#season 7 reconstruction

[clownwritesfanfic]

Wake Up Mr.Sleepyhead - Touya Todoroki x GN! Reader

I just…I had to write something. I have so many feelings about him.

Spoilers for Season 7 Episode 8

I am not caught up with the manga so I only know as far as the anime. If there are canon things that haven’t been revealed yet in the anime then it will not be in here, I’m using headcanons and my own interpretations.

Summary: The boy everyone had affectionately called “Mr. Sleepyhead” has finally woken up from his three year coma. You never imagined things would go down hill so quickly.

Warnings: Canon typical violence, Reader is emotionally fucked, Reader has a quirk, Reader has hair long enough to run fingers through

Genre: Angst, Fluff

Word count: 6,460

Disclaimer: Reader is kept as ambiguous as possible. This fic is safe for plus size readers and readers of colour. If you find something that contradicts this, please let me know. No use of (Y/N).

Reader and Touya are both 16

———————————————————————

It’s been three years since he showed up.

You still remember that day so clearly.

You were thirteen when he arrived. You had been there since the opening of the children’s house. A man approached your parents when your quirk got out of control when you were eight and offered to enroll you in his newly built “school”. It felt more like a daycare than anything else. You learned a few school subjects but there was a lot of quirk training as well.

You were terrified, but persisted. Since you were one of the first, you got to witness other kids joining, and some of them got to leave. No one knew where they went, and Mr. Sunny wouldn’t disclose any information either. He’d always try to change the subject. You learned pretty quickly to let it go and not think too hard about it.

All the new kids always flocked to you. You were one of the few left from the first group, and kids were always so curious, so they always pestered you with questions. Because of this, you became one of the unofficial helpers. Mr. Sunny was the only staff, other than the doctor that would come in every few months for check ups or if someone got injured passed what a simple band-aid could fix. And then of course there was the House Master.

He never showed up in person. He always spoke through a screen. You were probably one of the few people that actually saw a glimpse of him back when he propositioned your parents.

Because you were so popular with the kids, it was easy to help care for them. They all saw you as an older sibling, even calling you as such sometimes. Although, over the years, you got tired. You hated this place. And you slowly started to hate the people in it. You hated how needy some of the kids were. How happy they all seemed to be despite never being allowed to see or talk to their parents. All the intense quirk training and unwanted child rearing wore you out. You slowly started to become a shell of a person. You were able to fake a smile in order to please the kids and throw off any suspicion Mr. Sunny had of you, but deep down, you couldn’t feel emotions anymore. You didn’t care about any of the kids that adored you.

And that included him.

You knew, once he was wheeled in on his bed, comatose, that you were going to have to help out. And you were right.

Mr. Sunny took care of any bathing and dressing issues, and the doctor took care of any medical ones such as replacing his IV and monitoring his healing. But you were in charge of keeping him company whenever you could and shooing away any stray children that snuck in to his room.

You hated it. You thought it was stupid. He’s in a coma, what sort of company would he need?

You mostly sat by his bed, staring at him. Waiting for some kind of movement so you could do anything else but this. But the only movement you saw was his chest slowly rising and falling and the only thing you could hear was the beeping of his heart monitor.

He looked awful when he first showed up. He had reconstructive surgery on his jaw, and third degree burns all over. They did manage to have someone with a healing quirk try and speed up the recovery, but they could only do so much. You weren’t gonna lie…you didn’t want to be near him at first. Because of his burnt, dead, skin he smelled awful. He needed to be bathed regularly but that could only do so much.

As he healed, and fresh new skin came in on some parts of his body and face, he started to look (and smell) better. You watched his healing process from start to finish. Talking to him sometimes as there was nothing else to do and sitting in silence can only get you so far with out wanting to rip your hair out.

You talked about anything and everything. The weather, the other kids, training, any trouble you had with the little school work they actually provided, how curious the kids were about him, etc. Over time, you started to enjoy the time you had with him, even if he never responded.

It was nice to get away from the rest of the “family”. Plus, it was an excuse to get away after a particularly hard session of training. Everyone here had powerful quirks. A lot of them had bodies that couldn’t adapt to their quirk. That was supposedly the purpose of this place. To help people cope with it all.

Luckily, you weren’t one of those people, your quirk didn’t effect your body much. Over use would exhaust you but it wasn’t as bad as some of the other kids. And definitely no where near as bad as this kid.

It was a normal day at the school when he woke up. You were watching over some of the older kids while Mr. Sunny took the younger kids for nap time. Most of them were doing some kind of arts and craft or playing, others opted to catch up on some school work.

You were helping a girl with her writing when you heard one of the new kids shout.

“Oh, the sleepyhead’s awake!”

You didn’t pay attention to what she was saying, more so the volume at which she spoke.

“Keep it down. You know the young ones are sleeping.” You scolded not looking up from the paper the girl was working on.

“Mr. Sunny!” A different girl yelled. “The sleepyhead’s awake!”

“Oi!” You shouted at her, still not noticing what everyone was yelling about. “He’s busy. Sit down and be quiet.”

“Where…am I?” A deeper and raspy male voice spoke. Now, that got your attention.

Your head snapped up towards the door where the voice came from and stared directly at an all too familiar face. Holy shit…he’s awake. His eyes are so…blue. You don’t think you’ve ever seen eyes that blue before. Seeing him awake and standing was weird.

You were released from your thoughts when the new girl spoke to him.

“This is our home! You slept for…let’s see…three years! You slept for three whole years! I just arrived, so I don’t know much, but that’s what Mr. Sunny said.” She explained. He looked shocked and upset at the news.

You stood up abruptly, your chair squeaking loudly on the floor. “Caroline! You can’t just spring something like that on him! You’re just confusing and scaring him.” You reprimanded as you walked over to the two.

“Ah…I-I’m sorry…I just…” Caroline tried to explain herself.

“Go sit down. I’ll handle this.” You sighed.

“But shouldn’t we tell Mr. Sun-“ another voice spoke up from the back of the room but didn’t get to finish when you interrupted them.

“NO! Don’t say anything to him yet. I’m handling this.”

You grabbed the white haired boy by the wrist, he was breathing heavily at this point and seemed to have zoned out.

“Come with me, quickly.” You dragged him out of the room and down the hallway. This seemed to snap him out of his trance as he tried pulling against you.

“W-wait! Hold on, what-“ he started before you shushed him.

You opened a closet door full of cleaning supplies and shoved him inside as he kept protesting. You shushed him every time. You slid into the closet next to him and shut the door.

“What the hell is going on?!” He practically yelled at this point.

“Shut up!” You whisper yelled at him and grabbed his shoulders. There wasn’t much room in the small closet but this was your best shot at being hidden for a while.

“Listen, I don’t know much about you myself, I don’t even know your name. All I know is that one day, three years ago you were found covered head to toe in third degree burns and had a missing jaw. You went through surgery to fix what they could and for three years you’ve been in a coma here. I don’t know why you specifically are here, it must be something to do with your quirk, because this is a place for kids with powerful quirks that they can’t control so they can get help. This is all I know, the grown ups don’t tell us much. I’m sorry…” you quickly explained, keeping your voice down.

“I…” He tried to process everything. “A coma? Surgery?!”

“Shhh! Not so loud. I know you’re freaked out right now and confused and I wish I could tell you more but I genuinely do not know anything else, but if it makes you feel any better…you weren’t alone. I was tasked to sit by your side basically since you arrived here.” You tried your best to calm him down.

“Really?” He still sounded like a child and you supposed he still was one, mentally he’s still 13 and everything must be so terrifying to learn. You don’t really know why you were trying to comfort him. You don’t like him anymore than the other kids. And you didn’t like them at all. You pitied him, you guessed.

“Yeah…I talked to you almost every day. Look, you’re safe here. As long as you follow the rules and don’t cause too much trouble you’ll do fine.” You sighed.

“No, I…I have to go home.” You felt despair at his words. You knew he was never going home. No one that came here ever went home…not if he could help it.

You were about to explain that to him when the door to the closet opened, blinding you both with the shitty fluorescent lights from the hallway.

“Ah, there you two are. Now, sunny, I know you’re excited that your friend is awake now, but you know why kids aren’t allowed alone together. I’ll take it from here. Please join the others in the activity room.” Mr. Sunny smiled down at you two.

You blushed furiously at the implications of his words and ripped your hands away from the boys shoulders and crossed your arms.

“You know damn well that’s not what was happening.” You muttered as you stomped past him.

“Language, sunny!” Mr. Sunny sing songed.

——————————————————————

It was night time now, all the younger kids were fast asleep, having been put to bed an hour ago, and the older kids were winding down for the night and getting ready for their bed time.

You however, were lingering outside Mr. Sunny’s office. The door was wide open…so it wasn’t like you were eavesdropping, but you were staying out of sight.

You felt like something was wrong. Like something bad was about to happen. Touya, you learned his name was at dinner, seemed adamant that he was going home. You just wanted to be there when the news was broken to him. You’d gotten used to being the therapist all the kids come running to.

“I have to get home!” You heard him plead.

“You can’t do that, sunny!” And there it was….the ball has dropped.

“Why not?” Touya argued.

“You’ll be living here with everyone else now, sunny! This is your new family! I’m sure it’ll feel like home soon!” God, you hated that fucking flower freak. You were told the same thing and you know how much it stings to hear that.

“Wait a minute! I have to get home! My dad…He probably just had work and couldn’t come. I’m sure he’s worried! I did…and said…some terrible things. I need to apologize to Mom and the others…I need Dad to see what I can do.” You could hear the pain in his voice, and yet…he still sounded like a child.

“I’m gonna be a he-“ He got cut off.

“Unfortunately, I don’t think that can happen anymore.” You flinched at the voice. It’s him.

“Your burned up body was extremely hard to repair. The missing parts were filled in with regenerative tissue. Your face makes you look like someone different, but even so, you survived.” The voice cracked through the speakers.

“What are you saying? I don’t understand…someone different?” Touya whimpered.

“You can’t use your power like you did before. There was damage to your organs. Your senses, including your sense of pain, has been dulled. Your body is weakened. It will never go back to how it was before.” Damn….you didn’t know it was that bad. You felt pity for the boy.

“We would have liked to receive you in full health, too.” He continued. You could hear Touya’s shaky breathing. “We did our best, but unfortunately, we failed.”

You could hear him trying to hold back his tears. You peeked your head in and saw him bent over, clutching his face.

“It’s hard, isn’t it? You poor thing. But WE might be able to make your flames go back to normal! How about it? Will you try joining our family and learning together with us?” You wanted to punch that asshole. He ruined countless children’s lives. He ruined YOUR life. Who knows how many more of these places he has running.

“Shut up.” Touya spoke. You could hear the anger boiling in his voice. “I don’t want to learn from anyone else. The only one who can teach me is…” he threw the keyboard at the computer screen “my dad!”

“Don’t do that, sunny!” Mr. Sunny intervened, grabbing his shoulder that stupid smile on his face.

“Be quiet!” He yelled as he fought back, activating his quirk. You could feel the heat form the doorway. “Shut up!”

Suddenly, the whole room was ablaze. Touya turned and stopped when he saw you standing there. You stared back at him blankly. He huffed and ran past you down the hallway. You knew you could stop the fire. You knew it would’ve been the right thing to do. But you couldn’t bring yourself to care, this was your one and only chance at freedom. So you ran after him.

You caught up to him when he tried pushing open a locked door. You grabbed his wrist again and started pulling him towards the front enterance.

You both ran out the front doors as the entire building was quickly engulfed in flames. You let go of his wrist and let him lead the way. You could’ve gone your own way, but you followed him anyway. It’s not like you were dying to go home. As far as you’re concerned, you lost any family you had when your parents gave you up.

You stayed next to him as he slowed down. Soon, he was trudging along, both of you now in the middle of the city. The streets were lit by restaurant lights and the hanging street lights.

“I have…to go home.” He spoke more so to himself. You weren’t even sure he knew you were next to him. Your hands were shoved in your pockets as you looked around. You remember him saying he lived in Musutafu. That was the next city over. Not too far that it was impossible, but it would take a few hours to get there on foot.

He finally snapped out of his trance about an hour in. Most stores and restaurants were starting to close now, leaving only izakaya’s and yatai open. You passed a few with drunk patrons sat around on stools loudly chatting and laughing with each other.

You were surprised you hadn’t seen a single hero yet. In a city like this, you’d think there would be a bunch crawling around. Especially at night. At least you two were being left alone.

“Why are you following me?” He spoke up. He sounded tired. Ironic, considering he slept for three whole years.

“So you don’t die. Besides….I didn’t have anywhere else to go so I wanted to see this home you kept whining about.” You answered with a shrug.

He huffed and it was back to silence for a few minutes. He seemed to be deep in thought again as you two walked the streets.

“I killed that guy didn’t I?” He suddenly spoke up again.

“Probably shouldn’t say something like that out loud. But yeah, most likely. Bastard kinda deserved it though.” You replied.

“The whole place caught fire…oh god I probably killed everyone else…” He started to freak out.

“Nah…probably not everyone. Some of those kids have quirks that could be useful in a fire. They probably saved a bunch of the others. You probably only killed a few of them.” You realized that wasn’t a very helpful thing to say but it was too late.

“Why are you so nonchalant about this?!” He yelled, grabbing your shoulders and shaking you slightly. You were now both stopped on the sidewalk as he hyperventilated.

You sighed and scratched the back of your neck. “Touya…I never gave a shit about anyone in the damn place. I was never attached to them. Everyone there annoyed me. I wanted to be left alone, but the kids liked me so goddamn much that I was put in charge of them against my will when that freak was busy. They became attached to me while I felt absolutely nothing for them. They were never my family, no matter how hard that idea was pushed. I was given up by my parents because they were terrified of my quirk. I lost all sense of a family when I walked through those doors for the first time. I don’t care if they lived or died. I’m just glad that place is burnt to the ground and I’m out of there. So if anything, I should be thanking you.”

Touya was shocked at your lack of care. He started to notice how dull your eyes were, how tired you looked. Now he was the one that started to pity you.

He let go of your shoulders and rubbed the back of his neck. He sighed and turned to continue walking. You followed a pace behind him silently.

——————————————————————

Hours later, it was the next day. It was dark and cloudy even though it was around noon.

Touya had come to a stop in front of a rather large traditional looking estate. You stood beside him as he stared at the huge double doors that lead to the front yard.

“Jesus…no wonder you were so desperate to get home. If my home was as nice as this I’d have burned the place down myself years ago.” You joked.

“I told you…I’m a Todoroki.” He looked at you confused.

“Am I suppose to know what that means?” You lifted an eyebrow at him.

“My father is Endeavour? Number two hero in all of Japan?” He looked bewildered.

“Ah, right…not gonna lie…I thought you were lying about that.” You laughed.

He sighed, exasperated as he looked back at the doors and took a deep breath before swallowing.

He slowly pushed open one of the doors and walked through as you stood by and watched the boy you had been next to for the last three years.

He turned to you when he realized you were still stood outside the property.

“Are you coming?” He asked.

You flinched. “Do you…want me to?” You replied, confused. You thought this would be the end of the ride for you, you’d finally be alone after this.

He nodded. “I’m sure my parents will be able to help you. They would probably let you stay for as long as you want, or help you find a place to stay if you’d prefer that.”

You felt a blush ride to your cheeks. No one ever gave a shit about you like that. You didn’t know how to feel as you felt your heartbeat speed up.

You tsked and glared at the ground as you walked through. “Whatever.” You mumbled.

He smiled softly and closed the door behind you then made his way to the entrance of the house, you following behind him, hands shoved deep in your pockets.

He opened the door and let you in first.

“Mom? Dad? I’m home! I’m sorry for worrying you all but I’m back and I’m okay!” He called into the eerily quiet house. He stepped up from the genkan not bothering to put on any slippers that were near the door. You noticed that there was only two pairs at the front. You remembered him saying he had three siblings and both his parents lived with each other. But if only two people were out…why did no one answer?

You followed behind him as you looked around the spacious and very traditional house. You wished you lived in a house like this.

That’s when you both heard a childlike scream followed by an older male voice cursing and yelling commands.

Touya took off down the hall where the noises came from and you followed close behind. As you got closer you could smell smoke and wood burning and you could feel the intense heat.

He stopped at an open sliding door and stared in. You couldn’t see in from where you were standing, but you could see the flames covering the inside of that room.

Touya was stiff as he stood there, his hands clenched into tight fists. You could see tears falling down his face. Whatever he was seeing…it obviously effected him quite negatively. He silently took off down the hall as he wiped at his face with his sleeve and you stepped forward, the floor underneath your feet still warm from where he stood. You looked in and saw a young boy, probably around eight, hunched over on the floor. Perfectly split red and white hair covered his face. That must be Shoto. Touya told you about how much he resented him as a kid. The huge man standing over Shoto, holding a piece of wood must be Endeavour. Looking at him now…he doesn’t look like a hero.

You slowly went off in the direction Touya went, careful not to make too much noise. You came across an open door and looked in. There stood Touya in a nearly empty room. The most prominent thing in the room was a huge wooden shrine, intricately decorated, that he stood in front of, his hands held up in front of him in prayer. He stared blankly down at a picture frame sat in the middle of the shrine.

You debated walking in or leaving him in peace. You thought it safer to join him incase his dad left the room and saw you. You slowly and silently slid the door closed behind you and stood next to him. You looked at the picture he was staring at and noticed a younger white haired boy in a school outfit. That must’ve been him before the accident. You couldn’t help but think he looked a little cute.

You sighed and matched his pose. Bringing your hands up in front of your face in prayer. You didn’t know why, but it felt like the right thing to do.

You both left not long after that, climbing out a window in order to not be seen. You let him lead the way, going wherever he felt like.

It was an hour or so by the time you both came across an abandoned building. It looked like an office of some kind, it was also clearly the victim of a villain attack of some kind. You doubt normal robbers would attack an office and make this much mess.

Touya came to a stop in front of some fallen junk and sat down. He hunched over with his arms resting on his knees as he stared at the floor. You both stayed silent until you heard his stomach groan quite loudly. You chuckled breathily.

“I’ll go get some food. I saw a convenience store a block away. I’ll be back soon.” You spoke softly, not wanting to break the silence too harshly.

———————————————————————

When you got back you noticed he was laying down, an arm laid over his eyes.

“M’ back” you muttered, not sure if he was awake or not. You placed the two plastic bags full of food and drinks onto the nearby table. You noticed a laptop with a charger attached, the cable running off the table and onto the floor where it was plugged into an extension cord that was attached to the wall. He must’ve found it while you were out.

You heard shuffling and looked over at him as he slowly sat up. He was looking down but you could see the tear stains on his face and his bloodshot eyes. You didn’t comment on it.

He slowly shuffled over to you and looked through one of the bags. “How did you get this much stuff?” He asked.

“Stole an old ladies wallet and took the cash before she noticed.” You answered, pulling out a warm steamed sweet potato and handed it to him. You didn’t know what he liked but it was a popular choice so you guessed he wouldn’t mind. You also pulled out a water and handed it to him.

He took both items from you and went to sit down. He pushed down the paper wrapper and took a bite of the sweet potato.

“That’s pretty illegal ya know.” He said with his mouth full.

“So is burning down a school full of kids.” You retorted, a little annoyed due to being hungry. You pulled out a pork bun and bit into it.

He scoffed and you both sat in silence as you ate.

You finished the last of your bun and took a sip of your own water. You sighed. You felt bad for snapping at him, now realizing he was just teasing you.

“Touya-“ you started before being cut off.

“That’s not my name…not anymore.” He said dejectedly.

“Oh…” Now you know what he was really doing at his shrine. Touya is dead…now all that remains is the shell of a boy. “What…uh…What do you want to be called now then?” You moved over to him and sat down next to him.

“I don’t know.” He sighed, crumpling up the wrapper and chucking it across the room.

“Well…whenever you figure it out, lemme know. I wanna be the first one to call you that.” You placed a hand on his shoulder.

He looked at you and smiled softly, a light blush across his face.

——————————————————————

You woke up to the sound of typing and soft cursing.

You stretched your whole body, groaning at the feeling of your vertebrae snapping into place.

Your new friend looked over his shoulder at you. “Sorry.” He cringed. “I didn’t mean to wake you.” He looked back at the screen.

“Hmm…it’s fine. What time is it?” You yawned as you slowly stood up. Your body stiff from the pile of semi comfortable debris you piled together last night. You lifted your shirt and scratched your side.

“7:26am” he responded after glancing at the tiny clock in the corner of the screen.

You hummed as you walked over to the table and looked through the bags. There was a single small bag of chips left. You weren’t able to get much filling food yesterday and you both ate through everything else, him especially. You knew teenage boys ate like they were starving but damn was he hungry. Although you gave him some slack considering his body was forced to survive off the bare minimum to keep him alive for three fucking years.

You opened the chips and ate one anyway. You were regretting not buying toothbrushes and toothpaste but whatever.

“What are you doing?” You asked as you shoved another chip in your mouth. You tilted the bag towards him in a silent offer.

He took one and answered as he chewed. Normally you’d find that gross but you can’t be bothered to care right now. “Trying to connect to the internet but the connection is shit.”

“Trying to look at baby name sites to find your new name?” You teased.

He glared at you out of the corner of his eye, making you chuckle.

“How long have you been awake?” You ate a few more chips before leaving the rest for him.

“About an hour.” He mumbled as he tried connecting to the internet again.

“Alright, well, I’m gonna go get some more food. Hopeful something better than just snack food.” You said as you stretched your arms over your head.

“Uh…” He said as he looked up at you, his gaze going to your stomach that showed from your shirt riding up.

“Hm?” You fixed your shirt, not noticing he was staring.

“Your hair…” He trailed off looking at your hair all tussled from sleep. He thought it looked…cute.

You tsked and ran your fingers through your hair trying to fix it. “Better?”

He gave a thumbs up and looked back at the screen.

“Get cup noodles.” He said more like a demand.

“How the fuck are we going to eat noodles?” You questioned.

He lifted his hand and activated his quirk, small orange and red flames dancing on his palm, all with out looking up.

“Ah…right…” You forgot he could do that.

“Don’t steal money from an old lady again!” He called after you, teasingly.

You simply flipped him off as you left, not looking at him.

When you returned, more bags than last time with more than just food this time you saw him still looking at that damn laptop watching something.

You could hear the yelling and brutal sounds coming from the device. You set the bags down on the table.

“What are you watching?” You rounded the table to his side to look. There you could see videos of Endeavour fighting off villains, his flames taking up a majority of the screen.

“Oh…why are you watching that? I would assume he’s the last person you’d want to see right now.” You walked back over to the bags and shuffled through them.

“I’m studying his moves. He never saw what I could do, so I’m going to show him I’m better than his precious favourite. That I can be just as powerful as him.” He growled as he stood back and set his arm on fire.

“Ah. Well you can do that later. Eat first.” You muttered. You pulled out two cup noodles like he requested. You had more for later too.

“Steal more money from an old lady?” He smirked as he grabbed one of the cups.

“No.” You mocked. “…it was a salary man.” You smirked. That got him to let out a loud laugh and shake his head.

You opened your cup noodle and dumped the powder packet in then grabbed one of the water bottles you bought and opened it, pouring some water up to the fill line then handed the bottle to the white haired boy to do the same.

He grabbed yours first and held it with both hands wrapped around it. “Sure you won’t burn the whole thing?” You teased.

“Shut up. I’ve done this before.” He hissed as he concentrated on getting the temperature right. You watched in awe as steam started to steadily rise from the cup.

He put yours down and you placed your wooden disposable chopsticks down on the lid to keep the steam in.

“It’s not boiling but it’s hot enough. You just have to wait a little longer.” He explained as he did the same to his cup.

“Fine by me. I’m just glad to have a hot meal.”

When you both finished your noodles you both had some broth left over. Which made you ask him, “Do you think you can cook eggs with your quirk?”

“What?” He looked at you, puzzled. “I mean…I dunno…I never really tried but…probably. Why?”

You stood up and walked back over to the table and fished around in one of the bags and pulled out a small container of two eggs and walked back over to him and sat back down.

“There’s this hack I learned where you can make a sort of egg soufflé with the remaining broth from cup noodles so you don’t have to dump it out.” You explained as you took an egg out and cracked it into your cup. “You’re supposed to microwave it but we obviously don’t have that option right now.” You whisked the egg up into the broth with your chopsticks.

You traded your cup for his and watched as he repeated the same thing he did to cook the noodles. You could both see the egg starting to cook along the sides and you both exclaimed in joy.

“This way we can get more protein.” You cracked and whisked the remaining egg into his cup.

It took longer but he managed to cook the egg enough to your liking so you switched back and he started on his cup. You had to let yours sit for a while to cool down so you both made small talk.

When you were both finally finished eating, your friend wanted to practice his quirk so you sat near by and watched.

He punched his fist out and orange flames burst around his hand and up his arm. He lift his hand and you watched as the golden flames changed into beautiful blue waves of heat.

“Woah…” you gasped. It made him smirk.

“Cool, huh?” He gloated cockily.

“I’ve never seen anyone have blue flames before. Does it hurt?” You questioned.

“Not as much as before. That guy said my sense of pain has been nullified and I can definitely tell.” He responded as he looked at his arm.

You scoffed at the mention of that asshole.

He turned off his quirk and looked at you. “Who was he by the way? Why did he only speak through a computer?”

“Fuck if I know. He was always communicating through that thing. Never bothered to show up even though he owned and created the damn place.” You seethed. “He was called the House Master. You couldn’t call him anything else, I swear it had to be some kind of ego boost or fetish.”

“He never showed his face?” He asked.

“No. Not while I was there…but I did get a glimpse of him once when he approached my parents about boarding me there.” You picked at your nails.

“You said that it was a place for kids with powerful quirks…what is your quirk? It must be insane if you were asked to be one of the first students.” He realized he never actually asked what your quirk is before.

You stood up and walked towards him and stood a few feet away. You gestured for him to activate his quirk.

He lifted his arm as orange flames burst through once again. You lifted your hand towards his flames and soon they reached towards your hand away from him. You moved your hand around and made the flames dance around in the air. You brought your hand behind you and the flames followed, jumping to your other hand behind your back and following in front, bringing them in front of your face and letting it sizzle out leaving little sparks, revealing his shocked face.

“Woah.” He was in awe.

“It’s called Elemental Manipulation. I can manipulate and maneuver any element I want. There are limitations though. I can use it on any element found on the periodic table, meaning it’s basically unstoppable considering everything in the universe is made up of something. However, I can’t use it on living being like plants, animals or people, and I can only manipulate something if I understand it’s elemental makeup. Water for example is two hydrogen and an oxygen. So I can pull hydrogen and oxygen from the air and combine them to make water, but it takes a lot of energy and time. Fire is a little trickier though since it’s primarily oxygen. I actually can’t create the elements myself, meaning I can’t produce fire like you, cause while oxygen helps fire spread, you still need a heat source and fuel to really start it. It’s easier for me to just move already existing elements than create it. But you can see how dangerous it can be if worked on enough.” You explained.

“Wow…that’s…really awesome.”

You shrugged.

You spent the next few hours watching him train, giving him suggestions every once in a while and making him take breaks if he looked like he was over exerting himself.

The day went by quickly and soon you both found yourself laying next to each other in silence, sometimes chatting about something the other thought of, but you were both content just laying there.

“I think I found a good name.” He broke the silence.

“Oh yeah?” You answered. You were laid on your back, hands folded together and your eyes closed.

“What about Dabi?” He asked, slightly looking for your approval.

You opened your eyes and stared at the dilapidated ceiling. “Dabi…” you tried it out. You smiled and looked over at him. “I like it. Sounds cool and mysterious.”

He smiled back at you.

———————————————————————

For the following years you stayed by his side. You both met Giran and he took you both in for a while. You helped staple his peeling skin and scolded him every time you noticed his scars spreading. You helped dye his hair black. You even helped give him his nose piercings, and you were there when he joined the League of Villains, consequently, joining yourself.

You grew yourself, too. You got better at using your quirk, still not to its full potential, but much easier to handle than when you were younger. You helped fight for Shigaraki’s cause, although you would always keep your entire loyalty to Dabi.

You both found comfort in each other, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s why you agreed to help him when he asked you for a specific favour.

“You ready?” You asked as you stood over the shirtless man, sat on the couch. You softly cupped his face and caressed his cheeks with your thumb.

“I’ve been waiting for this for years. Of course I’m ready.” He grabbed your hand and brushed his lips on the back of it as he made eye contact with you. His eyes still as blue as the day you first saw them.

You smiled and went over to the video camera that was pointed towards him. He sat hunched over, his elbows on his knees, fingers pressed together in front of his face.

“Go.” You whispered.

“Sorry to interrupt.” He looked into the camera through his fingers.

“My name…is Touya Todoroki.”

[oneatlatime]

Hiii!!! I’ve been binging through your blog for the past few weeks and I noticed how you talk about how Kataang(Katara x Aang) is portrayed in the show. Honestly yeah, I will admit I didn’t like it at first but now I just don’t really care for it. But I’d be interested hearing an in-depth opinion on the ship(unless you already did and I just never noticed or forgot 😭).

Another question, do you think you’re going to read the comics that came out the series? If you’re asking my opinion I’d say they’re a uuuh 7-8 out of 10 IG?

I do have thoughts on Kataang which I haven't shared yet. Part of me thinks I should wait to answer your ask until I've finished the series; it's obvious to me that these two are being set up to be the big finale couple, which means if I talk about them now I'm probably missing the pieces I need to have a full, well-rounded opinion. But you know what? I feel like talking about them now. So here goes.

Short answer: It peeves me that Aang comes from a culture that seemingly doesn't even have parents, yet he still manages to date his mother.

Long answer: they're both way too young. I'm a huge fan of letting the kids be kids for as long as possible. Especially with these kids, who have been prevented from being kids by the war. As Katara points out in the opening scene of the very first episode, she's been the mother since her own died (or at least she feels like she has had to be the mother). Call me crazy, but I'd rather Katara spend a few years after the war doing dumb childish stuff to recapture that lost childhood than jump straight into a relationship. Isn't the safety and space to do dumb childish stuff one of the things those who are trying to end the war are fighting for? Shouldn't she get to enjoy that? And Aang is just way too young no matter what way you look at it. He's 12 right? I think that would make him a grade 6 student. Back in my day (yells at cloud) Grade 6 students collected yugioh cards and feuded over who had the snazzier lunch box. I could picture a 12 year old having a crush on a slightly older girl that goes to the same school, but it would be short lived and unactionable. I guess Katara would be around 14? So, a grade 8 student. A grade 8 girl would not date a grade 6 boy. It would just never happen.

They've both got bigger fish to fry. Aang is the last Air Nomad AND the current Avatar. When he fully takes on both of those positions, what time will he have for a girlfriend? Katara is the only Southern Waterbender. Whether or not she wants the responsibility, it will be her duty to single-handedly reconstruct a huge portion of her nation's culture from the ground up once she returns south. Does she have the time to ping pong around the globe mothering her boyfriend as he rides giant animals or does Avatar stuff? Say she wants to: what will her family and the rest of her tribe think of the only person who can access such a huge part of their culture riding off into the sunset?

Their current relationship dynamic is still too mother/son. This is more obvious in season 1 than in season 2 (maybe that's growth?) but you can't depict a male/female pair as pieta and then expect me to ship. I think this could change somewhat, but I've already been disappointed in that. I thought that once Katara had mastered waterbending and therefore felt she had something other than mothering to contribute to the group, she would back off with the mothering. And she did, a little, but not enough for my tastes. Maybe as Aang fully steps into the Avatar role and the last Air Nomad role (sidenote: no idea what the latter would look like) he'll move on to a more equal relationship with Katara.

I think Katara is meant for better things than rebirthing a nation. Bending seems to be at least somewhat genetic. So if Aang wants Airbending in any form to survive after his death, he's going to need a billion kids. While I could definitely see Katara wanting children, I don't see her as the barefoot pregnant type.

I'm not convinced that Aang has a clear picture of Katara. She has flaws, which is good! Does Aang see them?

I get the feeling that, while they are helping each others' skills grow as they travel the globe, they are also preventing each others' personalities from growing. As long as Aang is around, Katara has someone to mother. As long as Katara is around, Aang has someone who prevents him from feeling the full weight of his responsibilities. Again, this is worse in season 1, but how often did Katara deny that Aang was to blame for something that was at least somewhat his fault? Aang will never become a fully rounded person until he can look at his flaws and mistakes dead on and say "my bad" without a Katara in the background going "no you're perfect!" Katara deserves to find out what kind of person she is outside of a nurturing role. Quick thought experiment: what if you pair Katara with someone who needs no nurturing, or better yet, nurtures her? And what if you pair Aang with someone as bluntly truthful as Toph? Katara and Aang might find both of those situations uncomfortable at first, but I think it would contribute to their growth.

Aang having a crush on an oblivious Katara would be a great single season arc. I think it would fit both of their characters well, and I think Aang growing past latching on to the first person he saw after the iceberg would be a good way to show that he's rooting himself in his time-displaced present, and fully committing to ending the war. And don't get me wrong, I love Aang and Katara both as a fighting team and as friends.

These kids are all fighting a war, and all kids. I don't mind the supporting characters having romances, because it's not like Sokka or Suki can end the war, no matter how hard they try/might want to. But I'm a big believer in doing one thing at a time, and I think if you're the only person in the whole world who can end a war, then ending the war should take precedence over dating. I'm aware that that's an unrealistic expectation and out of step with the show's theme of balance. In the real world, birth rates skyrocket during war time because people live for the moment and grab happiness (read boinking) wherever they see it. But both these kids are pre-boinking age so I'm going to be a cranky old fart about it.

Being the wife of the Avatar is a position that will often come with being relegated to second place, especially with the amount of work that undoing a century of war will take. Although she works well in a team, Katara is a naturally dominant personality. Katara did enough of putting herself in second place before the series started. I think Katara could very easily fall into the pattern of subjugating her own needs and desires and putting her husband's first, but I don't want that to happen. And one way to prevent that from happening is to prevent her from dating the single most politically important person in the universe. (To be clear, Aang would never deliberately squish a wife like that, I just think the workload of being Avatar and last air nomad would cause that to happen)

A lot of my objections to this pairing are very adult objections. I don't know what I would have thought about this pairing when I was the age of the show's target audience. It undoubtedly would have bothered me less, although I probably would have been put off by how twee it is. As an adult, all I can see are babies playing house.

As for the comics, I hadn't made any concrete plans to read them. I don't know where I'd get access to them. I'm not sure how canonical they are. I guess I should probably decide whether or not I want to read them after I've finished the whole series. I've been told that my girl Jin appears in one of them, so I definitely have some interest. I have also had the Avatar Kyoshi novels strenuously recommended to me. But so much of Avatar's charm, to me, is in the medium. And while comics are closer to animation than books are, they're still static. Avatar does movement so well.

[ordinaryschmuck]

With the Blood Gulch Chronicles settled, let’s continue our journey of finding the best season of Red vs Blue. Ever. Of all time.

[feministsouthpark]

South Park Filler Guide - Season 16

Link for Seasons  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13 14 15

You know the drill by now, I’ll judge whether an episode has all the qualities of a canon one, or is it just shameless filler.

S16E1 Reverse Cowgirl is CANON Since Betsy dies in it, it basically has major consequences for the Donovan family. S16E2 Cash for Gold is FILLER Marvin Marsh is in-and-out of retirement home since this one, but it's never explained.

S16E3 Faith Hilling is FILLER It's about memes and fads and those will never stay relevant.

S16E4 Jewpacabra is FILLER Eric learns a lot about jewish faith and tells Kyle he's now jewish too. This will happen one more time and even then it won't stay like that.

S16E5 Butterballs is FILLER Butters' grandmother never returns and Stan jacking off in Sad Diego happens again in the next episode which is... S16E6 I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining is FILLER We're even subjected to reconstructed events of a documentary instead of the real events.

S16E7 Cartman Finds Love is CANON Nichole Daniels moves to town, Cupid Me is introduced, Nichole is from now on is in a relationship with Tolkien. In the middle of a mainly filler season, we have a surprisingly important episode. S16E8 Sarcastaball is FILLER Unrelated, but has anyone noticed how similar Butters is to Orel from Moral Orel? And their dads, Stephen and Clay are even more similar.

S16E9 Raising the Bar is FILLER The bar gets raised in the episode, but I don't think that has actually happened in real life, nor seems to have happened in-universe based on the celebrities they cover later. S16E10 Insecurity is FILLER Yes, the Farmer Fred is in this, but it won't make the cut either way.

S16E11 Going Native is FILLER Butters turn out to be Hawaiian and bring Kenny for an angry rant on Ben Affleck. S16E12 A Nightmare on Facetime is FILLER It's basically the prototype version of the season 23 plotline.

S16E13 A Scause For Applause is FILLER Jesus Christ doping is not necessarily a part of the character in any other episodes.

S16E14 Obama Wins! is FILLER Since Obama was the president in the last 15 episodes as well, it doesn't change much that he will stay. Also, the plotline involving Star Wars not becoming Disney's property is silly considering they won't follow through with the idea and instead revert to following what happened in real life during season 20.

SPOILER-FREE RUNDOWN

S16E1 Reverse Cowgirl is CANON S16E2 Cash for Gold is FILLER S16E3 Faith Hilling is FILLER S16E4 Jewpacabra is FILLER S16E5 Butterballs is FILLER S16E6 I Should Have Never Gone Ziplining is FILLER S16E7 Cartman Finds Love is CANON S16E8 Sarcastaball is FILLER S16E9 Raising the Bar is FILLER S16E10 Insecurity is FILLER S16E11 Going Native is FILLER S16E12 A Nightmare on Facetime is FILLER S16E13 A Scause For Applause is FILLER S16E14 Obama Wins! is FILLER

CANON counter:

S1: 9 out of 13  S2: 3 out of 18  S3: 6 out of 18  S4: 10 out of 17  S5: 8 out of 14  S6: 11 out of 17 S7: 6 out of 15 S8: 4 out of 14 S9: 8 out of 14 S10: 4 out of 14 S11: 4 out of 14 S12: 8 out of 14 S13: 3 out of 14 S14: 7 out of 14 S15: 6 out of 14 S16: 2 out of 14

Overall: 99 out of 238

[destinysbounty]

I was gonna put this headcanon in a fic but i probably will never write it so instead im gonna share with all of you. Do with this idea as you wish

The fact that Pixal just up and built herself a new body in season 7 suggests she could have done it at any time, but chose not to. And i refuse to believe Zane and Borg didnt at least offer to give her a body - Zane admitted he preferred having her physical, im sure he at least suggested rebuilding her at one point. As he said in season 8, "The choice has always been yours, Pixal." Which leads me to believe she was the determining factor in her own reconstruction. She chose to stay in Zane's head, and Id like to think her reasons for doing so are similar to her reasons for hiding her identity as Samurai X: self-imposed guilt.

Let me explain.

Think of it like this. Pixal was built to assist, right? Even from the beginning of their relationship, she has been put in several positions of saving, protecting, and looking after Zane. Their first bonding moments involved her repairing him and later rescuing him from a junkyard metal shredder. Just as Zane has an integral need to protect built into the core of his existence, so too does Pixal have an integral need to assist.

When Zane gave her half his heart, he seriously disadvantaged himself in combat. Not only that, but it was his heart being unable to withstand the Golden Power that killed him in the end. Im sure there was at least some small part of Pixal that blamed herself for this. Not just because she might see this as a failure to uphold her reason for existence (helping people) - but also bc maybe if he'd had his whole heart during that fight, maybe if she'd just given it back to him, he might have had a fighting chance. It would have only marginally improved his chances of survival, but that small .003% probability increase is enough to make her blame herself. A probability that small is statistically irrelevant, but she cant help using it as an excuse to blame herself - or perhaps, to give her a rationalization for her survivor's guilt. Because the heart inside her, powering her, is the same heart Zane could have used to defend himself against the Golden Power, and the feeling of it inside her is unbearable.

Then Zane comes back, and she gets scrapped. And Zane forgets everything, and his mind is in shambles, and she has to help him piece himself back together again.

She blames herself for this, blames herself for his death and for the scrambled state of his memories that came as a consequence. So she figures, she caused this, so its her responsibility to help him fix his broken mind. Its her responsibility to assist.

So she stays in his head, where she can hold his memories together and keep his mind from falling apart. She insists she prefers it this way, likes being close to him, but deep down she longs for her physical freedom and hates herself for wanting more than she deserves.

Then Borg is kidnapped. And Zane is nonresponsive. And she has a choice. So she chooses to rebuild herself and leave Zane behind.

And...she feels good. Free. She's...happy about it.

But shes also deeply ashamed. Thinks she doesnt deserve to enjoy the experience of leaving Zane's head. He needs her, she's less useful to him outside his headset...and yet here she is, being Samurai X, having the absolute time of her life. She loves it, and she hates herself for loving it so much.

So out of shame, she tells no one. Shes worried theyll be just as disappointed in her as she is in herself.

And Zane...well, maybe theres a reason the Ninjigma didnt become a problem until after Pixal left his headset. Maybe she was the only thing holding him together, and the moment she left, all his memories started spiraling out of control. Maybe the events of Decoded turned out to be for the best, and allowed Zane to sort through and finish repairing his memories on his own, without relying on Pixal for help.

When Pixal reunites with Zane, shes worried he'll be upset. "Was i more...useful...inside the computer?" But to her surprise and delight, he prefers her in whatever form makes her happiest, not whatever form makes her most useful.

And Pixal, backed by the support of Zane and their friends, flourishes in her new role as Samurai X - not just in an assistive capacity, but exploring and embracing her interests in engineering and tinkering. Things are good, for a while.

But then Zane ends up in the Never Realm. And he comes home, and she learns what happened. She hears what Vex did, how she sabotaged his memories and twisted his own sense of self against him.

Once more, she blames herself. Begins to believe that maybe if she had still been in his headset, she could have prevented all that suffering.

Anyway, Pixal with survivors guilt and a raging hero complex my BELOVED

[thirteens-pocket-watch]

I've decided to compile all the small pieces of information about future episodes that RTD has given in his Letter from the Showrunner segments in DWM. I've only included things that can tell us something about the episode, so stuff like Bad Wolf investigating if using a certain title is permitted hasn't been included here. I've included the issue each point was given in and I will obviously update after future issues

(Last updated 14.09.24)

2023 Specials

The Star Beast

- Contains the words westerly, pelican and dreams (584)

- Page seven contains the line "Oh, Nerys and her big mouth!" (585)

- The reconstructed opening scene made from fan recordings of filming contains lines that were cut from the final version of the episode (595)

Wild Blue Yonder

- Contains the words wild, Southampton, vegetable, Flux, bean and starlight (585)

Extra

- RTD refers to a "terrifying scene with Sue" and two celebrity historical figures in the upcoming specials (596)

- None of the specials will air on the 1st, 17th or 23rd of November (596)

Series 14/Season 1

Space Babies (Episode 1)

- Contains the words roar, Glastonbury and conquistador (589)

- The title was said aloud in Star Trek: Picard 3 (590/591)

- Scene 11 is headed as INT. CONTROL ROOM and the stage directions say "THE DOCTOR and RUBY walk in to find a cool, sleek, metal CONTROL ROOM, full of CONSOLES" (598)

The Devil's Chord (Episode 2)

- Scene 10 is set INT. CANTEEN. DAY (585)

- Contains the words Liverpool, legions and non-diagetic (586)

- The title of the episode was revealed (598)

73 Yards (Episode 4)

- Had the line "I once went to the top of the Shard" cut from the script (589)

Rogue (Episode 6)

- Page 10 contains the line "I am ruined" and it is said by a character named Emily (598)

- When talking about watching the final mix of this episode, RTD threw in the quote "Live vivisection!" (602)

The Legend of Ruby Sunday (Episode 7)

- First line of the script is INT. COFFEE BAR, USA - DAY, 1947 (584)

- RTD said he recomends midnight viewing for this episode because "it's shocking, frankly, and there might be screaming!" (603)

Empire of Death (Episode 8)

- Contains the words kingdom, gold and Tigella (592)

- Contains the words terror, dust, pizza, Einstein, death and opera (598)

- One of the above words is also in the title (598)

Extra

- An unspecified episode had the word "sixpence" in the title before the plot about said sixpence was cut (591)

- There is a crucial scene, designated 27B, in an unspecified episode with an as-yet unannounced guest star (593)

- The aforementioned scene contains the debris of a fallen statue with an 8 foot tall head as part of the set (593)

- The last scene to be filmed for series 14 was a scene in the TARDIS in the "middle bit of the finale" (whether this is episode 7 or 8 is not specified) and the Doctor slides to the ground at some point during the scene (594)

- RTD says the following about the upcoming season: "Will we ever see Mondo Caroon? Where exactly is Bertie Lester? And how many people does it take to fly an asteroid hopper?" (603)

Series 15/Season 2

Episode 1

- Scene One features none of the regular cast (600)

Episode 2

- The episode features a guest star who's been in the show before but in a different role (600)

Episode 3

- RTD mentions that Ncuti Gatwa is rehearsing with a Special Guest Star for their 13th episode. I assumed he was referring to his 13th episode with Gatwa and didn't count the anniversary specials (597)

Episode 7

- RTD mentions a text message from Verada Sethu and says "(my reaction to Season 2, episode 7, Sc. 48 as her character faces... oh, you'll see!). I'd just said, what great rushes" (605)

Extra

- An unspecified episode contains the words garden, firmament and diploma (592)

- An unspecified episode contains the words radiation, moth and skiffle (597)

- The sets include a hotel, a chamber and a hospital (597)

- More sets are listed, including the UNIT OPs room, the Sundays' flat, "a set so real we could rent it out as its actual self" and an "absolute labyrinth of a set" (potentially an actual labyrinth based on a previous comment from director Makalla McPherson) (601)

- RTD confirmed that the 2025 season will not contain an episode celebrating 20 years of New Who (602)

- On the 8th March 2024, RTD claimed they were "shooting a scene that will live forever in Doctor Who history" (602)

- The "climax" of season 2 contains the words tinderbox, Croydon and threshold (603)

- RTD says "oh, I wish you could see that guest star" about the aforementioned episode (603)

- A "great guest star" is once more alluded to when RTD brings up Phil Collinson doing ADR with them in July (607)

- The director that the above mentioned ADR is being recorded for is Amanda Brotchie (607)

- RTD mentions a "particular shot of London (...) for FX work" and and "important drone shoot in a major city, thousands of miles away" for s2 (607)

[akariuta311101]

B-Branchiosaurus

1. Size and Weight: Brachiosaurus was a giant sauropod dinosaur, estimated to have been around 18 to 21 meters (59 to 69 feet) long and weighing between 28 and 58 metric tons (31 to 64 tons). 2. Unique Anatomy: Unlike many other sauropods, Brachiosaurus had longer front legs than hind legs, which gave it a distinctive, upward-sloping posture. This helped it to reach vegetation high up in trees.

3. Diet: As a herbivore, Brachiosaurus primarily fed on conifers, ginkgoes, and cycads, which were prevalent during the Jurassic period.

4. Time Period: Brachiosaurus lived during the Late Jurassic period, approximately 154 to 153 million years ago.

5. Discovery: The first Brachiosaurus fossils were discovered in 1900 by Elmer S. Riggs in Colorado, USA. He named the species Brachiosaurus altithorax in 1903.

6. Habitat: Brachiosaurus inhabited what is now North America. During its time, this region had a warm, semi-arid climate with distinct wet and dry seasons.

7. Nostrils: Brachiosaurus had large nasal openings situated on the top of its head, leading to speculation about its respiratory system and possible behaviors.

8. Misconceptions: Early reconstructions often depicted Brachiosaurus as semi-aquatic due to its large size and high nostrils, but it is now understood to have been a fully terrestrial animal.

9. Fossil Locations: While the first fossils were found in North America, related species have been discovered in Africa, indicating a wider distribution of similar sauropods.

10. Cultural Impact: Brachiosaurus gained widespread popularity and recognition from its appearance in the 1993 film “Jurassic Park,” where it was depicted as one of the first dinosaurs seen by the characters on their tour of the park.

[atenea14]

Chapter 1: A New Path

In the Wake of Heroes

Soulmates AU

Pairing: Katsuki x Eijiro x Shoto x Izuku x OC (not physically described though)

Warnings: Season 7 spoilers, events of the anime not represented accurately, soulmates AU, slow burn, not beta read, nothing else for now.

Word count: 5.4k

Previous chapter Masterlist

This is Amemiya Noa, in a dramatic turn of events, the combined forces of our top heroes have successfully subdued the notorious villains All For One and Shigaraki Tomura. The battle, which raged across the country, saw intense clashes that pushed both heroes and villains to their limits. While the victory marks a significant triumph for justice, it comes at

Someone turns off the TV, while everybody is glad the nightmare is coming to and end nobody feels like celebrating while waiting in the waiting room of the hospital reserved for heroes. 

Saya’s POV: 

My muscles feel like they weigh nothing yet all my body feels heavy and I cannot move, I’m not sure how that even makes sense. I want to open my eyes but I’m too stunned to react, someone comes and goes because I hear voices although I can’t understand what they’re saying. It’s too much and I fall back into my slumber without even noticing. 

The next time I recover consciousness I’m able to open my eyes and slowly take in my surroundings, it looks like I’m in a hospital room. Someone speaks and it takes me a while to realise that is my father who’s calling for a doctor. It is not until that night that I fully recover control and I’m able to sit up in bed, dad fills me in, we’ve won, well for now. Their villain network needs to be fully dismantled and I’m already itching to be a part of the investigation team, it was the deal I made with the national agency in exchange for my intervention. I also get notified that some heroes have been severely injured and some have had their limbs torn off. A couple of doctors approach me to know if I’d be willing to try and completely regenerate the limbs with my dual quirk and I find myself as excited to do that as I am to help intel services. The next couple of days pass quickly, luckily my injuries could be healed thanks to Recovery Girl and I could focus on experimenting with the doctors on limb regeneration. 

Some days later an announcement was made to the heroes involved.

Thanks to Saya's quirk, we can now fully regenerate human limbs. The procedure will involve her healing abilities to precisely repair and reconstruct damaged tissues and bones, complemented by advanced regenerative technology that supports cellular integration and function. This approach will restore not only the physical structure but also the functional capabilities of the limb. We anticipate that patients will achieve full recovery and regain complete limb functionality within 4 to 8 months, depending on the injury's severity and individual healing response. 

I frown upon hearing the cheerful voices of the doctors.

- It sounds amazing but… it’s still completely experimental, we’re going to experiment with living persons, what if I end up creating an amorphic mass of human tissue? -

- The heroes will be warned and their participation in the program is voluntary. Actually we already have the first candidate. - I change my weight from one foot to the other and slightly tilt my head. 

- Who?- The doctor gives me a soft smile. 

- Curiously enough, your favourite hero who now claims she’s your number one fan, Mirko - My heart starts to race thinking I’ll be able to really talk to her and by the expressions of the doctors I haven’t concealed my excitement at all. 

- Come on let’s go see her. - 

I follow them to her hospital room, there’s a lot of people in the hallway and I can see a bunch of famous heroes roaming around but I don’t care a lot about them at the moment, the fact that my first patient will be her makes me have crippling anxiety. 

It has to go well. But she’s really injured, it is a difficult case for starters, what were they thinking? Someone with a minor injury like a lost finger would be more appropriate. Oh my god what am I going to do? 

- Hey kid, don’t tell me I scare you more than Shigaraki? You looked fearless back then but now you’re as white as my hair.- What? I focus my gaze again and realise Mirko is in a bed in front of me and everybody is looking at me. 

- Uhm… No I…- The head doctor lightly pats me on the back and smiles. 

- She’s a great fan of yours so she must be nervous. - I somehow manage to regain my composure and interrupt the small talk they are all making. 

- That’s not true. - A dead silence follows my statement and I realise how it must have sounded. - I mean, I am your fan and I am excited to meet you but I’m worried about the procedure. I’m aware you’ve given your informed consent but the extent of your injuries is one of the most severe so starting with your case is probably not the best idea. - 

- That’s fine I don’t have much to lose and if you can heal me you’ll surely be ready to care for the rest of the injured ones so you’ll learn a lot with me. - Mirko gives me a big smile while she points a finger at herself. 

- But…- 

- Well, Saya’s concern is valid. That's why we will start with your hands, move to other heroes and once the procedure succeed has been confirmed we’ll try with your leg. Does that sound good to everybody?.- Mirko agrees and the medical staff leaves to start preparing the room. 

- Come, sit with me.- Mirko points to the bed with her head and I do what she wants. - Come on, don't be so stiff, I… You don’t know how much you mean to me right now. Your presence on the battlefield has been crucial. I'm sure there would have been irreparable damage if it weren’t for you. And now I have the hope of a second chance because you have a crazy quirk. If this ends in disaster I’ll still be eternally glad, so just do your best and don’t worry about anything else, yes?.- Once she stops speaking I look at her and she starts laughing, if I was blushing before now I’m cosplaying a tomato. I exhale, chuckle a little and nod.

- Okay. It will go well. - 

- Of course it will! You’re really cute I promise to give you a bone crushing hug as soon as I can. - I smile to myself. 

- Or we could fight.- She gets confused and I point at myself, then at her - You, me and a training ring.- I smile and nod while she bursts laughing. 

- It’s a promise. - A nurse enters the room and says that the room is ready. 

This first session has been exhausting, a lot of hours have passed and we’ve managed to reconstruct one of her hands, the doctors say it looks good so I’m thriving but I’m so tired… my eyes can’t seem to focus and while I lose my balance I feel a sharp pain. 

- Hello! Good evening sleeping beauty. - What? I center my gaze and realise that the white blurr is Mirko who’s sitting by my bed. 

- What are you doing here? You should be resting.- 

- And I am resting! I just happen to do so by your side. You fainted after the operation was finished, it seems your body is still too weak to endure a prolonged use of your quirk without consequences so the rest of your interventions have been postponed. -

- I see. And how are you feeling? - 

- It’s really weird, I’ll still need some sessions with the surgeons for my hand to be ready and then I’ll need physiotherapy but I’ve been told that the evolution is favourable so far so I’m really happy! - I smile at her.

- Your energy is contagious, I already feel better. Thanks for making me company. - 

- Don’t thank me, is the least I could do. By the way your father has been here all day but about an hour ago he had to leave for work. He's an agent of some kind, isn't he? - 

- Yes, he is. He works in national security. - 

- Oh, that explains why his colleagues were borderline harassing him for coming in to work. They are overwhelmed with work right now. Well, don’t worry I won’t go anywhere. -

An hour later Mirko has fallen asleep in the wheelchair it doesn’t look comfortable so I ask a nurse to get her to her room. Taking advantage of the fact that I'm alone, I go to the hospital food machine, I'm a bit hungry and it will be good to stretch my legs. I move slowly because my whole body still hurts, the corridors are still as lively as yesterday and today I do pay attention to the stares I'm attracting yet I ignore them all. Luckily the food machine is in a much quieter corner so I can stand up, lean against the wall and sigh deeply as I bring a hand to my chest. The walk is proving to be more strenuous than I thought. Once my heart rate has slowed down I just walk over to the machine and stare at it, trying to decide what I want to eat. Someone clears his throat behind me and I'm startled out of my wits. I haven't heard anyone approaching so I turn around abruptly and because of that the stabbing pain runs through me again and I lose my balance. 

Someone clears his throat behind me and I'm startled out of my wits. I haven't heard anyone approaching so I turn around abruptly and because of that the stabbing pain runs through me again and I lose my balance. Immediately I feel many hands grabbing me so that I don't fall, at that moment I feel a torrent of energy enveloping us and a blinding light appears in our midst. The hands grip me tighter and after a few seconds I come to my senses. I look around me and see four guys just as confused as I am, I recognise two from the battlefield. They are all very close to me, still holding me. I lean on the arm of one of them to regain my stability. 

- Ahm... thanks I guess? Have you used your quirk?-  They all look at me completely confused and slowly let go of me. 

- I thought it was you. - A boy with red hair looks at me very intensely. 

- I didn't activate my quirk. -They also deny having used their powers. 

- So what was that? - This time the boy with heterochromia speaks. 

- Are you all idiots or what? - That's the guy I fought Shigaraki with, the one with a knack for explosions. I stare at him in confusion, why is he being so rude?

- Kacchan... - The other guy I fought with tries to calm him down. 

- You've noticed it too, haven't you? How can they be so slow? - Oh... oh no, no no no no no. It's not possible. This wasn’t a soulmate activation moment was it? Is this a bad thing? Is this a good thing? But it's very unexpected and which one of them is my soul mate? Are all four of them? What's supposed to happen now? Oh, my anxiety is getting out of control again. Too many emotions in such a short time, I need some fresh air. 

- Oh stop it Katsuki. - 

- Ah? You don’t tell me what to do shit hair. - 

- Are you alright? - The green haired boy and the one with heterochromia look at me concerned while the red hair smacks ‘Katsuki’ on the back of his head.

- Look at her you dumbass. - The moment is getting more chaotic by the second and we had attracted a small crowd. I turn around so I can get out of there but again I get a pinch and my knees give out, I feel them grabbing me again but this time it's only the people who weren't arguing who help me. 

- Are you OK, can you hear us? - The boy I fought with is the one who asks me. 

- Yeah just... I just need some fresh air. I want to go outside. - I finally manage to speak and in a moment I'm being pulled up in some arms princess style. 

- Kacchan be careful! - 

- I have it but she said she wants to get out of here and clearly she can't walk. I'm just going to carry her. - He stops talking for a second and stares at me very intently. - Is it okay if I carry you?- I stare dumbfounded for a few seconds until I nod. 

After that everyone starts to walk and we get closer to the small crowd, I don't know where to put myself, I'm ashamed to call attention this way, without noticing I grab the boy's t-shirt, I clench my fist and I hook as much as I can to him. In response he pulls me tighter to him and looks at me as he keeps walking. 

- Look at me. The others are just extras. - It's incredibly self-centered, but it's still comforting. 

- Shoto - 

- Not now father. - 

Before I know it we’re all in the back garden of the hospital. The area is suspiciously empty but I don’t pay much attention to it. He gently sets me down on a bench and I take the moment to bask in the soft rays of the afternoon sun. I’m completely calmed now. 

- I’m sorry I… - The green haired boy frantically moves his hands in a negative moment. 

- No no no it’s okay… It’s been a shock for us as well. - We all fall into a weird silence before the guy with heterochromia breaks it. 

- So… That was really…? - He clears his throat. - I mean… We’re soulmates right? 

- Yes - Katsuki speaks in a more softer voice. - Are you feeling any better? - 

- Yes, I am thank you. - I give him a soft smile and he just nods and averts his eyes. 

- What do we do now? - The red haired boy asks but nobody answers straight away. My voice makes them all look back at me again making my nervousness increase. 

- Uhm… I don’t know what we should do but I’d like to know your names. - I fidget with my hands while talking. The smiles that the red and green haired guys give me ease my nerves. 

- Of course! I’m Midoriya Izuku, my hero name is Deku and I study at the UA, well we all do. - Before I can answer he starts rumbling a lot of information but luckily the other bubbly guy puts a hand in his shoulder and interrupts him. 

- That’s fine Izuku. My name is Kirishima Eijiro also known as Red Riot but I’d like you to call me by my given name, not but my hero one. - I gently smile at him but my attention is quickly diverted. 

- I’m Todoroki Shoto, my hero name is also Shoto so you don’t have much choice. - That makes me chuckle. 

- Really? You weren’t inspired at all? - He gives me a soft smile.

- I couldn’t imagine myself being called something else than my name. - 

- Well I like it, it’s a pretty name. - Shoto blushes while Eijiro points at himself. 

- What do you think about my name? - 

- It’s pretty too and your hero name really matches your style. - He grins even more. 

- Right? Is so man…- The one who carried me interrupts him by putting one hand in his face. 

- I’m Bakugo Katsuki also called Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight. - That surprises me and I chuckle while answering.

- That’s surprisingly long. - 

- And literally nobody calls him that, his hero name is just Dynamight. - Katsuki frowns at this and clenches his fist.

- Ah? Do you want to pick a fight shit hair? - Eijiro doesn’t seems to mind the moniker and starts bickering with him. The situation is so transcendental in our lives yet the moment is being so stupid I cannot help it and I burst out laughing out loud, they all stare at me and they chuckle a little while Katsuki seems to pout. 

- I’m sorry I… My name is Yukine Saya and I don’t have a hero name because I don’t want to be one. - They all look at me as if I had grown another head.

- Too late for you then. - I tilt my head at Katsuki not understanding. - You should have thought of that before throwing yourself in the middle of the battle of the century. - 

- Well but that doesn’t make me a hero. I was just doing what I was asked to do. - 

- But you put yourself in danger to help other people! That’s what heroes do, you don’t need anything else to be one. - Izuku seems really agitated for some reason, his statement confuses me but I don’t pay much attention to it.

- Anyway I’m not planning on making any public appearances so people won’t know me. - They all look at me with somber faces. 

- And would that be a bad thing? For people to know you? - Shoto quietly asks. 

- Yes, it would interfere with my life goals. - 

- And what are those? - This time it is Izuku who asks. 

- I’d like to enter the interpol, as an agent and center my career pursuing serial killers and organised crime so I need an anonymous identity. - Their stern hardens more. - What? Is there a problem? - They look at each other not knowing what to say until Izuku speaks.

- Well… you’ll see your achievements and your face are all over the internet. People love you… - 

- What? For real? Has a lot of people seen it? - 

- It’s gone completely viral. I’m sorry. - Although Katsuki speaks in a gentle voice his attempt fails at making this better for me. The anxiety that had dissipated suddenly comes back only that is worse this time and I cover my face with my hands while I bend down to rest my head between my knees. 

- It’s alright… we are with you now. - Someone rubs my back and after some time I raise my head and I wipe some tears with my hands. 

- I’m fine, don’t worry. - I realise that Eijiro has sat down by my side and he’s the one caressing me.

- Don’t lie, you are shaking. You aren’t fine. - I haven’t realised I was shaking until Katsuki pointed it out. 

- It’s just… this weeks have been crazy and I just have a lot of emotions to process. It’s alright. - Katsuki frowns at me. 

- No it’s not, your dream has been jeopardised, that's not ok and you can be sincere about it. I know I'd be losing it. - 

- I’m… - I find myself dumbfounded and start shaking more. Katsuki sits on my other side and he an Eijiro hug me tightly. I didn’t realise how much I needed a hug until that moment and I start sobbing, my breathing becomes more ragged by the moment. Izuku kneels down before me and gently places a hand on one knee an rubs it while Shoto approaches me and caresses the top of my head while he keeps standing. He softly rearranges my hair so it’s not in my face and caresses my cheek. I feel overwhelmed with all the sudden attention but I also feel a weird sense of calmness. Nobody says anything until my anxiety attack calms down and now I’m just whimpering. 

- Oh my what a great first impression I’m giving. - All of them squeeze me tighter upon hearing me. 

- Well you did give us a hell of a first impression kicking Shigaraki’s ass. - I look at Katsuki and he brushes a lock of hair behind my ear. 

- That’s true! So don’t worry about today, we understand. - Know my focus is on Izuku, he has such a gentle gaze. He looks like a puppy. 

- I know it’s a lot to process but I think you can still achieve your dreams but maybe not in the way you expected. - I look at Shoto.

- What do you mean? - I lightly tilt my head to the side and accidentally head bump Eijiro. - Ouch, I’m sorry.- I rub my head while apologising, he just laughs. 

- That’s fine! I’m unbreakable, a meak bump won’t do me anything! - Izuku is not the only one with golden retriever energy. I gently smile at him while he grins at me. 

- I think Icy Hot is right. - 

- Yes! Heroes save people so you can still work in that field, plus that’s teamwork and there are a lot of positions needed to be filled so there’s more than the anonymous agent one. - My heart beat starts to calm down, what they are saying makes sense. 

- And you still can go undercover missions, if needed you’ll find a way. There’s a lot of technology and some people have quirks that alter appearances. In a big agency there is probably someone who has an ability like that. - Of course, how silly of me. 

- So I just need to readapt my plans to find a new path to achieve it…- They all grin at me and Katsuki pats my head. 

- Yes! And now we are here to help you too. - Katsuki keeps cheering me up. 

- You know you can learn a lot by being a hero so it would be really beneficial for you! - Izuku starts rumbling again about training and the UA. - Oh by the way I don’t understand how your quirk works. It’s a combined one isn’t it? It seems amazing! - He keeps looking at me with hopeful eyes and I’m aware that all of them are extremely curious about my answer but I just look down and fidget with my hands. 

- Uhm… I’m not supposed to talk about it. I’m… a lot of people close to me have close relationships with security agencies and so some things happened and my quirk is now confidential… I’m sorry… I’ll… I’ll ask if I can tell you. - I don’t dare to look back up. 

- We understand, it’s okay. We’ve just met after all, let’s not rush anything. - Shoto gently reassures me. 

Before we can keep talking a nurse with a wheelchair comes to find me and asks me to go with her for a general check-up. This time it is Eijiro the one who helps me move and sit in the chair. While the nurse is dragging me away I look back at them and realise they're all staring at me so I blush and quickly avert my eyes while the nurse chuckles.

[jackofacetrades]

Time is fucked up in OFMD s2 and that's okay

I mean, we all know it. Time doesn't make any sense in ofmd. We saw in ep5 that Stede and the crew had a whole long ass adventure while Ed was just out fishing with Fang. The first arc isn't possible in one day, while fishing couldn't have taken more than 3 or 4 hours.

But what if it's more than that? What if it's a feature and not just continuity jokes or just super long ass days?

In season one, there was an active discontinuity in genre: comedic (some said muppety), romantic, dramatic or real-life like. Each character stuck to their own genre. This season, it's less the case, the genres all blend together to give us one romantic-comedy-drama show. I feel it's not as clear cut as it was, the vibes are more smoothed between scenes and characters.

What is not smoothed out this season is time. It makes no fucking sense. Here, we're made to believe, thanks to some continuity in some arcs, that everything happened in 4 days (one for each ep4-7). What if that's not true? What if each story advances within its own timeline, each arc independant from the others?

Let's recap some of the ep4-7 arcs. We have Izzy's self love/internal peace and discovery arc. Pete and Lucius relationship. Stede's growth as a pirate (with Izzy's help). Ed's own self acceptance. Ed and Stede romance of course. The crew, as a whole, also has its own timeline. We could add the Swede settling at Spanish Jackie's, Zheng's recruitment, or Minor Prince Dude launching a cabale against pirates with some Other British Dudes. And also, the delivery of the clocks in the thousands of Zheng's ship army.

Each one of those arcs/stories should take so much time, ranging from days to weeks or even months. Yet we're made to believe they all happened in 4—albeit very long—days? I call bullshit. It's not that ofmd's days are exceptionnally long. I believe each story took exactly the time it should have taken, but each in its own dimensional time pocket. They just happen to blur and meet sometimes.

Depending on which character you focus on, the time lapse between the scenes isn't the same, it's as simple as that:

Izzy's evolution makes perfect sense if you let him take his time. It's not out of character, it's out of time. His leg and forehead scar healing that fast are also proof of it. He had the time to heal and reconstruct himself. Something like months.

Ed and Stede felt to me as if at least two weeks had passed between their kiss on the deck under the moonlight and them making love after the Ned Low debacle. (It doesn't make it less rushed to them, mind you!)

Same for the crew: they're bored at the beginning of ep6, telling stories and rearranging furniture. Jim says things are going slow now. Do you say that after only 2 days of peace after escaping a storm and a death condemnation? Nope. Some weeks has passed.

Pete and Lucius are going at another pace entirely. When it's fast for the others, it's going slow for them (Lucius coming to term with his Blackbeard's obsession). When it's slow for the others (the weeks previously mentioned) it's fast for them (24h).

I'll stop here for the examples, you can figure out some others for yourselves.

Also also. The clocks. It's the symbol of it, really. First in ep4 Mary destroyed that cuckoo, then in ep7 all those clocks literally exploding? The show is literally saying: "time is fucked up, we know, what if we didn't bother with it?" It's honestly the same with all the (brilliant) historical inaccuracies happening.

They wanted to tell a story, which had many other stories within, but it didn't fit. So creators just said fuck it, it's a story, we can do whatever the fuck we want. They know what they're doing with their characters. They're writing their stories.

So yeah. We shouldn't try to take it too seriously and bother about time accuracy. It just won't fit.

[tawneybel]

Note: Ten favorite monsters, part eight. Previous part. The Point is a seriously underrated movie. Catch it if you’re into stuff like The Phantom Tollbooth or Yellow Submarine.

1. Oblina from Aaahh!!! Real Monsters

Tbh, I didn’t really watch this show. Rugrats was and is my fave Nicktoon, so my first exposure to ARM was crossover episode “Ghost Story.” (That, “The Last Babysitter,” and Rugrats in general has great juvenile horror.) But I have a soft spot for female monsters that have “girly” features while still giving grotesque.   

2-4. Anglerfish-esque monsters

Dark spider spirit from Avatar: The Legend of Korra: Some kind of arachnid, anyway. Don’t let her teethies fool you. This lady will just yeet anyone spirited away into the Fog of Lost Souls, she hates people so much.  

Grand Fisher from Bleach: The Bleach Wiki describes him as “resembl[ing] a giant hamster.” Which is great. Didn’t even think of that. Rats aren’t the only rodents that can scary. But he’s included here because I love monsters that mimic victims’ loved ones.

Frogfish from The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie: SpongeBob has other anglers, like two cute ones from “Rock Bottom,” one of my fave episodes. As with Grand Fisher, I love how the Frogfish uses a biological dummy of sorts as a lure. In this case, its tongue. Bringing to mind the Alaskan Bull Worm. 

5. Old Dark Frog from Days with Frog and Toad

This and Bony-Legs were seasonal delights for teeny Tawney. The illustration where he's looming, nay, towering over a chilled Frog was so hair-raising.

6. Brain Eating Meteor from The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy

Pretty much exactly what it sounds like. Has one of the best villain songs ever. Thank you, Voltaire.

7. the Demons of Ignorance from The Phantom Tollbooth

It’s like with the Blue Meanies where I can’t pick just one! There’s the Terrible Trivium, of course. But also the barely-there-but-will-bring-you-fear Threadbare Excuse, draconic Two-Faced Hypocrite, etc. 

8. the Pointed Man from The Point

Trickster who sounds like a shaken clock. Tumblr sexyman candidate right there. 

9. Sadako Yamamura from Ringu

Screenshot’s from Ringu 2. The visage creeping after Mai as she climbs with Yoichi out of the well is based on the forensic reconstruction of Sadako’s corpse.

Localizations are hit or miss for me, but I’ll admit The Ring 2002 was more entertaining. However, I think Sadako’s generally a more interesting villain than Samara.

While Ringu notability took inspiration from Videodrome, it’s its own unique spin combined with Japanese ghost lore.

10. the Tingler from The Tingler

A literal spine-tingler, living on people’s vertebrae. Emits a cardiac, pulsating sound when free roaming and swells after gorging itself on fear. 

Note: Eventually, I will try reading the Ring series. I read more murder mysteries than straight-up horror. Might add other Aaah!!! Real monsters to future lists if I ever watch the show proper. 

[danielfeketewrites]

DOCTOR WHO TOP 10 - 2nd Doctor

Ah, my fave Doctor. My 10 favourite stories with him. Keep reading!

10. The Land of the Blind

A nice comic book with a cool twist. I dunno, as a fan of 8th Doctor's DWM run, I have a soft spot for Scott Gray's Doctor Who.

9. The Abominable Snowmen

I really like The Abominable Snowmen. Heck, I think it's a lot more interesting story than The Web of Fear. The setting, the characters, the atmosphere... It all just really works. The Intelligence is a wonderful villain and the Yetis are really cuddly.

8. The Bringer of Darkness

Admission: I'm not a big fan of Fury. I get why everyone likes it, but I just can't get behind how it treats Victoria. While it's admittedly at least "her last story" (something not really afforded to characters like Dodo, Polly, or Ben), but the way she suddenly decides to quit si very... sudden.

This story is short and simple, but manages to do the heavy lifting of "when did Victoria start realising that she doesn't actually want to travel with the Doctor" and... it's really good. I like it very much.

7. The Power of the Daleks

Another admission time - while the animation is great, I might prefer the Loose Cannon reconstruction on this one, as it feels more atmospheric.

But both of these versions are amazing. The David Whitaker Dalek stories just hit differently.

6. The Moonbase

In my bachelor's degree dissertation, I wrote that The Moonbase is the quintessential Base Under Siege story. I stand by that. It's amazing, fun, an upgrade on The Tenth Planet... And it basically invents the Patrick Troughton era. Did I mention how fun it is? Obviously, I have a soft spot for it.

Also, it has the best animation.

5. The Mind Robber

When I first watched The Mind Robber, I didn't get. I didn't get why everyone likes it so much.

I rewatched it a few months ago and fucking loved it. It's funny, creative, inventive... It's such a wonderful, unique story. I love the shit out of it.

4. The Enemy of the World

This story fucks. In the season full of monsters, David Whitaker had the balls to go "you know, what if we just had a dictator that looks exactly like Dr Who? would that be fucked up or what?"

I love David Whitaker. I love Patrick Troughton. I love this serial.

3. The Evil of the Daleks

By this point, I'm not sure what to say about this. I praised Whitaker's Dalek stories overall in the bit about The Power, sooo... What now? Well, I can add that this is the perfect ending for the Daleks, their perfect finale. It's such a rich, wonderful story.

(I haven't seen the animation yet and I'm kinda afraid of it. I hope it doesn't lose the visceral atmosphere that the reconstruction has for me.)

2. Daughter of the Gods

One of the best Big Finish audios of the past decade. You could even argue that it's THE best one.

I fucking love how well this is done. Like, it could have been a vapid, shallow crossover... But it's not. It's built in such a clever way and the focus on Katarina was a stroke of genius. I love it to bits.

1. The War Games

As a pick for my number one Troughton story, it's a bit basic, innit?

Can't help myself. I love The War Games so goddamn much. Watched all of it in one sitting, breathless. It's amazing. People sometimes say "oh, the last episode is good, but the nine episodes before that not so much" - and those people are wrong. This is an increadible epic and probably my favourite thing the series did in the 60s.

I promise my other best story picks aren't that mundane! I promise! They are weird and unusual! I swear!

[jonfucius]

Great Star Trek Rewatch - TNG Season 2

Originally posted on Twitter 17 March 2021 - 6 April 2021

Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2 is up next in my Great Star Trek Rewatch. As with ENT, DSC, STX, TOS, TAS, TOS FF, and TNG Season 1, mini-reviews will document my progress.

The Child: A reused Phase 2 script gives Troi a unique pregnancy story, though I don’t like the loss of bodily autonomy. Still, it’s hard not to feel a little sad when Ian “dies.” Pulaski is instantly dislikable yet charismatic, a testament to Muldaur’s performance. 7/10

Where Silence Has Lease: I really dig the surreal scenes aboard the pseudo-Yamato, and the philosophical discussion about death later in the episode. The episode swings and hits, but it’s a single. 7/10

Elementary, Dear Data: Everyone loves a period romp, and a it’s Sherlock Holmes romp to boot. Moriarty is a compelling villain, whose motivation mirrors that of Data’s: what does it mean to be human? 8/10

The Outrageous Okona: A romantic farce with the dashing titular character at the center. I can see why Billy Campbell was both a finalist for, and ultimately passed over for, the role of Riker. It would’ve been great to see Whoopi Goldberg and Joe Piscopo trade jokes. Alas. 6/10

Loud As A Whisper: I appreciate the deaf representation, but the denouement leaves something to be desired. I’m fascinated by the idea of Riva’s chorus, however. A grisly scene in an otherwise tame series really drives home the danger into which Riva is going. 7/10

The Schizoid Man: Intriguing concept that is strung out far too long. Props though to the late W. Morgan Sheppard and Susie Plakson, who makes her Trek debut as Dr. Selar. 6/10

Unnatural Selection: This one hits a little differently in a post-COVID world. I don’t care for rapid aging stories, however. I do appreciate the somber tone at the end, with Pulaski’s voiceover paying tribute to the Lantree’s crew. 6/10

A Matter of Honor: I love this episode. It’s top-notch from the top down. Riker’s sojourn aboard a Klingon ship gives us some much-needed insight into the franchise’s most iconic aliens. Klag is one of my favorite guest characters. 10/10

The Measure of a Man: Another standout episode from this season that shows just how high Star Trek can go when it wants to. If you have access to the TNG Blu-rays, make sure to watch the reconstructed extended edition as well. 10/10

The Dauphin: After two standout episodes we get a dud. I don’t like the implication that Salia’s worth as an individual was directly tied to her appearance. 4/10

Contagion: The episode does a ton of worldbuilding without being tiresome. The stakes are high, with the destruction of the Yamato (RIP Capt Varley) and the Romulans investigating. The gag of Picard appearing on the warbird’s bridge, and his parting shot, is a great capper. 8/10

The Royale: The surreal style is reminiscent of “Spectre of the Gun,” but I still think that entry is the stronger of the two. Still, it’s a decent, off-beat entry that has somewhat disappeared from the franchise. 6/10

Time Squared: A small time jump sets this one apart from most time travel stories. The knowledge that this could have led into “Q Who?” is a bummer, since the anomaly ended up being pointless. Nice callback to “We’ll Always Have Paris,” and foreshadowing of the next episode. 7/10

The Icarus Factor: I wish Worf’s B-story and Riker’s A-story could have been swapped, because the former is far more compelling and less repetitive. 6/10

Pen Pals: The debate about the Prime Directive is meaty and well worth watching, which grows organically from Data’s communications with Sarjenka; the conclusion to Wesley’s subplot also easily melds with the main storyline. 7/10

Q Who?: In a petulant fit, Q tosses our heroes into the path of the enigmatic Borg. Great things have small beginnings, indeed. The Borg’s horrific relentlessness is on display here. 9/10

Samaritan Snare: The Pakled are a swing and a miss. I love Picard’s scenes with Wesley, however. And I don’t fully buy Picard’s sudden vain streak. 5/10

Up the Long Ladder: Hoo boy the Irish stereotypes. The pro-choice message gets a little lost in the shuffle, as well. 5/10

Manhunt: Lwaxana Troi haters can back off; she’s a delightful change of pace. Worf’s admiration of the Antedeans always cracks me up. 7/10

The Emissary: K'Ehleyr is one of the greatest Klingon characters ever written or performed, and her chemistry with Worf is off the scales. The Klingon sleeper ship concept is intriguing, and shows how much the galaxy has changed in the decades between TOS and TNG. 8/10

Peak Performance: This is just a fun, plot-driven action piece. Wesley's sneaky antimatter gambit, Riker's glee in playing pirate against the Enterprise, and the fooling of the Ferengi make for a fun outing. Guile, indeed. If only the season had ended here. 9/10

Shades of Gray: The use of barely-relevant scenes from previous outings makes the clip-show nature of this one stand out even more. I'm giving it a generous 3 points for the three days it took to film the "new" material, which is actually not horrible. 3/10

And with that, TNG Season 2 comes to an end in my Great Star Trek Rewatch. Final score: 6.86/10. Highest score(s): “A Matter of Honor,” “The Measure of a Man.” Lowest score(s): “Shades of Gray.”

[whovianwatchingstartrek]

Do you think trekkies wanting to get into Doctor Who should also approach it chronologically?

(such as the order put forward in the list linked below)

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/0/d/176xNRn142wda7rUwcQ2U_tILZLmLVm0jwAQbfVcHxQk

Since Doctor Who’s core premise is time travel, Chronological order (from the universe’s perspective) makes a lot less sense for it. You’d be cutting up character arcs, and spoiling storylines for youself all over the place. Since the show is already in chronological order from The Doctor’s perspective, the chronological order vs release order thing isn’t really a thing for Doctor Who.

The specific list you’ve given also goes for a scene by scene basis too, which would make it very difficult to follow in particular, and also just really outdated, it doesn’t appear to have been updated since 2013.

The usual recommendation that Whovians will give you is start with the 2005 Revival with the 9th Doctor, then just go forward. Starting with the Classic Series can be fun too, but you run into the missing episode problem throughout the 60’s era. We have ways around the missing episodes, but oh boy telesnap reconstructions are near unwatchable.

I’ve seen some people recommend the 3rd Doctor era, Starting in Season 7 of the Classic series as a Starting point, to avoid the missing episode problem, but I’m not convinced on how well that works, the early 3rd Doctor era is very different in premise from the rest of the Who.

[walkingstackofbooks]

My 2023 in Star Trek

This is a very random time to post this, but just found it in my drafts having left off from October, and decided I was in the mood for maths!

[Annoyingly, I've found that the previous year I did I bunch of data but only up to Dec 17th 2022? After which I watched a whole buunch more DS9 before the end of 2022 so I'm missing half a month? But hey ho. My 2023 data is mostly complete! 😅]

Total amount of Trek watched in 2023: 224 hours, made from 316 episodes across 23 different seasons.

Total amount of Trek watched ever: 745 hours (ishhh) made from 900+ episodes across 36 different seasons.

Percentage of Star Trek watched so far: 74% (Or 79%, with all series weighed equally) Percentage of Star Trek re-watched: 45% (Or 32%, with all series weighed equally) [Out of the Trek I’ve watched, not *all* Trek]

Overview of series watched in 2023: VOY - 1.5 seasons - 30 hours ENT - 0.5 seasons - 8 hours DS9 - 2.8 + 5.4 seasons - 151 hours TNG - 8 episodes + 1 movie - 8 hours SNW - 1 season - 8 hours LD - 2ish seasons - 7 hours PRO - 1 season - 7 hours

Monthly Log:

Jan - Voy s2e1 - s3e13; First Contact; DS9 s5e17 - end (101 episodes + film = 77 hours)

Feb - Ent s1e1-12 (12 episodes = 8 hours)

Mar - DS9 s1e1-e11 (11 episodes = 8 hours)

Apr - DS9 s1e12-2x25; TNG s4e12, s5e03, s6e10,e11,e20, s7e15,e20. (41 episodes = 30 hours)

May - DS9 s2e26-s3e24 ; TNG s7e24 (26 episodes = 20 hours)

June - DS9 s3e25-s4e06; SNW s2e1-3 (11 episodes = 10 hours)

July - DS9 s4e07-s4e21; SNW s2e4-e7 (19 episodes = 15 hours)

August - DS9 s4e22; SNW s2e8-10 (4 episodes = 4 hours)

September - DS9 s4e23-s5e7 (10); LD s2e9, s3e4-6,8-10, s4e1-5 (12); PRO e1-8 (8) - (30 episodes = 14 hours)

October - DS9 s5e8-e14 (7); LD s4e6-9 (4); PRO e9-15 (7) - (18 episodes = 10 hours)

November - [reconstructed] DS9 s5e15-s6e7 (34); LD s4e10? (1); PRO e16-20? (5) - (40 episodes = 26 hours)

December - [reconstructed] DS9 s6e8-10 - (3 episodes = 2 hours)

[winelover1989]

Jeff Winger’s age makes no mathematical sense whatsoever? He said he figured out he wanted to be a lawyer as a kid when his parents got divorced and the only person he respected by the end of the trial was a successful divorce attorney. He tells his father he moved out at 18. But he didn’t move out to go to college. Instead, he forged a fake degree from another country and gave the BAR exam. On top of all that, he said he practiced law as a fake lawyer for 7 years. All this time I’ve been under the assumption that he was 25-26 in season 1 and was going through your typical quarter life crisis career change. But in the poorly written season 5, he’s having an identity crisis over turning 40? Wtf!? Was it a typo and he’s freaking out about turning 30 or is this another classic case of writers sucking at math? Like what was he doing those extra ten years? Why wasn’t he rich AF at the start of the show if he was a ruthless and great lawyer for so many years? 

Same with Britta. Like she has the typical personality of a college student in her early 20s. I assumed she was 21-22 at the start of the show. But she was 28??

Same case with Annie. Why is she TWO whole years younger than Troy when it makes far more sense for her to be atleast an year older than him. What with her dropping out of high school, recovering from multiple reconstructive surgeries, and spending time in rehab, only to end up in community college at the same time as him. 

The writers either suck at math and logic, or for some reason, they went out of their way to create unnecessary age gaps. It’s just so dumb.

[kilfeur]

Il y a de fortes chances que Lissa apparaisse en saison 7 si elle apprend la nouvelle que Katolis est tombé, Soren l'a mentionné dans l'épisode 2 de la saison 6, disant qu'elle lui manque. Et Claudia dans l'épisode 9 de la saison 2, elle dit qu'elle avait vu ses parents se disputer. Au moment où elle a décide de repartir à Del Bar, l'un des royaumes de la Pentarchie. Elle a donné le choix à ses enfants entre elle et Viren. Soren a choisi Viren et Claudia était incapable de choisir. Alors elle a regardé Viren mais a demandé à Claudia de rester avec Soren car ils ont besoin l'un de l'autre. Pas Viren, Soren !

Dans la lettre de Viren, on comprend pourquoi elle a fini par partir. En voyant ce que son mari a fait et malgré ses justifications. Elle était terrifiée de voir que l'homme qu'elle a aimé ait commit de tels actes. Alors certains vont dire que Viren n'a fait que l'immobiliser et c'est tout. Mais Viren dit qu'il l'a plaqué contre le mur pour l'immobiliser et récupérer ses larmes. Ça reste une agression même si il a pas levé la main sur elle.

J'en avais parlé à mon ami et il dit que justement que cette famille et Aaravos représente les étapes du deuil. Je cite :

Chaque personnage sont liés à l'étape d'un deuil: - Claudia: le déni - Soren: la colère - Aaravoss: le marchandage - Viren: la dépression - Lissa pourrait être l’acceptation donnant enfin à ses enfants l’amour maternel qu’ils ont perdu

Après si Soren la revoit, je pense pas que ce soit les retrouvailles à bras ouverts. Au début, ce serait certes compliqué vu que Soren a perdu son père et a dû évacuer les survivants de Katolis. Mais ça pourrait amener à la réconciliation et la reconstruction d'une famille brisé si Lissa donne sa version des faits ou non. De plus il est vrai que Lissa a sa part de responsabilité en tant que parent, elle a laissé le choix à ses enfants de venir avec elle. Mais elle pouvait pas les forcer à venir avec elle. Si elle les avait kidnappé et s'était enfuit pendant la nuit pour rejoindre son royaume natale : Viren aurait demandé à Harrow de prendre une escouade et lui même pour se rendre à Del Bar. Et la situation aurait pu dégénéré en conflit politique ! A voir si oui ou non, elle viendra.

There's a good chance Lissa will appear in season 7 if she hears the news that Katolis has fallen, Soren mentioned it in episode 2 of season 6, saying he misses her. And Claudia in episode 9 of season 2, she said she'd seen her parents arguing. By the time she decides to move back to Del Bar, one of the kingdoms of the Pentarchy. She gave her children the choice between her and Viren. Soren chose Viren and Claudia was incapable to choose. So she looked at Viren but asked Claudia to stay with Soren because they need each other. Not Viren, Soren!

In Viren's letter, we understand why she ended up leaving. Seeing what her husband had done and despite his justifications. She was terrified that the man she loved would commit such acts. So some will say that Viren only immobilized her and that's all. But Viren says he slammed her against the wall to immobilize her and collect her tears. That's still assault, even if he didn't lay a hand on her.

I'd talked to my friend about it and he says that this family and Aaravos represent the stages of grief. I quote:

Each character is linked to a stage of grief: -Claudia: denial - Soren: anger - Aaravoss: bargaining - Viren: depression - Lissa could be acceptance, finally giving her children the maternal love they've lost.

After that, if Soren sees her again, I don't think it'll be a reunion with open arms. At first, it would certainly be complicated, given that Soren lost his father and had to evacuate the Katolis survivors. But it could lead to reconciliation and the rebuilding of a broken family if Lissa gives her side of the story or not. It's also true that Lissa has her share of responsibility as a parent: she let her children choose to come with her. But she couldn't force them to come with her. If she had kidnapped them and fled during the night to her native kingdom, Viren would have asked Harrow to take a squad and himself to go to Del Bar. And the situation could have degenerated into a political conflict! It remains to be seen whether or not she will come.