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softtamaki · 3 years

Text

it’s gonna be okay

summary: your best friend would always make you feel loved and comforted and tonight was nothing different.

pairing: izuku midoriya x reader

genre: angst / fluff

word count: 2k

warnings: mean mom ;; it’s not too specific about why

a/n: requested by @lavenderbutton05 and i hope you like it :)

so !!

currently there’s a lot of things that have been happening recently

some good :D

some bad >:(

but either way you’ve always had your best friend to cheer you up

that’s right izuku midoriya is your best friend!! but even that has a sour taste in your mouth since recently, you two have been very touchy

and technically katsuki bakugou is also your bff but like don’t tell anyone that because he gets REALLY angry

for legit no reason too

it’s not like you have friday 4pm solely dedicated towards going to your favorite shop and eating food

(you totally do but if ANYONE — even izuku — knew, goodbye free sweets hello angry bakugou)

back to the point

midoriya confessed to you a week ago but ran off before you could say it back, eventually you did tell him

the two of you are taking it really slowly and don’t have any labels (yet)

but midoriya has always managed to keep you on your toes

no like ,, literally

“come on, y/n. you got this!”

“izuku i swear to all might, are you trying to kill me?”

midoriya sighed and his hands went back to the side of his body

he was trying to get you outside

while trying not to get super flustered at using his first name (even though you’ve used it a million times)

he wants to know what’s bothering of late, you’re being secretive and generally dismissive and it’s making him worried

“just, trust me? i’ll catch you!”

currently, you were on the railing of the girls UA dorm building and midoriya was on the floor underneath

your regeneration quirk wouldn’t be that useful in this situation so you’re grateful that you’ve been training in different martial arts

aikido would be very helpful in this situation since it would be best at helping you get down gracefully

you jump down the railing and land on the flat ground with a loud slap due to the sandals you had on

it was too hot for shoes! slippers are much better for the fast approaching summer time

“so.. where are we going?”

“somewhere nice, a breath of fresh air. i-is that okay?”

you smiled and nodded your head, gesturing midoriya to continue forward

he led you for a few minutes in silence, it was a comfortable silence

you weren’t going far, or you know aizawa would get mad, but far enough to get away from the dorms and breathe

you talked about your internships and the way the league of villains had been acting up recently

the topic eventually led to your friends and when you were ranting about denki not paying attention during class, midoriya suddenly stopped

“yeah and he always asks me later about what we learned despite being there! it’s like he forgets everything.. oh are we here?”

“yeah, just a little over to the side. don’t get to annoyed at him though, i’m sure he means the best”

“yeah, yeah, i know”

you two stop at a bench and sit down

looking up you see the blurry sky, hazy from the light pollution of the city lights you see down below

it was pretty and it made you think about how small you really are

midoriya was a little upset that it wasn’t as starry of a night as he had predicted but that would be a later concern, right now you were the priority (you always were to him)

“y/n, is..is something wrong?”

“hm? what do you mean?”

“you’ve been awfully quiet during class. plus, at lunch when kacchan told denki to shut up, you didn’t even say anything..”

“should..i have said something?”

“i m-mean kacchan never means what he says but you usually do. plus you’re usually more up for this sort of thing and yet you were so hesitant..”

“can you blame me? did you hear about how many villains are—”

“okay! i get it.”

midoriya abruptly starts, upset that you’re still denying the fact that something is wrong

you had every right to not tell him but he feels this might be a ‘i-don’t-want-to-burden-others’ type of thing more than ‘it’s-none-of-your-business’ thing

but you’re not responding so maybe he was wrong? he looks up to your face and his heart cracks

you’re frowning and eyes are watering, like you just got bullied

“oh shoot, i didn’t mean-“

“i’ve just been so.. lost lately”

midoriya stops and looks softly at you

your hands are quivering at this point and so midoriya brushes his fingers against them

you can feel the gentleness of his touch and don’t retract your hand

instead, you crave it and slowly make a move to grab his fingers

he blushes and looks away, trying not to tear up at the sweet gesture

“other than villains and the internship, school has been hectic. i can’t seem to catch a break!”

“mhm, i feel you. it’s like everyone’s trying to make it our last year here.”

you laugh and nod

“plus! aizawa is letting us go on our first missions next month, like i know it’s just a practice mission but wow time has flown so fast..”

your smile slowly fades and you steel your jaw to not let your facade fall

“..and things at home aren’t that great either”

there it is

midoriya stops looking at the city lights and sees you rubbing your arm in hesitation

“take your time, don’t worry it’s okay.”

“my mom’s been really rude lately”

“you don’t have to say anything y/n”

“oh i know it’s just, i want to? if that’s okay.”

“of course, continue. i’m here for you”

“well you know me and i recently told m-my mother who i was and she didn’t have a great reaction..”

“oh y/n, i’m- i’m so sorry.”

“it hurts you know? like my mom is supposed to be the one person who supports me no matter what but now.. now she’s being so mean and i don’t know what to think anymore..”

midoriya looks down at your hand that’s now tightly clasped around his, and instead of getting nervous, he holds yours back with the same strength

when he looks back up, you’re crying and his heart shatters completely

he doesn’t like seeing you sad and knowing that someone hurt you like this makes him so angry

taking a deep breath, midoriya brings his other hand to your waist and pushes you into his chest

after a small yelp, you’re now hugging and sitting in midoriya’s lap

his sweater is probably going to be damp with the tear stain but with his hands quietly patting and rubbing your back, you don’t seem to care

“she thinks she’s known me but she really doesn’t. she thinks i’m lying about it.”

“lying? you would never lie about something like this.”

“right? is like you’re the only over who actually pays attention to me.”

you remove yourself from the crook of his neck and look up to your best friend/more than a friend/boyfriend

the person that’s been there since day 1 and has always been supporting everything you are and do

you’ve never felt scared or lonely knowing that he’s right there next to you

midoriya looks at you like you’re the only person in the world

like the stars in the sky are in your eyes and can tell him how wonderfully excited you get when fighting or practicing

but now your soft cheeks are damp and he doesn’t want his favorite person in the world to be crying

he slowly brushes your tears away, fighting back his own tears by seeing you in pain

the two of you just sit and bask in each other’s presence

“you’re safe with me.”

you try to push down the words that are lumped in your throat from his comfort, but you can’t

“izuku, i love you.”

“i love you too, y/n. everything going to be alright.”

he smiles wide and you can’t stop the grin from rising to your lips

he takes your cheeks into his hands and slowly pecks your forehead

he’s also blushing like crazy and you can vaguely feel his body shaking

you grin, and with a leap of faith you kiss his cheek and he almost combusts

“y/n! i-i’m supposed to be making you happy- not the other way around.”

“you do make me happy! this makes me happy izuku!”

you’ve completely lost him

he’s half contemplating if he should bury his head into your shoulder but the short sleeved shirt you’re wearing makes him surprised

his mood instantly changes and he’s setting you down next to him on the bench before you can even register it

you’re pouting and he’s got half the heart to kiss you again but (your) health comes first

so he takes off his blue hoodie and gently says “up”

now you’re flustered because “oh-my-god-he’s-giving-me-his-hoodie”

he pushes it down on you and you’re already liking the super soft material

he’s looking at your smile and he can’t help but tear up a little and goes to hug you tightly

at this point you’re never going to get tired or used to midoriya having his strong arms around you, it’s heaven

but you can feel him shaking and you’re worried now

“izuku? is something wrong?”

“no! no, it’s fine i-it’s just..your mom sucks..and you don’t deserve this, you know? you deserve everything in the world and i wish i could give it to you and not let anyone make you cry.”

“oh..you think i deserve the world?”

“no,”

you’re confused and he takes his head of your shoulder and looks down at you

“you deserve more than the world. and you definitely deserve people who build you up and love you, not hurt you like this.”

midoriya wonders if your smile from his words is the brightest thing he’ll ever see, and even when the sun comes up and he’s still holding you and talking, he’s proven right

“you’re really cheesy..”

he smiles with his eyes closed and his freckles are shining in the moonlight

“you make me really cheesy y/n.”

the two of you hug for longer, in the cold night but the comfort radiating off of him makes you warm

he lifts his head up,

“um, can i kiss you?”

the look you give him makes his heart do somersaults and he’s trying not to die just looking at you

you nod your head and with a vocalized yes and he dips in to capture your lips

it distracts you from the lulling pain in your heart and you’re happy for it

as much as you think you can talk about what’s bothering you for longer, you really just needed something else

you two separate and you fall into his chest and when you snuggle up beside him, he’s about to fall apart

the rest of the night, midoriya talks about anything and everything, trying to distract you and tell you that he loves you and everything will be okay

he never makes it seem that he’s upset or minds doing this and always makes you feel loved and comfy

patting your head and rubbing your back, you slowly fall asleep to his loving words and he keeps on holding you until the sun rises

instead of waking you up, he decides to carry you (he doesn’t even need his quirk because to him, you’re soft and as light as a feather)

he doesn’t know how he didn’t get in trouble when he opened the door to your dorm and set you in your bed

or when he was tucking you in and kissing your forehead goodnight

or when he kept sitting next to you, thinking about how much he wanted to cuddle you and take all your fears away

he ultimately said “screw it” and decided cuddles were more important

any teasing from your friends and an annoyed kacchan saying “finally deku!” tomorrow would all worth it when you shifted in your sleep and cuddled into izuku’s chest

the i love you’s you exchanged made everything okay and you were so happy to know that your best friend would always be at your side

it’s gonna be okay

#izuku midoriya #deku #izuku midoriya x reader #midoriya headcanons #midoriya x reader #bnha x reader #anime x reader #bnha x y/n #bnha x gender neutral reader #bnha headcanons #deku midoriya #midoriya x reader comfort headcanons #midoriya x reader comfort #my writing

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jaehyunspeachparty · 3 years

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9. If Santa would know this… (m)

"Are we really supposed to go in there?" You stood with Johanna in front of the sex shop and look at the shop in disbelief. It didn't look like a real sex shop, but you had never really visited one in Korea. "Yes! I'm single now and my vibrator has stopped working." Johanna quickly pulled you into the shop and you try to meet her quickly. "Thank God the twins are with Mia. I couldn't have taken them with me," you say and Johanna rolled her eyes. "This is a child-free zone, which means that we are not talk about the children here too." Johanna went straight to the shelf where there is a large selection of vibrators. You had a massager, but somehow you never dared use a vibrator. "Wow okay, they actually look really pretty," you say and stroke the dark red silicone with the gold handle. "This is our luxury model. It can be easily charged via USB and lasts up to 30 hours." Suddenly there was a saleswoman with you and she smiled friendly. "And it's waterproof. So perfect for the bathtub," she said with a wink. You look at the dildo and you don't quite know what to think of it. "It looks so abstract," you say and Johanna laughed. "Where do you live, Y/N? Have you never seen a vibrator?" "Well, yes ..." You got kind of shy. You never really bothered with it. "No worries. We have women who don't come to us until they are 60 years old. It's never too late to start." The saleswoman was really cute. She looked so innocent and never thought she would work in a sex shop. "When I had toys, I got them as a present. But I've never had anything like that. I don't know how to use it." You look at the dildo again and it fascinated you. "This is a rabbit vibrator. It can be inserted very gently vaginally while the smaller stimulation arm lies on the clitoris. This can also be massaged with the thicker end of the shaft before insertion. If you want, you can use a water-based lubricant that makes things easier There are 2 motors that are controlled independently of each other. After just one push of a button, 7 varied vibration programs give you new feelings and intense orgasms. " "Okay wow. That sounds intense," you say and you're close to buying this. "Yes, intensive is the right word. I think I'll take that," says Johanna and immediately took a pack. "It sounds good, but I'm not sure ..." you confess, and it irritates you. "Why? It's just for fun." Johanna laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, my sex life is actually very good. I only used my massager during the time when Jaehyun wasn't there that often," you whisper and Johanna laughed. "That has nothing to do with it. It's just self-love, like a face mask. Even if Johnny fucked me good all night, I satisfied myself. It's more about that there is a time for myself and for me to relax." Johanna was right about what she said. This would be a nice change in the bathtub. So you decide to buy it. You also buy a lubricant. "Perfect. I am sure that you will have a lot of fun with it. And because it is Christmas now, all of our customers will get a present." The saleswoman packed your things and took out another small box. "What is that?" You ask and she smiled. "These are anal plugs in three different sizes. They fit really perfectly and enable stretching and training by wearing them. This not only simplifies anal intercourse, but also make sex much nicer and more intense. In there are the sizes S and M and you can wear them for as long as you want - whether shortly before anal intercourse to relax and stretch the anus, or longer to train." The cute little saleswoman smiled innocently and you never really know how to react in front of her. "Oh perfect ... thanks," you say uncertainly. "You can make your husband happy, because he loves anal so much." Johanna grinned and you blushed. You once told her that Jaehyun was sometimes really crazy about anal sex. "Well then it's perfect," says the saleswoman and smiled. "Okay these are my things." Johanna put the things on the table and took out her wallet. "If you buy something small, you will also get the butt plugs for free," said the saleswoman again. "No, I'm just divorced. That's enough for me." Johanna winked and the saleswoman nodded and packed the things.

When you came back, you put the dildo in a drawer. But in the next moment Jaehyun was already there. "Hey ..." He hugged you from behind and kissed your neck. "What do you have there?" He asked and you quickly close the drawer. "Johanna took me to the sex shop," you say and turn to him. "And you bought us something nice?" He asked, pointing to the bag in your hands. You nod and open the bag. Jaehyun pulled out the first part. "Lubricant ... always good," he said, grinning. Then he took the next box out of the bag and this time his eyes widened. "Wow. Is that my Christmas present?" Jaehyun grinned and looked at the butt plugs. "Well, we can try something different." You shrug your shoulders. Jaehyun was totally fascinated and barely took his eyes off. "Do you have any idea what we can do with it?" You ask and look up at him with wide eyes. Jaehyun nodded and came very close to your ear and whispered his dirtiest fantasy in your ear. He was really honest but you liked this. "Do you want to? It could be a lot," he said, but you didn't mind. "You stop when I want to, don't you?" You ask and you stroke his chest. Jaehyun nodded and kissed you gently. "Of course."

Jaehyun's plan was wild and you had never done anything like this before. But you were excited and wanted to try it. Jaehyun was even more excited because it had long been his fantasy. He didn't know why, but he was always obsessed with this. First you sleep in the day, because this was hardly possible with children. But as soon as you were awake, Jaehyun snuggled against your back. "Good morning," he whispered while his hands were already on your body. "Good morning," you say and smile. "Do we want to start right away?" He asked and you immediately raise your eyebrows. "Now?" "Well, I've just got my morning boner and I always need breaks to regenerate." You turn around and look at Jaehyun. "Okay, if you like, we can start." Jaehyun then kissed your shoulder and smiled. "You're the best." Then he reached on the small table next to his side of the bed and picked up the lubricant and the butt plug in the size small. He squeezed some lubricant out of the tube and rubbed it over the plug, but also over his length. Then he spread something over your back entrance. "Stay relaxed, I'm very careful." He continued to run his fingers and then gently pressed them into your ass. As always, it was a little uncomfortable, but over time your body relaxed and got used to the stretch. Then he took the plug and pushed it all the way in. Your eyes widened for a moment from the pressure, but then everything was okay. He then turned you around and leaned over you. "Now the pleasant one for you." He took his fingers again and began to massage your clit and Jaehyun was very good at this game. The length of his fingers, their thinness, everything was perfect. He pampered you with one hand and massaged himself with the other. You start to moan and Jaehyun had to let go of his length again and again so that he didn't cum immediately on you. It didn't take long to reach your orgasm. And when you moan and lift your upper body, Jaehyun watched you cuming and pleased himself at the sight. And after you were done, he took your body and lay himself behind you again. "I can't wait to cum inside you," he moaned into your ear and carefully pulled the plug out of you. Then he took lube again and spread it on his dick again. You push your asscheeks aside with your hands and Jaehyun groaned again when seeing that. "Shit, I'm so close." And he immediately pressed his length into it. He was careful, but it didn't take long anyway. He were so close that it happened to him in a moment. As soon as he was completely inside you, he already filled you with his cum. He quickly pulled out its length and put the anal plug back in. "And you think nothing is coming out?" You ask him and it was a strange feeling. "No, and if so, then we have to take the next size," he said with a wink and then kissed you.

Jaehyun stared at you during breakfast. He was curious about how you were feeling and it turns him on. "What do you want to know?" You ask him and you can already guess it. "How does it feel?" He asked, leaning closer to you. You sip your coffee and shrug your shoulders. "Can I see it?" He asked curiously and you had to laugh. You take off your panties and toss them aside, then sit on Jaehyun's lap. He then took a deep breath and stroked your thigh. His hand moved back and forth until he touched plug. "Everything is still tight," he said and bit on his lower lip. "I know," you breath and stroke his collarbone. "You know ..." he breathed and looked up. "The table is the perfect height," he said, grinning. "For what?" You ask and suddenly the Jaehyun picked you up and pushed the plates back. "You know that." He took your clothes off completely and pulled his pants down. "We just had...How can you ..." You couldn't say more, his lips were already on your neck. "You turn me on like that." He stroked your middle and tried as fast as possible to stimulate your clit. He was so ambitious that it even worked pretty quickly for you. And so you end up fucking on your breakfast. In the end he turned you around, pulled the plug out again and came in your ass. He made sure that not too much came out and then he put the plug back in you.

Jaehyun turned up the heat, because he actually liked the idea that you would run around naked all day. Since the children were with your sister and Xiao Jun, you had the whole weekend just to yourself. And it made his plan easier too. But you have to say it was nice walking around naked all day. You love to feel Jaehyun's body on you, even if it's just cuddling. You watch a bit of TV, but Jaehyun is slowly starting to prepare for the next round. He puts his hand on your pearl and massages it very gently, just so that you are stimulated very easily. After all, he still needed time to regenerate himself. He had already done two rounds. "Tomorrow everything will hurt me," you say with a sigh and Jaehyun smiled. "I'll take care of you. We'll take a bath, I'll make you coffee, I cook what you want to eat. How does that sound?" He whispered this in your ear and you smile. "Yes, that sounds very nice," you say and enjoy it as you feel his lips touch your skin. You can see a little further, but you could not concentrate more and more and after the time you come to your climax. "Oh nice. You are so hot when you cum," he breathed and now he started to play with himself. "Wait, I'll help you," you say and sit up. Jaehyun looked at you and watched what you do next. You bend down and start giving him a blowjob. "OH SHIT!" He got loud and buried his fingers in your hair. You press your lips together and do your best, but just before he climaxed, he stopped you. He sat up, turned and pushed your upper body down so that only your ass was up. He pulled the plug out and finished his orgasm again in your ass. He groaned loudly and you were surprised he liked it so much. Over the years, you have always been able to find out more about him. “I think I have to put now the bigger one inside you. Is this okay?” You nood and feel the pressure. "Are you still okay? You can always say it if it's too much for you," he asked carefully, but you didn't mind yet. "Everything's fine," you say with a smile and then kiss him.” "You know, I think that's so nice right now," said Jaehyun and put the blanket over your body. "The sex?" "No, I mean the time with you here. We're alone in the house ... we can do what we want ..." Jaehyun gently caressed your body and it was so relaxing to feel him that way. "Yeah, it feels a bit freer", you say and close your eyes for a moment. "We never had freedom in our relationship. Either we were in the dorm or we already had children," said Jaehyun then and kissed your shoulder. "Well, we had my little apartment." You now turn over to him and smile. "That's right. The time there was very nice." Jaehyun looked deep into your eyes and now begins to gently caress your stomach. "Do you miss it?" You ask him curiously. "Sometimes I miss the time alone with you..." He kissed the base of your chest and you start to stroke his hair. "Do you sometimes regret becoming a father so early?" You ask him and give him a worried look. But he shook his head. "No, definitely not. I have to say that I miss the sound of their footsteps on the floor." He had to laugh and so did you. "But since the twins, I think the time between us has been falling short. Which is clear because I work and we have four children. I just want to say that I am enjoying the time with you today very much." He then lays his head on your chest and somehow you had to agree to him. Four children were a lot of work and Jaehyun also worked a lot. You had a little time for each other, but never that much. "Maybe we should take a weekend like this from time to time, like now. The children can also visit your parents from time to time. Now the twins are no longer that strenuous and they can be kept busy." You especially didn't want to give the babies to them because it was exhausting because they were very hungry and always needed something. Since Jaehyun's mother was still not quite fit, you didn't want to overwhelm her with the children. "I think that's a good idea," he said, closing his eyes.

You didn't know how it happened. But you talked, watched TV and at some point you sat on Jaehyun's lap and rode him. The plug in you gave you a new kind of stimulation. The saleswoman was right, sex is more interesting with such a plug. Jaehyun, who had already cum in you three times, now had more stamina. "Yesss, that's good," you moan and get closer to your next climax. You liked the feeling and how much time Jaehyun took for you. The longer he fucked you intensely, the better your orgasm was. When the children were in the house, you were always quick because you could be interrupted at any moment. After you cum, Jaehyun did the same thing as before. He stuck the plug out, just stuck his tip in, spread his cum inside you and put the plug back in. Meanwhile, his previous orgasm ran a little out of you. Jaehyun cleaned you up and then kissed your ass. "What do you do in the end when everything has to go." To be completely honest, you didn't quite understand what he thought about it. "I don't know, the thought of all of my cum inside you just makes me hard." He grinned and you kiss him. Well, it was kind of a Christmas present for him and it was kind of satisfying for you too. But after a while it did hurt you.

In the course of the day it cum again a few more times in you and at some point it was enough for you. "Jaehyun, please take it out", you say and already feel the pressure. "Does it hurt?" He asked and you nod. "Come on," he lifted you up in his arms and carried you up to the next floor in your bed. He then placed a large black towel under you and kissed you gently before spreading your legs. He looked at the plug and could see his cum already leak. Jaehyun groaned at the sight of it and you could already see his length starting to grow. How could he still get hard so quickly? "I see, you're already red," he said then and stroked beside the spot. "Can I still fuck you or is it too painful?" He asked and his dark eyes looked up at you. "Yes, fuck me." You grin and Jaehyun was excited like a little kid. He pulled the plug out and you can feel a surge coming out. You can also feel how Jaehyun got louder and he began to massage himself. The result turned him on and you had rarely seen him like this. "Can I then take a picture of it at the end?" He asked excitedly and you hadn't expected it at all. "WHAT?" You look up, startled. "Without your face. I would love to have it as a template for lonely hours." Jaehyun was really fascinated by his result and also kind of proud. "Okay good. But be careful that nobody sees it. Especially not the children!" "I promise it. I keep it safe just like the sex tape we made when you were pregnant," Jaehyun winked, and you had almost forgotten about it. "Okay ..." You lean back and Jaehyun just kept going. He pushed his length into your ass and immediately his eyes turned inward. He got loud, louder than usual. He let go of his inhibitions and he was just himself. You have to admit, you liked that. Because Jaehyun felt it so strongly and the tension between you was more intense than it had been for a long time, even you were really turned on. Hearing Jaehyun so loud was something new. He just let himself go and could now live out his most secret sexual fantasies on you. And so it came about that he cum loudly too. He sounded so satisfied, so fulfilled, and he stared at his result. Immediately he took his phone and photographed everything between your legs while his cock was still hard. Then he took the towel and cleaned you up. But you twitch a little, because in some places you were sore. "I'm sorry," he said then, looking a bit embarrassed. You sit up and take his face in your hands. "You should feel sorry for nothing. Everything is fine. If it had bothered me, I would have said something." You smile and Jaehyun looked up relieved. "I made quite a mess. What if we take a bath and I take care of you?" He looked at you with his puppy eyes and you nod. "That would be great." You kiss him and you only spent the rest of the evening with gentle kisses and tender touches. Just cuddle and be together.

daddy jaehyun masterlist

naughty & nice 2020 masterlist

naughty & nice 2019 masterlist

#jaehyun #jaehyun smut #daddy jaehyun #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun imagines #jaehyun jung #nct #nct smut #nct 127 #nct 127 smut #nct u #nct u smut #nct 2020 #nct 2020 smut #naughty and nice christmas stories

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makeste · 4 years

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BnHA Chapter 283: I'M MARY POPPINS Y’ALL

Previously on BnHA: Everyone was all, “Tomura what do you have?” and Tomura was all,” a quirk bullet!” and they were all, “NO!!” He then threw the bullet at Aizawa, who ironically actually did have a knife, and since no one bothered to say “no!!” this time he proceeded to CHOP OFF HIS OWN LEG. Just, schwoop. Lopped it right off. Didn’t even fucking care. Anyway so then Tomura was all, “you know what who even needs quirk bullets” and somehow broke free from both Deku and Ryuukyuu to go claw off Aizawa’s face. Thankfully Todoroki “I've spent the past eight chapters puttering around waiting for the coolest moment to strike” Shouto finally decided to join the fray by impaling Tomura, and everyone was all, “ahaha, classic Shouto”, and Tomura was all, “don’t worry though I’m fine”, and it seems like he really is now, since he’s finally regenerated and all his wounds have healed again! The chapter ended with Gigantomachia stampeding towards Jakku, which is super terrible, but what else is fucking new.

Today on BnHA: The Gunga kids spend a few pages standing around letting all that trauma soak in nice and deep as Machia rampages on towards Jakku. Back in the Shigaraki Wastes, the heroes regroup, which mostly consists of the remaining conscious adults tearfully being all “you kids get out of here... save yourselves...” and the kids being all “YOU JUST SIT THERE AND CHILL, DAD” and “[EXPLETIVES]” and “I’M YOUNG AND FILLED WITH RIGHTEOUS SHOUNEN RAGE”, all of which is very entertaining to me and makes me very proud. Anyway so then Tomura’s body sort of explodes a bit, and he’s all, “what”, and then it finally sinks in that he might have popped out of the toaster early, so he tries to end the fight right there and then with another round of Decay. Except that Deku counters it by SPONTANEOUSLY LEARNING HOW TO FLY, which is probably SO CONFUSING for all the non-Gran-and-Kacchan people around, which is just one of the many things I love about it. And the other things I love about it are that it’s (1) THE MOST BADASS THING EVER, and (2) just, really fucking great. So yeah. Rage, Deku, rage.

OH NO MY BABIES

don’t tell me. I’m not sure I want to know what it is they’re looking at. how many of the pros are fucking dead now ffffmg

also that is an extremely intriguing chapter title, though. 75? as in percent?? oh my god is something finally going to go fucking right for our heroes. or at least, you know, less wrong

OOOF

dammit Momo he was supposed to go to sleep! WHAT THE HELL WAS ALL OF THAT MATH FOR, THEN. did he grow bigger, or did she just somehow miscalculate the dosage, or is he finally going to go night-night halfway to Jakku?

btw Momo I’m not actually mad at you, you’re still the only one who fucking did anything at all. if anyone tries to give you shit, just look them in the eye and ask them “okay and how many things did YOU do?”, and they’ll be like, “oh shit, none”, and you’ll be all “yeah that’s what I fucking thought” because YEAH

OH MY GOD SERO ANGST

I have never seen Sero this badly shaken before. it’s somehow so shocking?? holy shit you guys, I know I’ve been saying for ages “lolo all these kids about to be traumatized af” but somehow it’s one thing to know it’s coming, and another to finally actually see it. oh god

anyway let’s just hope all of the grown-ups aren’t actually fucking dead. but based on all of the kids’ expressions, it really feels like a lot of them might be, and that’s just... ...

and they had to see it. right? is that what this is implying?? holy shit. they watched it all happen. that’s it, the rest of this arc is cancelled, please proceed directly to the emergency therapy arc right now

TOKO!!

holy shit look at the size of that rock that fell on the medical tent. and DS pulling people out of the wreckage. it really feels like everywhere you turn this arc, the intrepid young scamps of U.A.’s first year hero class are the ones out here keeping things one step from total disaster

oh shit

excuse the hell out of me young Momo but what the hell is up with this use of the word “dead” with the implied “like everyone else” hanging there at the end?? what is up with that. that’s a very bad sentence I don’t like that at ALL

and what the actual hell is this panel of FATGUM AND TAMAKI IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CARNAGE, TWO PEOPLE WHOSE NAMES I’M QUITE SURE ARE ON THIS CONTRACT OF “PEOPLE WHO AREN’T ALLOWED TO DIE” WHICH HORIKOSHI IMPLICITLY AGREED TO THE MOMENT I STARTED READING THE MANGA. BOY WHAT

JESUS MOTHER F. CHRIST

THAT’S. THAT’S, UH

OH THANK FUCK

I mean, I already knew they survived, though. so WHY AM I STILL SO FUCKING ANXIOUS. good grief

and in before Majestic fucking dies on the next page, having saved the children with his very last act. I fucking hate you Majestic, you blue-balling child-preserving magnificent wizard bastard

HE FRISBEED THEM TO SAFETY GAH

WHY COULDN’T YOU DO THAT TO MACHIA THOUGH. BUT AT LEAST HE SAVED THE BABIES. TOO BAD HE’S FUCKING DEAD hahaha sob sob sob

is anyone still alive?? did the guys who were fighting off Snoopy Sno-Cone and RD back at the mansion at least make it out in one piece??

(ETA: from here on out all of these guys shall be referred to as Schrodinger's Heroes until further notice.)

so now Mineta is questioning whether or not their Smart Momo Plan even fucking did anything, which. same, Mineta, honestly. but it must have!! right?? ????

anyway so here’s some more panels of everyone dying do you want to see them. sure. why not

can we get back to the Tomura fight now. I’ve had just about enough of this, I’d like to see some 75% business now before this turns into the most depressing chapter of all time

BOOOOOOO

goddammit. well for now my money’s on Machia collapsing just as they make it back to Jakku. so Momo’s plan does eventually work, but the League still makes it back to Tomura thus ensuring more shenanigans can take place. goddamn, lol, just when I thought the arc was nearing its climax. feels like it just fucking respawned with a full life bar

also Toga is really looking... not great. I’m so scared for whoever she ends up fighting after this. OCHAKO MY SWEET BABY GIRL PLEASE WATCH OUT

WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE

PLEASE ARREST HIM FASTER. holy fuck if you fucking screw this up and he gets rescued I SWEAR TO GOD

oh wait is he just here to provide more backstory on Gigantomachia

GO BURNIN’, YOU GOT THIS. also, gonna be honest, at this point I really would not mind if Machia did a little less living for Tomura and a bit more dying

FINALLY!!!

FKFKF Aizawa not looking too good oh god. and Deku looks like he’s about to spontaneously develop ALL OF HIS REMAINING QUIRKS JUST LIKE THAT ON THE SPOT, FUCK YOU TOMURA

oh my god DON’T GET DISTRACTED!!

Shouto’s arrival is either about to make Endeavor more useless than ever, or suddenly a whole lot LESS useless, and right now it’s up in the air and I am excited but also scared

EXCUSES EXCUSES

BLAH BLAH BLAH. “SORRY I’M LATE, I WAS SAVING PEOPLE’S LIVES,” Shouto lies through his teeth, clearly not aware that Tomura has a built in GPS and knows full well that Shouto was actually only a few feet behind Bakugou and Deku and so that explanation doesn’t fly at all. the real truth must be something so embarrassing that he’s ashamed to admit it. did you get lost. did you run into an NPC who wouldn’t let you pass until you had completed some sort of quest

THERE YOU ARE KACCHAN, I WAS WONDERING

just as enraged as Deku! it’s almost like he just witnessed his sensei chopping off his own leg and subsequently almost being murdered or something

(ETA: actually lol I think he’s mad at Deku, for taking off earlier and leaving him behind with Gran. though there’s no law that says he can’t be mad about two things at once! anyway so do you guys think that being beaten to the punch by Deku here may perhaps frustrate this young man and contribute to his decision to return the favor at some point later on in this battle, perhaps with dire consequences? hmm.)

anyway so if you all are keeping up with the math, and I think you are, it seems like just about every one of the adult pros is either down for the count (Aizawa, Gran), or recovering (Endeavor, Ryuukyuu??), or Might As Well Not Even Be There (a certain TWO OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL IN A TIME OUT AND HAD BETTER BE THINKING GOOD AND HARD ABOUT WHAT THEY’VE DONE. OR MORE PRECISELY, DID NOT DO OR EVEN ATTEMPT TO DO). anyway so all of that means that the only ones actually ready and raring to go here in Round 2 against the newly regenerated and POSSIBLY HAS HIS DECAY QUIRK BACK Shigaraki Tomura are... drum roll...!

okay but FUCK YOU GUYS though oh my god YOU’RE EVEN RUINING THE DRUM ROLL

DID YOU NOT EVEN NOTICE HIS LEG BEFORE?!?!? holy -- can I -- can I please just slap them, I --

anyway so RockLockRock looks like he has something to say here. probably going to tell Deku to take Aizawa and run, as if Deku isn’t the fucking glue holding this entire operation together at this point now that Aizawa is KOed. can you believe these guys are so incompetent they’ve actually got me arguing in favor of the child soldiers now, what even

...fuck

shit. that face. he’s ready to die to give them all a chance. he knows he wouldn’t last two seconds against Tomura and yet he’s willing to sacrifice it all. damn it RLR... okay fine your time out is done now, but I’m still calling your parents

unfortunately, you’ll never believe it, but Deku doesn’t seem all that inclined to listen to this man telling him to bail and save his own skin sob

ngl though I am living for the Enraged Vengeance Deku we’ve been seeing in these last couple chapters. maybe now everyone will stop dismissing him as just a soft boi who always eats his vegetables and doesn’t swear, and remember that in truth he’s actually a mildly unhinged feral child with an infinite pain tolerance and a god-given talent for never listening to any life-prolonging advice that adults give him ever

oop don’t tell me he’s gonna do the Decay thing again, shit

-- uh

“eh?” lmao what the fuck. my boy's torso just opened up like a fucking door hinge and all he can say is “eh.” this fucking manga

like he’s seriously just calmly standing there trying to assess what the heck has gone wrong

you really don’t feel pain do you. “haha lol what why is my arm falling off I thought I fucking ascended”

OH MY GOD

IT’S OCTOBER THIRD. looool the fuck

Tomura. my sweet little S+ ranked death machine with an A rank in knowledge. who’s spent the past 15-20 minutes battling to the death with the number one fucking hero and all his pals. who all just HAPPENED to be there all ready and waiting to fight him the instant he woke up. Tomura. buddy. did it really only just occur to you that maybe something went wrong somewhere along the line. that maybe things were not, in fact going according to keikaku. that maybe the heroes didn’t just sit around waiting for you to finish cooking in your villain bake oven. like please forgive my impudence but TOMURA ARE YOU STUPID, is what I’m saying, I guess. but gently

(ETA: SHIGARAKI TOMURA, WHOSE ARM IS CURRENTLY DANGLING BY A THREAD: “hold up lol what day is it.”)

I really like how Deku’s just crying nonstop this entire time though. but like, you know. crying with RAGE

lol and he’s figured it out as well, and I fucking love the connection his mind made, look at this

sudden feelings of solidarity. “WE’RE NOT SO DIFFERENT, YOU AND I” lmao

AHH MIRKO

how does she still have two legs?? Horikoshi I can’t believe you forgot how many legs your own favorite character has. but anyways yes this has been your friendly reminder that Mirko saved EVERYONE and should have a battleship named after her

okay NOW he’s doing the thing

good job Tomura you finally got them!! good thing none of them can fly, or Float. RIGHT, DEKU

AHAHAHAHAHA YESSSSS

YOU LOVE TO SEE IT. AND A BLACKWHIP/FLOAT COMBO, TOO! TOMURA, YOU WERE SAYING??

(ETA: he even grabbed Kacchan too. “I can fly by myself!” YOU SHUSH MISTER.)

(ETA 2: and what I also love about this is that we know the SIXQUIRKS are seemingly in tune with Deku’s emotions, so it honestly makes perfect sense that in the heat of the moment with Tomura threatening to kill all these people that he cares about, the quirk just basically acts on his instinct to save and doesn’t stop to ask questions. we’re saving everyone, no buts. and he even activates Float at long last, acting on that same instinct. honestly Kacchan had the exact right idea the whole time, all the way back in chapter 217. “it’ll activate when he’s in trouble, right?” exactly.)

NO GRAN STOP NO ONE ASKED FOR THESE FEELS

OH MY GOD

NEVER HAVE I STANNED THIS BOY SO HARD. HOT DAMN

he’s so fucking mad. omg??! omg

okay so I’m gonna try my best to explain why I love this so much lol. all right. so the thing is, it’s actually so rare for Deku to actually take the reins like this. even though he’s the main character, even though he’s All Might’s heir, his personality is such that he genuinely doesn’t mind being in the backseat and is perfectly content to share the spotlight with others, or even relinquish it completely. BnHA has had... how many arcs so far? hold up let me check

-- okay I just checked and it’s 18. so, 18 arcs. and out of all those arcs, Deku has had a solo fight in approximately... five of them. and two of those fights were against Bakugou and Todoroki, respectively, so he was still sharing the spotlight even then. aside from that, he’s fought Muscular, Gentle, and Overhaul (oh, and Shinsou, I guess). that’s it! and it’s been almost 300 chapters! and again, he’s the main character. in a shounen manga. like seriously though, that is wild

and so seeing him here like this on the last page, ready to throw hands with Tomura, presumably while using Blackwhip as some sort of physical barrier to coat his attacks and prevent Tomura from trying any more Decay shenanigans with him? dude. I FELT THAT HYPE. it’s just a really effective way of keeping me from getting Main Character Fatigue like I might get in most other shounen series. because Deku doesn’t get the spotlight all that often in comparison, it still feels fresh to me, especially now with him actually going up against the Big Bad. just, idk what else to say except “hell yeah” lol

anyway, so I don’t even know how long it’s gonna last, and I expect that Kacchan and Shouto aren’t going to be content to just sit back and let Deku have all the glory either (Kacchan in particular is probably frothing at the mouth already), so in all likelihood it’s probably going to be more of a 3-on-1 than a 1-on-1. and it’s also very likely to end with Tomura gaining the upper hand and trying to take OFA! and so in truth this is a very fleeting moment of triumph, and the most premature of celebrations! but even so... damn. and also I just love seeing shounen kids lose their damn minds and explode with angry determination. and I especially love seeing it with Deku, because I love the reminder that beneath that sweet, unassuming nerdy exterior lies a core of fucking steel. that look in his eyes, though. TOMURA ARE YOU SCARED. you should be a little scared, lmao

anyway. so that’s the chapter! and I’m really glad we ended on this note, not just because Deku is a badass, but also because like I was saying earlier, this was about as bad a situation as the good guys have ever been in, and I felt like the manga was starting to lose that feeling of hope that still needs to be there at its core even when things are at their darkest. idk, I feel like we needed this. Tomura got a chance to catch his breath in the last chapter, and now it’s the heroes’ turn. whew

#bnha 283 #midoriya izuku #shigaraki tomura #class 1-a #bakugou katsuki #todoroki shouto #bnha #boku no hero academia #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #bnha manga spoilers #makeste reads bnha #I just wish one of the blackwhips had been kind of dangling above him like an umbrella so my gotg 2 reference would make a bit more sense #eh but you all get it right #because... you know... the flying... and stuff #bah

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imasimpforstevengrant · 4 years

Text

Why do we like this clown so much?

Change the "we" for "I" and you get an usual tag I use whenever I post my content in Tumblr. And it sounds funny at first but whenever you start diving into that phrase, the deeper it becomes. So, I finally have decided to share my thoughts about this strange but wholesome attraction to this deeply flawed character. It's not something I usually do since I don't know how to write down my feelings properly and also in english so please forgive any typos (I'm from Chile so don't be surprised lol).

So...Why do we like this clown so much?

Why was it that a character precisely designed to scare and to disgust the fuck out of us ended up unchaining a series of feelings that shouldn't have taken place in a beginning?

Let's take a look at the background: Joaquin Phoenix was cast as Arthur Fleck/Joker in 2018. The first image of him as the aforementioned character revealed a deeply disturbed man. We knew the plot. A man driven to insanity after a brutal history of abuse, creating concern in people if the upcoming film would inspire real life violence. Incel violence and mass shootings, more specifically.

(the image in question)

As 2019 arrives, the two trailers generated so much hype that media needed to fuel its concern about it. Since it wasn't your typical comic book film, media basically bombed our minds making us believe this film was going to be a total disaster, an excuse to cause harm to others among other nonsense, as if the film would justify everything Arthur would do in the film, eventually. As the release date is closer, the film receives thunderous applause and unanimous praise from critics. At this, fans rejoiced and expressed impatience to watch the film.

October 5th.

People left the theaters amazed, shocked and genuinely moved by the inhuman treatment Arthur received in the film. The fear media tried so desperately to infuse in us with all the incel bullshit and such turned out to awake one of the most positive, best feelings in humans:

E M P A T H Y

The word that so gloriously cleared away any dark thoughts or actions not only proves media was wrong but it turned out to ridicule it in way nobody will forget: Hundreds of people advocating for mental illness, calling out to the kindness that could change a person's bad day and questioning how politicians and rich people are indifferent to social problems proved how much as a society we have changed in comparison with the one shown in the film.

However, since we are on Tumblr, I'll get straight to the point and try to explain why the fuck does this clown has us dying out of love and compassion (and lust).

I. Background.

As nurturing as we women are for a biological matter, we see a man deprived of a good job, is on seven different medications, working like a slave to sustain his ill mother, putting aside his own health and well-being to look for her, struggling to make his dream of being a comedian despite everyone stepping on him, underpaid and treated like a freak for a disorder he did not ask to suffer, which makes it impossible to be indifferent to all the horrible ordeal that eventually will reach the limit of what he can tolerate without going insane. It is impossible to not say or think, at least, that someone (even if it's just one person) should stand for him just as it is impossible not to feel the need to throw ourselves at him to shield him from people who hurt him or simply offer him our shoulder whenever he has had a bad day, specially when he learns he was sexually assaulted by his step father.

This horrid behaviour terrifies newer generations because they get a taste of what being a social outcast was like more than thirty years ago in comparison with today, where there's more acceptance and treatment for mentally ill people like Arthur. We see in him someone who could have been saved with a proper education and emotional support instead of descending into madness as a criminal. Others simply saw themselves being treated like him at some point in their lives and couldn't help but put themselves in his shoes.

II. Personality.

TRUTH BE TOLD:

There's something called "attraction by proximity". It is the explanation to the eventual love you feel whenever someone doesn't catch your eye at first terms of physical attraction but his/her personality does attract you. This happens to be the base of this situation. His shyness, introverted nature, tenderness and innocent desire to make people laugh and put on a happy face awake some kind of tenderness we cannot resist. This combined with the gloomy background increases our understanding (but not justifying) of the bad decisions he'll eventually take during the course of the film. This traces a line of harsh, almost hurtful contrast of the violence he shows later on the film. Once again, it is not justified in any way but it is certainly understandable.

III. Appearance.

Arthur Fleck is unconventionally attractive.

This happens to be a plus for most women. He is out of the male beauty standards (no abs, not too muscly or particularly tall), which makes him even more unique. It is precisely the fact that he's not a model one of the reasons women love him. He could easily be your man next door or your colleague or the guy you always see but never dare to talk for fear to bother him Because it's about proximity. Arthur looks like your common neighbour. He's not meant to be your typical desirable male protagonist at all.

... And yet.

Jesus Christ, he's so fucking hot I can't even---

It's not about how beautiful his green eyes are, his long slender fingers, his hair or his smile only. It's the charm behind it.

Another "magnet point" is the way he dresses. I know he's impoverished and his wardrobe tend to be repetitive but it is so unpretentious, so simple that is hard to not fall for. The modesty of the shirts, ironed trousers reminds us of a mature man deeply withdrawn into himself, love starved and longing to be seen and loved by others, like a war veteran who still fights the most important war: with himself. Is someone who needs to be listened and understood.

AND OF COURSE WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE ABOUT IT?

He's also brought back the old gentleman outfit, white shirts, red/yellow vest, red suit and elegant dancing moves and the retro style of the film boosts this attractiveness.

People keep comparing him with the previous interpretation of Joker (Leto's) whose costume appealed to young women with a tattooed, gangster, mumble rapper crazy-guy wannabe which didn't connect with the audiences (young people in general). This supposedly was to match or even have a sexy, tormented and desirable villain like Marvel's Loki. We all know how that story ended but it's the link for the next point below.

IV. Transformation

This is a particularly strong point considering how much we loved to watch the process of this weak, powerless, forgotten caterpillar into a beautiful and visible butterfly that will gracefully stir its wings for everyone to see its colours.

When Arthur transitions to the Joker, it's so cathartic to see taking revenge on those who wronged him (even when we're not supposed to root for him) like seeing his shyness fading away into a vivid confidence when dancing half naked in the bathroom, or witnessing him making way to make his name known to people in Murray Franklin's Show:

Adding to this newly gained confidence, there's another turn on: the way he walks.

At the beginning, his pace is hunched and limping, displaying his submission to violence, which makes the viewer more satisfied to see his broken yet beautiful soul turning the past pain of his existence into art: he lets music guide his moves as a way to tell the world he's a new man by cutting most of the sick, evil roots that harmed him, that he's invincible, that no one can stop him. Watching this cathartic display of euphoria was the most iconic scene in the film, following his speech at the TV and the inevitable meltdown that caused Murray's death.

Going to further appreciation, even his clown make up is beautiful. Why? Simple. The combination of colours, shapes and the intimidating glare just embellishes even more the character.

The dark blue triangles in his expressive eyes makes the light green colour to highlight, specially in dark backgrounds, giving the impression he's piercing your soul whenever he stares directly at the camera. Same can be said about the red smile and emerald green hair. They boost an already intimidating look.

The cold and warm colours paint a picture of a man full of intense emotions, mirroring it in a simple yet masterful artistic way.

Another interesting point is the way Joker dresses. Usually we had almost every single live adaption of this character in purple coat, hat, etc. But this particular version is not following any comic, which gives more freedom to creativity and once again, out of the standards of what we could have expected.

Red is a colour related to passion, action, love, strength, motivation and excitement. As for yellow, it indicates freshness, happiness and enlightenment and finally, green. Green is renewal, growth and regeneration. Colours that represent a new stage in his life, a mirthful chapter at last. We finally get to see our battered, always humiliated protagonist (or hero) descending into madness, but finally free from his repressed man who held his soul captive like a bird to fly away, to never come back. An insanity that despite being his downfall, turned out to be his ticket to freedom as he walks to the light in Arkham Asylum dancing at the end.

Ladies and gentlemen: behold the film nobody asked... But the film we fucking deserved.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk

❤️💚💛

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itsmoonphobic · 4 years

Text

Elemental Souls (SBI+Tommy 4 elements au)

(🌿) ♡ (🔥) ♡ (🌊) ♡ (🌬)

Techno Blade -Fire:

"Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products."

You can either see Techno as rude,cocky and egoistic or you can see him as loyal,determined and smart.

Becouse of his cold facade,Techno can scare poeple off easily.The fact that he gets aggressive easily doesn't make it any better.He tends to be very sarcastic and loves to tease/ignore people badly which is another reason poeple tend to stay away from him.

Techno can be described as terrifying.Becouse he is very intelligent and silent poeple around him can only wonder what he is thinking and if he is planning on killing someone soon.Of course Techno never killed anyone and he would never do so but his scary aura makes people believe he did and would do it again.

He doesn't take things very seriously and will only get invested if he is deeply committed and interested in them or if he gets something out of it.Techno may say that he isn't a competitive person but god is this man lying to himself.

Challenging Techno to something is probably the most dumbest move you could make.Not only will he destroy you and win but he will make a whole ass war out of it.This guy won't sleep,eat or talk to another human being until he's won.And you can bet your ass he will totally humiliate you and rub it in till it burns-

That's what Techno can be seen as from the outside. But on the inside he is anything but confident,cocky and unbeatable.He is very shy and socially awkward. He only picks out certain people who he will let take part in his life.On some days his insecurities will get the best of him and he won't come out of his room for weeks-

Hours and hours spent on crying only then become evident once he leaves his room and reveals this mess of red and puffy eyes,dark valleys and pale skin.The vibes he gives off basically scream "back of and leave me the fuck alone or I will burn you to death"

Others may think that a fiery person like him has to have exciting and risky hobbies-When in reality Techno loves peaceful and quiet activities like reading or studying.May I add that in his free time Techno absolutely loves to be outside and farm potatoes on a daily-

Sure Techno does fighting and skill upgrading from time to time but when he is left alone with his head full of thoughts he will scurry to the local library and spend the rest of his day there.Nobody questions why he goes there or makes fun of him that such a tough guy reads books-Becouse they very well know he will personally beat them up and burn down their houses.

Techno's best friend Phil is the only person who he truly trusts with everything and anything.The two of them grew up together and developed a really strong emotional and family like bond.Techno only allows Phil to see his vulnerable and fragile side,he will cry infront of him and even let Phil hug him while he reassures him that everything will work out and be fine.

Techno isn'a touchy guy,for him pda is disgusting and unnecessary-like,why the fuck would you put your hands on another person?What kind of person enjoys sharing physical contact?Not Techno that's for sure.

Over time Techno became more open and extroverted so he agreed to meeting two of Phil's friends,both of them having different elements.Phil commented something about how he thinks that opposite friendships are way more exciting and fun!Techno didn't think much of it,he simply rolled his eyes and went along with it.

That was the day Techno met Wilbur and Tommy.He could immediately tell that Tommy would be annoying as fuck and really hard to deal with-I mean the kid was only twelve when they first got introduced.Wilbur on the other hand sparked some sort of feeling inside of Techno that made him feel welcomed in his presence.

So yeah over the course of the next four years the four element benders became really close.Yes even grumpy Techno had to live with the fact that he would die for all of them-even Tommy.And speaking of Tommy,he and Techno do everything together-

If you would to make fun of Tommy or tease/annoy him in any be it negative or positive way-Techno would hunt you down and burn you-If it isn't intense he will stick to only a threat-but if you actually physically or mentally hurt Tommy??Oh boy-I may have said that Techno never did and never would kill somebody,but in this case there is a high chance of an angry Techno being after you.

Techno sees his friend group as family members.Phil represents a huge father figure,Wilbur his younger brother and Tommy his youngest brother.He is very overprotective of them all,especially over Tommy if you couldn't already tell.With how much shit he gets himself into and the fact that he is only sixteen years young and his braincells are still producing he can't but worry for him and take care of him,even if he does bully the fuck out of him :)

Wilbur and Techno have the best moments.The two of them both enjoy reading so you can occasionally discover them in the local town library where they are just enjoying the peace shared between eachother. Although Wilbur does have a chaotic and wild side to him which he lets out when he's around Tommy,he becomes quite and relaxed when around the fire bender.Techno knew from the moment he met Wilbur that the two of them would get along great.

Techno isn't really good with showing his feelings or dealing with his emotions-Like I said apart from pride and anger he doesn't reveal much to the world.Phil used to be the only person Techno trusted but now with the whole gang on his side he earned himself more poeple to rely on.Of course it took time for him to open up and really let himself go infront of Tommy and Wilbur but the waiting definitely paid off.

When Techno practices,for example his weapon usage and fire bending it is best to leave him alone and stay a safe distance away from him.There is a chance for him to attack you,though he will most likely just snap at you and tell you to piss off if you don't wanna burn alive and if you wanna keep all your fingers in place.

Also not to mention,Techno is on the way of becoming a vegetarian.At the start he only hated eating anything related to pigs,like bacon or pork chops.But after developing his love for farming he noticed just how unnecessary eating meat is.Sure he still consumes meat from time to time but in most of the cases he will turn it down and eat a baked potato instead :D

Squid and Dream(A water bender and a earth bender) are both in a rivalry with him.Techno is probably the one who started randomly picking on Squid at one point and from there on out they kind of grew close?Not too close but most definitely a form of friendship.

Dream on the other hand is hundred percent the one who constantly competes with Techno.Be it in element bending or grades in school.If Dream manages to get even half a point more on an exam he would literally celebrate.The most annoying part is the fact that Techno doesn't even acknowledge Dream. Just to see Dream's face when Techno only shrugs and lets out a small "ehh" while saying that it doesn't matter and he sees no point in anyone trying to be as good as him or better,makes it more entertaining ;D

To sum it all up: Techno is a natural born leader.His dedication and determination along with his loyalty are a healthy base for a powerful soul.The reason behind his aggressive,confident and somewhat rude side is due to the fact that he is a fire bender and his element is naturally fierce.He fights for what he thinks is important and right and never lets anything happen to the poeple he deeply loves and cares about.He is not the best when it comes to showing sympathy and affection and he doesn't seek it from anyone else.He has to deal with major mental health issues but he's more than thankful for his friends that are by his side and help him out on his journey.Once Techno opens up to you more you know he likes you,like I said to earn Techno's respect and trust you have to meet his expectations and show him that you actually care for him and his well being.He needs some love guys <3

Like fire itself, fire benders tend to be passionate, dynamic, and temperamental. Fire can keep you warm, or it can do great destruction. While fire burns out quickly without fuel to keep it going, it can also regenerate its power from the ashes. A single spark can set off a forest fire. As a result, fire benders need to be nurtured and managed carefully.

Phil Watson - Air:

"Air refers to the Earth's atmosphere. Air is a mixture of many gases and dust particles. It is the clear gas in which living things live and breathe. It has an indefinite shape and volume. It has mass and weight, because it is matter."

The most hardworking,kind and caring guy you will ever encounter.Phil is the definition of wholesome :)

Phil is a very understanding and empathetic person. He patiently listens and respects people's boundaries and insecurities.He is a great comfort to many poeple with phobias and mental health issues.A part of his element is care and gentleness.Phil is very careful and elegant with his words and actions.He tends to not be hasty and obnoxious around people he first meets or knows who don't like that type of behavior.

He and Techno are very close.Phil trusts Techno with his eyes closed and the same goes for Techno.The way the two of them interact with eachother suprises people all the time.How could such a gentle soul deal with a feisty one like Techno's??Outsiders and even familiars wonder if the two share some sort of telepathic connection.All in all they share an unbreakable and strong family like bond.

Not only did Phil introduce his other really good friends to Techno and managed to get him to open up more and trust other people apart from him,but he also helped Techno realize that there are other poeple out there who care about him and want to give him nothing but undeniable love <3

Techno may be close with Wilbur and Tommy but the only person who knows about Techno's struggles and his biggest fears is Phil.He knows exactly in which way he needs to talk to him and how to act around him.Phil knows Techno doesn't like affection like hugs and holding hands but as a sign of appreciation and gratefulness Techno allows Phil to hug him while he calms him down and takes care of him.

The way he acts with such precision and grace makes anyone feel welcomed and comfortable around Phil. Phil is very helpful.He doesn't wait for poeple to come up to him and ask him for something,he goes up to them and asks if he can help them out with anything.

He stands up for justice and always does the right things.Phil has a big heart,if he sees anyone who is hurt or feeling down his parent like instincts will activate and he will immediately comfort them.

All three of his best friends(Techno,Wilbur,Tommy) look up to him as a father figure,which warms Phil's heart and he honestly he thinks it's super cute <3 So naturally Phil can't but see them as his three polar opposite,chaotic sons.He would do anything for the three of them,even risking his own life.

Tommy and Phil's relationship is probably the most cutest one.When Phil tells Tommy to quit it or to stop fighting with Wilbur or Techno(mostly Wilbur),Tommy instantly goes quiet and apologises for it.Phil's air bending is something that Tommy loves about him.He will always ask the elder if he can twirl him around in the air and make him fly.Phil gladly does so and he will tickle him with the wind he creates until Tommy is a giggling mess :D

Wilbur and Phil on the other hand are a completely different dynamic than Techno & Phil or Tommy & Phil. Most think that Phil would be scared of Techno like any other person is but it's actually Wilbur who genuinely scares Phil from time to time.Sure anyone who sees him doesn't think that something like "I just wanna fucking murder everyone around me and drag them to the bottom of the ocean-" would come out of his mouth.It's not only what he says it's how and when he says horrifying things like that.They could be out on a walk and Wilbur would just have the most blank expression while he says sentences like that.Phil is pretty sure that he even caught Tommy holding onto Techno's hand once while Techno shivered slightly with wide eyes.

Phil is known for being very respectful and polite.He doesn't like to be mean and angry towards anyone!He is a big pacifist(unlike other poeple 👀)who likes to sort things out with a nice and peaceful conversation instead of turning to immediate violence.He will argument with someone,but only when he has a good reason to do so.If he sees people arguing or fighting he will confront them about it and make sure they settle down and put their differences aside.

He's affectionate and really interested in the problems of others,as if they were his own.He will always be there if you are stuck with something and need help solving or overcoming said problem.He'll make sure that both of you find a way to get rid of it! <3

Air benders are also the most forgiving element benders,so Phil can tell the difference between acting out and just plain old meanness,and he understands that in moments of strong emotion, people can say and do things to can hurt others. Not that he'd ever do the same!His cool, collected vibe helps him navigate the drama and analyze it throughly.

Phil is a master of both small talk and deep convos, and he knows how to use his wit to get him out of awkward moments.That's another way Phil instantly gets the hang of strangers he just met!!He knows what subjects to bring up and what topics to talk about that they are interested in!

Also I quickly wanna say that Phil's laugh is super contagious!He could be out with Techno,Wil and Tommy while the three of them rant on and on about their days and just talk about random,shit.Phil will silently listen to every detail in the background while he uncontrollably laughs.He will let out a small "What?" or "No way dude" but apart from those small phrases he just prefers listening and cackling.He loves to see other people laugh and smile and is even more happy when he is the reason they do so :3

Phil is generous and selfless.He puts the health and safety of others before his own.He doesn't require many things to be satisfied in his life.As long as he has his family and friends he couldn't be more grateful <3

He definitely has a love for birds such as pigeons and doves.One time about two years ago Tommy brought Phil a beautiful silver feathered bird for his birthday. Even with his element being air,Phil sometimes wishes and dreams of flying himself,being able to feel that freedom for himself you know?He sees birds as lucky to have a gift such as flying.

Air benders are all about action, ideas, and motion—they are the “winds of change.” When a strong gust hits you, you can’t help but move. While some within their ranks may be true-life “airheads,” others are as powerful as a gravity-defying G-force. Air benders bring everyone a breath of fresh air when things start to get stale. Like the breeze, you can’t quite catch them, and you never know where they’ll drop you once they sweep you up. It will almost always been an adventure, though

Wilbur Soot - Water:

"Water is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms. It is vital for all known forms of life, even though it provides no calories or organic nutrients."

Charming,suave and flirty in a way that can only be from fiction.Do men like that even exist?Apparently they do and they go by the name of Wilbur Soot.

Ever stand under a waterfall? That’s what it’s like when a Wilbur is feeling an intense emotion.

Intuitive, emotional and ultra-sensitive,Wilbur can be as mysterious as the ocean itself. Like water,he can be refreshing,or he can drown you in his depths.Security is important to him,after all, water needs a container, or it dries up and disappears.

He tends to hold on to people and items long past their expiration dates,and his emotions are always flowing like the waves of the oceans.Wilbur has intense dreams,visions,and an intuition so strong that it’s basically a psychic power.He can see situations happening from a mile away before they occur.

He might intentionally seek out sad music or movies, and he probably has childhood photos framed in his room.Emotional and creative,he relays on his heart and gut to make a decision.Logic and reason are second to his feelings which is how he navigates the material world.Wilbur also longs for security at all times,which makes sense as he's protective of his loved ones and himself.He'll do everything he can to help the ones he cares about,even if it’s at his own expense.

However, like most things beautiful, below the surface many complexities often arise and the same is true when talking about water benders.

Wilbur is notoriously perceptive and he possesses instincts when it comes to sussing out people and situations.He's guided by his gut feelings and more often than not his first instinct about a person are dead on.He can get a feel for whether someones intentions are honorable or not just by observing their body language and general demeanor.

Like a river filling in every crevice of its path,Wilbur covers every detail and often picks up on things that others miss.No riverbed is left to dry as the water flows through each and every intricacy.

The water signs are no stranger to emotion, in fact, they often feel things rather intensely.

On one hand,his emotional side can provide him with a lot of insight and wisdom into the human experience which he can even then pass on to others.On top of this,it allows him to be incredibly empathetic which helps him form strong bonds with others.

But sometimes he can get so overcome by his emotions that it feels like a giant tidal wave just hitting him all at once. When he feels overwhelmed like this he can find it tough to think straight and make rational decisions.

Because he is so prone to analyzing absolutely everything he can sometimes overthink things a little too much and make life more complicated for himself then it needs to be.He has a bad habit of coming up with problems and obstacles in his mind that don’t actually exist or aren’t nearly as bad as he's talked himself into them being.

Sometimes you might catch Wilbur acting withdrawn or shy but the truth is he's probably just deep in thought and mentally a million miles away.He often finds his thoughts are racing at a million miles an hour and that he's powerless to do anything about it.

Just like a bustling river,Wilbur can be a bit wishy washy and kinda all over the place… especially when it comes to making important decisions.Too many options can sometimes leave him overwhelmed and struggling to make any decision at all.

He's also known for being easily distracted and can go from paying close attention in one moment to being totally away with the fairies the next.He doesn't do it out of rudeness he just can’t help himself sometimes!

Wilbur has a very private and mysterious side,he doesn’t like to reveal all of his cards at once.He's known for putting up walls and can be particularly guarded when he's around people he doesn't trust.

From time to time he needs space to himself to think and unwind. As much as he loves his friends and family there’s just some times where he's gotta have some alone time to spend by himself.

Wilbur sure has a unique way of looking at the world. His perspective combined with his vivid imagination makes him naturally gifted in music or anything involving a creative flare.He is a dreamer at heart whose ideas aren't limited by pesky rules or conventions.

He has a big musical talent,his voice is a perfect balance between rough and velvety.It's not too high and not too low,not too loud and not too quiet.The moment he strums his guitar strings he can wrap anybody around his finger.

Wilbur is emotionally manipulative.He can make you feel bad for something you didn't even do.He can make you regret things or certaint actions that aren't supposed to make you feel regretful.He will only use this "talent" of his in a worst case scenario.If you ever hurt his friends or loved ones he will make your life a living hell,wouldn't even wonder if you never decided to show your face to the public ever again.

Techno's and his relationship is wonderful.Wilbur has helped Techno so much to open up more and come out of his shell.They both enjoy the peaceful and quiet times in their life.Reading,going on walks or strolling along the beach while watching a sunset is just some of the many things they love doing together.He isn't as close to Techno like Phil is but he is close second. He sees him as his older and stronger brother who will always be there for him when he needs him.Honestly the two of them have such a beneficial dynamic <3

Now Tommy's and Wilbur's interactions are something absolutely opposite.When the two of them spent time together,they become these chaotic and annoying siblings that go around town and fuck with people. There was this one time where they flooded a barn which belonged to Phil's neighbors and the two reckless idiots ran away laughing.Sure Tommy steals Phil's stuff all the time or uses it without permission but Wilbur,just like Techno,is very overprotective of Tommy.If he finds out that somebody hurt Tommy in any way or made fun of him he will beat them up. Literally he will call in Techno for help to go and pay the little fuckers who messed with Tommy a visit.The only ones who are allowed to tease and bully Tommy are Techno and Wilbur,no one else.

Phil and Wilbur have some of the best moments when spending time with eachother.Not only is Phil a great source of reassurance and comfort but he knows that Phil will seal his mouth shut if Wilbur speaks to him about his insecurities and problems.He loves that Phil listens to him and never judges him about anything. Like the other two Wilbur sees Phil as a father figure. A great and inspiring role model he can look up to.

He likes to collect sea shells and old treasures he finds scattered over the sand at the beach.He doesn't like swimming or diving,which is really unrealistic to not only other water benders but benders in general.It's not that Wilbur is scared,he simply likes to admire it from the shore.He will do it from time to time must mostly he will just sit down and let his legs and feet rest in the cold liquid.

I can imagine that when he was a kid he used to pretend to be a pirate.He still has his old eye patch and hook that were part of his costume.Now,even after thirteen years he still likes to go up to the harbor when the fishermen arrive with a freshly caught catch and watch the ships glide across the indigo waves.

Tommy Simons - Earth:

"Earth materials are vital resources that provide the basic components for life, agriculture and industry. Earth materials can also include metals and precious rocks."

Tommy is outgoing,energetic and he isn't afraid to speak up and share his thoughts with others.A very openminded and positive guy.He always looks on the bright side of every situation he finds himself in.

He is down to earth.He doesn't believe in having dreams,he only believes and accepts things the way they are and how they are portrayed in his eyes.

People don't realize it but they are seriously underestimating Tommy.When you first see him you don't expect him to have good strategies and the ability of leadership like Techno clearly has.But that's the thing.One of the many things Tommy picks up while being in a friendship with the fire bender is experience.Techno will lazily teach the young earth bender how to protect himself and lead a team. Without Techno's guidance Tommy would have been in trouble countless times.So you could say that Techno is Tommy's mentor :)

He's a great mood booster!If there is awkward tension in a room or between others he will make it up by just being there and doing what Tommy does the best, brighten up the atmosphere!He will start random conversations and just try to get everyone else to do something fun like play a game or watch a movie.

Techno may help Tommy with things like self defense and how to establish dominance but the earth bender helps him with his potato farming!He will hurry up the process of their growth and make sure they are perfect before they are harvested.He keeps track of the amount of soil and vitamins the earth their roots grow in receives.

Speaking of Techno's and his relationship: The two of them are so close it's insane.They do everything with eachother!They train,upgrade their skills in bending and fighting,they go out to eat or have a drink,they go around town and fuck things up-the two of them are huge pranksters.Tommy always tries to prove himself infront of Techno and impress him in any way.Tommy loves spending time with Techno,the blond earth bender admires him in so many different ways- They don't have to be doing much together,it can be mindless talking or simply being in the same room.

Wilbur and Tommy are ehhh- special?On one side they are funny and entertaining together but on the other side they can be insulting eachother with such vulgarity that you could think they are about to commit murder any moment.Tommy talks so much shit about Wilbur.If you're dumb enough and actually choose to listen to him,he will ramble on about how Wilbur thinks he's so smart and good with the ladies- Yoo would think that after trash talking him that Tommy hates Wilbur's guts but it's the opposite!!If he catches you talking bad about Wilbur behind his back he will call Techno and they will hunt you down.

Tommy like everyone else sees Phil as his very caring and cool dad!Phil somehow always finds out about all the shit Tommy does and he gets scolded for it.Like most people,if Tommy ever has a problem he's dealing with or he's in a uncomfortable situation,Phil is the first person who crosses his mind and therefore the one he turns to.

The way Tommy goes around their town and picks fights with others is so stupid.At the end he comes home with bruises and wounds all over his skin.One time his best friend Toby brought him to Phil with a bloody nose and Phil's reaction was screeching-

He is extremely curious and stubborn.He doesn't really think before he acts and dives into unknown things he's not familiar with head first.Techno is the one who laughs at him and teases him about how clumsy he is.

Earth benders keep it real. They are the “grounded” people on the planet, the ones who bring us down to earth and remind us to start with a solid foundation. Slow and steady, these “builders” are loyal and stable, and stick by their people through hard times. On good days, they’re practical; at worst, they can be materialistic or too focused on the surface of things to dig into the depths.

Hope you enjoyed this au!!I am currently writing MULTIPLE stories and au's so bare with me guys!I don't like working fast becouse my work afterwards doesn't feel completed:( I hope all of you have a wonderful day/night <3 Love ya!!!

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gofancyninjaworld · 4 years

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Why do you think Genos isn't weak? I agree that he can fight monsters but he won't stand a chance against strong monsters. He has been with Saitama for the longest time but he never learned anything. His naivety is the reason why he is weak, he is still consumed by the "normative awareness". His reaction to Amai Mask's transformation is a proof of that. His mindset never grew. He respects Saitama but does not understand him, which is why he is weak.

Please let me apologise in advance. First, this is long. Second, I do have a lot of thoughts.

Yeah, But

There isn’t a character in this series where the fanbase disagrees with the writer so deeply as this guy. When interviewed, ONE insouciantly said ‘Genos is rather strong, even for a Class S hero,’ and fans went, ‘huh? You could have fooled us!’ It’s not without cause. No matter how well his fights go, ONE always makes sure that we can append an asterix to it, that we can go yeah, but*

Right from the get go, every victory is downplayed. He thrashed Armored Gorilla, but we had no idea how strong Armored Gorilla was. Not for many, many chapters, until a much-shrunken, unarmored Armored Gorilla killed a tiger-level monster with one punch. He clears a city and defeats two troublesome demon-level monsters in a matter of minutes? Yeah, but look at the state of his arms and oh! see, see, he just got flattened by that other monster! Bang needs to save Garou from his clutches? Yeah, but what if Garou was well? He’s turning monster after monster into Cubist expressions without getting a speck of blood on him? Yeah, but it’s not like we can see what’s going on – the camera pans everywhere else. He does the unbelievable against Elder Centipede? We start going wow, followed quickly by – yeah but the monster regenerated, he’s fated to always lose. He destroys G-5 without effort? Oh My GAWD! The Honour of Atomic Samurai [1] Has Been Besmirched! (me: huh how does that follow? No, don’t explain – I do understand. Because Genos is seen as weak, if he does what another character couldn’t, then it’s seen as a disgrace to the other character, not an achievement for him.)

battle without honour – if he beat Garou, then he’s a bully, if he didn’t, then he’s a wimp

Of course, the converse is also true. If Genos is having a bad time, the camera lingers in 4K with extra slow-mo. And if the action switches, like when he went from struggling against G-4 to working out how to shut the robot’s lasers down and pull it into punching range, the camera pans away, returning only to feast on the grisly aftermath.

The final clincher is Genos himself, who never reacts with the slightest sense of celebration or triumph no matter how well a fight goes. His lack of joy in fights is something that ONE has emphasised to Murata. Being able to celebrate with characters is half the joy of watching them fight.

by contrast, hell yeah, Metal Bat! The story leaves no room for doubt that Metal Bat’s to be found awesome. And he is! :)

The reason I go into all this is that I get it: Genos is presented to us in a way that gives us cause to doubt his strength. In that, he’s like the opposite of Saitama, who is presented to us so we can have no doubt as to his strength, but to the internal audience in a way that keeps raising doubts in their minds.

But Genos is strong. He’s physically very strong, very fast, and versatile. And he’s far less fragile than he is popularly made out to be. There is no reason he shouldn’t be able to take on very strong monsters, subject to match up (like almost every other hero [2]). However, ONE will make damn sure that Genos does not get to appreciate how much more powerful he has grown. What’s it going to be? What’s it going to take this time to knock down Demon Cyborg? Are several cadre going to attack him at the same time? Or will the super-insane monster that looks like the lovechild of Smaug, better-looking Sauruman and a hydra perched at the top of the mile high tower do him in first? What’s going to *keep* him down? Place your bets, folk: the outcome is sure to be gruesome.

Which actually brings me directly to addressing your assertion: “…but he won’t stand a chance against strong monsters.“ Because it presupposes that Genos MUST be weak, any monster he defeats can’t possibly be strong. A more honest rephrasing would be ‘I’m not prepared to accept that any monster that Genos could defeat is strong.’

No mental growth? Really?

That’s the physical part. Let’s go onto mentality. Annoyingly, I have to treat the manga and webcomic as separate entities at this point. If you like the detail, I’ve written an extensive side-by-side comparison essay: link. You can skip it for this answer. :)

You know what would have made me think Genos weak? If Saitama’s fears for what might be happening to him the morning he caught up with Garou had come true:

Before Elder Centipede showed up, Genos had told Garou that he’d finally begun to understand what Saitama had been saying to him about strengthening his spirit. And then ONE put that to the test when he put Genos in the worst pinch the latter had ever been in: chopped in half and about to be devoured by a monster, with the only heroes watching those who’d proved impotent [3] to do anything to the monster. Instead of giving up the way he had against Mosquito Girl, Genos dug deep and not only saved himself, but counter-attacked and burned the monster from stem to stern. That is excellent: there is no place for a character who cannot find self-efficacy in a pinch.

Without doubt, Genos has further to go, but in the manga it is wilful blindness to claim that he hasn’t developed mentally.

Now, let’s move onto the webcomic.

Even though ONE has done far less with his character in the webcomic than he has in the manga, Genos is back and fighting when most of his classmates are still rolling on the ground, unable to come to terms with losing. There is a real strength to getting up again and moving forward.

It’s not that Genos doesn’t have any doubts: he does. From his crushing realisation that he had made a mistake in giving up his human body to asking if he can really become stronger by changing his parts, Genos is very aware of a sense of stagnation and appears very worried by something. But still, he’s not giving up and he’s not stopped looking to make progress.

even as Saitama despairs of being able to help, he cannot fault Genos for his determination

Still, why cheer for a loser?

There’s a real cognitive dissonance in fans who praise to the high heavens and write as inspirational Saitama’s words to keep trying and moving forward, no matter what, and yet are happy to mock Genos for doing exactly that.

There’s no honour for you if you laugh at characters taking Saitama’s advice

It’s amazing. Does anyone imagine that before Saitama became too strong, he never failed? Really? Saitama himself will disagree with that! Sometimes success looks like reaching the summit of a mountain, but often, it’s only visible in the rearview mirror. We saw it took Saitama a long time to finally accept that yup, he was just the strongest.

Something I came to realise a while back, people say they love seeing struggle, but real fights don’t sell well in mass media (yes, I have more extensive thoughts on this, here). We like the struggle, but we want the assurance that the underdog has something in their favour that will guarantee that we’re backing a winner. At one level, we know we’re just watching *how* Garou is going to succeed… at least until Saitama body-checks him to great dramatic effect.

Goodness knows that everything is arranged against Genos and success. I’m sure you’ll have no trouble recounting most of them:

His lack of a biological body to train up.

His dependence on a mechanical body with its set in stone limitations.

His dependence on the cleverness and resources of others.

His lack of innate talent or heritage (and if he had any, they’ve long since been binned).

His stubborn persistence on a pathway we’re sure cannot possibly succeed.

His mentality, which is getting better, but isn’t there yet.

His persistent psychological problems that put him at high risk of turning into a monster instead.

The unresolved mysteries surrounding him, which make lots of fans think there’s a devastating revelation at hand from which he cannot recover.

And oh, he’s not the most likeable or relatable character out there. It shouldn’t be a factor, but it totally is.

And yet, Genos hasn’t stopped moving forward. No idea how far he’ll get, but so far, Genos has not set himself a limit to the number of times he’s willing to get himself up and try again. Not only that, he’s raised his sights higher, not lower.

For that and more, I’m not only happy to call Genos strong, but I’m willing to follow along with him however far or short his journey ends up being.

The risk of heartbreak is worth the excitement of seeing a real fighter working out his uncertain destiny.

no one can accuse him of lacking ambition. Gambatte!

Asides

[1] I know there’s a meme going round about Atomic Samurai being weak, but it’s as much in jest as the one about King being strong. Anyone believing Atomic weak has piss-holes for eyes.

[2] There’s a reason Phoenixman highlights four heroes in particular – Blast, Tatsumaki, Metal Knight and King (Saitama). They’re the heroes who are so strong that they’ve broken out of the tyranny of match up. Everyone else has something they can’t deal with.

[3] You’re calling two old men impotent? Have you no shame?! In general, no, I haven’t much shame. In this specific instance, it is entirely warranted.

#OPM #meta #asks #replies #Genos #long answer #fandom #aren't you sorry you asked? :)#the trouble with feats is that it makes one very easily led by the presentation #if Genos gets what he wants and stays human #especially if he grows strong #just watch how many people will jump on the bandwagon of 'always having been a fan'#and will look for inspiring quotes to put up #I'm only slightly cynical why?

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spectralreplica · 4 years

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So I loved your response on who would be most likely to witch out in the PMMM/DR v3 au, but id love to ask, what did they all wish for? (Bonus: Also did those wishes backfire?)

So, these are my thoughts for right now, but if I actually planned more of the “story” for this AU, some of them might change. For some of them I kind of cheated and came up with the power first, but in my defense it’s hard to come up with wishes without having planned more of the plot, since Kyubey tries so hard to get people to make spur of the moment wishes during times of stress.

Kokichi: I see him as totally paranoid (rightfully so) over how Kyubey’s trying to trick him but still obsessing for weeks over the perfect phrasing for a wish just in case, and then suddenly a witch traps him and DICE in a Labyrinth and he ends up contracting with a totally spontaneous wish. Something like “saving my friends” or “being strong enough to protect my family.” For maximum irony, he’d end up with powers that get stronger when fighting with/to protect others but keep trying to fight alone anyway due to not trusting other magicals and not wanting to put DICE in danger. He’d also tell people he wished for other things like, “to rule the world from the shadows,” or “an infinite supply of scarfs.” As for backfiring, he does save everyone that one time, but they’re in more danger since other magicals end up targeting them when Kokichi poaches from their territories, plus they’re in the line of fire if/when he witches out.

Kaito: Like in the game, Kaito is terminally ill and wishes for something along the lines of “being healthy enough to achieve his dreams,” but he totally lies and says he wished for something like “being strong enough to help others.” He gets the power to temporarily boost other people’s powers and/or make their bodies regenerate from wounds. He kind of avoids using the healing part at first because it’s a little suspicious with his alleged wish and then pretends it’s a thing he’s been practicing. It doesn’t really go bad for him, and I don’t think he’d regret making the wish, even when he finds out about the Soul Gems controlling your body thing. Maybe when he realizes there are no witches in space? But even then I think he’d be in denial…

Shuichi: Shuichi ends up involved in a really serious case and just can’t find the piece that ties it all together even though everyone is counting on him. At the height of his anxiety, Kyubey approaches him, and he wishes to find the truth. He basically gets super intuition/lie detection with a (mental) visual interface sort of like the DR trials (truth bullets plus the mini games). This creates drama with certain other magicals who are hiding something (cough, Kokichi and Kaito) and makes him doubt his skills since he’s relying on magic to cheat.

Maki: Still an orphan, still approached by a cult, but then approached by Kyubey. She wishes that the cult would never bother anyone at the orphanage again, and they all end up arrested, dead, or mysteriously vanished. She basically gets the power to make things/people “go away” to a pocket dimension only she can access, and this makes other people sort of forget those things/people exist while they’re inside. She sees her wish as a necessary sacrifice, like her becoming an assassin in canon, so she is Not Happy when Kyubey approaches some of the other orphans.

Kaede: Honestly not sure???? She doesn’t really have anything in her backstory that would be a catalyst for Kyubey to approach her, so I see it as more of a random chance, situation-based thing, like Madoka healing the cat. Maybe she was trapped in a Labyrinth and wished for the power to fight survive, or to save a friend? Just know it’s not related to her piano playing. That’s all practice, and she likes it that way.

(Joke answer: Kaede gets super mad at someone from a distance and wishes she could slap them across the face for being an idiot. She gets the power to telekinetically smack anything around from across the room.)

Himiko: Intrigued by the idea of real magic but not intrigued by the idea of having to fight witches. Ends up wishing for her mentor to be more popular. Not as mind-controlly as Kyoko’s wish; basically, people just find him really cool and talented and can’t look away from his shows, but they don’t like, form a cult? Sort of derails her own career as a magician (both because the audience likes her mentor more and because she has to sneak off and fight witches) and doesn’t really fix the problems in their relationship, but he doesn’t leave and never return. Anyway, she gets the power to make herself and anyone she touches more or less noticeable/popular. Really good for stealth or drawing aggro. Also for convincing people to do her favors.

Tenko: She recently moved to the city after living in a temple since she was a child, and is finding it hard to adjust. One night, when she’s out acting as a “hero of justice” like her Master taught her and preventing a suicide, she ends up trapped in a Labyrinth and saved by Himiko. She ends up really, really attached and sort of accompanies her on hunts for a while until something goes wrong, and she ends up wishing to protect Himiko. She ends up with sort of a sense when Himiko needs help and is really good at putting up shields/barriers.

Miu: Still in a bad car crash leading to a coma, butthe surgery doesn’t go as well. Kyubey approaches her in the hospital right after she’s been told she’s facing permanent brain damage. She almost wishes to put her brain back to normal but then decides, why stop there? She wishes to be a genius with a super-brain that can solve any problem, and ends up with super inspiration, mostly aimed at turning any materials around her into an invention that will help her. She can use magic to substitute for missing materials and speed up the development time, but this uses a lot of magic at once, and the finished product won’t work for anyone else. Freaks out when she learns her body is now essentially hardware, but then she realizes the possibilities for improving things… Then everyone else freaks out.

Gonta: Still a feral child who got lost in the woodsand was sort of raised by wolves (not reptites, sorry), but this affects his ability to learn language and social skills much, much more severely than in canon. Wishes for the ability to understand others, which makes him fluent in all languages and sort of an empath. Also, because he sees animals as sort of on the same level as humans, this extends to animal languages in addition to human ones. Being able to speak and mimic “good manners” improves others’ opinions of him and his intelligence, but being able to feel how his birth family really feels about him is so upsetting that he eventually ends up running away and staying with Miu and Kiibo.

Kiibo: Lives with Miu. Does not remember his wish, but he has powers, so he has to have made one? Probably human. I’m still sort of torn over his backstory, but I’m kind of leaning towards a Hijiri kind of situation, where he was created by someone else’s wish. Or magic (cough, Miu.)

Ryoma: Wishes to get revenge on the mafia that killed his family and girlfriend. Basically gets enhanced strength and a sort of sense of where all of the members are. I sort of went over how his wish ends up in the other post…

Korekiyo: Wished to cure his sister’s illness and got healing powers. Currently traveling the world to observe other magicals. Like the other cult members, offers to use his powers for a price (usually Grief Seeds or information).

Angie: Starts out living on an isolated island andacting as a priestess/oracle, but begins to doubt her own abilities/connection to her god because natural disasters are getting worse and more people are leaving. She sort of interprets Kyubey as a messenger from her god and wishes to know what’s really going on/get a better sense of her destiny. She gets the power to predict the future as long as she is personally involved. She has to actively focus on a question (What happens if I do this?) or a goal (I want to achieve this) and she’ll see the most probable path. This really elevates her sense of self-importance, and makes it much easier to make others see things her way. It doesn’t prevent a tsunami from destroying her home and making everyone leave, at which point she meets Tsumugi and Kirumi.

Tsumugi: Her life isn’t bad, but she doesn’t like herself that much and feels empty and unfulfilled until she comes across the existence of actual magical girls (well, one in particular). Like an anime come to life! Tsumugi wishes for the ability to become someone else (yes, I know this was Rena’s wish too…) and gets the power to transform into other people. If they’re a magical, she can also copy a limited, weaker version of their powers.

Rantaro: Wishes to find all of his sisters and gets the ability to track people. He has an inherent sense where each of his sisters is and their general emotional state, but he can also apply this power to other people if he focuses. It works from anywhere in the world and can be based on a photograph, but it works best when the person is close by (from a country away he knows they’re alive and northwest from him, from a building away he knows they’re sitting in a chair in the back corner of the back bedroom and feeling excited but a little nervous) and he’s met them in person. He quickly discovers that tracking a sister down once doesn’t mean she’ll stay “found” and go home. Some of them also want to travel, others have bad senses of direction and always get lost again, some find his new knowledge of where they are and how they feel super creepy and avoid him, and at least one became a magical girl already… He probably finds out about the witch thing first…….

Kirumi: Part of a family that’s been serving animportant, rich family (maybe Rantaro’s? for maximum irony?) for generations. She’s been trained to dedicate her whole life to serving others and has no real prospects outside of eventually becoming head maid and training her own children to replace her. Meets Angie and Tsumugi and is immediately drawn in by Angie’s message. Wishes for the ability to instantly transport herself and others and gets the ability to teleport to any location she’s seen (photos count). It gets harder the more people she takes along, the longer the distance, and the less detail she knows about her destination. She tells everyone—and herself—that she lives to serve and wished for a convenient power to better serve the group’s needs, but she secretly wanted to escape really badly for her own sake too.

#Ask #Anon #Long Post #DRV3/PMMM AU #Anonymous

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chemicalmagecraft · 4 years

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The Gamer Hero, Deku Chapter 21

Tsu groaned, then rubbed her eyes. "This isn't Ochako-chan's..." She picked her head off my shoulder and looked at the seats next to us. "Where did Ochako-chan and Kacchan go? What happened?"

"You fell asleep after Todoroki gave an overly-forceful display of his Quirk and I thought it would probably be better if you were allowed to sleep it off," I said. "It's almost time for their match."

She hummed. "Do you mind telling me what happened while I was out?"

"Oh yeah, sure. First there was Kaminari versus Shiozaki, from class 1-B." Tsu nodded. "Kaminari shot a lightning bolt at Shiozaki, which she blocked with her vines before tangling Kaminari up. Kaminari managed to make some sort of... lightning buzzsaw, but Shiozaki just wrapped him up in more vines until he stopped. After that it was Iida versus Hatsume."

"Wasn't she the support course girl you teamed up with?" Tsu asked.

"Yeah that's her. Their fight was..." I tried to think of how best to describe it. "It was interesting. A little on the long side, though..."

"What happened, kero?"

I chuckled a bit. "Well... Hatsume kinda took the thing over as a sort of advertisement for her support gear, then forfeited the match when she was done..." Tsu snorted. "Yeah... Then it was Ashido against Aoyama. Ashido managed to take out Aoyama's belt, but lost still when Aoyama shot her with a laser. He looked uneasy afterwards, though. I think his belt might be needed to stabilize his Quirk..."

"That's not good."

I nodded. "Next was Yaoyorozu and Tokoyami. Yaoyorozu made a shield, but Tokoyami overwhelmed her pretty fast. Finally, Kirishima versus Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu from 1-B."

"I might be thinking of someone else, but aren't their Quirks the same?"

I shrugged. "Similar, but not the same. There are definitely differences between making your skin hard and making your skin metal. That being said, though, the two of them looked like they were pretty evenly matched, so their fight also dragged on for a bit."

"Who won?"

"When they figured out that they would draw in a physical match, they started using magic. Turns out Kirishima is slightly better at earth magic that Tetsutetsu."

She tapped her chin. "And now it's about to be Kacchan against Uraraka-chan, right?"

"Yeah."

She looked a bit excited. "This is going to be so anime."

I laughed. "I know, right?"

Tsu sighed. "It's a good thing I woke up when I did..."

"Yeah," I agreed. "Maybe you should get some kind of heating system in your costume? I know that that thing on Todoroki's back on his hero costume heats him up when he gets too cold."

"I was thinking about asking the support company for something like that for the winter."

"It's probably not a bad idea to get it as soon as you can. I mean, you did just pass out from an ice Quirk..."

She nodded. "Fair enough. I'll talk to Shōta about it when all this is over."

"And now!" Mic-sensei shouted. "Here we have the last match of the first round, and it sure seems like a doozy!"

"On one side we have Bakugou Katsuki, Quirk Explosion," Aizawa-sensei said. "On the other, Uraraka Ochako, Quirk Zero Gravity. They both have powerful Quirks and potent magic to back them up."

"Watch out for debris, folks, 'cause the arena is totally getting wrecked!"

I looked at Kacchan and Uraraka's levels as they walked to the arena.

Megalo Strike Back

LV 44

Uraraka Ochako

The Phoenix

LV 45

Bakugou Katsuki

I activated Hawkeye, because I did not want to miss anything.

xoxoxo

Bakugou grinned as he regarded his opponent. "No holdin' back, right Uraraka?"

Uraraka nodded, finishing up her stretches. "Not at all!" The dust by her feet stirred slightly.

Bakugou punched his palm, a small explosion escaping from his fist. "This might be your only round, but like hell it won't be a round to fucking remember!"

Uraraka got into a fighting stance, Bakugou following suit. "Thanks, but bold of you to assume I'll lose!"

"Right, I want you two to remember that there are spectators, so try not to hit the stands with too many giant rocks," Midnight said. "And remember that you should probably try to avoid killing or otherwise permanently harming your opponent. It goes without saying, yes, but I've seen you both wreck things, so better to be safe than sorry."

"I got it, I got it," Bakugou assured her.

"Right, let's do this!" Uraraka shouted, fire in her eyes.

"Okay. Begin!" Both combatants exploded with power on cue, Bakugou a raging fire that caused the ground under him to glow red and Uraraka a pink aura that cracked the concrete like a hammer blow, the resulting debris floating into the air weightlessly. Uraraka shot her hand out in front of her, shooting the rocks at Bakugou. He erected a wall of fire that exploded the chunks of concrete before Fire Dashing at Uraraka. When he was right in front of her, he tried to explode her. Uraraka blocked, blue sparks dancing across her arms. The force of the explosion hit her, was absorbed by her arms, and released back at Bakugou, enhanced by a wave of pink magic. The two were blown back, and Uraraka's skin steamed and tore from the backlash. Her sports uniform top was annihilated, though thankfully not the black tank top underneath. A wave of green magic washed over Uraraka as she cast Regeneration.

Bakugou conjured two fireballs and threw them at Uraraka. She countered by throwing a pink ball of mana that sucked up the fire before exploding in front of Bakugou. Though he blocked the initial explosion, the pink mana clung to him. His eyes widened as the world seemed to shift, and what was behind him moments before was suddenly "down." He managed to recover and start flying before he fell out of bounds, but by then Uraraka was ready with her next trick. She'd laid her hands on the ground, and blue sparks danced across the ground around Bakugou. It shattered, the rubble floating weightlessly for a moment before gravitating towards Bakugou. He cursed, then exploded in a wave of fire that destroyed the rubble. The pink aura around him faded away, and he started to fall to the ground before pivoting in midair to land on his feet. He laughed, then flew at Uraraka again. Uraraka grinned and started flying towards him as well.

They clashed, fire against gravity, releasing waves of force as they rebounded off each other. They smashed against each other a few more times, each time sending shockwaves that cracked the ground beneath them and battered the audience with heavy gales. After their clashes, they flew to opposite sides of the now very ruined arena, floating several meters above the ground. As if by an unheard agreement, they both raised their hands skyward, gathering balls of their preferred element. A few tense seconds passed, Bakugou's fireball growing into a raging typhoon of flames and Uraraka's pink gravity bolt darkening to an almost black color. They simultaneously hurled their attacks at each other. When the two powerful spells clashed the inferno exploded into a blinding sun, while the black hole imploded, drawing in all of the fire and also all of the debris loosened up in their clash. The two attacks merged into a single, blinding point before exploding with the force of a supernova. Even though the two combatants blocked, they were simultaneously launched backwards, thankfully not hitting anyone when they crashed.

Midnight blinked. "Dang. I... guess that's a draw? Midoriya, if you don't mind you should probably make sure neither of them died."

xoxoxo

I gaped. "They're both idiots..." I muttered.

"That was hot..." Tsu croaked.

I turned my head. Oh. Tsu's face was red, and mostly not in a crush blush way. "Are you okay?" I asked. She looked sunburned...

"Water," she muttered, her eyes somehow wider than normal.

I took a few water bottles out of my inventory, then cast Healing Hands and Regeneration on her. Just to be safe, I made a few Regeneration Orbs and placed them on my seat as I got up, and summoned Raine to check on the other spectators. Hopefully nobody was as bad as Tsu, considering we were in front, but... "I'll go check up on the others." I turned to sound and went straight to where Uraraka crashed. Kacchan was probably better off because his Quirk made him resistant to heat and sudden forces as a required side effect of his Quirk, which was why I was prioritizing Uraraka. Thankfully it didn't look like she was too hurt, even though she'd crashed into a wall hard enough to crack it.

"Hey Deku-kun..." she waved weakly.

"Please do not move until I give you the okay," I said, then started poking her leg. It looked like she could feel it. "I don't know how you survived that in one piece."

She grinned. "Shō taught me some body-strengthening magic. It was actually what I based RePulse on." I started healing her. She might not have broken her spine, thankfully, but she had bruises all over her body, especially her back, her skin was torn in several places, and she had so many hairline fractures all over her bones! "Ow, thanks. Did I win?"

"Tie," I said. "Sorry." She winced. "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure that this was the most impressive of the first-round matches. And there's probably going to be a tiebreaker." I finished healing her and offered her a hand. Once I'd helped her up, I said, "Right, I should probably check on Kacchan now," and sound-teleported off.

Kacchan... was somehow barely hurt? I knew he was damage-resistant as a necessity to not tear himself apart with his Quirk, but I didn't think he was that damage-resistant... I was more concerned with the fact that Endeavor was standing over him.

"-was an impressive match, young man," Endeavor said. "I see promise in you."

Kacchan snorted. "Yeah, yeah, ya flamey bastard."

Endeavor glowered at him. "Your attitude, however, could use some work."

"Really?" Kacchan glared at him. "My attitude needs work? Fucking funny coming from you, Mister I-Throw-Firey-Tantrums-Whenever-"

"Kacchan?" I interrupted him. "Even if you feel fine, I should probably take a look at you before you get into a shouting match."

Kacchan bit his tongue. "Fine. Let's go, Deku." He dragged me away from Endeavor, to an exit where we could talk in peace. I still had Sonia throw up a sound barrier, though. "I get it," he sighed. "Don't get him suspicious about what we know."

I healed up the few wounds Kacchan had. "Yeah, but at the same time I don't blame you for getting heated up."

He glared at me. "Was that a fucking pun?"

"Right, you should probably get back to the field." I started to walk off. Kacchan tried to grab me, but my shoulder dissolved before he could grab it.

"Deku get back here you fucker!"

I grinned at him as the rest of my body turned to sound.

xoxoxo

A few minutes later after I'd helped out a few spectators who were in need of water, Cementoss-sensei had formed a table out of cement on an island of restored ground in the middle of the destroyed arena.

"The tiebreaker will be an arm wrestling match!" Midnight-sensei announced. "You may use your Quirks and magic, however you aren't allowed to break the table to throw your opponent off-balance. Get ready!" Kacchan and Uraraka put their elbows on the table and grabbed each other's hands. Their eyes locked, the looks on both their faces intense. "Iiii'm gonna step back a bit..." Midnight muttered. "Begin!" she shouted after getting to what she judged to be a safe distance.

It looked like Uraraka tried to weaken Kacchan by making him heavier, but he used a sort of modified Fire Dash to resist it. He responded by using a jet of fire coming from the back of his hand. Uraraka put up a good fight with what I could now see was some surprisingly heavy-duty strengthening magic that I decided to ask her or Aizawa-sensei about later, but in the end it looked like her increasing Kacchan's weight acted against her...

Kacchan slammed Uraraka's hand into the table, hard enough for the table to shatter, but thankfully it looked like she defended at the last second (causing a secondary shock to further ruin the table) so hopefully her hand wasn't too hurt...

Midnight-sensei blinked and swished her whip. "Well, it looks like the winner is Bakugou Katsuki!"

Kacchan grinned and offered a hand to Uraraka. When he helped her up, I noticed that she winced a bit. I sent a message to Kacchan telling him to go to Shuzenji-sensei and take Uraraka with him.

"Well that was a pretty awesome end to a pretty awesome round!" Mic-sensei shouted. "And after Cementoss is done fixing the arena we'll get on with round two! Give it up for Cementoss, everybody!"

xoxoxo

I walked down the hallway. It was already time for my fight with Todoroki. I took a deep breath and thought over my strategy again. The air chilled slightly as I prepared myself for the match ahead, my breath visible.

"Hello, boy," a voice interrupted my thoughts, and I almost walked face-first into a giant chest.

I flinched and looked up at the flaming man who was standing in front of me. "Todoroki Enji," I said.

"You know, you remind me of All Might," he told me.

I clenched my fist. Even with The Gamer's Mind keeping me level-headed, I was very tempted to punch him in the face. "I'll take that as a compliment," I ground out. "Right, well I think they're expecting me. Good talk." I started to walk away from him.

"You know, my Shōto is meant to surpass All Might."

Ping.

Something inside me... snapped. The air around me became frigid cold as I turned around to glare at him. He flinched. "Listen here," I growled and jabbed my finger at his throat. My eyes felt odd for some reason. "I don't know what the hell you did to Shōto," I lied, "but anyone with eyes and a brain can see that he hates you. Do you know something I was able to pick up from what little he's said to me?" Endea- Enji was shaking. "He thinks of his left side as a curse, and especially after what you just said to me I'm certain that you're the reason why." I turned back around. "I'm going to make Shōto use his left side, but it won't be for you. It'll be for him. Now goodbye." With that said, I stormed off.

While I walked to the exit, I checked out the text box that I heard when I was yelling at Enji. "Huh," I muttered. "That's... interesting, but I don't think I should use without testing it a lot first..."

A skill has been created by unlocking one of the hidden Quirks of One For All! By directing your wrath at a deserving target, the skill 'Fear' has been created!

xoxoxo

And some of you guys thought Deku was the most overpowered of his classmates. Okay well he is but even with more than one bullshit Quirk the gap isn't insurmountable... yet. Oh, and this doesn't have anything to do with BNHA or GHD (so feel free to disregard), but a friend of mine is setting up a sort of D&D-ish roleplay thing on Discord and it seems like it'll be a lot of fun but as of writing this we don't exactly have many people... If you're interested, the Tumblr URL is heroes-of-nevia. Please at least take a look at it!

#bnha #bnha fanfiction #fanfiction #The Gamer Hero Deku #Gamer Hero Deku #GHD CH21

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darkhymns-fic · 5 years

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Parallels

As a Chosen, Lloyd will be expected to take on the journey to complete the World Regeneration. Of course he would rather stay in the village with Colette and live his life alongside her.

At the very least, he could give her something to remember him by.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters/Pairings: Lloyd Irving/Colette Brunel, Raine Sage, Genis Sage, Dirk Rating: G Mirror Links: AO3 Notes: This was written for @frayed-symphony for a Secret Santa exchange! This fic was based off her Chosen Lloyd concept which she has drawn fantastic art for (here and here). I’m so glad I was given the opportunity to write something for you and for this idea also! (And over 8000k, I’m sorry haha). You’ve been an awesome friend and this story is just a small way of saying thank you!!

Lloyd

On one of Lloyd’s past birthdays – 14 to be exact – Colette had seemed surprised that he was getting her a present instead.

“But, it’s your birthday! I should be getting you something…” Although she couldn’t take her eyes off the little carving of a doggy figure he was just finishing up. They were far from the Church, far from Colette’s house even, in a part of Iselia’s forests where few others would stumble upon them. At least not yet.

“Hm, I don’t really care about my birthday that much,” he said once, and maybe that had already been too much. But just then, he had just finished his gift, remembering what the dwarf had taught him when the pastors weren’t paying attention. “And it’s more fun making stuff for you!”

He would never forget the way Colette’s eyes lighted up. How happy she seemed to be at one of his first attempts at crafting. But as long as Dirk kept visiting the church, and as long as Colette kept being his friend, he wanted to give her even more.

In the distance, they heard some voices call out to Lloyd. Although not by his name.

“Ah, I’m sorry,” Colette said then. “I hope I don’t get you in trouble.” She held the doggy statue safely in her palms.

Chosen, Chosen One the wind kept repeating. Lloyd shook it away.

He took her hand then, the one free of the statue, and smiled. “Hey, if you want to get me a present, you should take me exploring! I don’t think we’ve done much of it lately.”

Colette had smiled too, gripping the boy’s hand tight. Once they rushed away from the voices, Lloyd had sometimes imagined that they were both running away from those voices forever…

“Chosen! Chosen One!”

Lloyd had been trying to work on the necklace for the past three weeks, but there was always something interrupting him. The knock on his door, along with the insistent calling, was just another one of those.

He instantly put away his tools and the nearly finished necklace in a small tin box. Doing it fast enough while also not scratching up the jewelry proved to be a bit challenging, and he probably just made more noise that way. He could already hear the pastor grumbling outside his door. “J-just a minute!” he called out, going to a nearby cabinet.

“Chosen, this is the fourth time this week you have been late for your lessons. Punctuality is highly important-”

“Yeah, yeah, no problem!” Lloyd was trying to fasten up his outfit. It always felt so stiff and hard to move around in, but just getting away with the shirt and pants he slept in never cut it. (He tried). Once everything was set, he finally opened the door, totally not looking like he had been up half the night working on his project. “Okay, I’m set!”

Even after a lifetime of being at the Church, he never knew how to talk to the pastors, always so proper and formal in their speech. The old man looked at Lloyd with a certain air of disapproval – just a little bit, for he was still to be the savior of their world after all. He inclined his head slightly to Lloyd, maybe too much. Lloyd thought the big hat he wore would fall off from the action, and even shifted a little to catch it if it did.

“You’ve been doing so well lately in your memorization of the scriptures, Chosen. It would be beneficial of you to simply focus on that than on other, less vital pursuits.”

…Crap, did the old man already find out what he’d been doing? Lloyd shifted nervously on his feet, which probably didn’t help his image. “I just overslept a little! Sleeping is pretty important!”

The pastor didn’t argue, because it was frowned upon to argue with the Chosen. A little loophole that Lloyd had found out about when he was little, and may have used it to his advantage numerous times.

Well, until his dad got involved.

Lloyd pushed that thought aside and was more or less nudging the pastor away from his room’s door to get going. “Anyway, uh, let’s go! Got a lot of books to get through!” And man, was there a lot of books. He could read fast and well with all the years of book-reading he was forced to do. Not like he enjoyed it, but what else could he do?

“My, I must apologize then, Chosen. It is good to see you eager for a lesson!”

Lloyd put on a big smile until the pastor turned away to head for the stairs. Once unseen, he was back to frowning. The old man really was old and had not noticed Lloyd had long stopped following him. The Chosen watched him descend the steps, then leaned back against the wall, sighing so deeply it pulled at his chest.

Was there really a point in having more lessons?

As a Chosen, there wasn’t much Lloyd was allowed to do, and there weren’t many places he was allowed to go either. He was salvation itself, so he needed to be safe, and to stay safe, he needed to remain within the Church at nearly all times until he went to school. Going to school had always been something he’d look forward.

But as time passed, it was getting harder to enjoy much of anything.

Anything except the necklace, which he had been working on day and night – whenever the priests weren’t paying attention. At the very least, he could leave something behind for her, hoping that was enough.

And… if he had to choose, he would rather go through all this than anyone else… He imagined briefly of another dealing with the role of Chosen and it only made the ache inside him worse.

It was better this way.

Down the stairs’ corridor, he could hear the confused mutterings of the priest. He rolled his eyes and quickly followed after. Just something he would have to go through. Again.

…Still, these lessons dealt with way, way too many books.

Living at the Church did have some benefits though.

For one, it was right by the beach, which Lloyd had definitely snuck off to on more than one occasion. Colette had worried if it was okay for him to go, and Genis had worried he would trip against one of the rocks and crack his head open, thus ruining Sylvarant’s one chance at salvation. But that had only nearly happened one time! Making highly detailed sand castles with Colette, and burying a napping Genis in the sand, were things he didn’t ever want to trade away for just being safely cooped up in his room.

Another was that he got to see Dirk a whole lot.

Just after another mind-numbing book lesson, he made his way down to the atrium, the place more wide, the walls helping reverberate the sounds of his footsteps. He was glad to see the dwarf there, already setting up another work sculpture of Martel. Or maybe it was Mithos? Lloyd still had trouble telling the difference sometimes. He really, really tried to keep that fact hidden from his instructors. It had worked so far!

The dwarf turned to him, his bushy beard hiding half of his face, but not his grin. Hands were on both of his hips, eyes angled up at the boy that was slightly taller than him.

“Ah, Lloyd! Ya look ready to fall asleep on yer feet!”

“Ehehe… I’m fine! Really!” A tiny stumble against one of the pews but Lloyd more or less righted himself up. The dwarf merely shook his head.

“Well! I was just finished with my work. Need anything?”

Sometimes Lloyd wondered what made the dwarf come back here so much. He had been here ever since Lloyd was little, seen much more of him than of… Anyway, he was always traveling around so much, working on crafting commissions, sometimes even bringing back a souvenir he had bought on the road. Lloyd still had some of them; one of the famous Palma Potions from Palmacosta, some pottery from Triet, and even a cool-looking wooden figure of a swordsman! Dirk hadn’t specified where he got that last one, making Lloyd think he had made it himself.

He had thought about asking him many times before. But the years kept passing, and the day for when he would leave was only getting closer. He figured there was really no point in asking now.

Instead, he reached into his pocket, pulling out the necklace he had poured everything into. He held it up for Dirk. “You think this looks any good?”

The dwarf placed a hand on his chin, mock-deep in thought. “Hm, I don’t think that color works on ya.”

“Not for me!”

Dirk laughed loudly, his voice bouncing across the walls of the Church. After so much stress on being quiet within these walls, the dwarf’s laugh was welcome. He held out his hand. “Here, let me see.”

Excited to show off his work, but also worried on being judged, Lloyd gave it to him quickly. “I, uh… kinda had to rush through it this morning. But I think I got the size right this time! And, I didn’t waste the metal like you said and-”

“Hold on a bit, Lloyd.”

“Right, sorry.”

Dirk was holding up the necklace by its chain. The sunlight from the stained windows glinted off its pendant, a deep red jewel embedded in its center. After a brief look, the dwarf was grinning. “Really outdone yourself for this one.” He gathered it back carefully in his palm. “The chain work is strong, and the pendant is much more even this time. Not completely! Still need some work on that.” He handed it back to Lloyd. “She’ll be very happy with it.”

With Dirk’s praise, Lloyd felt something lift off his shoulders. The weight of everything else was still there… but this one thing, it gave him some lightness.

He held the necklace in both his hands before putting it away. “Thanks!”

“Yer welcome, lad. But.. I gather you still have more on your mind?”

Man, was he this easy to read with everyone now? Lloyd shook his head. “Nah, not really. Just bored with the same things, like always.”

“But your training should be giving ya some excitement.” Dirk crossed his arms, finally resting his legs by seating on a nearby stool. “And ya still got that sword I gave ya? The one the priests said was lost?”

Lloyd scratched at his cheek, grinning. “Hey, I did lose it! But then I found it again. Who knew it was under my bed this whole time?”

Dirk grinned back, laughing into his beard. “A shame it was not before they asked me to make you another one to continue with your training. But I suppose it’s good that you have a spare.”

Lloyd nodded at that. “Yep! And, well, can’t leave your other sword to waste. So it’s only better to use both, right?”

Both Dirk’s and Lloyd’s plan for him to use dual blades should have been so see-through, but once Lloyd started training with his double weapons, the priests couldn’t find much to argue with. The Chosen had to know how to defend himself, after all. And… his logic did make some sort of sense to them. Wouldn’t two weapons be better than one?

The dwarf shook his head. “Mighty clever thinking there! I’m sure that will help on your journey.”

The mention of the journey put a dark cloud in Lloyd’s head suddenly. Right. In the end, that was the point of the swords anyway. To protect himself until…

“Also!” Dirk’s voice broke through, and he watched as the dwarf reached around him towards a satchel, bringing it towards the front. “Got my latest commission done! And no worries. The Church will take care of the bill when they see it later.” He handed the folded clothes to Lloyd.

His eyes widened in glee at the design. “You already made it! Nice!”

“Fitting for a master swordsman and a Chosen, right?” Dirk seemed pleased as well. “At the very least, these would help you move around better, and has a place for your swords.”

Lloyd would have gone to hug the dwarf if he could – or if that wasn’t a bit weird. “I’m definitely wearing these from now on!”

Even as Dirk looked very pleased, he stared at Lloyd with another expression, one that Lloyd couldn’t place. “You’ve been doing a lot lately, lad. I hope you remember to rest in between all your work.”

In all fairness, this was a first that he ever heard come from an adult. Usually there was always something do, another thing to learn… “Ah, I’m okay enough. Besides, I’m taking your advice on things!”

“Oh, that so?”

“Yep!” Lloyd nodded. He had his new clothes underneath one arm, standing proudly. “Dwarven vow #4! Don’t depend on others. Walk on your own two legs.” He then grinned, glad he could remember that right! He only knew a few of the vows Dirk had mentioned to him, but some like those stood out. “I’m taking that as my mortal from now on!”

Dirk raised a bushy eyebrow. “Think you mean motto there, lad.”

“…Huh. That does make a lot more sense.”

“I thought ya read a lot.”

“I did! I do! Just, after a while of non-stop reading, all the words start to look the same…”

Still, the dwarf smiled. “Anyway… I’m glad you think my old sayings are of any interest. However, here’s another for ya. Dwarven vow #7! Justice and love will always win!”

“…That doesn’t sound as cool at all!”

It was easy to talk with Dirk, easier than most other adults. His dad sometimes just… well…

He saw the light in the sky in a nearby stained-glass window and flinched a little. “Oh, shoot. I gotta go. I’ll wear these though!” He held up the clothes then made his way back to his room, waving back at the dwarf. “I’ll see ya later!”

“Don’t trip over the stairs again!” Dirk called out, his bellowing voice finding every nook and crevice in the room. The pastors would have hated such a sound, but Lloyd was ecstatic. At least for now.

“…Is that a new outfit?”

Lloyd had been waiting forever for someone to comment on it, and Genis was never one to disappoint. He put his hands on his hips, knowing the euphoria he felt would be brief but trying to take as much as he could. “Yeah! Special tailor-cut for me!”

Genis looked to his Chosen best friend with a curious air. And maybe some suspicion. “Huh. Suits you better. Even those weird suspenders you have seem to work.”

“What do you mean weird?” Lloyd asked with a small frown.

“Nothing! I said they worked. I don’t get those white strips on your collar but… they also work, too.” Genis stared at Lloyd with more thought. “Yeah, this literally wouldn’t look good on anyone else.”

“Remind me to never come to you for compliments.”

Even as the younger boy laughed, Lloyd was grateful for Genis’ honesty. It was hard finding that in most people around him when they spoke with him. It was harder finding that in himself. He pulled at the, high collar in his new outfit, hoping someone else he knew would like it too. Or at least like it enough.

“You haven’t been to school in a while,” Genis hedged. Lloyd had just come back to Iselia as he walked from the Church, both of them meeting right by the schoolhouse. The day was already late, classes long over. Easier this way. Less people to speak with, less incredibly boring phrases to recite. “Chosen duties getting too much for you?”

It was meant as a joke. Lloyd didn’t really have it in him to laugh along to it though. He pulled at his collar, feeling an anxiousness to him that he had been stemming down for so long, but was slowly beginning to rise the past few months. “Just things. It’s nothing really.”

When Lloyd was quiet like, his friends always noticed. Genis raised his head, noting the tone. “Sorry. That was stupid to say.”

“It’s fine. Really!” He grinned, glad that the collar of his new outfit could hide away some of the strain there. “There’s been a lot of things lately anyway. I only had time now to even leave.”

Genis stared a little, but gave Lloyd some relief when his young eyes lost some intensity. “Don’t worry. I won’t tell them you snuck out again.”

“Heh… thanks.”

“Anyway, I know you’re not here to see me.” It was then Genis grinned, much brighter than Lloyd’s, much more hopeful than Lloyd could ever imagine to be. “Colette’s been talking about you all day. I don’t know how or when you got Noishe to deliver her a letter, but she was real happy about it.”

Noishe was his father’s dog first and foremost, but the creature always did him favors. And with Kratos having been gone for so long lately, it just made it easier.

“Shut up,” Lloyd muttered jokingly, and Genis only laughed again, the awkwardness about his duty of being a Chosen momentarily forgotten.

He wished it could be forgotten completely.

When he was younger, Lloyd had always wanted to travel the world, to see what it had to offer. When he was younger, the Church told him that he would someday, and he had looked forward to it, excitement lighting up his mind.

But on his eighth birthday, all that excitement went away.

Lloyd sat on the outskirts of Iselia, the grass around him still a bright green, the sky darkening as the sun began to set. He had been there early – a first for him. But for Colette, he would go the extra mile.

He heard her trip over the ground before he even saw her.

“Ah, s-sorry! I messed up.” He turned, finding Colette brushing away the grass stains from her dress, just a few feet away. Her blonde hair was a bit frazzled from her fall, but she still smiled.

Gloomy thoughts instantly went away at the sight of her.

“You’re such a dork. You didn’t need to rush here, you know.” Still, he couldn’t take his eyes off her as she sat next to him. She was always so cheerful and bright, and it made the world a little less scary to Lloyd when she was near him.

But it also made him feel bitter over the things he would miss as well.

“I know! Just, um..” Colette fiddled with her hands. “It’s been really boring the last few weeks without you. I was so happy seeing Noishe show up to my house! Though I think my grandmother’s sneezes might have scared him a little, sorry.”

“Oh. Oh right! I forgot she’s allergic..” Gah, why did he have to be stupid about these things? That explained why Noishe was all frantic when he came back. Even the sound of a twig snapping put the dog in a panic. “I guess I should have sent a person instead…”

“No, no! I was really glad to get it from Noishe… I missed petting him, hehe.” She pulled in her knees, looking at Lloyd with such curious eyes. “You said you got a new outfit from Dirk! It looks so cool on you!”

“Heh, yeah, it does make me cool, doesn’t it?” He smiled, sitting up straight. “It’s even got the Church of Martel symbol on it, see?” He pointed at his vest. Dirk had suggested it as one way to curb away any disdain from his pastors. With this symbol, it was still Chosen-appointed clothes. And with Dirk’s many, many work contributions to the Church, the pastors couldn’t deny him either. “It’s way better than the robe things they always make me wear.”

Colette nodded. “Yeah! You even have these cute ribbons.” She played with one now, always reaching out to Lloyd with little reserve, and Lloyd always glad she did. He was not someone far off or otherworldly like so many other people would view him as. “Are they meant to do anything?”

Lloyd thought about this. “Um… to make me look cool!” Just saying that made him laugh, and made Colette laugh too. It had been weeks since he felt this relaxed, and happy. It would be weeks that he would not feel this again.

He thought the time away would make him forget, but it only brought everything out in full force.

Lloyd was already handing her the necklace before he thought too hard about it.

Colette stared. “Lloyd?”

“I… I’ve been working on this for a little bit. Just to keep busy.” Just to make the days bearable. “Probably not as good as Dirk does it… but he can’t really teach me stuff for very long because of..”

Colette carefully took the necklace in both hands, eyes shining. “It’s so pretty! You… you always make such beautiful things, Lloyd.”

There was always something in her voice that stopped him, that made him wonder… While Genis and Raine always called him by his name, the way Colette does so was always different. It always pulled at him in a way that was sweet and painful. It had gotten too painful lately. Raine had already let him know today… only a month left before he would need to go.

“Is this really for me?” she asked, surprising Lloyd out of his thoughts.

“Yeah! This can replace the that other one I made for you a few years ago. That was all uneven anyway.”

“Oh, I still have that too… and the doggy figure! It’s still on my bookshelf!”

As Lloyd was momentarily stunned at that information, Colette circled the chain around her neck, the red jewel glinting in the waning sunlight. “I know you have so much to do lately. But I’m so happy!”

Some of that happiness got to him too. He wished he could keep it. “Heh. I wanted to give it you before I-“ He stopped.

“Before you what?”

He had nearly told her then. Lloyd had been trying so hard to keep quiet about things, about what will happen, about what he would have to face. But Colette was looking at him, and suddenly he was ready to tell her everything.

That wouldn’t have been fair though. At least one of them should be happy?

“Before I go on my journey, I mean.” His voice was quieter, which was hard to change. “I’ll probably be gone a while, so I wanted to give that to you first.”

At that, Colette was quiet too. Again, something that made him wonder. She looked ready to ask him a question. He anticipated it, unsure if he could keep lying.

Then she smiled. “I’ll miss you so much.” She kept holding the necklace in her palm, the sun making her hair shine. “I’m glad you wanted to come out here with me today.”

Lloyd wanted to hug her, and he did. That was one thing he would let himself do. He brought her close to his chest with a strong grip, and Colette held him back, her hands holding tight onto his new outfit. He didn’t care if it was wrinkled or whatever.

“Of course I wanted to,” he said softly. Then he pulled back, a smile on his face. “And once I regenerate the world, I’ll come right back again, okay? So don’t worry about anything!”

Colette kept one hand on Lloyd’s arm, while the other clasped the necklace again, pendant going between her fingers. At least, she would have something of him left.

“You don’t have to go back so soon, do you?” she then asked. The sun was nearly past the horizon, and the stars blinked up from their places in the sky. “Maybe, you can tell me what you’ve been doing? Not much happened in the village though.. so I’m sorry if I’m a little boring.”

Lloyd laughed. “Colette, I usually just stay inside and read old books all day. Believe me, nothing is more boring than that. And definitely not you! So no more apologizing, okay?”

If a pastor heard this – if his dad heard this – he’d have been in trouble. The most would have been a stern lecture, but he had heard nothing but lectures for weeks. Colette’s happy voice was such a difference for everything.

He could enjoy things for one day.

Colette was smiling again, looking beautiful as she always did. “Okay!”

So they both sat back, and they talked. Once the sun had long set, they were still seated by each other. Through all that time, Colette had not let go of the necklace. He wanted to keep that image of her for as long as he could.

Colette

“Colette… are you sure this is even the right way?”

Having never been out of Iselia her entire life, Colette didn’t know much about the world or which road led to where – especially to Triet. She sighed within the desert heat. The clothes she wore were different from her usual outfit for school, made of thicker material, with hidden compartments to sheathe away her chakrams. But it was doing her no favors in this sandy place where the sun beat down relentlessly.

“I… I’m not sure. Not anymore, I guess. I’m sorry, Genis.”

Genis sighed too, but out of exasperation. “You really don’t need to apologize… We probably should have brought a map before we left.”

“But, that nice caravan family pointed us to here! I don’t think they would lie to us..”

Genis shrugged. “I know. I’m just saying maybe we shouldn’t have rushed.”

There were a million things Colette could have argued on why they had to rush, but, she kept them to herself. She pulled at her shirt which was getting sticky with sweat, and she checked to see that her chakrams were indeed still on her.

Lloyd had left Iselia the other day. It had been so sudden, before she had time to prepare. Even Raine had not given her any indication that they would leave so soon. Or maybe that was the reason she hadn’t said anything…

“But it is weird, isn’t it?” Genis said aloud, following Colette still. “Lloyd and sis just leaving in the night like that.”

Colette wanted to say what she knew, but Lloyd had kept it a secret for a reason. She didn’t feel comfortable revealing it. Not yet at least. “Yeah,” she simply agreed. “They must have had to go right away.”

“…And Lloyd said you were supposed to go?”

“Uh huh!” She nodded, then giggled. A little difficult with how hot it was, but she managed. “I already told you that, Genis!”

“Yeah… I know.” His tone was low, unconvinced, or really, it could have just been the heat. “Well, sis was obviously supposed to bring me along too. Her and Lloyd really don’t pay attention to things sometimes.”

Colette inwardly sighed, feeling relieved. That was why Genis overlooked her obvious lie – he had one of his own. The people most important to them have left them alone, so there was no choice but to follow. Even if they were probably lost, and very, very dehydrated.

But I have to keep going, she thought to herself. As she plodded through the sands, she felt a familiar weight hitting her chest. She had not taken off the necklace ever since Lloyd first gave her a month ago. Then before his birthday had even come, the Church said he had already gone on his journey.

Colette fervently wanted to be with him, and with barely a word to her family, she had gone, leaving them a letter instead. She hoped her father and grandmother could forgive her.

“Oh! Is that it?” Genis was saying, and though still dizzy with heat, Colette was able to understand what he meant. Because just ahead was a walled city, standing so far apart from the sandy dunes. There were the figures of people walking by its entrance, and before she knew it, Colette was hurrying towards it. Any worries about maybe being a mirage from the desert did not cross her mind.

She heard Genis shouting after her, also giving chase, but she had to find Lloyd. Each day before he left, she had thought about telling him so many things. She knew she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if he had gone and then finished his journey. Once she entered Triet, the amount of market stalls were new to her! People in turbans shifted past her, not minding this pale girl with the light-colored hair. She started to walk off in a random direction, hoping to ask someone if they had seen… the Chosen around. She would have to call him that if they were-

“Lloyd!” she shouted, finding him at the edge of her vision. She hadn’t expected him so soon, seeing the boy to the far side of the plaza, trying to usher in a whining Noishe in one of the stables. He was already looking exhausted doing so. He still had on his new outfit, but now wore belts that held his weapons. She knew of them – it was why she had started using two of her own!

Colette grew excited, waving her arms to him. It took a moment before she saw Lloyd peer through the distance, and then his eyes widened. She started to go to him.

“Lloyd, I-!” And then she had tripped. She tripped so frantically that she had completely turned around, trying her best to avoid surprised passerby. Unfortunately, the only way to avoid them was to go straight into a wall.

She heard Lloyd shout her name back once she finally fell.

“You know… you need to be more careful.”

Colette nodded silently as Lloyd pressed a small bandage on her forehead. It was only a minor scrape, that was what she usually got out of her falls. Although the stall she had fallen into had not been so lucky.

Once Colette had gotten out of the rubble, Lloyd had been rushing to her, eyes wide with surprise. The owner of the stall had been furious, seeing a Colette-shaped wall in his property… until Lloyd tried to calm the man down. There had been murmurs and stutters of the boy being the Chosen.

“Uh, yeah? That’s me,” Lloyd said, still trying to placate the man. “Anyway, she didn’t mean it! Colette just-”

“But why would such a hole be important to the Chosen?” the owner had continued. That had given Lloyd pause, slow in understanding, but then recovering quickly enough to avoid any further trouble.

“Because… it’s an important Church.. landmark?” Lloyd had winced at his own explanation, but no one seemed to notice besides Colette. “Yeah! To mark my pilgrimage… and junk. I, uh, I bless this thing!” He patted against the mark perfectly shaped like Colette’s falling body – the imprint of her arms raised high to try and avoid the inevitable. “It’s really important! It was made by my companion on the journey! So don’t be mad at her or… risk the wrath of Martel! Wait, is that right…?”

Yet even with Lloyd’s shaky explanations, that had been enough to send the crowd surrounding them into gasps of wonder. Soon people were touching the hole in the wall, now blessed by the Chosen, and that was when Lloyd took Colette’s hand and got them out of there fast.

She had seen Genis with a frowning Raine earlier, and wondered dimly if she had only gotten both herself and her friend in trouble. “I’m sorry,” she said, still seated on the chair.

“What? No, it’s fine! Someone would have tripped there sooner or later!” Lloyd had taken her into his room at the inn, worried about any injuries she may have had. “It’s not too bad. Just I guess the Professor should see later and then we can get someone to take you home-”

She knew he had been about to suggest that, and took his hands, gripping them tight. “I’m staying with you, Lloyd.”

She had expected a lot of reactions from Lloyd. Surprised at her determination, confused at why she would do so, and maybe even happy that she would go to him. But she didn’t expect the silence that followed suddenly. He didn’t grip her hands back.

Colette floundered for a moment, then instinctively reached for the necklace he gave her. It was hidden underneath her shirt, but she pulled it out, both to be reassured as well as to show him. “I want to help protect my friend on his journey… I’ve wanted to for a long time! My friend who makes wonderful things like this, and who’s always been kind to me. If I can just repay it back-”

“Colette, I didn’t ask you to come with me.”

She stopped, surprised by the sharpness in his voice. Lloyd blinked, then looked to the side.

“Lloyd, um…”

“I would have told you if I wanted-“ He bit his lip, then sighed. “This journey is supposed to be dangerous.”

Colette also looked away. “I know. That’s why I had to come.” A pause. “You’re mad at me.”

Lloyd dug a hand through his hair. “I’m… Just a little.” He sighed. “I didn’t want you to go through this too.”

Colette tried to search for a correct response. The best she could come up with, “Now you don’t have to be alone with it.”

“I have the Professor with me! Why do you-”

She gripped his hands tight, tight enough for the both of them. “I want to stay by your side, Lloyd! As.. my friend. And… I can help you. I won’t be a burden, I promise.”

“I didn’t… I didn’t say you would be.” She felt him finally hold her hands, at least slightly. “But it would be dangerous, I told you. You don’t even have an Exsphere or anything like it to-”

“I do!” Colette said suddenly. She calmed after. “I mean, I do. Look, it’s…” She rolled up the sleeve covering her right arm, showing a small key crest just on her forearm. It glinted blue, inlaid with polished metal. “I’ve been using this so I can fight off the monsters better.”

Lloyd looked at her Exsphere with complete surprise. “When did you get that?” Exspheres were not common to come by – it was mainly used by Desians or mercenaries.

“I… Dirk made me one. I saw him a while back and asked him if he could make me something. I told him I wanted to help you and he seemed really happy to do it.”

“…So.. he just had Exspheres lying around? He never told me!”

Colette blinked. “Oh. He said he’d been carrying one around for a long time.. It was the only one he had. I didn’t… ask him for an Exsphere exactly. Just if he had something that could help me.”

Lloyd continued to look surprised, confused, and a little betrayed. “But where would he just find one?” he asked, mainly to himself.

Colette wasn’t thinking about that now. She rolled down her sleeve, looking to Lloyd sternly. “I want to stay. And I know I can help you. So… please don’t turn me away.”

She saw him continue to struggle with his decision. His hands still held hers, a thumb rubbing across her palm. That somber look that she had seen Lloyd have lately – it was there again. There was once a time she didn’t know what would cause such a look in him.

He sighed again, but then small laughter left his throat. “Geez, Colette, you’re more stubborn than me.” He raised his head to her with a smile, even though it looked a bit sad still. She held his hands tighter in comfort.

“So, does that mean I can stay?”

“You’d just come back, I bet. You and Genis. I definitely didn’t expect him though!” He grinned wide then. “Missed his bestest friend, huh?”

Colette giggled, loving that grin of his. It was so rare now. “Well, he did say he missed Professor Sage…”

“Hey! What about me though?”

“It’s okay! I’ll miss you enough for the both of us!”

She wondered then, if that was a poor choice of words but Lloyd was still smiling. He even laughed.

“Heh, actually, um… does that mean Genis will be cooking for us now? The Professor keeps… wanting to do that lately.” Lloyd shuddered. “I could barely get through the first week.”

Oh no. Colette remembered the times their teacher had made the school lunch a few times. She giggled at Lloyd’s look. “I’m so sorry, Lloyd. I really am!” But she couldn’t stop laughing.

He smiled at that, even as he mocked sighed. “Are you making fun of me? Imagine the Chosen failing the journey because of indigestion. That’s embarrassing!”

It only made her giggle more, and soon Lloyd was laughing with her again.

Colette hoped she could keep him laughing throughout this journey.

Before Colette had left Iselia, she had decided to not mention what she knew to Lloyd. Even as she went over the knowledge in her head, searching for other ways, she knew it was not her place to say. But she could never fight off the feeling of wanting to be with him still. Once they had fought the guardian in the Fire Seal, she believed she could be useful while also being selfish.

A Chosen needed protectors, and she could even feel Raine’s gratefulness in having an extra pair of hands helping keep Lloyd from danger. He did run into monsters an awful lot…

Then Lloyd had nearly collapsed on the sands. She had never seen him so pale.

“Lloyd!” She caught him around the shoulders, and then he had just… kept slipping through her arms, making her hold on tighter. “Lloyd! Lloyd, wake up!”

“Wh…what?” He blinked dazedly at worried faces, leaning into Colette’s hold. “I was just… taking a nap.”

Genis’ expression went from worried to annoyed. “Are you serious?”

“Lloyd, how long have you been feeling faint?” Raine walked up to him, gripping her staff tight. “We may need to take you to a doctor.”

“I.. I’m fine! It’s fine!” Lloyd stood up again, gently moving away from Colette’s arms. “It’s just…the trial… I guess?”

Colette noted how quiet his voice had gotten then.

Raine was considering. “If that’s so… then we should at least make camp and let you rest. There’s an oasis not too far ahead. Genis, get started on dinner when we get there. Colette, please keep an eye on him.”

Lloyd stared at his Professor with some irritation. “I told you I’m fine. I’m not gonna run off!” Still, his voice was low.

But Colette knew there was something wrong.

After settling for the night, Lloyd had wanted to walk, and Colette hoped her presence wasn’t annoying him. But he seemed happy to have her near. They sat on the cool sands, the stars as outstretched as ever in the desert. Maybe they could find the same constellations here, too?

“Hey! Wanna see them again?” he asked her with a grin.

Colette’s smile must have been obvious, because Lloyd already summoned his wings. Great things that unfurled from his back in a great shift of azure light. Just like they had back in the Fire Seal. They framed him in a beautiful way that she wished she could say aloud without making it sound weird.

“That’s so cool!” she said, clasping her hands.

“Heh, yeah. Although…it’s kinda hard to get used to these.”

Colette tilted her head at him. “Your wings?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, they really do look cool! But… they’re kinda big, aren’t they?”

The night made his wings appear that much brighter. They were so much like a bird’s wings, nearly as large as Lloyd was tall. Colette was seated on his right side, and his right wing was curled around them both. She had been tempted to reach out to them, wondering if that glow would make sensations across her skin.

He shrugged. “I guess this is just what it means to be an angel or something.”

Colette pressed her lips together, not saying anything at first. She still remembered when Lloyd had paled, falling to his knees, and not responding to her at all…

“Well, you’re still you, Lloyd. Just with wings!” Maybe there were better ways to say it, but she had never been as good with talking as he was. “And…” She risked something here, but she continued. “Even if you’re an angel, you don’t have to like your wings.”

Lloyd turned to her more fully. She could even feel the wind shift behind her, his wings flinching from his motion. “What?”

“I mean…” She tried again. “You don’t have to like them. Because… it doesn’t seem like you do.” Nervously, she reached up to her necklace, its weight comforting. “I think it’s okay to feel that. Or if you find them scary. I think I would, too.” Especially after a fall like that.

Lloyd kept staring at her. Soon, his wings dissipated into nothing, leaving only floating feathers of azure that also evaporated into the air.

His gaze shifted back to the sands. “It probably seems dumb… I’m a Chosen and I can’t stand the sight of my wings, heh.” His voice was hollow.

She dared once more. “Then… why did you want to show them to me?”

Lloyd took a moment. “Because I have to get used to it. Also… it’s easier with you, you know?”

She let go of her necklace to take his hand. Though she couldn’t see the Cruxis Crystal he wore, hidden away by the high collar of his jacket, she could feel it there. Maybe Lloyd had wanted to hide it from himself too.

“It’s okay, Lloyd.”

“Hm..” he said, unable to say anything more. But she felt him grip her hand back.

Sometimes silence was all that was needed. They stayed that way for a while before going back to camp.

Colette was not always so clever, or smart, or so self-assured. She second guessed herself on so many things, that even when she met a young Lloyd back then, it was his bright smile that got her to talk to him. She hadn’t even noticed at first that few others had talked to him either, that she had been one of the first friends he ever had.

But she never doubted she was Lloyd’s friend. And she never doubted that he meant so, so much to her.

When he fell earlier today, the doubt about telling him what she knew was beginning to fade away.

“Lloyd? Why are you up?”

He was looking up at the sky, standing on a small rise. He always liked connecting the stars – and showing her how to do it as well. There was only him and her awake now, while Raine and Genis rested by the campfire. Even Noishe was sleeping peacefully, with barely a whine leaving his throat.

He turned as she went to him. “Oh, it’s my turn to watch for the night, remember?” He smiled. “You should be sleeping though! It’s pretty late.”

The journey had been long and difficult, but it was what the Chosen had to endure – at least what Colette knew about it. Lloyd rarely talked about such things at all. Sometimes… the only way one could even tell he was a Chosen was at the seals, waiting for the angels to bless him. It was only then when he would look so different, but also so sad.

And each time, she could tell it was hard for Lloyd to hide that sadness.

“Lloyd… you collapsed today. Again. The Professor said you didn’t need to do that now. I was supposed to take over…”

He blinked, then turned away. “It’s okay. I feel a lot better now.”

She hesitated. Sometimes he did this, trying to shut himself away. Sometimes, she would let him, but not tonight. She couldn’t. “Lloyd, your hand. Is it feeling better?”

“Huh? Yeah.. yeah, it’s fine!”

She reached for it before she could think to ask him. Because she had a feeling he would say no.

After the Wind Seal, Lloyd had been fainting faster, too. Enough that she couldn’t catch him this time.

The scrape was deep in his palm, still bleeding a little. Looking at it made her own hand ache. “You didn’t get this checked by the Professor.”

He took his hand away from her quickly. “It’s fine.”

She shook her head. “It’s… it’s not, Lloyd. And you know that, don’t you?”

He didn’t say anything.

Colette reached for her necklace, the gift he had given her just a few weeks before he left. Its weight was a comfort that she held onto at night, and even during their fights against monsters, bandits and Desians, it had stayed strong. It was made by Lloyd who was strong himself, she knew. But even a strong person couldn’t be…

“You’re not eating much… and you haven’t been sleeping either.” Colette would sometimes wake and still find him staring up at the stars, all by himself. “Things aren’t okay.”

She felt cruel saying these things, but Lloyd could never lie so easy, not as well as he thought he could. And right now, no good lies were coming to him. He only looked away, eyes dark and his expression somber.

“Why are you…?” he started, but couldn’t finish. Still, Colette needed to tell him more.

“Lloyd, I… know about what happens.. on the journey.”

He turned back to her then. For a moment, she couldn’t read his eyes at all. She had to fill the silence.

“This necklace you gave me. It’s more than just a present… it was supposed to be a memento, wasn’t it? But, I don’t want it to be that. I really don’t.”

“You’re… not supposed to-” Lloyd stopped, realizing his mistake. “I mean, that’s not what…”

She moved closer to him, reaching for his hands again. She tried not to squeeze it tightly, even though she knew now he would not be able to feel a thing. “I… my grandmother knows a lot about the Church of Martel. She used to be a priestess actually. She never told me exactly, but her stories about other Chosen.. and the way you’ve been acting lately..”

Lloyd still wasn’t looking at her. Afraid she was just making things worse, she started to release him again. “I want to be by your side. I don’t want you to go away. I don’t know how to stop that but... I had to at least be here.”

Just as she let go, Lloyd went to embrace her. Like he had on the day he gave her the necklace, except so suddenly.

“Colette, I’m… I’m not doing okay. I’m not… They didn’t tell me this would happen.” He held her tighter. “Dad didn’t tell me anything at all.”

She held him back. “I’m sorry.”

He shook. When he spoke, his voice was a little harsh, but she knew it wasn’t aimed at her. “Why are you apologizing? It’s not… it’s never been your fault! I just can’t.. handle this. I can’t handle anything.”

Colette pulled away so she could see him. With the way he spoke, she expected tears. But none fell from his eyes. So he couldn’t… “I’ll help you find another way. There has to be one. Because I don’t want you to go.” It sounded so childish, the way she said it. Still. “I don’t want you to go.”

Lloyd looked so sad and lost that she wished she could comfort him better. Lloyd pulled her back in his arms, pressing his forehead to hers. “I don’t want to also. I just want to stay.”

Maybe it was the sadness there that made her want to kiss him. She wished she’d have done it sooner. She had been tempted to on the day he gave her the necklace, but held herself back. She was afraid doing it now would be cruel if he couldn’t feel it. But once her lips pressed against his, he kissed her back, fingers digging into her shoulders, desperation in his grip.

It had been fierce and deep. Lloyd pulled back with a little nervousness. “Um… I meant…”

Colette leaned in to take his lips again. Softer this time, finding ways to make him feel, at least perhaps a little. And maybe he could, in some way. Because he still held her so tightly, still tried to press against her mouth as much as he could.

I just want to stay, he had told her. Colette would find a way to make that happen.

#colloyd #tales of symphonia #lloyd irving #colette brunel #fanfiction #frayed-symphony #i really love this concept so much and wanted to give something for it #merry christmas for a great friend!

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coffeeandcalligraphy · 5 years

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What I’ve Been Reading #2

Hey People of Earth!

I recently started a new series on this blog (titled above), where I reflect on the last few books I’ve read. I’m doing this mostly to keep myself accountable because I’m notoriously bad at committing myself to reading. So far, reading has been far greater than it’s been in the past--I’m definitely getting into the rhythm of things. I read some amaaaazing books this time around (since approx. November), and these are them:

1. The Darkest Legacy by Alexandra Bracken

This is book four in The Darkest Minds series, and was just recently released (last summer). Whilst I’ve drifted from YA in the last few years, this series was such a huge favourite of mine when I was younger, and I thought I’d give this book a go for nostalgia’s sake. Also, I truly admire Alex as an author, and wanted to support her! Here’s the summary:

Five years after the destruction of the so-called rehabilitation camps that imprisoned her and countless other Psi kids, seventeen-year-old Suzume "Zu" Kimura has assumed the role of spokesperson for the interim government, fighting for the rights of Psi kids against a growing tide of misinformation and prejudice. But when she is accused of committing a horrifying act, she is forced to go on the run once more in order to stay alive. Determined to clear her name, Zu finds herself in an uncomfortable alliance with Roman and Priyanka, two mysterious Psi who could either help her prove her innocence or betray her before she gets the chance. But as they travel in search of safety and answers, and Zu grows closer to the people she knows she shouldn't trust, they uncover even darker things roiling beneath the veneer of the country's recovery. With her future-and the future of all Psi-on the line, Zu must use her powerful voice to fight back against forces that seek to drive the Psi into the shadows and save the friends who were once her protectors.

What drew me to it: Like I mentioned, its mother series was a mega favourite of mine in grade 8, and whilst I’ve grown out of YA, I was curious to see where the story went, five years in the future. I read about 60% of it on page, and listened to the rest on and of over the course of a few months. I started it in August, and finished it on New Year’s Eve. Not the fault of the book, that’s totally me being Very Bad at commitment. I’ve really enjoyed Alex’s novels in audiobook format, and this one was no exception (I think, if I were to read it again, I’d listen to the audiobook: it’s like listening to a television show!)

My rating: 3/5

Why: This is really due to the fact that I no longer am very interested in YA. In all truths, I got into YA early, and got out of it even earlier because apparently I am a sixty year old woman?? I started my journey with YA in grade seven, and it ended around the end of grade eight. After that, I had trouble finding YA books I could enjoy/relate to, not that the books were any less, or bad because of this, but because I was just an injustice to them (I’ve always been a strange reader). This is why I don’t really read YA anymore because I feel like I rate them unfairly because I’m not super big on the category anymore. It just (rightfully) didn’t give me what I’m most currently interested in in books (horrible people; horrible relationships; morally grey protagonists), because of course the category is different to what I read now! With that said, I think, if I’d read this book in my Peak YA Moment (grade 7-8), I’d definitely have given it a 5 star rating. It was super entertaining and funny and nostalgic, and made me miss a series so pivotal in my writing journey. If you love YA, and this series, I think this book is definitely worth the read! That was a thiccccc tangent.

2. Past Lives, Future Bodies by Kristin Chang

This is a really quick poetry collection (that I spoiler: looooved). This is the summary:

PAST LIVES, FUTURE BODIES is a knife-sharp and nimble examination of migration, motherhood, and the malignant legacies of racism. In this collection, family forms both a unit of survival and a framework for history, agency, and recovery. Chang undertakes a visceral exploration of the historical and unfolding paths of lineage and what it means to haunt body and country. These poems traverse not only the circularity of trauma but the promise of regeneration—what grows from violence and hatches from healing—as Chang embodies each of her ghosts and invites the specter to speak.

What drew me to it: @shaelinwrites rec’d it to me on my last update, and I fell in love with the premise. I’m *cheap* so was very excited to be gifted it by my Grandma for Christmas. (I actually read it on Christmas!)

My rating: 5/5

Why: Kristin Chang is literally so skilled with her use of the line break? I was shook? This is my second collection of poetry that I’ve read, following (no shade) Rupi Kaur’s The Sun and Her Flowers, which, I felt kinda made the line break feel gimmicky? So this collection definitely reinvented it for me. Her poems are so punchy, and thoughtful, and you can truly feel the experience built into the backbone of every one of them. When I panic wrote some poetry for my writing class, I used it as comfort reference and was amazed at how deliberate she is with her words. I also found so much of its commentary on race so relatable. It’s definitely a collection I’ll keep re-reading. I’d recommend this if, like me, you’re just starting out in poetry--a perfect way to acclimate yourself to a new form!

3. God of Shadows by Lorna Crozier

*Rachel vigorously trying to diversify her reading.* The summary:

The poet Lorna Crozier has always been brilliant at fusing the ordinary with the other-worldly in strange and surprising ways. Now the Governor General's Literary Award-winning author of Inventing the Hawk returns with God of Shadows, a wryly wise book that offers a polytheistic gallery of the gods we never knew existed and didn't know we needed. To read these poems is to be ready to offer your own prayers to the god of shadows, the god of quirks, and the god of vacant houses. Sing new votive hymns to the gods of horses, birds, cats, rats, and insects. And give thanks at the altars of the gods of doubt, guilt, and forgetting. What life-affirming questions have these deities come to ask? Perhaps it is simply this: How can poems be at once so profound, original and lively, and also so much fun?

What drew me to it: At this point I’m just stalking @shaelinwrites’ Goodreads because her reading taste is on pointttt. I’ve also been dying to read more poetry, and branch out into different forms of writing, so I can be a little *prepared* for school, so I thought I’d take a peek at this collection.

My rating: 5/5

Why: This collection is so beautiful! I read it super quickly, and fell in love with the concept immediately. I think Crozier explored such unique ideas with super unique language, and I live for it. This collection gave me perspective on ‘gods’ I’d never even thought about. I’d definitely recommend it if you’re looking into reading some prose poetry!

4. The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin

I finished this book today, and now have trust issues and feel like I’m in a constant state of wanting to cry. Here’s the summary:

If you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life?

It's 1969 in New York City's Lower East Side, and word has spread of the arrival of a mystical woman, a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. The Gold children—four adolescents on the cusp of self-awareness—sneak out to hear their fortunes.

The prophecies inform their next five decades. Golden-boy Simon escapes to the West Coast, searching for love in '80s San Francisco; dreamy Klara becomes a Las Vegas magician, obsessed with blurring reality and fantasy; eldest son Daniel seeks security as an army doctor post-9/11; and bookish Varya throws herself into longevity research, where she tests the boundary between science and immortality.

A sweeping novel of remarkable ambition and depth, The Immortalists probes the line between destiny and choice, reality and illusion, this world and the next. It is a deeply moving testament to the power of story, the nature of belief, and the unrelenting pull of familial bonds.

What drew me to it: I actually don’t know?? I put it on hold at my library in October, and was loaned it in January (looooong waitlist). So I can’t remember why I wanted to read it, probably because 1969 was in the premise lmao. I actually completely forgot about placing a hold on it because it’d been two months, so by the time I got the email notification, I’d forgotten what it was about. Oftentimes, I’m Bad, and leave my loans for weeks, forgetting about them, but I was intrigued by seeing I’d received this loan because I couldn’t remember placing it/why I placed it. I quickly re-read the summary, and immediately started reading because it reminded me a lot of the Haunting of Hill House sibling dynamic, and I was on board!

My rating: 5/5 stars soaked in all my tears

Why: This book is SO good, I literally can’t think about it too much because I will cry, lol. I’m not one to get emotional over books, but this book touched me in a place I didn’t know existed?? Like I didn’t know I had emotions before reading this book?? Apparently I do?? It also left me feeling stunned with a whole bucket of life lessons, and similarly to getting emotional, I’m not a reader to really take away a whole new worldview after reading something, but this book was like NOPE, here’s some THOUGHTS. I think I might’ve loved it so much because the four siblings it follows remind me a lot of my siblings (tag yourself I’m Klara, @sarahkelsiwrites is Varya). I too am a sibling of four with a similar composition to the novel’s (two boys, two girls), so the actual heartbreak of realizing that one day, there ain’t always gonna be four of us struck me so hard I was not prepared?? The characters are BEAUTIFUL, and my heart aches so much after finishing this, I almost don’t know what to do with myself... If you liked the sibling dynamic in the Haunting of Hill House (me!!), you’ll probably dig this book. Benjamin’s writing is also gorgeous; straightforward, but so detailed and lush at the same time. I don’t often see books in third present, so this was a delight for me to read. Also: I’m no expert on any of the topics in this book, but to me, a Fool, this book felt so well researched? This isn’t something I ever notice in books, but it surprisingly really added to the reading experience.

TL;DR: I’m literally an emotional wreck because of this book and have a whole new perspective on life, if you too want to be an emotional wreck, defs join in on the fUN.

So that’s it for this reading update! All of these books in this update were wonderful! Making me antsy to read more for sure! I’m currently attempting to read more short story collections, so if anyone has recs, hit me up! ‘Scuse me while I go sob!

--Rachel

#readingupdates

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makeste · 5 years

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BnHA Chapter 189: The Worst at Giving Up

Previously on BnHA: Endeavor fucking died you guys. Obviously he’s not really dead (...I think), but like. He lost an eye and is all laid out on a slab of building looking in pretty bad shape. This is bad for a number of reasons. One, he is the current number one hero (and holds that position solely because of his strength, I might add), so the fact that he up and died fighting against this High Heels Noumu doesn’t exactly bode well for the rest of the world. Two, he was just starting to be redeemed, dammit. Although this might still work out for him in the long run in that regard. And three, his kids were all watching, and as conflicted as their feelings toward their father might be, this still isn’t the kind of thing any of them ever wanted to witness. With that said, it feels a bit sudden for the world to just suddenly descend into chaos, so maybe the dude will somehow make a comeback. And Hawks is still there, of course, so I guess we’ll just see what happens, huh.

Today on BnHA: The world watches as Kamino 2.0 plays out before their eyes. High Top Noumu is all “IS THIS YOUR KING?” but then Endeavor fucking leaps at him and shuts him up. Natsuo is all “what the fuck he should be dead” but Fuyu says that Endeavor has always been ridiculously stubborn about giving up. Aizawa comes running into the Heights Alliance dorms to find Shouto already watching the battle along with the other 1-A students. Hawks and the other pros evacuate the terrified crowd as the newscasters all but revel in the panic. That is, until Endeavor’s young fan from earlier calls them out and points out that Endeavor is still alive and still fighting for them. Which is true, despite the fact that he can barely move. But as All for One once said, wounded heroes are the most dangerous, and as Endeavor powers up his flames once again, Hawks steps in to lend an assist, boosting Endeavor’s speed with the help of some of his feathers as the Number One gets ready to turn the High Wire Noumu to ash.

(As always, all comments not marked with an ETA are my unspoiled reactions from my first readthrough of this chapter. I’ve read up through chapter 209 now, so any ETAs will reflect that.)

for fuck’s sake Hawks

CAN YOU READ THE ROOM HERE, KID. A MAN IS DEAD FOR GOD’S SAKE

another pro is reporting to Hawks that High Horse Noumu spewed out nine of these other Noumus in total, so they should split up and take care of the others, and also evacuate the rest of the civilians

and now the rest of the building is coming down and Hawks is glancing back in that direction, again way too casually tbh

please react more appropriately, Hawks. sincerely, the person who couldn’t stop laughing in the previous chapter

and now we’re cutting back to High Blood Pressure Noumu who’s still all “IS THERE A STRONGER HERO?” while Endeavor lies there still very much dead

and he’s looking around and something seems to have caught his attention but we’re not shown what, or at least not yet

did Endeavor get back up somehow? or Hawks showed up? or what. COME ON I wanna know dammit

and because there’s always a fucking news helicopter reporting from way too close to the scene whenever the current number one hero is fighting someone super strong and nearly dying because of it, we’re cutting to said news helicopter

motherfucker so now he’s rampaging, huh? great. that’s just great

has been.....................

SO ANYWAYS

the reporter is saying that this scene makes you remember -- “even if you don’t want to” -- the nightmare from three months ago

and yeah. it really does. and ngl I love that everyone in this universe had that exact same thought. they’re all still traumatized by it. and people were only just starting to get to the point where they could at least pretend like everything was fine, and they were moving on. but then something like this happens and it’s like, fuck, no we’re not fine. we are not fine at all

anyway, but Endeavor’s fingers are twitching! so that’s a good sign there

lol what

bruh you’re going to cauterize that wound just FYI. I assume you’re doing that intentionally to stop the bleeding, though. which is probably a smart move. but basically this is guaranteeing that the father-son resemblance is going to be closer than ever following this

anyways, I was waiting for him to pull a move like this (which is why I got so excited that I went into a crazed laughing fit). because like it or not, he is our current number one, and he wasn’t just gonna go out in some punkass way just like that. look at what All Might pushed through in order to beat All for One. Endeavor would hardly be able to call himself a shounen hero if he couldn’t do the same himself

he’s launching another fire lance at Heigh-Ho Noumu’s head, but it looks like he dodged and he said Endeavor was too slow

and he’s grabbing onto him again

oh fuck

not this shit again

fucking look at this!

HOW MANY BUILDINGS IS ENDEAVOR GONNA BE PLOWED THROUGH TODAY

also, yeah. at this rate the casualties are going to be really bad. Endeavor really needs to finish this guy off like yesterday

ahhhh we’re cutting back to Natsu and Fuyu

NATSUO IS WORRIED OMG

nothing like watching your estranged father possibly get himself killed on live television to make you realize that you want to sit down and try to work things out, huh. this family needs healing

ffff

but he can’t. that’s not what it means to be the Symbol of Peace

“a hero is somebody who brings reassurance.” I keep thinking back to this quote from Horikoshi now. so this battle is Endeavor’s turn to prove that he can inherit All Might’s mantle, at least for a little while. the people need someone they can believe in. if he beats this Noumu, their faith will be restored in a way that it hasn’t been since Kamino. but if he loses, or if he runs... it’s not just him that loses. the whole fucking world will lose whatever hope they still have left. if their heroes can’t protect them everyone will just be going around living in fear. it’ll be exactly like how it was before All Might

so yeah, Natsuo. he can’t. he’s gotta man up

Fuyu says everyone has things they just can’t accept even if they understand them

“the worst at giving up” is quite possibly the most positive spin anyone could ever put on Endeavor and his whole deal. wow. it’s both accurate and extremely forgiving, given the lengths we know this man has gone to in order to not give up in the past

but here, it just so happens to be the exact virtue that we need!

so now we’re cutting to the people screaming and running with absolutely no chill whatsoever, which is understandable. but like people are pushing and shoving in their panic to get away

this one hero guy is trying to provide some leadership and telling everyone to stay calm but he’s practically being trampled himself

eh what’s this

who the hell asked you, sentient camera

but yes. I mean, they’re not wrong

yay we’re cutting back to U.A.

there are a whole lot more people watching than there were just a few minutes ago. even Bakugou is there. and interestingly, one of the ones watching Todoroki rather than the TV

SENSEI DAD IS HERE

were you going to tell him to watch it if he wasn’t?? lol what was your game plan here exactly. just wanted to check in on him before anything else, I guess

(ETA: yeah I don’t think he really had a plan. just “shit I gotta go make sure Todoroki is okay.” and then upon finding him and seeing that he isn’t, “well shit. I don’t know what I was expecting”)

anyway Todoroki is not doing too hot

poor kid. he has SO MANY ISSUES with his dad, but one thing he never, ever anticipated was the possibility that he could ever lose like this. he wasn’t prepared for this at all

oh shit someone on TV is screaming at the camera person to stop running their mouth

yo, I really like this dude

-- oh shit, isn’t this that fan from earlier??

holy shit, I love this kid though?

like, now I’m sad that Endeavor doesn’t have his own OFA that he could pass on to this deserving young fanboy

and now the news is cutting back to the helicopter feed, and fuck if I know why they didn’t do that earlier

High Seas Noumu is flying toward the evacuation area oh shit!

but!

High Strung Noumu is looking back at Endeavor in surprise and asking if he has regeneration abilities too

lol he wishes

he is just a tired old man who’s been smashed through 13 buildings today and is in a shitton of pain right now most likely

but! he’s firing another blast at High Road Noumu nonetheless

holy fucking shit Endeavor

“worst at giving up” indeed

jesus

okay can we pause this for just a second, because I just got to thinking that Endeavor is so fucking strong. and then I thought, we already know it’s basically a given that Shouto is going to surpass him one day. and just. holy shit though. the next generation is going to be terrifying, aren’t they

anyways. go get that bread Endeavor

Endeav is frantically thinking about how to kill it now. “it’s unthinkable that I could capture it alive!”

yeah, um. please don’t tell me that had still been your game plan this entire time up till now

anyway so he keeps thinking he needs to surpass its speed and incinerate it again just like before

OH LOOK WHO IT IS

you sure took your fucking time didn’t you

so you’re gonna work together, yeah? Hawks gets him into position and Endeavor takes him out?

Hawks is thinking that no one else out there was truly even trying to surpass All Might except for Endeavor

him and two little boys who were too young and idealistic and stupid to know any better lol. and they’ll actually end up doing it, too. what a great story. someone should write a manga about that

-- oh shit

ouch

I feel like Hawks actually really admires Endeavor? but in like this lofty, devil-may-care way which is quickly becoming his trademark

(ETA: he definitely admires him. which is particularly interesting coming from someone who wasn’t even a big fan of All Might. more than anything else, it seems to be Endeavor’s tenacity that he admires. his unwillingness to give up even in a hopeless situation. which makes a lot of sense in hindsight, given what we now know about Hawks’s own situation. there’s probably a lot he can relate to there)

oh my god!

this is one of the best visual metaphors I’ve ever seen holy shit. I’m in love with this panel

just. the chasm between All Might and the rest. and the sad, hopeless Endeavor nevertheless trying his best to build a bridge across with whatever he has. even though it’s hopeless. and Hawks watching quietly in the background

fuck but I love it

oh snap you guys!!

HAWKS I CHANGED MY MIND, YOU’RE COOL

...except, damn it. you’re still suspicious. idk. I don’t know what to make of any of this to be honest. we know absolutely nothing about what’s going on still, except that High Maintenance Noumu is about to get Endeavor’s flaming fist in his face!! fuck yeah!!! I feel like all of Hawks’s wings would be incinerated and that’s probably really bad! but who cares because it’s really fucking cool lmao

(ETA: well apparently they can grow back quickly enough, so we good. thank you Hawks)

#bnha #boku no hero academia #endeavor #hawks #todoroki natsuo #todoroki fuyumi #todoroki shouto #bnha spoilers #mha spoilers #makeste reads bnha #apparently horikoshi took a one week break after this chapter when it was originally published #that must have been rough #not only having to wait the extra week #but also dealing with the fandom which I expect was probably exploding at the time #with people being all 'how dare he' with regards to horikoshi giving endeavor a heroic moment #but I mean in real life heroes are far from perfect too #bad people can do good things #and people who did many bad things can choose to stop doing more of them #and it's important to show that #if people consider someone to be past the point of no return then there's no incentive for them to ever change #might as well just keep being the worst #that's why redemption arcs are important #and this one (which is still ongoing) continues to be excellent imo

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the-desolated-quill · 6 years

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The Witch’s Familiar - Doctor Who blog

(SPOILER WARNING: The following is an in-depth critical analysis. If you haven’t seen this episode yet, you may want to before reading this review)

Now that we’ve gotten past the pointless and mindless prologue that was The Magician’s Apprentice, I was hoping that The Witch’s Familiar would be where the meat of the story would be. Sadly there’s barely any meat on this thing.

Yes, while The Witch’s Familiar has more narrative coherence than the previous episode did, sticking to one time and location for the most part, it’s in fact just as bad as The Magician’s Apprentice, if not worse.

Let’s start with the biggest problem. Davros. Specifically how he’s utilised. Seeing boy Davros on the Skaro battlefield was quite an exciting development and could have opened up some interesting directions for the character to go down. Unfortunately that’s not the case. Turns out the story is not about Davros at all. It’s, once again, all about the Doctor. What? You thought Moffat had finally stopped the introspective bullshit in Death In Heaven? You thought the Doctor’s speech about being just a guy in a box was the end of the matter? Well you’d be wrong, wouldn’t you? It looks like brooding angst is going to be a staple of the Twelfth Doctor’s tenure, so you’d better get used to it.

Good God, I’m so fucking tired of this crap. Not only has the Doctor’s constant, guilt driven introspection been serving as a detriment to numerous plots, it also doesn’t make a pixel of sense, especially when you consider who he spends most of his time talking to in this story. Remember in the episode Journey’s End back in the RTD era where Davros started flinging moral judgements at the Doctor? Remember how bloody stupid that was? Well The Witch’s Familiar is like that, but somehow even stupider (and I didn’t even think that was possible). Once again the Doctor’s good guy credentials are being criticised with no justification whatsoever, and it’s hard to take it seriously because it’s fucking Davros. Davros is the one waggling his finger disapprovingly at the Doctor. Davros. Forgive me if I don’t consider Space Hitler fit enough to judge the Doctor’s moral standing.

It’s such a shame because both Peter Capaldi and Julian Bleach really give it their all and you can tell they’re really trying for something hard-hitting and emotional, but it just doesn’t work because the whole thing is utterly ridiculous. At one point Davros asks the Doctor if he’s a good man and whether he did the right thing trapping his own race inside pepper pots, which is clearly supposed to mirror the Doctor’s question to Clara in Into The Dalek, but it’s so fucking daft because... IT’S FUCKING DAVROS! He’s a racist, genocidal maniac who performed brutal experiments on his own people and was responsible for the deaths of billions. Let’s just say Santa Claus won’t be paying him a visit anytime soon. That got quite possibly the biggest laugh out of me this whole episode. And it just gets even weirder when you consider the Doctor’s response. I could buy the Doctor visiting his deathbed, taking pity on him and even sharing a laugh with him (they’ve had a long history after all). But giving him some of his regeneration energy?

IT’S FUCKING DAVROS!!!

I know I must sound like a heartless bastard, but I honestly wasn’t moved by the Doctor and Davros’ interactions. Not even slightly. It’s just too stupid and too unlikely for words. And it just gets worse when you find out that the two have been lying to each other through their back bloody teeth this all time. Were you moved by Davros’ emotional pleas to the Doctor? Turns out he was lying the whole time! He just wanted the Doctor’s regeneration energy for his Daleks (they never explain why or how this would benefit the Daleks. Moffat was too busy trying to be clever rather than filling in that little detail for us) and didn’t mean a single fucking thing he said. But it’s okay because the Doctor was lying too! Yeah, he knew all along that Davros was lying and so played him at his own game, so not only does this have no emotional weight whatsoever, there’s also nothing even remotely at stake! Isn’t Moffat a genius?

I really wish the story had stuck with the Doctor and boy Davros because that was interesting. I even liked the idea of the Doctor giving up his sonic screwdriver due to his own guilt (although that’s later ruined thanks to the sonic sunglasses. Seriously?! Sonic fucking sunglasses?!?! Give me strength!), and had they left it with the Doctor abandoning boy Davros to his fate, it would have been fine. Instead Moffat had to take it one step further.

This whole scenario is clearly taking inspiration from the classic Who story Genesis Of The Daleks. Specifically a line uttered by Tom Baker’s Doctor during a pivotal moment of the story:

"If someone who knew the future pointed out a child to you and told you that that child would grow up totally evil, to be a ruthless dictator who would destroy millions of lives, could you then kill that child?"

Now if you haven’t already, I strongly urge you to watch Genesis Of The Daleks. It’s one of the best stories in the whole of Doctor Who (some even consider it to be the best) and every Whovian needs to watch it at least once. One of the many reasons why Genesis is so fondly remembered is because of the morally complex question at the centre. Terry Nation smartly chooses not to answer it, instead allowing the audience to come to their own conclusions. Steven Moffat, on the other hand, chooses to tackle the question head on. The Doctor is given the opportunity to exterminate boy Davros, but instead ends up saving him. But you see, by doing so, Moffat completely misses the point of Genesis Of The Daleks. It’s not about what the Doctor would or wouldn’t do. It’s about the question itself. Rather than expanding on the legacy of Genesis, Moffat ends up tarnishing it, sweeping all the moral complexity under the carpet and spoon-feeding us a neat and tidy answer. No of course the Doctor wouldn’t kill a child! Are you crazy? And all the millions of lives destroyed are very quickly brushed aside with some bullshit about mercy. Not only is it too simplistic, it also makes the Doctor come across like a complete hypocrite. While he’s busy trying to decide whether killing Davros is the right thing to do, he’s setting up the Daleks so that they can kill each other. Obviously this kind of manipulation is very much in character for the Doctor, but it’s ironic how he shows a lot of guilt and angst over a humanoid child, but doesn’t even so much as bat an eyelid at killing all the non-humanoid Daleks.

Let’s quickly talk about the Daleks. They always tend to suffer in Davros stories, and this is a perfect example of that. Yes we do get a lot of new info about the Daleks (most of which doesn’t make sense. Why dump old, decaying Daleks in the sewers? Why not just kill them? Isn’t that their usual MO? Obsession with purity and all that. And while the Dalek machine altering your speech sounds like a good idea and adds to the trapped and claustrophobic nature of the Daleks, it also completely contradicts what we already know about them. How did Ian Chesterton manage to have a conversation with the First Doctor, Barbara and Susan when he was in the Dalek machine?), but they’re also not in the slightest bit threatening, and that’s because nobody takes them seriously. You’ve got the Doctor whizzing around in Davros’ chair asking them if they want to play dodgems, you’ve got the Master back to her annoying, goofy self (the bitch is back? Moffat, may I remind you this is a kid’s show) undermining the Daleks’ authority at every turn. Add to that apparently it’s easy as fuck to cheat death thanks to the Master’s teleport and the TARDIS’ newfound superpowers, and the Daleks don’t really have a leg to stand on. If the show isn’t going to take them seriously, why the fuck should I?

Speaking of the Master, what are she and Clara even doing here? They contribute precisely nothing to the story at all. You could just cut them out of the story entirely and it wouldn’t make the slightest bit of difference. And why does the Master try and trick the Doctor into killing Clara? What’s the point? Didn’t she bring the Doctor and Clara together in the first place? And why did she even do that? That’s never been explained. I wasn’t kidding when I said Missy was basically Moriarty in a dress back in my review of Death In Heaven because they both share the exact same problems. With both Moriarty and the Master, Moffat is trying desperately to emulate this kind of Joker style madness, but there’s more to the Joker than just being insane. He actually has consistent motives and morals, with his insanity serving that. With the Master and Moriaty, Moffat seems to be using insanity as a way to excuse his own shitty writing. There’s no need to create a consistent character with clear goals or proper reasoning behind their actions because they’re insane. It’s just incredibly fucking lazy and it’s an utter waste of the Master. Neither she nor Clara have any kind of agenda of their own, hence why they feel so superfluous.

Finally there’s the series arc. Usually bad arcs from Moffat are to be expected, but this is the first time I’ve ever been truly worried by the direction he’s going in. It seems that Moffat is going back into Listen territory and trying to redefine the important building blocks of the show. So there’s a prophecy about something called the Hybrid and apparently that’s why the Doctor ran away from Gallifrey in the first place. Like with Listen, it seems Moffat is once again trampling over one of the most integral parts of the Doctor’s character. His mystery. We don’t really know who he is, where he comes from or precisely why he left Gallifrey all those years ago, and we shouldn’t know either. It’s like dissecting a frog. Yes you could cut it open and find out how the insides work, but then you’d just be left with a bloody mess on the table. I have no idea where Moffat is going with this Hybrid stuff, but it seems like we’re going down a very dangerous path indeed and after all the damage he’s already caused over the years, I’m deeply concerned about him potentially lifting up the bonnet and messing with the vital components of the show.

Overall The Magician’s Apprentice/The Witch’s Familiar is a pretty rubbish start to Series 9. Nonsensical plots, pointless padding, non-threatening villains, recycling of tired ideas and an attempt to expand on a classic Doctor Who story that ultimately misses the point by several galaxies.

#the witch's familiar #steven moffat #doctor who #twelfth doctor #peter capaldi #clara oswald #jenna coleman #the master #michelle gomez #davros #daleks #bbc #review #spoilers

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wineanddinosaur · 4 years

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Next Round: Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Is Replanting White Oak Forests, and It’s Not a Marketing Gimmick

Airing between regular episodes of the VinePair Podcast, “Next Round” explores the ideas and innovations that are helping drinks businesses adapt in a time of unprecedented change. As the coronavirus crisis continues and new challenges arise, VP Pro is in your corner, supporting the drinks community for all the rounds to come. If you have a story or perspective to share, email us at [email protected].

In this episode of “Next Round,” VinePair CEO and founder Adam Teeter speaks to Ed Bello of Bulleit Bourbon and Eric Sprague of American Forests. While an unlikely pair, Bulleit recently teamed up with American Forests to launch their Frontier Fund, which hopes to restore the white oak population across the Eastern United States by planting 1 million trees over the next five years.

Bulleit has long been committed to sustainability, and this initiative is just another step in the legacy of its eco-conscious policy. Founded in 1987, the brand immediately focused on reducing its carbon emissions while designing its distillery, which is now a Zero Waste to Landfill facility. From there, the brand looked to the future and realized the next key move would be to protect the white oak tree, which is integral to the whiskey-making process. This led to a natural conversation with American Forests, the longest-standing national forest conservation group.

Throughout this episode, Sprague and Bello emphasize the initiative’s role in promoting sustainability and building a better future for all.

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Or Check Out the Conversation Here

Adam: From Brooklyn, New York. I’m Adam Teeter, and this is a VinePair “Next Round” conversation. We’re bringing you these conversations between our regular podcast episodes on Monday in order to give you a clear picture of what’s going on in the world of wine, beer, and spirits. Today, I’m talking with Ed Bello, global brand director of Bulleit Bourbon, and Eric Sprague, VP of forest restoration at American Forests. Guys, thank you so much for joining me.

Ed: Thank you for having us.

Eric: You bet.

A: So, before we jump into our larger conversation, I’d love to understand why today we’re on a podcast where I’m interviewing both you, Ed the global brand director of Bulleit, but also Eric, the VP for forest restoration. So what is the connection between Bulleit Bourbon and American Forests?

Ed: Well, as you may have heard, Bulleit just launched the Bulleit Frontier Fund, which is really our foundational commitment to the sustainability of the bar hospitality industry but also, very important, the communities and the environment surrounding those. And one of the things that we identified is, how can we really help the restoration of forests, and the protection and restoration of forests. And with that, that brought us to American Forests and our partnership with Eric and his wonderful organization to plant a million trees over the next five years.

E: And I’ll add, too. I think we’re all familiar with this false narrative: It’s either the economy versus the environment. This is a great story of how we’re protecting the environment, enhancing important values of forests, and creating jobs and great bourbon. It’s a great story.

A: So, let’s talk about American Forests. So obviously, I know that there is a connection in terms of trees with oxygen, climate change, et cetera. Can you tell me a little bit about the American Forests as an organization. What you guys do and what your mission is?

E: Sure. American Forests, we’re the longest-standing national forest conservation group in the United States, founded in 1875. Over that timeframe, we’ve been a servant leader, leading discussions at tough times in the country’s history where we’ve lost forests for lots of reasons. And today with climate change, having drastic impacts on the state and health of our forests, American Forests is working across this country in key areas like white oak here in the central hardwoods and Eastern United States to help restore those forests, and to overcome those threats.

A: So obviously, we have the threats of climate change and wildfires and things like that. But then also, we have people who harvest wood to make all the different products that we use daily: furniture, houseware paper, et cetera. But then obviously also bourbon. So how is the connection here in terms of Bulleit’s connection to replanting forests, as well as being a large consumer, probably, of oak in the first place? How does that connection play out? And when did you decide that that was something that you need to get involved in, Ed?

Ed: Yeah, I think I’m going to answer it in a couple different ways. One of which is really this commitment to the environment into a more sustainable future, protection of trees, and the sustainable future of forestry. It comes out of our long legacy of believing in sustainability, right? If we go way back to when we opened up the Bulleit Distilling Company — even started the plans for the Bulleit Distilling Company — we put sustainability at the heart of it. We focused on, as we developed that site, we focused on reducing our carbon emissions, water conservation, waste management. It’s a Zero Waste to Landfill facility. So it was already at the beginning. Sustainability was already at the heart of the brand from the get-go. Then we opened our visitor center with a lot of the same sustainability thinking in built. We partnered with the University of Kentucky to create The Greenhouse there. A large greenhouse that all of our garnishes for all of our cocktails come from that greenhouse in partnership with the University of Kentucky. The facility has our buses to take folks to and from the distillery that are all green energy. The source of it is all green energy. And then we just launched recently, you may have heard about the announcement of our new distillery, our Lebanon distillery. In Lebanon, Ky., which will open next summer. And that distillery is going to be the largest American whiskey distillery that will be completely carbon neutral. Really exciting for us, really exciting development. So again, building sustainability at the get-go. And then as we look to the sustainability for the industry for the future, one of the key things that’s, as you say, critical to our industry and to the consumers’ enjoyment of whiskey is white oak. And therefore the barrels and the trees that the white oak allows us to have. And so again, that’s where this natural conversation with American Forests came up, which is, we want to really help the environment. We want to create a sustainable industry and we want to allow consumers to continue to enjoy their wonderful Bulleit Bourbon for many, many years to come. But again, whilst fighting climate change, whilst protecting the forest, and enabling a better future for our consumers and everyone else to enjoy.

A: So in the last decade or so, if not longer, there’s been a massive bourbon boom in this country, and there’s been a lot more people looking for bourbon, making bourbon, et cetera. And there’s been a few brands now who’ve talked a lot about the threat of white oak in the U.S. that we could be consuming more than we have right now. Do you have an idea, either Eric or Ed, at how much white oak at this point we are using as a bourbon industry? And do you know of — obviously this is a great initiative — but what other initiatives are also being done in order to try to drive more awareness to the fact that we need to be replanting the forests, not just harvesting them?

Ed: I can’t speak to the total industry, but I do know I can speak to what Bulleit knows and what Bulleit is doing. It’s generally about two barrels per tree. And the beauty of what we’re doing with Eric is we’re going to ensure that for every tree that we cut down, we’re at least planting one tree, and then doing more. So it’ll allow us to be completely neutral. And quite frankly, we expect to be positive to the environment, when you take into account some of the other added benefits of what we’re doing from planting these trees over the next five years.

E: Yeah. That’s great, Ed, and I’ll just add on to that. Across the region, across the entire Eastern United States, where the white oak is what bourbon and winemakers rely on, grows. We’re growing more white oak out in the woods than is being used. So there is this what you would call a net positive growth to removals, throughout the region. So it’s not a question of, “Are we using too much white oak?” It’s more of a question looking forward. You walk in the forest, pick a forest in the Eastern United States, you’re going to see a lot of big white oak, depending on where you are. But if you look down at the forest floor, you’re going to find a near absence of white oak. And that’s the real challenge we’re facing. We’ve got some large mature oaks out there by volume. It’s still the most abundant tree in the Eastern United States. But almost a complete lack of regeneration in many important areas. And that’s for a lot of reasons. There are things like land use patterns, we’re losing forests at a higher rate. There are too many deer in certain places. There are pests and pathogens like the gypsy moth that are causing some challenges for white oak, but the real challenge is regeneration. The abundance of white oak we have now, and it’s making it so valuable to wood products and to bourbon, is that forests were disturbed in the past. Natural, low-intensity wildfires were common. Indigenous people set fire throughout the Eastern United States. And that created the stage for white oak to take advantage of that disturbance. And for many good reasons, we’ve decided that wildfires are something in the Eastern United States that just aren’t compatible with the way we grow and live. And so we’ve stopped that disturbance. And because of that, we’re seeing tree species like red maple and sugar maple beginning to take preeminence and dominance over certain forest stands. And when they do that, they’re creating a shade that just shades out oak seed.

A: Interesting. And so how were they able to create that dominance? Or was it just because they proliferate more quickly or more easily, or because as you said, because of those smaller wildfires, there’s more fertile soil that allows the oak to grow?

E: Yeah. It’s really interesting. A lot of trees have their own strategy for surviving and gaining dominance. White oak, what it does is it’ll sit in that understory for a long time. And then when a fire comes through or a wind storm comes through and knocks down, it quickly takes advantage of that light. Not too much, not too little, but when you’ve got a long period of time with no disturbance, you have these trees slowly take over, and oaks will just die out, because they’re not getting that light that they need. And so reintroducing disturbance through management, or through prescribed fire or through tree planting, can help restore that. And that’s why we’re so excited to be working with Bulleit on this initiative.

A: Interesting, so then when we are harvesting white oak now for bourbon, and Eric this may be a question more for you than Ed although Ed, you may know the answer as well, are we pulling these woods mostly from private lands? From families who have a forest and they see this as an investment opportunity and they’re managing the forest themselves and that’s where the oaks are coming from? Or are we pulling any from public lands? How does that work if we do? I’m really curious where the oak specifically is coming from, and then where you guys are replanting it.

E: The vast majority of oak being used for barrels, and really for all wood products, does come from private lands. The private landowners are the largest landowners by number across the Eastern United States. Public lands like our national forests and state lands and parks are also strongholds for white oak and a key focus for us to make sure that we’re regenerating oak to sustain it in the long term. But that private landowner is a key challenge that we struggle with. One of the threats we didn’t talk about is poor harvesting practices. Where a landowner might be approached by a logger who wants to come in and take the biggest and best trees, and then what’s left are other white oaks that just aren’t as well suited genetically to take advantage of that opportunity. And so it creates this pattern of us taking out the best white oaks and leaving the ones that are less adaptable, less suitable for wood products and wildlife in the future to take over. And so it’s about educating landowners about management practices, how to deal with those situations, and then working with them and the public land managers to restore white oak and implement practices that encourage white oak over the long term. So for our partnership with Bulleit, we’re just getting started. We’ve got a five-year partnership, we’re thinking about a range of practices that range from planting trees and pastures that are not regenerating naturally, to working with forest land managers to restore them in new and innovative ways to bring back white oak.

A: Interesting. So, you said that the brand has been connected to sustainability for a very long time, but where did this idea specifically come from? How were you made aware of the issue in the beginning, and how did you initially identify American Forests?

Ed: So the thing about Bulleit, I think the ethos of Bulleit is — and Eric what you were saying it just reminded me of why we did this, and why we came to you all. We’re frontier whiskey. And the heart of Bulleit is supporting and championing and collaborating with folks who are pushing the frontier forward. And part of what exactly that means to me is what you heard Eric talk about, which is how they’re looking at really the cutting-edge practices of forest protection, and of reforesting, reforestation, and whatnot. And so they were the perfect partner for us, because if you look at folks who are doing the cutting edge if you will, leading the cutting edge of these practices, it’s Eric and his organization. So that’s why we went there, frankly, first and foremost. And there’s several folks out there doing this type of stuff, but really American Forests is really the team that’s doing it, I would say, in the most cutting-edge and sustainable way. And then for Bulleit and where did the idea come from? One of the things that I’m proud of is I’m part of a team that passionately believes in this. The team that works on Bulleit lives sustainability themselves. And it came out of some meetings that we were in, with some of our supply folks, some of the folks on my team, and we were talking about, “Where do we go next?” We’re working on our distilling. We’re working on the parts we control. We’re also working with our suppliers on the front end to source grains that are within 25 miles of our distillery. That’s where all of our corn comes from. So we’re working in everything we control. And then we said, where’s the gap? Where’s the next gap? And the gap was in the barrels, because that comes later down in the distillation and maturation part of the process to make whiskey. And so we said, “Well, let’s go work on that now.” Because we’d been working on the distilling side of it. And really the next phase was the barrels. Which is obviously where we mature the distillate that is where the whiskey comes from.

A: That makes a lot of sense. So what else is a part of this campaign in order to drive awareness? Obviously, we are chatting ‘cause I find it interesting. But what else are you doing as a brand to make consumers aware of the fact that we have this problem with white oak and that they’re not regenerating in the way that they could be, and should be in the Eastern United States. And that there’s now an initiative to replant those white oak. And how can consumers also get involved to help with this mission and the mission of American Forests, besides just obviously buying bottles of Bulleit?

Ed: Well, for us, it’s really about education, right? Making the commitment and doing it. But it’s also about education, because the more we can make consumers, and bartenders who are very passionate about the environment aware of it, the more they can be involved. And so what we’re doing is, is heavy social media. We’ve already announced it in some of our social media channels, Instagram, Facebook, et cetera. And then we’re going to keep doing that. We’re going to keep talking about it throughout the year. And then we’re also really spending a lot of time educating our own commercial and our own ambassador and trade organizations and bartenders on this particular topic, because Bulleit’s passionate about this. Bulleit’s passionate about the environment and fighting climate change, and leaving a better environment for the future. So we’re going to educate through the trade and the bartending community. And like I said, through our ambassadors out in the field as well, so that more and more folks are aware of it and then can also get involved to help in this mission. And there’s a couple different ways to do it: One, folks can go straight to American Forests and support them in what they’re doing. They can also come to the Bulleit website and look at our Bulleit Frontier Fund and find the ways to get involved there on the Bulleit website, and through the Frontier Fund as well.

E: Well, I was just going to add, that’s so important. This work that we’re doing with Bulleit is going to be impactful, and we can talk about what some of those outcomes we expect to be, but the scale is huge. We’re talking about the entire Eastern United States where you can find white oak, and these challenges we’re finding are throughout that area. So the extent that this initiative can drive actions across for other distilleries, universities, conservation groups, that’s a key outcome of what we’re doing. We’re a partner of the White Oak Initiative that’s looking to think through how they can learn from this initiative and other initiatives, to meet the challenge across the Eastern United States.

A: So what are the benefits that we could expect to see from your work with Bulleit?

E: Well, I’ll geek out a little bit about the white oak itself. It’s such an awesome tree. It’s my favorite tree, of course. But white oak is probably the most ecologically important tree species in the Eastern United States. You can think about it from the wildlife food source perspective. One white oak tree can produce up to 7,000 acorns in a year, which is hugely important for black bears, blue jays, and wild turkeys. Also, as it matures, it gets this great, flaky bark that are really important roosting sites for bats. It’s also important for insects. There was a study done in the Mid-Atlantic that showed white oak is the most important species for butterflies and moths. It can create a habitat for over 500 species of butterflies and moths — more than any other woody plant in Eastern United States. It’s also a big tree. It can get up to a hundred feet tall, could be four feet thick, and live for hundreds of years. And when you think about that, half the tree’s biomass — that is the mass of the material of the tree — is carbon. That’s a lot of carbon being stored through white oak forests and by the white oak tree. And so it’s value to sequester carbon is huge. So the next five years, we’re working to plant 1 million trees with Bulleit. The outcomes we’re expecting to get include over 650,000 metric tons of carbon stored. A massive amount. We’re also working to build these plantings in a way that can provide critical air- quality benefits. Oaks have massive canopies that can block out pollutants and keep them from entering people’s lungs. So we expect over that lifetime, 74,000 pounds of air pollutants to be removed per year. That’s equivalent to removing 1,000 cars from the road. So a huge benefit. Also, white oaks have these massive root systems. The root systems themselves can be twice as wide as the crowns of the tree canopy. And they also have deep, deep roots, too, to hold them in place and hold the soil in place. So through those benefits, white oaks can filter and slowly release water to streams over time, a critical watershed provision. Our tree plantings over the next five years are expected to create 75 million gallons of runoff conserved each year. So there’s some great benefits for carbon, habitat, air quality, and water, and that’s why we’re so excited to be working with Bulleit.

A: That’s very, very cool. So Ed, one last question for you. So in terms of the positioning of this, you definitely built a brand in which people care about sustainability, your customers care about sustainability. But how do you think this will also benefit the brand? Does it just reinforce your sustainability message? Do you think that this could also help you guys be sort of the champion of helping to regenerate forests? And your hope is that other bourbon brands sign on? What’s the end goal of this besides what you’re doing in the short-term with American Forests?

Ed: Ultimately, I think that’s a really good question. And if I think of one thing that sits at the heart of it, it’s that we want to raise the standard for making American whiskey. And we want to be the benchmark brand in that way. If I think of the history of Bulleit, it’s always been that challenger brand that has shaken the norm up. When Tom founded the brand in ‘87, he did it in a way that no one else was doing it. He created a high-rye recipe. He basically up-ended the industry, went to bartenders, and really worked with bartenders to build this brand from day one — very differently than some of the historical traditional American whiskey brands. And we want to now bring that to the world of sustainability and how American whiskey brands and companies make the product and raise the standard for how it’s made and what the impact is on the environment. And as I mentioned, if every day, we could do something to educate more consumers about it, make the product more sustainable day after day after day, I think we’ll make a difference.

A: Awesome. Well Ed, Eric. I want to thank you both so much for taking the time to join me to chat about this really cool initiative between Bulleit and American Forests. And guys, thanks so much for taking the time.

Ed: Thank you, Adam.

E: Yeah thanks, Adam. That was fun.

Thanks so much for listening to the VinePair Podcast. If you enjoy listening to us every week, please leave us a review or rating on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever it is that you get your podcasts. It really helps everyone else discover the show. Now, for the credits. VinePair is produced and hosted by Zach Geballe, Erica Duecy and me: Adam Teeter. Our engineer is Nick Patri and Keith Beavers. I’d also like to give a special shout-out to my VinePair co-founder Josh Malin and the rest of the VinePair team for their support. Thanks so much for listening and we’ll see you again right here next week.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity

The article Next Round: Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Is Replanting White Oak Forests, and It’s Not a Marketing Gimmick appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/next-round-bulleit-bourbon/

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johnboothus · 4 years

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Next Round: Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Is Replanting White Oak Forests and Its Not a Marketing Gimmick

Throughout this episode, Sprague and Bello emphasize the initiative’s role in promoting sustainability and building a better future for all.

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts

Listen on Spotify

Or Check Out the Conversation Here

Ed: Thank you for having us.

Eric: You bet.

A: So what are the benefits that we could expect to see from your work with Bulleit?

Ed: Thank you, Adam.

E: Yeah thanks, Adam. That was fun.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity

The article Next Round: Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Is Replanting White Oak Forests, and It’s Not a Marketing Gimmick appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/next-round-bulleit-bourbon/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/next-round-bulleit-frontier-whiskey-is-replanting-white-oak-forests-and-its-not-a-marketing-gimmick

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