#she is the absolute hero of that route for sure

[the-n3w3st-g1rl-g1rl]

I don't trust people who shit on Alphys

[wandixx]

Ghost of fries and Hero of cookies part 4

All work words count: 14 643

Words in this part: 2999

Summary of whole work: Duke wasn't expecting to wake up from his quick rooftop nap to some meta kid with fries. He also wasn't expecting kid to stay

Or

Danny asked Dani to stay safe while she was in Gotham. Where would she be safer than under the wing of local hero? And he looked like he needed bad day combo anyway

This part summary: Dani haven't considered how hard it can be to save people from house fire

Beta read by @audhumla-sailor though English is second language for both of us, so proceed with this in mind. I also know all of the charaters through fics alone, so probably ooc. Stay catious if it's something you don't like

First part, Previous part

Trigger warnings: house fire, panic attacks, temporary character death (am I over dramatic to say this if background child character's heart stops for a long moment and Dani hears it?) slight dissociation (tell me if I missed something, I'll fix it)

Dani proved to be useful addition to Duke’s patrol routine even though she couldn’t always join him, had very little actual training and was a certified mess most of the time. It was nice to banter with her in the free time, she did help when needed and her enhanced hearing was great in finding trouble he would otherwise overlook. She also often brought snacks (he did too, because girl had no idea what was healthy and in the love of god, if he didn’t try to get her in better habits). 

“Fire on seven. Some people are stuck inside,” Dani blurted out and flew faster than baseline person should be able to withstand. Duke run and grappled after orange blur she became. It was less than perfect that she couldn’t tell more specifically where things were going down, but it wasn’t anything she couldn’t train. 

They rarely intervened with fires, unlike Gotham’s police and CPS, firefighters here worked pretty great. Dani knew this, so her going there in the first place meant something was up.

On a fly he grabbed his gas mask. It was made to withstand Scarecrow and Joker when they released their toxins and not smoke so it should do its job. He hoped that Dani would stop before entering so he could give her spare mask and well, coordinate. But she didn’t, of course. What did he expect from kid who body tackled Joker’s goon without second thought about idk, four other goons with guns being in the same room! He only saw end of her cape in between flames when he swung to the right street. Duke made sure his mask was secure when he stopped on a nearest save rooftop to assess the situation. Fire was too big to be put out with personal means like fire extinguishers so all they could do was to evacuate. 

“Hoopoe, you reckless idiot, don’t die in here,” he muttered, sure she would hear him before grappling inside too.

***

About five seconds after entering building, Dani decided that she didn’t like fires. It probably came from her time in Amity but she was far more comfortable when she could beat the root of the problem into submission. Also, it was surprisingly loud, like need-to-cover-her-ears-for-a-hot-moment type of loud. Not louder than a rogue attack, it would be really hard to beat that level of noise but fire was worse in some way. It was somewhat similar to nails on a blackboard. Not in a sound per se but in a vibe she got from it. How she couldn’t tune it out like she usually did.

She straightened herself and dove ahead to the nearest person she heard. Smoke rendered her eyes nearly absolutely useless. Though she saw, heard and felt enough to find safe routes. Of course she could go intangible and in theory wouldn’t be affected by anything from physical realm but even when intangible fire kept burning for some reason and she would prefer to stay raw to being crispy. Rescued people should stay unfried too.

She didn’t quite remember first few rescues, just that it went smoothly, she took a leaf from Danny’s book, throwing some puns and references she didn’t quite knew but from context thought they would fit. Then once outside, she kept telling them to wait for paramedics and went back inside. She was more and more on edge for some reason.

She was really glad she didn’t need to breathe as much.

Middle-aged man grabbed her arm and shook her violently, asking to save his children.

“Fourth floor, fifth window to the left. Please save them!” man cried. Dani felt kinda like snapping but took deep breath to stop herself from it. Signal would be disappointed if she yelled at panicking civilian. She could kinda relate to the man anyway. She was probably also panicking.

“I’ll save them, I promise,” she said instead, phasing out of his grip.

She heard them, little boy weakly whispering to his sister that everything would be alright as soon as the heroes would get to them. His voice was hoarse, choked, interrupted by shallow breaths while the girl sobbed. Dani darted their way. Fire unit and medics were finally getting closer.

Girl yelled when caped hero appeared in room full of smoke. They both were sitting, older boy slightly swaying.

“It’s okay, I’m here to get you out to your dad,” she soothed, grabbing them both into a hug like carry. She barely jumped away from under the crushed lamp that fell where they were half a second before. Girl yelped.

“It’s okay, I got you, it’s okay,” she muttered, hoisting kids into more comfortable position. She flew nearest way out of the rom, looking for a clear spot on an outer wall. Her stomach dropped and core spasmed when she realized that boy stopped breathing, going limp in her arms. She was panicking throughout whole of this fire rescuing mess but only then she became frantic.

Maybe it was because of the smoke that kept cluging in her throat. She didn’t need to breathe as often but now she felt like she was suffocating and was suddenly all too aware of each bit of air she managed to swallow in her lungs.

She almost dropped when they finally got out. It took less than a second for her to fly to the kids’ father. She put girl down a little to hastily before gently laying boy n the pavement. Adult was beginning to hyperventilate and honestly Dani wasn’t too far behind him. She wished Signal was there. He would know what to do. Dani only had been on one first-aid course and she spent the better part of it on reviewing memes.

She had to remember something!

Breaths! She had to make absolutely sure if he was breathing!

She remembered practicing this one, so she did as instructed, counting to fifteen instedad of ten for a good measure. Then to twenty just to be safe. She knew she was counting too fast anyway.

Boy wasn’t breathing.

He wasn’t breathing!

She wished her ears were deceiving her but there was no heartbeat too!

What was she supposed to do now?!

Oh, right, she remembered chest compression thing from movies. She could do it.

Someone yanked her back, so hard she almost hit her head.

“You’re doing it wrong. I’m nurse, I’ll do it,” young woman declared, already kneeling were Dani was mere seconds ago, unzipped boy’s hoodie and got to work. Only then halfa realized that they got circled by small crowd of people rescued from building. Two of them were calming boy’s family down. She would use some comforting too.

She scrambled to her feet, racing out the crowd. Nobody even glanced her way.

She turned around and flew back inside the burning building.

Why did it feel like running away?

*

First ambulance arrived three rescues after the boy. Dani was so relieved she had to stop for a moment because her knees buckled and flight betrayed her for a hot second. She heard only four other people inside and Signal. They would finish soon enough.

Good.

Her head was spinning slightly.

“Congratulations, you are being rescued, please do not resist” she announced with forced confidence, appearing next to the man who probably was in a gang. Thankfully he didn’t fight her. When she was back in Central City one of the Flashes told her to make sure that people know she was trying to help them especially if they seemed like the type to choose fight over other crisis responses. This man certainly did. He almost punched her anyway.

Next was boy who was far too little to be left alone. She gave him her cape. She assumed he could use the comfort it gave her. There was a reason she choose comfiest blanket to this role.

She heard Signal making his way to the last victim but for some reason it was slow going. She flew up there after the last reassuring words to the boy.

She learned why Signal got stuck about three seconds after appearing on the right floor. It was a literal epicenter or whatever it was called. The root of the problem. The literal Hell on earth. Dani stopped for a moment, downed by the coughing fit and tears making her sight absolutely useless.

Signal was talking to someone. Asking them to calm down. She wasn’t sure. Dani forced herself to stand up and go see what was happening. She was probably swaying a little.

There was young woman in the middle of the fire. There was no scent of burning skin or hair so Dani assumed there were some powers involved. Thankfully most likely she wasn't a ghost. Dani wasn’t in the right headspace to fight a ghost and as cool and competent as Signal was, he couldn’t fight ghosts either.

Woman was visibly terrified. She kept screaming, begging Signal to go away because she was too dangerous to be so close. Hero tried to talk her down. She yelled that it was all her fault and she shouldn’t be saved.

Oh.

Woman had to just learn about her ability and lost control over it. Go big or go home, right? She didn’t exactly have home anymore so…

Dani barely kept herself from hysterical laughter.

Ghost fights were so, so much easier, she just had to beat the cause of the problem into submission and trap it in the thermos. No persuade it into stopping.

It was all too hot, too loud, too suffocating.

Dani could barely think.

Creaking of the ceiling boomed through her brain, somehow getting over the overwhelming cackle of fire that made her just want to hide in the corner and cry, even ignoring absolute onslaught to her other senses.

Ceiling was going to fall down and crush all of them.

Dani could barely think, so she didn’t.

She forgot to turn intangible when she crushed through window, meta woman held tightly in her arms. Thank Ancients she was durable enough to not break her head for that. Signal could handle himself. Hopefully.

Dani gasped on fresh air. She felt lightheaded, barely cognizant from instinctual relief to be out. She was free falling, her body limp, eyes half-closed, wind rushing in her ears and on her face. It was paralyzing but not in a bad way.

It felt good.

It felt like freedom.

It felt like something she could do for the rest of eternity.

It felt-

“HOOPOE!” panicked yell cut through her haze.

Right.

She was plummeting to the ground. She held someone. They would die when they crushed.

She should stop falling.

Could she do it? 

She had to.

She dropped off the blue haired woman with the nearest medic squad and ran. Or flew. She wasn’t quite sure. Her brain still didn’t feel right. But she knew she had to leave.

Next thing she knew was the pain from practically collapsing on a wall and dumpster she hid behind. From what, she had no idea. She had no idea about anything.

So she did only thing she still could.

Dani cried.

***

Duke was getting frantic in his search for Dani after that room collapsed. He knew she made it out, he saw her falling head first to the ground. He was trying to catch her but he knew he couldn’t do it on time. And then she caught herself, left Abigail with medics and flew away in a blur. And Duke couldn’t go right after her because some cop had questions. Duke did his best to wrap it up quickly but still by the time he could look Hoopoe was nowhere to be seen. He was straining his eyes trying to see any sign of her but other than the boy with her cape as a blanket there was nothing. He was tempted to ask Babs for help.

Scratch that, he didn’t have time to do this on his own. Pride and this stupid bet be damned. He turned on his comm, not bothering to go off the main channel.

“Oracle, I need you to search for white-haired preteen girl dressed in white and black. Somewhere near Rossaire street. Probably there will be no clear footage”

“Need help in search?” Steph chimed in gently “Spoiler can be there five minutes flat”

Duke considered it for a moment. Steph knew how Dani looked (as much as anyone who saw her only in photos could know how she looked) and wanted to meet girl anyway. She could be useful help. On the other hand, she mentioned before she had some important stuff. And he wasn’t sure how Dani would react to someone unknown finding her in this state. Last thing he wanted was scaring girl even more. He searched road for Dani’s past light, again.

“No, don’t worry. She just got a little overwhelmed”

“Alright, good luck with finding your kid then”

“She is not my kid!”

“Signal who-” Bruce grunted but got interrupted by Babs.

“Turn right, she entered blind zone but I can lead you there”

“Thanks O”

“No invisibility?” Steph mused.

“Thank God for that,” Duke answered, while grappling to the left. He shoot forward as fast as he could ”Or maybe not. She has to be quite out of it”

“Left again”

“Signal, who are you looking for?” Bruce asked again.

“Next alley to the right. It’s the last place I can see her”

“Thanks O.”

“Signal-”

“Later B.”

Duke landed in the alley, turning his comm off. He knew that sooner rather than later he would have to explain himself and would probably get endless teasing but it wasn’t important at the time. He searched again for past light. He run after glimpses. He stopped when he heard sniffle from behind a dumpster. He slowed down, approaching loudly. It wouldn’t do any good to scare her.

“Hoopoe?”

Her breath hitched. Duke sat down next to her far enough to not invide her personal space but close enough to make her feel not alone.

Her face was black from ashes and smoke other than where her mask was and cleaner tracks her tears were making.

Her mask was laying on a ground (clearly forcefully thorn off which ouch), cape obviously nowhere in sight. When she calmed down, he would ask what happened with it. It would probably be a good distraction. But not now.

“Hey kid. Can you try breathing a little slower for me?”

She mumbled something, inaudible between loud wheezing.

“I know it’s hard but I’m sure you can do it. Who if not you?”

Girl visibly tried, shifting around as if she tried to find some much needed comfort. Clearly, the lack of pressure her cape was giving her wasn’t helping.

“How about you try putting hand on my chest and matching my breathing? It often helps”

She moved her hand and he led it to his chest. Dani shuddered.

Slowly, telegraphing his movements Duke extended his arm and put it across Dani’s shoulders. Girl leaned into it with choked sobs.

“I know it was scary,” he muttered as she shook silently “You did so well, Dani”

Girl let out quiet, high-pitched whine that didn’t sound quite human, trapping him in the hug much stronger than child her age should manage. He rubbed her back gently.

They sat in silence, as girl relaxed a bit.

“I officially despise fires. Just not my vibes, y'know,” was the first thing she managed to say. Duke smiled, still trying to comfort her. He knew far too well what she was trying to do. He let her. Every hero needed to retreat to humor every once in a while. Majority of his family and associated vigilantes did it constantly.

“Right here with you”

She looked at him, searching for something on what little she could see on his face.

“You see more, don’t you?” she asked but didn’t wait for an answer “It was too much even with normal eyes. How can you be so calm?”

“I have normal ears and after fifth or tenth time it loses its charm”

“Yeah, okay,” she wheezed out “I didn’t expect the fire to be so loud. And smoke was a bit much in terms of texture and smell and everything”

“I would give you a mask if you waited, you know?”

He felt more than saw how she shrugged. It seemed like she wasn’t exactly listening to him anymore.

“But since you didn’t, we should get you looked up by some professional. You breathed in some nasty stuff”

Dani didn’t respond. Then she sprung up with gasp, a little out of his grasp, not standing but sitting straighter. She grinned, wide, eased thing gracing her lips as fresh tears began to create new paths on her dirty cheeks. She let out a choked laugh, more sign of relief or release of tension than actual happiness. It sounded rougher than usual, probably because of smoke and ashes aggravating her throat.

He wanted to ask what was up but it felt like the wrong time for it.

“He is breathing again” Dani cheered gently, as if unsure before repeating loudly, letting herself believe “THE BOY IS BREATHING AGAIN!”

Girl was shaking again, no bothering with drying tears this time.

Duke could guess what happened. He didn’t want to think about it too hard.

“It’s great to hear”

“Yup!” she grinned between fat tears.

They sat in silence as Dani gradually calmed down again. He knew she didn’t feel all that well yet, she couldn’t but she was probably calm enough to not break down in the middle of the BatBurger.

“I think this day counts as quite bad one,” girl said, wheezing a bit. Duke smiled, knowing where this was going. He ruffled her hair.

“Yeah, I think so too”

None of them said anything for a long moment.

“You’re up for a ‘bad day combo’ Gotham style, Hoopoe?”

“Yup” she smiled.

********

Apartment building: *is on fire*

Dani: It can't be that bad

Narrator voice: It was in fact, much worse

Kid, whose heart stopped thankfully didn't have too many issues tied to it and nothing life treatening long term. Every person who was in the building during fire left relatively unscathed. This fic is supposed to be mostly fluff I'm not killing anyone

Kid who got Dani's cape-blanket refused to phisically let go of it for solid two weeks. Later it still had to be in his sight. Understandable since his life went of the rails and did it hard. Kids ripe age of seven shouldn't be home alone. Especially not for whole day...

Dani: *still clearly shaken* Does your bad day combo include fries?

Duke, on his way to The "I had mental breakdown and need calories" Waffle Foodtrack: No, but we can change it!

Underpayed BatBurger employee: ...

Duke&Dani looking like they've just returned from war:...

Underpayed BatBurger employee: ...

Duke&Dani:...

Underpayed BatBurger employee: *deciding they don't have enough mental energy to care* Welcome to the BatBurger, can I take your bat-order?

Duke: One kids meal, please

Employee at The "I just had mental breakdown and need calories" Waffle Foodtrack, used to seeing Bats crying: *sees Hoopoe munching on her fries but in a sad way* Ah, babiest one got christened by fire already?

Employee: *takes out notebook to note down crazy combo this kid will come up with**they have every Gotham vigilante in here*

Dani: I haven't had a waffle ever before so maybe nuttella and whipped cream? I don't know, sweet?

Employee, offended: Let me surprise you.

It was great waffle, sweet enough to give sugar rush quite big group of preschoolers. It had marshmallows, sprinkles, whipped cream, jellybeans, whatever else this person on the mission found and could mix. Dani absolutely loved and devoured it.

I finally didn't forget to add read more!!!

I really want to draw Dani and Duke togheter but I can't find any pose references that satisfied me. Do you have any good ones? Can be chibi though preferably not

Next part

[fairytale-poll]

ROUND 2! MATCH 1 OUT OF 8

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Bugs:

So the story is that the Three Little Pigs sell Bugs their straw and wood houses, the Big Bad Wolf blows them down, and Bugs decides to get revenge - by dressing himself up as Little Red Riding Hood, getting the Wolf to play his part in that story, and then messing with him as only Bugs can. Here's the video if you've never seen it: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6vk41x

Bugs Bunny is an icon and he was so good for his role in this short. When he and the wolf realized they could work together against the pigs... oh my God. Come on Tumblr, you have to admit they had a little gay tension between them. Besides, at the end, when the brick house comes down and the wolf, so surprised and proud of himself exclaims "I did it!" and then it pans over to Bugs with the bomb and he slyly adds "We did it!" communist Bugs canon.

Red:

I'm pretty sure she uses her hood as a parachute at some point. (A note from tournament Mod: She does.)

sillie

she is so iconic. to me at least (watched hoodwinked appx 500000000 times during family road trips)

This delivery girl knows karate! Watch Hoodwinked

my first exposure to a real adaption of a classic story in video. Girl twists the whole story up compared to the original. Love how it's like an old fashioned PI show but still so 2005 in vibes.

A classic fairy-tale-with-a-twist-movie that if anyone hasn't seen they should. This story takes various elements not just from Red Riding Hood's story but other fairy tales to retell the story with Red as the true center and hero of the story and reframes it as a mystery. It's also one of the few good retellings that makes the wolf good while not framing him as a love interest, which allows the plot to remain focused on Red.

best movie ever

Listen. I don't necessarily think she should win this movie is fucking insane and not all of that insanity is necessarily good. HOWEVER. I have a pitch for you. Wouldn't it be so fucking funny to put Red Puckett on this poll as a wild card? Like how many people would be like "fucking HOODWINKED?". Also what other tellings of red riding hood go the crime mystery route? Like cmon

She's the protagonist of what I believe is one of the funniest and best written films of all time. She's so smart and talented

The entire Hoodwinked series is just really funny to me. I also think she's an absolute badass as she knows kung-fu and takes no shit from the wolf. Also her granny appears above her when they are both flying and somehow she sees her as a big cloud head despite it just being her granny doing a ski jump. She had to be high because she met a weed loving Billy goat literally right before that.

the creators said 'what if red riding hood did karate and was voiced by Anne Hathaway' and simply did not wait for an answer.

because she's the funniest answer

Okay as a child I watched this movie and liked it a lot, but by coincidence, I happened to watch it on Eid twice in a row (I'm Muslim). So for a few years in a row I made it a tradition to watch this movie on Eid while drinking orange juice (very important piece of the puzzle). This movie is so dumb and goofy, I really enjoy it, and also she's voiced by Princess Mia Thermopolis herself.

[carlyraejepsans]

Yknow, despite how it is impossible by all Ingame options, I wonder how a neutral route with *ONLY* Sans (and Asgore ig) killed would look? Would he count enough as a boss monster (NOT a Boss Monster) to push it from a Queen Toriel ending to an Empress Undyne ending? How would Alphys react (She lost one of her closest friends, but she still has MTT and Undyne around.)? How would Papyrus react (Would he go full angst mode and try close away his heart? Would he become even more of a people pleaser, trying to make sure he doesn't repeat whatever mistake he made with you again? Would he go into denial mode, trying to find Flowey to set things right with him either finding him or not based on what Frisk choses after the FloweyX fight? So many choises), especially with how he seems to Know Something he doesn't let on. I'd imagine that (provided it's a Queen Toriel Ending) Undyne wouldn't be thar affected, sad that Papyrus lost a brother rather than sad that Sans died (she never is close with Sans. She doesn't hate him, but she doesn't know him as more than "Papyrus weird brother" and "My sentry that works the ABSOLUTE bare minimum needed"). I don't think mettaton would appear or be affected, leaving the call pretty limited. So we have Papyrus and Maybe Undyne, with Papyrus probably being... kinda miffed that everything is going along the same, as if Everything hasn't changed. Bonus points if it's Post Dates, leaving a pretty aimless Undyne moving into Sans room, trying to fill a void that she never can. It isn't some threat she can suplex or teach to cook, it's the world being unfair.

(This also would give a pretty Unique Undyne state, being halfway between her "I don't like that you had to kill Asgore, but it's what you had to do" mindset and her more common "You betrayed me in such a soul crushing way it'll affect how I love forever" mindset in most Neutral Endings. I can imagine her actually trying to rationalise it, because the human only killed Asgore (sucks but she Gets It), and... Sans. The easiest enemy, one too weak to make it into the guard, and almost too weak to be a Sentry (Sans would have no reason to reveal Blasters, and his magic would barely scratch the TRUE HERO of the Underground when Karma is factored in. All she would see is surprisingly complex patterns that don't deal even a tenth of her hp). So surely, they had a reason, right? Why else would they do it?)

Forgive any bad writing it's literally 2 AM rn where I am

can't not confess I've thought about it too, but it IS really hard to extend as a concept because there's just... really no way for sans to die outside of the NM run. and I don't mean logistically, i mean character-wise he is so defined by his survival. by his Being There as everything falls apart. the final girl last man standing in the story. so the whole concept immediately falls apart.

undyne wouldn't personally grieve him, seeing as they didn't really know each other, but she WOULD still feel his death on her conscience as she does with every other monster killed in neutral runs. plus, there's her friendship with papyrus to emotionally aggravate things.

papyrus would definitely go into denial. he would be annoyed about him vanishing all of a sudden, then it'd turn to worry, then as his worries become more and more plausible, he'd shut out all rational thought about the subject and pretend everything is alright. i like the idea of him reaching out to flowey, but he'd try to explain his plan while also comtradicting himself all the time in order to never say outloud "sans is dead. we need to fix this"

betrayed undyne... yeah this is where it falls apart again, since you'd have to reason why sans would die (or even instigate a fight at all) in the final corridor during what has so far been a flawless pacifist run.

buuut pushing past the visceral resistance to the concept. i can easily see a scene where the betrayal pushes her to lose it and seek revenge like it does in normal neutral runs, and her looking to papyrus for training help/human destroying plans. and just... meeting a Wall of denial. that would be a harrowing talk. something people don't mention enough is that papyrus sees himself as sans' caretaker as much if not even more than sans does towards him. a world where sans is dead is a world where he failed his brother. it would devastate him. so he clings to anything not to think about it/delude himself. and here comes undyne ready to shatter that fragile hope. it would be a horrible moment between them

but yeah. everything aside, sans would straight up just not die lol.

[askmerriauthor]

Pokemon S/V - Story Themes: Failure and Abuse

Something I actually really like about Pokemon S/V, which is somewhat ironic given the state of the game itself, is that its underlying story theme is about how the adults of the setting have utterly failed the younger generation.

General discussion and rambling about Pokemon S/V after the jump, as there's sure to be spoilers. This is a long one, so buckle up.

Throughout the many stories Pokemon has told over the years and its iterations, the role of adults in the series and how they relate to the kids - ostensibly, the Player themselves as well - has varied wildly. They've been mentors, friends, allies, enemies, or even just odd folk we encounter. But, for better or worse, they've always been fairly direct in a What You See Is What You Get sort of way.

Pokemon S/V subverts that a bit in that all of the adults - even those we don't meet and only hear about through dialogue - have completely failed the children of the story. The results of those shortcomings range from very mild to absolutely disastrous, but nobody is untouched by it. Even the Player isn't spared.

Right up front we've got the Friendship Trio: Nemona, Arven, and Penny. Being the core to the story, they're the biggest examples one has out the gate. Common themes they all share are that they're each left without support from their families or peers, and that they're each desperately lonely as a result. Nemona is a star pupil, a battling prodigy, and daughter to a wealthy, powerful family. But despite all her talents she's left adrift without aim or goal. Her younger sister is the one being given control of the family business and Nemona's own talents set her apart from other students, meaning she struggles to find peers. Her family seem all too happy to focus on the younger sister, while Geeta from the Pokemon League and the academy itself happily makes use of Nemona's skills for their own ends. Nemona is constantly eager to please, always looking up to powerful people like Geeta and Professor Turo/Sada, but admits that she's just sort of floundering without any anchor. The people she looks up to only see her as a tool to be used and immediately discarded until the next time they need her.

A lot of Players joke about how battle obsessed Nemona is toward the Player, or how yandere jealous/possessive she becomes immediately upon meeting us. She even stands up to Geeta - who she absolutely hero worships - about our attention being poached. But can you really blame her for realizing there's finally someone who not only matches her skill, but seems dedicated to following a route the game itself states virtually nobody else in the region ever comes close to achieving? Nemona is not only the youngest Champion ever, but the only Champion in years, until the Player shows up. Regardless of what the person holding the console feels toward the Gym Challenge, in-context of the story the Player is proving through their own actions that they value Nemona as a friend/rival and are putting in genuine effort to meet her. When you defeat her, especially at the very end when she goes all out in a way she's never been able to with anyone else, she's thrilled. To Nemona, it's got to be the most amazing validation she's ever had in her life. Why wouldn't she hold on dearly and enthusiastically when nobody else, let alone her own family, are able to keep up with her or offer her the validation she needs?

Arven is just absolutely wrecked by his parental failure. His parent (Turo or Sada depending on which version you're playing) was so obsessed with their research in Area Zero that they threw away their entire family. Their spouse left them and took Arven, leaving the boy growing up constantly feeling the void of that missing part of their life. They keep hearing about the things their Professor Parent has accomplished and how well-regarded they are, but that's always just a reminder that the parent put more effort into their work than into being with their child. When Arven tries to go into Area Zero to find their parent himself, his Mabosstiff (his beloved Pokemon companion he's had literally his entire life) is near mortally injured as a result and Arven spends the rest of the game desperately trying to save it. Later, it's revealed that the Professor's work is endangering literally the entire ecosystem and stands to destroy Paldea itself, leaving Arven with the knowledge that not only was he abandoned for the sake of research, but that research was both ultimately harmful and pointless.

By the time the Player reaches the depths of Area Zero and meets the AI Professor, they find out a few things about the Professor. Namely that they're dead. It turns out that the Box Legendary they brought through time killed them years prior and the person the Player - and Arven - has been interacting with all throughout the game is just an AI replica left behind. While exploring the Professor's various labs, the Player first finds an empty picture frame that had its photo removed and, when in the final lab in the heart of Area Zero, they find the photo pinned to the Professor's work board. A photo of Arven as a tot with his beloved Pokemon (still an unevolved Maschiff at the time). This yields two big realizations. One is that the Professor still absolutely harbored love for their child and family, but allowed their drive - or possibly insanity - to overcome them. They were lying to themselves all those years saying "I'm doing this for my family" while outright ignoring said family entirely. Second is that the Player is the only one who learns outright that the Professor was killed, which means they - albeit off-screen - were the ones to break the news to Arven. Even in death, with the AI Professor's remnants of its creator's memories showing love for Arven, they failed him again and again. It's always up to Arven himself to carve his own way through his parent's wake, relying on his own abilities and the help of his friends, to struggle through the mess his parent left him.

Penny is failed on multiple fronts and to multiple degrees. She's a complete introvert and clearly suffers from a fair level of social anxiety due to the bullying she endured during her time at school. She's not shy, per say; when it comes to interacting with the Player and others, she's actually rather outspoken once she feels comfortable. But there's absolutely a wall put up that she doesn't let anyone past until she's ready, controlling her level of exposure and interaction through mediums like only communicating via phone or intentionally restricting her in-person time behind excuses.

At the most basic level, Penny is failed by her own father who doesn't understand her. She mentions that he's always doting, giving her childish nicknames and basically fawning over her. That sounds great on its face - exactly the sort of thing Nemona and Arven crave - but it shows that her father doesn't understand his daughter. Penny doesn't enjoy or respond well to that type of affection and it's being forced on her, causing a wedge in her home life. Next up are Penny's friends, the bosses of Team Star. They gained that rank and gang affiliation because of Penny; she's the one who set it up as a means of rallying all the students who suffered from constant bullying to stand up for themselves as a unified resistance. By that point she was so emotionally battered that she couldn't even stand to be in the company of other people directly, isolating herself and communicating only through phone calls. The Team Star Bosses and Penny all considered each other to be the closest of friends, yet they had never once met her face to face. While it's not explored as much (criminally so, I say) each of the Team Star Bosses show that they're in a similar state as Penny; they rely on each other for support but also self-expression and validation. It's shown throughout their stories that they're let down by the systems they trusted and their families, not able to find what they need from those establishments and instead turning toward one another.

As it's revealed through the events of the Team Star story, the previous administration of the Paldean Academy allowed a brutal level of bullying to go on at school. So much so that it resulted in the targeted students dropping out, falling to truancy, and literally forming a gang just to protect themselves from their aggressors. When Team Star finally did put their collective foot down (peacefully by both intent and action), they were wrongfully branded as the villains of the story and stigmatized. Team Star was shown that not only would adults not protect them, but would actively punish them for protecting themselves. The school admin at the time - who were fully aware of the whole situation - not only allowed it to happen but then actively attempted to cover it up for the sake of protecting their own asses. They were content to sit by and allow their own students to suffer, ultimately leading to drop outs and expulsions, just for their own sake. This led to both the admin and the entire teaching staff to resign and be replaced by the staff we see in the game, and Director Clavell starts to fall into the same error as his predecessor.

When the Player gets involved, Clavell is about to expel all the Team Star members for good (and there's a TON of them). But, hey, credit where it's due; Clavell really puts in the work and goes to considerable lengths to uncover the truth of what happened. He puts into motion the start of healing those wounds by setting aside not only his time, but his own ego for the sake of understanding his students, protecting them, and rectifying the mistakes of those who came before him. There's a part at the very end where Clavell outright apologizes to Team Star for the abuses they suffered at the hands of the previous Academy staff and deeply bows to them. That may not seem like much on its face, but one has to consider the context of this being a Japanese game. A major authority figure like Clavell bowing and apologizing to those younger than himself, let alone those he's an authority over, is a MAJOR demonstration of genuine regret.

That's not to say Clavell is perfect though. Far from it; while he succeeds in this area, he fails in others as he readily allows Geeta to use both the Academy and its students as she pleases. Geeta outright takes advantage of the students for unpaid labor - the Player included - even though none of them actually work for her. The teaching staff themselves, while all good people who are trying their best, show similar failures to varying degrees. Saguaro doesn't show who he really is because he's afraid of disrupting the image students have of him. Miriam - beloved by students for her skills and nature - languishes unable to fulfill her desire to be a teacher because the credential testing (presumably set by Geeta, who establishes similar needlessly exclusionary tests) keeps knocking her down. Hassel is endlessly harangued by his family to give up his passion for art and teaching to take the lead of their House.

It continues with the Gym Leaders and Elite Four as well, given how Geeta readily abuses her position of power to her own ends. All the Gym Leaders readily discuss their dislike of Geeta, how she holds them back or interferes with them, and the various shortcomings of their lives due to structural failures in their society. People like Larry, Brassius, Grusha, and Iono are wholly at the whims of capitalism in a region where the economy itself is tied directly to the Pokemon League they work for. Larry and Hassel pull double duty as both a Gym Leader and Academy Teacher, as well as members of the Elite Four, further showing how much Geeta is intentionally intertwining all these systems together into a narrow, unstable medium. Poppy, a LITERAL TODDLER, is somehow a member of the Elite Four - when Geeta doesn't even pay adults a living wage to be Gym Leaders/Elite Four and also readily takes advantage of students for free labor, you cannot possibly tell me Poppy isn't an overt case of child labor abuses. Seriously, who are this kid's parents and where the hell are they? Later in the game, Geeta calls the Player on their phone out of the blue and one of the responses you can give is "How did you get my number?". She replies that because you're a Champion, she has access to your personal information. Information you did not consent to give her, that she used her position to look up and privately contact you - a child - for work, without the consent or awareness of your parent. Geeta has set the Pokemon League in a way that best suits her desires and warped the entirety of Paldea around it, endangering and weakening other institutions as a result.

There's actually a lot more to this scattered throughout the game, such as a student who's languished in the Academy system for twenty years without graduating because he's constantly failing. Or everything that has to do with History Teacher Raifort. But this has already gone on long enough of a ramble. In summary, Pokemon S/V has some honestly interesting explorations of institutional and personal failure from the past and how it impacts the future. Themes of generational trauma wasn't what I expected out of a Pokemon game. I hope to see it expanded on in the coming DLC content or, even better, in the upcoming anime series.

[morallygreyyn]

does your heart still remember my name? (bakugou x reader)

description: you and bakugou went way back. having known each other since birth because your mothers were best friends, it was natural for you to do every thing together. you weren’t really sure what made you hate him along the way. you weren’t even sure if hate was the right word. what you did know was that bakugou hated you with every fibre of his being, or so you thought...

(characters aged up to 18 and are in their last year of high school/ua)

authors note: ok so i’m just a sucker for childhood besties, to strangers/enemies, to lovers while the character is secretly in love with the reader soooo here’s my first contribution to my favourite trope! i’ll probably write loads more of these lmaooo

warnings: swearing (bakugou duh), angst but fluff at the end

word count: 4.1k

requests are open!

You really couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment you started to hate Bakugou Katsuki. All you knew is that whenever you passed him by or even looked in his general direction, your blood would start to boil. You supposed it had something to do with his ego that only inflated over the years, his superiority complex getting the better of him and his attitude.

Looking back on it now, you figured that had been the catalyst for your inevitable drift from the overconfident boy.

You used to be best friends. Your mothers were best friends and being next door neighbours, Katsuki was your first ever friend. The two of you were inseparable, often attached at the hip. You did absolutely everything together.

When your Quirks developed, you both were ecstatic and playfully developed fighting styles for your little duo. 

That was around the time Katsuki developed a superiority complex, though you didn’t realise it at the time. He was your best friend and had a strong Quirk so of course he was awesome!

Katsuki and you were an unstoppable force, you were even going to be the top two Pro Heroes. Your best friend never thought of you as weak, if he was strong then so were you. Simple as. 

Your friendship lasted right up until middle school. You couldn’t really remember what was the cause of your separation, you could only remember the slow drift apart. Spending less time at each other's houses, hanging out less, speaking less until it developed to nothing at all. The separation was like heartbreak, you had lost many hours crying over it. It was as if you had lost your other half. You even tried to ask Katsuki what had went wrong but was only more hurt when he brushed you off. That hurt turned to anger over time and by the end of middle school, you had convinced yourself that you no longer cared about the boy next door.

You made every effort to ignore his existence, and your hard work paid off. You made new friends when you both started at U.A. and your life was seemingly on the up. Still, you followed your childhood dream, determined to make it to the top. 

You were now in your last year of high school, the time you spent with Katsuki was nothing but distant memories now.

It used to be awkward at the start when you both had to walk home in the same direction. You had almost ran home to avoid any contact with your ex best friend.

As the years passed, the less of a fuck you gave. You walked home at your own steady pace, seemingly having a faster stride than Katsuki as he always arrived home after you. 

It was no different today. School ended and with a swift goodbye to your friends, you began to make your way back home. You knew Katsuki was behind you, trudging along that familiar route. You didn’t pay him any mind, you were far too used to this by now. 

It wasn’t that long of a walk and before you knew it, you were already home.

“I’m home!” You called out, hearing a greeting from your mother who was somewhere in the house. You took off your shoes and made your way upstairs, throwing your bag onto your bed once you reached your room.

“Oh, y/n?” Your mum called from the bottom of the stairs.

“Yeah?”

“The Bakugous have invited us for dinner at theirs tonight!” She sounded happy. With you and Katsuki falling out many years ago, your mum wasn’t able to see her best friend as much.

“Oh that’s nice.” You feigned enthusiasm for the sake of your parent, knowing she was very excited about this.

“Get ready then! We’ll be leaving in half an hour!”

As much as you wanted to avoid this dinner, you had to admit that you did miss Katsuki’s parents. They had become a second family to you and you had always looked up to them as a child. Deciding to dress nice to meet them again, you pulled on your best outfit. Not too casual, not too formal. Just right for an evening with your family and his.

“You look lovely.” Your mother commented as you made your way down the stairs. You had to admit, you did put a bit of effort into your appearance.

As the Bakugous lived right next door, you didn’t have to walk far before your mother was knocking on their door.

“Hello!” Mitsuki greeted cheerfully, welcoming her old friend into her house. “And y/n! Look at how much you’ve grown!”

“Hello Mitsuki.” You gave her your brightest smile, using her first name like she had insisted you do when you were younger.

Ushering you both inside, Mitsuki was all smiles and compliments for the two of you. “Come into the living room! We need to catch up.”

You followed the mothers into the living room, learning that Katsuki’s father was working late tonight so wouldn’t be here for dinner. This house was as familiar to you as your own. The smell, the pictures on the wall, the furniture all bringing back memories of when you used to practically live here. You caught yourself smiling fondly and quickly stopped, not wanting to get too attached to being back here again. Losing it once was painful enough.

Mitsuki and your mother sat down on the couch, already engrossed in conversation. However the blonde woman looked at you and smiled. “Katsuki is in the kitchen.”

“O-oh.” You cleared your throat, sounding horrifically awkward. “Right, thanks.”

You couldn’t really ignore what she said as you didn’t want to appear rude. Steeling yourself, you slowly made your way to their kitchen.

Your ex best friend was by the kitchen counter, cutting vegetables with incredible skill and precision. His back stiffened when you walked in, hyper aware of your presence. Katsuki turned slowly, allowing you to get a full view of his appearance. He hadn’t seemed to put much effort into what he was wearing, a simple black tee and jeans being his outfit of choice tonight. You also noted the way his cheeks flushed as he looked at you, presumably with anger at you being in his house and being forced to sit through this dinner.

“Hello.” You greeted, trying to be civil however when he only responded with a nod and turned back around, you had to clench your teeth to stop a profanity from slipping past. Deciding that that was as far as you were willing to go with conversation, you sat down at the table, pulling out your phone to distract yourself. 

Time ticked by awfully slowly as you sat there, your phone not providing much entertainment. Your friends' responses to your messages were few and far between, each of them spending time with their own families.

You were extremely thankful when your parents decided to bring their conversation into the kitchen. Dinner was almost ready it seemed, as Mitsuki quickly checked something in the oven. She thanked her son for the work he did and he sat at the table, taking the chair opposite yours.

When dinner was served, your parents made most of the conversation which you were relieved by. Mitsuki asked you questions about school, your personal life, your Quirk development and if you still wanted to become a Pro Hero. You grinned as you spoke with her, telling her all about your dreams and aspirations. Your mother had asked similar questions to Katsuki and you had to smother a laugh when he attempted a ‘polite’ tone when he answered her.

“So y/n, are you dating anyone?” Mitsuki smirked, risking a sidelong glance to her son who had gone extremely still. 

Shocked at the question, you took a moment to respond. “Uh, no. I’m not seeing anyone.”

“No one at school interests you?”

You laughed at her playful tone. “No one has shown any interest in me so I don’t really pay attention. I’m too focused on school anyway.”

Mitsuki nodded, approving of your ambition. “You’re gonna go far in life.” 

“I hope so.”

Conversation continued after dinner had ended, your mothers discussing that they both needed more time. You weren’t really paying attention to their conversation until they both stood up.

“We’re going out for drinks.” Mitsuki announced and horror shot through you. Were you really expected to stay here with him alone? No, you calmed yourself down, you had left your keys by the front door so you could just go home after they had gone.

“Y/n, stay here and help clean, would you?”

“Oh no, you don’t need to clean up our mess!” Mitsuki assured you, though it was futile as you knew you would anyway as a thanks for the meal. “Please make yourself at home! We’ll be back in a couple of hours!”

They both disappeared down the hall, grabbing their coats.

“Katsuki, clean up.” Mitsuki shouted from the front door.

“HUH?” He shouted back but the parents had already left and you were suddenly plunged into a very awkward situation.

Sighing, you began gathering plates, not looking at the boy opposite you. You just had to do this and then you would go home. 

You were halfway to the sink when warm, sweaty hands stopped yours, removing the plates from your grip.

“I got it.” Katsuki grumbled quietly, turning on the tap.

“I’ll dry then.” You couldn’t just sit there and watch. Grabbing a towel from the rack, he washed and you dried the dishes in silence. You didn’t try to make conversation, and you didn’t want to. He made no effort either, scrubbing the plates with more force than necessary.

You made quick work of it and thankfully it didn’t take long before you were heading to the front door. When you got there however, the keys to your house were nowhere to be seen.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” You swore under your breath, cursing your mother for taking them. You were stuck here until whenever they decided to return. 

You could feel Katsuki’s eyes on you from the kitchen doorway, watching this tragedy unfold.

“Well, you’re stuck with me.” You mumbled to him, not knowing what to do now. You awkwardly shifted on your feet, looking anywhere but your ex best friend. Settling on an idea, you put your shoes down and headed upstairs for the bathroom, knowing your way around the house like the back of your hand. Any excuse to get away from the awkward situation you would take happily.

You didn’t mean to but when you saw that Katsuki’s bedroom door was open, you stopped to look. You used to spend so much time here you used to call it your second bedroom. Not much had changed aside from the removal of childish things. The simple layout was still exactly the same.

Something sitting on his bedside table caught your eye. Quietly, you approached, cursing your curiosity. However, what you saw made your heart stop. It was a picture frame containing two images from when you were kids. The one on the left caught your attention first as you picked it up. You both were grinning, arms wrapped around each other as you both made peace signs towards the camera. That was the day of the town’s annual sports festival. Both you and Katsuki had teamed up for the mixed relay race and had crushed your opponents with ease. You could remember hearing him cheer you on once he handed the baton to you, he made sure to be the loudest one there as you raced towards the finish line. You could still see him approach you as you caught your breath, wearing the biggest and brightest smile.

“We’re the best!” Katsuki shouted, high fiving and hugging you in celebratory glee. “No one can stop us!”

Those words echoed in your mind and you lightly stroked the first picture. You looked at the plastic gold medals dangling from both of your necks, feeling a wave of sad nostalgia wash over you. 

Then your eyes wandered to the second picture. It was taken the day you had both started middle school. You had your arms thrown over his shoulders, smiling as you kissed his cheek. Katsuki, who looked incredibly bashful, had his arms folded across his chest, eyes softer than you had ever seen them before. This was the day you promised each other you were gonna take the world by storm by becoming the top pro heroes. You had laughed when Katsuki said, oh so generously, that you could have the second spot. Back then the second spot was just right for you, as you could keep Katsuki by your side and fight away other competitors who would try and take your spots. There used to be no doubt in your mind that those spots were yours, and that you and Katsuki would be together for your whole lives.

You were just a kid then, what did you know? How were you supposed to know that Katsuki and you would become strangers a few years later, and that love you had for him would turn to anger.

You didn’t notice when your vision started to blur, tears splashing against the glass of the picture frame.

“Oi, what are you doing in here?” The angry voice behind you made you jump, and you whipped around to see the fully grown Katsuki leaning against the doorway. His furious expression drastically changed when he saw what was in your hands and that you were crying.

Hastily putting the frame back where you had found it, you darted to the door wiping your cheeks as you went. 

“Sorry.” You mumbled as you brushed past him, wanting to hide in the comfort of your own home. You didn’t care if you had to break a window to get in, you just had to leave that house. You had made it halfway down the stairs before his voice sounded from behind you.

“Y/n, wait!” Katsuki shouted from down the hall, frantic footsteps getting closer and closer. “Fucking wait, lemme explain first!”

Your hand froze on the door handle, hating the nostalgia that made you stop. You just wanted answers. You wanted to know what happened between you and why he kept your pictures beside his bed.

Hearing Katsuki take the stairs three at a time, his hand reached out for your wrist, almost yanking it away from the handle. His actions were aggressive however his touch was more gentle than you ever expected from someone like the angry blonde.

“What?” You whispered, unable to look anywhere but at the front door. Katsuki said nothing but dragged you into his living room, you didn’t put up much of a fight. He dropped your arm, standing in the middle of the room with an uncomfortable expression. He looked as if he was desperate to say something, but his pride was blocking the words from escaping.

“Explain then.” You folded your arms, meeting his red eyes. You couldn’t help but glare, still reeling from the nostalgia, misery and confusion. 

“I-ugh.” Katsuki grunted and scratched his head, obviously at a loss. You could see him getting more frustrated by the second and a very old part of you wanted to reach out to him to calm him down. He plopped down on the couch, his expression one of extreme concentration.

“I am, no, fuck, I mean - dammit! This is so embarrassing!” The blonde buried his head in his hands, cheeks going scarlet.

“Why?” You raised your voice in desperation, wanting to know what it was he was hiding and unable to control your temper. “Can you please enlighten me as to why you pushed me away, treated me like shit and acted as if I didn’t exist?”

“Because I’m so fucking in love with you, you idiot!” He shot up, going even redder in the face from what you imagined was anger and embarrassment. “I have been since we were kids!”

There was a pause before Katsuki went wide eyed, as if he didn’t mean to expose that secret. You were frozen in place as you watched him sink down onto the couch, hiding his face once more.

“You’re in love with me.” You whispered, it came out more as a statement than a question.

He nodded once but remained silent, unable to look at you. Your chest grew tight, his previous actions over the past few years making a lot more sense and yet none at all. If he loved you, why did he treat you the way he did? But then again, it was such a developing and hormonal teen Katsuki thing to do. 

“Fucking say something.” He demanded, finally meeting your gaze. “I look and feel like an idiot.”

You tried to make sense of your emotions, everything all being too much for you to comprehend. Thinking back on all your negative feelings towards the boy before you, you weren’t sure what made you hate him in the first place. You had always known Katsuki was confident, overbearing and rude and you had always managed that before in the past. What changed? The answer almost felt like a slap in the face and you almost doubled over with the revelation.

Yes, you realised with a start, you were in love with him too. You had just covered it up with anger and called it hate.

A small smile grew on your face and now it was time for you to be the one to bury your face in your hands. Sitting down on the opposite couch, you started to laugh lightly at the situation, also unable to hold back the tears. 

“Are you crying?” Katsuki stood, slowly approaching you. When he sat down, you realised that you hadn’t been this close to each other since middle school and that brought on a whole new wave of sadness.

You had forgotten how much you missed him. You missed him like you would miss a limb. Katsuki had become a part of you and over the years without him, you had numbed yourself to the loss. However with him here, a couple of inches away, you swiftly remembered just how much you had loved this boy. You still did.

You knew you always would.

“Y/n?” He asked, tone gruff but not angry. 

“If you love me, why did you ignore me?”

“Because I couldn’t handle it.” He spoke honestly, managing to keep eye contact with you. “I also thought any relationships would get in the way of my goal.”

“So you cut me off.”

Katsuki flinched and rubbed his hands on his thighs. “I was stupid, okay? I said I didn’t know how to handle it.”

“You could’ve told me.”

“I was going to but I-” He cut off, not wanting to admit he was scared. You chuckled, he was still the boy you were friends with so long ago. “Are you fucking laughing at me?”

“No!” You quickly reassured him, unable to keep the grin from your face. “It’s just such a you thing to not admit you were scared.”

He didn’t argue with you, only grunted which proved you were right. Your grin turned into a fond smile when you looked at him. In this moment, it felt as if you two had never parted. Like you had your Katsuki back.

“Why are you smiling at me like that, you weirdo?” He shoved your face away with all the gentleness he could muster. You noticed his lips were also slightly tilted upwards, clearly he was enjoying having you back too. It felt too much like the old times which you missed with every inch of your being.

Unable to control yourself, you lunged at him, wrapping your arms tightly around his waist in a much needed hug.

He made a surprised grunt at the impact but still welcomed your embrace, wrapping his own arms around you and burying his face in your neck.

“What the fuck is this for?” He whispered, as if he didn’t want to ruin the moment.

“Dunno, it feels as if I have my Katsuki back.” You responded, matching the volume of his voice.

He hesitated before answering. “It didn’t seem like it, but I never left.”

“I missed you so much.”

“I missed you too.” He paused again, debating whether he wanted to say what he was going to. It seemed to be his night for confessions. “I’m sorry.”

You pulled back to look at him, utterly shocked that the Bakugou Katsuki had just apologised to you.

“Stop looking at me like that.” He grumbled, pulling you back in and holding you tighter. You realised that you hadn’t properly responded to his love confession and while it seemed that Katsuki didn’t really care, you did.

“Hey, Katsuki?”

“What?”

You smiled fondly before leaning in, pressing your lips gently to his. He went stock still, trying to register what was happening to him. Once his brain caught up, he brought his hand up to rest against your cheek, pulling you deeper into the kiss. So many emotions passed between you in the time your lips were connected, too many repressed feelings rose to the surface. You couldn’t remember the last time you had felt this happy. You tried to make the moment last for as long as you could, only breaking away when you were absolutely desperate for air.

“What was that for?” Katsuki asked for the second time tonight, trying to regain his breath.

“I love you too.”

He froze at your words, obviously not expecting them. Before he could stop it, a tear slipped down his cheek as he stared at you. Then another fell, followed by another. You couldn’t remember the last time you had seen Katsuki cry as he always said crying was for the weak, and yet here he was, tears falling at your confession.

Katsuki quickly wiped them away, obviously not liking the fact that he was crying in front of someone else. If he had really been in love with you all this time, you wondered if he had dreamed of you loving him back?

Without saying anything, he took your arm and began dragging you upstairs.

“Katsuki?” You didn’t receive a response but it didn’t take a genius to figure out where he was leading you. Once you were both inside, he shut his bedroom door and in one swift movement, and collapsed with you onto the bed. Katsuki’s arms were locked tightly around you, face buried once more in your hair. 

You returned his embrace with a laugh, realising that he didn’t want to be seen crying but still wanted you close. Obviously the couch didn’t cut it.

You don’t know how long had passed with you laying like that, arms wrapped around each other as Katsuki quietly let tears fall. A few of your own escaped at the thought of finally having the angry blonde back by your side, right where he belonged. 

“I suppose that means you're my boyfriend now.” You joked, lips brushing against his hair.

He huffed a laugh and pulled back slightly to look at you. “Suppose it does.”

You met his gaze, red eyes never leaving yours. A long forgotten memory suddenly resurfaced, causing you to laugh.

“What?”

“I just remembered how we used to seal promises with each other.”

He groaned and hid his face in the pillow. “Of course you remember something as stupid as that.”

“Based on your reaction, clearly you remember it too.” You hummed, planting a kiss on the back of his head. Katsuki rolled back over, eyes narrowed.

“Seeing as you’re so keen to do this.” He grumbled and sat up, you joined him and decided not to comment on the fact that you never mentioned whether or not you wanted to do it again.

“What are we promising?” You asked, loving every moment.

“That we’ll reach number one and two.”

“And that we’ll always be together for the rest of our lives?” It was childish, you understood this but it felt good, like you and Katsuki were back in full force and ready to take on the world.

He rolled his eyes. “That’s so lame.”

“Okay then, just number one and two it is.”

“I never said we shouldn’t promise it.” His cheeks turned scarlet as he looked away, bashfully risking a glance at you. He wanted that promise just as much as you did.

Chuckling, you reached out your hand and he did the same. You both still knew your old handshake, the movements forever ingrained in your memory. 

“We promise to reach the number one and two spots.” You both said at the same time, a custom when it came to the special promise making handshake. “And that we’ll always be together for the rest of our lives.”

Katsuki was clearly embarrassed when you both made the finishing move, sealing the deal. You were too slightly but it was greatly overshadowed by your joy. You both grinned at each other as Katsuki pulled you back into his arms, and you had a feeling you would be there for the remainder of the night.

Nothing in the world could’ve prised you two apart, and nothing from that moment on ever would. You were Katsuki’s, just as much as he was yours, and that was never going to change.

[inkangeliguess]

Oh my god, I absolutely LOVE The Nightmare route in Slay The Princess

Spoilers plus long rant under the cut

(@the-local-eldritch-microwave please check out this game i beg of you. It's several hours long but its great)

Ever since I saw a playthrough of the demo, the Voice of The Paranoid was my favorite voice and route. I love stressed out characters in general, but I loved how unsettling it is when you uncontrollably fall asleep and then wake up only to die of fright. The second time you go in was pretty anticlimactic, as basically the same thing happens with only the Paranoid being there and the Narrator being completely confused at your sudden death AND even saying "I'm so sorry"

What makes the updated version so good is the execution. The first part is basically the same, but the second part is so much more intense. Your character just experienced dying of literal fright over someone you first assumed was normal turning out to be an eldritch horror. Story wise, the Voice of The Paranoid makes you feel this with how much of a contrast he is compared to the Narrator and the Voice of The Hero. The Hero gets nervous occasionally, but never to the degree that The Paranoid gets.

This stress only continues when you go inside the cabin. Every second round, the cabin always changes in appearance. What makes the Nightmare route's change more jarring is how mild the change is. For the Razor, the Damsel, and the Captive (the routes i've rewatched so far), the change of the cabin is too extreme, which while it does convey the mood of the route, doesn't have the same effect as the Nightmare. The room itself seems to 'perfect,' with the most obvious difference being the wider door frame and overall lack of door. The subtle change plus the Paranoid's overall mood keeps the player on edge.

Things start ramping up once you get to the stairs, which don't even try to be subtle with its attempt to hide the overall unnatural feel of the cabin. Then it hits you with the reveal that you are stuck. You can't go back. You can only go forward and confront the inhumane Princess.

You're finally in the basement, which does a fantastic job of conveying the idea that once again, you're stuck. You do not have an actual choice in the matter. No matter which way you go, you are going to be hunted down by this creature and you will most likely be killed.

The moment of truth happens and you finally confront the Princess. While she was unsettling in the first chapter, her appearances have been completely twisted. Her limbs bend irregularly, her face is cracked and shaded in a way that makes it look like it's not even her actual face, her appearance constantly flickers and looms over you, giving you the feeling that you have no power over her, weapon or no weapon.

Finally, you start talking to her. She almost kills you again, until the Paranoid suddenly, without explanation, starts mumbling "Heat. Lungs. Liver. Nerves" over and over. You don't even have time to question it, because it somehow is keeping you alive, but barely. If you choose to talk to her with all the 'Explore' dialogues, her unsettling demeanor never wavers. The conversation feels realistic, with certain actions causing the Paranoid to start panicking and chanting desperately.

The last thing i'll point out about Chapter 2 is that the Hero and the Narrator hardly talk. It's as if they themselves are frightened of the entire situation. That is until she pulls off her mask. You don't get to see what she looks like, but the Narrator's description is more than enough to give it its effect.

Then there's the artstyle change. I originally thought it was just to convey you dying again, but it really changes the name of the Route. The Narrator's description and the visuals give the idea that this may not only be your nightmare. The Princess is most likely suffering as well.

Then after all of that, THE NARRATOR HIMSELF GIVES UP. You are left in a state of not being sure whether you're dead, but your mind has clearly given out.

We then move on to chapter.. uh... "The Moment of Clarity." You wake up, and for once, everything genuinely feels wrong. One could argue that in The Arms Race and Mutually Assured Destruction turned everything on the head by adding pretty much all the voices, but everything is thrown off in The Moment of Clarity. You're not even in the woods, or in the cabin for that matter, you're somewhere else. It's a place that vaguely feels like the woods, but it isn't. On top of that, the Voices can't remember what happened very well. Their memory isnt completely wiped, but the fact they have trouble remembering at all is completely new.

Not only do the voices not remember what happened, pretty much all the voices are talking now. With all their contradicting personalities, it's unclear what the truth is. The timeline is everywhere, the Narrator is no help, and there is still no feeling of safety.

"Maybe you're shattered in your own way." OH MY GOD THAT LINE ABSOLUTELY SLAYS ME (no pun intended). Even if it's swept under the rug by the other voices "not being philosophical," considering the stakes of the route, it just messes with me

My one complaint is the Voice of the Smitten. It's usually funny how down bad he is but it seriously is not fitting for the route at all.

It's interesting how they all consider the Voice of The Cold to be the voice of reason in the moment. In the Narrator's words, all the other voices have been traumatized to the point they can't be talked any sense into. Since the Cold is just so unfeeling, it's pretty much your characters only drive into move on except for maybe the Opportunist.

For once, none of the Voices question the mirror, not because they've accepted that there is no mirror, but because they've accepted that the Narrator thinks there is no mirror. It gives you how much of an idea that the Voices and in extension your character has given up. Hell, the Voice of the Stubborn even tells you to smash it at one point.

Something i havent mentioned much of is the music or sound design, but it really helps give off the atmosphere. In this 'third' chapter, the background music is a ticking clock and a breezy noise you may hear in a quiet room. Paired with the surreal landscape of the black forest and the floating cabin, it further gives off the idea of everything being a dream, or by extension a nightmare.

When you're told to pick up the blade, you're once again stuck. You aren't given any other choice except for the illusion of a choice. Some of the options are even blacked out, saying that 'you've tried everything else. Don't you remember?'

The way she climbs out of the pit. You only see her face at first, then her abnormally long and lanky arms. Then you see her legs, with her bare feet looking like hands, reminding you of a spider or a monkey, but definitely not human. She isn't interrupted once she's in full view, leaving you to stare at her and her outstretched hand and cracked mask.

Remember how I mentioned that in the demo, the Narrator is so shocked by your sudden death that he says 'I'm so sorry.' There is now a complete contrast with this new version. When you take her hand, he ends off his sentence by saying "I can't believe you just made me say that. I hate you." and with full sincerity, not even in a joking or petty manner.

"Why is it so cold?.."

[smartycvnt]

Run to You

Title: Run to You Pairing: Matt Jackson x Reader Prompt: 1. Hesitant kisses, but when they part one whispers "Do it again. Please." R WC: 1112

Y/n sighed as she once again reminded herself that Matt didn't want her. It was harder and harder to resist Matt's charm, especially whenever she watched him with the younger wrestlers. Y/n had been a "local talent" for WWE, and it was nothing like being one for AEW. Sure, at the end of the day, they were still jobbers, but AEW gave the locals a chance to shine. They had time to work one-on-one with Nick, Matt, Kenny, and whoever else was willing to spare a few moments of their day. Y/n could see as the young tag team that the Bucks would be facing later in the night soaked in every word that it meant the world to those guys. Y/n knew what it could be like to work with your heroes, and luckily, Matt and Nick were the kind of guys that made sure it was a good experience for everyone involved.

"Alright, you guys get some rest. Nick and I will be here if you need anything!" Matt called out as he started walking towards Y/n. Almost immediately he began to tense up a little and become more serious. Y/n didn't blame him, her new position within the company placed her ahead of him on the chain of command. Everybody got a little nervous whenever they noticed Y/n watching them with her clipboard in hand. "Uh oh, what's changing on the show tonight?"

"Nothing is changing on tonight's show to my knowledge, although I did talk Tony out of a few matches for the next Pay Per View, so you're welcome. I just wanted to know if maybe one of the Young Bucks had some time to spare in a few months," Y/n said. Matt glanced down at Y/n with a puzzled look on his face. She had hoped that he would have understood what she needed to ask him without making her actually say it. Y/n was terrified that the moment she actually asked for a partner, her test results would come back and show that she couldn't actually go into the match. "I need a partner for my retirement match."

"Retirement match?" Slowly, it dawned on Matt that Y/n would be getting back in the ring. She had gotten hurt more times than anybody Matt knew, but she had still pushed through. Her body was screaming at her to just call it quits, but Y/n wanted this last match more than anybody. Matt knew that, and that was why Matt fully understood what an honor it was for him to be the one who Y/n asked first to be her partner. "Absolutely, just tell me where to be and when."

"Thank you." Y/n didn't bother being professional as she threw herself into Matt's arms. Matt wrapped his arms around Y/n's body and breathed in her scent. His heart ached with the notion that he had missed his time to be with her. Still, he pushed the pain away because being there for Y/n was much more important to Matt. He knew how devastated Y/n was about cutting her career so short, and if she really was leaving the business completely at the end of the year, Matt wanted to give her a good send-off.

"When you asked for a partner, I thought we'd be tagging together," Matt chuckled as he fixed his gear. After some very tearful talks, Y/n had agreed to let Kenny and Nick go out with him. The wrestlers that Y/n had gotten closest to in her career hadn't been able to make it, but Y/n was still happy with her escorts to the ring. Allysin Kay and Allie had been Y/n's backbone whenever she was a knockout. Impact hadn't been the best to her, but they had still been more fair than WWE. They had allowed her to have a bit more say in how her character acted.

"This is much more fun Matty," Y/n teased. Matt rolled his eyes as his music hit. The crowd sang along and went absolutely wild for him and the rest of The Elite. They had gone the route of announcing Matt for the match with a mystery opponent for a "loser leaves pro wrestling" match. Y/n thought it was the perfect way to go out, especially since the matches that Y/n was most proud of had been either alongside or against Matt Jackson. Once the crowd had died down, Y/n's original entrance song of Loser by Beck started to play. There was a bit of cheering, but it was mostly confused silence until Y/n walked out with her friends.

Sentimental words were saved for the end of the match, after the blood and carnage had already happened. Matt was terrified throughout the match that Y/n pushing herself too hard, but he kept those thoughts to himself. By the end of it when Matt got the pin, Y/n looked like a broken and bloody mess. Matt sheltered Y/n's body for a few seconds than necessary, and when he started to pull back, Y/n kept her arms wrapped around the back of his neck. She leaned her forehead against him, neither of them caring that Y/n was still bleeding from a cut on her temple. Neither one of them was sure who moved first, but a tentative peck of a kiss was shared between the two of them. The next little kiss was more than that, and Y/n was the one to go for it that time.

"Do it again. Please," Matt muttered as Y/n started to pull back. She moved off of his lap and offered him a hand. She held his arm up in the air as the crowd cheered for his victory. Matt looked down at her with a sad look on his face as wrestlers poured in from backstage. Y/n couldn't stop smiling as she looked at the outpouring of love and support. It emboldened her to go for another kiss. This time, Matt was ready for it. He cradled her face and kissed her passionately. Matt was intent on keeping the kiss going until Nick and Kenny separated the two of them. Words of love and respect for Y/n before the night was over. When it was all said and done, Y/n cleaned herself up and found herself back at AEW the next week back in her suit with her clipboard. She didn't want to give everything up just because she couldn't be in the ring anymore.

[idontknowreallywhy]

Estera Ch 6 - Safe

(Prologue, Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5)

(Sofasurf’s Recrudescence which is the foundation for all of this)

Scott’s fled for the skies. Estera needs to find someone’s inhaler. But what happens next?

Well. Some details follow.

My usual blend of fluff and “Yikes”…

Confession - this got a teeny bit dark in the last section. If you want to stop reading at the end of the fluffy bit (you’ll know it when you see it) then there is zero judgment from me. I even make myself go “Yikes” with that one…

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

The authorities had called her a cab home, the hired coach having been sent away when all the parents arrived in person to collect their children. Although she had protested at the expense - surely there was a bus route somewhere nearby - she hadn’t had the energy to argue.

Thus she sat alone in the back seat trying to collect her thoughts. They resisted collection in a way that made cat herding look like a relaxing past time. So she fidgeted, putting on her cardigan then removing it again, retying her hair, rearranging the contents of her rucksack. Which she’d already done ten minutes before. She tried to force herself to calm down and turned to look out the window, her forehead meeting the glass with a surprisingly loud clunk.

“There’s a universal charging cable under the seat, Miss, and free WiFi if you’d like to use it.”

Of course there was. Couldn’t escape it these days. She didn’t want to appear rude so she smiled, thanked him and dutifully plugged in her battered mobile.

It flickered to life and within seconds several messages popped up… from her sister, a couple of friends, her elderly neighbour, even her hairdresser - clearly today’s events had hit the news. She drafted a quick reassurance, copied it to everyone and put the device down. She felt weirdly detached. It seemed strange that everyone was freaking out about her having been stuck in a cave when that had paled into utter insignificance compared to the shock she had experienced afterwards.

How could it be possible? He couldn’t have escaped, could he? If it hadn’t been for his reaction she’d have persuaded herself she was imagining things. But his reaction had been… compelling.

She picked up the phone again and opened a browser

‘International Rescue Scott’

An overwhelming plethora of photographs and articles and, wow ok, actual fan pages sprang up.

Most of the photos were distant, or amateur and blurry but his unmistakeable blue eyes shone out at her from the official ones - profile shots for International Rescue, some charity positions and… she gulped… he was the multi-billionaire CEO of one of the biggest companies on the planet. Even she knew of Tracy Industries - they were one of the good ones. A school in one of the more difficult neighbourhoods nearby had just had a complete IT infrastructure upgrade thanks to a grant from them.

His official TI profile confirmed his Air Force background, with honourable discharge after active duty. It didn’t say where that was but she knew.

Oh, she knew.

She skimmed some of the more gushing articles. All fairly light on objective facts but weighty on opinion and that opinion was pretty much universal - he was a hero, beloved by millions, a undoubted force for good in an often cruel and selfish world.

And she’d left him to die.

She closed the browser, no longer able to bear the accusation in his eyes.

“Are you alright, Miss?”

The taxi driver was watching her in the rear view mirror.

“I’m fine. Thank you.“

She let out a breath as his eyes returned to the road ahead. But he wasn’t done:

“Long day was it?”

“Something like that.”

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

For the second time in as many months Virgil vowed to chase Brains up on the speed upgrade to Two. It was absolutely pointless trying to catch up to his brother who could be halfway to anywhere by now. Thankfully, he had John and Five.

“Virgil! He’s heading back your way.”

“What?”

“One just did a U-Turn. She’s heading straight for you.”

“What do you mean “straight”?”

“A collision course. Virgil, I think you should get ready to take evasive action.”

Even at a moderate speed the two birds making any kind of head on contact…even a wing clip, meant mutually assured destruction. Was Two nimble enough to avoid that?

Scott would never risk Virgil being hurt.

But… he remembered the cold, unfamiliar look on the former fighter-pilot’s face as he’d spun to face him not ten minutes before. Was his brother in a state to know who was flying the ship chasing him down?

Virgil bit back a scream.

“Can’t EOS…?”

“No. She can’t. He’s blocked her access.”

Virgil looked down at the Atlantic far below him. Could he drop his ship safely on the surface of the water? He cut his speed.

“I’m tracking her path, I’ll tell you when to move.”

This couldn’t be happening. He tried the comm again, fighting to keep his voice calm and unthreatening:

“Scotty? Can you hear me bro? It’s me, Virgil. Please pick up? Please?”

“25 seconds, Virgil. Start reducing altitude.”

White knuckled, he tipped Two’s nose downwards and went to accelerate.

“Wait!”

“What? What???!”

“It’s ok. It’s ok, he’s adjusted course to pass on your port side. I’m… I misunderstood what… I’m sorry to have worried you.” John sounded almost light headed.

With her familiar crack-boom One shot past in a blur. Virgil flinched as her vapour trail crystallised on her sister’s windscreen for a few moments. He levelled Two off and pulled up the graphical readout of One’s tracker. Scott appeared to have done one of his signature handbrake turns and was heading back towards him at a more sedate pace… the rocket’s trajectory heading safely to the left of Two. Gleaming silver came into view alongside and Scott matched the green ship’s pace, the way he often did on journeys home from the more difficult rescues. Those times when Virgil knew his big brother needed company more than the adrenaline rush of g force and extreme speed.

The comm remained muted, but they were together. And that, until they got home at least, was all that mattered.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

The lift was broken again and Estera truly empathised with it as she dragged herself to the 5th floor. Her limbs were jelly and once she was on the right side of her front door she considered just lying down in the hall and having done with it. At which point 60 kilos of floof and enthusiasm canonballed into her and she realised with a quiet groan that she had to take him out before he destroyed everything in her apartment. Glancing down at her dusty sleeves as they contrasted with Bez’s snowy fur, she resolved to shower and change first else people would think she’d just escaped from a disaster zone.

Not so different from the state she was in when she first got here come to think of it. The darkness of the following few days in Processing crowded in on her and she didn’t have the energy to push it away. It was all too close to the surface today.

Bez licked the salt off her cheek.

With what felt like superhuman effort she dragged herself upright. At least here she had her own shower. And clean towels. Squeezing past the wall of hair she made it to the kitchen, draped her coat and bag over the back of a chair and spotted the note on the table:

Walked Niebieski. Soup in fridge. Glad you are safe.

Edith & George

She blinked back more tears. The elderly couple next door were an absolute godsend.

Ok. Shower. Soup. Stupid movie to prevent too much thought. Could maybe make some popcorn. That was a plan.

She did like a plan.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

The pool slid closed overhead and Scott allowed himself a few moments to sit back and breathe before regrouping and running through the comfortingly routine process of post-flight checks. His shoulder twinged sharply and that itchy trickling sensation reminded him that steristrips were no match for the physicality of flying a supersonic jet.

His vision lurched as her voice came back to him and he desperately focussed on grounding himself. He could hear the creaking of cooling engines, feel the harness over his shoulders, the seat beneath and around him. Wait, something else was off too. Something was pressing uncomfortably into his hip… he leaned to the side to extract the item from his baldric. A tiny Thunderbird 2 looked up from his palm, accusingly. His hand shook and the toy dropped, hitting the deck far below with a distant ping.

He stared down into the abyss.

Virgil was right. It wasn’t safe. HE wasn’t safe. If he couldn’t trust his mind to stay on track then he couldn’t be trusted. How could he keep his brothers safe from the world when he couldn’t even keep them safe from himself?

He tightened his fingers around the levers, every inch of the ship’s controls so familiar it was like an extension of his own limbs. Closer to him than his flight suit in a way. One was a part of him. IR was a part of him. Maybe the majority part. Certainly the best part.

If he couldn’t do this… then…

No. He shouldn’t think like that. He just needed more time. He flicked the switch to extend the chair and took a purposeful step down on to the gantry.

He had an apology to deliver.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Virgil looked down at his twitching, sleeping brother and fought back the urge to bear hug him and never let go. There had been plenty of those earlier. Scott begging for forgiveness he didn’t need. Virgil and John trying to reassure him, their words seeming so powerless and both desperately hoping that holding him tight could somehow piece their hero back together.

He hadn’t expected the honesty. That was new.

Scott had looked Virgil in the eye and told him he was right. He wasn’t ready, he wasn’t safe, he wasn’t ok. Virgil had shaken his head, denying the words he’d said over and over this last week. He didn’t want to be right. It was too painful. It wasn’t fair.

But Scott had been adamant - he was grounding himself for another fortnight. He needed time to process. Something had triggered him, he acknowledged that much, but he wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. He’d lowered his eyes and quietly asked if they wouldn’t mind staying with him because he didn’t want to be alone.

As if he could stop them.

And so the six of them crowded into the lounge in a nest of blankets, fluffy cushions and rogue bits of popcorn. Scott had sagged against Virgil’s shoulder and passed out not half an hour into the film. John curled on big brother’s other side, if he was asleep it was likely with one eye open. Allie and Gordon were a tangle of limbs on the floor while Kayo dozed with her head atop the pile.

They’d get through this together as they always had. As Virgil watched, Scott sighed in his sleep and his face relaxed. He was here and he was safe. Hopefully tonight the nightmares would leave him in peace.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Estera braced her feet and shoulders against the splintering wood and bit through her lip as she tried to remain silent despite the terror of the world tilting and sliding. The rumble of aircraft engines filled her head to the point where she wondered if she could even remember any other sound. But she knew where she was. This was to be expected. It would end soon. It had to.

The unsecured packing crate slammed into something again, her head rebounding painfully off the inside and she was consumed by nausea. The tiniest sob escaped and she froze. With a click the lid was opened and blinding light flooded into her streaming eyes as she tried to focus on the figure leaning towards her. It was him! Was she saved? Was she safe?

No.

Dread filled every cell of her body. Vivid blue eyes looked down at her but they were unseeing. A dark line ran from the corner of his mouth and then red, sickly gleaming red was everywhere. His blood was everywhere and it was her fault. His body fell heavily on top of her and the lid was slammed shut and she screamed for help until her throat burned.

Nobody came.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

[zahri-melitor]

Newish Comics:

Batman #146: okay so this story is finally actually picking up from where The Gotham War left off, with the same fault lines still in place. This is good actually! I am very soft that Damian's determined to keep believing in Bruce (especially as they're also spending quality time together over in Batman & Robin). Also I'm still enjoying Vandal Savage being annoying (sorry not sorry).

Birds of Prey #8: This comic is being written for queer women who like reading about women and I for one salute the entire team for their (fan)service. Excuse me. Several of those Barda panels and Dinah screaming for Barbara are going on my iconic list immediately.

Blue Beetle #8: Roma quits, Oo’li has a crush on Jaime, Jaime finally finds out Brenda is working for Victoria, and Victoria just gets even more on-page evil. I can't believe this is the last storyline we're getting before this gets cancelled, dammit.

Shazam! #10: I had to stop to howl with laughter about every third panel of this. Do yourself a favour. Read Shazam! Darla’s flying with Hoppy on a Pegasus. Freddy just got his licence and bought the Shaz-van! Also omg the lettering for the dragons!

DC’S Spring Breakout! #1: A mixed bag.

The Harley Quinn and King Shark story certainly happened (and I've read better versions of it).

The Batman and Mr Freeze story was quite predictable but sweet. Hit all the right notes in the space awarded to it.

MegFitz had a World's Finest Teen Titans story it felt, well, very MegFitz. She was writing characters in roles rather than writing the characters. On the upside Garth actually got to be the hero, so that made me happy.

The Metal Men story I honestly couldn't judge on characterisation but it was workmanlike. I was amused by the random Atlantean surfer.

The Katana story however was GOOD and delightfully creepy and just really fun Tatsu writing. Highlight of the issue for me.

The Lex Luthor story was incredibly funny in that Lex is there complaining about the damned aliens and how "The forces against us grow in number by the day" with a picture that includes Kon. I'm pretty sure you don't remember why that's hilariously ironic at this point, Lex, but Kon was very much your own fault here. (Lex also saying to Jason 'having trouble digging yourself out of the grave? Skill issue!)

J'onn story! J'onn getting screwed over again by Batman protocols! (This isn't nice, J'onn had one of the worst protocols of the lot, and all I can think is that this far, FAR milder route of attack is Bruce realising how far the other plan was over the line). But the dual shapeshifter fight scene was quite fun. This was probably my second favourite.

The Superman and Jimmy story was...fine. Why is Manchester Black alive and annoying people? This just felt mostly like lead in to current stories (whatever is happening with Zod and Absolute Power).

The Warlord #46: this week in the Lost World of Skartaris Travis is still hunting Jennifer’s trail when he and Shakira end up in a fight with a dinosaur.

Travis gets knocked around, but Shakira is so badly injured that…Death comes to claim her!

I have never been apart from you, my Champion. I have walked where you walked — drunk the lives you have spilled. I am ever at your side.

Travis then follows Death trying to convince her to return Shakira, into a cavern in hell.

I really like this art for Death?

In any case, Travis negotiates with her to get Shakira back and trades her 10 years of his life.

And Travis and Shakira return to Skartaris. Both alive.

Meanwhile Jennifer arrives at the mysterious tower of the ‘master’ of the hunchbacked man who has been leading her.

[summertimemusician]

Honestly I don't know if I'm remembering it wrong due to sleep deprivation, but out of everything in TOTK one of my favorite little details is that Zelda's eyes in her Divine Noodle (affectionate) form when Demon King's flames hit or graze her tremble a little, more so around the pupils than the iris

The implications are absolutely delicious when you think about it, either it's an expression of deep seated, primal fear which she would probably feel as a dragon even if her main instinct is to help Link, it makes sense she'd feel distressed when faced with a bigger predator if we assume the dragons actually work like wild animals (I mean have we looked at Demon King's full size and length? He absolutely overshadows her and he's clearly going in for the kill, what with that initial bite, he's clearly not only gunning for Link and for Hyrule but also for her specifically), because Zelda by nature is not a warrior, she will fight for her people and to defend her people but she's not one to start the conflict, she's not one to HUNT, so when faced with something actively doing so it makes sense she'd be a little afraid, just because you are made to fight the divine threat from birth doesn't mean you can't fear death in the process('Courage is not the absence of fear but the will to rise against it even when you're afraid' and all that), immortality or not and trust me I'm getting to that part-

And arguably the more interesting implication: that dragons can feel pain/get hurt from other beings in a similar status, which also puts their immortality into question. Because that little twitch can also be because the flames actually hurt her.

One thing I always found interesting in TOTK is the dragon skeletons deep down in the Depths, they're parallel with the Leviathan skeletons, sure, but the fact that the dragons that we know can come and go from the depths and that there are actual skeletons there makes me look at them side by side and think "Oh those are dragons" rather than Leviathans, which begs the question: what could have killed them if dragons are immortal and can live for such long periods of time? What could have killed them when none of our weapons (including the Master Sword mind you) can't hurt Naydra, Dinraal, Farosh and Zelda in a way that matters?

I think the best answer in this case is given to us by Zelda's reaction (assuming I'm not wrong and didn't just imagine it due to sleep deprivation) to the Demon King's flames.

Maybe, just maybe, what caused them to die was likely another dragon. Which means that dragons can actually die, just not through age or natural means, but have to actively be killed through the right means/being for it to stick. Which also tracks with a lot of divine lore in LOZ in general, Demise/Ganondorf only being able to be brought low by the Master Sword wielded by someone who posseses the Hero's Spirit (or that has become worthy of it is we see in Wind Waker) because it's quite literally a divine blade, Hylia actively giving up her immortal form to become a mortal but still slumbering/existing in a separate realm outside of time can also be considered a form of divine death, not to mention Bellum being in the process of killing the Ocean King in Phantom Hourglass. Divine beings have always had an element of mortality to them in LOZ, and it's not too much of a stretch to think that pattern might hold true in TOTK.

(Personally I think maybe the dragons we know might have killed the others in a territory/route dispute, if we go with the fact that a person loses themselves when they consume a secret stone and is guided by their base instincts/whatever goal they had before becoming a dragon, I don't think territory disputes would be all that far fetched, or some other goal which would motivate possible aggression.)

Although there's also the other possibility to consider: we get the armor set of the wild on the heads of those skeletons in TOTK, and we know for a FACT there was a hero before BOTW/TOTK Link, not only through the Ancient Hero's Aspect (which I have so many thoughts/headcanons about) but also through the tapestry in BOTW no matter what the heck happened to the lore in between games, you can still work with the information that there was a hero before BOTW/TOTK Link, and possibly one even before that one if we assume the armor set in the depths isn't from the Original Calamity Hero.

What I'm pitching here basically is, Original Calamity Link/another possible Link was likely a dragon slayer (not uncommon among Links, but how many Links killed an actual possibly divine dragon?), and possibly the one to kill the dragons in the depths and that maybe, just maybe we should have a game one day or a manga which either clarifies or debunks that- wait I know it sounds insane but listen stop walking away-

(Also if it's indeed a sign that Zelda feels pain it honestly ramps up Wild's/TOTK Link's motivation to kill Ganondorf WAY up because I too would want to eviscerate anyone who hurt Zelda even if she can't outwardly show it.

Also also- divine flame scars on Zelda where the gloom fueled fire grazed/hit her in her dragon form, you wouldn't be able to see it normally, but once she turns back into hylian they're there as another showing of how her time as a dragon will always stick and haunt her.)

[fairytale-poll]

ROUND 1A! MATCH 2 OUT OF 8

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Little Red Riding Hood:

because this version of the character is a very interesting and different take on little red riding hood

Red Puckett:

I'm pretty sure she uses her hood as a parachute at some point. (A note from tournament Mod: She does.)

sillie

she is so iconic. to me at least (watched hoodwinked appx 500000000 times during family road trips)

This delivery girl knows karate! Watch Hoodwinked

my first exposure to a real adaption of a classic story in video. Girl twists the whole story up compared to the original. Love how it's like an old fashioned PI show but still so 2005 in vibes.

A classic fairy-tale-with-a-twist-movie that if anyone hasn't seen they should. This story takes various elements not just from Red Riding Hood's story but other fairy tales to retell the story with Red as the true center and hero of the story and reframes it as a mystery. It's also one of the few good retellings that makes the wolf good while not framing him as a love interest, which allows the plot to remain focused on Red.

best movie ever

Listen. I don't necessarily think she should win this movie is fucking insane and not all of that insanity is necessarily good. HOWEVER. I have a pitch for you. Wouldn't it be so fucking funny to put Red Puckett on this poll as a wild card? Like how many people would be like "fucking HOODWINKED?". Also what other tellings of red riding hood go the crime mystery route? Like cmon

She's the protagonist of what I believe is one of the funniest and best written films of all time. She's so smart and talented

The entire Hoodwinked series is just really funny to me. I also think she's an absolute badass as she knows kung-fu and takes no shit from the wolf. Also her granny appears above her when they are both flying and somehow she sees her as a big cloud head despite it just being her granny doing a ski jump. She had to be high because she met a weed loving Billy goat literally right before that.

the creators said 'what if red riding hood did karate and was voiced by Anne Hathaway' and simply did not wait for an answer.

because she's the funniest answer

Okay as a child I watched this movie and liked it a lot, but by coincidence, I happened to watch it on Eid twice in a row (I'm Muslim). So for a few years in a row I made it a tradition to watch this movie on Eid while drinking orange juice (very important piece of the puzzle). This movie is so dumb and goofy, I really enjoy it, and also she's voiced by Princess Mia Thermopolis herself.

[crookedgrifter]

you don't save the world by relaxing, a ficlet set on lofaf.

in which dave would like jade to take a break, and jade would like dave to leave. those frogs are not going to breed themselves, after all.

----

“Hey,” Dave says as he walks into the large room. He glances around, first watching the many, many frogs hopping around the room, and then at the mess that has begun to pile up. In the middle of it all is Jade, who is hunched over the main console, frantically pressing buttons and muttering to herself.

Dave studies her for a moment. Her hair is frizzy and unkempt, and he’s pretty sure she’s wearing the same clothes he saw her in five days ago.

She clearly didn’t hear him. “Hey,” he repeats, a little louder. Jade jumps, letting out a small shriek.

“Hi,” she says tiredly, but doesn’t turn to face him, still pressing buttons. Click, click, click. He moves to stand over her shoulder, watching her press various different buttons that make absolutely no sense to him.

“Are you good,” he asks, knowing the answer. He wishes she would turn to face him.

A slight pause in the button pressing. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine.” Lie. Her voice is just a little too cheerful-fake. “Just busy, yaknow? Frogs suck. I want to strangle their cute little faces.” Dave knows this song and dance well; deflect with humor in the attempt that he will cease and desist. Dave is not fooled - he invented the fine art of bullshittery. He ignores the silent go away please and says instead: “You look terrible.”

Jade snorts, shoulders stiffening slightly. “Thanks, Dave. It’s not like I’m trying to save the world or anything.” Underneath the sarcasm, he can hear the silent undertone; I’m doing it all alone. What if I can’t do it in time?

“No, yeah, it’s just a normal. Uh. What day is it.” He pauses for a moment. Sure, he could just guess. Maybe his fancy time-player powers could tell him. He’d rather make Jade laugh. “You know what,” he continues, going the funny route, as he always does. “Days don’t exist anymore. I’m declaring today Daveurday.” Jade lets out a small laugh. Strider 1, Harley 0, Dave thinks. “The best day ever,” she agrees.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s a national holiday now. It lasts, uhh. Two daylight cycles, and everyone’s gotta wear shades and praise me.” Jade turns to face him, meeting his eyes for the first time. Bright green like her island used to be. Dave internally winces - there are bags under her eyes, and her glasses are crooked. When was the last time she ate? He’s afraid to find out. “Oh great supreme overlord Dave, please spare me. I am but a mere uncool mortal,” she says, tone worshipful, although he knows she is anything but.

“As your supreme overlord I command you to take a break,” Dave replies imperiously, tilting his chin up and looking down at her. Jade laughs sharply, eyes flicking away from his and back to the console, where the buttons remain unpressed. One is flashing red, almost accusingly - why haven’t you pressed me, it seems to say. She presses a seemingly unrelated one on the other side of the board. It stops flashing. Her back is to him again, he notes, and knows she is trying to hide the fact that she barely has it together. News flash, it’s painfully obvious.

After a moment, she says, “I’ll take a break-” she pauses, “I’ll take a break when I’m dead, I suppose.” And Dave realizes, it’s not just this. She hasn’t taken a true break since, he doesn’t know when? After all, she saw their futures in the clouds of Prospit. Had carried that alone. She’s more of a hero than he will ever be, he thinks.

He decides on the next best thing: “Fine then, let me help you.” “No, I got this,” she says, “I’m the space player, right. This is my job. Yours is to time travel and make more annoying clones of yourself.”

“My job is also to make sure you’re like. Sleeping? And eating? Those are kind of important, Jade,” he argues. “It’s Daveurday. You gotta obey the Dave. And the Dave says to take a break.”

Another long moment, during which Dave watches her intently, knowing she’ll give in. She always does. It’s the Strider charm. Nobody can resist the shades. Strider 2, Harley 0, he thinks, as she sighs, leaning back in her chair. After a moment, she turns halfway to side-eye him. “Fine. But only if you shut up.”

“Me, shut up? Never.” He says, faking offense, and crouches down next to the console. “Now show me what all these buttons do, Miss Harley.”

[cookiedoughmeagain]

HAVEN season one finale, Spiral

So many thoughts rewatching this ...

Great casting for Max Hansen; he looks enough like Nathan (just a little more like Nathan than Garland does) and he does the sinister evil thing really well

I love how they build up to Garland's Trouble; since the first episode random cracks have been appearing in things, but that's never specifically connected to him until now. And even at the beginning of this episode it's not clear - sure the lighthouse collapses when he's angry, but he doesn't even look at it and he's walking away at the time.

This must be the first time the lighthouse gets destroyed I think? I feel like I should keep count lol, poor lighthouse

Forever curious about Duke with his bunch of flowers with a pineapple

I always think of something from the commentary for this episode, where they talk about Duke as the most badass person ever because he will do whatever he has to to get himself out of a situation; whether that's fighting Max, shooting him, or talking him around, whatever the route out of a problem is, Duke will find it and make it work (I'm paraphrasing, but that's how I remember it; they talk about him like he's their absolute hero.)

Also, Duke's got a reeeeally good memory (or knack for faces) to recognise Max from 25 years ago.

Or possibly it's just an indication of how notorious a killer Max was, because Nathan blanches at the mere sight of his name on Garland's desk.

Audrey's B&B place looks so nice, I'd love to stay there.

Another thing to be forever curious about is what exactly Max thinks Dave owes him, and what happened between them for Dave to be so instantly terrified at the sight of him.

But I love the conversation Vince has with Max; Max trying to threaten him and Vince just laughing it off. You get the impression Vince could have been pretty badass himself 25 years ago.

I wonder if Max knew what Garland's Trouble was. He saw the crack in the ground coming; he was running away from it. Was his last thought that Garland had got him afterall?

I'm not sure I understand who Garland was referring to when he told Audrey some people aren't glad she's back in town. The only reason to not want her there would be if you wanted the Troubles to be left to reign unchecked, and I don't see how that would benefit anyone.

Love the final scene with a new Audrey! It seems a shame to me though that the shot is framed so close on her; it looks like she replicates the same hand gesture Emily Rose made in the first episode, but it's cut off the edge of the screen here so you hardly see it (at least it is for me, possible my screen is doing something odd I guess).

Anyway - Great episode, great season finale, great relationship development for Audrey and Nathan, great way to build on the mystery with Duke and the tattoo, and absolutely storming cliffhanger at the end. Kinda glad I wasn't watching this live because the thought of having to wait months to find out who this new Audrey is, is almost painful.

[pocketramblr]

It IS sad that youve gotten no explicit giran aus, so here is one i am sure you will love;

au where Giran is all might's biological son

What a wild choice to go to, I'll flip it: 1 hc each for 5 aus of this.

A- Giran was born a few years after the war arc, and after his father dies in his teenage years he rejects Izuku's offer to take him in, instead staying with more undergrounders, and researching some history. No one thinks anything of it until he vanishes one day, going back in time. Did he do it so he could win the lottery? Was it to sabotage AfO's efforts? Or was he turning traitor? Only he knows.

B- AfO grabbed a sample of Toshinori's DNA in the fight where he killed Nana, and ordered a clone of him made. But there wasn't enough material for an actual clone, so Garaki just made a test tube son instead. AfO was actually planning on revealing that his loyal, villainous broker was Toshi's son to hurt him, but Giran himself pointed out that would probably just make All Might feel violated and enraged, not grieving any love, so AfO decided to hunt down Nana's family instead.

C- Giran is Toshi's son, and actually born with a time travel quirk. He's got a hero licence and dozens of identities through the timeline. Muddying was a quirk given by AfO when he went undercover, but due to weird OfA genetics Giran can hold two quirks at once, though he doesn't push it. He keeps a container of eraser capsules to rewind his quirk when he needs a new second one for another new identity. AfO has given him like twelve quirks at this point and never noticed. Giran's actually hoping to get a healing one eventually that he can then figure out to get to his dad, but that's not likely to happen. Toshi coughs up so much blood with each visit and update from his son. Izuku never even managed to worry him so much, you know. But baby siblings get all the lenience...

D- at the end of the war arc, the last thing AfO does is hit Toshi with one last quirk, then blow up. Toshi is brought back many decades in time, and he goes a little vigilante about it. Eventually he has a kid, and Giran grows up unaware his dad is a time traveling All Might- he actually thinks he's an ex villain trying to make up for things in his old age.

E- ok we'll stop trying to make the timeline work for this last one. Giran is in his twenties in canon, and only met his father after the great potato mashing, as Toshi went the Nana route. But since then, Giran's been a tad obsessed with finding secrets and info so he isn't blindsided by a reveal like that again. Absolutely abuses his father's connections to get insider details. When he makes Toshi tell him about OfA (because he was sure that little green kid at UA was his half brother, and you can't blame him), he asked "did you ever think about giving it to me?" to which Toshi responded by pointing to the file that Giran had put together documenting the proof of Nagant's sorta-innocence, blackmailing the commission about it, and then celebrating by taking getting incredibly expensive wine and strippers with the blackmail money. (Don't worry, he shared this celebration with Nagant, and she got half the money leftover to start up again.) Giran nods because that's fair, and he didn't want a physical power anyway.

[princess-of-the-corner]

AU Idea

So, I was thinking, and the one MHA/BNHA AU I keep seeing is Izuku staying Quirkless and not getting in to UA which … bothers me? Not the premise necessarily, and not even all of them. Like, deciding to to go the Batman route, or becoming an amazing Support guy, those don’t bother me as much. Its more the surprisingly large number I’ve read where it’s portrayed as “oh, Izuku would try out and not get into the Hero Course, so gives up and becomes an office worker” and like … I admit I’m new to the fandom, but isn’t Izuku one of those Shonen protagonists that has the defining character trait of “never giving up, even when you should”?

and I’m not talking about fics where they play up the prejudice against Quirkless people to explain him not getting in. If that’s the angle you’re going for and you’re telling a good story with it, kudos. But I … kind of get the feeling that UA’s principal wouldn’t really care? About Quirk/less? Like, I sort of get the feeling he’d research Izuku and be like “Oh, this’ll be hilarious”. But most stories in the vein of “Izuku doesn’t get in”, and then we have a story about Izuku running a blog or as an accountant, end up sounding like either they don’t think Izuku could be a hero without a Quirk, or like Izuku didn’t have the drive to be a hero, which … is not the feeling I’m getting from his character?

Like, Izuku trying out and not getting into the Hero Course on the first try Quirkless, sure, fine, that I’ll believe. Especially because the tryouts are kind stacked in the favour of the more combat oriented Quirks, so even if he did have a Quirk, depending on what it was, the test might screw him over. But trying out and giving up immediately? Just because he wouldn’t get into the Hero Course? Like, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the test specifically engineered for the Hero Course kids? Like, Shinsou tries out aiming for the Hero Course and gets screwed because his Quirk isn’t as in your face, but he still gets into the school, right? He’s Gen ed, or something until the Sports Festival, when he has a better chance of displaying his abilities. You’re telling me that Izuku - analyst, insanely clever, reckless and determined - either failed the entrance exam badly enough not to get in at all, or decided that because it wasn’t the Hero Course, he wasn’t even going to try? Like, not even as Support or whatever?

Again, I’m fairly new to the fandom but it feels weird? Like, is It just me?

I think the only fic I saw of the “Izuku Doesn’t Get In” variety that I thought was decent without his character feeling weird was one where Izuku did try out and did get in, but his mom freaked out and basically forbade him from going? Like, not one of those where she becomes an abusive monster, but more supremely overprotective? Like, that was a great plot point, but they kind of didn’t do much with it. We get the feeling that their relationship is strained, and Izuku mentions not talking to his mom much, but like … it doesn’t really get explored? Granted the fic was mostly a Izuku/Shouto fic, where it was less about plot and more about them falling into bed together but it had some neat plot elements and … 

Honestly, I don’t know where I’m going with this. Just trying to get a feel for a new character by playing the “What If” Game and uncertain how “canonically” certain things would play out.

-

Oh yeah no absolutely!

Izuku is a stubborn little shit who will not give up.

Like. Within my Vigilante!AU, the reason he doesn’t go to UA isn’t giving up. He actually passes the Entrance Exam! but while the UA staff would be fine with teaching him, the Commission doesn’t really want a Quirkless Hero. After all, so much of Heroes images are in how Amazing their Quirks are and how they’re so much better than normal people and a Good Quirk = Good Hero. 

They wouldn’t want ‘just some guy’ being shown as on par with them. And if they let Izuku into UA at all, even in Gen Ed, then there’s a chance for him to enter the Sports Festival and be broadcast to the world as ‘on par’. Or even for just after-class sparring sessions where sure it’s not as widespread but people will See Him.

But yeah like. If I did a side-AU where Izuku stayed ‘Quirkless’ but got into the Gen Ed course, he’d 100% enter the Sports Festival! And considering how the event went in Canon, he didn’t actually use his Quirk until the 1v1 battles! So he’d get a lot of attention for making it to the third round without a Quirk!

It’d be a question of how well he’d do in the 1v1 battles though. His first battle is against Shinso who does have a Quirk that’s very hard to beat once he can get it going. Maybe I could have Izuku already befriend Shinso so he knows the limitations of Shinso’s Quirk and can’t be baited into responding. The fight against Shoto would probably go badly for him, but also who knows what Shoto’s mindset would be re: his own fuckery since he likely didn’t traumadump to Izuku before the fight.