#trunks being one of a..... previous villain i think

[astro-inthestars]

i feel like im giving you a somewhat skewed perception on what dragon ball is really about

ive only seen the fight scenes :D

[satoshi-mochida]

Some thoughts and details on my last Gamefly rental, Dragon Ball FighterZ(Switch version; no DLC).

There's an original story mode in this instead of retreading the main Sagas like usual, split into 3 Arcs(that seem to be alternate timelines?). Beating all 3 Arcs will unlock Hard Mode for the first one, and I believe the rest get it once you finish the previous one in Hard Mode.

For this story, an unnamed Earthling Soul links with the Z-Fighters, a few villains who've been revived and/or the Androids after strange waves incapacitate them all as a huge wave of clones of many Z-Fighters and villains go on the attack and is somehow able to allow them to fight again. They're weakened, however, so you'll be raising your Link Ratio(i.e. levels gained from experience) with them to make them stronger.

Battles are done in any combination of 1 to 3 available fighters in Story Mode, and I think always 3v3 outside of it. The ones you aren't playing as can be called in for Assist Attacks or switched out with your current fighter.

Something I think unique to DB FighterZ is that, when one fighter is KO'd, instead of them tagging in normally, they'll fly in and arm clash with the winner of the last round, then both will jump to the starting positions before the player(s) gets control back.

Constantly fighting the clones over and over, as well as how the maps work(they're laid out like a game board, with different panels to move to, one at a time), reminds me of Budokai 2's story mode, which looked similar, and where later on, you had to repeatedly fight Majin versions of Frieza and Cell. At least there's more variety here, though it can get repetitive.

Base roster:

Goku(Super Saiyan)

Goku(Super Saiyan Blue; unlockable through several means)

Vegeta(Super Saiyan)

Vegeta(Super Saiyan Blue; same as SSB Goku)

Gohan(Teen)

Gohan(Adult)

Gotenks(Super Saiyan 3)

Future Trunks(Super Saiyan)

Krillin

Yamcha

Tien

Piccolo

Android 16

Android 18

Android 21(unlockable)

Frieza(Final Form)

Captain Ginyu

Perfect Cell

Majin Buu

Kid Buu

Nappa

Beerus

Hit

Goku Black

Here are the unlock conditions for Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Vegeta:

For use in Story Mode, they must reach level 40. The easiest way I found was to redo the second to last battle in the third Arc over and over and equip them with Skills that increase EXP.

For use outside Story Mode: You need to earn 300,000 Zeni for SSB Vegeta and 500,000 Zeni for SSB Goku. Alternatively, you need to beat the 'Extreme Gravity Spaceship Course' on Hard in Arcade Mode, and get A Rank(Vegeta)/beat 'Hyperbolic Time Chamber Course' on Hard(Goku). There are Skills that increase the Zeni you earn to make the grind a bit easier, though I don't know a good farming method.

After starting the game, and selecting if you want to play online or offline, you'll be put into a Hub where you can walk or fast travel with ZL to different parts of it for each Mode.

In Arcade Mode, you can fight a set of 3, 5 or 7 matches, with Hard Mode for each being unlocked after clearing on Normal. I've heard Hard Mode really lives up to it's name, reaching 'SNK Boss' levels at times, too.

There's a Shop in the Hub where you can spend Zeni earned from fights on Z-Capsules, either 1 or 10 at a time, which can give you, alternate character colors, various customization options for your Lobby character that walks around the Hub or your online Player Card. If you get a repeat from a Z-Capsule, you'll instead get Premium Coins. Using them, either 10 or 100, will guarantee that you get items from Z-Capsules that you don't have yet.

In the Story Mode menu, there's a Gallery that lets you view story scenes that you've found, and this includes 'Special Events', which can happen when specific characters enter a battle. They're shown here in silhouette, with enemies marked in red, until you see them, and some are specific to each Story Arc. I like these, they usually have some interesting or amusing conversations between the characters.

The Boot Camp/FighterZ Dojo Mode is full of gameplay tutorials, which also pop up often in the first Story Mode Arc on Normal(doing them there also gives you some extra Zeni).

During non-Story game modes, you can collect the Dragon Balls and make a wish by making large combos, 70+ hits needed for the last one. More details here.

By winning fights under specific conditions outside of Story Mode, you can trigger a Dramatic Finish, where iconic moments from the series, plus some new ones, can play out. Here are the conditions to initiate each Dramatic Finish.

Yamcha feels like he got thrown a bone in this game: he feels fun to play(and is the type of fighter I'm good at), and can even get a reversal of his infamous death in a Dramatic Finish against Nappa.

Krillin and Android 18 have some really nice moments in this, and I want to see more of that.

Like with GBF Versus, the graphic style and animations are very well done. I watched a video from Boundary Break that showed how it looks away from what the player can see, and how some shots were made to work look really silly. XD

Next game being sent is: Super Neptunia RPG.

[mifil]

number 20 :P

part of the canon I found boring or tedious, huh

I'll pick AT for this one and the answer won't surprise you - anything involving Tree Trunks, really. I don't care for her past and episodes that solely focus on her are painful. I find her annoying throughout the series with perhaps her best moments being in High Strangeness where her character is not so bad actually. I don't enjoy her character of being so sweet and ignorant of how much she might hurt someone. Ring of Fire is the worst in this case. She is shown to have switched her partners like bed sheets. And also her talking slowly makes me yawn sometimes. She is best when she is clearly in conflict with someone where it is shown she is angry and annoyed.

A controversial pick would be Fern. I wish he had a different form the very beginning because him looking like Finn isn't really appealing to me. And while I like the lore of the character, the first arc of Fern makes him quite boring. I guess that's the point since he tries to be Finn and the beginning, but I really prefer him in his villain form, both in appearance and his agenda. He works best in the context of S10 and the PotE game gives him a bit more action in that period, which I like.

And that ties into the fact I dislike how fast Uncle Gumbald went by. Introduced as a threat in S10 and then a few episodes go by and we are in the finale where he is quickly defeated. He didn't really leave a permanent mark on Ooo like with previous villains, there's a second Candy Kingdom now but it's just mentioned and then never shown again. I wish he was a more persistent villain with more presence like Patience or even bloody KOO, who had much more impact on the world of Ooo on the account of taking PB out of the picture for a bit, even if still quite short. And I don't think Uncle Gumbald challenges PB's character as much as he should, him coming back doesn't really make her think as much. At least with Elemental it later leads to a great Jellybeans Have Power episode. And yes, it is shortly touched upon in CAWM, but it's really short and kind of over the place. I think PB should have been shown to be way more worried about him coming back, she is too chill (as in, we don't see her panic) about it.

[kasarawolf]

FANFICTION FACTS PART TWO. LOTS OF HECKIN READING AHEAD IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS SORT OF THING.

9. Chapter 1 has quite a bit of info dumping. This is because the story takes place 20 years after Future Trunks defeated the androids, so it’s been awhile since the end of that storyline in Z~!

10. Bulma is in her early 70’s in the story! Trunks would be around 40, but due to being in Conton City for various amounts of time, he has aged much slower.

11. Much larger species, like Dragons and Dinosaurs, are extinct in Future Trunks/Kota’s timeline. This is because when the Androids were ravaging the Earth, the planet couldn’t sustain such massive creatures and they eventually all died out. RIP.

12. Conton City is “the Future,” timeline, Future Trunks Timeline is “Present” and the Original Timeline (Where Goku and co reside) is the “Past.” These 3 branches make up “The Main Timeline.” More info about this will be added to my Guide Book once I draw up all the necessary pics!

13. History is not recorded in the Crack of Time. So anything that happens in there is permanent. This is due to Time not existing there. So no redo's or changing history in there!

14. Conton’s history is one long big scroll with no breaks in it, due to it being “the Future” so the Future is always being written upon!

15. Kota is Demisexual. (Even though it’s never said openly in story) I never saw him as someone that would actively date/chase/crush on someone right from the get go in his creation 14 years ago. It wasn’t until Xenoverse 2’s release is when I realllyyy started to think about a potential partner for him. His 3 possible love interests, were my oc's, Gigen, Tomata and an un-named girl (who is STILL in the story, just not named yet lol) However, right from the start, they never really meshed well with him and were quickly dropped. But he could not be forever single, because parts of his character wanted that connection with someone. And thennnn Fu was introduced in 2018 and his personality meshed well with Kota’s, and I was like “oh yup. There he is! Freakin finally the quest for your Significant other is over,” and the rest is history~ and who doesn’t love a “Hero” and “Villain” characters, secretly dating on the side. Just me? Oh. Alrighty then ^_^;

16. There are real world references in the story! Mostly to make it easier to write. Though some things, have off brands/non copyrighted stuff for them made up. Other World references mostly come from Kota, Sakana or TWIG. This is because Sakana, the previous Hero, is from “Other World.” And since Sakana is Kota’s mom, well, no need to explain that xD

17. How the story is written info! A lot of the characters can be unreliable narrators when telling the story. Since the story is told mostly in Kota’s POV and his POV is just all over the place (and then by arc two, Fu’s is incorporated in as well) Sooo yeaahh, good luck with figuring what’s true and what’s not xD (Unless another character confirms the other characters beliefs, which does happen lol) The whole story however, is written in 3rd person.

18. More writing facts. I intentionally gave some lines in the story double meanings. 2 examples (Spoilers removed from both)

EX. 1 Who's thoughts are they? Kota's? Fu's?? BOTH???

Though some thoughts may seem like they are written to be attached to a certain character (very intentional) It never specifies who's thought's we are seeing, (With saying Kota thinks or Fu thinks) during this set scene. Mostly all up to your interpretation as the reader.

EX.2 Is he talking about someone else being alright? Or himself?

This one is one of those "double meanings" segments. Again, mostly up to the interpretation of the reader!

[truly-quirkless]

Type: Lore/History Time: The day of the Sports Festival. Location: Sports Festival Arena (U. A. grounds) -> Fin's apartment.

Warnings: Straight from...the previous chapter,...to this. Can you say whiplash, ladies, enbies, and gentlemen-

"We'll head to my place first. If I'm going to be staying over, it would be best to get supplies..." He wasn't sure how long this 'Hero Watch' would go on. Assuming that Fin's brother was waylaid at least momentarily by customs and the like...that would buy maybe a week, possibly more. It depended on just how much Evan would push to try to get to his other half.

Fin nodded. Their mind had recovered by fractions- a hand holding tight to the edge of Yagi's own. Their ability to speak seemed to have fully gone out the window for the time being. If he had to guess, it was probably from the shock of it- not to mention the way he'd found them earlier. He let out a breath, sky-blues closing for a moment to nod in return.

At least they hadn't seemed too out of it during the awards ceremony. Admittedly, he'd had half an eye on them the whole time- attention drifting by degrees, but never enough for it to slip to the others that he was distracted. They'd at least taken to their seat amongst the faculty relatively well...

He'd undoubtedly have to discuss this more in-depth with Nezu in the near future. All he'd really told the mouse so far was that Fin was 'under Hero Watch'- though the look in those eyes told him the principal could already guess why. At least they'd be safe while on campus. It would take a level of idiocy to attack the campu-.....well, that 'League of Villains' had done it a few weeks back.

What was to say the eldest wouldn't give it a shot?

His fingers gingerly squeezed Fin's hand back. I've got you. It wasn't hard to find his keys in his pocket- pressing the button that would cause Hercules' security to disarm and the doors to unlock. He stepped out into the sun, hand in hand with the brunette. The parking lot for faculty was still mostly full- but at least it was cut off from the public.

"Any idea what you want for dinner?" May as well sort it out...that was the moment that Fin's eyes seemed to finally light back up- hazel hues gaining a spark again.

"...I forgot t'buy groceries..." Fin was grateful for the distraction- the second compounding on the first, the Sports Festival itself...though there hadn't been much left to watch by the time the two had returned to the arena's seats, earlier. "...can we drop by the store?...before or after your place..."

"Of course." Yagi chuckled quietly. A distraction.... "I might pick up a few ingredients...would you be opposed to soup, tonight?"

"Not in th' slightest."

[]

Fin pulled into the parking area for their apartment complex. Hazel eyes flickered into the rearview, spotting the black car that tailed their own- and the rather gaunt individual in the driver's seat. In moments, the car had drifted to rest alongside their own black vehicle- the door popping open as Fin turned off the engine.

'Thank you, Steve.' They didn't pat the dash of the car as they may have, when they were younger- but there was a faint smile at the memory of past moments. They opened their own door as Yagi stepped to the trunk of his car- already pulling out the suitcase he'd packed.

"Y'know,...I don't think you'll be around all that long." The words were rather useless- spoken in slight jest as the fence for their 'driveway' (which was big enough to park two cars and no more) slowly slid back into place. The two were standing before a long line of a building, two stories tall. There would be a white wall between one building and the next, ended by a flickering lantern on the post for the machine of a fence- more like a gate, really- with a small balcony hanging over one side, above a window on the first floor that stretched from floor to ceiling.

The blinds on Fin's window seemed rather damaged, a few missing- allowing one to get a peek inside.

"I don't plan to stay longer than necessary." He hoped that this would all be over soon, for Fin's sake. But a piece of him couldn't help but wish he was staying over under better circumstances.

"I jus' wish y'had a better reason t'stay..." Fin's voice caught on the wind, carried over. Yagi had been mid-wheel to the front door, feeling the smooth pavement barely make his suitcase jostle. It was, admittedly, a big suitcase- he'd needed to bring his medicine, and a few changes of clothes, toiletries... His eyes flickered back to them.

"...maybe, when this is all over...there will be." That caused a small smile on that face that had been lacking in one for hours. The door clicked- and Yagi heard a soft 'mrrrrrw?' from within.

"Yagi, meet my roommate..." Fin stepped into the apartment, holding the door open for Yagi. Of course, the blond had to stoop to make it into Fin's apartment- the tips of his hair brushing the ceiling of the hall. To the immediate right was a staircase, and a small shoji to the left, alongside a pair of darkened doors near the end of the hall. And rushing down the stairs was a quick blur of orange- with Fin bending down to laugh softly, petting at the feline who'd rushed down to greet them. They looked up from near his feet- eyes nearly cracked, but once again sparkling. "...Prism."

"Heh....hello, Prism..." He leaned down, feeling joints in his knees crack as he did to reach the cat. She was a skinny orange cat, with eyes that were a very light shade of blue- nearly like looking at a milky sky. He couldn't help the uptick of his smile, petting her for a few moments as Prism sniffed at his hand- before butting her head against it, meowing more loudly in search of pets.

"Seems like you two get along well!" Fin chuckled. "Alright, let's get you set up for later,...and then,- I'll try t'help with dinner." They squeezed by him- their entire body turning on automatic, independent of their head, to head up the hickory steps. "Y'comin', Toshi?" They looked back at him. An eyebrow was raised. He didn't hesitate to start pulling his suitcase up the steps with a laugh.

"Yep!" It was better to focus on the lighter things, right now. He was quick to follow them up the steps and to a hall with only doors on the left. Fin opened the first- revealing their bedroom to the blond.

"...holy..." He breathed. There were no windows in Fin's room. There was no clock- just an endless expanse of blankets and plushies and pillows, a realm of eternal fluff. There was little rhyme or reason to the blankets- the series and style ranged, thin to thick, My Little Pony to Transformers- there were even a few blankets with no discernable fandom to them, just a plaid pattern- the only constant was that they all seemed to be fluffy. The walls were nearly coated in posters- but all of them seemed to be of one franchise- one character. It was a familiar tall robot, with eyes as bright as his own, flame patterns scrawled on his chest and shoulders, a helm of blue, and so many wires and pipes underneath the frame.

Optimus Prime?

"On the bright side, you'll have plenty of space to stretch out and get comfortable in." To a degree, it made sense. Yagi stared for a moment more- before glancing to Fin.

"Is it alright for me to put my suitcase down, though...?"

"Of course, genius." They stuck out their tongue. "The bathroom's just down the hall- n' th' kitchen n' dining room're downstairs. I'mma go get all the groceries while y'unpack....see ya soon?"

"Ah- I can-!"

"--nope. I already said I'm doin' it, so I'm doin' it!" Fin laughed- turning to bolt before Yagi could utter an argument otherwise. He blinked at where they'd been- before he found himself laughing softly, head shaking before he turned to unpack. He could hear their footfalls on the stairs- followed by the front door clicking open again. Yagi set to pulling out his toothbrush and toothpaste, alongside the pack he'd semi-hastily prepared of his various medications.

Yagi stood, making his way into the hall and down it. The walls were white, not a mar to be found- but they were...well. They were bare. Not a single photo, a bookcase, or things piled on the sides. The only thing that hinted towards life were small scatterings of orange fur- undoubtedly Prism's contribution. He cautiously pushed open the bathroom door.

It consisted of a nicely-sized soaking tub in the corner, a relatively small, marble sink, and a toilet. So- appropriate. There was a towel rod near the soaking tub, and a bin underneath it. Hanging from the towel rod was a towel with a pastel beach design on it. He was about to set his toothbrush down when he noticed a small container, with two slots in it- on one side was Fin's toothbrush,...and there was nothing on the other.

Clink. They probably wouldn't mind...hopefully. If they asked him, he'd move his brush out of the empty slot he'd taken over. His medication would be awkward to discuss, but he couldn't just put it in a drawer- what if he saw something of Fin's he wasn't supposed to?

His eyes flicked to the hallway.

Empty, with only sparse mentions of cat hair. Come to think of it,...he hadn't noticed anything hanging in any of the halls. A quick glance around the bathroom yielded much the same- there was barely any personalization, outside of what was utterly necessary.

The door downstairs opened.

Yagi's attention snapped to it in a moment- hearing Fin's heavier footfalls as they made their way to what he could only assume was the kitchen.

"I'll be right down!" Would those rooms be the same? Fin didn't exactly strike him as living in such a minimalistic manner. It nearly felt as though they'd cut every part of the house off, save the bedroom. Every room felt...almost lifeless. There was the faintest presence of a life lived, but the place was so clean- there was so little that seemed to act like the hurricane that had been Fin's bedroom.

He was undoubtedly reading too much into it.

[]

They had laid down in the mass, feeling themself sink- but never quite feeling the harsh press of the floor. With all that had been going on lately, rest was both a blessing and a curse. It was freedom from their thoughts, but ensnaring their mind in their own anxieties. Their dreams- the few they could recall- were decorated with deaths, never enough to wake them up, but enough to be remembered in grisly detail come the alarm of the morning.

They shifted minutely, trying not to move too much for fear of awakening the other. It was the moments before rest, decidedly, that were the worst. Stuck at the edge, their mind unwilling to shut up, a million worries from the day crashing back down on them. They couldn't force the thoughts away, now. They couldn't escape. Just lay there, all-too aware of themself. All-too aware of the world. Of their role.

The role that had been shattered the day their Words had glowed. The role that was being stripped from them with every new disaster. They were nobody. The background character. They should've died a while back. It'd make their soulmate h- he'd---

Their eyes snapped open. Fin stayed utterly still, feeling their heart suddenly jump into their throat.

They had been so scared about their death. But if they died- what would that do to Yagi? Their Words nearly felt like they were itching. What would happen if Fin,- All Might's soulmate,...

Were to lose their life?

He'd die. Obviously. But would it take a month? What would become of Earth? What would happen to all the good Yagi had created as a Hero? As he was slowly torn down,...even more than he already was?

What would happen to the kids at U. A.? What would happen to that girl they'd talked to just today? Would the kids at U. A. be alright? Would they be safe, without All Might? Would that kid lose her smile?

Fin grit their teeth.

They couldn't----they couldn't,....

When had their life gained so many strings?

When had it come to mean something?

When...had they stopped just being 'someone'?

[danwhobrowses]

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero - Quick Review

So, I couldn't quite wait. I've heard good things from it so I had to see it for myself

Super Hero is Dragon Ball Super's second movie and yet another push in a different animation style, so I'm gonna go through what I thought was good and what was bad.

Spoilers for the Movie

So I liked the movie, I have to preface that because the negatives may seem to be longer than the positives, so to clarify, some of them are small gripes in the greater scheme of things.

Let's start with the negatives though

What I didn't like

So let's get it out the way; Final Gohan and Orange Piccolo. In concept it was great, but the designs were overkill. Piccolo with the SSJ3 brow that still doesn't work and Gohan with the oversized and overjagged hair. Orange Piccolo as a name is uninspired too, and I don't think Final Gohan actually needed a form change

I also don't approve of the method, Orange Piccolo is only possible thanks to Shenron adding 'a little bonus' to unleashing his potential, and Gohan goes Final Gohan having seen Piccolo almost die...compared to all the previous times Gohan has seen Piccolo almost die and Goku actually die, so it's a tad weak.

I know 'power scaling' is a bane of many an anime and especially Dragon Ball, but it does feel weird that 1 billion zeni is enough to create an android that's a physical match for Mystic Gohan. And that Shenron is capable of power boosting Piccolo to be above that level - since Orange Piccolo bitch slapped Gamma 2 while Gohan struggled against Gamma 1. It does render Supreme Kai's potential unleashed weak compared to simply wishing for more power, and by that matter renders training quite redundant.

Also why hasn't Dende upgraded Shenron to be the most powerful it can be? Surely we would need such upgrades for dire situations?

I don't understand why we wrote Beerus to have a crush on Cheelai, it feels weird, especially since she's only playing along to keep his hospitality

If you didn't know that Oreos were sponsoring the movie by god do you get it told, lots of Oreo overkill in this

Unfortunately 90% of the film does feel rather stakeless, just Red Ribbon Army back to their bullshit and Piccolo and Pan basically pranking Gohan into being more committed to acknowledging threats without leaning back on Goku and Vegeta - who are always off-world anyway.

Sadly this also means Krillin, 18, Goten and Trunks' inclusion is weak, they're just there for padding numbers and comedy. Krillin being gutless to start and all of the Gotenks stuff didn't land with me. Feel like we could've replaced Gotenks at least with Videl, who is blissfully unaware that Piccolo had staged her daughter being kidnapped. Also Tien could've filled Krillin's role to complete the set of non-Goku fighters who fought Cell before, I mean Krillin uses the Solar Flare so they could've swapped them out, even a mention outside the Cell saga montage would've sufficed

I don't know how to feel about Hedo, he's a lot older than he looks for one and though he seems fun and sympathetic he's also naive and murderous. It's not surprising that DB characters forgive murderers of course but he didn't seem like he repented that activity. His conclusion was weird too, if cosmetics were his calling it would've made more sense but it seemed more like a way to write him out even though he could be a valuable resource. Also how did he not know that Red Ribbon were evil when making Cell, he would've been old enough to remember Cell threatening to blow up the world.

And...Cell Max. That was an awful kaiju surprise villain, utilising the worst of the Cell designs and mixing it with Shin Godzilla. It was heavily meh and could've been done better.

Overall this did feel like a 'meme movie', leaning more onto pop culture perceptions (most of which guided by the Abridged Series) such as Piccolo being the responsible parent, Goku being the absolute moron, Krillin being the joke fighter, and even giving Vegeta a 'win' over Goku in the post credits scene, it might be considered fanservice but it does play more to the jokes than the canon.

It didn't quite help either that this followed a similar structure to the Broly movie but without the fleshing of the new character. We introduced the misguided villain, who is approached by actual villains to target the heroes, Bulma wants the Dragon Balls for something trivial and superficial, we swap around some fights until we reach the rage monster, Piccolo helps guide the fighters to a new form, new form wins, slightly villainous characters become allies. Nothing wrong with a formula, but you have to make it less glaring.

What I did like

The new art style was hit and miss at times, especially for the out of focus characters, but overall it was quite successful. You don't really get hit with the uncanny valley and for a first try it was pretty good. I'd probably still prefer the old Broly style but this was still good.

It was very refreshing that the movie was more of a Piccolo and Gohan movie than a Goku and Vegeta movie. Because it does make the world feel more lived in. Granted we could've used a bit more fleshing out of the other characters to validate their appearance but it was a nice change of pace, we could do more of these for the other Z Fighters.

Though a little unnecessary, I did like that we don't just forget about the Broly stuff, he's learning to control his power and from it Goku's getting stronger and Vegeta's learning to be more efficient with his power, this is positive signs too for Super's next season if they intend to use Broly more.

Like Broly last movie, Toriyama has put in the work to fix Pan as a character. The girl who was annoying and hated in GT is charming and adorable in Super Hero, so yeah all the Pan stuff was surprisingly great.

The Gammas were also pretty enjoyable, fun misguided villains who make the U-Turn when answering to reason. Gamma 2's sacrifice was earned for being the more exposed Gamma, but they still have room to use Gamma 1 more, even if it's on the smaller scale of helping Earth-scale threats with Mr Satan or teaming up with the Great Saiyaman.

I can see people finding Bulma making extremely minor wishes (most of which to make her look younger) on the Dragon Balls - as a means to prevent Resurrection F again - as a negative, but I'm holding onto a small bit of hope that it may lead to something. Perhaps another Super movie this time trying to fix GT's brighter spot of the Shadow Dragons. One hopes at least...

And there we have it, it was an enjoyable movie full of some fanservice stuff. It has its flaws and the main villain's rather weak, but that's not too different to a lot of Dragon Ball films. The less you dissect it the more you'll probably enjoy it.

[duhragonball]

Dragon Ball Super 082

Wilford Brimley’s here!   And he’s pissed!

Okay, I think some of this information actually got stated in the previous episode, but whatever.  This guy is named “Top”, although I call him “Toppo” because that’s how it sounded in the Japanese version, before the dub settled on what to call him.  It’s sort of like how no one knew whether or not to call him “Zamasu” or “Zamas���.  Japanese characters represent syllables, not individual consonsants, so when dealing with a name like “Trunks” they’ll spell it in such a way where it’s pronounced “Torunkusu” and some of those extra vowels are given less emphasis.  So even if his name is supposed to be just “Top”, it’ll still sound like “Toppo” when they say it in Japanese, and sometimes the dub will keep that last vowel and sometimes they don’t.    But I digress.

Top’s not part of this Zeno Expo, but he did attend along with the Universe 11 gods, because he’s acting as their Supreme Kai’s bodyguard.  Consfusingly, his name is Khai.  Anyway, Top is the leader of U11′s strongest fighting force, the Pride Troopers, and while watching the Zeno Expo, he became convinced that Goku is a menace, and he considers himself a lover of justice, so he wants to fight and defeat Goku.  Khai explains all of this to the assembled gods, and asks the Zenos to allow a Top/Goku match to take place as a bonus round of the Expo.  The Zenos agree, and we’re off to the races.

I don’t want to spend a lot of time on this fight, because there’s nothing at stake, and I don’t think Top needs this much of an introduction.  We’ll see plenty more of him in the actual Tournament of Power.  His main offense is jointlocks, like this “Justice Rear Naked Choke” he’s using on Goku now.  Although Top is so big that you could call this a bearhug and no one would be able to dispute it. 

While you ponder how Goku will get out of this one, let me pause to point out this off-model Beerus.  I swear, for as much as Beerus appears in this show, it’s like the animators went out of their way to draw him as badly as possible. 

One annoying thing about this part of the story is how everything that happens has to be commented upon by the various gods.  U11′s gods discuss this situation by saying it gives them a chance to “send a message” to the other universes.  Sure it allows the other universes to scout Top, but it also shows them how tough their team will be.  And Beerus and Whis have similar thoughts about Goku. 

Except none of this matters, because it’s going to be a battle royale with eighty guys fighting at the same time.  I think a lot of these scenes are just padding, or at best they’re intended to show how desperate the gods are to feel like they have any control over this situation.  So they keep plotting and scheming about every little detail, except the situation continues to unfold around them, and their plans have no effect on any of it. 

And there’s 24 gods involved, so it’s a lot of characters wasting their breath.  There’s one scene where Champa gripes about the four universes who won’t be participating in the Tournament of Power, and their gods gloat about how relieved they are to be exempt, and how it must prove they’re doing something right in their own universes.  But none of it matters.  Their being exempt was essentially a twist of fate.  They had no idea they were being evaluated this way, and did nothing to earn their exemption.  And the fact that they are exempted doesn’t affect Champa’s predicament at all.  But they still waste time in the episode talking about it. 

Oh, right, Goku.  If you said “He’ll just turn Super Saiyan Blue and break the hold,” you’d be correct. 

So they keep on fighting, and Goku powers up all the way, and then...

... the Grand Minister calls off the match.  The Zenos are disappointed, but he convinces them that they should save this confrontation for the Tournament of Power, and they agree. 

Goku offers Top a handshake, but Top is still mad at Goku and considers him a villain.  Though he’s disgusted to even speak to Goku, he does offer him a warning.  Goku couldn’t beat Top today, and even if he does manage to beat Top at the Tournament, there’s someone in Universe 11 who’s even stronger.  That would be Top’s fellow Pride Trooper, Jiren the Grey.  And based on Goku’s performance here, Top is certain that Goku wouldn’t stand a chance against him. 

So now Goku’s all excited about Jiren.  But Beerus demands he take this seriously.  Or what?  You’ll destroy him?  Get real, dude. 

The best thing about this whole deal is how it flips the script on Beerus.  He came to Earth acting all high and mighty, destroying anything he pleased for merely irritating him. Now someone higher on the food chain is threatening to destroy him, and his only hope is Goku, who isn’t worried about it at all. 

Goku even points this out (”You destroy stuff all the time!”) and Beerus is furious with him, but Whis reminds him that they need to focus their time on preparing for the Tournament of Power.  The ring won’t be completed for another forty hours, which gives everyone that long to recruit a team of ten fighters.  So Goku’d better get crackin’.

Meanwhile, here’s a shot of the stage being assembled.  Get used to seeing these.

[sepublic]

            This is another drawing of an Escapee that, while made years ago, I think has aged pretty well! Meet Cardinsto, and it’s hard to talk about him without bringing up my previous post on Stone Cold…

          Cardinsto is a towering giant made of plantlife; Wreathed in leaves and vines, he has tree trunks for legs, with spiked branches acting as fingers. His beard is made of brambles, his hair of leaves; His eyes are nuts, with their lids being the shells that cover them. Thorns are his teeth, and roots his feet. Like most trees he’s pretty big, with his legs as tall as the average adult.

         For those familiar with Stone Cold, Cardinsto is an adaptation of the villain of the same name that Wu battles; A human wizard who can control plantlife. Note that I said human... Back when the GEverse was a Ninjago fanfic, I went with the idea that after Cardinsto got whisked away by the Skulkin for trying to rat out Garmadon, they just utterly obliterated him, left nothing of his body to kill the poor dude as punishment.

         But Cardinsto, somehow, clung to life; His own soul refused to die, and bound to that soul was the elemental power that gave him control over plantlife. If he didn’t have a body, that’s fine! Because his soul would just create a new one, from scratch; His power was already over living things, so may as well extend that to himself!

         From basically nothing, Cardinsto made a body of plantlife, fashioned after his original form. Despite having survived, it was nevertheless a traumatic experience, and this is just after being transplanted to the modern day via the Tower of Tears, everything around him permanently changing. Now his body has changed beyond recognition too? It looked, moved, and felt very different from one made of flesh…

         It wasn’t as unfeeling as a suit of armor, as I said this body was made of living material; But it was an unwanted transformation to rival Theseus’ ship. If Cardinsto didn’t already have a grudge, it may as well have tripled, and all because he was slaughtered for speaking under duress, after being made to fight and serve one of his captors! It’s no wonder this man was so incensed that he joined Midas’ group, hoping to take their revenge on the whole family… Even if that meant killing Lloyd, whom Cardinsto reasoned would eventually be trouble for him anyhow, when he grew up.

         That was Cardinsto’s original backstory, but as I said; I’ve expanded and changed up his character in a lot of ways so much that he’s basically an OC at this point, and the drastically different appearance, while still hearkening to the original design from Jolyon Yates, moves Cardinsto away from the source material and more into the realm of my own design. I’ll obviously change the name, but since it’s included right next to this drawing, I’ll go by Cardinsto for now…

         Mind you, this wasn’t all there was to the backstory I created for Cardinsto! But lately, I’ve been considering something else… Having become older and more worldly, I realize now how Cardinsto’s original backstory (how he ended up in the Tower of Tears, which I have yet to explain) hasn’t aged well. So I’m revising it a bit, and possibly the circumstances behind his plant body.

         Cardinsto may no longer be an Elemental Master, just a witch with an affinity for plantlife. And his transformation from human to plant monster may have occurred before being imprisoned in the Tower of Tears, rather than after his initial escape. Likewise, it might’ve been a gradual thing, because one thing about his character that has remained consistent is that he’s a warlord, a general, a commander.

         It’s fairly simple, and I hope to give it more depth later on, but Cardinsto was once a human witch who created armies of plant monsters, hoping to build a kingdom of his own, invading other places, etc. His ability to create any plant in existence, so long as he encountered and was familiar with it, as well as growing his own little hybrids and creations, made Cardinsto ideal for feeding his citizens. His own troops normally relied on soil, water, and sunlight, but in that absence, Cardinsto could provide his own magical energy that created them from scratch.

         He waged wars, winning battles thanks to his own strategic prowess, as well as the hardiness of his troops and their ability to shrug off most damage, recover, not need much for maintenance, and in general being stronger and more diverse than your human soldier. Cardinsto wasn’t just a good leader for his tactics, but for his understanding of logistics; He knew you had to keep an army well-fed and well-supplied. Not only were his human subjects in line thanks to all of the crops he grew them, but his personal troops were totally obedient to his will as well!

         Still, this was in the Ancient Past; A time where magic and other supernatural forces operated more openly and abundantly in the Shining Void, than they do today. Cardinsto met many who could match him blow for blow, and while he typically came out the victor, it wasn’t without scars; Which brings me back to my original point, about his transformation from human, into a towering plant creature not unlike his own troops. It may have been a gradual thing; Replacing lost limbs and body parts with symbiotic plantlife, until all that was flesh was replaced, even the brain and heart!

         Maybe it was an instantaneous thing, like the original version of Cardinsto’s backstory. Maybe he grew the plantlife from his own body, or ingested a special seed that took root in flesh, feeding upon and replacing the host’s form until only plantlife remained; But thanks to his own power and control, Cardinsto maintained his sense of self and agency. And that’s assuming the seed doesn’t already work mutualistically with the host, preserving their self-control!

         Cardinsto might’ve recruited a few humans into his ranks, using his powers and these symbiotic seeds to gradually transform people into fully sapient plant monsters; And maybe some plant monsters he grew from scratch were capable of sapience too, if he cultivated it! There’s a very nasty image I have of Cardinsto implanting seeds into the bodies of enemies, even when they’re still alive; Letting the seeds fester and grow within enemy troops as they retreat to their own bases, acting as a sleeper agent waiting for the right moment to sprout and strike.

         As you can imagine, this sort of behavior was an ethical no-no to the Wayvrens, who decided to put a stop to Cardinsto’s conquest. The story ends the same way it always does; Cardinsto is beaten and imprisoned in the Tower of Tears, doomed to endless nightmares. Cardinsto probably dreamed of defeats, of his entire kingdom falling apart without him, mourned the loss of his original body, even if the transformation had been willing; The PTSD of war and his time as a regular soldier, before he rose through the ranks and discovered magic, haunted the man.

         Perhaps he dedicated his services, even learned his plant magic, in service of some other ruler or nation, only to realize he could just as easily take command for himself, especially when Cardinsto’s own superior was clearly lacking and relying on the achievements of his subordinates. As someone who had to experience the front lines before earning his title and medals, Cardinsto was less than impressed with those who immediately received authority on the basis of connections. A commander out of touch with the needs of his troops disgusted him; Cardinsto still made sure to cultivate his army of plant monsters, and it takes a nurturing touch to maintain them, with or without magic.

         In some ways, Cardinsto is a gentle giant, which Midas’ group discovered after one of the Wayvrens destroyed the Tower of Tears, freeing Cardinsto. He sided with Midas, feeling a deep desire for vengeance, humiliated by his defeat and by the nightmares that constantly reminded him of the fact. I can see Cardinsto low key being the Mom Friend of the group; As a leader, he’s well-attuned to the mood of his troops, and is always making sure to keep track of everyone, ensure all are in good health, spirits, that sort of thing.

         Because he can grow any plantlife he’s come into contact with, Cardinsto is always ready to supply whatever fruits, herbs, and vegetables you may desire, though admittedly, only some of his teammates actually have the capacity/need to eat by this point. The offerings are appreciated by those who can consume them, naturally; For example, Barracudox loves a good cucumber, anything with a high water content! She’s primarily a carnivore, but can enjoy some produce every now and then.

         As I’ve said, Cardinsto is a giant made of plantlife through and through; He can grow any plant he’s experienced with from his body, growing giant spikes, massive thorny vines from his hands, etc. All over his body are a type of explosive berry, native to Berrywood; They’re a fairly recent addition to Cardinsto’s arsenal, and act like grenades he can pluck to hurl. Cardinsto can even grow a giant combustion berry in his throat, opening his mouth to release the fiery explosion; Lloyd has dubbed this move the ‘combustion burp’, to Cardinsto’s chagrin.

         Cardinsto can control all plantlife within a certain vicinity, and this applies to objects made of wood, too. He does need to make physical contact with carved, dead wood to spread his magic and control throughout it, but when he does reanimate it… Well, Cardinsto can literally bring the house down on a person. Or transform it into an actual carnivorous plant, the inside filling with acids that will digest victims.

         Cardinsto can form giant spiked spheres out of his fists and throw them at people, growing a new hand to replace them. He can cultivate plantlife from the most barren soil, or even his own body. He possesses great strength and durability, and because his own body is plantlife, Cardinsto has powerful regenerative abilities. He can grow medicinal herbs to help heal those who aren’t made of plantlife, and to kill him is a difficult matter; The bark he is made up of is sturdy and less flammable than most trees, thanks to a particular forest Cardinsto once came across.

         He is plantlife, through and through; You could obliterate Cardinsto’s upper half, and he’d regenerate from it. He doesn’t have a particular ‘organ’ where his soul is anchored, so any part of him that’s left, it can act as a clipping to cultivate a new body. Cardinsto can even transfer his soul to surrounding plantlife, leaving behind his main body to act as a decoy that gets destroyed, tricking enemies before he grows another form. Being a highly strategic and clever man, Cardinsto will sometimes grow decoy versions of himself to control and trick others with, even multiple at a time, though this is taxing of course.

         Still, there’s only one body that Cardinsto’s soul inhabits, but his very nature allows him to blur the distinction between his own body, and the surrounding plantlife he controls… If one were to definitively kill Cardinsto, they would have to isolate him in a totally barren environment, and they destroy everything of him, not leaving a single twig alive. I’m not sure if Cardinsto could survive through something as small as that, but better safe than sorry…!

         …That’s Cardinsto! I’m mighty chuffed over his design, how he’s got the giant shoulder pads like some old-fashioned generals with their coats, made of leaves instead of the usual stuff. He’s an interesting case in which the design I’ve made for him is both original, yet not; I still have to change his name and maybe his face to be less reminiscent of the source material, but who knows? Would Lego and/or Papercutz, whoever owns the rights to his character, even care what I do with such an obscure one-off character, from a graphic novel that isn’t even canon? Cardinsto is pretty much wholly original in the context of his source material, not tied to any specific factions or sets.

         Cardinsto is a much more grounded, serious, and stern individual, concerned with pragmatic logistics and whatnot; Something to complement other Escapees on his team, who are more outlandish and eccentric by comparison. I guess that fits, considering his whole power; Plants are rooted with a solid foundation, so likewise Cardinsto is a pretty stoic and coolheaded general who remains calm and calculating under pressure.

         He’s a natural leader, so Midas often works with Cardinsto, or even looks to him, to help rally everyone together and focus on their mission, decide a game plan, etc. Midas may have the vision, but Cardinsto is often the one figuring out how to make it work. But unlike past leaders he’s served, Cardinsto respects Midas, and appreciates his leadership as an invaluable thing; The fact that the feeling is mutual cements his loyalty even further. Midas is a man who’s fought alongside his teammates, and he wouldn’t send someone out to do something that he wouldn’t. Midas and Cardinsto both care, though they may not quite realize how much, nor admit very openly.

        Separated from an unconscious Cardinsto for so long, I imagine his original army of plant monsters lost direction, eventually settling down to root themselves in one place, and die out over time. Now that he’s back, Cardinsto can cultivate a new generation, and he likes to breed hybrids in his spare time. He’s an educated person, an excellent botanist, and familiar with classic literature; Cardinsto’s got plenty more books to catch up on after his imprisonment. There’s a sophisticated discipline that he brings to the group, and his tactical mind will make him invaluable for another type of army that Midas will gain as an asset… More on those guys, later. Still, Cardinsto can be a dingus in his own way, all of the Escapees are, really.

[gunterfan1992]

Episode Review: ‘Together Again’ (Distant Lands, Ep. 3)

Airdate: May 20, 2021

Story by: Jack Pendarvis, Kate Tsang, Hanna K. Nyström, Christina Catucci, Jesse Moynihan, Adam Muto

Storyboarded by: Hanna K. Nyström, Anna Syvertsson, Iggy Craig, Maya Petersen, Serena Wu

Directed by: Miki Brewster (supervising), Sandra Lee (art)

Across Adventure Time’s ten season run, the show explored a bevy of “mature” themes and story ideas—topics, like love, sexuality, depression, and grieving. The show also touched upon death, but the emphasis was usually placed on the emotional toll of a loved one dying, not really what happens when you die. We knew there were Dead Worlds and Death. We knew that there was reincarnation. But how does it all fit together? What does it mean? How does it work?

With “Together Again,” we finally have many of the answers.

This special opens with a marvelous fake-out episode simply called “Finn & Jake,” that sees the two steal a magical cartoon of 50-flavor ice cream before rescuing Turtle Princess and LSP from the clutches of the villainous Ice King. This is all deliberately anachronistic and over the top. Ice King is back to his season one ways, Finn has both arms, and he is still wielding his golden sword that he lost in season two’s “The Real You.” There’s lolrandom dialogue and silly monsters; it’s like a parody of seasons 1-2. But then, this adventure starts to get all wonky, and in time Finn realizes that he is in a some sort of trance or illusion: one that ends with Jake being buried in the ground. Suddenly, Finn awakens from his reverie. He’s an old man. And he’s dead. We’re then presented with a new title card that lets us know the episode is actually called “Finn & Jake Are Dead.”

Holy Glob! They actually went there.

Turns out Jake died years before Finn, so naturally Finn is super excited to see his best bud. But something’s wrong—he cannot find Jake!! They planned to spend eternity together. But all that Finn can find is his very own psychopomp, Mr. Fox (voiced by Tom Herpich, whose purposefully stilted line readings are the epitome of delightful). Finn rightfully assumes that Jake is in a different Dead World, and so, being the ball of spunk and energy that he is, he demands to meet with Death, only to discover that there’s a New Death in town (voiced by Chris Fleming). The episode eventually explains that New Death was the son of Death and Life, and after New Death killed his father, he became the sovereign of the afterlife. New Death hates his job and decides to just blow up all the Dead Worlds so he doesn’t have to deal with it all. (I won’t get too much into the details here, because there would be a lot of story to parse out.)

Finn soon learns that Jake has reached nirvana in the 50th Dead World, where there is nothing but peace and serenity. Finn nevertheless tracks down Jake, pulls him from paradise, but in doing so, accidentally lets New Death in, who promptly obliterates Elysium, sending all the enlightened souls—including those from different levels of the afterlife—to the 1st Dead World. This gronks up the afterlife, temporarily halting the reincarnation process.

Well, Finn and Jake are rightfully ticked, and so they haunt the material plane looking for Princess Bubblegum. She’s not home (more on that later), but Peppermint Butler is! After Ghost Finn and Ghost Jake explain the situation, Peppermint Butler tells them what to do: They need to find Life and explain the situation. The duo manage just that, and Life is rightfully angry that her kid has stopped the transmigration of souls. After Life gives Finn a McGuffin sword that can hurt Death, Finn and Jake return to his abode. A brawl ensues wherein we learn that New Death has been possessed… by none other than that spirit of the Lich.

That’s right, it’s the Lich! He’s back, and boy is he evil.

The Lich explains that by possessing Death, he can destroy the afterlife, thereby destroying a key aspect of reality. Naturally, Finn and Jake are not cool with this, and they engage in combat. After Mr. Fox grabs the McGuffin sword and uses it to annihilate the Lich and New Death, he is proclaimed the New New Death and sets everything right. Finn is slated to be reincarnated, and Jake is slated to return to the 50th Dead World where he and Finn will one day be reunited. As Finn is pulled into the wheel of souls, Jake suddenly decides to go back with Finn, too, “Just for fun.” The episode ends with a card letting us know that the episode is neither called “Finn & Jake” nor “Finn & Jake Are Dead.” Instead, it is “Finn and Jake Are Together Again.”

As they say, “And there wasn’t a dry eye in the place.”

If you were to tell me several years ago that the last episode to star Finn and Jake would revolve around them dying, I think I would’ve been upset. Not simply sad, but rather frustrated because “they all died” can feel like a cheap ending. But with “Together Again,” it all works. And a large reason that it works is because the show goes all in with their ideas. Finn and Jake don’t magically leap back into their old life (no, no, they very much do bite the dust). Instead, the special emphasizes the cyclical nature of life through the transmigration of souls. The episode ends with a beautiful scene of Finn and Jake, bound together as soul-brothers, being reborn into a new, mysterious (possibly Ooo 1000+?) world. It’s both aesthetically and emotionally pleasing; it doesn’t feel off the way over finales might. This is right. This is the way life works. “Round and round as nature goes,” and all that jazz.

I loved the series explanation of how death works. It seems that souls land in a specific Dead World, where they ‘marinate’ for a bit, presumably being rewarded or punished based on their life in our meat reality. After a time, they are then reborn. This process repeats, with each soul reaching higher and higher levels of enlightenment until they hit nirvana, which is the 50th Dead World. So in a sense, Adventure Time has a roughly Buddhist cosmology with a dash of Greco-Roman mythos thrown in for flavor. (As to what happens after a soul stays in the 50th Dead World for a long period is anyone’s guess, but I’d speculate that when all the souls in the multiverse have been purified and land in the 50th Dead World, they will all collapse into one another and form one perfect Monad. Perhaps this is the sphere of perfection that the beings who merged into Matthew thought they were connecting to? Who knows! It’s anyone’s guess!) I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get to see who Death, Prismo, Life, etc.’s boss was, but perhaps that’s a mystery better left up to the imagination!

One minor thing that I loved about this special was the number of characters who made cameos as well as all the callbacks that were made to previous episodes. Regarding the former: Finn and Jake’s canine family show up (including the oft-forgotten Jermaine!), as do Tree Trunks and her myriad husbands. Tiffany plays a major role in all these shenanigans as a “death cop” of all things. There is a delightful rogues gallery stuck in the 1st Dead World (including, among others, Maja, Sharon from “The Gut Grinder,” and Wyatt). In the 50th we find Ghost Princess and Clarence happily at peace next to Booshy, the weird spirit mentioned in the Pen Ward classic “High Strangeness.” As far as callbacks go, perhaps my favorite is the clap (from “James Baxter the Horse”) that Jake taught to Finn in case they ever do get separated in the afterlife. And of course, there are myriad references made to “Death in Bloom,” the episode that planted the seed for what this would grow into.

Going into the special suspecting that it would involve Death, I was curious how they were going to handle Miguel Ferrer’s character. (In case a reader is not aware, Ferrer played Death in episodes like “Death in Bloom” and “Betty,” but he sadly passed away a few years ago). The producers’ choice to feature him in a non-speaking cameo—despite playing a relatively significant role in the story—was wise; I’m not sure if I can articulate the exact reasons, but something about his role felt appropriate and not gross, as some post-mortem memorials can be. Speaking of which, the wonderful, lovely Polly Lou Livingston was featured for the last time in this episode as Tree Trunks, happily in heaven with her literal harem of husbands. It was funny, it really was, and I’m sure that Polly Lou would’ve gotten a kick out of seeing it on screen. (Also, this is a pro-Tree Trunks safe space. Any Tree Trunks haters will be chucked into the 1st Dead World with Wyatt.)

The biggest mystery in this whole thing, for me at least, is the question of Princess Bubblegum and Marceline. Several years ago, I wrote an essay about what could’ve happened to them in the Ooo 1000+ universe. I speculated that they peaced out and left Ooo behind. In this special, neither Bubblegum nor Marceline are to be found in the Candy Kingdom—Peppermint Butler seems to be the one in charge, given that he is now wearing Bubblegum’s crown. Likewise, the duo aren’t anywhere in the Dead Worlds either. Maybe the two of them skipped town and got a duplex in the Nightosphere? Who knows… I just want my favorite gals to be OK!

All things considered, “Together Again” was a marvel: An episode that managed to feel like a series finale even more than “Come Along with Me” already did without taking away from the series itself. An episode that managed to make the idea of dying funny. An episode that brought back the Lich in a way that wasn’t forced. An episode that made Mr. Fox the New New Death. An episode that gave us a beautiful ending to Finn and Jake’s story… as well as the beautiful beginning to a new one. I said it on Twitter, and I’ll say it again here: “Together Again” was the end of a sentence in a book with infinite pages. Truly, the fun will never end.

Mushroom War evidence: Everything takes place in the Dead Worlds, so not really. Perhaps a more eagle-eyed viewer can inform us...

Final Grade: That’s right, I’m gonna do it...

Post-script, I actually messaged Jesse Moynihan to ask about his writing credit. He told me that it was for an unused story idea that he had developed. I’m not certain, but I’ll bet it was a part of the cancelled TV movie they were trying to make during season 5, since that would’ve seen Finn and Orgalorg journey to the various Dead Worlds.

[madara-fate]

I also wasn't insinuating that MinaKushi or DanTsu are the only good examples of good romantic relationships (I don't even care about these pairing for the record, or any other pairing in Naruto). I'm just pointing out that people do not doubt that Minato loves Kushina or that Dan loves Tsunade. If Sasuke genuinely loved Sakura and Kishimoto did a good job at showing it, then there would not be a huge debate on whether he does love her or not, because it would be obvious to pretty much everyone that he does, whether they like the ship or not. The fact that it's not and that so many people still debate on this to this day either shows that Kishimoto did a poor job at showing Sasuke as a loving husband either that Sasuke does not love her, despite that "love is the real deal" line or his reply to Sarada's question. It's show vs tell if you know what I mean. On one hand he tells us that "love is the real deal" but on the other hand he does not really show it all too well, which makes many people think whether he truly meant those words or he was being sarcastic and simply mocked the fans. It's either a case of bad writing either Sasuke simply does not love Sakura. I personally don't know what to think. I tend to lean towards the first option, it may just be bad writing after all. He admitted he's not great at writing romance and to be honest? It shows. It is even implied they haven't kissed in Gaiden by Sakura looking sad when Sarada asked her if they ever kissed. And I know you like to refute that by saying that it's preposterous to think they haven't kissed when they obviously had sex in order to concieve Sarada, but the thing is, it is entirely possible to have sex with someone but not kiss. It really is. When you're having sex but you're not really enjoying it or when you have simply been pressured and pestered into having sex with a person. Sakura Hiden confirmed the fact that Sakura was determined to confess her feelings to Sasuke over and over again until he would've eventually reciprocated. She compared that with punching a villain over and over until they're defeated. Now please tell me, would it be so far fetched to consider that harassment? If someone tells you no once, you have to respect their rejection and stop pursuing them, not take it as a challenge to persist in reaffirming your feelings over and over again until they eventually get tired or take pity in you and accept to give you a chance. And even in Gaiden it was confirmed that Sakura had to chase after Sasuke. It's really easy to see this ship as... problematic, to say the least. I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt tho and blame it on bad writing rather than on Kishimoto simply implying SS is not really a loving relationship, but if other people are not convinced or deny that Sasuke loves Sakura, you have to let your bias aside and admit that they have reasons to believe that. The writing makes it really easy to interpret it either way, depending on your preferences.

I already answered a lot of the points you made here in my response to your previous ask, but it's important for people to remember the type of person Sasuke is, and understand that the manner in which he shows affection isn't the same as Dan or Minato. It's a lot more subtle. Are people doubting that Vegeta loves Bulma and Trunks? No, so then people need to ask themselves - in which ways has Vegeta demonstrated that he loves his family in ways that Sasuke hasn't? Both of them aren't outwardly affectionate, both of them aren't romantic, but both of them have undoubtedly demonstrated that they love their family. Yet, only one of them is questioned. It really is just a "damned if you do and damned if you don't" situation. If Sasuke acts all affectionate like Dan and Minato, people will claim that he's OOC (like they did for Sasuke Retsuden), but if he stays reserved and demonstrates affection in his own way, people will just turn a blind eye and say he doesn't care. It really just shows how little they actually know Sasuke's character. To think that Sasuke, who hails from the clan which values love above all else, would marry and start a family with someone he doesn't love.

On one hand he tells us that "love is the real deal" but on the other hand he does not really show it all too well, which makes many people think whether he truly meant those words or he was being sarcastic and simply mocked the fans.

People actually think that Kishi may have been "sarcastic" when he described their love as the real deal. Oh my goodness. Why would Kishi purposely give wrong information to the readers (and never reveal what's actually going on)? Why would he intentionally want the readers to misunderstand his story and characters? Why would he want to portray his 2nd biggest character as someone who would enter a loveless marriage when that literally goes against the ways of his clan and his entire character? Do people not listen to themselves?

It's like how so many people claim that Sasuke saying "because you exist" means that the only reason he and Sakura are still together is because of Sarada, and people really don't realise how stupid that sounds. They don't stop and ask themselves why Sarada would be brought to happy tears, why Chouchou would describe her as lucky, and why Naruto would give her a knowing smile, if Sasuke had really just insinuated that she was the only thing that was keeping her parents together:

They just don't think. They apparently believe that Chouchou was happily thinking to herself "aww, lucky Sarada, you're the only thing keeping your parents together!", and that makes sense to them apparently, Chouchou being so happy for Sarada after hearing such awful news. It's unbelievable.

And I know you like to refute that by saying that it's preposterous to think they haven't kissed when they obviously had sex in order to conceive Sarada, but the thing is, it is entirely possible to have sex with someone but not kiss. It really is. When you're having sex but you're not really enjoying it or when you have simply been pressured and pestered into having sex with a person.

This is just like the people who believe that Sasuke is gay, justifying their ridiculous claims by pointing out how "you can be gay and still marry a woman", and to that I always say - Why would Sasuke do that? Just like to you I'll say - Why would Sasuke do that? To have sex and not kiss? Why would Sasuke of all people be "pressured and pestered" into entering a relationship with someone? He obviously has no problem whatsoever with bluntly turning people down. If he doesn't want to do something, he's not gonna do it. Heck, if you're using Sakura Hiden to try and prove your points then I'll also use a novel to prove this one - The lipstick stain scene during Sasuke Shinden: The Teacher's Star Pupil, explicitly indicates that Sakura and Sasuke had kissed earlier that day. The motorbike scene during Naruto Retsuden has Sakura kiss Sasuke. Sasuke and Sakura having kissed, is not (and has never been) a topic that's open to discussion.

Sakura Hiden confirmed the fact that Sakura was determined to confess her feelings to Sasuke over and over again until he would've eventually reciprocated. She compared that with punching a villain over and over until they're defeated. Now please tell me, would it be so far fetched to consider that harassment? If someone tells you no once, you have to respect their rejection and stop pursuing them, not take it as a challenge to persist in reaffirming your feelings over and over again until they eventually get tired or take pity in you and accept to give you a chance. And even in Gaiden it was confirmed that Sakura had to chase after Sasuke.

I've already talked at length about that scene from Sakura Hiden so I won't do so again here, but I'll link the relevant post where I explained how that scene obviously was not meant to be taken as a negative comment, but people will of course just twist things in order to suit their own anti Sakura/SS agenda.

But if other people are not convinced or deny that Sasuke loves Sakura, you have to let your bias aside and admit that they have reasons to believe that. The writing makes it really easy to interpret it either way, depending on your preferences.

No, here's what people need to understand. If people think that Sasuke's love towards Sakura was not adequately shown, then that's a reason to criticise the writing. It is not however, a reason to deny what is canon. They are stating that Sasuke does not love Sakura, despite the fact that this has explicitly been stated. Sasuke loving Sakura is a canon fact, whether they like it or not. Criticise the execution all you want, I know I have plenty of times, but don't deny the truth. Hell, since you wanted to use the novels...

During Sakura Hiden, Sasuke rushed back for Sakura's sake, despite having ignored the village's prior pleas for help. What does that say about his feelings for her?

During Akatsuki Hiden, Sasuke described Sakura as "The Spring Sunshine" which illuminated his dark life. What does that say about his feelings for her?

What does basically the entirety of Sasuke Retsuden say about his feelings for her?

Many anti SS fans are always so quick to use the novels when it suits them. And then when a novel like Sasuke Retsuden comes along and completely shits over all their theories, they're just as quick to dismiss the novel as an OOC fan fic by a sub par author, figures. As far as I'm concerned, the manga is more than enough to show that Sasuke loves his family (seriously this really isn't up for debate), but I'll also definitely say that anyone who criticises SS and uses the novels as a point of reference, is in way over their heads.

[dorki-c]

My Guardian Demon| Chapter 1, Part 3: Inheritance

Relationship: Izuku Midoriya X (Reader)

Rating: 16+

A/N: I thought writing this part would be really hard...Nope. Not at all. I’m surprised! I hope you all enjoy!

TW: Brief mention of Fire, Swearing 

[Masterlist] [<— Previous| Next —>]

(Song recommendation for this chapter: All the good girl’s go to hell By Billie Eilish)

PROMPT QUESTION FOR THIS STORY ARC: Are all demons ‘bad’?

“But I’m not giving up on my dream, if you aren’t going to give up on yours.”

Alas, the gloriously golden sun highlighted the features of the old dusk that was soon turning into their new dawn.

(And might I say, if society got in their way, they will pay their dues the hard way.)

The two of them knew they had to paint the sky a fresh light blue, to develop the painting of the environment with creative splatters of white to resemble the clouds.

With the sun almost sliding to horizon’s edge, a cloudy vermillion mist (that was his demon) slipped into the view of the sun, highlighting their features but not letting a shadow smudge the surface of the pretty earth that the star ruled over.

“I know you won’t give up on your dream.” Even from three footsteps away, Izuku could still make out the multitude of voices mixed together. 

“So, I won’t give up on my own dream.” Although, even if one voice is made up of many sounds, that doesn’t mean it can’t resonate with tenacity.

“Got it!”

From a roof top of an apartment building to the lonesome streets below, it was still unbelievable to the middle schooler that he…literally met All Might.

(And that he had learned of All Might’s weakness.)

Nonetheless, after every battle we grow stronger.

(Right?)

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The days of our years always past through fingertips that have soaked in sin.

Yet, those who want to fight are the ones who shoulder said sins like an unlucky medal garnished in pure gold.

And how this medal got passed into Izuku’s somehow capable hand, who knows?

Where the demon stood at the back of the mass of people surrounding them, Izuku was at front of the crowd. A racing horse of many thoughts drowned his selfish needs and his demon’s hopeless demands.

How can he prove to society that he is capable to be a hero?  

How can he do it?

The scene of a filthy crime, the stage was set with a hostage and villain. One of them had manifested as a flaxen haired male, maybe around Izuku’s age? Though the moment the green-haired boy saw a familiar dandelion crackling outlining the big BOOM destroying the landscape around the hostage—he just started moving too fast for his demon’s claws to catch.

(T-That’s—that’s the same villain who attacked him!)

At first, a cold breeze of (what he believes might be) your hands about to catch him. Were you about to halter or allow him to write a new beginning?

(No, you weren’t stopping Izuku. Did you want to see this event play out?)

Sure, when the main act was about to end, maybe another new role can rush in and save the show.

Why were you staying behind? Did you approve of his actions? Izuku thought you hated it when he played the saviour role. Was he wrong?

(Izuku has never been a clairvoyant, however, he can be a saviour.)

Knocking and shoving past the innocently confused bystanders, visions of red scorching the surface of the road, the sight of that same gloopy villain cackling in satisfaction at the catch they managed to reel in.

“None of us have the right quirks to stop a villain like this!” The false heroes would always say.

“I’m not a real hero…” The Symbol of Peace may whisper to himself after saving many people.

“I want to be a hero!” Is the cry of a boy whose been doubted for his whole life.

Will he be successful in his attempt of grabbing “KACCHAN!” out of the sludge after throwing his yellow bag straight at the target?

(He ends up hitting the villain’s eye! Whoop! Whoop! Bullseye! )

If it wasn’t the summer sun of this fateful day.

Then it was the memories of childhood youth coming to ride the sailing riptide of the small green-haired boys kindness.

Where pebbles tumbled down the riverway above the stream of shallow river water travelling downwards was a large tree trunk pretending to be a safe bridge for the five children carelessly bumbling across it.

As the ringleader lost his footing and slipping down, down, down into the small riptide, if it wasn’t for the cicadas- clicking away with their summery sounds whilst they hide in the bushes- then a small splosh of water could’ve sounded like splashing into a large rain puddle.

(But it didn’t, instead the sound was nearly as silent as a dormouse sneaking into your fridge for cheese.)

Underneath Mother Nature’s bridge, casted a shadow blanketing the vermillion mist where the desolate being stood waiting for its owner to notice them, but the owner ignores the mist like he usually did and opts for helping the blonde-haired ringleader.

(He’s always helped people. (Y/n) can’t tell you when he hasn’t helped anybody.)

Extending his chubby baby hands, the green haired boy asked the blonde one “are you alright?” Though the demon knows that Izuku didn’t intend for that sentence to make the other child to narrow their crimson eyes.

However, whoever anybody is, Izuku will always extend a hand.

This does not exempt from his childhood friend, Bakugo Katsuki.

(This is what it means to be a saviour. Not a hero.)

The performance of a brave act had concluded with a boring aftermath.

(Like how can a demon say that watching All Might change the weather was exciting?)

Clobbered around Izuku’s tired form was a few (false) heroes who lectured him about how he should “be careful, because you could’ve easily died” to that villain.

(Though the demon had the audacity to scoff at the shitty remarks, if those heroes did their jobs properly and pulled Bakugo out of the villain’s grasps, then Izuku wouldn’t have had to.)

Let’s not forget, that Izuku was the one who had the guts to do what the heroes couldn’t do and that Bakugou was praised for his bravery.

What ‘bravery’ was there to show? If anything, those vermillion eyes showcased fifty shades of fear and that’s not tipping the iceberg of what those falsities had said about bravery.

(They were only boosting his ego.)

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

“Do you think I did the right thing, (y/n)?” Izuku muttered out loud, although his demon was occupied with ignoring the ‘demon therapy’ poster that hung desolate on a lamp post and instead had the goal of catching a freaking butterfly.

When their hand reached out to grab it. They halted, turned towards Izuku, then asked “were you talking” because they were highly busy trying to catch an insignificant insect to notice that Izuku said something out loud.

“N-no! Don’t worr—” A rough, maybe a tad bit too loud of a bark cut Izuku off when he heard the familiar insult of “DEKU!” from the distance.

“Oh god, what does Bakugo want?” Izuku simply shrugged. Nobody really knows what Bakugo wants anymore. Is it validation? Pride? A sense of superiority?

Nobody, not even Izuku’s demon, could make out what he wanted by his little prompt speech about not owing Izuku a dime of gratefulness. With his whole act of calling Izuku a “quirkless failure who wouldn’t cut out to be a shitty rent-a-cop, even if he tried.”

Furthermore, how dare the blonde-haired boy think that Izuku was looking down on him. He first calls Izuku a “weakling” after all he had done, then accuses him that “he did nothing to help,” and then decided to strut off like the moody teenager he is.

(But what if you were mistaken to think he was moody?)

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

When passing maybe two, perhaps three corners of rows with houses lined down the sides of the passageways, with boxed in backyards and the sun starting to lay its weary head down for a long desolate nap, Izuku was once again setting his mind straight and into autopilot.

“Hey Izuku?” You were asking the questions and he was answering back with his answers. Usually, you either stayed quiet or screamed at anybody (besides his mom) who dared to touch his precious face, so if he was guessing why you were asking him a question; it was because you were asking him an ‘important’ question (or so you labelled them to be important, because they seriously aren’t).

“Y-Yes (Y/n)?”

And of course, Izuku isn’t clairvoyant, so how would he know that your upcoming question was “what were the colours of the sky?” since your quite forgetful at times.

What? Why were you asking that question again? He’s told you a couple times before “there’s only one colour of the sky, its blue” but knowing you and your airheaded attitude, he has to stay patient. With your small nod to his answer, you seemed satisfied with the small talk until—

“I AM HERE!” Booms behind the green-haired boy (unexpectedly).

If it wasn’t for puberty, then Izuku could’ve lost his voice by the singlehanded scream of “ALL MIGHT! WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?!”

(And what’s the point of saying “I stand for justice!” when you can’t stand up in your hero form for five minutes before spewing blood from your mouth?)

All joking aside, when the pro-hero stood in front of Izuku in his rawest form, he had a statement to say for the green-haired boy.

“Young man, I came here to thank you and discuss your question.” What? All Might was giving up his time and energy to speak to him? A quirkless nobody?

Well…colour his demon’s pointed look at the worn-down man, in the richest colours of a rainbow. What does this pro-hero want with Izuku? .

.

.

“If you hadn’t told me about your life or had run into that fight, then I would have been a worthless bystander.” With the movement of his face allowing the thin-skinned cheek muscles to stretch his lips up to his onyx encircled blue eyes, All Might had presented the most sincerely painful smile he could muster in this small snippet of time.

Though, not surprisingly enough, this caught Izuku off guard. His expression paling as he frantically waved his hands about and only managing to utter the words of “N-no! No! It was my fault to begin with! If I hadn’t wasted your time and made you drop the villain t-then--!”

All Might cutting Izuku off mid-sentence was like a miracle out of the ninth circle of hell for (Y/n).

“I’m not done talking,” Hushing the 14 year old, All Might had continued his statement from earlier, “You told me you were powerless, so when I was standing in the crowd—watching this timid, quirkless kid rush into danger.”

The pro-hero paused in trying to find the right words.

“That inspired me to act as well.”

With a hand on his heart, the moment was truly overwhelming for Izuku.

“AND WITH THAT!”

All Might had poofed back into his hero form as soon as the sent his exclamation out to the world.

“I HAVE DEEMED YOU WORTHY OF INHERITING MY POWER!”

(Wait…what?)

The revelation of what the hero had unveiled to both the green-haired boy and his red demon was very confusing to process.

(And when did heroes become so self-righteous? Like jeez, calm down on that ego of yours All Might!)

Taglist:

@glitterfreezed, @izukubabe​, @sweater-weather-seven, @nyanyabisjjj, @quietlegends, @dragonsdreamoffire​, @candybabey​, @honeylavender13​​

CREDITS:

All content and art used within this story belongs to their respective owners. PLAGARISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED!

Art credits: Dorki-C and @glitterfreezed​

[MASTERLIST OF “My Guardian Demon”]​ [MAIN MASTERLIST]

[twoidiotwriters1]

Written In The Stars CXL (Harry Potter xF!Oc)

A/N: This gif is huge but it’s the only one I could find with detective!Erick vibes and it excels at it so enjoy -Danny

Words: 2,936 

Series’ Masterlist

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Listen to: ‘Black Butterflies and Déjà Vu’ (Acoustic) -by The Maine

Chapter Two: Just Friends.

HARRY POTTER: THE CHOSEN ONE?

Rumours continue to fly about the mysterious recent disturbance at the Ministry of Magic, during which He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was sighted once more...'

"Well, look at that," Mel threw the paper onto the backseat. "Looks like Harry's going to have a fun year."

"He'll enjoy it no doubt," Erick replied, his eyes fixed on the road. "Is it true, though?"

"You were there..."

"I mean the prophecy."

They'd been driving for two days and they still had no idea where Slughorn could be. Mel was starting to miss her bed and her hair was gross, she was more than grumpy.

"I can't talk about it."

"Yes or no would be fine..."

"If you want to believe it go ahead, I'm sure Harry'll appreciate one of his friends participating in the gossip."

Erick scoffed, she looked back at him with a frown.

"What?"

"I don't gossip about Potter," He grumbled. "And I don't think he'd cared if I did. We're not friends."

"After all you've done you think he would consider you a mere acquaintance?"

"You remember how he treated me last year at Grimmauld Place?"

"You remember how he treated everyone last year?" She raised a brow.

"I've spent lots of good moments with you — but him... you really think he considers me a friend?"

Mel opened her mouth but nothing came out of it, she had no idea.

"Lots of things can change in a year," She said at last.

"Maybe," Erick agreed, then he looked at her shortly and smiled. "You're still the same girl from six years ago, though."

Mel let out something that sounded like half a snort.

"Because I'm the only one that doesn't bully you?"

"You're the only one that bullies me," He laughed. "Listen, you might think that being sweet sucks, but that's not all you are. You're the best witch of our age..."

"Doubt that," She said bitterly, "if I were I'd be the one with a prophecy, don't you think?"

"So there is a prophecy?"

"I'm just saying," Mel responded promptly. "That if I were meant to do great things, the stars would've said something about it — I wouldn't be so incompetent..."

"The stars are balls of gas floating outside the planet, not deities," Erick rolled his eyes. "Don't you remember what I told you?"

"You've said many things to me, you have to be more specific."

"You can do anything, but you're afraid it won't end well. You're the only person who gets to decide your future," He glanced at her once more. "So what is it, Miss Dumbledore? Are you going to make history?"

"I'm going to have lunch," She concluded.

"You have the picture?"

"Of course I have the picture, I'm not you."

"I left it in the car once!" Mel scowled. "And we weren't close to finding him!"

"Quiet," He fixed his hat. "We can't attract attention to ourselves."

"In that case, you should stop acting like a fool," She snatched the hat out of his head. "You're ridiculous."

"No!" He pushed his hair back grumpily. "My hair looks weird today!"

"You look fine — let those poor curls breathe, they suffer under all the things you put on them..."

"I only use wax," He grumbled. "Wouldn't hurt you to brush your hair for a change..."

"I already cut it," She gestured vaguely to her bangs. "The hardest thing I've done in my life, by the way..."

"Hardest thing? The fight in the Ministry was a breeze for you?" Erick snorted.

"You know what —"

Mel froze; a small man was approaching the house across the street. Erick grabbed the photo from inside his pocket and stared at it, then nodded. They turned their backs on the man, both of them staring at the reflection of a window to keep an eye on Slughorn.

"We're eight hours away from home... what if he moves while we're driving back?"

"Don't think so," Mel watched as the man opened the door with a flick of his wand. "He stays at least four days in each place, he'll be there long enough for us to inform my uncle."

"Okay," The boy smiled. "We did it."

"This isn't over," Mel squeezed his arm, noticing the two figures ahead. "He's been followed."

"What?"

"Look..."

She discretely pointed to the other two reflections: men in dark robes were standing seven houses away from Slughorn's. Mel didn't recognize them, but no muggle would walk around wearing that kind of clothes.

"We have to get rid of them."

"You read my mind," She responded. "D'you think they know we're here?"

"They're following him, not us..." He tilted his head and eyed her up and down. "How do you feel about being the distraction?"

"You think you can take down two death eaters on your own?"

"If I can't and they kill me, I know you can."

"Fair enough," Mel grinned. "I'll lure them into the alley, wait for us there..."

The girl crossed the street, she didn't know if they would know who she was, but she was hoping her face was still unknown to most wizards. She crashed against one of them and dropped her wand on purpose.

Both men froze and quickly retrieved her wand; Mel gave them a panicky look over her shoulder that she hoped was convincing. The wizards had been taken by surprise, but they ran after her. She took a shard turn and ended up cornered in the alley.

"Bad luck for you, missy," said one. "We can't —"

A flash of blue hit him on the back, then a second one reached the other man and he fell forward too.

Erick walked into the alley. "We should obliviate them."

"Sharp aim you got there," Mel commented.

"Thanks," He replied casually, "are you all right?"

"Yeah, they were too busy giving a dramatic speech," She stared at the men and frowned. "Dumbledore said Slughorn was afraid like everyone else, but it looks like he's got a reason to be hiding, don't you think?"

Erick crouched down and inspected the men's pockets.

"Nothing," He sighed. "Can't blame Dumbledore for hiding stuff — The more we know the more the Death Eaters could get from us if they catch us."

"He told my mum I'd be safe," Mel scowled. "What does he value more than what's left of his own family?"

Erick raised a brow.

"Did you get hurt?"

"No."

"Listen, we're inexperienced, he's not going to trust us right away with all the information —"

"It's thanks to me and Harry that he's found out half of the things he knows! If that's not enough then I don't know what he wants!"

"I don't want to argue with you," Erick stood up. "He said he would tell you everything, I don't understand what's the problem..."

"I don't understand why you're okay with being his puppet —!"

"I'm not a puppet!" He replied fuming, then pointed his wand towards the men. "Obliviate!"

In less than a minute it was done. Erick fixed his robes and snatched his hat from Mel's head.

"Time to go home."

Mel threw a soft punch at him and Erick grunted, staring at her with confusion and holding the place she'd hit.

"I hate it when you act like that," She picked up the men's wands, "like a villain."

"Thought you were over fairytales," He muttered. "Villains aren't real..."

She walked past him and slammed the wands on his chest, Erick grunted again.

"You know I'm right!" He followed her out of the alley. "You would've done the same!"

"Shut up!"

They arrived at Privet Drive in the afternoon, she saw Harry move away from his window and knew he was going to ask them all about their adventure.

"Don't mention the Death Eaters to Harry."

The seatbelt snapped back into place and Erick hissed, shaking the hand he'd hurt.

"Why?"

"If he finds out I was chased down a street he'll go crazy, and I've been trying to convince him to... to stay out of my problems. Leave it to me, I can handle his tantrums way better than you."

They got out of the car, Mel opened the trunk and pulled out her bag as well as Erick's.

"Hi!" Harry greeted. "How was your mission?"

"Successful," Erick said shortly.

"How're you?"

"Brilliant!" She said. "I have to take our bags inside, so..."

"Let me help," He replied.

"Oh, I got it! Erick needs a hand in the kitchen, though..."

"I still don't know how the stove works," He put an arm around Harry's shoulders and guided him into the house. "I was thinking chicken soup, but I have no idea how to cook it!"

"Sure," Harry followed him cheerfully, Mel had the feeling he'd missed them.

"Did you find the man?"

Erick hummed.

"Cool," said Harry, grabbing three plates from the sink.

Mel was upstairs taking a shower, Erick begged for her to hurry.

"Did... er... Did all go well for real?"

"What do you mean?"

"Did you really just found the man and came back?"

"We came back as soon as we finished, yes. She was safe at all times, I promise."

"I know," Harry put the dishes on the counter. "I would've felt something otherwise... you know about the lifeline, right?"

He knew about that, whatever made them feel each other's pain. Erick didn't understand how that worked, but he'd never asked.

"Right," He nodded. "Bet you must hate that..."

Harry stared at him.

"She didn't tell you? What Dumbledore said to us?"

"Why would she?"

"Well," Harry looked down again, drying the plates carefully. "You're the one she goes to when she has a problem."

"Only when I'm available," He said quickly. "It's just... lately everyone else is always preoccupied with... well, you."

Harry hadn't thought about it, but that was true. A few weeks ago half of the order had gone to King's cross just to talk to his uncle, everywhere he went the conversation would always end up being about him.

Mel had known Harry for nine years and she'd always looked after him, with or without the connection, he understood why she felt like they didn't need it. Harry, on the other hand, depended so much on their lifeline to make sure she was safe... but was it really necessary? Would it be equally helpful for both sides? They truly needed to give each other space to think.

"I'm glad you're here," He confessed. "Don't think I'm being helpful... all the things I've done... all she sees when she looks at me is Voldemort."

Erick didn't wince, which caught Harry's attention and made him curious.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You're from a pureblood family, but they weren't Death Eaters... How come you're not afraid of his name?"

"Oh," Erick tilted his head. " knew I wasn't supposed to say it, but I was used to hearing it. My Grandad would call him Voldemort all the time... I just never say it out loud because, you know..."

"I was really rude to you last year," He sighed. "I'm sorry."

"You had your reasons..."

"They weren't good enough."

"Listen, Harry, I know how it is... feeling like you're on your own, having one person that makes your life better and then having to walk away because you could hurt them more than you make them happy — I've been angry like that too. Actually, it also happened in my fifth year. Guess we do have things in common, huh?"

Harry had a funny look on his face. It was true, they did have a thing in common: They both wanted the best for Mel.

Right now, the best was Erick.

"You're a good bloke, Flint," He admitted. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to Mel before, we could've been good friends since the start."

"I wasn't likeable then, believe me," The Slytherin chuckled. "But she refused to take a no for an answer... She's something special, isn't she?"

"She is," Harry agreed.

"Yeah, she is," He sighed, perhaps a bit too dreamily.

This didn't go unnoticed by Harry.

"Listen," The boy began carefully. "Take care of her, alright?"

"I don't think she needs a man to look after her," Erick replied distractedly.

"No, listen, don't make the same mistakes I did — I don't want her to suffer, that's why I gave her up in the first place. You understand that?"

One thing Erick knew from talking with Hermione and the twins was that Harry never admitted that he'd dated Mel. He had no idea why he'd been chosen to be the first to hear it.

"I don't know if she — she doesn't want me that way," He'd never felt as embarrassed about anything in his life as he did now, standing in front of this sixteen-year-old who somehow made him feel like he was an idiot.

Harry stared at him carefully, he took his time to answer.

"If she says no, I know Mel will make you regret it if you bother her too much — But if she wants you... I don't mind it."

"Okay," Erick said hoarsely. "Thanks?"

"Excellent," Harry grabbed the plates and set them on the table.

Erick stared at the boy and couldn't help but wonder how much Harry had to suffer to stop fearing the little things in life like demanding stuff from an older, taller guy?

Or maybe, just maybe, Harry wasn't afraid of him because he was a friend.

Could that really be it? He'd been waiting for this quite some time, and yet he couldn't stop the thought of something else being the real reason behind Harry's serenity. He wasn't the same boy Erick could torment by pretending he was flirting with Mel, and for some reason, he found that disturbing.

"One last thing?" Erick turned off the stove.

"Yeah?" Harry looked at him over his shoulder, eyes attentive.

"My old friends used to call me Flint," He smiled a bit. "So please, call me Erick."

The boys were having lunch when she entered the kitchen.

"I hope the Dursleys didn't make you starve while we were gone," Mel said as she sat in front of them.

"Not much."

"That's not good," She raised a brow. "How long till Dumbledore comes for you?"

"He'll pick me up tonight, didn't he tell you?"

"Haven't seen him since we left..."

"You're still moody, then?" Erick raised a brow, noticing her pout. "Thought the shower would help, I genuinely believed your bad mood was thanks to the underwear you'd been wearing for —"

"We don't need to talk about that," She blushed.

The boys laughed and she stared at them, what was that about?

An owl flew in through the window and landed in front of Erick.

"Dumbledore," He raised his eyebrows. "He wants us to go with him and Harry... We must be ready at seven as well. I should pack..."

"No need — Mum took all our stuff, our trunks are waiting at the burrow. She took Grey too."

"Ah, so that's why my feet haven't been attacked today!" Erick folded the letter. "Okay then, looks like you won't get rid of us for the rest of the summer, Glasses."

"Pity," The boy replied.

"Hang on!" She pushed her plate away. "I left you alone for half an hour and now you're best mates? You can't call him Glasses — Only I get to call him that!"

"You're the only one that calls me that because it's a stupid name," Harry raised a brow. "I call you Mellow but everyone else does too! We never said my nickname was exclusive. If he wants to sound stupid then let him."

"You see? He doesn't mind," Erick smirked, then he understood Harry's words and frowned. "I do not sound stupid."

"I feel betrayed," Mel sulked. "I'm not sure I'm liking this friendship between you."

"You were the one who wanted us to get along!" Erick exclaimed. "You should be happy! Looks like your efforts finally paid off..."

"Only took us two years," Harry grinned.

"I finished with the laundry and it's your turn to wash the dishes —" She walked into Erick's room and gazed up from the basket. "Shit — You're naked!"

Mel looked away, feeling her cheeks burning at the sound of his hearty laugh.

"I just took off my shirt!"

"I came here to leave your clothes — Possibly a shirt you can wear right now..." She walked up to the bed, Erick did so at the same time.

He didn't mean to walk up to her half-naked, but he didn't step back either. He just stood there, his chest moving up and down with every breath.

Erick had freckles over his shoulders, he also had thin scars across his torso from the cuts that had almost killed him. Mel redirected her attention to his face only to meet his hazel eyes softened by the sunset, his lips were forming a tiny, yet noticeable smirk.

"I'll take that," He seized the clothes gently, "and I'll wash the dishes after my shower."

"Okay."

"And I'll lock my door from now on since no one taught you to knock first," Erick teased, she felt like he could tell how fast her heart was beating.

Mel looked up at him resolutely.

"A prince doesn't expose a lady," She said in a firm voice.

"I'm no longer a prince," He replied without breaking eye contact, "and you've never been a lady."

Mel stormed out of the room without even responding.

Next Chapter —>

Taglist.

@dee123ksha​ @vampiregirl1797​ @siriuslysirius1107​ @stardusthigh​ @mikariell95​ @vernon-dursley​ @thesuitelifeofafangirl​ @tomshollandz​ @wlwmaximoff​ @reverse-hxlland​ @hamiltonwc​ @omiwashere​ @t-rexs-world​ @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @21bruhs​ @i-am-scared-and-useless-bisexual @dielgonacoffee​ @thelastpyle​

[thoughtfulpaperback]

Charmed 03 x 13 SPOILER REVIEW!!!!

GENERAL THOUGHTS

Okay it's Saturday, but that episode felt like too much emotionally. They better not make this a Kat moment with Jordan and not bring my man back because I will riot. Overall this was an emotionally heavy episode entertainment wise it was a solid 8/10. But overall kind of frustrating for me for a number of reasons which I will go into in my dislikes section.

DISLIKES

1) Stop Torturing Black Male Characters!!! Also they really had Jordan pull a Galvin.

Now, just as I did with Galvin season 1. I take issue with the whole leaving right when the gal is the most emotionally attached. It’s really cruel of the writers. With both Jordan and Galvin, I can see how the events they went through would have them needing a moment. I do. Unlike with Galvin, I feel it was totally unwarranted with Jordan. I mean to say that Galvin up until the event that caused his trauma, hadn’t really been that involved in the magical world or faced anything that scary. So I can totally see how what happened caused a break without putting him through the wringer continually. I just feel that this event shouldn’t be the breaking point. What I mean by that is that the writers shouldn’t have done it. Not that Jordan shouldn’t have felt the way he did. I would have preferred him taking a break before having to deal with the tomb. In some ways, this felt like a Detective Morris moment (Torture the mortal black man until he breaks and can’t take it) more than it did with Galvin and I always hated how the writers treated Darryl. I think its because of the fact Jordan has been thrown into one crisis to another (my man has almost died multiple times) continually. I love Jordan and because we’ve seen him so much outside of a romance arch (unlike Galvin) I’ve grown attached and I hate to see him so beaten down that he has to leave. I think he would have been valid and in character for him to need time for himself before the tomb. I don’t think they should have put him through it to send him away. Well I have hope he will be back soon so I am not going to fret, but I can still say my piece over the unnecessary torture of POC characters. 

Though if they replace Jordan screen time with Antonio screen time I will freak out because that would be wrong y’all. I’m not talking about shipping wise! It would just be a real misstep if they “replace” screen time devoted to a black man to a light skinned Latino. Colorism is real y’all and I get enough of it in my novelas, don’t need it in Charmed anymore than it has appeared in the past.

2) Are we done with showing Abby’s abuse now?

If there is one thing I hate it is showing abuse on screen. I hate seeing it, I find it triggering as someone whose sibling was thrown in the trunk of a car while the adults laughed. I don’t think abuse justifies Abby’s actions either, in that showing how she was abused doesn’t make me dislike her past actions any less. Nothing will change my mind on those. Same with hearing Abby’s good intentions behind her good deeds. 

Listen, I don’t think Abby is all bad. But villainous actions are still villainous. She has done some good and it wasn’t all selfish, but that doesn’t mean the heinous stuff she did was any less heinous. Whatever the writers choose to do with Abby, as long as they have her put the work into redeeming herself, then I’m cool. they seem to want to do that with her and have started her on that journey. So we shall see if they pull it off. 

3) They really giving the Bisexual the unrequited love twice over

This show isn’t good to the LBGTQ+ community like it likes to make itself out to be. I don’t think Abby’s interest in Mel is a threat to the Ruby x Mel thing since last episode they seemed to seal Mel and Ruby as a solid couple at least for now. But I don’t think we need competing queer ships. I felt the mess that was melko versus jada x mel, was unnecessary and I don’t want to see a repeat. At the same time I think it is awful to sort of give the bisexual character the crappiest luck when it comes to being rejected twice. Technically, Mel hasn’t outright rejected her, but not bringing it up is like the nice way of rejecting her and letting her keep some sense of dignity after having her secrets violated.

4) This episode was really the Abby show in a lot of ways.

While there were interesting developments and reveals (by which I mean obvious, but welcomed ones), this episode was basically for the Abby lovers and in a way the Abby haters to convince them that they are wrong about her. And I just didn’t need it. I don’t think Abby haters will ever not hate her and I think dedicating an entire episode to defending her only fuels them further. I think they should have further explored Abby’s past and issues in small doses spread out through this season. I don’t want to be told she is redeemable, I want to come to that conclusion on my own by watching her behavior.  I think the show always messes up when it comes to developing concepts over time. Abby has been a series of missteps from the writers in my opinion, but I think with this episode they are trying to come back from those, but I think it wasn’t done as well as it could have been and the way they did it may only further the whole Abby hate train, not take away from it. 

LIKES

1) We finally doing the whole Perfecti are the big bads

You all know that my biggest issue with Charmed in it’s previous seasons is always the bait and switch with villans. I hope, since we are 13 episodes in and it has been pretty obvious that the Perfecti are going to be a big problem, that the rest of the season will be dedicated to taking them down and dealing with any trouble they cause. technically they haven’t been around long, but I hope that the writers focus down on this now and we don’t get anymore bait and switches saved for the last two episodes. I like these guys as the bad guys it’s a classic storyline and I am not against the classics. 

2) Teaser for more Celeste

Now I know lots of people felt like she would be the big bad and all elders are scum kinda of stuff. And I mean there is still time and we may get baited and switched again this season. But I actually like Celeste. I didn’t at first because I generally don’t trust older white females who ignore consent because their intentions are good. But I like having a remnant of elder knowledge around. I thought she was dead, because the last time we saw her Mel suggested that by taking the time thing she would start to age rapidly. But whatever! I choose to ignore it if the writers are choosing to ignore it. 

I still don’t feel that Harry’s need to be mortal is pressing. It should take a backseat to the bigger issues at hand in my opinion, but I won’t say no to seeing what knowledge Celeste has having been the one to create Whitelighters. 

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS

Perfecti think Abby is chaoatic and think Jordan is guilty by association

Abby accepting her fate and just saying well sucks for Jordan

Macy’s “ If she wants hostile...”

“Even in a tomb built before the dawn of time a black man still gets imprisoned for something he didn’t do”

Abby’s feelings for Mel confirmed in a violation of her privacy via truth serum

Abby’s mother’s testimony

Abby saying she will give Macy’s powers back

Jordan leaving to recuperate his mental health 

[davidmann95]

Is that Solaris I see on the cover of Superman/WW Future State? He returns! I am suddenly interested in Future State.

Anonymous said: So, Future State? Not gonna lie, at the very least I'm liking the artist line up. Also, Idk about you, but the designs for Diana and Yara Flor (the Wonder Woman from the Amazon) are the only ones that I'm really liking so far.

Anonymous said: FUUUUUUTUUUUUUURRRRE. state

Anonymous said: Thoughts on DC Future State?

Anonymous said: Thoughts on Future State?

Anonymous said: You’ve probably been asked already but thoughts on Future State?

Anonymous said: So... Future State just kind of showed up and is very mixed.

Anonymous said: Future State Superman has a heroic cop battling a villainous anarchist. Topical.

Anonymous said: On Dc future state announcements???

Anonymous said:So. Future State's been officially revealed. Your thoughts?

‘Future State’ this, ‘Future State’ that! Look, what’re you gonna believe, Jim Lee or your lying eyes?

So this looks...pretty good? Infinitely better than their previous filler stuff like Zero Month/Villains Month/Future’s End/Convergence. And given Jo Mullein is part of this, Bendis isn’t doing these Superman issues, Steve Orlando mentioned on Twitter that he was told to set aspects of this up in Wonder Woman rather than it being allowed to appear apropos of nothing like most of these, and this isn’t built around a *single* all-encompassing tone or hook - along with getting Dan damn Mora to do your main promo images and a bunch of the character designs - I do believe the plan is that this is still going to lead into new ongoing series, just all the last couple of those crossovers I mentioned did. That’s probably where we’ll see Bendis doing Jon, the Zdarsky/Fraction thing, I expect more of Ridley Batman, and maybe one or two others. In any case, nice to see a bunch of fresh talent in the mix and a more diverse lineup both on and off the page, and a lot of these concepts are neat, even if there are as always some turds in the punch bowl. The anthology model being carried forward from the Walmart titles definitely heralds more of the same, whether in the main line or for a continuation of this. And as for the books themselves, I’m gonna take my reactions one by one.

The Next Batman: Obviously I’m down for this.

Dark Detective: Bruce having a specifically defined new role (as do most of the rest of the old guard) is a smart move for making this sustainable. Tamaki’s let me down recently, but Mora, and also if this follows up on Detective #1027 we might see the Black Casebook. Backups definitely look tepid though. I’m probably gonna hold off on making a call until there’s a preview.

Harley Quinn: Pass.

Robin Eternal: ehhhhhhhh

Catwoman: Oh hell yes, V/Schmidt doing a heist.

Nightwing: Nicola Scott doing Nightwing! Andrew Scott wrote a decent little Wonder Woman/Metal Men teamup story in one of the recent anthologies, so I’m up for this.

Batman/Superman: YES. This seems to be a bit of a prequel thing, but who cares, it’s Yang/Oliver doing World’s Finest.

Superman of Metropolis: I’ve only heard of Sean Lewis doing a few indie horror books, but of course I’m curious about the Jon-as-Superman book and the groundwork I expect it lays. His costume works for me, fitting that ‘sleek and futurey’ mandate without actually rocking the boat too much (and its differentiation is a lot more tolerable with Clark still rocking the cape and trunks), and the premise is really interesting - not surprising, as editor Jamie Rich says many of the ideas for the Superman books came from conversations with Grant Morrison. Which is probably why we’re seeing so much Seven Soldiers and DC One Million stuff in here, although bringing back Manhattan Guardian, given his background, and this premise, for this moment, is questionable at best.

Superman vs. Imperious Lex: This is probably going to be the best thing to come out of this whole shebang.

Superman: Worlds of War: Privately I called that Clark would be rocking the Kingdom Come getup in here (with the belt buckle from Man of Tomorrow for some reason?). I did NOT call that he would literally have the God of War sword. I’d be skeptical at best, but PKJ and Rich have both assured they’re not doing a Dark Superman thing with this, and hot damn, Midnighter backup by Becky Cloonan!

Superman/Wonder Woman: I think this is going to turn out to be one of the biggest gems of this entire enterprise. Dan Watters did an absolutely phenomenal short story for the last Batman: Secret Files, and it’s a big teamup against Solaris!

Kara Zor-El, Superwoman: The Bombshells team reunited! Here for it.

Justice League: God, this might be really good or it might be the biggest disappointment of the bunch. Just at the sight of that I want that to be the Justice League from now on, that is an all-timer iconic cover and set of designs to introduce a group of characters, the concept’s really good, and Flash being from another universe is so cool...and the actual book is Williamson/Rocha. Rocha’s a steady hand I trust well enough, but clearly this is where Mora should have been, and you’re really leaving this to Williamson? He has done good comics, but not many. I can only hope he’s basically a placeholder setting up the status quo for a Future State Justice League imprint book same as I think PKJ and Lewis are setting up whatever Bendis is going to do later. Still, I’m not writing this off entirely, Williamson has still done some good comics and this might well be as enjoyable a two-parter as it should be. And in any case, Ram V doing future stuff with the magic characters is a win.

Aquaman: I was going to say no thanks, but the premise is a little interesting, Daniel Sampere is a good hand, and I haven’t seen Brandon Thomas’s work before but at a glance he seems to have tried some ambitious sci-fi work at Image. I’ll call this a maybe.

The Flash: Hahaha, now we’re in the shit of it. Literally there is nothing about this that would indicate it was set in the future if not for the title, a flat regurgitation of the most tired old bullshit, and it’s by a Young Justice writer to boot. Glad to know even in the future the regular Flash book is going to suck.

Teen Titans: Speaking of books we can be assured will always suck

Shazam!: Who could possibly care

Green Lantern: This one I kinda don’t blame for being nothing, Far Sector is the big Green Lantern thing in this period and they’re not gonna fuck with that so they gotta work around the fringes. Hardly sympathetic enough to get me to buy it though.

Suicide Squad: Okay, alt-Earth Flash rules, but you come up with a disabled Flash with a heavily redesigned but still recognizable and extremely rad new look - looking every inch the “Far Sector but for Flash” premise I’ve been calling for - and you put her in this nonsense? And you waste Javier Fernandez here too? I guess Robbie Thompson is passable from what I’ve seen and maybe the whole Earth 3 thing will result in this turning out alright after all, but this feels like a waste, and that’s before you get to the one story here set in the 853rd century being about Black Adam.

Immortal Wonder Woman: Oh shit this one’s gonna rule though.

Legion of Superheroes: So’s this one!

Swamp Thing: This will be excellent too but I don’t care about Swamp Thing.

Wonder Woman: I’m seeing some immediate division on Wonder Woman - some like her new costume and some hate it (I think it’s really busy but like it a lot with the blues highlighted when Mora draws it), and I understand some have problems with a Brazilian Wonder Woman rooted entirely in Greek mythology rather than any sort of indigenous religion (which I am not remotely qualified to weigh in on). I’ll hope for the best, and obviously it’ll be very pretty, but I wasn’t blown away by Jones’ writing when I tried her Catwoman book, and I hope she won’t fall flat on her face regarding representation.

I’d divide this up into

* Basically no chance in hell: Harley Quinn, The Flash, Teen Titans, Shazam!, Green Lantern

* I’d need to hear good word of mouth: Dark Detective, Robins Eternal, Aquaman, Suicide Squad

* Fingers crossed, getting it but it could go either way: Superman of Metropolis, Justice League, Wonder Woman

* Yeah, I’ll grab this one, looks fun: Nightwing, Superman: Worlds of War, Kara Zor-El: Superwoman

* This is going to be really good: The Next Batman, Catwoman, Batman/Superman, Superman vs. Imperious Lex, Superman/Wonder Woman, Immortal Wonder Woman, Legion of Superheroes, and though I’m skipping it, Swamp Thing

A pretty incredible preliminary hit-miss ratio, and along with all I said before, big shoutout to Darran Robinson for across-the-board incredible logo design work. Like the Superman books mixing Morrison and Bendis, Batman is hyper-topical with a black Batman fighting super-cops who hate resistors in masks (whole Bruce can still be part of the fight but has to reckon with not being the guy in front throwing money around and setting terms anymore), Wonder Woman goes for the obvious pun, and JL feels appropriately iconic, while the rest is hit-or-miss as not central to further plans with this setting. I had zero expectations of this as anything other than Future’s End 2.0 with a couple leading into the not-5G imprint, but while I think that’s still the same basic endgame, for the most part it feels like they’re really trying with this one and I’ve got a good feeling about it.

[treatian]

The Chronicles of the Dark One: Magical Loopholes

Chapter 21: Unmade Plans

He had a suspicion that Regina had used the book and gotten some of her powers back. It was just a suspicion. There was nothing solid about the guess except for what the world beyond his shop hinted at. After lunchtime, the streets were unsettled, unusually so. People were seen congregating in small groups in the middle of the road again, talking, looking over their shoulders as if expecting someone to be listening to their conversations. They were acting as they did when a new villain emerged on the scene, and after giving Regina the book...well...he wasn't one to believe in consequences.

Still, he shut the people beyond his own shop out of his mind. Whatever was happening in town, even if Regina had gotten her magic back, it didn't concern him. Belle was home; the protection spell he'd placed on the home ensured that she was safe so long as she stayed inside. And she wouldn't be home alone for long. He'd made up his mind. Screw sitting around waiting for Emma to get back, forget figuring out whatever kind of magic August had gotten his hands on to help him hide. He was going to pack a bag, go home, pick up Belle, and go.

The vision he'd gotten earlier suggested that Baelfire was close. He'd always known that the Curse would deliver him somewhere close by to his son, certainly somewhere in the same country, but the Seer's vision…there had been further hints. It had been cold in his vision. The Northern United States was all cold at the moment. His vision showed him images of trash bins, high buildings, steam, and concrete. And his son…his son had fallen to the ground, but not from a window or the sky…when he focused, he realized he'd fallen from a fire escape. That meant he had to look for him in a city. While there were cities in the west, the North East was more likely. That wasn't definitive, but he'd rather comb through all the likely culprits before turning to the unlikely ones. And the Curse had delivered them to Maine, just a hop skip and a jump from several very key cities in this region: Philadelphia, Boston, and New York City all came to mind. They would be cold in the Winter, and they were here. He could take Belle with him. For all he knew, she was the female presence he'd felt standing close to him in the visions.

He combed through his shop, looking for things he wanted to take that he couldn't leave without. The black trunk was still out. Obviously, he couldn't take all of it with him, Baelfire probably wouldn't care to see the boots he'd owned when he was eleven again, but the shawl, that would be something easy he could take. In the backroom, he found the black bag that he'd stored a lot of his potions in. That would do it. Magic would help him find Baelfire; that's why he'd wanted it to begin with. Of course, because they'd never had it before, the world beyond Storybrooke would still be baffled by it, and that meant they couldn't use a tracking potion or tracking spell the entire way there; that would cause too much attention. But there were other things they could use. He'd take his potions home, and when he arrived, as he told Belle to pack a bag, he'd search the basement room for anything else there that might be helpful. And then…

Then they'd leave. If Belle wanted an adventure, then he'd give her one, the greatest she could imagine because it was unplanned. He'd tell her where they were going on the way, only…where were they going? He needed to tell her who they were going to, but where…

He grabbed a bag and went into the front of the shop. He didn't have much that wasn't an antique in the shop, but he did have some maps and guidebooks of major city areas in the Northeast. They were useless next to the magic, but he wanted to be as prepared as possible. Perhaps he could do a little bit of reading on the way when they stopped for food or water or anything else Belle needed as they-

Suddenly it was there again, just as it had been earlier, a feeling that his property had been breached. Not the house, thankfully, but the shop again. This time it wasn't Regina, but it was still a familiar presence he recognized. David had finally come to him.

"It appears when I bought that closed sign, I was just throwing my money away," he announced before turning to find him.

"Looks like it," the False Prince agreed.

"Sorry to hear about your wife and daughter," he insisted quickly, cutting right to the chase. He'd been expecting this visit. He harbored no ill-will between the prince and the rightful Queen. In fact, if he could make a deal for returning to the Enchanted Forest to bring them back, he would, especially because it would benefit him greatly. But as it was, after Regina's last visit, he was interested only in going home, collecting Belle, and leaving immediately. "If you're looking for a retrieval, I'm afraid portal jumping is just outside my purview."

"Of course, it is," David sighed as if he wasn't surprised to hear he couldn't help him. Interesting reaction from a man who often had temper tantrums over not being helped back to his beloved. Especially when he considered that instead of leaving, he just stood there and stared at him as if he wanted something more. What else was there to want from him?

"So, what's the commotion outside?" he asked, trying to figure out what he might need so he could think two steps ahead. That was difficult when the Seer herself was being, well, difficult. He wanted information about where Baelfire was, anything to narrow down his search, and instead, all she kept whispering to him about was a deal he'd made with David years ago in the Enchanted Forest. A deal for peace between them.

David glanced over his shoulder to the door. "Oh, a little stir at the border. Problem crossing the line."

He felt his chest tighten as the rest of him went numb, and he stood up a little straighter at that. Trouble at the border? Not with Regina? A problem crossing the town line? What the hell kind of 'stir'?

"Do tell."

"Actually, I'm here to buy something. A way to find someone."

A problem at the line, and now David wanted to find someone but didn't need help crossing realms, and no one mentioned that Regina had magic again…what the hell was going on?

"What, like a map?"

"Something with a bit more kick. Like the ring you gave me to find Snow."

"Ah, yeah, magic," he corrected. The Prince wasn't here to buy something. He was here to make a deal. That was well and good, but what was wrong with the border? And how could he figure it out without giving away the fact that it mattered? "Whom are you following?"

"Not telling."

David was smiling, grinning ear to ear. The price of magic, sometimes it did come at a cost for him, like distrust. David clearly thought he was playing a game, just as he had been in the Enchanted Forest. In truth, he just wanted to know about the border. But…David wanted something like the ring, and a tracking spell would do it, so long as he possessed something of the person he wanted to find.

"So, do you have something of theirs, this missing person?"

"Yes."

"May I see it?"

"No," he answered with another smile as his hands stayed clasped in front of him.

He laughed. He would never have thought David would have the brains to sort out anything as smart as this in the Enchanted Forest. Perhaps David Nolan had rubbed off on him a few good ways. The question was, what happened if Prince Charming rubbed off on David Nolan? He could think of a few ways that would not be ideal for him.

A magical object he couldn't see that belonged to an individual he couldn't know. Very well, for that, there was only one solution. The physical equivalent of a tracking spell, a Tracking Potion. He hated to get rid of it, but outside of Storybrooke, he could use a spell for himself. And perhaps he could use it to ensure David Nolan, or more importantly, Prince Charming, stayed out of his hair until he and Belle were out of Storybrooke. If he played his cards right and came across as helpful, he might even get more information out of him.

"Pour this on the object, and then follow it. So simple, even David Nolan could do it."

He held it out for him, but when David moved to take it, he quickly pulled it away, a friendly reminder that he'd come here looking to "buy" it. Nothing in his store was free, especially not magic. And right now…

"What do you want?"

Not him…the Seer wanted something. She wanted something reiterated. Desperately. She was reminding him over and over in his head with harsh hissed whispers. It was a deal they'd already made in another world. Still, with the Curse broken and a previous deal with Regina obviously not in effect, perhaps there were others he'd overlooked that were specific to their land that needed to be re-enacted.

"Peace," he answered to the Seer's pleasure. "Leave me alone."

David huffed. "What do you care what David Nolan does?"

"Oh, no. It's Charming I worry about. I'd like a little non-interference guarantee."

David glared at him, clouds of suspicion forming in his eyes as he wondered how he would come to regret this deal. In a way, it was a test. If whatever he needed this potion for wasn't that important, he was almost certain he'd turn him down. If it was important, well then-

"Fine," David conceded, giving some of his cards away. It was important then. "If you give me the same. You and I–we stay out of each other's way."

That wasn't part of the deal, not officially. But, in fact, making a second request like that, with a little bit of magic, meant he owed him a little something more. And he intended to cash in. So he handed David the vial.

"Thank you for your business," he smiled, handing over the last transaction he'd ever make in this Pawnshop.

David took it and immediately turned to leave, but he stopped him before he could, wanting the information he was owed, knowing that David wouldn't feel the magic in the air when he answered him.

"So, uh, what happens when you try and cross the border?"

David paused and turned back to him. "You lose your memory of everything of our old lives."

As a boy, he'd fallen through some ice and into the chilly depths of the lake below. Suddenly, standing in his shop on dry ground, he experienced it all over again. The feeling of the bottom of the world being torn from him, his legs standing on nothing. Icy, chilly water swept up over him so that his vision blurred, the image of David before him spun out of control. The world darkened. Then he was numb. Numb and caught off guard and in shock all at that one pronouncement. The fragile edges of his psyche, of the Dark Ones before him, toyed and played with the words trying to fix it, to understand it. He tried to replay the statement, tried desperately to believe and hope that he'd heard it wrong that the implications of it wasn't what he thought it was. And then David shrugged casually as he fought to maintain control inside himself.

"Looks like we're stuck here."

Stuck here.

Trapped.

Unable to leave.

Stuck in Storybrooke.

Because…because…because…

The Curse on this land, the plague of ordinary, non-magical world…it wasn't broken. In Storybrooke, perhaps, there was magic here now…but it hadn't extended out to the rest of the world as he'd planned.

As he'd planned…

His plans…

To find Bae, to keep Belle safe, to leave tonight and outrun Regina…

Gone. All gone.

The chiming bell indicating David's departure shoved him back into his body and out of his mind. Energy, roaring and savage, tore through him, anger and malice and pain, things he could do nothing to fix because he was closer to Baelfire than he'd ever been and separated by nothing more than a fucking town border!

He gripped the cane in his hand tight. Then swung it into whatever would break.

[moonstone-blues]

Why Hank Voight from Chicago PD is actually the best:

(Spoilers for up to Season 4 of Chicago P. D.) (And some big spoilers for ATLA.) (And one big one for The Last Of Us 2.)

When you think of a hero character, Hank Voight is probably not your first thought. He's a dirty cop who isn't afraid of anyone or anything. He's happy and willing to torture suspects for information. 

But he's a great character. And no matter how you look at it, he is a hero character. At first I fell in love with his badassness. My first introduction to him was a youtube clip of him marching towards a guy who had a kid hostage, threatening to kill her if Hank got closer. And Hank cuts him off by shooting him through the skull.

You have to remember that no matter his brutal methods, he gets shit done. It's mentioned multiple times throughout the series that the intelligence department gets higherr turn ins than any other department. 

But what is my favourite trait? 

He isn't afraid to get revenge/to just straight up kill people.

I've watched a lot of stuff and get so angry at the good guys refusing revenge or to kill the villain. In ATLA, an eclipse has happened, leaving the fire nation without bending. The fire lord sits there in his chamber, defenceless. His son, Zuko comes in with two swords. He can easily kill him and stop the war, stop thousands of peoplee being killed. He could stop it all. But he doesn't. "It's the Avatar's duty." No prophecy said that. Hell, the Avatar doesn't even want to kill him. Zuko should've just straight up stabbed him and ended the war.

And then Katara, who swore revenge on the man who murdered her mother, putting her family through years of grief, to find out it was her fault for being a bender. She is about to kill him. But stops. She remembers the guy she has a crush on hates killing so she stops. 

And don't even get me started on Ellie in The Last Of Us 2. The whole story of the game, the whole point is that you are hunting down the woman, Abbie, who murdered your father figure. Who practically tortured him. She killed Joel, Ellie's friend Jessie and nearly kills her pregnant girlfriend. Granted, she stops chasing Abbie her after that but she's about to have a son and so many people have died. Then she's dragged into chasing her down again andd ends up fighting Abbie. Abbie bites off her fingers, injures tremendously. Ellie starts to drown her. Abbie is about to die when Ellie has a random flashback of Joel and decides not to. She let's Abbie go for no reason. Abbie wins the game. 

Why does this matter? Because in the last episode of Season three, Hank Voight's son, Justin, is murdered. Hank finds him barely alive with a bullet in his head in the trunk of his car. Eventually, he finds the man that put him there. He's taken to Voight's typical 'Showdown' spot at the silos, wrapped up in barbed wire in the trunk of a car, just like Justin and another victim. 

Hank gets him to start digging his own grave. He tries to plead with Hank but everyone knows that's impossible at this point. Not when you're at the silos. Hank keeps commanding him, unmoving. His expression the same. Then, something happens. 

His daughter figure, Erin finds him. She begs him not to do this. Begs him to do iit the right way. And now you start to think, "Oh he'll probably listen to her." in a previous episode, he's about to kill someone with his friend, Alvin, but they both get talked down by Dawson, a man who Voight nearly never agrees with. So it looks like Erin will get through to him. 

He tells her to get back in her car and go. 

Erin tries one last time but he's resilient.  She leaves. You're still unsure what will happen. The man knows he's dead at this point. He insults Justin but before he can finish his sentence, we hear a gunshot from Erin's perspective. We cut to Voight, filling in the grave. 

He killed him.

That's what makes Voight such a great character. I spend a lot of time watching stuff and yelling at the screen for people to just kill the person they're after. The protagonists who were so set on revenge don't do it for this one specific person who causes the most grief. It's a stupid trope that doesn't improve the character and isn't even in character for some. But Hank sticks to his gut. He doesn't care about doing the right thing. The man in front of him killed his son. And he made sure he wouldn't live to see a jail cell.