#this was so train of thought i'm sure some of it's unclear

[tizeline]

Bro that angst potential ur separated au is keeping me up at night. You've said since Mikey would be a powerhouse due to training at such an early age, would it be safe to assume that Leo & raph are too? They've been mastering their ninpo 4 years? And if yes then dam they must be tanks. Must be a force to be reckoned with the bros and drax being all chaotic. Did they start to train so early bcuz drax only saw them as soldiers n stuff? Drax sure must've softened over the years huh guess he couldn't handle the cute lil menaces lol. Is Donnie aware of his own ninpo yet? I'm imagining him going up against the others with all his cool tech and then they whip out this anime magic ass superpower out of nowhere. Like meeting others like u after years of thinking u were the only one must be at least baffling right, now it turns out magic is real too. And he's gonna have it too(Not to mention the bro bomb waiting to drop on his head). Would his insecurities rise after witnessing all that?

Sorry I just absolutely LOVE ur au friend, i have a ton of questions but ill hold it 4 ltr. I'm really excited to see where you take it :)) -🌾

Oh man, Anon, glad to see you so excited haha!

Just a heads up, I'm still figuring out the story of the AU, so I don't know all the specifics yet, but here are some of my thoughts. And also, this became a bit of a ramble, that's what you get when you send long asks lol /lh

The way I'm thinking how Draxum is gonna be like in this AU is that he didn't view himself as the turtles' father initially, not really because he only viewed them as mere tools for him to use, he always saw them as people with induviduality. But rather, he hadn't really connected the dots that creating children + raising said children = parenthood, which led to Draxum like a year after mutating the turtles having the sudden realization one day of "OH SHIT AM I A DAD!?" and having a mini crisis because of that.

Anyway, while I don't think Draxum is the perfect dad in this AU by any means, he does genuinely care about his kids. (If Mikey managed to win Draxum over in canon after having spent a whole season fighting each other, there's no way he'd care about Mikey any less in a scenario where they've been on the same side since day one like they have in this AU.) He started training the turles from an early age and they are expected to help him with his Definitely Not Evil World Domination Plan, but they are still allowed free time and hobbies and such. And aside from some "ugh I don't wanna train right now I wanna play vidya gaemes" occasionally, the turtles never really opposed the idea of them becoming Draxums super soldiers. Kids are really easily influenced and if your parent keeps telling you that you are the heroes who are gonna save the world from evil, chances are you're gonna latch on to that narrative without question. But after meeting Donnie and April, who knows, it might be what finally starts making the other turtles question if their cause really is as just as they think :) That being said, I still have to figure out how Draxum would react exactly to his sons starting to oppose his world view.

Then their abilities! I also have to do more reasearch into exactly how the magic system works in RoTMNT cuz uhhh it's a bit unclear sometimes. Anyway, ninpo is specifically the magic used by the Hamato clan, and considering Raph, Leo and Mikey weren't raised as Hamato I don't think they would have access to that specific type of magic (though I still think they'd be be able to possibly unlock it later down the line) They would still have access to yokai magic, and of course the mystic weapons that they stole in the show would just have been given to them in AU by Draxum. And oh yeah, the brothers are powerful. To be fair, Donnie was able to keep up with Draxum pretty well in the pilot episode, so he wouldn't be COMPLETELY outmatched by his brothers. His tech is powerful enough that he'd be able to put up a decent fight even if he lacks mystic powers himself but..... three against one? Yeah, Donnie isn't winning any time soon. The biggest advantage he'd have would honestly be that his brothers wouldn't really WANT to fight him cuz they'd be all like "Long Lost Brother™??? 😭😭😭 Please come home Long Lost Brother™ we love you!!! 😭😭😭"

And I think Splinter would have kept both of their origins secret initially like he did in the show, so Donnie would't have any ninpo either, but I also think Donnie would still learn about the whole Lou Jitsu and Genetically Modified Super Soldier thing earlier than in canon. And god, yeah, learning about all of that would definietly be A Lot, which is why I still need time to figure out Donnie's exact reaction sorry Anon you're gonna have to be patient XD

[ecogirl2759]

So, I decided to take a few photos of the Danganronpa 4コマ KINGS series and compile a few of the findings I thought were funny.

I don't have everything fully translated yet, so there may be a few issues with my findings. If you find any mistakes or have anything to add, please lmk :) I'll also update this if I find things later.

---IMPORTANT NOTE---

All of these drawings are NOT mine. Everything comes from the 4コマ KINGS series published by Spike Chunsoft. I'm simply photographing them and sharing them with others who may not have seen them before (since the series is out of circulation). If there is any issue with my post, please inform me so that I can take appropriate action.

All photos are below the break here :) (Warning, it's long lol) ((And there are a few minor spoilers))

(EDIT: As a side note, I've posted more pictures in an update. Idrk how this site works, so I'm letting people know here so you can find it if you want.)

Fun things that you can learn from the Danganronpa 4コマ KINGS comics:

Hifumi has written, drawn, or thought of making content relating to Sayaka x Kiyoko, Aoi x Sakura (on two occasions), and Makoto x Byakuya

Toko thinks that… something… happened between Mondo and Kiyotaka in the sauna, wink wink.

Toko wrote some sort of fanfiction in relation to Byakuya, Chihiro and Mondo. Idk what it is, but the title is along the lines of "The Byakuya Family Household Sweep Away a Beautiful Girl". (Pretty sure it's a Mondo x Chihiro fic, but I could be wrong.)

^ pretty sure Syo is a heavy BL fan lol

Aoi's b00bs are so squishy, she can use them to launch herself off things.

Everyone really likes drawing pretty boy Byakuya. Like, he looks fabulous in some of these panels. Here is one of those pictures:

........Okay, fine, this is the right one:

Hifumi has drawn gender swaps of a few of the boys, being Makoto, Byakuya, Leon, Yasuhiro, Kiyotaka, and Mondo.

Leon really wants a harem lol

Kiyoko's secret picture (from the last trial in-game) was of Class 78 hosting a cat maid cafe

Yasuhiro's secret (the motive in Chapter 2) is that he's an idiot.

Mondo, Kiyotaka and Sayaka all get along really well! So do Mondo, Kiyotaka and Chihiro :)

Mondo knows how to sew!

Mondo doesn't wear eyeliner, he just has really long eye lashes.

Mondo's hair is fluffy and bouncy :)

Makoto thinks Mondo's hair looks like a corn chip. Aoi thinks it looks like a chocolate croissant :)

Chihiro once gave Mondo a game about dogs. He loved it lol

Chihiro and Mondo have actually trained together.

^ they actually make a great team :)

(I'm pretty sure that) Kiyotaka was found guilty in a trial relating to black underwear. Unclear if he was executed or not. (This point is subject to change once I fully translate the comic.)

Kiyotaka was brainwashed by the Mono-Rangers (parody on Power Rangers) in a different comic. He became Commander Ishimaru and enforced rules and dress code in a dictator-like fashion. (Full translation is still in the works.) This is what his outfit looked like:

Daiya dies in 4K

Komaru's here :D

Mukuro shows up a lot as herself! She's so cute lol

Kiyoko's kinda socially awkward lol, it's really cute.

Makoto has wanted to see up Kiyoko's skirt on multiple occasions.

Makoto has tried a couple of times to cheer Kiyotaka up. It does not work.

And now, here are some funny out-of-context panels to cap off this post! These were too hilarious not to include, I just couldn't make a bullet point out of them lol.

Thank you for coming to my ted talk :)

[mangotelevision]

Jo9 simple backstories and power overviews

There's not a lot we know about the jury so all of this is very headcannon-y for warning. Some of this might clash with cannon so I'm leaning for this to be more so a part of my rewrite.

Zane Ro’meave (unofficial title: Zane the Undying)

Deemed leader of the Jury of Nine by Lorde Garte, his father, and instead of choosing a ninth guard for his squad he declared himself as worthy enough for the position. Still remains the ninth member of the Jury of Nine to this day and refuses to choose another as he believes one could not wield the power like he does, also refuses to take an official Jury title, feels as though it is beneath him and people should fear his name and his name alone.

Zane was never a guard, never took the oath and never trained as one, took the Jury Leader position per his fathers request after he finished his studies and became the High Priest of O'khasis. He has no knowledge or skill in weapons of any sort, physically he is weak, he uses others to accomplish the things he wants, his conviction and manipulation is his greatest advantage.

Has had the gift of foresight since he was a child, a magic that allows him to read people's thoughts and see fractions of moments of the future. He believes his powers come from the heavens and the stars, that he has a divine right to rule because of his power. He receives something akin to prophecies of the future, vague visions of what will come to pass, these visions have never been wrong- and he cannot change anything no matter how hard he tries. So he desires to seek out a magic that can, something that will provide him with the strength to alter fate.

(He can’t read Aphmau's mind and she has changed a future Zane saw, it was small and minute but it changed, she did something that resulted in his vision being wrong. Zane is never wrong. This is why he is so enamored with her, why he wants her dead- because she’s stronger than him, because she can change fate. It is a power he wants so desperately and if he can’t have it then no one can.)

Janus the Silver Death

Most everything about him is unknown, he is an enigma wrapped in a mystery. He hides behind his helm, and the only person to ever see under the mask and live to tell of it is Zane. Janus is thought to be an elf in some form, no one knows if he’s a full elf or half and he never answers when asked. He is the oldest member of the Jury, no one remembers how long he’s been there, and rumor has it that he’s been protecting the Lords of O'khasis for centuries. It is unclear if he was a guard or not before his Jury position.

Janus wields twin broadswords, one frost and one fire. Expert fighter, no one has ever seen him lose a fight. Although more often than not he relies on his Jury abilities. He is a necromancer of sorts, he possesses the ability to bring back those that his enemies have slain- the more people his opponent has killed, the harder they’ll fall.

It is unknown if he has powers that exist beyond those gifted to him through the Jury.

Katelyn the Fire Fist

Katelyn was sent to the Guard Academy after an “incident” per Lord Garte’s orders. No one is quite sure where she came from or what this incident was but it's largely thought to have been of a violent nature, something bloodied and bruised, although her early life is largely a mystery and she changes the story each time she’s asked. She was exceptional at the academy, a prodigy in combat, but after many disciplinary actions and detentions, Katelyn was expelled due to “excessive violence” and declared unfit to be a Guard. Was placed in the Jury Reserves, where she stayed until a member of the Jury had a more than suspicious death and she rose the ranks per Lord Garte’s orders. She stands as the youngest appointed Juror in recorded Ru’an.

Specializes in hand to hand combat and wields weighted adamantine gauntlets brazened with wyvern claws. Katelyn has magic that exists outside of her Jury powers, she’s a half-witch with a blood magic known as dragon's fire, which gives her the ability to use the fire of a wyvern while being virtually fireproof herself. She is not a traditional witch and cannot be taught any other spells or enchantments, all spells cast from her hands will always fail.

Her Jury power is that of absolute agility, possessing limitless agility, with her balance, bodily coordination, speed, reflexes and strength transcending virtually all other beings. With this power, time moves far slower to Katelyn and she has the endurance to keep it up for prolonged periods of time- no one has ever outpaced her in a fight.

Has a quick temper and doesn't work well with others, easily angered and her fire often burns too hot for her own good, oftentimes more than a little too eager to start a fight.

Lillian the Phantom Sword

Raised in Nahakara Village alongside her cousin Ivy, Lillian became a guard through traditional means. She went to the guard academy when she became of age and excelled in her studies, graduated top of her class and made high Jury List. Served as a guard in her home of Nahakara Village, where she remained second in command until Ivy finished her own guard training.

Lillian became cursed by unknown means while exploring the enchanted forest with Ivy, resulting in her reflection gaining a consciousness and a life of her own. Hears her reflection talking to her, telling her to kill and destroy, overall not good things. She ignored it for as long as she could before eventually stepping down as head guard to seek out someone who could help. She finds Zane, who's idea of helping is bringing the reflection to the physical world and combining the real Lillian with the reflection. The two can switch fronts at will, but the reflection is always in charge, she is always in control in the back of Lillian's mind talking and telling her what to do. Lillian is but a vessel for her reflection.

She wields a simple guards sword without her shield, believing it to be too bulky in combat. Lillian is an expert level swordsman, the above average guard will not win, fighting with her is often thought to resemble a dance with her graceful movements. Her Jury power is that of illusions, she can conjure things out of shadow and mist, make people see things that aren't there. Her powers are significantly stronger and her illusions far more believable when her reflection is casting them.

The reflection is forever grateful to Zane for freeing her and giving her the control and strength over a physical body, she'll obey his every order, she is indebted to him. The reflection of Lillian is his most loyal guard.

Ivy the Venom Scythe

Raised by her cousin Lillian's parents in Naharaka Village, Ivy never cared to be a guard, she was content with her own devices, researching and experimenting with her poisons and potions. Ivy was always in and out of trouble, always some misfortunate adventure she roped Lillian into, who more often than not got them out of said trouble. She joined the guard academy after much convincing from her cousin, her havoc showed no mercy to the school and although she graduated on the Jury List it was not without a few official warnings on her record.

Joined the ranks as a guard of Naharaka with her cousin, was difficult to work with and a shitty guard, always skipping patrol to continue with her experiments. Lillian was more often than not the one who got in trouble for Ivy’s disservice to the guard code, she was the one who encouraged her to be something she’s not after all. Was formally reprimanded and assigned her second strike to her guard record after being caught lacing her sword with poison. After Lillian was cursed and fled from her duties, Ivy left also and joined the Jury Reserves in O'khasis where she was assigned to a Jurors Team and allowed to experiment with her poisons and venoms as she saw fit. Was later appointed to the Jury through traditional means after a member stepped down.

She wields a large poison laced scythe, leaning very far into her self-assigned grim reaper motif. Her Jury powers are similar to a curse, she has the ability to take the life force of anything she touches, her body acts as a poison and she can spread that poison to others. This has an effect on anything living, ranging from plants to animals she can turn anything to dust and bones. She possesses immunity to all poisons, venoms and toxins and has a vast and incomprehensible knowledge on anything relating to such topics.

Ivy’s a wild card, someone Zane can’t easily control. They don't exactly see eye to eye but Ivy is here for a good time not a long time so she’ll do whatever he asks of her as long as it’s not boring.

Jeffory the Golden Heart

Became a member of the Jury through traditional means. Went to the guard academy to learn to protect others, excellent guard, the Golden Boy of the academy in the years he attended, perfect record and perfect marks, graduated early and managed to land a spot on the Jury list. Went back to guard his home in Skysted before transferring to O’khasis per Garte’s request, became head guard and general of the O’khasis military after a few years of service.

He's a brave soldier, loyal and kind hearted. His devotion to those he loves and the people he has to protect knows no bounds. Jeffory is the people's soldier, everyone adores him, the Golden Boy of O’khasis. After one of the Jury of Nine stood down to retire, Jeffory was given the mantle.

Fights with a very untrational choice of weapon, and his mastery of the glaive is something short of a marvel. He’s a flashy fighter, eager to show his skills and yet he is kind all the while. His Jury powers are simple and often overlooked, he possesses the ability of imprisonment, allowing him to create a barrier that can capture and imprison humans, creatures, anything, with little hope or no chance to escape. (functions similarly to the golden lasso from the original series) Although he uses this as more of a pocket realm, like a mythical handbag to store things in. He has no magic or other powers outside of his Juror title.

Knows that the Jury is corrupt and he worries he’s starting to become just like the others, he fears the day he’ll be just as bloodthirsty, just as power hungry. He’s concerned that the Jeffory that he has become has lost his heart of gold, and it scares him.

Ivan the Hallowed

Warlock hailing from a small mountain village, Ivan got into a lot of trouble with his magic as a kid, always felt as though he had to prove something, as if the world owed him a great debt. The Village sent him away to train as a guard in an attempt to keep him out of trouble and his head out of his magic books, believing they knew what was best for him. Ivan wasn’t a particularly great guard, unpopular and unskilled in the protecting front, but he seemed to make up for it with his fighting. After his training he was assigned to the Village of Pikoro, where he continued with his magic studies- the village was often known for its distast and distrust of magic, he was exiled shortly after his arrival.

Was offered the position of Jury member by Zane, even without making the Jury List post graduation. The High Priest was enamored with his ability to cast complicated spells, he had seen nothing quite like it, he wanted to study it, cultivate it as his own. Ivan’s magic is strong, impressively so. One of the brightest spell casters Ru’an has seen in centuries, although his magic is volatile and unstable: this instability seems to be his driving force, his bragging point as his spells don’t have to adhere to the normal laws of magic.

He seemed to have gained no excess powers after obtaining the title of Juror. He’s the most recent addition, so he feels like he has something to prove that makes him dangerous. Doesn’t take orders well and tends to do his own thing. Zane only keeps Ivan around out of his usefulness, once it has expired it’s not unlikely Ivan will as well.

Ein the Beast Slayer

Abandoned and taken in by a tribe of werewolves, Ein was raised and trained by the creatures of the moon as one of their own. Until a violent incident with a rival pack resulted in his adoptive family banishing him, afraid of his strength. They feared that which was stronger than them, the things they couldn't control. He joined the guard academy, he held the vengeful desire to become stronger. Graduating with decorated honors and a position fairly high on the Jury list, he took a position in a Village close to his old home. Early into his guard career, Ein slaughtered the werewolves from his pack, the ones that took him in as their own, raised him, betrayed him. He made them understand true strength, gave them a real reason to fear him. He now wears the skull and fur of the alpha werewolf.

Ein went on to kill nearly hundreds of werewolves, bringing their population to such a decline it caught the attention of The High Priest, Zane Ro’meave. Zane heard of his deeds and sought him out, mysteriously, a member of the Jury resigned and Ein took their place.

His Jury powers are a curse, it’s a blood beastman curse that allows him the ability to shapeshift into any animal that he’s consumed the blood of. It is unknown if this trick will work for humans. His weapon of choice is a battle ax, although he often prefers to do Zane's dirty work as one of the beasts in his collection. Ein loves the chase, he lives for the kill.

Teony the Bright Blade

Became a member of the Jury through traditional means, raised in the village of BrightPort Teony joined the Guard Academy and excelled in her studies. Often referred to as the brightest mind of her generation. Graduated with high honors, Jury List and signed to the Jury Reserves, where she swore her allegiance to the O'khasis Guard. Served as second in command of the O’khasis Military, until becoming a member of the Jury of Nine alongside Jeffory the Golden Heart, the two were given their titles during the same ceremony.

Teony has immense skill over any and all weapons, she has a mastery of the craft of fighting.

Her Jury power is a summons- she can conjure weapons, knights, animals, most anything she needs out of light. These beings hold no physical form in the hands of others, weapons will disappear if she is not the wielder and the animals will vanish if they are cut through.

No one outside of the Jury has ever bested her in a battle of skill, she is the expert amongst experts, specialist in all weapons and can summon any of her choosing to wield. She is noble and strong, like Jeffory she is a true guard, her loyalty knows no bounds. And similarly, she often fears she is doing the wrong thing, helping the wrong people. Her oath to the Guard code outweighs her oath to Lord Garte, her nobility will always come first, her duty is to save people and protect, where there is darkness she shall be the light. Just like Jeffory, her heart of gold will be her downfall.

[scienceandfandoms]

I was talking on Discord and accidentally spent an hour giving my thoughts on how well each new Who companion could take care of a baby. Note that I think most everyone on this list is capable of taking care of a baby for some amount of time. As such I'm adding how long I think they could do so/additional stipulations in bold. Also of note that a lot of these depend on when in their timeline we mean. I split some ratings based on this. Also also this is just for fun

So without further ado... How well New Who companions would do taking care of a baby (under the cut)

Rose Tyler: When we meet her she is so so young to be caring for an infant for a significant amount of time. But by the end of her time on screen? Sure. In EU content she's even got a kid. Rating: a few days at the start, long term at the end

Mickey Smith: Era specific. Definitely not for early Mickey. But once he's matured after spending time in Pete's World he could probably do it. Rating: maybe for an afternoon at the start, long term at the end

Captain Jack Harkness: Has had children canonically. This does not, however, fill me with confidence. Probably knows how to keep them alive more or less though unless their death would save the world haha who said that. Rating: inevitable heartbreak/10

Martha Jones: I'd trust her to do so at the start if she had to bc of her medical training and being slightly older/with her shit together. My confidence has only increased with time. Rating: most competent so far, could probably handle it long term if she had to right at the start

Donna Noble: Has successfully, canonically, on screen raised a spectacular daughter who is also a companion. A large portion of her time on screen in The Star Beast is dedicated to how good of a mother she is. Rating: companion I would trust the most with a baby for any amount of time

River Song: Another one that depends in part on place in the timeline and I'm not even gonna get into the thing where the Library makes her a parent or something at the end of that episode bc that feels forced af to me. But I feel like she'd lack confidence in her ability to care for a kid of any age, but take to it surprisingly well if she really had to do it. Rating: earlier in her timeline just no. Later in her timeline she could probably manage long term

Amy Pond and Rory Williams (they're a couple so doing them together): at the beginning they're also quite young (not even counting Amelia era Amy). They could do it but I think Rory would be picking up a lot of the slack for the same reasons I think early Martha could do it. Dubiously canonly they DID raise a kid (though it's unclear if it was from infancy), and in general there's so many timeskips they're a lot older and more mature by their departure and I think they'd be fine. Rating: carried by Rory to squeak out mid-long term success early on, but in a better position long term later in their lives

Clara Oswald: Clara has experience with children, yes, but ones that are SCHOOL age. Clara is not equipped to handle an infant. You can't be clever at an infant. Unless you speak baby. Maybe she forces the Doctor to teach her to speak baby. I doubt it would help. Rating: I wouldn't leave a baby with Clara Oswald for more than an afternoon and even that much is a gamble

Nardole: Has been seen looking after babies before. Seems reasonably competent at it. Up there honestly. Rating: long term right from the start. Or at least from his second episode he's just kinda doofy in THORS and there's a significant time skip after that

Bill Potts: While not as young as someone like Rose, her position in life is still one that makes caring for a baby for a significant duration difficult. Could she do it? Yeah probably if she really had to. But I want her to live her life. Rating: living situation complicates anything more than short term early on, probably capable of long term with resources even then

Ryan Sinclair: Chibnall companions are kinda nothing to me. Sorry. Please don't come at me for not being a Chibnall enjoyer. But it can be hard to get a read on them to me. Ryan is pretty young though so I'm gonna say best not. Maybe if he was written by someone capable of developing a character. Rating: short term would probably be okay

Graham O'Brien: Also Chibnall. In a better position age wise. Loses points for all the ableism with Ryan so maybe if the kid isn't disabled I guess. Rating: another short term candidate I suppose

Yaz Khan: Also Chibnall. Also young. Still probably not. I'm sorry canon Yaz is kinda nothing to me I know a lot of people really like her. Rating: competent enough for short term probably

Dan Lewis: Maybe the Chibnall companion I'd trust with a baby the most? I mean he's not barely an adult, and his main crime is outing someone which isn't really relevant to a baby. I think it's a bit outside his wheelhouse but he'd manage it okay. Though if he never unshrunk his house that might make it a bit more difficult for anything longer term. Rating: congratulations you get short term with longer term conditional on the assumption you have somewhere to go with said baby

Rose Noble: She's 15. But on the other hand she could ask her mom for help so if that's an option she's fine actually. Rating: probably a great short term babysitter, has the resources to get excellent assistance if she were to end up with a baby in the long term

Ruby Sunday: Another Quite Young companion and her introduction literally does feature a baby in her care getting kidnapped. She does get that baby back though and it's shown that she helps her mom with childcare a lot so big babysitter energy. Rating: short-mid term on her own, longer term with assistance

[ghostingkai]

I'm bored of Twitter and don't really post there much, so idk maybe I'll start using this blog more. I just want to talk about the spoilers so far for ch145--

OBLIGATORY: None of these details are confirmed until the actual chapter comes out, I'm basing a lot of my opinions on conversations from people who have already seen the chapter. What I've seen so far:

-There's a mirror world, though whether it's actually happening is unclear, it could simply be an illusion or a creation by Mikuni

-Touma is wearing a wedding ring?! AND DRIVING A FAMILY CAR? Has a son named Touma Mahiru?!?! WHAT?

-Touma and Tsurugi apparently don't know each other in this mirror world, it's unclear if Tsurugi is even around at all

-Someone mentioned something about "Shirota Mahiru" being unable to do magic, unlike "Touma Mahiru." I would love to see mirror world Mahiru as a training magician, that would be fascinating

-It honestly sounds like Touma has a happy and normal family life, which is just... what the hell is happening in this series anymore, I love it

-Some people have speculated that Misono is supposed to be born 'later' in the mirror world. Not sure if this is just their assumptions, or if that's really what Mikuni's plan is -- to create a world where Misono is never born to Mikado, so that Mikuni can father him later in life (even typing that has me dying lmao)

-Someone else mentioned Mikuni giving a mirror as his contract item (I'm assuming he was giving it to the Count, but that part wasn't mentioned)

"In the mirror world, where 'Shirota Mahiru' is actually 'Touma Mahiru'..."

Umm, excuse me, WHAT? WHAT IS THIS? So, assuming this works the way it sounds like it works -- Mikuni has either awakened the Count and managed to recreate an alternate timeline, or he's using some type of magic/illusion to show everyone what would happen in his ideal world. Either way, I'm referring to it as "Mikuni's mirror world" and I'm not gonna think about it too much farther than that until I've read the chapter myself >u>

First of all -- the idea of Touma being in a marriage with Akira is absolutely wild. Actually, thinking about Touma being happy is wild in itself lol. It sounds like he's part of an actual family unit, which I'm dying to see, but at the same time, it also sounds like he never actually met Tsurugi in the mirror world.

My initial assumption was that the mirror world was Mikuni's creation, and that the reason Touma ends up with Akira there is because Mikuni is, in his own way, trying to "correct" the lies that eventually brought everything to its current state.

But thinking about it more, I suppose it's also possible that if Mikuni truly is responsible for creating a world where Touma has a family, his reasoning could have simply been to deter Touma from pursuing his goal of resurrecting the Count himself.

It was mentioned in an earlier chapter that Mikuni and Lily involved Mahiru in everything because they were hoping that Touma would be unwilling to harm or kill his son in order to get to Kuro. When they realized they were wrong (VERY wrong lmao,) it's possible Mikuni thought that the world's "second round" would go much smoother if Touma didn't feel the need to resurrect the Count -- or if he had a closer bond with Mahiru. No one posting spoilers has mentioned if Mahiru even contracted with Kuro in this mirror world, so it's hard to say at this point.

I don't know... this is all just word of mouth at this point, but I am DYING to see this chapter. Did Tsurugi just not exist in this world? Or is he still there, walking around, with no bond to Touma whatsoever?

I don't know what's wrong with Mikuni anymore, and I'm done trying to figure it out, but omg it sounds like he's really fucking things up, and I'm here for it lol.

[eiswolfzero]

What inspired you to make your mlp Infection au? What even started the virus? And how do ponies view it?

It doesn't seem to cause any death or permanent harm like other aus do, and with Applejack, she's still happy even if she's not AJ anymore. Does it affect other species as well? Like Spike?

I'm not really sure how the idea started. I was enjoying myself drawing G1 Twilight and then Firefly and somehow along the way I thought, wouldn't it be fun if Twilight slowly changed to G1 Twilight?

And then the idea was born.

As of now (as bare bone as it is): Spike started it. Unintentionally.

Due to a surge of power, his magical letter sending fire somehow overcame time/space/dimension/any kind of connection and this infected the others. AJ is the first one to be infected but it's unclear when exactly it started.

That alone makes finding out the cause difficult. The ponies, so far, don't know the cause yet.

The mane 6 and their families find it to be tragic. AJ, so far, is in her happy little world being Applejack. But it's been devastating to the Applefamily and her friends. They want AJ back, they miss talking and spending time with her. Whoever this is, she's different and while friendly and sweet, she's not AJ.

Twilight is anxious, panicky. She's already losing trains of thought and just thinks of "I wish" or teleporting somewhere for fun. Maybe spending some time with the foals and having a good day. On the other hoof she's terrified. She wants to help AJ, wants to help them and keep the others from being infected.

But alas. Celestia somehow only offers to drink some tea?!

[xxlady-lunaxx]

"I wish I was kind like you Tanjiro," Giyuu murmured. He looked around at the emptiness of the current room at the Water Estate they were in. The bare walls and no decoration serving as reminders of the promises he had broken and who he had failed to save too painful to mention.

How did his younger counterpart manage to go through so much and still have the space in his heart to be kind? Giyuu wished he possessed some of that same strength.

Tanjiro, persistent as always, had barely left a millimeter of space between them as they sat shoulder to shoulder. "But you're the kindest person I know Giyuu-san!" he exclaimed.

"But I'm not though?" the stoic man questioned, refusing to look at the personification of the sun next to him.

Tanjiro laughed, nudging the hashira lightly with his shoulder.

"Oh Giyuu-san, do you know how wrong you are?" 💜

STOP THIS IS SO CUTE I LOVE YOU SO MUCH DJJDJGSK i want to scoop this writing up and run farfar away pllleasee let this be something they talked about i can't add anything to this bc it's already perfect but how about a scene in the past with sabito and giyuu? :3 little flashback

⮱ Giyuu's eyes widened by a fraction, the words hitting something familiar in his mind. He frowned slightly, trying to pull up the memory that nudged at him. It came almost staticky at first, unclear. There was Sabito, young and smiling. When Giyuu thought about it, though he tried not to, Sabito reminded him of Tanjiro. Both held such kindness and compassion, their voices so soothing... so sweet. But that wasn't why he was remembering this. There were words that accompanied the image and he searched for the sound, trying to dredge up the rest.

It was a similar conversation like this. The same longing to be better. But it was different, too. Giyuu's words had been different.

"Sabito, I wish I was stronger. Like you," Giyuu had said. Even then, he had been the type to compare. He put himself below others subconsciously, dubbing himself not strong, not kind, not anything.

Sabito had shaken his head disapprovingly. "You are strong, Giyuu."

"Not like you! You're ahead of me in so many ways, it's not fair..." Giyuu sulked, tossing his practice katana aside and crossing his arms.

"Well, you're caring. The most caring person I know," Sabito said. "Besides, we have different kinds of strengths. And I can only beat you because I've been training for longer, that's normal. You just have to work more to get to this point. Meanwhile, I have to work harder to be nicer. You're very kind, did you know that? There's a word to it... Uhm... empathetic! You have empathy, and that's something I have to try a bit harder on. You're more forgiving."

Giyuu frowned. "What's 'empathy?' It sounds cheesy. And being forgiving isn't gonna help me fight! I can't just forgive the demon and expect it to give up and let me kill it! That's not how it works!" he huffed, glaring at the ground.

Sabito laughed. "Sure. But you're more inviting. You can soothe other people's worries while I fight the demons then," he offered.

"Fine... I still wish I was stronger. I'm basically useless if 'kindness' is all I've got for me," Giyuu grumbled, uncurling his arms to pick up the wooden katana again.

Sabito hummed, raising his own faux katana and imitating Giyuu's stance. "I'm sure you'll see how wrong you are, Giyuu," he said cheerfully as they began their training again.

i genuinely want to hug you so much rn anon you should write your own requests you writing is great ARGH the first paragraph of the ask /pos i love you so much

[aspiringwarriorlibrarian]

You know, I rarely come across popsci articles that make me angry enough to do a point by point debunking but here we fucking are.

"Fact" 1: Your cat doesn't love you.

Citations: Two studies. One that was inconclusive on whether cats care if their owners leave and come back, but the author has decided that there is "proof enough" that they don't. Marvelous investigative work. The other is that cats hear their owners but don't come when they call. Strange, because dogs do the exact same thing and have to be specifically trained to be called.

"Fact" 2: Your cat isn't really showing you affection

Citations: 1 study stating that cats rub your legs to spread their scent (we already knew that), one stating that cats who don't like being petted but tolerate it have higher stress levels than cats who just run away (yup. not all dogs like being petted either), and one study that found that cats use different purrs with humans when soliciting food and when not, which the author then flat out lies about by saying that cats only use purrs for humans when they want food. Because fuck reaching, let's just straight up lie and hope no one clicks the link to call bullshit. What the fuck.

"Fact" 3: They're an environmental disaster

This one is just straight up true. Feral cats are the one if not the most dangerous invasive species humans introduce. Stop letting your cats outside and spay and neuter any you find. What I object to is the framing of feral dogs as a "lesser" threat. They're third on the list after cats and rats and pretty much every study on them concludes with "we need a LOT more data, this is a much bigger problem than we thought". You don't become the planet's most common carnivore without squishing a few hundred (or thousand) more species on the way.

"Fact" 4: They're going to make you insane through T. gondii infection.

It's here that we get the usual flurry of studies on how people with T. gondii infections turn schizophrenic or get into more traffic accidents or become business majors (I'm not kidding about this). What it doesn't mention is a) some of those studies need to be redone and b) the biggest risk to getting T. gondii isn't having a litter box, it's eating undercooked meat. Studies have been inconclusive on whether cleaning a cat's litter tray actually increases the chances of T. gondii, and have focused primarily on pregnant European women. I'm not saying that this might not be a threat, I'm saying that hyperfocusing on a maybe infection with unclear symptoms is kind of stupid when we have plenty of well-documented zoonotic diseases from both dogs and cats.

So yeah, click the links on pop sci articles to make sure they aren't lying to you about the results of the study.

[twocubes]

everyone has figured out that Tattletale was a simurgh plot from the beginning right

like, my only interactions with the fandom are reading fic, and I stopped reading ward due to getting overwhelmed one of those weeks he was posting one chapter per day, so I'm not sure where the discourse has landed

but it's absolutely obvious. here is my evidence:

Ziz stays close to Tt during GM, which would allow her to use her power

The one time we see (screen + scanner + clairvoyant's version of) Ziz's perspective, we see that she cannot see through the thinker blanks that Scion forces

The blanks that Scion forces are strongly implied to be imposed by Imp's shard, or at least of the same nature as that one

Tt's power, by long interaction with Imp, has some level of trained resistance to it

the moment at which Tt figures out what's going to cause Scion's rampage absolutely reeks of precog/precog compromise. Literally within seconds of the last moment it could possibly be useful, literally as early as possible after the fate of the world is sealed

The way we find out about the parallel-world-fuckery that underlies Parahuman powers comes as a result of Tt's spontaneous experimentation during the Echidna event. Experimentation which was directly inspired by observation of Echidna's form (something something as close to one of them directly coming over something something)

The way everyone finds out about Cauldron is also directly a result of Echidna cloning Alexandria, after which the event is suppressed; only the people there even know, and she is there

Echidna is the culmination of one prong of the Simurgh bomb that is the Travellers; the other prong of that Simurgh bomb is, of course, Cody. This one culminates with him killing Accord and then almost killing Tattletale but then at the last minute changing his mind for seemingly no reason

The precise details of Imp's trigger event are left unclear, but we know it was immediately after Leviathan hit BB. Presuming coordination between the Endbringers, possible guidance for trigger??

Tt was in position to be shoved hither and tither by coincidental machinations until she ended up in the ideal location to punch waaaaay above her weight class and be roped into the illuminati meetings by her coincidental associations with she-who-would-become-Khepri. This puts her in a position to be as effective as possible in post-GM. Coincidence???

In conclusion: you might have thought it silly when I said that Tattletale's ideal gf (besides Taylor) would obviously be the Simurgh, since Tt dismisses relationships as requiring some amount of mystery which her power makes impossible, and Ziz could certainly manage. But you have to understand:

Ziz/Lisa is exactly like Lisa/Taylor: making an obvious one-sided obsession mutual

[pokemonshelterstories]

Hem! Sorry to send this message to someone from Paldea, but I got the idea considering the close relationship between your region and Blueberry Academy, where I teach history -

Slim Pickens (Snorlax, late adult, male, cowboy hat) and the Little Professor (Gengar, unclear, female, mortarboard cap with bright purple tassel) are two Pokemon I've had since my former career as a Gym Leader, and I like to flatter myself by thinking that I'm in tune with their needs and emotions. (Believe me, when Slim Pickens doesn't like something, he doesn't hesitate to let me know it. His son, Shady, is the same way.) The Little Professor has been moving around and getting excited less and less as of late. While a few years ago I could find her using Pickens' stomach as a trampoline while he uneasily slept and interrupting my lessons at random with demands for attention, she's been doing that less and less lately, sleeping nearly as much as both Slims. At first I thought she was just getting older - we all are, nothing to be ashamed about - and while I admit that I missed the Little Professor's disruptive presence in my life, I assumed everything was part of the natural process of aging - or as close to the 'natural process' as a Ghost-type can manage.

Unfortunately, we've got a new Ghost-type expert teaching at Blueberry Academy, and she says that I'm 'starving' my Gengar. I was shocked since there wasn't any changes in their diet from what I'd been giving them for years - and she says that the Little Professor needs a steady supply of new 'pranks' to pull on people in order to be fulfilled, happy, and healthy, and that my insistence that the Little Professor limit their mischief to me and not permit them to bother my students is resulting in some sort of Ghost-type malnutrition.

I'm not sure I trust her - she's a bit of a mystic and given to anthropomorphization. So I thought I would ask for a second opinion, since Pokemon Centers in Unova tend to focus more on the brute survival and nutrition of the Pokemon they treat rather than 'enrichment' and environment - is my insistence that the Little Professor *not* yank chairs out from underneath my students and then levitate them around the center of the room, spinning them around near the ceiling lights, a physical or mental health issue for her? Am I really being too hard-headed and rules-oriented with my Pokemon, have I let my old Gym Leader instincts make me be too harsh and demanding? And if you aren't sure, what do you think the best way to tell or research more would be?

(NB: If this is serious enough to refer this to your local Ghost-type Gym Leader, please do not mention my identity. It's embarrassing, but I fumbled the ball *badly* when asking her sister if she was married when she visited from the Academy.)

you work at one of the most well-funded and well-regarded schools in the world and you haven't consulted their library for pokemon care information? i'd highly recommend looking there.

as for your gengar, she's just slowing down as you age, because- as i would hope a ghost-type expert knows- they're life force feeders. i'm not sure where this expert has gotten her information, but the gengar line are not like misdreavus or shuppet. they prey upon people's life force by hiding themselves in shadows. it would in fact be unusual for them to draw so much attention by playing pranks. she's less active because she's basically "aging" with you.

now, while i don't mind to reassure you on your care, i do take issue with you saying pokemon center nurses in unova dont worry about enrichment. theyre as hardworking and well trained as any other nurses i've met. if you haven't heard about care outside of battle from them, it's because you haven't asked. and as for ryme, don't assume she's not professional enough to put aside whatever faux pas you committed for the sake of a pokemon. these are professionals, and it's unkind and unfair to act like they won't do their jobs properly.

[dr-futbol-blog]

The Siege I, Pt. 5

So, finally at the LaGrange point satellite, we get a view of the puddle jumper docking with the Ancient weapons platform in a pretty phallic visual. Docking is a rather well-known sexual practice among men who have sex with men, and may even be especially pleasurable when one partner is circumcised and the other is not. Like, say, when one participant might be from the US and the other Canadian. There was really no need for them to make the shot this phallic by framing it vertically and yet here we are.

In the very next scene, inside the satellite, we are immediately asked to pay attention to McKay's heavy breathing:

Grodin: Are you OK? McKay: Yes. Why? Grodin: Well, you're breathing pretty heavily. McKay: Yeah, well, I'm feeling a little claustrophobic.

We are meant to think that McKay is breathing heavily and grunting a lot because he's out of shape while he explains it basically as being caused by anxiety. But the fact that Grodin just had to point it out tells us that it had made him think of other strenuous activities.

Miller seems to like McKay which invites us to compare him with Sheppard. If Sheppard had come in his stead, he would be the one in the space suit executing McKay's instructions, or at the very least he would be out there with McKay. There is no way that he would have let him do this alone. Further, we frequently see Sheppard take McKay's concerns seriously and try to help him overcome them--unlike Grodin, who rolls his eyes at McKay's complaining. McKay is absolutely right that he is out there doing something he hasn't been trained for that is potentially very dangerous, and they shouldn't be making light of it.

We also get another reference to something being thought dead which is relevant for the resolution of the episode:

McKay: How much air do these things hold anyways? Miller: Eight hours. McKay: Well, that's enough, right? I mean, even with the heavy breathing? I mean, they would calculate that in, right? Grodin: You're going to be fine. McKay: Yeah, that's easy for you to say--you're not the one with the eight hours ceiling on the breathing! ....It's completely dead. Grodin: Well, we thought as much.

We thought as much he says, and Sheppard reminded us of having thought McKay said it was dead at the beginning of the episode.

We are given a lot of numbers in this episode. The wraith are coming in 49 hours, it takes 15 hours to get to the satellite, he has 8 hours of air, they have 29 hours until "show-time." The significance of the numbers is unclear but they do tell us that by the end of the episode, Sheppard has not slept for a while.

On Atlantis, Weir has a meeting with the Athosian Halling, and their discussion likewise has some bearing on how the episode ends:

Weir: There are concerns the Wraith will be able to make it to Earth if the city is left intact--but I assure you that plan will only be executed in a worse-case scenario. Halling: Such as three hive ships flying towards Atlantis? Weir: We do believe we'll be able to destroy them before they arrive.

Weir: I have to do everything I can to make sure the power and technology of Atlantis does not fall into the hands of the Wraith -- and, yes, to ensure they never make it to my galaxy. Halling: Even if it means sacrificing the future of this one?

Sheppard is operating under the same belief as Weir. They have a self-destruct plan in place because they believe that protecting Earth is worth each and every life on Atlantis. Furthermore, Sheppard believes that he is personally responsible for unleashing the wraith on this galaxy and even likely thinks that if he had only gotten to Col. Sumner faster, the wraith would never have found out about the 'rich new feeding grounds' on Earth. All of this hangs in the balance.

Back on the weapons platform, Grodin and Miller have joined McKay after he hooked up the generator and got life-support going. Grodin switches on the artificial gravity without giving proper warning to McKay, causing him to injure himself--and this is played as a comedic interlude:

Grodin: I think I found the switch to initialize the gravity. McKay: Great, just give me a second to-- Oh yeah. Yeah. That's permanent back damage. Grodin: Sorry. I assumed it would come on more slowly. McKay: Well, you assumed with my life. Grodin: You'll be fine. It was just a little bump. McKay: What have you got? Grodin: Looks like every system is back online--except for the weapon. McKay: Ah, details. Let's get to work. Oh, thank you. Thank you! Yeah, that's vertebra damage, that's pain...

Miller helps McKay up, seeming much more sympathetic to his plight than Grodin. Their relationship has been somewhat antagonistic throughout. In fact, one of the first things we ever saw Grodin do was to take a swing at McKay:

McKay had a point, there. That seems like some pent-up rage. It could just be that they rub each other the wrong way as people sometimes do but as I've speculated before, Grodin does not seem to be entirely straight himself.

There could be a hook-up in their past, somewhere within the weeks or months spent in the cold recesses of Antarctica. Since they are both civilian contractors, it would at least have been relatively safe to fool around. "Where did all those Saturday nights go?" McKay asked him in Sanctuary (S01E14). I wonder.

What ever their history, the horrified look on Miller's face as he watches McKay on the ground suggests that Sheppard did have some kind of a talk with him before they took off on the mission, meaning that he knows Sheppard holds him personally responsible if anything happens to McKay.

Miller helps McKay up from the floor, looks to see that he's alright and even pats him on the shoulder as a sign of compassion. He further gives Grodin a look that seems to contain a warning that McKay doesn't get to see. Miller is acting protective of McKay and there is really only one reason that would explain this behaviour.

McKay is clearly surprised by Miller's gesture, not used to receiving such acts of kindness (from anyone other than Sheppard, anyway). His first thank you is just reflexive while his second thank you actually expresses his gratitude for the gesture. This, from the man that never says 'please' or 'thank you'.

Meanwhile on Atlantis, Sheppard and Ford are continuing the search for a new Alpha Site, going through a list on a computer in the meeting room. This time neither Weir nor Bates are present, and neither is Teyla. Presumably both Teyla and Bates are cooling off somewhere else, and from how Sheppard sounded when they were trying to get the belligerents separated, he probably doesn't want to see either one of them for a while.

The way Sheppard is sitting is both similar and dissimilar to how he was sitting in the first meeting. He has his hand up on the table between himself and Ford, and he seems to be resting his jaw against his fist with one finger pressing against the corner of his jaw with the effect of turning his face slightly away from Ford. Again, nothing he has against Ford or even his physical presence, they are just two guys sitting in proximity and he needs to establish a perimetre between them, to have some personal space.

Earlier, when McKay was talking in front of him, he was not pressing his jaw against his fist but was pressing two of his fingers against the side of his neck to better allow him to angle his face toward McKay. And here, his fist is between the two of them while previously he stretched his chin up so as not to have anything between himself and McKay. Here, he is hunched over while previously his posture was much more open.

These are minute details of a man basically doing the same thing and yet, so different. Even without any dialogue, just looking at the body language, he is open to McKay, all the time, while not so much toward other people.

Sheppard does not seem to be in a very good mood. Ford excitedly tries to name a planet with a name that Sheppard would probably ordinarily disapprove of because he thinks that he's the only one that gets to name things, and there are several times in the past that he has told Ford that he doesn't get to name things. This time, however, Sheppard doesn't even respond. In the past, his intention has been to poke good-natured fun at the young soldier, ribbing at him to create a sense of familiarity. Ford's intention here was probably an attempt at connecting with Sheppard, too.

But he just doesn't have it in him, right now. To pretend that things are normal. He has that clock ticking down internally, the external sensors tracking the approaching hives on the screens all around them, and he is doing all that he can to keep at bay the dread building inside him. He probably hasn't slept, either. He is doing this, looking for an Alpha Site, because this is what he stayed back for. And because he stayed back for this, he's going to find them a new Alpha Site even if it kills him.

But before they have made any decisions, there is a voice on the intercom telling them that there is a "situation" at Generator Station One. What fresh hell is this?

They take off immediately and find two marines there that have discovered Bates, unconscious and clearly beaten up on the floor. They call for a medical team to take him to the infirmary and Sheppard kneels by Bates' body, just watching him helplessly. He doesn't know what has happened but he does know that he is blaming himself for allowing it to happen. Yes, he was at his wits' end as to what to do with the man but he never wanted something like this to happen.

It is unclear where Sheppard spent his night but next we are clearly shown that time has passed with shots of Atlantis first at night and then in the morning. It is doubtful he was sleeping, in any case (he hasn't changed his clothes, for one). I will point out that they are within comm distance from the satellite and in the next scene we see that McKay has withdrawn from the other two, crouching on the platform above them and is fiddling with some kind of a device we have never seen before. This device does not seem to have anything to do with what they are doing; he just punches a few buttons in frustration,* looks at the screen and then just ignores the device like he's not using it anymore. He also seems distracted like he had been only half-listening to Grodin. After he puts the device away, he's focusing on what they are doing again.

So, in the morning we find Sheppard coming to visit Bates by his hospital bed, and there is also a difference between his two mental states: he was clearly freaking out internally when he was crouching by Bates' body last night and now, in the morning, he seems much more calm and is concerned for Bates' well-being, being compassionate. I'm not saying Sheppard and McKay necessarily had a chat but they make it clear that they had time for one. For some reason, they show them crouching in mirror image of each other as though facing one another. Also, Sheppard asks Beckett "When can we talk to him?" drawing attention to the timing of talking with someone.

When Sheppard walks in from where ever he spent his night Ford is already there, watching Bates. In the previous episode, they were standing similarly by Teyla's bed and while I don't think it has anything to with Ford per se, Sheppard managed to keep more space between himself and both Weir and Teyla than he does with Ford. There is a visual parallel here, at the very least.

None of them want to believe it but obviously Teyla is the main suspect. Sheppard himself has likely felt what it is like not to be given the benefit of the doubt so many times in his past that he is willing to hear Teyla out before condemning her:

Ford: Teyla and Bates got into it pretty badly yesterday, sir. Sheppard: A fistfight and a beating like this are a long drive apart, Ford. Ford: I understand that, sir, but they were in a fight; they were both looking to continue it. Sheppard: Anything pointing to who did this? Beckett: I'm having a forensic exam of both his body and clothing performed right now. Sheppard: Let us know what you find out. Let's go get her side of the story.

He doesn't need this right now. They don't need this right now. It seems like he is losing control of the situation and the wraith aren't even here yet... or so he thinks.

Continued in Pt. 6

-* Much later (The Return, S03E10) we are shown that Sheppard does not say goodbye even on the phone because he doesn't want to hear McKay say goodbye to him under any circumstances and if he ends the call abruptly, he doesn't have to know what the other person was going to say. Now, one might find that frustrating is all I'm saying. The way McKay is punching the buttons certainly seems like the behaviour of someone that had just been hung up on.

[sochawrites]

Hi I was just wondering if you do yandere characters? If so I would like to request a yandere!comics!Bane with a reader who came to him to learn how to fight but then started backing away from him when he tries to get them into the more crime-y stuff.

If your not comfortable with the yandere bit then you can ignore it.

I'm not necessarily against it, I never tried to write it, but it can't hurt to try! ^^

I tried to keep this gn, since you didn't specify which gender you want me to write it for, but comic!Bane does use Spanish from time to time and, well, it kind of lacks neutral terms. I opted for switching between male and fem terms with those words since it's what some people use in my country instead of the neutral ones. But the closest I have ever been to learning Spanish was taking a few courses on Duolingo, if some terms are wrongfully used, I am terribly sorry.

And Happy New Year!

Abeja

Yandere! Bane x gn! reader

Have Bane's gorgeous ass and back as an apology (I may have dug out my copy of Europa just to get this)

Bane, the man, the myth, the legend, and currently the newest foe of Gotham's Dark knight, but in this madness-ruled city, there was a new one almost every week. Yet this one was different. He wasn't mad like the clown prince of crime, or a part of organized crime like the Penguin. He acted here of his own will, and he wasn't alone.

His motives were unclear, but that didn't matter to you all that much, he was the new big fish in town and was there to stay, that was all you needed to know. You made your way to his hideout, going by the coordinates you traded with some more friendly crooks, getting halfway through before being caught. You could say that it was your superpower, but in reality, you were just quiet and observant.

"You are brave but incredibly foolish for coming here, pequeño." one more word ran through the masked man's mind, one he tried to shove away from the very moment you stepped inside his lair, yet it still lingered. He was staring you down like a predator on a hunt, "I think you have no idea how dangerous I am, do you?"

Bane was right in one thing, you were foolish, foolish enough to come and seek help from him, "No, I do know the extent of your power, that is exactly why I am here.". You were done with being the bottom feed of the city. Even with Batman, people, both close to you and foreign, were still getting robbed, raped, and killed, and you refused to be next on the list.

So you came to the one being you thought of as not only the strongest, but the fairest, believing he had Gotham's best interest in mind, that his path was righteous, and that he would rid the city of the infection. If only you knew then how wrong you were, you would have saved yourself a lot of trouble.

"Are you now? Then tell me, what is it that you want from me?" the more he looked at you, the more he was set on keeping you, your answer had little impact on your fate. There was something about you, about your beauty, and Bane was sure it would drive him crazy if he gave you up.

"Teach me. Teach me how to fight like you, and I promise you my loyalty." you even knelt before him! That made things especially easy.

And so he took you under his wing, teaching you what he deemed worthy for you to know. You were endearing to him, and the more you two chatted, the worse it was, for both of you. What you saw at first as a way out of misery had since become something of a friend. That was how you decided to call it, friendship, completely ignoring the way he quite literally took over your life.

He never let you out of his sight. You thought it was to guarantee your safety, but Bane was simply making sure to keep you for himself. Yet an idea materialized over time. You were the perfect grey mouse, the way you crept in… you had talent, he could use that.

You would be perfect for infiltration. Sure, he would put you in harm's way, but he had trained you, and if he was there to step in whenever needed, to save the day… It would all work out, it had to.

So he started sending you out. First just to the territories of other rogues to test the waters, then he moved to dispatching you straight to the dragon dens. Bane was always close of course. He didn't trust his men to look after you, no matter how loyal to him they were, it wouldn't be enough to calm his mind. He called this upon himself and he swore he would keep you safe, convincing himself that he was the only one who could keep his abeja safe.

But you couldn't continue like that. You first seeked Bane out so that you could stay away from criminals as far as possible, but only now have you started to realize you joined forces with one. You had to draw the line somewhere, and desperate times call for desperate measures.

"Do not touch what is mine, Bat!", Bane roared out the first and only warning he was willing to give. You were hiding behind Batman, the man you lured to the Iceberg lounge as your last hope to get away from the controlling man.

For the first time in months, you were truly scared. Not only had you broken Bane's trust after swearing him your loyalty, but you also brought in the bat when his plan wasn't fully prepared.

You were quickly shown aside as the fight between the two gained intensity. You could not help but look at the brawl. The way they clashed, it was clear Bane hadn't taught you all he knew.

Batman fought hard, but Bane was fierce, furious, and even though he had his venom prepared, he didn't feel the need to use it. His wit and determination to get you back were this time enough to send Batman scurrying away in a hurry, leaving you behind and on your own.

"Stay away! I'm armed and I'm not afraid to use it!" you raised your weapon higher into the air, closer to Bane's face, only for him to laugh at you. "That's a fork, abeja." he muttered as he disarmed you effortlessly and picked you up by the back of your shirt as you stood paralyzed, watching the utensil that was now out of your reach.

Bane took his mask off with his free hand, revealing a cruel smirk on his lips, "Estás en problemas, Y/N...". His voice came out dangerously low, but there was a notable hint of patience. You momentarily locked your eyes with his green ones, the look he gave you... It wasn't only stern and authoritative, but also tender, almost soft, it was off, sickeningly so. "Care to explain yourself?"

"Not to you!" you spat in his face, all admiration you had towards him long gone. You started to wiggle and trash around to make the man lose his hold on you, only to be met with an amused chuckle.

"Eres luchadora, cariño, I always loved that about you, so smart, so ravishing.", Bane spoke out before switching his hold on you, trapping you closer to him, "There's nothing I could do but to fall in love with you.". He kept your hyperventilating form in a rock hold as he rested his forehead against yours, closing his eyes "I hope you will find it in your heart to forgive me, Y/N, but I can't let you go. Ni ahora, ni nunca."

[ostebee]

Finally I can share with all you my observations on the Higher Beings yeah!!! I'm not sure if this was noticed by someone but...

Let's talk about Higher Beings, shall we?

Disclaimer: there won't be Unn or WL unfortunately since they're not showing their abilities in full size. Also I count PV as Higher Being since they're basically a child of two deities. Hornet is in the party too with my speculations for Silksong.

So. We have four legit Higher Beings in our review: the Pale King, the Pure Vessel, NKG and the Radiance. Their fighting styles are pretty unique and have distinctive features. Let's analyse every single of them.

The Radiance. She's pretty skilled in the manifestation of things such as platforms or blades from the Essence. Also she have enough capacity not only to manifest but to keep them for some time (look at Nail Shower attack). Her main thing is the fact that she can initiate new attack before the end of previous one, meaning that the Radiance feels pretty confident within the Dream Realm.

The Pure Vessel. Yeah, Godseekers and etc, I know. But let's just agree on how they're focused and powerful. They can to manifest the Soul into the blades, which leads us to the thought that Ghost simply isn't that trained. PV also can to initiate another attack before the end of the previous one (right after Focus attack). Also they can alter their own body (Tendrills attack) which I think came not only from the Void itself but from WL too. We could to speculate that PK, PV, Ghost and Hornet are sharing the ability to withdraw Soul and we'll do it because who else could stop us? William and Ari? Mossbag?

The last one Higher Being subject is NKG. He's different like a lot: he uses Nightmare Essence and body alteration in the same proportion (uppercut — blade hand and fireballs, pufferfish — some kind of shield and flames, diagonal dash — body altering and fire again). The only pure attacks are cape spikes and flame bats, meaning that it's the most difficult form of his magic. NKG doesn't altering the arena like the Radiance does though. Does he have a skill issue or he's simply restricting himself for the sake of the Ritual is unclear for me. I think both of the sentences are equal. NKG also finishes all his attacks (thanks, bruh) and that could mean that he doesn't have enough power to hold two things at the same time.

And now the most delusional part. Hornet.

Yeah, she's semi Higher Being meaning that she's born from usual beast and the God himself. She shares some features with her siblings PV and Ghost: Hornet can to gain and utilise Silk which could be some sort of mix between Herrah's and Wyrm's features. My rough thought is that Silk isn't a manifestation but rather a logical addition or some sort of conductor for Soul which brings us to interesting topic. Could scholars of the Soul Sanctum defeat Silk issue if my theory is correct? Maybe the answer about haunting Silk lies within the Soul???

I hope we'll get the answer in the Silksong. And now I'm finishing my rambling, hope you liked it.

[fanstuffrantings]

With the GMG arc almost wrapped up i feel it's now a good time to give my overall thoughts about it, mentioning the things I did and didn't like. Note: this will be more negative than positive as unfortunately I was disappointed by this arc in a way I haven't been with the others. This will be a beefy post as the arc is longer than any others before it.

I want to start by saying I went into this arc with positivity towards it. I may be critical of the show but when I read the arc as a teenager I genuinely adored it. And I feel that, while rocky, the arc started off fairly strong. The first test to enter the games was a fun concept. We got a bit of focus on one of Lucy's silver keys which is always a treat and the nature of the maze itself was great.

I loved getting to see more guilds for once and the choice to include GMG as the first major post time skip arc isn't a bad idea. The thought to give fairy tail a fall from grace isn't terrible (the execution of it is another story entirely) as it adds some stakes to the games themselves with fairy tail aiming to reclaim the public opinion.

Sabertooth as a foil to fairy tail was again, a solid idea even if the plotting didn't fully do them justice. A sanctioned guild built on the idea that strength and power are all that matter is something that could've worked but unfortunately fell flat.

Acnologias backstory is one of my favorite reveals in the show. As is the twist that two people appeared from the future and Ultears magic only getting 1 minute back. Erza vs 100 monsters is always going to be a highlight.

Unfortunately I'm going to now shift into criticism territory:

The issues with this arc start from the timeskip itself. First none of the fairy tail characters left behind were allowed to get stronger and begin to hold their own. They still could've been a much worse guild with the lack of members and harassment from other guilds in the area but we can't have anyone outside of team tenrou hold any weight so instead fairy tail gets to be pathetic unless a specific group is there. This ties into Mashima generally just ignoring his side characters that don't have immediately obvious strong powers.

Even Romeo suffers from this and that's such an intense level of disappointment for me because he's been going on missions with Bisca and Alzack for years at this point. Let the kid be capable of holding his own in some way.

Next: the 3 month time skip, there was no reason for Mashima to skip over yet another bit of time and avoid a training arc for his characters. Them training hard to get stronger and their work paying off in the games would've been way more satisfying for the audience and (if the group separated for it) allowed for some really awesome reveals of what everyone accomplished in their time apart.

But we didn't get that so we go into the games and have a few episodes that while not perfect, do a decent job of exciting the viewers for what's to come. Then we get to the games themselves and it starts to have problems. People cheating and nothing coming of it other than fairy tail getting brutalized for the sake of angering the fan base on their behalf. The guards and council being essentially written as incompetent unintentionally so that we can make sure dramatic story beats happen. Raven tail being a mockery despite how it's been built up since before the timeskip as a force fairy tail will need to face down.

Endless fights that are written to "prove fairy tail is just superior because they're stronger" with the same tired cycle over and over again. Natsu specifically is the worst offender of this with him going from being destroyed by sting to somehow being able to take both him and rogue on all by himself in spite of how worn out he should be. The audience of the games similarly being given a mob mentality of apparently wanting fairy tail obliterated because they kind of suck at some arena games? The games themselves having a pretty unclear set of rules that is adjusted based on what Mashima decides will happen. Villains, as always, being written as heavily sadistic monsters who care about no one without thought to future potential redemption arcs mashima will opt to add in.

Lucy being humiliated at every turn because we can't allow her to have any level of success. The ridiculous level of red herrings that are just outright lies told by Mashima to trick his audience in the most childish way he can. He basically beats his readers over the heads with how they should feel about his plot rather than just writing it and allowing consumers to form their own opinions.

I can't even really enjoy Sabertooth being a foil to fairy tail because the very thing they're supposedly different for, a focus on strength, is something mashima prides fairy tail on as well. How often do we get shown characters being pathetic and uninteresting because their powers aren't as good as the main characters? How many times does the writer himself depict people in the guild being made the butt of the joke for not being as battle savvy. I mean fairy tail itself falls out of favor and the story shows us that them being stronger than everyone is how we should know they're worthy of our attention. The message doesn't work.

Raventail was absolutely wasted as an antagonist and building them up for so long only to take them out in the most boring way possible makes it feel like Mashima wasted his audience's time. I don't understand how time travel magic works since half the time they tell us time magic takes your life and the other time it actually takes no life at all to do, bringing in confusion on what stakes we should even take away from using it.

The guilds themselves also feel incredibly empty as Mashima gives them almost no members outside of the ones named who compete. I don't need a bunch of named extras, but if you're going to give us boxes for the guilds at least show us the full boxes of the rivals and have them working with their guilds during the final battle.

This arc cemented that Levy was fundamentally changed as a character in a way that doesn't line up with her original depiction and angered me since she's my favorite character. She was literally shown to be the most competent member of Shadowgear who saved jet and droy in tense situations and yet now she's apparently someone they need to protect and save because she can't take care of herself despite testing to be an S-class wizard.

This arc was also not helped by the animation changing half way through and the budget seemingly decreasing along with it making the story issues much more prevalent when the art isn't something the series can fall back on.

I wanted to like this arc, I expected to have far more highs than lows and was sorely let down in every capacity. I know I actually missed specific mentions of things that irked me and that's largely due to how much their was.

[googleitlol]

It's been awhile but I wanted to post this little blurb to continue my Dove fic posts. I'm almost done with midterms so it felt nice to flesh out pt. 1 of this scene for a little break!

btw… ik this is a wukong x reader but, uh, it takes a while for the whole shipping part to happen… I'm sorry they literally hate each other but I'll get to the actual shipping when it happens, naturally. (It just might take… time) ANYWAY ENJOY–

Dove Masterlist

TW: Gore

Disagreements

The young monk shivers slightly at the chill of an adolescent winter's breeze. Many of the flora along the road that has been so frequently travelled was now coated in a blanket of frost. Snow has yet to fall, though it will no doubt come soon. Clouds cross the sky at a steady pace, the wind encouraging their movement. 

You walk alongside the horse that carries the Tripitaka monk, feeling the need to stretch your legs. The past few days you spent in your dove form were nice, despite having to listen to all of that irritating monkey's exaggerated tales, but sitting on Tripitaka's shoulder for so long began to feel tiring.

The Monkey King walks on the other side of the horse, whether he is unaware of your annoyed glances or just doesn't care is unclear. After spending the entire morning boasting to his master about his many accomplishments, one would think that he'd look your way and catch your glare. Or maybe he just enjoys seeing such a sour look on your face. With him, who knows?

The young master himself also failed to pick up on the annoyance that stems from his trusted ally, too enamoured with his disciple's stories. Wukong has a true sense for theatrics, which made his tall tales all the more entertaining. Even if the monk seemed ever so slightly put off whenever the king explained how he committed some of the atrocities from his past to earn his reputation, Tripitaka kept his small smile from the excitement in the monkey's voice.

Sighing over the tale of how the Great Sage earned his iron staff, Tripitaka turns to you. "What of you, young companion?" The question makes you look up in slight surprise. "You've nearly lived as long as Pilgrim Monkey here, even despite your mortality. Have you any tales as grand as his?"

You hum for a moment, in thought as your memory of every exciting moment from your life fails to recall itself. "None that comes to mind, Great Monk. I spent most of my life in training, which was long and tedious."

The young man frowns. "You've lived over five hundred years, have you not? Surely you have some stories to tell."

His curiosity makes you hum in amusement. The monk is close to you in age, though his wide eyes of wonder fill you with a strange warmth. Many weeks have passed since the start of the journey, and if not for the formalities you attempt to hold yourself to, you might consider the Great Monk a good companion, a friend. But that feels inappropriate to say.

"I suppose there are some, though not all of them are as light-hearted as the supposed Great Sage." You cast another glance to the celestial primate, who now finally looks to you. His expression is neutral, though, from the past few weeks of travel, you feel that the short abrupt flicks from the tip of his tail expose a glimpse at his own irritation.

Maybe he can't handle not having his master's attention. Good. "However, I haven't lived as long as you believe. Those five hundred years were spent in the Jade Palace, where time moves differently. What was centuries on the mortal plain was merely a few years for me."

To your surprise, the monk laughs lightly, eyes shining in delight. "You say you have no stories to tell, yet you lived in the Jade Palace? Never have I heard of a mortal staying in the realm of the celestials." You don't miss the twitch of Sun Wukong's brow, a hint of a smirk creeping its way onto your face. "Tell me, what is it like there?"

"Why ask the measly Dove?" Wukong laughs before you can answer. "I lived up there as well, you know. I've held two separate positions with those heavenly deities! I can tell you of the feasts, how servants waited on me, that I was given my very own office, even!"

You nearly surprise yourself as a cackle escapes your throat. The two men look at you as you cough discreetly into your arm. "Apologies, but you were the stable boy, were you not?" His tail flicks another time, now being accompanied with his ears flattening against his head. The Great Sage really spoke more through his body language than his words, you found.

"My second position was much more important." His eyes roll as his arms cross. "Not that you could understand what it means to be given such responsibilities from the court of heaven."

He's defensive, that's cute. "Maybe not. Although, you didn't seem to last long in either job offer, did you?"

That makes him laugh proudly. "At least I earned my place there by becoming the strongest. What did you do, again? Give Guan Yin some sad eyes until she gave you your little vacation?"

You frown at that, eyes narrowing. "Don't act like your presence was wanted, Ape." Tripitaka gives you a look of surprise at the snap of tone in your voice. "I was there because I had to be, we are not the same. You earned your place by causing so many problems, the Court's only diplomatic option was to keep you entertained!"

"And what do you know of my matters in Heaven?" Sun Wukong barks out another laugh, his tone mocking. You clench your fist as you glare at the being before you. His tail whips wildly now from side to side, his teeth bared with a threatening smile.

His question makes you roll your eyes, as though he had forgotten your very first encounter."Did your time under that mountain make you senile or did you forget I witnessed your rampage firsthand, you idiotic, brainless, stupid and foul—"

"Stop!" Your eyes snap towards the direction of a new voice. Men quickly surround you and the pilgrims, all brandishing weapons against your group. Tripitaka looks between them all with fear as you smile to yourself. It's been too long since there was some action on this trip. 

One of the six blocking your path steps forward, a man holding out his sword as he spoke. “Leave your horse and drop your bags, otherwise us kings of the highway will cut you down where you stand!” You can see he means business, but it only makes you itch to jump into action. It’ll be good to take down such lawless men–

A body hits the ground before you can reach for your weapon.

The bandits fall silent, five pairs of eyes wide with fear as the Pilgrim readjusts the grip of his staff. A steady drip of scarlet liquid falls by his feet. The body before him lays on its side, its head caved in a few paces away. Blood pours from it, pooling over the ground just where some of his insides are now exposed. The man’s eyes are still open, stuck in an expression stricken with terror.

“Whoops.” The monster shrugs. “Sometimes I forget what flimsy bodies you have.”

They all run, screaming as their prosecutor gives chase. Not a single man made it off the road. All you can do is stand amidst it all, the young monk atop the horse mirroring your expression of absolute dread. The men no longer hold life in their eyes, their bodies bent and mangled, spread along the path with their weapons in the now non-existent grasp of their hands. The Monkey King stood between it all, his hand casually wiping away the blood that had splashed onto his face in his swift deliverance of death. He didn’t even bother with the ripples of deep red that now stain his clothing and arms.

You have to fight back the bile that attempts to claw up your throat. While you manage to succeed, Tripitaka fails miserably. The monk fumbles off the horse, nearly losing his footing before you catch and help him to the side of the road where he empties his stomach. You’ve seen horrors, bodies of demons dismembered and bathed in blood. Many fights end in casualties, death is nothing new, but to see the Monkey King wield his staff…

It doesn’t help seeing human bodies discarded in such a way… no matter how many demons you’ve fought, seeing a person mutilated in such a way always leaves a gaping hole in the depths of your stomach and an intense weight holding down your heart.

Sun Wukong looks at the two of you, unbothered by his actions. “That guy has some spare arrows, Dove. You can never have too many, right?”

You can’t manage to say a word before Tripitaka regains his bearings and marches towards his disciple. “What have you done?!”

“Me?” The demon laughs. “Got us some free clothes, and a pretty good travel allowance if these guys were any good at robbing.”

“You killed them! You murdered six men!” The monk shouts, his voice just barely withholding an emotion you have yet to see from the man.

Wukong scoffs at the appalled reaction to his actions. “And you’re welcomed for it.”

“No–” The man sighs. “Sun Wukong, you’re a buddhist now, and we don’t kill people.”

“Pssh– they were asking for it.” The monkey scoffs, crouching down to shake some more of the human remains off his staff.

“No!” You’re surprised to hear such a strong demand from the measly monk, his voice more stern than you’ve ever heard. “You made a deal with the bodhisattva and whether you like it or not you will uphold your part of the bargain. That means not killing people!”

The disciple looks up at that. “You’re really upset? They wanted to rob you.”

“Not even a judge would give a death sentence for that!” He argues, his open glare taking his new student aback.

“Hey, what’s done is done. You can sit here and complain about it or we can keep moving.” He turns to continue west, looking over his shoulder as he does. His expression is more annoyed now, his tail flicking to and fro impatiently, waiting for his Master’s sign to keep moving.

But Tripitaka’s stare bears down on his pupil. “No. I won’t take another step with a murderer claiming to be my disciple.”

“Come on, you’re being ridiculous.” The Monkey King turns back to face us, a frown now hardening over his features.

“A person who murders in cold blood cannot call himself a buddhist.”

The two glare daggers into one another, it almost takes you aback. You didn’t realise the monk could take such a stand, yet here he is. Against the Great Sage, no less. Yet he refuses to back down, even with the demon challenging him. The air between the two feels thick, as though it’s become a semisolid you have to hold your breath in.

After what feels like an eternity, the monkey laughs. “Fine then, I guess I’m no buddhist.” He turns, taking a few steps away before calling back. “Good luck making it to the west, Master.” 

“Wha–” Before Tripitaka is even able to speak, Monkey King hops onto his Somersault Cloud. “Wait, you can’t leave!”

“Watch me.” The demon glances back to the two of you, and you catch his eye for the briefest moment. Before he takes off, you make sure he sees the grin resting on your face. You know that all he’s doing is proving your point, from your talk by the river. He knows it too, and he must hate it.

He’s gone before another second can pass, and all that’s left on the path is you, Tripitaka, the horse, and six dead men.

The monk keeps his eyes on the path the Great Sage took through the sky, his eyes wide with despair. “…What did I just do?”

Slowly, you approach the man, resting a hand on his shoulder. “You scolded a centuries-old demon for good reason, and he went to sulk about it.”

“No… no, no, no, no! This is terrible!” Tripitaka’s hands shoot to his head, eyes wide and panicked. “I’ve lost my first disciple! What am I supposed to do? Where did he even go?! I was angry, I didn’t mean–” 

“Monk, you must calm yourself.” You disrupt the spiral of distress before it can continue any longer. “You did the right thing. Your disciple did something wrong, you confronted him. Look at his actions!”

As the monk turns to glance at the casualties left behind, you quickly stop him. “Actually, don’t. I wouldn’t want you to get sick again.”

“I didn’t mean for him to leave, but I couldn’t just excuse–” The man cuts himself off, his face pale from just the thought of what we had witnessed mere moments ago.

Holding his arms, you offer a comforting smile. “I understand, but there’s no need to worry.”

“No need?” He guffaws. “Sun Wukong is gone!”

You sigh quietly under your breath. “I’m sorry for not saying anything sooner, but I had a feeling something like this would happen. I just didn’t think it’d be this soon.” You do your best to suppress the chuckle that tries to escape your throat.

“Guan Yin has left me with something for a situation like this.”

The slight frown you receive tells you the man’s interest is now piqued. “What?”

You glance back at the road before answering. “Help me with the robbers, and I’ll explain. Your disciple will be back, and we’ll have to be ready when he does.”

“I… I don’t understand.” Tripitaka frowns. “How do you know he’ll return?”

You don’t bother to hide your smirk as you think back to that night by the river.

 “I'll be there to watch the moment you mess up.”

“He’ll want to prove me wrong.”

[heliosthegriffin]

Shadow Knight and Magical Girls XIX

Ao3 link

Chapter 19

----

Yellow floated aimlessly across the sky, feeling tired and achy across her body, all from the new training regime Ms. Purple and her family had been putting on her and the rest of the Magical Girls. A couple weeks ago, she might have been angry, at the idea that they needed to improve, but recent events had shown her the what a blunder that thinking was.

Though, she felt somewhat cheated, held back by the way they taught her. Her dad and mom had been teaching her all her life, Uncle Qrow too, and Ms. Goodwitch was a ok teacher too, but they all lacked something in they're teaching her.

An energy signature then touched her senses, hidden as it was (Which was weird, as souls all had either lock or unlocked energy levels, so the fact his soul was managing to blend in was just strange.) Yellow had been improving her Soul Perception and managed to locate him.

Floating down gently, she called out in a calm, friendly manner. "Freeze, criminal scum!" Then ducked, as she felt a surge of aggression, a slug of metal flying over her head.

"Oh, it's you." He said tiredly. "What brings you over?"

Shadow Knight looked a little different tonight, Yellow thought. He was wearing a lot more metal, kinda like a actual Knight, well if a Knight also wore tactical gear on and underneath it, so more like a modern knight, than a geezer in a armor.

Now that she thought about it, Shadow Knight was a mouth full, she needed to give him a nickname. Something that wouldn't take all Knight. She giggled inside at the unintentional pun.

"Gee, is that anyway to greet your favorite flying friend?"

"Friends? I don't know about that, allies? Yes. Friends? I don't trust you that much."

Yellow floated down to the street, clutching her chest. "Oh, you wound me! You've had me pinned on the ground, struggling and panting, and you won't even say we're friends, Shady?" She said the nickname without thinking twice, not that it seemed to bother him, so she'd keep rolling with it.

He cocked his shotgun menacingly. "And, I'd do it again." Not following for her bait.

Yellow pouted, though, Shady wouldn't see it through her magic obstructing her form. "Pout as much as you like, but don't feel insulted. I'm not a good friend, so you're not missing out." Or so, she thought.

"How do you know I'm pouting?"

"Your body language makes it obvious, I can't see your face, but that doesn't mean I can't ready you."

"Woah, spooky." Yellow walked over to him, slightly spooked that he could do that, but also a bit impressed. "So, what are we doing tonight?"

"We? I'm taking down any Grimm I find, you should probably go find your friends," He looked at her harshly. "Property isn't going to damage itself."

She tried to clap his shoulder, but he nudged out of the way. "Come on, don't be that way! I'm trying to do better!"

"You nearly hit me with a fireball last time, I let you follow along."

"And, I said, I was sorry! How am I going to get better, if I got nobody who will treat me seriously and like an equal, but is also slightly afraid for their life, to help me?"

"I'd say more majorly afraid, but I see your point." He sighed, his voice muffled by some device in his helmet. "Alright, we'll do this again, tonight, but if you blow me up, I'm calling it quits for good."

Yellow felt herself fuss a bit, worried about keeping her side of the bargain. "Deal."

Shady nodded his head, and Yellow realized he was listening to someone else. "We got Grimm about a mile north of here." He took off at a dead sprint that frankly surprised her at how fast he moved.

Still, Yellow is a Magical Girl and catching up to him was child's play. "So, what kind of Grimm? How are we going to clobber them?"

Without breaking stride or taking a breath. "Unclear, but what we're doing is limiting as much damage as possible, and making sure not to hurt anybody."

"Well, duh."

"I'm saying this for your benefit, not mine, I can't shoot fireballs out of my palms."

"Ok, fair."

"Here's what going to happen, I'll distract them, and if they're are any civilians in trouble, you'll get them out."

"Shouldn't I run distraction? Why you get them out?"

"I tend to be a bit surprising to see the first time I walk up to somebody. You? You're a bit more inspiring to see, and a Grimm existing a couple extra seconds is a small price to pay for someone's life."

Yellow slowed for a second, stunned at the the sincerity of his words. "Woah, aren't you selfless?" She still couldn't help snarking a bit.

Shady laughed for a second, catching Yellow by surprise. "No. I'm as greedy as they come, It's just looks selfless. Devious, right?"

Yellow chuckled a bit. Yeah, no way someone could do this entirely pro bono, right? Even, though her gut wasn't convinced.

They arrived on the scene, with only a three pack of beowolves for company. Three low-level Grimm, nothing to Yellow, but a decent challenge for Shady, especially with no civilians nearby. The Pack were crawling around the entrance to an alleyway, sniffing around, eyes glowing in the dark.

Without missing a beat, at a speed that Yellow wouldn't have been able to follow without her Aura and Magic, Shady unslung his shotgun, still running and blasted the mask off a Beowolf. He fired twice more, and the Grimm fell over headless.

This caught the attention of the two other Beowolves who charged at him, Yellow put her hands out ready to blast them into oblivion, but held back her fire at the last moment as Shady was still fighting. Letting her for the first time really watch him fight. In her day to day-life Yellow did boxing for fun and sport, her dad did it and her uncle did MMA, so she knew what skill looked like. She had some herself and had won many medals over the years in the girl's circuit around Vale.

Shady completely outclassed her. His movements were efficient and practically, while still retaining a sort of coolness and awe that for a seconds at a time completely absorbed her into watching him. Her parents and family, they had the same skill, but they lacked the grace he moved with, the utter control he had over the fight.

It was like he was dancing with the Beowolves, the Grimm completely stuck under his tune as he moved. In the almost the same movement, he had shouldered his shotgun, while taking out his ax and shield. The Grimm swung it's claws at him, but it might as well have read him a script of how it was going to try and kill him, because he read it a mile away.

Shield interposed, the claws slid off it's surface, not even leaving a mark, and left the arm open. The ax came from the side, serving the arm at what would be the elbow, then came the back-swing, and the other arm was gone too. The Grimm lost balance, as the other crashed in behind it, the two balling on the street, as Shady put distance between himself and the ball of Grimm.

Yellow realized it was her turn, as he looked at her and nodded, then dove behind a corner. He wanted her to destroy them, but not cause any collateral damage. Hmm, how was she going to do this? The Beowolve's were starting to get untangled, but she couldn't just douse them with fire.

Then Yellow thought for a moment, she need to concentrate her fire, wait, concentrate fire. She shorted. Making a finger gun, and using her other arm as support. Yellow pulled for her magic, letting it build up at her fingertip, but instead of letting it burn out like a flamethrower, she condensed it, like a bullet, holding it in her mind.

She smirked at the tangled Grimm. "Bang!" A yellow bullet of sunlight was shot at the Grimm, lighting up the street for a brief second and making Yellow look away. Then came a loud pop, and when she looked back, all that was left of the Grimm were a greasy black stain, and some burn marks on the ground.

Shady looked at the stain, then back to her. "Good job." Yellow preened. But, before she could say anything, he held up a finger, nodding his head. "We got more, you ready?"

Yellow nodded. Ready to pop some more Grimm.

----

Ren was practically dragged down the hallway by Nora, scratch that, he was being dragged. "Nora, I need to change." He pleaded with her, he had just got done with sparring practice for today, and he really needed to clean up.

"Not now Renny! I got to show you something~!" Nora exclaimed excitedly.

Ren resigned himself to his fate. He had the better part of a decade of mixed martial arts training, several feather-weight medals, and he was still powerless before Nora. Though, to be fair, Jaune was weighed more than both of them combined, and he still stepped lightly around they're diminutive forever-friend.

Nora dragged him to a nondescript door, and he dreaded for a moment what was behind it. Nora had a horrible talent for finding things he wish he never saw. Like his parents in the buff, or Jaune's parent's in the buff, or they're middle-school principle with the science teacher in-

"Woah." Ren said. Nora opened the door, and it was full of Shadow Knight pictures and paraphernalia. With the rare videos that existed of him playing on a screen. Jaune was also in there, sleeping at the table, while a Rabbit Faunus drank from a cup humming lightly.

Then stopped, turning red, seeing that she had visitors. "Hu-Hello!" She said nervously, her ears twitching quickly. Nora quickly becoming enthralled by the sight, but Ren was stronger willed.

"Sorry to bother you," He bowed.

"No- no, no problem! All are welcome in the Unofficial Shadow Knight Appreciation Club! Are you here to look around, exchange information, or maybe, possibly, you want to join?" She asked timidly.

"YES!" Nora cheered, as she zoomed around the room oohing and ahing at the displays.

Ren shook his head. "I'm afraid, I'm just here to look around."

"Perfectly fine, no problem at all!" She shook her head, ear's bobbing, Ren started feeling his very will be attacked by the sudden motion, but held strong. He had seen Nora dress up as a unicorn, this was nothing to him.

Ren looked at his male best friend, sleeping like a log and twice as still, which was to anyone else, might have been more than a little concerning. But, even though, Jaune had changed alot over the last year, he still was a deep a sleeper as ever.

Ren chuckled aloud, as he remembered their first sleepover, shortly after they first met. When his mother came to wake them up the next morning she about had a heart-attack seeing Jaune sleep like the dead, only for the blonde boy to get up like nothing was the matter.

It had taken some convincing to his mother to let him sleep over again.

Walking around the room, Ren studied the pictures of the Knight. He wasn't a big fan, but he had nothing against him either. He watched a video of the Shadow Knight fighting five men at once, nodding in approvement. Though, the Knights fighting style left a lot of openings, he noticed, but given he was wearing armor, it wasn't too much a issue to him.

Ren took a seat next to Jaune, having seen enough, even though, Nora was still taking it all in. The Faunus jumped as he sat down though, surprised for some reason.

"I'm sorry, but have I seen you before?" She asked politely.

Ren thought about that for a moment, then remembered when he had forced into drag. "No. Just your imagination." It wasn't the first time he was put into drag, it had happened at the Arc house too, over the last several years. He might have broken in and burn the pictures, if Jaune hadn't done it himself. The more that Lily Ren was known the more powerful she became. But, the less it was remembered, the better.

"But, I could have sworn-," She stopped herself, shrinking in on herself, under Ren's unyielding stare. "Sorry!" Ren undid his stare.

"You probably just saw me around the school, is all."

"Yeah... Must have been that." She sounded unsure of that, but she didn't press the issue. "Thank you for coming to my club." She said a moment later. "I don't get many visitors."

"A shame, your display is very nice." Ren really meant it too, her collection was very impressive, especially considering how niche her topic was.

Her ear's perked up. "Thank you," Her smile was bright. "It's my passion project, and I wouldn't want it to do it any injustice! The Shadow Knight is such a ... Inspiration."

Ren smiled a bit. "I wish you good fortune," He turned to his sleeping friend. "What's your relationship with Jaune?"

She blushed. "Relationship? I wouldn't say that we're in a relationship," She noticed the look on Ren's face. "Oh, he helped me, help get my purse back, the poor crook never had a chance."

Ren felt a surge of pride, and then pity for the crook, when they were younger he and Jaune used to spar for fun. Boy's being boys, except even when they were younger Jaune had a lot of natural strength, so to put it simply, Ren had gotten on a first name basis with the ER staff.

Now, that he had taken advantage of that, training that strength and bulking up? Ren almost paled at the thought. If the man wasn't dead, he'd probably wish he was.

"So, I invited him for tea as thank you, and he's been taking naps in here during free time. Not that I mind! I enjoy his company, and he always there to listen, and-"

Ren nodded. "I get it," He looked at Nora staring at a blurry photo of the Knight being tossed by a explosion. "He's a good listener."

"Yeah, I am," Jaune mumbled groggily, getting up. He stared at Ren. "When did you get here?"

"Oh! They just got here." The faunus chimed in. "One of them would said they'd like to join, too!"

Jaune seemed bothered by that fact, looking at Ren, then Nora, then sighing. "That's nice, Velvet." He looked at his scroll, and swore. "I got to get going."

"Wait!" Velvet called to him as he was getting up. "I was wondering, if, maybe, you were free this weekend?"

"Yeah, I am." Jaune said, without missing a beat. Not seeing the implication she was putting down. Before then turning around and walking toward the door.

Ah, the infamous Arc denseness, Ren thought, he had only heard of it in legends and tome.

"Wait!" Velvet called out, rabbit ears twitching. "There's a historical exhibit at the Vale Exhibits, I was wondering if you wanted to come?"

Jaune paused at the door, hand on the door-knob. "I-"

"We'd love to go!" Nora said. "It'll be a great friends day out!"

"Nora,-" Jaune began, but was shot down by a look from Nora.

"Come on, silly bones! When was the last time we hung out as friends!" She appeared behind Velvet. "Do you really, want to leave this cutie by herself, you monster!?"

Jaune looked to Ren, eyes pleading.

Ren smiled gently. "I mean, you're not a monster, right?

Jaune slumped slightly. "No, not entirely."

------

Black and White floated calmly across the night sky.

"So, still rich?"

"Yes, why would that change?"

"Maybe, your father finally grew a consciousness."

"About as likely as Yellow learning self-control."

"That's actually possible, though."

White snorted. "Maybe."

Then down on the ground, a odd sight appeared before them. The Shadow Knight was running, chasing after some small girl carrying a parasol.

White smirked. "Finally! We can bring this ruffian into justice!"

Black looked at her. "Who says ruffian, anymore?"

"Quiet! We must pursue them!"

Black was hesitant though, something was off about this situation, but followed after White anyway.

Despite how fast they could move, the two evaded they're pursuit. Black's sense of unease growing. "White, somethings off."

White slowed down, then stopped. "I think you're right,"

They're pursuit had lead them to the Musuem, the girl with the parasol waiting in front coyly, the Knight nowhere to be seen. Gone like a ghost.

White called down to her, while Black stared at the Museum.

"You, girl! Where is the man that was following you?"

She battered her lashes innocently, twirling her parasol, before pointing at herself.

"Yes! You, please answer our inquire."

She shrugged in a carefree manner.

"You are being very unhelpful, I'd appreciate it if you were to communicate with us."

She shook her head, getting up and walking away, with a skip in her step.

White narrowed her eyes, pointed her finger at the concrete, and create a wall of ice to trap her for questioning. Instead, the girl skated forward up the wall effortlessly, waving at the two, clearly amused.

Then disappeared, skating straight up into the air. Her Soul's signature going with her. White looked at Black. "Did that really happen? Or am I experiencing psychosis?"

"No, it happened."

"Then why do you sound so calm?"

"Because, I have something bigger to worry about."

"Which is?"

"Look at the Museum, look for traces of magic."

"Fine." White did so, looking at where the girl was first, noticing a faint, quickly fading trail of magic. Well, that proved that, she was something unnatural. "That girl was using Magic, Black!"

"Yeah, uh, just look at the museum."

"Alright, but I can't see what is ... so ... important. Black. Please tell me, I'm experiencing, psychosis. I'd really appreciate it, right now."

"Sorry, but we're both still sane. Or mostly sane."

"And, the Museum is lit up with enough magical power to flatten the city."

"Growing, it's still growing."

"Oh. That's bad, that's very bad. We need to get in there now!"

Black shook her head. "Bad idea, this amount of power? We go in, and we might set it off by accident, we need to investigate this, calmly and carefully. I think we still have time, too. It's power is growing, but it looks stable."

White grimaced. "I suppose, but it looks like we have a week at best, before whatever power this is activates."

"Then, we get in there this weekend, all of us, and investigate." Black said with finality. "Unless, we want Vale to be decimated by eldritch power?"

"No, I do not want that. I have investments here."

"Really? What kind?"

White thought for a moment. "It's a charity."

Black smiled. "That's nice."

"I also own several franchise through the city."

"Ok, richy-witchy."

White shrugged. "If the shoe fits, lets go find the others, they need to know."

Black nodded, and they took off.

At the same time a man with Grimm mask stalked shadows around the building, accompanied by a several beowolves, as he eyed the building. "Soon, payday, is so soon."

He looked up at where his mother slept in the sky, her pale face slowly slipping into darknes. She was waning, and soon, it would be a new moon, and his power would be at it's greatest, at least for a night, with no cursed lighted weakening him and his pets.

But, until then, he'd have to wait for payday, and make do with little jobs.

Then he turned around, stalking back into the city, looking for more treasures for himself.

Across the City, the short-woman with the parasol watched as The Shadow Knight and Yellow fought a group of Grimm, only for Yellow to stop.

"I gotta go," She said hastily, feeling the approach of her fellow magical girls. Yellow didn't want to get Shady involved with them right, now. Especially, considering the last time he met all of them at once. "I'll see you later!" Then took off.

The Shadow Knight gave her a wave as she left, then jerked his head, to make eye-contact with the Imp from last week. "What do you want?"

She smiled harmlessly, pointing at herself.

"You've been following me for awhile now, and I don't like that."

Parasol nodded, a smile on her face.

"I'm not some show for you to watch."

Parasol gave a patronizing smile, spreading her arms out in carefree manner. Then she ducked, as a slug ripped into the concrete next to her. She seemed shocked by the sudden violence, his barrel pointed at her.

He spread his arms out carelessly. "Oh? Did that bother you? It's just a game, you know? Nothing to worry about."

Parasol looking more amused than before, she gave him a shining white smile, with teeth that were too perfect to be human, blue him a kiss, before disappearing.

Shadow Knight sighed. "Why, do I know, this isn't the last time I'll have to deal with her?"

------

Omake Two: Giant (Arc) Dad

At the Arc Catacombs, Jaune crawled bloody, near-death, but not beaten. He pulled himself down the cold stone stairs, a trail of dark blood behind him, he pulled too hard, throwing himself down the steps in a mess of limbs. He hit the ground hard.

Around him, spectral faces looked at him, as the Oldest walked towards him, her flaming skull looking at him with pity. "I need strength," He breathed raggedly.

The Oldest nodded, and he floated behind her, into a dark room within.

Outside, forces of Villains and Grimm waited for the Knight to return, so they could end him once and for all.

Then they heard it, the clank of armor, and the sound dub-step blaring from the tomb. Fear began to consume them, as the bronze mask of Father stared back at them from the darkness, he stepped out of the darkness.

He wore heavy, stone plate armor, that was so old it appeared green from the moss that grew on it. The plates themselves easily several inches think, it was beyond any rational thought any mortal man could wear such armor, as he moved light as feather.

In his right hand was oversized sword, known as a zweihander, holding it aloft with ease, glowing with chaotic flames.

On his back was light sheild that glowed with a faint green power, that flowed into his back.

He stopped moving, holding his arms out to the world as if to say, 'well, what is it?' Then asked a dreadful sentence. "What rings you got bitch?"

The gather foes fled for their lives, even the Grimm, as the sound of dub-step increased, and he swung his Zweihander, saying, "Fire up the base-cannon!"

There were no survivors.