#thunderbolt fantasy spoilers

[r010]

sketch that's too old to finish. color test:

[aptericia]

Titled “Give Shang a break :(” in my gallery

I drew this super late last night with my 2am self’s questionable sense of humor. Yes I know that only like 2 people who see this will understand it

[dazzle-art]

[NOT SHIP ART!!!]

Honestly so funny that as soon as Xing Hai thought she finally had Lin under her thumb her first course of action was to absolutely HUMILIATE that man in every way shape and form, Dan Fei you deserve to throttle this woman back into the demon realm lmao

[manicr]

Thunderbolts #4

Writer: Jim Zub

Art: Sean Izaakse & Netho Diaz

[anmitdcosplayer]

Happy Pride

[atamascolily]

One of the fun things about being a fan of multiple shows by the same author is that you get to watch them play with the same ideas over and over again. It's especially fascinating with Thunderbolt Fantasy (2016-present), where you can see Gen Urobuchi returning to and building on many of the themes and issues in Puella Magi Madoka Magica (2011).

AKA a long-winded analysis on the ethics of time travel, or what a tired wandering swordsman has in common with a 14-year-old magical girl (hint: heart is an awesome power). [CW: spoilers for both series.]

When the possibility of using the scrying mirrors to travel back in time is first introduced in TBF Season 3, Lang Wu Yao zeroes in on using them to save Mu Tian Ming from being blinded by Huo Shi Ming Huang--an injury he feels personally responsible for. He's upset by Shang's dismissal of this idea, but Lin Xue Ya interrupts before Shang can explain his position any further, even though I doubt there is any argument that Lang would accept at this point.

Lang Wu Yao sees the world in binary terms--good and evil, action and in-action--and he also believes that the ends justify the means, so his stance on using time travel to prevent a terrible fate is not particularly surprising. His offer to sacrifice his life for Tian Ming's well-being is genuinely sincere. But it's not that simple and Shang is acutely aware of the dangers that come from meddling in the past; furthermore, the show offers some tantalizing hints that this knowledge came from personal experience (more on this later).

Shang's stance that time travel is against the natural order of things is in sharp contrast to that of Homura Akemi in Madoka Magica, who, like Lang, wishes to defy the laws of space and time and travel back into the past in order to save the most important person in her life from a terrible fate. In Homura's case, she wants to save Madoka first from death, and then from becoming a magical girl in the first place, reliving the same few weeks over and over again in an effort to do so; conveniently, Kyubey, a cute cat-like figure and stand-in for Mephistopheles is right there, willing to grant that very wish in exchange for Homura's soul.

Unfortunately for Homura, every time she goes back in time she's actually traveling to an alternate dimension, and the karmic "weight" of all these timelines ends up making Madoka more and more of a target as both her power and potential grow on an exponential scale. This unexpected consequence ultimately results in Madoka making a wish to save all magical girls from their fate--but which condemns her to a liminal existence as a concept, once again denying Homura her true wish.

Wishes are a dangerous thing in Urobuchi's stories, as Lang will discover. A hooded figure calling himself the "Cross-Time Guardian" (actually the demon Azibelpher) takes Lang back in time to the battle against Huo Shi Ming Huang, and, in classic devil fashion, tempts him to take matters into his own hands and save Tian Ming. When Lang and Ling Ya question his motives--correctly sensing this is too good to be true--Azibelpher says, "I'm simply curious as to what kind of karma you are willing to shoulder."

Like "fate", "karma" is a loaded word in Thunderbolt Fantasy (there's a reason why Huo Shi Ming Huang's weapon is called "All Karmas Destroyed Together"). As in Madoka Magica, karma is a source of power; Lang's intervention would essentially make him responsible for everything that happens in this new timeline as a result. In this case, this statement also points to a more straightforward narrative purpose: this scene is a test of Lang's character.

Unlike Homura, Lang gets to see the potential consequences of his actions in advance, and it's not pretty: an eldritch demon god unleashed upon the world. Lang's choice is Tian Ming or the world.... and if he chooses Tian Ming, there won't be a world anymore. Any semblance of choice was an illusion from the beginning; the past cannot be changed without destroying any hope of a future. As Homura herself notes in Madoka Magica, "Kindness can lead to an even greater tragedy".

On a meta-narrative level, Tian Ming's mutilation and Shang's subsequent arrival in Dong Li are what makes the story of Thunderbolt Fantasy possible ; Lang can change the past.... at the cost of erasing the entire story. [Note: Do I hate that Urobuchi made a woman's suffering the unchanging crux on which all canon events subsequently hang? I sure do! Was it technically well done? Also yes, but I cannot emphasize enough how much I hate it.]

However, while it's taken to an extreme in this particular case, I would argue that this kind of narrative erasure is the logical goal of most time travel stories--the fantasy that you can somehow go back and fix everything, conveniently ignoring the fact that life generally doesn't work like that. The exceptions, of course, are those stories where it turns out that time cannot be changed for whatever reason--either because it's a stable time loop or because certain events will always happen no matter what changes are introduced--but their power comes in large part from how they are still addressing this same fantasy by subverting it. (There are also stories like Ray Bradbury's "A Sound of Thunder", which hinge on the difficulty of maintaining the status quo in a world where the timeline is all too easily altered, but again those are the exceptions rather than the rule.)

Being Lang Wu Yao is suffering and he's only just begun, because Azibelpher twists the knife in further by asking him, "Okay, so the world would be destroyed, so what? If fate is cruel and suffering is inevitable, why not give it the middle finger by wrecking everything on your way out?"

The meta irony of puppets discussing whether or not they are "puppets" of fate gets me every time.

This is the same question Homura asks Madoka as they lay dying in episode 10 of Madoka Magica--why not destroy the world that has betrayed and failed them and is full of so many terrible things? Here, it is the Devil himself making the argument; after much agonizing, Lang's response is ultimately, "Not today, Satan!" Once again, Shang Bu Huan was right about everything, and Lang finally understands that now.

Lang is able to make this choice because he is more fully aware of the consequences of interference--knowledge that Homura did not have. Given that there wouldn't be much of a story if she didn't go back in time, I doubt it would have made much difference, but you never know.

What's especially striking about the next part--as Lang witnesses Tian Ming's fate and taking full responsibility for his inaction--is that it's intercut with Shang Bu Huan's discussion with Bai Lian in the distant past. Instead of the previous epic battle music, the same scene is recast as melancholy and bittersweet, with the music and framing changing the entire tone. The events are the same, but we are experiencing them differently along with Lang this time, watching from the outside as spectators without changing anything--very much like a memory or a dream.

I've speculated elsewhere what exactly the point of Azibelpher sending Shang Bu Huan to this particular point in time to meet Bai Lian, but on further reflection, I wonder if this was (among other things) a similar test of character for Shang. If so, he passes with flying colors; when Bai Lian asks if Shang is here to correct the "mistake" of making the Shen Hui Mo Xie, Shang tells him he's doing just fine.

"No way in hell is it just a 'mistake'. The future that starts here isn't just disasters. There's joy and salvation, too. Saying what you did is wrong is like denying any of that happened."

This is Madoka's answer to Homura in Puella Magi Madoka Magica--the world is terrible and cruel, but it is also full of good things too, and therefore it should be preserved rather than destroyed. Urobuchi is often pigeonholed as a "dark" and "edgy" writer, but I see Shang and Madoka voicing his true opinions, which are ultimately hopeful and uplifting.

Furthermore, this emphasis on "mistakes" hearkens back to an earlier conversation between Madoka and her mother Junko, who serves as a dispenser of worldly advice, in which Junko explains that sometimes, the only way to help a friend is to let them make their own mistakes, or be willing to do it for them. Paradoxically, mistakes are sometimes necessary; for better or worse, our mistakes have made us who we are and attempting to erase or undo them is to also erase and undo ourselves and any good that may have come of them.

(The irony, of course, is that Shang can accept this about anyone and everything except for himself--but then we all have our blind spots and Shang, for all his wisdom and maturity, is still human.)

Even Azibelpher kind of gets into this when he tells Lang to "Accept the weight of what your actions will result in." Sure, he means it to hurt, but for better or worse, this is a fundamental part of adulthood, something that Lang must accept in order to mature. And even though I don't think Azibelpher intended it this way, this harrowing experience of re-living his past trauma forces Lang to let go of his fixation on "fixing" things and accept them for what they are--to finally move beyond obsession over the past so he can enjoy the present and the future.

It's an open question if demons in Thunderbolt Fantasy can truly experience anything like "love" or "affection" in the human sense, and if Azibelpher sees Lang as anything more than a toy and tool, but there's nonetheless the element of "tough love" in this scene, of a father schooling his son in the harsh realities of life (which later become textual, but that's another essay). Azibelpher is mature and polished, but unlike Shang, he has no compassion, no "heart", and I think that will ultimately prove to be his undoing.

Azibelpher's obsession with fate blinds him to the truth that human beings can grow and change and move beyond their old roles and into something new, as Shang is constantly attesting--and whatever else he might be, Lang is still human. Lang surprised Azibelpher in this scene with his restraint, and I think he will continue to surprise Azibelpher in the end--in large part from what he learned from his time with Shang.

To bring it back to time loops once more, I mentioned earlier that Shang was a part of one, and I have a sneaking suspicion we haven't seen the end of it yet. Will future installments show a younger Shang in the ruins of the Void Junction? And if so, who will he meet there and what will he learn as a result? Has the whole story been one big loop after all, circles within circles, wheels within wheels just like Madoka Magica?

tl;dr: Thunderbolt Fantasy and Madoka Magica are two different stories that can be experienced independently of each other, but there are a lot of fun parallels for the folks who have seen them both as Urobuchi continues to explore these same tropes and issues in different circumstances and contexts, and this is especially true for the time travel subplot in TBF S3.

[minti-tales]

Vierapril '24 - Day 1: Regal

More dramatics with the Ancients.

Endwalker spoilers ahoy.

King Leonides clung to a rock as horrid winds blew, and rain poured down upon his wizened head. His royal robes, once bright purples and golds, were splatted with mud and muck from days of travel. Even his beard, his beautiful beard of hair as bright as fresh-fallen snow, was but matted grey slush.

Ah! To be reduced to a common beggar, to wander and wither away! The barbarity of it all!

"Blow, winds, and crack your cheeks!" The beggar-king howled towards the sky, shaking his fists in righteous anger.

"Rage, blow!

You cataracts and hurricanoes, spout till you have drenched our steeples, drowned the cocks. You sulph'rous and thought-executing fires, vaunt-couriers of oak-cleaving thunderbolts, singe my white head.

And thou, all-shaking thunder, strike flat the thick rotundity o' th' world. Crack Natures' moulds, all brotherhood spill at once, that makes ingrateful man!" Leonides frowned, rose to his feet, and raised a hand into the air. With a sharp snap of fingers and thumb, the world suddenly melted around him, leaving only himself, and two masked and robed figures, on a circular marble dais. The wind - the true wind of Elpis - brushed past his chin, sending his "beard" fluttering off towards a patch of perpetually blooming flowers.

"Why did you stop? That was excellent so far, excellent." One of the masked figures, a tall man with dark black hair and striking green eyes, clapped his hands and smiled pleasantly. "I could just *see* you falling into the pits of despair. Couldn't you, Hythlodaeus?"

The other figure, made up to look like King Leonides' long-suffering court fool, grinned from beneath the heavy dabs of powder on his face. "As if our dear Emet-Selch needed any help taking the stage. I'd take my hat off for you, but I fear that would break the spell Dionysos has weaved for us thus far." He pointed towards his foppish silk hat and soiled peasant's clothes, and grinned even more. "Perhaps you take offense at being called 'nuncle', in the next line? I am the King's Fool, after all. It's my purpose to be your advisor, your friend. Even in dark moments as these, betrayed by your daughters and your kingdom."

Having shed the rest of his costume, Emet-Selch moved with effortless grace towards the rim of the dais, crossed his arms across his chest, and closed his eyes. "What a poor excuse of a king." he said, after a time. "A true king would never let himself fall to such lows. Wallowing in the dirt, crying at the winds." Turning to Dionysos, he continued, his anger echoed by the stage's acoustics. "I shudder to think if you were inspired by the world below. Is this what you see in it? Betrayal? Loss? Madness?" A step closer. "What we have created - what we have fashioned ever so carefully - is nothing less than perfect. So, with that in mind, I want this rewritten. Understand, this 'play' of yours will reflect what we've worked for. Not some dark fantasy you've cobbled together." Leonides' robes were thrown unceremoniously at Dionysos's feet.

Dionysos could only look on in shock as Emet stormed off into the night, bolts of lightning sent streaking across the night sky, in his wake. Shortly after, fat drops of rain loosed themselves from the fluffy clouds above, threatening to wash the whole production away. I struck a nerve, I take it, he thought.

It took a moment to kneel down and pick up the "king's" robes, to cradle them in the ancient's arms like a mother with her babe. Fine fabric like this shouldn't be left to the mercies of the evening; Phoenix had done too good a job willing the clothes into being. The dirt and muck were but illusions, of course. Is this what I should be doing as Azem, writing about the world as it is? Is that not allowed anymore?

A kindly voice came from behind, and a hand gently placed on Dionysos' shoulder. "You must forgive Emet-Selch. He's still suffering from the effects of the memory loss we experienced. I know it weighs heavily on him-"

"-as it does on all of us." Dionysos groaned and pressed the robes up to his face. "Hermes and his experiments." It felt oddly comforting to rub sopping wet cloth on his face. "Perhaps Hephastus would be more open to my mummery. I'm sure I could find a place for his child, too. What was their name? Damned if I've forgotten."

Of the Muses who flocked to Dionysos, who eternally demanded his attention, there were a few who gave him the comfort and kindness he needed. Calliope (sweet, hopeless Calliope), Ajax (strong, stoic Ajax), and, unofficially, Hythlodaeus. Granted, he wasn't around nearly enough to be called a Muse, but the love was there, regardless. A good love. Agape. The love that could keep a rainy night from not being as bad as it could be.

He was close by, wasn't he. Embracing a beleaguered playwright, putting forehead to forehead. Holding Dionysos just the way he liked it.

"My old friend," Hythlodaeus whispered. " 'Court holy water in a dry house is better than this rain water out o' door. Good brother, in, and ask thy friend's blessing. Here's a night pities nether wise men nor fools.'"

"That's not how the line goes," Dionysos whispered back.

"I'd take the hint if I'd your mind."

"I will."

~~~~~~~~

[frameobsessions]

About Detective Conan movie 26

So, after a long wait we have now DC movie 26 here with subs...

Some random thoughts (small spoilers!)

- Physics really don't exist in DC movies. Nope. A running gag, even if a character refers to a physics law

- When Conan and Ai came back to surface and Conan almost immediately kicks stuff to safe the day, again, this kid has the powers of a bodybuilder!? I'd be so out of breath after such a long dive. 😆

- BO members motivations are messed up, but hey nothing is canon here

- Rei and Akai are like bruhhhh ok, whatevs, do ya thing

- Ran is so badass. Kogoro makes me feel sorry for her tho

- In general the movie looks good, delivered some cool action, had nice OST and seiyuus truly served. Also hearing Junichi Suwabe was absurd for me (I love Thunderbolt Fantasy)

- The movie didn't feel too long and was paced well, so all in all it was quite good. DC movies have their flaws but nevertheless I did rate it 8/10 on MAL (previously I've given 5,6 and 7 for those I've seen. )

Bonus: have serious Conan sipping orange juice

[olderthannetfic]

Ok, I don't really need to but I wanna rec Thunderbolt Fantasy Tourikenyuuki. The reason? It's literally just a show made with puppets, and I like dolls. It's a Japanese-Taiwanese puppet show, it's East Asian fantasy with a good deal of drama, no spoilers. Also, literally every doll has THE SMOULDER lip.

--

[chipsncookies]

Can I get a small synopsis of thunderbolt fantasy? It looks interesting

Okok I'll try to be brief. Our story is set in Dong Li, a country where in the past there used to be a war between humans and demons, so humans forged powerful magical swords that could ward off demons, and this results in demons being successfully banished from human realm.

In present time, demons are gone but the powerful swords still exist, and shrines are built to protect these swords from falling to the hands of evil. One guardian of such shrines, Dan Fei (green) and her brother (light blue) was attacked by an evil group (yellow) who wants to steal the sword they're guarding. Her brother sacrificed himself so Dan Fei could escape. During her run, she ran into Shang Bu Huan (red), a traveler who just arrived there, who decided to protect her after being convinced by Lin Xue Ya (violet) to help her.

Shang managed to drive off the mooks, but the evil group is still hunting Dan Fei, so she begged Shang to go on a quest to defeat them for good. Taking a pity for the poor girl and having his arm twisted being convinced by Lin Xue Ya, Shang agreed to help. They later assembled a team to fight the evil group, including a one-eyed archer and his plucky brother, a flamboyant assassin and and a demon(!) necromancer, each having their own strengths and quirks, they go on a journey together to defeat the evil group... But it won't be easy due to many difficulties and conflicts they would face along the way!

This is very brief spoiler free synopsis for season 1. It starts a bit slow but ramps up immediately halfway the season, and there are many plot twists and surprising developments. Gen Urobuchi, the guy famous for Fate series and Madoka Magica is the one who created the series and wrote the story, so if you're familiar with his works you might be able to tell things are gonna be crazy!

[kamreadsandrecs]

Title: Gubat Banwa, First Edition Writer and Developer: Joaquin Kyle “Makapatag” Saavedra Art Director: Dylan Briones (@illsvillainy) Artists: Dylan Briones (@illsvillainy), Fae (@lntpblk), Noriz Mora (@Togidemi), Tamara Catada (@tanorochen), Xrystina Marcos (@SweetCyanid3), Ahron (@daffonahron), Gen (@Shaolinfan1), Luisa Odulio (@ghostprinceee), RM Banas (@rmbananas), Cams Cabezas (@tidalbronze), Trina Laya (@tumbke), Mar (@marmastry) Jul A. Refugia (@JuiceUrLemons) Kai (@ClickClacKAOS), Eli (@eleidescope), Raj (@rajavlitra), Cam Chua (@frillion) Summary (from Itch.io page): SWORD AND ENLIGHTENMENT. LOVE AND GLORY. VIOLENCE AND LIBERATION. Gubat Banwa is a Southeast Asian fantasy martial arts Role-Playing Game, inspired by the refulgent cultures of Southeast Asia. Raise your spears, KADUNGGANAN, you elite warrior-braves and asura-knights who travel The Sword Isles to prove their conviction and dictate the fate of the world. Revel in larger-than-life war drama like in Asian Dramas, ballistic tactical martial arts grid gameplay in the vein of Lancer or Final Fantasy Tactics, and find glory beyond heaven. Wield the Thunderbolt of Liberation! Rejoice! In the Glory of Combat! Buy Here: https://makapatag.itch.io/gubat-banwa Spoiler-Free Review: Before going into the review itself, I need to state that this is the first time I'm reviewing a TTRPG book. As such, I'm coming at it with far more emphasis on things like lore and narrative, as opposed to the more crunchy bits like mechanics. Also, I'm a player and a game master, not a game creator, so I cannot speak to that aspect of this game either. But with that being said: THIS BOOK IS AMAZING. I've already got a sense of how well this plays, since I've had the privilege of playing it twice (once with the creator GMing, and another time with one of the artists as GM, and the art director as a co-player), and that was in the pre-First Edition versions of the game. I'm sure that the team behind Gubat Banwa have since smoothed out the mechanics even further, and I bet it plays like a dream now. Fortunately there's rules for Solo Play in the First Edition so I'm going to take a crack at those when I've got a bit more brainspace. Even without getting into the gameplay though, this book is still incredible. The artwork is absolutely stunning, and not just the big pieces like the cover and Discipline illustrations; even the borders around the pages are gorgeous, as are the font choices and the layouting. The art provides excellent visual cues for players and GMs who are looking for inspiration and an anchor for their characters and games, helping them to ground and flesh out their characters and the setting. Speaking of grounding and fleshing out things: the lore is EXTENSIVE, which I deeply enjoy and appreciate. The lore works together with the art to provide inspiration and a framework to help players and GMs both to get into the spirit of things. In the lore and the art, the reader really gets a sense of how much of a work of love this book is - a work of love, and of righteous anger. Actually if there's any terms that best capture the feel of this book, it'd be those two: love, and righteous anger. As is clearly stated in the Note on Intended Audience of this book, "This game is explicitly written with us in mind, us being Filipinos and other Southeast Asian people." And the "us" described here are peoples who've managed to somehow, against all odds, survive and continue to survive against the deleterious and erasing effects of colonization, which continues to this very day. If there is love, that is only right; and if there is anger, then that is only right too. Those two things are inseparable - both in the world and in the play of Gubat Banwa, and the reality it springs from, that is the impetus and driving force behind the entire project. It'd be fantastic if more people could get to experience it too. Rating: Five lightning bolts

[hettie-bxrton]

Good Vibrations

Name of fic: Good Vibrations

Pairing/s: Matt Murdock x OFC (past), Clint Barton x OFC.

Plot: Chelsea is a school teacher who specialises in ASL and English Literature, doing sign language as a means of communication with her students. The reason why she cannot talk (is not because she is deaf), it’s because she has a hypersonic voice (just like Black Bolt).

Her last relationship with Matt Murdock didn’t go very well, but recently she had to meet him again. Why? Valentina Allegra de Fontaine is assembling her own team called the Thunderbolts and wanting her own Hulk. So that means Jennifer Walters is in trouble, and Matt is now caught in it. And who else is caught in it?

Clint Barton. 

Now that he found out Yelena and Taskmaster are a part of the Thunderbolts, he gets Yelena to eventually betray Valentina. Oh, and Bucky is also part of this as well.

With the team-up of Jennifer Walters, Matt Murdock, Clint Barton and Chelsea Marquez, they try to stop Valentina and General Ross from getting Jen’s blood to create an unstoppable and indestructible Hulk.

Warnings: Strong language, fantasy violence, possible spoilers for She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (do NOT read this if you haven’t seen the series yet).

Author’s note: Chelsea is played by Jennifer Lawrence and has a hypersonic voice, so she is only communicating through sign language. This will be a series, so enjoy chapter 1!

Chapter 1

Chelsea was teaching a class as normal at DeWitt Clinton High School in New York. Her English Lit students were fine with her using ASL and writing most of her words down on the blackboard behind her. They were used to it and she openly told them about her mutant abilities.

She told them to keep it a secret as she knew dangerous people were still out there, trying to exploit her powers into something bad.

When her class had ended, Chelsea waved at her students goodbye as she walked down the stairs. She then saw 2 figures, one looked quite familiar, in the distance. Red tinted glasses and a cane.

She sighed as she knew exactly who it was.

She walked towards the person, having no intention of talking to him. 

“Chelsea.” His deep voice was heard in Chelsea’s ears. She stopped in her tracks as she heard her name. 

“Murdock.” She signed. She realised that he had a translator, whispering it in the lawyer’s ear. “You have a translator, I see?”

“Well yes, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to communicate, would we?” Matt said, smiling. 

Chelsea sighed as she turned around fully to face Matt and his translator. 

“What do you want?” She asked.

“I have a problem and I am wanting your help.” Matt started to explain. “A… Hulk problem. Not with Bruce though. I flew over from Los Angeles to ask you for help.”

“Why do you need my help?”

“It is hard to explain. You must come with me, Chelsea.”

Chelsea scoffed.

“I’m not going to help you, Murdock.”

She was about to walk off before Matt chuckled silently and said the following words, “You’re not up for an adventure?”

Los Angeles.

After a few hours on a flight to LAX Airport, Chelsea, Matt and his translator landed safely. Matt managed to get Chelsea to change clothes for a more suitable situation like the one she managed to get herself into.

Chelsea then saw Matt smile at the person she’s going to meet next.

“Miss Walters. It’s a pleasure to meet you again on such short notice.” Matt said, kissing the back of her hand.

The person in question was Miss Jennifer Walters AKA She-Hulk.

Chelsea raised her eyebrow and scrunched her nose at the sudden interaction between Matt and Jennifer. She then looked at the translator and signed, “Did they..?”

The translator could only nod.

Chelsea just exhaled quietly.

“Mr Murdock. I see you brought company.” The black-haired woman went over to Chelsea and smiled, reaching her hand out. “The name’s Jennifer Walters. And you are…?”

Chelsea cleared her throat quietly. She then signed, “I’m Chelsea Marquez. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Jennifer looked at Matt with confusion and then he explained,

“Oh! Chelsea here has… superhuman abilities. If she speaks, she can damage your hearing.”

Jennifer looked back as Chelsea shrugged her shoulders silently.

“Ah. Just like my thunderclaps. Got it. Anyways, we should get going. I have some other people meeting us at the Lilypad. Well, the former Lilypad.” “The Lilypad really? Do we have a choice, Jen?” “No. Now come on. One of them is really impatient and the other one is sick of that shit, let’s go.”

Chelsea hopped in the backseat with Matt, whilst Jennifer got into the front passenger seat with the driver. “Isn’t the translator coming with us?” Matt asked. “Don’t worry, we got our own one at the meeting point.” Jennifer replied.

The Lilypad.

Jennifer opened the door and the lights were already on. The group entered the room and then they heard a voice.

“Jennifer! It’s about time you showed up. This guy was getting impatient!”

Chelsea’s crystal-blue eyes were only on the older-looking guy out of the two men in the room. Short brown hair and blue-green eyes, with quite a lot of bruises and cuts on his face.

“Patience Barton. We’re here now with a friend.” Jennifer said. “Chelsea, meet Clint Barton and Sergeant James Barnes.”

Chelsea just waved awkwardly at James, but smiled at Clint. They already met when Thor introduced her to the other Avengers, back in the day.

“What? Is she shy now?” James said, chuckling softly. “No. I don’t think you want to know why she won’t say hello.” Matt said.

Chelsea put a hand out and stepped out from the shadows.

“Let me explain. Hopefully one of you can understand sign language. Basically, a long time ago, I was part of an experiment that led me to lose my voice. Then, the people put something in me, which caused me to have a meltdown. When I screamed, it let out a huge sonic explosion that injured multiple people’s hearing...”

As Chelsea explained, Clint was mouthing every single word. He understood every sign. He learnt ASL since he lost most of his hearing. And the fact that communicating with Maya was kind of a bother to do. Bucky looked at Clint with a surprised look on his face.

“How do you know what she’s… saying?” Bucky asked Clint. “Barnes. I learnt sign language for at least a year. She cannot talk because if she does, it can literally damage your hearing.” “Lucky for you.” Bucky mumbled. “Can you understand us then?” He then asked her.

Chelsea rolled her eyes at him. She then looked at Clint and asked him, “Would you mind translating for me?” “No problem.” Clint smiled, speaking and signing at the same time.

She then turned back at Bucky as she signed to him. “Of course I can, dumbass. I’m not deaf, unlike your friend here.” Clint cleared his throat as Bucky raised an eyebrow at Clint for an accurate translation. “She.. uh called you a dumbass for not realising that she’s not actually deaf.”

Bucky crossed his arms and sighed. He wasn’t not really bothered with that comment at all, as that was what Sam calls him all the time.

“And how did you…?” Clint asked Chelsea. “The hearing aid kinda gives it away.” “What other abilities do you have?” Bucky asked her. “Vibration manipulation. Kinda go with the hypersonic voice, I guess. Umm… healing, empathy, evil sense and intangibility.” Chelsea responded.

Bucky raised an eyebrow, like Jennifer did.

“Intangibility? What’s that?” Jennifer wondered.

“Phasing through walls and solid objects. Haven’t been able to master living beings yet. My job as a teacher doesn’t allow me enough time to improve my powers.”

“And also the fact that some organisations are trying to manipulate mutants as well.” Clint added on.

“Exactly.”

Matt cleared his throat and joined Jennifer, Chelsea, Bucky and Clint in the middle of the room. His cane vibrated as it hit the floor.

“Anyways… onto the subject in hand. James?” Matt gestured in the general direction of where Bucky was standing, allowing the sergeant to explain why Chelsea was here in the first place.

“Uh yeah. Well, Valentina Allegra de Fontaine - I know, it’s a bit of a handful to say - she is wanting Jennifer’s blood to make a new Hulk for her new team. The Thunderbolts.” Bucky began to explain.

“Yes. And a few people we know have decided to join the team. However, we have 2 people who are with us, undercover, to infiltrate and give us enough information to stop her.”

“Let me guess, Bucky is one of them?” Chelsea said, crossing her arms and staring at Bucky. He returned the stare, basically challenging her to a staring contest. “Yes. How did you figure that out?” Clint asked her. “Well, it can’t be you Clint. You’re an Avenger. Jen is obviously the target. And Matt is a vigilante, you know Daredevil? Too well-known.”

Clint acknowledged that explanation, tilting his head.

“So… why am I here exactly?” Chelsea asked.

“Well, we need all the help we can get. And not from Captain America, SHIELD or anyone else that is involved with the government in any way. It would be too risky. And besides, Matt mentioned you.” Clint replied.

Chelsea whipped her head to stare at Matt, ending her contest with Bucky.

She walked towards the blind man pointing a finger at him.

“Why in the hell would you think I would be up for this job?” Chelsea angrily signed. Clint still translating for her, saying her signs very monotonous. 

Matt just smirked. “I just thought you would be quite good at this mission. And also the first job is going to a party undercover. And we need a distraction.”

Chelsea just slapped his shoulder.

“I am not going to be your distraction for whoever’s party we’re going to.” Chelsea fumed out.

“You’ll be with Clint. Not me. You would need a translator to interact with the guests. How else are we going to try and get some more information out of Ross?”

“Wait. General Ross? No! He’s old!”

Clint just laughed at that comment, which made Bucky look at him, still with his staring problem.

“What? It’s funny.” Clint mumbled. He then cleared his throat. “Anyways… if you don’t want to do it, then you don’t have to. I would, but the whole Sokovia Accords, you know?” Clint shrugged his shoulders, giving Chelsea a small but sad smile.

Chelsea sighed. She knew about the whole Sokovia Accords and that Clint was kinda in trouble for it, running from the government after escaping from the Raft with Steve Rogers and his team.

“Fine. But on one condition.” She finally said, turning back to Matt.

“Yes. What is your condition then, Cece?” Matt wondered, Chelsea cringing at the old nickname he gave her when they first started dating.

“I get to pick the dress I’m wearing.”

[aptericia]

I recently rewatched the final episode of Thunderbolt Fantasy S1, and the Lin/Mie fight is still one of my favorite scenes from the show. Not only do I love the trope of “arrogant all-powerful/chessmaster villain with a plan for everything absolutely breaks down in terror and loses control”* (not to mention it happens to BOTH characters), but the fight choreo and CGI effects are simply AWESOME.

*also your obligatory reminder of why ep 23 & 38 are the best episodes of RGU

[mostspecialgirl]

todays EVIL FUCKED UP purchases. this is my halloween post

i’m excited to read thousand autumns (no spoilers please) because i’ve heard its pretty good (no idea what its about) and i WENT BACK FOR KORILAKKUMA !!!! I was gonna buy the normal one but this guy won me over

ALSO THEY HAD THE FUCKING THUNDERBOLT FANTASY VOLUMES !!!!! I WAS FLOORED !!!!! I WOULD HAVE BOUGHT ONE but they only had volumes i didnt care enough about to buy 😭😭 i will be rewatching soon in atonement

[wcwit]

Imagine being such a freak that a demon who topples empires for fun goes “Dude... What the fuck is wrong with you!?”

[ahli-stuff]

my favorite part of this episode was the unexpected chemistry between these two background stock characters