#i know i am missing some but i genuinely wanted to include the main heroes/villains who played in a storyline

[kyuairyeo]

Tenimyu Boys in Super Sentai seasons

P.S. These gifsets are meant for only those who are playing major characters who are human/human-like characters (excluding those who voice act type), have an impact on the storyline and those people who were already done with their tenimyu era.

1st Row - Jan, Rio, Ryuunosuke

2nd Row - Agri, Hyde, Basco

3rd Row - Ryuuji, Enter, Raito

4th Row - Tokatti, Kinji, Tsurugi

5th Row - Noel, Shiguru, Zocks

[duendepika]

There are a lot of rumors going around now ever since 420 that it's "not AFO" anymore, but these theories all seem to assume that the AFO we know is a regular human. The reality is that Horikoshi has never given us any indication that he is or was, and he has indeed done much to tell us that AFO is NOT human.

This post is primarily a character study of AFO (Part 1) with two theories added onto the end.

AFO is a unique entity in that he IS his quirk and always has been.

AFO and Yoichi are two halves of a whole, the human and the physical manifestation of the first quirk.

AFO-OFA are the same, and the singularity event already occurred. This theory is 3-fold, though I'd say the second and third parts are tangential and messier. I don't include panels for every single section, but I reference which chapters to check! I am use official translations and the Japanese originals ONLY. I know there are some issues with the official translations, but I cross-check with the Japanese. I have found far more errors in the fan translation.

Part One - Character Study

Many wonder how much quirks "control" or drive a person versus how much a person's personality and character at birth drives their quirk. The discussion is especially common with villains, but when it comes to AFO, it's largely irrelevant. He is more quirk than human to begin with.

AFO as a person has very limited emotional depth and personality (311). He consciously built his personality around a fictional character. He requires other vessels because he doesn't have enough emotion or strong will (305, 408). He only exhibits any emotion after we know he had been "contaminated" by his connection with Shigaraki. Before even getting into the theory proper, I want to point out that lacking a strong will is NOT merely a sign of being a villain. We have seen plenty of villains with extremely strong wills and feelings that have been acknowledged by the main characters. Giving villains a strong will and emotions are how Horikoshi humanizes them. AFO is unique in that he lacks these for the most part. From very early on, Horikoshi has very intentionally presented AFO as apart not just from the heroes but from any other significant villain with depth.

AFO does frequently present himself as something other than human, and while this could be wishful thinking or him trying too hard to be that "Demon Lord", there are plenty of instances in the story where it seems that he genuinely is not quite human. 1) This is even reflected in his appearance (entirely white and washed-out with blank, matte eyes without irises, etc) and his mannerisms. He isn't depicted with facial expressions or any semblance of emotions until he decides to be All For One, the Demon Lord as a teenager (407, 408). In fact, he seems to become MORE human once he decides to become the Demon Lord.

2) His choices and attitudes are completely arbitrary (365, 407). All we have is "he was born with nothing and decided everything therefore belonged to him". There doesn't seem to be any deeper logic, some originating hurt, behind his behavior. He picked a goal and an identity that seemed entertaining and just went with it.

3) Total inability to engage with fiction in a meaningful way, and given how much of this narrative centers around "stories", this is noteworthy. He latches onto one particular element of Captain Hero as opposed to engaging with the story as a whole and getting any meaning out of it (193, 333, 407).

4) He lacks the most basic human emotions. Hawks' and Endeavor's commentary on how something missing in him were not merely "o he's a villain" comments, but a reflection on the character as Horikoshi writes him. He is fundamentally incapable of experiencing his own emotions (beyond limited ones) and therefore relies on others. We see him clearly excited in 333 when he is finally starting to feel something due to his connection with Shigaraki.

Despite the fact that he can objectively manipulate people, he has a very limited understanding of human relationships. This is seen not only in his constant surprise/confusion over totally normal human behavior by others, most notably by Machia (382/383), but in his very language. When he says he loves Yoichi (193), the Japanese he uses is abnormal: 愛する is VERY rarely used despite it being the most widely-known form of the word; it's like he just used whatever word he heard first without understanding the meaning behind it. The same goes for how freely he uses the word friend (193, 333).

5) He's been acting for most of his life, not just as the "Demon Lord", but as a human at all. There are suggestions that he tries to act like other people (116) and offhand comments about human behavior as if he has to study it (234). Granted, these could be interpreted as generic villain-esque statements, but they hold much more meaning given what we know of his backstory. While his brother made an attempt to be a normal member of society, AFO made zero effort there for quite some time. He acted like a wild animal, and given that his brother was raised in the exact same environment, it can't be said it's just because of their situation. The term "people suit" very much applies to him.

6) Moving on to physical elements, he's already been brought back to life once. We are initially led to believe that he somehow survived/escaped (57, 59), but we later learn that he did actually die and was clearly dead for hours if not longer (408). If Kyudai Garaki really could resurrect the dead as a general rule, I think that would be a bigger plot point, so this is clearly something with AFO, not with the doctor.

7) He can live without his body as long as the quirk passes on, which is so powerful that he can just hijack other bodies. It's not like other quirks which, when stolen or passed on, allow people to live on as helpless ghosts in someone else's mind when their bodies die.

8) He has an abnormal ability to withstand extreme mental situations. Even though characters in this series have absurd physical limits, mentally nobody is depicted as really super-human besides AFO. Most people could not control their thoughts to the extent he does (116). He also must control what is likely hundreds of quirk vestiges at all times when awake, given that when he sleeps, they take over his nightmares (287) and when he's weakened (356/57, 409), they can rebel. (Worth noting that chapter 287 explicitly explains how it is not guilt or anything of the sort). I'd argue that this mental power level is inhuman even within the context of the manga because it requires such detachment from what is considered fundamentally human.

9) Furthermore, he was wholly sentient and aware from birth (407). AFO as a newborn infant thought and acted like a 2-year-old, and throughout his entire childhood he acted much older than he was. It's possible Horikoshi simply did this to make him more "creepy", but it's so utterly bizarre that I think there's more behind it.

10) AFO's backstory is unique among all characters in that he is presented more like a monster, for lack of a better word, than a human. Unlike all other villains given a backstory, there is no attempt made to "humanize" him. Considering the fact that even other "unforgiveable" villains like Overhaul were still presented as slightly tragic characters who had potential to be good and/or had some redeeming qualities, this is unusual. While the circumstances of his birth could be considered tragic and it's even stated that his own brother doesn't have any faith in him any longer (407), AFO was never portrayed as a victim, never presented as someone readers could be sympathetic towards or relate to.

That said, the base nature of his quirk is "emptiness". He has virtually nothing other than what he takes from others. Therefore, the argument can be made that he is "controlled" by his quirk and that he can't help it because his quirk compels him, but I believe he is a unique entity in that he and his quirk are one and the same. There's no internal conflict there.

I'm not claiming that he is wholly inhuman, as he does have some very basic human tendencies (needing attention, though arguably from him, it's rooted in an infant need to survival and not the kind of attention-seeking kids and adults want) I suspect that simply by living in the world, he does have some semblance of humanity, either from his connection to his brother or because he has been acting long enough.

AFO, as of right now, still does not have a name. 407 /408 made it very clear that "Shigaraki" was something he invented later in life (very likely with Dr. Garaki's influence given the similarities). He was the one to name his brother, Yoichi. I suspect that either: (a) he genuinely has no name other than AFO because I can definitely see Yoichi just not naming him back OR (b) Yoichi gave him a name in return, one he alone knows, and Yoichi using this name will be part of AFO's downfall. If he has a name, and Yoichi uses it, AFO will be called back to whatever slight sliver of humanness he has.

Part Two (Theory)

There is a possibility that AFO and Yoichi are literally two halves of a whole, the human and the human manifestation of the first quirk. OFA is the ghostly remnant of AFO, and neither is complete without the other. Perhaps as the original quirk, it truly was meant to be "kind" as Yoichi said, but it needed a human element to function as such. Because they diverged in the womb, we ended up with AFO the person/quirk.

1) The terms "One for All" and "All for One" are generally said together as a single phrase outside of the manga, and this seems to be the case within the Captain Hero comic that AFO got the names from.

2) AFO is perhaps so obsessed with "owning" Yoichi because he feels incomplete without him. He might not know why, but he knows he needs to be with him, that without his brother, he's not "whole". The current known narrative is that he wants him back simply because Yoichi was the first thing he ever had or "owned" and therefore, he needs him back. I think we can all agree that he goes a tad too far there though (277, 408), given that he seems to be having an ongoing narration to Yoichi in his head (333). As with other things, it could just be to up his creep factor, but it seems like there is possible something more going on.

3) AFO makes a comment about needing Yoichi in 409, though in the Japanese he explicitly says, "I can't do it without you" (my copy of Volume 40 is in the mail, so you'll just have to trust my memory on this until I get it and can update this post with an image). This could simply mean, "I can't go on without you", but it could just as easily mean that he needs Yoichi to be truly complete. This is further exacerbated by his comment in 419: without his brother, there's no point to his final goal at all.

4) Their umbilical cords are connected to one another, not to the mother. This could simply be to demonstrate how connected by fate they are, but it could just as easily have a deeper meaning re: their individual identities.

5) The hand that grew over AFO's mouth in his new body is very likely Yoichi's (419). The 40th volume release included a note about how AFO kept Yoichi's hand for decades and carried it around. If this is the case, then Yoichi's hand grew from his own flesh. Yes, it seems like he chose to have his hand grow there, but if he can alter his appearance at will, then he would surely fix other issues with the body. This suggests, again, some deeper connection between him and Yoichi.

6) AFO's preferred vessels such as Nine and Tenko look very similar to his brother. He wants to inhabit a body that looks like Yoichi's, which is. Something. Sure, he did make an offhand comment suggesting he would have inhabited Hana's body if he got to her earlier, but narratively, the only definite examples we have are Yoichi clones. (just showing hrksh's Nine art here...we all know Shiggy)

Part Three (Very speculative theory)

NOW finally tying all of this back to the Singularity concept.

In chapter 193, Yoichi says we've already passed the singularity (特異点はとうに…過ぎてる), which is odd given that so many characters and readers seem to think we are moving towards that. This is well before Shigaraki's transformation, so unless he's referring to some yet-to-be-revealed secret about Deku himself, this is almost certainly referring to AFO, who Yoichi continues to have some weird mental connection with to some extent. If the singularity already happened with AFO, this probably happened either a) when he was brought back from the dead, or b) simply when he was born at all. Any understanding of the singularity has been misguided from the start.

Perhaps AFO is the real OFA, but because the quirk was too powerful for the "hardware" right from the beginning, the OFA user and AFO diverged in the womb. The whole story has been about them coming together, which also explains why AFO is so obsessed with finding and inhabiting vessels that look identical to his brother.

Notes: There are a couple of minor things I considered going into, but I hesitated to due to lack of evidence in the manga. However, I will quickly mention them here in case anyone is curious: (1) Quirks vs. Human Personalities: AFO-the-body-with-the-copy and AFO-the-original-quirk seem to think, act, and speak exactly the same. Unfortunately, because we only have one other example of a quirk outside the body (Hawks/Fierce Wings) exhibiting sentience and it was only for a couple of panels, I can't say if this is simply "normal" or not. (2) Quirk copies: Again, not enough in the manga to really say one way or another, but I suspect that his copies are unique in that he is just duplicating HIMSELF.

[rinarecommends]

Talented Ass Writers: Tumblr (1)

Talented Ass Writers.

As the fan-fiction connoisseur that I am, I see it only fitting that my first official post be a shout out to all the great writers that I’ve discovered, befriended, and thoroughly enjoyed since my arrival on the holy ground that is tumblr.

Now. I’m 22 years old, and I’ve read a lot of fan-fiction in my days, guys, so I’d like to think I know good quality material when I read it.  I’ve even dabbled in the writing aspect of it, but we aren’t going to talk about that. I’m more of a reader than a writer, at least when creative writing is concerned. I have ideas, but I can never think them through to where I want them to end up, so alas, I read others works and immerse myself in worlds inside worlds. 

For the past year or so, I’ve been heavy into the BNHA fandom, hence the name on my blog. My favorite character is Bakugou Katsuki. As if that wasn’t obvious, but I’m a fan-girl at heart, so I read on multiple platforms including: wattpad, quotev, ffnet, AO3, obscure websites that exist, and of course tumblr, and in this post and the parts that will come later, I will mention lots of authors from different platforms that I think people should know about, in my humble opinion.

I mainly read reader inserts or fics with OC’s, but I’m not going to say that there won’t be some character x character action because in the past, I’ve read plenty of those for several fandoms. 

Without Further Ado, Welcome to My “Talented Ass Writers” List, or at least the first part of a yet to be determined number.

* denotes that the fic is NSFW

(Part 1) Tumblr:

@kingexpl0sionmurder - I had to start this list off with my main girl. Steff is not only a talented ass writer, but she’s also a great person and one of my close friends! She currently only has stories for BNHA characters including: Shinsou, Kaminari, Sero, and Todoroki. She writes NSFW and SFW, but she is a 18+ blog.  

One of My Favorites: Missed Connection *

@pleasantanathema - This blog is strictly 18+ NSFW content, so this one is for all my deviants, like myself. She writes smut beautifully, and her writing is just amazing. I once requested her to write Jealous!Bakugou, and she delivered. She writes for Haikyuu and BNHA, so pick your poison, and I just want to add that she may or may not be one of the reasons that I thirst, occasionally, over Endeavor.

One of My Favorites: Encounter Series *

@ttetsuro - skyyyyyy! She’s so good!! You may have read her iconic hoof piece on her previous blog! She’s posted a couple of stories on this new blog, and she’s really great at writing! She’s also a genuine ass person, and one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met.

One of My Favorites: Backseat*

@bratwritings - Nat is super talented. Her blog is 18+. She has great creativity, and she is very descriptive in her writing. She writes for BNHA, and the characters she’s wrote for, I think she’s captured them very well!

One of My Favorites: Keeping it Professional*

@bakublossom - I recently discovered her blog! She does regular writings, but I discovered her with her SMAU! Her SMAU & fics are so good!

One of My Favorites: Apartment 204

@lady-bakuhoe - this list is far from complete, but I wanted to go ahead & put Jo on here. If you like to read Fanfiction, I’m sure you’ve stumbled upon one of Jo’s fics. SHE HAS SO MANY GOOOD ONES. I love her writing so much. She has a way with words, and I read a lot, honestly one of the best. She’s not currently writing, but I would definitely recommend checking out her stuff here or on AO3. 18+ only though.

One of My Favorites: I cant pick one. Literally read any of them.

@ikinabi - Red!! The Kiri Stan who made me also kinda thirst for Kirishima! She writes beautifully. I adore her as a writer & as a person! You won’t regret checking her out, especially if you live for kiri & his unbreakable form! 18+.

One of My Favorites: Power*

@gallickingun - Morgan not only writes for my angry boy baku, but she’s also writes (wrote?) for my asshole prince of all Saiyans that I love so dearly, and she’s good at it. That’s why she’s on the list, obviously. She writes smut, spice, fluff, ANGST (I’m still mad about that ending MORGAN 😂) & she does it beautifully. She’s also a really chill person, and you won’t regret checking her out. 18+

One of My Favorites: please, I beg of you.*

@league-of-thots - Jay’s blog is 18+, and she writes for several characters, including Hawks and Natsuo. She’s really good at smut, which I believe is slowly becoming a prerequisite for this list, and her writing, the not smutty parts, is also superb. She also throws in some kinks, and We all secretly like the kinky stuff, you can admit it to me. 

One of My Favorites: How Much I Love You*

@rivendell101 - I feel like I keep saying things like “she’s so good,” but they wouldn’t be on this list if they weren’t good. I’m not normally into threesomes, okay, but after reading the way she wrote her todoxreaderxbaku ... I had a change of heart. Her fic is really well done, and I can’t wait to read more of her stuff! 18+.

One of My Favorites: Some like it Hot*

@ichor-and-symbiosis - Don’t get me wrong. I love my heroes, but this is one of my fave villain blogs, specifically Shigaraki. She totally writes for other characters including Heroes and other Villains, but she captures Tomura so well, and she has so many fics! If you want some five finger death punch, AKA Shigaraki, in your life, I would definitely check this blog out! 18+.

One of My Favorites: Mine*

@bnhabadass - Nora’s tumblr name fits her so well because she’s definitely a badass! She writes for a lot of BNHA characters, and her writing is really good! I’ve read some of her work, and I plan on reading more because I haven’t been disappointed yet! 18+.

One of My Favorites: Behind Tent Walls*

@burnedbyshoto​ - Lyssa! The Todoroki stan of Todoroki stans. She captures Shouto so well in her writing, and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of the fics that I’ve read by her. If you love a certain icy hot bastard, I think you’ll like her blog! 18+.

One of My Favorites: House-sitting and Concupiscence*

@cutesuki--bakugou - Sarah is so talented. She writes, obviosuly, but she also DRAWS, and in this house, we stan multi-talented queens. She drew me MMA bakugou, and I will forever be indebted to her, but that’s not why she’s on this list. She’s on here because she’s super great at writing, especially for Baku. She also has great xOC content, but she does xReader as well! 18+.

One of My Favorites: Frigid*

@todourouki - Despite the name, this blog writes for BNHA and Haikyuu! I am partial to the BNHA fandom because it has my angry boy in it, but I do like the Haikyuu fandom, and I feel like it’s growing very rapidly recently. I love this blog’s writing style, and the smut is great! 18+.

One of My Favorites: Studying, but make it Nude*

@ladyexplosionmurder - I’m sorry, but if you write good bakugou stories, you’ll probably end up on this list, or one of my future lists, and this blog writes good bakugou! They don’t have many stories yet, but I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve read so far. This is definitely a blog to watch!

One of My Favorites: Riled Up

@tomurasprincess - Mari writes more darker stuff, but she does it WELL. If you’re into Yandere and things that come with that, I highly suggest checking out her blog! You won’t regret it. 18+.

One of My Favorites: Explosive Consequences*

@hisoknen - Raph also dabbles in the dark arts of the BNHA Fandom, but she also does it beautifully. I highly recommend her as well. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of the fics that I’ve read that were written by her. I suggest checking this blog out. 18+.

One of My Favorites: Looking for Trouble*

@mrs-takami-keigo - Ari is a great person whom I connect on with love for an angry explosion boy and makeup and other things, and she’s also.... a great writer! I enjoy reading her fics, and I think others will as well. You should def check her out. 18+

One of My Favorites: Mesmerize*

Part 2 of the list is here

[transhawks]

Hawks and the Trolley Problem

I. What is the Trolley Problem?

The Trolley Problem is an ethical thought experiment, mostly testing outcomes and methods of achieving them. It goes like this:

There is a runaway trolley barreling down the railway tracks. Ahead, on the tracks, there are five people tied up and unable to move. The trolley is headed straight for them. You are standing some distance off in the train yard, next to a lever. If you pull this lever, the trolley will switch to a different set of tracks. However, you notice that there is one person on the side track. 

You have two options:

A. Do nothing and allow the trolley to kill the five people on the main track. B. Pull the lever, diverting the trolley onto the side track where it will kill one person.

What is the right thing to do?

There are schools of thought that attempt to explain this problem. A common response is to divert the trolley, actively making the choice to kill one person to save five. In this scenario, you are making an active choice to kill someone for the ‘greater’ outcome, which assumes that the best outcome is to save as many as possible. We will call this choice the Utilitarian option.

The second option is to do nothing and let the five people die. Why? Because then it’s a matter of letting the trolley do what it intends to and not actually pulling a lever and condemning a person to death. By choosing inaction in order to not murder anyone, you could stay true to a moral of never killing anyone. This is the Kantian option.

Of course, the Trolley Problem is customizable - people add all sort of features, like instead pushing someone in front of the trolley to stop it, or including knowing someone in the line up of potential dead. It doesn’t even have to be a trolley - all it asks is what is the right thing to do? And, of course, what is the value of a human life.

II. What is Hawks’s Dilemma? 

Hawks has infiltrated the Paranormal Liberation Front and managed to manipulate Twice into befriending him and providing him with information leading to a preemptive strike by the Heroes against the PLF. However, he feels that Twice is a greater harm than just an information source and thus has used his friendship to kidnap Twice, keeping him and his quirk away from a battlefield where he would easily be able to overwhelm the hero forces. Without Twice, the villains are far more easily beatable. 

BNHA 263 ends with Hawks threatening Twice with his feather-knives and asking himself the question, internally: What is the right thing to do?

Let’s break the options down:

A. Hawks kills Twice to effectively ensure he cannot escape and help. The villains are not able to use his clones in the battle, leaving them vulnerable. Hawks ensures heroes survive the battle (assuming no unexpected things happen), and that the status quo the PLF want to topple is maintained. Low amounts of civilian casualties, hero casualties. The problems that caused this issue in the first place continue.

B. Hawks lets Twice go. Twice uses his clones to defend the PLF, ensuring more casualties for both the heroes, and possibly the PLF. Eventual massive civilian casualties. Status Quo is broken, system is broken - the problems that created this are addressed, either by further perpetuation or reduction.

There are also other factors.

Hawks knows Twice. Heroes are not typically supposed to kill villains. Hawks has referred to Twice as ‘good-natured’, and reflected it made it easier to accomplish this, yet he also seems surprised by how much Twice genuinely likes and trusts him. He also knows, on both sides, many of the people likely to die from this.

Miruko in 262 mentions that heroes hold back fighting villains - killing is not usually an action heroes are allowed or suggested to take.

And, lastly, Hawks’s choice is not solely his - up to now he has performed his duty as a tool to the Hero Public Safety Commission.  

III. How the Hero System Would Tackle the Problem?

Let’s talk about what it means to be a hero.

From what we’ve seen in the manga and spin off Vigilantes, there’s an actual calculation, maybe even algorithm in how heroes get paid. It is a clearly a numerical one.

The question is how exactly should anyone looking at a catastrophe begin to count the worth of human life? We don’t have exact confirmation, but it’s likely the ‘Specialty Organization’ is none other than the HPSC, or the Hero Commission as fandom likes to call them. 

From previous encounters, we know that they are utilitarian in outlook, hence the way they sent Hawks to infiltrate the League. To the HPSC, the consequences of an action matter far more than the morality of the action itself. As a organization that, then, depersonalizes choices in terms of numbers and metrics, a simple calculation that five people over one intended casualty is acceptable.

Remember, the HPSC also comes out with ranks. Heroism is numbers to their system and they got the calculation.

In Japan, Professional Heroes are officially ranked by taking in account several factors such as the number of cases solved, general popularity, and level of social contribution. (bnha wiki)

In their view, Hawks would choose A. There’s no option for him otherwise. The HPSC continues to exist as long as everyone accepts their metrics and calculations. Lives, to them, have an internal quantifiable logic. So do hero actions.

Villains do, too, but only in ‘resolving’ them. As incidences. 

IV. What are Lives Worth, Anyway?

The more factors we include in this problem, the more complications. A kantian viewpoint might come from someone in the Liberation Front - Twice’s quirk is amazing and far more valuable that most quirks. If we put Twice in the Trolley Problem, it’s unlikely that the five other people would have comparable quirks. Thus, simply on that basis, Twice’s ‘worth’ would be more than the others and no lever would be pulled.

For Hawks, it would be the action itself. Heroes do not kill, and while he has been conditioned into taking the HPSC’s metrics into the forefront of his decision-making all his life, the active choice to kill Twice would have consequences.

Hawks has already shown to struggle with guilt - besides the words he said after the Jeanist incident, manipulating Endeavor into coming with him just to use him as a shield against whatever the League had did disturb Hawks, just from facial expressions. He does even question that he has to perform immoral actions in order to do as the HPSC wishes. At the same time he has generally gone along with the idea that the ends justify the means.

It’s very obvious what would happen if any of us ever encountered a “trolley problem” in real life. We would panic, do something rashly, and then watch in horror as one or more persons died a gruesome death before our eyes. We would probably end up with PTSD. Whatever we had ended up doing in the moment, we would probably feel guilty about for the rest of our lives: even if we had somehow miraculously managed to comply with a consistent set of consequentialist ethics, this would bring us little comfort.  ( Nathan Robinson, Current Affairs. 2017)

As I wrote this, someone mentioned The Good Place, a show that showed explored the Trolley Problem in depth. One of the conclusions it came to is that nevertheless of the circumstances it is horrifying. No matter the ethics, faced with such a problem, most people would not come away of it well. Hawks included because he is not a machine and is capable of feeling guilt either way.

If he kills Twice, he kills and betrays a friend, and saves the lives of hundreds of thousands or millions, and betraying people he has gotten to know over the course of months. But that’s a weight he’ll have to bear for the rest of his life, if he manages to survive. He’ll have to know he did what Heroes are avoidant to do; kill. 

If he doesn’t kill Twice, Twice will help lead a revolution that, while addressing many of the issues Hawks sees with society, will kill Hawks’s thousands of colleagues and many innocents in the crossfire.

V. A Different Question?

The issue then is not what Hawks does, but why he has to ask this question of himself in the first place. The thing is that there are rarely only two options in any given situation.

The thing is situations are created. And so are choices. They do not come out of thin air. They are not in a self-contained vacuum. Twice was created, and so was Hawks, and so was the Commission. The choices Hawks faces right now are not removed from hundreds of years of other decisions, and powers that enact them.

If I am forced against my will into a situation where people will die and I have no ability to stop it, how is my choice a “moral” choice between meaningfully different options, as opposed to a horror show I’ve just been thrust into, in which I have no meaningful agency at all? Let’s think a bit more about who put me here and how to keep them from having diabolical power over others.  ( Nathan Robinson, Current Affairs. 2017)  

The thing about ascribing morality, too, to individual actions is it misses the powers of institutional forces upon our lives. What does that look like in BNHA?

It means we see Ujiko and not an Empire AFO has been building for at least a century to make sure there are systems in place creating noumus, and people like Shigaraki who exist in this world. 

It means we see Endeavor and his heroism and brilliant record and not a system ignoring that a man who bought a woman to force her to have children in a genetic experiment is now the symbol of Peace and Stability for that system. 

It means we see Twice as a regrettable casualty of society whose only option for acceptance was among murderers fulfilling a murder-empire and not a consequence of both AFO’s system and the Hero System to make sure people like him have no safe place in the world.

It means we see Hawks poised to kill Twice and not the organization that bought him as a child and raised him into a soldier who has to decide whether to kill one or many.

And once you realize that none of these questions, none of these options are fair or right in these terms - not the one for many, not the sparing to absolve personal guilt, you can ask the question what is right thing to do.

What I mean is maybe there shouldn’t be heroes or villains. None of that conflict should exist. There’s no rights in either view. Yes the hero system should be eradicated. But the lack of future Shigaraki envisions, and the dystopian plans AFO and Ujiko actually have, and the Liberation Army plan for, are also wrong. 

Neither of the systems proposed have the right answer or the right to posit one. 

The real answers are not in the right or wrongs. They’re in every other sentence. They’re in Jirou’s encouragement of Kaminari, in Shigaraki telling the League he wants them to be happy with what they love, in Keigo’s unsure smile as Jin looks at him and tells him he’s a good person for caring for his friends. The answers are in the love that ordinary people have for each other, that no manufactured conflict and institution can quantify or destroy. And that hopefully, someone will voice this.

VI. What will Hawks Answer?

The thing about this is that we aren’t sure if Keigo will fully make a decision right now. There’s a likelihood he will be interrupted. Or he will put off his decision-making and spare Twice for the moment, delaying his choice. And that’s just ignoring the fact that there isn’t one choice to make here; no, lots of them. 

However, Keigo has made one personal life-changing decision in before; the HPSC has taken that choice and removed free will from it. 

Self-sacrifice, after all, is both the will of the HPSC and Hawks’s true nature. If quirks are to show us the nature of the person, why not Hawks’s feathers, deceptively soft but deadly, maneuverable and revealing, and yet, ultimately consist of him breaking his only ability to fly free until he no longer can? What’s more self-sacrificial than breaking off pieces of yourself to save others?  

The Good Place has an answer to the problem that accepts that no matter the options, and the questions, someone will lose something. Die maybe. The solution is that if someone must die, why not yourself?

The one comfort is that for all the lack of choices Hawks has been given in this situation - this is the one solution he can come up with on his own.

[norcumii]

The Rex/Obi theory

Since apparently we can pin a post, bringing this back from the old blog even though I really ought to do a better write up and just post it as meta on AO3. As always, ship and let ship, we’re all here to have fun, etc.

First off: background sources. Post Blue Shadow Virus, the Naboo gave Rex a set of guns. They are very shiny, very nice, and named Negotiator and Vigilance. Now, given that Obi-Wan has “The Negotiator” as a title, one has to wonder about “Vigilance.” Since Anakin is known as “The Hero With No Fear,” it’s probably not him.

It has also been pointed out to me (thank you, @morecivilizedage) that Obi-Wan’s flagships were the Vigilance and Negotiator. Which…yeah.

Later on, it seems the shuttle that Cody and Rex take in Rookies is named The Obex.

…I am not a fan of the name smushing habit people have for ships, but that’s…kind of blatant.

Also, I recently found out that Sideshow put out an Obi-Wan figure, based on the 2003 Clone Wars design (the modern Clone Wars, and what’s declared current canon, was the 2008 version). To my admittedly limited knowledge, Rex does not exist in the ‘03 show. If nothing else, he’s not listed as a character on the IMDB page. HOWEVER, part of this figure’s design is a wrist com hologram – of Rex. Not Cody. Not another Jedi. REX. WHO DOESN’T EVEN EXIST IN THAT SHOW, WHICH HAS SCREENSHOTS SHOWN ON THE BOX. They didn’t have to call the hologram Rex, and it’s out of continuity to the presented Obi-Wan, and would calling this hologram “Rex” instead of any other clone really sell more figures?

Gotta admit that’s Interesting.

Now, given I totally pick and choose data from non-show sources (…see the horrific novelizations of The Clone Wars – or better yet, please don’t. Character assassination abounds), we need to look at the actual show.

It starts with the movie. Cody has a minimalist presence in there, whereas Rex interacts with Obi-Wan a lot. There’s several scenes where there’s some lovely close interplay, including a bit where Obi-Wan is ordering Rex to pull back – while gripping Rex on the shoulder.

Take a moment. Consider how often you see on the show Obi-Wan touching anyone. He doesn’t tend to initiate that, and it’s rarely outside of a combat situation. But that man can’t seem to keep his hands off Rex. Watch with that in mind, and please, feel free to tell me I’m missing things.

So back to the Blue Shadow Virus. When Anakin is freaking out to Obi-Wan because his wife and student are liable to be the first to die, he wants to know how Obi-Wan can not be on edge. “I’m just better at hiding it.” Take the parallels – Padme and Ahsoka are Anakin’s family. Now, Obi-Wan is prolly also having a HUGE internal freakout because they are in THE hanger that started Duel of the Fates in Episode I, but if he’s hiding the same sort of emotional breakdown, who is that about?

Parallels are important. Take The Deserter. That is THE  shipping episode. Watch how Obi-Wan reacts throughout: he’s grumpy at first, because Grievous is up to the usual shit. Then he coms in to find out what Rex’s status is – and upon hearing Rex has been shot, his immediate reaction is worry, concern – I’d almost say he’s distraught. His orders to Jesse to hustle up and help them take down Grievous is more snarled, harsher, and from that point on Obi-Wan has an edge to him that wasn’t there before. This particular battle has become personal to him, and when Grievous gets away, there is genuine ANGER that a Jedi should not be expressing. What the hells else has Grievous done this   episode or the last to merit that sudden change?

As for the literal parallels, Cut is Rex’s counterpart. They are contrasted again   and again throughout the episode, and that culminates with Rex bidding Cut and his family farewell – so that Rex can go back to HIS family. So. If Rex is Cut, then the kids are obviously the other troopers under Rex’s command, and who does that leave as Suu’s counterpart?

Who is it that Rex talks to immediately? G’on, guess.

Also, Obi-Wan cannot stop gushing to Cody about Rex. I imagine poor Cody has to put up with this a LOT.

In fact, we can show that he does! The episodes with the Zygerrian slavers  – Kidnapped, Slaves of the Republic, and Escape from Kadavo – are just chock full of this. The main crew takes out two BARC speeders. Anakin has Ahsoka riding shotgun in the sidecar, while Obi-Wan has Rex. The intriguing bit is that Cody is left for cleanup and directing the rest of the clones, even though technically Rex is ordinarily in charge of a larger battle group (depending on what bit of canon you’re looking at). There’s that exchange in the slave mines OP mentioned (2 slightly different versions and commentary are linked). There’s also the sequence where Rex gets permission from Obi-Wan to take the shot and be a bad ass on the villain (“I’m no Jedi” indeed). That interplay is subtle, and implies the two work together and closely enough that a glance and a nod are enough to convey what’s  going on. Sure, the 501 and 212 work together often, but Obi-Wan has his own second-in-command.

Interestingly, Cody does not show up after the first episode in this arc. Given that they have the voice actor on hand, and the Wolf Pack is called in at the end for the rescue, tossing Cody and some 212 into the mix would have been easy. So that dynamic has implications.

Not factual enough yet? Screenshots of character positioning being more like a romance moment than in a war flick not good enough?

Let’s go to the Citadel arc. There’s more of the circumstantial evidence, where Rex can be interpreted as having Obi-Wan’s back more than one might think is usual.

But then there’s this gifset. As the mixed 212 and 501 soldiers are thawing from carbonite, watch Obi-Wan in the background. He nopes out of Anakin and Ahsoka’s tiff, and goes over to chat with Rex and Cody. When Obi-Wan gets over there, he raises his arm to do the shoulder grip thing (like I mentioned above, in the movie!). It might not be clear from the gifs, but there is not enough time for Obi-Wan to do that twice before he goes to the one arm behind the back kind of “at ease” posture. When he steps away from the troopers to be the Actual Adult in the room to Anakin and Ahsoka, Rex stands a bit straighter, in proper military posture, and dusts off his armor. It might not be a universal gesture of “aw yeah, I’m awesome,” but it sure seems pretty satisfied. Poor Cody meanwhile is watching the move, which  helps capture the viewer’s eye (and leaves me wondering if he’s going “what the hell is up with you?” or “do not make me hose you down”).

I would honestly love to know someone else’s interpretation of that with un-shipping goggles on. ‘Cause I admit, I don’t see it.

That, folks, is why I ship it like mad. There’s more circumstantial evidence throughout the show, like how Obi-Wan and Rex interact (like a married couple, or in fact often like Anakin and Padme are presented at their best). There’s Rex being extra fancy and staring at Obi-Wan WAY more than Anakin in The Voyage of Temptation, otherwise known as “Satine and Obi-Wan in a Shuttle and Anakin Being Oblivious.” There’s the simple implication of the chemistry between the characters, though that is obviously open to interpretation.

This is animation. It takes time and effort and money to animate a simple shoulder grip, or a specialized gesture such as buffing one’s nails. Voice acting is an art where you have to convey so much emotion with what can be small adjustments to words. Scripts have to go through so much oversight and tweaking to convey a particular story, within the wide scope, and themes and plot threads have to be carefully considered. This isn’t chance, this isn’t one   writer/animator/storyboarder going off into the weeds because they had a Neat Idea.

I really do think it’s canon.

-----------

Random other bits I’ve gathered while re-watching the show:

During the movie, when Rex is told that General Kenobi’s been captured, he just freezes. He goes from digging around off screen for what I suspect is a new ammo cartridge, stills, then yells at the soldier that they have to hold  out, now keep. fighting. It’s less rallying the troops as a bit of emotional pushback.

During Voyage of Temptation, when Anakin is sassing Obi-Wan in the elevator about Satine the possible old flame, Rex is right there in the elevator with both of them (along with poor Cody). Rex isn’t on Anakin’s flank, but Obi-Wan’s (little odd, but I don’t recall offhand how they filed in). And Anakin is “sensing some anxiety” from Obi-Wan about Satine. I love how there’s now another reason for that.

In an…‘interesting’ coincidence, it seems that when Rex got shot in The Deserter, that’s the exact same place Obi-Wan gets shot in Deception. Nothing conclusive there, but it’s intriguing.

from The Zillo Beast Strikes Back – The first time we see Rex, Anakin is giving him orders to “Stay with General Kenobi” – there’s the implication that he’s already with the General.

They’re continuing to leave breadcrumbs in Rebels.

[dragonofthedepths]

29/100 (29th of June 2021)

(29/100) Written/posted for the #100daysofwriting challenge by @the-wip-project

I spent several hours today filling out a survey on my fanfiction reading habits! This was not supposed to take several hours, but my inability to answer any free form question without writing multiple paragraphs dragged it out much longer than it was supposed to be! Considering that this was done around baking, having a friend over, and finishing a drawing that according to the timer on my art program took me a cumulative 22.5 hours to complete, I figured I would just copy and paste some of my more interesting answers here for today!

Here’s the link to the survey if you want to take it yourself, apparently it’s part of some kind of collage study: 

https://robertgordonuniversity.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/fanfiction-questionnaire

Question:

What type(s) of library/libraries do you use? What activities or purposes do you use them for?

Answer:

The local library. I go there every now and then when I’m looking for an actual book to read, I usually have what I want already in mind, but might end up picking up something new from the same section if anything particularly catches my interest. Very occasionally I grab a few reference books, usually on things like religions that are harder to find a comprehensive reference for online beneath all the sensationalism and opinions.

I almost always spend at last a couple hours there, looking through my selection and reading a chapter or two. the only reason I’ll leave without sitting down and beginning at least one book is if I’m already late for something somewhere else.

Tldr: I use my local library, I do not go very often but I take my time when I do.

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Question (fanfiction.net):

If possible, please explain your typical process for finding fanfiction to read.

Answer:

Whenever  I get interested in a new show I’ll latch on to a concept or particular character interaction eg. Villain!hero, ensemble finds out secret, character A needs a hug, character A adopted by character B, character C & character D friendship & hurt/comfort. Sometimes (especially if it’s a lesser known thing/has a small fandom) I’ll be as vague as favorite character, timetravel, wingfic, or soulmate AU. Whatever it is that I’ve latched onto, I’ll enter it into the search bar on whatever browser I’m using, and open whatever links look most appealing in a new tab, giving preference to stories from any website except Wattpad* over any king of collection, and links to Ao3 preference over links to anything else.

From there I work my way through everything that was offered, and as I do so I eventually come across new things that capture my interest, and —in general terms— follow them.

On ff.net I’ll follow the link back to the page for whatever franchise this is, then open the filter menu, select "all ratings" and begin using the filters to look for whatever character or pair of characters (seeing as looking for idea is not really possible on ff.net) interests me most in either the family, hurt/comfort, or angst genre depending on which has the most stories, unless one of them has stories in excess of 3 or 4 hundred, in which case I’ll pick whichever has the least stories. I’ll then go through the offerings, opening any story that look is interesting in a new tab. If I make it through all of that and somehow haven’t found something better to do on Ao3, then when I’m done I’ll go back to the genre filter and pick whichever had the middling number of stories, then after that the one on the opposite end of the spectrum from most to least. If at any point I’m offered more than 1,000 stories I’ll add additional filters until the results drop below 1,000, because I am not dealing with slogging through that much ff.net at once. If there is that much written for whatever I’m looking for, then either there’s some on Ao3 and I can leave, or I’m actually looking for something more specific and was just over-estimating how vague I’d need to be to get results at all. This is very methodical probably because I do not like this site and am putting up with it only to find what I’m currently looking for, I never get new ideas prompted to me or am enticed to wander off the beaten track. I don’t use ff.net very often, though still more often then I go to the library.

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Question:

Are there any search features or filters you wish fanfiction.net had for readers and searchers?

Answer:

Fanfiction.net is not a functional website, it’s a particularly shitty ghost town that is actively crumbling to pieces around its few remaining inhabitants. I it’s a hassle to read on and I only do so because I’m a fan of rare pairs, and have to take anything I can get, and because I’m a fan of a particular kind of low-brow overpowered-hero fanfiction that tends to be more common there then on Ao3 or Tumblr.

I wish it didn’t have adds in the middle of a page, every time I hit next chapter, ect.

I wish it didn’t have pointless captchas every time I  start a new session.

I wish it had a visually pleasant format for presenting the stories for you to select from. Whether they’re search bar results, the results of a filter search, stories in a collection, or stories on an author’s page. It’s the same aggressively bad format and makes it hard to tell them apart from eachother and hard to pick which one(s) I want.

I wish stories could have longer summaries. They are so short that it forces everyone to sound same-y and rushed, and if an author want to include trigger warnings they have to be even shorter.

I wish there was a way to exclude/search/mark trigger warnings.

I wish you could select more than four characters in the filters, I wish authors could TAG more than four characters.

I wish there was a way to search/mark platonic relationships instead of only romantic.

I wish there was a way to search/mark a single character in multiple separate relationships eg. [A/B] and [A/C]

I wish there was a way to search for certain tropes or cliches without relying on pure hope that either the author used part of their limited summary space to mention it, or that someone else already made a collection for that trope and managed to find at least a few (they never have all) of the fics containing it.

I wish you could copy and paste the text without having to switch to the mobile version of the website. I don’t personally know why you can’t do this on desktop but I’ve heard other people say it’s because it’s actually generated as a pdf instead of genuine text.

I wish there was a way to open the whole story in one tab instead of being forced to go through it other by chapter.

I wish there was a way for authors to include author’s notes without it being part of the chapter.

I wish there was a way for authors to respond to comments without doing so in the author’s notes.

I wish the formatting wasn’t so aggressively bad as to be actively harming the quality of the story. I have found stories that were posted on both Ao3 and ff.net and read them on both websites, no differences in text, in punctuation, in anything at all, but on Ao3 it flowed much better, was much easier to read, and I’d have given a higher estimation of the author’s skill level if asked. All because it wasn’t actively being dragged down by ff.net’s formatting.

There are probably a fair few more things that I’m just not managing to think of at the moment, but considering there’s no way ff.net will ever be fixed and is in fact very likely to completely implode and die in the near future, I think this is good enough.

Sorry for the essays every time I’m allowed to write an answer but you’re asking loaded questions.

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Question (Ao3):

If possible, please explain your typical process for finding fanfiction to read.

Answer:

Whenever  I get interested in a new show I’ll latch on to a concept or particular character interaction eg. Villain!hero, ensemble finds out secret, character A needs a hug, character A adopted by character B, character C & character D friendship & hurt/comfort. Sometimes (especially if it’s a lesser known thing/has a small fandom) I’ll be as vague as favorite character, timetravel, wingfic, or soulmate AU. Whatever it is that I’ve latched onto, I’ll enter it into the search bar on whatever browser I’m using, and open whatever links look most appealing in a new tab, giving preference to stories from any website except Wattpad* over any king of collection, and links to Ao3 preference over links to anything else.

From there I work my way through everything that was offered, and as I do so I eventually come across new things that capture my interest, and —in general terms— follow them.

On Ao3 I’ll head back up to the top of a fic I really enjoyed and click on the tag for whatever little bit of it I enjoyed the most, and begin browsing again from there, refining with filters and following links and tags from new stories.

I will filter out reader inserts, original characters, y/n, or notps if I keep seeing too many of them in my results, but otherwise I’ll just scroll past them. Sometimes if I’ve been reading for a specific idea for a while I’ll sort by word count and begin going through it from least to most to see if there’s anything I’ve been missing because it’s not been updated recently. And sometimes if I feel like reading fanfiction but don’t have anything particular in mind I’ll just head to the Ao3 page for the main character (more reliable then a fandom tag, if a franchise exists in multiple forms of media they’ll usually each have their own tag the fanfiction will be scattered accordingly) of one of the bigger fandoms I’m in and start trawling the page for anything that looks interesting.

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Question:

Please use the box below to write any thoughts or opinions on this questionnaire or the subjects within it that you did not get the chance to share.

Answer:

On how I find fanfiction to read on websites that are not ff.net or Ao3, copy-pasted from the original all-encompassing answer I wrote before I realized you were looking for answers only about the website you’d just been talking about:

Wattpad (which I did not select when asked what websites I search for fanfiction on because I never willingly go looking there I just end up on it sometimes to my great frustration.):

Whatever idea it is that I’ve latched onto, I’ll enter it into the search bar on whatever browser I’m using, and open whatever links look most appealing in a new tab, giving preference to stories from any website except Wattpad* preference over tags or other collections, and links to Ao3 preference over links to anything else.

(*If links to Wattpad make it onto the first page of results, I’ll take whatever meager scrapings I was offer from other websites, then give up the search as a lost cause and pick a new idea as a I mourn the lack of the content I want to read. Only if I am already very attached to an idea and very desperate will I follow a link to wattpad. That website is the only one I have ever encountered worse then ff.net and it is an absolute unnavigable MESS.)

Tumblr:

If I’m on tumblr (mobile, I’ve never used tumblr on the computer but I don’t think it works the same) then once I find one thing to read that I like, I’ll begin tapping my way through the suggested posts on the bottom based on whatever looks the most interesting from what little I get to see of it. Sometimes I’ll end up on a specific blog or a specific tag, and I’ll just scroll through reading anything that looks even mildly cool regardless of whether it has anything to do with what I was originally searching for or not, until I click on a specific post for some reason (usually a “read more“), and then I’m back to navigating by suggested posts again. I tend to wander through fandoms and subfandoms a lot faster here, trading one interesting idea for the next as they’re presented to me. It’s a lot of fun and I sometimes discover completely new stuff! I’ll often end up following Authors I really like so that their stuff will end up in my feed, and this is really the only site on which I do that.

Just another couple comments on my general media consumption habits that I didn’t really see anywhere else to put:

Everything I stated about my fanfiction habits when getting into a new show applied if it’s a movie or book or game too, it’s just that 90% of the time it’s a show. My favorite movies are documentaries so I’m not sure what fanfiction for them would even look like, I prefer video essays and theories for games, and I just don’t read as many books as I used to. About half of the remaining 10% of the time is actually probably musicals.

It’s not unusual for me to have seen only three or so episodes of a show, but to have read insane amounts of fanfiction for it. I have difficulty sitting down to actually watch a show, and I usually only expend the effort for my absolute favorite series, so most of my interaction with most shows ends up being fanfiction. Getting into a new show because I came across some really good fanfiction for it is not uncommon either.

[gizkasparadise]

cdrama rec: ashes of love

Master drama rec list.

Series: ashes of love / heavy sweetness, ash-like frost Episodes: 63 (that i watched in like 5 days dont judge me) Genres: fantasy/wianxia, romance, comedy, angst Spoilers in the Rec: minor ones If You Like, You’ll Like: eternal love (both the show and also the meta concept), moon lovers, tragically coughing up blood to indicate that you’ve been betrayed, reincarnation, dramatic interruptions of weddings, mmmWhatchasay villains, idiots in love, some Romance with your romance 

Rank: 8/10

premise

thousands of years ago, the Floral Deity/Zi Fen was dying due to being literally burned by love (long story, flashback eps later). Right before she bites it, she gives birth to a baby girl named jin mi and is so capital-D Done with men and their lowercase d’s (and saw a prophecy or whatever) that she gives her baby a pill that makes her unable to feel love as well as a seal that locks down her powers. she tells her assistants not to fuck with either.

the assistants are clearly uncomfortable by this whole premise, but agree to raise jin mi without her knowing her true heritage, power, or love. this will work well in the long term, everyone thinks. everything will be great, everyone thinks. 

for 4000 years, it all seems to be going well enough as jin mi is raised ignorant but happy in her little bio-dome.

but then a fucking bird falls through it:

lol toasty

that bird is actually the true PHOENIX form of Heavenly Prince Xu Feng, who has been injured after reaching nirvana by some SCHEMERS. jin mi takes him in, nurses him to health (after attempting to cut off his penis because she thought it was a tumor yeah really Flower Realm sex ed leaves a lot to be desired), and in exchange she makes him take her to the Heaven Realm aka the EXACT place mama Flower Deity NEVER EVER wanted her to go for REASONS

from there, jin mi meets various deities, gets caught up in some intrigue, carries around a succulent, and maybe there’s a murder or ten. get ready for some Epic Shit.

main characters

jin mi

our hero! having been given an elixir that stops her from feeling or understanding love, jin mi comes across as naive, bubbly, and sometimes a lil dense. as a minor magical being (grape elf lol), she doesn’t have a lot of power but that changes because we’re on an epic, baby. she wears a hairpin that suppresses her gender and power and so she’s often mistaken for a dude 

center of a reverse harem that includes dudes and ladies. bestower of terrible nicknames. has mastered the DRAMATIC HAIR TWIRL. is amazing and knows it. watches ur dirty dreams For Science

 xu feng / god of war / prince of heaven

the Crown Prince of the Heaven Realm whose natural form is a phoenix. he’s also the god of war because why not and a bit of a himbo/bird brain (ba dum tish). he falls in love with jin mi and completely misses the signs that she is missing his signs.

only drinks natural spring water so you get the vibe that he’s a cosmic foodie. jock that goes through a pretty intense goth phase. could better check his privilege. seduction a la the art of war 

runyu / god of night

xu feng’s older half-brother via concubine, and therefore Not the Crown Prince. his natural form is a dragon, and he’s the god of night. a certified Sad Boy, he’s lonely all the time, like his only friend aside from xu feng is a lil baby deer that eats dreams and burbs them out as bubbles. 

he’s really chill and nice and yeah the illegitimate son who lives in isolation, falls in love with his bro’s girl, and has severe mom hang-ups is going to have a totally great time in a cdrama :| mmwhatchasay

some support characters selected by how much they are my favorites

yanyou / mr puchi

the actual, literal definition of a “smug snake.” yanyou is the snake deity and Up To Something No Good that we don’t know for awhile. BUT he’s been bros with jin mi since she was in the floral realm, and is pretty much the bestest of friends to her despite all his bullshit (he’s got a lot of all that bullshit). will take you to BOTH types of brothels because he supports your journey, man

liuying

demon princess and bestie of xu feng (and just friends! REFRESHING). she is five ounces of whoopass with a Thing for phantom of the opera cosplayers. whips it baby, whips it right

dan zhu / the fox fairy

xu feng and runyu’s uncle, the younger brother of the Heavenly Emperor. he’s a fox fairy as well as the god of love and marriage. grade-A meddler. diehard jin mi/xu feng shipper. lover of porn.

some support characters selected by how much they are NOT my favorites but are important to the plot or whatever

suihe 

princess/current leader of the bird tribe (natural form a peacock) and xu feng’s cousin. is super super trying to lock that shit down with him, so she can become heavenly empress and because she loves him or whatever. is STUPID gorgeous like what demon did she deal with for that face

the heavenly empress

xu feng’s mom, also a phoenix/original head of the bird tribe, and i really don’t think i need to explain this character after you’ve seen this picture. she is exactly who you think she is.  

there’s also the heavenly emperor but that bitch don’t get a photo in my recap

Drawbacks

holy hetero, batman! there’s a few lines that had me rolling my eyes 

almost all of the main cast have an EQ as deep as a teaspoon, xufeng in particular is super insensitive at times

i am probably in the minority but GOOD GOD we did not need the amount of muci that we got. at all. there was too much/i started skipping all his scenes. you’re tragic, we get it 

not a drawback so much as a warning, but jin mi is often the victim of manipulation. she breaks free/has an EPIC “reason you suck!” speech later, but it’s good to know ahead of time

Reasons to Watch.

genuinely hilarious??? which is super impressive considering how DARK this shit could get. 

jin mi is so loveable. team jin mi forever

costume porn and how. and also my Supreme Jam of the costuming reflecting the character arcs as the show goes

this series has everything: a baby deer that vomit dreams, sad dragon merman princes, a girl that becomes a grape. corpse weddings

idk you want your DRAMA you want your ROMANCE you want all the colors pulled from your eyes and put into an ORB???

Actually has a pretty happy ending which is LMAO fucking phenomenal based on my (limited) experiences w/ cdramas!

Final Thoughts.

it’s on netflix! go go go 

[gallavictorious]

Top 5 Male Characters

I was tagged by @whaticameherefor - thanks, dear, this was fun!

Standard disclaimer: These are some of my favourites – I'd be hard-pressed to choose the actual top 5. Whom I love best varies a bit (though no 1 below will probably always be no 1).

Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars)

This one strode straight into my heart on Boxing Day 1994, and it's fair to say that my life might well have looked rather different if he hadn't. Star Wars was my first big fandom, and it's still the one I keep in my heart of hearts, even if I'm not into Disney's revisionist stuff at all. (Which is a shame, because Rey, Poe and Finn are darling and I would have loved to see good movies wih them.) Darth Vader is kind of like a fusion between two of my very early favorites: Shredder (from Turtles) and Zorro, so yeah. I fell for Vaderkin the second he said “I am your father” because in that moment I knew that a, there was an exciting history there, and b, he'd turn back to the light side. I was a dangeorusly genre savvy 10-year old, I just want that said – and I've been a sucker for a redemption arc since... forever. I have a vivid memories of dreaming of Duchess Ravenwaves of Lady Lovelylocks becoming fast friends when I was a 7 or 8.

Excellent things about my dumbass Chosen One include his dedication to being a Dramatic Bitch, him being very intelligent about some things while being so fucking stupid about others, his general prowess (Kee has a competence kink, y'all... ), and the fact that he loves enough to both break the world and heal it. Truth be told, though, I've loved him for so long that I can't really say what it is I love about him, the same way you can't really say that about siblings or close friends: I just know that I do.

Jim Moriarty (Sherlock)

Jim's an amoral genius with a thing for Sherlock Holmes, and not only does he dress well but he is fun, which is only all too rare in villains. (Unless you go for the actually insane and sadistic ones, which I don't so much.) If you gonna be evil, you might as well delight in it! When pulling off a complicated  heist, Jim takes the time to design a completely bogus app with super cute icons, in spite of him being the only one who will ever see them. This is the kind of dedication I look for! Underneath the slick facade and wisecracks, there's the very occasional glimmer of utter ennui and loneliness, which makes his gleeful embrace of CRIME all the more compelling to watch.

Incidentally, Sherlock was the fandom that had me move from LiveJournal to Tumblr back in 2012. I'm extremely intrigued by Sherlock and Jim's relationship – foe yay dreams were made of this – and I have to say that my interest in the series dwindles since Jim's death (THERE WAS NO BODY! HE COULD HAVE FAKED IT! DON'T AT ME!), thought that might well be due to season 3 and (particularly) 4 not quite living up to the absolute glory that was the two first seasons.

Gabriel Gray/Sylar (Heroes)

Driven by a need to be 'special' (blame it on his mom), humble watchmaker Gabriel Gray adopts the name Sylar and starts murdering people to steal their various super powers, as you do. Sylar ticks several of my boxes: extreme competence, one-liners, into being super dramatic, proper enjoyment of being bad, strong eyebrow game, redemption arcs. Yes, arcs - there are several, as Sylar kind of goes back on forth on the whole being evil thing. Later seasons introduce a 'hunger' that's supposed to explain his descent into darkness, which I'm not a huge fan of (I'm more into people making horrible choices of their own free will; drugs, psychotic breaks and being possessed by dark powers bore me) but I suppose it'd be a little hard to sell his ultimate  redemption otherwise, because he kills so many people and often seem to have quite a bit of fun doing it. To be fair, he kind of goes to prison for eight years (even if it's all in his head... ) but yeah.

Since Sylar interacts with and antagonizes pretty much all of the heroic main cast, and does have shades of affable evil, he is very easy to ship with a lot of the good guys. Catnip for a foe yay fan like me.

Lucifer Morningstar (The Sandman, Lucifer)

Yes, this the comic book character the TV show is based on, but while the show has some charming qualities of its own, it's utterly rubbish as far as adaptations go. Comic book Lucifer is cold, brilliant, sardonic, never lies but manipulates like nobody's business. He plays the piano. He doesn't give a rat's ass about anybody's sins or immortal souls: he just wants to escape the tyranny of predestination. Which, you know, highly relatable. I'd want to do that to, if I believed in predestination. The people he feels anything but vaguely disdainful disinterest for are extremely few, and even those he does care about he'd probably be willing to sacrifice to achieve his own ends. He's not a charming character – but fuck, is he compelling!

The Lucifer introduced in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman is slightly softer than the version in Mike Carey's spin-off Lucifer, and I love them both. The Lucifer of the TV show... well, he does play the piano, I suppose.

Ian och Mickey (Shameless US)

Yes, this is cheating but you cannot make me choose! If I was forced to put only one, I'd put Mickey – though I miss Ian more when he's not around than I miss Mickey when he's missing from the show. In fairness to me, while they are both very interesting characters, they arguably become something else entirely and completely awesome when they're together. Mickey being such an utter thug while still retaining enough of a soft heart to be super soft for Ian, and Ian being genuinely kind and caring while at the same time being a little punk and generally ready to throw down.... Their differences, and their rather difficult circumstances, cause them quite a lot of problem over the years, but they complement each other in the best of ways: and they truly appreciate each other and have fun together. I love them, ok?

I’d like to tag @iwannabewhereyouaremickey @fiona-fififi @imberantiel​ and @sickness-health-all-that-shit - no pressure whatsoever, if this is not your thing though. :) Also, anyone else wanna do this, I’m always curious to know about people’s interests beyond Shameless, so have at it please.

[comicgeekscomicgeek]

Their Hero Academia - Chapter 50: Things Go Beyond

Presenting a special, extra-length 50th chapter, raw and unedited, of my on-going, next-gen, My Hero Academia fic, Their Hero Academia!

Earlier chapters can be found here

Koharu could still not believe the direction her life had taken.  She’d gone into the Sports Festival with the hope that she could impress the teachers enough to make it into the Hero Course for the second year.   She never would have expected to have gotten Third Place.  And she definitely never would have expected that, as a General Education student, even one who made Third Place, or that she’d be Interning with Deku, and also with the Voice, Hitoshi Shinso, golden boy of the General Education department.

Now, the Internship was nearly over.  She’d learned a lot from everyone, including from her future comrades in the Hero Course, Isamu Haimawari and Toshinori Midoriya.  The former was working with Deku as well, but like her, he had no Hero legacy of her own.  It made her feel a little less alone in all this.  Midoriya, on the other hand, was Deku’s son, and working with Lemillion, who, along with Glamour and Deku’s main Sidekick, the Shield, had also been participating in their mentorships.   With so much attention being paid to them, she couldn’t help but feel a little unworthy of it all.

It just meant she’d have to work that much harder to prove herself.

She stepped out of the locker room after having changed into another gym uniform (Checking on her costume was the first step when she got back to UA.), when she heard a voice calling her name.   Deku and Lemillion were supposed to be going on patrol together today and taking the three of them with them.  Sure, since she wasn’t in the Hero Course yet, she hadn’t been allowed to do any fighting, but the off-patrol training regime had more than made up for it.  

“Ah, Kocho!  There you are!”

She looked up to see Lemillion coming her way.   “Oh, Mister Togata, sir,” she said.  “I’m not late, am I?”

He shook his head.  “Oh, no, I just wanted to talk to you for a minute. And you don’t have to call me Mister Togata.  Lemillion’s fine.  Or even Mirio if you want.  I’m easy.”

“Oh, okay, sure. What’s up?”

“Well, you see, I’ve got a son about your age, David, he’s in the Support Course.  He’d probably kill me if he knew I was talking about this, but, well, he had a break-up with his last girlfriend, and…”

Okay, she definitely wasn’t expecting that.   Koharu quickly held up both hands.  “Sorry, Mister Togata.  Lesbian.” Not that she’d been doing much thinking in that regard.  All her focus had been on the Sports Festival.  And now it was all on getting herself up to Hero Course standard.

He didn’t miss a beat. “Oh, okay!  You’re probably a little young for my daughter, though. And I’m pretty sure she’s already sweet on someone, even if she won’t tell me…”

What was happening? Pro-Heroes had seemed so… distant before, even the ones who seemed personable on camera.  Who knew they were as human and strange as everyone else?

***

This was officially the best week of Isamu’s life, and that was counting the fact that he’d won the Sports Festival the previous week.  Working with the Number One Hero—Deku!—had been a dream he’d never have thought possible.  He’d trained harder than he ever had before and more than a few small children had actually recognized him while they were on patrol.  Sure, he’d been overshadowed by Deku in that regard, but who wouldn’t have been?

He’d even gotten to take down an actual Villain.  Nothing fancy, just some guy with a Grasshopper Quirk turned purse snatcher, but Deku’d actually let him do the takedown.  He’d been able to anticipate where the guy was going to jump, use his own Quirk to repel himself into the air, then come down and knock him right off his feet.

Maybe it wasn’t taking down the League of Villains or anything, but it was pretty good all the same.

Their patrol must have been quite the sight to the people down below.  Lemillion parkour-ing from rooftop to rooftop, Midoriya doing his gravity-jumps to do the same thing, Deku actually flying, Kocho flying along with her wings, and him, doing his Slide and Glide, occasionally adding an extra-burst to launch himself to the next roof.  But as Deku said, the public visibility was good.  Made people feel safe, watched out for, and let the Villains know they were out there.

Deku landed on the edge of the next rooftop and waited for the rest of them to join him, before breaking into a grin.   Isamu had seen him interviewed countless times and knew he smiled easily, but seeing it in person was something else entirely.  It was entirely genuine, no pretention about it.  He’d seen the man gush easily, about his friends, about his family (especially about his son), even about the progress he and Kocho were making.  

But he’d also seen him turn serious in a heartbeat.  Earlier in the week, when a Villain with a strength-enhancing Quirk had appeared, trying to knock down a tower, Deku had given him a chance to surrender, not wanting to fight if he didn’t have to.  When the Villain had retaliated, Deku had been absolutely swift in his response, first binding him with black coils of energy, then using a single Detroit Smash to knock him out.  The man had been threatening innocent people.  Isamu understood the need for swift action there.

And just as immediately, Deku had returned to grinning, assuring everyone that everything was okay.   And to everyone watching, it was.

That was the kind of Hero that Isamu wanted to be.  

“Okay,” Deku said, “we’re here.  I took patrol to this part of the city for a very important reason.”   Whatever it was, he seemed excited.  Practically vibrating, even.  Isamu didn’t have a lot of personal experience to form a baseline of Deku’s behavior, but this typically seemed to accompany talking about another Hero or a Quirk.

“Wait,” Midoriya said. He rubbed his chin with his hand. “It’s Saturday, right?  So that means…”

Kocho looked at him, with a confused expression.  Isamu shook his head, because he had no idea what was going on either.

“That’s right!” Deku said. He gave his white cape a dramatic flick and pointed to the street below.  A storefront with a multicolored awning was down below, part of a fairly expansive building.  “It’s the grand opening of Herotopia Ice Cream!  One hundred and fifty Pro Hero themed ice cream treats!”

Lemillion let out a laugh at that.  “Oh, man, I can’t believe I forgot!  I bet I’m delicious!”

***

It was, fortunately, early in the morning, so most people weren’t out for ice cream yet.  In fact, it made them the first customers of the day.   Despite the owner’s protests, Dad had insisted on paying, and then they’d all occupied a back booth.   Toshi, like Dad, had gotten Dekulicious ice cream, which was a swirl of green, red, black, and white.  He wasn’t entirely sure what each of those flavors was supposed to be, but it all combined to be pretty good.  

Uncle Mirio had gotten his own flavor, Lemonillion.  “Not a huge lemon fan,” he admitted, “but their hearts are in the right place.  And I like the pun!”

“If they want to start marketing this for more retail spots, I am definitely talking my dad into stocking it,” Haimawari said.  He’d gotten a cone of Red Cherry Riot.

“Definitely amazing,” Kocho said, between sips of her Pinky Acid Shake.  Toshi’d been a little worried that she wouldn’t be able to find anything on the menu, but he should have known Dad wouldn’t have brought them there if that was the case.   “Appreciate it, Mister Midoriya.”

Dad just grinned at that. “I keep telling you, you don’t have to call me that.”

Kocho shrugged. “Sorry.  Can’t really turn off the politeness.  Mom would track me down and smack me.”

Haimawari laughed at that. “My mom’s the same way.  Of course, I think she just likes smacking things. Does that to Dad often enough. Kind of like Ojiro actually.”

“She did try to do that to Sero back at the festival,” Kocho agreed.  “Is that normal?”

“Aaah, yeah, kinda,” Toshi admitted.  “As far back as I can remember, anyway.”  

Ojiro did have a tendency to strike out when she felt frustrated, usually at Sero or Sato, but she’d never done them any serious harm.  She was just an expressive person.  Which, Toshi supposed, was a thing you had to do when you were invisible.

“So,” Dad asked Kocho, “did they give you any idea which of the Hero Courses they’re going to put you in?”

The moth-girl shook her head, a movement exaggerated by her antennae.  “No clue,” she said.  “And I’m technically not in yet.  Still have to finish this semester, pass my exam.  And I still don’t know what other criteria they’re using to determine if I get in.”

She extended her proboscis and slurped up some of her shake before speaking again.  “Though I’m guessing you or Mister Shinso or both are giving them some kind of report card beyond whatever usual Intern evaluations get done.”

That got a laugh out of Uncle Mirio.  “Oh, she’s smart.”

Dad laughed too. “Pretty standard Intern review form, actually” he said.  “Though Nezu and Aizawa did ask more in-depth feedback than usual.”

Wait… if Mister Aizawa was asking for feedback.  “Dad?” Toshi asked.

Dad’s eyes went wide. “I talked about Aizawa, didn’t I?” He started shaking in his seat. “Oh no, oh no, oh no, he’s gonna kill me!”

“See?” Haimawari said. “See?  This is why I know he’s scary!  Even Deku’s afraid of him!”

Toshi did have to admit that their teacher could be scary and was super serious even at the best of times, but he was also an incredible teacher who clearly cared a lot for them. Dad, Mom, all his parents’ friends spoke highly and kindly of him.  Toshi even had plenty of childhood memories of him, when Grandpa Might would bring him to UA with him.

On the other hand, there was good news to be had!  “Looks like you’re going to be classmates with us then!” he said.  “That’s awesome!”

Haimawari nodded his agreement.  “You were really great in the Sports Festival,” he said.  “Plus, you know, be nice to have somebody else around who isn’t part of the shared memory.”

She gave him a curious look. “Shared memory?”

“Except for Haimawari,” Toshi explained, “all of the rest of us grew up knowing each other.”  Some better than others, based upon various friendship clusters between the adults, but there weren’t any strangers between them.   Well, no stranger than Mineta anyway. “Still can’t believe they put all of us in the same class.”

All the Class A kids in one class, the Class B kids in another, and all kids who weren’t either in Class C.  Weird when he thought about it.  Toshi wondered for a moment just who had planned that out.

“Not my idea,” Dad said. “But it worked out well.  Look at all the teamwork you guys pulled off!”

“So,” Kocho said, “that’s the two of you, and I already met Sero, Ojiro, and Sato back at the Festival, and Mineta, from the Festival is in your class?”

Haimawari gulped. Mineta did seem to like unnerving him.  She seemed to have slacked off some since she’d met Izumi’s friend Shinji though. “Yeah.”

“Hooo-boy.”

“She’s really… not… that… bad…” Toshi said.  They weren’t close, but the Minetas were still family friends.  “She’s an acquired taste,” he tried.

“But I think you’ll fit in great,” Haimawari added.  “And I’m not just saying that because it means I’m not the new guy anymore.”

“We were all the new guy at one point or another,” Dad said.  “You guys all have the advantage, growing up together.  My class had never met before.  It’s going to make you even better Heroes than we ever were.”

“Maybe,” Haimawari said. “But our first year couldn’t possibly be as exciting as yours…”

***  

He should never have said that, Isamu would later reflect.  Because it had almost immediately gotten worse.

They’d left the ice cream shop when they heard it.  A low whistle, growing steadily louder, like something falling from the sky.  People stopped where they were, looking up and for the source of the sound.

“What is that?” Lemillion asked, shielding his eyes against the sun, looking up.

Deku pointed to something, a huge black spot that was growing steadily bigger.  “Something’s falling…” he said.  He squinted, trying to determine what it was.  “Can’t make it out.  But I’m betting it’s going to make a hell of a crater if it hits.”

“Step back, everyone,” Deku said.  He took a couple steps back, then ran forward, tensed his legs, then launched into the sky.  The force of the acceleration made Isamu’s hair flutter and made Lemillion’s cape snap back.

They watched for a moment as Deku rose to meet whatever it was.  As he closed in on it though, the thing lashed out!  Isamu let out a gasp as he watched Deku fall from the sky. Next to him, he heard Kocho scream and Toshi let out an anguished cry.  He was pretty sure he screamed too, but he was too stunned by what he’d seen. What could possibly have been powerful enough to do that…?

He could only watch, helplessly, as Deku fell, hitting the ground hard enough to make the same kind of crater he’d worried about.  He bounced twice, then pulled himself to a sitting position, holding his head. “Haven’t been hit that hard since…” he muttered.

“Dad!” Midoriya cried out, at his father’s side in an instant.  

Deku looked up, seeing that whatever had hit him, it was still coming.  “Toshi… get behind me.”

And finally, whatever it was hit the ground like a missile.  The impact cracked the pavement, sending up a cloud of dust. When it cleared…

The creature was massive, much bigger than Deku or Lemillion, maybe even larger than All Might in his prime.  It had dead, pale grey skin, bulging muscles, a face twisted into some kind of beak. Worst of all, its brain was exposed, the top of its head completely gone.

It let out a feral roar, like some kind of ancient dinosaur.

Deku flung Midoriya towards them, then was on the creature in an instant, flinging himself into the air. From his hands, black tendrils of power entangled the creature, lifting it into the air, slamming it into the ground again and again.  Each time it hit the ground, the creature would let out another roar.  But it wasn’t a roar of pain.  The creature didn’t even look like it was feeling the blows. It was rage, pure, violent rage.

Lemillion had placed himself between Isamu and Kocho and the creature and he caught Midoriya easily, putting him behind him as well.  “C’mon, Deku, you’ve got this…” he whispered, fists clenched tight.  

“What… what is that thing?” Kocho asked.  Isamu detected some fear in her voice, but he didn’t judge her for it.  It was all he could do to keep himself from shaking. The creature was unreal, monstrous, a mockery of a man.  Something about it just seemed profoundly… unnatural.

“I.. I don’t know,” he replied.

“It’s a Nomu…” Midoriya breathed.  “I’ve only seen pictures… there aren’t supposed to be any more of them…”

The creature—the Nomu—broke free of Deku’s tendrils, lashing out.  Deku dropped down and it struck out, hitting him with a blow which connected with a resounding crack. The force even knocked him back, gouging the street beneath his iron soles.  He used the space, bringing up one arm.  “DELWARE… AIRFORCE… SMASH!”

A mighty blast of concentrated air pressure struck the Nomu, smashing it into a nearby car. Considering how much their Hero Courses and Deku himself had talked about minimizing property damage, it must have truly been serious.  But Isamu winced all the same.  Insurance coverage for Hero battles was good, but could still take months to process.

It didn’t seem to matter. The Nomu sprung up again in an instant, roaring again.  It leapt, covering the distance between itself and Deku like it was nothing and struck him again.   He was more ready for the blow this time, dodging it, but it grabbed his white cape and threw him to the ground, hard.  

“Dad!” Midoriya screamed again.  He took a step back and Isamu could see the look of concentration flicker over his face as he manipulated his gravity.  He was getting ready to jump.

The second he did, Lemillion grabbed him.  “Toshi, no!”

“But Dad…!”

“He doesn’t want you getting hurt!  You can’t fight that monster!  I’ve got this!”

Lemillion rushed forward, cape trailing behind him.  “Hey! Ugly!”

That got its attention and it struck out at him, the Nomu’s blow passing harmlessly through his torso. Lemillion struck back, hitting it with a haymaker that would have dropped almost anyone.

The Nomu didn’t even flinch. Lemillion’s hand made a sickening crunch.

Lemillion winced, biting his lip to keep from screaming, taking a step back and cradling his hand. But he had the monster’s attention now. It roared and slashed at him, but fortunately, he could still activate his Quirk.

Again and again it struck, but Lemillion kept its attention.  Time enough for Deku to recover.  He hit it from behind, knocking it through Lemillion, crashing into the street.

A burst of speed brought Deku to it again, as the Nomu recovered.  It threw a punch, but he caught it, emerald and crimson lightning crackling over his skin.  His face set and grim, Deku twisted the thing’s wrist, shattering it.  Even then, it didn’t seem to feel the pain.

Isamu had seen plenty of news footage and pictures of Deku in action.  He always, always smiled.  There were, occasionally, brief flashes of grim determination, or even serious focus, when he was fighting a really serious Villain.  But there was none of that here.  He was more serious than Isamu had ever seen.  There was only sheer focus on ending the threat in front of him.

What was this thing?

Deku drew back his other fist.  “DETROIT…. SMASH!”   With his free hand, he hit the Nomu with such force that its head spun around nearly one hundred eighty degrees, making the most sickening sound as it did so. Like a marionette with its strings cut, it fell to the ground.

“Holy shit,” Isamu said.

“Language,” Lemillion said, quick enough that it sounded like a reflex.

“Sorry,” he said, just as reflexively.

A moment of tension broke. Deku looked around, spotting the few civilians that had sheltered in place while he fought.  Slowly, and with great effort, a smile did return to his face. “It’s all right, everyone!” he said. “I’ve taken care of the threat! You’re safe now!  Because I am here!”

Yeah, okay, Isamu was man enough to admit his little fanboy heart soared at hearing that.

“Call it in,” Deku said. “I’m pretty sure it’s not getting back up, but we need a containment crew here, immediately.  And we need to get your hand looked at.”    He looked over at Isamu, Kocho, and Midoriya.  “Sorry, kids, but I think we’re going to be working full time on this. Internship’s over.”

“We understand, Dad,” Midoriya said.  He sounded more worried than Isamu had ever heard him.  He was usually one of the most confident, encouraging people Isamu knew. If he was worried…

“Please tell me that kind of thing doesn’t happen all the time,” Kocho said.  There was fear on her face.  No surprise.  She was even less used to this kind of thing than he was.  And he was scared out of his mind.

“Deku,” Lemillion began.  He was cradling his broken hand against his body, holding his Hero-phone in the other. “It’s not just here.  Reports of attacks coming in all over the city.  There’s more of them.”

Deku stopped smiling. “It’s an attack.”

***

It was an awful, foul, unnatural thing, the Nomu.  Dead grey skin, its beak, its exposed brain…   It made Izumi sick just to look at it.  Afraid too.  She had heard the stories, how one had been resistant to her father’s freezing power, how another had nearly killed her grandfather.  To think that someone once human had been perverted into such an abomination…

“Just as ugly as I remember,” Uncle Denki—No, Chargebolt now—said.  He lifted his right arm, readying his Sharpshooting gear. Electricity crackled around him, making his hair stand up.

Beside him, Grape Juice’s face was set in grim determination, two of his balls already in his hands. “Just so you know,” he said, “if we don’t survive this…  it’s been nice knowing you, buddy.”

The Nomu let out a roar of challenge, looking them over with its cold, almost lifeless eyes.  

“Hey, relax,” Chargebolt said.  “We’ll be back with the wives before you know it.”

He looked back over at Izumi.  “Izumi… lock us in.  And keep it up.  This thing can’t get through.  We keep it focused on us and it can’t harm any people.”

“And don’t drop it until we tell you to,” Grape Juice added.  “No matter what you hear.”

“But…”  She couldn’t just leave them to that thing’s mercies. She knew about Nomu, knew that some of them had given even some of the strongest Heroes some of the most difficult fights of their careers.  She loved her Uncle Denki dearly, but neither he nor his partner were what she would have called formidable.

“Do it!” Chargebolt shouted, racing forward, Grape Juice at his side.  Grape Juice threw several of his balls, but the Nomu dodged.  Right into the path of Uncle Denki’s first electrical blast.  It staggered under the blast, but kept coming.

Izumi let out a gasp, but brought up both hands, drawing in as much heat as her body could handle. She formed thick walls of ice, as thick and tall as she could make them, until nothing would be able to pass through this side of the street without smashing its way through.  The bands on her regulator harness were already glowing an angry orange from the effort and she could feel the heat rolling inside her.

But she could hold it for the moment.  She might need to shore up the ice wall.  And when the time came to do her part, she would not be found wanting.

Her ice was too thick to see through, but she could hear the crackle of electricity being discharged, the roar of the Nomu, and the rubbery sound of Grape Juice’s balls.  

She wasn’t sure what was more terrifying, the sounds of combat, or what it would mean when it stopped.

***

“How soon until we’re at Tokyo?” Froppy asked.  Her normally neutral expression given over to worry.  Her voice quavered in a way that Akaya had never heard her speak before.

Rockhopper, manning the helm, gave her a grim look.  “Still nearly an hour out, ma’am.”

Akaya frowned.  They’d been out in open waters, when the call had come in.  An All Heroes Alert for Tokyo had gone out, meaning anyone able to make it to the location should.   Tokyo was besieged by creatures though to be extinct, abominations against the natural world called Nomus.

The Oki Mariner was far out, but they would try.

Her parents were based out of Endar, on the southern side of Japan.  She didn’t know if they’d be heading there or not.  But many of her friends on their Internships and their parents were in the greater Tokyo area.  

She prayed that they’d be safe.

***

“Foul beast,” Tsukuyomi said, cloak billowing around him, “I shall not allow you to harm anyone else!”

It was a good thing he sounded so confident, because Takuma was scared out of his mind.  Mom and Dad didn’t talk much about the Nomus they’d faced as students, besieged at random intervals by the League of Villains, but what little they’d said had been enough.  Mom had talked about having nightmares for weeks after the USJ and Dad had talked about how he’d been left questioning how worthwhile his Quirk was when there were monsters like that out there.

At the time, Takuma hadn’t understood it.  They were some of the most awesome heroes he knew (well, next to Deku, and Lemiliion and Red Riot and…).  What could they ever have been afraid of?

And now he knew.

He hung back, watching from a roof while Tsukuyomi and Shadow-Dancer contended with the creature on the street below.  Tsukuyomi had told him he was not to engage under any circumstances.  Not even to rain Acid Tape from above.  If any civilians wandered into the field of combat, he was to retrieve them, but that was it.

“I can’t hold it much longer!” Shadow-Dancer yelled.  She’d possessed a shadowed section of the street, wrapping it around the Nomu.  It struggled mightily, thrashing about as though it felt no pain, no matter how rush road rash it committed to its dead grey skin.

“Then let us end this,” Tsukuyomi declared.  “Dark Shadow… Show no mercy!”

Dark Shadow leapt from the Hero and towards the creature, larger and more menacing than Takuma had ever recalled seeing it.  It was early in the morning still, but the sun was starting to shine.  It could only be Tsukuyomi’s fierce directive giving it such power.

Swarming darkness, its “skin” constantly in motion, its eyes yellow comets in its head, deadly claws flashing…  Dark Shadow is more aptly named than he ever realized.  If Tokoyami’s Frog-Shadow ever becomes half as formidable, she’ll easily be one of the most powerful Heroes in Japan.

The Nomu never stood a chance.  Takuma found he couldn’t watch.  He flinched and looked away.   Judging by the wet sound he head, he didn’t want to look.  Even that made him want to throw up.

He’d left his phone back at the Agency and for once, he didn’t feel its absence.

***

Time and time again, Tensei swooped down and grabbed someone off the street, jetting back to the safe zone as quickly as he could.   “Safe zone” was only an approximation, only far enough to keep them out of the rampaging Nomu’s range as other Heroes battled with it.

“Keep it up, Jet-Blue,” Veloci-Queen told him, slowing down only long enough to get her own rescue back on his feet.  

He slipped the straw inside his helmet in his mouth, taking a long drink from his apple juice reserves. An indicator told him he still had plenty of left for the work ahead.  Good.  He had the feeling he’d need every ounce to fuel his Quirk.

In the distance, he could still see Tailman and Tentacole, two other local Heroes, grappling with the Nomu. Tetacole had the monster in a wrestling hold, while Tailman slammed his tail into it, time and time again.  

It did not fall and instead let out a mighty roar, breaking free from Tentacole’s grip.

Tensei took a breath and took off again.  This was a high traffic, populated area and there were still so many people trapped in their cars.

Time to fly.

***

At U.A., the mood was grim.   Water Spout and Doctor Izumi were not having a good conversation.

“You can’t possibly be thinking of going out there, Eri!” Water Spout shouted, pointing.

Doctor Izumi ignored her husband, continuing to throw items into her medical bag with rapid fire speed. “People are hurt out there, Kota.  I’m going to Musutafu General.  If I can help even just one person…”

Water Spout frowned. “There’s nightmares out there. Don’t you remember what Deku said about those things?”

She continued packing. “Of course, I do.  And I remember what Dad said too.  They’re not invincible.  And right now, we’ve got damn near every Hero in the country converging on Tokyo.”

Finally, she turned to look at him.  “And in case you’ve forgotten, I can take care of myself.”  She punctuated this by clipping a large sheathed knife to her belt.   “And besides, there’s no indication they’ve made it anywhere near the school yet.”

Nevertheless, the rest of the teaching staff was staying at U.A., to protect the students in case anything should happen.

“I can go with her,” Kimiko said.

Both of them looked at her like they’d forgotten she was in the room.  They probably had.  Doctor Izumi had started packing as soon as the Hero Alert had gone out and Water Spout had shown up not long after.  

“Maybe I can’t fight,” she added, “but I can make sure Doctor Izumi can get away from anything out there.”

“…do you know what Aizawa would do to me if I let one of his students go out into danger like that?” Water Spout asked.    Aizawa was his father-in-law, but he seemed deeply terrified of the prospect.

Doctor Izumi frowned, but nodded.  “I’ll take the heat with Dad if it comes up.  I’m going, Kota.  The only difference is whether or not I go with extra stealth or not.”

Water Spout frowned too, but he stepped close to her, put one arm around her middle, and another on her face.  He pulled her close and they kissed.  “Stay safe out there.”

“And you stay safe here,” she said.  “And if Dad asks if you’ve seen me, tell him you haven’t.”

She looked over at Kimiko. “Let’s go, Ojiro.”

***

The Nomu had Kestrel in its grasp, one wing in each hand.  Many of her feathers were embedded in its skin, but it neither bled, nor showed any signs of pain.  It had been faster than it had looked, its powerful long arms giving it greater reach than she could avoid.  And now it was pulling.

Feathers fell from Kestrel’s wings and floated up into the air, stabbing ineffectually at the Nomu. Under such pain and stress, her control over her feathers had to be reduced.  She could bring neither the speed nor force needed to wound it.

And if something was not done soon, it would separate her wings from her body.

Sora had been told to keep back.  There was the implicit order in there that she was not to engage in combat with the Nomu. However, as mother always said, the line between implicit and explicit was where permission lived, so long as you knew how to look for it!

While her right gauntlet contained a capture cable, sometimes, more aggressive measures were needed.  Her left gauntlet contained a small harpoon launcher, for entangling flying objects or for when more penetrative power was needed.

It was this she sighted on and fired.  The harpoon and its cable raced across the sky and hit the Nomu right in its eye.

If it felt any pain from it, it did not show it.  But its grip on Kestrel slackened as it looked up.  Then, it let Kestrel drop completely and grabbed the cable with one of its dead grey hands.  And it yanked.

Unprepared for such force, Sora’s jetpack was overwhelmed by its strength and she was snapped downward.

The tug stopped and the Nomu jerked, two of Kestrel’s feathers stabbing up from its jawline up through its brain.  She smacked it with what remained of her right wing and knocked it back, getting weakly to her feet.

“C’mon, kid,” she said, wings flapping weekly to get herself airborne.  “We gotta… gotta move…”

Her own stability restored, Sora fired her Jackpack harder, swooping down to grab Kestrel.  The Nomu, seemingly oblivious to the injuries it had obtained, swung wildly at them.

“I am afraid we do not possess significant enough strength to stop it,” Sora said.  

Kestrel tried to wiggle free from her grip.  “Somebody’s gotta…”

***

“Red Riot… UNBREAKABLE!”

“Real Steel… INDESTRUTICBLE!”

Daisuke watched as the dead grey Nomu hammered away ineffectually at Red Riot and Real Steel, its blows not even pushing them back.   The power of its blows against their super-hardened bodies made deafening noises, but did little else.  But at least it was distracted for the moment fighting them.   When it had dropped from the sky, it had taken them all by surprise.

Both bastions of manliness had instantly thrown themselves into the fray, but even their great strength was doing little to slow it down.  Red Riot had managed to score several sharp gashes along it with his sharp edges, but if it noticed, it didn’t care.

“We need to get back to the Agency,” he told Shiro Monoma.  “Mobilize any of the sidekicks, get the word out.”  Red Riot and Real Steel were collectively the Number Ten Hero, some of the strongest in the field.  If all they could do was hold it in place…  And even that wouldn’t last long.  As tough as they were, he knew neither could hold their maximum defense for that long.

But Monoma had gone white as a ghost, rooted in place.

Daisuke nudged him. “Hey.  We need to move.  I’ll carry you if I have to, but it’s not safe here.”  Some of his classmates would have been raring to fight. Kirishima-Bakugo and Midoriya for certain.  But Daisuke knew when the time to fight was and when the time to run was.  They were students and that was a monster.

“I…” Monoma began.  He was just staring at the Nomu. “It’s…  it’s…”

Given the way in which Monoma’s Quirk let him perceive others to mimic their skills, who knew what exactly he was seeing looking at that beast?  He supposed he couldn’t blame him for being frozen.  Even with his own great strength, Daisuke found it absolutely terrifying.

Daisuke sighed and heaved the smaller boy onto his shoulders, using his Extendo-Arms to weave his way through the street.

“I couldn’t beat it…” Monoma continued, seemingly oblivious to anything else.  “Not even if I had a million skills…”

“Run now,” Daisuke said, “existential crisis later.”

***

Kenta was certain he was going to die.  When they’d responded to the report of a Villain attack, none of them of them had expected the monster that had been waiting. A Nomu.  The thing that his dad, his Uncle Hanta, all of Dad’s class talked about in hushed and fearful tones.

Suneater and Nejire-chan had been on it in an instant, the former entangling it with tentacles while Nejire-chan blasted away at it with her Wave Motion shockwaves.  They were the Heroes, rushing in.  And he was hiding behind a mailbox, shaking, with a stupid, useless Quick that wouldn’t do anyone any good against that.

He was going to die. And Dad would be left all alone. And that thought hurt far more than the thought of dying.  When Mom had died, Dad had built his life around him.  It was only with Kenta starting U.A. and some encouraging words from his friends that Dad was starting to live his life again.   And then he’d done this to him by going and getting himself killed.

“Tamaki!” Nejire-chan screamed,

There was a wet, meaty sound of fist hitting flesh.  And then another.  The mailbox Kenta was hiding behind shuddered as something impacted into it with a metallic clang.  The Nomu roared, a terrifying, triumphant sound.

Kenta gathered his courage and dared to peek around the edge of the mailbox.  Nejire-chan was slumped over on the ground, bleeding from a nasty head wound.  A short distance away, Suneater was laid out as well.

A shadow fell over them and he realized it was the Nomu.  

It let loose a low growl, raised its hands.  It hadn’t seen him… but it was going to kill Nejire-chan!

If he leaned over, he might be able to get at its ankle.  And do… what… exactly?

Could he?  He couldn’t.  

He had to.  He had to do something.

Kenta stretched himself out, opened his mouth and took a big bite out of the thing’s ankle, teeth tearing through skin and bone and muscle like they weren’t even there.  He spit out the chunk of meat, as it toppled backwards and pulled Nejire-chan towards him.  She was surprisingly light and he got her over his shoulder as he got to his feet.

He could still feel chunks of Nomu between his teeth.  He really wanted to throw up, but he kept going.  And why did it kind of taste like metal in his mouth?

Kenta looked over his shoulder.  Even without ankle to support it, the Nomu was struggling to get back up, as though it didn’t feel its wound at all.

***

“Just a few more moments, please…” Aunt Momo said quietly, her voice weak from the strain and sweat dripping down her face.  The front of her costume was unzipped, as she concentrated on the machine she was creating. It was one of the biggest things Chihiro had ever seen her create.

And fighting the Nomu was Aunt Pony, two of her missile-like horns stabbing it again and again, while she rode on another two.  She darted this way and that, sometimes too close for comfort, trying to keep its attention.

And Chihiro’s job was to watch Aunt Momo’s back.  Neither had wanted her there, but she’s insisted on offering some kind of protection. She couldn’t just leave her unprotected like that, she just couldn’t.

“There…” Aunt Momo gasped, falling to her knees.  “It’s done.”  

Her head snapped up. “Now, Rodeo!  Do it now!”

Aunt Pony shouted something in English.  Chihiro didn’t understand enough of the language to pick up everything, but caught something about “fish” and “barrel.”  She jumped off her horns and directed all four of them at the Nomu at maximum speed.   They pierced its legs from above, pinning it to the street.

“I’m sorry,” Aunt Momo said to her.  “Shouldn’t… have to… ask this… of you…”

Chihiro shook her head. “Gotta do what we gotta do.  It’s why we’re Heroes, right?”

She plugged her Cords into the device Aunt Momo had made and gave it all the electricity she could generate in one massive blast.

At maximum charge, the rail gun fired, its projectile tearing through the Nomu like it wasn’t even there.  Its top half slid the ground with a schlip sound, while its legs collapsed.  

The top half started dragging itself forward.

They were in a bad wheeeeeeeyyyy….

***

Takiyo had been on patrol with Cellophane when the creature had struck, dropped out of the sky like a living missile.  He would later deny the high pitched scream that he had made.  

Cellophane’s visor dropped into place.  “Radiance. I need you to run.  Get back to the Agency.  Hero Alert’s already going off, so more help will be on the way. But you’ve got to run.”

He launched a strip of tape while the creature vented its rage on a parked car. He was going to try and get above it, Takiyo realized.   Didn’t he know how little his Quirk would work on a monster that size?

“And…,” Cellophane said, “and tell my wife and kids I love them.  Please.”

He was… he was going to fight it anyway?  When there were certainly other Heroes on the way?  When his Quirk would do little more than slow it down for a moment?  With a wife and a large brood of children at home, and two more children on the way?

Perhaps, Takiyo reflected, he had underestimated Cellophane.

Perhaps he had misunderstood just what being a Hero meant.

Could he do any less?

He let out a scream and unleashed all his light in a powerful, blinding bolt at the Nomu. Blinded, it let out a mighty road, thrashing ineffectually.

“Told you to run!” Cellophane said, launching himself into the air.  “But thanks, kid!”

Takiyo ran.

***

Team Idaten was on the move.   With the speed Quirks possessed by many members and the fleet of vehicles for the rest, getting from Hosu to Tokyo was easy.  What wasn’t easy was finding out the city had become a warzone.

What wasn’t easy was discovering that the threat was Nomus.  Ingenium dispatched Sidekicks quickly, sending them to various sections of the city, to rescue whoever they could and aid the Pros in whatever way they could, before changing in to engage one himself.

Which left Mika and Flash-Step on rescue duty for any civilians trapped in the way of its rampage. Flash-Step was zipping from place to place, picking up people and moving them out of the way.  Mika was slower than that, but was carrying a little blue-skinned girl in her arms.

“I lost my mommy when everybody started screaming and running!” the little girl wailed.  

Mika was not particularly good with children.  She wasn’t even particularly good at being reassuring in general, unless it was Shiro, and that was because he was easy.  She was very convincing, especially when it came to getting Chihiro to back her up, but that wasn’t quite the same skillset.  She stroked the girl’s hair as she ran.  “Don’t worry,” she said, “I’m sure we’ll find her.  Everybody’s running this way.  She’s probably really worried about you.”

The words felt like sludge in her throat.  How could she make a promise like that?  All Might and many of their teachers and parents talked about how a Hero’s first job was to make people feel safe, to make them feel like everything was going to be okay.  But how could she do that when she didn’t know?  What if it turned out her words were a lie?

“Yu!”  Mika looked to see a blue-skinned woman, arms outstretched, standing not far away with other worried civilians.   “Oh, thank goodness…”

“Mommy!” the little girl cried out, squirming in her arms.   Mika handed her over to her mother.

“Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you,” the woman said.

“Of, of course,” Mika said, suddenly flustered.  “Just… just doing my job.”

She spared a look back to where Ingenium was still fighting the Nomu.  He was faster than it was, but his blows weren’t doing much to stop it. One moment, he was a little too slow and it connected, knocking him down.  It let out a roar and raised its arm to smash him and Mika felt her heart seize up.  No Sidekicks in sight, no nothing…

A bolt of blue energy struck the Nomu in the face, temporarily distracting it.  She saw a gangly man standing in the doorway of a convenience store, a hoodie pulled up over his head and a bandanna wrapped around his face.

Not a Hero then… but what the heck?  And where had she seen blasts like that before?

But it bought Ingenium the moment he needed, and he was back to hammering the Nomu with powerful kicks.

Mika had seen the Hero Alert and all the locations where Heroes were fighting these monstrosities. She hoped her friends were safe. She hoped Shiro was safe.

She hoped her parents were safe.

Right now, she’d swear off girls and boys forever if it meant everyone she cared about made it home.

***

Mei was as transfixed as everyone else in the workshop, stuck staring dumbly at the television.

“My babies…”

***

Asuka paced furiously, watching the televisions.  Mob-Goblin had grounded her after Frog-Shadow had been nearly destroyed, focusing on her training within the Agency and not allowing her to patrol or venture out. It made sense, of course.  Part of her had been badly hurt and needed time to recover.  But when the Hero Alert had gone out, she’d been left alone with the Agency staff.

Left alone to watch the televisions.  Reports were coming in from all over the city and news drones were relaying pictures of Heroes engaged in combat with the Nomu.  She kept changing channels, watching.   One showed her father, using Dark Shadow to tear the Nomu to pieces… only for each of those pieces to keep moving on its own.  

No sign of her mother… she must have been too far away to respond promptly.  But she was probably on her way.  Maybe it would all be over by then…

“Heroes the Voice and Glamour, along with Deku’s Sidekick the Shield engaging near Lukas Park…”

Asuka watched the screen as Glamour called upon an illusion of Deku, letting the Nomu unleash its rage harmlessly on it, while the Voice sought to restrain it with his capture weapon. The Shield slipped in, faintly glowing with power as he hammered blow after blow on the creature, each with a clap like thunder.  

Frog-Shadow appeared and perched on her shoulder.  “They’re… they’re gonna win, right?”

Asuka reached up and took her hand. “We can only hope so.”

Other channels showed some of her friends out there with the Heroes, some helping with evacuations of civilians, others simply clearing out with the rest.  And she was here, just watching.

Asuka knew most of the others thought of her as “Team Mom”, because she was straightforward, level-headed, and responsible, always keeping them on track and on task.  Then what she was feeling right now must be a mother’s fears.

***

“Aizawa, get out of the way!”  Rikido shouted, drawing himself up to his full, imposing height.

Aizawa shook his head. “You heard Nezu.  All staff is to stay on campus in case those things reach the school.   We’re protecting the students.”

“Dammit,” he growled, jabbing a finger into Aizawa’s chest.  “My son is out there!”

His former teacher didn’t even flinch.   “And my daughter is going out there to help.  Which she can do, because she has a Medical Hero license.  If you go out there, in your state, you’re just going to cause more trouble.

“So sit down.  Or I’ll make you.”

***

“Mom, turn off the TV.”

Mina gave her second eldest, Haruto, a look, as he didn’t give her the chance, and turned the TV off for her.  “Turn that back on!”

He shook his head. “Nope.  I’m worried about Dad and Takuma too.  But you don’t get to give yourself a heart attack or something that could hurt the babies.”

Her hand instinctively went to her stomach, trying to quiet the unease that she felt.  Haruto had already had banished her third child, Yamato, from the room, taking Ren and Moji with him.

“Dammit…”

***

“Hey!  You wanna fight somebody, fight me!” Katsumi roared.  The Nomu had already taken out Aunt Ochaco, clipped her hard when she’d gone in to try and get her hands on it to use her Quirk. She was unconscious, but breathing. So Katsumi was going to hit the ugly fucker with everything she had.

She brought up her gauntlets, firing disks imbued with her explosive power as fast as they would load. Explosions dotted along the surface of the Nomu’s skin, ripping open gashes, burning away flesh, and all together doing absolutely nothing to slow it down.

Had this been the way Papa had felt, fighting Strongarm?  Staring down a foe stronger than you, one who could rip you apart? But doing it to buy someone else a little time?  Was this Womanly?

It was three meters away. Then two.  Then one.  She kept firing, keeping its attention on her.  But she had to move.  She couldn’t just stand here.  Keep it distracted and…  and…  

Why weren’t her legs moving?!

Katsumi braced herself and closed her eyes.

There was a sudden, sharp blast of wind and something scooped her up into the air.  She opened her eyes and found… Shinji?!

“What the hell are you doing here, you overgrown vacuum cleaner?”

The large boy looked surprisingly sheepish at the accusation.  “I, ah, may have, ah, flown away from school as fast as I could when we heard about the attacks.  I was, ah, worried about you, and Izzy, and Shota, and Mika…”

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Katsumi slapped her face with the palm of her hand. “Only you.  Put me down!  We gotta fight that thing!”

Her irritation was replaced by terror that made her feel like someone had injected ice water into her veins.  She hadn’t even thought about Izzy being out there somewhere… with Nomu everywhere. And she was with Uncle Pikachu and the Grape, who couldn’t possibly protect her against…

No.  No.  No. She had to banish that thought. If she got herself killed because she was distracted…

Shinji put her down on top of a roof.  “I think there’s better people than us for that.”

Below, the Nomu was looking for new targets.  Fortunately, it seemed to have found one.  More Heroes had arrived on the scene now, that Phantom of the fucking Opera wannabe Laughing Man and Nejire Togata, who’d wailed on their class at the USJ.

Katsumi hadn’t liked getting beat to hell like that, but maybe they could unleash some of that hell on the Nomu.

She realized she was still breathing hard, her heart thudding in her chest.  “Then let’s get Uravity out of the way.”

“Might as well risk my life some more,” Shinji said.  “Dad’s going to kill me already anyway.”

This was still technically a Rescue Internship right?  Maybe she could do some rescuing.

As soon as her hands stopped shaking.

***

"Vanish Veil, do you copy? Reports are in from all over the city. Heroes are already engaged but we need to get the word out further."

"I heard them myself already! I know what I'm doing." Mahoro huffed as she gave her hair a toss and looked out on the city. Might Tower was one of the highest points available, and a good map covered any blind spots. She checked the coordinates again. One, two, three... sixteen. It was a terrifying thought, but it was happening. She activated her quirk, several arrows blinking into view around her, before flying off in different directions, rapidly enlarging as they went. Within a minute, each of the Nomus' last reported locations were highlighted with beacons nearly half a mile high, with a red flashing demonic face topping each one. It would be almost impossible for any Hero to miss.

 "Veil... are you sure you won't consider those art lessons?"

"Shut up! Don't distract me!" She focused on maintaining each of the illusions, while still listening for any location updates.

***

"Why! Won't! You! Stay! DOWN?!" Ravenous directed his Binging Balls to make another pass through the monster. Each time they left a neat hole, but the monster just ignored the damage being done to it. The beast was fast as well and had resisted Tamashiro's best efforts to focus his shots on a single point. As it charged him, finally moving in a straight line, he had three of his balls converge to slice off one of its feet, sending it momentarily off-balance. "RUSH, NOW!"

"ON IT!" Daichi Monoma, the hero known as Boost Rush, fired one of the protrusions on his arm at full intensity, sending him at high velocity to catch the Nomu mid-stumble. "Escape Velocity!" Before the creature had its feet on the ground again, he activated his other arm's rocket booster, delivering a punch that rotated his body and could have moved a car. It didn't inflict any visible damage to the creature, but it was propelled upwards several feet.

"Thanks!" Ravenous flashed a jagged grin as he directed all six of his Binging Balls at the monster's head before it had any leverage again.

***

"Keep it pinned down, Sandblast! Bioshock needs more time to get me ready." Bezoar had embedded himself on a rooftop as a gunner's nest. "I knew I should have taken more iron supplements this morning..."

"You're not the boss of me!" Sandblast sent another wave of Assault Dust at the Nomu, stripping a layer of flesh from it.

"Metabolism is at maximum, fire when ready!" Katsuma had completed maximizing the cell activation of Bezoar's quirk.

"GET CLEAR!" A pulse of light burst forth from Bezoar's jaws as they spread wide, and a roar of displaced air accompanied a high-speed hyper-dense projectile closing in on the Nomu.

***

"This way people, keep moving! Stay inside the tunnel and don't touch the sides!" Petal Princess had created a semi-circular passageway with her quirk, composed of the flowers created by her. Anything trying to press through would sustain significant damage. "Lady, behind you!"

"Rear Guard!" Lady Luminous, without turning around, unleashed her Queen Beam. A projection of light the width of her entire face shot forward one foot, before making two sharp turns, upwards and backwards, to catch the Nomu pursuing her and the fleeing civilians in the face. "Thanks!"

As soon as Lady Luminous had passed the point of the tunnel entrance, Petal Princess thrust both her palms towards the Nomu. "Perfumed Hurricane!" The tunnel dissipated as the flowers flattened, turning razor sharp and converging on the monster.

***

Shota screamed.  The Nomu was the most terrifying thing he had ever seen, like a scary, monster corpse bird zombie thing.  He and Ground Zero had been on patrol, when it had taken them by surprise, dropped out of the sky like some kind of bomb.  It had smashed right through a car like it wasn’t even there and

Ground Zero had proven why he was the Number Four and instantly jumped into action.  First, he’d grabbed Shota and thrown him out of the way, shouting “Stay down, kid!”  He’d landed hard on his butt on the sidewalk.  The patented Ground Zero Rescue Toss!

“DIE!” Ground Zero yelled, charging forward and blasting the Nomu in the face with both hands.  It staggered backwards, blinded by the heat and light, but swung wildly, trying to tag him.  He ducked under the blow and blasted it again, unleashing a powerful charge against its chest.

He pressed his attack, blasting it against and again.  “Dammit!  Why won’t you fall down!”

Ground Zero launched himself up and over the Nomu, slamming his hands against the sides of its head as he went.  He unleashed more explosions and landed behind it, hammering another blow across its back.   It roared and its skin was covered in burns, but nothing he could do was making it fall.

The Nomu spun to face him, its huge arms swinging wildly.  A blow connected, sending him flying.  Ground Zero crashed into a street light and slid down to the ground. The Nomu let out another roar started towards him.

It was going to kill Ground Zero!  He… he couldn’t just…

And so Shota screamed again. He put everything he could into it, a high pitched scream that turned into pure destructive force.  The blast struck the Nomu in the back, blasting a hole right through it.  Shoto could see right through it and out the other side.  He must have even blasted away part of its spine!  The rest of its body seemed enough to support it, but he couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.  Even if it was a monster, he’d never, ever used his Quirk on something alive like that…

At least, his attack got the Nomu’s attention.  It turned to look at him, charred and burnt flesh barely hanging off its singed face. One eye was charged and burnt, the other grey and moving rapidly.  It stopped when it saw him.  Letting out a roar, it charged.

He couldn’t even scream. He couldn’t move.  He was absolutely certain he was going to die. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t get his legs to move, couldn’t scream, couldn’t do anything.  Getting to be a Hero, it was his dream.  Before now, it had almost seemed like all fun and games (And way too much studying.  At least he didn’t have to worry about exams now.) and now it was just a nightmare.  

I’m sorry, Mom!  I’m sorry, Dad!

“Hey!  Ugly!” a voice—Ground Zero, he was okay!—cried out. “Leave the kid alone!”  Powerful explosions blasted the Nomu and then Ground Zero was above it, flying over its head.  As he came down, the Nomu reached out… and grabbed his leg!

The Nomu let out another roar and grabbed Ground Zero around the middle with its other hand.  He struggled against its grip, blasting it with explosions, but they did nothing to slow it down.  And then…

It pulled.

From below the knee, Ground Zero’s leg… just… came… off…

He let out a scream. Not one of the ones he made before he smashed the bad guy… not even one of the ones he made when he was yelling at someone.  But one that seemed to contain all the pain in the world.

The Nomu let him slip from its grasp.  And Shota screamed one final time.

The waves of sound hit the Nomu and then it simply... wasn’t.  The sound waves disintegrated it completely, like it was never even there.

Shota coughed, his throat raw.  He hadn’t done that particular trick in a while and it took a lot of out of him. He felt sick.  He’d done that.  Done that to something that had once been human…

Ground Zero!

Shota rushed to his side. Blood was pouring from his leg and he looked pale.  He had to remember his first aid training.  He had to!  Ground Zero had gotten hurt trying to protect him!  It was already bad enough.  If he died, he didn’t know what he’d do!  They’d spent so much time on first aid, why couldn’t he remember it?!

“I’m sorry,” he sobbed, “I’m sorry…”  He’d done it, he’d gotten one of the greatest Heroes of all time killed.  He was going to have to drop out, everyone was going to hate him, Uncle Shota was going to be so disappointed in him…

“’s… okay, kid…” Ground Zero said, weakly.  “’s… okay…”

***

The Nomu, somehow, even with its head completely facing the other direction, got back on its feet. Its balance was off and it roared and swung wildly, but it was as though it wasn’t even aware of how badly it had been injured.   It wasn’t healing, like some of the Nomu that Izuku and other Heroes had fought years ago, it was simply as though something was keeping it moving despite its injuries.

The sudden revival took Izuku by surprise and it landed a blow that knocked him back.  Having knocked him out of the way, it started towards Mirio, Toshi, and his Interns.  Toshi was already trying to put himself in front of everyone else, while Kocho was taking to the air and Haimawari was moving into a position to slide out, all of them getting ready to protect the injured Mirio.

Against such a monster, they’d have no chance.  He didn’t even have time to think, his body just moved on his own, channeling over seventy-five percent of the power of One for All.  Like a bolt of green lightning, he instantly crossed the distance between himself and the Nomu and hit it with everything he had.  No named Smash, just a straight up punch.  

Its head went flying from its body, smashing into the nearby building and embedding itself there. Finally, the body fell to its knees and did not rise.  It took a moment for the enormity of what he had done to sink in.  True, the Nomu were not people, not anymore.  They’d proven long ago that there was no going back for them.

It was not the first time Izuku had been forced to take a life.  What few times he had still haunted him sometimes, in long dark nights. But this monster had been threatening his son, threatening a friend he loved like a brother, threatening the students he had been charged with the welfare of.

He would do it again if he had to.

“Are those… wires?”   Izuku saw Mirio, with his unbroken hand, prod the head.  He was right. Wires were dangling from its neck, still twitching and sparking occasionally.  

“It’s a robot?” Toshi asked.  

“Is it supposed to be?” Haimawari asked.  “I’ve only ever read about these things, but I didn’t think they were robots…”

“They’re not,” Izuku said, firmly.  Someone was playing games with them.  Probably the same people who’d been behind the truck theft a while back…

“Dad, look!”  Toshi was pointing upward, where numerous arrows were now illuminated in the air.  

“Remind me to thank Maharo the next time I see her,” Izuku said.  “Toshi, I’m counting on you to get Haimawari and Koharu back to Might Tower. Mirio, can you stay here with the, ah, body?”

Mirio nodded.  “Yeah.”

His Hero Phone crackled to life.

“Unable to get eyes on Chargebolt and Grape Juice…

“Ingenium engaging Nomu…

“Kestrel wounded…

“Shoto, arriving to assist Cellophane…

“Voice, Glamour, and Shield engaging…

“Nejire-Chan and Suneater down!

“Uravity down…!

“Ground Zero… critically injured!  Repeat Ground Zero, critically injured!

FLASH!

“FULL COWL! ONE HUNDRED PERCENT!”

The fires of One for All flared within Izuku, turning him into a beacon in the street.  He flew into the air so fast he left sizzling after-images behind him.

***

The sounds of battle behind Izumi’s ice wall hadn’t stopped, though she’d heard both Uncle Denki and Mister Minoru scream several times.  She’d even had to reinforce her ice wall twice over.

From above, there came a great crackling sound and a ball of lighting dropped from the sky.  There was a great explosion and the lighting took off again, just as quickly as it had gone.

“Uh, Izumi?” came Uncle Denki’s voice.  “You can let us out now.”

***

Dragging its leg behind it, the Nomu was still shambling after Kenta and Nejire-Chan.  He’d gotten some distance, but it was still following. It just… wouldn’t… stop.

A green streak of lighting fell out of the sky and engulfed the Nomu, then took off again immediately, too bright for his eyes to see what had happened.  When he could see again, the Nomu was on the ground, its head torn off of its body.

“What… what just happened?”

***

Tamaki Togata, alias the Shield, had been Deku’s sidekick for several years now, ever since graduating from U.A.  He’d done so proudly, even if it meant occasionally having his dad embarrass him at work.  

He had never as afraid as he was right now.  Dodging out of the way of the Nomu’s fists, his body started to glow brighter.

“What the…?” he gasped. “Deku?”

From above, a crackling electric streak dropped down, slammed into the Nomu, and was gone again.   His own glow faded as it did so.

“…He’s pissed.”

***

The Laughing Man, with his solid air shields and other tricks, and Nejire Togata’s density control were keeping the Nomu contained, but weren’t doing much damage to it. Katsumi scooped Aunt Ochaco into her arms and turned to Shinji.  

“Can you really carry both of us?”  There was none of the usual anger in her voice found when she spoke to him.  Just desperate pleading.  Even with a good relationship with good relationship she had with Shizuka, Aunt Ochaco had always been the true mother figure in her life.

She couldn’t just lose her, not like this.

“Of course…” Shinji trailed off, deflating like his strings had been cut.  “Yes.  I can. I promise.”

A streak of green torn out of the sky and torn the Nomu’s head off.   The glow faded for a moment, turning the glow into Uncle Deku!  He looked around, almost panic stricken, until he laid eyes on Katsumi.

“Go!” she yelled at him. “She’s okay!  We’ve got this!”

He hesitated for only a second, and then was gone again, glowing like a comet.

***

Shota had peeled off his costume’s tunic and wrapped it around what was left of Ground Zero’s leg, holding it as tightly as he could.  He couldn’t even call for help, he just had to keep applying pressure. He wasn’t even sure where the rest of his leg had ended up.  If they could find it, they could reattach it, right?  But it such an uneven tear…

What was he going to do? Ground Zero just moaned and was growing paler by the second.

“Izzat… you… Loud… Kid…?”

He… he couldn’t die… he couldn’t…  it was all his fault…

A massive thunderclap and a sizzle in the air made him look up, and a bright green streak landed, cracking the pavement.  The glow faded only slight, and it was Uncle Deku!  Steam poured off his body from the force of the acceleration as he looked around.

“Where’s the…” he started, but his eyes snapped to Shota and Ground Zero.  “Kacchan…”

Shota looked up, pleadingly. More tears fell down his already tear and snot-stained face.  “Uncle Deku!  You’ve gotta save him!”

“Hang on tight.”   Uncle Deku unclipped his cape and used it to scoop them both up.  “And take a breath.  This is gonna be fast.”

***

Years from now, they would talk about how Deku had singlehandedly stopped the Nomus that morning. How he had sped from battle to battle like a comet, smashing his way through each and every one of them in seconds, saving the lives of countless civilians, his fellow Heroes, and numerous students out on their Internships.

But as Izuku burst through the doors of the hospital, all he could think about was how he had been too late to save his friend…

[fulltimereviewer]

Top 50 Best Transformers Fanfiction Stories 2020

Best Transformers Fanfiction Updates That You Must Read

Since Childhood, I am watching transformers and looking forward to becoming a transformer one day, Grew up by Reading Transformers Fanfiction Stories and was always amazed by the fictions that used to pop out from such inspiring Fanfiction Lovers. Also liking the Transformer Fanfiction Crossover a lot.

If I Start Giving my Opinions about Transformers Fanfiction Lemon and Transformers Crossover fanfiction, I don't think so that I won't end the topic of Transformers Fanfiction Stories even in 24 hours. Lukas Schimik Agreed ! Don't know why everybody hates it, I think it's still my number 1 TF movie! Optimus new look, Lockdown & Galvatron, KsI (bots), Dinobots, cast ( HATED this Sam & Mikeala ) and the TF/human conflict. Still love it. Miguel GC Gamer Age of Extinction is the only film that entertains that I don't skip any parts of the movie and I like all the characters in this film and the transformers designs are great, dino bots are Awsome. Vincent H well....bad taste is also bad taste at the end of the day. I know you younger kids think that everyone is supposed to have an opinion and everything is subjective blah blah blah but if you're a cinephile than the Transformers are objectively bad films. They are cynical cash grabs made to make money in China. Bay and the producers have said as much. I mean you can like whatever you want. If you wanna listen to Teletubbies soundtrack all day that's your right....but that does mean you have shitty taste. It's okay. Not everyone has good taste. urtpro 2 I'm not hating I'm genuinely curious. I certainly like it more than Last Knight but barely lol. I'm curious the reasons why AOE fans consider it one of the better Transformers movies. I will say it was nice to switch up the protagonist and all that since Sam Witwicky had worn out his welcome by the third film. And the actress who played Wahlberg's daughter was smoking hot, so that was a plus too. Oliver Parker I thought the premise of the world hating and hunting the Transformers(regardless of Faction), cuz of what happened in Chicago(in DOTM), was kool, MW was a refreshing Main Hero over Shia tbh, and Lockdown was Badass! Honestly kinda just laughed off the whole Romeo and Juliette law thing as being just a bad movie joke! I’m mean honestly I know there’s no such law, and as such it didn’t really bother me! Just rather thought it was somewhat silly! Yann Labeille Well Lockdown was a pretty good villain for once in the movies. However Galvatron went nowhere after this. Anthony That isn't true. I saw Bumblebee yesterday and I find it Like watching E.T., the movie is just on Charlie, not really much on Bee. The only g1 part is the first 5 minutes of the movie. Too much 80s references. Sometimes is even boring for me. It Was a cute movie but absolutely not my favourite. I still prefere the first one. Aron T-900 I'd rather get vibes from ET and Iron Giant instead of witnessing stupid humor, unnecessary hot shots, dogs humping each other, unrealistic explosions, parents acting like they belong in a cartoon, patriotism and confusing slo-mo action sequences. Cam Rich I preferred the first and third ones as they have so much more action in them making the films actually entertaining, when most of bumblebee is almost like a compilation of ‘cute’ little clips of bumblebee and that annoying girl taking up almost the entirety of the movie. Max Ramirez Personally prefer the 2007 movie because it's just overall more entertaining to me. Also, you can pretty much tell Bumblebee was a movie that was directed towards kids so 2007 wins for me So Sit back and enjoy reading my favorite transformers fanfiction lemon and Transformers fanfiction Crossovers Collection. That I have collected for you guys. I Hope You Guys liked our collection of the best transformers fanfiction stories and updates that we have presented above for all fanfiction lovers out here. Transformers Fanfiction Crossover Stories 2020(Updated) Transformers is America based  Franchise that was first seen in the 1980s globally. So the first five transformers Films was directed by Michael Bay. I really believe that this was the boost up for the Transformers Fanfiction Crossover stories that I really liked about among the whole and sole of the transformers fanfiction stories including the lemon version of the franchise. Minaya Rojas Tony: We have a Hulk! Optimus: We have a Grimlock! Porg King VII Bee is here what would Optimus want with that what would he take her hostage IT SOUNDS LIKE HE HAS BEEN BRAIN WASHED BY DESEPTAGONS Siidimus Prime! Except they transform their aliens they have Real blasters Different Voices blood Etc. arfhanisbest The interesting thing is that transformers would actually make for good marvel villains. dave tasca The original transformers comics were made by marvel and marvel had to do with the original transformers tv show so they really should try to get the rights back jovinprime Poop soc This would've been more awesome if gi joe, rom the spaceknight, M.A.S.K., micronauts and the other properties interfere with the whole marvel universe and the transformers both. That would be, not only a big, giant, massive crossover event, but a... gigantic, space-involving, multiversal collusion as well Darkknight329 yes megatron hack the armor with Soundwave and turn it off then they all just step on them but they will throw hulk to cybertron and leave him to the toxic oxygen Dr. Nobody Celz On they are robots what is a snap gonna do I know buckys arm was turned to dust but still they have weapons that can make thanos cheese agnas yes because they’re alive. They go to the allspark when they die, they are alive just like us, just made of metal. Bee is here Tony: We have thanos Optimus: We have your mom Tony:0_0 ok you win now give me my mom Hoping that you guys liked our collection of the topmost fanfics about the transformers fanfiction crossover flavors that we have published above this. 

Transformers Fanfiction Lemon Version 2020 Funny Part of the Franchise is that the transformer's movies, on one hand, was loved by the fans and on the other hand there were critics about the direction "Worst Director of all Time". Still, there are some dirty minded people who are always in search of the Transformers Fanfiction Lemon and some people also call it Transformers lemon Fanfiction. Night light I really want to be apart of one of micheal bays movie of transformers Flo Parsons see this is why I love transformers, because the actors ACTUALLY seem like they are having fun, and they are such fun films to watch obert Delgad Even though the movie sequels are not that great, but you have to give Michael Bay a lot of Credit for what he does. fake lol Bay is a genius I mean, I wouldn't be able to figure out the scale of you know the explosions Like the layout nig*a LOL, lol or as you typed if, Lol: an acronym for laugh(ing) out loud or lots of laughs, some say it is Lots of love, is a popular element of Internet slang. It was first used almost exclusively on Usenet, but has since become widespread in other forms of computer-mediated communication and even face-to-face communication. Alex Bruh Bumblebee knows how to pick up ladies more than Sam 😂 lala I remember being a kid and having the biggest crush for Megan. Good lord she was so hot Michael ceasar Back than I thought Sam was looking at her belly and so was I saying "Hot belly I guess." hotman 280 Michael Bay while directing: Yeah Megan arch your back, perfect perfect. Get a good shot of her sweat glistening tanned bronze body. Yeah just like that. chief ada Yeah right. That engine is a big block. Fuel injected side draft 8 barrel carburetors. Hell even the headers are up and over side mount. And the damn engine is worth more then the car. As he only paid $4500.00 That damn engine alone cost $20,000.00! Leave the critics aside all I want to know is: How did you people find our transformers fanfiction lemon version? comment down below if you guys liked this collection on some of the best lemon flavors of transformers fanfiction stories. Transformers fanfiction Bumblebee Stories Updated The best part of the Transformers franchise is that bumblebee is the only character that got most of the positive reviews. This can be a reason that people Love Transformers Fanfiction Bumblebee Version a lot. No worries because we have provided some of the best Bumblebee fanfiction stories that you will enjoy reading. Master Yoda "Wasp", "Stinger" or "Hornet" would be appropriate Decepticon sounding names as "Bumble Bee" sounds too friendly. ron 1j2j barricade is a ford mustang and bee is a Chevrolet camero trust me they will not be friends pro gmer yes i do lol they killed ironhide and ratchet and jazz and sideswipe is already missing dnt know if hes alive but hes my favorite hari bhaskar I'm Bumblebee was a Decepticon he'd be dead like the other Decepticons, because boi they sure kill Decepticons like it's nothing. mighty raju Blackout had skills. Shockwave had skills. The Fallen had skills. Yet they all died like they're nothing. Why? Cause they're Decepticons lol. It's simple rlly, they kill off Decepticons like they're nothing that's just how it is lol. habob What about “what if sentinel prime didn’t betray the autobots” I think age of extinction and beyond wouldn’t have happened since sentinel basically destroyed N.E.S.T. And also Rachet and Ironhide wouldn’t have died so the Autobots would have had a great advantage, and then Sam would still be with the autobots since he disappears after DOTMBasically, I’m saying that the Transformers franchise would have dramatically changed if Sentinel didn’t betray the Autobots. ShyGuy 15 In the movies, technically Megatron is an anti-hero. The first movie makes an acception bc he was using the allspark for pure evil, also in Aoe no reason told us what he was trying to accomplish other than detonating the seed. So 2, 3, and 5, he has reasons to his doing Rotf: using the pyramid to kill the sun and repopulate cybertron. Dotm: rebuild cybertron. TLK: kill unicron using cybertron. This is all in my own mind, not sure if anyone else agrees with me Simon Tyson I forget what it was called, but there was a comic book series where Megatron was an Autobot. It basically swapped all the characters so that Optimus, Bumblebee, Iron Hide, etc. were bad guys. Megatron, Starscream, etc. were good guys Dank Starscream If Bayformer Megatron's history is similar to the IDW comics Megatron's history...then that would mean the Autobot government was not all that good, and would be directly responsible for why Megatron turned out the way he did. Because he was a slave to their functionalist system of control, and he would have remained a slave worker miner if he didn't rise up from the lifestyle forced on him and formed the Decepticon faction... Though it seems to me that if this were the case, Bayformers Megatron would still have become a gladiator before forming the Decepticons...and then eventually he found his way into more of the politics of Cybertron after one day meeting with Optimus Prime (Orion Pax at the time) and then they became brothers/friends. In that sense...it would be similar to how the history of the two were from the show TF Prime. They could still keep the part with the whole Optimus being a knight too, somehow... So in short...Megatron really did not start out as a bad guy at all, it was the way in which he reacted to everything that made him turn out a 'bad guy'. She-Venom What if Megatron is a good guy in the movies? Simple answer is right here becuse Optimus accepted become a Prime if he didnt accept Optimus and Megatron wouldnt fight each other and best brothers it was Optimus fault he started the war i think Megatron is a good guy Hoping that you guys liked our collection of the topmost fanfics about the transformers fanfiction crossover flavors that we have published above this. People Love Bumblebee! i love him/her because bumblebee is cool, let me know why do you love Bumblebee and more importantly why do you guys love Transformers fanfiction on Bumblebee. Transformers Fanfiction OC Version  Earning a total amount of $4.3 Billion, transformers became the 13th highest-grossing film series in the world. The Transformers Fanfiction Fans Should be happy to know that the Transformers franchise grossed a total of $1 Billion each from two superhit blockbuster movies. Comment Down the names of those movies if you know them. Jack R I think the first one was more epic just cause the fight scenes were cool and it was the first time we saw something like that. But the writing and characters were absolutely horrific. Bumblebee had much better writing and characters especially the character relationship between Bumblebee and the girl which is much better than the relationship between Sam and bumblebee. Dotm Shockwave Yeah I dont know how he put tlk over revenge and extinction. The last knight is incredibly boring and the only remaining aspect left to enjoy (the action) is incredibly dull in it compared to all the other films. There are no good fight scenes. Which is likely why it bombed so hard Ur mom Gai Ok imo the last knight is my fave AND I ONLY like TF5 is cuz bumblebee new form looks good as hell and Optimus prime vs bumblebee AND there is explosions. EVERYWHERE Boss  I definitely didn't think it was my favorite. It depends on what you are looking for in a movie. If you like character relationships and a girl and her problems trying to find her way, then you'll like it. If you like transformers actions and interactions, you may not like it as much. Even though the Bay movie didn't focus enough on the transformers, this one did even less The Burden of Bordem I'm a decepticon fan and none of the main decepticons were even given a name in the movie. They were just there to be bad. The Burden of Bordem For me I think this film would have worked much better if they just had Starscream as the main villain, and maybe Barricade hunting bumblebee and give them a more personal relation ship as enemies. But like I said, it end up being a movie about a girl and her relation ship with Bumblebee and enemies getting in their way. bandwon he main character is more fleshed out than the others, Bumblebee I guess is as well, but he can't talk so it isn't by much, the story is standard E.T./Iron Giant, the acting is fine, the directing is probably better than the others, the action is good when it happens, but there is far less than the others, and non of the action reached the peak of the Bay movies. and if it wasn't for the fact there were transformers in it I probably wouldn't have really liked it, but it's enough to get you invested and entertained imo. luke jack You really think anyone's gonna take you serious after you typed "Bumble" Haha the 2007 film and DotM were pretty decent films and satisfying in the end. lisa Speaking as a male, it always annoys me, as a child, that certain plot-line of every terribly written sci-fi (mainly Transformers): "main character is a dick=likable guy" "he has 'relatable' problems, that are only explored in the first 15 minutes of the film" "He start having an abusive/creepy relationship (because that's how well written romance works, right...), with the love interest (they barely explore her name)." "1+ hour action scenes" "world is gonna explode (not really)" "Main Character and Love Interest hook up". People always call me "a pussy", because i want equal rights, and then they go make a video about "how everything is now pandering to women, and everything is Woke"... By your perfect logic... most movies are "pandering to males, and straight people only" imo  not like super duper mad, but kinda upset. It was actually kinda funny. But dude, I love what you said about Man of Steel in your DC ranking video. I love that you love Man of Steel. Not many do, and it's seriously awesome! IMO I hope You Guys Like our Collection of the best Transformers fanfiction stories along with transformers fanfiction lemon and transformers fanfiction crossover collection. We know that people will like the Transformers Crossover fanfiction and transformers fanfiction bumblebee version stories.  If you like These Transformers Fanfiction Stories make sure you share this on various social media, and you can also give credits to our website. Thank You  Also, read  Star Wars fanfiction Updates 2020 Read the full article

[irinapaleolog]

Revising Rey's origin story from The Last Jedi turned Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy into a mere rehash of George Lucas' original trilogy.

Today marks the three-month anniversary, counting Thursday previews, of the domestic debut of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Come what may, the film ended up with $516 million domestic and $1.074 billion worldwide. Walt Disney and Lucasfilm’s’ Star Wars sequel may be the last Hollywood blockbuster we’re going to see for a (very long?) while. With folks rewatching (or seeing for the first time) the J.J. Abrams and Chris Terrio film via electronic sell-through for the last week, I suppose it’s safe to really dig into the film’s most frustrating plot twist. The film’s biggest problem is that it’s not well-made (I’ll charitably blame a rushed production), but the big reveal about Rey’s infamous parentage does nothing less than render the entire new Star Wars sequel entirely redundant.

There are two key take ways from the key plot reveal, in relation to Rey’s past, that are dropped into the halfway point of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. First, contrary to what we were told in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, her parents weren’t explicitly nobodies. Her father was the son (be it via cloning or otherwise) of Emperor Sheev Palpatine, making her Palpatine’s granddaughter (or at least the granddaughter of Palpatine’s clone, if you go by the recently-released novelization). The second reveal was that her parents weren’t heartless drunks who sold her into slavery for drinking money. They in-fact “sold you to protect you” and gave their lives to hide Rey from those in the First Order who sought to bring the child to grandad.

These revelations, whether they were intended as such during The Force Awakens or were intentional walk backs after the online outcry (at least in some circles) over The Last Jedi, don’t just retcon the reveals from Rian Johnson’s Star Wars VIII. They also negate the overall story arcs being told in Disney’s new Star Wars trilogy while frankly failing to understand what made George Lucas’ infamous Empire Strikes Back twist so devastating in the first place. Moreover, by trading the “you’re nobody, you’re nothing” reveal in the second film for the “you have his power” retcon in the third flick, Rise of Skywalker trades genuine surprise for a plot turn that almost everyone predicated, relatively speaking, moments after seeing Force Awakens in December of 2015.

Pretty much everyone assumed that Rey had some kind of famous or infamous parentage way back in late 2015, because, for better or worse, the most famous plot twist in the Star Wars saga involved the lead hero being the long-lost (?) son of the main bad guy. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) had only heard stories about his heroic father, including eventually stories of his heroic death at the hands of Darth Vader. So the revelation at the conclusion of The Empire Strikes Back wasn’t just a “Oh, wow!” plot twist, it was one that specifically acted like a knife to the gut to Luke Skywalker specifically because of his hopes, dreams and ideas about his family and his destiny. His father was A) alive and B) actually the galaxy’s arch-villain.

While I’m assuming The Empire Strikes Back didn’t invent that plot twist, it certainly popularized the “you’re actually related to the bad guys” thing as a shock reveal. It has been used and re-used in everything from Spectre to Scream 3 to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 to The LEGO Ninjago Movie to The Mortal Instruments. It may have been shocking in The Empire Strikes Back, it couldn’t help but be repetitive in The Rise of Skywalker because it was essentially the exact same plot turn. This time, we find out that Rey (Daisy Ridley) is related to the ultimate force of evil in the galaxy… again. I’m no fan of the “Rey is a Kenobi or a Skywalker” theories, but at least those would have been different.

The reason the reveal in The Last Jedi worked as well as it did for that specific story (and specific trilogy) is because of how it impacted the character in question. Rey was someone who desperately wanted to believe that she had family who loved her and would eventually return to her, and that she would indeed have some grand role to play beyond mere existence. Alas, as Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) spells out, confirming her own deep-seated knowledge, she was a nobody, with no destiny and no famous parentage. Moreover, and this is key, her family didn’t even love her. Any destiny or heroic role that she might play would have to come from her own choices and decisions. Even her Force abilities were a combination of luck and skill.

Luke Skywalker’s “No, I am your father” reveal was the worst possible news Luke could get about who his father actually was. Ditto Rey, who wanted to be loved and wanted affirmation that she was on a path, discovered that she was a nobody loved by no one in the galaxy beyond perhaps a few acquaintances (Finn, Leia Organa, the late Han Solo, etc.) who she had met days earlier. The reveal that she was A) the granddaughter of a very important person and B) that her parents loved her negated the very thing that made her character stand out, while acting as a less devastating revelation. Like much of Rise of Skywalker, the “Rey is a Palpatine” reveal meant more to the audience than to the characters.

Without arguing that Rey has an obligation to be a (fictional/fantasy) role model, the character went from an absolute nobody who happened to have special skills and abilities to someone with famous lineage whose power came from a famous man. Moreover, it negates the idea that you can be a good/heroic person even with no famous lineage or even if you come from a broken, unloving and/or dysfunctional family unit. “Rey from nowhere” is now “Rey Palpatine whose parents totally loved her after all.” To the extent that she might have inspired kids from broken homes (or, relatively speaking, low economic status) to dream bigger and aspire to more, that’s out the window. She’s another female superhero whose power/heroism comes from her famous/important/gifted male patriarchal figure.

Moreover, if we compare the arcs of Rey and Kylo Ren, the Last Jedi reveal makes more yin-yang sense. Rey was an abandoned orphan, unloved by anyone, who nonetheless grew up to be a great hero. Meanwhile, Kylo was the child of royalty (the child of Han Solo and Leia Organa), surrounded by a loving family (including a weird uncle who might be a cult leader) who still became a force for great evil/a mass murderer. Kylo had all the advantages while Rey had nothing and nobody. The Rise of Skywalker reveal negates this, since we now know that both Rey and Kylo belonged to a famous family tree and had loving and/or famous parents who (eventually) gave their lives so that their kids could live.

Rey being an unloved nobody was meant to differentiate the core hero of this new trilogy from those who came before it, while providing a different kind of “you are still valuable if…” affirmation to those inclined to be inspired by fictional/fantastical heroes (and villains). Rey being revealed as a Palpatine was meant to make her similar to Luke Skywalker and (intentionally or not) affirm the notion that A) only people with important parents or innate talents can be important, B) you can only be special if your parents love you and C) a female hero can only be special if they got their power from a man. Again, it arguably means more to the stereotypical audience member than it does to the characters.

We now have one Star Wars trilogy which charts the fall of Anakin Skywalker (a nobody with special gifts who becomes evil) and another that charts the rise of Luke Skywalker (a young man of infamous lineage who becomes a hero). By not keeping Rey a “nobody,” The Rise of Skywalker both misses the chance to compare her story with Anakin’s (both were nobodies with strong Force powers) and renders her story merely a repeat of Luke’s (a young person of infamous lineage who becomes a hero). Chris Terrio and JJ Abrams retrofitted Rey’s backstory so as to make her almost identical to Luke Skywalker. It is less surprising, making Rey interesting as a role model and less engrossing compared to her villainous rival/love interest.

Batman Begins showed the “rise” of Batman while The Dark Knight saw him “fall.” The Dark Knight Rises saw him “rise” again since the franchise required a now-standard trilogy capper even as The Dark Knight essentially concluded the story. Ditto The Godfather, which had a first film chronicling the rise of Michael Corleone and the fall of Don Corleone and a sequel that (in different time periods) showed the practical rise of a young Don and the moral fall of Michael. Godfather Part III merely showed him “falling” yet again. The final status of Rey “Skywalker” turned the third Star Wars trilogy into an odd man/woman out in a two-part saga that already traces a rise/fall of core protagonists. Let’s hope Mamma Mia 3 avoids the same fate.

[saemi-the-writer]

Can we get some headcanons of Gabriel in Miraculous Team? Is his relationship with Adrien different? How?

Thanks for asking! =D

I am going to keep some headcanons secret for the moment because it might spoil the plot too much -and also because I am still working on them ^^; . But I’ll try to sum up my version of Gabriel as best as I can (and sorry for my bad English):

Gabriel has had -and still somewhat has- a hard life, he has no more family or relatives and he seems doomed to go through tragedies in his life. He has serious trust issues because of of seriously bad relationships experiences, he became closed in himself and tends to work alone and refuses to ask for help. Emilie and some people, including Nathalie, managed to help him opening up, but Emilie’s death almost sent him back to square one.

For a moment, it was like Gabriel was a classical hero: a poor orphan going from nothing being finally recognized for his talent in fashion design and finding someone who genuinely loves him, then becoming rich and famous and starting a family… a perfect happy ending! Only to have it being torn from him: first Adrien’s life gets endangered, and barely a year later, his beloved wife is killed. So much for a happy ending.

Nathalie - whose relationship with the Agrestes is quite different than canon but that’s for another post- was the one to shake him up a bit after Emilie’s death, reminding him “You have a son, your little boy needs you. Do not let him down!”.

Gabriel struggles in expressing his love and affection, he appears cold and distant most of times, but deep down, he is not. He loves Adrien with all his heart, but doesn’t know how to show it. Most of times, he tries to in making sure he is/feels safe (bodyguard, a safe home, good and trustworthy teachers for homeschooling and activities…) and offering him whatever he needs and wants -unwillingly spoiling him.Gabriel was fine with Adrien choosing his activities like fencing, climbing and playing piano, he gave him some advices for what foreign languages he could learn but then he expects Adrien to do his best and be serious about them. “You choose to do that, then go down with it and pursue it to the end.” Which is partly why he is quite mad when Adrien sneaks out several times pretending to practice piano. (mostly because he doesn’t know where his son went to and there is a freaking akuma attack when it happened)

Having the butterfly miraculous and Nooroo helped him a lot in perceiving and understanding others’ emotions, which allowed him to open up again (slowly but surely), he and Adrien got closer then and when Miss Tigri was defeated, he promised Adrien he would let him go to school. Unfortunately, during the summer break, his miraculous was stolen from him. For a moment, he was tempted to cancel Adrien’s school enrolment; but it was confirmed without his validation.

“Nathalie, I understand what you are trying to do. But I would like you to not take such decisions behind my back.”

“…I didn’t do anything about this, sir.”

(Adrien: *whistles*)

First real act of “rebellion” from Adrien. After becoming “Dragon” (superhero created by a Tenshi) and then Chat Noir, Adrien gained more confidence and went to get what he really wanted: going to school like every teenager of his age and make friends he could meet everyday. Gabriel has some mixed feeling about it, but he lets Adrien go in the end after admitting he had restrained his son for too long (even if here he wasn’t ill-intentioned).

At the point where le Fiancé becomes the new main super-villain, Adrien and Gabriel’s relationship is mending, both of them are still mourning Emilie at their own pace -the fact was she was killed is what prevents them to come to terms- and struggling with their own problems and flaws. Adrien is a teenager and makes mistakes too, sometimes hurting his father (and others) without meaning or realizing he does while Gabriel is doing his best to show affection to his son and turn the page on his past at last. But the two keep quite a lot of secrets from each other, and not only superhero related stuff.

The main differences between MT!Gabriel and Canon!Gabriel are:

MT!Gabriel can be proud, but he developped his sense of pride from his hard work and to somewhat make up for his past self-esteem issues

he can be strict, but hes not that demanding or controlling. And when he acts controlling and he realizes, he reconsiders his actions

when he says the world is dangerous, he actually think it is and not because he’s the one sending akumas (duh :p )

 he still mourns his wife but doesn’t stare at her painting(s) as much

when he says he’s busy at work, he actually is (exception when he was Parnassius of course)

he has some hobbies/activities besides his work and superhero life (when he had the miraculous)

 less scenes with Nathalie holding the tablet up with him in video conference/call

Nathalie is officially his assistant, but for the Agrestes, she is definitely a friend - she and Gabriel met in college

he and Adrien are closer, they interect and see each other more often

more hugs for Adrien

[abalonetea]

If I remember correctly, there's a big evil villain in your story (I think the only reason I remember is because she(they?) hurt Aba in some way and he's my absolute favorite so how! dare! she(they)!). Could you tell more about my now sworn enemy? :D (nothing to be concerned about I just .... *pulls out switch blades* want to have a talk with them is all :) nothing to see here folks :)) )

!!!! i have two big evil villains in my story, and they have both hurt Aba horribly!

(also i am absolutely thrilled that Aba is your favorite, because he’s a super fun character to write about and just!!! adorable!!! i’m so glad you like him! when this move is over, i’ll try and write up some more things about Aba for you!)

and yes, i will absolutely tell you about your new sworn enemies! *blatantly ignoring those switch blades* :) i am sure it’s going to be a very pleasant and all together friendly talk! :)) ) 

Queen Midnight

of my two villains, i talk about Midnight the most. this is because Kee’s role isn’t particularly prominent until you get into the later Arcs, or you’re talking about before the story begins.

Midnight is the current Queen of Fara. she exists in two forms, and i’ll happily talk about both of them! they share the same history, and only subtle differences.

as a whole, Midnight comes from a land that has been lost to time and code. during the Beta Wars, her kingdom was stripped down to nothing. some theorize that she was the only survivor. others speculate that the Butterfly People come from this strange, forgotten land as well.

one thing is known for sure: her words are saccharine sweet, and she’s very good at being Queen. 

some facts

*she’s got cotton candy hair, literally

*her weapon of choice is a lollipop scythe

*on her orders, the Royal Scientists are researching the Code of the World

*she aims to create a kingdom of eternal life and beauty; a true utopia

*loves to paint, often pictures of her old home

*vicious and brutal and rotten under all that sugar

*good intentions can still lead to horrific actions

*a Queen that doesn’t mind killing

*has a personal collection of humboars and licorice wolves

*remembers the time loops, though no one else realizes this

Fields of Fara

in Fields of Fara, Midnight has a very pink color scheme.

you can find a moodboard i did for her here!

the main difference between the two worlds, at least as far as Midnight is concerned, is that, in Fields of Fara, Midnight hasn’t yet discovered how to steal other’s codes, raised her army, or made a grab at total power. her True Intentions are still hidden, a secret, and the vast majority of the kingdom consider her a good and wonderful Queen.

she talks with an air of love and knowledge to her words; sweet enough to be trusting, but with enough poise that there is no doubt of her lineage. her rule over Fara is purely circumstantial. the kingdom needed a Queen, and she needed a kingdom.

Midnight has her own passle of humboars, which she swears are simply pets. she also has a pack of licorice wolves to help the population. she comes off as very caring, and as someone that genuinely wants to help her people. which is true! the problem, of course, is that she doesn’t care how many of her own people die as they search for that perfect utopia.

saving a few is better than losing them all, isn’t it? Midnight certainly thinks so!

her right hand man is Polynya, the head of the Royal Guards. her left hand man is Flame, General of the Royal Guards. 

some facts

*soft gowns and pretty dresses are her favorites to wear

*very manipulative

*not above using threats and black mail

*gives the order for Polynya to kill Locke in one loop

*has been the direct cause of Aba’s death in several loops

*in fact, she becamse Queen directly before the First Loop started

*coincidence? i think not!

*she isn’t actually the trigger for the time loops, but she’s one of the Main Markers for them

*the second born child of the lost queen has no importance to her; his death can only serve to help her own goals

Fara Falls

in Fara Falls, Midnight has a very blue color scheme!

you can find a moodboard i did for her here!

in Fara Falls, the game is set in a version of Fara in which Midnight was able to carry out her original plans - only for the power to dislodge her sanity, thus creating the brutal, vicious world around her. in Fara Falls, long live the queen is something of an anthem; whispered out as she parades through the kingdom, surveying her domain, hoping that if one pleases her enough, she might spare their life.

in all of creation, Midnight is the only character to ever reach Level One Hundred. this is because she is using the Butterfly People, now known as the Corrupted, to harvest the code of other characters and directly weave it with her own. she is power incarnate, a pretty little thing with power that pulses through her veins, a longing and love for the beauty of destruction.

while her sanity is no longer intact, her poise never wavers, her smile never drops. she hosts balls that double as executions, she kills any who oppose her name, and she will rule over this land until the day it turns to code. her right hand man is Captain, head of the Royal Guards. her left hand man is Bolte, General of the Royal Guards.

she loves to feel beautiful, though her soft furls from her alternate self have been traded in for stunning couture gowns, things clad in diamonds and silk. even though it’s well known that she has a vicious, mean streak about her, it’s still hard not to take her curling, sugar coated words at face value. Midnight’s lips drip with honey and venom.

some facts

*she has a personal passel of humboars that she frequently uses to punish her Court with

*always looking for more ways to ensure her place on the throne will never shift

*many don’t remember a time before she was Queen

*her kingdom is built on the ashes of a failed rebellion

*if you speak out against her, she will either have you killed, or she will kill you herself

*will make allies, but only if she feels it can benefit her, and only if she feels she can later cut ties with them

*has issued an order to kill Aba on sight

Kee

and then, of course, there is Kee. now, if you want to learn about someone that has caused Aba endless amounts of pain, it’s Kee you’re going to want to watch. she is, at heart, the one pulling all of the strings - while also not being involved in the going on’s of Midnight.

there is only one version of Kee, just like there is only one version of Aba. technically speaking, Kee and Aba don’t exist in Fara Falls; on a meta level, they weren’t meant to be included in that game, since it’s a gritty reboot about failing the quest for the original Fields of Fara.

that being said, Aba has been glitched into Fara Falls several times, and Kee can travel through all versions of Fara without issue. 

now, i haven’t spoken very much about Kee, so if this post raises any questions (about anything, really!) feel free to ask them!

Kee is labeled as a Hero, just like Aba is labeled as a Villain. they’re both stunning examples as to how labels can be wrong. the fact of the matter is this: there is no one in all the lands as cruel, furious, and vicious as Kee. there is no one that has cut down more innocents than Kee. there is no one that has hurt Aba worse than Kee.

and - you might know about the lock, you might be focusing on the bolt, but it’s the key that will finally unlock all of the secrets you’ve been missing.

simply put, every glitch can be traced back to Kee. she is the one who first stepped off of her chosen path as Hero of the World, who took hold of ?͚͚͡?̷͈̝̲?̗̺̼͍͙͜ and drove a knife into his gut, slaying her brother and, with it, the very path that Fara had previously existed on.

some facts

*she is searching for Game Over, and will stop at nothing to get there

*she manipulates Aba, turning him into a Villain that kills for her

*when her uses for Aba run out, she kills him, too

*this is repeated on many, many time loops

*her preferred weapon is a sword

*if you know the Witch of the Woods, you will see the resemblance

*all but one Spirit of Fara has been felled at her hand

*the spirits are not reborn when the new loop starts

*she has been looping for a very, very long time

*she gave him a new name to go with his new form, isn’t that enough of a gift?

this has been such a fun ask to answer, and i’m sorry that it got so long!

[atleastputinsomeeffortinuroc]

Rant/Review: Ready Player One --aka-- Just Watch Wrinkle in Time Instead...

I don’t usually hate movies. 

I know that seems backwards considering that this blog is me complaining and ranting incoherently about movies I don’t like, but very few movies leave me seething. Even all of the Detective Conan movies, which are mostly terrible pieces of garbage, I don’t necessarily hate. Red Crimson Letters is a terrible waste of time and energy, but I wasn’t insulted or felt talked down to. It was just a really bad movie I wanted to talk about.

In my life, there have only been three movies who have truly enraged me. “Batman v Superman,” “Joy,” and “War for the Planet of the Apes.” 

Objectively, there are aspects that are genuinely good in all of them and are definitely better than I probably give them credit for...but I doubt it, but they just flare up an anger in me for one reason or another. They’re permanently on my “fuck that movie” list. And now…now there’s another entrant to that prestigious list.

Ready Player One.

My GOD. THIS was the book everyone’s been talking about? THIS is supposed to be the fucking bible of pop culture?! THIS MOVIE?! THE ONE THAT UNIRONICALLY HAS THE PHRASE SPOKEN BY HUMAN VOCAL CHORDS “FANBOYS ALWAYS KNOW A HATER?!!” ARE YOU GUYS--…ok. Ok, I need to calm down. 

There are several, several, SEVERAL parts about this movie that don’t work, and I could go into a lot of the problems, but instead I’m going to try to talk about three aspects of the film. And for the sake of me not swearing up and down, we’re not going to talk about that godawful dialogue. Just know that it sucks.)

1) The ham-fisted arc

2) The protagonist and his trophy waifu

3) References over content

There are spoilers ahead, and I’m going to write this with the assumption that you’ve already seen the movie. If you haven’t, you’ve been warned. Anywho, let’s get started. Put on some “a-ha,” break your nostalgia goggles and join me as we go down this road where I collectively shit over Spielberg’s attempt to adapt a supposed “beloved classic.” (CAN YOU TELL I’M MAD?!)

1)     The arc

Here’s the thing with arcs in narratives, and more specifically films. 

They need to feel earned. 

Your central character has gone through a life-altering change or point of view since the beginning of the film due to the adventures and trials had throughout the film. Good examples include “Mad Max: Fury Road” where Max finally lets others into his life and sees the value in not going through life alone as described by the part where he donates his own blood and tells Furiosa his name. Another good example is actually from the Oscar nominee Spielberg had LITERALLY LAST YEAR, “The Post.” In it, Kay Graham finally put her foot down and shows authority by stepping out of her comfort zone to release the Pentagon Papers—damn what the powers that be say. This is important to any narrative because it shows the flaws of your characters through their insecurities and hesitations to make them human rather than movie characters. Even if you have paragon characters like Superman, Wonder Woman, or Batman, they still have to overcome some kind of personal issue that is keeping them from achieving what they’ve wanted.

Now, if you look over to the main character, you can see that his arc was…what is it that was his arc? 

He’s…he’s the same at the beginning as he was at the end. 

“OH BUT HE HAS A PENTHOUSE AT THE END,” yeah that’s not a change. One could argue that the (even though the catalyst for change has no fucking relation to it) arc is about unplugging and enjoying the real world. The bits at the end with Easter Egg man where he starts going on and on and on about how he missed reality or something, and the VERY BRIEF bits at the beginning where you see people all over the VR systems, one of which is the mother neglecting a fire in the house and one where an Asian man almost commits suicide after losing all of his stuff in the game (it’s played for comedy, so THAT’S also pretty fun, because it’s not like Japanese suicide rates are a serious issue or anything OH WAIT.) So it’s about being close to reality and unplugging. Ok. Coolio.

But here’s the thing, similar to “War for the Planet of the Apes”…YOU HAVEN’T EARNED IT. There are brief moments where it kind of alludes to it (see the middle challenge with ‘oh yes, I should have kissed the girl during the Shining’ and the small bit at the middle where the main two are sitting there and the main dude has ONE HALF-ASSED LINE about how “it’s nice here. It’s slower,”) but that’s IT. It doesn’t actually give you a reason to think that staying in the Oasis and avoiding reality is a BAD thing. Sure you have abusive father obsessed with getting high scores but he’s just one dimensional asshole dad who dies and you don’t give a shit about it one second later after his parental figures are killed. 

There are no real CONSEQUENCES to spending too much time in the Oasis, it’s just because he’s good at the game. And if there are, they sure as hell aren’t focused on in favor of mindless spectacle (which looks REALLY BAD by the way. I know it’s supposed to look fake because video game, but do the main characters have to use the ugliest models in existence?!) As such, the ending and central arc of learning is lost.

So what’s the arc? Well…there is none. Nothing is really learned, nothing is really gained that MATTERS aside from the keys to Willy Wonka’s goddamn chocolate factory. 

Z or Perzival or Wade or generic-white-gamer-boy learns all of fucking NOTHING by the end. (As such, it makes the ending where he says “EVERYONE HAS TO BE OFF ON TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS” come off as BULLshit.)

But no, this is clearly the Spielberg classic. It’s not like Indiana Jones learned anything in the Last Crusade as a character only he totally fucking DID, HE LEARNED TO RESPECT AND LOVE HIS FATHER WHO HE PREVIOUSLY DESPISED AND THE IMPORTANCE OF—sorry. Sorry I’m getting a bit mad again.

Anywho, due to a lack of a real arc, it makes you think that the entire fucking plot was pointless. It was just inevitable that the good guy win because…well he’s the main character. He doesn’t say anything about anything but is instead dumb fluff, which would be fine…but here’s the thing. It also affects the main characters. And it affects them HARD.

2)     Tweedledee and Tweedledumbass

The two main characters have no personality or character due to this lack of an arc.

The main man, Wade, his personality is…what exactly? He’s just generic hero-boy who is obsessed with the 80s. “He’s like a regular Star-Lord!” I hear you say, only he totally fucking isn’t. Starlord has baggage, has character has points and instances that stretch BEYOND just quoting 80’s movie and saying the actual phrase that a screenwriter actually wrote down and didn’t immediately delete that went “FANBOYS ALWAYS KNOW A HATER” NO I AM NOT OVER IT.

...Point is, the references don’t make Star-Lord who he is, it’s the character of Peter Quill himself. Cocky, brash, and in many ways, a child running from his past. 

As for Wade, he’s got nothing. I’ve looked over this sometimes, depending on the writing or the situation, so maybe it wouldn’t bother me so much, but the actor who plays him isn’t doing a good job. I know I don’t talk about acting a lot, but the man…the man is just whining through his lines. He comes off as insufferable with his needless 80’s knowledge that I was genuinely rooting for the one-dimensional villain to kill that fucking brat.

Then we have Artemis or Samantha or Sam or its-the-pixie-cut-rebel-chick.  

There are several scenes that are etched into my brain now (including a FUCKING NUT-SHOT AND A PASSWORD FOR A HUMAN ADULT THAT IS “B055MAN69.” IN A SPIELBERG MOVIE. THE MAN WHO MADE INDIANA JONES AND SCHINDLER’S LIST.), but one of the big ones is the final image of the film in which the main character in his 80’s man-boy cave spins around with his beautiful woman sitting in his lap as they suck face as the line “reality is pretty awesome anyway” or something like that. Aside from the main character not earning that statement as previously stated…fucking let’s look at it for what it is.

The man just won a real-life walking-talking waifu. A trophy wife that he wins at the end of the game.

She’s what probably made me see through the movie the most honestly. She makes this big fucking deal about “oh, but I’m not who you think I am on the outside, I’m not pretty” and then when you go outside to the real world, of course she’s the fucking gorgeous Hollywood white girl—she just has a goddamn birthmark on her eye to be her “blemish.”

“Oh but she’s insecure about it,” I hear you say--I’m sorry, but you mean to tell me NOBODY told her she’s fine and beautiful with the eye-mark BEFORE Wade? You mean to tell me she’s insecure, but not insecure enough to feel the need to buy fucking MAKE-UP!? I’m not saying that she needs it, I’m saying that the character’s central flaw is the WEAKEST FUCKIN FLAW I HAVE EVER SEEN. YOU WANNA CHANGE THE GAME, QUASIMODO THAT SHIT. 

THEN, and this part was just fucking HILARIOUS to me, she mentions about how the ioi company fucking KILLED HER FATHER in a workshop and she has to stop him for revenge…and then it’s totally dropped. Like it’s never mentioned by the end. At all. She chucks a grenade into Mechagodzilla to kill the bossman but fuck me if it ain’t satisfying and adds physically NOTHING to her character.

Her character exists for one purpose. She is the love interest who sets the main character off on his journey. Nothing more. And I say that, because SHE’S THE CATALYST FOR HIM FINDING THE FIRST KEY. She tells him something that reminds him of something that solves the puzzle. And what’s more, I am willing to bet that THAT’S the reason they kept her Hollywood pretty. Because you need to have an attractive romantic love interest to keep the audience pleased. 

Now apparently, she does more in the movie than she does in the book. And that’s great. That’s super. She’s the one breaking in to destroy the d20 of doom. Hell yeah I guess. But I also don’t care. You wanna know why? BECAUSE I AM NOT READING THE BOOK. Superficial changes that improve certain aspects doesn’t make the movie better than it is. It’s like polishing a fucking turd. Yeah, it’s nicer than what you had, but you are still making me hold this piece of dogshit.

They don’t have characters. They don’t have chemistry BECAUSE they don’t have characters. It’s a fucking wash.

3) Drowning in References

But now we talk about the big one. The big fucking thing that everyone and their mother is obsessing about this movie over. And the thing that has gotten me from not liking this movie to fucking DESPISING it.

The references.

To quote from people who will be seeing the movie in the theater *ahem*...

“OHMYGOD IS THAT TRACER?! OH AND IT’S HARLEY AND THE JOKER! OH! OH! OH! IRON GIANT! HALO! BORDERLANDS! BACK TO THE FUTURE! BATMAN—FUCKING IT’S THE BATMAN! THEY MENTIONED THRILLER! THAT’S PRINCE! STREET FIGHTER! MECHA-GODZILLA FIGHTING GUNDAM! MINECRAFT! NINJA TURTLES! FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH! STAR TREK! FIREFLY! THE SHINING! IT’S FUCKING CHUCKY!!!”

…Ok? So what?

Not to be a snob, but seriously—so what? Why does it matter?

Listen, I like crossovers too. I remember the Avengers and what a big goddamn deal it was, and how it made everyone’s jaw drop to the ground, and how in some ways, it still does. But whereas with those it felt organic, Ready Player One with its ninety thousand references felt…empty.

I’m going to bring out two comparisons to the table that do the same thing that Ready Player One did, “Who Framed Rodger Rabbit?” and “Wreck-It Ralph.” Both had pop-culture icons throughout them. One had all of the classic cartoons all spliced together—where you saw Daffy Duck and Donald Duck in the same shot having a dual piano-off. One of them had all of these video game characters that you loved and embraced since you were a kid, running around and hanging out ala “Toy Story.” These big names are all in the background, just like Ready Player One, but they’re clearly different in terms of execution. Why is that?

Well it’s because the movies weren’t reliant on them. Sure, Rodger Rabbit had fun moments with these big names, but if you took them out and animated totally new characters with similar personalities, what would you lose? Nothing. The plot is the same, the dynamics are the same, and it can still be seen as a salute to the classic animations from back in the day to also an allegory for the Jim Crowe era just as the book intentionally was. Same goes for Wreck-it Ralph, the character goes through a fundamental change that has him accepting who he is and how “there’s nobody else I’d rather be, than me” ALL THE WHILE paying respects to classic arcade video games.

The same can’t be said for Ready Player One. The instant you take away the pop-culture references, the movie loses its protective suit of armor to reveal it’s about…nothing. 

It is. 

Nothing. 

The generic quest, the generic corporate baddie, the generic love interest, the main character has nothing to say, and the conflict is revealed to be flat—nothing about it sticks out or makes an impression.

And if you fail to make an impression without a fucking suit pop-culture references then, well, if I may use a pop-culture quote myself...“If you’re nothing without the suit, then you shouldn’t have it.”

Plain and simple.

But then…there’s the one thing I can’t really debate. 

“It’s just fun though, right?”

Yeah sure. I’ll admit around that third act, even though it was long overdrawn, I had fun watching the violence and references I understood while they blasted “We’re Not Gonna Take It” in the background.

But y’know what? It was just about as enjoyable as seeing someone adapt a piece of shitty fanfiction, because both have one thing in common for everything that they do: It’s just there for fan service. If you make the statement “well the Oasis is cool,” then you’ve clearly missed the point because you don’t like the movie, you like it’s gimmick. And it’s gimmick exists—it’s called VR Chat.

Meanwhile, screenwriters of different backgrounds, ethnicities, genders and religions from everywhere across the world are actually putting EFFORT into their screenwriting and directing. And while their action scenes for their blockbuster idea may not be perfect, they at least tried and did something new with it.

I went to see “Wrinkle in Time” today after I’d seen Ready Player One yesterday, needing to see literally anything good. And yeah, it’s not perfect. It’s got some stilted dialogue and some questionable acting on nearly all fronts at points and the conflict can be about as cliched as you can imagine, but the visuals, the costume design—you could tell everyone cared and put a goddamn effort into everything put forth. It’s much more gorgeous than the downright UGLY CG that was in the Oasis world in Ready Player One, and I guarantee you nobody had the phrase “B055MAN69” anywhere. It didn’t pander to kids or guys who wanted to feel validated for knowing a couple references. It wanted to tell the story of fighting back evil and hatred by embracing love. It’s cheesy and sappy…but fuck me, if it didn’t try to say something while having fun.

But fuck that movie right? We have Iron Giant fighting Mechagodzilla. 

If you have that, then why bother putting in effort?

That’s what kills me. It’s lazy and people praise it because it just stuck pop-culture words in a fucking blender. Don’t call it innovative. Don’t call it original. Don’t call it anything than what it is.

80’s. Prepubescent. Fucking. Fanfiction.

You can love it and enjoy it if you want, I mean I don’t like not liking movies. It sucks. And in some aspects, I can see why you can if you turn your brain off but…I’m not gonna lie, to see this get away with murder insults me.

Listen, I love Spielberg. There is nobody I respect more in the business. His work in AI, and the reason why he did so to keep a dying friend’s vision alive will always keep him as one of my personal heroes but…sometimes you gotta call people out when they make shit. And I am.

I don’t care what anyone says, don’t see Ready Player One. Watch something worthwhile. Go to Netflix and watch “Stranger Things” if you’ve got that need for an 80′s kick, or hell--”Blade Runner 2049″ is a visual goddamn MARVEL. Go see “The Post” or “Jaws” if you want some good Spielberg. Just PLEASE! Go see something that isn’t just a bunch of references that almost feel as though it’s a remake of “ctrl+alt+del.” 

(Random aside, people have told me to read the original book...but if that fucking thing is ANYTHING like this movie, I’d rather BURN IT than let it get one inch into my house. So no, I’m not going to read the book even if there are claims that it’s “better.” (Even though I believe that it’s impossible to say a book is better than it’s adaptation or vice versa because it’s two different mediums and as such it’s hardly fair, but that’s a whole other thing.) Point is, I’ve never been more turned off to a book in my godddamned life and I ain’t gonna bother.)

[singereden]

Attention Clexa Fandom!

Dear all of Clexa fandom,

I nearby have a needs to implore you for your help.

As you know, our two fandoms will soon be coming head to head on the Zimbio poll, which is great because both Clexa and Supercorp deserve to be there and to win (as do all the other ships too).

However, as the stupid fates would have it, there can, unfortunately, be only one winner… And I’m kinda trying to gather enough guts to ask you guys to help us win.

I know this will sound silly to you, because I know how much you love Clexa (heck, *I* myself love Clexa too! For being as iconic and game-changing as it has been for *all* of the fandoms and queer people wanting to see themselves positively represented on tv… Plus I do genuinely ship the Clexa babies… though I chose to stop watching the 100 after Lexa’s death), but just before you dismiss this entirely, just hear me out. 



It is important for you too.

Some of you might know about what’s been going on on Supergirl and some of you may not. Basically, to sum up, the Supergirl staff were very wonderful in that they wanted to explore the journey of a beautiful character, Alex Danvers, Supergirl’s sister, as a gay person, to give her a girlfriend and let us watch their journey unfold. Their story started off very strong, even if recently they have been getting less screen-time. More than that, Supergirl as a show in general has been a very positive game-changer too, especially in season 1, where the message of being strong, independent, self-reliant and ambitious, especially as a woman, was proven to be central to the drive of the main character and the narrative. Since the beginning of the second half of season 2, however, this message was slowly but surely beginning to turn more and more warped. I actually don’t know what the writers are thinking right now but basically, our heroic, exemplary Supergirl, Kara Danvers, has become reduced to someone who not only tolerates someone (her boyfriend) that insults her, puts her down, ignores her boundaries and requests, and defies her repeatedly, but to someone who would actually date a person like that. I think we can all agree that this is a wrong and very damaging message to send to the viewers, many who are teenagers, and many who are little girls and boys, and impressionable to such a message. And now, on top of all that, after Kara got fired from her job, which she explicitly said she loved and which we have seen her work SO damn hard for, she concedes that maybe being a superhero and having her (emotionally abusive?) boyfriend will be enough. It’s come to a point where I no longer recognise my favourite character and my favourite tv show.

The thing is, I can easily stop watching (ok, maybe not easily, it’ll be a fricken addiction to break!) but I know that other viewers, especially all the younger, more vulnerable ones, will probably just keep going. And the reason I know that is because at their age, without question, I would be one of them. As a teen and a young adult, I would literally swallow the sickly-sweet trope of a flawed, broken person needing love from a forgiving girl in order to change and become a better person. I subconsciously soaked this message in and then applied it to my own life as I got older, with, unfortunately but not surprisingly, dire repercussions, from which, I have to admit, I’m still recovering. I’m sure that many of you will be able to relate to this. And I’m sure that many of you will know just how wrong and harmful this message is. Especially coming from a show that has built its entire fan-base by portraying a strong, positive role-model for girls and women.

The one good thing that has come out of all of this is another character on Supergirl: Lena Luthor. From the beginning, because of her last name and its connotations, Lena has been portrayed as a possible suspect and villain. The thing is though, she has proven herself time and time again to be better than that, to be a force for good, to be a firm ally to both Kara and Supergirl, and has even taken it upon herself to rebrand her brother’s company and turn it into something positive to make up for all the damage that Lex Luthor had done in the past. She had even gone directly against her own mother when the woman had turned out to be deranged and aligned with Lex’s ideals. Therefore, on the show, Lena Luthor has been portrayed as a prime example of what an independent, ambitious, strong woman is. But what was even more wonderful (and surprising) to watch was the incredible positive dynamic that has developed between Lena and our very own Kara Danvers/Supergirl.

I can honestly say that this dynamic was the greatest surprise to come out of Supergirl season 2, because while some expected Alex to come out as gay, nobody foresaw a Luthor and a Super working together like this. And WOW do they work well together! I mean… Just on every level! On a professional level, the two women are so respectful and supportive of one another. On a personal level, they are so sweet and wonderful to each other. The respect between the two of them is every bit as worthy of Clarke and Lexa’s, because they too, are women powerful in their own right, working together for the benefit of all. And I think if you guys had seen them (and I’m sure most of you have anyway :p), you’d be proud of them and you’d want to see more of them just being awesome together. The only difference between Clexa and Supercorp is that one is a canonical ship and the other is not. Yet. If ever. And the thing is, they so easily could be because their chemistry is off . the . charts . I mean… I could go on for ages here but to spare you the reading time, just look them up on youtube.

If they got together, the internet would explode. They would literally be Korrasami 2.0, except 3D. And they would rule so hard, and it would be the most beautiful thing ever! (Besides Clexa, ofc.)

Unfortunately, because the writers have already presented Supergirl’s sister as gay, the chances of Supercorp actually turning canon dropped significantly. I mean, how many mainstream shows do you know of where there is more than one gay couple included?

Exactly.

But the sad thing is, it actually could work so well. Not only would it be the most organic thing for the characters, where they’d get an outlet for all of that chemistry, but it would take Supergirl to an ICONIC level. More so, it would rescue it from that hole it seems to be heading for with the current storyline, specifically that of the questionable relationship with the questionable boyfriend. (I just want to clarify, I have no problem whatsoever with Supergirl being in a heterosexual relationship. However I *do* have a problem with her being in any kind of relationship with any person who is, frankly, bad for her.)

To sum up and bring all this to the final point: the chances of Supercorp becoming canon are small. The producers and writers so far have not been very acknowledging, let alone supportive, of our fandom or our ship. There’s even been mention of an actor/actress having rolled their eyes when asked whether they ship Supercorp, as if the thought of two women with an amazing dynamic being more than friends is a ridiculous concept. (I do have to say, this in particular really broke my heart, because with all the Sanvers-ness they’ve included in the show, and all the overwhelming feedback they’ve received from the fans and how much it has meant to people, how much it has positively affected everyone, it’s like they’ve actually missed the entire point.)

Other than that (the rolling of the eyes), no one on the production team has made any comment on Supercorp whatsoever, even though this ship is literally one of the best drives they have going for their show right now.

If Supercorp were to win the Zimbio polls, the actresses would be approached for an interview. If Supercorp were to win the Zimbio polls and the actresses approached for an interview, the writers and producers would most likely hear about it. If this positive, beautiful dynamic between these two strong, powerful women were to win, the production team might begin to take Supercorp a little more seriously, where they might acknowledge it in some way or they might just think twice about ruining the story and Lena’s character by turning her evil, while they elevate the questionable boyfriend to the level of hero.

But more than anything, if the production team were to notice just how beloved Supercorp is, they would realise that positive representation doesn’t stop with Sanvers. That representation of  diversity in real life doesn’t end with one, secondary character, gay couple, that we need more, and that when we see palpable chemistry in a positive relationship, who happens to be of the same sex, compared to that of a questionable relationship of a heterosexual couple, we deserve more. Gay or straight. Though to be honest, if Lena Luthor were a man, pretty much all Supergirl fans would have married them off by now because, as I said, their chemistry, and the positivity of their relationship, is unmissable and inspiring.

It’s more than just a ship at stake here, it’s a call for action for positive representation, which I’m sure, you all are for anyway. Clexa won the Zimbio poll last year, and rightfully so. They fully deserve to win this year too, but I don’t think much will change if they did win. Not for you, and not for me. If Supercorp won, we would be one small step towards changing the game once again, in always striving for more… More positive representation, more equality, more fairness. This is exactly what Clexa stood for and still stands for and that is why I think you will understand the importance of this.

So please, I am asking you: Help us get Supercorp to the top. It will be a victory for all of us. And let’s see whether we can begin to change the game for the better once again. If you agree, please vote, share this and help spread the word.

<3

Zimbio poll is here:

http://www.zimbio.com/brackets/TV+Couples+March+Madness+2017

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 11/15/19

Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter, Vol. 5 | By Reai and Suki Umemiya | Seven Seas – We actually get a welcome reminder that Iris is a “reincarnated into an otome game” heroine in this volume, something that’s mostly been ignored aside from her accounting skills. But when her younger brother tries to apologize to her for what happened at school, her Japanese self wants to forgive him but the “Iris” part of her just can’t. It’s well handled. Elsewhere, Iris is going around looking into Yuri and also threats to her kingdom, and it’s starting to get her into trouble. She’s also falling for Dean, despite trying to have nothing to do with romance again. We end with a cliffhanger involving excommunication! Still a lot of fun—I’d love to read the novels. – Sean Gaffney

Anne Happy, Vol. 10 | By Cotoji | Yen Press – This final volume doesn’t really “wrap up” the main plot—there is no magical anti-bad-luck MacGuffin that can fix things. We do get a very small flashback of their teacher which shows that she had perhaps worse circumstances than the rest of them, but has learned to keep happy and carry on, so to speak. Which is the moral of the series, really—smile even though life is bringing you down. Hibari is the one who needs that lesson here, as a chance at a family reunion is once again fouled up by her parents’ busy lives. That said, we do see here that luck can also be changed through determination, which is nice. And is that some slight yuri at the end? Anne Happy was never anything but fluff, but it was highly entertaining fluff. Good ending. – Sean Gaffney

Dreamin’ Sun, Vol. 10 | By Ichigo Takano | Seven Seas – Well, I did it. I persevered to the end and finished Dreamin’ Sun. To the end, I never was fully convinced by the relationship between Shimana and Taiga, and that includes the big finale here, in which the gang is able to get Taiga’s dad to stop meddling in his son’s affairs—we never really get a good explanation why Taiga has remained under his thumb for so long—and thus Taiga is able to go to college (alongside Shimana) and finally pursue his dream of becoming a teacher. They also get married and I must boggle at the detail that they do so after having only kissed once, two years ago. I don’t expect realism in shoujo romance, but I guess my credulity has its limits. I did like Zen and Saeko, though. In the end, this never came close to measuring up to orange. Oh well. – Michelle Smith

Durarara!! re: Dollars Arc, Vol. 5 | By Ryohgo Narita, Suzuhito Yasuda, and Aogiri | Yen Press – Izaya is setting up his plots again here, when he’s not fighting with his sisters, but the real villains this time around are Ruri’s psycho fans, who bat Shinra bloody and also attack Anri. Fortunately, she is saved by her two best frie3nds. Unfortunately, one of them, Mikado, is revealed to now be the leader of the Blue Squares, much to Masaomi’s horror. You know all this from the light novel and the anime—once again the manga gets third place. Still, some of the fight scenes are good, and if you’re looking for a manga version of the story, this is that. Damning with faint praise. We’re still only up to book eight or so, too. You really should try the light novels, which have now finished. – Sean Gaffney

Fruits Basket Another, Vol. 3 | By Natsuki Takaya| Yen Press – The first chapter of this final volume once again irritated me for burying me in next-gen cast all at once (along with Hiro’s sister, who again is not a main character so gets to be seen). It gets better as it goes along, with a serious look at not letting your parents’ abuse become your own fault. Sawa, it turns out, is connected to the Sohmas in a far more serious way than she remembered, and one flashback scene verges on terrifying. (Shiki says “she slipped on snow,” but that’s not what we see.) Notably, the situation is not resolved—she’s still living with her mom in the end—but then, we also learn it didn’t resolve itself for the Furuba cast either—Ren is making Shiki’s life miserable, because she’s like that. As such, this justifies this spinoff’s existence—barely. – Sean Gaffney

Fruits Basket Another, Vol. 3 | By Natsuki Takaya | Yen Press – In this final volume, we learn more about Sawa’s psychotic mother, including that she had some involvement with the Sohma family in the past. When Sawa asks about this, with much dread, Mutsuki reveals the full story and that everyone knew who she was all along. In fact, Shiki was central to this past event and, with Ren continuing her reign of terror he felt kinship with Sawa and worried about what had become of her. The Sohmas were indeed trying to help her, but they were also trying to help Shiki, too. In the end, this did come around to being genuinely compelling and I wish there were more, because as Sawa notes, she still hasn’t made it out of her horrible situation. If only we could’ve been spared one last appearance by Takei-sensei. Sigh. – Michelle Smith

High School Prodigies Have It Easy Even in Another World!, Vol. 5 | By Riku Misora and Kotaro Yamada | Yen Press – The start of this book gives all the fanservice that four was missing and more, as we get naked massages before a bath. Half of this is tolerable, as Ringo tries to find it in her shy self to go on a date with Tsukasa, and we get her tragic past, which (surprise!) involves a lot of child abuse. The second half involves making more medicine since the penicillin isn’t prevalent enough—time for sulfa drugs. Sadly, there’s an evil doctor who’s in the way, so our heroin doctor, um, lobotomizes him? And this is presented as good and/or humorous? Yeah, OK, I’m out. This was a mildly entertaining take on the isekai fantasy with an entire group of OP geniuses, but what the hell? – Sean Gaffney

An Incurable Case of Love, Vol. 1 | By Maki Enjoji | Viz Media – Several of Enjoji’s manga series are now available in English, but An Incurable Case of Love is actually the first that I’ve read. Five years ago, Nanase was inspired to go into medicine after meeting an attractive and accomplished young doctor in the hopes of meeting him again. Unsurprisingly, Tendo’s not quite the person she expected him to be when she finally gets the chance to work with him. In reality, her idealized prince has a harsh and exacting personality. Even though Nanase’s original motivation for becoming a nurse was perhaps less than pure, and while it may not be immediately obvious to some, she really does take both herself and her chosen profession seriously. Had it been otherwise, I don’t think I would have liked the manga, but the first volume is a largely enjoyable start to the series and I’m always glad to see more josei being translated. – Ash Brown

JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Part 4: Diamond Is Unbreakable, Vol. 3 | By Hirohiko Araki| Viz Media – One of my initial exposures to Araki’s aptly named manga series JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure was actually through a tangentially-related work, Rohan at the Louvre, which features the character Rohan Kishibe, a rather intense genius manga creator. Rohan made his first appearance in Diamond Is Unbreakable, so I’ve been looking forward to his introduction since I started reading the series. His debut happens towards the end of this particular volume, following several other short story arcs including one, much to my delight, that proves any manga can indeed be a food manga. This volume has a fair amount of humor to go along with its strange brand of horror and absurd action, too. As a whole, this part of the series comes across a bit more episodic and perhaps slightly more comedic than its predecessors. I’m enjoying Diamond Is Unbreakble in all of its glorious ridiculousness a great deal. – Ash Brown

My Hero Academia SMASH!, Vol. 2 | By Hirofumi Neda| Viz Media – I don’t think I reviewed the first volume of this gag series spinoff to the famous shonen manga, but that’s a shame, as it’s really well handled. The gags are personality-based, and the series is not afraid to veer totally away from the source material when needed—half the sports festival is different events, and some battles that don’t lend themselves to gags are omitted. And then there’s Gran Torino, who does not live up to the adorable tsundere granddaughter teaching Izuku in his dreams. There’s a lot of great Uraraka stuff here, for her fans, and a lot of great Yaoyorozu gags as well, though her fans may be a bit annoyed at how socially inept she’s shown to be. Basically, this is hilarious. – Sean Gaffney

Our Wonderful Days, Vol. 1 | By Kei Hamuro | Seven Seas – Given the cover art and the magazine that this ran in, I was expecting that I’d be reading about the lead couple on the cover. And I am, and they’re both cute—I like the fact that, despite having the “serious black-haired girl” personality type, Mafuyu is the only one whose grades are bad. But I’m actually more drawn to the other couple, Nana and Minori, best friends to main girl Koharu, who live in an apartment together to attend school and behave exactly like a married couple without actually being one. How yuri this will get is still unknown—so far we’re still at “I may like her”—but if you like your slice-of-life high school with a dash of sweet and cute, this will put a smile on your face. – Sean Gaffney

Shortcake Cake, Vol. 6 | By suu Morishita | VIZ Manga – I really loved how this volume of Shortcake Cake portrays Ten’s reaction to Chiaki’s surprising confession. She tries to let him down gently, and is upset about hurting her friend and conscientious about not leading him on. It’s not played for the drama of a love triangle—it’s just sad. And yet, she still does like Riku very much and wants to let him know that her feelings have changed, but now the Chiaki situation has made everything more complicated. Some really cute scenes ensue, but actually most of the volume takes place in Ten’s head as she worries and overthinks everything. We’re halfway through the series at this point and, though it seems like she and Riku will officially get together in the next volume, that’s a lot of time for things to go wrong somehow. Man, I love Margaret shoujo. – Michelle Smith

Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san, Vol. 2 | By Honda | Yen Press – The second volume of Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san is much like the first, with Honda covering more aspects of the bookselling business, including the talented distribution chief with a knack for anticipating what will sell, dealing with “harmful publications,” wholesalers who never supply as many copies as are requested, the difficulty in promoting books that are receiving high-profile adaptations (particularly when bonus items feature popular idols), and dealing with a customer who happens to be a yakuza. It’s pleasant, but I was kind of bummed to learn that after Honda published the chapter about customer service training, she got in some trouble with her bosses and now has to get their approval for everything she writes and worries about being fired. That’s a shame. – Michelle Smith

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 4 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – If I didn’t know better, I’d swear that this series was going to end with the next volume. The reason for that is a very surprise mutual confession between our two leads, something which I was not expecting to happen for at least a dozen more volumes. It is really well handled, though, and shows that these two shoujo protagonists are actually smart enough to pick up on signals. We also get some backstory for one of Zen’s two guards, Mitsuhide, who is asked by Zen’s older brother to watch over him and therefore must gain the trust of someone who doesn’t trust very easily—and even when he does, he seems to be betrayed. Zen and Shirayuki are very good for each other, and I’m excited to see where this goes. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 4 | By Sorata Akiduki | VIZ Media – This volume almost feels like a final volume, what with Zen and Shirayuki affirming their feelings for one another and their determination to stay by the other’s side, come what may. The final page seems to suggest a happy ending. Except this is volume four and there are 21 volumes so far. Maybe this was the point where the series changed magazines? In any case, it’s a very nice volume, with Shirayuki showing her willingness to act in Zen’s stead when his station prevents him from doing so—and giving us a glimpse of the upbringing that led to her always trying hard and being independent—as well as a revealing flashback to six years ago when Zen’s friend betrayed him but he found a new person to trust in Mitsuhide. I really enjoy this series! – Michelle Smith

The Water Dragon’s Bride, Vol. 11 | By Rei Toma | Viz Media – There’s some gorgeous art here, which is good as it may take the mind away from the fact that this is really drawn out for a finale. The basic premise—send Asahi back and the water dragon dies—is obvious, despite Asahi’s protests, and you get the sense that the other gods will eventually do something about it, but it does take forever to happen, with lots of longing pages with no dialogue. Also, how does Asahi return to her normal life so quickly? Still, it’s a happy ending, and the last two pages of the “afterword” 4-kon section make up for it with a hysterical deconstruction of why the Water Dragon won the romance war and Subaru did not. Despite not quite sticking the landing, this was a very good series. – Sean Gaffney

By: Ash Brown