#like the stain arc alone would be crazy

[dark-elf-writes]

Ahhhh, also for Shindeku, a skin writing soul bond? Like baby muzzled Shinso, the only regular conversation he gets is with his Soulmate? And he worries sooo much about revealing his quirk? Especially since his Soulmate seems to love talking about quirks.

ANDJSJSJJAV I have another skin writing one I started as well for a different pairing but this is aaaaaa

At first it starts as an accident where Shinso really needs to tell someone something but he forgot his slate/whiteboard/whatever they make him use since they won’t let him talk so he out of pure frustration just scribbles ‘Bathroom’ on his hand and shoves it into the nearest adult’s face. But by the time he’s going to wash it off he sees a question mark at the end of it that he definitely didn’t write considering the foster home only gives him the cheapest and most streaky ass black pens and that is very clearly bright green ink looking back at him. He washes it off both thrilled and horrified because he finally isn’t alone but there’s no way his soulmate would actually want a villain like him.

He almost doesn’t write back. Almost lets it slip away without reaching out because he knows that the end will hurt so fucking much but… he’s lonely. He’s been lonely for years. And finally, finally there’s someone who’s not scared to talk to him.

The way it works they can’t share names so the go by bunny and kitten. Bunny likes to draw and loves heroes and quirks. Hitoshi always knows when they forget their notebook because his arms end up covered in analyses and doodles of support gear and a scary accurate depiction of exactly what Present Mic looks like mid DJ Punch. They apologize for it, along with the weird gaps, the places on their arms that they always seem to avoid, but Hitoshi begs them to keep going because he’s pretty sure he’s going to die if he doesn’t get to read their rambling or see the stupid little All Might faces they doodle on everything. Both of them share their dreams of being heroes. Both of them promise that they will ring a way to let the other know who they are when they finally get to UA.

(Shinso doesn’t cry when Bunny tells him they got into the class they had been hoping for, knowing that he didn’t. He’s so fucking proud of them through the pain though)

Then the USJ happens and he knows his Bunny is in trouble when thick red writing appears on his arm in the middle of class. Red. So fucking red. He almost tackles Mic as he starts freaking out demanding that there was something wrong on the 1-A field trip and there’s a villain attack and they have to go help them. Mic, being a god damn professional who was just told their own soulmate was in imminent danger, puts their class on lockdown and calls a code red so all of the staff book it to the USJ.

Everyone is safe, Shouta is broken but healing, and Hizashi watches sweet little Midoriya Izuku with their shredded gym uniform still drenched in their husbands and Izuku’s own blood and water and hastily appearing writing along their arms, going around the scars that look suspiciously like burns like their soulmate knows exactly where they would be, as familiar streaky black hand writing begs them to be okay to be alive, and it’s a bit like looking in a mirror and seeing their high school self with Shouta littering their skin in pleas no one else would see.

If they happen to double schedule the two for a talk after they definitely saw Izuku doodling on their hand during class then the only person that will call them out on it is Shouta who honestly owes both of the little listeners for saving his life anyway.

[bellaxgiornata]

Falling For the Devil [Part fifty-one: "The Devil's Wrath"]

Pairing: Matt Murdock x Fem!Reader

Summary: Daredevil finally makes his appearance at the warehouse Backman’s men have been holding you at.

Or

The Devil unleashes hell on your captors--but they aren't the only ones the Devil is angry with…

[Series of one-shots about Reader meeting, falling for, and dating Matt Murdock.]

Warnings: 18+ for this series; contains humor, fluff, romance, angst, smut (like...a lot of it later in the series), language, some violence

Word Count: 3.6k

a/n: This installment is a part of the Big Angst arc. Forewarning, there is no comfort in the next handful of installments, not until you reach "The Aftermath" (Part 58) will there be comfort. This installment contains violence. You can find the entire list of installments for this series here.

“Fuck!” one of the men exclaimed.

You jumped in the metal chair when he slammed his fist into the crumbling brick wall, wincing at the harsh noise that broke the temporary silence in the dimly lit warehouse. Your split lip tugged painfully open at the gesture, another slow trickle of blood running down your chin. Arms hugging your chest tighter, your gaze further dropped down to the floor beside the metal table. There were a few stains of your blood coloring the cracked cement red.

“Are you sure you got the right journalist, McCormack?" he continued. "This is taking too goddamn long!”

“Relax, Vic,” the one with the scar that you had learned was named McCormack answered. “She’s the bitch who outed Figureroa with the little shit. I’m positive she fuckin’ alerted him with her little bathroom break before we left.” 

Out of the corner of your eye you saw him shoot you a look and you cringed, shocked that they’d known exactly what you’d been doing in the bathroom. Though that explained why they'd mostly left you alone after initially shoving a gun in your face and hitting you a few times while demanding answers about Daredevil. You were lucky you hadn’t taken your phone with you–you’d have hand delivered them an unsuspecting Matt if you had.

“He’ll come,” McCormack continued. “And if he doesn’t, then we can continue to question her by whatever means necessary.”

Chewing the inside of your cheek, you continued to stare down at your feet, ignoring the way his eyes on you made your skin crawl. Your nails dug into your arms beneath your blouse, fighting down the slight tremor in your body. You didn’t want to know what they would do to you when it came to ‘whatever means necessary' after what they had already done.

Not Scar Face took a step towards you and you flinched back in the metal chair instinctively, your lip once again stinging as the split pulled. From however long you’d been trapped in this abandoned warehouse–a few hours judging by the fact the sun had set–you’d come to learn he seemed the least stable and level-headed of the group. He definitely terrified you.

“After, we can leave her with a bullet in her head,” he said, eyes boring into you. “As a message for him. If he don’t come for her, maybe he’ll come for the other one at the office. We can try ‘em all until we find the right reporter.”

You swallowed back the bile threatening to spill out of you at the thought of these men going after Katy next. You hoped that if Matt didn’t manage to save you, he’d at least manage to save your co-workers from these crazy assholes. And from what you had gathered quietly listening into their conversations and arguments, it was just the four of them. They appeared to work for Backman, though you had no idea under what capacity, even if you certainly could guess at what it was they did. It also appeared they were working off of Backman’s radar when they kidnapped you. One of them–you assumed McCormack because he seemed the most level-headed and intelligent of them all–had clearly made the connection between you and Daredevil. And with Matt’s increased harassment in whatever illegal things Wayland was doing, he’d managed to seriously piss off Heinrich Backman. So much so that the man wanted Daredevil dead.

And these four assholes were hoping to use you as bait to lure Matt out and kill him. They wanted to surprise Backman with Daredevil’s head and his suit, hoping to win his favor for taking out the vigilante who had quickly become a thorn in his side over the past couple of weeks. 

It seemed straightforward enough in theory; if you could find a way to take out these four men, manage to incapacitate them somehow–or, God forbid, kill all of them–Backman would be none the wiser. He had not been made aware of you specifically as far as you could tell, though that didn’t mean he couldn’t figure out the same link himself, especially if you kept digging into Wayland. Assuming, of course, that you made it out of here alive, you would have to heed Matt’s warnings and step back from your investigation into Wayland entirely. 

But the making it out of this rundown warehouse alive part had you pretty skeptical. You weren’t sure how much longer this McCormack was willing to keep these men from performing whatever form of torture Not Scar Face seemed itching to do already. And you’d felt you’d already mentally exhausted whatever options that were available to you for getting out of here.

You’d tried the air-headed reporter act, and were still keeping it up in the minimal times you did speak, but none of them either seemed to buy it or give a shit. They thought you had information on Daredevil, even if all you could tell them was the color of his suit. Honestly, you didn’t think they had any qualms with killing you. So, shortly after you’d been forced to remain in the uncomfortable metal chair, their interrogation of you briefly halted, you’d shut your mouth and focused on observing. It also appeared to piss them off significantly less if you didn't say anything at all.

You had been contemplating getting ahold of one of their guns, even if you weren’t entirely sure you could stomach killing someone, let alone four people. But you also weren’t that confident with a gun, and you knew any hesitation would result in yourself definitely getting shot. McCormack, you’d come to learn, was not the only armed man here. And even with a gun, you’d probably need to find a way to take them down one at a time because you certainly wouldn’t be able to shoot them all before one of them shot you. In your time stuck here though, you’d noticed at least two of the men always remained with their eyes on you; you’d never been left to just one man or entirely alone.

And of course you’d contemplated all of the usual things that one would consider if they were trapped in this situation: screaming for help, trying to run, attempting to overpower your captors, or begging for your life. With how loud they were often arguing with each other, you figured no one would hear you scream and you’d just end up getting shot. You’d never be able to run faster than they could shoot you, either, which was probably why they hadn’t bothered to tie you up. There was also no way in hell you could overpower even just one armed man, especially since you didn’t even know how to fight. And lastly, they’d probably get a laugh out of watching you beg for your life, and at the very least, you weren’t going to give them that.

No, you were currently left with three options: wait for Matt to come save you, hope police were able to find you, or keep your eyes open for a chance of any sort to escape before they started focusing on really hurting you.

Which meant you’d been stuck sitting in this metal chair silently panicking for who the hell knew how long. You were sure by now that Matt had gotten your message and he was probably out lurking on rooftops trying desperately to find you. You wanted to help, but there wasn’t much you could do. Even attempting to whisper out to him would draw attention to you, and attention wasn’t something you wanted right now.

“I can’t fucking stand around anymore,” Vic snapped, pushing off of the wall. “I’m going to sweep the perimeter again, see if there’s anything happening outside.”

“Don’t take too long,” McCormack called after him.

Out of your peripheral, you watched Vic make his way out of the nearby exit. The door slammed shut, the sound echoing through the empty warehouse. 

“Might need to make a food run if we’re goin’ to be sitting on our asses any longer,” one of the men said. “Fuckin’ starving over here. This asshole is taking his sweet goddamn time.”

“He probably won’t care if we kill the bitch, McCormack,” Not Scar Face growled.

There was a noise a few feet away, a glint of light catching your eye. Not Scar Face was brandishing a hunting knife in his right hand, a hungry look on his face as he eyed you. You cowered further into the metal chair, the side of your jaw still aching from when he'd hit you a few times.

“What’s a couple of fingers?” he asked. “Just let me take a few and see if she has more to say.”

Instantly your heart jumped in your chest, nails biting further into your arms under your blouse. Swallowing hard, your eyes shifted to McCormack nearby. He looked bored and disinterested, especially considering Not Scar Face had a knife out.

“Why don’t we give it another fifteen minutes?” McCormack replied. “If he doesn’t show, then maybe you can take a finger or two. If you go too far and we kill her too soon, we don’t have bait or leverage for the little shit. And I know you like to take it too far.”

Fear shot through your veins like ice, your arms squeezing tighter around your chest. So that was why they hadn’t roughed you up too much yet–they were planning to kill you but they needed you alive to lure out Daredevil. But they were going to kill you. 

Panic flooded you; you weren’t going to get out of here alive. You were going to die here if Matt didn't show soon. Probably slow and painful if Not Scar Face had a say in anything.

Silence fell over the four of you as you fought hard to keep your trembling to a minimum. Not Scar Face still had his knife out, twirling it in his hands. You were intentionally not looking at him, but you could feel him staring at you. Your stomach twisted uncomfortably, a sick feeling growing in your gut everytime the light glinted off that twirling knife in your peripheral.

“The fuck is takin’ Vic so long?” one of the other men called out. “He’s been outside for almost five minutes now.”

McCormack let out an annoyed huff, shifting on his feet nearby. “Go check it out, Antonov," he ordered. "He’s probably just taking a piss."

The man known as Antonov grumbled, making his way towards the exit. He took three steps before the lights went out, sending the entire warehouse into almost pitch black. Your heart sped up hopefully in your chest in the darkness–that had to be Matt.

"What the fuck is this shit?" Not Scar Face roared.

"Don't fucking shoot!" McCormack called out. "I'm not taking a bullet from one of you dumbasses! Not until we know where this fucker is!"

Your eyes darted around the blackness, searching hopefully for the infamous horned helmet. You couldn't see much of anything through the dark except the table just before you, though, but you knew Matt was here.

"Stop hiding, asshole!" Not Scar Face shouted into the darkened warehouse. 

A gloved hand abruptly covered your mouth and you briefly startled in the chair at the touch. Immediately you heard Matt's voice beside your ear, a flood of relief washing over you.

"Get under the table and stay there," he ordered in a harsh whisper.

You nodded quickly against his hold, your heart still racing in a mix of fear and hope. He removed his gloved hand and you immediately slipped under the table, shrinking yourself as much as you could. 

"You should never have touched the reporter," Daredevil’s gravelly and enraged voice echoed through the warehouse. “And I will certainly make sure each of you regret it.” 

A loud gunshot went off, a flash of light briefly lighting the warehouse. You curled further in on yourself, hoping you could manage to stay out of the way of stray bullets in the dark.

"Stop hiding and–argh!"

It sounded like Antonov who had been cut off by something very solidly slamming into him–Matt's billy clubs, you assumed. Enraged snarls filled the air and mixed with the sounds of Antonov’s pained screams and the repeated, solid thwack of something pummeling flesh and bone. You closed your eyes even though you couldn't see anything in the dark and tried to control your breathing. Another gunshot went off and you flinched at the loud bang as the noise vibrated through your skull. 

The warehouse went oddly quiet abruptly after, Antonov no longer screaming or groaning in pain. The silence sent a chill down your spine. Matt must have already beaten Antonov senseless and was zeroing in on who was next. 

"Backman wants you dead, devil," McCormack called out through the dark. "And I’m sure it won't take a genius for someone else to figure out your connection to this reporter again."

"Must be fuckin' that bitch, huh?" Not Scar Face’s voice rang out next, clearly taunting Matt. "She mean that much to you, devil man? Cause I'll admit, she don't seem like much, but I know she screams real nice and pretty!"

A cruel laugh reverberated around the warehouse, the sound raising the hair on the back of your neck. The laugh was cut short as a vicious growl rumbled through the dark and in seconds the laughter turned to loud shrieks. Your eyes tightened closed even further at the noise. You cringed at the screams echoing through the warehouse, knowing Matt was savagely beating the hell out of each one of these men–probably quite close to the brink of death from how it sounded to your ears. Though you found it difficult to drum up any sympathy for your captors and would-be killers.

"Your jaw is going to be wired shut when I'm through with you!" Daredevil’s deep voice roared above Not Scar Face’s screams.

Louder shrieks filled the room, a few gunshots breaking through the screams of sheer pain and the sound of the Devil’s fury. The screaming felt like it went on for minutes before the warehouse once again fell eerily silent.

Very slowly you opened your eyes, but everything around you was still black. You still couldn’t see anything. Exhaling a shuddering breath, you carefully sat upright just a bit beneath the table, listening closely for the sound of Matt. You couldn’t hear anything though. They had to still be in here though, there was no way McCormack had left without you hearing him, right?

A hand grabbed your shoulder and roughly yanked you out from under the table, a startled and terrified scream flying out of your mouth. You struggled against McCormack’s hold, one of your legs swinging out and hitting the leg of the table, the screech of metal across the cement floor ringing out loudly. Seconds later, his hand was gripping you by the throat, dragging you to your feet before the cold barrel of a gun was at your temple. The feel of it instantly cut off your scream. 

“I’ve got your girl, devil,” McCormack shouted into the black. “Got a gun to her head. Maybe if you come out and surrender yourself, I won’t put a hole in it.”

Your entire body was trembling, shaking from the fear as the gun pressed harder into your temple. Matt didn’t respond to McCormack’s taunt, though, which elicited an irritated noise from the man behind you.

“I swear I’ll kill her, you son of a bitch!” McCormack spat. “And if it ain’t me, it’ll be another of Backman’s men–or maybe the man himself when he realizes that she means something to you! And he’ll send her back to you in pieces , motherfucker!”

A noise the likes of which you’d never heard before sounded just behind you, one that sent your heart racing and chilled the blood in your veins. It was animalistic, feral, and dangerous–and it came from Matt as he roughly ripped McCormack’s arm away from your head, a bullet deafeningly flying out of the gun near your ear and thankfully aiming upwards towards the roof of the warehouse. Instinctively you ducked out of the way, racing towards the exit sign which was the only thing illuminated in the warehouse. McCormack’s agonized screams only came into your hearing when the ringing in your ears slowly began to dull. You shoved your hands into the door and pushed your way out of the building, your shoulders heaving as your breath came in hard, sharp pants.

Just outside the door you spotted Vic’s bloodied and battered body immobile, his face a disturbing mess–but you assumed Matt had still left him alive. Because he didn’t kill, and you had to believe he still hadn’t tonight. Though these men would most definitely be incapacitated for a long, long time.

Turning and fighting back yet another wave of nausea, you quickly made your way away from the body on the ground behind you and towards the empty parking lot with both hands thrown over your mouth. You couldn't believe how close you had repeatedly just come to dying tonight and if it hadn't been for Matt, you were certain you would have. 

Tears were streaming down your face as you doubled over, forcing yourself to take deep, calming breaths. It was only those four men who knew about you, you reminded yourself. And Matt had definitely dealt with them. They wouldn't be talking any time soon if they even somehow remembered tonight after what he had done to them. Which meant you should be safe for now as long as you stepped back from investigating Wayland and let Matt handle that part.

Running a hand across your forehead, you tried to will away the nauseous feeling still churning in your stomach. Your body was shaking a bit more violently from the increase in adrenaline during that fight now. Drawing in another deep breath, you held it for a few seconds before exhaling it long and slow. Movement out of the corner of your eye caused you to jump, shrieking in surprise for only a second before you realized it was Matt. His mouth was set in a firm line, his jaw clearly tensed. You were about to run towards him, wrap your arms around him and thank him profusely, but something about the rigid way he was carrying himself gave you pause. Something about him seemed off.

“You need to leave,” he told you firmly, a dark edge to his voice. “Police are on their way right now. I can hear the sirens. Go back to your apartment.”

Your brows furrowed together, your mind beginning to race. “Why? I can just tell the police what happened. Tell them you slipped out before they showed up.”

Matt shook his head roughly at you, his shoulders heaving lightly from his fight. “No, you can’t be here,” he snapped.

“That doesn’t–”

“ Go home !” Matt snarled forcefully, completely cutting you off.

Jumping backwards at his tone, your eyes widened in surprise. You hadn’t been expecting him to yell at you. He’d never done that before.

“If the police find you here,” Matt began in an irritated growl, “you’re connected to this. Backman will know. And he’s going to know that Daredevil was here, saving you yet again. So you can’t be here, do you hear me?”

Mouth going dry, you nodded quickly in response.

“Go to your apartment,” he ordered, that edge still in his voice. “Make up some excuse for the police about there being a mix up with what Katy called in. Then let your friend know you’re okay so she doesn’t keep harassing the police station.” He stepped towards you, his Daredevil suited form almost intimidating as he continued through gritted teeth, “You cannot be connected to this. Do you understand?”

Licking your lips nervously, your arms once again hugged themselves around your chest. “I left my phone at the office,” you said lamely. “I have no way to call…”

Matt’s head darted sharply to the side, the muscles jumping in his cheeks. A sharp, frustrated exhale burst from his nose as his hands balled into fists at his sides. He looked ready to hit something. You swallowed hard, your pulse beginning to race again. Why was he so angry at you?

“Fine,” he ground out, gaze still averted. “I will talk to Mahoney at the precinct and clear this mess up. And then I’ll be making a stop by Katy’s, let her know you’re safe and to change her story.” Matt’s head snapped back towards you, the red lenses in his helmet oddly darker tonight. “Go home and stay there. Now ,” he growled dangerously.

You nodded weakly in response. “Okay,” you whispered.

With an irritated grunt, Matt turned and stalked away from you, his body still tense and his hands still curled into fists. Your heart dropped to your feet as you watched him disappear. He hadn't offered a word of comfort. Not a single comforting touch. You'd expected him to be upset but…he seemed furious with you. 

You exhaled a shuddering breath before hurrying out of the parking lot and towards the vacant side street nearby. You tried to navigate your way through a few alleys and more side streets, attempting to orient yourself as to where in Hell’s Kitchen you were in correlation to your apartment. But as you walked, adrenaline still pumping in your veins, you couldn’t shake the sinking feeling in your gut as your mind began to question Matt’s anger at you.

[cyberdragoninfinity]

so in case anyone was curious, this illustration is largely based on several stained glass portraits of St. Michael the Archangel slaying Lucifer (in kickass dragon form,) but especially this one (a 19th century window from Calvados, France)

A.) i Love angels in stained glass especially when the colors go crazy, this isnt the first time I've invoked them with art of Aporia and the Three Nobles, but more important B.) one day I will go off more about Aporia's angel symbolism in general but for now I gotta talk about Primo's, I gotta.

His Archangel Michael parallels make my brain spin around So fast--the Nobels are definitely supposed to effectively be robotic angels, messengers of the Apocalypse and God's (Z-one's) plan to fix the future. Primo sees himself as a loyal extension of Z-one's will, an agent of vicious justice, the 'commander' of his Ghost army. He's the android gijinka of Aporia's young adult war trauma. He's uhhh technically not alive! Meanwhile, Michael the angel is the leader of God's holy army, a military commander... and in Catholicism he's also the patron saint of death and soldiers. :^) (and. cops. cringe.) (though the Three Nobles were the heads of Sector Security for a While, huh.....) (it goes so deep it doesnt stop)

And there's the sword, of course, Michael is The angel most often depicted with a sword (sometimes a 'normal' blade, sometimes on fire, sometimes it's a spear, etc etc,) it's a spiritual weapon associated with him, created by God. And oh hey Primo what's that you got there....

Haha Ok Cool Man 👍 Sick Godsword

In the Bible it's Michael who leads the charge against Lucifer and his army of fallen angels in the battle of heaven and hell, and it's very specifically mentioned Lucifer takes on the form of a dragon during this epic clash. *the dog is, in fact, taking out the Book of Revelations*

so DEEPEST APOLOGIES TO STARDUST MY FRIEND STARDUST DRAGON for making her representative of the Literal Devil in that illustration; though, from Iliaster's point of view, perhaps of course Stardust WOULD be their draconic devil stand-in, the ace monster of Yusei, the dominant roadblock to their plans, the (you could perhaps argue) counterpart of their God's image. To Primo especially he has it Aggressively out for Stardust throughout his entire psychological obsession with Yusei. He Wants to Slay That Dragon So Bad, He Wants It as a Trophy On His Wall.

Michael also gets described and depicted very knight like in religious art and discussions, he is frequently armored; Primo also has a lot of knightly vibes imo, design and narrative wise. (And of course so does Sherry...interestingly, Sherry actually ALSO has a lot of parallels with St. Michael, including the fact she takes part in the fight against Primo's duel bot army (y'know...the Diablo :^) and a lot of her Joan of Arc invocations as a character) (that's a story for another post though) (Trey from Zexal ALSO has St. Michael parallels too imo) (but again, that's it's whole other post.) (yugioh LOVES religious symbolism like a bear loves salmon.)

it's just a very neat motif weaved throughout Primo's character!! His attitude is notoriously pretty shitty and difficult to put up with, but at his core he seems himself as a defender of sorts. God's sword. This is the path that will save the future. Tangentially, take this Alleluia verse about St. Michael:

"dreadful judgement," huh? Like... a Judgement Day? A world in peril and needing saving? Wonder who else has something to say about that and is very tunnel-vision obsessed with the notion of being the one alone to grant this safeguard...

ah :)

[nyotasaimiri]

Arc Two 121

Nyota knew her crew well: less than fifteen minutes after she set a fresh muffin tray near the vents to let the smell waft through the ship, her entire crew had gathered in the kitchen, lured in as surely as bobfae to a sugarcane. Gizzie trailed uncertainly after Oldarva; she must have collected them on her way down. Mihre and Marcy arrived a little while after, their relieved expressions telling Nyota they must have gotten lost on the way.

“Did you sleep well?” Nyota asked, smiling at Marcy.

“Yeah.” Marcy interrupted herself halfway through with a huge yawn. “Maybe too well. I wanted to keep sleeping. But that smell is so good.”

“Isn’t it?” Hadley’s voice made Nyota jump; she hadn’t noticed her coming into the room. “Nyota makes the best breakfasts.”

“Good to see you out of bed again,” Nyota said, hiding her startle under a smooth smile. “I can’t claim this one, though. Lumen did all the work. I just told him the recipe.”

“Really? Could’ve fooled me.” She shrugged and snagged a muffin, biting into it with enthusiasm. “Say, we haven’t met, right? I’m Hadley.”

Mihre looked her up and down. “Yess,” they said carefully, “you certainly are.”

Hadley glared at them. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means this Floran knows much about the name Hadley.” They raised their hands to show lack of ill intent. “Not a professional interest these days.”

“Mihre is Namina’s older sibling,” Nyota explained, shifting slightly so she could get between them if things came to blows.

“Huh.” That seemed to be all Hadley needed to hear. “Another shady one, then? Nice to meet you. And you are…?”

“Marcy Reese. It’s a pleasure,” Marcy said, her smile only a little nervous. She’d been practicing, apparently. “I was one of Nyota’s classmates.”

“And a dear friend who supported me during my years on Earth,” Nyota added, putting a soothing hand on Marcy’s shoulder. “I lived with her and her family for a long while.”

Hadley considered this, stopping halfway to taking another bite of her muffin. “You said apex don’t really learn to cook most of the time, right? So you learned with her family?”

“Ye-es?” That wasn’t what Nyota had expected.

Hadley’s face lit up and she clapped her free hand on Marcy’s other shoulder. “You did us all a service. Great to have you aboard.”

Arjun almost choked on his coffee.

“Why are you acting like you’re in charge here, exactly?” Nyota could barely keep her voice steady; laughter tickled hard at her throat and threatened to rumble out if she relaxed her control at all. “And what do you mean, a service?”

Marcy’s eyes glittered with mischief. “Did you tell her about the plaster pancakes?”

“Ah. …so I did.”

“Then you have only yourself to blame.” Marcy patted Nyota’s hand with such acted pity that the laugh burst free. It was a solid minute before she could stop to catch her breath, lungs aching and tears tickling the corner of her eyes, her crew staring at her like she’d gone crazy and Marcy grinning right along with her. Like they were back on Earth, with no weight or grief between them. And this time, the feeling stayed. No cynical present bit into it.

What we had isn’t gone, Nyota realized, the thought sneaking in under her warm joy as she shook the last giggles out and drew a few careful breaths in. It’s just different: deeper, richer, stained but not broken. Not ruined. It’s still us. Still ours.

Hadley’s eyes were dancing. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you laugh like that. Hey Lumen, you’ve been here longest. Is that a new trick?”

Lumen chuckled, his glow warm and bright as a hearth. “Sure is. Ain’t that music to my ears? I ain’t got ears, but ya get the point.”

“It’s not new to me,” Marcy said quietly, and her gentle, shy, hopeful smile told Nyota all she needed to know: she wasn’t wrong in her feelings. Wasn’t alone. Marcy had been afraid too. And now she wasn’t. “I didn’t think I would hear it again.”

“You’ll have to pardon the rust,” Nyota said, finally taking Marcy’s hand in hers. “But I think I will be knocking all of that loose, before long. First, though, we have muffins, and they will go cold if we keep gossiping.”

“If we keep harassing you, you mean?” Marcy grinned and elbowed her. “Ouch, geez. Your muscles are like armor.”

Hadley nodded with mock sadness. “Another victim of the Captain’s abs.”

Nyota’s retort got lost under her crew’s laughter, and the sound of Arjun actually inhaling his coffee this time.  

[irritablepoe]

Bleeding Memories (Mushitarou x Yokomizo)

CW: character death, self-destructive tendencies (could be interpreted as suicidal ideation maybe?); pure angst, hurt no comfort; you have been warned

Note: this is kind-of pre-canon; there are spoilers for the perfect crime arc!

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The paper was stained; the ink smudged. But it hadn’t been just one drop of salty tears. It hadn’t been just the tears that had fallen when he had killed him. What nobody knew was that he - when his friend was still; a corpse; a body without life - had screamed and cried like there was no limit to his lungs and no strain to his voice.

He had tried to convince himself that it wouldn’t matter. That it wouldn’t matter if Yokomizo was gone; that he was a murderer. His murderer.

At last - it did. And Mushitarou hated himself for it. Hated himself for all the unspoken words, for the blood on his hands, and the guilt that he felt even though he had stained them willingly.

Willingly. Willingly, he had killed his friend for a murder mystery; had killed his friend because his life was doomed nonetheless. Had killed him, because he had asked him to. He had never been able to say no to him.

If only he had.

But then again…

If Mushitarou hadn’t agreed, Yokomizo would still be alive - but he’d be suffering. Wrestling with death every day. For nothing.

He had spared his friend the pain; had given him a reason to die for.

Though, now it was Mushitarou’s turn to suffer. To suffer for the both of them.

And that he did gladly. Even if it meant sleepless nights. Even if it meant seeing his friend in everything - simply everything! - he did. 

He would look down into his cup of tea and he would curse himself for thinking of him. 

It fueled him. The curses. The hate he had towards himself. The pain he felt when he thought of Yokomizo. The tears that still fell when he was all alone, doors locked. 

Anyone would have wished that this burden would be lifted from him. Though, Mushitarou hoped it would never leave. 

I must be crazy to think that, he thought to himself. But he suffered and that meant his friend was with him, still. He yearned and the pain came to him as if he had called out to it. And maybe he did. Maybe he did yearn for the pain it caused him, not for the memory itself. Because a memory will fade, the pain however doesn’t. It stings just as fresh as when it was cut into flesh. As long as the flesh lives and the knife sticks, there is no way it can heal.

Pulling it out?

Pulling the knife out would be to erase his friend. The memory bleeding out of his body, until he would be drained of it. He couldn't do that.

Yokomizo didn't have many friends and no relatives. In fact, he just had Mushitarou. If he wouldn’t remember his friend, no one else would.

And once again he was left to crumble. With grief in his chest, a piercing ache in his bones, a sour thought of salvation.

Mushitarou was a man that knew more than he let on. Under the chaos that could be the end of the world as they knew it, he was alone with knowledge worth a thousand soldiers. If he learned one thing through this everlasting bite of guilt, it was that there was always a way to get out of a locked room unnoticed.

Mushitarou didn’t get away with murder in the end. But he did get away with his life. 

What else could the world bring him into and he would survive?

Yokomizo.

If you can hear me.

This is not a prayer, but a plea.

Show yourself to me when my memory has faded completely.

Let me see your face once anew.

And let me fall in love once again with you.

[justanotherthrowaway1950]

Hot Take: Azula's Mental Illness(es) Only Exist to Nerf Her

Azula’s mental breakdown and subsequent fall to (long-term?) madness is one of the most talked about character arcs in ATLA, with much ink spilled analyzing why it happened, what type of mental illness(es) Azula may have, and whether she may be able to rise from the ashes of her shame and humiliation.

However, maybe Azula’s downfall was not meant to be some profound end to a 3-D character that still has people talking about it, even though ATLA last aired almost 15 years ago and her last comics appearance was in 2016.

No, maybe Azula’s mental breakdown and subsequent struggles with mental health only exists to nerf a villain sue whose sympathetic moments come due to wanting to give her an ambiguous mental disorder that nerfs her so that not only are Zuko and Katara able to defeat her, but also to prevent her from being a serious threat to the Gaang post-war. 

For if Azula didn't go crazy during Sozin's Comet, Zuko and Katara would have never gotten to the Fire Nation Royal Palace since she would have had the imperial firebenders and the Dai Li to protect her. And even if they did manage to get to her, she would have never challenged Zuko to an Agni Kai just like she refused Zuko's challenge in S2. 

Meanwhile, in the case where they manage to defeat her, if they had to kill her, Zuko's already shaky legitimacy is gone. And in the case where they manage to capture her, even if Aang de-bends her, she is still a potent symbol for pro-war elements to rally around since she never proved herself too unstable to rule.

Not to mention, Azula’s insanity also allows Bryke to use Azula as an antagonist in future works without having to deal with the obvious question of why doesn't Azula (attempt to) slaughter everyone between her and the throne if Aang doesn't show up and defeat her in the Avatar State.

For in The Search, if Azula was sane, she would have easily escaped the Gaang's custody and used the letter to start a civil war, not even bothering to find Ursa. In Smoke and Shadow, if she was truly sane, she would have slaughtered everyone who opposed her and/or was remotely tied to her downfall before taking the throne again and restarting the Hundred Year War.

Moreover, Azula’s insanity allowed Bryke to avoid having to answer the question of what type of punishment did Ozai's 14 year old second-in command deserve at the end of the war.

For Azula failing into madness gave them an excuse to have Zuko involuntarily psych war her in an asylum in a show of mercy that also conveniently discredits Azula in the eyes of the Fire Nation without staining Zuko and/or Aang’s reputations in- or out-of-universe.

So yeah, Azula’s mental illness is obviously a plot-driven nerf in retrospect, and therefore we should stop trying to ascribe deeper meaning to her downfall. 

“Nice headcanon you got there but canon disagrees with you. First of all, even if Azula didn’t banish the Dai Li and imperial firebenders, it wouldn’t have mattered since they are fodder to likes of Zuko and Katara, with Zuko’s Comet boost essentially canceling out the imperial firebenders’ Comet boost. Second of all, assuming Zuko would have challenged a sane Azula to an Agni Kai, Azula can’t refuse an Agni Kai, let alone one for the throne. Third of all, Azula wasn't strong enough to take either Katara or Zuko 1v1 by the end of the series. And finally, other than when Azula had Zuko at firepoint, there was no other time she could have killed the main characters after the war ended, so the idea she could have slaughtered everyone sans an Avatar State Aang is pure Azula stan wanking at its finest.”

In regards to the first point, the Dai Li are not fodder considering it took just two of them to enable Azula to avoid Aang, Toph, and Sokka as long as she did during the Day of Black Sun, and a whole unit of Dai Li agents plus Zuko and Azula was enough for Aang to decide to let go of Katara to master the Avatar State since he didn’t think him and Katara could defeat them all.

And second of all, since Katara and Zuko are entering the Fire Nation on Appa, they are essentially sitting ducks for a legion of Sozin’s Comet enhanced firebenders, especially since Zuko’s best fire redirection feat didn’t occur till Smoke and Shadow, and even then, he only redirected the fire of four firebenders, and not an entire legion like he would have to in this scenario.

And speaking of imperial firebenders, even if they are still relative fodder to Zuko, the Comet boost makes them superior to Katara if the fire produced by the soldiers who faced Toph in the airship are any indication of what the Sozin’s Comet amped imperial firebenders can do. 

And unlike those soldiers, the imperial firebenders won’t have to hold back for fear of destroying their surroundings since they will be firing into the air or in the Coronation Plaza, assuming Zuko, Katara, and Appa haven’t been burned alive at that point and manage to reach it in the first place.

In regards to the second point, Zuko was a literal traitor at that point just like in S2 when Azula refused his Agni Kai challenge. Besides, if anyone could walk up the Fire Nation Royal Palace and challenge the Fire Lord to an Agni Kai, how would the Fire Lord be able to do anything other than fight since they would be fighting Agni Kai after Agni Kai?

“Um, literally be so strong that no one even dares to challenge them since it's a death sentence? Like why do you think the Fire Lord is considered the apex firebender? For the Kyoshi novels, even if they take place centuries before the events of ATLA, say that even the head mistress of the Royal Fire Academy for Girls has to be the peak firebender at the institution to not lose her position. And Bryke have made comments saying that Ozai had fought in several Agni Kais as a Prince in order to keep his position; hence why no one challenges him to an Agni Kai as Fire Lord.”

So if that was the case ,why doesn't Smoke and Shadow Azula challenge Zuko to an Agni Kai instead of engaging in her 48D plan then? Especially since the TTRPG says she wants the throne again?

Not to mention, ​​Iroh knew how to redirect lightning before Lu Ten's death, yet never challenged Ozai to an Agni Kai even after becoming enlightened, and thus realized the war was wrong, on top of (most likely) seeing his beloved nephew get abused daily.

So, if that line of thought about Agni Kais is true, wouldn't that make Iroh look passive as fuck at best, and a piece of shit at worst, even though Iroh is supposed to be respected and wise good guy after his enlightment?

Anyway, getting back on track, in regards to the third point, if Zuko was strong enough to take on Azula by himself, how come Iroh, one of the wisest characters in ATLA, someone who knows about Zuko’s abilities, and is at times a mouthpiece for the writers, tells Zuko to take someone with him to take down Azula? 

Or how come Zuko only challenges Azula to an Agni Kai after seeing she is in the middle of a mental breakdown? 

Or how come Katara refuses to directly confront Azula and essentially defeats her by tricking her with a trap that she would have seen coming a mile away if she was sane?

It is pretty obvious that Zuko, even after closing the gap thanks to training with the Dragons, is still not Azula’s equal, while Katara, even if she is arguably slightly stronger than Azula, is no match for a sane Sozin’s Comet boosted Azula.

And in regards to the final point, even if you discount when she had Zuko pinned down in crypt, she could have killed the main cast in several different ways. 

For she could have used the fact that no one was aware of the secret tunnels, or that she was in Caldera City, to covertly assassinate Zuko and his allies one by one with the rest of the Fire Warriors. Especially since no one, not even Zuko or Aang, have a reliable counter to their smokebending.

She could have actually helped the New Ozai Society, instead of manipulating Ukano into acting earlier so she could teach Zuko a lesson, and raised a true insurgency. 

She could have kicked Aang with fire when they were chasing after her on the Royal Palace roof-tops instead of just kicking him.

She could have fully charged her lightning so that when she redirected it at Zuko, it would have killed him when he failed to redirect it due to being caught off guard instead of just knocking him off his feet.

She could have slashed Ty Lee with a fire dragger instead of slapping her. 

She could have kicked Mai with fire instead of just kicking her, or more generally, actually attacked Mai to kill her instead of toying with her the whole time when they were in the Garden of Tranquil Souls.

Not to mention the fact that not only has her battle awareness and speed increased, for she dodged a serious Ty Lee trying to chi-block her from her blindside while also casually dodging Mai’s knives, but also she now has quick charge lightning; instant lightning; the ability to wield lightning like a bootleg chidori; the ability to make lightning spheres; the ability to make lightning zaps; lightning redirection; instant area of effect lightning; the ability to control and spilt her lightning stream after she has fired it; concussive lightning; faster fire jets; and, most controversially, the apparent ability to psychically generate and manipulate smoke.

There are other things she could have done, but that point is that if Azula really wanted Zuko and company dead during Smoke and Shadow, they would be dead. 

And even if she was foolish enough to try to attack them head-on, there is a really strong argument that the only person who could stop her is an Avatar State Aang, assuming her encounter with Katara does not take place during a full moon.

So to conclude, maybe there is no deeper reason for Azula’s mental breakdown other than the writers backing themselves into a corner and realizing that the only real way a sane Azula would ever get stopped is by Avatar State Aang. 

That and they did not want to deal with the thorny issue of what punishment a sane Azula would get for her actions taken during the war while also wanting the option to use Azula as ongoing villain without having her rack-up a high body count before she is stopped.

Without her mental breakdown, in regards to the TV show, at best the Final Agni Kai never happens, and at worst, Zuko, Katara, and Appa are all dead. Meanwhile, in regards to the comics, at best Azula leads a bloody insurgency before she is stopped for good, and at worst, the Hundred Year War restarts without anyone able to stand up to her.

So yeah Azula needed to be nerfed, and they ended up doing it with the one thing that could truly stop her: herself.

[theabominableblogger]

3, 23, 30 for my gotham hater ask set 😈

3. Main character you wish it died.

*sighs* Leaning toward Barbara or Ed not gonna lie. None of the actor's faults or anything, I just don't like them.

23. Hate on something from your favorite season.

Gonna go with S4 for this one since I'm like one out of 3 people who loves S4. I wish we had more time developing Jeremiah before or after he went crazy. If they could have squeezed like a few minutes into 4x19 of like Jeremiah and Bruce working together on their battery project, that would have been great. You could even play with the whole "stained my skin white" thing by having Jeremiah be not so trusting of other people touch him (because he's actually wearing makeup so he plays it off as trauma) or hint at the jealousy card by having him be like utterly silent when Bruce tells him about Selina because YOU KNOW Bruce would. Not asking for a full on hazy camera lens like in the 60s or 70s but something close to that. But at the same time, even with his honesty, we as the audience should be like "ok everything's too normal what's going on?" and 4x20 is a god tier episode in my opinion.

I do appreciate though how much of his plans are left in the open because it gives him this malevolent presence. If he was able to do all this with a small amount of time, how much damage can he do when he's left alone?

Also main complaint for S5 was the cancellation shortening everything. Like "Ace Chemicals" ends so abruptly because of it.

30. Let’s be real… do you think the show was objectively bad or did the writers make some awful decisions?

The latter, especially concerning some of Barbara's stuff (COUGH Demon's Head COUGH) and the whole Isabella thing. Definitely some character moments and arcs were rushed but that was basically FOX dangling the show over the deep end [cancellation] most of its entire run.

[sixeyesgojo]

I’ll Be Your Enemy

Summary: Gojo Satoru is willing to do anything for you. As long as it helps you heal from what haunted your night.

Pairing: Gojo x Reader

Word count: 2,019

Content warning: implied but unspecified mental illness, mentions of self-harm (scratching), mentions of character death

A/N: Kind of stumbled upon this masterpiece of a song and I thought it would be ideal for some Gojo HURT. This entire thing takes place after the Cursed Womb Arc, so to say: after Yuji dies.

Song: Be Your Enemy by Taemin ft. Wendy

PREQUEL HERE: Pictures of You

Quickly, quickly. The key was inserted into the keyhole and turned. The door lock clicked faintly, signaling that the door has been unlocked. Satoru made sure to open and close the door softly as he entered the familiar apartment. Putting the spare key into his pocket, he slid out of his shoes. Usually he would have made some big noise to ‘announce his arrival’ but not this time. He left his shoes neatly at the genkan of the residence and slipped into the white slippers that always stood by the wooden door, an extra pair just for him.

23 minutes ago. “Hello?” Satoru had picked up the phone. “Gojo-san! Finally the call went through. I’m glad I am able to reach you now,” the voice on the other end said. “Yo, Ijichi, what’s up?” Satoru greeted. He had been sent to a pretty rural area of Japan to get rid of some pesky curses and the cell phone reception was poor in that place, so it wasn’t surprising that calls didn’t go through at times. In addition to that, some curses that manifested had an electrical ability, which impaired the cell towers at place even more. Almost as if planned. “Gojo-san, I think you need to come back as fast as you can,” the man with glasses on the other end of the line stated calmly. “Why?” was the only thing the white-haired sorcerer said in response. Somehow, he had a strange feeling in his gut. The tone in Ijichi’s voice didn’t do anything to calm this odd feeling either.

“It’s L/N-san. Something horrible happened and I don’t think she is taking it well. I did my best to calm her but I’m at wits’ end too…” Ichiji explained vaguely. Satoru was experiencing a feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time - his stomach churned, it felt like his guts were wrenching inside him - at the mention of your name. “Ijichi,” he said in a relatively calm voice. He was lucky his voice wasn’t betraying him by showing what he truly felt in that moment. Satoru’s feet were set in rapid motion. “Stay calm. I need you to explain to me what exactly happened.”

Gojo Satoru might be many things. A tease, a teacher (supposedly), a cruel man, a strong sorcerer, a crazy coach, a walking menace to some, protective, an inspiration to a handful, a venti-sized manchild, idiotic, a sweets maniac, a lifelong student to Yaga, playful, a pillar of the Jujutsu world… but most importantly, he was a caring person. This goes without saying for his students and especially his loved ones. What Ijichi just said on the phone had left his heart stinging in his chest. He was in the kitchen, leaving the bag he brought with him on the table.

“Alright. I will tell you what happened, Gojo-san.” “I am listening.” “I am not sure if you are aware that this happened,” the suit-clad man began, “but one of the missions that was originally assigned to you - a case of utmost priority of a cursed womb - was suddenly taken off of your pile and reassigned…” Satoru’s eyes narrowed underneath the black fabric. The beginning already left a bad taste in his mouth; missions assigned to him were usually first grade or even special grade and he knew all too well that there were nowhere enough first grade, let alone special grade, sorcerers around. So who had it been assigned to? “...to your three first-year students,” Ijichi finished with a sigh. The sickening hotness of rage filled Satoru’s whole body. Already having realized the scenario that must have taken place, he still asked for confirmation, “What grade?” “...Special grade. One casualty.” The picture that you had taken of him, his first years and yourself (so carefully hung up on your wall at home) flashed in front of his inner eye. He clenched his teeth so hard as he wordlessly hung up; it hurt. It hurt so badly.

Such an atrocious inhumane act coated in malice. He was going to kill these dirty-playing bastards. However, that would have to wait until later. Much later. Satoru couldn’t leave you to your own devices, not in this state. The scenario he concluded for himself earlier replayed in his mind several times as he made his way through your completely dark apartment. His heart stung with each beat. It was almost as if someone drove a blade through his chest repeatedly.

When he stood in front of the closed door of your bedroom, he heard soft sobs coming from inside. Should he knock to let you know someone came? He wasn’t sure what to do. He gave the door two soft knocks and entered the room. It was your hunched form on the bed, no doubt. Satoru could not see your face with the way your back was facing him. Slowly he made his way to your bed and crouched down to face you. Your face was swollen and tear-stained, a sight he didn’t see often. His large hand rested on your shoulder and gently rubbed it, a silent question hung in the air.

Finally, you looked at him with your swollen eyes. Almost instantly, your sobs got louder and you reached out for the tall sorcerer. “S-Satoru…” you hiccuped in-between sobs. “Yeah. I’m here, I’m here,” he reassured you and stroked the wet hair out of your puffy face as you threw yourself around him, relentlessly crying into his broad shoulders. The white-haired man enclosed his arms around you but it wasn’t to hug you for comfort.

He scooped your delicate frame up and wrapped a warm blanket around you before leaning your body against the headboard of the bed. He sat next to you on the bed and guided your head onto his shoulders. Your violent sobbing stopped but tears were still flowing freely. 

If there was someone who understood the agony, bitterness and distress someone in this line of work had to face, it was Gojo Satoru. The path of a Jujutsu Sorcerer was painted black and red by trials and tribulations. This was why Satoru was so hell-bent on resetting the world he called his obligation. “If you feel exhausted, just lean on me for a second,” his calm voice sounded through the room. There was no answer from you. Even if there was silence, your feelings reached his heart and he spoke again. “Do you want to tell me about it?” he asked gently. Let it go with me. It’ll be easier to shake this burden off and share it, he thought. Of course, he would never dare force you. You nuzzled into his shoulder, as if to get even closer physically.

Ultimately, the woman sucked in a breath and with a shaky voice and recounted everything in her point of view. “I-I.. was on a mission when I… got a call from Ijichi. ‘Something wasn’t right’, he said and… t-told me about the cursed womb. As soon as I heard… that they sent y-your students there, I rushed to the location but…”, you hiccuped, “...I was too late… Y-Yuji, he-” You sobbed hysterically into his shoulder. Satoru turned to you to wipe away the tears and snot with a tissue. “Shhh, I’m here, I’m here”, he reassured once again, “I’ll fix it somehow.” It was just as he thought: those damned higher ups.

“H-How? This is not… something… you can f-fix, Satoru… not even you,” you continued bawling into his shoulders. I’ll kill all the higher ups, he thought to himself. “I don’t know but I’ll be damned if I can’t do something to change this detestable, loathsome and bloody world we live in,” his voice seethed with anger but it quickly died down as he re-focused on the main topic at hand, “there has to be something I can do, I’ll even drag out Sukuna myself if I have to.” “Please, Satoru…” Your whisper was faint and weak, “I… saw Yuji’s corpse... on the ground... I just want to see him one last time…”

Being a Jujutsu Sorcerer undoubtedly put a heavy strain on your mental wellbeing; nobody was spared from it, not even the great Gojo Satoru. Unfortunately, you were one of the people who were much more affected by incidents like these. He realized how badly it hurt your heart, he knew how much all the students meant to you and he knew just how much more fragile you were than you let on in front of other people. Where there is light, there must be shadow. It wasn’t like he was left unscathed by it either but right now, his utmost priority was you.

“Right,” the male sorcerer murmured more to himself. He still had to check something. “I want you to show me your arms, please.” If this had been a command, it had to be the gentlest one you had ever heard. Maybe it was the fact that there was a hint of pain infused in the way he spoke to you just now that made you show your arms so willingly, or maybe it was the fact that he always sounded so earnest when he took care of you like this. He genuinely cared; it was something you shouldn’t be surprised about, considering how long the two of you have known and cared for each other, but it never ceased to leave you in awe. You held out your arms for him to see.

As carefully as possible, the man examined your arms, his touch ghosting over your skin. It was a good thing he came prepared. The angry red lines, dry blood and broken skin on both of your forearms seemed to scream at him: you hurt yourself again. Without a doubt, he felt guilty. “I’ll be right back,” he announced as he slipped away from the bed after fixing your position and stroking your hair tenderly. A few moments later, your tall friend was back with a few medical supplies. Sitting back on the bed, he started to clean and treat your injuries. Besides a few hiccups and whimpers from your side, silence befell the room.

“Don’t you want to curse and insult me?” His eyes were still fixed on bandaging your arms. “No,” was all you said in response, fearing that your voice would give in. “You should though. After all, it was technically my fault...” Even though you were hurting, you knew Satoru was hurting all the same deep down in his heart, seeing that his precious students were the victims in this case. Satoru really treasured disciples. You took a few deep breaths before you replied, “Please don’t ever blame yourself for this… I know you wouldn’t have… let this shit happen. I know how much you adore them.”

“If it makes you feel better... if it can help you heal, I’ll take it. Any words are fine. I can deal with all the painful words…” Strong arms wrapped around you and pulled you to his chest. It was rare but his voice… unmistakably cracked for a second. A shaky chuckle left your lungs, “Please Satoru,” you wrapped your arms around him as well and nuzzled into his shirt again, “I could never treat you like that. You are everything to me but an enemy. Have always been.”

“I’ll be anything you need. I’ll even be your enemy if you ask me to… so please tell me, so that it doesn’t hurt you anymore…” he said shakily. The blindfolded man had masked his pain up until now, for your sake. It was your time to comfort him. Giving him shelter, like he had done for you. He had already experienced far too much hurt.

“Satoru, all I’ll ever need you to be in my life… is the important and comforting presence you have always been. Don’t change. If things are too much, too overwhelming and you become tired, you can lean on me too. I will never leave you.”

There was nothing left to say, no need. It was enough for both of you to be in each other’s comforting presence.

Taglist: @gojos-mochi​ @megumifushi @bleueluna

[codenamesazanka]

I feel like I can’t stress enough how important Spinner is to the ‘My Villain Academia’ arc, and how badly I need BONES to give him the attention and care in portraying him that he deserves. BONES have been pretty faithful to the manga, they’ve followed the story and brought each scene on the page to the screen... Except for some reason not when it comes to the Villains. Maybe it’s because arguably the Villains wasn’t the focal point of the show and they weren’t what most viewers watched the show to see; fine, but that was the case in the beginning and no longer.

Shigaraki Tomura, his exploits, his character, his story *is* the manga: the Heroes and protag react mainly to him and his actions, his past and motivations is one of the main factors that caused the current central conflict, and resolving his character arc is what will probably bring the whole series - to its end or near end. Yeah, imo I argue that everything about him moves the plot along.

Unfortunately(?), I think Horikoshi-sensei realized/decided/planned this a bit too late in his pacing. He said himself during the Stain arc or so that at first, he wasn’t planning on doing villain profiles - he wanted the villains to be scary.

But for the time being, I have no intention of writing about [the villains]. I do the introductions because l personally like those sorts of behind-the-scenes things, and also because I want my readers to feel a connection to the characters. But with villains, I decided I can't have them too likable. They're supposed to be terrifying.

Often it’s what we don’t know/understand/predict/expect (and therefore can’t get a grasp on) that makes things scary/uncomfortable/dislikable. The Villains were strange, seemingly erratic and incomprehensible in their behavior and motivations, malicious without rhyme or reason. Even now, I think a lot of people still think they’re just ‘completely evil crazy psychopaths’.

Anyways, the quote from him is from Volume 7. A whole bunch of volumes later in Vol. 23, he decided nvm: “The story has evolved beyond that point, so I'm ready to start doing villain profiles.” As he said himself, the profiles are to help the readers connect with the characters, make them relatable and likable. That’s what My Villain Academia is all about in the meta sense - to demystify Shigaraki Tomura and his ragtag chaos friends, to give them depth, and to induce interest in their stories, if not sympathy. Hype them up for the rather major roles they play in this ‘final arc’ of the series.

Enter Spinner, the lizard ninja guy.

Besides his unusual looks, Spinner is really, truly nothing special. He’s got a weak quirk, he holds no title of being the strongest or smartest or whatever member of the League, he’s not related by blood or thematically to any major players in the main conflicts, and his ‘tragic’ backstory is completely mundane compared to his allies - he was bullied as a child, and so is fueled by resentment. In the events leading up to the start of the arc, Spinner is the most moral and understandable of the Villains - has a ‘good’ reason for his crimes (eradicate corrupted Heroes), has standards on who he’s willing to fight (questions attacking the police and anyone with a ‘true heroic spirit’), and wants a concrete game plan instead of aimless discord the rest of the League seems alright with.

Once the arc starts, we immediately learn the basics of his character - he’s got a heteromorph quirk that makes his appearance a humanoid gecko and it’s something he was born with that he can’t control, and yet he faces discrimination from literal KKK-type cultists who refuse to see him as human. This was more or less his life in his small, rural hometown, harsh enough that his heart had become ‘completely empty’. It’s simple, it’s relatable and an realistic analogy anyone who has faced prejudice and harassment and been hurt by it can understand.

All this is so Spinner ends up being the most normal and typical sympathetic of the League of Villains, which sets him up to be a sort of ‘gateway Villain’. It’s why he’s narrator. He doesn’t understand at all the crazy All For One shenanigans, he’s thinks Shigaraki is an incompetent weirdo, and he asks what we were all thinking: “Shigaraki Tomura, what the fuck are you doing.” Quite obviously, Spinner’s meant the audience surrogate and so he is. That being a core of the way the story of My Villain Academia is told means it needs be followed by the anime adaption.

This core sets up the rest of the arc - sets up how we will come to view Shigaraki Tomura and his backstory, alongside the rest of the League Villains, their relationships and dynamics with each other, and who they are at heart. Shigaraki’s telling of his distorted origins in Chapter 222 is horrifying as it is already; but it’s Spinner’s worried-facial-expressions reactions littered throughout the chapter that adds to it by telling us one major thing: Spinner’s an empathetic guy, because he immediately feels a kindred spirit with Shigaraki when the latter talks about the hollowness he feels. So begins the audience surrogate’s change of opinion and us readers going along with it, and also: that Shigaraki Tomura now has Spinner’s concern and attention - and is deserving of it.

Pardon the sudden heavily edited quote, but CS Lewis says,

Friendship arises...when two or more of the companions discover that they have in common...which, till that moment, each believed to be his own unique [burden]. The typical expression of opening Friendship would be something like, "What? You too? I thought I was the only one." ...And instantly they stand together in an immense solitude.

That’s almost word for word Spinner in that moment, suddenly realizing he’s no longer as alone as he thought. He’s no longer as alone, and this means perhaps neither should Shigaraki. Because established in that very chapter, too, is the hate in Shigaraki’s heart fueled by his grief and despair, the loss of his family, past, and faith in others, his misery of thinking he’ll never feel good again. Yet - there’s Spinner, willing to extend some empathy and care, the very antidote to all that Shigaraki had revealed. Because the desire for companionship (or at least the lessening of the pain of loneliness) is universal, even among villains - maybe especially among these villains - we probably love to see it. Want to see it.

On that basis - friendship borne out of empathy - Spinner puts his faith his leader, puts his trust and support, and the rest of the arc is us following the tension of whether he was right to do so. Whether Shigaraki would live up to what Spinner expects of him, whether Spinner will side with Shigaraki despite their earlier conflict. Whether they could become friends, or something like that. And once they do, the consequences of this as things spiral more and more out of control, beyond this arc - that Spinner would know Shigaraki well enough to do something crucial at the turn of a battle later, that Spinner would stick by Shigaraki’s side when he’s in danger, that Spinner is loyal enough to Shigaraki to help him as a friend should.

Through Spinner, we come to see Shigaraki, originally incomprehensible and terrifying, as someone beyond a Villain or a leader, but rather someone valued as a person, a friend, a fellow silly gamer nerd. He’s still scary, of course - just less so, with a seed of doubt of his doom that Spinner - and only Spinner, by virtue of his specific narrative and emotional role in this arc - planted in their characters and the story.

It’s because of Spinner that MVA works, by itself, and as a stepping stone towards the rest of the series. So he really needs to be everything he is, was, and more in the anime adaption please BONES oh my god please

[painless-innit-colourful]

Invisible

Potions of invisibility grant the user the ability to disappear, functionally: the concealment of one’s self through magic, distilled into a draught easy to swallow. For better and worse, Tommy’s familiar with the taste.

It tastes sour, primarily. 

Looking at the ingredient list, no wonder. Nether wart and fermented spider eye. Gross. There are some things a golden carrot just can't balance out. 

It's such a disgusting taste he doesn't notice the shimmering feeling, instead focusing his attention on scraping a thin layer of translucent brown sugar-mushroom-spider ick off his tongue. Not until: 

"Tommy?" "Y- Bleh- Yeah?" "Oh!" Tubbo waves his arms in a wild arc, smile growing, before his hand collides with Tommy's arm, and he picks up Tommy's wrist. "It worked!" "What do you- Ohhh..." 

If he blurs his vision, Tubbo's fingers circle around nothing. If he looks properly, he can just about see the edges of his wrist, the lines of his shirt sleeve. "Dude, how does that work?" "Which bit?" "Clothes. My clothes didn't drink it too." "Dude, I dunno... My turn!" 

They learn to spot the tiny signs of an invisible person. They learn to disguise them. Tommy tries to tackle Tubbo and misses completely, and both of them fall about laughing. 

Call that a drug van success story. 

--- 

He sprints past it, hoping they aren’t following, panic filling his bloodstream. He chugs the potion as he runs, drops spilling down his front, staining his navy coat with off-white shadows as he shimmers and disappears into thin air. 

Please don’t see me, please don’t see me.

He stumbles into the shallow waters of the lake, wading - disturbing the water, too many signs, you're gonna be seen - towards Tubbo's tunnel. He takes three steps and slips under the surface, landing on his hands and knees on the tunnel floor, waiting, waiting- Where are they? 

There's the sound of an arrow seeking its mark and hitting true, and for a split second Tommy sees an arm with deft fingers and a dark blue sleeve fall over the side of the entrance, and then the body is gone and shit shit shit- 

Tommy sticks his head back out- Who was that? Wilbur? Tubbo? He feels the shimmering feeling again - "a quick escape", where are the others - and slowly drops back to the tunnel floor. 

Make a decision, what if they find you, Little Laddy One Life? He walks away, opting to live to fight another day, hoping that his friends will join him soon. 

--- 

Funnily though, while clothes disappear with the potion, armour doesn't. He doesn't know why; he's not smart enough to. And right now, as he yanks the shoulder straps of his chestplate tight, he doesn't really care. 

"Stop!" They don't stop, voices mostly drowned out by the overwhelming sound of rushing water. Dream, his face also hidden, but by his signature mask as opposed to the magic of an invisibility potion, holds his hand towards Tubbo and tells him "I need the disc." Tommy crests the wreckage of the Community House, no longer attempting to stay hidden as the water thunders down around his ankles, pulling him towards the platform in the centre. It's a bizarre version of the Pit. It’s an arena. It's a stage. 

"No!" He screams, as Tubbo takes half a step back towards the ender chest. Heads snap to his position, looking at the empty suit of armour that's just appeared beside and above them. Tubbo stutters something in quiet disbelief, and between that and the sudden attention, Tommy falters. If he took off his armour now, could he get out of there? Or would the same fate that once befell Wilbur catch him? The blame for this building is on him, after all. 

He jumps in, landing on his feet between Dream and the cabinet of L'Manberg. He is caught in the crossfire of their questions: "Tommy?" "Is that Tommy?" 

He shouts, and he screams, and he revolves like a merry-go-round, trying to keep his eyes on everyone, not trusting that his armour'll be enough to protect him from the sheer amount of enemies about. So many people hate him, he realises, it's 30 v 2. Technoblade would like those odds. Technoblade, who's standing beside him, not invisible because he went to get milk. He likes the protection; he thinks. 

They don't listen. Tubbo keeps insisting he betrayed them all by teaming with Techno, that he betrayed L'Manberg, but they don't understand, he didn't have a choice, "You don't know what he did to me in exile." Tubbo has the disc in his hands, and without having an inkling of where Dream's eyes are, he watches him consider simply snatching it from Tubbo's hands. 

"You're not gonna give him the disc." Tubbo looks at him like it's a dare, and why can't he see? Tommy's practically crying with the effort and exertion of watching his best friend betray him in slow motion, of being this close to his abuser, of being blamed for something he didn't do, of being beaten down every time he gets on his damn feet. 

"I don’t need to prove myself to you. This wasn’t me. Trust me. Jesus— for once in your life, Tubbo, trust me." Tubbo's eyes are cold, his mind made up. What happened to us against the world?  "I did trust you. Once. The first time all of this happened. And I won’t make the same mistake twice." 

There's a little moment where time stops, and everyone draws nearer like a crowd at the coliseum, and Tommy feels his invisibility ripple slightly, warning him it's about to wear off. Who the fuck cares. 

Tubbo takes a step towards Dream, and Tommy lunges to put himself between them. "Don't you dare." Tubbo's hand goes to his axe. "You betrayed me, Tubbo, you- Did you just-" Both of their eyes are on Tubbo’s weapon, when he puts the disc away, staring Tommy down plainly with his one hand returning to the axe at his waist, and the other taking out his shield. "I didn't betray you." His voice is level, all business. Okay then, Mr President.

"You betrayed everything that you'd built with presidents prior." Tommy's anger, and hurt, and frustration, and pain finally boils over, so much so that it's visible in the way he shakes as he brings out his axe. "You know what?" He bites into a golden apple, feeling its effects drown out the rushing water and the shimmering sensation of his invis. "You've got your axe up." Technoblade’s tone is surprised but light as he tells Tommy to make this decision wisely, but he’s already gone, his safety and conscience be damned. He throws himself at Tubbo, brandishing his axe as the pigman taught him, like he once practised with the brown-haired boy he’s swinging at, thinking You say I betrayed you? I'll show you a traitor. 

Poetically, perhaps, it's less like a fight, and more like a dance. They are a whirlwind - a hurricane - clashing and blocking and pushing and shoving across the otherwise empty floor. Somewhere in the gushing water, Technoblade's bloodlust has seized him, and he's gone for the L'Manbergians and the festival-goers and the unrelated parties that came when they saw the destruction, and he's scattering them this way and that, but who cares about that? 

They are not equally matched. Tommy shakes too much: there is too much of him vulnerable here, not just his mortality, something that neither invisibility nor armour can keep from being scratched and damaged. He's losing. He's quite badly losing, despite Tubbo's inferior armour and weapons and allies, and he leaps into the nearest watery wall, letting the Respiration helmet Techno made for him protect him as the water drags him under and away from his attacker. His best friend. He bites into another golden apple, his pleas swallowed by the torrent. He still hears Tubbo's shout though, permeating the water and being relayed through his communicator from wherever Techno is. 

"Where are you?" 

He pops back up, shaking and soaking wet and sees a familiar sight: an old friend, a brother - once - staring him down with death in his eyes from behind brown hair. He was wrong, oh so wrong, all those weeks ago: at once he is Schlatt, alone at the end of his days, and there's Wilbur, old pals who'll be the death of each other. No. 

No. 

"I didn’t betray you, you teamed up with the very person that destroyed us the first time!" He feels his invis shimmer one more time, and the timing is immaculate, really. Cinematic, one might say. 

"I went for the discs— Tubbo, the discs— The discs were worth more than you ever were!" "No... Wh- Th-" The world stands still, and it feels so good, it's so good to finally say it, to watch Tubbo's face fall, his shield slipping from his hand, listen to the reactions around their little arena, watch as Tubbo shuts his mouth and yanks on the strap of his chestplate and lets it drop to the floor, leaving him defenceless and open to attack and wait- no- wait- 

Mutely, Tommy’s gaze drifts skyward, and it should feel good because they know now, they know how he feels, but it's not, it's not good because that- that wasn't true. That wasn't right. 

And he looks back at Tubbo, and finally, finally, his invis runs out, and he hopes it shows on his face, that he knows he's fucked up because Tubbo looks destroyed, and a shiver goes through him because he no longer looks angry he just- He just looks sad. 

He takes off his helmet, breathing heavily from the ache and exertion, heart burning in regret. 

‘The discs were worth more than you ever were.’

How do you fix that? For one crazy moment, he considers the invis again. Turning translucent and running, back to Techno- back to Technoblade who'd congratulate him on 'moving on' and tell Phil like he was proud and probably write that line on the fucking wall, how could he be such a monumental ass- 

"Tubbo?" Their eyes meet. Tubbo says nothing. 

"Give him the disc." 

He looks bewildered, "You want me to give Dream the disc?" He says, the tiniest sliver of something they used to have peeking through, the bearest hint of kindness, and bless him, it's more than Tommy deserves. It makes him want to go invisible again. 

He smiles softly, and it can't reach his eyes, but he pours every ounce of good left in him into it and desperately hopes it's enough.

"Yeah." And because he's fucked up, because he knows they can never go back from this: "I'm sorry Tubbo." 

--- 

He's done it again, he keeps fucking up. Sam's hand is holding him down by the shoulder, firm fingers digging into him, keeping him from reaching Ghostbur. 

He tried so hard. His throat is sore from not coughing. His muscles hurt from the pure tension and adrenaline coursing through his bloodstream, from his stubborn heart to the ends of his fingers and toes. He thought he'd gotten caught when he drank the potion in the waivers room, and his heart had been beating so loud that he'd thought Sam could hear it. 

Yet, they made it. But it doesn't matter, because he pulled out the axe too early, and now he's busted, and Sam's gonna kill him or Wilbur's going to come back or both, and it's all his fault. 

Every time he tries. Every time he tries to fix things, or do what's right, or have something for himself, it's taken away, destroyed and he's kicked to the ground. Every time. 

It's enough to make anyone want to be invisible.

[violetlunette]

You’ve talked about the L.O.V, and I am unsure if anyone has asked you this already. But how would you handle the villians in MHA?

Would you keep the L.O.V as the primary antagonists with tweaks to their characters so they weren’t just crazy murderers? Showcase maybe a couple of them actually trying to be decent before having their “bad day” and deciding to become villians?

Or, would you have another villian take the spotlight as the main antagonist throughout the series, like Stain, Overhaul, or any of the big bads in the movies? Or would you do villians that have a more tamer way of poking glaring holes in society, like say Gentle Criminal? Meanwhile the L.O.V is working in the shadows, with us only seeing glimpses of them till near the finale?

Heck, would you even keep the L.O.V at all?

I would love to answer this right now but I’m working on a whole essay for LoV and its members and want to wait until the manga’s finished before I post it as there might be a change that changes everything.

What I will say is that I’ve only read the manga. As such, I have no idea about the movie or anime-only villains, so no comment on them.

The biggest change I’d make is that I’d show the victims, and how the villains’ actions hurt them. Their pain is just as important as the villains, more so. And when the villains kill someone, I’d show it. The actual killing doesn’t have to be seen, but we have to see the victims. For example with Tago, I'd show one of the boys saying goodbye to their friends or family before showing Tago, then show the result afterward with the dead body or bloodstains. With Dabe show him break into the place where the victims are, show the victims scared, and Dabe igniting his hand after he asks if the camera was rolling.

Then in a flashback scene when the detective or someone is talking about the victims, show their loved one crying in a panel. Small stuff like that goes a huge way, story-wise.

As is, it’s easy for people to forget that people like Tago or Dabe are killers because we never see them perform the crimes, it’s all by mouth. We’re told all the time they’ve killed people, but seeing is believing you know? The only people we see the two kill are people who were worst than Dabe and Tago, so it’s easy to shrug off those deaths as self-defensive, or “well they were worst.”

I’d also have it that the Meta League are the top dogs in the story. They’re the ones with the history, the power (political and otherwise), the experience, the resources, etc.

I’d cut Overhaul and his arc completely because I hate him. Really hate him. He’s an asshole and a boring villain. (And a dumb one. Asshole, you’re Yuzaka! Get a fucking scientist, have them clone the bullets, and leave the poor little girl alone.) The only thing I liked about Overhaul was that he got to smack Shiggy and them down a peg. And, minus some characters that were introduced, I hate nearly everything in that arc. One of the reasons I dread reading the manga again is because of that arc. I don’t wanna read it again, but… But that’s mostly personal taste. You were asking what I’D do after all, not if it would be better. (To be fair, the Overhaul arc plays an important role in Izuku’s arc, but I just… no.)

Oh! I’d also focus more on the Nomus as they’re a neat concept with a LOT of potential in drama, looks, what they can do, etc. Oh! And the scientists too! Because I just think scientists—good and bad—are neat. Especially in fiction where they don’t have to worry about silly things like physics, financing, morals, natural order, etc. And I’d have better ones than the one we got. I do not like him. Not at all.

And that’s all I can say for now. I’ll have more when the manga’s done. A LOT MORE.

[muichiroslover]

Disclaimer!!

This fic includes a Manga spoiler

From the manga “Tokyo Revengers” if

You aren’t that caught up and don’t

know the events then you’ve been warned!!!

Also this fic doesn’t follow the exact

timeline of Tokyo revengers!

Without further ado then

[spoilers from the Valhalla arc]

G/n= gang name

(Also yes i lazily borrowed characters from Genshin💀) + trust me to the end guys😭

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

The wind blew and your hands shook as you looked down at your boyfriends cold turning body, it felt like the world around you was spinning, your ears were ringing and your hands stained in the god awful red color of blood

“Kei, Kei please- please you-you have to get up, come on come on baby” you said in a shaky tone as your boyfriends head laid in your lap, his eyes barely lidded open, it was a cold day

He reached his hand up to you, it landed on your cheek as you put your hand over it in a desperate try to keep him here with you

Tears cascaded down your cheeks as your mouth clenched in anger sadness and grief

“I’m sorry...I thought I could do it..” he said hoarsely and you shush him telling him to save his energy until the ambulance could make it

He laughed, his laughter turning into a fit of coughs as blood shot out his mouth

“I’m not making it out babe..” he says and you shake your head “shut up Keisuke you always say the worse things at the wrong time” you cry as you hold onto the cold hand on your cheek

He smiled up at you, fangs showing and all as his eyes began to go dull

“I love you” he says and your eyes widen noticing how his hold on you started getting limp

“Kei! Kei I love you so much! I love you too so-so please d-dont do this” you pleaded and he slowly closed his eyes as he muttered one last thing to you

Your eyes widen as his hand goes limp on your cheek and his eyes fully close, he laid peacefully on your lap as the world fell silent

You didn’t get to grieve long as your vice captain ran up to you, pulling you

“Come on y/n! The cops are coming quickly we have to go!” He shouted, you seemed lost as he dragged you away from your beloved, Kazutora taking your place as he looked at you apologetically

“Come on boss!” Kazuha groaned as you weren’t exactly cooperating, tears streamed down your face as you turned around as you and Kazuha bolted to your motorcycles

You got on quickly as you started your engine, your team following quickly, you took once last glance at Baji and Kazutora as you gritted your teeth and drove off as the sounds of sirens approached

As you drove your head felt as if it was spinning and as if the sky itself was about to collapse on top of you, and you couldn’t stop it

Your mind just kept thinking of him

Baji Keisuke

Your beloved since childhood, no matter how much it hurts he’s gone now, he won’t ever sneak through your window at 3am to sleep

He won’t ever come over when his moms not home so you can cook for him

He won’t ever come over again to tell you about another stray cat he saved

It will never happen again

And that’s painful

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It had been about 6 days since the bloody Halloween incident, your members could see the way you would seem lost or empty during meetings

The way your eyes would loose focus then tune back in at the last minute

They felt helpless as their leader seemed to fall apart in front of them

You sighed as a knock came at your door, you got up from the couch of your house and opened the door to see your first division captain

“Xiao, whats the problem?” You ask as you invite him in

“Someone wants to meet with us, he originally got thrown out of Toman and is asking to join up with us” he says as he stands in front of your body that had just sat back down

“Alright, who is this person?” You ask

“Kisaki Tetta I believe was his name, he was accompanied by a man named Hanma as well, he was at the bloody Halloween incident as Valhalla” he explains, you stare at him

“Okay, where did he wish to meet?” You ask and he hands you a paper that had an address on it

You stare at it blankly then look up

“Who’s free?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You rode your motorcycle with a blank expression as Xiao, Kazuha, Chongyung, and Beidou rode behind you

“Y/n are you sure this is a good idea? Mikey must’ve kicked him out for a reason, shouldn’t we at least check with-“ Kazuha began as he aligned his motorcycle with yours

“Kazuha, eyes on the road” was all you said as you sped up, he sighed as he followed you without any other comments

You guys stopped in front of an abandoned warehouse as you hopped off your bike

“This isn’t sketchy at all..” Chongyung says and you sigh as you step into the warehouse, your members following close behind

As you stepped in you saw two boys standing in the center, one with glasses and one unbelievably tall with tattoos on his hands

You walked in until you stopped in front of the two boys

It stayed silent until you sighed putting your hands in your pocket

“So, you say you want to join g/n?” You ask bluntly and the tall guy laughs throwing his head back

“Straight to the point, I like her!” He says and your eyes don’t leave Kisaki’s

“Yes, I wish to make g/n stronger, with my help and the extra members I believe we can make g/n the strongest gang in Japan” he says and your dead eyes stare blankly at him before you smile

“Alright, welcome to the gang” you say

“Huh?! Y/n?!” Kazuha says grabbing your shoulder, your head falls back as you two make eye contact, the silence deadly

He lets you go as you turn your attention back to Kisaki and Hanma, both of them smiling or more like smirking

“I’m Hanma, this is Kisaki, glad to be here boss!~” Hanma says extending his hand to you, you look at his hand that had the word “Sin” on it

“Glad to have you” you say as you shake his hand

And with that the mini meeting ended and you began to head home, you parked your bike on the side of the house and opened your door, you closed it and as soon as you did someone pinned you

Your eyes met with red ones

“Kazuha” you spoke and he backed off

“Let’s have a chat” you say

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You stood in front of the entirety of your gang on the stage of your little meet up area, Kazuha sat on a crate one step below you and Kisaki and Hanma stood on the slowest part of the stage

Your members talked in whispered voices as they talked about the two boys

“Alright alright quiet down” you said after finishing a conversation with Kazuha, crossing your arms you began

“These two boys, Kisaki and Hanma are now proudly apart of g/n” you say loud and clear with no expression to your face

“What??!”

“Weren’t they there during that day??”

“Why would they join?”

“Quiet” you say and in an instant the whispers stop

“I hope you treat them with respect and how you would treat any other member, they will help g/n grow and become stronger” you say and nobody says anything

“With that, I end this meeting, thank you all” you finish as everyone begins to disband, you watch as your second division captain, Beidou signals you over

You nod at Kisaki and Hanma as you step down and jump off the stage, you follow her to a closed off area and with a second glance she looks at you like your crazy

“Y/n?? What’s all of this? We can’t trust those two, I don’t know why but I get a bad feeling please reconsider this..” she says to you and you stare at her blankly as your ears perk

You sighed

“Beidou, this was my decision alone, I didn’t get manipulated and I’m not tricking anyone, I genuinely don’t even know what to do with g/n anymore so I accepted Kisaki and his group to larger our numbers for now, please trust me and trust Kisaki”’ you say and her eyes widen as her mouth falls open

“Wha-“

“Alright I’m tired Beidou, please get home safe” you say and with that you left a bewildered Beidou alone at the wall as she watched your leaving figure

The weeks had continued as normal, you and Kisaki getting close enough to the point that you would invite him over your house

Your members had noticed your sudden closure with Kisaki and were worried that you were looking for someone to comfort yourself over a certain persons death and found the worse possible candidate to rebound to

So imagine there surprised when you announced you and Kisaki had gotten together, everyone tried to talk you out of it, everyone

“Y/n please, I know your grieving but Kisaki??” Xiao says and you sigh as you run a hand through your hair, tears brimmed your eyes

“Xiao please, for the first time since Baji’s death I feel comforted, safe, loved, please can you guys see from my point of view for one second” you say looking up at him as a tear rolled down your cheek

Xiao opened his mouth then closed it, he repeated this action once or twice before signing, with his eyebrows furrowed he looked at you

“Alright Y/n...just please don’t do anything stupid” he says and you smile at him

“Of course not Xiao, I’m not stupid” you say and he hesitatingly nods as he takes his leave from your house, you listen as the door closes and you sigh as you wipe your eye and grab your cup of coffee sipping it

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It’s been quiet still, no gangs are trying to brawl or anything” Chongyung reports to you and you nod

“Good, then I suppose we can take a break, I heard a festival was around the corner” you say to him and he nods

“Yeah there is, are you going with Kisaki?” He asks leaning back on the chair in your house, you put your foot on the bottom of the chair as you slam it to the ground, you stare at Chongyung before smiling

“Yes I should ask him if he would like to go” you say and he looks at you before nodding agreeing with you

Chongyung was one of the few who didn’t question your relationship with Kisaki, not because he wasn’t worried but because he trusts you with every fiber of his being, you don’t do things for no reason

If this was what you wanted who was he to say otherwise?

“Then I’m gonna leave now, tell me how your date goes with Kisaki” he says as he gets up from the chair, you nod as you get up and walk him out

“Bye then” you say and he waved as he leaves, you go back in and sit down as you pick up your phone and dial a number

“Kisaki hey, can you come over?” You speak into the phone cheerfully as the boy on the other side of the phone hums and hangs up

You put the phone down as your blank stare shifts to your room, getting up you open your bedroom door, you look at the photos of you and Baji that were still hung up and the pictures of you Mikey, Baji ,Draken, Kazutora, Mitsuya and Pah chin as kids, life was so easy back then

You grab one photo of Baji smiling and smile at it, you kiss it once and then begin taking off all the pictures from your bulletin board

You open a draw and throw the pictures in and close it, you grab one picture, it’s of You Kisaki and Hanma and hang it up

You stare at it before there’s a knock on your door, without a second glance to the bulletin board you leave the room and head towards the door

You opened it and smiled at Kisaki, he looked at you as you stepped to the side to let him in, he walked in and sat down on the couch as you followed and sat next to him

“So what’s up?” He asks boredly and you beam at him

“Let’s go to the festival together” you say and he looks at you with a slight raised eyebrow

“Pleasee, it’ll be fun I promise” you say with a kind smile and tilt of your head, he sweat drops as he looks away

‘I guess I have to put up the act..’ he thinks as he looks at your gleaming eyes, awaiting his answer

He sighs

“Alright we can go..” he says and you grin at him as you grab both his hands in yours

“Thank you love! I’m so happy right now.” You say, your smile never faltering, eyes closed, grip tight around his hands

“Yeah..” he says and you let go as you turn around your smiling falling

“Oh!” You say as he turns around staring at your soft smile “what’s your favorite food? Ill make it for you” you say and he makes a face, like disgust

“Uhm, Anything is fine” he says and you nod

“The festival starts at 6 tomorrow, don’t be late! I’m serious Kisaki!!” You reprimand as you push him out your door as he groans

“Yeah yeah, 6pm got it..” he says and you smile at him as you hug him and let go before he turns and leaves and you close the door

The house falls silent as you stare blankly at the door, you turn around as you head to your room

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 292: You Say Jeans

Previously on BnHA: Horikoshi was all “well anyway here’s that Touya reveal I foreshadowed like a million years ago, viva la 2020.” Dabi was all “hello world, I’ve killed 30 people and today I’m going to explain to you all why” before he proceeded to explain ABSOLUTELY NOTHING but everyone was so distracted by his tale of child abuse and hero conspiracies that they didn’t much seem to notice. Can’t Ya See-Kun’s Shark Friend was all “IS THIS THE END OF HERO SOCIETY AS WE KNOW IT”, and Horikoshi was all “STAY TUNED”, and then Dabi set himself on fire and leaped off of Machia’s back like the chaotic evil, I-just-bleached-all-my-brain-cells weird little fire man he is, ready to burn everyone to crispy bits before they could even react properly to his whole big revenge speech. Fortunately he did not succeed on account of THE RETURN OF THE JING, THE JOAT, BEST FUCKING JEANIST, back from the dead by popular demand in what critics are calling “the best fucking comeback since Jesus himself.”

Today on BnHA: Best Jeanist snatches up Machia and the rest of the League with his fiber steel cables before you can say “more like BEAST JEANIST amirite.” Dabi gets all worked up and lights Hadou on fire which is a real JERK MOVE, and is all “THIS RIGHT HERE IS ALSO ENDEAVOR’S FAULT”, which, NOT SUPER CONVINCED ON THAT, BUT OKAY. Anyway so then he burns up all the cables holding him which is crazeballs btw, and then he and Shouto start fighting, and so basically the whole thing is a literal hot mess and we’ll see how that goes. Meanwhile Tomura wakes up and summons some Noumus, and poor Jeanist has to deal with those on top of the still-attempting-to-rampage Gigantomachia, and everyone else is all “we can’t help you on account of we’re all half dead”, and so it’s looking really bad. And then -- and I can’t stress enough how much I don’t even have the faintest idea how to segue into this next part -- the chapter ends with Mirio!?! just sort of POPPING UP OUT OF THE GROUND all, “SURPRISE, BITCH”, and it literally was so surprising that I am still just kind of speechless. WELL-PLAYED, I GUESS, lol wtf.

lol okay so the first page in the RHA scan is just the “three musketeers” movie promo image that we all already saw a few days ago. but it does confirm that (a) it is indeed a movie, and (b) that it’s set for a summer 2021 release! how exciting

okay so now back to our special Dabi edition of Making a Murderer

“ray of hope” oh hell yes. SAVE US MR. JEANIST

I guess he had a TV in his private hero jet or something?

gotta say, “dammit Dabi” does not even remotely sound like Authentic Best Jeanist Dialogue to me though. gonna need Caleb to see to this. well but what do you guys think? does Best Jeanist curse?? I personally feel like he’s one of those guys who NEVER EVER swears no matter what, except under the most hilariously trifling circumstances. like he’s eating an avocado one day and he accidentally stains the cuffs of his beloved jostume green and he’s all “FUCK”

btw how fucking rich is Best Jeanist though that he has his own fucking plane? the thought just suddenly occurred to me, you know? like even Endeavor, whose agency has its own on-site luxury apartment suites for all of his interns, still drives around in a dinky little car that Bakugou has declared to be too small. which, I guess we know why he felt that way now, seeing as the guy he previously interned with apparently gets around in Jeans Force One

anyway so back to the part where Jeanist shows up to save the day!! YEAH JEANIST WOOOOO

ILU JEANIST YOU REALLY ARE THE BEST!! HUGS AND KISSES!!!

lmao we just saw Gigantomachia take out like a hundred guys not ten chapters ago. and Best Jeanist shows up and takes him down in like two seconds. HOW DO YOU LIKE THEM APPLES LEAGUE OF VILLAINS. BET YOU’RE WISHING YOU’D TAKEN HIS QUIRK NOW, AFO. GET FUCKED YOU OLD SPUD

KACCHAN IS SO HAPPY TO SEE HIM AWW

SIDE NOTE, IIDA, YOU AND I ARE GONNA HAVE WORDS LATER ABOUT YOU ACTUALLY AGREEING TO PUT HIM BACK DOWN. YOU DO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS CHILD IS STILL DRIPPING BLOOD ALL OVER THE PLACE FROM HIS MULTIPLE STAB WOUNDS, RIGHT? WAY TO ASSERT YOUR AUTHORITY THERE. I THOUGHT YOU WERE THE CLASS PRESIDENT NOT THE CLASS CLOWN, COME ON NOW

LMAO DABI IS FRANTICALLY TRYING TO DO THE PLOT MATH

SHOULDA CHECKED MORE CLOSELY MY GOOD MARK. LOOKS LIKE YOU MISSED THE “MADE IN CHINA” STICKER ON THE BOTTOM. YOU HAVE BEEN BAMBOOZLED. OR ACTUALLY, I GUESS THE MORE ACCURATE WORD HERE IS JAMBOOZLED, AHAHAHAHA. JEANS

HOLY SHIT DABI

I legit almost thought that was Tomura for a second. you two look so alike now with the white hair and the crazy eyes

meanwhile, Shouto is still crying and it’s a lot to take, you guys. lotta feels

ffff come on Jeanist you better do something awesome again here, the mood of the chapter is starting to slip now

YES, GOOD, THAT’LL WORK

WELL YOU TELL ME, SPINNER. I GUESS THAT MEANS BEST JEANIST IS OFFICIALLY THE STRONGEST CHARACTER IN THE SERIES NOW. SORRY I DON’T MAKE THE RULES

ffff now Spinner is trying to wake Tomura back up. nah, how’s about we not do that

OH MY GOD HADOU YESSSS

MY GIRL OUT HERE WITH THE “NO THANK YOU” BOUT TO CURBSTOMP THE BIG BAD WITH HER QUIRK KSFHLKLK WHO HERE HAD “HADOU SAVES THE DAY” ON YOUR WAR ARC BINGO CARDS, YOU LOVE TO SEE IT!!

HEY!!!!

fucking son of a... fffkfkff... someone please reassure me that fire isn’t Hadou’s weakness. someone. anyone. also could someone please dial an ambulance and send them to Horikoshi’s house. but not just yet. first I’m gonna need you to wait about fifteen minutes or so while I take care of some things

well all right then, Dabi. so you wanna go on then and explain to us all how this, too, is somehow Endeavor’s fault?

oh I see, you’ve decided that since he’s responsible for “creating” you, everyone you hurt and kill is in truth really being hurt and killed by him! well now, that sure is convenient as fuck I guess

(ETA: that’s a nice effect with the panel sides getting all warped by Dabi’s quirk though, just noticed that.)

amazing how quickly you used up that sympathy card my guy. Shouto please kick his ass, I’m fucking done lol, you can all sort out the rest in therapy later

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE DIAL BACK DEKU’S EMPATHY STATS JUST A LITTLE BIT, HOLY --

“TODOROKI-KUN IS HURT THE MOST”, HE SAYS, WITH HIS ARM BONES SHATTERED INTO LITTLE TOOTHPICK-SIZED PIECES. I MEAN, HE’S PROBABLY TALKING MORE ABOUT MENTAL ANGUISH GIVEN THE CONTEXT HERE, BUT STILL. THAT’S ENOUGH HEROICS FROM YOU ALREADY FOR ONE DAY

NOOO JEANIST

LOTS OF SMOKE IN THE AIR RIGHT ABOUT NOW AND MY BOY’S STILL DOWN A LUNG. GOD DAMMIT

“if the number one suffers a total loss here, this country will fall to pieces” well okay, real talk though, I think the “country falling to pieces” part is pretty much unavoidable at this juncture. you all are just gonna have to try your best to pick up those pieces after the fact and see what you can do with them. if I were you I’d be less worried about the number one’s reputation and more concerned with the half-dozen child soldier interns who are still on the field and very much at risk of being burned to death should you suffer that “total loss.” please try to keep it together here for them

OH FOR FUCK’S

I really thought RockLockRock was gonna come into play here. USE YOUR QUIRK TO LOCK THE ROPES IN PLACE YOU DIP!! if he seriously just sits there and does nothing when his quirk could be the deciding factor I am cancelling his useless ass cute kid or no cute kid shfkjdls

(ETA: is he even there?? did he and Manual just hightail it out of there?? “well good luck, children.”)

also, we’ll put this aside for now to perhaps speculate about later, but what’s with Tomura remembering his dad’s house yet again in that far right panel?? and being itchy again?? I still have yet to fully work out the psychological mechanisms at work as far as his itchiness goes, so I’ll admit this is intriguing to me. it seemed like it was connected to his decay quirk, but then why is it acting up again now. what is this lol

yuh oh

forgot about these guys. looks like these heroes aren’t having such a fun time

oh fucksticks

excuse me ma’am but I don’t like this. you do know that my kids are all there, right. all burnt and impaled and broken-boned and the like. well except for Iida. he’s fine still. BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN I FEEL LIKE WATCHING HIM GET TORN APART BY FOUR HIGH ENDS, WTF

HORIKOSHI YOU MOTHERFUCKER I SWEAR TO GOD

god fucking... okay look. Horikoshi. you win, okay!? congratulations, you win, this is your show and we’re all just sitting here at your mercy. fine. go ahead and just kill off everyone ever, then!! what am I even gonna do about it. stop reading?? fuck

this whole thing really went from zero to fucked before I could even blink huh. I really thought this was gonna be a turning point chapter for the heroes. shows what I know I guess??

meanwhile this motherfucker is just SCREAMING

ngl, if I wasn’t currently terrified on account of things suddenly taking such a drastic turn for the worse, this would be the coolest fucking thing I’ve ever seen. Jeanist my man, I hype you up like it’s my job because you are the greatest fucking meme character in the history of time, but make no mistake, you are also highkey WORTH ALL THE HYPE AND THEN SOME

seriously, though. don’t fucking mind him you guys, he’s just standing here in the coolest pose of all time taking on Gigantomachia all alone with one fucking lung because the substance pumping through his veins is COLD-BLOODED LIQUID DENIM, and DENIM FEELS NO FEAR

Best Jeanist really needs to get his own theme song. -- oh my god I just finally thought of a title for this post. lmao and it’s the dumbest thing. omg

MEANWHILE THE TODOROKI BROS ARE OFF IN THEIR OWN DRAMATIC LITTLE FIRE WORLD

which one do you think is the Mario and which is the Luigi. well, but I mean, Dabi clearly thinks that he’s the Luigi though and that’s why he’s so mad. nobody wants to be Luigi. what a life

THAT’S IT, SHOUTO!! POINT OUT ALL OF HIS HYPOCRITICAL BULLSHIT, I WANT ANSWERS

JUST TO CLARIFY, IT’S THAT NATSU, NOT SOME OTHER NATSU!! SO WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF!!

OH, WELL IN THAT CASE

BUT OF COURSE. THAT WOULD MAKE IT ALL WORTHWHILE, holy shit. okay I’m just gonna go ahead and say it, Dabi is a piece of work. I really thought this arc would make him more sympathetic at long last, but it seems like it’s doing just the opposite?? this is like an anti-redemption arc. I don’t relish the thought of venturing into the fandom tags once I finish reading this lol

(ETA: well folks, I’ve done it. and actually it was pretty interesting because there are apparently like ten different things that people are mad about, and so it’s like. each post is a new adventure lmao.)

so Shouto is all “BRUH HAVE YOU COMPLETELY LOST IT” and Dabi is all “YES”, basically? like, he says he’s completely lost his feeling for anything. omg. but you were so sweet. how does that even happen

“finally I can kill you” okay for real what the heck is your damage bro?? can we not. I like Shouto just the way he is, un-killed

oh shit and now the Noumus are here

cue Bakugou diving in to save his mentor, STAB WOUNDS BE DAMNED!! actually it would make more sense for it to be Iida, but if Kacchan is really fixin’ to go full Shounen Dumbass here then he might as well go all out, y’know

-- unless of course, Deku decides to activate another quirk??

“last I checked, the main character of this series was still me” OH? WELL I SUPPOSE THAT IS TRUE, SO PRAY TELL, WHAT HAVE YOU GOT LEFT UP YOUR SLEEVE YOU SUICIDAL BRUSSELS SPROUT

fucking love how he’s all “HAHAHA WITH MY NEW QUIRKS I CAN STILL DO STUPID SHIT EVEN WITH MY ARMS AND LEGS GROUND TO A FINE POWDER” btw. what can I say. Deku gonna Deku

FMMFHDKUHK W H A T

HOLY SHIT. HOLY FUCKING SHIT. WHAT THE WHAT. QUE THE FUCK

(ETA: okay look, all the love in the world to the brave scanlators who take time out of their lives to translate the leaks every week just so we can read the chapter a couple of days early like the addicts we are. that said, translating Mirio’s signature “POWER!!” -- which was already written in English in the original scan -- to “POG-CHAMP” is just a whole new level of wtfuckery from them lmao. is the Lida person back at it again?? amazing.)

MIRIO!?!?! SHOWS UP TO SAVE THE DAY?!?! POGS HIMSELF UP OUT THE GROUND TO BEAT THE NOUMUS LIKE IT AIN’T NO THING. JUST LIKE WE ALL PREDICTED!? I’M SORRY, DID YOU NOT SEE THAT COMING?? YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOUR DAILY HOROSCOPE FROM ASTROLOGY DOT COM DIDN’T HAVE THAT ONE IN THE CARDS?? WAS IT NOT OBVIOUS?? TODOROKIS PLUS BEST JEANIST EQUALS MIRIO??

hot damn. Tintin really saw the writing on the wall with the impending Dabi Discourse and was all “NOT SO FAST” lmao. “HERE’S A BRAND NEW THING FOR YOU ALL TO DISCOURSE ABOUT” MIRIO YOU WILD CHILD. YOU GLORIOUS THUG

MEANWHILE LET’S NOT FORGET WHAT MIRIO HAVING HIS POWERS BACK ACTUALLY IMPLIES. HOLY SHIT. SUDDENLY WE CUT BACK TO ALL MIGHT’S OFFICE, ALL THE WAY BACK AT UA. ERI BRANDISHES HER TOKOYAMI-GIFTED BUSTER SWORD, A DETERMINED GLEAM IN HER EYE. “I HEARD YOU WERE TRYING TO HAVE A GIRL POWER ARC WITHOUT ME.” OH. MY. GOD

[sarahjtv]

BNHA Chapter 326 Analysis: All Might’s Legacy

We’re finally back!  I hope Horikoshi had a good break to rest up.  Glad to see him back in full form!  This chapter focuses on All Might and (finally) his conversation with the Hero Killer: Stain.  It’s a simple, but very effective chapter that shows us again how important All Might is to the world regardless of if he’s a Pro Hero or not.  Anyway, I’m reading the official translations this week since Shonen Jump was released early this time b/c of a Japanese holiday.  I honestly kinda wish Shonen Jump was released on Fridays.  It’s a good way to cap off the week:

Like I said before, this chapter is primarily a conversation between Stain 🩸 and All Might ✨.  This was set up for a while since all the way back in the Hoseu arc, but it was really set up before the war happened.  All Might even mentions it in this chapter, but it got delayed for some reason.  I would say it was because of the war, but the war happened months after that second set-up, so that couldn’t have been it.  So, I wonder why it was delayed?

The title of this chapter is called “Who Are You Really?” which is the question Stain asks All Might during their convo.  All Might gives an answer, but ultimately, All Might is a true hero who wanted to step into the limelight purely to save people and give them that Symbol of Peace he thought they all needed.  Even after retiring, he still did his best to encourage and train Deku to become his successor.  He looked out for the other students along the way.  And like Aizawa said, even his presence alone is giving people the push they need to keep going.

Despite knowing all this, All Might is still disappointed in himself for not only failing Deku, but failing Japan as a whole and letting the war happen.  

Really, there wasn’t anything All Might could’ve done about the war.  His power was running out and Kamino pretty much snuffed most of it.  Even if All Might did have his power during the war, it took several Pro Heroes and students to knock out Shigaraki.  I highly doubt fighting Shigaraki + Gigantomachia would be easy for him.  

As for Deku, All Might could’ve said more to him before he took off, but how was he when Deku kept pushing All Might away.  Also, All Might doesn’t have it in him to tell Deku to stop what he’s doing as Bakugo’s told us before.  They’re the same sacrificial idiots who will risk their lives to save others.  All Might still needs to talk to Deku though.

This is where Stain comes in.  He’s still as insane as he ever was, but he isn’t out to kill All Might.  Remember, Stain thinks All Might is the only hero worthy enough to kill him.  So, instead, he gives All Might some words of encouragement that actually seem to help him.  Stain being All Might’s life coach was not have that on my bingo card...   

Stain lets him see a woman with a snowball/puffball(?) Quirk taking off the “I Am Not Here” sign from the All Might statue in Kamino and cleaning the statue too.  Turns out she does this every day despite it being dangerous to even walk outside.  That woman is the last person All Might saved during the All Might vs. One For All battle.  She was that woman who was pinned down from the debris (Horikoshi drew scars on her leg to show this; nice touch) and pleaded All Might to save everyone.  She gave All Might the strength to keep fighting.   So, in return for saving her, this woman is now saving him again. 

All Might looks at this and starts to cry 😭 as Stain monologues how All Might was loved for his smile and his will to save people.  It had nothing to do with his Quirk.  His flame still lives on in the future generations of heroes: Deku, his friends, his classmates, the Pro Heroes left, and all the civilians who still believe in him.  So long as those flames burn, All Might’s legacy will live on 🔥.  

Stain knew he was talking to All Might this whole time (he had doubts earlier because of All Might’s skinny form, so he tried buffing up earlier, but it didn’t work), so he gives All Might info he got in Tartarus.  Then he wants All Might to kill him for real.  I wonder what Stain got from his time in Tartarus?  Maybe this info will help take down Shigaraki and AFO?  Maybe it’ll have more info on other Tartarus inmates?  You gotta wonder.

Also, Stain states that he killed 40 heroes now.  Wasn’t his Kill Count in the 10s last time?  Did he kill more heroes since he escaped?  It would fit his ideology since a lot of Pro Heroes quit.  Regardless, that’s a lot of people.  His kill count is higher than Dabi’s now.  

Finally, as All Might cries, the Kamino woman sees that the rain has finally stopped.  I saw people mention how it’s symbolic how it looks like the All Might statue punched the sky to changed the weather like how All Might did that literally when he saved Bakugo and Deku from the sludge villain at the beginning of the series.  Ironically, that first punch brought rain 🌧.  The statue’s brought sunlight ☀️.  

Before I end things off, I have to mention he art in this chapter and how well it helps tell the story.  Horikoshi has always been good at letting his art show his story as much as his dialogue tells it.  All Might picks up Deku’s damaged steel mask that was left behind as a way to show that they’re still connected (also that mask was originally inspired by All Might’s smile; gotta love symbolism).  Stain and his speech bubbles are drawn as crazy as ever.  Shoto’s Ice is still there, so this is right after All Might walked away from UA last chapter (you need to melt that ice, honey, it’s a hazard).  It’s been hot minute since Horikoshi’s drawn Buff-Might in the manga and it definitely looks like his art style’s improved a lot since then.  There’s one panel that shows All Might running into danger paralleling how Deku ran in to save Bakugo from the sludge villain (it’s even drawn pretty much the same 😭).  I noticed that All Might didn’t flinch at all when Stain threatened him with his sword; there’s something sad in the fact that he almost expects to die at this point 😢.  And there’s the panel showing everyone who keeping All Might’s flame alive.  Our own Big 3 are front and center here too.  I’m still waiting for Deku to respond to Bakugo’s apology and Shoto’s time to shine, Horikoshi 😤.  Also, All Might imagines Deku clean, so I hope he’s as clean as this when he finally takes his goddamn bath 🛁!

Overall, great chapter!  Loved how the Kamino woman (please give these people names, Horikoshi...) came back and still believes in All Might.  Loved how move All Might is and I hope he finally has the courage to talk to Deku.  Can’t believe Stain gave All Might a legitimate pep talk tough.  Like, Stain is complicated.  He’s definitely a villain and he should be locked up, but he’s not AFO level villain.  He wasn’t wrong with his ideology, but that doesn’t mean all heroes should die because of it.  For example, Ochaco would’ve definitely been Stain’s target at the beginning because she did want to be a Pro Hero to give her parents some money.  A genuine and grounded goal, but not in Stain’s eyes.  So, having him show All Might the light is something to look positively on.  Even if it’s ultimately for All Might to kill Stain one day.  Still hope it’s a push in the right direction for All Might.  Hopefully for us too now that the sun’s out.    

Me @ the Kamino woman being one of the few good civilians left:

[omegasmileyface]

some distant tommy ghoulatta backstory :)

[HLVRAI Danny Phantom AU]

warnings: death mention

words: 2299

AO3 link

===

Feb 1965, Wagon Mound, NM

G-Man looked at the dry, historic town around him as he pulled his truck into the parking lot of a church. He was staying in a cheap hotel a few towns away, where he had first seen all that supernatural stuff as a kid. He had come back to ask around for local stories and try to get some semblance of research done himself, and he was lucky enough to hear about a guy in this town who was supposedly obsessed with ghosts. After getting his address and name — Benjamin Fischer — from a local at a diner who was intrigued by G-Man's search, he set off immediately.

Fischer's house was close to the church, so G-Man got out there and walked the rest of the way. It was uncomfortably hot with his jacket on so close to the desert, but he knew how quickly that could change.

The house was small and modern, with an unkempt yard and a cross visible in the blinded window. After G-Man knocked on the door, he investigated the porch. Despite the lack of attention to appearance everywhere else, lush bushes were kept in pots by the door. They bloomed with deep, pinkish-red rose-like flowers despite the time of year.

A man, presumably Benjamin Fischer himself, opened the door.

"Hello. I've heard you've been doing some research on spirits and the supernatural?" G-Man said, quelling the slight intimidation he felt with the confidence of a man on a mission.

Fischer raised his eyebrow. "Who are you, exactly?"

Aw, crap. He was so excited he forgot to introduce himself. "Sorry. You can call me G-Man. I'm looking to do some research myself, and I need a better jumping off point."

Fischer looked amused, but didn't stop frowning. "Do you have a real name?"

"I've been going solely by G-Man these last few years."

The older man smiled wryly. "Well, boy, I try to keep my research to myself. I can give you some advice, but that's about all."

G-Man's brow furrowed, and he forced his face back into a more neutral expression. "Advice would be wonderful," (though he doubted it was anything he hadn't heard before), "but why don't you share your research? The more people know about what's out there, the more we can be equipped for it."

Fischer looked to the side and scowled. "There are people here who think I'm crazy, or better yet, some kind of Satan worshipper. I'm sure they'd like to see what I've found and make all sorts of trouble for everyone in town trying to 'disprove' it. Hell, there are people who'd take what I've done, use it against me, and then take it for their own."

"Ah... could I help you with your research then? I have no intention of letting anything found by either of us into the wrong hands."

"Sorry, kid, not looking for an assistant at the moment. You'll have to look somewhere else. And that advice, before you go — ghosts are more than just the impressions of people who used to live. Trust your instincts, they're closer to spirits than your brain."

G-Man frowned and thanked the man before reluctantly walking back toward the church. He could probably spend the night searching for anything supernatural in this town, but he'd have to go back by morning. Maybe he'd come by some other time and pester Fischer again.

---

June 1967, Wagon Mound, NM

In two more years of searching on his own, G-Man had learned some more about the supernatural, but not as much as he'd wanted. He'd gathered from books that all spirits had a central energy made out of pure passion that held them together, that they had physical forms but they didn't align quite right with the living world, that they were connected to some spirit world — all understandably but frustratingly spiritual and speculative. The only thing that seemed to be consistent was that a European flower called blood blossom, the flower that was blooming outside Benjamin Fischer's house, distressed spirits enough to ward them off.

He was in New Mexico again to visit his old spots, trying to see if he could find a ghost fresh enough to talk to him somewhat coherently. A waitress at a diner in Wagon Mound had recognized him and told him that Fischer had died a few months ago and it may not be best to try to visit his house.

Of course, that's just what G-Man did.

Clearly, Fischer had lived alone, and the house looked untouched. The yard was colder than the rest of the town, though it was night, and from the way the hairs on the back of his neck spiked, G-Man was sure it was due to a paranormal presence. Either an effect of Fischer's studies, or he was haunting the place. If G-Man's research was correct, ghosts newer than a few years didn't have enough of a presence to really do anything, or even be conscious, but they tended to hang around where they had lived and affect the atmosphere there.

Following his instincts just the way the man had told him to before, G-Man walked around to the back of the house. There was a back door, the sort that might connect to a kitchen, but a small broken window revealed that the room inside was nothing of the sort. Instead it had metal tables like a lab, surfaces covered in books, and metal boxes lined up against the walls. Some boxes and jars in the room seemed to glow when he looked away from them, including a Florence flask which was knocked over on an otherwise clear table, spilling some translucent liquid which had yet to evaporate.

The closer G-Man got, the more the chill picked at his skin. He could tell he wasn't wanted here, but the dried blood blossoms in his pockets should keep anything too bad from happening. It was worth it for the knowledge he could — would — gain.

He climbed through the window. It was too small to be a comfortable fit, but the door was locked and he didn't want to break anything that wasn't already broken. On the way through, his hand picked up a small static shock. Strange, since the window frame was plastic, but stranger things still have happened during G-Man's studies.

A workbench directly across from the door caught his attention. In front of stacks of books was a torn piece of paper, stained by whatever substance was in the spilled flask. Wild but legible handwriting read:

The items in this lab are not to be moved without the utmost dedication to their protection. I am dead, but my findings are still not to be let out of my sight. Intruders will be faced with my ghost. The security of my work is likely the death of me, be prepared for it to be the death of you.

It was signed by Fischer, but the corner of the paper was smudged unreadable by the liquid, leaving just "Ben".

It was certainly very passionate. Confident, even, from the assumption that his ghost would be around in the time it would be needed. But Fischer knew more than G-Man, if nothing else, he could be sure his ghost would stay with any stolen items until it could punish the thief. G-Man was weary to open any books or boxes knowing this, but stepped back to at least look around the room. Perhaps something could be gained that way.

In his inspection, G-Man noticed one of the faded glows becoming brighter. Suddenly, it coalesced into a figure. Directly in front of him, Fischer's ghost hovered, dark blue eyes piercing despite the overall unsure translucency of his form. He was angry, as fiercely protective of his work as the note had implied. He was also... startlingly solid. This was the closest G-Man had ever been to a ghost, but he was sure that they were not usually so defined at the edges. This ghost had slightly wrinkled skin, and his chest was moving as if he were breathing.

In fact, G-Man was certain that in order for a ghost to collect enough ambient energy to cast a form, stay visible, and maintain a consciousness, their essence had to remain for several years. Even in a place of highly concentrated paranormal energy like this little lab, it would take a year or more for just the emotional consciousness to draw together into a spirit. For what was clearly Fischer to be here so soon, and so unusually solid as well... something was clearly wrong. G-Man's investigative curiosity was almost enough to overpower his instinctual fear.

As the spirit's eyes focused onto him, the air in the room grew drier. It started to pull at the moisture in his skin and made his fingertips feel hot. Every luminescent stain and vial grew brighter until they appeared to occasionally arc between one another. Tiny discharges of hot energy.

There was no way G-Man was getting out of this without at the very least explaining himself. He steeled his nerves to the best of his ability and looked directly into the ghost's eyes, willing himself to ignore the dark lifelessness of the pupils. "Do you... remember me?"

Fischer's head tilted to the side, less like he was trying to remember so much as like he was weighing whether to admit something. "...I do not know you." He looked unsure, questioning, even though behind his firm protectiveness was a layer of desperate honesty. Especially so soon after his own death, he had to be terribly confused, with a sense of purpose but no information as to why it was so.

...Of course, unless G-Man has been misunderstanding something major, and he remembered his life just fine.

Still, assumptions lead to danger when it comes to the supernatural, so he decided to test the waters.

G-Man pointed to the smudged note. "So, Ben..." He avoided calling the ghost by his full living name. For all he knew, there was some ghostly cultural taboo against using someone's old name. The most literal form of a deadname, he supposed. The note said "Ben" at the end, so perhaps if the ghost had no memory of his life he'd understand why G-Man would think that's his name.

Fischer growled. Alright, then, bad move. "That's not it." He was looking pointedly at the note, eying the staining almost as if scared. Wait, was he questioning the cut-off? He must not have been used to going as just "Ben" in life.

"...Not your whole name?"

Fischer shook his head harshly. He looked as though if he weren't fully invested in keeping G-Man away from his findings, he'd be curled up on the floor in frustration.

"Maybe..." started the ghost, "maybe it was... Ben... 'ri'? Benry?"

G-Man had to hold back a startled laugh. Maybe he was thinking of "Benji" or something similar, because as far as he was aware, "Benry" was nothing close to a name. That being said, he wasn't going to bring up the possible confusion. He was on thin ice as is.

"Well. Benry, sir, my name is G-Man. I'm a paranormal researcher, just like... just like the man this lab belonged to, and I've spoken with him before to share findings. I was hoping to make some observations of this room for my own research and leave. I promise not to harm you or anything in here. May I please take a look around?"

The spirit (Benry?) stared back at G-Man with a renewed fury. "NO! The research in this room stays here. If it gets out, they'll take it for their own uses, all they want is-"

"I promise to keep it away from the government!"

It was a fight-or-flight response, really, G-Man just blurted the first thing he thought Benry might want to hear. Honestly, he had no reason to assume what he didn't want was government involvement, that's a bit of a stereotype when it comes to rural areas, right? Just because G-Man was afraid of the government after getting the cops called on him for a ritual last year didn't mean every paranormal researcher was. And interrupting the ghost wasn't any way to earn his trust, God why wasn't his fear enough to shut him up? I mean, even if he didn't react violently — it would be respectable, considering G-Man's bold act — making a promise to a ghost? Aren't they like the fae? What if he's bound to it? He wasn't planning on sharing anything with the government, not by a long shot, but what if something came up?

Benry's eyes widened and bored directly into G-Man, expression unreadable. Then he softened. Almost literally, his harsh glow lessened and a degree of moisture returned to the room. "You promise."

It wasn't a question, but it didn't feel like a command either. It didn't need to be. An expression of relief. "We protect the research together. You can build on it. Without the findings, there's nothing to protect. We must keep it from the wrong hands."

G-Man was shocked. The shock didn't lessen when Benry, and the note, faded from view. Was he... trusted to keep this research?

After standing still for a minute and feeling the room come back together, he let out a weak, belated "thank you." He approached a closed book on one table. If nothing else, he had to come away from this with some new knowledge.

When he touched it, the pages hummed with the same dry spark as Benry's glare. ...Haunting equipment was a good way to stay close, G-Man supposed. It seemed he had not only Fischer's findings to help his career, but his own defensive spirit, odd as it may be.

[serological]

Serological - ‘The Final Word’

It ends, how it began.

--------

Izuku Midoriya, Quirkless, is watching a television. On the screen is a Hero, defying the odds as a wicked and deranged Villain spouts some nonsense speech.

However, things have changed. 

Midoriya has tasted the power that Quirks can bring- he’s stepped into the Pro-Hero world, and hopefully changed it for the better. He had finally, permanently defeated the villain that almost killed his idol All-Might. All-For-One was beaten and powerless, and so was Midoriya. Even as he sits in his hospital bed, covered in bandages and stitches, Izuku isn’t sad that One-For-All is destroyed. It gave him the chance that he never would have ‘had- for a brief, glorious moment, Izuku was the Number-One Hero. It makes sense- the metaphorical scales have been balanced, and Quirks of that potential are far too dangerous and chaotic for society to have access to.

The villain on the screen, however, is Tomura Shigaraki. His League of Villains has dissolved. The PLF was utterly routed and ‘crushed between the defenders of U.A, and the Pro-Heroes led by Endeavour. Tomura’s own mentor is now as Quirkless as Midoriya himself now-is, and all of his dreams of overthrowing modern society lies in tatters. He might have lost the All-For-One Quirk (as a consequence of his mentor’s defeat), but Shigaraki incredible control over his innate Decay still made him a terrifying threat.

On the television, broadcasting all across Japan, Shigaraki is making one final gamble. In his arms, so close to disintegration, he holds the trembling form of Eri. Scared, helpless, and vulnerable. No Mirio to save her, no Aizawa to protect her. She’s back to the way she was, with Overhaul, and something resembling unbridled rage ‘stirs in Izuku’s battered body. 

“If Izuku Midoriya does not present himself to my agents, I’ll-” “-You’ll what?”

The cameraman ‘swung-around to the sudden sound of the intruder’s voice, and to the horror of the onlookers from Class 1-A, stands Hanta Sero, helmet-less. His gaze is firmly set upon Tomura, and it doesn’t shift; like a Wild-West gunslinger spying his rival, it’s like seeing Hanta’s entire world become focussed to the ‘eye of a needle. Midoriya knows that look well- he felt the same ‘way, when he faced All-For-One.

Tomura narrows his eyes, and tosses Eri away. The villain looks the hero up-and-down, and chews at the cracked skin of his lip.

“...You aren’t Izuku Midoriya. How did you find this location?” “You spot an unmarked van without a license plate ‘snatch a little girl away from her guardian? You give-chase.” Shigaraki steps down from his makeshift stage, and moves in-front of Sero, about a few ‘feet away from . “You’re that tape guy, right? I expected Bakugo, or All-Might, or Eraserhead might try and stop me. I don’t even know who you are.” Sero smirks, and spreads his hands wide. He’s feigning cockiness, trying to get under the villain’s skin. “Disappointed?” Shigaraki’s eyes ‘flash with irritation. “...You bringing any other Pro-Hero’s, tape guy? You wouldn’t be stupid enough to face me alone, surely. You know what I’m capable of.”

Sero knows, Midoriya thinks. They all did. They knew all about his hate, his malice, his cunning, his power. Shigaraki might not have All-For-One’s experience, but he had the fury and destructive potential to back it ‘up.

Shigaraki’s face twists into a psychotic grin, as he tear’s away the hand covering his face. “I mean, seriously?! Of all the Heroes that this wasted, crumbling, toothless society has-left, they send a mere NOBODY to deal with the greatest Villain to-?!”

Suddenly, a laugh interrupts Tomura’s speech. The camera moves back, and sure enough, Hanta Sero is laughing like a child on live national television. This moment of horror, of tension, and of fear, is totally overshadowed by this sudden outburst of hilarity from the ‘Hero’ of this strange broadcast.

“Are you kidding me?! Pfffft, hahaha! Oh, you must be some kind of comedian, man-!” Tomura blinks, and stops smiling. “...W-What are you talking about? Stop that. Stop laughing- what-?” Hanta’s familiar, broad-tooth grin returns, at-last, and points at Shigaraki as he continues to laugh like a ‘fool.

“Ha-Ha! Do you really think, that YOU are the greatest Villain of all-time?!”

Shigaraki’s confusion is replaced by rage, and the villain grits his teeth as Sero continues to laugh his ‘ass off, before turning his joy to the camera.

“Hey, guys at home- can you believe this guy? He should try standup or something-!” “Stop it... what are you-” “Nah, I think that Stain guy was the scariest, don’t you? Man, that guy was crazy, but he sure-was a great villain, huh? Ha, hey, do you all at home remember that ‘Dabi’ character? Y’know, I think he had the makings of a REAL villain...!”

Something instantly clicks in Izuku’s mind, even as his confused classmates look with concern at the televison.  Sero knows he can’t beat Shigaraki in a one-on-one fight. If they fought on equal footing, he’d lose to the villain. No... this whole ‘mocking’ gambit is an act. The one ‘thing that nobody ever did to Shigaraki’s face, is the one thing that’s working on both confusing and dislodging him. After all, Tomura thinks that he’s the one on the top. The destined villain, bred to destroy the society raised by All-Might’s earliest work.

A smile breaks-out across Izuku’s bruised face, remembered how entranced he was as a kid whenever he saw All-Might smiling on the television. A Hero’s smile can go a long-way for the scared masses watching at home... and if there’s one thing that Sero has over everyone else in 1-A, it’s that he’s always smiling about something.

Shigaraki finally sees that he’s being upstaged on his own twisted television show, and lunges towards Sero, but the student just ‘dances out of the way. The cameraman struggles to follow this strange dance around the room: Tomura lunges, Hanta dodges. Tomura dives forward, and Hanta flips backwards. 

Eventually, Sero spies a pattern through these wild and aimless lunges, and begins to put on a show for the struggling cameraman: a ballerina’s prancing-pirouette ‘here, or a series of backflips ‘there. In one instance, he manages to slap some ultra-smooth tape on the soles of his feet, and proceeds to skate around the room like a figure-skater.

“Man, come on, Shiggie, I thought you were meant to be good at chasing Heroes!”  “COME BACK HERE AND LET ME KILL YOU!” “Oh, that’s not very sporting! The audience at home would be heartbroken if I made things easier for you~” “GAHHH, BE QUIET YOU WORTHLESS INSECT-!” “Man, for someone who’s appearing on national TV, your scriptwriter is so generic. I’ve heard better ‘lines from Dynamight! Here, let me help you out-!”

Suddenly, a line of tape launches up towards the ceiling, and Sero begins to swing around the large warehouse, with the same level of ‘showmanship he had shown beforehand. He then ‘arcs in middair, increases his speed, and slams both of his feet ‘downwards into Shigaraki’s face. Tomura lets out a gasp of pain, and tries to grab for Sero’s ankles, but the hero is too-fast, already swinging back into the air!

“Anyway, Shigaraki, I have to be honest with you...”

Hanta swings down towards the ground, and onto the raised dais that previously served as the villain’s makeshift ‘stage’ for his televised address. A  broad arm wraps around Eri’s midsection, scooping the girl up before he soars back-up into the ‘rafters. Shigaraki grits his teeth, glaring-up at Sero’s still-smiling face as the hero holds Eri against his chest.  With his spare hand, Sero reaches into his back-pocket, and pulls out his mobile phone.

“...You aren’t the ‘Number One Villain’, anymore. Heh, if anything, I think this little fight of ours have proven one-thing: that the fear you once projected, is now only an act. You’re no more terrifying than a mugger, or a common crook. After all, if a ‘nobody’ like me can mock you, outmanoeuvre you, save your hostage and ruin your broadcast-”

One of the warehouse walls explodes, and Izuku smiles as he sees the battle-worn but imposing figures of Eraserhead, Endeavour, Snipe and Thirteen standing in the smouldering hole.

“-Imagine what they can do to you?” Hanta finishes. He fires a line of tape at the camera, dragging it’s focus away from the enraged Shigaraki and the advancing Pro-Heroes. Sero then stares into the camera-lense for a moment, and his gaze shifts over the floor for a moment, as Eri shivers against his shoulder.

Izuku holds his breath, and the pause is unbearable.

Then, the young man on the screen gives another toothy grin to the watching audience, and a sly, oh-so-familiar ‘wink.

“Have No Fear.”

The feed then cuts-out, and is reduced to static. Normal programming resumes, as the newscaster scrambles to retain some facet of professionalism on-air.

But Izuku had seen enough. He leans back into his hospital bed, closes his eyes, and finally allows himself to take a breath.

Eri is safe, Shigaraki will be placed into Tartarus, and Sero saved the day. Down the hall, the cheers of the doctors and nurses could be heard, but Izuku only sighed with relief, and rolls his head back against the cushion.

His mind wanders-back, to when he was never ‘Deku’, but the Quirkless and shunned Izuku Midoriya. He remembers one of the first questions he ever asked All-Might. At the time, he couldn’t even imagine how much it would change his fate.

‘Can someone without a Quirk, become a Hero?’

--------

It ends, how it began.