#why having too many clones is bad for everyone but especially danny

[impyssadobsessions]

Chpt 27 Vacation Crashers

For some reason Tumblr is being wonky with posting for me so I gotta use the old way.  Ao3 Vacation Crashers Chpt 27 Link

It had taken almost all of the bats and the Fenton siblings to corral Bullwinkle into leaving the building, while distracting the parents. Then they could finally make their way-The stairs were destroyed.

Dick and Jason glanced at each other, recognizing it must have happened when they fought Plasmius, but neither recalled the stairs falling. The remaining staircase wasn't sturdy enough to grapple too either, as it shook if too many stood on it. “Elevator?” Cass suggested. “We need to restore power or get it stuck on another floor.” “Hey B-” “On it.” -uwu-

Batman had already taken a look around while the others were floors above. Catfish refusing to leave, followed at Batman's heels, swimming in the floor. He was in the lab, the one Dick, Danny, and Jason had first found. Interested in one thing, since Dick already grabbed the information. Well two things, he wanted to look at the portal himself. But first-Looking upon the shards of glass from broken capsules, not a drop left of ectoplasm. Danny must have absorbed ectoplasm from here. Glancing around the machinery, he found the dead clone. Danny must have carried it here to, by the way it was posed. It almost appeared to be sleeping. Reaching out to touch the clone, he tried to search for vitals. But it was as Dick said, the clone was dead. It was starting to stiffen, from being out of the ectoplasm. It felt wrong to leave the body be. Especially with how closely it resembled Danny, and in extension his other kids if they were younger. Perhaps he can give it a proper burial later.  He found a tarp and properly covered it. He moved towards the secret part of the lab, seeing most of it smashed. The portal was broken. He remembered the vultures telling him that earlier when he “inquired” their help, still he wanted to check it out for himself. There was colored ectoplasm spilled everywhere and a sweet scent was still fairly strong in here. Batman walked carefully over the broken glass, trying not to step into the ectoplasm. The smashed portal no longer had a frame and seemed to have collapsed completely onto itself. Yet, it was still enough for Batman to get a vague idea. This type of portal was potentially the same as the one Danny was... It was also supplying the ecto-batteries. Hopefully this meant production had stopped long enough for the Justice League to get a handle of things. And for Bruce to find some evidence to convict Vlad Masters of anything. Tonight was far too many close calls. Hearing their dilemma on the comms, Batman swiftly walked out of the room. There was nothing left to examine. He walked back, making his way to pick up the clone on his way out-only to find it missing. No trace. Batman didn't like that, glancing back to see if the Catfish ghost was still on his heels. They were gone too. Bruce picked up the pace to find the breaker room, he had a bad feeling. -ewe-

It wasn't hard to find the elevator on this floor, especially since Danny was in well enough shape to read the writing on the walls. Though he became very sour that there was an ecto-spa on one of the floors. “No, had to get sprayed in the sink instead.” Jason snickered at the memory, as he worked on prying the elevator doors open with Dick, to check the shaft. “Danny, do you really trust Vlad's judgment in spa-” “Yes! Have you seen his skin?” “...He does have nice skin, doesn't he?” Jazz pondered on this revelation, she figured it made sense. Vlad did suffer from ecto-acne, so of course he be very strict about his skincare. “Well if ectoplasm is anything similar to the Lazarus pit, it seems very likely it could keep skin youthful.” Tim theorizing. “Daw, that's why my baby brother still has baby-” Jazz pinching Danny's cheeks who smacked her hands away. “I do not!” “Do too.” Jason grinned. Danny huffed, crossing arms. Puffing out those baby cheeks. Damian turning from everyone to pat his own cheeks, wondering if they too were baby like. That would be most unfortunate. Cass poking his cheek with a chuckle, making Damian huff with a glare. Dick peered into the open shaft, the elevator still stuck in place where they left it. He hopped down, on top of the elevator, checking to make sure the cables were fine. Jason had just jumped down after, when all the halls lit up red. Sirens blaring through the building. Everyone looked around startled. The bats recognizing it as a- “Self-destruct sequence initiated, Sweetums. Countdown commencing. Please evacuate the building within ten minutes or risk becoming a ghost.” Maddie's voice called out through the speakers. “Uh-oh.”   Danny banged his head on the nearby wall, eye twitching. This was all because Vlad escaped. All frustration from earlier returning. “No time to be dramatic, Danny.” Jazz pulling her brother off the wall. “Ten minutes is plenty of-” Danny blinked as he shoved down the elevator shaft by his sister. He was caught by Jason, still a bit stunned that his sister just shoved him down a shaft. “I'll go get Mom and Dad.” Jazz said as she turned, calling for her parents. Cass following her leaving the boys at the entrance to the elevator. Jason put Danny down with a rough ruffle of his hair and went to open the trap door at the top of the elevator so they could all climb inside. --owo-- Bruce had reached the power room. Everything was tossed around, generators smashed. Not from a fight, but a tantrum. Batman could tell by how the damage surrounded mostly in one area. He hurried through the cables and broken pieces to see if there was anything that could be done. He walked up to a control board, one smashed, the other had glitchy text, and the third was in good condition. He used a nearby map that laid out all the floors that was plaster to the wall as a guide to figure out where power was coming and going to. Even though everything was written in ghost, Batman was familiar enough with machinery such as this to figure out roughly what was going on. Even if it relied on a different power source. Pulling a switch, all the lights in the room went off, the alarm still ringing in the distance. Batman turned on his flashlight and worked on redirecting the power to the the center of the building, more so focusing it on the elevator and loading dock area. Though he had hacked into the tunnel to keep it permanently open, he didn't want to risk it closing. -->w<-- Danny had climbed inside the elevator. Damian jumped in after. Tim stayed up to look out for the Fentons. Dick climbing back up to wait with. Jason staying on top of the elevator. “Its appears as if something died in here.” Damian staring at the mess of slime that dried and stained the walls and a corner of the elevator. “Yeah, me. That's when I was melting into goop.” Danny stated with a grin. “And yes. it felt as gross as it looks.” Damian scrunched his face up, raising a brow at Danny. It was hard to imagine the teen now as a mess of slime. “Jazz, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton this way.” Tim spoke seeing the Fentons and Cass running down the hall, ushering them towards the elevator. Jazz was the first into the shaft, reaching out to cling to the cables. Only to scream as she slid down faster than she like. Jason there to catch her if she fell. “That could have gone better.” Jazz chuckled, embarrassed. She climbed down into the elevator cheeks pink, Danny chuckling at her. Who she shoved plafully. Next was Tim and Cass, each jumping into the elevator. Maddie and Jack climbed down, Dick jumping after. Jack looked at the opening of the elevator, frowning as he could tell he wouldn't fit easily. Maddie suggesting Jack to go ahead in case they need to push. Reluctantly Jack tried to squeeze, getting stuck. The five in the elevator pulled on Jack's legs as the three above pushed. They stopped for a moment to get a breather, as they barely managed to budge him. “We got roughly 6 and a half minutes left.” Danny frowned grabbing onto his father's boot again. “Ok, help me pull again.” All of them grabbed onto Jack giving another pull/push. Danny using his powers to turn his father temporarily intangible. Causing the man to fall right on top of them all. Maddie, Jason, and Dick blinking down surprised how easily Jack popped out. “Whew. Talk about a tight squeeze. Thank you kids.” Jack picked up Tim, Dami, and Cass in one arm and Danny and Jazz with the other, putting them back on their feet. Danny looked like he was going to throw up, but just gave a grin to mask it. Cass reached out to rub his back, to see if it helped with the sickness. The other three jumped in after, just as the lights flickered and the elevator stuttered to life. Just in time. Jason lightly punched the ground floor. They let the elevator take them down, taking the mini breather they had as the alarms kept blaring. “5 minutes remaining until self-destruct sequence commences.” “I really need to sue for likeness.” Maddie put her hands on her hips, frowning at the voice as she stood near her kids and husband. Batman greeted them at the elevator, as the doors opened, ushering them to the dock. His hand on his side, hidden under his cloak. Cassandra rushing to Batman's side, providing little support she could. “To the GAV, I'll get us all out of here in no time.” Jack stated. “Unless you have the keys, it be faster to run.” Jazz remembering how awful it was to wait on the scanner. The GAV horn honked and lights flashed as a sign of being unlocked. The sound of keys dangling. Damian held them out in his hand then reluctantly tossed them to Jack. “They dropped to the floor after you kicked the ghost's groin.” Damian explained choosing words wisely. “That's my girl!” Jack pulled Jazz into a side hug as they ran, half-way carrying her. “Daaad.” Jazz whined, though blushed at the praise. Then her eyes shot wide open, glancing at Damian and then back to Danny and Jason. She mouthed her concerns 'spray'. It took them a moment to understand what Jazz was saying. Then all the bats looked back at Jason and Danny, looking concerned. Would they be ok? It had been about two hours since it sprayed. Jack had revved up the GAV, Maddie sitting in the passenger seat. The bats clamored inside except for Jason and Danny. They were more caution getting into the armored vehicle. Danny getting into a coughing fit as soon as he breathed in the air, covering his lower face with his hands as he moved as far back into the GAV as he could. Jason doing the same. “One minute remaining.” “Everyone buckle up! Its going to be a rough ride!” Jack bellowed. “There isn't enough seatbel-” Jazz screeched as Jack floored the gas swerving the GAV around. She clung tightly to the bodies next to her which happened to be Damian and Tim, mushing them closely together in her arms. Cass and Batman kept close to the ground, Cass doing her best to keep them still. Dick had his arms spread out, as if he could protect the others if they crashed. Danny and Jason were up against the back doors, Jason having one hand over his mouth and the other tightly gripped the back of Danny's shirt to keep him from flying. Jack drove the GAV as if it was a race car. Which was almost impressive, if they weren't in the vehicle as well.  Maddie pulled out a tiny capsule, popping it open to inflate a boat behind her. “Since you kids can't buckle up. That should reduce any impact.” Maddie smiled, seeming unbothered, by the reckless driving. “Thanks Mom.” Now they were all comically squished together. “30 seconds remaining.” Jack sped through the tunnel as fast as he could, only slowing down when nearing the lift so they wouldn't crash. Maddie pulled out her ecto-blaster, sticking her upper body out of the window. She aimed at the lift's button, waiting until they were close to fire at it. “10. 9. 8...” The GAV made a hop as it hit against the ledge of the lift, as it rose. Jack swerved the GAV into a circle until came to a jarring stop. “5. 4..” Jack relaxed back into his seat, glancing at his review mirror, adjusting it to see over the inflatable boat back at the kids and bats. Jazz had a death grip on Damian and Tim, both pressed to her chest. In protective mode. Dick felt stiff from trying to keep from moving, arms still covering them. Danny was curled up into a ball, trying to keep nausea down. Jason no longer had a grip on Danny's shirt, but now had an arm around to keep him still. Cass had white knuckle grip on Batman's cape and the other on his arm. “1...Self-destruct commence. Note if this results in an untimely death, we are not liable for any compensation. Thank you.” With that the underwater castle erupted in a series of explosions, soon filling the tunnel behind them. Causing air to pressure under the lift, sending the platform up into the air before they had time to drive off of it. Screams came from the GAV as it tumbled in the air, then rolled on the ground, landing on its wheels. Everyone was in a tangle of bodies. The boat had protected them for the most part, but now they had to crawl out from underneath each other. Dick who laid upside down, shifted back to his feet. “I think its safe to let them go now,” Dick half-smiled amused as he pointed to Jazz's frozen grip on his brothers. Damian and Tim were both close to passing out from her strong hold. Jazz let go, with a jolt. “Oh, I'm so sorry! Are you ok?!” Jazz checking them over, feeling terrible for clinging onto them so tightly. Tim wobbled, then shook it off, “Its.. fine.” Damian was taking in deep gasps of air, glaring. “Don't touch me.” “Fair. Sorry.” Jazz looking at them with a pleading look to forgive her as she twiddled her fingers. Batman holding his chest tighter, letting out a heavy breath. Cassandra was under his other arm with his cape draped over her. He had covered her when they went flying, in an attempt to protect her. Cass flopped out of his cap and arm, shaking off the dizziness. Jack and Maddie readjusted in their seats. Jack kept a stressed smile, hands gripped tightly at the wheel. Maddie had a hand over her chest as she released a breath. “Is everyone alright?” Everyone let out a groan in response. That's when they noticed they were missing two. Jason and Danny. Scrambling to open the back door of the GAV to search, they got clear view of Danny puking near a rock, as Jason patted his back. “ughhhhh.. I hate puking.” Danny spit, wiping his mouth on his arm as he stood. “I be mildly concerned if you enjoyed it.” “Just mildly?” “I think there are larger concerns when it comes to you.” Jason was staring at a pair of them now, as Jack and Maddie stepped out of the GAV. Jason watching his family, stumbling out of the back as if they were drunk. He smirked as Bruce was not spared from that fate either. “Ouch thanks for the honesty.” “Anytime.” Jason crossing his arms as the Fenton parents rushed over. Taking a step back. “Danny!” Danny was pulled into his mother's arms, being held tightly. Maddie rubbed her cheek against Danny's hair. “My baby.” Danny blushed, adjusting his mother's arms so he rested comfortable against her. He forgotten how nice her hugs were. Melting into it. “Not a baby.” “Still my baby.” Maddie smothering her son in kisses. “How did you two get out of the GAV?” Jack ask scratching his head. “Weeee fell out?” Danny replied. Which wasn't a lie. “He phased us out.” Jason whispered to Dick, after he walked back towards bats. Though the others overheard the whisper. They all nodded at the answer, as it explained why Danny was sick. Jazz walking over to her family, joining in hugging Danny, letting out a breath of relief. Jack wrapped his arms, gently this time, around his family. As it sunk in that the situation was finally over, both of the siblings sniffed away tears. “Aw. Kids.” Maddie tightened her grip around both her kids, letting them bury their heads into her shoulder as they melted into her embrace. If they cried, none of the bats could see. Though what would normally feel like a heart warming moment, left the bats feeling bittersweet. Almost could be fooled that they were a normal family, but the truth stood ugly and proud at the fore front of their minds. However they let the family have their moment. Dick and Cass ushered Batman over to the jet was sitting near the edge of the lake. They needed to look at his injury again. Tim stretched then decided to get a better look at the GAV. Damian decided to go to the edge of the lake, watching the island burn in the middle. Jason leaned on the side of the GAV, watching the family with his arms crossed. Things couldn't be simple, could they?

[lydiaandarry]

{The Murder of Alternative Character Design}

Hello there!

    My name is Arabella, but you can call me Arry if easier. You may be looking at the title and feeling a bit confused by it. “The Murder of Alternative Character Design” may be quite a confusing title and leave others wondering what the hell it even means. But that is why I am here to spread awareness about this horrible phenomenon that is going on in recent pop culture. Especially with superheroes. ‘Alternative Character Design’ to me is when a character (usually a superhero) looks different from the traditional standard of the type of character they represent. I can name quite a couple of alternatively dressed superheroes who get made into more traditional wear or boring wear in their live-action debut. So let’s invade the topic!

(The poor costume design recently...)

    I don’t know if you have noticed but the quality of costume design and the importance of comic accuracy has lowered in demand. It seems now like live-action adaptations of a comic book character just throw whatever they can to seem “different” or “out there”. Yet it murders the costume design to begin with. Recently in “Birds of Prey”, one of my favorite DC female characters ‘Black Canary’ has had her main outfit leaked on set. And there are no fishnets to be seen or a bodysuit or anything that represents the character in the comics. I personally love Black Canary for that reason with how different she looks and how she isn’t afraid to wear leather, fishnets and reveal skin, things that could be seen as hooker-ish. She rocks and makes it look stylish and badass. Yet in Birds of Prey, it seems like they went for a more ‘preppy’ approach where nothing about her screams ‘Black Canary’ but perhaps the colors. Even then, black and yellow in DC and especially to non-comic book readers just screams Batman. Netflix recently released a show called “The Umbrella Academy” and I don’t really know much about the comics except that it was created by My Chemical Romance babe Gerard Way who I grew up listening to his music. Even after they broke up. It saddened me to see the complete difference from the comics to the actual live-action adaptation. The art is nearly killed with the inaccuracy as Allison Hargreeves doesn’t have her awesome purple-blue hair. Klaus didn't have his awesome skull shirt, ouija pendant necklace and signature bright orange hair. Diego’s long, blond hair is completely disregarded despite the lack of longer hair on dudes in superhero shows. All of this is disregarded for a more preppy, modern and “up to date” look that kills the character design that made the comics look so different in the first place. And it’s Gerard Way’s creation for crying out loud! He was part of an alternative group! They didn't look nearly as normal as the people in the show look. Even Klaus looks normal compared to how these people used to look. It’s changed for diversity and relatability to other characters but where’s my representation? Where’s my second personality’s representation? And this isn’t just on DC’s end. Marvel does this as well with my favorite X-Men character, Kurt Wagner, a.k.a Nightcrawler. Who seriously wore a Thriller jacket in X-Men Apocalypse. It was the worse outfit I have ever seen on Nightcrawler. Nightcrawler in the comics is basically Gothic. He wears dark clothes, looks kind of scary to the point where people fear him on a daily basis, and has hints of red here and there. The usage of color in Kurt’s design is usually creative and done justice. Now I could understand if they were going for a more X-Men Evolution Kurt but even then, the outfit was better and Kurt is rarely seen as blue in that outfit because when he is blue, it is shown to hardly work with being blue.The colors don’t go well with his skin. Also, his personality is a lot different to X-Men Apocalypse’s but we are talking about character design not writing. And can someone please show Legion FX how to dress punk people? Don’t say David Haller is punk when you hardly dress him as punk.

(Why is this an issue?)

     So, why is this an issue? You may ask me when reading this post. They’re characters, Arry. They aren’t always going to be comic-book accurate. Why are you so upset over all of this? As an artist, to me, character design and clothing choices is just as important as personality. Appearance is the first thing you see of anyone and it can say a lot. You express yourself through your appearance more than you think. When creating a character, I always make sure that I have the character design down pack. It’s my favorite thing to do. I am not against preppier clothing or modernizing things. I understand that this is something that has to be taken into consideration when taking a character and placing them in live-action. There are some things that are too difficult to carry over. But why make a live-action adaptation of something if you are not going to use the version that everyone who reads the comics is familiar with? What’s wrong with having abnormally colored hair? I get that diversity is a hot topic right now and it’s amazing that everyone is getting representation in one way or another. But diversity goes deeper than just skin tone. I have never seen a true alternative like character outside of cartoons that was done right. And I have tons of favorite goth girls in cartoons (Gwen & Crimson from Total Drama, Sam Manson from Danny Phantom, Mandy from The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Triana Orpheus from Venture Bros, Jinx & Raven from Teen Titans, The Hex Girls from Scooby Doo, Rogue from X-Men Evolution, Joan of Arc from Clone High, Marceline from Adventure Time, Marie from Ed, Edd, and Eddy.) the list goes on. These aren’t characters you see in live-action though. These aren’t female characters that are even considered in live-action or even superheroes for that matter. And comic books are incredible for the reason that you don’t have to conform to normality. You can make any character you want. That’s why we have such unique characters in comic books and even in cartoons. Justice Friends has a colorful witch named Miss Spell and Valhallen is a metalhead. This is one of the many reasons why Neil Gaiman has been picky and harsh over making his Sandman comics into live-action because Sandman features so many subgenres of styles. Goth and punk, mostly. These characters aren’t represented in live-action adaptations. They are forgotten about or normalized. Kurt Wagner is a background character and they still couldn’t dress him how he is in the comics. The Umbrella Academy normalized its characters a lot in clothing choices. And it’s sad. There are people who dress like this and should be able to see themselves in at least one superhero. Kurt Wagner teaches us that not all goths are gloomy and depressed or dangerous. He’s a goth with a pure soul and good heart. Sandman comics make Death and Dream and Delirium seem normal, like they don’t have to change to be liked or good-hearted. They are who they are. The Umbrella Academy basically showed that you could wear abnormal costumes, have colored hair, have longer hair for a dude and still be an awesome superhero. X-Men has tons of abnormally colored hair characters that rarely make it onto the big screen, they are usually brought to small screen like Blink and Polaris in The Gifted. And in Legion FX, the most evil and villainous character is a punk. David Haller is not a good person on Legion nor can he be considered an anti-hero anymore. He is a despicable being with a god complex. Punks already get the bad rep of being dangerous, angry, and mean-spirited. Do we really need a character in mainstream media to be punk while also had killed multiple people and raped his girlfriend? That’s not progressive, that’s moving backwards. Superboy doesn’t even have his leather jacket, leather gloves and black circle sunglasses anymore with his undercut. He’s just narrowed down to a tee shirt and jeans most of the time.

(How can we change this issue?)

     I am not exactly sure. I know it seems kind of lame to like… bring up an issue and then not offer a solution. I feel like the best way to fix this problem is to hopefully notify costume designers that the world is in need of different styles. Their designs are not “out there” or “different”, as the comic book characters designs were already out there and they completely changed them. I am a huge judge when it comes to costume and character designs in live-action adaptations and I may make a post on why that is. I feel like we need to open our eyes to newer looks. To give some representation to those who dress differently from others. The issues that I brought up are already done and over with. Bad representation for punks as evil and villainous. The Umbrella Academy normalized every character, even Klaus. And hopefully Marvel can give us the Nightcrawler that we deserve as Fox no longer has the rights. All we can do is hope that this comic inaccuracy is a pasting phase and that creators will soon give the outcasts a voice and a chance for better representation. To stop being the villains or bad guys.

     This was a short rant that I felt had to be done and I had to explain some issues. I hope you enjoyed my post and agree with some points that I made. If you have any questions on the matter, feel free to message me. If you like this post and want to see more like this, feel free to follow our Tumblr! And if you liked the post, feel free to reblog and like. I post every Wednesday and Saturday! I will see you on Wednesday. Peace out!

[ladylynse]

Hey, @pokibal2001​, I can’t make the replies work at the moment, but you remember when you asked about the Secret Quartet and the Heroes’ Day fallout? Here’s how the next part could potentially shake down:

The Secret Trio boys would be trying to keep a low profile as much as possible. This isn’t their turf, they don’t know enough about these guys to really fight effectively, despite what Chat’s told them, and they really don’t want someone like Hawk Moth knowing they’re here. They’re way more likely to be successful if they catch him unawares. If he doesn’t know them from Adam, doesn’t know their powers or abilities or their secret identities, then they’ll be much more effective when they do fight him.

Not that they can do a whole lot on their own. Jake thaws what he can once Paris freezes over, freeing some civilians who’ve been iced into buses or buildings, but they’re scared of him. They think he’s just looking for Ladybug and Chat Noir, that he’ll go through them if he has to. And the last thing he wants to do is incite more panic.

Randy doesn’t have a whole lot of luck. He’s going around as Cunningham, not the Ninja—less conspicuous that way—but he’s got one hand in his pocket the entire time, never loosening his grip on his mask. Trouble is, before he can get terribly far, someone realized he wasn’t running away screaming and roped him into some kind of resistance. Most of the fighters know more English than he does French, which definitely helps because his French is practically non-existent except for the words that are really similar to English or Spanish, but actions speak louder than words. These guys—and girls and kids, like younger than him kids—are arming themselves with whatever they’ve got. And they’re prepared to fight. And even if he can’t fake being a Parisian, they’re happy to have him fighting alongside him. He figures, if things go south, he can duck behind part of the barrier and transform.

Danny’s the one who makes the mistake, or at least that’s how he sees it. He’s with all the Miraculous Wielders at the Eiffel Tower. He didn’t mean to act. He didn’t mean to reveal himself, to drop his invisibility. But when the giant butterfly appeared and tried to blow everyone off the tower, he reacted. He wasn’t going to bet that Adrien and his friends would all be able to hang on safely. An ectoblast might take out the butterfly, but it wouldn’t stop the gust of wind that had already started, so he duplicated himself. Tried to catch them. Managed to snag Bee Girl, who seemed too surprised to use her weapon to catch herself, and Fox Girl and Turtle Boy, who had fallen together. Ladybug hung on with the help of her yo-yo—and attacked the butterfly? He isn’t quite sure—and Adrien was quick with his staff, expanding it to catch himself before he could blow away, past the net behind them that had already fallen.

Consequently, Danny’s too busy to follow Hawk Moth. Doesn’t even notice him slip away. The moment he touches down on the Eiffel Tower and his clone disappears, he’s surrounded—because the only one who seems to know about him is Chat Noir. Ladybug is more focused on Hawk Moth, but once the cane dissolves in her hand, she rounds on him like the others, wanting answers he can’t give. She’s also the first to stand down, the first to believe that this wasn’t another trick or some kind of solid illusion. She trusts the word of her partner. The others, after what they’ve been through, are a little more reluctant.

Danny’s pitiful French—Adrien’s tried to teach them all, but he’s barely managed to pick any up—winds up helping his case, convincing the others that none of this is a trick, that he’s real, that he’s telling the truth, or at least that Adrien’s telling the truth, the actual truth, not just what he’s been made to believe is the truth.

After Ladybug and Adrien duck away briefly to transform back, the others waiting impatiently for them to come back and trying to question Danny in the meantime, the story of Adrien’s side missions comes out. Turns out he’s alluded to this with Ladybug, but they never really took the time to talk about it, and she’d never been wholly convinced he’d been telling the truth. (By some stroke of luck, whenever Adrien found himself out of town with his father on a business trip or something similar that turned into Secret Quartet business, there had never been any akuma attacks. Not like the time Ladybug had had a top secret mission by herself.) Now, she can’t deny the truth of the matter, and the others—Fox Girl in particular—pepper Adrien with so many questions he can’t translate fast enough to keep Danny involved in the conversation.

Danny sneaks away to do a quick sweep of the area to see if there’s any sign of Hawk Moth, but he knows as well as the others that the disappearing cane meant Hawk Moth had detransformed. They have no way of tracking him, and Danny definitely isn’t going to be able to pick out Hawk Moth from anyone on the street. He’d hoped to find something else, some clue, but aside from rescuing some girl stranded near the top of the Eiffel Tower and depositing her safely on the ground, he had nothing.

And considering said girl had probably been akumatized by Hawk Moth, chances were good she’d only know him as Hawk Moth. And be unhelpful. Even if he could have understood every word out of her mouth.

Danny eventually finds Jake on one of the bridges. He’d been flying when he noticed all the akuamtized people changing back and quickly landed to assume a less conspicuous form before hanging out in as visible a place as he could find. He has no idea where Randy is. Randy is apparently not answering his Fenton Phone.

This turned out to be because Randy is in the middle of an impromptu street party.

“Yo, how’d you get this gig?” Jake asks, looking around.

Randy grins. “The resistance has good food. And they know how to throw a party. And they’re fast.”

“The…what?”

“Never mind that. I thought you were looking for….you know,” Danny hisses, not wanting to bet that no one else could understand their conversation.

Randy shrugs. “I got sidetracked. You guys were on it anyway.”

“Except I didn’t find anything solid, either,” Jake mutters, “and Danny was too busy telling everyone in their hero squad about us before he could split.”

Randy stares at Danny, and he makes a face back. “Yeah, we’re gonna have to talk to Adrien, and probably to Ladybug if we can find her. And to that girl who runs the Ladyblog to keep us off of it. Because chances are good she’s already caught wind of this, and we don’t need Hawk Moth to find out anymore about us than what he saw today. In case things go south and we’ve gotta do this for real.”

Randy blinks. “Please tell me Adrien knows who this chick is.”

“Already on that.” Jake has his phone out. “He’s texting back, so his claws are in.”

Danny sighs and drags the other two off to the side, flicking them all invisible the moment he thinks no one else will notice. He keeps his voice low as he says, “Look, I messed up, but aside from Adrien’s fellow heroes, the fact that you guys are in on this should be safe. Hawk Moth couldn’t have eavesdropped on us when he wasn’t transformed without someone noticing. Which hopefully means fewer bad guys who know we all work together when we need to.”

Adrien can’t meet them right away—he’s got a friend’s party he really doesn’t want to miss—and he says the girl who runs the Ladyblog will be there, too. He gives them the location, says he’ll catch up with them after, that he can introduce them to Alya then as kids of some of his father’s visitors who are curious about the Ladyblog or that they can talk to her after the party is broken up as fans or as themselves, or at least Danny as Phantom if the others want to keep a low profile.

The thought of other heroes wouldn’t faze the Miraculous Wielders too much, especially when Adrien’s trying to give out as few details as possible. They all know magic is real, after all, and creatures like the kwami. And after getting attacked regularly, it’s hard to be fazed by finding out something that you would have once thought was impossible is actually a truth. They’ve been through that too many times before.

Marinette would fill in Master Fu, tell him what Chat Noir’s been up to, and he might already know or have suspected as much. He might say that why she’s been his main point of contact, rather than simply because she found out first when Tikki got sick. He would probably be aware of ghosts, though not Phantom, and probably of the existence of dragons, though nothing more specific than that, and more likely than not the origins of the Norisu Nine, if not the ongoing legacy. He might be more inclined to reach out with Chat Noir then, to reach out to the current Secret Quartet, if only to offer future assistance if needed.

The next time Ladybug and Chat Noir meet, Marinette would ask him for more details if he’s willing to share them. That’s when he’d pass over the phone numbers of the others. Just in case. Or, if the others are still in town, he’d call her the moment he realized she’d transformed and ask her to meet them somewhere safe where they can talk.

[recentanimenews]

THE GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH Solves a Mystery in Episodes 197-203

Welcome back to THE GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH! Noelle Ogawa here, and I'm your host as we run through the latest group of episodes of Naruto! We're still deep in filler territory, but this time we're in for a longer, much more concentrated story. There's a bit of a break from the "comedy" that we've gotten used to in terms of filler, and we're moving onto something that feels a lot different than usual: The threat is more along the lines of long-term espionage, something echoing the spy work of real-life ninjas. 

  The village is in danger from a famed ninja who's been on the Anbu watchlist for quite some time. He has a plan brewing, one that's years in the making, and he's ready to execute it. The village is on high alert, and it's up to the gang of genin to save the day. And this time, the whole group is here!

  So let's see what everyone thought!

This is the first time we’ve had a major filler arc that focused more on long-term espionage VS a large military threat. Do you think they’ve handled the differences well?

Paul: Aside from some clunky writing (“Oh, look, it's the never-before-seen grandpa character that Naruto is good friends with!”) and some scenes that required everyone to act like blockheads in order to advance the plot, I enjoyed the Genno Infiltration arc. It had ninjas being sneaky, it emphasized the teamwork of all 11 of the main Genin characters, and despite it being filler, Genno's plot grew into a convincing threat that challenged three generations of Leaf Villagers.

Kevin: I’ll get more into it in my highs and lows, but in short: mostly yes. I really like the different style of enemy and flow of the arc, and especially liked how many backups Genno had planned. Then the ending happened.

Jared: I think there’s certainly some flaws in this arc, but it was fun to see how everyone handled the dual threats happening at the same time. There was enough mystery and intrigue scattered throughout with the idea of a full scale assault and/or fighting an enemy who’s already within the borders. There’s a great shot of Guy waiting for news on if they’re about to be invaded which really captures a deep feeling of dread and anxiety.

Joseph: This was one of the best filler arcs of late. The ending was just shy of Naruto farting into the camera, but the rest of it really brought everyone together, and I liked the fact that it was all set in the village. 

Danni: As far as I’m concerned, it was the best filler arc in the show so far. I found the whole thing riveting. The show never quite tipped its hand as to what Genno was up to, and Genno was a great adversary for the group. His methods were some of the most ninja-like we’ve seen from anyone, and his motives were incredibly sympathetic: Old soldier trying to complete his lifelong mission despite its futility is really interesting as is. Throwing in that late twist about his son manages to make it heartbreaking as well. Really stellar group of episodes here.

Kara: I really enjoyed this arc a lot. There were a few minor issues I had with the underpinning of it all (the uncertainty of Genno’s character was essential to the story, but some of it didn’t scan as tidily even accounting for him being undercover), but overall it felt really well thought out with genuine stakes and a chance for lots of characters to do what they do best. Also I kind of love that the main flaw in Genno’s plan stemmed from taking Naruto complaining about his buddies at face value - guess he’s never seen the show before.

Carolyn: I wasn’t a super big fan of the ending, I thought that was pretty cheesy and basically undid everything that happened before it. But overall, I enjoy seeing a different sort of threat and the opportunity to break up all the fighting. 

Unlike a lot of the filler, here the whole genin squad (and Shikamaru) are all working together. How do you think that was handled? Is there anyone you wanted to see more of?

Paul: My only complaint is that the older, more experienced ninja took too long to realize that certain elements of Genno's plans were straight out of the “Sneaky Dude Playbook”. Tricks such as faking one's own death or traps that are actually diversions must be commonplace in a world populated by shinobi, so characters like Tsunade should be more cautious before committing all of the village's fighting forces to a mission based on incomplete intel, although I guess the point is that the Fifth Hokage is still inexperienced and impulsive.

Kevin: The actual squad was probably the weakest part for me. People didn’t really bounce off of each other, and they were just kind of walking around for the most part, not even having especially interesting conversations or thinking about potential backup plans like Shikamaru eventually realized. I didn’t really get a sense of urgency outside of when the kids were about to accidentally blow up the entire village.

Jared: Everyone played their roles accordingly in the younger group which led to some interesting groups that had to work together. Unlike the other filler arcs that are just Naruto and 2-3 others, it gave everyone something to do and made them useful. Like Paul said, the older group was kind of left to dry in terms of somehow not seeing what was truly happening, so that could have been handled better.

Joseph: The division of capabilities was all pretty straightforward, but they handled it decently for the most part. Like Paul said, the hardest hurdle to jump was the fact that all the Genin somehow figured this out faster than the higher ups. I know it has to be that way, but it made Tsunade and the rest appear a little dimwitted. 

Danni: I enjoyed seeing all of them working together. It felt like a natural culmination of all their different combinations in the filler thus far. We’ve seen them all work together in various small groups, so it made sense they’d be familiar enough with one another to be able to work together as one big group. 

Kara: I liked seeing so many of them utilized. I also liked seeing Naruto’s Clone Jutsu used for something besides “literally whatever needs doing,” and the occasional reminders that our ninja kids are actually surprisingly good at what they do. It’s one thing for a random chucklehead to get knocked out by Rock Lee, but to have a master ninja genuinely impressed by Hinata’s Byakugan is pretty cool.

Carolyn: After going through almost the whole series, the Chunin exams are still my favorite arc. Anything that brings everyone back together is great in my book. I liked seeing all the characters in one place and I think everyone’s strengths were mostly catered to appropriately.

Someone you thought you were decently close to, such a neighbor or coworker, turns out to be a spy. How do you think you’d react? What would you do?

Paul: I'd dump them like a bad habit. That may sound cold, but someone I thought I knew was recently outed as a sexual predator, and I cut them out of my life and took steps to knock the pegs out of the platform that I'd unwittingly helped them build. If I found out someone I loved was plotting to destroy my entire community, I'd show them no mercy.

Kevin: Depends on if I know that they know that I know. If I think I can still act without them knowing I’m trying to stop them, I’ll probably call the authorities to get someone to act who actually has counter espionage training. If I know that I’m busted and may be putting people in danger by going through with plan A, I’ll probably just not do anything at all, since at least then I’m not making the situation worse. If the spy is about to actively harm people and I’m the only one who can do anything… honestly that’d probably be an in-the-moment decision. I’d like to think that I’d try to stop them, but I also know that my default is either of the two other plans, so jumping into action isn’t something that I’d naturally do.

Jared: I’d probably be very disappointed and sad, but at the same time, I’d have to cut them out of my life if they’re being distrustful. Although, I’d also be confused on why a spy is trying to get close to me in the first place.

Joseph: Depends on what kind of spy work they’re doing. If it seems cool, pays well, and doesn’t hurt anyone, I’d like to see what kind of cut I could get out of it. I’m kidding, of course… unless I’m not?

Danni: I’d start Googling “How to check your house for bugs. No, not that kind. The other one. The spy one.”

Kara: Like Paul, I not long ago had to drop someone hard - not a sexual predator, but a very abusive and underhanded person. It’s not entirely the same as the spy scenario, but there's a lot of similarities, with the main one being coming to terms with the fact that this person and I had never actually been friends and I was only ever a means to an end. I actually hurt for Naruto in this arc because of exactly that (although his version had a mitigating twist at the end). All you can really do is drop everything and, if at all possible, warn anyone else who might be affected.

Carolyn: Are they a good spy or a bad spy?

On the other hand, let’s say you were a ninja spy sent to infiltrate the village. How would you go about your mission? What would you do?

Paul: I'd try to take a page out of Genno's book. He was an excellent spy, and he fit in so well that he deceived an entire village of seasoned ninja not once but twice. Leaf Village only caught on to his schemes because he deliberately tipped his hand. So I'd keep my head low, perform my cover job in a slightly below average fashion, and be pleasantly mediocre in my social interactions, so as not to draw attention to myself.

Kevin: Depends on the time scale. If I have infinite time, I’d honestly probably do what Genno did: Just keep coming back to the village multiple times to set up traps and backups until I have a ridiculously convoluted web of plans that is almost impossible to counter in its entirety. If I have a limited amount of time, then it becomes more relevant to know what my exact mission is, whether I’m infiltrating to kill a target, steal a document, destroy the village, or something else. 

Jared: Genno had the right ideas in that you’ve got to be sneaky, conniving, and also be able to blend in to the point that no one’s going to miss you if you suddenly leave. You want to be able to do whatever side job that you have to do at a level that’s essentially the equivalent of a C-. Passable, but you’re not excelling. After that, it’s about getting out without anyone raising a stink about it.

Joseph: I loved Genno’s ability to be lowkey. I feel like I could totally blend into the background for a bit, but I also like attention too much to keep it up for long, and I’d probably spill the beans too soon and fail.

Danni: I can’t count the number of times at work I’ve just been going about my business like normal and a coworker beside me turns around and jumps because they had no idea I was there. I seem to naturally just have no presence wherever I go, so honestly I could probably just walk in and take whatever I need without anyone noticing. 

Kara: I’m gonna be real, I’d fail. I suck at lying and sneaking around. You know that bit in Into the Spider-Verse where Miles plays too dumb? That’s me. Don’t hire me as a spy; I’ll stay back at my village and do paperwork.

Carolyn: If you act fairly stand-offish and antisocial most people just leave you alone. So, I would do that and then do my spy thing.

Genno admits that the main reason why he went about his plan is because he felt he needed to fulfill his mission before he dies. Regardless of the morality of this choice, do you sympathize with his thought process? 

Paul: I don't agree with his goals, but I understand where Genno is coming from, and that aspect of his motivation added a spicy bit of generational conflict to a story that was already brimming with subterfuge. They also made it clear that Genno wasn't really trying to destroy Leaf Village so much as he was re-enacting a “treasure hunt” in memory of his deceased son, although I'm not sure if that particular bit of characterization was necessary.

Kevin: I sympathize with it insofar as that’s something that makes sense for an actual ninja. Even if it’s decades later, you still have a mission to fulfill. Genno’s also one of the best ninja we’ve seen in the entire show, so it makes sense that out of everyone, he’d be the one to follow through with that ideal. As an actual action, I can’t say that I agree with it. Much like any grudge, letting it fester for decades on end is admirable from one angle, but pitiable or childish from most others. 

Jared: He was a ninja to the end. I wouldn’t say I sympathize with his entire thought process, even if it was somewhat of a ruse. If he’d really been trying to harbor all of that ill will for so long, I’d consider that to be just unhealthy. 

Joseph: I don’t know that I buy the fact that the charges he left behind would only deal superficial damage to the plateau, but yeah, I can sympathize with wanting to see the fruits of your labor before you pass on. 

Danni: An old ninja caught in the existential crisis of dying before his now futile lifelong goal can be completed? Hell yeah! A devoted soldier having to come to terms with the reality that his nation has either changed or no longer exists feels like a conflict straight out of Metal Gear Solid. I love it. 

Kara: At first I wasn’t feeling it. But then I remembered ninja in this universe give literally everything to their profession. It’s the thing that’s always kind of freaked me out the most about the whole series, that level of devotion to the point of body modification, self-harm, or destroying any chances for any other roles in your life. So in that context, in the context of Naruto, I can absolutely understand feeling that need.

Carolyn: A treasure hunt was his goal, though. Could he not have done that some other way without putting an entire village on edge? I thought the ending didn’t quite make sense, to be honest.

We get another recap episode, with the top 5 fights so far. Do you agree with the choices? If not, what would your top 5 be?

Paul: The fights between the Leaf Village Genin and Orochimaru's disciples were over-represented. I don't know if I have a Top 5 exactly, but I wish Sasuke vs. Orochimaru in the Forest of Death, Rock Lee vs. Gaara during the Chunin Exams, and the Third Hokage vs. Orochimaru had made the list.

Kevin: I find it interesting that the top 5 fights basically boil down to the Sasuke Retrieval arc minus Tayuya and Kimimaro. Personally, I think that speaks volumes to how good the arc was and why it is still remembered so fondly, although I probably would’ve swapped Kiba’s fight out for Gaara vs. Lee.

Jared: I think the top 5 were surprising to say the least, and that’s also the nicest thing I can say about it. Off the top of my head, I’d probably go with Lee vs. Gaara (how on Earth did this not make it?!), Naruto vs. Sasuke (Valley of the End), Naruto vs. Gaara, Hinata vs. Neji, and maybe Third Hokage vs. Orochimaru. I’m sure parts of that would change, but the first three would probably be a lock.

Joseph: We’ve watched four or five years of Naruto in the past eight months. I don’t even remember who fought what at this point. Most of the fight choices were fine, but I’d be lying if I said I paid full attention to this episode. 

Danni: The Sasuke Retrieval arc was way too represented. I can’t say I care much for any of those fights outside of Naruto vs. Sasuke in the Final Valley. Throw in Naruto vs. Neji, Rock Lee vs. Gaara, Sasuke vs. Orochimaru, and maybe Drunken Master Rock Lee for fun. 

Kara: This should have just been 23 minutes of Lee dropping his weights. I was actually a little annoyed at this episode because it felt like the writers finally throwing stacks of papers in the air and admitting they had nothing. And then tacking cross Sasuke on the end.

Carolyn: Rock Lee, Rock Lee, Rock Lee. I would have my boy Lee against Gaara no question. And Shikamaru’s Chunin exam fight has always been a huge favorite of mine, so that would be in there, too.

Lastly, what were your highs and lows this week?

Paul: My high point was seeing Leaf Village pull together to thwart Genno's schemes. That was the Patlabor 2 of filler arcs. My low point was the recap episode, which I mostly fast-forwarded through, if I'm being entirely honest. The bit with Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Sasuke teleconferencing into the awards show struck me as especially bizarre.

Kevin: Both related to the Genno arc:

High - The basic plot of the arc. For the past few weeks, it’s mostly been comedy and our main characters being idiots. For these episodes, they got to trace the steps of a master planner, Naruto had an emotional connection to the villain, there were obvious breadcrumbs that actually paid out well, and generally the arc was pretty well written and different from what we’ve seen.

Low - Then the ending happened, and the show tried to make us feel bad for a terrorist who tried to destroy the village because he was just trying to be remembered and he lost his son in the conflict that had originally given him his mission. No, show, you cannot tell me that he’s a good person. His last actions were to literally destroy the village. And I know that a lot of the bombs were defective because he met Naruto (who looks like his son for no reason) and he wanted to go on a treasure hunt, but that’s not good character writing. That’s just really convenient and takes out all of the tension of the rest of the plot, since now the audience knows that there’s no actual danger.

Jared: High point would be the Genno arc, as I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Given how much we’ve had to slog through with filler, it’s nice when it’s actually decent. Low point would be the recap episode because their top five is bad and also it’s just strange how they just willingly break kayfabe in it. You could probably do some interesting things by playing with the idea that these are characters being played in a show, but it doesn’t really hit that mark here.

Joseph: High - The Genno arc was surprisingly satisfying and made me forget how bad the past couple weeks have been. Low - I have a feeling the magic haunted painting arc that started after won’t be as cool as I’d like it to be. I LOVE SPOOKY PAINTINGS THAT COME TO LIFE. 

Danni: It’s hard to choose a single high point from the Genno Arc so let’s just go with the whole thing: I loved it a lot. Low point goes to the recap episode, since only one of my favorite fights actually made it in there. 

Kara: High point is the beginning of this Yakumo arc, both because my girl Kurenai is back and because this looks like some fun horror. Yakumo’s weird face reflected in Kurenai/Naruto’s eye actually got me. (I am sure I will regret this whole sentiment before long.) Low point was the recap. I actually yelled at the screen when the whole Orochimaru thing started, which is double bad since I’m sure the intent was to hype the audience up.

Carolyn: I have to agree with Kara, as anything horror is a plus for me, even if it falls flat. And recap episodes are never interesting to me. I might also add Naruto screaming at Genno that he will never understand as long as he lives and he’s going to “live a long time!!!” That was pretty great.

And that’s it for this week! Remember that you’re always welcome to watch along with the Rewatch, especially if you’ve never seen the original Naruto! Watch Naruto today!

  Here’s our upcoming schedule:

-Next week, DANIEL DOCKERY goes through some haunts! 

-On August 16th, NICOLE MEJIAS finishes up a mission!

-And finally, on August 23rd, CAYLA COATES wraps up the Rewatch in its entirety!

CATCH UP ON THE REWATCH!

Episodes 190-196: Matchmaking Gone Wrong

Episodes 183-189: No Laughter Allowed!

Episodes 176-182: Reach for the Stars!

Episodes 169-175: Anko’s Backstory At Sea

Episodes 162-168: The Tale of the Phantom Samurai

Episodes 155-161: Quickfire Curry

Episodes 148-154: The Forest is Abuzz With Ninjas

Episodes 141-147: Mizuki Strikes Back!

Episodes 134-140: The Climactic Clash

Episodes 127-133: Naruto vs Sasuke

Episodes 120-126: The Sand Siblings Return

Episodes 113-119: Operation Rescue Sasuke

Episodes 106-112: Sasuke Goes Rogue

Episodes 99-105: Trouble in the Land of Tea

Episodes 92-98: Clash of the Sannin

Episodes 85-91: A Life-Changing Decision

Episodes 78-84: The Fall of a Legend

Episodes 71-77: Sands of Sorrow

Episodes 64-70: Crashing the Chunin Exam

Episodes 57-63: Family Feud

Episodes 50-56: Rock Lee Rally

Episodes 43-49: The Gate

Episodes 36-42: Through the Woods

Episodes 29-35: Sakura Unleashed

Episodes 22-28: Chunin Exams Kickoff

Episodes 15-21: Leaving the Land of Waves

Episodes 8-14: Beginners' Battle

Episodes 1-7: I'm Gonna Be the Hokage!

  Thank you for joining us for the GREAT CRUNCHYROLL NARUTO REWATCH! See you next time!

  Have anything to say about this batch of episodes? Let us know in the comments! We're accepting questions and comments for next week, so ask away!

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Noelle Ogawa is a contributor to Bubbleblabber and Cup of Moe. She can be found on Twitter @noelleogawa.

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: news+feed@crunchyroll.com