western Mainland. (The same magical school that Hakano studied at the time) and he was ordered by his mother to keep an eye on the Prince of Irithyll. This made Yang Chen fall in love with Hakano. Because the two of them had a lot in common, for Yang Chen, women fell in love with him because of his looks. while men hated him because of his looks and his combat abilities.

Hakano is a boy who doesn't feel that way and treats him as an equal. Yang Chen swore to himself that he would love only Hakano. And it will be his sword if Hakano needs it. He was delighted because what he saw from Hakano was not his face but Hakano's inner personality. And Yang Chen flirted with Hakano so hard that even Hakano was embarrassed because Hakano had been trained in good manners. Therefore, he didn't show much, which only made Yang Chen try even harder, even though he ended up being shy himself.

[oneirataxia-girl]

Relationship asks!! # 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 12, 15, 20, 21, 36, 39, 45, 48! I realize this might get a little long but I want answers for both Keller and Midlaw hehehe

hadley lovely you're so right this was long af 😭 so I split this into one post for Keller (this one) and another for Midlaw (link here!) but without further ado, let's jump in! tagging the other op anime girlie @auxiliarydetective bc I don't wanna spoil the others

1. How did they meet and what were their first impressions of each other?

Sabaody arc, when the Heart, Kid, and Strawhat pirates leave the auction house and they're surrounded by Marines. Killer jumps in and takes out one of them just as the man is about to attack Kenji's unknowing back; cue Kenji's eyes widening like dinner plates watching Killer land on the ground in slow motion and Killer thinking wow this guy is so dumb (affectionate) like my captain when we were young KID TF ARE YOU TOYING WITH THESE MARINES FOR WE GOTTA GO-

2. What kind of dynamic do they have with each other?

smartass x dumbass, sunshine protector x sunshine, "I'd die for you" "who said you could die??? WHO SAID YOU COULD DIE KILLER I NEED NAMES"

3. What do others think of them?

Kid is like ???????? at Killer's choice of a boyfriend, but Killer's taste is all his fault because Kenji like him in some ways (much to Kenji's horror but we'll get to that another time) and Killer is basically programmed to like that type; the other Kid Pirates, after grilling Kenji about his intentions of their beloved second-in-command, are pretty supportive of the two; Mari approved of Killer before they even got together; the other Strawhats also become fond of him, Franky and Usopp are the (joking) exception since both of them had to put up with Kenji ranting about Killer's weapons for weeks after Wano, Jimbei is the fishman Kenji goes to ask about having a crush and it’s very fluffy, then Brook, Sanji and Chopper pop in and it dissolves into teasing jabs, Robin mentions offhandedly to Nami about Kenji’s not-so-subtle attempt to ask after Killer in the day’s newspaper and Nami is iffy on whether the other pirate is good enough, but keeps those thoughts to herself until she can access Killer’s potential herself. Zoro pretends to be asleep through all this but he’s glad that Kenji doesn’t know about his fight with Killer as Kamazo (and has no plans of telling him that), and Luffy’s just glad that his crew is getting along with Jaggy’s

5. Is their joint future bright or bleak?

uhhhhhhhh... ideally yes. but it might have to change for canon events, but I do think they get a happy ending

7. Do they have a desire to protect each other?

YES. Killer is of the opinion that Kenji can't fight, and although that's objectively Not True, Kenji's combat levels are a lot lower than Killer's, so when their crews fight together, Killer tries to keep an eye on Kenji. Kenji is also fiercely protective of his Kil, so when anyone makes a snide remark about Killer's time on Wano, the poor sod has to face a very angry red ball of fluff (Kid) and a similarly furious, gun-cocking blacksmith

10. Who would win in a fight?

Killer. no diff, if they're forced to fight (which would be the only scenario either of them would raise a weapon at the other), Kenji would be out without question

12. Who is a better caregiver?

it’s a close one but Kenji. Killer is good at caring for everyone but himself, but Kenji is a firm believer of "you can't take care of anyone if you don't care for yourself" so Kenji is the deliverer of sunshine and smiles, and he's mentally okay while doing it!

15. Who has better fashion sense?

I really wanna say Kenji because he is the crew's secondary fashionista (behind Nami but before Sanji), but I believe that Killer's polka dot era is going to come back and that Killer was iconic af. so for now it's a tie

20. What's the worst thing about them teaming up?

Killer would constantly check up on Kenji, which could impact his focus and allow the opponent to get some hits that normally Killer could block. Killer's checkups and possible injuries could also affect Kenji's aim, as he might abandon logic and charge at the enemy without even loading his guns

21. What's the best thing about them teaming up?

if Killer does close range combat while Kenji takes care of mid-range, with both of them equipped with a talkie-walkie version of a transponder snail to communicate, then they could deal some serious damage to anyone facing them. other than the battlefield, they're also a pretty fire duo when it comes to making drinks (Killer watches in loving astonishment as Kenji comes up with the weirdest mixes that always turn out delicious); if both of them + Sanji are in the kitchen, the crews just know they'll be eating and drinking well

36. What is a gift one would give to the other?

Kenji would give him little metal decorations like bracelets or brooches with his mask's design integrated into the pieces. Killer would buy fun trinkets when the Victoria Punk docks on islands to show his boyfriend when they meet again

39. What's an inside joke they'd have together?

"when will Kid and Mari and Trafalgar finally kiss, I wonder?" "my sister has WAY better taste than those ruffians, Kil" "Ken, I'm one of Kid's 'ruffians'" "but you're the best ruffian to ruff, and Mari doesn't settle for anything other than the best, so she's definitely not getting with Jaggy or Tra-guy or both of them"

a ton of angst, lots of yelling, and three confessions later...

"so..." "don't. just lemme mope in peace, Kil"

Killer never lets Kenji forget this. it later becomes a joke that Kenji is actively terrible at predicting romantic relationships and he has fun making the wildest matches ever

45. If one of them was in trouble, what would the other do?

look... all I'm saying is if a guy named "Massacre Soldier" Killer has a boyfriend who apparently once used a person's blood to make his bullets, I would think twice before trying to hurt either one of them. rip(ieces) to those who do otherwise but I value my life

48. If they swapped bodies, how would they handle it?

first, Kenji would claim this as the reason why Mari should leave Law (Mari's typical poker face nearly breaks at the sight of big beefy Killer waving his arms around in typical Kenji fashion); then he'd get Killer to teach him how to use his Punishers, which leads to Killer strapping the blades to Kenji's body to prevent Kenji from hurting himself, which leads to a pouting Kenji, which leads to Killer petting his own head (wow Ken wasn't lying his hair really feels nice in these hands), which leads to Midlaw & co stifling their snorts at the sight of a (compared to Killer) smol twig of a guy stroking back the hair of someone twice his size that practically has a raincloud over his head. let's just say that after this, Law had to endure quite a few dirty glances and passive aggressive remarks from his brother-in-law for a while

give me a number + relationship and I'll tell you something about that relationship!

[cicadaknight]

tag game (horizon)

tagged by @artekai 💕🤝💖 thanks, pal!

1. ride or die ship: fashav/kotallo straight to my grave. mythological tragedies, those two, i tell you what.

2. most annoying ship: the boat aloy takes to san francisco. can you imagine, never rowing before in your life and making that trek through choppy currents and storms? insufferable.

3. second favorite ship: aloy/kotallo. the parallels of aloy and kotallo being forced into roles they never wanted, being alone and outcast from their tribes, moving through their grief and rage by learning to trust a new found family? being seen by another for more than their physical prowess but their humanity and creativity? excellent shit.

4. favorite platonic relationship: SYLENS AND BETA AND GAIA. Sylens getting taken down a fucking peg or two by a teenage girl and an infinitely compassionate AI. Beta being able to collaborate with someone (and an AI) who sees well beyond her mistakes and faults. GAIA finding consistent, complex companions who remind her fondly of Lis. Sylens making Beta food and teaching her how to cook. HELP ME.

5. Underrated ship: So many. I really love Aloy/Drakka. The idea of him being such a counter to Aloy’s single-minded focus on saving the world by being an absolute goober. But her seeing that he cares so very deeply about doing the right thing and protecting his people. Alva/Beta is sweet. I dig Erend/Talanah.

6. overrated ship: the odyssey. just kidding, i already made a joke about a boat.

7. one thing i would change in canon: the entire last act? specifically varl’s death, that kotallo doesn’t fly to the grove with aloy, that aloy ends the entire tenakth/regalla conflict via single combat duel, and then fights alone twice more with erik and tilda. RIP all the build up to aloy understanding that she’s not alone and all the people in her life are as competent and complex and have just as much stake in the fate of the world as she does. and beyond that, i deeply regret the way they wrote talanah in hfw. she shoulda had that fourth bunk in the base.

8. something canon did right: don’t get me wrong, i wish fashav hadn’t died at barren light, but i love his back story and everything we find out through his journals. added so much nuance to carja and tenakth cultures and characters in just a handful of paragraphs.

9. a thing i’m proud of creating for the fandom: i’ve been in a perpetual state of burnout for yeeeeeears. this kotallo portrait was the first piece i’ve drawn in ages. i’m also working on a bookbinding project and doing art for Kotallo with amazing folks on Focus on the Heart.

10. a character who is perfect to me: Hekarro. I hope the writers, animators, and actor who made him come to life are very proud of their work.

11. character i relate to most and why: uhhh like every other neurodivergent queer with trauma and parental issues, i gotta go with beta.

12. character(s) i hate most and why: tekkoteh. absolute steaming pile of shit. genuinely every time i think i’ve reached peak hatred for that slime, someone writes a beautiful fic where i find myself despising him more. in my interpretation, there’s no world where he didn’t take advantage of, manipulate, and abuse kotallo after his parents died.

13. something i’ve learned from the fandom: awww this is cheesy, but i learned how to take a chance and post things i make again. most people are so curious and so excited to discuss lore or characters in good faith. oh, recently i did discover i missed MANY post-mission dialogues for side quests on my first few playthroughs.

14. three tags i seek out on ao3: i’m guaranteed to get drawn into anything re: kotallo and fashav’s early marshal days, lis character development, aloy/kotallo hurt/comfort (sue me)

15. a song i associate strongly with my otp/favorite character: i made this playlist based off this fic. it’s basicallg my score for fashav and kotallo falling in love during their marshal duties. instants by skúli sverrisson and anything by hermanos gutiérrez sends me into pondering fashav and kotallo’s lives together.

i’m gonna tag @poulticepurse @fogsblue @rowanisawriter @ayaitch @robo-dino-puppy if y’all wanna do this?

[ophiliaclement]

okay. someone asked so god help you all.

THE OCT2GANG AS DND CHARACTERS: TEMENOS AND THRONÉ

Naturally, Temenos, as the singular cleric, is quite broad on his clerical abilities - so much so that pinning him down in a single subclass is... tricky. I'll be honest, there's multiple ways to go here. Life, Light and Twilight cleric all fit aspects of his kit (prayer for plenty, sacred effulgence, and moonlight judgement respectively) but neglect the others...

Knowledge domain seems to fit best. less in terms of combat accuracy, but more with him in general. He's quite the detective, so Knowledge's extra skills and languages at level one is helpful. Also makes him bard- ajacent, which would no doubt help with the role of inquisitor. Second, knowledge's given spells included Command and Suggestion, very befitting of his Coerce and Guide path actions.

The channel divinity skills for Knowledge Domain is two skills - Knowledge of the Ages, which allows you to gain a proficiency in one skill or tool, and Read Thoughts, which is also similar enough to his Coerce action.

Finally, Knowledge Domain has Speak With Dead, Scrying, and Visions of the Past. .... I don't know what to tell you guys. Visions of the past is just deadass his true sight ability. look at it.

Personally, I want to make him a Drow. I'm a sucker for characters with dark/light contrasts, and Drow gives not only the Darkness spell (moonlight judgement's blinding effect) but a boost to charisma as well.

Stat-wise I'd prioritise Wisdom and Charisma - backline clerics don't need much Constitution, and we can dump strength. Dexterity is a good third option - he's a sneaky little shit. Intelligence is good too, but it's not immediately needed, as most of it's skill bonuses are supplemented by Knowledge Cleric.

Particular spells I'd pick are as follows:

- Bane (1st level, enchantment)

Whenever a target that fails this saving throw makes an attack roll or a saving throw before the spell ends, the target must roll a d4 and subtract the number rolled.

- Shield of Faith (1st level, abjuration)

A shimmering field appears and surrounds a creature of your choice within range, granting it a +2 bonus to AC for the duration.

- Borrowed Knowledge (2nd level, divination)

You draw on knowledge from spirits of the past. Choose one skill in which you lack proficiency. For the spell's duration, you have proficiency in the chosen skill.

- Death Ward (4th level, abjuration)

The first time the target would drop to 0 hit points as a result of taking damage, the target instead drops to 1 hit point, and the spell ends.

- Guardian of Faith (4th level, conjuration)

Any creature hostile to you that moves to a space within 10 feet of the guardian for the first time on a turn must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw. The creature takes 20 radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

- Dawn (5th level, evocation)

The light of dawn shines down on a location you specify within range. Until the spell ends, a 30-foot-radius, 40-foot-high cylinder of bright light glimmers there. This light is sunlight. When the cylinder appears, each creature in it must make a Constitution saving throw, taking 4d10 radiant damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Throné! My lovable little snake. Throné's combat skills are a little tricky to replicate all at once, but I've tried my best.

Firstly, Throné starts with three levels in Fighter. This may seem counter-intuitive, but Action Surge gives her another action in combat, similar to Leave No Trace. Usually I'd leave it there, but I'm tempted to bump her up another level to Battlemaster. Battlemaster gives Throné access to Maneuvers, which allow a bit of in-combat buff-debuff skills, similar to Armor Corrosive and the like. Maneuvers I'd choose are as followed:

- Riposte

When a creature misses you with a melee attack, you can use your reaction and expend one superiority die to make a melee weapon attack against the creature.

- Distracting Strike

When you hit a creature with a weapon attack, you can expend one superiority die to distract the creature, giving your allies an opening. You add the superiority die to the attack's damage roll. The next attack roll against the target by an attacker other than you has advantage if the attack is made before the start of your next turn

- Ambush

When you make a Dexterity (Stealth) check or an initiative roll, you can expend one superiority die and add the die to the roll, provided you aren't incapacitated.

As for the rest of her levels? Rogue, obviously. The Expertise is a must-have for stealth and arguably deception, and the extra speed is very befitting of Throné's playstyle. The way I see it, there are two main paths depending on which part of Throné's skillset you want to build. You can choose either Assassin Rogue, which hits first and hits hard, reminiscent of her Speed-based skills, like Aeber's Reckoning. Or, you can focus on the more magical aspects of her kit, like Disguise and Aversa's Night Darkest Night with Arcane Trickster.

I'm personally siding with arcane trickster. call it personal bias. Arcane Trickster gives her an invisible Mage Hand for extra help in thievery, stronger spells if she's hidden from an enemy, and the ability to steal spells from other casters.

Arcane Trickster spells I'd pick are as followed:

- Friends (cantrip, enchantment)

For the duration, you have advantage on all Charisma checks directed at one creature of your choice that isn't hostile toward you. When the spell ends, the creature realizes that you used magic to influence its mood and becomes hostile toward you.

- Disguise Self (1st level, illusion)

You make yourself – including your clothing, armor, weapons, and other belongings on your person – look different until the spell ends or until you use your action to dismiss it.

- Invisibility (2nd level, illusion)

A creature you touch becomes invisible until the spell ends. Anything the target is wearing or carrying is invisible as long as it is on the target’s person. The spell ends for a target that attacks or casts a spell.

- Shadow Blade (2nd level, illusion)

This magic sword lasts until the spell ends. It counts as a simple melee weapon with which you are proficient. It deals 2d8 psychic damage on a hit and has the finesse, light, and thrown properties (range 20/60). In addition, when you use the sword to attack a target that is in dim light or darkness, you make the attack roll with advantage.

- Fear (3rd level, illusion)

You project a phantasmal image of a creature’s worst fears. Each creature in a 30-foot cone must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or drop whatever it is holding and become frightened for the duration.

Stats wise, as a rogue you'll want to prioritise Dexterity. Throné seems to have decent Deception and Perception, so Charisma and Wisdom aren't out of the question, but you'll ideally want high Intelligence for the arcane trickster route. Dump strength.

race-wise I'm tempted to say yuan-ti, given her connection to Claude and, well, snakes. Yuan-ti also gives her more inbuilt magic, allowing her the spell Animal Friendship as well as magic resistance and poison immunity which allows for a little survivability (and is just funny if you remember her chapter 2.)

Shadar-Kai elves are also an option, supplying here with resistance to necrotic damage and a magical teleport. again, depends on what theming you want to lean into.

Overall these two compliment eachother quite well mechanically, much like they do in-game! I think I just talked myself into playing another cleric...

I'll be doing this in Crossed Chapter pairs for now to lighten my workload a little.

Part 1 (you are here!) / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4