#shes effectively a ghost hunter but also someone who can fight reapers as well

[nonbinaryphantom]

for reaper au valerie i have this one gif playing in my brain everytime i think of her

[catflowerqueen]

Hm… Actually, more angst potential in a Danny Phantom/Assassination crossover might be if some of the Reaper’s victims came back as ghosts. 

Like… I feel like most of their obsessions would be the “unfinished business” type rather than straight-up revenge, and it is probably doubtful that any of them would actually recognize that Korosensei was the one who killed them… but it is possible that Korosensei might recognize some of them. Or Irina or Karasuma would and then make a comment about hearing that the Reaper did it.

 Since Danny would feel obligated to stop them from messing with the human realm, Korosensei would probably feel some sort of guilt/responsibility to do something just so the weight can be taken off of Danny’s shoulders for a bit--but he likely wouldn’t actually explain that the reason he’s feeling like this is because he used to be the Reaper (since he didn’t immediately talk about it after the Reaper 2.0 arc even though it was a pretty big contributing factor for why that guy was Like That). Probably you would just get an episode where he tries to get the class to become ghost hunters for a bit--maybe this would even lead to the arc where Danny’s secret gets revealed in the first place.

I could see something happening where, before he knows Phantom is Danny, he tries to become the ghost kid’s teacher and show him techniques, except it turns out that assassination skills don’t always translate that well in fighting ghosts considering all the supernatural powers they have. So Danny would get annoyed by his antics the same way he did at Jazz when she was just starting out directly helping him, and then you might get a situation where Korosensei is absolutely convinced that the reason Phantom is so annoyed is that he, too, was one of the Reaper’s victims. Does Korosensei actually remember killing him? No, but that isn’t surprising since he’s killed a lot of people, and it’s not like the ghosts look exactly the same way they did when they were alive, so...

In any case, he would be extremely relived to find out that Danny’s half-death had nothing to do with him. Then he would just have to deal with the guilt that his actions as the Reaper are still affecting Danny anyways, despite him not actually having anything to do with them, as well as the restrained fury about the neglect of the Fenton parents mentioned in previous posts. And, like--telling Danny to just stop and let someone else deal with the situation probably won’t work the way he wants it to considering the protection obsession. Not unless someone actively takes over and Danny can see they’re actually being effective.

(And I can see that leading to the aforementioned “Let’s teach the class how to hunt ghosts” episode. Like--the A plot is the majority of the class, attempting to learn how to fight ghosts, while the B plot is trying to get Danny to just relax for a day. And Korosensei would probably be bouncing in between the two groups. At one point they might all remember the Fentons exist as professional ghost hunters and go to them for tips and gear--and then find out that not only do they not know their son is a half-ghost, but also that they despise his ghostly half and would gladly vivisect Phantom if given the chance.

And, actually, I can see Korosensei doing this before the reveal. Like. When he decides he wants to help Phantom, not realizing he is Danny, he goes to the Fenton household in disguise to get some gear and notices how uncomfortable Danny seems by the whole conversation--a discomfort that goes beyond the fact that his teacher, who is very dangerous and has claimed to want to destroy the world come March is here, in his house, talking to his family. Danny [or Jazz] would give him the real scoop about ghosts when asked about it later, how while his parents gear is very effective, they have no idea what they’re talking about when it comes to the ghosts themselves. And he would be very quick to remember this conversation after the reveal, including all the implications it has as far as Danny is concerned.

Might lead to a semi-humorous scene where he very, very half-heartedly tells his students that they can’t actually go after Danny’s parents. And how they definitely should not “do these actions which would totally be an effective plan to take them out,” or “these other actions if plan A--I mean, the thing you totally shouldn’t be doing--doesn’t work out,” because “It’s not easy covering up that sort of thing, especially if they come back as ghosts. Oh, and also it’s, like, illegal, or whatever.” Nagisa is taking notes and the others are “subtly” forming strike teams until Karasuma tells them no... even though he also is uncomfortable with Danny staying in that sort of environment. Because even if he doesn’t figure out the ghost thing, that’s not exactly the healthiest environment for Danny to be in anyways--especially because the lab accident bit is probably common knowledge even if the actual effects it had on Danny aren’t).

Also, the entire situation might also be another way to push Nagisa and the others from trying to make assassination their future career, though. Like—not necessarily because of worries that their victims would become ghosts, but more because they’re seeing the consequences and what it really means to assassinate someone. That their future targets will be actual people with their own hopes and dreams. Hopes and dreams which will be cut short if the assassination is successful.

[sasskarian]

Fanfic Masterpost ... sort of

In honor of Fanfic Appreciation, I put together a list of my fics for anyone who’d like to look 

Under the cut, because length

Dragon Age:

After the Glitter Fades (Glitterverse):  Hawke x Fenris, modern AU. (Long fic, WIP) Hawke and Fenris are movie stars in a torrid love affair. Fenris has a mysterious past. Also Cassandra is investigating a murder mystery? Varric, as ever, is a delight. (*this is borrowed from @nug-juggler‘s excellent and shorter summary!)

Memorable quote:   Fenris observed candidly was something sacred. For a moment, Hawke fiercely wished she were an artist. The scene in front of her was too… every word she could think of— beautiful, elegant, breathtaking— was trite, a pale description of perfection. 

In the Heart of the Woods: Lavellan x Fairbanks rarepair. (WIP) Inquisitor Lavellan’s heart is broken by a certain Commander, Fairbanks has an appreciation for her, and a love story blooms like elfroot in the Emerald Graves.

Memorable quote:   This kiss, she thinks, two mouths moving in perfect unison, is a spell of its own. Not quite love, not yet, but close enough she can pretend it is. Hope wells up, a solid thrum beating in counterpoint to her heart, and for one perfect moment, the world just bows down and… stands still. All that exists, all that ever has existed or ever will exist is wrapped up right here, right now, in Fairbanks’ lips on hers. Motes of dust turn golden in the sunbeams splashing through the roof, and a touch— his thumb, her cheek— says a million more words than words ever could.

Yesterdays: Surana x Zevran, mild Surana x Alistair pining. Post Origins, complete. A Warden’s sacrifice means something only as long as someone remembers it. A king looks back, balancing regrets with happiness.

Memorable quote:   With a half-sob, he realizes he’s forgotten the sound of her voice. Oh, he remembers how it made him feel, all those years ago, all the glorious, shining moments where happiness dwells still. But what she truly sounded like, what sounds she made as she buried herself in books, the snap of her magic, the low buzz of her and Zevran whispering in their tent, all of that is gone. He knows it happened, but the memory is lit dimly in his mind, a torch burned too low to be flame but not low enough for embers yet.

If You Ever Did Believe (for my sake):  Lavellan x Cullen. (On temporary hiatus) A wary Commander. A lost Dalish mage. Two hearts beating alone and exhausted on a battlefield, their only rest coming from each other.

Memorable quote:   “Does your Maker hate us so much?” Isera asked bitterly, and for a moment, Cullen felt as though years had rippled, bringing his past self— still clanking through the halls of Kinloch Hold in Templar plate— and his current together. He’d asked Ser Greagoir the same question once, after a Harrowing went wrong and the body of a former apprentice lay at their feet. So much potential wasted, so much fear in the mages’ eyes after that. For once, Greagoir had shown a hint of emotion, clapping Cullen’s shoulder briefly before walking away, but hadn’t answered.

Voiceverse:  Lavellan x Solas/Dread Wolf. (WIP) Building off of the great works of @khirsahle and @athreehundredthirtythree. All mages are born with a soulmate--a voice they hear in the darkness of the Fade all their lives. The lucky ones find their soulmates and forge a bond strong enough to threaten the very foundations of the Chantry. At least, that's what they claim. So what happens when a Dalish mage hears the voice of their most reviled and feared god shaping her dreams? 

Memorable quote:   Accompanying the thundering voice, great fissures ruptured around her hiding spot, green light streaking upward as they gathered into a roiling cloud. A wave of raw sound— howls, cries, pleas— rolled over her, forcing her to her knees. Iveani clapped her hands over her ears, losing her own scream among the agony thundering through the Fade. All caution, all her hard-won lessons about walking the Fade, vanished into the back of her mind under the need to simply ride out the explosion and survive.

Mass Effect:

Home is Where You Are: Ryder x Jaal (WIP). Ryder didn’t cross two galaxies and 600 years in search of love. But damn if she didn’t find it anyway.

Memorable quote:   “I should take a shower,” he mumbled, as the same time as Sara said, “Would you like to stay?” Both of them broke off, staring at the other, and she laughed nervously. That feeling was back, the one from the tech lab, fragility and strength and affection turned fierce and bright tumbling over and over one other.

A Song of Sea and Stars: Garrus x Shepard x Thane (WIP). Our favorite turian badboy sees right through the mask the galaxy’s most famous Commander projects. Neither of them expected to fall in love on a host of impossible missions. And both are taken by surprise by a pious Drell who steals both their hearts.

Memorable quote:   (He opens his eyes, shocked how it feels to look into her face, intimate and hungry. He hazily notices that up close, her eyes are thulium-gray. There's a hot, tight knot in his chest and she's pressed so close, he thinks he could count each faint freckle on her face.) (They look like tiny stars.) (…there are twenty-eight on her right cheek. Thirty on her left. And fourteen, right across the bridge of her nose.) (Those are his favorite. They remind him of his own markings.)

the sound of shattering glass: Generic Shepard, post-Tuchanka, pre-Citadel II. The Shroud explodes, taking a beloved friend with it. Shepard only has herself to blame.

Memorable quote:   “Damn Reapers,” he said, striving for nonchalance. “Always throwing us around.” “Banged us up pretty good,” she agreed, and he knew she wasn’t talking about their bumps and bruises. “So what do we do about them?” “Get back on our feet. Keep fighting.” Garrus hummed as she shifted closer, pressed her forehead against his neck. “Maybe find a way to use some really big canons I spend half my time adjusting.”

Star Wars:

He Might Like That: Mandalorian x Cara Dune pining. So they argue. So they took down Gideon, and have a magic green frog baby older than both of them. That doesn’t make them a thing. Does it?

Memorable quote:   He tunes back into the not-so-friendly argument in time to hear Greef splutter. “You trash talked while holding hands! If that’s not flirting, I’m a kowakian monkey lizard.” “It was arm wrestling, not holding hands,” Din points out mildly. 

Star by Star:  Post TRoS. Ben x Rey pining, Finn x Rey x Poe. Can three hopeless idiots in love fill a wound as deep as the death of a dyad? Maybe not, but they’re out to try anyway.

Memorable quote:   “You know,” Poe whispers, a glint of mischief in his eyes, “if we ever did tell him we loved him, he’d probably sleep right through it.” Rey touches her fingers to his lips, tracing the shape of his questioning smile. It’s an invitation to play, that smile. A careful offer of love, of comfort. And though she’s not sure if he can really understand when even she doesn’t, she’s finally ready to try a little. 

Counting The Days (Since Exegol): Finn x Rey x Poe, Ben x Rey. Its been 42 days since Palpatine’s death. 42 long days since she felt the surge of light in Ben Solo. And in her dreams, something whispers on the edge of the Force. But she’s shut it down too tightly to hear it. 

Memorable quote:   True to form, Poe can’t resist the urge to kiss away Finn’s troubles whenever possible, and Rey looks away to give them a moment. Some love stories work out, yes, and she loves Finn and Poe more than almost anything else. But that doesn’t stop the way bitterness floods her mouth as the memory of Ben surfaces, and it isn’t until Poe gently squeezes her knee (and she throttles back the near-instinctive urge to break his fingers from a lifetime of fending off handsy scavengers on Jakku) that she comes back to the moment. His brow furrows and she reaches for him, smoothing out the lines of his frown with her thumb. “I’m okay,” she says, answering his unspoken question. It’s mostly a lie, but she has to say it. Most days, she’s okay enough.

A Language Made for Lovers: SWTOR (NSFW). Torian Cadera x Bounty Hunter, gender neutral. Reflections on love and marriage under the glow of hyperspace.

Memorable quote:   He murmurs in your ear, words that should sound harsh in that still-new tongue scalding your mouth, molding you from aruetii to mandalorian. But the love in his voice softens them, steeps them in warmth and adoration. Still the language of a hunter, of those brave souls willing to be reforged, but with a gentle side, a language reserved for lovers. Words like cyare and riduur, words that mean I love you and forever and home.

Malicious Compliance: SWTOR (NSFW). Malavai Quinn x Sith Warrior, gender neutral. Far away, in an apartment no one knows about, a Sith Lord plays dire games of control... and trust.

Memorable quote:   It takes a man with the courage of an entire fleet of Mandalorians to love a Sith, and oh, how he loves you. Like you hung the moons and the stars and all the spaces between. Like you are his other half, like loving you is his sole purpose in life, does Malavai Quinn love you. Your old masters spoke nothing of this, of this enraging hunger gnawing at your bones and curling into the hollows of your rib cage. ... Is it really even love if you don’t want to devour him just a little?

Misc:

Tumblr Prompts: Grab bag of every fandom and series listed above. Prompts filled originally here on tumblr.

Visual Files: Collections of art and commissions from talented friends and artists here on tumblr.

Every Beautiful Thing: Crimson Peak. Thomas x Edith, Edith x Alan. Edith learned, in the dark halls of Allerdale, not to take ghosts lightly. But still she waits, every year, for a chance to see Thomas again. Until the night their son tells her he can see him too.

Memorable quote:   Snow heralds nothing but pain in Edith’s world: first her mother’s funeral, smothered in fat white flakes wet on her lashes like tears, then her father’s. Smaller ones, then, rain slowly freezing and scattering on the ground; the ones that night at Allerdale were the smallest yet, more ice pellet than snow. Jagged, hateful things scraping at her with a cold that burned through skin and encased bone.…God, how she has come to hate the snow.

Where I Can’t Follow: Co-authored by @suspendnodisbelief. show!Witcher, mild Geralt x Jaskier. (Temporary hiatus) Drawing from a variety of inspiration, including greek mythos. Geralt takes a blow meant for Jaskier, finally granted the death by battle he expects Witchers to end by. And Jaskier is not having it, at all. It’s his turn to save Geralt, even if he has to walk the entire bloody underworld to do it.

Memorable quote: “Geralt, get up. Come on, open your eyes. You’re going to upset Roach if you keep this up, and she’ll bite me. You know you aren’t allowed to be dead, because Yennefer didn’t give you permission, and neither did the Princess, and I’m pretty sure they both outrank you.”  

[sapphic-scylla]

Cassus, The Devil of the Reef: Prologue and Forging of a God (Chapters 1 & 2)

(This is a Mass Effect/Destiny crossover so keep that in mind)

Prologue

Before the Traveler came, several races came together. One man investigated a beacon on a human colony on the outer rim of council space. What he found would kick start a war between the races of the Milky Way and a race of sentient machines.

This man was my great grandfather. Zachary Thomas Shepard was a Commander in the N7 Alliance Navy. Now, the timeline may sound fucked up, but that’s not true. As the war fell to a close and Zach’s decisions lead him to a crossroad, his gravitation towards the protection of the galaxy gave him the ability to destroy the Reapers once and for all.

Not without heavy casualties, the races began to rebuild. Before the war, the humans, asari, quarians, krogans, turians, and the rest of the races sent out a vanguard to the far off galaxy of Andromeda. This led to the colonization of a new civilization.

After the war on the Reapers, a new arrival caused the universe to flourish. A Golden age was upon them as a god had graced them with its blessing. This huge white ball called the Traveler. This ball blessed us with amazing tech, incredible healing abilities, and to many people it deemed worthy, immortality.

As this Golden Age settles in, my great grandfather fell in love with a quarian who was my great grandmother. Tali Shepard vas Normandy was a strong woman and a main inspiration for most of my life. Each of the heroes of the Citadel was gifted with that blessing of life and, with that, they decided to travel to Andromeda to protect and defend as well as start families.

Generations continued and, while in Andromeda, our family progressed to where I was born. As I grew I learned from all different sources until I turned six. I know my great grandfather and my extensive family is out there somewhere watching and praying for us as they watch from Andromeda.

My father eventually married my mother, coincidentally also a quarian, who was to be the last of her kind in the Milky Way.

Eventually, a small group of people desired to see the fruits of the Traveler more thoroughly. Several humans wanted to return to the Earth to begin a new life. Unfortunately, that was the plight of my grandfather as well as my father.

The rest decided to stay in Andromeda. Thanks to modern technology, she and my father were able to have four children together. I was the youngest and somehow was the only one to gain the traits of both races. Human in nature, but my eyes flowed a deep blue.

As my grandfather and the rest of our family stepped on a return ship leaving our great grandfamily behind, several years passed as we sat in cryosleep. As we reached earth.

Unfortunately, the god we had was also running from someone or something. That something was already there

Eventually, the universe began to take notice of where the Traveler was. The Earth and Solar system was attacked by heathen races vying for the Traveler. As we ferried into the atmosphere, we were shot down, thankfully with no casualties. As we bunkered down in Manhattan, we began to learn the history from the few that were left.

The Fallen scavengers attacked first. Then, the ritualistic Hive rained down nature’s vengeance, which just happened to be the ones that shot us down. They were followed by the time-traveling Vex and the relentless warmongers, the Cabal. With their attacks, they pushed us to the last remaining city on Earth, Vostok Russia.

I continued to grow up in the MDZ, or the Manhattan Dead Zone, as it became known as. Time moved forward as we defended our city and settlers. I eventually lost my grandparents in a raid by shadowy doppelgängers of the other races attacking we learned all too late were named “Taken.”

My father and mother became part of our small sectors leadership as descendants of the heroes of the Citadel. More details about life growing up will come later, but let’s just say life until I was 23 formed who I was as a man.

As we tried to push them back, the Traveler began blessing thousands and thousands of people with Light. These men and women were known by many names. Most of them were risen from the dead to aid the fight. These men and women became known as Guardians. As these demon forces began attacking our final city, this is where my story begins and ends and begins again.

Forging of a God

I’d always admired heroes. I never was one. I hid a mask of light over the shadow that consumed me. I always knew that my flip side would consume me one day, but most people like me had a lifespan. I did not. I was gifted immortality. Leader, savior, hero...all names I was saddled with. The only one I knew fit was killer.

I was one of the people that flocked to the mercy of the Traveler. Me and my best friend, Dredgen Yor, looked to it as a start of a new life, a change from who we were. We were 24 year olds who lost a sense of where the world was going. We knew our settlement was doomed and got what people we could out. We got as far as we could and thought we were safe. Just not as safe as we hoped.

We reached the outside of the wall when we were ambushed. Guns went off and explosions shook the ground. I yelled for people to get inside the wall as we held them off. As we fought off these demon creatures, I was shot in the leg and I knew it was over. Dredge died quickly. He was impaled and it was over. Me? They tortured me, left me to die, and all I saw before I blacked out after 3 days of the worst pain I’d ever experienced and the severing of all four of my limbs was a three-eyed swordsman from Hell, laughing as my head rolled away.

What feels like seconds later, I wake up in an unfamiliar skin. My limbs are all there, but a few feel metallic and rough. All except for my torso and the stumps of arms and a leg I had left were pure steel, parts, and stuff I can't explain. My face felt mechanical and strange.

I look up to see a pale, little box telling me in the most frantic yet sarcastic voice that we need to get inside the wall and that’s how I met Sapphire, my loyally sassy ghost. She’s a goofball, bubbly, and a weirdo most of the time, but she’s a nerd at heart and god help her, she knows more about me than I do and yet she loves me regardless. Strange, I don't remember the wall being that big.

As we move forward, I hear the foreign mumblings of what seems to be anger and interest. She finds me a Kvostov. Not my wheelhouse as I preferred pulse rifles and handcannons but I could never turn down a machine gun. As we took off in a derelict ship with not much more than guesses and questions as to what came next, I flew towards what felt like the right way.

I walk into the tower to see the first familiar face. Cayde-6, my old mentor, was waiting and somehow knew me from this new face. I guess considering he was an Exo now, an AI with the memories, emotions, and senses of a human, I shouldn’t be talking because I was in the same position. Guarantee he lost a bet to be saddled with tower duty. He was always a free spirit.

I guess all “Exos” had their own distinct personalities and mine stuck out like a sore thumb to him. He explained what had happened to me and filled me in on the beings in the wall. Fallen. Never heard of them, but they weren't who I was looking for. Cayde, being Hunter Vanguard, passed me a good hand cannon (he knew me too well) and said we have some work to do.

“These are gonna be just like your Hellfire days, dude. Only this time, you will actually be making a difference as actual heroes, not vigilantes. Do what you do best, Guardian. Welcome to the best of the best, the Hunters.”

Hellfire was a nickname I had gained in the MDZ. They said I could shoot a demon square in the face from a thousand miles away with a pistol. I wondered about the whole badass flaming pistol thing. I had always been a gunslinger by choice due to my weapon expertise and pinpoint precision, but with that and all of the throwing knives and grenades I could ever ask for, all of this could not be more amazing and perfect. I grew accustomed to these new powers, I began to wonder more of Dredgen and what of him.

“There are rules to being a part of the city’s Vanguard that you would do well to remember.” Zavala droned on.

God, this tour was long. I mean, I’m ADHD and overly hyperactive in my head at that, but, Jesus, it’s like Father Time was dragging a boulder the size of a krogan around with him. And why the hell were Titans so big. I felt like I needed a Sparrow to keep up with him.

“First, no researching past lives unless authorized by the Vanguard. You also must fill a patrol quota each week to make sure that everyone does their part.” He said, sternly.

I figured as much. That being said, my curiosity could kill nine lives off of the world’s luckiest cat.

“Also, only the Vanguard’s majority vote authorizes high-priority mission. We choose fireteams unless we trust the person’s initial choice. Any questions?” He finished.

“What is the capital of Assyria?!” I said in a witchy voice.

He literally just sighed and moved on. If he had to deal with Cayde, I can’t imagine how many of these jokes he had heard.

“On a serious note, where do I live?” I ask, honestly.

“We give glimmer for bounties, missions, patrols, and a finder’s fee for new tech, weapons, materials, and relics. You can use that to buy an apartment. We’re not picky as to where you stay as long as you report to the Vanguard regularly.” Zavala said.

“Fantastic.” I responded.

“Forge your light. Master your abilities. The more powerful and trustworthy you become, the more missions you get sent on and the more specialized weaponry we trust you with. Ever heard of a Gjallerhorn?” He asked.

“Wasn’t that, like, a rocket launcher forged by that old army of warriors?” I said, wondering where this was going.

“Correct. Gain our trust enough and maybe we will allow you to create your own. But not today. Good luck, Cassus. Make us proud.” He said as he trudged off.

A year passes and I guess a perk of being a guardian is that I’d be staying 24 forever. My body was already 30% armored steel but I wouldn’t be aging anymore, which is good. All of those mortal wounds didn’t hurt anymore which was brilliant. The Traveler had remade me and for that I’d be forever grateful.

Eventually, curiosity overtook me and, with permission from the Vanguard, aka Cayde signing me off ‘cuz he’s my bestie, I spent days in the Tower archives, digging out the remains of my past life. I spent hours, searching through pages and pages of scouting reports, histories, and biographies until I broke through. My brothers had been guardians. Pahanin and Praedyth. In fact, Pahanin’s old HMR was the first Exotic I’d been allowed to own. But his history was a different story completely.

Several decades ago, Kabr had been sent with my brothers into the Vault of Glass to investigate at the orders of none other than Osiris. Just when I thought I had avoided him for good. The Vex were the enemy that had attacked our town and forced us to evacuate. Their attempt at a foothold on Earth had lasted for a good year. Assault after assault we held them until they finally broke and forced us to make a run for the Last City. I had been split up from my brothers and my father. All I had was my best friend, Dredgen, and the very few refugees we could help escape. Until now. All of this was Osiris’ fault.

Osiris was a fanatic. He was unnaturally obsessed with the Vex and everything about them. Their networking, their hive mind, their terraforming, every aspect of them was something he wanted to dissect. He was also head of defense for our zone. Because he was eccentric, he was consistently dressed like a fucking Egyptian bird. See what I mean? So overly dramatic and egotistical.

What really bothered me was that he always put knowledge and curiosity before everything and everyone else in his life. He never gave a second thought to his own actions or the consequences. All he wanted was unlimited amounts of pure knowledge and if that meant risking a few humans’ and loved ones’ lives, so be it. However, the worst of it came about three years before my death.

The attack came when I was 21. It was a perfect summer sunset evening. I was about to switch out for the evening. Dredge and I matched schedules, so we would be meeting up soon for my “second job” as the city’s police force. Crisis and chaos can turn people nasty as all hell, so Dredge and I kept the piece the best way we knew how: through fear. As I walked in to Osiris to report on my watch, I found him tinkering with a Vex Hobgoblin.

“Osiris, what the hell are you doing?! This is not ok! This is going to end like the last time and someone else important is gonna die.”

“How will we know if we don’t study this?”

God, was he eccentric… “First of all, I am not a scientist, I am a bounty hunter. Second off, THIS” I said, shaking a Vex arm at him, “puts lives at risk! Great grandma Tali would not be ok with this! Shit like this almost destroyed the Migrant fleet! Society is crumbling. My mother died the last time you pulled a stunt like this!”

“But I’m so close! If I can backtrace to the main neural netw-“

“Osiris, the Vex have hive mind, if one of them got captured-“

I never got to finish.

For those of you who have never heard a Vex Mind scream, it is not something I can describe perfectly. It is a demonic screech of a vengeful machine god louder than anything you have or will ever hear. There are only a handful of things that were worse than what I heard that night. I ran out to see a Minotaur ten feet tall leading an army of other Vex, marching towards us in the distance.

“Evacuate…..EVACUATE!!!” I yelled at full volume.

“I can control them. If I use this unit-”

“Osiris, look outside, you ignorant bosh’tet! You can’t control that!”

“We can’t kill them, but if we can coerce them to fight for us, we can take back this planet! Our honor depends on…”

“DEPENDS ON WHAT EXACTLY?! Your obsession has saddled us into too many life risking situations already and for what!? Your own personal interest?! This planet or so you say?! My mother lost her life because YOU thought she could harvest their radiolarian fluid! And you think this is about HONOR?! Remember Javik’s words, Osiris? Stand on the mounds of hundreds of dead civilians YOU caused and ask them if honor matters. The silence is your answer.”

Those were the last words I said to him before we died. Words I had learned from the very last survivor of a an ancient dead race. I let those words echo in his brain before I stormed out to save the civilians.

That day, we lost everyone but the few families that Dredge and I could save along with a few orphans. Pahanin and Praedyth were nowhere to be seen. I learned from the Tower that the Vex in that town had been destroyed about a month after by Rasputin, the AI Warmind. He launched an attack, eliminating any chance for a Vex foothold on Earth. The Warminds were more active then.

After we escaped, it turned into a 3 year journey searching for civilization. Every place we reached was empty. We lived outside of Manhattan and we walked west. Cities, the whole country, was just gone. We knew the MDZ was gone, but we didn’t realize it was this bad. Eventually we reached the city and you know that part of the story.

That being said, a lot of lives were lost because of Osiris’ carelessness and lack of restraint. He was dead to me and he always will be and no action he can do will change that.

[2-jarz]

Best Anime Available on Netflix 2019

8. Kill La Kill (2013)

1 season, 25 episodes | IMDb: 8/10

If I had to sum up Kill la Kill in two words, they’d be “fashion battle.” Broadly speaking, its story is pretty much beat for beat what you’d expect from a series about a magical teen — developing powers, last-minute turns of the tide — but the specifics are just bonkers enough to keep that from being a weakness Which are some of the best anime on Netflix. At Honnouji Academy, clothes bestow supernatural abilities on their wearer, turning the usual high school hierarchies into a battleground. At the center of it all is transfer student Ryuko Matoi, who’s come to Honnouji in search of her father’s killer. Her sidekick, a sentient sailor outfit, puts her on the level of the school’s student council, allowing her to tussle with them in her quest for the truth. More modest viewers be warned: the series’ focus on clothing also lends itself to a significant amount of fanservice. As the series progresses, the outfits get skimpier and skimpier until there’s barely anything there at all.

Add To Netflix Queue

UFOTABLE

7. Fate/Zero (2011)

2 seasons, 28 episodes | IMDb: 8.3/10

For those looking for darker fare, Fate/Zero should hit the spot. As may be obvious from the fact that the driving event behind the whole series is called “the Fourth Holy Grail War,” it’s heavy stuff. The war is a contest between a select group of mages and their attendant spirits. (The spirits, in one of the series’ strangest gambits, range from Alexander the Great to King Arthur.) They compete for the power of the Grail, which will grant a wish to each of the winning pair. The resulting assortment of competitors doubles as a mix of ideals and morals, and the shifting balance is one of the best aspects of the show. Though there’s a fair amount of comedy mixed in, it’s quite a bleak series, with a death count to rival Game of Thrones and eldritch horrors to contend with, to boot.

Add To Netflix Queue

NETFLIX

6. Castlevania (2017)

1 season, 5 episodes | IMDb: 8/10

Even those unfamiliar with anime are likely to have heard of Castlevania, as the franchise is one of the jewels in Konami’s crown. The anime series is produced by Netflix, and boasts a voice cast including Graham McTavish as Count Dracula, who vows revenge against Wallachia after the death of his wife, and Richard Armitage as Trevor Belmont, the last of a clan of monster hunters, who leads the fight against him. (Matt Frewer also features in the cast, which should be a treat for any fellow Max Headroom enthusiasts.) There’s blood a-plenty, and a nice balance between monster and man as per most gothic horror stories — as well as a somewhat romantic aspect, as Dracula is portrayed as a sympathetic villain. The series is also just gorgeously animated, and with a first season of only four episodes, well worth your time.

Add To Netflix Queue

ANIPLEX OF AMERICA

5. Fullmetal Alchemist (2003)

1 season, 51 episodes | IMDb: 8.6/10

Fullmetal fans and newbies alike are somewhat spoiled for choice when it comes to Netflix’s offerings: Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood are both available on the streaming service, alongside the recent live-action film. But we’re here for anime, so we’ll just discuss the first two. For the purposes of this list, we’re counting both series as one entity, as Fullmetal Alchemist is a seminal property, but not to fear, I’m not about to leave you in the dark. Both Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood are adaptations of the original manga, which tells the story of two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, as they search for the Philosopher’s Stone. In an attempt to bring their mother back to life through alchemy, they’ve been transformed. Edward has lost his leg, and sacrifices his arm as well in order to save Alphonse’s soul, binding it to a suit of armor. The Stone is their ticket to restoration. The more recent Brotherhood hews much more closely to the manga, whereas Fullmetal Alchemist essentially turns into an original series about halfway through. In the end, they complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses, but if you have to pick just one, I’d go for Brotherhood as the “canon” experience.

Add To Netflix Queue

ANIPLEX OF AMERICA

4. Rurouni Kenshin (1996)

3 seasons, 95 episodes | IMDb: 8.5/10

Like most other entries on this list, Rurouni Kenshin was adapted from a manga series (which appeared in the legendary Shōnen Jump magazine). The title refers to its protagonist, Himura Kenshin, a former killing machine who is now committed to helping others to try to atone for his sins. Of course, his love of peace is challenged when it becomes apparent that someone else has assumed his former mantle as an assassin and plans to throw the Meiji Government into chaos. The characters are all well-defined and well-developed, with the biggest hook being the contrast between Kenshin’s apparent happy-go-lucky attitude and vow never to kill again, and what we know him to be capable of due to his reputation. He’s also a walking example of the way the series focuses on period to tell a story rather than using it simply as set dressing: the show takes place during a transition period in Japanese history, and Kenshin is just as much in flux.

Add To Netflix Queue

VIZ MEDIA

3. Inuyasha (2000)

2 seasons, 167 episodes | IMDb: 7.9/10

Inuyasha is the rare franchise that manages to strike a balance between cute and horrifying. To liken it to a current pop culture phenomenon, it’s similar to Outlander, in that its basic plot sounds like something out of a romance novel: a young woman, Kagome, is sent back in time, and must then contend with forces beyond her reckoning, all while getting to know a rambunctious man (well, in this case, half dog-demon), Inuyasha, to whom she seems to be mysteriously bound. There’s plenty of time-travel fluff to go around, but in Inuyasha’s case, it’s augmented by nightmare fuel in the form of a host of demons searching for the magic jewel in Kagome’s possession. The centipede monster in the first episode sets the bar for how unsettling these monsters look, as well as the show’s overall structure as a sort of monster-of-the-week affair. To that end, the show can get a little repetitive, but the cast is uniformly great (including Inuyasha’s antihero brother Sesshomaru, who I think I can confidently say is “the hot one”), and the balance between fun and horror is a rare find.

Add To Netflix Queue

FUNIMATION

2. Attack on Titan (2013)

1 season, 51 episodes | IMDb: 8.8/10

Since the manga began in 2009, Attack on Titan has become something of a cultural sensation. At present, only the first season of the anime, which was produced in 2013, is available on Netflix, but it works on its own. (It’s also notably a series that benefits from being available to binge rather than view doled out in segments, as seeing it all in one fell swoop — or a few swoops — makes its repeated cliffhangers less obvious and thereby more tolerable.) Broadly speaking, it’s almost a mecha series, as the driving force of the plot involves fighting giant creatures (the Titans of the title), an enterprise that only starts to become truly tenable when it transpires that one of the human characters, Eren, is a Titan, himself. The difference is aesthetic: the Titans are awful to look at, as they are basically giant humans with their skin stripped away, and their muscles contorted to look as terrifying as possible. As for why it all works, it ultimately comes down to the focus on the coming-of-age stories and how each character’s arc dials into the anxieties that are part and parcel of growing up and dealing with loss. The series is also fairly brutal when it comes to reflecting the realities of living in what is effectively a war zone, as every character is fair game when it comes to Titan fodder. Equal parts steampunk romp and war story, Attack on Titan is one of the best anime series in the game.

Add To Netflix Queue

VIZ MEDIA

1. Bleach (2004)

3 seasons, 366 episodes | IMDb: 8.2/10 Bleach has it all. It’s stylish as hell, it’s incredibly well-acted, it’s genre-fluid, and on top of that, it’s well-written. Though it starts out fairly simply, it builds and builds, transforming into an epic that more than earns its place in the pantheon of great anime. The story begins when Ichigo Kurasaki, a high schooler capable of seeing ghosts, takes on the duties of a Soul Reaper in order to protect his family.  It’s a transition that the show handles beautifully, and does again and again as it progresses. The world of Bleach (and the mythology involved) just keeps getting bigger, without ever falling short, or falling flat. The series is also impossible to peg as one genre or another, as there are elements of almost everything baked in. It’s an epic, and unmissable as such. Creator Tite Kubo’s style is just the cherry on top of the cake.