Nico Di Angelo was born around 1932. the beginning of WW2 was 1939, this is probably about when he came to the USA. Do you know what else happened in 1939? Detective Comics #27, now you're probably wondering 'batcaves why does this random comic matter?' It's matters because that comic is the introduction of Detective Comics newest story, following the adventures of 'The Bat-Man'. It is fully possible for 7 year old Nico DiAngelo to have read the first few issues of Batman comics, do with this what you will.

BNHA Fic: Blink! Ch. 5

Read Ch. 4 | Masterlist

SPOILER ALERT: This chapter will begin the spoilers for those who haven’t read the manga. Season 4 will cover what will happen from here on. This chapter is basically a filler to the main storyline.

--

The long awaited weekend came about. While a certain two begun their provisional classes, a few other students of 1-A were interviewing for internships even though a unanimous ‘no’ came from the staff. Some were engrossed in group study sessions.

As much as Ren wanted to sleep in, a few students took her up on the one-on-one stamina and quirk training sessions in the morning. After that, it was off to her internship interview. Hawks recently became much busier with the Hero Billboard Ranking coming up soon, so he was out of the running.

In the end, she relied on her senpais for recommendations; Tamaki-senpai threw her name into the ring for Fat Gum. Sir Nighteye was her first choice having caught wind of an interesting investigation; unfortunately, Midoriya got the jump on her before she could even ask Mirio-senpai. And even if she did, she was sure he’d say no for a variety of reasons.

Nejire-senpai was all gung-ho in introducing her to Ryuukyuu, but ended up giving her spot to Uraraka and Asui instead.

Feeling the rush of regret for putting this off for so long, she tugged at her own hair lightly. Checking her bag to make sure she got everything she needed, Ren headed out to the elevator and saw a spiky redhead waiting by it.

“Oh, Ren-senpai! Mornin’!” Kirishima greeted. “You headin’ out too?”

“Yeah. I have an interview in Kansai...”

“Really?! Me too!”

The elevator door dinged open and the two entered.

“I’m surprised you guys are still going for it, even though the school said no to first years,” Ren remarked and hit the close button.

“Well, y’know a lot of us are just antsy and wanna get stronger...” Kirishima said and clenched his fist. 

“That’s… a very noble response, Kirishima-kun.” She gave the boy a small, sympathetic smile. “Yours… is a hardening quirk, right?”

“Yep!”

“Can you shoot anything out of your body like an arrow?”

The spiky redheaded boy chuckled at the thought and replied, “Nah. Can’t do anythin’ like that. I’m just focusing on retaining my hardened form so I can fight longer right now.”

The door to the elevator slid open and the two made their way out of the dorms, continuing their conversation en route to the train station.

“A hardening quirk is certainly a good one for defense and offense, but if you can manipulate it where you can shoot projectiles out of your arms or something, it’d definitely increase your attack mobility,” Ren suggested. “You can also use it as a diversion and make the fight a close quarter to use your power to its full potential.”

“Whoa, I never thought of that. That’s amazin’, senpai,” Kirishima praised. “Never in a million years would I even think that far.”

“I am here to help you all draw out everyone’s maximum power, after all,” the pink haired girl pointed out. “By the way, who are you interviewing with in Kansai?”

“Oh, I asked Amajiki-senpai to recommend me to Fat Gum,” he replied, prompting Ren to turn her head. “What ‘bout you, Ren-senpai?”

“What a small world,” she chuckled with a curve of her lips. “We’re going to the same place.”

“Alright!” he cheered. “I can’t wait to see your quirk in action!”

“It’s really not that interesting...” she confessed sheepishly. “I just go from point A to point B like Nightcrawler.”

“Eh? Naito-what*? Is he a hero from America?”

“A-ah.” Ren stuttered out with a small blush forming on her cheeks from embarrassment. “He’s… a comic book hero from America I used to read about. He really left an impression on me since we have a similar quirk. My costume at one point was modeled after his.”

“Whoa, that’s so cool!” he admired with a wide smile. “Mine is Crimson Riot!”

“That… explains so much about you,” Ren deadpanned.

“Was that supposed to be an insult?! Hey!”

The two reached the train station and bought their tickets to transfer to the bullet train down. The duration of the trip allowed the two to talk and know one another better over bento boxes and bottled tea.

“So what made you wanna be friends with Bakugou?” Ren wondered. “He’s… brash.”

“Yeah, he really is. No matter how many times I tell him he needs to tone it down...” he chuckled loosely. “As a matter of why… Because he’s strong. And even though he doesn’t look like it, he’s a reliable guy to have your back up against when you’re in a pinch.”

The look on Kirishima’s face was one that radiated respect and brotherly love for the explosive blond.

“So let me ask you: out of everyone in 1-A, who do you think pushes everyone to be a better version of themselves?”

“It’s hard to say. Everyone has their own qualities, but if I had to choose…” The roaring redhead thought long and hard about his answer. “Probably Midoriya, Bakugou and Todoroki.”

“Why those three?”

“Well, Todoroki’s the strongest in our class ‘cus of his duality in power, but Bakugou and Midoriya work the hardest in bettering their quirks. They push the rest of us to be better heroes.”

Ren let out an interested hum and sipped her drink.

“Better keep a closer eye,” Ren thought aloud half-jokingly. “Those three have the scent of trouble on them. I feel bad for Aizawa-sensei having to deal with all of their stuff.”

Her travel companion could only laugh.

“They do kinda give off that vibe, don’t they?”

A short silence broke between the two.

“Senpai… can I ask you a serious question?”

“Go for it.”

The mood around the two began to shift ever so slightly. Kirishima tightly clasped his hands and took a breath.

“I trust you’ll be honest with me, senpai,” he began, sensing the anxiety build up in his chest. “Do you think...I’ll make a good hero?”

“Why do you ask?”

He loosened his intertwined fingers and bent over, wearing a wistful face.

“With all the things that’s happened recently with our class, I feel like all I’ve done is stand on the sidelines while everyone else did what they could with their powers. I just... I wanna close the gap on our levels so I can be more helpful.” 

She turned and faced him with a solemn expression.

“If you want strength to just protect and be on equal footing with your peers, then no...” she quietly answered, making him audibly hitch a breath in his throat. “You’ll be a great hero.”

Tears began forming from the corner of Kirishima’s eyes, urging him to turn away to wipe them away with his right arm and sniffled.

“Sure, you’re a bit rough around the edges when it comes to your fighting style,” Ren continued. “But you work hard at improving it. You also have a big heart to go with your head-strong tenacity and determination that’ll push you to be the hero you aspire to be.”

Her words devolved the boy into a crying and blubbering mess, throwing his R.A. into a tight and awkward sideways embrace. She was trying to quickly comfort him as curious eyes from other passengers began looking in their direction. Her eyes darted back and forth.

“Kirishima...” she quickly hissed in his ear and slapped his back. “Stuff your emotions back in! People are staring.”

“But-but-but–” he stammered out as tears continued pouring out.

“Miss, is everything okay?” one of the train attendants came by.

“Y-yes! He’s fine,” Ren answered a lot quicker and louder than she expected. Nervous sweat began pooling at the crown of her head. “He was telling me about one of his pets that recently passed away and well...” Her hand gestured to the current bawling version of her travel companion and let out an uncomfortable laugh.

“Ah… I’m sorry to hear that,” the attendant sympathized.

“I’ll get him to calm down soon. Promise. We didn’t mean to disturb the passengers.”

The attendant left the two alone and the redhead was able to calm down soon after. Ren handed him a tissue to clean himself up in the bathroom and sat in her seat, covering her face in exhaustion. The tips of her ears cascaded red from embarrassment. They’re still about an hour out to Kansai and she already wants to go back. Feeling his presence nearby, she sat up to let the redhead back into his seat.

“S-sorry ‘bout before, senpai.” He shyly looked away and scratched the back of his head, still sniffling. “That wasn’t very manly of me.”

“It’s fine,” she disregarded with a wave of her hand, her face showing weariness. “Just… Try not to do it in a public setting. I think onlookers thought I was breaking up with you,” she jested.

“You? Break up with me? But I’m perfect,” he returned the joke.

“Okay, now you’re starting to sound like Bakugou.”

The two chuckled to ease the tension.

“Ren-senpai?”

“Hm?”

“Thanks.”

Giving him a smirk, Ren raised the back of her left fist to bump with his. Another hour later, they finally landed in Kansai, the land of food. Making their way through the local commuters around Shin-Osaka Station, they finally found the connecting train to get to Fat Gum’s office. Amajiki met them at the front entrance.

“You’re late,” the brooding indigo haired boy blurted out.

“We got a bit lost and grabbed some takoyakis on the way,” Ren huffed out from running, holding up the clear plastic container of food. “The line was stupid long and I heard Fat Gum likes it.”

“Bribery’s not gonna get you the internship,” Amajiki replied and turned toward the entrance. “Let’s get this over with.”

The upperclassman led the two travelers into the elevator and presented them to Fat Gum, who was currently sitting at his desk looking over something important on his computer.

“Fat Gum, these are the two juniors I was telling you about the other day,” he announced.

“Oh, right, right. ‘Bout the internships, yeah?”

His friendly demeanor caught both Ren and Kirishima off guard, as they were both expecting to be greeted much more harshly from a pro.

“Alright, little hatchlings, take a seat,” Fat Gum happily said and noticed the plastic container in Ren’s hands. “Could that be–”

She immediately took notice of his line of sight staring at her gift.

“O-Oh, right! These are for you.”

She handed the food item to the BMI Hero with both hands, lightly bowing her head. “I remember reading in your profile report takoyakis are your favorite food and we happened to pass by a stall in Dotonbori on the way here.”

He graciously accepted the gift and looked on top of the container, where a sticker with the store logo was stuck on top. It was from his favorite stand.

“Young lady…” he began in a serious voice. “What is your name?”

“I’m Takahiro Ren, currently a second year at U.A. My quirk is Flicker, where I can teleport to and from a certain distance.”

“And you, young man,” he gestured to the redhead, who was currently shaking out of nervousness. “What about you?”

“I-I’m Kirishima Eijirou, a first year at U.A.,” he introduced. “I have a hardening quirk.”

“Both defense types huh...” He rubbed his chin and popped open the container to partake in the spherical food item. “Tamaki, you brought some interestin’ hatchlings.”

“It’s more like… they cornered me to,” he gasped out from the back and slouched. “I wanna go home...”

“So tell me, hatchlin’s: How many ultimates do you have?”

“I currently have four at my disposal and am working on two more. They’re near completion,” Ren answered with clarity and no drop of hesitation.

Kirishima quickly glanced at his senior and thought how amazingly focused she was. To already have so many moves under her belt while creating more… If he were being honest with himself, he couldn’t help but feel insecure. But now wasn’t the time or the place for it.

“I… I currently have three,” the redhead replied. “And am currently exploring other options in expanding my battle skills.”

“It’s good you continue to expand your skill sets,” he commended. “So tell me, why would you like to intern here?”

“Truth be told, I’ve been hesitating to apply because I don’t think I’m strong enough. But, a senpai of mine scolded me recently and made me realize I was only making excuses for myself.”

Ren let out an unsteady breath and nervously glanced at Tamaki-senpai in the corner, knowing she wouldn’t be able to lie here.

“And out of all the pro heroes in the circuit, you’re the most well known for using defensive tactics in subduing villains,” she explained. “I’d like to learn from your experience as to how I’d be able to better use my own and double it as offense. As for what I can offer to your firm, I believe my quirk would be a strong asset in scouting if we’re to locate various villains.”

“I’d… like to build up my defense so I can better protect others,” Kirishima got to the point. “My quirk isn’t the fastest or flashiest, but I’m sturdy. And while we’re gettin’ everythin’ out in the open here...”

He looked at a random spot on the floor, a flash of uncertainly graced his expression before he looked up again.

“I wanna intern here not because Fourth Kind couldn’t take me, but I wanna get strong quick. Comparing myself to my classmates, I feel like I’m falling behind. I wanna get closer to those at the top in my class! As for what I can contribute to your office, I really don’t know but I’m willing to do the work.”

The rotund hero leaned back in his seat, analyzing and absorbing both of their answers with an understanding hum. He grabbed a couple of papers from his desk and casually glanced at the information written on there as the two U.A. students waited for his response with baited breath.

“Tamaki...” Fat Gum addressed. “What do you think of these two?”

“Ren-kun’s abilities are as solid as they come since she trained with us last year,” Amajiki calmly answered. “And from what I saw of Kirishima’s quirk during 1-A’s spar with Mirio, he has potential.”

Kirishima widened his eyes in shock. Did he just hear that right?

“Senpai, you trained with the Big Three?!” he whispered within an earshot.

“We can hear you,” Amajiki pointed out. “And yes, she did. For an entire summer.”

“I barely survived it,” she groaned out with a grimace on her face. “And this is something I rather not let anyone else know, Kiri-kun. So please keep this between us.”

“But why?!” he argued. “You’re, like, super strong! It’s a huge deal! You trained with the friggin Big Three!”

“Think about it: word gets out, I’m gonna have everyone and their moms asking me to train or spar with them,” she reasoned. “It’s bad enough your hot-headed brother from another mother already wants a piece of me. Also, I don’t like that kind of attention.”

“She doesn’t like confrontation,” Amajiki translated.

“Neither do you!” Ren turned and snapped at her senior. “You’re always saying how much you wanna go home while facing a wall!”

“While that’s true, I still do what needs to be done without hesitation,” he argued back and crossed his arms. “So what about you? What will you do when we come across a villain? Will you freeze up like you did when–”

A sudden bang could be heard from his side of the office. He couldn’t finish the rest of his sentence as Ren teleported straight at him with her left hand slammed onto the wall, trapping Amajiki in on one side. Her green-hazel eyes glared into his indigo ones dangerously.

“Tamaki-senpai...” she spoke with a low, warning voice. “With all due respect, choose your next words carefully.”

“Now, now. Let’s not get all worked up,” Fat Gum’s booming voice interjected to break the tension. “We’re here for your internships, not to bring up the past.”

The pink haired girl huffed a breath through her nose, closed her eyes and removed her hand from the wall. As she walked back, Kirishima could see her melancholic face. Just what was it that got her so worked up like that in an instant? It was then he realized how much he didn’t know.

“As much as I wanna hire you two, I’ll have to run it by U.A. first and make sure it doesn’t interfere with your studies. You should hear from me in about a week. Sound good?”

The two underclassmen nodded in understanding. Thanking Fat Gum for the opportunity again, they made their way out of the office.

“Tamaki...” Fat Gum called, prompting the boy to turn. “You took it too far.”

His intern stood stationary. The boy then scratched his face and let a breath out from his nose.

“Because I’m frustrated with her. She has so much potential and she’s just… playing it safe with everything. It annoys the hell out of me.”

“While I understand how you feel, that’s not how you should go about encouraging her,” he lectured. “Everyone goes at their own pace and impatience will only undo the work you and your friends did.”

Amajiki nodded in silence. The large hero leaned back in his chair again and sighed aloud.

“That girl, Ren… she’s Rennosuke’s daughter?”

“… Yes.”

“I can see the resemblance.”

“So will you hire her?”

“I’ll hire them both and take them under my wing. We need all the people we can get.”

“Are you referring to...” the boy suggested, with Fat Gum nodding and making direct eye contact with his.

“Sir Nighteye’s team up request.”

--

*If you’re to say ‘Nightcrawler’ in Japanese, it’d be ‘Naitokuroolaa.’ Aren’t phonetics fun?!

Game of Thrones: Fav characters and characters I dislike

(Long post) Kay so, today is the premiere of the final season, guess I'll do my top Ten favorite characters(it is pretty much my favorite show of all time). Show only since I have yet to read the books. If you wonder my opinion on any character not mentioned I either forgot to mention them or I didn't think they really earned a spot on the lists. Yes I do censor things in this a bit buuut I want my web comic to have a wider audience so yea, deal with it. (SPOILER WARNING, at this point, if ur not caught up tho, you have only yourself to blame) Liked Honorable mentions: - Melisandre - before I found out bout the necklace, I had the HUGEST crush on her. She's evil, yes, but she adds a sense of wonder and magic to the show, so I still like her character (other than that necklace scene obviously). Plus Jon wouldn't be back if it weren't for her so haters gonna hate. - Bronn- if he doesn't get his damn castle...lol I doubt I need to say why this wise cracking sword for hire is a favorite, I think most people love him. - Yara Greyjoy - Badass pirate/Viking chick on the high seas? Hell yeah! Plus I love Greyjoy armor, I don't doubt Euron will probably kill her though. - Oberyn Martell - Awesome character, the Red Viper was fierce with a spear and even moreso with his attitude. Unfortunately his pride wound up being his undoing in the end, arguably one of the most effective deaths in the series. - Tormund Giantsbane - How can you not love this absolute bro? I don't even like Brienne and I ship them. Geniune badass. - Jorah Mormont - Lord of the Friend zone, his loyalty makes him one of my favs, not top ten tier though - Petyr Baelish: The events of Game of Thrones wouldn't have happened without this slimy bastard. He was smart and cunning (which made him fun to watch) and though his death was cool, the build up was kind of weak (weird Sansa/Arya storyline) Favorite characters: 10.) Ned Stark - Everyone's original favorite character, his death cemented that GOT wasn't f*ckin around. I mean, damn, still a brutal death scene to watch to this day. Props to Sean Bean for making his so awesome. He was honorable to a fault in a dishonorable world. 9.) Ramsey Bolton - Kay, so I might get some flack for this one, but he was a great bad guy. I mean he was legit terrifying and despicable! Made the Battle of the Bastards have an entirely different level of intensity than most of the battle scenes. Dude was an absolute monster, but unlike another widely disliked villain, this psycho got his own hands dirty instead of beckoning others to. His death scene was poetic but I kinda wanted it to be gorier. (I'm an edgelord though) 8.)Jon Snow - Awesome character, obviously I dig him, so why so low on the list? Honestly, there's characters I like more. But he's still really cool, definitely has the best fight scenes of any of the characters. WE BETTER SEE GHOST THIS SEASON THOUGH!! Lol things are gonna be hella awkward when he finds out Dany is his aunt, yet we still root for them as a couple...that's wincest for you hurr hurr hurr hurr (sorry) I could see him living in the end cus tbh killing him again would be repetitive BS. 7.)Tywin Lannister - Kay...so he died on the sh*tter (imo probably the worst place to die) AND he was an absolute d*ck to Tyrion...but dude, he was awesome. He literally has a song about him in the world of GOT that is used as a warning to others to not f*ck with him!! He took a house that was laughed at and turned it into one of the most feared houses in all of Westeros. That is pretty frickin cool. 6.) Cersei Lannister - Another one I'll get flack for but whatever lol She's cool! So what she shags her brother and is an awful human being? She's a badass! Did you SEE how she blew up all of her enemies in the court and solidified her queen status in one fell swoop? That was dope!! She's vile but very entertaining to watch. RIP the Tyrells. Probably gonna get choked out though by her brother like Maggie the frog predicted. (By my second favorite character no less) 5.) Daenerys Targaryen - Dany! One of my cats is named after her! I love this character. The dragons are amazing, she's cute, she's powerful, maybe a little insane cus of Targaryen madness, and she's overcome some amazing odds. Her storylines could be a little meh in the grand scheme of things but Emilia Clarke's portrayal has made a character that we really root for. I suspect she'll die personally by the Night King buuuuut we'll see. 4.)Tyrion Lannister -Tyrion's writing has gone down a bit in recent seasons but still, most people's favorite Lannister. His quick wit and resilience make him a solidified favorite. Still seems like the person you'd most wanna drink with. I'd be pretty damn surprised if he bit the dust. 3.) Arya Stark - My other cat is named after her and there's a good reason why, SHE'S BASICALLY BECOME A FREAKING FACE STEALING NINJA!!! She was always likeable and I think I've enjoyed almost every storyline she's been a part of (excluding her main one last season) Maisie Williams is a great actress and I hope to see more of her in the future. I doubt Arya will die, but based on that one trailer, things do seem rather bleak for her. Who knows...maybe GRRM wants a divorce... 2.) Jaime Lannister - Yes. This dude is my favorite Lannister. In case you couldn't tell, Lannister is my favorite house. He's really had the best redemption arc in the series. He went from a character I disliked to my second favorite. I predict he will be the one to kill his sister, what happens to him after that, idk. It'll be awkward when he meets Bran again though... 1.) The Hound (Sandor Clegane) - CLEGANEBOWL BETTER HAPPEN!! Kay so... admittedly I screamed like a little freaking girl when this character came back. He... HE'S JUST SO FREAKING COOL!! Admittedly being a 6 footer and a rather grumpy individual, I probably relate to him more than I'd like to admit. Probably will die, but as long as he fights his brother, I'll be a very happy edgelord. Characters I dislike: 10.) Sansa Stark - Kay so I just...I dislike her, I never liked her. I feel sorry for her, sure. She's gotten better over time, sure. I still see her as very entitled and kinda whiny/bratty. She'll probably die. If not I won't be disappointed, still though, not a fan of Sansa. It was cool how she killed Ramsey, tho again, do wish the scene was gorier. 9.) Robb Stark - Ned Stark 2.0 but way less cool. Nuff said. I was okay with his death in the Red Wedding. Shouldn't have made a promise you weren't gonna commit to. Even if Walder Frey is a d*ck. 8.) Catelyn Stark - She was just such a jerk to Jon Snow and Tyrion, seriously. Even moreso in the books from what I have read of them. She got on my nerves. Honestly, I don't feel like Lady Stoneheart would've added much in terms of storyline. 7.) Brienne of Tarth: I find her annoying. Sure, her fight with the hound was FREAKING COOL, but she's kinda too self righteous for her own good. Duty is her thing and all but she is really not good at holding up to her vows. Still ship her and Tormund though. 6.) Theon Greyjoy - hated this dude, then felt sorry for him, now I roll my eyes at him. Honestly, Greyjoys other than Yara are pretty meh characters. Good for him finally regaining figurative cajones. Doubt he'll save his sister though, or survive the White Walkers for that matter. 5.) Euron Greyjoy - this one is a shame cus I hear the book character is amazing. Feels like a pretty generic bad guy of the week type for a show with outstanding villains. Funny like here or there, but kinda a weak character overall. Theon will probably kill him, though I'd love to see a twist where he kills Theon. 4.) Walder Frey - Old dude that got what was coming to him, props to the guy who plays Filch, portrayed two characters who were absolutely despicable. I doubt I really have to list the ways this cowardly character was despicable. Awesome death scene though. Winter came for House Frey. 3.) Shae - Grrrr. The actual actress I feel very sorry for cus I've heard her story, but man this character. Dumb but smart enough to screw over Tyrion. For personal reasons, I really hate this character, reminds me of people I've known. 2.) Tommen and Myrcella Baratheon - Most. Useless. Lannisters. Ever. I'm a Lannister fan so you could see why I roll my eyes so hard with these two. Tommen rolled over so hard you might as well have called him a wheel. And Myrcella was just kinda there, admittedly sad to watch her death scene though (pretty much moreso because it was the only time Jaime was really able to connect with his daughter) 1.) Joffrey Baratheon - Everyone probably saw this coming. Joffrey is that kid on the playground that'd hit you, you'd hit back, they'd start crying and get you in trouble. Everybody knew that kid, I think that's why everyone hates this character so. But man, his death scene was soooo satisfying. Props to the Jack Gleason for making him so horrible. There ya have it. My opinions on GOT characters. Freaking excited for tonight's premiere!! WINTER IS HERE!!

List of anime that influenced me

While watching CDawgVA talk about the anime that influenced him, I got to thinking of what has influenced me. I’m older than many fans now, so what I grew up with isn’t what everyone else grew up with. 

1) Sailor Moon

This show was the first real anime show I ever watched, though I had watched “anime” when I was younger in Voltron and Akira. However, they didn’t have nearly as strong an impact on me as Sailor Moon. I heard about it from one of my friends, and she was the kind of overly obsessed fantard that makes you cringe when you think of anime fans, but that came a bit later. I was in 6th grade and she told me I should try watching Sailor Moon in the morning. So I did.

I was instantly hooked. The girly clothes, the magic, the romance, the daring and mysterious Tuxedo Mask... I was in love! And so I got as many Sailor Moon things as I could get my little hands on. I got the small dolls, I also managed to get a hold of an Artemis plush that got ruined, and a big Sailor Venus doll. I really, really wanted a Tuxedo Mask doll, because good God he was pretty, but I could never find him. 

Over the years, I frequented anime stores, or Japanimation as we called it. I got a couple of Sailor Moon CDs, one of which was an import from Japan. I got a couple of imported manga from Japan that I could never read. And when the manga started being translated by Mixx Entertainment, I got the Mixx Manga magazine, which was kind of like Shoujo Beat or Shonen Jump except they smashed both the Shonen manga in with the Shoujo manga. I think I sold my copies to Half-Price ages ago because I needed whatever money they were willing to give me for it. And when I saw that Mixx was finally putting out the manga volumes for $10, I got my grandma to buy them for me. I was in high school when they were coming out then.

I learned to draw anime style by copying Sailor Moon’s style. My first attempts were awful, but I kept trying. I had a Sailor Moon character of Sailor Neptune way before I ever knew about the outer senshi showing up later in the series. (she was Serena’s sister and showed up to take Tuxedo Mask.) And later in 6th grade, my too obsessive friend not only claimed she had written a script for a Sailor Moon play that I was to play Sailor Jupiter in, but that, over the phone, she claimed she was turning into Sailor Moon when she looked into the mirror. And that she was having adventures in the mirror while talking to me on the phone. As I said: too obsessed.

Needless to say, Sailor Moon is one of my staples. It broke my heart when I had to sell my old Mixx manga Sailor Moon volumes and the newer ones that I had collected so that I could get some money. It’s okay. One day I will get them again.

2) Tenchi Muyo! or Tenchi Universe

I had not watched a lot of anime after Sailor Moon. There just wasn’t a lot that interested me and no real way of watching it unless I convinced my grandma to pay for it. I think I was in high school when Tenchi Muyo! showed up on Cartoon Network. I know I was thrilled to learn that Cartoon Network was airing Sailor Moon, so I was still in Sailor Moon mode. Whenever it showed up, I was hooked. I got on that train and careened right off the cliff. I love this stupid show, but the manga is soooooooo much funnier. Oh so much! This is where a lot of my old humor came into play when drawing my Harry Potter fancomics in high school, as well as the numerous comics that I started, but dropped when I got bored with them. (Attention span of a gnat.) It became more fun to just tease the shit out of my friends who wanted to know how the stories ended, but were sorely disappointed when I didn’t bother with them.

When I started writing out my super long and stupid Harry Potter fanfictions, it was a few years after high school. Before then, I was drawing them in high school when I wasn’t doing homework. And lo and behold, I’d copy the page layouts from Tenchi Muyo! and Oh! My Goddess, but only Tenchi Muyo! got a lot of interest from me. It might have helped that Tenchi Muyo!’s humor is pretty on par with Monty Python and other such British comedies I had grown up on, so it wasn’t a huge stretch to start picking up on how to draw some of its humor.

3) Fullmetal Alchemist

If you’re a long time fan of mine, then you know that this was bound to show up. FMA was one of those animes that I had no idea about until I randomly caught it on Cartoon Network when I was staying over at my great grandpa’s house. I was with my grandma and we were taking care of her dad--my great grandpa--who was suffering from dementia among other problems. The rest of the family took turns taking care of him and accompanying him on trips so that he was never left alone for too long. He had a problem of ending up in trouble and never bothering to ask for help when he couldn’t get back up. Now, I knew about a few more anime at this time, because I had anime loving friends in high school and out of high school who knew of stuff to suggest to me. I’d watch it on Cartoon Network and be somewhat interested in it. I watched Cowboy Beebop, Trigun, Outlaw Star (which has one of the best anime closing themes I’ve ever heard omg)... I can’t remember anything else at the moment.

I turned on the TV and found cartoon network was playing its late night anime block and watched FMA. And never looked back. Now, while my love of FMA is not as apparent as my love of Sailor Moon, it’s still there. I made my own Edward and Alphonse Elric dolls, for crying out loud! I would get the manga and I loved the art style so much I started trying to incorporate it into my own a little, much the way it happened with Sailor Moon and Tenchi Muyo. I would sit and listen to the soundtracks I would get from one of my friends. I have a signed picture of Vic Mignogna that I have stored away in a nice, safe place. I’m a fan. And it still stays with me to this day. I spent so much time playing with Harry Potter and FMA with one of my friends that we blended them together. 

Yeah. That’s right. My Mini-Erik series shows this bizarre shit in there and i will always be proud of how insane we got with it.

4) Princess Tutu

This one sounds goofy, and it is a little goofy, but it is so much deeper than you can possibly imagine. if you love magical girl stories as well as ballet, then you will love this. I love this. I LOVE THIS. This seriously came about when I found out that we had an anime channel. Back when my mom had a premium package for the cable, I could get free anime series to watch. I watched Pretear on there and a few other things, but what I took to the strongest was Princess Tutu. And trying to get my mom to sit and watch it with me because I know she will enjoy it if she gives it a chance was ridiculous. For some reason, she can’t handle anything where the characters have high pitched voices. She equates it to children’s voices and she can’t stand that. Not only that, but she, to this day, equates animated shit to cartoons for children. As I said, it’s fucking ridiculous to get her to watch this thing and enjoy it even though I know for a fact it has everything I know she will enjoy if she just stopped being a dumbass about it.

So this one has forever inflicted itself upon me. I still want to come up with a knight and princess like Fakir and Ahiru, but that will come when it comes. In the mean time, it will never leave me. Ever. I will always recommend it.

5) Fate/Stay Night (Fate series)

If you’re a long time fan of mine, you also know of my obsession with this series. It will never leave. NEVER. It always calls me back! Just like FMA, Princess Tutu, Tenchi, Sailor Moon, and a few others! But I think the most inspiring thing about the series is not so much the story, but the characters. Namely the heroes. See, I had a book I had taken from my great grandpa’s house upon his death. Actually, I had a lot of books that I had accumulated after his death, and all of them were mythology based. I staked a claim on those faster than you can blink. I have a Welsh Mythology book, an Irish mythology book, and two Scandinavian folk tale books that I got from his house. Well, I had read through the Irish one and enjoyed the Cattle Raid of Cooley and Cuchulainn, but it didn’t stick in my head. It was Fate’s Lancer that shoved that bastard right into my brain and he made a home there. I had always been a huge fan of King Arthur, and seeing a female King Arthur kinda weirded me out at first, but I liked the idea so much that I kept it for my own versions of King Arthur. 

“The Dark Queen”, “The King’s Hound”, and “Hound of the Dark Earth” all came from utilizing the images of the characters of Lancer Cu and Saber Arthur, but using them in my own way. So even now I’m still playing with these stories, and it has everything to do with fate/Stay Night being a huge influence on me.

6) Axis Powers: Hetalia

Oh, Hetalia. We have a love/hate relationship, you and I. I love you to pieces, but your fans tend to be fucking psychotic and/or stupid. Or at least the ones I always encounter minus one of my besties. My bestie Alex introduced me to Hetalia and I keep coming back to it while she’s kind of stopped caring. I always come back to things I enjoy, such as Harry Potter, Narnia, Lord of the Rings, King Arthur, yadda yadda.

 I instantly fell in love with America and continue to this day. I also fell in love with England, and later France, Germany, Spain, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, China, Russia, Lithuania, and Japan. To this day, I have characters that are at least in some part influenced by the characters of Hetalia. My character Jimmy Stark was influenced by America, my character Bastian Wylde came from England, same with Fabian Santiago from Spain. I think even Darius Lis came from my usual portrayals of Lithuania in roleplays. How these came about was from a lot of role playing with Alex in various stories, including,but not limited to, Twilight and Harry Potter. We always paired Alex’s version of India with England, so in Twilight they became vampire lovers and in Harry Potter they were students. And then we used India in The Witch’s Son/Phantom of the Opera type shenanigans back when I was just trying to figure out how to make The Witch’s Son work.

However, I stayed far from the fandom outside of making overly dramatic fanfictions of a dumb parody cartoon. I know I had at least two Mexican idiots try to tell me that the Texas Revolution was America stealing Texas from Mexico instead of Mexico being an abusive dickwad and Texas raising a shotgun to his face and saying “No More.” Or that Palestine would have never picked on a young Israel, even though Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and a number of other places around Israel all declared war on Israel for simply existing. Israel won its independence in fire and blood, and then kept on surviving every single time these same nations never learned their lesson and declared they would “drive the Jews into the sea” ie kill them all. Or that America was never a conservative nation. However, they’re small fry in comparison to the bizarre fantards on gaiaonline. Had at least one of them molest my America and then, when I played such a thing straight and had America scream “BAD TOUCH! I NEED AN ADULT!” they started screeching about “straight helatians” being impossible and “straight hetalians” in their fandom. Like... dude? Seriously? The boys liking Hungary’s tits and ass don’t connect with you anywhere?

7) Hellsing

This one is more for two characters, specifically Alucard and Anderson. I played Alucard for years and then finally wanted to incorporate him in something without like... actually doing Alucard. If you know me, you know what I’m referring to. Anderson, however, kind of more just... visually influenced another character that has absolutely zero to do with him... though I suppose you could make the connection because they’re both priests that murder. The image in my head was more of the scarecrow variety, though, with Anderson’s long arms being more lanky, as well as his body. So perhaps a little of Batman’s Scarecrow fell in there somewhere, too.

8) Fushigi Yuugi

I literally only heard about this when I was... I think high school and then got out and ran into it later because of my bestie Amanda. This one is one of the lesser influences, but I suppose it still counts because some of it still lingers with me today. 

9) Ouran High School Host Club

A silly manga and a silly anime that makes the Captain a super happy person. This influenced more because of the stereotype characters in the same way Hetalia did. I’ve been noodling with the idea of romances surrounding similar types, including twins with a chick. We’ll see where that goes... if it goes anywhere. 

10) Anything CLAMP has created

Not gonna lie... I was a huge CLAMP fiend when I got out of high school. While I don’t really give a shit about the yaoi in the stories, my interest has always been in the cute, girly, adventure, or the DESIGNS. Jesus fuck, I would kill to be able to design some of the outfits they design. I’ve never been that imaginative with clothing. The detail put into the designs made me try to do the same with my own artwork, for good or ill. And the art styles were ones I emulated, particularly from eeh... Angelic Layer and Tsubasa Chronicle. I, in fact, used to rely on the manga from Tenchi, Sailor Moon, and Tsubasa Chronicle to get ideas for page layouts and whatnot when I drew comics. I incorporated a lot of it into my drawing style and then let it relax into something else when I finally got bored with keeping up with CLAMP. 

Captain Underpants is the living personification of the friendship between George and Harold (part 2- reflections on the film.)

WILL CONTAIN MAJOR SPOILERS for the film so read at your own risk. It explores the events of the film as well as provide a look into both personas of the same person. Go back to part one if you want to know more about this study in the following link:

https://tornrose24.tumblr.com/post/161139186922/captain-underpants-is-the-living-personification

OR click the keep reading tab if you have seen the film.

....Well, wow. In some ways the film proved my study right and in some ways it challenged it. Its funny, I’m tempted to say that Captain Underpants inherited George’s confidence as well as Harold’s love for cute things. He might as well have been like an overgrown little brother to the both of them, but its also clear that he’s still technically Krupp if he was more confident and took a level in kindness. Though half the time its always easy to keep forgetting that he’s actually someone under hypnosis. Anyway, lets take a look at the film….

The film starts right on George and Harold covering the story behind their creation in his origin comic, which demonstrates the collaboration within their friendship/putting their talents together and showing their creativity. I also found it interesting that the voice we hear for Captain Underpants in the 2D animation of the comic was Ed Helms instead of either Kevin or Thomas and I wonder if that hinted at something. Was that the voice the two imagined for him or was it to foreshadow what was to come? Yet already we see that Captain Underpants keeps the two together and symbolizes their friendship. He’s the creation that they take the most pride in, as they mention a little later on. But it leads right to Mr. Krupp’s introduction and what does he do? HE RIPS THEIR COMIC UP! It PERFECTLY symbolizes and foreshadows that he will soon try to separate the two boys in addition to already setting himself up as everything George and Harold is against. Remember how I said one persona tries to separate them, but the other brings them together in the first part? Its immediately demonstrated even before the actual Captain Underpants character shows up! (On a side note, since that ripping up the comic thing happened to Pilkey in his youth... was it ok to make him relive that in that? I hope he was ok with it). And, wow, way to cause Harold so much stress and give us that imagine spot after giving him and George their punishment Krupp (jerk face). Even after he tells them his punishment and is out of sight, he still feels like an ominous force against them and it terrifies Harold who doesn’t want to be alone. I understood that Krupp was technically doing his job-some teachers need to separate students in class so that they can get their work done if they can’t keep themselves in check and something like this would have to be under extreme circumstances-but he’s so eager over the idea of destroying a good friendship between those two boys. Its really something that he shouldn’t enjoy doing, but why? Of course it later becomes an extreme case of irony when they come to an important realization about Krupp, but we’ll get to that later. Because karma is NOT kind to Krupp and he gets a very ironic yet very fitting punishment for his cruelty towards the boys and his students. It was a little different in the book, but in this case I would say he completely brought it upon himself. Yet there is something much more going on here and it goes much deeper. Something is not what it seems in the first quarter of the film, but I’ll also get to that later. In retaliation for Krupp’s actions, George hypnotizes him but it is the two boys together who agree to make him become their prized creation in a perfect collaboration that reflects how they operate. George usually comes up with the ideas and Harold brings them to life and when they make the fateful command they are in perfect synchronization. The product of their friendship takes over the man who was so opposite in every way and he comes to life, stands with confidence, and lets out a glorious ‘TRA-LA-LAAAAAA!’ And after they take in what they have done with such awe and disbelief, they have a good laugh over it.Yet in the world of Captain Underpants, irony is still as strange towards the boys as it has been for Krupp when things get out of hand.... When Captain Underpants decides to seek out trouble, the boys are forced to go after him and it starts a chain of them trying to look out for him and keep him out of trouble as if he were a younger brother or a student, thus forcing a role reversal between them and the man he used to be. Still they work together to keep him safe and hey they got an adventure out of it too (operating that crane and driving it for one thing). Also its noteworthy that CU was very quick to be drawn towards them after his ‘birth’.... almost like an imprinting sort of thing. And when I think of it, the boys could have done something much worse to him before he became CU or even left him on his own to meet an unfortunate demise and yet they didn’t. They are both well meaning and good at heart and that all also lived in CU. I thought CU’s interactions with the boys were sweet and there were times were it was easy to think of him as an accomplice in the things that happened at the school. If they did something, he would go along with it, including the funniest rendition of ‘Hallelujah’ I’ve ever heard (and thank the stars they were able to get Ed Helms to sing for even a brief moment). Honestly, if he was their age he would have made a great addition to their team. He was so much like a kid and it was sweet that he wanted to help the boys make the other students happy, but of course it went out of hand really fast. CU was limited by how much George and Harold put into him as a character in their stories and was of course a reflection of the minds of two fourth graders as opposed to a more careful adult. Sadly the chaotic side had to be with the good counterpart while the only one who had order had to be the mean counterpart. And that really is such a blow because those boys were not only juggling a ticking bomb in the form of a kind man who could easily turn back into their principal up to that point, but CU unintentionally helped Krupp separate the two as they long feared. CU WANTED to bring them all together in his own way but his naivety and lack of caution became his undoing as much as it had been for the boys. The climax was pretty interesting to observe to because it was really reflected that George and Harold were the true protagonists of the story and for half of it they had to do a lot of figurative fighting in order to save the day, though all it took was for them to be true to themselves and overcome the power of that ray. Yet beforehand they used CU as a distraction since that was all he seemed to be good for to them at the time. For that one moment they took him for granted but when it seemed like he was doomed, they were horrified for him. It was kind of a nasty hint at what was about to happen to them in nearly losing their sense of humor–they almost lost him and in turn they almost lost themselves. It’s not until George and Harold’s friendship is able to overcome... whatever that ray thing was called again, I don’t remember... anyway, its fitting that after that they both are in trouble in a place they can’t easily escape from on their own, they call out for help. And this call for help (not just from his creators but his friends) awakened CU and caused him to ingest that green stuff that caused him to the exact super powers that the boys created for him and come to their aid when they truly needed it. Both George and Harold really did save the day though their friendship and their creativity. And everything they were was gifted into one being who worked alongside them, even when he could have gotten them out of there and tried to take on the bad guy by himself when he finally got those powers. Instead all three worked together–the creators and the creation. The final treehouse scene was really good, but when I think back on it, it made me realize that both personas and the events of the film worked on a way that lead to the boys realizing that no matter what would happen they would always be friends and that something like being placed in different classrooms can’t change that. It’s a moment that makes them wiser and a little more mature. Yet it’s this acceptance that leads to them deciding that they need to make amends/fix their mistakes and destroy the hypno ring to erase their living fantasy they created together and bring back a man who represents the reality that they must face, but they will do so with newly gained wisdom and maturity. I admit I wondered if something would happen like this in the film, though it turned out differently (I was expecting a sad but heartwarming good bye hug, darnit!). CU did bring them together, but he also unintentionally helped them learn that friendship can truly last forever and can not be destroyed if the bond is too strong, even if you ever seem so far away from each other. And as corny as it sounds, I think they knew he wouldn’t be gone forever because in a way he would be as everlasting as their friendship.

Now let’s look at the force that threatened to force the two away and why I personally think he is far more interesting than his book counterpart. Even if Krupp was trying to keep the two apart and wanted to suppress their creativity, he was unintentionally strengthening it when they resolved to make their classmates be happy and laugh at their comics and pranks. But why on earth would this man take so much joy in separating these two when it turns out he is alone without any friends of his own? And yeah I know he has relatives in the books but it’s so much different here.  Was this the ‘spreading the bitterness’ that Helms hinted at in one interview? Its easy to see him as the mean principal as a child, but when you look at him with an older mind then you realize that something has to have gone wrong for him to be like that and never change. I think he was so keen on destroying that friendship because he never had it and maybe he might have been jealous but I could be reading too much into that last bit. One moment that stood out for me was when Krupp finally signed the documents without anyone to stop him and was of course ecstatic about it... but then he sees the casserole Edith made and he quickly just died out and looked so depressed. Did he realize that he just condemned the boys to a fate much similar to his own? That he destroyed something similar to what he possibly wanted more than anything no matter how much he might deny it? Something that he unknowingly had with the last couple of people he would have wanted it from? Were the boys at least able to achieve something he possibly never had that he still doesn’t have the confidence to reach for? Or did he realize just how hollow this ‘victory’ actually was when he himself didn’t have the thing he sought to destroy? That has to be one figurative slap in the face for him and maybe more so than the irony and karma that haunted him the moment he destroyed the comic and solidified his status as the cruel principal. Its so mind blowing that DreamWorks Animation took this character with little hope of redemption in his source material (nor was he seemingly deserving to have the affections of anyone who could have chosen someone better) and was able to look carefully at him and give him a vulnerability and humanity. The way they showed his house, looking so battered and hostile on the outside, yet so dark and isolated within (complete with not so cheerful blue tones similar to those within the school, yet much more darker) was a great way to reflect and convey who he was to George and Harold as well as the audiences. The books were aimed at children and yet these people took a long look and realized that so much more could be done with him. So now it all ties into the last few scenes of the film in which the man who separates now becomes the man who binds. When George and Harold realize that perhaps the reason CU could be so nice was because he had friends and Krupp was the opposite because he was alone, they work together to set him up with Edith in their own way through ‘the prank for good.’ And its through this collaboration together that they not only help bring genuine happiness in Krupp’s life, but it leads to him starting to be a little nicer in turn by returning the comics to the boys... and revealing that he DID read them AND he enjoyed them, though in a way someone might try to regard a guilty pleasure. This is important because, in proving the favorite fan theory correct, this means that the power of George and Harold’s friendship and creativity was shown to Krupp through those comics and they were good enough that he enjoyed them as much as he would never admit it. They unknowingly gave him something to make his life a little brighter, which also meant that the living embodiment of their friendship was placed within Krupp and was also waiting to find the goodness that was suppressed to help lead him to his own happiness and for him to hopefully become a better person. The man Krupp could have been no longer has to be a sad illusion, but perhaps he can now be able to work towards becoming like that man. The greatest irony of it all is that the creation of George and Harold that Krupp was so against at the beginning was how the boys were able to see that he was alone and that he did have the potential to be good. It’s why I like the movie more than the books because it allows children to try to see adults in a different light and acts upon Pilkey’s notes that adults would find it harder to look within to reflect and change themselves over just yelling at the world. I should also add that it is super crucial that educators need to be aware of the interests and hobbies of their students in order to encourage them and help them succeed. And while the book version of Krupp fails so horribly at that, the movie version was finally able to open up and recognize the talents of George and Harold and tell them that what they made was actually pretty good. In doing so it could improve all three of their futures and those who attend the school, as well as an understanding of one another for the better. And I should point out that CU also helped both Krupp and Edith out in the romance area. Especially with Edith because he was open, kind, and gave a sweet compliment towards her, which seemed to help her become a little more confident. I think it was cute that CU also seemed to like Edith very much since he was still technically Krupp, but with his confidence at the front. I know he didn’t seem so keen on romance in the books, but if CU was momentarily rendered speechless and took in Edith’s fully exposed face with such awe then it suggests how much of the original personality is able to come through and keep CU alive like a real person instead of him just being someone under a trance. I DO want to know what the heck Edith saw in Krupp to begin with. Did she get to see a glimmer of the goodness that was suppressed before the events of the film? I can think of other literary characters who could have been far worser crushes, but that aside everything about the relationship is super adorable. (And I’d love to gush about it some day).

So... what is the takeaway from the film? Friendship and creativity have more power then we think and we are truly blessed if we have them in our lives in some way or another. George and Harold were able to cause change for positivity, bring humor and light in others lives as well as for each other, stop a mad man by being themselves, see the pain within their greatest antagonist and bring him joy (and hopefully help him become a better person) and it was all thanks to their greatest creation who embodied their ideals and the best within them, as well as the idea that compassion and having some much needed optimism can lead to a better world. But of course, the boys could not get rid of Captain Underpants forever and it was fitting that he came to their aid once again in the finale. (And on a side note, it looks like Edith is in for one heck of an interesting love life, but its one that she’s apparently open to). And thus the movie ends with the boys and their creation that they are trying to hold onto for safety/make sure they don’t lose him once again as silhouettes against a full moon in a parody of the silhouette of the bat-mobile against a full moon in the 1989 Batman. The final image being a perfect summary of a series of stories that challenges so much while entertaining generations of readers who can bond over them while they all have something within them that makes them unique or is waiting to come out.