#since it seems like a wrap up chapter before the next big arc

[tumblezwei]

The Sim Universe update isn't coming out until the 6th :(

Oh well, it's story tiiiimmmeeee

[spectrechosts]

Hell's Belles

Yeah there's more of the succubi too. What can I say? I get attached to my characters.

Same deal as Better Off Together, these are just little snippets of hanging out in hell. There is actually kinda an arc across some of these and another thing but like. Don't expect big plot.

Anyway, regarding this chapter: Lilith and the other rulers of Hell have a meeting every 10 years. It takes maybe half an hour and is still the low point of everyone's decade every single time.

Full Series

"Asmodeus! You're late."

Lilith looked around the conference room, empty aside from her, Lucy and the Lord of Pride.

"I'm three minutes early." She said. "And it's Lilith. As it was last meeting. And several hundred before that."

"Sure, early for the meeting. But you should really show up seven to ten minutes before, help set up, show initiative, y'know, like I do." Abbadon said. "And you should use your new name! Going back to your human name, it makes it seem like you don't even care about your place here.

"I'll take that under consideration, Abbadon."

Lilith fucking hated these meetings.

The other Lords of Sin filtered in over the next few minutes, aside from Belphagor, who they had all long since given up on expecting to arrive on time.

"Alright, the decennial meeting of greater demons is now in session." Lucy said, clicking on a tape recorder. "Lucifer, Lord of the Seven Hells, presiding as always. Belphagor absent, assumed late, again, as always."

She sighed, and flipped open the first page of a printout.

"First on the agenda, we have a proposal from Beezlebub?"

"Actually, I would like to hold off on that until Belphagor gets here." The insectoid Lord of Gluttony buzzed, between fistfuls of food.

Ugh, watching him indulge in his sin always made her wonder if she should bring a few girls to these meetings. Might make them slightly less unbearable.

"Second on the agenda, Lilith wishes to reopen discussions of your ongoing torture strike."

Lilith sighed heavily.

"I would once again like to ask Satan to please join us in our strike. It doesn't have to be permanent, but having no sinners punished at all is going to get more attention from upstairs than-"

"THE DAMNED SHALL CONTINUE TO FEAR MY MIGHT!" Satan bellowed, shaking the room with the force of his voice.

"Just for a few decades-"

"THEY SHALL KNOW NOT A SECOND OF PEACE IN MY HELL!"

"Inside voice, big guy." Belphagor said, yawning as she appeared at the conference table wrapped in blankets and clutching a large stuffed shark.

"Belphagor! Lilith, are you-?"

"I'm done." Lilith sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Okay, so-"

"Abababap- Hang on. I'm after Lilith on the agenda." Mammon tutted, jutting a finger out.

"But-"

"This is my timeslot. You had yours, you didn't want it, you can wait. Lucy?"

"It's his timeslot." Lucy agreed. "Mammon, your proposal?"

Mammon cleared his throat. "Alright, you guys are gonna love this. Souls, they're so inconvenient, aren't they?"

"No?"

"Nope."

"Never once thought this."

"Now, hear me out here. One word. Soulcointm."

"SOUL AND COIN ARE TWO WORDS!" Satan yelled, frustrated.

"Yes, but I'm combining them into one new word. Soulcointm."

"Why do you keep saying it like that?" Lilith asked, and instantly regretted engaging with the conversation.

"Ohohoho, why indeed! You see, Soulcointm is no mere currency, my friend, no no-"

"We aren't friends."

"- Soulcointm is the Web3, blockchain capable solution we need to bring the Seven Hells into the next generation!"

"Mammon, none of what you just said meant anything. At all." Said Abbadon.

"Now, I know you're asking, 'Mammon, how do I get some Soulcointm?' And folks, it's so simple, you'll be racking them up in no time. You send me, your buddy Mammon, souls."

"Nope."

"And what I do, is I mint an equal number of Soulcointm and put them in your digital wallet. And that's on the blockchain. That's verified."

"…But, I want souls so I can eat them." Said Beelzebub, and the other lords nodded in agreement. "What can I do with soulcoins?"

"It's Soulcointm, and that's what I'm here to propose. What I need you all to do, is drum up Soulcointm hype, get people onboard, so they want 'em. And then, when everybody wants them, we stop minting more. Then, the Soulcointm that you got at a rate of one to one soul, people are lining up to buy them for more and more, five, ten, a hundred souls apiece!"

"So that they can do what with them, Mammon?"

"Well, now they have them, and people will want to buy 'em for souls!"

"Motion to stop talking about this?" Beelzebub asked.

"All in favour?" Asked Lucy, and all but Mammon raised their hands. "Motion passed. Beelzebub, what is your proposal?"

"Luddites." Mammon grumbled.

"Alright!" Beelzebub buzzed. "I would like to propose that Lust, Gluttony, and Sloth, are all the same sin, and should be consolidated into one circle: Hedonism. The pursuit of pleasure."

"Interesting!" Lilith chirped. "Fuck no!"

"Awww c'mon, you can't deny it makes sense! All three of us are about overindulging in earthly pleasures!"

"You just want to fuck the succubi!"

"Yeah! I do!"

"Well, get in line and pay them like everyone else."

"You don't pay them!"

"Because they love me, dickhead. Answer's no."

"Well, my answer is yes! Belphagor?"

Belphagor snored loudly, having fallen asleep during their argument.

"What- Belphagor. Belphagor wake the fuck up. I'm trying to help us both out here."

"Wake her up and put it to a vote if you want, my girls still aren't going to want to serve the Lord of Maggots." Lilith hissed.

"Oh, yeah, real nice coming from the girl who can look however she wants, shit on the bug guy-"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you."

Mammon cleared his throat loudly.

"You know, these are supposed to be civil meetings. Are we done with this discussion?"

"Yes." Said Lilith.

"No!" Whined Beelzebub.

"Yes." Said Lucy. "That's all that was scheduled on the agenda, would anyone like to discuss anything not-"

"Ooh, ooh, me!" Mammon said, waving his hand in the air. "Pick me!"

"Mammon, speak."

"Now, as my friend Beelzebub has so astutely pointed out-"

"Not your friend." Beelzebub buzzed.

"- the Hells are in need of some restructuring. Some consolidation."

"Oh for fuck's sake, you see what you've done? We're not having this fucking discussion again-" Lilith seethed, her talons scratching deep grooves into the table as she gripped it, furious.

"I would like to posit that there is only one sin: Greed, and all circles should be placed under my rule."

"NO!!! NO THEY FUCKING SHOULDN'T I'LL WRING YOUR STUPID PENCIL NECK-"

"Easy there, Lord of Sex Greed."

"This is ridiculous!" Beelzebub buzzed furiously, his loud droning filling the room.

"It was your idea, Food Greed!" Mammon said, shrugging. "You and her and Sleep Greed are all the same, because you're aaaaallllllllllllllllll Greed, baby."

"Sleep greed is a stretch and you know it."

"Why are you mad? I'm agreeing with you! We should take your good idea further! Bring in Violence Greed, Attention Greed, Greed For Other People's Shit-"

"I have so little compared to you fuckers, and you want to take it from me?" Whined Leviathan.

"I, for one, am good with my circle remaining how it is." Said Abbadon, smiling smugly.

"Oh, sure you are, Mr. Perfect, the mortals throw parades for your sin."

Abbadon's smile faltered, a tiny bit.

"Actually, Lilith gets those." He mumbled.

"Of course she does, Lucy plays favorites." Leviathan whined, and then withered under Lucy's glare.

"I don't pick what the sins are, nor where sinners are sent, nor how many circles there are. You want to reorganize, take it up with God. Leviathan." She snapped, and he whimpered pathetically. "Whine all you want, but if you question my leadership again there will be dire consequences. Mammon, Beelzebub, you have your own circles, stop being dickheads. Belphagor-"

She cupped her hands around her mouth.

"WAKE THE FUCK UP! I MAKE YOU COME TO ONE MEETING A DECADE! PAY ATTENTION!"

Belphagor woke with a start, and Abbadon snickered.

"Couldn't have said it better myself, boss-"

"Abbadon, quit being such a kissass."

Lucy closed her eyes and rubbed her hands down her face, groaning.

"If that's all, meeting adjourned. Get the fuck out of my office."

"Why don't Satan and Lilith get yelled at?" Whined Leviathan.

"Because they're my favorites."

"I WOULD LIKE TO BE INCLUDED IN THE YELLING!" Yelled Satan.

"FINE."

"YIPPIE!!!"

[cocktailjjrs]

Okay, so i thought long and hard about this, and i just thought that, this season can't end on a cliffhanger right?

Episode 10 ended halfway through ch 110; so if we think that the remaining .5 chapter takes a minute or two, so excluding op and ed we have 18-19 mins of anime only episode.

But then there isn't anything else remaining in this whole arc that they can leave the 11th episode on a cliffhanger and pick up in season 6 and have enough storyline to last that whole season (or even half). This whole decay of angels things is stretched thin as is, any more and it won't make any sense.

(I'm conveniently going to ignore the fact that the new episode is titled 'Twilight Goodbye'; theories aside, that shit sound terribly depressing. My soukoku heart cant take the possibility of it really being a goodbye...)

I also know that the whole mess getting magically cleared in one episode seems like a pipe-dream (unless the episode is 40-45 mins long); but spilling over next season to wrap this up in another two episodes seems weird anime pacing.

So i can only think that someone missing from the story till now is going to come in at this last moment to set things straight.

The only people still unaccounted for in all this mess are:

Yosano

Kyoka

Mori

Koyo

Verlaine (does he count if he isn't yet introduced in anime or main story?)

Katai

Naomi

Natsume sensei

Kajii (?)

the whole of Guild

I have a feeling that since Yosano was no where near the airport, or even in Anne's room, means she is away from this whole scene and possibly ready to jump in to save Dazai (i really hope) because the ADA members don't exactly need her there at this moment they can survive off the machines a bit longer, but Dazai needs to be saved.

Then we need someone to overpower Fukuchi if we are thinking of taking one order back from him...

Also, someone to outsmart Fyodor now...

All of ADA is down... So in a situation like this, i think the PM top brass (Mori, Koyo and Verlaine) coming through in the clutch would make more sense. The DOA marked them off in their first move, severely underestimated them...

Mori for all his vices is a very cunning man, he has an ability to be cool and calculating, and arrive at an the optimal solution without letting emotions interrupt his decision making. He is a war veteran, he knows how a war is fought and won and he is ready to take any means necessary, however ugly, to reach his end goal. With a bit of intel about the battle field, he can turn the tides in their favour. He already knew about Tachihara, so i don't think he will just sit back after knowing what dangers are just round the corner. He would have started planning then only, if not earlier.

I don't know how can one win over Fukuchi at this point, till the time he has that damn sword, he seems invincible (plot armour and all that crap included), but i think Natsume sensei will have seen him in his cat form, so i really hope he will have a plan to deal with that too...

We also don't know where the big hitters from guild are, Fitzgerald himself is a whole package and he even has eyes of god; something that was used against Fyodor before this... sooooo.....

OR the vampirism get's lifted and this time Shin soukoku finally beat the crap out of Fukuchi, i would love to see that...

Is there anything else that can happen?

[morpeko]

discussion of the 5th anniversary leaks under the cut

on the one hand i think it's absolutely insane to make Theresa playable, like it's not something that ever even crossed my mind as an actual option and i cannot believe it's happening before playable Talulah, on the other hand as someone who has adored Theresa since she first appeared in story in CN and who is still in disbelief that we've gotten so much more story content of her im kinda like. ready to explode from excitement abt this!!!!!!

it does seem like it won't really be Theresa anyway, since we know that the Theresa who is with Theresis isn't fully the original Theresa, like the grabbed her soul out of the Sarkaz collective consciousness the best they could but if her playable version is rly called Civlight Eterna it seems she'll be more the manifestation of the past king of Sarkaz collectively just choosing to look like the last host. which i think has incredibly interesting lore implications and could actually be quite fun

also with Chapter 15 having this big limited banner and being the 5th anniversary event it looks like this might be wrapping up the Victoria arc! so that's pretty exciting, for everyone who has both enjoyed it and not. I'll be curious to see where the main story goes next, if they continue it past this.

and Amiya's new class design looks soooooo good it's so pretty, idk if we know what class she's gonna be? either way im excited for all that too, and playable Logos. overall i think my personal excitement is outweighing any reservations i have altogether and i honestly do trust HG to do this story and characters justice ultimately. if chapter 15 is even half as good as chapter 8 things will be fine

[ladala99]

More Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermilion Rambling

Extreme spoilers edition - I'm about 7/8 of the way through the game, I think. Maybe a little less. My characters are level 36 and my completed file has them at like, 43.

After a big Detective Pikachu->Mewtwo Raid->preparing 3DS Pokemon games Pokemon for transfer (which I'm still in the middle of) break, I'm back to playing A Tear of Vermilion, at least during the weekdays.

At first I had a harder time getting into it, but then I actually got to the next story beat: the confirmation that Mile is alive.

I didn't actually remember this part - the part at the starting village. With Mile's possessed body being used by the main villain to cause problems in the village and corrupt the nature spirit.

Already, I am a sucker for games that take you back to the starting village, but something is wrong. Neopets: The Darkest Faerie in particular hit me hard since I played in the starting village as a kid and didn't beat the game until I was in college.

In this game it didn't hit me as hard, but it still hit. The darker music in the familiar town. The peaceful villagers being possessed by the villains and being used against Avin. And Mile in particular. The childhood friend. The healer in all aspects. Being used as a weapon against his best friend.

And now, past that, I've reached a plot point where Avin and co. are trying to find an explosive crystal and I'm like "why do I remember this of all things?" Although, by Michel's reaction to them, I wonder if what I remember is from Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch, as I've played that game twice. I do recognize Michel's full name and I know he's from that game, but I think he has green hair in that game while it's brown in this one? Unless I'm mixing him up with someone else.

Seems there is one nature spirit left to save, and then we'll be able to enter the final area. Writer guy says he's wrapping up his series, and I got the final book in the Swordsmaster series, so the game seems to be coming to a close.

It is interesting how the story changes to be much more videogame-y after the first half. In the first half, you're traveling the land with two goals: deliver a thing to one place, and then another, and find Eimelle, wherever she happens to be. Everything else that happens is incidental, and Avin and co. get involved because they're good people who want to help. This ends up making them friends who help Avin in his goals.

The second half, you go to a shrine and find out you need to backtrack across the land and go to 5 other shrines. Each shrine has a boss you must defeat to receive a token. Get all the tokens to unlock the final area.

And of course, getting back into the series, I get obsessed a bit and decided to think about/chart out my course through the Trails series to follow. Nevermind that I still have two more Gagharv games I want to beat before then, and nevermind that I have a ton of other games I'll be mixing in, meaning it will be literal years before I get to my first new game.

Perhaps my biggest problem - the fact that I own Trails in the Sky First Chapter and don't have any way to get the others - will be solved by then. Maybe they'll actually release that trilogy for Switch (or Switch 2 or whatever).

Or maybe not. And I'll have to make the decision then whether I want to watch a playthrough of the other two games to see their stories before moving on or accept the uncommon situation of having the information of the first game and not the others going into the second arc.

I should probably watch the videos. Since I think I'd be more confused knowing some but not all than I would knowing nothing going into the second arc. But I'm not going to not play the game I bought.

But this is also Not Something I Should Be Worrying About Right Now. Because, again, it'll be years before I reach the point where I'm starting the Trails series.

[smurphyse]

No Turning Back | S.R.

Smurph's Masterlist | Series Masterlist

Chapter 1 of Operation: Sand Leopard

Warnings: Mentions of prison arc, anxiety, past traumas

Summary: Spencer heads off to Iraq, Reader meets the new guy

"Spencer, you don't have to do this," JJ pleaded with him as they walked toward the airstrip. "Please, don't do this."

"He'll be fine, JJ," Luke told her, though he didn't seem too sure, much to Spencer's chagrin. 

They made their way through a hangar at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, a military installation in east DC at midnight. Spencer finished his last meeting with Defense Intelligence and now he was on his way to Iraq. 

"The place is called Mortaritaville, Luke! He's barely out of prison and-," she insisted, but Spencer pulled himself to a stop and held out his hand. 

"I'm right here, you know? And I'm three years out of prison. It's been a long time since I was at Millburn."

"But-, but… Mortaritaville, Spencer! The place is a death trap and you're not a Ranger like Luke. You don't know what it's like in a place like that," JJ said, her big blue eyes watering with tears. 

Spencer softened a bit. He was still the only one who knew what she lost in Afghanistan because of Tivon Askari. She was just worried about him, as she always was, one of the few big sisters the BAU had given him. 

But he wasn't in the BAU anymore. He'd left for teaching over the last year, and he was growing antsy. He'd asked Luke for any ideas, and he had some contacts with the DoD and Homeland Security, so Spencer signed up for an assignment. 

"JJ, I spent two tours at Camp Anaconda," Luke grumbled, flashing her a stern look. "I know what it's like, and I know Reid can handle it."

"Again, I'm right here."

Luke set a firm hand on Spencer's shoulder and squeezed tightly, and it eased some of the anxiety that had been coursing through him. He knew JJ was right, he had no idea what he was walking into over in Iraq. 

But he had to go. He needed to do something besides sit in his apartment and wallow in his pain, needed to do something besides stand over dead kids and think like their killers. 

"Agent L/N is the best I've worked with. I met her while I was serving in Afghanistan, and she'll make sure you get what you need," Luke told him softly with that reassuring lopsided smile of his. "You're doing psyops, which is basically what you've been doing here for fifteen years. You can handle yourself, especially after Millburn."

"Just promise you'll come back," JJ begged, and she wrapped her arms around his waist and clutched him tightly. "All of you, okay? Don't leave pieces of yourself behind."

Spencer hugged her back and kissed the top of her head, his chest pounding once more with fear at what might happen during the next few months in the desert. 

"I promise."

After a few more minutes of tearful goodbyes Luke had to peel JJ from him and hold her back as Spencer stepped away. He'd said his goodbyes to the rest of the team last night, and to his mother a few days before, even though she didn't really seem to notice his presence anyway. 

He was ready. 

Spencer gave them one last wave and as confident a smile as he could muster, adjusted his pack on his shoulder and made his way toward the plane. 

He didn't look back as he walked with his head held high to the Antonov An-178 transport plane. It loomed ominously above him, its shadow bathing him in cool darkness as the lamplight was blocked out by its impressive bulk. 

It was a new plane, replacing some of the older aging models of transport planes in and out of Iraq and Afghanistan. With its traditional T-shaped body and Air Force gray paint, it held a military confidence that Spencer himself had never been able to present. 

Captain Mercer waited for him at the top of the ramp, standing tall and at attention as he looked down on Spencer. Though he was half a foot shorter, the man somehow seemed to be larger than life, always glowering down at this invading civilian each time they met. 

Spencer spent the last two months preparing for his deployment to Iraq. From intelligence briefings to physical training, he'd been molded into shape by Luke and other enlisted officers of the United States Army and Homeland Security. 

His mission was to support the intelligence team stationed at Camp Anaconda in gathering information through his profiling and interviewing skills. He hadn't been told the full weight of his mission, just that he was "supporting" an agent and her team of Army Rangers. 

Luke had told him of Agent L/N, that she was a former Marine and Master Gunnery Sergeant who only left the Corps after a near-deadly sniper attack two years before. Luke talked about her like she was made of gold, a hardass strategist and warrior that he would never be on the same level as. 

As much as prison had changed Spencer, he was still brains and very little brawn. He'd bulked up after his stint in Millburn, after everything with Scratch, his confidence grown and his spine stronger, but he was still a bit broken. He still had miles to go. 

"Ready?" Mercer asked gruffly, and Spencer nodded as he walked past him and to his seat. "No cryin' on my plane, boy."

"Yeah, I got it," Spencer said in annoyance, flashing him a glare before plopping down in the bucket chair. 

He closed his eyes tightly as the plane started up, the grumbling and roaring of the engine jolting him in his spot. He'd been on these planes before, but never as long a flight as it would be to Iraq. 

Thirteen hours from now he'd be outside of Balad. 

Holding his pack on his lap, Spencer clutched it as the plane ascended into the sky, hoping beyond hope that he wasn't making the biggest mistake of his life. 

There was no turning back now. 

---------------

You groaned as you rubbed your eyes roughly with your fingers. When you opened them, your shitty little office blurred at the edges as the sun filtered in harshly through the window.

Your office was in a glorified trailer smack dab in the middle of Balad Air Base, with aluminum-lined walls and hotter than hell every time the sun rose over the desert wasteland. 

Sweat pouring down your face was a regular look for you, as it was for every other miserable bastard on the base affectionately known as Bombaconda and Mortaritaville.

Named as such for the constant mortar and fire bomb attacks just outside of the safety zone, this was a desolate and miserable place to be. The noise never stopped, the sky was never quite dark with all of the explosions and gunfire, and you hardly slept anymore. 

Sitting in a steel chair in your green tee, cargo pants and Danner boots from your time in the Corps, you were already sweating profusely. Your underarms stank after the long day spent pouring over records and files. It was almost six pm, eleven am DC time. You could be at home right now. 

Once upon a time you and Teddy would have been curled up on the couch after dinner, watching shitty movies and talking idly in the fading light. 

You hated thinking about him. 

A knock at the door made you groan again, and you leaned back in your chair as you called, “Go away!”

The door opened anyway, and you were confronted with Captain Garrett’s smirking face as your vision blinked back into focus. 

He was the leader of your regiment of Rangers. Three Rangers reported to Captain Raymond Garrett- Sergeant Major Alessandro Morello, First Sergeant Chuck Barretti, and the baby Staff Sergeant Shaina Corbin- and they all reported to you. 

Over the last year they’d become your little family, the only one you’d really had. It took a bit for them to warm up to you, but after a month or so in Bombaconda you’d earned their trust and their respect. 

“What do you want?” you glowered, but it was in good nature, and Garrett could tell. His salt and pepper high-top gleamed in the evening sun and he tapped the aluminum frame.

“Captain Mercer’s back from DC,” he chuckled, and it only made your brows pinch together further. “He brought you a little present.”

You rolled your eyes and crossed your arms over your chest, “The OGA?”

“Yup,” Garrett said, popping the p at the end like a jackass just to annoy you. “Other Government Agency, just for you. Special delivery.”

“Lucky me.”

You followed Garrett out of the tin can, your boots clunking heavily on the metal stairs and shit linoleum flooring. The sun beat down on your shoulders immediately, as though it were attracted to your skin and ready to blister. It was a hundred degrees on a cool day in this place, and today the temperature had soared to one ten, threatening to melt your sheet metal office into a puddle of silver and off-white goop.

Captain Mercer stood with his arms crossed as he waited for you by the Green Bean, a civilian run coffee shop on base. Dressed in his Army tans, he side-eyed the floppy haired man next to him.

The man was already drenched in sweat, sticking out like a sore thumb in a purple button up, loose tie and slacks. He had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a gunny pack slung over his shoulder as he looked worriedly at the tents and gawking eyes. Air Force flyboys and Army grunts alike watched him with barely restrained smirks, and you couldn’t help but feel a little bad for him.

As a Marine on an Air Force and Army populated base, and as a newly badged female Homeland agent, you’d been the focus of such gawking when you first came to Bombaconda. At least you had military training, everything you’d heard from Luke told you this guy was a class-A nerd.

“Well, Agent L/N, don’t you look pretty today,” Mercer hollered as you approached with Garrett following behind. He liked to follow rank no matter what, and he was polite to boot, so he always stayed exactly three steps behind you and just in your peripheral vision so you knew he was there.

“Those sweat stains really bring out your eyes,” he finished as you came up. You sighed and shot Garrett a look, who just shrugged.

“This the genius DoD sent us?” you asked, waving a hand at him.

The man set his jaw and glared at you, adjusting his pack on his shoulder. He cocked his head and raised his brows, “The genius has a name.”

Your eyes lit up at the spark of fire in his. You set your hands on your hips, careful not to bump your gun in its holster, “Let’s hear it, then.”

“Dr. Spencer Reid, behavioral analyst,” he said sharply, holding your gaze, “but you already knew that.”

You nodded and made a face, “Alvez speaks highly of you, but here’s the thing; I don’t have time to babysit a feeb looking to get his kicks in the desert.”

“If you think I’m here for fun after talking to Alvez, then you weren’t listening.”

“Hmm,” you hummed, watching him with a small smile. You glanced over at Garrett, and he nodded his approval, so you thrust your thumb over your shoulder, “I'm Agent Y/N L/N, this is Captain Raymond Garrett. C’mon, Doc, follow me.”

You heard Spencer's dress shoes shuffling behind you as you turned on your heel and headed back toward your trailer, leaving Mercer behind. Garrett stayed three steps behind you while Spencer hustled to keep up. 

They followed you into the trailer, and you smiled when you heard Spencer gasp at the dense heat inside the unairconditioned box. The trailer had two rooms, an entranceway that served as a command center and your actual office. The command center had a few cork boards and whiteboards stuffed full of information and photographs of targets, as well as a small fold out table and some matching chairs.

You pointed to the chair and sat down at one yourself while Garrett stood at attention near the door, always loyal and keeping a sharp eye on you for protection you didn’t really need. You appreciated the team’s devotion to you, especially Garrett’s, as his trust had been the hardest to earn.

Spencer sat slowly in the seat and clutched his pack tightly to his chest. When he settled, he locked eyes with you, sizing you up as you did the same to him. 

He was soft, and you could tell, but a little broken. His gentle eyes were backed by a steel that only came from trauma, hard-earned anguish and pain. You knew that look too well, as it stared back at you every time you looked in the mirror. He was nervous and unsure, but he still held himself tall to stave off anyone knowing, but around here people could tell. 

There was no hiding fear in a place like this.

Spencer’s long fingers were calloused, and you wondered how they came about. Was he a violin player? A secret woodworker? Maybe he liked to play baseball on the weekends, but none of those seemed likely. Luke’s cautious but emphatic bragging of his friend only confirmed that he didn’t partake in any of these, that he was a bookworm in the middle of a warzone.

“This is the command center,” you explained, your gaze never leaving his, and his never leaving yours. You waved your hand back at the various boards, “All highly classified information is kept secure in my office, but this is the less classified shit back here.”

“Okay,” he said firmly. 

“This is probably the highest clearance you’ve ever had in your career, and this deployment is as classified as it gets,” you told him, and he nodded. “Nobody will ever know what we did here, because nobody needs to know. You get me?”

For the first time his gaze flicked away from you to the board behind you. Spencer’s brows furrowed and his not-quite hazels came back to you. 

“What do you mean?”

You sighed and leaned forward on your elbows, and the table creaked beneath you. You cocked your head at Spencer as your gaze bored into his, “This is a highly trained, highly skilled Alpha Unit. You know what that is?”

Spencer grimaced at you, “An A-Team.”

“Smart boy,” you gasped in faux marvel, making him roll his eyes. “This is the kind of work we do every day. We do some nasty shit and we save lives, and we do it under a shadow. Nobody is ever going to know the work you do, nor will you receive commendations for it.”

“I’m not here for a medal,” he growled, and your lips twitched into a smile. “I’m here to work, Agent.”

“Then, work is what you’ll do, Doctor,” you snarked right back. 

“And what work is that?” 

“Some of this, some of that,” you mused nonchalantly, and he rolled his eyes again. You leaned on one fist and smiled at him, “We do what the mission requires of us. Today, it’s going over intel, tomorrow it might be something else.”

“What am I here for, then?” he asked, and your brows furrowed.

“I’ve been asking the same question. DoD didn’t give me a choice when they said you were coming on, just told me to make sure the FBI’s golden boy came back alive.”

Spencer leaned back and frowned. You could see the gears in his brain turning, his eyes glaring at the shitty metal table as he thought. He swallowed thickly and met your gaze once more.

“I don’t really care if I come back alive,” he said softly, but it held such an unwavering conviction that a shiver rocked through you.

You cleared your throat to hide some of the uneasiness that washed over you, and you stood from the table. Spencer stood with you, and when you stuck out your hand he watched it for a moment before grasping tightly.

You shook his hand firmly, and he did the same, and in that act alone Spencer Reid earned some respect from you. No limp-wristing it because you were a woman, and as a man he’d never know how much that little act of respect meant in a place like this. 

“Well, Dr. Reid,” you said, giving him his title as his rank. Here, rank and titles meant everything, and disrespecting someone by not calling them by that was a good call to get your ass beat. You’d disrespected him enough for one day, and you decided you would give him this. “You’ll fit in just fine around here with an attitude like that.”

“Hooah,” Garrett cheered halfheartedly from his spot near the door. 

“I don’t… I don’t get it,” Spencer said cautiously, and he realized he was still holding your hand. He stuffed it in his pocket and watched you and Garrett with obvious nerves.

You grinned and pointed at the board, full of pictures of bodies and terrorists alike. It was full of gore and pain, generational agony and cultural war that seemingly would never end. Spencer’s eyes washed over the board and he nodded.

“Welcome to Operation Sand Leopard,” you said. “Shit end of the shit stick, dirtiest work there is out here.”

“We’re more likely to die here than go home,” Spencer agreed, and you nodded and clapped him on the back.

“Geez, you’re earnin’ that genius status already.”

Spencer huffed a laugh, then sighed.

“Let’s get started, then.”

Series Masterlist | Next Chapter

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Notes: How do you think Spencer will fare in Iraq? Who do you think Teddy is? o.O Tell me what you think!

CM Forever Tag:

@thedancingcostumeyoungadult @muffin-cup @simplyparker @spencerreidsmommy @hotchandspencearedilfs @gspenc @kbakery @nomajdetective @givemeth @hoshihiime @halloween-is-my-nationality @reidselle @thisiscalmanditsdoctorreid @dreatine @thebloomingeagle @fortheloveofwonderland @theforgottenwinter @parkerreidnorth @reidselle @randomhoex @scargarcia-magshotchner @stitchwrites @pygmygoat-bicyclehelmet @cle13 @aysixdy @elhotchner @directioner5life @elhotchner @loveeee2134

[harbingerofsoup]

The Beginning of the Overarching Plot and Conflict

In a sense, the Harvest Festival feels like the end of an era in the story. Major story beats are resolved, new conflicts and plot points are presented, and there’s a shift in focus. I’d say the most important question in this first part of the series is whether Iruma wants to stay in the underworld, so with that finally answered, the story must evolve to continue. While Iruma is still the focus, other character like the Misfits and some teachers start gaining more independence, having their own storylines. There’s also a slight tonal shift as the plot gearing up mandates a bit more seriousness and creates a sense of urgency. Since I’ve already covered those aspects in previous sections, I now want to take the time to cover some new conflicts and plot points.

The Demon King prophecy already sets up Iruma to be the next demon king, so it’s not as if this is new information, but there is a key difference. A prophecy is something magical and beyond interference, making it seem like Iruma was coincidentally stumbling into its criteria, but this is an event created by a specific person, likely Delkira himself or someone operating on his orders, and we know that Sullivan served him directly.

The purpose is purportedly to find the “least demon-like demon,” but the criteria to find the legendary leaf seems less concerned about that and more concerned with finding a human. All the necessary traits are natural to Iruma as a human, and the final form of the legendary leaf is a cherry tree. It’s as if the person who created the festival wanted to bring humanity into the underworld. Sullivan is a very good grandfather, and I would never diminish that, but he’s definitely hiding things, including his real reason for bringing Iruma into the underworld. When Iruma tries to question the cherry blossoms, Sullivan cuts him off, establishing that line of questioning as off-limits, but also showing that it, and his role in everything, will become relevant later. He’s an increasingly suspicious figure and I genuinely don’t believe that Iruma fitting the prophecy is a coincidence considering both Sullivan’s connection to Delkira, and his own ability to meddle in the demon world.

Delkira’s involvement is proven by his appearance once the legendary leaf blooms, surrounding Iruma almost as if capturing him, perhaps representing Iruma now being in destiny’s clutches. There are a couple ways the line “So, it’s you?” can be interpreted. It could simply be in regard to the one who grew the legendary leaf, but I’m less inclined to believe that considering multiple people were involved in that while Delkira only appeared to Iruma. The other option, and the one I’m in favor of, is that Iruma’s been chosen, and whatever part of Delkira that was released recognized that. Delkira doesn’t show up that often, but he seems to have strong feelings on what the underworld should look like, so there’s a good chance that he purposefully disappeared as part of some greater plot. A plot that now includes Iruma.

Wrapping up this arc, the demons shaping up to be the main antagonists of the series return in a truly bone-chilling fashion. Iruma’s declaration was a powerful moment, but right at the end, those same words take on a sinister meaning, now haunting every subsequent chapter until the other shoe drops. The one thing that Iruma can’t let anyone know without compromising his safety is now in the hands of the enemy. An enemy who isn’t opposed to killing and eating him. Whatever they’re cooking up, it’s clear that this secret is part of their plans and it’s only a matter of time before Iruma gets exposed. However, Iruma’s words “because I’m human” spark the next big theme of the series. I consider everything from the first chapter to the end of the Harvest Festival as sort of part one in terms of story development and themes. Up to this point it’s all about Iruma discovering what he wants, after this he knows, so the focus changes. The next part is concerned with secrets, things not said or seen, and it all centers around the core lie of Iruma’s identity.

<prev | next>

[umbran6]

The Argument Against Caleo

Spoilers up to Blood of Olympus and beyond. Beware! (Or not, the book series has been out for a few years, get over it). I wrote this after seeing a user wondering why people didn’t like Caleo, or in some cases, hated it. Here, I want to explain the answer as much as possible while doling out my own points. 

One of the main grievances I have as a fan of Leo Valdez would be the ship Caleo, or Leo x Calypso. It’s a complicated ship, to say the least, with multiple issues that make me question why people like the ship. And I admit it, they initially had some chemistry, but there’s multiple issues that Uncle Rick produced through making such a relationship that makes it extremely open to criticism, criticism which I will explain through this post.

One of my main points against them is that the ship was created on a very limited time scale. Although we aren’t given an exact date to date of when Leo and Calypso met to when they fell in love, we can safely estimate it to be a week at best. Such a limited amount of time from going through the multiple stages of a relationship already stresses the limits of the suspension of disbelief.

A counterexample would be Percabeth, or Percy x Annabeth. Throughout the series, we aren’t introduced to them being romantically involved until the Titan’s Curse, which was two years after they met. Specifically, this is brought up by Aphrodite, the goddess of love herself. Admittedly, Percy and Annabeth were twelve years old when they first met, when romance was definitely out of the picture, especially with a quest to get the Master Bolt.

However, from there we get to see multiple examples of their character depth, ranging from their respective fatal flaws to their ambitions, hopes and dreams, and their friendship. We get to see the slow build up of their chemistry, which was a really good writing move on Uncle Rick’s part. These characters took their sweet time to get to where they wanted to go, and despite the false romantic lead of Rachel, they still got together.

On the other hand, we don’t see enough of this between Leo and Calypso — we only see one book where they interacted with each other in The House of Hades, and that was only for a handful of chapters. While they are definitely older so they can jump straight to romance (some may say too old, but I’ll get to that) its still a pretty huge gap to jump through without making it stick. This makes it hard to root for a ship when it is built on a rather faulty foundation from the ‘they just met’ to ‘they get together’, especially when they don’t have a lot of events to show their chemistry.

Which brings me to Ogygia, which has raised a few red flags for me when looking at it from a retrospective point of view. Now, we know what the main issue of the island is that the hero who landed on said island can’t leave until Calypso falls in love with them. And we’ve seen this with Percy during the Battle of the Labyrinth, where he lands in the island and Calypso falls in love with him while tending to his wounds from, you know, being erupted from freaking Mt. St. Helens. Needless to say, this falling in love with each other montage happened quickly to the point of suspicion, which sets up the complication that Calypso and Leo might have fallen in love due to magical intervention.

And hear me out, because although this  might be a pretty big pill to swallow, we have evidence for this through Percy. It only takes one chapter for Calypso and Percy to meet, and the next he’s willing to consider leaving Camp Half-Blood and Annabeth behind to live on the island when Hephaestus gives him the choice to leave Ogygia or stay. We don’t even get an explanation on why Percy considered giving it all up just so he can be with her. All we know is, girl meets boy, now they want to live on an isolated island forever. It’s especially absurd considering Percy’s hamartia (fatal flaw) is freaking loyalty to those he loves.  Needless to say, It’s a huge YIKES, especially when we apply it to Leo and Calypso. 

It also raises the possibility that the romantic relationship between them is doomed to failure. And if you guys want to fight me on this, let’s look at Jason and Piper, a couple whose relationship started with a similar foundation. Piper had romantic memories implanted into her brain by Hera through the use of the Mist, while Jason was reduced to a Tabula Rasa (a blank slate for those who lack culture) by said goddess. They broke up before the Trials of Apollo because it was clear that when the dust settled, Piper had been aware that their romance was a lie and that their intentions to stay together was a mix of delusion and pressure from freaking Aphrodite. Leo and Calypso get together under what is arguably a very similar set of conditions if Ogygia’s magic had any influence on their relationship, and that this magic could wear off if given enough time. 

Third, and here’s a pretty big one for me, would be Calypso’s character, mainly because there are a lot of unfortunate implications attached to it. In The Blood of Olympus, she was turned into the divine equivalent of Princess Peach, with Leo being her Mario (except he saves her with a badass metal dragon). Its extremely unnecessary to make a character, especially as one such as Calypso, get  turned into the typical reward of a B-Class action movie. It’s insulting and puts her up as a trophy, a narrative that is definitely not ok by any means necessary.

In another direction, Calypso is also really, really worrying when things don’t go get her way. First, let’s look at The Odyssey, the first myth she pops up. Calypso had imprisoned Odysseus for ten years on her island until Hermes said to let him go, and although it gives them plenty of time to fall in love, it also raises the implications of stockholm syndrome. Then we’ve got the fact that Calypso cursed Annabeth out of spite, implicitly saying that she wished the daughter of Athena would suffer the same isolation that she did, which came to reality when Percy and Annabeth met the Arai in Tartarus. And Annabeth wasn’t even aware that she was still in Ogygia, much less intentionally intervened in the matter. When Percy left Ogygia, rather than be angry at Percy, Calypso cursed Annabeth out of all people to suffer the same loneliness and misery she went through. That’s some Hera at her worst levels of spite. 

Through such evidence we can see that Calypso is extremely wrathful towards those who break her heart even though they don’t want to. It certainly implies that Calypso isn’t in a good state of mind, and could easily repeat said actions if provoked. We could almost compare it to Medea and the original Jason, but at least in that case, Medea has every right to be pissed off at Jason and take her revenge. Calypso’s curse and how she handles things certainly implies a level of immaturity that would end in disaster if they broke up.

One issue that, I’ll admit is more from my personal point of view is that the ship took a lot of Leo’s character and threw it in the garbage in Blood of Olympus. Though we see him do a lot of stuff behind the scenes, the fact that its all for the goal of reaching Calypso just reduced him to someone who is more focused on love than, you know, fighting the evil goddess that was responsible for killing his mom and getting sweet sweet revenge. While the revenge plot can be cliched sometimes, it can be played well, while romance and the typical ‘always save the girl’ trope is just overdone. If Leo had been allowed to, you know, be more focused on other things rather than Calypso, we could have seen a lot more variety in his character.

For example as one of the possible character arcs he could’ve gone through, Leo has always been alone among the couples, often being isolated. Heck, Nemesis herself stated that he would always be the seventh wheel, and that he would never find a place among his brethren. Though some fellow tumblr users have taken this in multiple ways, either saying that he should learn to be happy by himself or that he is socially isolated in the Argo II because of these romantic relationships (I prefer a mix of both). Uncle Rick just giving him a girlfriend seems like taking the easy way out of solving such an issue and abandoning what could’ve been a rather interesting character arc. The relationship isn’t a bad thing if we remove some of the unfortunate implications, but it is a bad way to end what is a complex and realistic problem for a character and in some cases maybe possible in real life.

One more minor but still yikes worthy point is that there’s a huge age gap between them. We’re not talking about the ‘Hazel is 15 and Frank is 17 and in one year that’ll be a problem because then Hazel will be jailbait’ age gap. And even then, we can argue that Hazel is older since she is chronologically ninety-one years old. No, Calypso is older by millennia in terms of mindset and body due to the perks of being a goddess, while Leo is sixteen.

God-to-Mortal relationships are already complicated, even with emotionally and socially well-functioning adults. The fact that Leo is underage, inexperienced with romance (despite his flirting, Calypso was his first kiss), and has been through a freaking ton of trauma in his youth, does not make this okay. At best, they’re both mutually interested in each other but may have different expectations when it comes to a relationship. At worst, Calypso is taking advantage of a boy just so she can get out of Ogygia and possibly dumping him later on like the wrapping of a candy bar. Even though Calypso lost her immortality during The Trials of Apollo, that doesn’t even compensate for the immense age gap alongside Leo’s guilt at the possibility that he might’ve been responsible for her losing said immortality.

Oh, and about Leo... I’m a fan of him, but I can admit that he is in a bad spot both mentally and emotionally throughout the series. He’s lost his mom due to a mix of his own powers and Gaea’s trickery, and never had the chance to fully process that event and come to terms with it. The foster home system alongside his own trauma has forced him to hide his emotions through a façade of happiness and jokes when it’s quite clear to me he needs a therapist, stat. He's also run away from several foster homes, implying this means he was and still is being affected by the event. His mask is still on during The Blood of Olympus considering he hid a lot of things from Piper and Jason.

Speaking about them, not helping this matter is the fact that he’s rather isolated in terms of friendships since Jason and Piper, his supposed best friends are more interested in locking lip rather than, you know, actually hanging out with each other.  He doesn’t have good friendships with the rest of the Seven, and the closest ones he does have is with Hazel and Frank. And even then they start off in the wrong spot since Frank is very insecure about possibly losing Hazel to him during Mark of Athena while Hazel in the meantime, is also dealing with the fact that he is the descendant of her possible boyfriend Sammy Valdez. 

This could indirectly have made him desperate for affection since he has nobody else to confide in during the rest of the series, which is a bad mental state to be in when one lands on Ogygia, the island that we’ve seen could possibly force two people to fall in love with each other. A romantic relationship is not something that he needs or something that will help him in the future. He needs more than that, and having him in one that could end in disaster is the last thing he needs. 

And that does not make him a bad person, much less a bad character. While some who are similarly emotionally and socially isolated may turn to violence or creepy behavior on those they want affection from, Leo does not do that to the other characters. It just means that he as a character needs more time to recover and develop before we go giving him romantic relationships, much less one with Calypso.

That’s not to say that they don’t have some things in common. Both are starved for love and affection, with Calypso being constantly rejected by heroes while Leo was rejected by foster homes and his own family. It’s a trait that they have in common, but it shouldn’t be the only thing that they have in common, especially since it is laced with a trauma that is clear they haven’t had help processing. They need to develop more as characters and as friends before they should be paired together.

So… yeah. The Caleo relationship is, in my eyes, doomed to failure, or at least heavily flawed after taking the above points into account. Uncle Rick, as if seemingly aware of these criticisms, has put the relationship in a rocky place by The Tower of Nero, giving them the possibility of overcoming the above criticisms and their own flaws, or giving fanfic writers an out and pairing Leo with another character or have him single, but happy. Either way, in my opinion Caleo is a bad ship when it comes to how it was created, alongside the flaws and unfortunate implications it has.

While I can see some of the chemistry the ship has, you can’t just use a couple of moments where they get along as evidence that they belong together, especially with the above reasons. That’s like using a band-aid to cover a bullet hole without removing the bullet, stopping the bleeding, and preventing infection. If both characters and their relationship had been given more time to develop, I would understand how they would get together. 

[jgvfhl]

The Number Lads Have Coffee

Okay, well, two of them have coffee. And another one has noodles. ANYWAY, this is a relaxing chapter, just filling in some gaps before the next big arc comes in. Also, thank you all for your patience while I was on vacation and also lacking motivation to write over the summer, hence the delay on this update.

Here is the Number Lads Masterlist, if you need a refresher (haha).

Words: ~4K, no warnings

As far as Trees was concerned, this was the best way to spend leave. Not constant partying, not getting absolutely smashed at 79s, not sleeping for a week straight–not any of those. He wrapped his bare hand around the warm cup in front of him, closed his eyes, and just breathed in the scents of this little oasis on Coruscant. Kaff shops always smelled like paradise to him: the bitterness pervading the air mixing with the smell of fresh pastries and steamed milk probably had a more calming effect on him than some sedatives. Ever since discovering The Steamy Bean on the first level of the Coruscant Guard barracks, he’d been a regular whenever he was on leave.

The telltale sounds of the empty chair across from him being filled made him open his eyes.

“I can’t believe I didn’t know this place was here,” Nines mused, looking around. After figuring out they would both be on leave this week, Trees had invited him. Nines had seemed the kind of person who would appreciate a break from the chaos outside.

“I think some of the Guard keep it quiet so it doesn’t get too crowded for them,” Trees replied, glancing around as well. He and Nines were the only spots of color in a sea of white and red today.

“Can’t blame ‘em. How did you find it?”

“I had a squadmate who had some friend in the Guard, I think. He showed me while we were on leave once. I guess you put in an order already?” he asked, gesturing briefly at the counter.

Nines nodded, but further conversation was paused when the astromech-turned-service droid Peet rolled up to say hello, as he often did. “Hey, Peet,” Trees offered. His greeting got a series of happy blips and beeps in reply. Trees added, “This is my friend Nines, he’s new.”

Nines raised a few fingers in a tiny wave that Peet undoubtedly did not see. “Hey there. Nice paint job, buddy.”

Peet beeped happily again before waving a little arm and rolling away to clear a table nearby.

“Here I thought you didn’t have any droid friends,” Nines remarked.

Trees rolled his eyes as he took a sip from his drink. “Yeah, well, Peet only recognizes me ‘cause I’m in here every day on leave. His optical sensors are shot.”

“Oh.”

“The owner nabbed him before anything bad happened, though. It’s why he’s here and not in a scrap heap somewhere.”

“Right.”

Trees wondered if he’d been a tad too blunt. He often was. But Nines’ name was called from the counter, so he got up to get his drink before Trees could think further. He took another drink, letting the salty-sweet caramel flavor distract him before his thoughts got ahead of him.

When Nines returned, he set down his cup, two cinnamon swirl pastries in a bag, and a wad of napkins. “They looked good to me, but I dunno what you like.”

For a few seconds, Trees just sort of blinked at him while he took one of the pastries out and bit into it. When he noticed, Nines nudged the other towards him.

“Oh,” Trees finally said, setting his drink down and pulling the bag towards him. “Yeah, thanks.” The cinnamon swirls weren’t his favorite–he preferred the chocolate ones–but the fact that Nines had thought of him was touching. And he wasn’t going to say no to offered pastries after months on rations.

“So, how’s that commando they found doing?” Trees wanted to know. “The one with the head trauma?”

Nines nodded, swallowing the mouthful of kaff he’d taken. “Yeah, Captain Gregor. He’s…” He paused, thinking. “He’s alright. I mean considering what he’s gone through, I’m impressed, but his memory is still kinda shaky.”

“So the amnesia…?”

“Still there,” he said. “He knows who he is, he remembers his training, his station. But, things like names and where things are onboard aren’t as solid. He’ll get there, though.”

“Is he staying with the Two-Twelfth?”

Nines nodded, taking another bite of his pastry. “Yeah, he’s more comfortable with us. We’ll take care of him.”

Trees nodded back. That made sense. He picked up his pastry and took a bite. Yeah, he couldn’t argue with fresh pastry. When he could, he asked, “Your commander’s happy to have him back, I imagine?”

“Oh, yeah, Cody’s over the stars,” Nines said. He added with a smile, “Not that he’d ever say it. Reputation, and all that.” After another short pause while they enjoyed their drinks, Nines asked, “And how’s um… how’s General Unduli’s pet duck doing?”

Trees smiled despite himself and shook his head. “Well, the duck is happier than a bantha in sand, but Magazine Squad has made threats of ah… fowl play if the thing has another accident in their section of the barracks.”

“Commander Gree hasn’t put it under a microscope yet?”

“Hasn’t managed it yet.”

Nines nodded, his earrings glinting as he turned his gaze out the window. “You think Fours would like this place? Poor guy needs some relaxation time.”

Trees hummed, his mouth full of kaff. “I know the feeling. I’ll message him when he’s on leave next, but…”

“Who knows when that’ll be, I know,” Nines finished. “Well, maybe we can snag Elevensies when he’s off-duty.”

“Oh, yeah, maybe.”

“Did you and the early birds do that when Sevenset was still in the Guard?” he asked.

Trees tilted his head. “Early birds?”

“The first of the Numbers. Loops, Do-si-do, you.”

Oh. He hadn’t thought about it like that, but… he was sort of a founding member, wasn’t he? That was weird. “Yeah, we usually didn’t end up in kaffés, though.”

Nines chuckled. “I’ll bet. Sevenset does not strike me as the type to appreciate the slower aspects of life, when given the choice.”

“Actually,” Trees said, setting his cup down, “he’s said he tried kaff–all the Guards do eventually–and it actually calms him down.”

Nines looked at him, his eyes narrowing in thought as he took in the information. “Fascinating,” he said at length. “Somehow that simultaneously makes no sense and all the sense in the world…”

“Right?”

"So what is he like drunk?"

Trees shook his head, a dozen memories crossing his mind. "He's something, alright. He and Do-si-do are a hazard to society."

"I can only imagine," Nines smiled.

"I recommend keeping it to the imagination."

He laughed a little. After a brief pause, he wondered aloud, "I wonder what the commander would be like if he ever got drunk?"

Trees took a second to think about it. What would the ever-stoic commander be like after a few too many to drink? “Depressing, maybe,” he mused aloud.

Nines nodded pensively. “Maybe. Maybe he’s a sad drunk.”

Trees nodded back, but didn’t get a chance to say anything because a someone approached their table, a little cautiously. He was a clone, but he had no military uniform on. Instead, he had a grey shirt and a brown apron with The Steamy Bean printed in tan letters on the chest. A nametag on the strap read Vokean.

“Um… hi,” he said, a nervous smile on his face. He raised a hand in a little wave, and Trees noticed the other arm was in a sling, pinned to his body. “I heard one of you was Nines?”

“Yeah, that’s me,” Nines answered.

“You’re Trees, you’re here all the time, right?”

He nodded.

“I’m Voke. Well–” he gestured to his nametag. “I’m–I was Elevensies’ squadmate. He talked about you guys a lot.”

Trees blinked, and Nines’ polite smile wavered. “Oh,” he said. “You’re–you were the one he was worried about, huh?”

Voke smiled a bit. “Yeah. I got lucky.” It was said with the full knowledge of those who had not been so lucky.

“Well, it’s good news,” Nines said. “Elevensies was pretty torn up about it, I can only imagine the rest of the squad was like.”

Trees was far more interested in a different question. “How did you get that lucky?”

Voke turned slightly, pointing over his shoulder. “Tini. Tiniriss, she owns this place. I’d been coming here ever since one of the sergeants showed some of us shinies. She put in a few words with some people, I guess. So I’ve got a job here, now.”

“That’s amazing, Voke,” Nines said, and Trees nodded along. “So you can still see your old squad sometimes, yeah?”

“Yep.”

That was amazing. An injury serious enough to need invasive surgery usually meant transfer or relegation to desk duty for most soldiers, and most of them hated stuff like that.

“Anyway, I just wanted to say hi, and thanks for entertaining Elevensies all the time. He loves you guys.”

That… felt good. Trees wasn’t usually a caretaker–his squad could attest to that. But it was nice to know this group of weirdos was good for something other than casual treason.

“Hey, did you make either of these?” Nines asked, gesturing with his cup at Trees’ cup.

Voke’s face brightened. “I did! Tini does the food mainly, and I’m doing most of the drinks, unless there’s a rush.”

Trees looked down at his caramel latte drink. It was really good. Always was. “Well, you made it well,” he said.

“Thanks,” the younger trooper smiled. “I’ve gotta get back to work, but it was good to put faces to names.”

“Glad to hear you’re alright,” Nines said warmly. Trees smiled back, probably failing to match the same level of warmth. He never had gotten the hang of that.

When Voke was out of hearing range, Trees set about finishing his cinnamon swirl pastry.

Nines sipped at his drink, looking out the window at the street. “Maybe we can drag the other boys here some time instead of 79s,” he mused. “It’s a lot safer, if we’re gonna have Fives, Sevenset, and Do-si-do all in the same place.”

Trees snorted. “Yeah, maybe…. They make good hot chocolate.”

-scene break-

Sixes’ stomach growled for the fifth time in as many minutes as the aromas of the spicy noodle dishes in the takeout bag Thire was carrying wafted through the filters in his helmet. The Death Wings had a couple days on Coruscant before shipping out with the 327th for a siege busting mission later in the week, and Thire had happened to have a free lunch hour today. Unfortunately, it was the same day Sixes had been up since the crack of dawn or just before to go over the spreadsheets of repairs required for the ships, so he hadn’t eaten in about seven or eight hours.

“So somehow, the kaff machine in the officer's mess had been running on dekaff for a week before anyone noticed,” Thire was saying, continuing a story he’d started upon passing the officer’s mess hall. “And the only reason we really did notice was because Fox almost shot the thing out of revenge the afternoon of the last day.”

“Sounds reasonable.”

Thire laughed out loud. “Yeah, I guess. Anyway, we finally checked the box of those little pods of kaff–you know the ones, right?” Sixes nodded. “Yeah, so we checked, and the box said they had caffeine, but when we checked the little things, no caffeine!”

“How’d that happen?”

Thire held up a finger, and Sixes had strong suspicions there was a knowing smile on his face as he opened his office door and went in. “Well, when we finally got to the bottom of the box, we found a note: ‘How long until Fox lost it? All my love, CT seven-seven seven-seven.’”

Sixes carefully schooled his expression into vague curiosity before lifting his helmet off and sitting down across from Thire at his desk. “Who?”

Thire, also without his helmet now, paused in taking out the containers of noodles from the bag. “Wait, have I not told you about Sevenset?”

“You haven’t told me.” Technically true.

His brother set his order of Sriluurian spiced noodles in front of him, then set out his own order of noodles with a side of dumplings. “Sevenset served in the Guard for almost a year and a half before the Zillo Beast happened. And I guess he made it his life’s work to make Fox as aggravated as he possibly could. It’s one of the rumors on why he got shipped back to Kamino for ARC training.” He opened a drawer and took out two pairs of chopsticks, handing one to Sixes. “I personally thought he was hilarious most of the time.”

“I’m sure you did.”

“Oh hush. Anyway, when he wasn’t being a big brother to anything that stood still long enough, he was making up all different ways to poke Fox,” he went on, taking off his vambraces and gloves, then shoving a bunch of noodles in his mouth with the chopsticks right after. “So,” he said around the food in his mouth, “when Fox saw his number signed on that note–oh man.” He swallowed and grinned. “It was so damn funny. He threw the box across the room and smacked one of his sergeants in the face.”

Sixes imagined Sevenset would be beside himself with delight knowing an old prank had finally paid off. Maybe he’d tell him next chance he got. Maybe. But he just nodded, chewing his own lunch, which was absolutely delicious, as usual. The Noodle Bar always had the best stuff. Mira always had the dishes made with a little extra spice for him and his batchmates.

“So aside from Fox nearly bursting a blood vessel,” he said, avoiding Thire’s habit of talking with his mouth full, “what have the Red Bastards been up to?”

Thire shrugged. “Not much for now. Dealing with the five-oh-first being on leave for a few weeks after Umbara was a trip, but they always are. We were all pretty happy to see those guys ship off finally.” From the vague mentions Fives and Echo dropped during meetings, Sixes would have to agree. “You heard anything from Nero?”

He had. In fact, he’d spent about four weeks with Nero’s battalion while recovering from his cybernetics surgery, but he didn’t want to tell Thire that yet. He wasn’t sure when he wanted to tell his two other batchmates, actually. But… he also wasn’t a great liar, so he had to word this carefully. 

“Yeah, I got a transmission from him about a month ago. He’s still up to his stealing ways.”

Thire smiled through a tangle of noodles hanging out of his mouth.

“Couldn’t tell me much more than that, of course.”

“Of course. I heard from the Grump Himself after the strategy conference almost blew to bits. Ranting about his general being too altruistic for his own good again.”

“Sounds like Bacara.”

Thire nodded, unable to speak after shoving an entire dumpling into his mouth at once. Unfortunately for him, that was the moment someone chose to hit the buzzer on his door. He paused for a second to tap a button on his desk that projected an image of the visitor. It was another guard with a stack of datapads in his hands. Seeing that, Thire visibly chewed faster, but Sixes could tell it would still be a while before he could speak without spraying masticated dumpling across at him.

“Come in,” he called, saving his brother the trouble.

There was a whoosh as the door slid open. The guard came over to the desk, already speaking hurriedly.

“Hi, Commander Thire! Sergeant Brigs was supposed to bring these, but he got caught up doing something for Captain Iode, so he told me to do it, sir.”

Thire had somehow managed to swallow the dumpling. He nodded, wiping his hands on a flimsi napkin, then holding his hands out for the datapads. “Thanks, kiddo. I’ll let him know you got the job done.” He pulled open another drawer and set them inside.

“Thank you, sir!”

The guard’s enthusiasm was familiar for some reason, but with the identical armor, Sixes couldn’t yet put his finger on why. But then, the guard turned to leave and visibly started up on seeing him.

“Commander!” He took his helmet off, and of course, it was Elevensies.

“Hey, kid.”

“What you doing here?” He glanced at Thire, and quickly added, “Sir.”

“Having lunch with my brother,” he answered, inclining his head to the brother in question. “When did you get that ink?”

Elevensies was now sporting the tattoos he’d once described to the group. A pair of bright red vertical lines under his left eye matched the set above his right eyebrow. The kid’s face brightened, one hand instinctively moving to touch the ones on his cheek. “Oh, about a week ago. One of the older guards has a tattoo gun, and he offers the rookies like me first dibs when he gets it out.”

Sixes nodded. “They’re not bad. How’s that squadmate I read about on the comm? He end up okay?”

Elevensies nodded, the longer curls on top of his head bouncing. “Yeah, he’s okay. He got a job at the kaffé on level one of the barracks.”

“That’s impressive.”

“Yeah, so we still get to see him every once in a while.” His satisfied smile was only interrupted by Thire clearing his throat. “Oh, sorry, sir, I’ll leave you to your lunch–I just was saying hi–”

“No, it’s fine, don’t worry about it,” Thire said, raising a pacifying hand. “One question: how in the nine hells do you two know each other?”

Elevensies looked back to Sixes, perplexed. Understandable. “Well, he’s CT eleven eleven. I’m CC sixty-six sixty-six,” he said as if it were the most obvious thing in the galaxy. “Weren’t you just telling me about a seventy-seven seventy-seven?”

“Oh, you were talking about Sevenset?” Elevensies said quietly, which made Thire’s mouth fall open slightly.

“You–you’re–he recruited you?” Thire demanded, glaring at Sixes. “You knew who he was the whole time I was telling that story and you didn’t tell me?”

“Well, you didn’t ask if I knew him. You asked if you’d told me about him. Which you hadn’t.”

Thire’s glare intensified perfectly. “You’re such a dick when you want to be.”

Sixes smiled. “Language.”

“Um… I’ve gotta go, sirs,” Elevensies said quietly, “but enjoy your lunch.”

“See you later, kid,” Sixes said, not missing Thire starting to frown slightly. “Trees and Nines are dirtside too, you should see if you could say hello.”

“Oh, cool! I will, thanks, Commander.” He put his helmet back on, saluted, and then waved on his way out.

Thire huffed, picking up his chopsticks again. “I cannot believe you Nero’d one of my rookies and I didn’t even see it happening.”

Sixes picked up his own chopsticks again. “Should’ve tried having a repeating designation, I guess.”

Thire made high-pitched mockery of his suggestion, then stuffed another dumpling in his mouth. After taking the considerable time needed to chew and swallow, he continued. “I mean, how many of you guys are there, anyway? How many did Sevenset end up tracking down?”

“All of us.”

His brother raised an eyebrow. “All of you? And how many is that?”

“Ten. Zero through Nines. Sevenset always says Fox’s spot is still open, though.”

Thire rolled his eyes. “Yeah, after the prank we discovered last week, I think Fox would sooner shoot him than join him. So who are they?"

Sixes raised an eyebrow in silent question.

His brother elaborated. "The others–who are they?"

He should have expected his curiosity. At least he was almost finished with his noodles, so he wouldn’t worry about having a lukewarm lunch because Thire wouldn’t stop asking questions. "What do you want to know?"

Thire spoke around a mouthful of noodles. "Well I know about one, six, and seven. What about the others? Who’s zero?"

"Zero's actually one of Nero's ARCs. Whisper Company."

"What?” Thire leaned forward slightly. “You're saying Nero knew about these guys and he didn't tell me?"

Sixes shrugged, containing a flinch when a nerve in his shoulder twinged. "I guess."

"Rude…. Who's number two?"

"He's called Do-si-do. He and Sevens started this whole thing, actually."

Thire's brow pinched in thought. "Wait, isn't he a pilot? The ninety-first, right?"

He nodded. "How do you know him?"

Thire smirked. "He's had a few reports against him." Figured. "Who's three?"

"Forty-first guy named Trees. Plays it by the book, good head on his shoulders."

"Oh an island of normalcy. Four?"

This would be a good one. "Fours, actually. He's a Marine."

Thire's smirk grew both in size and maliciousness. "Oh is he now? Reckon Bacara even knows who he is?"

"He doesn't."

"We could fix that. It would be funny."

He was probably right. Bacara's obliviousness was fun to play with, especially when he was the only one of the four in their batch unaware.

“Who’s number five?” Thire asked, using his chopsticks to scrape the last of his noodles into his mouth. Sixes opened his mouth to reply, but he was interrupted by Thire making a noise through his noodles and gesturing frantically with his chopsticks until he had room to speak. “Don’t tell me it’s that kriffing blue bastard from Rex’s Freaks.”

Sixes raised an eyebrow yet again, taking the time to finish his noodles as well. Finally, they were both done, and Thire leaned his elbows on his desk and stared him down.

“Do you know another clone whose designation is fifty-five fifty-five?” Sixes asked.

“Dammit! Do you have any idea how many reports there are with his designation on them?”

“I can imagine a few. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that he, Sevenset, and Do-si-do get along very well.”

The expression of dread-filled horror that spread across his brother’s face was utterly hilarious. “Maker, that’s gonna give me nightmares,” he said, closing his eyes and leaning back in his chair heavily.

He briefly told Thire about Loops and Nines after that, neither of whom Thire recognized, which wasn’t that surprising. They seemed the kind to keep to themselves, and Nines had previously expressed his dislike of “causing a scene” at 79s or other establishments. Once the list was finished, Thire frowned in thought, fiddling with his chopsticks.

“How many of the commanders do you think know about these guys? Aside from Nero and you. And me.”

Sixes shrugged, also leaning back in his chair. His shoulder twinged again, sending a bolt of pain down his spine. When would that just stop… “Not sure. I suspect Rex knows, but that’s because it seems like Fives and his batcher are his pride and joy when they’re not making him tear his hair out.”

“What about Cody? Did Rex tell him?”

He paused. “Dunno. Nines might have told him after the campaign on Umbara.” Since he’d been unconscious for several hours after his fight with Krell, he had no idea if Nines, Fives, or Rex might have explained to Cody how the two groups had been communicating properly.

Thire nodded. “I still wanna see Bacara’s reaction.”

“I support that.”

“And I’m sure Gree, Ponds, and Wolffe have no idea. They’d have mentioned it at some point on leave, considering the other members. Wolffe probably would’ve torn into Rex for spreading his chaos.”

“Yeah, probably.”

“Wonder if we could drag them all into a transmission just to see what would happen…”

Sixes made a face. “You didn’t get enough of the batch drama on Kamino?”

“That was years ago! I haven’t gotten a chance to see some good drama in ages! I’m always working,” Thire pouted.

He shook his head at his brother. Why anyone would actively seek out interpersonal drama outside of their immediate batch or family, he would never understand. But, Thire seemed to thrive on it.

“I’m not having any part in that,” he said, putting his hands up. He knew he wouldn’t be able to stop Thire from pulling this thing off, but he didn’t have to have his fingerprints all over it. “I’m sure you could get Nero’s help if you wanted, too.”

“Ooh, probably.” Thire’s eyes were bright with intention. “I’m sure he’d love baiting Wolffe.”

“He always does.”

“But,” his brother pointed at him with a chopstick, “if Nero and I do pull this together, you’ll be there, right? No ghosting us?”

Sixes rolled his eyes. “I’ll be there.”

Thire grinned. “Then you can leave everything else to us.”

“You know that’s one of the more terrifying things in this universe to imagine, right?”

“What, me and Nero trying to organize something?” Thire asked.

Sixes nodded.

“Eh, we won’t do anything too stupid.”

That answer did not fill him with confidence.

What could Thire be up to, I wonder? 👀

Also! The Steamy Bean and its inhabitants all belong to @sweetmugofcocoa and the blog for it is @/tiniriss, if you want to learn more about them all. Thanks for letting me use them! As for the Chaos Batch, I have some one-shots and things written for them as well, devised by myself and my dear friend @23-bears, so if there's any interest in seeing those, give a shout 💚

@darth-void @nintendolover13 @theultimatesandwich @mrfandomwars @rndmpeep @mercurydancer @fate-and-destiny lemme know if you'd like to be tagged in upcoming chapters

[dethkomic]

Life After Deth(komic)

As I sit here eating gummy bears for breakfast (like ya' do) it occurs to me that we're mere weeks away from the end of our little story arc. Hard to believe, but the chapter I'm working on currently will be the penultimate one. And I do want to apologize to you guys for taking significantly longer than expected to get that update to you. Life's been kinda wild, lately (new contract extended some of the work I've been doing, sick husband, subsequently sick kid... you get the idea) but I'm hoping we can wrap this one up by next weekend! After that, we'll have one more update.

...And that'll be it.

But writing this story and having you guys along for the ride has been such a joy this past year, that I'm just unable to leave the story at the point where it'll end. After all, I wrote so many fics all those years ago, and we haven't even touched on:

The fifth member of Baen-Shee, Eden Nightwish

Baen-Shee's role in the prophecy

Some big-bads lurking in the shadows who have mal intentions for our heroes and heroines

The full extent of Nita's powers and whether or not she'll ever be able to get a handle on them

That ridiculously complex Caj/Skwis/Charles backstory

The Tribunal's growing concern over all of the above

And for the love of GOD, Toki actually having a critical role in all of it

...Plus lest we forget: Todd Nirvana (Nita's dad and the best character on the show) and his borderline-inappropriate obsession with Nathan

I'd say there's still a lot of ground to cover, and since we also seem to have quite a ways to go before we get the movie/finale of the actual show, I'm up for keeping the hype-train running and penning new (well... technically old) stories for you all.

My update schedule might not be as regular, and fair warning: I might take a big break in between this and the next stuff in the series, but hey... I'm sure I'll still do the regular posting of questions you guys send me and incidental art and stuff. Please keep that coming as you come up with things. I think I might start reblogging fanart you guys have done of the girls and scenes and all that, too. Because you all just blow me away with that stuff and I love tumbling it around.

So there you have it, if you hadn't guessed already... The end is officially not the end.

Seeya soon, pals! And as always, dethkomic loves you!

[fountainpenguin]

FOP Fic News

Overview

I’ve always had table of contents docs for projects like Origin and Knots, and since I’m returning from hiatus, I recently moved them to a spreadsheet and mapped out what dates I should plan to upload chapters on and how long it will take me to finish these stories. I went through lots of docs with a critical eye and combined or cut chapters to get a better idea of how things are looking.

Posting at my current schedule of one chapter every other week, it looks like  Origin and Knots will come to an end in 2025 (if I stay on top of my buffer) and although that feels so far away, there’s a certain relief in it since my combining and cutting helped me bring that down from 2026.

That schedule doesn’t leave wiggle room for other projects like Come What May, the 130 Prompts, and work for my other fandoms that I’ve been drafting over the years. I don’t really like the idea that if I wrap up Origin and Knots in 2.5 years, I’ll still have another several years of Prompts left to go. I always knew these were big projects and working on them made the long years of school more fun, but it’s always been my intention to finish them, and I’d rather do that sooner than later. After all, I’m still sitting on pieces I wrote in 2016 about Cavatina, and 2026 isn’t as far away as it seems... The idea that the 10-year anniversary of his arc might hit before I actually post it leaves me shook, my dude.

I’ve given it some thought and realized that if I post 130 Prompts on the weeks between Origin and Knots chapters, I can wrap the series up in 2026, maybe 2027. I can live with that a lot more than I can live with the idea of working on this project past 2030, ha ha.

In other words, I’m setting a goal of a ‘fic update every Friday, starting soon (I’ve got the next Prompt done, but I’m sitting on it for a sec to build the buffer out farther). There might be some Fridays where there’s nothing, but keep your eyes out for things that interest you. I hope you enjoy :)

--

130 Prompt Details

So, many of you are probably familiar with my FOP one-shot series, 130 Reasons Why I’m Fairy Trash. I've had all the 130 Prompts planned out for years, but I lost interest in some of those plans as time went on (Not the big plot stuff, that's still the same, but some minor standalones).

I recently went through my docs to refresh my memory on what’s to come. I had some vague ideas that I never fleshed out and realized that I never will, so I’ve scrapped those. I also had stuff I scrapped years ago, but fell in love with the drafts all over again and am eager to see them finished off.

In 2022, I took an FOP and Tumblr hiatus to focus on other things like my IRL job and personal projects, and I couldn’t maintain the spark of inspiration for FOP at the same time. Mostly, the reason for that was just that I was busy and was putting my time and creative energy into other projects, and I simply didn’t have time for both. I didn’t realize until now, but I think I also felt pressure to create something big and meaningful with what I submitted, and I became paralyzed with thoughts of putting out something “boring” or “weird” and facing critique that my work was confusing or unenjoyable.

Anyway, while recently looking through my WIPs, I remembered the 130 Prompts were always meant to be a series of short side stories and that there’s nothing wrong with dorky little one-offs. I don’t need to put pressure on myself to turn everything into a polished 10k+ story when just a few thousand words will do, or overthink the humor and flow to the point I talk myself out of doing something.

I spent some time a bit ago looking over my stuff and making a new plan for the order I want to post things in, and it feels much more achievable to me now. I’m excited to get back to it. Hoping to post some dumb and silly things more often because “I had an idea and it made me laugh” is valid.

--

Stuff Getting Scrapped / Kept

I’ve realized that I’m not going to write Identity Theft and Acacia Arcadia as standalone ‘fics. I scrapped some scenes and the rest will be recycled into 130 Prompts to replace the ones I cut. I’ve set my plan up so that the next Prompts in line are ones that have solid drafts and I’m excited to work on, so I’m hoping to get on a regular posting schedule with those soon, alternating weeks with Origin and Knots.

Hawthorn Haven and Devil’s Backbone will prrrobably still exist as their own ‘fics someday when the time is right, as when I first made their outlines, I was already prepared to work on them “when I’m older.” I don’t feel the same pressure to finish them. I’m still looking forward to them, but they’re in “Can’t talk about these things until we’re in that point of the timeline” jail. I’ve always intended for Devil’s Backbone to be the end of my FOP writing days, so it’s on the backburner for obvious reasons, but when the time does come to close out all the stories and wonderful worldbuilding, I hope it’ll be a blast.

I do still have a draft for a ‘fic called Along the Cherry Lane which focuses on Timmy and his friends growing up, marrying, having kids, etc. but that’s on the backburner for now too. I’m not sure if I want to keep it, but also not ready to let it go. If I do let it go, I’ll find a place for the scenes I liked within the Prompts or I’ll post one or two one-shots instead of the whole ‘fic. I do intend to get back to Come What May once I get the spark back for it and I might even return to Snips and Snails... who knows.

--

Tl;dr

I still have several years of FOP content that I plan to release, as I’ve never wanted to abandon these stories I love. I knew I was starting big projects and I knew they would take me years to finish, but as my 10-year anniversary of writing FOP ‘fics creeps nearer and nearer... Yeah, there’s a certain part of me that's ready to jump back into a schedule and see if I can wrap up all three of these big projects by the time I hit that mark. Crazy how it’s been so long.

Currently I have an Origin / Knots ‘fic buffer through the end of June. We’re entering the phase of the story where the drafts are pretty solid, which means they hopefully won’t take long to polish. Exciting!

--

The Schedule

Throughout 2023, you can expect Origin and Knots to alternate weeks. These two ‘fics are main priority in my ‘fic-writing life, so they get buffer priority and I intend to keep up with this goal as best I can. If all goes according to plan, we should be wrapping up towards the end of 2025. I hope to see y’all there :)

I’ll be sprinkling in updates to other projects throughout the “off” weeks. Sometimes there might be no update at all, and I’m okay with that because the “off” weeks are simply meant to be “If there is something, it can be shared” weeks. I’m not holding myself to posting at those times in the same way I’m holding myself to keeping Origin and Knots on schedule, but I look forward to getting to share some fun things like 130 Prompts, more Come What May chapters, miscellaneous one-shots, and content for other fandoms.

Even if I stay consistent, I definitely don’t expect to wrap up the 130 Prompts until 2026 or 2027, and that’s okay. These next few years will be busy, but I’m looking forward to forming a healthy work-life balance- there’s a certain value that a scheduled writing system has in helping you look forward to the next creation you get to share... It makes the work week a little bit nicer.

--

Closing

As a reader, your interest in silly fairy fanfics might come and go, but thank you so much to those who’ve loved my work over the years, reblogged posts, left reviews, sent Asks, chatted with me, and so much more.

Also, thank you to those who’ve left me kudos on AO3. I still get emails every time there are kudos, and while I don’t track how many kudos my little stories receive in this old, quiet fandom, it is really cool to see how much love has been given to some of the short pieces I wrote 6 or 7 years ago.

As the years have gone by, it’s been a good reminder that people have really liked some of those pieces that I don’t think about as often as my longer stuff. I don’t need to psych myself out worrying that my quick one-shots aren’t good enough... I’m looking forward to posting some short things again soon.

Thank you for the love and support! I hope you enjoy what’s next <3

[ackerpreach]

This ending .... I can name 500 reasons and I will name them right now, because I don’t think I’m the only one who is upset with how things turned out. (Also, A positive message for all of you at the end)

MAJOR LEAKS SPOILERS/ READ WITH CAUTION

Update: after reading more theories from fellow RM bloggers, and sleeping over it one day, this entire chapter might be an april fools... Don't fully lose hope yet beautiful people. It's me just giving a review on a possible fake April fools chapter

After following this franchise since 2013, so nearly a DECADE. this ending is a pure disserve to the entire fandom. I feel like Yams has rushed it just for the sake of being done with the entire manga. So many things are left open, characters and their developemt are reverted back all the way to chapter 1 or are left even worse than that...

Mikasa’s worthless character development/ Aaronmika’s horrible toxic codependent relationship 

Oh honey... Let’s start with how horrible Isayama has treated her. We were all rooting for her, because we all felt like she was so misunderstood. She had a horrible childhood and imprinted on a guy who treated her like trash 99 percent of the story. And then, slowly but surely, she starts to realize she has to stop obsessing over him in the uprising arc with the help of a real man who treats her like a queen, more importantly, he treats her like a real human being. This man sees her for her abilities and that she has the power to be self dependent. She learned parts of herself, that she was able to work together with him like no one else could.  She learned parts of herself she was unable to do so if she kept obsessing about Aaron. All this love, care, mutual understanding and RESPECT these two shared. 

but...NAH FUCK THAT, right Yams?? Throw all this development away, all this bonding. Let’s make the main female lead even more yandere than she already was in the first season. Let her make out with his decapacitated head (like dude, this is also pure disrespect to Aaron’s dead body btw) and let her obsess even more about the guy who has treated her no better than a piece of toilet cloth 99 percent of the time. The guy who was never really appreciative in front of her for saving his ass billions of times, who always pushed her away, who yells at her and snaps at her whenever he can instead of reasoning and talking calmly with her in mature way. (EVEN PARODY YOUTUBE CHANNELS WHO DONT SHIP ANYTHING MAKE IT A TROPE WHERE AARON TELLS MIKASA HE HATES HER GUTS WHENEVER HE CAN) 

Then after all that, suddenly Yams tries to last minute persuade us Aaron’s always been head over heels for her???  He should have build their relationship better which he hasn’t even tried to do so... He must be thinking his fans are stupid for eating this from his hands.    

Like seriously??? What is this??? 

Isayama is just fully contradicting himself. It’s like someone tipped him off with a buttload of money for him to write Aaron like this to satisfy shipping needs and to cash in those extra money’s from it. Even if he tried to cater to Erem*ika, this is not how you write a loving and caring couple which people will root for. 

This next two panels just freaking infuriates me to the core of my soul. I can’t even describe how dissapointed I am with Mikasa. 

Why is she clutching that head so obsessively like that?  Why is she walking and turning her back away from her comrades? After everything they have done for her, after all they’ve been through?! After everything Armin has done? Standing up for Mikasa, beating up Aaron for hurting her. I feel like even Jean, Connie and Sasha have cared more for her in a healthy way.  Sure, Aaron cares for her romantically too apparently (What a twist Yams :)), but has he aided her to becoming a mentally healthier individual? Has he aided in her mental stability? The answer is a big fat NO!  All I see between these two after today’s raw Chapter’s are too Yandere obsessed individuals who have no clue on how to maintain a healthy relationship. 

Love should only go as far as the heart can endure and it seems like her character is not willing to be aware of that. Even Armin was able to let go of Aaron in those latest panels. Why does her entire character resolve around this guy??? I really do not understand. Her Ackerbond and her age is not an excuse for her to throw her life away like this. 

Shonen’s disgusting portrayal of women 

I’ve seen this countless of times in the many years I’ve watched anime. SasuS*ku from Naruto, Ichih*me from Bleach, Shinji and that oranged hair girl from Neon Evangelion.. Why do these women get decreased to simpletons with one single goal? And that is to obsess over a bland male lead who either treats them like trash or doesn’t notice them up until the last last chapter (LITERALLY WHAT YAMS HAS DONE). Some go even as far as the male leading wanting the kill the female love interest and yet the female lead is still in love with them???. It’s disgusting for him to write the MAIN female character this way. 

It’s dissapointing we believed in Isayama doing Mikasa’s character right. That she’s finally being able to let go of her codependency and to live for herself maybe live in Hizuru and find more about her roots???, but every single time she shows some improvement, it’s burried deep in the ground again by the Author. It almost seems like a lowkey kink of some of the male Mangaka’s to write about a girl obsessing over them no matter what. I see this so many times to the point that I truly stand behind it that some of them might have this fantasy. 

I wished he didn’t portray her last panels like this. Everyone else is living their lives while Mikasa is still grieving about him. I’m not saying she’s not allowed to grieve and everyone takes it at their own pace, but cmon... Show her living her life too. This is too much. Her being next to his grave and grieving him as her last panels just shoves it in our faces that YET AGAIN, BEING OBSESSED WITH AARON IS ALL HER CHARACTER STANDS FOR. 

I truly despise how Isayama handles her grieving, kissing his decapacitated head, carrying it around like some handbag, and her last panels being thissss.

The world leaving Paradis alone miraciously after all that??? 

It’s so weird and out of place with so many political feuds and disagreements between the world and Paradis, the entire Rumbling happening and we can see Mikasa just chilling outside in Paradis with no one bothering them. You can see the rings of the walls in the picture below.  I don’t know the exact reason behind as the manga is still in Korean, but from what I see, the story went the route of: throwing a happy ending without enough proper reason and  it was all fixed just like that in a snap! It doesn’t fit the entire narrative of attack on titan for things to be so peacful out of nowhere. When it comes to the narrative, how things work in that world, how hard it is to achieve peace, everything made somewhat sense up until chapter 138. 139 seems so so out of place...  It’s like I’m reading a chapter from a totally different manga. 

Aaron Yoghurt got defeated so easily/ Aaron’s character assassination

The build up on the first part of the rumbling was great, those kids carrying coins. You could feel humanity’s fear and Aaron’s hatred in those pages. As if he truly had a goal and he has turned away completely from his comrades and his closest friends with no return. The world seemed truly doomed, but he  got defeated just like that. He was in the nape all this time (because screw the warhammer power of hiding yourself elsewhere in his ginormous titan body). There is no master plan as we all expected, and in the end he just acts all yandere in the paths with Armin and that’s it... They massacared his entire character as well. Many fan theories created a better ending with his character. Him being reincarnated as Historia’s baby would be so much better. For him to still keep on seeking and to strive for power. It has always been his motive. It’s his personality from the start until chapter 138. Even if things are okay, to keep on going and to seek that adventure, but then.. He’s so weak and directionless suddenly.. It’s so weird... This is not Aaron at all???

Using Aaron for him this entire post, because I don’t want others to invade our tags... :)))

Historia’s baby 

The only panel we got from Historia’s child was this. Just a normal kid, normal life... Why did Isayama put so much effort in highlighting Historia’s pregnancy if it was nothing too spectacular anyway? It seemed he had major plans for this kid and for their development too??? It’s again, big plans, big developments, big relationship dynamic, but all  got thrown out of the window... 

Don’t read the next sentence if you are a minor :’) 

It’s like almost ejaculating, but stopping right before it and repeating that every single Arc.

My energy when writing about this chapter is the same as Nostalgia Critic and his hatred for atla the live action

In Conclusion...

I know us fans should not be deciding on how this story should end, because this is Isayama’s story after all, but I truly wished for him to wrap up things much more rounded. There are so many unanswered questions... Again, I think for the sake of being done with this manga, he rushed all of it. He’s become a millionaire from this story and now his pockets are jammed full, I guess he doesn’t need to put in any effort anymore, right? Perhaps a controversial opinion, but I really wished he cared for his fans a little bit more with this last chapter by giving some answers that make sense at least. It’s his fans who gave him this platform and the opportunity to tell his story and for him to at least give in a bit of effort especially in the last chapter is the least he can do. Rivamika being canon or not, he truly rushed it without thinking much about the entire story line. He expanded it so much, he didn’t know how to bind it all together.

Even after all this, I’ll still ship them in the headcanon type of way. I do give credit to Isayama for giving us a template for such a beautiful dynamic between Levi and Mikasa. He decides to waste it, but that doesn’t mean we have to.  I want to thank all the people with amazing writing skills, the ones who give us beautiful art like @carmenlee @phit chan @vialesana​ and many more. I want to remind all of you that we can create something beautiful of our own and we don’t neccesarily need canon lore for that. The art I’ve seen, the fanfictions I’ve read have touched me deeper than Isayama ever could at times.The Mikasa in our mind is appreciate of Levi, is mature, classy and has a strong will for herself. They spend their remaining days together peacefully. Keep writing, keep drawing, stay creative. 

I love you all so so much, I’ve only been publicly active since March, but thank you Rivamika fandom for giving me so much joy as a lurker these past 7 years <3

[transmacewielder]

new chapter!!!!!!!

tcb is putting them out later to focus on not crunching and better quality apparently so new chapters are a friday morning thing for me now, rather than a thursday evening thing

anyway i thought this chapter was kind of a breather after last week's fucking insane one, but still a lot of cool stuff was revealed and happened and stuff

yamato is joining the strawhats, everyone thinks hes leaving wano, its happening

momo is powerful? he does seem to get stronger under pressure. i keep forgetting that hes an adult now bc weve only seen it in like 3 chapters

ryokugyu was cool, he felt powerful, although not quite as unbeatable as the other admirals. not sure if thats just the straw hats being super strong now or just that he might be the weakest?

then again hes facing off against shanks who fucking. wow. ok. sure just haki blast across the whole fucking island so strong that it fucking scares off an admiral. sure ok whatever. is that all he was there for? just to rescue luffy from the marines again and then fuck off? he just spawns questions constantly

also the whole wano underwater thing. i had already figured wano was constructed because thats not how geography works, but its super interesting to know pluton is buried under it. they say that opening the borders would involve destroying the mountains around but it would also presumably drown most of wano, since everything's on top of the mountain that youd need to get pluton out from under

idk

anyway 3/4 lode/road/red poneglyphs found very cool final saga will presumably focus around where the last one is. still hoping for some <50 chapter arcs to explore a couple new islands before one big final war arc or whatever.

also its cool to see luffy and friends able to take a backseat to the fight, really feels like theyve matured since meeting their first admiral.

anyway im feeling next week or the week after as the last wano chapter, everything except zoro's possible relation to it is more or less wrapped up

except jimbei's cup ig but thats for the week they sail out i feel

[boltwrites]

Misfits - Chapter 2

Fandom: Star Wars - Clone Wars / The Bad Batch Pairing: The Bad Batch / Reader (Polyamorous) Rating: M (Rating May Change) Tags: Polyamorous Relationship, Force-Sensitive Reader, Slow Burn

Work Summary: After a year working with the 501st, you've been assigned a new post - Clone Force 99, aka the Bad Batch. You're concerned about the transition - you found it hard enough to fit in with the 501st, and now you had to acclimate to an entirely new squad. As it turns out, the Bad Batch is very accommodating.

Chapter Summary:  You're started to settle in with the Bad Batch. Introductions are in order, but one in particular leads down a path you never expected.

read it on ao3 | or read more below

You had said goodbye to Rex only a few minutes prior. He had wrapped you in a tight hug and told you not to get into too much trouble, and you had to try really, really hard not to start crying in front of your new squad. He’d waved as you entered their transport, and instead of dwelling on those emotions – loss, sadness, anxiety – you’d pushed them to the back of your mind. You learned long ago that acting as if they didn’t exist wouldn’t help anything, but right now, you needed to compartmentalize. You hardly knew these men, and you didn’t want to freak them out by sobbing about leaving your best friend behind.

The men in question had since been introduced to you by Hunter. The tall, slender clone who liked to lean against the side of the ship like some half-baked deathstick dealer was Crosshair, a sharpshooter and sniper. You probably should have figured that, judging by the tattoo that encircled his eye. When Hunter introduced you, he had made a noncommittal noise, looked you up and down, and then decided you weren’t very interesting, instead walking his way back to the cockpit. You hoped he was just antisocial, and didn’t hate nat borns, or women, or something.

The big burly one was Wrecker, who had wasted no time in offering you a big smile and a firm clap on the back. Honestly, you thought he was going to hug you – and maybe he was, and then he thought better of it.

“You’re our new Jedi, huh?” he had asked with a broad smile? You offered him a somewhat hesitant one back – he was intimidating, after all. He was broad and muscular like you had never seen on a clone before, and the large scar that encompassed half of his forehead and a good portion of his scalp was distracting. It made him look hardened and dangerous, but with his jovial tone, you soon found out he was anything but menacing.

“Yeah, guess I am?” you answered with a nervous laugh.

“She’s a force-sensitive, Wreck, not a Jedi. She doesn’t answer to the Council.” Hunter had clarified. You were somewhat shocked that he cared about the difference – but, then again, he had seemed pleased that you weren’t a part of the Order, likely because it meant you had less rules to follow.

“Oh, yeah!” Wrecker had grinned, clapping you on both shoulders now, as he leaned down to grin at you. You had laughed a little harder, because you were starting to see now, by both his force signature and in his voice, that he was really just a big goofball. “I never liked the Jedi anyway!”

“Weren’t you just expressing how excited you were for ‘our new Jedi?’”

That had come from the one with the glasses – er, goggles? You weren’t exactly sure what they were, or if he needed them for his bad eyesight or just tactical reasons. Either way, he adjusted him on his face as Hunter introduced him as Tech. It wasn’t difficult to figure out what his specialty was – much like it was easy to deduce that Wrecker liked to punch things in addition to blowing things up. Tech, of course, handled a lot of technical issues and data – but you were actually shocked at the fact that he wasn’t, well… tiny.

Tech was taller than Hunter, and even Rex, as he peered down at you through his glasses. He took your hand and shook it – you could tell just by his grip that he was used to intricate work – robotics, droid work, rewiring datapads – fiddly things that required a steady hand. You had nodded politely to him as he greeted you.

The last member of the team, and perhaps the most elusive, was Echo. He was paler than the others, and studded with prosthetics – most prominently, the jack that his hand had been substituted with. He had an aura about him in the force that spoke of pain – not the pain of war that the rest of the squad exuded, no. This was a deeper pain, something profound and lasting, and you had a feeling it had to do with that arm, and the bolts in his skull, and the way his cheekbones still looked sharper than that of even Crosshair.

“You’re from the 501st?” he had asked, after Hunter had led you to the cockpit and left to look at something in Tech’s travel plans for the route to their next mission. You were alone, but Echo still gazed out the front of the transport into hyperspace, his flesh hand fiddling with the textured armrest of the captain’s chair.

“Yeah – I’ve worked with them for the past year, most of the time. I get contracted out from the unit to do a lot of stealth work that the Jedi obviously can’t be pulled for. Stuff like this, I guess,” you shrugged. Echo had hummed in acknowledgement, glancing at you, almost curious.

“Were you with the 501st when Captain Rex last worked with… Clone Force 99?”

The wording was strange. Rex had mentioned to your that this squad usually referred to themselves as “the Bad Batch” due to their mutations. But Echo was more cautious – he almost hesitated on the name. His force signature didn’t give away much more – it only told you that he was being careful with his words, that he didn’t trust you quite yet. Which, honestly, was to be expected.

“No. Anaxes, right?” Echo nodded, and you shook your head. “No – I was on a stealth mission. Well, I guess it couldn’t really be called a stealth mission… I was working with a pirate named Hondo Onaka. Think I might have rather been on Anaxes.”

You chuckled, trying to make light of it. You knew Anaxes has been a mess, and honestly you had felt horrible leaving behind the 501st in order to take on what you considered a useless political mission. You knew the campaign had been long, grueling, and complicated, and you always felt guilty when you weren’t by Rex and Anakin’s side to help with something so important.

“Ah,” Echo made a soft noise, picking at some scoring marks on his socket arm. You bit your lip at the awkwardness that permeated the room, the conversation stagnating at Echo dwelled on… something.

“I used to be a part of the 501st,” he finally admitted, glancing up at you. His eyes said more than his lips – there was sadness, there. It was hidden behind his soldier’s veneer of indifference, but you could tell by the way he looked at you that his transfer to Bad Batch hadn’t been as straightforward as your own.

“Yeah?” you asked, sitting down in the co-pilot’s chair next to him. He nodded, sighing, relaxing into the chair before shooting you a glance.

“Yeah. Made ARC trooper at one point. Me and Fives – me and Fives.”

His eyes had gleamed the first time he said it – but as he repeated Fives, his face fell, and your own did as well, your first clenching.

“Oh,” you breathed, and he glanced at you, ducking down to try to make out your expression.

“You knew him?”

“He talked about you – I had – I’m stupid,” you laughed, trying not to think about Fives. You hadn’t known him or Tup long before the incident, but Fives had showed you the ropes, along with Rex. You got along with him easily – he had been funny, and kind, and if he tried to flirt with you a few times you just put it up to you being the only woman available.

You remembered him talking briefly about Echo – he had only mentioned Echo once, with gritted teeth and a set jaw, mumbling something about a previous mission, and how he and a fellow ARC trooper had handled the situation. You could tell that it pained him to mention his comrade – that this Echo had likely died – and you didn’t press the subject. You knew, even then, that Fives didn’t deal well with loss. Ironic, then, how he was the one to cause so die, to cause the grief himself.

“I worked with him, before…” you gestured vaguely, and Echo nodded, not wanting you to mention Fives’s death himself.

“He thought I died at the Citadel. Everyone did,” Echo sighed, staring out at the hyperspace lane. “Maybe I did.”

You stared at him. In the force, his emotions were a tangled mess – grief, both for Fives and himself. Pain – not only physical, but emotional, spiritual. You couldn’t fathom what happened to him – you could look at this physical evidence of his cybernetic appendages, more similar to those of a droid than any prosthetics you had seen before. You could see the pallor in his face, the way his cheekbones jut from his face, how he had squinted far too severely in the light of the Coruscanti sun. He had been through something that you couldn’t fathom, something you would never truly understand, even if he did wish to explain it to you.

But despite that, you could still feel him in the force. When he spoke of Fives – the way his signature sparked let you know that he didn’t just know Fives. You could tell they had worked together for years, that they had likely grown up together. The rest of the Batch – their signatures sang in harmony because they had grown up together, because they had known each other for many years. And you initially hadn’t caught onto Echo’s dissonance – the way that he was trying to fit in with them, but how he didn’t fit in quite as easily as the other men. And now you knew why. It was because, while he had changed, he still held onto those bonds. Rex, Fives, the rest of the 501st – even though whatever Echo had endured, those were still his brothers.

“Not completely,” you mumbled, looking down. You could feel Echo’s eyes on you, so you sighed and continued. “You – you still care about them. Those men. They may not be your men anymore – and I guess they aren’t mine, either – but you care for them. That has to count for something.”

When you looked up, Echo caught your eye. His expression was unreadable, and his signature betrayed nothing. He was hard to read already – the cybernetics clouded your judgement – but you could tell that he didn’t exactly know what he thought of your statement.

“Yeah. Maybe it does,” Echo mumbled to himself, staring out across hyperspace, as stars flew by, exploding behind his eyes as he contemplated his place among them.

After that, the silence wasn’t quite so awkward. It was comforting, almost. You knew that it wasn’t the same – that although you and Echo were both former members of the 501st, that the circumstances were wildly different. But you still felt a kinship with him. Because he still knew Anakin, and Rex, and Fives, and Jesse, and Kix, and all the others. Because he probably played the same drinking games you had with the men, he had fought beside them as you did, and he had watched them die, as you had. You knew he wasn’t ready to talk, and perhaps he never would be. But if he ever was, you would be ready to listen.

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taglist (get added!)

@killtherandomness @pastelpanda19

[everythingsinred]

Let's Talk About NatsuMikan: The Anime (pt. 1)

I could go on and on about these two and I think I will, just because I don’t often see people talk about the analysis behind them. The meta I have seen about them has included a perspective that equaled the anime and the manga and I don’t think that’s an accurate way of viewing their relationship.

The anime is a different species than the manga, something that frequently happens during the adaptation from page to screen. Since they’re so different, I’ll analyze them separately.

There's going to be many parts to this so I'll keep a table of contents right here so people can more easily navigate (though you can also read through the "let's talk about natsumikan: the anime" tag on my blog):

Anime Analysis

Part 1: Exposition & Episode 7

Part 2: Episodes 8, 9, 10, & 11

Part 3: Episodes 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, & 17

Part 4: Episodes 18 & 19

Part 5: Episodes 20, 21, & 22

Part 6: Episodes 23, 24, 25, & 26 & Conclusion

The anime makes changes, as anime adaptations often do. The most outstanding changes are appearance related, as Natsume now has brown eyes instead of red, in addition to other characters who have hue-shifted eyes and hair. But there are also story changes, and I’ll be focusing on the changes that occur, specifically in regards to Natsume and Mikan and their relationship.

For one, their relationship starts evolving much earlier in the anime. I think it’s pretty undeniable that in the anime, Natsume started liking Mikan at the end of the dodgeball game. That scene never happened in the manga, but in the anime, it’s a crucial step in making sure nothing seems too sudden or forced.

The anime is 26 episodes long. If Natsume only starts liking Mikan after she saves him during the Reo Arc, then we’re already halfway through the show when positive feelings between the two appear. On the other hand, the feelings develop more slowly in the manga because there’s more time to properly develop the relationship in a more drawn out way.

My analysis will start with the anime, because it’s shorter and easier to discuss.

Exposition

It’s impossible to say that the anime was completely loyal to the manga. It very frequently couldn’t be, because it needed to fill in time in episodes or give closure early before the manga even addressed it (Natsume’s backstory in the anime, for instance, is vaguely referred to and implies deviation from the manga).

The most obvious difference between the manga and the anime from the get-go is visual. Not only do they have differing art styles (I don’t dislike the anime style but Higuchi Tachibana’s art style is so distinct and unmistakable while the anime’s isn’t so unique), but the setting is also different.

While the manga started in the depth of winter, the anime starts off in summer/fall. It always struck me as odd that while the first page of the manga has Mikan running after Hotaru in full winter-wear, the anime starts off warm and idyllic. You could almost think of that as a general warning for the difference between the anime and the manga. After all, while the anime has a reputation for being a cutesy and upbeat story about friendship and magical powers, the manga is much darker and discusses many morbid and depressing themes that can and WILL fuck you up. Warm vs. cold seems like an accurate difference, though I don’t think that was intentional.

We see way more of the village life in the anime, including Mikan’s efforts to keep the school from closing. This is a welcome change because Mikan’s passion to keep the school open is nothing compared to her friendship with Hotaru, and even after the school is saved, she runs away to see her friend, even if it means she goes to another school. The manga doesn’t imply that Mikan knew already about the school’s fate, and since she is always so preoccupied with Hotaru anyway, we don’t really get the impression that she cares very much. To Anime!Mikan, Hotaru is more important than saving the school, something she was so passionate about she rallied to get signatures. It’s an extra scene to prove just how much Hotaru matters to Mikan, and to show even more how selfless Hotaru was to go to Alice Academy, since she knew how much the school mattered to Mikan.

“Sign my petition to get a Gakuen Alice anime reboot!!!”

My boy Natsume is only introduced properly in the second episode, when we actually see his face and he speaks. His appearance is different from the manga’s too. I’m not sure if this was to appeal to a younger audience or what, but Natsume’s eyes are changed to brown instead of their iconic red, something that was always my biggest peeve about the anime adaptation. His hair is also somewhat purplish instead of entirely grey/black and, although this does bother me a lot less than the eyes, I wonder why they made this change when other characters have black hair. It might have been to differentiate him from Hotaru, another main character with black hair, though I’ve never had issue in the manga telling them apart.

His first interaction with Mikan is a lot more pleasant in the anime than in the manga, although that’s not really saying anything. Mikan’s skirt simply falls off and Natsume draws attention to it, rather than the unpleasant events that took place in the manga. This different event makes it a lot easier to support a relationship between the two of them right off the bat. They are still antagonistic but it’s not as terrible as it is in the manga. This makes it easier to establish romantic feelings earlier on, and might have been changed in order to achieve just that, or possibly also to appeal to a younger audience. Maybe both? Who knows.

“You can’t sit with us!”

With Natsume presented the way he is in the anime, it’s easier to make the claim that he’s simply a good guy who acts the way he does to protect people. And it’s true! He is! But he is also so much more. In the manga, he’s a more complicated character. Although he is a good person, he still requires character development, which is something he does go through, and something I’ll talk about more in his meta analysis later.

Most of the events at the beginning of the anime parallel the events of the manga. Mikan goes to Alice Academy at the same time of year, Natsume shows up with an explosion, Mikan has to go through the Northern Woods, she discovers her powers in her fight with Natsume, etc. Some of the continuation from episode to episode is different than the transitions between chapter to chapter, there’s extra scenes inserted to fill up time, and some of the exposition seems strangely presented (in the anime, Mikan finds out more about the school when she finds Narumi and Iinchou waiting for her at a tea party, which is…. Super weird…), but all in all the information and events are mainly the same. The big differences start with the dodgeball episode.

“Look how happy she is. Makes me wanna barf.”

Episode 7 vs. Chapter 9

I love the dodgeball episode. I feel like for the most part, the anime does deviation from the manga pretty well. With the last arc as an exception, I generally enjoy their changes and additions to the plot. The anime has to be different, has to progress at a different pace, has to introduce topics at different times. They have an episode to fill, and less time to build relationships. Natsume and Mikan are both different characters in the anime but it’s very subtle and has to happen due to the fact that the anime is shorter and seems more designed for younger audiences, in addition to wrapping up before the manga could explore more of the story.

Anyway, let’s talk about the dodgeball episode. AGAIN THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN IN THE MANGA THE SAME WAY so when discussing NatsuMikan as a concept, the anime events cannot be treated the same as the manga events. A lot of people maybe forget that the manga is very different than the anime when it comes to this episode. I see the two media conflated in plenty of fanfics, where seventeen year old NatsuMikan reflect on the dodgeball game from their youth that changed everything, and I get it because the anime version of the dodgeball game is cute! It's shippy! It's fun! But it doesn't happen in the manga the same way.

There's a similar trope with the sakura tree, which I can only remember from the anime, and yet it's such a fundamental aspect of NM fanfic it might as well have played a vital role in both anime and manga. Nothing wrong with any of this, of course. I'm just making it clear that my analysis will cover the two media as separate for the sake of a cohesive essay. Separating them in fanfic is far less important.

This look could probably kill someone. I’m surprised Mikan is still alive, TBH.

The chapter’s focus is Mikan starting to feel more at home in Class B, making friends with her once-hostile classmates, but the episode is more preoccupied with Natsume and Mikan’s perspectives on each other. While in the manga, the game ends with a tie and Mikan accidentally hits Hotaru in the face with the ball, the anime draws out the game to fill an episode and to introduce an evolution in the way Natsume sees Mikan. The first part of the anime episode is Mikan introducing her friends to her new senpai, Tsubasa. After she invites her friends, we see Natsume glowering at her and promptly ditching the next class, saying to Ruka that he can’t stand being in the same class as her. This addition to the plot already foreshadows that their relationship will change in some way by the end of the episode.

Tsubasa tells a frustrated Mikan that if she wants Natsume to be less unpleasant, he’d need to release some of his toxic energy. Thus, the sporty Mikan introduces the concept of dodgeball to the unwelcoming class. When they finally agree, Natsume gives one condition: that they play with the notorious Alice Ball, which is powered by the thrower’s alice (a detail absent from the manga). This Alice Ball is particularly terrifying with the threat of Natsume’s dangerous fire alice. Mikan also needs to get more people on her team, another aspect absent from the manga. While in the manga, Mikan only had her few friends on her team (including a wandering Ruka) and this ended up playing to her advantage, the anime has a humorous plot of Mikan tracking players down for her team, including a fake mustache she makes with her pigtails (she’s so cute, I love her), paying Hotaru to be on her team, and blackmailing Ruka to participate. This was mainly to fill time, but it makes the dodgeball game more important as well.

In the manga, we don’t see how the game ends, just that the teams tied and that everyone in class is having fun and bonding. In the anime, more emphasis is put on the “Mikan vs. Natsume” aspect, so a tie like the manga’s would be anticlimactic. Thus, the anime concludes the dodgeball game with Mikan and Natsume being the only kids left on the court, and Natsume not using his alice when he throws the Alice Ball. Even Hotaru leaving the game is something she does out of boredom instead of injury, further separating the other characters from the plot. It’s about Natsume and Mikan, and everyone else is mostly a side character. (Though Ruka also plays a vital role to this episode AND chapter, and it’s at this point that I think he started developing real feelings for Mikan as well. So when it comes to the anime, he and Natsume fall for Mikan around the same time, but in the manga, Ruka likes her first and the “he liked her first” argument for Natsume vanishes, though he never had that “advantage” to begin with.)

“Thank you!”

Natsume wins (something that shocked me at twelve years old) and is ready to walk away with his handy “tch” and all but Mikan thanks him for not using his alice and he goes off on her, demanding to know why she’s still smiling despite her loss. She says she’s happy that he had fun and was involved with the rest of class for once, and that in a way that means she wins. For Anime!Natsumikan, this is it. This is the turning point. “I just wanted you to be happy and have fun,” is what Mikan might as well be saying. “Really, this was all for you!” It’s sweet and it’s thoughtful and I don’t think Natsume ever imagined he’d be on the receiving end of her kindness, especially after all their beef. Manga!Mikan would probably not say these things to him, even if she meant them, for the sole reason that Mikan is stubborn and holds onto her pride, especially when it comes to her early relationship with Natsume, but Anime!Mikan is much more forgiving and much more willing to extend an olive branch, like in the dance episode. In any case, Natsume starts falling right then, and it’s obvious too, because he is pissed, and even more angry because he’s not even mad at her. He’s angry with himself for his change of opinion. This is the girl he was fully content to hate forever and yet here he was, starting to like her. Not ideal.

This scene, something so crucial to the development of Anime!Natsumikan, is completely absent from the manga. In the manga, Natsume still dislikes her by the end of the game although he does have fun.

He's not angry, just disappointed. In himself.

I’m not going to say one is better when it comes to starting up NatsuMikan because they’re very different creatures and I actually thoroughly enjoy both.

Anyway, the NatsuMikan after episode 7 is almost the same as in the manga, but the events carry a different weight since we know Natsume likes Mikan now (even if he would never admit it).

Summary

I hope this first part was interesting, and that it introduced the idea of Anime!NatsuMikan as being a little different from the manga's version. Yes, it is more or less the same story, but with so many thematic and plot changes, they take a different form as well, in a perhaps more subtle way, kind of like a slightly canon divergent fanfic. Fanfic where Natsume starts liking Mikan a bit earlier on in the story.

Next Part ->

[sarahjtv]

BNHA Chapter 319 Spoiler Analysis: Found Family

Holy crap what a phenomenal chapter!  This arc in general has been great, but this chapter might be one of my favorites of the arc.  Not just because it focuses on Class 1-A (I’m so glad to see the kids again), but because of the growth we see in these kids in general especially Bakugo and Shoto IMO.  Like, holy shit ESPECIALLY BAKUGO!  I stand by my opinion that Bakugo is one of the best developed characters in the series.  There’s so much I want to say about this chapter and I’ll try my best to do so if my poor injured left hand will let me 😭:

The chapter starts off with the first of 3 colored pages we’re going to get over the next few weeks to celebrate 7 YEARS OF MY HERO ACADEMIA!!!  CONGRATS, HORIKOSHI-SENSEI!!!  This series revived my love of anime/manga and really helped me in some really rough spots in my life.  I will forever be grateful towards Horikoshi for bringing this series to life and blessing us with such an incredible story full of beautiful characters.  MHA may be a little overrated, but I still think it deserves all the love it can get.  

Anyway, the color page.  It shows Uraraka, Iida (who has red eyes here, so IDK why the anime gives him blue eyes though I do think they work better for him personally *shrugs*), Shoto, Tokoyami, and Bakugo after basically figuring out where Deku went.  Bakugo is shown tearing up his letter (which says something like “Thank you for being there, Kacchan”; there’s more but I can’t translate it 😭) and you can kinda see some bandage wrap around his arm where he was stabbed.  Also, both Bakugo and Shoto still have some visible injuries on their faces and Bakugo’s hands, so they’re still recovering from the War.  It’s a really pretty page in general and I can’t wait to see what the next 2 color pages are going to look like.  I also kinda want Horikoshi to take a break after this too again so he doesn’t overwork himself.  Maybe he’ll treat himself to the MHA: World Heroes Mission movie 🍿.  

So, Shoto and Bakugo have figured out that Deku is most likely with Endeavor, Hawks, and Best Jeanist.  Problem is that none of them are answering their phones.  I like that Bakugo calls Best Jeanist “Pair of Denim Pants” 😂 and Shoto’s image of Endeavor is still a very angry version of his old man.  Shoto’s still making amends with his father, but he’s still not THERE yet.  Regardless, these kids are smart enough to know that something’s up.  Especially since All Might hasn’t returned to UA either.

It’s basically confirmed by Ojiro that because classes have been suspended, our Class 1-A kids are still 1-A; they haven’t moved into their second year yet.  That clears up the confusion on whether we should still refer these group of kids as 1-A still or not.  

Now Bakugo’s showing how much of a genius he really is despite his personality.  Bakugo figures out that the Top 3 and All Might are working together as a group based on how they all connected with each other back at Central Hospital.  Also, Bakugo concludes that All Might snuck Deku’s letters under their doors while Deku started running.  Ultimately, Bakugo does know more about Deku and All Might more than anyone else does.  He’s been around his childhood friend and he’s admired his idol longer than most people have.  Bakugo understands how bad the situation is and he’s ready to take action.  

As are the other kids.  You can see how determined they are and you can see Kirishima’s black roots coming in 🥺!  Even Uraraka gets some shine here by bringing up the idea to trick Endeavor to come via getting help from Principle Nezu as Endeavor was a UA student.  It’s really interesting to see Ochako in a more serious roll than usual, but I actually like it.  I hope she’s still as bubbly as she always was at the end of the day, but she’s definitely matured and grown a lot over the corse of the series.  Even the simple things like her hair show it as it’s not as floaty as it was before.  I love it when Horikoshi shows small details like this.  It adds to the characters and stories a lot.  Also, the art in this chapter is amazing.

And now it’s Endeavor vs. Class 1-A in a much needed conversation.  All the kids are wearing their school uniforms to make this as formal and serious as they can.  EVEN BAKUGO IS PROPERLY WEARING HIS TIE YOU KNOW SHIT’S ABOUT TO GO DOWN!!!  And, I must say, Bakugo looks damn good with a tie 😳.  You can also get a decent height measurement on the kids here if you want.  Ngl, sometimes I forget that Shoto’s about 2 inches taller than Bakugo.  It’s definitely the hair.  

Shoto’s the first to step up and he scolds the hell out of his old man.  Rightfully so tbh.  Endeavor shouldn’t have ignored Shoto’s calls even though I kind of understood why.  Shoto reminds Endeavor of their plan to stop Dabi though thankfully that’s what’s pushing Endeavor forward so he hasn’t forgotten.  Shoto calls his father “Endeavor” and gets mad at him fro leaving Deku and All Might alone.  The rough translations say he called Izuku “Deku” here too btw.  Endeavor has no response.  I think this anger Shoto’s unleashing is very justified and has been burning inside him since Deku left UA.  His best friend just up and left him and his friends with nothing but a letter to kinda explain things.  Also, Shoto and the rest of 1-A (minus Bakugo) have basically been lied to for about a year.  I’d want answers too if someone did that to me.  

Bakugo steps in by putting a hand on Shoto’s shoulder (🥺) to calm him down a bit and to say his piece.  Ultimately, he thinks what Deku is doing is right, but that the way they’re all doing it is wrong.  I love Deku and All Might, but they’re sacrificial idiots.  They care more about others than they probably ever will themselves.  That’s how All Might lost his OFA in the first place.  It’s because of that that All Might doesn’t have it in him to stop Deku from going down this path.  They shouldn’t have been left alone.  Someone should’ve kept a closer eye on them.  I know the Top 3 were all worried about getting too close to Deku before, but really, someone should’ve been watching them closer on the sidelines.

The next page is a really cool drawing of Endeavor flinging his phone to the kids to catch.  The previous panels showed Endeavor with this face that’s regretful and I think he realized something: That Bakugo is right and that the kids might be better off finding Deku than he is.  So he basically gives the kids his GPS on his phone.  Those are just my thoughts, but it does look like that.  I don't think Endeavor’s just going to up and give up though.  He’s probably going to start rethinking things though.

As Sero manages to catch Endeavor’s phone, he and the rest of the kids think about how even though they’ve only known Deku for a year, they still think of him as family and cannot let him go down this thorny path alone.  They’ll carry the OFA burden with him if they have to.  They can’t smile without Deku around.  These kids truly have become a family over the year.  It’s amazing to see.  Everyone’s like a brother and sister and it’s really nice to see.  I just love Found Family stories, guys 😭❤️

And really quick, I want to focus on my ❄️🔥 boy, Shoto, really quick.  As he’s thinking about Deku, he mentions how shocked he still is about Deku keeping OFA from them and how Deku thought just a letter would suffice.  He has this sad look on his face like he’s trying to say: “I still can’t believe my best friend hid this from me for so long.  Why?  Did he not trust me?”  That’s just my interpretation.  Still, I can’t imagine how upset Shoto must feel.  I think he still cares a lot about Deku enough to go out and find him, but he’s gotta feel some sort of betrayal.  More so than the other students outside of Bakugo because, again, Deku was essentially Shoto’s best and closest friend 💙😭

Endeavor is rightfully worried about letting the kids out in the state of Japan right now, but now Principle Nezu speaks up and praises the kids on growing up so well.  He’s also took into account Deku's feelings about his mission which is why he agreed to the team up.  Also, Deku’s still welcome back to UA whenever he wants thank god ☺️.  He’s a student who has to be protected.  There’s a cute panel of Uraraka and her mom crying happily after getting her acceptance letter too.  Not 100% why this is shown other than Acceptance Letter part, but it’s cute to see.  Maybe Ochako realizes how much Deku needs to be protected or something.

As for the refugees, Nezu had the security system strengthened in time for the Cultural Festival earlier, but they never used it before.  It’s call The UA Barrier.  God, how strong is this thing?  Is it strong enough to stop Shigaraki who was able to Decay the last barrier?  This seems like something that’ll be used in the final battle TBH.  

So, Nezu trust the 1-A kids to bring Deku back home.  Which is exactly what they plan to do as all 19 of them enter Kamino in a badass full page.  I actually wasn’t sure if all 19 of them were there at first since I couldn’t find Shoto for the life of me, but then my eyes saw the BIG-ASS ICE WALL IN THE BACK AND I THOUGHT “OH THERE HE IS!!!” LOL 😂 

The next panel actually does show Shoto with Momo as they capture the villain from the last chapter.  Momo politely calls Bakugo “Bakugo-san”, but Bakugo demands that he be called his insane hero name: “GREAT EXPLOSION MURDER GOD DYNAMIGHT”!  I CAN’T WITH THIS DUDE SOMETIMES WHY DO I LOVE HIM SO MUCH 💥🧡

Deku sees his friend and wonders why they came.  Ochako answers because that they were worried about him, but Deku tries to convince everyone (including himself) that he’s fine.  He’s obviously not and Bakugo calls TF out on him!  He even drops a good F-bomb for good measure.  Bakugo mocks Deku for trying to act like All Might and asks Deku if he can even smile right now.  I actually really like it that Bakugo’s calling Deku out on his shit.  I think Deku needs some good tough love right now to knock some sense into him.  Who would be better to do that than Katsuki Bakugo himself?

As Deku is trying to convince everyone that’s he’s fine (while still looking like a demon btw), there’s a small focus on Iida.  Actually, a few panels this chapter have focused on Iida.  Maybe he’s remembering the time Deku saved him back when they went up against Stain.  Deku saved him then so it’s now Iida’s turn to save Deku.  Also, Iida hasn’t gotten much focus lately and I really like his character, so I’m glad he’s being brought back to the forefront again.  Also, I like hearing Kaito-san’s voice in general so I’d be happy to hear him again (thanks for that one, Haikyuu).

The final spread shows Deku telling everyone to move away while Bakugo, Iida, and Ochako get ready to stop him.  IT’S DEKU VS. CLASS 1-A!!!  WE’RE ENTERING CIVIL WAR FOLKS!!!  Seriously, though, this is great.  I was thinking that it would be just Bakugo and a few other students finding Deku.  Instead we got the whole class.  And looks like that “helping hand” thing will happen later because we got a battle to fight first.  

Bakugo’s become a damn fine leader and I love to see his growth every freaking time🧡! I like how Iida has his hand on Bakugo’s back to support him btw.  It’s weird that Shoto’s not in this page though.  He’s one of Deku’s best friends, so I would think he would be in this page along with Bakugo and his first 2 friends (Ochako and Iida).  Maybe Horikoshi’s saving Shoto for a more 1-on-1 conversation with Deku.  God, I hope that happens because I think along with Bakugo, Shoto deserves a good talk with Deku the most.  

Honestly, I’m not sure who would win this battle.  I’ve been going through scenarios in my head on who would win, but I can’t come to a solid answer.  Class 1-A has 19 versatile Quirks under their belt and they have more energy than Deku to fight, but Deku still has 6 insanely powerful Quirks that he’s been practicing for a while.  The kids could probably win if they strategize enough and use Deku’s exhaustion against him, but again, Deku has OFA and multiple other Quirks.  If he could beat Lady Nagant, one of the best snipers around, he might be able to beat the 1-A kids.  He could just escape with Smoakscreen, Black Whip, and Float if he wants to really.  That would put 1-A on another wild goose chase.  There’s also Deku’s Danger Sense which will be a pain to deal with.  Also, Deku said that he’s as strong as All Might was in his prime with Fa-Jin and OFA combined.  Only AFO and Shigaraki were strong enough to take on THAT.  Plus, we still don’t know what the 2nd OFA Holder’s Quirk is yet.  Deku might use it in this battle.  God, I have so many theories in my head now.  I think this battle will be awesome, but ultimately, I want Deku to come home 😭💚

Me reading and loving My Hero Academia: