#he's surprisingly immune from corruption

[voxiiferous]

Chatting with @sanguineradio and reminded that this exchange is such a CORE part of Vox's whole philosophy to Hell. Like he is ALSO stuck down here, he wants to make it a liveable space. Public transit, houses that aren't bombed out wrecks, some actual jobs and urban amenities.

Vox for mayor, he will run on a platform of public betterment shocking everyone (except his employees). The BLD is a good palce to live, if you don't mind (on Earth illegal) amounts of neon advertising and some pretty frequent construction. You can be rest assured that if something happens it will be fixed quickly, there's conveniences.

He wants to be Overlord of a thriving metropolis not a dumpster fire.

[loudn-mcyt]

SBK Superhero AU: End Kingdom

The last poll tied, so you get End kingdom now as well. The masterpost has the links to all of the kingdoms so far, as usual. I'll also link the final poll here.

For Leon, the colors come specifically from the skin he used in his chorus fruit corruption arc. The name comes from googling types of penguins and picking the one that felt the most like a superhero.

I took this build in a slightly different direction. The easiest way to build it would be to lean all the way into the chorus fruit and give Leon enderman-based powers, with one small problem - I already have a teleporter, and I don't want to overlap these too much. So, from there, where should I go?

I decided to build a Leon that is primed to be a bodyguard (for who, you might ask? That's probably not important). I did this partially because "Rockhopper" sounds like that kind of character, and partially because imagining a 7-foot tall penguin punching someone through a wall was very funny to me. As a result, there are three main aspects of Leon's powers: the 'big guy' part (Built Like endstone), the 'enderman' part (Chorus Corruption), and the 'penguin' part (Penguin).

Built Like Endstone is pretty straightforward - it's just a boost to his strength and stamina. Chorus corruption makes him fast and surprisingly hard to hit - he can't be confined in one place, and he automatically teleports away from ranged attacks, though he doesn't get to pick where he goes. Penguin basically just enhances the traits of penguins, making him even faster underwater than on land and giving him some small immunities.

Leon's advantages and skills are focused on gearing him towards a lightning bruiser archetype. Some allow him to hit harder (All-out attack, power attack), some allow him to move faster (Improved initiative, move-by action), and the last one, interpose, is the key to the bodyguard aspect. It allows Leon to respond to an ally taking damage within his movement range by taking the hit for them, completely negating any harm to them and taking it himself. His defenses are correspondingly shifted towards being better at taking hits rather than avoiding them, to facilitate this kind of protection.

There is that pesky reliance on chorus fruit. It's unfortunate, really, that someone who could control his access to chorus fruit could control him. I'm sure that's fine.

Josh Codeneon was the last build I did, simply because I could not for the life of me figure out where to fit him. He only has 2 episodes to go off of without a lot of lore (at least not that I personally know), I was having trouble with just working with the End dimension since Leon had already covered endermen, and I didn't want to reach back to dominion since Artemis already has the mushroom angle cornered on sbk.

And then I looked at his skin again, and it all clicked.

This guy's a robot.

His powers center around this. He's remarkably robust defensively, with some very strong immunities (most notably anything targeting his fortitude defense), balanced defenses (other than a slight weakness in will), and the ability to completely ignore any damage effect with a rank of 5 or below. His regrowth mechanisms give him a way to recover from damage (his lack of stamina also means he can't recover naturally over time). This makes him a huge threat to a lot of characters; characters who focus on fortitude effects or who prioritize accuracy over power may have a very tough time keeping him out of the fight. Arc Current, his final power, gives him a good ranged option to complement his close combat abilities.

All those immunities are pretty expensive, though, meaning that there weren't a lot of points to go around for advantages or skills. The ones I did choose are pretty utilitarian: combat flexibility, a flawless memory, and some assorted utility skills.

Finally, his complication. A robot has to come from somewhere. But who built him? Why? Where are they now?

And is he the only one?

[that-foul-legacy-lover]

Did I read somewhere in the tags "I love this concept I want to do more with it"? I'll gladly yap and ramble!

I've listening to music box songs lately, very emotional and melancholic so this anon here is in the mood for some good angst but needs fluff too. I'll keep referring to Abyss Vessel Reader as such, mainly to sort the AUs, but if you have other label for them I'll take it too.

So Abyss Vessel!Reader probably can touch others, Skirk and Arlecchino can after all, but they have a lot of power within. Maybe Reader it's like that too, surprisingly, their Abyssal power doesn't corrupt other people further and they're immune to it... they're completely immune to it after years of harnessing it, living with it, fusing with it to the point it has become a core part of themselves. Any area afflicted by Abyssal power doesn't affect them in the slightest, and sometimes they don't control their strength in fighting.

They're touch starved to some extent, they must be nomads with an imposing appearance and/or aura; forming meaningful relationships after being manipulated it's difficult for them, and having been forced to do things by the people of the now fallen Khaenri'ah must have made them develop trust issues too. I'd love a Reader who's this Abyssal human-like being but so jarred and scarred emotionally that they are the most tender and kind people one could find, always aching when they see what the Abyss does to others or the land. But even if they're such a gentle soul, they're extremely lonely...or they were, until they met Foul Legacy, and for once they felt somewhat understood not only by him but also Childe, because both have witnessed the horrors and the beauty of the Abyss, and both share those lightless eyes.

Maybe I rambled too much? I lost track of it in the middle. Sorry, my train of thought is more like a rollercoaster

— 🕯️ Anon

*scribbles down notes furiously* keep talking KEEP TALKINGGGG

it's as if all the kindness and light the Abyss could have had was coalesced into your being, despite the corrosion flowing through your veins. you cry bitterly upon seeing what the Abyss has done to the upper world, tears coming out thick and purple and glimmering as you sob against Foul Legacy's shoulders. all he can do is hold you close, running his claws up and down your back with comforting croons and trills. he tries to keep you away from those places, but sometimes you insist on seeing the carnage for yourself, wondering if it's your fault or if the ones who caged you are to blame. perhaps if you just played your role, this wouldn't have happened. maybe you should have just suffered in silence. Legacy growls quietly, tightening his grip and gently nipping at your cheek. stop that. those thoughts. they're horrid little lies trying to consume you inside and out. he doesn't stop holding you until your trembles finally cease, and even then he just adjusts his hold on you, carefully

Foul Legacy, sweet, adorable, wonderful Foul Legacy. you call him your own savior, your miracle, for he saved you from your eternal loneliness. now he goes wherever you go, everywhere and nowhere, until the ends of Teyvat. and he's soft towards you as well, so soft and gentle, curling around you at night and constantly nudging against you during the day. it's a reminder that he's here, just for you, that he's never going to leave. you're both cursed creatures, after all. with no one but each other. Legacy gingerly traces the cracks in your skin, the Abyssal energy on the verge of seeping out as he purrs softly, bumping his forehead against your own in an attempt to get you to pet his hair. the purr turns to a steady rumble as your hands weave through his coppery locks, and for the first time in years, you cry happy tears

[late-to-the-magnus-archives]

Corrupted, chapter 21 - a TMA x Malevolent crossover staring Tim Stoker and the King in Yellow

Tim rubs his face. “Hopefully, Jon knows something, but I don’t think he does. What I want to know is why that guy went to talk to him in the hospital? How’d he even find him? And what he meant with… shit. I don’t think I can ever get his voice out of my head.” He drawls a terrible Southern accent. “‘Tastier than you were, by golly?’ ‘I think I’ll let you marinate a bit more?’ ‘A fuckin’ proper feast?’ Who talks like that?”

One who relishes his violence and the terror it brings.

That was a bad tone, inching toward hopeless. “I’ll tell you who. Foghorn Fucking Leghorn.”

Hastur chokes. It doesn’t sound like he knows what sound to make, and several tried to escape him at once.

Tim’s not done. There will be no drowning on his watch. -----

Chapter twenty-one of Corrupted, a TMA x Malevolent fic starring Tim Stoker and the King in Yellow.

AO3

--------------------------

Myrddin is true to his word, and Tim is left alone.

He sleeps better here than he has in recent memory. It’s so peaceful; probably magically so, he thinks, as he finally gets up, and it’s only now he realizes he’s not even wearing his own clothes.

It’s a simple shirt and trousers, surprisingly soft. The stitches are even, and it’s all sort of gently dyed—a beige shirt, darker trousers, thick socks. No underwear, which is wild as he has no memory of being dressed in this. “How out of it was I?” he mutters, plucking at the odd homespun. “I look like a Renfaire reject.”

Considerably more attractive than most, Hastur opines.

“Thanks. Rude. Not helping,” says Tim, and stands, stretching, cracking his back. “So, uh. Did uncle Ganduman out there dress me?”

No. I did.

Whew. “Thanks.”

Ganduman, now?

“Gandalf. Saruman. Some kind of horrible freakish hybrid.” Tim shrugs. “I don’t know if I believe him. Or this. Or if he’s good or bad.”

Hastur’s mood turns dark. He is who he says he is.

Oh, boy. Sounded like a history lesson incoming. (And it still amazes Tim that apparently not everyone can just feel how those around them are feeling. He’s always done that. Assumed it was normal.) “When did you recognize him?”

Once he drew us from the sea like fish in an invisible net. Once we were on shore, close, and I stood up in your body and saw him with your eyes.

“Spooky,” says Tim.

Hastur stays dark. I knew of him before, but reputation, and occasional witness. He fought off the Fey courts on his own, Tim, a thousand years ago, during the Unseelie and Seelie push for blood purity.

“The what?” says Tim very softly. “The what?”

They attacked the Norman city of London, determined to remove any who were not purely human or purely Fey, Hastur says. And this being—this Myrddin—whom everyone had assumed dead, said… no.

“No?” Tim squeaks.

He blew their armies away. He batted aside the unified power of the Scepter and Throne like they were nothing.

Tim decides it’s a good plan to sit back down. “So there's... Fey? Okay, hold on. Wow. I guess that stuck with you, eh?”

Not as much as the next time he resurfaced. He went under again for about five centuries; didn’t bother with anyone or anything in the magical world, until some stupid Seelie prince tried to attack him for… I still don’t know. Reputation? I don’t know. Myrddin defeated him, burned the royal orchards to ash, and took home the only remaining seeds that the Fey had cultivated for untold millennia. That’s why the apples on this island are unique, Tim, compared to any in the world. That’s why those apples are immune to blight. He disappeared again after that, and… as all the magical beings withdrew, left the human Earth to the Fears and their gluttony, I assumed he went with them.

“Nobody thought to check?” Tim blurts.

Hastur sighs. I had my own issues going on. With so few of power left, the Fears grew hungrier. I had to hide.

“And… you recognized him? How close were you?”

I’ve crossed paths with him in various human bodies in my exploration of this world, just as a matter of proximity—it would hardly do me any good to defeat him, and out myself as a god—but in all that time, I never knew he could see me. He’s an excellent liar, Tim; but… Hastur pauses. I don’t think he’s doing it now.

“Fears didn’t eat him,” Tim points out.

He’s not afraid. If you’re not afraid, they can’t even fucking see you.

Tim’s jaw falls open. “That… why didn’t you tell me that? That’s really important information!”

Do you have a way to simply switch fear off that won’t damage you irrevocably in some other way? Because I do not.

Well. Hastur has him there. “Right. Okay. Wow. Okay. I might need to journal about this, or do interpretive dance, or something, because wow. Okay. Wow.”

Softer, Hastur says, I think I know why we ended up here.

Tim pauses in his litany. “You do? How?”

You kept calling yourself baby Merlin. It had become a joke, an amusing thing; one of your little quirks that makes you so appealing.

Tim rolls his eyes. “Sure. And?”

Another pause. I’d assumed he fled this planet, in the way so many of his contemporaries and mine. The Fears drove almost everyone out, Tim, and I hadn’t heard from him or seen him in centuries. But I knew his tower would still be here.

“His… tower. On Bardsey?” Tim frowns. “There’s a lighthouse, and like… a decrepit old abbey, and that whole twenty thousand buried saints rumor—that one was fun as fuck to shock people with in school—but there’s no tower.”

Not only is it here, it’s made of glass.

“Wh… you’re joking.”

I am not. Look. I panicked. I just wanted us away from… that thing, whatever it was, but not so far that we’d have trouble getting back once your portal-making was done, and I… thought of this island. It was close, relatively. And “baby Merlin” just made it a mental connection. I thought of it as you made your portal, and it happened. It wasn’t intentional.

So much to parse all at once. Tim inhales. “Your stray thought directed my magic?”

I think so, yes. I think I might have influenced where we came down

So this is potentially fantastic. Or horrifying. Maybe dangerous. Surely frightening… but Tim doesn’t choose to view it in a bad way. “Hey! That’s what we were trying to do, right?” he says. “You were going to help me control it?”

I can’t do it the way I wanted to. Our powers are too different; oil and water.

“No emulsify for us, eh? Too bad,” says Tim. “But still, this is epic.”

Hastur makes a low sound. Epic, you say.

“Absolutely tubular,” Tim says, deadpan.

Hastur laughs weakly. Ah. I do like you.

“Flattery will get you everywhere. Look, I trust you. If we have to figure out a way to use this utterly wonky power together, we will. Especially because of… the fuck was that guy, anyway?”

Hastur balances on the edge of dark moods again. I don’t know. Tim, I don’t know. I have lived here for thousands of years and I have never seen anything like that creature which ate the Lightless Flame’s people.

Tim shivers a little and faces the window. “That really makes him something, doesn't it? That you have no idea what he is.”

You’re only beginning to grasp the scope of it.

Tim rubs his face. “Hopefully, Jon knows something, but I don’t think he does. What I want to know is why that guy went to talk to him in the hospital. How’d he even find him? And what he meant with… shit. I don’t think I can ever get his voice out of my head.” He drawls a terrible Southern accent. “‘Tastier than you were, by golly?’ ‘I think I’ll let you marinate a bit more?’ ‘A fuckin’ proper feast?’ Who talks like that?”

One who relishes his violence and the terror it brings.

That was a bad tone, inching toward hopeless. “I’ll tell you who. Foghorn Fucking Leghorn.”

Hastur chokes. It doesn’t sound like he knows what sound to make, and several tried to escape him at once.

Tim’s not done. There will be no drowning on his watch. “Maybe Sarudalf knows.”

Hastur grunts. These names. I have no idea if they’re safe. How he’ll respond.

“They are safe,” says Tim, “or he was lying about the shared humor, and I’d like to catch him out.”

Tim, I don’t know how safe that is, either.

“Well, way I figure it, I can hope for… what the fuck was that quote? Uh. Oh yeah, something like, He’s not a tame lion, but he’s good? I think I’m mixing them up.”

He could feel Hastur gawk at him. Are you quoting the fucking Narnia books?

“The benefits of working in publishing,” says Tim expansively.

Hastur laughs, and it’s real, and it’s surprised, and Tim knows he’s pulled the god from his looming funk by redirecting that god’s gaze to himself.

Tim is fine with that. “Anyway, how long was I out?”

The whole night.

Tim peers out the window. The sea is the same, and the distant shadow of England. They’re so high up; maybe Hastur’s right and they are in a tower, though it doesn’t seem like it’s made of glass. “Right. How long ago was dawn?”

Approximately an hour.

So it’s probably about eight in the morning. “Right,” he says again. “Let’s do this. Maybe Ganduman even knows who the creepy eating guy is.” He goes for the door.

#

The hall is stone and wood, sturdily built and clean. Tim’s not unfamiliar with old castles and manors, but he can’t pinpoint the specific age of this place. There don’t seem to be any obvious architectural clues.

The hall is lined with doors, and ends in another window, also open, above stars circling down. Jon’s voice travels up them. “—completely contradicts known and established history!”

“It certainly does,” says Myrddin. “But all written history is manufactured, anyway. Written by the victors, and all.”

Jon sputters like an overheated tea kettle. “But it’s still possible to figure out through personal accounts, verifying records—”

“Sometimes,” says Myrddin. “Other times, the real truth was lost, and those who claim to know history make it up as convenient.”

“Not without proof,” Jon says. “There are standards. Evidence.”

“Oh, let’s consider pseudoarchaeology,” Myrddin says, firm and energetic. “Pyramids exist all over the world because that shape is the most stable architectural form. There was no one superior culture that built them, no matter what is claimed. Yet there are quite a few who assume that a similarity in shape—chosen by a single species dealing with the same constraints of gravity and time—is somehow proof of aliens, or some other absurdly racist thing.”

Jon makes an unhappy sound.

“No, no, none of that. You’re not insane to question, dear boy, and given your proclivities, truth is something you can find, I promise. You simply don’t know enough yet.”

“Yet.” Jon sounds so annoyed. “How could I ever know enough? I don’t have resources like this on the mainland.”

“I feel for you, truly,” says Myrddin. “Unfortunately, none of these things can leave my home. You wouldn’t even be able to physically take them. You’re going to have to do the research on your own.”

Jon sighs. “This is very upsetting,” he says.

“I know,” says Myrddin. “Worry not. It will make sense in time, should you live long enough.”

How is this conversation somehow the healthier, flipped version of how Elias strings Jon along? Tim isn’t sure, but it is; he feels it in his gut. He finally steps out of the stairwell to find a sort of dining hall. Wooden beams arch against the vaulted, white ceiling. Windows line both sides, letting in light, and good scents, and the sound of the sea.

The table is big enough to seat twelve. The table is not big enough for all the books Jon (presumably) pulled out, and he and Myrddin are smushed at one end, hunched over tomes, arguing face to face.

“Yo,” says Tim.

“Tim!” says Jon, and leaps up so fast he knocks his chair over. He colors and turns to pick it up.

“Good morning!” says Myrddin. “How are you feeling?”

“Curious,” says Tim. “Got some questions.”

Myrddin beams. “I’d hoped you might! Speak. I’m all ears.” And he winks. “Or eyes.” And he indicates Jon with a nod of his head in the strangest, most innocent, utterly nerdiest teasing Tim has ever seen.

“Wow,” says Tim, and sits down. There isn’t room at the table for him to pull up close, or his knees would bump into the others, so he leans back, legs crossed, trying to look serious. “First off, thanks for the help. I notice Jon got the old upgrade, too.”

Jon is in an outfit similar to Tim’s, only his is dyed dark green. It’s not a color Jon often wears; he should, Tim thinks. It richens his dark skin, and brings out the sharpness of his eyes.

Myrddin has gone even campier. No longer purple, his robe is a a stiff, vaguely velveteen fabric of that particular dark blue that will absolutely stain everything in the wash. Instead of the identical (if goofy) yellow stars, now there is slightly raised iron-on astronomy of a green moon, a blue star, a purple sun.

The sleeves on this thing have, for some reason, been trimmed with improbably thick, elastic ruffs at least three inches wide, sporting silver and the completely wrong green to match those unlikely stars.

Tim takes it all in. He imagines himself old, fucking around by wearing absolutely ghastly things. Recalls his own hideous Hawaiian shirt, which he sports literally when he wants to annoy some stick-in-the-mud. And what comes out of his mouth is, “Don’t suppose that comes in my size.”

Jon stares, completely lost.

Myrddin laughs. Throws back his head and laughs, his beard glinting in the morning light, and he slaps his knee. “You see that, Katie?” he calls to no one. “Chip off the old block!”

Tim looks around. “Katie?”

“Oh, she’s not here,” he says. “I’m sending a message. Sort of a magical voicemail, if you will.”

Right, well. Hopefully Katie won’t be upset by all of this. “So, hey,” says Tim. “Are you willing to answer some questions?”

“Of course,” says Myrddin, “or I’d just have sent you back to land.”

And into the literal jaws of a monster. Tim swallows. “So… maybe you’re wondering how we ended up in the ocean on a fucking Christopher Robin raft?”

“Jon told me some things,” says Myrddin. “I’d like your version.”

Tim glances at Jon, who nods his go-ahead, so. Tim talks.

He starts with his brother, showing up with a book. He explains Hastur, and Hastur’s claims of godhood (and ignores Hastur’s scoff). Explains the monsters, and his parents’ house, and the Magnus Institute, and the Hunt. Admits, wincing, to fucking up with the lion, and fighting off the Stranger that tried to eat Jon, and the winter storm.

Jon has never heard most of this, either, not in this detail. He gets that look, the unblinking one that feels like it might be peeling layers, but Tim is too used to it to care.

Tim doesn’t even realize until he reaches yesterday’s portal that he somehow skipped over Kayne completely.

That’s not right. He tries to go back and fix that, but he can’t. Great. Devil Pants did something to him. Just great.

Myrddin takes it all in without question, frowning in concentration, his eyes so keen and clear, his focus so steady, that Tim wonders if maybe he wears ridiculous costumes because it helps to soften the image.

Then Tim is done, and there’s nothing more to tell. “So there it is,” he manages.

Myrddin shifts, breathes through his nose, and his gaze goes distant.

Tim glances at Jon.

Jon is visibly bursting with questions, and visibly biting his tongue.

“I’m going to need to put some thought into this,” Myrddin. “You’ve just stepped your toe in, and I understand that; I wouldn’t want to pull you any deeper in. You’re aging like a normal human, so your life could still sort itself out; you can have the normal, excellent experience, and that is a thing you really can only have once. Every other iteration, should you live, will only be compared to it. What you’ve encountered, though, is something that could change… all of that.”

“Which part?” Tim tries to be quippy, but his voice cracks.

“Believe it or not," says Myrddin, “the most dangerous part of everything you’ve said, including the bits skipped, came at the very end.”

And Tim knows. Knows; knows, first, that Myrddin caught something of what he couldn’t say. Knows, second, Myrddin is right. Kayne is a great threat, terrible, but right now, he is holding off. The guy, though. That… that…

“Larson,” whispers Jon.

“Yes,” says Myrddin. “You know, it’s really interesting that we were just talking about the vagaries of history, and how understood "'fact' can be terrible distorted depending on who is left behind.”

Tim. Knows. “It’s all wrong, isn’t it? The Fears, the Fears eating the gods, the gods fleeing. Wrong.”

“Not all of it,” says Myrddin. “But enough. Yesterday afternoon, my child, you met the Devourer. He Who Ate the Sun. And you know the most ironic thing of all? He used to be human.”

Tim can’t move.

“Let’s say continue after some tea and toast,” says Myrddin, snapping his fingers, and out of nowhere, producing food. "You've got to be starving."

Tim understands why, and is grateful he can fill his mouth with bread and butter and incredible honey, and right now, doesn’t have to talk.

Jon’s questions (incredible honey or no) wont' wait. "I still don't understand what happened with the Land of Punt."

Myrddin’s vague answers create a comfortable background, not unlike the shush of the ocean sneaking through the windows, and Tim sits, and watches the waves, and doesn’t really think for a little while.

Hastur, just once, speaks. Fuck.

“Yeah,” Tim agrees, and goes back to eating bread.

[fearinducing]

—> @sillygum

Starter : Playing God

"And that nearly concludes today's meeting. Our last subject is the introduction from the world's most brilliant mind. Innovation.. technology. I'd like to show our state of the art cloning." The marine scientist rambled on and on upon deaf ears. Often, this is precisely how the warlord meetings would go. Only a few care to listen, most lounged, and one came along to pester the other victorious lords.

All in all, it's a waste of time, and a pathetic attempt of the government trying to keep treaties amongst thrives.

The man in a lab coat nervously pushed up his glasses before finally beckoning a hand.

"Here.. we'll begin with S-Snake. Come here,"

The atmosphere dropped in an eerie silence as metallic boots stepped into the room. The sight of the creature alone definitely brought something uncomfortable to linger. S-SNAKE, completely identical that of Boa, stood as a demonstration. She brought together her hands to form a heart before smiling all too sweetly. It would've been cute had this not been some sick experiment.

"We were able to take a DNA sample from all of you.. a mere drop of blood.. added Lunarian coding and a few adjustments of our own.. to create the most impressive human yet. The S in all their titles stand for Seraphim."

There was something about playing God that the goverment truly shouldn't do, but the man carries on.

"The idea was to create.. another you! Once we're certain of their stability, we plan to use them rather than you.. but please don't misunderstand! All of your immunity and peace will remain intact. If not more so, we will be able to rely on them rather than interrupt your time."

"They can taste without ever feeling hungry. They can bleed without feeling pain. Most importantly, they obey and only take their orders from designated individuals. In fact, they are on a mission now... and that's to observe you in your retrospective lives. Call it studying the source material up close. Memories aren't as easy as creating bodies are. All we ask is allow them to watch for a few days. You'll hardly notice them around."

Horrifying. Corrupt. Evil.

Even as the young creature stands beside her counterpart, it's all too.. odd, unspeakable. Boa does her best to take the initiative by offering her palm to the child. Surprisingly, a small hand rests within hers, and the little touch is enough to have her squeak. How cute she was!

Reactions vary as one by one come to interact. It feels like a surprise visit from a previously unknown and unwanted child... but the chemistry was there. Who knows you better than yourself?

The snakes were smiling, the bats were laughing, the sharks were more observant, and even the crocotilians put effort to eye one another.

The last to follow in suit was S-HAWK. Golden eyes thoroughly examined the room in a mere glance. He isn't very outgoing himself. The most he does is walk, stop nearside his counterpart, and look into the loud crowd. It's unpleasant. He doesn't like the noise, mainly caused by Doflamingo calling everyone hideous, looking children and barking out laughter like the devil he was.

He seems a bit focused on what he had considered an oddly comforting acquaintance of his. S-CROC was engaging just fine. He's touching that golden hook with morbid curiosity. An object the two could bond over.

And here's... him. Them. It's the most quiet introduction of them all. The boy turns his head towards Mihawk and stares. He isn't shy about it whatsoever. Those inhuman peepers are gawking outright. Star enchanced pupils are simply focused on the normal ones infront of him.

Not a word spoken, no touch to be had.

He'd like nothing more than to leave now.

[leebrontide]

Secondhand Origin Stories, Chapter 13

Here's this week's chapter! Reblogs welcome!

For those of you just joining us, I'm posting a chapter a week of my free near future scifi/low neon cyberpunk YA/NA novel, Secondhand Origin Stories, which has been described as

"-a character driven, compelling story full of family, queerness, corruption, brain altering nanites, secretly teen parenting AIs, and taking aspects of the superhero genre to their very human and rarely-explored natural conclusions."

For an index of already uploaded chapters that hopefully I will remember to update, content warnings and more, check here:

You can follow along by following #SHOSweekly

Chapter 13

Opal had no idea how to bring up the day’s revelations to the tower kids. Yael wasn’t even back yet, but Issac was absorbed in his tablet, obviously hard at work for his evil overlord, with a stack of energy drinks on the coffee-table-slash-trunk. Jamie was perched on the back of one of the couches, watching the news.

Opal didn’t know what to do, so she settled on pulling out her gym clothes. They needed washing. Somewhat urgently. She’d have to head back to the laundromat soon. 

Did she even need these? If she wasn’t going to be a superhero, she didn’t need to train to fight. 

Plodding footsteps heralded Yael’s arrival, sweaty and slouching so badly xe was almost a normal person’s size. Xe closed the door behind xyr, then slowly lay down on xyr back on the concrete floor. “I hate heat.” 

Jamie climbed over the sofas towards xyr while Issac got up and went to the fridge. Opal cocked her head to the side. It was completely gross outside. But-- “Don’t you have literal ice powers? Like, aren’t you pretty much immune to heat?”

“Only when my exoskeleton is out. Otherwise, heat is my nemesis.”

“I thought you said cars were your nemesis.” Yesterday, xe’d had to ride here in the back of Aldis’s truck. Xyr larger-than-life frame didn’t fit in the cabin. 

“Heat. Cars. Also diet pop and actual evil.”

Issac strolled over and handed a huge Gatorade to Yael, who took it wearily. Well, if Yael’s genetic lineage was secret, xe couldn’t walk around all silver, could xe? Even if refraining meant risking dehydration or heatstroke or something. 

Yael shoved xyrself up, leaving a surprisingly complete puddle, and chugged the whole drink in one go. Oh, the joys of Midwest summers. Xe lay back down, and turned xyr head towards Opal. “I need a pizza and a break before we train. Ugh, I miss the pool.”

The VIP suite itself was fully air conditioned and humidity-controlled-- the building housed delicate antiques, and any VIP suite residents got the same thing as a fringe benefit. Yael would cool down soon. There was a bigger concern. “Do we need to train?”

Yael looked at Opal, and then sighed, closing xyr eyes. “Well, I still need lessons…?” Everybody looked at Issac.

He made a face. “You guys can obviously talk to me with the contacts in. Why would you bother?”

Jamie answered. “Because you obviously hate them. Plus, you can’t wear them all the time. I don’t think you should be sleeping in them.”

Oops, had he been? She hadn’t noticed. He seemed like someone who didn’t read the instructions. “Oh, you should definitely not be sleeping in those,” Opal agreed wearily. “One eye patch is cool. Two eye patches, less so.” 

Yael piped up with a serious tone from xyr floor puddle. “It has puns. American Sign Language has built-in puns.”

“I am not tempted by puns,” Issac objected with an attempt at contempt.

“Liar,” Jamie answered promptly.

Ah-ha. So puns were the key. “The sign for ‘pasteurized’ is the sign for ‘milk’ passed in front of your eyes.” She demonstrated. He tried so hard not to smirk. Bless his heart.

She liked these guys. Even Issac. That made this all that much harder. “Look,” Opal continued, “I’ll help if you want, while I’m still in Chicago. But it’s up to you.”

Jamie, who unfortunately was still adorable by the bright light of day, watched her sadly. “You’re really leaving?”

Yael put xyr hands over xyr eyes and made a rough and sudden noise of frustration. Opal startled. Issac scowled, probably trying to figure out if his contacts were mistranslating or not. Jamie leaned over the back of the couch.

Yael sat up with a sweeping gesture. “But you’re good! You’re brave and selfless and moral!” Xyr voice was raising, and xyr eyes looked suspiciously shiny. “If you’re quitting--”

Opal was beyond startled by Yael’s vehemence. “It doesn’t mean you can’t--”

“Yes it does! You’re a real hero! You were gonna fight Ezekiel, by yourself with no support, to save a girl you didn’t even know! If you think the APB is too corrupt-- and you know more about what they’re doing than I do--”

Well, one benefit of giving up her lifelong dream was that she wouldn’t have to worry about how mad Helix would be if Opal accidentally talked Yael out of being a superhero. LodeStar had been waiting for Yael to replace him. Now, maybe xe never would. Opal hoped she hadn’t just made things worse.

Issac attempted to console his sibling. “Yael, you’ve been studying the APB since you were like eight.”

“But I didn’t know anything about the prison, not really--”

“The prison,” Issac interrupted, standing a little straighter, “isn’t exactly what it sounds like.” He shot a challenging look at Opal. “They hired me-- and at a very competitive rate, by the way-- to help with rehabilitation.” He looked at his siblings. “You know what that brain injury did to Jenna. Lasansky wants to treat the inmates with head injuries, so they can go back home. Be safe to join society.”

Bull. Shit. “Nuh-uh. No way,” Opal challenged immediately. “They don’t give a crap about the health of the people stuck in there.”

“They care about recidivism,” Issac answered with a tinge of triumph he had not earned. “Preventing second offenses.” Such bullshit.

Yael dragged xyrself back up unenthusiastically. “Nodiah does care about that. He was so angry about the pilot having been recently released early from his sentence.”  

Opal’s mouth dropped open. “Early release?” Opal repeated. “That’s-- they never even do that!” She’d never heard of anyone getting out early. If anyone should qualify for that, it should be her daddy. Her nails dug into her palms.

Yael tilted xyr head to the side. “Really?” Opal nodded stiffly, and xe frowned. “But the pilot…Eustus whatever-his-name-was…he was released early. And he has to have come from the Detroit prison.” Yael’s eyes went wide with horror. Xe looked at Issac. “Could Lasansky afford a jet?”

Opal didn’t wait for Issac to answer or to figure out what Yael was talking about. “Yes. They make a fortune off government contracts and prison labor. They’re loaded.”

Yael took a deep, slow breath, gears clearly turning in xyr head. “OK. Nodiah told me Lasansky is a suspect. For something. He’s being investigated-- I thought it was because he’d hired Issac-- but he had access to the pilot, he had access to a jet…what if Nodiah thinks he’s the mastermind behind the attack on the tower?”

“The news said they couldn’t figure out how the pilot had access to a jet,” Jamie added cautiously.

Opal looked at Issac-- the one injured, and the one working for the maybe-suspect. Issac was already shaking his head, but one hand was drifting up to his ear, and he looked haunted. “No. No, guys, you’re being paranoid. Lasansky’s got no reason to want to blow us up, or deafen me, or any of this. Without superheroes, he’d be out of a job. None of you even trust Bridgewater. Even if Bridgewater does think that, it doesn’t make it true. If more people are getting put in prison than they should, it’s on Bridgewater, not Lasansky.”

As if it had to be one or the other. Opal looked at Yael. “What did Bridgewater actually say when he saw you today?”

“Mostly it was a bunch of stuff about needing to look good in front of people and…”

“And?”

“…and making sure to separate Issac from Lasansky before--” Xe winced. “Before he gets too much blood on his hands.”

Opal felt a chill. 

Issac snapped, “I am trying to help people!” Opal jumped. She recognized his defensive, angry posture from when he yelled at his mom. This really got under his skin. He almost looked on the verge of crying. And since he wasn’t planning to use his creepy tiny robots on himself…he must really be thinking about what they could someday do for other people. Jamie put a hand on his shoulder. 

So Issac was trapped between two powerful men who Opal loathed. The demonstrably horrible jerk who profited off of other people’s forced prison labor, and the demonstrably horrible jerk who was funneling people into Lasansky’s hands. But it didn’t make sense. “Why would those two even be fighting? They’re a perfect parasitic match.”

Her answer came in disorienting surround-sound from all their phones and tablets. “I have an idea.” It was Martin. “The APB just released some press about a new bill being proposed by Secretary Bridgewater on Monday. He is calling it an ‘anti-recidivism’ measure, and it’s aimed at reducing the number of superheroes and prison beds required.”

“What’s the bill?” Jamie asked.

Silence. Issac frowned. “Martin? You there?”

Martin was quiet, apologetic. “It’s a ‘reform’ to sentencing laws for altereds. It…would make any violent crime eligible for the death penalty. In some cases it could be retroactively applied.”

Daddy. It felt like being kicked right through her ribs.

Officially, he was “dangerous.” A violent criminal. No. She felt a crashing tsunami-swell of anger as she spun towards Yael. “Your uncle’s trying to kill my dad!” She knew this wasn’t under Yael’s control. That the feeling of betrayal welling up inside her was unfair. Yael didn’t even go on the defense. Xe just stood there, shoulders slumped-- looking as helpless as Opal felt, but without matching Opal’s fury. 

Opal didn’t know what to do with her rage. She could see the glinting reflections of the fear, anger, and pain lighting her skin refracting off the tears in her eyes. She’d come here to protect her dad and the others like him. Now things were getting even worse, and she couldn’t do anything about it.

She’d been planning to give up, and this was what happened. She’d been so busy worrying, she hadn’t even had time to feel ashamed yet of giving up on him when she gave up on being a superhero. 

She hadn’t thought his life was on the line. Not like this. 

A butterfly-light touch connected with Opal’s shoulder. Jamie, offering an invitation with an open arm. It gave Opal a path to move along. Jamie was still sitting on the back of the couch. She folded herself around Opal in a protective embrace. Opal tried to get herself settled, but really, she didn’t want to let go of this anger, or this fear. They were real and just, and she wouldn’t recognize herself if she couldn’t feel pain like this. Opal could feel a fast, fluttering heartbeat in Jamie’s neck. Jamie, upset by the injustice, or by Opal’s pain. Opal didn’t care which, in that moment. She put one hand on Jamie’s back and pulled her closer. Not to soothe, but to center herself. To feel she wasn’t the only one feeling. Jamie held her tight.

What would happen when Shani heard about this? Or her mom? Did Daddy know?

Issac’s nanites were supposed to affect Issac’s hearing. And they were supposed to go to Lasansky. Who would they test them on? She didn’t think for a second they cared about head injuries. She didn’t know what they wanted them for. But her deaf daddy would make an obvious target for testing. For them to pretend they were helping. Never mind that Daddy wouldn’t want that help. That he didn’t want or need to be fixed. 

They said Issac’s nanites had almost killed him. Who would be there to save her dad?

“It’s just a bill--” Issac started. 

Opal drew up out of Jamie’s arms to whirl on him. He flinched and put up his hands, but he held his ground. “I mean it’s not a law. Not yet. People will be fighting this. Lasansky will be fighting this.”

“You think he cares? Do you know how many people die in there--”

Issac shook his head vehemently. “He gets paid per prisoner. This could wipe out his business. You don’t have to trust him at all to trust that he cares about his bottom line.”

“That’s motive,” Jamie interjected, as if the words startled her. “Bridgewater was in our house, the morning of the attack. We weren’t the target. He was. To keep him from proposing his bill.”

“Exactly,” Martin agreed.

“But Nodiah is fine,” Yael objected. “If Lasansky had tried and failed to assassinate him, then why is he still here, hiring alienated bioengineers instead of getting away?”

“Overconfidence? Greed?” Jamie suggested.

“Or he still thinks he can get it to work.” Opal looked at Issac. “Which would mean he has a new plan. Probably one that involves a desperate and alienated bioengineer.”

“Firstly, everybody stop calling me that. And secondly, he hasn’t asked me to kill anybody, I promise.”

“Hasn’t he?” Jamie asked. “Issac, your nanites. They almost killed you.”

“But they didn’t.”

“Because I was there. But if you wanted to use them to kill somebody, wouldn’t they be perfect for it? Nobody at the clinic could find any trace of them. Even after I told them what happened.”

He looked down at his tablet, which Opal now realized had that stupid little thumb drive she’d given him plugged into the side.

“Perfect for assassination,” Yael agreed, darkly. 

Martin surrounded them again. “With a little modification they could mimic stroke, cause a coma, or even dementia. I suspect a little further development could make them ideal for torture.”

Opal felt sick. “So you just handed a perfect murder weapon to him.” And Opal had handed it to Issac. Oh, God. She’d made it worse. She’d made everything so much worse. She’d just been trying to help out.

Her attention was glued to Issac as he slowly pulled the drive out of his tablet. “I haven’t sent it yet. I was still securing the connection.” He looked haunted. Good. Let him take this seriously. He looked up. “I actually do care about safety. I do get that-- I just wanted to help people!”

What could she say to that? She really did think he wanted to help. He was naive, but he wasn’t cruel, and he seemed to try not to be careless. She held his eyes with her own. “Then you can help by making sure he doesn’t get that data.”

“This is all speculation,” he answered, glancing away. She bit her tongue. He wasn’t really arguing anymore. He was just turning the drive over in his hands.

“We need more information,” Jamie agreed.

The fight went out of Yael. “He’s being investigated.”

“By Bridgewater,” Opal growled. So, great, even if they beat Lasansky, the APB would get the thumb drive. The same APB that was trying to kill her daddy.

Opal hadn’t realized Jamie was still holding on to her until Jamie’s hand balled into a fist on Opal’s sleeve. Jamie’s voice was quiet, but solid. “Then we should do something.” 

Jamie had suddenly turned Opal’s despair into something else-- something fragile, bright, and terrifying. They all knew this moment from every story about every hero. The moment when you decided to be a hero, or a bystander. To commit completely or walk away. Either way, she’d have consequences to answer for.

If they did this-- if Opal did this-- she’d be making herself vulnerable to the same vigilantism charge that lost her her daddy. The same charge that might cost him his life. Even if they won-- even if they saved the day, Opal could still wind up dead. Dr. Tillman promised Opal legal protection. But that was conditional on Opal guarding her kids. Joining them to guard others-- that was no guaranteed pass. 

But these three were who she had here. Jamie was tiny, Yael had already attacked one superhero, and Issac was the root of this whole thing. The four of them weren’t exactly the Sentinels, but she trusted that each of them cared about doing the right thing. And at the moment, the right thing was about protecting Issac’s invention from evil usage, and exposing Lasansky.

It was what Opal had already pledged her heart to. Just like her daddy, she had to do the right thing, and hope her family would forgive her if it all fell apart.

“We have the data,” Opal said. “We have the thing Lasansky wants, the thing that has to be kept out of the wrong hands, right here. Nobody else has that.”

Issac looked down at the flash drive. He looked sick. “Bad guy bait.” 

Opal nodded. “Maybe I’m not going to be a superhero. Maybe none of us are.” She glanced at Yael, who said nothing. “But I don’t trust the APB and I don’t trust Lasansky. I trust all of you. And I think, together, we can make sure this ends here. That nobody else has to get hurt. If you’ll help me.”

“I’m in,” Jamie said immediately. Opal put her hand over Jamie’s hand, still on Opal’s arm. Jamie wasn’t altered, but conviction and courage had to count for something. And Jamie had both in spades.

Issac messed up his hair. “Oh, this is so stupid... Fine. I’m in. If I’m going to tank my career at eighteen, at least I’ll be sure my tech doesn’t hurt anybody. Else.”

Just Yael left-- the one with the most to gain from the APB. The strongest of them. Xe watched the thumb drive in Issac’s hand. Xe was silent for long enough, Opal started to wonder what Yael would do if xe decided not to go along with this. Would xe call Nodiah? Yael’s voice was quiet and xyr hands gleamed silver when xe answered. “Superhero or not, I want to protect people. If we can do what the APB can’t, what our family can’t, then I’ll do what I can.”

“Then I think I have the start of a plan.”

* * *

Jamie set up the tablet on the coffee table and sat back on the couch. She should make the call before she had a chance to second-guess.

She never had called home, this morning. Apparently, this was the push she needed.

If Mom was talking to her, she would tell Jamie that she was in a strong position to negotiate right now. Dad had to have realized he'd messed up. He had to know he’d crossed the line. 

Did he think Jamie had crossed the line, too?

Jamie glanced over to Yael, who was stretching on the concrete floor. Preparing for a fight. Yael wasn’t mad at Jamie, as far as Jamie could tell. But Yael hadn’t actually gotten hurt.

Opal leaned a hip on the back of the couch. She looked grim, with violets and green flashing in her skin. "Couldn't you call Capricorn or Helix instead? I think that’d be easier."

It would be easier. But it wouldn't get the questions Jamie needed answered, answered. "It'll be fine," Jamie assured, her voice hollow. "Besides, he's in charge of the team." 

Opal chewed her lip and leaned over the couch. “I hate that I’m the one telling you guys this…but according to Capricorn, LodeStar isn’t in charge anymore. He’s a figurehead. Capricorn says he’s been giving the orders for a while, now.” Jamie frowned as Opal licked her lips, looking at each of them. “He said that the reason LodeStar’s so messed up is because his joints are pretty much destroyed. Even before yesterday, his shoulders and spine and everything were a mess. And he’s taking serious narcotic painkillers pretty much non-stop. My mom told me that for that to work on someone with an altered’s metabolism, he’d have to be popping them like candy to keep them in his system.” She shifted, uncomfortable. “I thought that you all deserved to know.”

Jamie’s mind went blank. It was as if Opal was speaking a language Jamie didn’t know. 

Dad was one of the top superheroes in the country-- a force of nature. He could shatter stone under his feet, fly, and was even immune to aging. Painkillers were for pain. Why would someone as strong as him ever need them?

But Opal wouldn’t lie. Drew would never make up something like that.

And it fit Dad perfectly, didn’t it? She didn’t think any amount of pain would make him stop. He’d never complain. He would always keep fighting, no matter what. And if he had to take something for that pain, he’d do it quietly. He wouldn’t want to draw attention to it. Just like how Issac hated the text on his eyes being visible. Don’t draw attention to weaknesses, as if they mattered. Just keep going.

No matter what.

Jamie’d known there was something. She’d known it. She never would have guessed this, but something was wrong.

Jamie could tell this was as shocking to Yael and Issac as it was to her. She watched empathy and anger brawl in Yael’s eyes. She could see Issac mentally scanning years of memory-- testing this new information against his experiences, checking for a fit.

Jamie’s pocket sighed with Martin’s voice. “Thank you, Opal.”

That put an end to any doubt. 

Jamie attempted a smile for Opal. “Thanks. I think I needed to know that.” Opal nodded back. Jamie just wished she had time to really process this before she talked to Dad.

She could call Drew, instead of her dad. Opal had just given her the perfect excuse. But that still wouldn’t get her all the answers she needed.

Jamie re-prepared herself, drawing herself up. "OK, everybody else stay out of the frame. I don't want him to get distracted."

Issac sat on his bed, knees up and elbows braced on them, glowering. "I don't understand any of this."

"Yes, you do," Jamie countered, looking back at the screen. "You just don't like it."

Her stupid heart was speeding up. Was she scared of him? No. She refused. "OK, Martin. Call him, please."

Martin put the call through. It rang. And rang.

Jamie stayed put as the others paused their preparations to turn and look as it kept ringing. As he kept not answering. 

That scared her.

She was about to tell Martin to hang up with the screen flickered on. 

At first, she didn't understand what she was seeing. Dad sat in the center of his couch, dimly illuminated by the screen of the TV he was watching her on. The blinds were drawn, and only thin slices of light sketched the space behind him. Something was off about the shape of him-- unshaven, wearing a bathrobe and pajama pants, watching her with that grave, motionless intensity. 

One sleeve of his robe hung flat, empty. The front of his robe was open enough, she could tell his arm wasn't in a sling against his chest. 

It was gone. Like Jenna's. And like Jenna's, it hadn't been designed to come off. Jamie could see black and red bruising creeping up his neck from the shoulder, and the edges of a cast’s network at the edge of his robe.

She remembered the sound of cracking. They must have taken his arm off because his collar bone was...just that shattered. His body couldn't support his metal arm anymore. In all the fights he'd been in, that had never happened before. Jamie's eyes tracked back to Yael. Yael had done to LodeStar what no supervillain had ever managed to do. 

No, that wasn't true. It was Dad's right arm, gone. A supervillain had destroyed his original right arm before Jamie'd been born. And both his legs. How many times had he been taken apart, in his life?

"Jamie," Dad said. His voice was tight, clipped. Angry? Or just in pain?

She couldn't read him, and had no idea how he was reading her. She'd have to hope words would do the job anyway. "I need backup," she told him, as matter-of-factly as possible.

She could see him try to sit up straighter. Now she knew to watch more closely. While nothing else in his face shifted, his pupils contracted in pain at the movement. "What happened. What do you need?"

"Issac took a job with Lasansky Securities International. He didn't know they were under investigations for the attack on the tower. But we think they’re trying to weaponize Issac’s nanites, and that Lasansky tried to kill Bridgewater to prevent him from introducing this new bill."

"I can be there in ten minutes--" Dad started.

"Dad, no. Listen. We have a plan. Issac is going to try and get him to confess. And we can get it on security cameras. I'm calling you because we want the team standing by just in case everything goes wrong, and to make arrests at the end. But we want you to wait, Dad. You need to give us a chance to get this done. Without the APB jumping in."

"You can't be serious--"

"Yes, I can!" she held up her gauntleted wrist. "You gave me this. This was your idea. Because you know that if there's a problem I can fix, I'm always going to try. And this means I can help. So I'm going to. Even with how you acted yesterday, I still trust you, so I called you. I didn't have to! We have Opal and Yael. We could have just done this ourselves. But we wanted you to help us make a perimeter. Because your home and your family got attacked, too. I...I know you want to help.” Even though his body wanted to quit, Dad wanted to keep going. Keep helping. Jamie understood that.

“This isn’t what I meant. I meant for you to defend yourself. Not set up a problem deliberately. The professionals can handle this.”

“Well, they haven’t yet. Lasansky is going to underestimate us. Just like everyone always does. And Issac has what Lasansky wants. If you come in before we have a chance to help, Issac might wind up getting arrested along with Lasansky.”

That was what it took for Dad to allow pain to show on his face. His left hand came up, rubbing over his face. “This isn’t what I--”

“Will you help us, or not?”

“Of course I’ll help you,” he nearly snapped. 

“Then make sure Lasansky doesn’t get away, and come in if we need you.”

“Yael and Issac agreed to this?”

Issac grunted and shoved himself upwards, stalking around to lean in behind Jamie, where Dad could see. “I made a mess, so I’m fixing it. Jeez, Dad.” Jamie felt Issac stiffen as he got a look at Dad for the first time. Hearing that Dad was hurt and seeing him like this were not the same.

Yael stayed off camera, reaching out to xyr toes, on the floor. Xyr tone was curt. “You’ve been training me for this my whole life. If I don’t protect people from dangerous altering tech, what was the point?”

Expressions too cloudy for Jamie to decipher slid across Dad’s face as Yael spoke. Even if things worked, and they all went back to make sure Martin was secure, there would still be a lot of work to do.

“What about that other altered girl? Where is she.”

Opal slid in beside Jamie, chin up and shoulders back. “I’m right here, Mr. Voss. And I wouldn’t have come to Chicago if I wasn’t willing to do what I could to prevent dangerous technology from being used on innocent people. This is exactly what I came here to do.”

Dad let out a long, low breath. “Your mother is going to hate this. I hate this. But fine. I’ll back you up.”

Everybody used to say that Jamie was just like her dad. As they’d drifted apart, she’d stopped believing it. This was what it took for her to feel that connection again.

Dad was one-armed, fresh from surgery, and probably in worse pain than Jamie had ever experienced. If he was taking painkillers that could cloud his mind, it was because the pain was bad enough to do worse. But he didn’t want to quit. He probably didn’t know how. Just like Jamie.

“Not you.” Finally, her voice sounded like she’d always wanted it to. Sure, clear, and steady. The soprano version of his. Her heart rate slowed, and something in her centered for the first time.

It was like she’d been looking in a fun-house mirror her whole life, and had just now figured out that the real world was right behind her. Dad was a mess. He was just struggling to cope. So was Mom with her missing nails, and Solomon with his hiding. And Drew, keeping other people’s secrets when he knew better.

“Dad, you’re in no shape. Send Drew and Solomon. They’ll be enough.”

In another time and place, Dad’s shocked reaction would have been funny. Not much shocked him. “I’m not going to sit by while my kids--”

“You need to take care of yourself,” Jamie said, her words rock-solid enough to quiet him, at least for a second. “You’ve been doing this for too long. Drew told us what’s going on with you. Yesterday, you stepped over the line. If you can’t control yourself, then you need to sit this out. Send the others, but I don’t want you here.”

Dad was stunned. Warm fingers interlaced with Jamie’s, and Opal squeezed Jamie’s hand, down where he couldn’t see them. Jamie kept her eyes on her dad’s.

It hurt him. But it needed saying. All her life, he’d kept Jamie from hurting herself by over-reaching. Now, he needed the same thing. Issac leaned over the back edge of the couch, and when Dad’s eyes flitted to Issac for a moment, Issac nodded, backing her up.

But he looked squarely to Jamie when he conceded with a tight voice, “I’ll send Solomon and Drew.”

Jamie nodded. She nearly hung up, right then. But guilt gnawed at her. There was always a chance this plan could go wrong, with too much left unsaid.

“Dad, I’m not sorry about pulling the gauntlet out, yesterday. But I’m not scared of you. I want you to know that.”

His eyes softened, just a little. Maybe as much as they could. “Thank you, Pumpkin. I’ll see you when all this is over.”

Jamie smiled back. There was too much to do for her to be happy, but finally, she felt like she had her dad back. “I’ll see you then.”

* *

Issac’s attention flipped to Yael as Jamie’s screen went dark. “Well, congratulations. You’re the first altered to take LodeStar out of commission for an indefinite amount of time in like twenty years.”

Xe sat up. YAEL: What?

“They took his arm off. Because you fucking shattered his clavicle.” He hated this. He hated this more than anything. The whole family was going down in flames. He wasn’t supposed to have to see this. “Maybe he’ll get a crate of his own. We can store Jenna’s with the Christmas decorations and Dad’s with the Hanukkah supplies.” 

It wasn’t fair to be mad only at Yael. He knew that. Xe wouldn’t have done that without having some kind of reason. But it was hard to face. Yael looked sick, eyeing him suspiciously. Not wanting to believe it. Xe was the only one who hadn’t seen him.

Jamie had taken on a weird, serene look Issac didn’t like. It looked too much like someone prepared to die. JAMIE: He’ll be OK. She stood up. We can worry about Dad later. He’s safe at home. We should focus on the plan.

“Aren’t you mad at him? You pointed a weapon at him.”

Jamie tilted her head, considering. JAMIE: Yeah. But he doesn’t want me to be scared of him. And now he’s actually listening to me. So it’ll be OK.

“‘It’ll be OK?’ We’re trying to lure a potential terrorist to the place we’re living, taunt him with dangerous experimental tech, and the best case scenario has me handing that tech over to the same organization that’s apparently been feeding our dad serious narcotics for years, and has repeatedly snatched limbs from our family. Where are you getting ‘OK’ from that?” Issac still wasn’t completely convinced that Lasansky was the real bad guy, since Bridgewater seemed to be even worse than Issac had imagined, but Issac still needed a lot of answers before he’d hand his tech over to just anyone.

Opal, at least, had some of the somberness Issac felt the situation warranted. And she was holding Jamie’s hand. Huh. OPAL: We can’t completely win this. This is damage control.

A Kobayashi Maru. An unwinnable fight to test your character.

The flash drive was still in Issac’s hand. He hadn’t set it down since Yael’s suspicions came up. 

He turned it over, running it between his fingers. 

“I just wanted to help people. This could still help people.” People like Jenna. Maybe people like him. 

But, unfinished, it was a lot more of a weapon than a medical intervention. 

JAMIE: Jenna would be mad you took this job. Even if Lasansky isn’t a terrorist, testing experimental tech on people who can’t leave, who have to depend on their captors for food, and medical help--

OPAL: --And who can’t always even call home. I haven’t heard from my dad since I got here. They can isolate him whenever they want, for whatever they want. You really think they’d just…be nice about this one thing, and only take willing participants?

Fuck. Jenna would be furious. Mom would kill him.

And they’d both be right. Damn it. Progress without ethics was…like the plot of 50% of the science fiction he’d ever watched, read, or listened to. He knew better. But he’d wanted to help. He’d just…trusted the ethics of powerful organizations too much.

And he’d been too afraid. Too ashamed.

He wasn’t going to put anyone else at risk over his damn feelings.

He’d come this far, in less than two years, before he was even 18.

He could always invent it again, someday. If he could create a place and an organization where it could be made safely. Where an agency he could actually trust would do the job the APB was supposed to. 

The only way to win a Kobayashi Maru was to change the game.

He got up and went to the kitchen. He made his mind as blank as he could, trying to ignore the way his heart was a staccato spasm in his chest. Just one foot in front of the other. That was all he had to think about. The drive was the bait. They needed it to lure a confession out of Lasansky. 

But they didn’t need the actual data for that.

If Lasansky turned out to be the good guy here, Issac was going to be furious at himself for this.

Issac dropped the drive into the toaster and pushed down the lever before he could second-guess himself.

A few bursts of shocked but not especially coherent text blipped up, and he ignored them. He watched the coils turn a deep, smouldering red. There was no turning back now. It was over. He didn’t have to worry about whether he could go through with it. “Sorry, partner. Maybe someday.”

MARTIN: I understand. This is better. Thank you.

That was Martin. They had nothing to prove to anybody. No ego to soothe. Just a pure desire to imagine, invent, and help.

The coils turned from red to glaring orange. The drive case was titanium. He couldn’t break it. He didn’t even trust deletion. But it had no wireless access, so unless anyone plugged it in, there was no way to tell the data’d been destroyed by the heat.

Even if this whole thing went completely belly-up, Issac wouldn’t leave behind a legacy that could be used to hurt anyone else. 

The time went off, and the toaster tried to give him back the useless husk of a thumb drive. But it had fallen into the coils. “Yael, can you dig this thing out for me? I don’t want to burn my hands.”

Slowly, Yael stood, and came over to him. Everyone was staring. 

The attention was harder to bear than watching the toaster. His eyes started to itch the way they did when there was too much liquid between cornea and contact. His nose felt runny. He sucked it up and produced the best smirk he could while Yael silently took the appliance, unplugged it, and fished out the drive with a silver-black hand. “Whatever. I’m a genius. Make something better later, anyway.”

Jamie looked proud of him, so that had to be worth something. And Opal looked less like she was going to cry, which was a relief.

“And I do like puns. And androids.” He looked at Jamie and Yael. “Think Mom’ll give me a job fixing shitty software for contacts?”

Yael handed him back the drive, and put xyr other hand on Issac’s shoulder. YAEL: Whatever happens, you’ll have us.

* * *

Yael knew that, really, most battle plans didn’t make it past the first engagement. They were more like optimistic outlines than anything.

But their plan didn’t even make it that far.

Issac had sent a rude email to Lasansky saying that Issac quit and would head home in the morning. 

Just like they hoped, Lasansky showed up in person not too long after. Just like Yael expected, he brought uniformed, armed guards. Which, for Yael, completely settled the question of Lasansky’s villainy. You didn’t bring armed altereds to deal with a concussed, unaltered string bean like Issac if you weren’t up to something.

So, all of that was fine. Yael was prepared for all of that.

The problem was the tall figure in neon orange who slumped out after the guards. If the orange jumpsuit wasn’t signal enough, Yael knew his face.

“The pilot,” xe breathed. And he wasn’t cuffed, wasn’t shackled. Lasansky was “transporting” him, but the man was obviously not a prisoner. That was more than enough proof for Yael that they were colluding.

He wasn’t as tall as Yael, but still stood nearly a head taller than the rest of them. His eyes scanned the area along with the guards. 

A real supervillain. The one who’d taken aim and knocked Issac into the sky. Who’d wrecked Yael’s home and xyr family.

Xe turned back to the garage, where everybody was in their places, as ready as they could be. Xe couldn’t see Jamie from here. Issac was slouched in a folding chair, one leg bouncing. Him being bait was xyr least favorite part of this. Xe’d sworn to protect him. Opal leaned against a truck nearby, almost casual. Yael whispered, “The pilot is with him-- no cuffs or anything. That proves it.”

It proved it to Yael. And by Issac’s suddenly red face and Opal’s stoic nod through flashing amber lights, it was enough proof for them, too. But they needed more evidence than that for an actual court.

“Yael,” Jamie hissed from her hiding place. “Silver.”

Yael shook xyr head. A lot of the plan hinged on Yael staying out of sight until after they had the information they needed. Opal, who Lasansky didn’t know, would stay in the garage to protect Issac and, if necessary, Jamie. Yael’s job was to keep as many guards as possible from getting into the garage in the first place.

It didn’t matter if xe was silver. Nobody would see xyr.

Xe slipped out the back door and ducked into a mound of scraggly shrubs to make xyr way around the building. The gravel and the bushes were impossible to move silently through, but even though it was night, there was some manufacturing noise from the other buildings. That should cover any little sounds.

Xe made it to the front just in time to see Lasansky and three guards enter the garage door they’d left open. That left five guards and the pilot at the cars. Just like Jamie predicted, they didn’t expect anyone here to put up a fight. Xe crouched in the densest part of the bush xe could find. 

Then there was a whole new problem. Xe had to wait. Just sit here, with the others out of xyr sight, watching the pilot lean against one of the SUVs with his arms folded and a distant look on his face. Xe wondered how old he was. If he was actually around Yael’s age, or if he was from an age-stable line. What sort of crime had gotten him arrested in the first place? What heinous thing had he done that would make Lasansky team up with him for the attack?

He kept himself away from the lackeys. Maybe he was higher up in the chain of command than them. He was unarmed. Either he was his own weapon, or he was Lasansky’s weapon.

Either way, Yael struggled to stay put. And the damn guards were chit-chatting so much, xe couldn’t make out what anybody was saying in the garage, even though xe could hear voices. 

Xyr muscles coiled tight. 

If it weren’t for him-- if he hadn’t started it all, xyr family wouldn’t be in tatters. Yael would be at home. Issac and Jamie would be safe. Yael would still be able to trust everyone, and Opal would probably already be a Sentinel.

Yael had killed two men in Hopkins, Minnesota, three years ago. Xe’d done it to protect Issac. Xe hadn’t wanted to. 

But it had been so easy at the time. 

It was only afterwards that Yael had felt sick. Started feeling those rippling memories under xyr skin. 

For the first time, the sense-memory of a brittle, flaking crunch followed by the sluggish ooze of cold blood didn’t repulse xyr. The instincts that knew that violence would always favor Yael projected those memories, and the wet grind of Neil’s bones, out onto the body of the pilot. Like a map to follow. How many more deaths would live under xyr exoskeleton by the end of today?

He wouldn’t be as easy, but there was no way killing him would leave xyr with that sick feeling in the pit of xyr stomach. Xe wouldn’t need to lock the memory of his death away. 

Papa said guilt was good. That killing should never be easy. That the fear of guilt kept powerful people in check. 

Yael didn’t want to be kept in check. Xe wanted to crush the villain who’d ruined xyr peace. 

Xe couldn’t stay still. Xe was shaking with rage. Xyr temperature lurched from hot to cold as xyr exoskeleton tried to cope with the heat of xyr fury. The man who’d caused it all was right there. How could xe care about some elderly bureaucrat with a real supervillain standing right there?

It was more than xe could hold in. Some tiny shift, some grit-toothed breath, some reflection off xyr skin gave xyr away.

He turned to watch the bushes where Yael hid. Yael didn’t move, but xyr mind was spinning out possibilities. See me. Give me an excuse.

His posture changed, sensing danger, preparing for the fight that was feeling closer and more inevitable every second. 

He shoved off the side of the van. Took two slow, testing steps towards the garage door. Like Hell would Yael let him get anywhere near the others. It was enough of a reason.

Yael leapt from the bushes, ready to tear the pilot apart. He moved back, and Yael didn’t register the sound of clicks fast enough. 

Xe did register the sound of gunshots. Xe didn’t realize till xe felt the air rip behind xyr that xe was the target. Xe’d forgotten about the other henchmen. 

Xe turned to dispatch them as quick as possible, but a word ripped through the air like another bullet. “Ezekiel!”

Xe stared at them. They believed it. Just like Opal, the darkly shining silver was enough to convince them that 18 years of death wasn’t enough to hold xyr birth father down.

There were still machining sounds in the distance. More signs of life. More people that might hear that name and believe it. And if they believed it, then anyone seen helping Yael would be at risk from a terrified mob.

The pilot broke rank and ran.

Jamie, Issac, and Opal were here. They needed protecting, but they also needed to not be tied to Ezekiel. Two instincts tore Yael in opposite directions. 

Xe let rage cast the last vote, and sped after the pilot, ignoring the sounds of bullets.

They raced through a labyrinth of warehouses and factories. Yael ran harder than xe’d ever run before. Every ground-swallowing step took xyr further and further away from xyr real goal, xyr real purpose, like a tether that might snap.

Yael turned a corner. It dropped xyr into a throng of trucks, crates, and warehouse workers. 

The pilot ran through the crowd-- deftly leaping over, darting through, and dodging every obstacle. His prison uniform caused a commotion. 

But Yael’s showing up caused a cacophony of falling crates, terrified cursing and evacuation commands. They instantly forgot the pilot. Yael actually paused, first to look for the pilot, then to take in all the fear and chaos xe’d caused. More than the obvious escaped criminal. 

In the corner of xyr eye, xe caught one idiot pointing a phone at xyr from inside. Xe scowled at him before xe could think about it. 

Nodiah’s warnings rang through xyr head, echoing inside xyr exoskeleton. 

This was Yael’s debut-- terrifying everybody. Looking like a monster. 

Looking like xe always had, inside.

Xe froze long enough for a few loading dock workers to find their nerve. Xe saw some of them cautiously lifting crowbars, hammers, all kinds of improvised weapons. Xe could just about make out a pitchfork. 

It was noble of them. Odds were, hardly any of them were altered. Maybe none of them were. But they saw a supervillain and a mass killer back from the dead, and armed themselves.

If xe went around them, xe’d lose the pilot for sure. If xe went through the crowd, they might attack. Xe couldn’t fight them.

Xe couldn’t cry when xe was silver. The exoskeleton locked any moisture inside it. Xe couldn’t sweat, couldn’t even bleed. 

No fighting and no avoiding. One last desperate option available to avoid civilian injuries. 

Xe pulled in as much air as heaving lungs could manage, deepened xyr voice, and tried to channel every booming command xe’d ever heard from the team. “Get out of my way! I’m after the terrorist, not you!”

Xe hoped the man with the camera was still rolling.

If only xyr voice hadn’t sounded so wrong.

But they mostly scrambled. Xe didn’t hear any crowbars drop. They cleared a path, only a few of them turned clumsy by fear. 

“Move move move move!” xe demanded, running all-out. Xe’d lost sight of him. Had to find him, prove which side xe was on--

The briefest flicker of orange, reflected off a fender facing an alleyway, gave xyr new direction.

Xe found a new reserve of energy, and sprinted after him.

Two turns later, xe had the pilot fully in xyr sights. Three turns after that, he made a mistake. 

He’d trapped himself in a dead end, with xyr blocking his only way out of a concrete and iron box. 

He turned to face xyr.

[goddamnwebcomics]

Worst villains you've seen in webcomics?

It's surprisingly tough for me despite bad webcomic generally having bad characters.

For me it's not tough. Every villain I've tackled in this blog is either too likable to be a villain, too pathetic to be a villain, or just a generic villain who isn't interesting or cool in any way due to lack of a proper motivation. There really isn't a villain you love to hate or you feel enriches the story in any way, with very few exceptions.

Here is my Top 5 Worst Villains Ever

5. The Hosts (Gene Catlow)

I could've included various one-off villains like Horton or Evil Staggler here, but I feel like Hosts deserve this spot, because they were a clever and unique idea whose execution was completely and utterly botched. These invisible entities who eat the lifeforce of living creatures, especially cats due to their status in Gene Catlow World would've been absolutely terrifying, but they ended up becoming jokes. They ultimately didn't end up affecting the plot in any way, besides Horton killing them and resurrecting them as asskissers. The Hosts really should have been the main threat of the comic due to their nature, because they don't eat creatures for fun, but rather their own survival, and they should've also served as a reason for Gene and Matt to put their differences aside in order to fight them, but, they're all gone now.

4. The Infernomancer (Dominic Deegan)

I feel like The Infernomancer isn't a character. He is more like a plot device. When conflict, gore and death is needed, Infernomancer isn't too far behind. Outside of wanting to hunt down Miranda because Karnak demanded it, he doesn't have motives, any character, any backstory. He just wants to kill for the sake of killing, because this story needs an eldritch horror, when arguably, THE ENTIRE CONCEPT OF MAGIC IN THIS UNIVERSE ALREADY IS ONE. Remember, magic is established to do random shit because it's magic, and just about anybody can learn it, and only few are just completely immune to it. Maybe The Infernomancer is an allegory for the dark side of magic which is why he doesn't have name either, but we have enough bad magicians in this comic already. He's just a generic edgelord in a comic full of edgelords, except this edgelord is powerful and keeps cheating death oooh so spooky! It's like Batman Who Laughs but even worse.

3. Trasik (Alien Dice)

As bland as Infernomancer is, Trasik is probably even worse. I guess I am only ranking her so low because she could've had potential to be a good antagonist but somehow Tiffany fucked up EVERYTHING about her. She is a mysterious woman who also happens to be the sister of Riley, and for whatever reason she wants to hunt Lexx down. We later learn her intense hatred of Lexx is because her father, Kade, was close friends with Lexx's mother, and this led to Trasik just deciding to become racist against rishans. However over the years she has somehow gained a child soldier ring that she actively runs, and also Lexx's mother and grandmother live in secrecy RIGHT NEXT DOOR from her and she somehow has never known this. And if that wasn't enough, she was replaced with a mimic by ADC at some point after they kidnapped Chel, because she didn't attend a wedding. Trasik's entire existence is a gigantic mess, and we don't know why she does the things she does, and if she is even real, and worse than that Riley and other siblings have no issue with her doing these corrupted things. More than anything Trasik should've served as Riley's puppet who took the blame for his shady acts, but this is not about "characters who should have been villains".

2. Dr. Demikhov (Spinnerette)

Spinnerette is horrible at creating political strawmen, not because they're strawmen but because they're not even good strawmen. General Generic is actually a surprisingly reasonable authority figure and thus loops back to being likable. However one character I feel is a waste of time is Dr. Demikhov. Demikhov is the Anti-Universe, he is a proud communist who is somehow in high position at the Russian Federation. However he doesn't really do anything communistic, he just speaks in technobabble with occassional communist word, and this triggers the shit out of Universe. He is also a moron who merged his two assistants together because he wanted to prove something. Spinny has had a lot of bad villains, but even ones like WereQuakko Sisters were entertaining enough because of their fucking ridiculous concepts, Demikhov is a blank slate. He really should've been an oligarch-funded scientist who only uses communist jargon to draw the interest of young people like Manya Sisters, when in actuality all of his science is loyal to the world view of Putin. Having a scientist paid by the state to control their narrative would make him a proper opposite to anti-authoritarian Universe and also would make this arc less of a waste of time. At least he's implied to have straight up died, so we'll likely never see him again.

1. Matt (Gene Catlow)

Yes, Matt is the worst villain in the history of Goddamnwebcomics. But that's not his fault, it's the fault of his surroundings. Due to how every character seems to always read his mind and always seems to judge him as an asshole despite the fact he has more realistic view of the world and he respects his peers, Matt comes across like an underdog. He also has been stripped off his powers and constantly backstabbed, whether it's his former lovers, the puppet he created, his tech support and even his bosses and mentor. Not even his girlfriend is loyal to him as she's more interested in creating the Dog Holocaust than actually make his vision of a cat-ruled world come true, which is implied to be inevitable. Anyone trying to step into Matt's shoes usually fucks up, like how Tane destroyed the family power, and rather than spend all his days hating Gene, he is willing to work with his enemies in exchange of a better life for them, because he knows World of Friends is dangerous. Matt is perfect in every single way as a character, so in order to make him a better villain, everything AROUND him needs to be improved first!

[iggy-spades]

I had Pokémon brain still when I made this so I made teams based on all the named Concordian NPCs I had come across. Spoilers ahead!

♤◇♧♡

Connie:

Dedenne♀️

Pawmot♂️

Lechonk♂️ (shiny)

Eevee♀️

Ogerpon♀️

Shaymin

Cozette:

Bellossom♀️

Morpeko♂️

Petilil♀️

Shinx♂️

Raichu♂️

Shaymin Sky

Willma:

Conkeldurr♀️

Tinkaton♀️

Golem♂️

Kangaskhan♀️

Billdit:

Gurdurr♂️

Roggenrola♂️

Gallade♂️

Maykit:

Tinkatuff♀️

Swablu♀️

Gardevoir♀️

Arc:

Nosepass♂️

Castform♂️

Eevee♂️

Patriarc:

Probopass♂️

Lapras♂️

Dhelmise

Spiralia:

Gothorita♀️

Steenee♀️

Sylveon♀️

Dyode:

Hitmontop♂️

Politoed♂️

Altaria♂️

Jellicent♂️

Emmit:

Lombre♂️

Maractus♂️

Oricorio Pom-Pom♂️

Dewey Fightem:

Drizzile♂️

Gumshoos♂️

Glimmora♂️

Ireen:

Clefairy♀️

Scorbunny♀️

Dulles:

Golett

Snivy♂️

Loog:

Riolu♂️

Sobble♂️

Ellow:

Makuhita♂️

Pikachu♂️

Gorumbla:

Gurdurr♂️

Graveler♂️

Smeargle♂️

Issa Rock:

Corsola♀️

Eevee♀️

Feebas♀️

Technikki:

Rotom

Porygon2

Klinklang

Orbeetle♀️

Adaphne:

Metagross

Kadabra♀️

Tsareena♀️

Jellicent♀️

Leyden:

Lanturn♀️

Clawitzer♂️

Eelektross♂️

Burnadette:

Flareon♀️

Darmanitan♀️

Volcarona♀️

Vulpix-A♂️

Chilliam:

Glaceon♂️

Darmanitan-G♂️

Frosmoth♂️

Vulpix♀️

Vulko:

Arcanine♂️

Numel♂️

Coalossal♀️

Armarouge♂️

Buddy:

Eevee♂️

Togepi♂️

Pichu♂️

Great Conductor:

Grumpig♂️

Mamoswine♂️

Raichu-A♀️

Mega Ampharos♀️

Oranguru♂️

Mew

Ecks:

Forretress♂️

Toxtricity Amped♂️

Exploud♂️

Glohmified Munkidori♂️

Ten:

Victreebel♂️

Mandibuzz♀️

Ceruledge♂️

Glohmified Fezandipiti♂️

Shun:

Muk♂️

Obstagoon♂️

Baxcalibur♂️

Glohmified Okidogi♂️

Zokket:

Banette♀️

Glohmora (convergent species to Glimmora)♀️

Lilligant♀️

Luxray♂️

Ultra Glohm Necrozma

Glohm Pecharunt

~~~

Here are some explanations and stuff for this AU:

Connie only VERY recently met Ogerpon. She (Ogerpon) saw that Connie's enemy was allied with her enemy and allied with Connie because of that.

Cozette's Shaymin is gifted to Connie

Cozette's Shinx and Petilil are Zokket's Luxray and Lilligant

Billdit and Maykit's Gurdurr and Tinkatuff are the son and daughter of Willma's Conkeldurr and Tinkaton respectively

Billdit's Gallade and Maykit's Gardevoir are brother and sister

Arc's Nosepass is the son of Patriarc's Probopass

Arc's Castform used to be Patriarc's

Burnadette and Chilliam's Vulpixes were wedding gifts from each other's dads

Burnadette: Hopefully it's not too hot for you here, Snowball.

Chilliam: Are you keeping yourself warm enough, Fireball?

Ten's Ceruledge often gets mistaken for him

Ten: Why do those imbeciles mistake Ceruledge for me?

Shun: Well, you do—

Ecks: You two look surprisingly similar... tall, violet, thin.

IDLE got to choose starter Pokémon together, which led to them becoming friends

Sometimes Glohm crystallizes into black and red Glimmet-like Pokémon called Glohmet

Glohmet evolves into Glohmora

Glohmet and Glohmora are Dark/Poison

Glohmet and Glohmora have an Ability, Glohmify, that's like Toxic Chain but for confusion

Glohmet and Glohmora can fire beams of pure Glohm energy

Reclusa is replaced by Ultra Glohm Necrozma

Ultra Necrozma, originally named Illuminectar (illuminate/nectar/connect) in this AU, was known as the Uni-Tree Prism, the Beacon of Hope, the Light of Concordia, and the Protector.

Illuminectar flew around Concordia, spreading Connectar wherever it went.

Cozette and Illuminectar worked together to tend to the Uni-Tree, until something changed her.

Zokket tried to Glohmify Illuminectar, but it was immune to Glohm.

Zokket was eventually able to extract the light from Illuminectar. He dubbed lightless Illuminectar as "Necrozma".

Zokket then corrupted Necrozma's light with Glohm and gave it back.

Ultra Glohm Necrozma looks like Yveltal fused with regular Ultra Necrozma

Glohm Pecharunt was created by the beams from Glohmora.

It Glohmified the Loyal Three with its new Glohm Mochi

Glohm Pecharunt and the Glohmified Loyal Three combine both Toxic Chain and Poison Puppeteer with their new Ability, Glohm Toxicity

[reyesmarconi]

Markus Derane held the rank of lieutenant for the Rockford Police Department until his dismissal; Charles 17 at the time. He was primarily Vice-Narcotics and held a reputation of being ruthless and unorthodox in his approach of the law, to the point many a person feared him inside and outside his preccint. Underneath all this thin veneer of righteousness, Markus ran a sway of corruption through the inside of the police department, using his safe position’s influence and people skills as a means to have immunity for his crimes (all which ultimately worked even when he was fired, for he was allowed to go down as quietly as open secrets can be, not facing charges). Markus Derane is, directly or indirectly, responsible for a number of deaths that reach the two digits, but for also for drug distribution rings that may be managed by gangs but ultimately answered to him. While he can be surprisingly charming upon meeting him, the truth is that he is vicious, trigger-happy, and unhinged, and even all the charm in the world won’t conceal this for the most perceptive of folks. Thus, his downfall, relatively quiet as it was, resounded in the Rockford’s underground as well as in surrounding areas – including bits of Chicago. There is a chance that people have heard of it, just as there’s a chance they haven’t. It is one of the primary reasons Charles went off the grid when he ran away from home just as soon as he hit 18 – because even when Markus got fired he still had a lick of power to hold onto when he settled as mechanic and owner of a chop shop, and knowing his nature, would certainly try to look for him even if only to fuck him up for good. Charles hardly ever talks about him, but won’t blink if you mention his name now, if you’ve gotten hold of him – from news or what have you. While reserved and private as hell, he’s paradoxically open and desensitized to his own trauma, even though it was very shaping to him as a person; from his opinion of law enforcement to his opinion on morality to his opinion on greed. All these turns made him someone utterly apathetic and dismissive of authority figures.

[songofthefallen]

Everyone other than Sunny is more or less the same they were after Forgotten Shore, theyre all still working torwards the same long term goals and dont get to do much else outside of it, we need more povs and emotional arcs for other characters in general, its most noticable in Nephis because shes insane and set out to fight the Spell & Corruption that even the gods couldnt defeat from Day 1, so its just a matter of her getting enough power to get there.

Sure the Sunphis angst pre Antartica n the Sovreigns actions there kinda had an impact, but it mostly just reinforced what she already thought

I wish we got to see what went through her mind playing the charade of Anvils daughter, the conflicting emotions on choices she had to make for the Sword Army, etc etc.

Cassie being the GOAT as usual is surprisingly immune to this, mostly cause shes actually allowed to struggle and grow and influence Sunny & react to the hole he left in Fate

weird how the main heroine isnt allowed that though

Nephis worst character of Shadow Slave, no words in english can explain how much I hate her since she became a master. She went from a cool nuanced character to a flat one who has the quality of being overpowered

[finniestoncrane]

Enough

Gotham!Riddler x GN!Reader, word count: 500 commission: prompt from a song, gotham eddie pre-riddler, having a hard time commission me here! request info • prompt list • send me a request • kofi • masterlist minors DNI!! 🔞 cw: angst, injury

There was a perpetual dripping from the pipe on the ceiling. It fell into the puddle of stale and rusted water that was impossible to get rid of. The tiles below it covered in mildew, a sight which usually made him shiver, his blood run cold as he walked past it in the locker room of the GCPD. But Edward had far more concerning thoughts on his mind at the moment, and for the first time since he started working there, he was able to suppress his repulsion for the disgusting conditions of the room in favour of worrying about something else.

Standing at the sink, he clutched at the edges. Usually, sensory hell, the way the shoddy grouting had covered the sleek, ceramic surface with ragged spots that were impossible to remove. He didn’t feel it though. His palms were immune in the white-knuckle grip.

His eyes passed over the flecks of miscellaneous materials and liquids that covered the mirror. This communal space, surprisingly, held less disgusting encounters for him than the rest of the building. And he was more than happy to be surrounded by the sights and smells produced by bodies than the bodies themselves.

He hated them. All of them. He couldn’t find a single redeemable person in the whole building. Even the ones who were good, they never seemed to care as much as he did. They weren’t as concerned. They would be collateral damage, if he had his way.

Edward shuddered at the drastic nature of that thought.

It wasn’t always like this. He’d been content before to be walked over. To be mocked. To be listened to without anyone actually hearing what he was saying. To be overlooked, misjudged, underappreciated. But he drew the line at this. The worst of all. Being openly bullied by people who had yet to grow out of their high school clique.

Incompetence and cruelty ran rife, worse to him than the inferior morals and in depth corruption. And as he sat in the locker room, nursing his bleeding nose, he reminisced about the times he had tried to step in and do the right thing. And had ended up worse for it. The first time, the last time. The most recent time, the wounds of which were currently bleeding onto his plain, white shirt.

There had to be something he could do. For himself. For Miss Kringle. For Gotham. For good. It was pathetic to wait around for more from them. He’d made the first step, confronting them. Letting them know he was standing for what was good and right.

Getting up from the damp bench, he stood in front of the mirror. His reflection seemed to smile at him, encouraging his own grin to spread. Maybe he didn’t need to stand for what was good and right after all. Maybe it was enough to just stand.

Edward Nygma had finally had enough. And everyone would know that soon enough. Starting with every officer who had wronged him.

[tranquilpetrichor]

unsolvable mystery

— welcome. you are authorized to view the profile of haku shota.

the file is corrupted. would you still like to view anyways?

this story is part of the +world universe.

synopsis: shota had always proved to be a source of confusion for those around him, but what could anyone do about it?

genre: sci-fi, supernatural powers!au, virtual world!au 

wc: 483

a/n: i deliberately focused on how the group is struggling with their perception of him and therefore it's more from the group's perspctive.

taglist: @restlessmaknae

underneath the innocent playfulness shota (or soul, as he liked to be called) showed was an existence that was quite difficult to unravel. because of this, he was, for lack of a better words, a subject of curiosity for his fellow team members.

for one, he routinely spoke to jongseob's drones, the way one would speak to a pet they owned. (surprisingly, the drones seemed to like him a lot, if such an adjective were possible for machines like these, swarming around his head like bees to a brightly-colored flower.) he was a strange kid, usually curled up in front of a tv with snacks or busy with his rollerblades. the boy seemed to have a new interest every day.

also, his power wasn't obvious. jiung found soul one day levitating a phone for a couple seconds, which was strange because he had never seen the boy do that. ever. when did he get that ability?

the language barrier didn't help much either, but to soul's credit, his korean was really improving. still, he naturally was quiet around most of the team and it was hard to get a read on him.

presently, intak, jongseob and theo were watching soul from behind a column. he was playing with the drones, skating back and forth and watching them try to chase him.

"hey, how come soul is immune to alcor?" theo, the eldest asked. not even they, with superpowers that helped them out greatly, were completely immune to the alcor disease that had spread across korea.

no one had the answer, but intak had a question of his own. "everyone saw soul for the first time here, right?" he paused. "was there anyone who first saw him in the real world?"

jongseob suddenly remembered something, pulling out his phone. "look at this," he said, and what theo and intak saw astonished them. it was a grainy video of soul, but since the camera quality on jongseob's phone was good, it seemed unusual for any subject to appear pixelated, to the degree that they almost couldn't tell it was him. "i took this when he was sleepy last time."

“when he was sleepy?" intak said.

the boy continued in his fun with the drones, ignoring the trio that was examining him intently.

what an enigma soul is, jongseob thought. but so adorable. somehow it’s surprising that the two of us are really the same age? still, we don't know what he can do, so we have to proceed carefully.

really, it would help if the team figured out what his deal was. because unfortunately, they didn't know everything they needed to about alcor, and seob had a feeling that soul might have some of the answers they needed.

for one second, soul turned around, an innocent smile still on his face, and resumed what he was doing. it seemed that he would remain a mystery.

[stahlsharlee]

Alright, season one of Shades of Blue is finished.

And although I've rooted for Harlee, at some point I've realized I'm more and more fascinated at the lengths the Special Agent Robert Stahl goes to uphold the law.

*

He corners Harlee in the pilot and offers her a deal she can't refuse—be his asset in exchange of immunity and, more importantly—get the chance to be with her daughter if she gives up her corrupt crew.

And even if it seems Stahl is a stickler for procedure, I couldn't shake off this funky feeling that somewhere within him is a ticking bomb of anger and hurt, and power lust.

And not sooner than a third or fourth episode, I was proven right.

What Stahl did... I don't think I'd qualify it as a sexual assault (though he had pulled Harlee way harder than he should've, and the actual scene was disturbing AF... I mean, he marched into the women's bathroom and locked Harlee and himself there up). But it was an assault—he basically threw the boundaries between the handler and the asset out of the window, forcing Harlee to wear the wire while almost undressing her.

Nevertheless, that scene was hot and made me instantly invested into their negative sexual dynamic. And it also helped me to note an important thing about Stahl—he can't afford to lose the control of the situation. Losing control is like death to him.

And with that, I'm getting even more convinced that beneath his desire to punish the bad guys lies something else. Something dark.

Which I'm about to uncover. Hell yeah.

*

So far, I've noticed the two faces of Stahl.

A proud, ambitious, dedicated man who wages the war on two fronts:

tries to get the custody over his son;

to uncover the corruption within one of NY city's police precincts.

An uptight control freak. Obsessed with winning and making the name for himself. Obsessed with his power. And, as it turns out—with the subject of his investigation.

As the season progresses, so Stahl’s unhealthy obsession with Harlee does. Hiring a lookalike hooker so she'd remind him of the subject of his investigation [and infatuation]? Boy, this man's a total mess.

And yet he seems surprisingly composed on the outside. Which is a terrifying thing, actually.

From what I've gathered—he is fully acknowledging what he feels for Harlee isn't right, and what he does to her, what he wants to do to her, isn't right either. It's not love, of course. Their dynamics isn't about love.

A primal desire to own. To dominate. To prove one's power.

Harlee does it too—unintentionally first. She just want to fix things, wants to keep her crew alive and free, wants to outsmart Stahl. And, more importantly—she wants her life back, she wants the control back.

The boundaries between personal and professional ceasing to exist with these two. And Stahl’s decisions, although still calculated, are made mostly to hurt Harlee personally rather than benefit the case.

Which is also quite telling.

*

Stahl is self-conscious everything he does.

We, the viewers, notice it through Stahl's gestures, ticks, glances. With that degree of self-awareness, I keep wondering, what else he'd regard as a "normal" part of himself.

For his obsession with Harlee, it seems, he's found an excuse, and he treats it simply as a side effect. And he has no problem bringing it to Harlee at some point. It'd be an understatement to call it "inappropriate" since Stahl delivers it matter-of-factly, the way someone would share their preferences for the weather.

And that gives me chills.

*

He applies the principle of divide and conquer, almost successfully managing his "agent" facade, and his "after dark" one.

The only person who's almost caught him was poor Molly—Molly Chen, his colleague. I actually liked their dynamics a lot too. Even though Stahl was his usual asshole self, he admitted Molly was an excellent agent and was good—maybe, she was just way too good considering what happened next—partner he could trust to have his back.

And yet.

The way he treated her in her moment of weakness speaks volumes—he basically throws her under the bus after she's come to him drunk (coping with the PTSD from the murder which has happened during their op with Stahl).

He is ruthless to anyone who he thinks is on his way. His respect for Molly as a professional and him ratting her out to their superiors cozily coexist in his moral values’ system.

*

Hunger is his biggest drive. He is hungry for power. Control. Sex. Domination.

He preaches about justice and order but when needed, he paints outside the lines. More often, he is resorting to the same level of carnage his enemies do.

*

“My demons aren't remotely tackled, they're just mildly concussed” quote from Sharp Objects is applicable to many of us. We're all trying to tackle our demons and deal with our traumas. Or putting them onto the back burner—which happens far more often.

But that's not Stahl's way.

He is aware of his demons. He is in peace with them. He's tackled them [or so he thinks].

And that is what makes him so dangerous. And an absolutely splendid subject for investigation of his desires, fears, and conflicts.

I'm looking forward to what happens next in season 2.

[thefanficmonster]

Know No Better

Streamer Gang & Reader (Gender Neutral)

Warnings: Swearing

Genre: Platonic Fluff, HUMOR, Crack, RPF (Real Person Fic)

Summary: A game of Among Us with this gang can never go without a halt for some spit-fire accusations and bickering, but throw their mutual friend Y/N in the mix and the chaos flares up twice as intensely.

Requested by my dear friend @thelittleplantlover  Hi darling! Thank you so much for being such a loyal reader and never shying away from giving me your full honest feedback. You are an amazing person, a lovely friend and a mutual I’m glad I gained on my Tumblr journey. Love you with all my heart, Vy 💕

“Yo, sorry I’m....late“ Charlie’s eyebrow raises as soon as he enters the Discord call, almost half an hour after the scheduled time due to difficulties with his wi-fi connection. However, neither his presence nor his apology are acknowledged, seeing as how he wasn’t even heard over all the shouting going on in the call. “Um, what’s going on here?“ He asks no one in particular, aware that he probably won’t get an answer. 

Surprisingly, though, someone does answer him - Sykkuno. “Hey Charlie, welcome. You missed a whole round and a whole debacle between...” The yelling voices give a clear idea of who this debacle is happening between: Rae, Corpse and Y/N. “Yeah, you can probably tell between who.”

“Yo, is that Y/N? Dude, I haven’t heard from you in so long where’ve you been?“ Charlie exclaims, eyebrows raising in delighted surprise, “What are you arguing about? Imma argue with you.“

“You don’t even know what we’re arguing about!“ Rae snaps, scaring the ever-loving daylight out of the newcomer that all but shrinks a bit in his seat, “These are matters the three of us have to deal with!“

You see, Charlie’s not one to press his luck - definitely not when the sweetheart Rae lashes out like that, reminding him that the impossible can be possible if you’re a strong enough believer - but right now, seeing as how he isn’t playing yet, he’s thirsty for some amusement even if it comes with the price of being verbally beat and battered by the currently bickering trio.

“God bless the day you three actually manage to deal with something by yourselves.“ He snickers, half-hoping Rae wouldn’t hear him. Actually, it’s more one third hoping she wouldn’t the other two suggesting otherwise. Adding gasoline to the fire - it’s basically in his resume at this point.

The reply he receives is not even oriented around his statement and it doesn’t come from Rae - whether that be a blessing or a curse - but rather from Y/N. “Charlie, help! Corpse and I are being wrongfully accused over here!“

“There’s nothing wrong about my accusations! I heard you bribing Corpse into vouching for you, you impostor!“ Rae spits out the word as though this argument is a real deal and not just them throwing a collective tantrum as they usually tend to do.

“He asked me for immunity in exchange for keeping his mouth shut! I never offered it to him!“ Y/N argues back, “Not my fault he’s a corrupt crewmate!“

“You were about to accept the offer though! Who does that?!“ Rae’s not giving up her ground either.

“Anyone! All of you know you would’ve accepted the offer had you been the one to be proposed it!“ Y/N whines, reminding themself and everyone else that they are not a very argumentative or confrontational. The only time they can be caught butting heads with people is as a joke, among this very group of people and over something as small as a bribery in Among Us. “And why is no one going off at Corpse for this? Why am I the villain here? Um, hello?! I’m an impostor, I’m supposed to be evil. One of your own betrayed you, and I’M your biggest problem?!”

“I’d like it if you didn’t get me involved...“ Corpse inquires shyly, as though fearing he too is in for an outburst from Rae if he dares oppose hers and Y/N’s statements.

Unfortunately for him, he’s attacked by their joined forces with a: “YOU STARTED THIS!” Shouted at him in unison. Just like Charlie, he too shrinks in his seat.

“Hey Toast.“ Charlie nudges one of his friends, one he hasn’t heard from for the entirety of his short time in the Discord call, “You there?“

“Sup man?“ Toast answers, unmuting his mic for the first time after approximately ten minutes of silence on his end due to this heated debate going on.

“Ten bucks says this goes on for another ten minutes.“ Charlie says nonchalantly, already planning the cheap dinner he’s gonna order with those ten bucks.

“Nah man, fifteen for fifteen minutes. These two have no chill.“ Toast says, taking a sip of his soda.

“You’re both wrong.“ Sykkuno interferes, “I’m putting in twenty for twenty and I’m starting a timer.“

“WHAT?!“

The three men sit there paralyzed now that the two sides of the battlefield have temporarily united once again to end them. Lord knows when Y/N and Rae unite, nothing good is in store for those who they’re up against.

“N-nothing...I was just announcing that...“ Charlie starts off, strategically reaching for the plug for his router, “...my wi-fi’s gonna disconnect in three, two...“

“DON’T YOU DARE!“

And WHOOP he’s gone. And so are Toast, Sykkuno and Corpse.

“I really can’t believe them sometimes.“ Rae grumbles under her breath finding the miserable number of remaining players once again gathered in the cafeteria after no one got voted out despite everyone knowing it’s Y/N.

“And here I thought Charlie would back me up.“ Y/N sighs disappointedly, shooting a brief look at their chat, “Hell if I ever trust him again.“

“Look at the bright side though!“ their friend, moments ago opponent, hurries to comfort them as though their argument never happened. Technically, it really didn’t. “He’s at least not gonna get those ten bucks he sounded so confident in getting.“

Knowing Charlie, losing a bet will most likely leave him feeling torn, but hey, much to his comfort, he was the closest in guessing the duration of the arguing. You win some and you lose some, this time he’s done neither. But he will get an earful from Y/N at the first given chance they get, which he’s grown used to over the years, being the one knowing them the longest. What he’s still trying to get used to is how much they’ve clicked with his friend group. Never did he imagine his socially awkward and shy friend would steal all his friends and literally wrap them around their little finger. Truth be told, amazement aside, he’s quite proud of them for it.

Yes, of course he’s gonna try bringing this up when they open fire on him as an attempt to calm them down. Yes, he knows it probably won’t work. But also: yes, he knows what will. Cause that’s what best friends do - they know. However, they should also know better than to bet on their friends.

 But come on, it’s Charlie and Y/N we’re talking about over here - neither of them know any better. Hell, no one in this gang knows better. That’s what makes them so uniquely and wonderfully chaotic. 

@maat-the-prescriptive  @simonsbluee  @save-the-sky  @itsminniekat  @hacker-ghost  @bi-andready-tocry  @imtiredaffff  @jazzkaurtheglorious  @hereforbeebo  @fandomgirl17  @chrysanthykios  @maehemscorpyus  @loraleiix  @letsloveimagines  @annshit  @i-cant-choose-a-username-help  @enigmaticmaze  @divine-artemis  @waterlilypat  @idontknowwhatthisisfam  @evi-ka  @classyandfabulous00  @redperson58  @lilysdaydreams @solowheein  @mythicalamphitrite  @axen-gers  @luckygirl144  @nj01  @buddyemily   @the-albino-lioness  @stardream14  @gdhdkfnn  @nomadicgypsyy  @preciousskye  @fluffysuicideunicornsworld  @o-kaelin  @manacharlotte  @awkward-youtube-trash  @lolalee24  @bonky-beerns  @meme-lord-and-savior-sebastian  @strawbrinkofdeath  @teenloves  @tams0527  @browneyespinkhair  @starstruckllamapuppy  @daisychains012  @y0ulooked  @tinytacosuitcaseflap @supernatural-is-my-only-life  @jula-pauline  @melodykitty  @just-that-bi-girl  @crazybutconfidentaf  @lowellshade @alphakees  @bellero  @weallneednamjesus  @starryhanji  @boiled-onionrings  @husherstan  @fockingwhore  @melaningoddessthings  @prettypastelpetals  @haleypearce  @godwhyamiawkward  @y-napotat  @daisychainyoonmin  @little-miss-rebel3  @free-wheelin-bi-sexual  @redmoon261 @darkacademic2  @wiseflamingoqueen  @into-the-end  @namikhai-i  @nastiablr  @thelittleplantlover  @mirktuan  @dont-hyuck @jjk-bunny  @vintagegothlover  @easygoingtheatre  @itsrandombooklover  @miiaivi  @emmybaybee  @befourgolden  @jjk-is-my-shit  @eternalteaaars  @spacebadgerx  @princesslunalight  @acequinn14  @samm48  @misselsbells06 @simp-lykawa  @fo-love  @marishimomura-blog  @therealglenncoco  @cinnamonbun332  @killtherandomness  @sanshinexxxsan  @fee-btheweeb  @press-lay  @cathleenpotgieter16  @jazzydoesstuff  @moonlxghtbay  @forestrain2000  @hyunjinhugs  @blood-of-fandoms  @lovellylies  @ukiyolixx  @simpforhpcharacters  @chrisdylan17  @parkerjisung  @pedernille  @theodonyous  @wineandionysus  @malfoystilinskii05  @morbid-x  @coryisagee  @jessewa26  @scoobydooluver97 @mindintheskies365  @raeanneinwonderland  @indecisive-empanada  @gluttonypalace  @loriane2503  @btsiguess-kpop  @khaoticbunny  @lucidlycactus  @smiithys  @rottenroyalebooks  @kpopgirlbtssvt  @fangirl-tc27  @fr0z3n-1  @notmesimpingfortechno  @shotarosleftpinky  @kunoi-chan  @idk-whats-wrong-with-me  @yikeroonie  @goldenstarofthunderclan  @poetry-and-tea  @ama-do-writing-stuff  @wishbonewolf  @emeraldxhope  @t0xick1tty  @kusuinko  @speakyourselfloveyourself  @sophia902103  @lo-manburg  @classsykittykat  @dmgama  @depressedpuppythatneedscoffee  @btsiguess-kpop  @akaashi-baby  @gun-jong-simp  @geschichtenfee  @yerapotato-wp  @browneyedgirl365  @thysagclub  @sparklycloudnight  @helloatomicshadow  @queentorresstuff @vtte @val-gal  @lucy-bunny17  @aaliyahh0  @katluckybear  @boyleanti  @straybids  @franchesca-791  @cosmicstorm19  @averyisbackinthetrashcan  @aomi-nabi  @xlanawriter  @allensimpsforcorpse

[petrichormeraki]

Quirk Time!

I have come up with nearly everyone’s Quirk for my SMP Academia AU, so here’s a list and descriptions for each! 

Students:

Tommy

Quirk: INVENTORY

Inventory means the user of this Quirk can summon objects to their hand as long as they know exactly where the item is, and then return it to it’s old position. Tommy uses a chest in his room to put objects in that he can’t/doesn’t want to carry all the time, and summons items from there should he need them. 

Tubbo

Quirk: RAM

Ram is the Quirk that gives the user the ability and physicality of a ram. This means Tubbo’s legs are instead the hindquarters of a sheep, and he is amazingly agile in the face of physical obstacles. Tubbo also possesses horns, a thick skull, and can eat almost anything without any negative drawbacks. 

Ranboo

Quirk: ENDERMAN 

Enderman is a Quirk that allows the user to teleport short distances, and have a height of 7 feet at minimum. Eye contact sends Ranboo into a primal rage that is only calmed if the one who made eye contact disappears from line of sight. Ranboo is also extremely sensitive to water, and it will burn him like acid if he touches it with bare skin. 

Quackity

Quirk: DISGUISE

Disguise allows the user to transform into any other individual, whether or not they actually exist. Quackity can use this Quirk to shapeshift into anyone, including himself with different features should he wish. Quackity often uses his Quirk for humorous purposes. 

Sapnap 

Quirk: PYROKINESIS

This Quirk gives the user the ability to manipulate any open flame within line of sight. Sapnap often carries around matches to start a fire should he need it. 

Jack 

Quirk: VENGEANCE

Vengeance allows the user to be immune to death if they have unfinished business in the mortal realm. Jack often makes enemies to ensure he has a failsafe should he prematurely meet his demise. However, despite his Quirk, Jack’s body still endures the pain and consequences of anything that had killed him, causing him to be in pain almost constantly from past wounds that should not have been able to heal. 

Niki 

Quirk: UNKNOWN (aka i havent figured it out yet hgdffhjd)

Purpled 

Quirk: WHIPLASH 

Whiplash allows the user to directly return any force inflicted on them to the sender. Purpled does not use this ability often, and not even to its fullest extent unless it’s a life threatening situation, but when he does it is an incredibly debilitating attack. 

Teachers: 

Bad 

Quirk: INFERNAL 

Infernal is a Quirk that allows the user to transform into a giant demonic beast under immense pressure. Along with the other form, users of the Infernal Quirk can manipulate their life force in such a way to bind them to another individual. Bad has used this ability only once to bind his life force to the Pro Hero Diamond Man (Skeppy). 

George 

Quirk: LULL 

This Quirk gives the user the ability to instantly put someone to sleep if they make direct eye contact with the inflictor. This Quirk also effects the user, as the energy it takes to send someone into REM sleep is incredibly depleting. Because of this, George is almost always asleep. When he has regained the energy he spent on sending someone to sleep, he is surprisingly energetic and engaged, and wears tinted glasses to prevent eye contact in casual settings. 

Puffy

Quirk: EWE 

Variation of the Ram Quirk. 

Sam 

Quirk: UNKNOWN 

Connor 

Quirk: SONIC SPEED 

Sonic Speed propels the user 100 times faster than the running speed of a regular individual. (1600 km per hour) Connor has to eat ludicrous amounts of food to keep up with his enhanced metabolism. Sugary foods “recharge” him the fastest, but is not healthy or reliable for long periods of time.

Pro Heroes: 

Diamond Man (Skeppy)

Quirk: DIAMOND

This Quirk transforms the user’s skin into unbreakable diamond. Skeppy uses this advantage to be a powerhouse in a fight against a villain, since his only weakness is his own exhaustion. 

Foxheart (Fundy)

Quirk: SHIFT

Shift allows the user to change between having a human form and having an animal form. Fundy’s animal form is a fox. He uses this to heighten his senses and sneak into high security lairs to gather intel on villains. 

Slime Boy (Charlie) 

Quirk: VISCOUS

This Quirk gives the user the ability to be unrestrained to the limits of a human body should they choose. Charlie is able to save himself from damage by turning his body into a slime-like consistency at will. 

Stopwatch (Karl)

Quirk: TIME MANIPULATION

Karl’s Quirk gives him the ability to stop, reverse, forward, and slow the passage of time. As of now he can only do so for a few seconds at a time, as it takes an immense toll on him. The longest he has ever used his powers was to pause time for a full minute to rescue citizens from a collapsing building. The attempt put him in the hospital for a month and a half. 

Villains: 

Dream

Quirk: OMNIPOTENT

Dream knows all, and sees all. His Quirk has corrupted his mind, and has lead him down the path of apathetic destruction. He finds it entertaining to toy with mortals, but often underestimates what they can do since he sees himself as so much more powerful than them. Dream is threat #1 against the academy. 

Punz

Quirk: UNKNOWN 

Unaffiliated/Unknown Standing: 

Technoblade 

Quirk: WAR PIG

This Quirk gives the user the characteristics of a boar, including the ability to be an unstoppable force in battle. When Techno smells blood, he flies into a rage that is only calmed when any opposition is destroyed. This ability is blind, which has caused him to harm his allies more than once. Due to his past of bloodshed, he has been dubbed as the Blood God. 

Philza

Quirk: ELYTRON

This Quirk gives the user fragile, beetle-like wings that protrude from their shoulder blades. Flying takes about the same amount of energy as running, so Phil only really does it if he needs to. Due to his insectoid wings and his past of destruction, he has been dubbed as the Plague. 

Eret 

Quirk: LIAR LIAR

This Quirk gives the user the ability to completely waive all suspicion against them by crossing their fingers and telling a lie. (Ex. If Eret told a stranger he was their friend and crossed his fingers, they would accept him with open arms without any opposition.) Eret has used this ability to become the most powerful person in the city, but is lonely since he knows that none of his friends are truly his friends out of their own volition. 

HBomb (I KNOW WHAT I SAID BEFORE I CHANGED MY MIND BC THIS MAN IS AS STALE AS WHITE BREAD) 

Quirk: UNKNOWN

Deceased:

Wilbur

Quirk: SOULWEAVER 

This Quirk allows the user to freely manipulate souls of themself and others. Wilbur only discovered this Quirk after his death, when his Quirk brought his soul back in the form of a spirit. Prior to his death he was believed to be Quirkless. He has only used his Quirk one other time to bind two compasses to Tommy and Tubbo, using pieces of their souls so the compasses would always point to each other. 

Schlatt 

Quirk: RAM

(See above.) 

[ifanfictiondreamerworld]

Powerful Harmony-Part 89

She proceeded towards the chamber and stood in front of the council. Mace: “Hello, Katara. It is good to see you again.” Katara: “Yes, same here, masters.” Ki-Adi-Mundi: “Dearest Katara, we have heard from Master Kenobi about this Jet character from your world. We were told that you were very close with him and sympathized with his plight. That was, until he had attempted to do something that was absolutely terrible.” Katara: “Yes, that is true. Jet and I, we shared the same pain of having our parents, my mother, killed by the Fire Nation. We were both greatly distraught by our losses and shared a very deep disdain towards the Fire Nation for them. However, his hatred towards them was far greater than mine.” Mace: “Yes and from what we have heard from Master Kenobi, his willingness to eradicate the Fire Nation was so great that he was willing to put innocent lives at risk, such as the small village that was occupied by members of said nation. He would even go as far as sacrifice innocent lives just to do away with all those that he hated.” Katara: “Yes…Aang and I took part in that horrible plan without even knowing it. It was devastating.” Kit: “Yes, we understand, Katara. What Jet tried to do was terrible and we are sorry for what you have gone through with him.”  Katara looked to her side as she sulked. Plo Koon: “However, this story had brought forth an incredibly terrifying revelation and one that makes us realize that we are no different from you and those from your world.” Obi-wan: “He is right. The immense hatred that Jet had towards the Fire Nation had twisted and distorted his perspective to a point where he had little regard towards the consequences of his actions.” Mace: “That is to say that the people within this dimension are willing to commit the same kinds of atrocities.” Yoda: “Yes, similar we are towards callous decisions made by unyielding hatred. For one world we have not known about to have experienced these bitter conflicts, realized this we have.” Mace: “It is important to always remember that regardless of how atrocious others’ actions have been, we must not let them affect our decisions and cloud our judgment, otherwise we, too, would comment atrocities that would make us no better than our enemies.” Obi-wan: “Yes, no one in the Republic is immune to such corruption, especially a Jedi. That is why we have the rules and guidelines that we enforce; it is to make sure to never allow anything that were to happen affect us. We must always remain vigilant towards our tasks at hand as a means maintaining peace within the galaxy.” Mace: “If it means to step in and intervene with a dispute involving ones from our side and our enemies, then it is what we must do in spite of how others would think of us.” Obi-wan: “And it is always important to consider receiving help from those willing to lend it regardless of the dark history between you and that individual. It is alright to remain suspicious of them, but you must not allow that suspicion to influence your actions and decisions.”  Katara seemed to have reacted a little to what Obi-wan had just told her. She stood by without saying anything. Obi-wan let out a small but conspicuous smile. Mace: “Now then, we would like all 4 of you here. There are some things that we would like to discuss regarding the Chancellor.”  Soon enough, all 4 of the Benders stood before the Council. Mace: “We are pleased to have all 4 of you here before us. There is something that we need to speak with you regarding the Chancellor.” Toph: “Hm, something tells me that we’ll be having a lot of these chats.” Mace: “That is a possibility. Now then, we were told by Toph that when you guys first met with the Chancellor, she had some unusual feelings of the Chancellor fading in and out of her seismic senses.” Aang: “Is that what happened with you, Toph?” Toph: “Yeah, that’s exactly right. Surprisingly enough, that’s not the only thing about that guy that made me feel queasy.” Zuko: “Hm, from how he was towards me when he spoke about my country and what we did to our world, I don’t find that hard to understand.” Mace: “We have held on to some suspicions about the Chancellor for a long time now. Throughout all of that, we have instances and unusual notions that he is not what he claims to be.” Zuko: “How long have you had these suspicions, Masters?” Mace: “Around the time that he was elected as Chancellor more than 10 years ago.” Zuko: “So, you’ve been uneasy about this guy since he became Chancellor of the Republic?” Mace: “Yes, for these long years, we would have many instances in which we have been shrouded with uncertainty more than usual. Our connection with the Force is not as strong as it used to have been.” Yoda: “Such notions we have experienced in the past many times. Unable to foresee the troubles ahead we are.” Aang: “What could be causing this, Masters?” Ki-Adi-Mundi: “It is often caused by our enemies, the Sith. We’ve had many long fights against this Dark enemy for many eons.” Kit: “Sometimes, they can mess around with our senses, thereby making us insusceptible to remaining aware to some occurrences within the galaxy.” Plo Koon: “We cannot feel out all of our enemies, where they are or who they could be. The Sith have been taking extra measures to ensure that they will triumph in this war.” Kit: “And this is why we are glad that you kids have arrived in our galaxy.” The Benders were indeed surprised to hear this. Aang: “You…you are?” Mace: “Yes, our suspicions towards the Chancellor have been nothing more than strange feelings and uncertainty over what’s to come. However, when you kids arrived and mentioned to us the few things that he had said and proposed to you, such as offering each of you the position of Commanders in our Clone Wars, our suspicions felt a little more as though they are being verified, that and Toph’s unusual sensations of him fading in and out of her seismic senses, as she has mentioned.” Ki-Adi-Mundi: “We also feel that Count Dooku revealing himself to be this Heartless commando that you speak of around the time that the Chancellor made the offer to you kids seemed a little too coincidental. It seemed to have fallen into place all too well.” Katara: “We…didn’t think of that.” Yoda: “Even more suspicious we are towards the Chancellor because of this.” Kit: “You kids have really been helping to shed some light on what we can not see.” Aang: “Um…glad we can help.” Yoda: “But keep this to ourselves, we must. Tell no one within the Republic that we do not trust but entrust this with those we can we shall.” Katara: “Yes, we understand, Masters. We won’t tell anyone about this without your permission. But we would appreciate it if you would inform our captains about what we have just discussed. They would need to hear this.” Mace: “Yes, of course, Katara. We will when we get the chance.”  Katara bowed before the council. Katara: “Thank you, Masters, we wouldn’t have this any other way.” Mace: “Now then, I think that will be enough about this for now. We will have you summoned back whenever we need to discuss any more of these issues.” Katara: “Certainly. We would be happy to talk more with you guys. Thank you for having us.” They bowed then walked out of the chamber.