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capricorn-writer-kawaii · 9 months

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Our Hero Academy

Chapter 4 - Teamwork

Prev. Chapter

Pairing: Shota Aizawa x female OC

Genre: Shota Aizawa X female OC fluff, angst, high school romance, friends to lovers

Words: 2k

Summary: 15 years ago, Eraser Head was starting his hero studies with his best friends Hizashi and Oboro. Contrary to what people think, his teenage years in the U.A. were bright and lovely, filled with the laughter of his best friends and his girlfriend's unconditional love. What happened over the years? What changed him into a gloomy sensei?

Extra note: You can totally picture Y/N in the OC female name, it's just that it'd be cute to read Aizawa calling her pet names. 🤍

Once again, thanks to @merrymonkey for illustrating this story. I love you, girl! 🥰

Chapter 4 - Teamwork

The closer to the disaster zone, the more present Aizawa had what had happened during the provisional license exam. He didn't want to see his friends in danger again, that was what he tried the most to avoid. Of course he was worried about the civilians, but he was also worried about Oboro, Hizashi, and Kaori. Aizawa did not realize how heroic his way of acting was and did not give himself enough credit. That day by going after them, he risked both his studies in the U.A. and his life. The young hero prioritized his friends' lives before any protocol. The sense and self-control he had maintained during the provisional license exam were hanging by a thread the closer they got to town.

A week ago, the U.A. and other academies had organized the exam to obtain the hero provisional license. The students were aware that they had to give it their all in terms of controlling their quirks, survival skills, situation management, and victim care. In other words, they must demonstrate everything they had learned in the first semester. In addition, the better they did, the more points they would receive in their final scores and the greater visibility they would have, since several professional heroes were there and not just to evaluate them, they wanted to start thinking about who they would recruit in their agencies once the internships began.

Several of the veteran heroes were already sitting in the grandstands and talking among themselves. The students were casting nervous but also admiring glances from the arena where they were warming up before the exam began. Everyone was motivated to shine in front of their idols.

"No fucking way! Guys, look who came!" Hizashi took off his yellow glasses as he noticed Enji Todoroki.

Walking between the grandstands was Endeavor, the flame hero, the man with the largest number of resolved cases in history. The tall, sturdily-built man with an incredible muscular figure had short crimson hair and sharp turquoise eyes. His beard and mustache appear to be made of fire, just as his hero costume for it included flames streaming across his chest, upper torso, arms, and shoulders. He uses his flames as a makeshift mask around his eyes, and his tall boots appear to be made of blaze themselves.

Just his mere presence was enough to keep the students and some colleagues silent. Despite being the number two hero, second only to All Might, the hero lacked charisma and although he instilled safety in those around him, he also seeded fear and a lot of respect. No one had seen him smile, not even his U.A. professors when he was a student, in fact, he was well known for his bad temper, something that he maintained, or rather, grew with his adulthood.

"What is he doing here?" Kaori asked totally intimidated by Endeavor's appearance.

"Preventing those who might hinder him from doing his job from getting the license?" Hizashi asked.

"No, his agency's growing like no other, it's normal for him to look for talented people to be his sidekicks in the future," Aizawa replied.

"Isn't it very soon to do it?" asked the blonde.

"That's what the rest is doing."

"Dude, the rest is not him, he's a pro among pros."

"By the age of 20, Endeavor had already taken his place as the No. 2 Pro Hero. Every step this man takes is calculated." That time, it was Oboro who spoke. "He's already been in that position for 10 years. Shit! Now I'm even more nervous. I don't want to make a fool of myself in front of him."

Their conversation was interrupted by the instructor's call to start the test.

As expected, the group worked together and they were quickly noticed by the pro heroes. Despite being so young, they had impeccable group work. Hizashi was the one who made the first move by stunning the villains with his shouts and then giving Aizawa room to do his thing and erase their enemies' quirks. Next, Oboro and Kaori were in charge of giving the final blow with their shocking fighting skills, both melee and distance.

Endeavor had fixed his gaze on those four. It was enough for him to look at them for a few minutes to recognize Aizawa's enormous analytical ability, Hizashi's speed, and Oboro's mighty attacks. Yet, the one who genuinely interested him was the girl. In all the years he had been working as a hero, he had not seen someone who could attack in such different ways. Within minutes he had seen her knock people down in a variety of ways. Endeavor caught sight of blizzards and landslides, but he also witnessed her adversaries turning blue-lipped from some use of temperature that was still unclear to him. Yet, there was something he noticed, and it was that, before scenarios with fire, Oboro acted before Kaori. Was it just a coincidence, or was there something behind it?

“Are there no cameras there?” Endeavor asked the academy principal as he watched the boys entering a largely destroyed building.

“No, there are major power outages. Actually, it's one of the most dangerous areas.” The director replied. "Yet, those four don't fear anything. Talented children but problematic. They give headaches to their homeroom teacher." He joked.

"They don't look like first-year kids."

"Not at all! They remind me of Toshinori's years here, and yours too. There was no way to make you guys slow down."

"What about the girl?"

"Oh! I'm seeing you're interested in Hoshino Kaori."

"What's her quirk?" The director couldn't help but giggle seeing that Endeavor's straightforward way to communicate hadn't changed from the days he was a student.

"Energies, she controls them."

"Any of them!?"

"Any of them" He replied proud of the young student.

Meanwhile, the four friends had already entered and were looking for possible victims. Relying on sonic waves, Hizashi had a special sensitivity to sounds and was the first to hear a cry. Alerting the others that there was indeed someone among the rubble, they began the search. However, as the director had told Endeavor, the area was covered in cables, and electrical discharges were rife. Every time one sounded, Kaori felt nauseated and a chill ran through her entire body.

Leaving Hizashi and Oboro to the front, Aizawa stayed a few steps behind with Kaori. He was surprised to see her stop and take her hands to her belly.

"What's wrong?" He asked more as a whisper so as not to alert the other two.

"Nothing, let's just get out of here fast." She asked while opening just a bit her costume because she was having a hard time breathing.

"Hey, Kari! Can't you do something with all this electricity?" Hizashi asked, but the girl shook her head.

"I already told you that I don't control this type of energy well."

“And if you turn it into light? It's fucking difficult to see where I step on."

"Language, there's a victim nearby," Aizawa said.

Oboro couldn't reply for did not see when he stepped on a cable and the electric shock literally sent him flying.

"Oboro!" Kaori yelled running towards him along with the other two.

"Are you okay?" Aizawa asked helping him sit up and feeling his pulse.

"Yeah, just a little dazed." When Oboro tried to stand up, he almost fell because his legs didn't respond to him. The boy did not land square to the floor just because Hizashi and Aizawa grabbed him by his arms.

"Your muscles are contracted from the electric shock, we must get you out of here fast." Kaori expressed with an evident look of concern.

"Shota, put him on my back," Hizashi asked, bending down while the black-haired boy helped his friend.

“Are you sure you can get him out, Hizashi? The last fight left you..."

"It's no big deal."

"Wait, we can't go, there's still someone here," Oboro said.

"I'll look for the victim."

"Shota, you can't stay alone, this place is a trap," Hizashi commented.

"I'll stay with him." Aizawa looked at Kaori uneasy, not because he didn't trust her, but because he knew she was the most desperate to get out of there. "Go, Hizashi, the faster they check Oboro, the better." Hizashi nodded and soon he had disappeared with Oboro on his back.

Avoiding an accident, Shota stopped Kaori on numerous occasions due to her anxiety to finish soon. Every time she heard electrical discharges or saw sparks, the girl would take a few steps back without noticing before she was going to step on a cable, or worse, that she didn't take a wrong step and the building would end up collapsing.

After a while, Aizawa and Kaori located the victim under a lot of rubble, it was a kid whose similarity with Kaori's little brother led her to forget that it was an exam and that the boy was not in real danger. Kaori didn't think twice as she rushed to help him. Fortunately, Aizawa held her, because if she had taken one more step, some ruins would have fallen on top of her.

"Focus!" He ordered a little louder than normal due to how worried he was about her safety. "What's going on with you? You haven't paid attention to your surroundings since we walked in here. If you won't be careful enough, then stay back and let me do it. When it's safe, take the child out, before that DO NOT move.”

Kaori was impulsive, that was true, but she was smart enough not to put herself in danger; however, that day something happened to her. She seemed like she was another person and the change occurred from the moment they entered that building.

"I'm sorry, Shota," Kaori's voice was barely audible.

If Aizawa had known the reason behind Kaori's weird behavior, perhaps he would have been a bit softer in speaking to her, but he would know it until some time later.

In the end, they approved the test, and despite Oboro's injury, which was promptly attended to by Recovery Girl, they all received compliments even from the pro heroes. Although Endeavor didn't say anything, the guys knew he had followed their performance closely. Despite how flattering that was, Kaori never showed a single smile and that night while they dined together at Oboro's house, hoping that he would recover soon, the girl did not try her food with the excuse that she was tired. The situation did not change in the following days either, every time the subject of the exam came up, she was silent, even more so if they talked about Endeavor.

Back to the incident, the group finally reached the town, thus discovering that Kaori had been right. The explosions had been disastrous and the whole village was on fire. Or at least what could be seen, since there was dust everywhere.

"Damn! This is chaotic! There are too many victims!” Hizashi said as he was about to move closer, but Aizawa grabbed his arm at the same time that he immobilized Hizashi and Kaori, who were also about to jump in to help people.

“We won't contribute ANYTHING if we don't first analyze what's happening. The three of you calm down or you will make the situation worse.”

Fortunately, they complied with their friend's order and waited before acting without thinking. The first thing they had to do was find a safe place where they could take the victims, which at the beginning seemed impossible due to the low visibility they had. Yet, Kaori and Oboro took care of this, while he created clouds, Kaori transformed their energy into wind that could dissipate the smoke. However, she had to be extremely careful, as the wind would boost the fire.

"It's not enough with the wind, you need to do something with the blaze," Oboro mentioned putting the girl in a bind.

There wasn't much time for Kaori to think or hesitate, hearing a building behind them collapse in flames forced her to focus on the fire and try to extinguish it at least a little. Hizashi and Oboro looked around waiting for the moment to come over and help; meanwhile, Aizawa did not take his eyes off Kaori and her hands. He had already seen what could happen to her if she handled more heat than she could. In case that happened again, he was ready to cancel the quirk.

A slight wince from her prompted Aizawa to become alert, but Kaori didn't let him move. "No, Shota. It's fine, I have it under control."

Despite feeling the heat on her palms, arms, and even shoulders, the girl kept going until she was able to calm the fire in several of the buildings, allowing her friends to go in and rescue people. Thus, after taking out some civilians, they knew that some of them had already given the alert and were waiting for properly trained heroes to appear.

No matter the mess they were in, the four students managed to keep things under control. They had already encountered seriously hurt victims, but that hadn't made them despair or make hasty decisions. Nevertheless, there was something that did not fit in Aizawa's head. The bombs had been planted by someone, someone had activated them. Where was the responsible? It didn't make sense to just plant a bomb and walk away.

At the same time that Aizawa scanned the place with his gaze, feeling more and more anxious, Hizashi tried to calm down some women, they were on the verge of collapse, screaming and asking for help for their children trapped in a school. Fortunately, even if the building was barely standing, the kids were safe, yet, they couldn't get out because the main entrance was blocked by some light poles and it was dangerous. Moreover, escaping through the windows was definitely not an option because of the broken glasses all over the place.

Therefore, forced to depend on the floating ability that Oboro and Kaori barely controlled, they took out the children one by one. Meanwhile, Hizashi and Aizawa received the children on the ground and were alert in case their friends needed some help.

Oboro and Kaori focused so much and controlled their quirks so well, that they managed to complete the task. Naturally, in the end, when they were going down they had exhausted a lot of their strength and the two lost their balance, but aware that this could happen, Aizawa and Hizashi were ready and caught them just in time.

“That was great, you got them all out!” Shouted the blond patting his friend's back after helping Oboro not to fall directly to the ground. "The mothers already took them away, they are out of danger!"

For their part, Kaori and Aizawa couldn't have had their cheeks flushed redder from the position in which they had ended up. Aizawa had caught Kaori head-on, and as they fell, the boy landed sitting with her on his thighs, still facing each other.

"Hum... are you ok?" Shota asked clearing his throat, he hadn't noticed that his hands were still on Kaori's waist and hers on his shoulders.

"I swear I'll never mock Oboro and his floating technique again."

Kaori's comment not only made Aizawa laugh but distracted him, which was a mistake considering he was the one who had the situation around them under control by his shrewd vigilance. Even so, the boy's senses were so sharpened and trained that he noticed how something moved in the distance, something that made his skin chill. A man had just thrown a grenade. The boy's panicked face led Kaori to direct her gaze in the same direction. There was no time to process what happened next, much less to react. Aizawa only felt when the girl got up and barely had time to run in front of her friends and raise her arms.

“Kaori, NO!” He tried to warn with a piercing cry, standing up as well and trying to get closer to her, but it was too late, he failed to stop her.

Next chapter

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thunderheadfred · 3 years

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💥Bakugou HC's💥

Aged-up pro hero Katsuki for all of these. Some NSFW beneath the cut. Minors do not interact.

- - - - -

General

He’s scary good at everything he tries. Every. Single. Fucking. Thing. It’s infuriating. Has zero patience when other people can’t immediately master a skill. Never let him teach you anything. Not that he’d offer, nerd.

He WILL offer, though. A lot. He can’t believe you still can’t Do That Thing. Tsh. Like THIS. You're gonna hurt yourself, Dummy.

But hold on. Of course you have unique skills of your own. You work hard to improve yourself. Trust me, he's the first person to notice. He doesn't praise anyone lightly, so when he raises his eyebrows and whispers he's impressed, your heart will go thermonuclear.

Perfect spelling and fully punctuated texts. Never uses abbreviations. Employs a grand total of four emojis, all of them angry faces. Constantly leaves you on read. He's busy, dammit.

Doesn’t smile or laugh in public (except sarcastically). His real smile is a crooked, fragile thing. Never make him feel self-conscious about it, or you might not see it again for weeks.

He does not talk about his private life to the press. Ever. Will K.O. rookie reporters who can't keep their big mouths shut.

HOweVER: he's intensely kind to his fans. There is a whole photographic sub-genre of little girls in cosplay hugging Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight like he's a Disney Princess.

Too smart for his own good. Emotionally hyper-vigilant. Overthinks every interaction to hell and back. Will act like he's not listening but actually hears every single word in a ten-block radius.

INSECURE AF. 110% convinced he will never be good enough. Terrified of his loved ones leaving him behind. Does he do anything to assuage his fears? Like... talk to anyone about it? Hell no. That would require admitting he has fears to begin with.

Seeing people upset makes him upset, especially if he doesn't know how to fix it.

The epitome of being mean because he cares. He genuinely does not seem to comprehend that monosyllabic grunts and lopsided shrugs are not actually that comforting.

Because he was such a brat growing up, he wants to make up for it now. Sort of. In his own way. Look, he's trying, okay?

He smells - so - good. Obscenely good. He doesn't wear cologne; are you joking? There's the burnt-sugar caramel candy smell of his quirk, for starters. And since he sweats deadly ammunition, he showers and wipes himself down almost constantly. He always smells clean. Like a fucking meadow.

Never got that growth spurt he was hoping for. He’s a short man - not even THAT short - but he has a Napoleon complex anyway. If you’re taller than him, the collars of your shirts will all be stretched out. He’s constantly dragging you down to his level. He will assert himself all the fucking time; the pissing contest is never-ending. Don’t wear tall shoes unless you want him to drag you around on a leash. If you’re shorter than him, that’s good. That’s very good. He likes that.

He’s an incredible cook, but everything he makes is a nuclear fire challenge. Adapt or starve.

- - - - -

Dating

Makes artisanal, nutritionally flawless bento lunches for both of you. When people assume his S.O. makes them, he gets fucking pissed. Damn right your co-workers are jealous of my cooking.

Your pet name is Dummy. Don’t like it? Fine. You can be dumbass.

There will be zero PDA in this relationship. His hands are shoved so deep in his pockets you can’t even try.

Intensely private with the press. But with his friends, he will brag about you nonstop. Bakugou Katsuki has the most talented and attractive and intelligent S.O., and anyone who doesn't recognize that is blind. Were you assholes even listening?

A mutual buddy definitely recorded one of these drunken brag-rants and sent it to you for safekeeping. Do not let Katsuki find out about it, unless you enjoy having an ash pile for a phone.

Gets jealous about everything, at least at the start. He calms down eventually. Kinda. He stops saying shit to you about it, anyway, because he learns to trust you. But anyone who so much as looks at you in a too-friendly manner will get the death stare of a lifetime.

He’ll throw all kinds of temper tantrums and the two of you will argue about every tiny fucking thing. He’ll scream out car windows, he’ll ball up his shirt and gnash on it. But he will never raise his voice at you. He’d rather die than make you feel unsafe.

Honestly, the constant bickering is really just... uhh... passionate communication. Eventually you both hash out the important things. You'll learn how to step around his landmines and actually make your points, and he'll learn to open up. A little.

Once you meet his mom, Katsuki starts to make a lot more sense. His family just... emotes like that. Eventually, you and his dad form a spousal support group consisting of exactly two lifetime members. He teaches you the Bakugou family semaphore you need to survive a long-term relationship.

Katsuki can dish it out but absolutely cannot take it. The only person who can level with him about serious issues without explosive fallout is his dad. Or, on a lucky day, Kirishima.

If you give him a legitimate criticism (even gently!) he will take it about as gracefully as a knife to the gut, because it confirms everything he hates about himself.

To your never-ending shock, you’ve made him cry. Yes, CRY! You monster! More than once! His lip gets all *trembly* and his eyes get all *watery* and all you want to do is hug him, but. No. He’ll storm out and wander around for a few hours before coming back with the problem perfectly solved.

He always takes your advice to heart. No, he will NOT talk about it, stop asking.

Gets mad if you don’t snuggle him on the regular. Will drag you into his lap with a pissy little grunt. There might be two seats on this couch but you will not be needing both of them.

Takes pictures of you while you sleep.

Takes even more pictures of you when you're awake but think he's out of the room.

He looks at all these pictures when he's away on high-stakes jobs. He gets all bleary eyed and sleeps in a salty puddle without you. NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW.

You don’t have to meet him at the door or anything, but when he says “I’m home,” you’d better answer fast. If he doesn’t know your precise location in 0.05 seconds, he will assume you’ve been kidnapped. He never checks the fridge for notes. Never assumes you've gone down to the konbini for a snack. No, it’s kidnapping every time.

A terrrrrrible bed partner. He goes to bed at senior citizen hours and will never fuck you after sundown. He snores SO loud. Runs hot and sweats through the sheets. Slaps and elbows you in his sleep and aggressively spoons you with his loud, sweaty body. You WILL want to suffocate him. Separate bedrooms aren’t such a horrible idea......

BUT HANG ON, because in the morning he transforms into an honest-to-god angel. He's half awake, his guard is non-existent. Morning Katsuki is a doting kissy-faced marshmallow man.

If you can wake up before the ass-crack of dawn, he will pamper the fuck out of you. You are royalty for one (1) hour only, and he is your bleary-eyed slave. You want a cuddlefuck? You got it. Hugs? Kisses? Take as many as you need. You want a perfect, fluffy, NON-SPICY omelette with a heart drawn in ketchup? Here it is, gorgeous.

Then he gets in the shower and the spell is broken.

- - - - -

💥bang BANG💥

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: this here is an ASS. MAN. He'll spank you with his quirk; doesn’t matter if you’ve been good or bad. Wants to see you wince when you sit down later.

Likes pounding you face down with a vice grip on your waist.

Unfortunately, even with all that said... he doesn't exactly have the feral beast sex drive you were expecting. He’s married to his work and has the fuddy-duddy habits of a once and future valedictorian. Only fucks you when he has the time and energy to fully dedicate himself to it.

But ohhhh. Shit. When it's time? It's TIME. The man will rush for nothing. Stamina for days. Making you cum as many times as possible is a point of pride. Yeah, you passed out once.

You’re gonna need those days off when he’s done with you.

That dick THICC.

Sends unsolicited dick pics. Only after you’ve been dating a good long while - he doesn't show that shit to just anyone. But yeah, don’t check your phone at work. He won't cum without you; those pictures and videos are time bombs. You better get home. Now.

Physically dominant as FUCK, but won’t verbally degrade you unless you ask. Well, let’s be honest. Unless you beg.

Praise him and reap the rewards. A long hard ego stroking will get him off more than touching his cock ever will.

Will grab your hair and fuck your throat. Will also stop immediately if you need him to.

The two of you have safe words and gestures. Even for vanilla stuff. He’s paranoid about scaring or hurting you. He insisted you both sign a color-coded ‘love contract’ that he meticulously formatted in a word processor. When you gave him guff about it, his blush was the darkest crimson you’d ever seen.

Coin-flip: he will sometimes be unbelievably gentle in bed. Doting and affectionate, taking perfect care of you. Like, it’s baffling. There’s no warning, the switch just flips. When you want him to be extra-rough and mean, he’ll sweetly worship you instead. For hours.

Bonus: he likes being penetrated. But of course he’s got a complex about that too. Super intense power bottom. You will never fuck him hard enough. He’d like to see you try. Hit his prostate just right and he might literally explode.

You'll live happily ever after but he will say he loves you out loud exactly once. Maybe. If you're lucky. And you're both about to die.

#bakugou katsuki #bakugou headcanons #bakugou x reader #bakugou x y/n #bakugou x you #gender neutral #mha #bnha #mha headcanons #bnha headcanons #smut #mha x reader #bnha x reader #fred writes

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redphlox · 3 years

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Hello Red, recently I've been reading about BPD (Borderline personality disorder) and would like to ask if you think this would be Dabi/Touya case...? It could be the many layers of trauma instead, but if you have any meta or thoughts about it I would appreciate your kind and wise words :')

Hi there! Thank you for the ask. I know my handle has the word "red" in it but please don't call me that - call me Julie! 💞

So, my short answer is no, not only because assigning real life psychological diagnoses to fictional characters feels unethical, but also because Dabi doesn't fit the diagnostic criteria. Personality disorders are complex and difficult to diagnose, which is why only licensed professionals can do so.

Anyway, for my long answer, I wrote a meta about Dabi's emotions here. I'll debunk BPD right now, though, because I've seen other discussions about this topic. According to my copy of the DSM5, mayoclinic, and the NHI, signs and symptoms of BPD may include:

"An intense fear of abandonment, even going to extreme measures to avoid real or imagined separation or rejection."

When Touya was younger he idolized Endeavor, yes, but Touya's opinion of him changed after Endeavor showed Touya he didn't care by neglecting and abandoning him emotionally. It wasn't imagined on Touya's part. It actually happened. Dabi's extreme measures currently stem from this trauma. He isn't the only one with trauma because of this either. Natsuo repeatedly brings up the fact that he felt abandoned.

"A pattern of unstable intense relationships, such as idealizing someone one moment and then suddenly believing the person doesn't care enough or is cruel."

Dabi consistantly holds people at a distance. It's not the healthiest but this pattern is not unstable, aka inconsistent. It's not like he's on good terms with someone, then suddenly on bad terms, then on good terms, etc. And in regards to believing the person doesn't care, I'll reiterate that this wasn't an unfounded thought on Touya's part. Endeavor did care about him on some level, but ultimately Endeavor put his needs above his family's and that didn't feel loving in his children's eyes.

"Rapid changes in self-identity and self-image that include shifting goals and values, and seeing yourself as bad or as if you don't exist at all."

Dabi's lack of identity stems from Endeavor's toxic living-vicariously-through-my-offspring mentality. Also, Dabi's values and goals haven't shifted since he was introduced. He's always wanted to take down hero society.

"Periods of stress-related paranoia and loss of contact with reality, lasting from a few minutes to a few hours."

We've never seen Dabi paranoid or out of touch with reality.

"Impulsive and risky behavior, such as gambling, reckless driving, unsafe sex, spending sprees, binge eating or drug abuse, or sabotaging success by suddenly quitting a good job or ending a positive relationship."

Dabi isn't impulsive. He's been shown to be thoughtful and patient, actually. Planning the reveal tape to air it at the perfect time and carrying around hair dye remover are examples of this. Dabi hasn't been shown to use drugs or act recklessly.

"Suicidal threats or behavior or self-injury, often in response to fear of separation or rejection."

Dabi is self-destructive right now in response to his trauma, yes. This is seen a lot in a lot of mental health issues or episodes.

"Wide mood swings lasting from a few hours to a few days, which can include intense happiness, irritability, shame or anxiety."

We've never seen Dabi have mood swings. He's either quiet, angry, sad, or whatever, but never all over the place in a brief amount of time.

"Ongoing feelings of emptiness."

We haven't gotten his inner thoughts but it could be argued he has feelings of emptiness due to his trauma, yes. This symptom isn't exclusive to BPD though.

"Inappropriate, intense anger, such as frequently losing your temper, being sarcastic or bitter, or having physical fights."

Touya/Dabi has never displayed inappropriate anger, lost his temper, or started fights without cause. He has every right to be angry and bitter at feeling neglected. It makes sense he would feel this way. He doesn't go out of his way to engage in physical fights either. During MVA he held back and only joined the fray when he saw the leader start fighting too.

So yeah, Dabi doesn't fit the criteria outlined in the DSM5 for BPD. I know some readers who struggle with various mental health or psychological issues may find comfort in headcanoning characters with specific diagnosis, and that's valid too, though. I'm just saying that I doubt Hori intended to portray Dabi with BPD.

#Bnha #Bnha asks #Dabi ask

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dragonoffantasyandreality · 3 years

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Alan’s comfort

This was something I wanted to write about TOS Alan (and maybe continue on with this series of mini-fics... I don’t know lol)

But I like to thank @myladykayo, @katblu42 (and Red, I forgot your tumblr name, sorry *sweatdrop*)

(Also tagging: @mothmandalore, @dreamycloud, @jacksonstarkiller, @uniwolfcorn. You are very welcome ;)

-0-0-0-

Alan shut the door behind him and stomped across his bedroom to crash into his bed headfirst. He felt tired. Physically… and emotionally.

The arguments with his dad were getting the tole on him. He felt he was getting nowhere, despite his greatest efforts. Why was he getting nowhere? He doesn’t fucking know! (If Scott would’ve heard his thoughts, he would’ve called him out to watch his profanity.)

He flipped to his back and looked up at the ceiling. He let out a long sigh, letting out the bottled-up frustration he had with his life. He felt that anything he tried wasn’t enough. Another sigh. Followed by a tiny whine.

Being the youngest one was hard.

Alan listened to the clock on his nightstand ticking away. Time passed slowly for the young blond. His breathe felt he had been chocking on the air of the island. It wasn’t just the heat. His family was suffocating him.

He needed fresh air. So, Alan got up and kneeled to reach something under his bed. It was a box. A big box. He opened it, revealing stacks of some magazines. A collection that he had since he was fourteen. He took them out and opened to a certain page, one by one. He felt a sense of calm when he looked at them and its not from nostalgia. He laid them on the floor and sat on the rim of the bed to looked over to the open magazines.

Alan let himself lost on the contents of the pages, relieving his frustration, but his anger was still fresh. He didn’t notice his door opened; a shadow slipped in holding a glimmering silver tray. He didn’t notice the figure laying down the tray on the nightstand before looming next to him. It wasn’t until he felt a warm wrinkled hand placed on his shoulder.

“Have some tea, Mr. Alan,” said the figure, “it should help you ease your temper.”

At first, the young blonde didn’t bother to look up at the guest. But then he did, his dim ocean blue eyes met with reassuring old eyes of peridot.

“Oh… Hi Kyrano,” he greeted lamely.

The father of Tin-Tin gently rubbed his shoulder before reaching out for the cup of tea and handed to the young adult. Alan wordlessly took it and slowly sipped the warm liquid.

Kyrano noticed the magazines laying on the floor, immediately recognizing the contents inside, “I see the Kamen Riders give you some sort of comfort,” he pointed out.

Alan nodded. Taking another sip before replying, “They had always been…”

He remembered when he opened a random magazine at a thrift store after what it seemed to be a bad day at school, he turned to a particular page that struck a chord in him. A page filled with blurry pictures of the legendary Kamen Riders. Fighting whatever was terrorizing the place where people lived. Titles yelling, “WHO ARE THOSE BUGMEN?!” and texts summarizing a short history about them. It sparked curiosity withing Alan and… since then he became fond of them. Reading every news paper and magazine and listening to every radio and TV about those mysterious, bike ridding bug-eyed heroes.

Alan’s eyes never left the magazine that started it all, in which Kyrano noticed.

“Out of curiosity, what aspects of them make you feel comfort?” the elder asked.

The young blonde said nothing. But his thoughts answered for him: They are cool! They are fascinating! The mystery behind them sends thrills of excitement in him. And the fact that they help and save people as the fight threats and monsters (which they are a mystery on their own), and still do to this day! And… They are respected. Yeah… Respected.

Kyrano must’ve read his thoughts because the elder suddenly spoke, “I know what you were thinking, Mr. Alan. You wanted to be treated the way most of the world treated those bug-eyed heroes. But I am sure those Riders are just as human as you are.”

Alan knew that. He swore looking at the blurry pictures on the papers and the captured footage on TV, he saw glimpses of them either helping, support and respect each other in smallest gestures! But course, he also saw glimpses of their shortcomings, but does that matter? They were human as much as he could see!

And there times when, basing on the facts from witness reports he could find, a Rider would do something so dangerous, so reckless and over the top, just to save a person’s life, yet their fellows would either just give a fist bump, a tight hug (although very rare), or just any simple gesture of “good job!”.

His family on the other hand, especially after missions, would scold him for doing something so reckless. It was getting hard to stay professional. He felt like an underdog. A child! And the only people who treated the way he was supposed to, was Tin-Tin (albeit a little), Brains, Lady Penelope, Parker, his grandmother and even Kyrano!

“Drink your tea, Alan. You are getting angry again,” kindly reminded Kyrano.

Alan snapped out of his thoughts looked at Kyrano, then he shook his head, “No, not really. Sort of…” he took another sip.

Tin-Tin’s father simply stood next to him like a shadow. But it was a reassuring shadow. A quiet shadow that listens but never judges.

With another sigh, Alan continued, “Its just… There were times where I wish I was a Kamen Rider. Not just because to have cool powers and all, but… because I would feel respected. Respected for my efforts of helping people. For my willingness to reach out my hand to those in peril. I barely get that here. At least that’s how I felt on this island…”

He then turned to lock eyes with the old man, “Do you think the Kamen Riders will accept me?”

Kyrano’s eyes widen for a moment. But Alan waited, patiently. Then, the elder finally answered “Well… don’t you think they already have, after that rescue?”

Alan knew what he was talking about. That rescue with the building fire. The rescue when International Rescue and Kamen Riders have met for the first time. It was a shock, for him and his brothers. One moment they were attacked by some monsters and then the next thing they knew they were saved by the masked bugmen.

“But what do you mean by that, Kyrano?” Alan raised a curious brow.

“Well? What have you felt when that certain Rider that you’ve been recently fond with gave you the thumbs up?”

The young blonde remembered that moment like it was yesterday. When the red Rider lifted his hand and gave Alan (and his brothers) a thumbs up. He thought he had never felt such complete satisfaction after coming back from a mission.

Alan couldn’t help but to smile.

“I see…” Kyrano said softly, the corner of his lips slightly raised upwards.

“But… dad said we shouldn’t trust them… at least not yet!” the young blonde then pouted as he sipped his tea again. Maybe a bit of a gulp.

Suddenly Tin-Tin’s father snorted, causing Alan’s head to shoot up and stared at him in confusion. Kyrano began explaining calmly, “Ah, Mr. Tracy sure is a wise man. But sometimes he forgets about knowing your allies. In this case, I am very sure the Kamen Riders have a long-recorded history. From what I had seen, they were complicated… but they were mostly good.”

“Really?” the blue ocean eyes sparkled like the stars he loved.

“See it for yourself. Don’t take my word for it,” smiled Kyrano honestly.

The elder turned his heel and went towards the door. But not before turning back and said, “I shall return once you have finished your tea, Mr. Alan,” and then left quietly just as he came in.

It was no wonder Kyrano was his dad’s close friend, thought Alan.

His lips stretched into a face-splitting grin. His anger that boiled earlier simmered into a bubbling excitement. Looking down to look at the Kamen Riders in the magazines one more time, he picked them all up and put them back into the box. Then pushed the big carton container back into its place under his bed.

Getting up, he walked over to a big aquarium, where his Pygmy Alligator was watching him the whole time. The mini gator excitedly crawled up the glass from, looking quite happy for his human friend. Alan smiled as he gently petted his reptile, cheeking the temperature and humidity of the enclosure and looked for anything he should clean.

Then he looked up the clock… An hour and a half before his Pygmy Alligator needed to be fed. Alan sat next to his mini gator’s aquarium, thinking about what he should do before feeding time.

Then, a thought flashed through his mind. With a cheeky smile, the young blond turned to his gator, “I guess I should follow Kyrano’s advice. Don’t you think, Artemis?”

The Pygmy Alligator seemed like he’s smiling at him.

With a grin, Alan got up and went to fetch his laptop before returning to sit next to Artemis. His curiosity began peeking as soon as he opened his custom computer. His inner child thirst for knowledge as he typed in the fist thing that came to his mind:

… Kamen Rider… Kuuga…

#thunderbirds #thunderbirds 1965 #alan tracy #kyrano #kamen rider #my fanfics #Kamen Rider Thunderbirds series #Alan's comfort

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spiritmaiden23 · 3 years

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FIVE AESTHETICS TAG

EMOTIONS / FEELINGS

Optimism. -- After everything that happened, you manage to cling to your faith. Your optimism shines brightest when placed in others. You unquestionably think the world of them, of him most of all. Everyone has the potential to do their best! Sometimes, they need a little push, but that's something you provide a little too eagerly.

Spirited. -- You're someone who knows how to find the fun in things. You're a natural lighthearted, and easy-going sort of person. For the most part, that is, because, whenever you get serious, all of those previous traits go out the window. However, despite that, you're always happy to share your joy with others and providing said joy through various means. And teasing others can be pretty fun too, so sometimes you can be a little mischievous! But it's all in good fun, you promise! Just be careful because, sometimes, your positive energy may not rub off too well on others.

Emotional. -- Someone who wears their passionate heart on their sleeve. Well tuned with your passions, you're empathetic to a fault. There's nothing too wrong with that, but sometimes you can be a slave to your emotions, not taking much time to step back for a moment. Yet, you have displayed growth in this after your awakening, thanks to a mentor and friend.

Responsible. -- Responsible is your middle name! You're a pretty reliable person due to how dedicated you are to completing whatever tasks you have at hand. One might say you can be a little too committed, but you never saw anything wrong with that. You will keep whatever promise you can make and see things through. After all, you carried out the goddess' mission to the very end, it's all over now.

Wise. -- In the end, however, wisdom runs through your veins. While intelligent enough to the point where you will devour any texts you may get your hands on, you carry a deep understanding of the world. Though a bit more emotional, logic will persist in the end, and you have learned to fall back onto wisdom more than ever. Certain choices hurt so much, but you know this to be the right one no matter how much pain it may cause to you and others around you.

COLORS

Pink. -- An adorable color you've been fond of since your youth! You have a weakness for all shades. It's not a stretch to say you love any bright colors the warmth of them all is appealing to you.

White. -- The color that has been with you throughout both lives. You feel a little conflicted about this color, you admire its purity. But. It's stifling in a sense where the color reminds you of your past life and your duties.

Lavender. -- This color is more bearable than white. There's a soothing sense to it, and you feel calm and assured.

Green. -- It should be pretty clear why you have an attachment to this color, no? The surface greeted you with warm greenery, the goddess of courage proudly wore this color, the spring comes painting the world in this color, and your dear friend was simply made for this color. It evokes bravery to you, strange as that may sound to others.

Blue. -- Blue skies still hang over you as you stand on the earth. The stretch of blue has always been a constant in your life, and now you can't imagine your life without it. And, during your long sleep, his blue eyes were all that you saw within your fleeting dreams.

SCENTS

Earth. -- You fell in love with nature and everything it'd provided for you, including the scents. While fresh air is always refreshing, you adore the smell of Faron Woods the most. Namely during springtime!

Cotton. -- A funny choice, huh? But it's something you worked around for who knows how long now. The nights spent sewing or knitting away were comforting moments for you.

Books. -- Some may call you a bookworm but, in your humble opinion, there's nothing better than the smell of fresh pages, thank you very much! Although you do carry a soft spot for more ancient pages too.

Floral. -- You don't ask a mother to pick her favorite child, so how can anyone ask for you to choose a favorite flower when you adore each scent?! They're so comforting, each scent unique as the flower itself. Sometimes, you'll collect a few from Faron Woods and create a nice little bouquet. Filling your home with a floral scent all while brightening up the place.

Leather and iron. -- It... uh, it sounds unique. Some might even call it strange, but the smell brings you back to the days where you trained to become a knight alongside classmates and your dear friend.

CLOTHING

Ribbons. -- You have a pretty fun way of putting ribbons in your hair! Rather than a simple bow, you like to wrap various ones around your hair framing your face and low ponytail or even wrap it around with other hair styles like braids! Sometimes, you'll put it around like a headband, and a little bow. Hey! You like to switch things up a bit!

Bracelets and necklaces. -- Such cute accessories you love which can go with almost any outfit you decided to wear that day! Sometimes, you find yourself fiddling with them, but you'll try to wear one or two or more every day! Yet, there's only one bracelet that you cherish more than anything. A lavender set, where you gave one half to your friend. Yet, she'd returned it to you. And you didn't even get to thank her face to face for everything that she has done. You don't have earrings, strange...

Dresses and skirts. -- What can you say? You have a fondness for those articles of clothing. Of course, because you're pretty active and always running around the place, leggings are also part of your ensemble, but you tend to wear skirts that come to your shins which helps with...!

Boots. -- Showing off your nice leather boots, of course! You prefer boots above all other shoes, they're perfect for travel, and very comfortable too. The sandals you wore while traveling around the surface were nice, but boots would've been an ideal choice.

Belts and sashes. -- A nice way to finish off your outfits! You're a girl who loves to dress cute, and dress to impress more yourself, and perhaps a certain hero. Once, you wore the sailcloth around your shoulders, you'd like to try doing something like that again.

OBJECTS

Books and scrolls. -- Since you were young, you always found yourself spending nights in your father's archives reading whatever you could. Your room's filled with so many books it can leave someone's head spinning. Whether fictional novels, textbooks, historical books, etc. You loved to read them all, the sky's the limit!

Harp. -- It's a lovely instrument, and you prefer to hear the hero play it more than yourself. It sounds more enchanting whenever he plays it. You are aware its your bias staining your views.

Yarn, knitting needles, and sewing supplies. -- It's a past time you adore, even to this day. Without your handy little kit, you wouldn't be able to make any of the incredible stuff you had!

Strange green doll. -- You saw him in a dream and saw the little guy pop in various texts as well. A man dressed in green who believed himself to be a fairy. Or chosen by the fairies? You can't exactly remember the details, but he was apparently a charm for safe travels and good fortune. It couldn't help to find a few rupees here and there. You're starting to think that perhaps you should make more of this fella for friends...

Wooden Indigo carving. -- A wood carving of your beloved loft wing made by your dear friend. It was one of the first items you took when moving down to the surface! Whenever you would look at it, you can't hide the glee that makes your heart flutter. Your friend is amazing in everything, isn't he?! You're pretty proud of that fact.

(bonus) Master sword. -- It's not something you own, nor do you have any plans to own the sword. But she's someone who you hold dear to your heart. Without the spirit inside of the sword forged by your hero, you couldn't even imagine how things would've turned out. Fi was a companion that your friend bonded with during his search for you. You're grateful for how Fi helped him out.

VICES / BAD HABITS

Stubborn. -- You may call it tenacious and see nothing wrong with it, but others will call it as it is: stubbornness. Once you have your mind set on something, there's no stopping you. At times, this can get you into deep trouble.

Worrywart. -- You transform into a different person when it comes to this! You can be nosy and interfere with whatever business someone may have and step on in without input. It does not help that you tend to jump the gun. You're a restless busybody, many would say. It comes from compassion and concern, but it can annoy or anger certain people. While the damage is done, you are pretty remorseful of the fact and try to make up for it however you can.

Overly encouraging/positive. -- It somewhat goes hand in hand with your worrywart tendencies. It's because you see the best in everyone that drives you to be a busybody in the first place. That said, while a positive attitude isn't always bad, it can across different to someone depending on the time and situation. You can make naive choices and even come across as a bit insensitive whenever your attempts at cheering up others may not translate well.

Temper. -- Not something that pops up very often, but there are chances of it nevertheless depending on how wronged you feel or if someone were to do something you don't agree with. Bullying is a big one for you. You don't exactly hold grudges, as your anger is pretty short-lived, sadly not many people take your ire seriously either. It's something you can't hope to understand why. You tend to scold people more than anything.

Self-sacrificing. -- Oh dear, it plays into how responsible you are to a fault. You are not afraid to give up your all if it means saving everyone. You tend to keep your intentions a secret and run off on your own to finish the job. Placing you in great danger since no one's around to help. Not that you intend to have anyone help you, it's something you want to do with your own hands. You love too much. You care too much. You are willing to do anything to protect the lands and people in it, loved ones and him. Ah... you have died because of this... twice. But, it seems like this part of you will never go away, huh?.

BODY LANGUAGE

A bright smile on your face, her pink cheeks becoming darker! You're full of good cheer and very expressive. Sometimes, you'll even do that encouraging fist pump! It's easy to read your mind since your face is an open book. While your soft giggles are sometimes hidden behind your hand, you're someone who likes to laugh aloud. Towards the one you like, you're not afraid to lean forward just a tad bit. Sometimes, you'll push someone off of some high place.

Laced hands and a gaze filled with concern. You'll press your lips as you try to figure out just how to ease your said concern. Until resolve enters your gaze, sometimes some might take that as not being a good thing.

You liked to hug the goddess harp close to your chest during your journey. Sometimes, you still do this whenever you go off with it to pray to the gods. It's a bit of a comfort thing and something you wished to protect. At the time, you couldn't understand why but now...

Holding someone's hands, hugging, whatever other contact you're not shy about showing skin ship towards friends and loved ones. It's your way of showing, shoot, everything!

Your hand on your hip is never a good sign when it comes to you. Your eyes are usually narrowed here, and once you open your mouth this is when you start your lecture. Although sometimes, this position can just be you taking charge too.

Hands covering your face as tears roll down your cheeks. You're smiling, though, because it's finally all over. You save your tears until the very end. Or try, telling your best friend of your plans did have you cry a bit.

AESTHETICS

Birds, free as can be, flying off into the distance. Whether loftwings or the smaller birds found on the surface, it's a sight that you'll never grow tired of.

Streaming rivers and comforting holy springs. Water dripping from golden hair and your fingertips. You have an affinity for water, something tied closely with the goddess of wisdom.

Gold spilling from your hands, beautiful, warm gold. The gold of the goddess harp. The gold of the triforce. It's a lovely power, tied to the divine. Something you're both a part of yet not.

Leaves dancing with the morning wind, grass with dew on them, the early sun vanquishing the night air in that soft glow. another great day is ahead! so you're up with the world, now time to wake up a certain sleepyhead!

tagged by: @personnages (thank you my goodness this was fun!) tagging: whoever hasn’t been tagged yet!

#about.#dash games.#(#THANK YOUUUUU THIS WAS LEGIT HELLA FUN #it took me a bit ;v; but writing this style was fun! i'd like to do it again!#anyhow *jazz hands* sky #there's spoiler for ss bUT THIS ENTIRE BLOG IS SS SPOILER SO I HAVE NO CLUE WHAT TO DO ABOUT THAT SORRY #rped her back in 2017. i had no clue sshd would drop anytime soon ;v; not a lot of ppl played it so i had to explain things in length #so ppl understand her. i feel bad tho but TvT not much to do #)

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randomfandomasks · 3 years

Text

My Personality and Nicknames for the different Shepards.

First, Female and Male Shepard have slightly different personalities.

But both Female and Male Shepard are open-minded. They respect and accept the other races, genders, sexualities etc. They are always protecting the other races. Not only that, but they care about their Squadmates a lot, for them, they are more than just Squqadmates to them, they are their friends. All versions of Shepard are terrible at dancing.

Male Shep is more of a softy who takes his job seriously. He is a natural leader no matter if he is a paragon or a renegade. As a renegade he is more intimidating than in paragon. He is a jerk, but in a more badass way. As a Paragon he is a great friend and a great listener. I do headcanon male Shep to be an introvert rather than an extrovert. He is more emotional than logical even though he tries not to be. Male Shep is always a gentleman. Also, a male shep is definitely a bisexual in a closet. Male shep is a bottom (change my mind!).

Female Shep is tougher than male Shep. She doesn’t really see herself as a leader but as equal to her comrades. She is just a soldier like all of them. Female Shepard is an extrovert who shows pride in being a terrible dancer. As a No matter if she is a paragon or a renegade she can be really bitchy sometimes (especially if you piss her off). As a renegade she has a rather short temper. She is actually a tomboy, so she is not a fan of dresses or any formal clothes at all. Shep thinks their uncomfortable and not safe at all. She is less emotional than male shep. Sometimes she seems even more colder than him. Female Shep identifies herself a pansexual and demisexual (and moronsexual). She is a top.

Spacer War Hero Shepard is a true hero. They are more polite and friendly than the other versions of Shepard. They had a great childhood and their parents taught them well. This version of Shepard is also the biggest nerd who is always happy to learn new things. They are the ones that ask a lot of question about the other races, their culture, their history. If you need an advice it doesn’t matter if its about dating stuff, work stuff, family stuff anything. They happy to help but be warned that their advices are not always the best ones. Growing up in a healthy environment made them quite naive. They are optimistic and often bad at reading other people intention. Oh, and they get really mad if you disrespect anyone.

Nickname for male Spacer War Hero Shepard: Loco (name given by James Vega)

Nickname for female Spacer War Hero Shepard: Lola (also a name given by James)

Spacer sole survivor Shepard: like all of them sole survivor Shepards this one deals with nightmares and overwhelming guild for what happened to their Squad. But from all the other sole survivors this Shepard is definitely the most energetic one. This Shepard distracts themselves often with other things mainly weapons and training. They...are not much of a talker but a great listener. Always trying to help others with their problems. Always listens to others when something is troubling them. Also, very polite and friendly but not everyone.

Nickname for male Spacer Sole Survivor Shepard: sparks

Nickname for female Spacer Sole Survivor Shepard: glitter

Spacer ruthless Shepard: cares about their reputation and image the most. The biggest goal is to make their parents proud. They more collected and don’t lose their temper very often. For them the mission has the higher priority. They convert their emotions into strength in battle. This Shepard is a strategist and knows exactly what the enemy is going to next. Also pretty protective, another way they let their anger out is when they are standing up for their friends. Very arrogant and picky with fashion (male shep is pickier than fem shep). Only Shepard that doesn’t drink.

Nickname for male Spacer Ruthless Shepard: fashion czar

Nickname for female Spacer Ruthless Shepard: Lady fashion

Earthborn War Hero Shepard: from rags to riches or rather from Nobody to Hero. This Shepard is a cocky bastard who loves being sarcastic. Despite that this Shepard has tattoos and piercings. They also hear to metal/rock/punk music and wear a lot of dark clothes, and make up. But their clothing style is more elegant than the others. They hated being in the gang and regret it. But after surviving the street they deserve to wear what they want and look how they want. They don’t care what anyone says about them. Earhtborn War Hero Shepard is a great soldier, they worked hard to get where they are now, and they didn’t become a soldier to please others. They chose this path so that they can be someone they always needed a hero! A strong protector who would stand up for people who cannot stand for themselves! This Shepard is not afraid to risk their lives for others. Most cheerful, loves to party and a great listener.

Nickname for male Earthborn War Hero Shepard: anime protagonist. Black

Nickname for female Earhtborn War Hero Shepard: punk girl woman

Earthborn Sole Survivor Shepard: Very caring. Puts others before themselves. Low self-esteem. Quiet and distant, especially after they lost their whole Squad. Takes every failed mission, every dead comrade, every dead civilian very hard. Struggles to be a leader. Loves all if their friends with all of their heart. Doesn’t want to hurt others but doesn’t have the choice. Always hesitates to pull the trigger. Only joined the Gang because they were naive and thought they were their friends. Has nightmares about the gang, the life on the street, about their dead unit. But is still very friendly...just not very talkative and doesn’t trust easily.

Nickname for male Earthborn Sole Survivor Shepard: John (because this is the de-fault Shepard and because I don’t know any nicknames...open for suggestions though)

Nickname for female Earhtborn Sole Survivor Shepard: Jane (same reason as John)

Earthborn Ruthless Shepard: A badass. This is the only way to describe this Shepard in one word a total badass. Is very loyal to his friends and always supports them no matter what path they choose. A jerk probably the biggest Jerk in the galaxy. Even though they are pretty cold and grumpy in reality they are filled with guild. Do you think they wanted to sacrifice 3/4th of his unit? Do you think they enjoy having other soldiers looking at them in fear? Do you think they like having nightmares every single night? Of course, they don’t! But they didn’t had a choice. They had to sacrifice their unit to accomplish their mission. To make the world a saver place to live. They care...a lot. But people only see the rough side. They don’t see an orphan who was forced to live on the street. An orphan that was forced to join a gang and commit crime to survive. An Orphan that was addicted to drugs and alcohol. This Orphan changed themselves and worked harder than anyone else to be where they are now. They just don’t see this part of the “ruthless” Shepard. They just see a jerk who sacrificed almost their enitre unit.

Nickname for male Earthborn Ruthless Shepard: Boss/red

Nickname for female Earthborn Ruthless Shepard: Queen/ red devil

Colonist War Hero Shepard: because they are usually very Stoic and serious they come off as rude and intimidating. But once you take the time to know them, they are actually a huge teddy bear. A dork who loves puns and dad jokes. Probably the most fun Shepard to be around. This Shepard just lights up the room with their big, shiny grin. Also, very blunt and honest but very sweat. Sometimes people wonder how is it possible, that this dork became a soldier in the first place? That’s until they see them in a battle. They are pretty fast and great with their sniper. A headshot after a headshot. It’s kinda terrifying to see someone shoot someone in the head with a big, happy grin. Just don’t make them angry, okay? They basically turn into a mix between an angry bull and joker (DC).

Nickname for male Colonist War Hero Shepard: Pooh Bear

Nickname for female Colonist War Hero Shepard: Mother Bear

Colonist Ruthless Shepard: has difficulty showing and expressing emotions. Deal with Depression and Trauma from losing all of their friends and family. Nightmares a lot of nightmares. They are angry...angry at the world. Needs a long time to trust anybody. Sometimes snaps at people but doesn’t really mean it. They're bottling up their emotions and in the end they explode and say or do things they might regret. Blames everyone for not helping and saving their family. Works really hard to be the best soldier. Wouldn’t hesitate to sacrifice everything and everyone even themselves. If a soldier is not ready to give up their lives saving others...then why did they become soldiers in the first place?!

Nickname for male Colonist Ruthless Shepard: edgy shep

Nickname for female Colonist Ruthless Shepard: no mercy shep

Colonist Sole Survivor Shepard: oh, boy. What can I say? This Shepard is the most broken Shepard. Also, nightmares every night. Deals with anxiety every time when they take on the leader position. Hate to me a commander. When you first meet them they look very empty inside. But they are just in a lot of pain. Very sweat, loving and protective. They are ready to jump right into a lava lake if needed. Enjoys rain and looking at the stars. Drinks a lot of coffee because they cannot sleep. They just need a hug. Prefers to go on solo missions instead of Team Missions. But with a lot of time and trust they may even open up to others.

Nickname for male Colonist Sole Survivor Shepard: black coffee

Nickname for female Colonist Sole Survivor Shepard: Rose petal

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popculturebuffet · 3 years

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The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck: The Buckaroo of the Badlands “It’s the Glory of Achievement that Counts”

Hello you beautiful people and WELCOME BACK. It’s been a LONG time since I returned to this series hasn’t it? But I couldn’t put it off any longer especailly with a LOT of projects to do in February, so i’m pleased as punch to bring this series back for another round. And since like last time a lot of the behind the scene’s for this one can be dolled out as we go, join me under the cut as we get into some cowboy adventures with Srooge.. and President Teddy Rosevelt. Bully!

When we last left Scrooge almost a month ago, He’d decided, after bottoming out in riverboating, like many young men of his generation to Go West and seek his fortune and took up work on the Wabash Cannonball to do so. So via letter we find out Scrooge eventually made enough money and has now afforded enough to take a train west, as a passenger. He’s also 15 at this point.. had to look that up because again, the comic dosen’t tell us the date.. and it’s you know been two months. He runs into a man selling square eggs who was SUPPOSED to be the professor from the Barks Story Lost in the Andes.. but he apparnelty died or something like that, and Barks was left to use another minor character in a way that didn’t make sense either it turned out and I don’t really feel like getting into. Point is the square eggs from that story make a cameo and Scrooge gets square egg all over his face after assuming the guy was just full of square chicken shit. It’s then Scrooge runs into Jesse James, pre assasination by the coward robert ford, who shows up to the train to rob it.. but Scrooge tricks him when he and his crony take stock of Scrooge’s valuables, claming theirs jewels in the teeth of the golden dentures.. before slamming hard on them and giving the guy a bite and with their guns jammed and Scrooge prepared to beat them senseless, Jesse and goon wisely flee. Scrooge yells after them.. but the train speeds up to make distance between them and the bandits.. and accidenlty dumps Scrooge off, leaving him lost and alone in Montana.

Thankfully it dosen’t take him long before he runs into people, specifically a cattle drive and wants to join them as a rootin tootin cowboy. Turns out the Cattle Baron and head of the drive, Murdo Mckenzie a real life cattle baron, is a fellow Scot and a nice enough guy to take Scrooge on, especially because Scrooge, due to his time on the cattle boat to get to america, has cattle experince. He just needs to ride a horse and he’s set.. but Scrooge never has.. and is put on their roughest horse the windowmaker

Thankfully in a really funny sequence, Scrooge’s money belt is clipped, so he stays on and while he looses his other clothes. So Murdo hires the naked 15 year old on a horse....

Thankfully this isn’t nearly as horrifying as it sounds as Murdo makes him put his clothes back on first, and let’s him keep the horse as he needs him for a special job. Also Scrooge calls himself Buck McDuck because it’s more of a cowboy name and not everyone can pull of cowboying without one on their first day. What i’m saying is the creed i live by every day.. not everyone can be Droopy. All you can do is try to be that cool.

The job is to guard his prized angus steer he imported for a fortune from Scotland, which it’s current handlers the McViper brothers object to, though Murdo shrugs them off. Naturally with a name like McViper they were planning on stealing it. Seriously who hires someone with the name McViper unless your planning to try and murder batman with a nest of vipers or a viper shaped tank or a buzzsaw shaped to look like your dad who never loved you enough.

So we then get a time passing montage via a letter Scrooge wrote. Originally this was supposed to be the majority of the story.. but Rosa’s editor rightly pointed out that while showing Scrooge as inexpericed and still not quite to his full strength yet was fine.. Rosa overdid it with his gags and made him look like a moron. So the finished product wisely dialed it back to just the horse riding gag. Honeslty it was the right call as his excitment to be a cowboy and episodes with the horse show he’s still got a ways to go and is far from the duck we know now, while the earlier fight on the train shows he’s still plenty badass. he’s just not properly seasoned yet. It’s how he is for the first third of the story: an idealisic teen who is slowly learning the ways of the world and finding good reason to do what he does and learning his morals. It’s the middle part that breaks him into the man he is today and the last one is the early days of that man and the horrible mistakes that cost him quite a bit: his family, his love for adventuring and nearly his soul. We get a few gags about crossing the planes and the reveal Donald renamed his horse after his sister hortense due to his horse’s bad temper. Hortense takes it as you’d expect.. by snapping off part of her mother’s chair with her bare beak in a rage and grumbling.

Scrooge is finishing up another letter by the time we cut back to him, the drive having almost reach the ranch in Montana... only for the McViper’s to conk scrogoe on the head and take the steer towards the Dakota territory and the real life Dakota Badlands, because now as ever Rosa loved to set his stories in cool real life locations. After Murdo finds him and wakes him up, and fully buys his story since the McViper’s were acting suspcious.. which is kinda like saying water is wet or Rudy Guliani is a moron but regardless buck mcduck rides again and eventually makes his way to the badlands. Which are awesomely rendered and really do look like that.

As you can see our hero finds someone in need.. and it’s Teddy Fucking Roosevelt!

As you can tell I love the guy. Really need to look into him more, but eveyr time I read his trope page or hear something about the man i’m in awe. He’s not without flaws, he was man of the 1800′s and 1900′s, he supported eugenics.. but he was also the first “accidental” President (I.e. a vp who got the role) to formally win despite being given the roll soley to keep him out of the chair due to being a boisterous loveable maniac, invited Booker T. Washington, who I also need to look into, to the white house as the first African American to get invited to dinner there, founded so many parks they had to make the national park service, and supported women’s rights his whole political career. The man is larger than life and respecte din fiction and I intend to make a story with him as a cybernetic frankenstein one day because i’m kinda nuts too and relate to him. He also has a quote I find endlessly relevant after the last 4 years of misery.

"This country has nothing to fear from the crooked man who fails. We put him in jail. It is the crooked man who succeeds who is a threat to this country." So yeah on top of everything else.. he’s smarter than pretty much the entirety of the modern republican party on top of that, not a HIGH bar to clear mind you but still. He cleared it.

So naturally someone who was basically a real life Scrooge who, while not having earned his money, used it well and never stopped explorin, and also named his son Kermit for some reason, Rosa was not only a huge fan but couldn’t resisit putting him in the story as Scrooge’s mentor once he found out they were in the same area at the same time. He’s also the first one I feel changes him as a person.. his parents set down the foundation and Pothole was.. there I guess.. I mean he ran his first buiness thanks to him and had his first feelings that being rich isn’t an endgoal, But it’s Teddy who helps him realize one of his most important and lasting charactert traits: his love of adventure for the experince of it just as much as the prize.

And we quickly get to that as Scrooge, after running into a dinosaur skeleton and then letting Teddy free, takes him along with him and finds out Teddy is rich, college graduate and former poltician too, and is out here simply because cattle ranching is way more exciting. Scrooge questions this as .. why do this? He’s rich, he dosen’t need to and Scrooge honestly wishes he was born rich instead. But Teddy shoots that down: He missed being born poor like Scrooge.. because being born wealthy is no acomplishment. You just get handed money to do whatever... but earning it with your own hands, the experinces that lead there.. that’s the real treasure and that’s why he’ll never stop. And he sees that in Scrooge, pointing out someone who didn’t LOVE adventure.. wouldn’t of leaped at a dinosaur skeleton without a second thought, all to save someone he just met. It’s what makes Scrooge likable: Sure he’s a greedy dick.. but he’s one who will never be satisfied, and who only stopped when he was close to death accoridng to Rosa, and even then i’m sure his and Goldie’s retirment wasn’t ENTIRELY peaceful or event free. HIs love of adventure and finding new discoveries and new worlds and ones lost to time... that’s infectious and what makes his stories, and the character work so well. And Rosa has him discover it beautifully, realizing that he never would’ve been satisfied even with cushy family money and that he truly does like this.. he still wants to be rich and understandably so, but he can have some fun along the way and afterwords.

So truly changed by this Scrooge gets back to tracking and TR helps by... asking some local Native American Buffallo Hunters since he knows their expert trackers and while they haven’t seen the mcvipers they can SMELL them, and with a location , and his first apprication for other cultures, Scrooge and TR head up top to lasso em up... and while Scrooge grabs one.> TR grabs a bear and the insuing chaos, including Scrooge refusing to use up his bullets because “Do you know how much bullets cost”

So in short the mcvipers end up chased by the bear, the native americans end up chased by a buffalo with a skull on it’s head and Scrooge ends up on the Angus. Teddy sums it up best.

It’s a great comedic set piece.. and leads to Murdo arriving and our heroes emerging, with the angus and tow and victorious. For his help and bravery, Scrooge is awarded the job as manager of the land, and while he plans to leave in a few years to find his fortune, it’s a good steady job he can help his family with and learn some skills so why not. TR leaves him with some last words of ecnouragment and says “There’s the makings of a great man” as he rides off into the susnset.. and his clothes once agian head the other way.

Final Thoughts: Buckaroo of the Badlands is a solid chapter. After the overly long Master of the Missippi, this is a welcome return to form, with a hell of a guest star, an intresting setting and some fun slapstick. It also reminded me not EVERY chapter is super long, as most are only 13 pages but Rosa packs a LOT into them, and uses each one wisely. Overall an excellent return to the series and I hope to pick it up eveyr now and again between whatever I have scheduled for the day.. and to look into Teddy. Seriously what a man, what a man what a mighty good man. Next Time Scrooge meets another mentor, a future foe, and the lonliness of being rich Teddy warns him about here in “Raider of the Copper Hill” Until the next Rainbow, it’s been a pleasure.

#the life and times of scrooge mcduck #scrooge mcduck #buckaroo of the badlands #hortense mcduck #teddy roosevelt #western #cowboy #montana #don rosa #disney #disney comics

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mha-adore · 3 years

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hey! ty sm for doing the matchup exchange with me, i look forward to writing your match! i’m rita and i go by she/her pronouns. i have a preference for men & i’m 16. my quirk would be similar to shinso & inumaki from jjk,, i can control ppl and animals just by saying a command,,, an indicator for when i’m using my quirk would be my eyes changing color & a side effect to using my quirk would be getting light headed.

i’m a libra sun, aquarius moon, & leo rising. a slytherin & intj-t. i’m v polite and reserved when you first meet me. i’m pretty introverted and i have anxiety. it takes me while to open up since it takes me a while to trust ppl. i do tend to get annoyed and angry by others easily,, i’m a bit of a hot head. i’m pretty chill and like joking around once i open up,, i can also be kinda dumb. i’m a bit of a loner and i don’t have many friends. i’m actually a bit of an emotional person but only when it comes to shows, movies, books, etc,, i tend to keep my emotions bottled up. i’m self conscious and self critical. i care a lot about having perfect grades and getting into a good university but i’m so lazy (lots of breaks & procrastination) at the same time,, i end up getting everything done on time though. i’m impatient when it comes to my own things so i like doing things my way bc i feel more comfortable that way. i also like keeping things neat. i’ve also been told i have a resting sad face & that i’m intimidating. i wear a lot of black and i’d describe my style as dark academia mixed with 70s-90s fashion. when i’m at home i just wear comfortable clothing like pajama pants and a t-shirt.

my likes/hobbies/interests are baking, playing the sims, writing, and playing board games with ppl i’m close to. i also like relaxing in bed and spending time with people i’m close to and having fun. i’m interested in psychology, true crime, & history. i don’t like arrogant & closed minded people. i look for a partner who is loyal, kind, & open-minded. my love languages are gifts and quality time (both ways).

i hope this isn’t too much,, ty again! <3

Hey friend, it's my pleasure! Thanks sm for offering 💖

Can I just say super quick that your quirk is really cool? You could command an army of bears, raccoons or fire ants. I would be terrified. Also I'm an Aquarius moon and INTJ too, air moons gotta stay together. I totally got a Libra vibe off you when you first messaged me and you're super sweet 🎀 also I totally get you on the anxiety part, I have anxiety too. I know how terrifying it can be to reach out to new people so please know I'm proud of you for taking the chance to reach out to me 😊 and it's never too much; the more detail the better!

I match you with Shoto!

Say hi to the walking AC and heater unit. A couple reasons I picked him is because you mentioned having anxiety and being hot headed. With his father being, well, himself and his mother being the anxious person she is, Shoto understands both sides of the coin very well and knows how to deal with both parts. He can balance being calm and stern at the same time and he has the patience of a saint. He would give you the time and space you need to grow comfortable around new people and surroundings, as well he would be able to keep you grounded when your temper gets the best of you. He mellows you out. My personal headcanon is that he's a Capricorn sun, Scorpio moon, Virgo rising, Ravenclaw and INFP.

He returns your jokes with dry humor. He can keep a dead serious face while making the stupidest jokes too. He could look you dead in the eye, face straight, and rip a monster fart and not giggle just to see your reaction. Honestly the image of him holding eye contact while aggressively farting is funny in my head. I know I have the humor of a 9 year old.

He isn't bothered by you not having many friends. He's a private person and doesn't want a lot of people up in his business. He prefers few close friends over many distant friends. He knows you aren't stupid and pays no attention to anything you say that may sound dumb. He's heard so much dumb shit he learned to filter it from his brain.

He understands that you're closed off on your emotions. He really can't blame you, he's quite the same. If you get a little teary eyed over a book or movie he'll let you talk it out and cry if you'd like, but he won't push you to be uncomfortably open to him. He values your happiness over his own and doesn't mind you keeping your feelings to yourself. He respects your privacy. Regardless of what you may feel conscious or critical of about yourself he's there to remind you that you're perfect. You're healthy, you're strong and you're doing the best you can. No one could ask any more from you. He's lived a majority of his life feeling outcasted and ignored because of his scar and wouldn't wish the same on anyone, so if there's any part of you that you feel bad about he's always reminding you that you have no imperfections, everything about you makes you one of a kind. You're irreplicable.

He isn't worried about you procrastinating on studying or homework. As long as you get it done and do well enough he isn't concerned. If you ever have difficulty with a subject he's happy to help you study and learn. If you want he can ask Momo to join for a study party if you want the extra help or company. He just wants to see you succeed and get into the college of your cotton candy dreams. Oh and don't worry about your tuition, he has it covered. Don't even mention it to him it'll already be paid off, including books and living arrangements. He only wants you to pay him back by doing your best in school and showing him you can handle the hard work.

He always has a suggestion on ways you can do things but he knows you prefer to do them by yourself, so he'll neber bombard you with his ideas. If you ask for his input he has plenty to give but otherwise he gives you the room to make your own moves. He's a neat freak himself and is always happy to help you keep your room clean and well put together. He has good room decor ideas too if you want to spruce up your room.

He really doesn't see you as intimidating. He sees a confident, independent and strong young woman who can hold her own. He occasionally wonders if you're really sad or if that's just your expression and he'll occasionally ask. He's only making sure you're okay. If you're sad he's on it with a cute or funny movie, some snacks, a shoulder to cry on and a whole night's worth of stuff to talk about.

He likes your sense of fashion, he enjoys darker and warmer colors. He lives for the 80s aesthetic and loves to see you mix the two so effortlessly. He can, wants to and will give you his t shirts to wear at home. He'll also loan you hoodies and sweaters. He won't outright buy you a hoodie, he'll buy one for himself and let you get away with stealing it from him.

He's so soft for home made cookies and would love for you to make him some. Home made dinners are also great. He would love to help you bake and would enjoy baking dates. He'll also watch shows like Hell's Kitchen with you. He isn't exactly a huge gamer but he likes simulation games and RPGs like Sims, Animal Crossing, Pokemon, Harvest Moon etc. He'll binge these games with you all day and night. Your Sims have to get married to each other it's the law. He enjoys reading what you write - what you don't mind sharing of course. He won't go peeking in your personal writing, he knows it isn't his place. Concerning what you do share he'll read it with great interest and share his thoughts and any ideas he has. He would really enjoy writing something with you, like a short story or a comic. He loves how you convey your writing and would be honored to take part in it. His favorite board game is Candy Land, a close second being Monopoly, followed by Scrabble. He pulls out a big ass dictionary during Scrabble just to prove to people that he knows his vocabulary. He loves you dearly but all bets are off during Monopoly, it's a dog eat dog world and he isn't bailing you out of jail. He will, however, offer you real money in turn for properties in the game. No that isn't cheating the rules say nothing about it. He has no problem with a lazy day in bed though and wouldn't mind just dozing or watching shows together. Any time spent with you is time spent well. You two could watch paint dry together and he would have a blast. He'll buy the paint.

With his personal involvment in hero work he has lots of info on true crime cases and can share stories and books with you. He has everything from small robberies to Ted Bundy and beyond. If you have a question about a true crime case he has an answer. As for psychology I imagine he would study it himself, perhaps as a secondary career or freelance hobby. He'll examine characters from books and movies with you and run his own behavioral analysis unit from his bedroom. The FBI doesn't hold a candle to him. He can, will and already has tracked down your enemies and he has their addresses. With his father being the new number one hero he essentially has the force of the law in his hands and if need be, he will use it. He won't do anything unjust unless your safety is in jeopardy but he won't hesitate to bring someone down. As for history he has plenty of books ranging from founding of countries to wars, to major technological advancements to the invention of toilet paper. He knows some very niche history facts. If you need to impress a teacher with knowledge on history he has you covered. He'll make the teacher quit their job in shame.

Shoto is absolutely loyal to the end, open minded and kind to a fault. He understands how it's like to be ignored, misunderstood and bullied and he won't treat anyone else that way. Regardless of his opinion on someone he still gives them respect and kindness. He doesn't care how rude or petty someone acts, they're still a human and deserve to be treated as such.

He goes out of his way to buy you special gifts, he values personal meaning over monetary value. Between a basic cheap necklace and an expensive bracelet of your favorite gemstone and color, you bet he's going for the bracelet. The cost isn't important to him, he just wants to see your face light up when you open the gift. As for gifts from you he doesn't care about how much you spent, he just wants something from the heart. You could give him an origami swan that cost you nothing to make and he would treasure it like a rare antique. As for quality time, he always enjoys a good movie, board game, cuddle session or just a nap. Like I mentioned before, any time spent together is time spent well.

I hope you enjoyed this friend!! 🥀 I'll be sending my part your way soon, thanks again for the offer! I had a lot of fun with this one 😘

#iidastiddies #mha x reader #bnha x reader #matchup #mha matchup #bnha matchup #matchup exchange #shoto #todoroki #shoto todoroki #todoroki shoto #todoroki x reader #shoto x reader #shoto todoroki x reader #todoroki shoto x reader

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insomniaccreates · 3 years

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Frostbite Ch. 1

Read it on AO3 here

Chapter Word Count: 1.5k

Important Tags: Vigilante Fuyumi, Fuyumi Todoroki centric, References to past child abuse, Enji is not trying to be better in this fic, Endeavor’s terrible parenting, LOV plays a prominent role, Timeline Transcendent but mostly during the Paranormal Liberation War Arc, Hawks plays a prominent role, Natsuo plays a prominent role

Summary: Fuyumi wants nothing more than her family's safety. Its all she's ever wanted since she was a child, for her mom and brothers to be able to live freely and happily. There was a time, when she was very young, about 12 or 13 where she thought that somehow the whole family could find a way to live in peace. That they could all be a normal, happy family again, but after Touya's death she realized the truth. That could never happen. And she knew who was to blame. Ever since then she's been working and scheming to right the wrongs that have been done to her loved ones, and even helping others along the way. However, when walking the fine line of what is and isn't legal lands her in deep trouble she is faced with painful reminders of the past and must challenge her own morality.

Chapter 1: Capture

“Well, well, well, what do we have here?” a raspy voice taunted as a man with long, unkempt, pale blue hair and the driest skin Fuyumi had ever seen on a living person walked into the room.

“You must be Shigaraki,” she greeted in reply, a mockery of her usual polite tone painting her voice as she sneered at the notorious villain.

The man just humphed before looking down at the captive woman, “And what’s your name?”

Fuyumi leveled a cool, steady gaze at her captor, “I go by Frostbite,” her tone was level and calm, but left no room for debate, a tone very similar to the one she often used on her students.

“I don’t care about code names, I want to know your real name,” Shigiraki pouted. If the man didn’t have the ability to disintegrate her with a single touch it would have been amusing how much like her students he was.

So instead of laughing she instead raised an eyebrow and shot him an unimpressed glare, “Too bad, I’ll tell you my real name if and when it becomes relevant,” she knew it was risky taunting him while in arms reach, but she knew showing weakness was worse. Power-hungry maniacs tended to have more respect for those who refused to back down in her experience.

“I think it is relevant, I need to know who was trying to overthrow a faction of my army!” Shigaraki persisted, beginning to anxiously claw at his neck.

Fuyumi frowned, “Well, you’ve got the wrong person, anyhow, if that’s what you want,” she protested, “I wasn’t trying to overthrow anything. At least not anything to do with you or those Liberation nuts. I was just looking for something,” she explained calmly, if a little indignantly. Honestly, if they seriously grabbed her for a fucking misunderstanding she was going to scream.

“Really? Then why come so far out of your usual territory? Why go blatantly rampaging around asking about us and the drugs Overhaul developed? You weren’t really subtle, girl,” he hissed, shoving his prematurely wrinkled face in hers.

She resisted the urge to freeze him where he stood in frustration before responding in a calm, placating tone, “I am looking for the quirk-erasure drugs that Overhaul supposedly developed but that has nothing to do with you other than you being a lead to getting them. This is something I’ve been working on for years, long before the League of Villains was formed,” she explained.

“Oh? But those drugs are pretty new. The permanent version has only been around for a matter of months,” he grabbed her throat keeping one finger raised, threat clear even as his voice tapered off.

“I know, those are a new addition to my plan, but it doesn’t change that my target has nothing to do with you. I’m not even after a villain at all, I’m after a pro hero. So there’s no reason to get upset, right now we’re on the same side,” she clarified quickly, anxiety spiking from the rough, clammy hand wrapped around her throat.

Shigaraki paused, lifting his hand from her throat before smirking at her, “We’re on the same side? The Queen of Vigilantes is going villain? Now that’s interesting,” he chuckled and Fuyumi could feel her stomach churn violently, “You aren’t just saying that to save your head, are you?” His taunting tone only caused her stomach to sour further, but she resisted the urge to flinch. Any sign of fear would only be used against her and make her response seem less genuine.

“I never said I was going villain, but I’m also not just saying that to keep my head. I’m really after a pro-hero and right now we are on the same side. We have similar goals. You want to destroy hero society, right? Well, I don’t entirely disagree with that. It at least needs massive reform,” she took a deep breath, trying to calm her emotions before explaining, “Heroes are untouchable. Get a high enough ranking and you can get away with unspeakable cruelty no matter how well known that cruelty is… other heroes, the police, and the public will all rally behind the hero while his victims are silenced into submission… I just want to hold them responsible for their actions, starting with the biggest bastard of them all,” her voice trembled slightly in her anger so she took a steadying breath before continuing, “I guess you could say I align with Stain, even if I don’t agree with all of his judgment calls. Most of your members are followers of Stain, right?” She asked, meeting his crimson eyes.

He smirked, “I still don’t understand why Stain was such a big deal, but yes, most of my more trusted members at least were Stain fanboys… Are you looking to join us or something?” He asked, sizing her up.

“I’m looking for my freedom,” she shot back, struggling in the heavy chains strapping her down to the chair she was sat in for emphasis, before swallowing her pride and hesitantly adding, “and possibly some assistance. I really need those drugs, and judging by how defensive over them you are and the fact you guys attacked Overhaul immediately after his arrest, my lead on you was right. I just need one dose, you can keep the rest,” she tried to read the crimson glare giving her a calculating look but couldn’t decipher his thought process.

After a few moments that felt like hours, he finally spoke, “I’ll think about it. I’ll be back to talk it out further…” started to walk towards the door, before turning back to the captured vigilante, “I’ll make sure none of the Liberation freaks bother you so try to spend this alone time thinking about how you’d be willing to pay for that bullet,” his tone was taunting and menacing but he was honestly the least of Fuyumi’s worries.

She had no qualms spending her father’s vast fortune on his own downfall, she planned on destroying him anyway so money wasn’t really an issue. No, she was much more concerned with being stuck here for who knows how long. Not only was it going to be problematic if she didn’t show up at home before morning or, god-forbid, miss work, her costume included contacts to make her grey eyes appear blue (a pale, frosty shade much lighter than her family’s usual turquoise) and make her usual glasses unnecessary, so if she fell asleep or if it took to long for her to get out of here she was risking permanent injury without them laying another hand on her. She’d just have to try and stay awake, she supposed not much she could do about it with her hands encased in a metal cage. Still, being left alone in a dark room for an undisclosed amount of time was something that made her skin crawl, too many unpleasant childhood memories reflected this scenario just a little too closely. At least it didn’t automatically set off panic attacks anymore. Clearly therapy had been doing something. If only she could get Natsu and Shoto to go too.

Speaking of Natsuo, she was now very glad she had denied his request to tag along on her hunt for the quirk erasure drug. Ever since he’d found out about her life as a vigilante last year he had been trying to get more and more involved. She tried to keep him away from it, but now he’s known amongst the underground as Blizzard, her impulsive, short tempered sidekick. Not that she lets him join her on her patrols or missions often. His impulsive, hot-headed nature paired with his stubbornness made her extremely nervous for his well being. He had a tendency to run into unnecessary fights and where she was careful to disguise herself with a wig, contacts, and contour, Natsuo only opted for a ski mask, despite Fuyumi repeatedly explaining why that was a bad idea. She doubted he understood how high the stakes were, that they weren’t just risking death, but if their real identities were to be discovered or if they were to be arrested that they could lose their jobs, Natsuo could be kicked out of school and they’d both be thrown in jail, leaving Shoto to deal with their father alone again. They weren’t like most other vigilantes. They both had a lot to lose. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if he got himself hurt or destroyed his life due to something she let him do. Something she introduced him to. She just prayed that she got out before he realized she was missing. She knew he’d probably try to look for her, he may even try to drag Shoto into it if he was worried enough, and that was the last thing that needed to happen.

Hopefully, though, she’d be able to put all of this behind her. Hopefully, once she was done with Endeavor their family could settle back down, no longer having to live in constant tension and fear. Hopefully, she’d soon be able to retire from being a vigilante and just enjoy being a teacher and spend time with her loved ones. She just had to get those drugs and get back home. That’s all. She could do that.

#Insomniac's Frostbite Fic #fuyumi todoroki #fuyumi todoroki centric #fuyumi centric #vigilante fuyumi #fuyumi x tensei #fuyumi is a good big sister #badass fuyumi #Dabi is a (sorta) good older brother #fuyumi fic #bnha fanfiction #bnha au #mha fanfiction #mha au #chapter 1 #Insomniac's Frostbite Fic ch. 1

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nomadmilk · 4 years

Text

Why the God Isn’t Bored on Midgard - Loki x F!Reader Drabble - 8.5

Summary: With Ragnarok decimating Asgard, Thor and Loki and their people return to Earth searching for refuge. Everyone else has seemed to settle, except for Loki - the God of Mischief and Chaos - who isn’t willing to live the domesticated Midgard life, and getting utterly bored out of his mind... Until he discovered you.

Word Count: 3K (Here we go, boys n girls)

Warnings: Rated M/18+. Confused feelings and smut. Impulsive/Slight dom Loki. F/M. Foreplay, slight bondage, and vaginal sex.

Author’s Note: As of 11.5.2020 it has been edited, but not much has changed. This is the other half of Part 8. Enjoy, and let me know what you think! :) x

Here are the other parts to the series: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 (First Half) Part 8.5 (Second Half) Part 9

Loki arrived late. He had been stuck at his office in campus checking over a book a student had enquired on using for an upcoming essay. It was odd that Loki had come to care for miniscule things like this. Surely, if he was doing his job as a professor successfully, it would reflect in the students’ test results. If that was the case, Nick Fury might even stop monitoring him completely. So, Loki couldn’t slack.

He had to admit, however, that his productivity did dwindle when you surprised him with your presence.

Entering the flat, he sees you sitting on the sofa, finishing a canned drink. The can joins the other crumpled ones, lying on their side on the coffee table, but there was still more that stood in a bundle together, ready to be drunk.

He gets rid of the band on his head and relieves himself from the strain on his skull as his dark tresses are freed.

He takes a second to check over your visage. You got changed into something more comfortable; summer was closing in, and the nights were becoming humid. You had a satin vest and shorts on, but it must have been something your new lingerie shop job has given you. The vest shaped your cleavage marvelously, and the cut of your shorts bared your thighs in a bewitching manner.

He slacks his tie and begins to unbutton his waistcoat.

“Loki, why did you kiss me?” You question him.

He stills for a moment; your forwardness never ceases to make him smile. “Yes, my day was well, thank you.”

“I’m serious.” You press, eye contact never leaving his. “Why’d you do it?”

He smirks, discarding the waistcoat. It disappears with a glint of light as its removed. “Is that what you’ve been thinking about all this time?”

“I-…“ You search for words. You weren’t quite sure if being honest to Loki was going to change any of his mannerisms for the better, or if he was going to use your vulnerability as an advantage.

“I haven’t.” You reply, resuming. “…But – hypothetically – if I told you I had been, what would you say?”

You could practically hear Loki’s laugh from his risen brow; it was a stupid response, and you wanted to smack your forehead for it.

He sits opposite you. “Hypothetically, I would say that clearly something about it is bothering you. And, I would ask why.”

You huff. Loki could see your mind in contemplation, wanting to let the topic pass. He has mostly seen you swung by your mood so, observing your solemn ambience, was new for him. Like usual, he didn’t know what to expect with it.

“What seems to be on your mind?” He starts.

“A lot.” You reply. “… I don’t know where to start, probably cause’ I don’t know whether to trust you or not.”

“And why can’t you trust me, Y/N?”

“Because I don’t know who you are besides your title and your magic. I get that some of it’s partially my fault because I tend to be out of the house – even then, how can you blame me when you-… When you mess with the way I feel.” You stand. “Ugh – God, that sounds like I’m some kind of teenager…”

Although you were avoiding his gaze, Loki’s doesn’t lift. Come to think of it, the situations he’d caused, those were odd choices to mess with you. He could have used his Seidr to do much worse, and embarrass you in other ways, or even get you kicked out and he would have had the apartment to himself.

But he didn’t want that.

He acknowledges his behaviour towards you. If you had a serious problem with it, Loki thought you were more than capable in filing a complaint against him, or capable of planning something that would get rid of him from the apartment forever.

But, you hadn’t.

You cross your arms. “We’ve been living together for a while now, and I don’t even know anything about your world, or-… Or, your relationship with your brother-“

“If there is anything you need to know, my brother isn’t one of them.” If anything, Loki wanted you to walk away from the conversation with at least one honest sentence from him. Thor was a renowned hero, there’s no point in getting information from him when you could get it from the internet or on a gossip show on T.V. You could even text Thor himself… Although, now Loki thinks about it, hearing Thor’s side of their past might constrain him to add in actual facts.

You shrug. “Or how about your mom? Or your dad? – Or even something simple like-”

Loki crosses his arms, leaning back into the couch, curious. “And why is it that you’re suddenly interested in all of this?”

“Well, I’d like to if it’s-…” You shake your head. “You know what, I knew this was a bad idea from the start. I just thought that maybe if I got to know you, I’d actually understand you. I mean, I don’t even know what you gain from messing with me all the time.”

Loki’s very nature is chaos, so it was no wonder that Loki found solace in causing trouble. Life lacked lustre after recent events. So, the whimsical universe brought you for him to play and ‘mess’ with.

“If it’s not one thing, then it must be the other…” You say to yourself, clearing the empty cans off of the table. You look at him, a face of forfeit. “If you’re gonna’ bullshit me, then I’m leaving the apartment…“

He had to admit, all those moments he had felt some sense of control, or even lack of, strangely excited him. At times, he didn’t know whether he wanted to break you, or leave you at the cliff, but when you faced him… You were magnetic.

“Stark’s party.” He queries, switching topics. “You wanted to talk about that in particular.”

You stop in your tracks, blinking.

You return the empty cans back onto the table. “… Well, I was in a middle of a phone call-“

“Yes.” Loki’s eyes were intense. “Is that all you remember?”

He swore to himself that nothing, in the many years he had been alive, had stimulated him more than the image of you in climactic bliss. It illuminates in his mind; vivid, and unforgettable.

The creases on your face relax. It seems you had the same image in your mind too, and it was making your knees weak. “W-what do you mean?”

“Did you…Did it feel good?” He interrogates some more.

Your features are softening from the anger fading and, as expected, forms a hue on your cheeks that matched the pink of your lips.

You swallow. “It did.”

There’s a pause that settles between the two of you. Loki’s jaw clenches as he focuses on you; it was your eyes staring back at him. They had that look Loki couldn’t pull himself away from, reminding him from all the past times he had felt breathless from you. It must have been from the heat, or maybe he was tired, but your eyes... They were dilated… And sultry.

Loki reaches over to you, taking your wrists and tugging you towards him. Your legs regain balance, your wrist still within Loki’s hand. You stare down at him, mouth agape.

“Loki,” you stutter, “I know you’re reading me.”

His voice was soft; like it was intended for only you to hear. “Then, let me take closer look at you.”

Another light tug guides you closer towards him, your will to keep the conversation going diminishes to fumbled words. His hands drift to your luscious thighs as they climb on top of him, his lap a perfect seat to gaze up at you.

Feeling his hand cradle your face, his thumb traces your jaw, gently pulling your face closer to his, body leaning towards him. Your hands settle on his chest, and the closeness of it all awakens something in your core, eyes flickering to his lips.

You feel his hot breath as he exhales, the sound of a low tenor sigh making your heart thud out of your ribcage.

Your ample lips press against his.

You pull back a little, allowing yourself to breathe. “I... like you, Loki.”

You hear Loki take a deep inhale as he presses himself into you, sinking his lips onto yours. Your tongue slides in, and as he feels yours against his own, he exhales a moan that causes your walls to ache. You whimper as you shift in his lap, rubbing against him, and eventually you could feel his cock pushing itself against you.

His hands holding you, they roam your temperate form; he caresses and squeeze your thighs, they trail up to your hips and waist and graze the sides of your torso. Your nerves sense the smoothness of his skin, and the oddity of temperature; slightly colder than you expected, but it cools you in the humidity of the night.

Breaking the kiss, you pull your vest over your head to reveal more of your skin; your chest, nipples hard and breasts plump, were exquisite to Loki’s irises. Eager to experience all of you, his mouth seizes one of your sensitive mounds, a deep growl sighs from his throat approving the softness and delicacy of it. You gasp as you feel his caressing licks and tender bites, feeling his other hand roam up your stomach to cup and massage the other.

“Fuck…” With each brush of the satin fabric against your clit, you could feel your walls pulse and your folds produce that wetness that made you greedy to be full.

Your fingers were just about to reach the waistband of your shorts to sate yourself, before Loki snatches them away.

His lithe hands stir up on your inner thigh, and your walls squeeze once more. “Let me, my sweet.”

The mist of the cream and rose perfume that Loki could sense was replaced by the beguiling scent of your nectar. You readjust for his closer inspection, and he sees the damage done by your heat; the shorts had darkened from you grinding against him and, as he slides them aside to reveal your delicious pussy drooling for him, deemed unnecessary.

They needed to come off immediately.

He laces a finger in the warmth of your smooth, tender folds. “Was this what you wanted to tell me all along?”

You nod, lip biting to stop yourself from begging to be touched further; his finger just about grazes your gentle bud.

But Loki wasn’t having any of that. “I want you to say it.”

You begin to pant, as you feel his fingers tease your entrance. “L-Loki, I need-”

“Don’t look away from me when you say it, my darling – Say it to me.”

As your shy eyes lock with the compelling inflection in his, your response can’t help but sound like a shameless and sensuous plea.

“I want you, Loki. Please.”

Loki watches your complexion shift to satisfaction as two of his digits dip into the soaked crease. Shorts vanishing, he slowly delves his fingers further, fascinated by how your juices eased them into your snug walls, and his erection twitches from enjoying the view just a little too much.

His free hand aids to keep you still by the waist, tantalizing you by restricting your body from lowering onto his fingers at a faster pace. “Shall we finish what we started?”

You brace yourself, open palms finding their way underneath his loose shirt collar to feel his collarbone. His fingers dive deeper and curl into spot of your crevice, eliciting a moan from your sugary mouth.

“Y-yes, Loki…” You pant more, eye contact proving to be difficult due to ecstasy that Loki was building up inside of you.

His hum is sly, accepting your signature. “Good… Now, let me have all of you.”

He paces his fingers in and out of you, your walls convulse tightly around him and evoke your nectar to drip onto his knuckles like clear honey. Your head swings back from the pleasure, and Loki, seeing your body being bent by his will, is in awe with your nude and flushed form. He had never seen you more beautiful than you were now.

Hips swaying in time with his rhythm, he could feel your body submit to his touch fully. You lean in to kiss him again, and your salacious mewls can be caught upon his tongue.

As you feel his thumb press lightly on your bud one more time, your mind was challenged with the idea of coasting with the pleasure, whilst the other half had a dire need to climax.

Voice uneasy, you whisper against his lips. “Please- ah!- Loki, I’m gonna’ cum.”

He tuts, voice breaking slightly from watching. “Why are you in such a rush, my dear?”

Your gorgeous breaths stop with an abrupt yelp. Loki picks you up to lie you down on to the couch, your naked body beside him. Your heartbeat thumps rapidly, spine adjusting to the awkward surface, as you stare at him briskly taking off his tie.

You whine; your desire had been building, and you could feel it falter. Not wanting to lose it, you touch yourself. You lap the juice onto the tips of your fingers, and drag them up to your delicate bead. You feel that needy pulse in your centre again as Loki unbuttons his shirt, displaying his incredibly toned torso and broad shoulders. You had seen his upper body naked before, but you were still in such amazement as to how his clothes seemed to make him slimmer than he was.

Body calling for him, you slip a couple of fingers inside of you.

Loki slowed in his undressing as he catches what you’re doing; he had wondered what you were like when you pleasured yourself, and he wasn’t disappointed with the truth. He wanted to know all your traits, and all your flaws; your anger, your sadness, your happiness, your awkwardness… And this, this carnal and intimate side of you, was one side he hadn’t realised he’d been patient on waiting for.

Loki was fighting to be composed.

Breathing hard and scattered, you bite your lip. “L-Loki?”

Norns, why did you have to be so erotic.

He grabs both of your wrists, your voice weak in complaint as he binds them together with his discarded tie, preventing you from touching yourself any further. The knot was taut, and any amount of agitation made your wrists cramp, but it didn’t hinder your arousal at all.

He wanted to have you as he saw fit, and it did not include you cumming without his cock inside you.

Before you attempt to say anything, he gestures for all of his remaining clothes to disappear, and it goes with a shine of light. His cock springs free, Loki grunts in relief that his raging member could now breathe.

Arms slacking from the struggle with the new cuffs, your eyes adjust to his naked physique, your eyes lowering past his abdomen to see his lengthy erection stand. However, you didn’t have a chance to study, or to even admire it, as he grips your thighs once more, pulling you towards him and spreading you open.

And, within the slick and hot pleat of your core, you feel his hardness slide against you and your bud, and it coaxes your back to arch on the edge of euphoria.

A moan, like caramel to Loki’s ears, cries from your lips as the tip of his cock pushes inside you. He inhales through gritted teeth as his long shaft feels the pressure of your feminine walls, and the sensitivity to its beat. His grasps on your hips tighten, blemishing your skin as he reaches the end of you with another relieving growl. Another precious mewl escapes from the back of your throat as he pulls out, a layer of your aroma covering his shaft.

Not wanting to delay it any longer, Loki thrusts into you.

His thrusts are relentless and deep, feeling yourself stretch and fit around him. He was greeted with your blushing expression, irises glazed with lustful avidity and our lip bitten down, withholding your intoxicating moans.

But, with each thrust Loki gave you, your lips loosened, and the candy sound of your bliss encourages his movements.

“Loki, I’m-...Ah!” You could feel yourself clutch around him, a release begging to subdue you.

Loki could feel you get close too, and he was desperate to experience that sensation on him. He seizes you by the bind of your wrist, using it to spur his pace, his pelvis rocking and slamming into yours again and again. He savours the aphrodisia of your body, savours the sensuous resonance of his name being cried in wanton need, savours the arousing essence surrounding the both of you, savours the fervor of your warm skin…

And, as your pussy clenches him like a vice, he savours everything about your climax.

Even after your orgasm, he fills you with every inch of him you could take, voice rasp in nearing his own sexual alleviation. He could feel waves of your peak straining and milking his cock to his own end, your own ears feel muddled with the loud bangs of your heartbeat and the sound of your name being lost from Loki’s lips.

Your skin feeling damp, you survey Loki with bleary eyes, and he surveys you back with same sensual haze.

There you were, splayed recklessly in front of him, looking unashamedly delectable covered with his cum. Like he had finally tamed your wildness, so that he could only have it all to himself.

He kisses you. Had he known what it was like to bed you, he would have done it sooner.

“You are…” His hot breath runs against your neck. “Divine.”

#Loki #Loki Laufeyson #loki fanfic #loki (marvel)#loki odinson #loki x you #loki x reader #tom hiddleston #Marvel MCU #apartment #roommates #Thor #Professor!Loki #Romantic smut #🐄🗂TheNomaArchives

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endlessly-searching-for-you · 4 years

Text

There’s Always Another Summer

It all started on La Huerta, and it all ended here—or so it seemed. After Taylor used her connection to Vaanu to help Rourke, the whole world had been changed, and the change was not for the better. Finding her way in the dystopian empire, she tries to reconnect with her friends, build a relationship with her newfound family, find the love she had lost… and change the fate of an entire planet once again.

Chapter 1: All Gone Wrong

Masterlist / Chapter 2 »

A/N: Ah, where do I start? I first got the idea in July, in La Huerta tapas bar (no kidding), and it was supposed to be a series of drabbles/one-shots. But you know how these things go, and now it’s full series. If I ever finish it. (If I don’t, ping me. Seriously! I already know how it ends, why shouldn’t you)

The story starts after the events of Rourke’s ending, and it’s focusing on friendships and adventure rather than romance. It’s still based on my playthrough, where Taylor married Jake, so if you don’t like these two together, I’m sorry. If you do, I’m sorry.

Some parts were written in my first language and translated into English. I tried my best to find and fix any mistakes that happened in the process (and believe me, I won’t do it again, it’s twice the job), but if you see something I missed, feel free to tell me (that’s how I learn!). All mistakes are mine and mine alone. All characters (sadly) belong to Pixelberry. I’m just borrowing them for an eternity while.

Tags: @brightpinkpeppercorn @zaffrenotes @politicallycorrectinnocentteen @ifyouseekheart; thanks for the vote of confidence guys! I hope you either enjoy it or forgive me ;-) happy Thanksgiving, or just happy Thursday!

It’s all gone wrong Heaven hold us Where do we go When it’s all over? — Raign

To say things were bad, was to say nothing at all. It didn’t seem that way at first. Sure, the world would have been better without Rourke calling himself the emperor, but on the outside, things looked good. The sun was still shining, the sky was still blue, people still lived, loved, laughed. You couldn’t see something was wrong until you started digging. One day you could hear your neighbor murmuring some angry words at the government; the next, everyone pretended they never existed. If you knew who to ask, you could learn some rumors about friends-of-my-second-cousin who went into service and never came back. Or even darker stories about those who did—and weren’t the same people anymore.

And it was all Taylor’s fault.

There wasn’t a day when she didn’t regret her decision. Time after time, Rourke proved they shouldn’t trust him, and she still took his offer. What little powers she had, she gave up for a promise of a better life. All because Jake asked. That night was forever ago, but the look on his face kept haunting her. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw his blue eyes looking at her pleadingly, cheeks wet with tears—please, it would mean everything to me. He hated the guy’s guts and still begged her to go with his plan. She could, and should have, said no. She didn’t.

Not that there was much she could do, anyway. Yes, agreeing to Rourke’s plan wasn’t their only option. They could stay on the island and watch the world burn, or—she felt a pang of guilt—she could save them all by sacrificing herself. It would be the right thing to do, one life exchanged for billions of others. Movie heroes wouldn’t hesitate. Hell, even Mike didn’t, just moments earlier. Maybe if she was a better person...? No! No, one thing for sure, she wasn’t a selfish monster—at least that’s what she kept telling herself. It was just hard to believe it anymore.

“Nevermind,” she thought, shaking her head. What’s been done has been done, and thinking about what could have been was a waste of time. The world was full of people who signed up without reading the fine print, Taylor wasn’t the first, and she certainly wouldn’t be the last one. And as much as she hated to admit it, Rourke kept his end of the deal—kind of. Her friends might not remember her, but at least they were safe. Jake got Mike back, and they were both alive, just far from being fine. And she... she got the family she always wanted.

A brief smile crossed Taylor’s lips. Family. It was surprising, but Rourke did a great job picking her parents. They seemed like one of the good ones, and she sometimes wondered who they really were. Did he know them before it all happened? Were they a figment of his imagination that came true? Either way, it was easy to believe they were related. She somehow seemed to have both of her parents’ qualities combined; her father’s easygoing attitude and (a bit too short) temper, her mother’s charm, wit, and overprotectiveness. Even their appearance was on point, from the messy hair of her father to her mother’s calm smile. There were photos of their three together, keepsake boxes, scrapbooks, and the new memories of a happy childhood.

It was a beautiful picture, indeed. Only when the first excitement faded away, Taylor realized there was hardly anything more than that. There was no meaning and no depth behind the picture. A psychopath like Rourke wouldn’t know the difference, but she did. The most important things—love, affection, trust—were missing. No matter how hard she tried, how badly she wanted to believe it was all real, it didn’t work. Finally, one day, she snapped and tried to tell her parents the truth. Okay, she had to admit, maybe the Sunday dinner wasn’t the best time to do it—but there would never be a good time for it anyway. It didn’t go too well, and now that she thought about it, she couldn’t tell what she expected. Even Diego didn’t believe her story, why would they be different?

“Are you still with me, Taylor?”

She blinked a few times. Where was she? Ah, yes, the weekly therapy session. The argument caused her parents to show the first real emotion in months: fear. It wasn’t that surprising. The fact they weren’t afraid of her, but for her, was. Maybe they did care, after all. They didn’t report her to the thought police, or whatever name Rourke gave to his force; they brought a professional who was supposed to help.

“I’m sorry. I—it’s hard for me to talk about it.” God, when did she learn to lie like that? Ever since she realized her therapist was one of the people who loved the sound of their own voice, she spent their sessions daydreaming about one thing or another. The chatter was merely background noise, and all she did was coming up with a generic response when it stopped. No wonder the therapy wasn’t working at all.

“Ah, that’s understandable.” The therapist shot what was probably supposed to be an encouraging smile, but actually reminded Taylor about a giant barracuda. “As I said, the brain can create false memories, especially after traumatic events. It tries to protect you and replaces the painful memory with a fake one. It could be anything. Something from a book you have read, or a movie—”

Oh, if only you knew, Taylor smiled bleakly at the round-faced woman. It would have been a hell of a lot easier if it was just a book or a movie, or even something entirely made up by her imagination. Yes, her brain made up things to fill the void, only it wasn’t what they all thought. It made up all things that made her human. How was she supposed to live with that? She dropped her head and stared at her worn-out shoes when a sudden realization hit her like a hammer. Hell, her brain made up her own name. From a freaking sneaker label. How come she didn’t see it earlier?

Suddenly, she was ripped out of the office, hurtling through space and time, and when she opened her eyes, all she could see was red. She doubled over in pain, touching her forehead to her knees. She felt something sticky, and to her horror, realized it was blood. It was in her eyes, on her hands, her legs, the warm sand, everywhere—

“What’s your name?” She heard a faint whisper, and a weak hand grabbed her arm.

I can’t remember! She wanted to scream, but no sound came out. I don’t know. My name? Do I have one? I don’t think so. Should I? She lowered her head again, trying to stop it from spinning, and then she saw it. Yes. Might as well be it. Chuck doesn’t seem like a girl’s name, but—

“Taylor. My name’s Taylor.”

“I’m—” the hand she was holding went limp, and she knew it was over. Whoever it was, they were gone, and she didn’t even get to know their name. Gone, just like that. She looked around and realized they were all dead. Twelve young people, with their whole lives ahead of them, were now gone for good.

She was on her own.

Taylor gasped for air, and the sudden pain in her chest brought her back to reality. A small drop of blood fell onto her shoes, and she felt sick. It was just a flashback, a memory of a life that wasn’t even entirely her own—but it was too much. She pushed the chair, murmured an apology, and ran from the office. Air. She needed some air, stat, or else she’ll throw up. Everything seemed to blur in a hurry—

“Hey, watch out!”

“Oof! I’m so sorry!” Taylor steadied herself against the wall and took a deep breath. She recognized the voice, red hair, blue eyes, even the white shirt was the same. “I didn’t see you. Really sorry about that. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. My coffee, that’s another story. What—” The redhead gasped. “Oh, God. You’re bleeding.”

“It’s nothing. A little bloody nose, that’s all. I’m sorry about your coffee, Quinn.”

“Wait.” The redhead drew her brows together. “How did you know my name? Have we met?”

“Yeah. The first day of uni, by the fountain, remember me? I didn’t make the best first impression, I’m afraid.” Taylor chuckled, relieved. “And now I completely blew the second one. Why don’t we go to the cafe across the street and I’ll make it up to you. You know, third time’s the charm? Please?”

Quinn’s face fell. “I can’t. I have an appointment with Dr. Andrews.”

“I just left her office, and let me tell you, she sucks.” Taylor winced. “Big time. Please? I won’t tell anyone. And if you want to talk, I’m a good listener.”

“Ah, to hell with it. After you!” Quinn laughed, and they ran down the hallway, giggling like two fifth-graders skipping classes. They were already at the door when she stopped and looked over her shoulder with a frown. “Crap! She saw us.”

“Who?”

“My friend. Michelle. She’s an intern here.”

Taylor turned to look at another familiar face. With her white coat and hair tied into a high ponytail, Michelle looked almost like her older counterpart from Vaanu’s ember of hope. At least one of us is making her dreams come true, she thought with a smile. “Don’t worry. This one’s on me. If she gives you any trouble, you know who to blame!”

She was right about the third time being better than the previous two. They had one coffee, then another one, a few cupcakes, talked, laughed... almost as if they knew each other their whole lives.

“There you are! Why don’t you answer my calls?” Diego dropped into the chair and looked at them with reproach. “I finally got the perfect title! What do you think about Endless Summer—”

“Hello to you, too!” Taylor sneered and gestured across the table. “Diego, this is Quinn. Quinn, this is Diego. He’s my best friend. And we... kinda write a book together.”

“A graphic novel, actually.” He protested. “And it’s Taylor’s idea, only she says she couldn’t put two words together even if she tried. Now, I don’t mean to brag or anything, but I’m pretty good at it.”

“Yeah, only we don’t know anyone who can draw.”

“Actually... I can,” Quinn smiled broadly. “Well, I mostly paint, but I’m always up for a challenge. I can show you a few of my works... if you want me to?”

Taylor shared a look with Diego, and they both nodded vigorously. She pulled a sketchbook out of her backpack and handed it to them, blush rising up on her cheeks.

“I never showed this to anyone. Please don’t laugh. It’s just... I’m having these strange dreams, and I don’t want to forget them...”

They both stared at a picture of an impossibly enormous tree rising into the sky. There was a whole city carved into its side. Little huts perched on the branches and the wooden bridges hung between them, held together by vines. Diego inhaled sharply, and Taylor felt tears welling up in her eyes. Quinn remembered. The memories were buried deep within her, but they were there.

“Quinn...” She squeezed her hand gently. “Do you know what this is?”

“No. As I said, it’s from a dream. I can’t remember the name... I thought it was Yggdrasil, you know, the Norse tree of life? But it’s not that. It’s something similar, but when I wake up, I can’t remember it anymore.”

“Elyystel.” Diego recovered his voice. “Taylor, that’s gotta be the tree city you told me about. Quinn, you’re a genius. Welcome on board!”

#endless summer #endless summer fanfiction #playchoices fanfiction #long post

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srnokedmirrors · 4 years

Photo

* . time stands still , the way it did before. it’s like i’m s l e e p w a l k i n g .

{ courtney eaton, twenty-four, agender, they/them } Have you seen JACK C. KENNEDY walking around? Little do they know, they’re the child of LEON S. KENNEDY from RESIDENT EVIL, and they ARE AN ONLY CHILD. I guess that explains why they’re so CRAFTY & RESOURCEFUL and ALOOF & SELF-SERVING. They are a COLLEGE STUDENT. — penned by eve.

FIRST THINGS FIRST.

Hey guys !! I’m EVE , twenty from the EST timezone ( pronouns are she/her ) and I have TWO kids to introduce to you guys - the first being Jackie here !! I’m a huge fan of video games hence why my first two children are from them - RE in particular is one of my favorites. It’s a popular franchise , but if you’re not too familiar with it do not fret because all you need to know about Jack , their dad , and the world they originate from will be in here. And I apologize profusely if this is too long because I . . . have a tendency to ramble so !! Let’s get on with it.

TWS : Mental illness / depression ( implied ) , mentions of bullying & death & violence

I. THE PAST - DO YOU REMEMBER ??

You are born Jacqueline Cheri Kennedy , the first & only child of your father - Leon Scott , a lone survivor of the fallen Raccoon City - with no mother in the picture. Your father always wanted children , but his line of work is cruel to those who hold their loved ones dear , and originally the prospect was brushed off. But you are an accident - left on his doorstep - and the man who originally thought he’d never have children due to a fear of losing what he’s attached to . . . . he SOBS , holding your tiny body close and vowing that now , he has a new reason to live and not just survive.

So you grow. You grow fast , and as a child , you know a few truths - you like princesses & superheroes , and you are your papa’s little princess & your papa is your superhero. And you are treated the best you can - in the early years of your youth , you have to spend multiple week trips sleeping over at your Aunt Ashley’s before your father suddenly tells you ‘Daddy isn’t going to work anymore’ and he’s with you all day , every day , save except for school. You grow up with your father as your best friend and you know he loves you more than anything.

You are ten years old when you start to understand things - not ENOUGH , and not too much , but you can understand the fact that in a way , your beloved papa is sick. But it’s not the germy kind of sick - not the kind of sick that results in tummyaches or sniffles. No , it’s the kind of sick that you can tell his heart isn’t working - it’s broken , and you can tell his smile sometimes doesn’t reach his eyes and the weird stuff he drinks is to help with it - but he doesn’t want you to know he’s sick. He SMILES at you and plays with you and hugs you tightly and kisses your forehead and reads you bedtime stories and everything seems okay - but you know your superhero can’t fly as high as he used to , and you know he’s more sad than he lets on. But he does everything so he thinks you don’t catch on , and so you are happy even if he isn’t.

You are twelve years old when the big men in black jackets & bulletproof vests come knocking on your father’s door to beg him to come back to them , and he says hell no and there’s an argument you don’t listen to since FRANKLY , you’re busy pasting up posters of rock bands in your bedroom. You know your father doesn’t talk a lot about where he used to work or what he used to do - the only inkling you get is the next day , when you’re innocently helping your father find his unopened pack of plastic razors in his bedroom , and you open a drawer with a shiny badge that says ‘Raccoon City Police Department.’

You are fourteen when you first start finding your own voice - you are hardened from bullying that comes your way and you grow BLUNT & SARCASTIC and a lot of your father’s friends tell you that you’re just like him. This becomes a bit of a joke between the two of you - but it escalates further in school. They call you Jackboot since that’s a symbol of the opposite of what you stand for - you TALK BACK , you rebel , you aren’t afraid to show your poisoned tongue and it gets you in trouble. But you remain authentic - even if people don’t like you. But you’re still vulnerable - your first boyfriend breaks your heart and as you’re crying through screams & wails on your couch , your father gently hugs you close , rubbing your back and telling you you’re going to be okay. You are hardened , but you are not unbreakable.

You are fifteen when you finally realize why your father feels the way he does and why he quit his job , and why he’s so protective of you. You are innocently putting on makeup to get ready for homecoming when you hear gunshots coming from the living room. You pull out the shotgun your father keeps under his bed and when you head downstairs , your house is being broken into by MINDLESS DRONES OF THE UNDEAD and thank god you inherited your father’s accuracy , because you save one from biting your father’s cheek and then , he grabs you , and the two of you book it out of the area.

. . . Your father . . . was the only survivor of an outbreak - a bioterrorist attack - back in Raccon City. Your father was a cop for one day , and then worked as a government agent to quell parasitical outbreaks in Spain , and then the fall of Tall Oaks , and countless other machines. You learn the words Umbrella and C-Virus and T-Virus and thank GOD you are a fast learner since this is the reality of the life you’ll have to live in time. And your father holds you close and sobs and begs you to live your life the best you can , away from the shit he went through , but one evening is far too much - and you have already seen too much.

You still know the truth , though. You are still your papa’s little princess and he is your superhero - but your superhero earned his hero status at the price of his own happiness. And maybe you’re almost doomed to do the same.

You are sixteen when you’re ripped from everything. Sixteen when you lose sight and it’s all erased. And sixteen when your superhero fades from your existence and you remember nothing but normalcy - and maybe it’s for the better. Maybe it’s also for the worse.

II. THE PRESENT - WHO ARE YOU , YOURSELF ??

S’OKAY SO. I’m gonna try and highlight what Jack is like with and without memories - their personality honestly doesn’t change much aside from obvious Resident Evil stuff & their bond with their dad.

WITH MEMORIES : So to start , Jack is an extremely blunt individual - they have a tendency to be a little bitch-faced and kinda-sorta don’t show their emotions very well , but they’re also extremely honest and don’t lie at all. They DO have a sense of morals & take everything they learned from their dad to heart - especially given the fact that now they’re aware of everything he’s done and been through and that they’re gonna be going through the same thing. But they also carry around a Devil-may-care attitude , snarky & rebellious and honestly maybe a bit short-tempered. But they are smart. They are smart and they know it and thank god they know how to act quickly on their feet in bad situations - they’re just. Kind of a dick.

WITHOUT MEMORIES : So Jack wasn’t as nearly as close with their fake-life parents as they were their actual father , Leon , and that impacts them in the sense that they’re slightly more of a lone wolf than they were before losing their memories. They only remember rebelling against their parents & fighting with them whereas in real time . . . Jack & Leon never really argued. Jack never really disobeyed. But NOW they just remember always doing what the opposite of what their parents said and that sorta fuels their fire. And also , Jack isn’t haunted by what they’ve seen in terms of bioterrorism and viruses and all that , so that leaves them unaffected. They overall don’t change much , they’re just . . . them.

GENERAL FACTS ABOUT THEM AHEAD THAT REALLY DON’T CHANGE , BUT

Jack . . . is kind of. A philanderer aishufhasush like I will not lie to you they are an extreme flirt and honestly get around but will never commit due to the fact they fear strong attachments and what they mean so just. Apologies for that.

And when I say Jack is self-serving , I mean so in the sense that they only do things if the consequence benefits them or something they care for or someone they care about - like Jack will help their loved ones because they love their loved ones , but otherwise , they really just . . . want to only get involved if it physically , mentally , financially , socially , what have you benefits them.

They’re a DICK but they’re not like... an awful , awful person. They’re just sorta someone who mainly thinks of themselves and looks out for number one and those who PERTAIN to number one. It’s sorta better to show their character rather than like . . . tell , because they’re not the most nicey-nice OC but they’re like they’re dad - kind of grouchy & snarky sometimes but still with good intentions and not at all a bad person. Leon’s such a good character and Jack is both EXTREMELY like him and also. Not.

Also rly quick Jack’s pronouns are again they/them and they take both masculine and feminine titles if there isn’t a gender-neutral option available. Jack said fuck gender.

ANNEA-WAAAYYYY onto the next part -

III. THE FUTURE - WHO MAKES YOUR CIRCLE ??

Just ?? General WCs I guess ?? Idk I got no braincells when it comes to this shit but

I’m gonna get the begging for hookup & ex connections out of the way FIRST because Jack is honestly. Again. A philanderer. Definitely kinda like a fuckboy tbh ausydgygdyagysgds

ALSSOOOOOO I’d love 2 see ppl that Jack just frequently butts heads with ?? Again they are kinda fighty so I’d love to see some enemies around

They don’t have a lot of friends so a few friends would be nice - but only a FEW close friends bc again Jack doesn’t rly open up , they keep their cards to their chest while simultaneously being an open book and it’s Confusing

may b a longshot but . . . o-other . . . Resident Evil kids ?? Please ?? Baby Redfields ?? Please ??

IDK LIKE I’LL RLY TAKE ANYTHING BUT. that’s it for now if i do ciel’s intro tonight i will be genuinely shocked bc i’m EXHAUSTED bt yeah !! here’s jack !!

#i made this gif from scratch n holy hell was it an experience #awakenings:intro #* . abt : jack #flashing gif tw #possibly?#mental illness tw #depression tw #bullying mention #death mention #violence mention

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kathrynnallison-p · 4 years

Photo

character chart

character’s full name: Kathrynn Allison Parker character’s nickname: Kate, Katie, Red birth date: August 12, 1992 zodiac: Leo enneagram type: Eight – The Challenger

physical appearance

age: Twenty-seven how old does he appear: 20-25 weight: 135lb height: 5′5″ body build: muscular shape of face: Oval eye color: Green glasses or contacts: Both skin tone: Pale distinguishing marks: scars on her hip from cutting predominant features: green eyes and red hair hair color: Red type of hair: Wavy hairstyle: long and wavy voice: Higher pitch with British accent usual fashion of dress: Leather jackets, jeans and motorcycle boots. Colorful dresses and heels when needed. favorite outfit: Maroon leather jacket, black tank, black jeans and heeled motorcycle boots. jewelry or accessories: DNA necklace she got when she got her job, studded earrings.

personality

good personality traits: Intelligent, Determined, Quirky bad personality traits: Impatient, Short-tempered, Stubborn mood character is most often in: Annoyed. sense of humor: Sarcasm, Dry humor. character’s greatest joy in life: Her dog, Matilda. character’s greatest fear: Failure. what single event would most throw this character’s life into complete turmoil?: Her parents getting out of prison and finding her.

character is most at ease when: She’s in her lab. most ill at ease when: Talking about her feelings. enraged when: Told she can’t do something. depressed or sad when: She messes up anything in life. priorities: Ivy, Her job. life philosophy: "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.” if granted one wish, it would be: To be happy. character’s soft spot: Her dog. is this soft spot obvious to others? Yes greatest strength: Determination greatest vulnerability or weakness: Being wrong. biggest regret: Not telling someone about what was going on behind closed doors instead of hiding it in. minor regret: Not taking the FBI job sooner. biggest accomplishment: Getting the FBI job. minor accomplishment: doing more things than just staying in the lab. character’s darkest secret: She used to cut herself when she was Anorexic due to the lack of confidence and anxiety. – does any one else know?: Only people who have actually seen the scars, but she never says what they are from (even though it’s obvious)

goals

drives and motivations: Solving crimes that wouldn’t be solved without her job. Possibility of saving lives due to her job. immediate goals: Redo her house to make it her own. long term goals: Getting her doctorate in Forensic Science. how the character plans to accomplish these goals: Gaining the courage to apply and take the risk.

past

hometown: London England type of childhood: Rough. Abusive parents and put into the system. pets: None. first memory: Her parents beating her for asking for a doll most important childhood memory: Getting put in the system and away from her parents. childhood hero(s): Princess Diana. childhood dream job: CSI education: Master’s in Forensic Science. religion: None finances: Middle class.

present

current location: Silver Lake, California currently living with: N/A pets: Maltese/Poodle mix named Morticia religion: Atheist occupation: Forensic Scientist for the FBI finances: Upper Middle class

family

mother: Abigail Parker relationship with her: Very bad. father: Robert Parker relationship with him: Very bad. other important family members: Ivy Hart (Cousin) relationship with them: Sister relationship

favorites

color: Purple least favorite color: Yellow music: 90′s Grunge Rock. food: Fish and Chips literature: Matilda by Roald Dahl form of entertainment: Reading mode of transportation: Car. most prized possession: The first stuffed animal she ever was given at 9. It was a stuffed Eeyore.

habits

hobbies: Reading, MMA, Boxing plays a musical instrument?: None. plays a sport?: MMA and Boxing. how he would spend a rainy day: Reading and drinking tea. spending habits: Normal. smokes: Never drinks: Sometimes other drugs: None. what does she do too much of?: Overthinking. what does she do too little of?: Feel emotions extremely skilled at: her job/forensics, mma, boxing extremely unskilled at: Mostly anything else. nervous tics: bouncing her leg when she’s sitting, biting/picking her nails. usual body posture: proper posture. mannerisms: Touching her hair, biting her bottom lip, picking her nails, rambling.

traits

optimist or pessimist? introvert or extrovert? daredevil or cautious? logical or emotional? prefers working or relaxing? confident or unsure of himself? animal lover? Yes.

self-perception

how he feels about himself/herself: She’s self conscious looks wise, but everything else she’s over confident or sometimes cocky.. one word the character would use to describe self: Intelligent. what does the character consider his best personality trait? Intelligent what does the character consider his worst personality trait? Impatient. what does the character consider his best physical characteristic? Her hair what does the character consider his worst physical characteristic? Almost everything else. how does the character think others perceive him Probably a quirky nerd.

relationships with others

opinion of other people in general: If you’re nice to her, she’s nice to you. She isn’t a massive fan of people, but she deals.. does the character hide his true opinions and emotions from others?

opinions: rarely

emotions: always

person character most hates: Herself best friend(s): Ivy Hart love interest(s): TBA person character goes to for advice: Ivy person character feels responsible for or takes care of: Ivy person character feels shy or awkward around: TBA person character openly admires: TBA person character secretly admires: TBA most important person in character’s life before story starts: Her adopted parents. after story starts: Ivy.

#this literally took all day #so i'll do the other two tomorrow #about kate #*#self harm tw #abuse tw #eating disorder tw

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hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger · 4 years

Text

The Amazing Spider-Man: Mayhem in Manhattan Audiobook Thoughts

Marv Wolfman and Len Wein deliver a problematic that’s perhaps more interesting to talk about than actually experience for yourself.

Plot synopsis

As is standard for these types of post for me, I’m copying over a plot synopsis I found elsewhere to save myself time, and because they do a better job than I could. I edited it for a few reasons and the unedited synopsis, along with their review can be found here.

Allen Huddleston was the accountant for a small-time gangster. He worked his way to the top of the organization. His company merged with a legitimate oil company and his career and fortune soared. Then one day, a man made him an offer he had to refuse.

Because of his refusal, this individual – showing signs of superhuman powers, threw Huddleston from his 50-story apartment…

…Spidey finds Huddleston’s body and is…blamed for the murder.

Meanwhile, there is a meeting of the presidents of the 8 largest oil companies in the US. This same bad guy, hidden by a screen, told the eight that they must buy oil from him during the next year. Their oil has been irradiated and rendered useless. By the time the oil can be cleaned up, the year will have passed. This individual – known through the novel as the Master Planner until his real identity is revealed – is set to make millions.

While Spidey investigates the death of Huddleston he finds a taped telephone conversation with Huddleston and the Master Planner. Spider-Man finds that the murder is connected to a manipulation of the eight US oil companies. This leads to some of the Master Planner’s moles in the other oil companies. The Master Planner sets a trap for Spider-Man. There, the Master Planner reveals his real identity.

As the novel progresses, we meet regulars Mary Jane [Watson], Glory Grant, Joe Robertson and good old J Jonah Jameson. At first Triple-J is pleasant to others and happy that Spider-Man is accused of murder. As the facts become clearer, he is back to his usual…self – brusque, short-tempered and kvetching…He and Robbie investigate the mystery of the eight US oil company executives meeting in secret...At the end he confesses to Robertson why he REALLY dislikes Spidey – what about the REAL heroes who work to better mankind every day. “Who do you think is under that mask?” Robbie says. “A man, just like you.”

To add to this synopsis the climax transpires on a drilling platform where Doc Ock has the 8 oil men gathered up. Spidey uncovers a diary that has Ock’s whole plan committed to paper, and though it is destroyed, hearing the details is enough to clear his name as far as JJJ and Robbie are concerned (they are on the platform too). Doc Ock tries to escape with what amounts to a Scooby-Doo style latex mask which Spidey sees through fairly quickly and their battle resumes. When it’s over Doc Ock has seemingly perished in an inferno as the oil platform is set ablaze.

Out of concern for May’s health Peter throughout the novel seriously considers retirement but relents at the end. He plays a web-related prank on Jonah making everyone in the Bugle laugh. Close curtain.

Sorry it’s not as good as other synopses I’ve found but it’s the best I could find.

Context

This novel was released in March 1978 and, according to the information I found, was published when Len Wein’s run on ASM (ASM # 151–180) was nearing its end and not too long before Marv Wolfman would take the helm in ASM #182). Based upon Marvel.com’s publication dates, the novel would’ve been released between ASM #177-179. It’s unknown (and in my view highly unlikely) if Wein or Wolfman wrote this with the intention of being canonical. If read in conjunction with the then recent issues of Wein’s run it plays very much like most Spidey novels (especially the ones from the 1990s) wherein it takes place in a vaguely contemporary status quo within necesarilly marrying itself to any specific recent events. However how you perceive the novel in terms of being a Spider-Man story changes depending upon whether you look at it from the perspective of canon or as it’s own entity.

This was the first ever Spider-Man novel and also the only definitively canonical one (due to a direct reference in Wolfman’s ASM #186).

Obviously the standards for comics back then were not as realistic as they became later, and indeed the general craftsmanship quality wasn’t as high either. Perhaps more importantly we need to bear in mind Spider-Man’s place within collective pop culture osmosis at the time.

By this time Spider-Man’s exposure to the mass public merely extended to the (by then long since cancelled) 1966 Spidey cartoon, the (then recent but not particularly successful) 1977 live action TV show and a long running skit as part of the educational kids show the Electric Company (which had ended the year before).

What I’m trying to say is that whilst today most everyone on the planet could rattle off Spidey’s powers, his association with the Bugle and at least a few supporting characters and villains, back in 1978 the average person at best might be able to recognize the character, name his secret identity and list off most of his powers.

This is important to bear in mind when discussing the novel because, though it is canon, it doesn’t take audience familiarity for granted. If you are an old hand with Spidey a lot parts of the novel are going to feel like going through the motions as Spidey is framed once again, Spidey wants to quit once again, Spidey gushes about Aunt May, etc. There is even practically a whole chapter dedicated to recapping Peter’s origin.

But then again, this novel wasn’t written for the small number of people already familiar with the character but for a wider audience who weren’t. As such it’s fair game to retread this material and play stuff that’d be obvious to comic fans (like Doc Ock’s identity) as mysterious.

If I were to be kind I’d say it was because Wein and Wolfman wanted to give readers a broad idea of what Spider-Man’s deal is, and the typical ins and outs of your average Spider-Man adventure. Were I to be less kind I’d argue they retread old ground to make completing this job easier on themselves, although admittedly the central plot isn’t one I believe had ever been done in Spider-Man before.

That being said, even within the context of the novel certain elements get brought up repeatedly to the point of them becoming tedious, Aunt May being chief among them.

Finally, though I admit to have not researched them extensively, the novel touches upon then contemporary social/economic/political issues. The one of most note is the 1973 oil crisis. Long story short, there were fuel shortages due to events transpiring in the Middle East that obviously caused financial and maintenance troubles for America (and other regions of the world). There was another oil crisis in 1979 so it’s possible people (like Wein and Wolfman) were seeing the writing on the wall and including the topic in this novel. Obviously these events don’t directly impact the book nor are there direct allegories but the subject matter of the book makes it more likely than not that the oil crises were a source of inspiration.

There are no references I can recall to Middle Eastern people (and in fact exactly 3 people of colour in the whole book, Robbie, Randy and Glory) so Doc Ock and his scheme could be viewed as symbolic of the Middle East’s actions (deliberate or otherwise) in creating a fuel crisis. If this was intentional it doesn’t quite work as, to my understanding of the oil business, the oil companies he’s blackmailing were concerned with providing fuel for cars and other such vehicles, not for everything. As such the victims of Ock’s scheme would chiefly be vehicle owners (which most people in New York are not) and chiefly the oil company owners.

Now a fuel shortage even just for vehicles would have impact on a lot of good people, like everyone who ever needed an ambulance or fire truck to show up quickly. This makes Spider-Man’s lack of caring about the blackmail rather selfish, short sighted and out of character. But at the same time the story does frame it more as the oil companies being inevitably forced to take up Ock on his scheme and lose billions of dollars so Peter’s indifference to them makes more sense, especially when one considers he didn’t know Ock was involved at that time. However this is also the biggest reason for why the possibly/probably intentional connection drawn between this scheme and the oil crisis falls apart. Not only is it not truly analogous to the real life crisis but it also frames the primary victims as uber rich dickheads who will become slightly less uber rich for one year as a result of this.

Even by 1970s standards that’s a failure in reader investment because literally only other uber rich dickheads would have any sympathy.

Less significantly New York’s financial troubles coupled with a 25 hour black out in 1977 and high crime rates led to a feeling within and outside of New York of the city being a place beyond redemption.

Broadly this perception was the fuel for a lot of super hero stories in the 1970s and 1980s (like Frank Miller’s Daredevil run) and for this novel, whilst it isn’t strictly speaking the main concern, the idea of New York being stuck in a rut and a tough place to make it forms a backdrop for the story. There are references to how NYC is a place you need to survive and in doing so it becomes part of you. Though they emphasis the decay and the fact that the city is not in great shape, Wolfman and/or Wein display a certain amount of pride in the city through Peter Parker. This is fitting for the character, not just because he’s always resided in NYC, nor because the real NYC eventually adopted Spidey as one of their unofficial mascots, but because NYC as a city is tailored to Peter’s character. In truth it’s integral in defining his identity and the one place on Earth that offers an environment designed to optimize his super powers (how many other places have that many tall buildings in such a close proximity?).

From pictures to prose and the lack of personal stakes

According to the bibliographies I was able to find, this was Len Wein’s first ever prose novel and Wolfman’s second, so their degree of skill of experience with the format isn’t on the same level as say Jim Butcher’s Spidey novel.

That being said, the story wasn’t badly communicated through the prose. However, you can tell that these guys’ forte is in a visual medium as the scenes were primarily action orientated and all about trying to paint a clear picture in your mind about what’s happening. They usually succeeded though there were a few times my mind drifted off and on occasion instances where I was wondering why Spidey doesn’t just do this or that to get out of dodge; admittedly that might have more to them dropping the ball with Spider-Man’s skillset than anything else.

The novel in general shares the tone of your typical mid-late 1970s Spidey story, albeit with a greater emphasis placed upon investigation and a longer plot. In fact had this story been a comic book it could’ve passed for an original graphic novel (before Marvel was regularly doing those), albeit one with an only slightly more complex tone. Really the sinister opening chapter with Doc Ock along with the details the plot goes into as far as the investigation are concerned are just about the only things that would’ve have occurred in a then standard issue of ASM or Spec. Other than that it’s very similar to a Spidey yarn from the time, which unfortunately includes some unsophisticated and even dodgy writing.* Case in point Doc Ock’s incredibly convenient journal detailing his evil scheme and his Scooby-Doo style disguise that doesn’t really do much but pad out the story.

However those complaints pale in comparison to the most central problem at the heart of the story.

This is not a Spider-Man story truly about Peter Parker.

Even in the primordial days of Spider-Man in the early 1960s, Lee, Ditko and Romita knew that Peter Parker’s personal life was at least half as important as his hero activities. They had already mined the idea of the two sides of his life negatively impacting one another and in multiple instances colliding. Perhaps the most famous examples are The Master Planner Trilogy (wherein Aunt May’s life depends upon Spider-Man confronting Doc Ock’s gang) and ASM (wherein a party with the supporting cast is crashed by Kraven the Hunter).

The problem with this book as a central story is that it places the emphasis upon Spider-Man moreso than it does upon peter Parker. Even in 1978, merely referencing Aunt May, his origin and giving brief appearances by Mary Jane, wasn’t going to cut it. The subplot about Peter deciding to quit also feels rather unearned and would not be particularly impactful to most readers unfamiliar with the character.

For old hands at Spidey like me him wanting to quit is tedious and was something already in need of a fresh angle even in 1978 (which this novel absolutely doesn’t provide). But for newer fans or people introduced to Spider-Man through this novel it lacks punch as you’ve spent inadequate time depicting Peter’s everyday life and super hero career for his decision o give it all up to mean much. It’s a little like how Batman in BvS: Dawn of Justice having lost his way means little considering we knew so little of what he was like before that. It doesn’t help that Peter’s decision to not quit is flippant, I can’t even remember how or when it happens, just that it does. It might even have been off panel. Spider-Man No More it wasn’t.

The whole subplot was rather poorly handled and felt inserted for padding or out of obligation. But that is also one of the three meager things that offer any personal stakes for Peter in this story. One of the others is that Jonah and Robbie eventually become endangered by the scheme because they are investigating it, but even that is much more connected to Spider-Man than Peter Parker and Pete doesn’t even know about it for most of the story. The third attempt at personal stakes is Spider-Man’s false accusation of murder, which is about as well worn as ‘Spidey wants to quit’ as a trope and one that is even less laced with personal drama. In fact most of these personal stakes could be mitigated if Peter simply went ahead and DID retire and his personal life would improve as a result.

Yes we are TOLD his personal life suffers because he s Spider-Man but we are never really shown it beyond injuries to his body and there are no relatable normal life stakes in play for him. It’s just that if he dies, no one will take care of Aunt May. That’s it.

Okay fine, technically an argument with Jonah leads to him losing his job with the Bugle and in theory being blacklisted from other jobs but like…if he’s got the only Spidey photos in town are competing newspapers REALLY going to turn him down? And it’s not like photography was his long term career path at this point anyway. The novel doesn’t even ruminate all that much on the conflict, putting much more emphasis upon his concerns for May.

Compare all that say Spider-Man: Forever. There Peter being Spider-Man causes Peter’s peers to think him a coward, his friend is jailed, he believes Gwen and Flash are growing close because he isn’t around and because he is thought of as a coward, his stress causes him to lash out at Flash and in turn lash out at criminals in costume. Oh and he’s trying to rescue his friend/teacher Curt Connors and his family. I appreciate that novel was written decades after this one but everything I just described comes from it’s adaptation of a 1960s Stan Lee story.**

I’ve not revisted all of Wein and Wolfman’s stories carefully enough to deduce if this was par for the course back then, but to my recollections it wasn’t and common sense would dictate it’s not great writing in general. Even for a thriller or action orientated story, personal stakes ramps up the readers’ investment. Considering the comics had been doing this for years beforehand there really isn’t much of an excuse.

What’s even more baffling regarding the decision is that the switch in media you would think would make the need for personal stakes more relevant not less.

Let’s face it, action is almost always better when conveyed through visuals rather than prose and that is especially true for super heroes considering they were specifically designed for a visual medium. It’s a rare and very honed skill to make action really exciting in prose format, and Wein/Woflman are no Horowitz or Fleming. Whilst they can clearly convey what is happening well enough, I kept thinking how much better most of this would be as a comic book or film.

Given the nature of the character and limitations/strengths of the medium, it would be natural to emphasis the personal life stakes, introspection and soap opera elements innate to Spider-Man over the action adventurer aspect of who he is. This is precisely why Peter David’s ‘Five Minutes’ story from The Ultimate Spider-Man anthology is perhaps the strongest example of Spidey prose fiction. I’m not saying action and adventure should be at 0% here, but the ratio for this novel is at best 90% and that just doesn’t work very well.

I speculate this is perhaps partially due to Wein and Wolfman taking cues from Sherlock Holmes, James Bond and pulp novels; Holmes and Bond are even name checked in the novel. Such books have commonalities with the super hero genre and in some cases such novel characters contributed elements innate to the super hero genre. Batman for instance has Zorro and Holmes imbedded in his formative DNA.

Indeed, if you examine the physical ‘Mayhem In Manhattan’ book at face value it certainly reminds me of those types of action thriller novels and pulps. So in theory doing a super hero novel with inspiration from those books makes a lot of sense. But the problem is that, whilst the earliest 30s and 40s super heroes might’ve evolved from those types of characters, by the 60s-70s times had changed. Spider-Man and the early Marvel pantheon, whilst still super heroes, are a generation removed from the ones inspired by the likes of the Shadow, Holmes or Zorro, existing more as a reaction against their predecessors if anything. Because of this the emphasis upon action and adventure at best feels like it merely captures part of who Spider-Man is and simply dabbles in the other, perhaps more important, part (i.e. Peter Parker).

The Wein or the Wolfman

An interesting question to ask regarding this novel is to what extent it is the product of Len Wein and to what extent it is Wolfman’s. For all we know they actively collaborated throughout the writing process. But for all we know one might’ve provided the other with an outline the other actually fleshed out into a full novel.

Personally speaking I am inclined to believe that it was the former and that this book is more a product of Wolfman than Wein.

My reasons for this are circumstantial but hear me out.

Okay so, for starters when the book came out Wein was busy writing and editing ASM and was very likely doing work on ASM back when the book was being written. Secondly it was in Wolfman’s own ASM run that the novel became canonized. Thirdly the novel also features the great power/great responsibility mantra, which might seem insignificant, but in the comics to my recollection the Wolfman was the first guy to actually repeat the mantra since AF #15 (unless one counts the short lived Spec magazine). This makes this novel one of the earliest times that the mantra was ever repeated in a Spider-Man story.

Fourthly, the novel hammers Peter’s affection for Aunt May over and over and over again. Granted, Wolfman was neither the first nor the last person to do that. But he did do it to a bigger extent than Wein ever did in his run having Peter practically shed tears over how sweet Aunt May was. Wein might’ve used May and emphasized Peter’s affection for her, but nowhere near to the same extent. Wein, whilst giving May one of her more notorious health scares, didn’t make as big a deal of her health as Wolfman did in his run and her health is brought up more than once here as a rationale for Peter’s retirement.

Finally, I know Wolfman has an affection for hard boiled crime stories (his mid-late 80s Superman work conveys that) which this novel is definitely cut from and indeed the tone of this story is somewhat reminiscent of another Doc Ock story he did in ASM Annual #13 (released in 1979).

So I feel the lion’s share of the credit (for good or ill) for this novel should go to Wolfman. Although the fact that 2 people worked on this could explain certain inconsistencies and discrepancies in the novel. One such example (and frankly an unforgivable mistake for any Spidey writer to make) is Peter’s claim that he designed his costume to scare criminals only to later in the novel give his origin and (correctly) explain that he actually designed it to have show biz spectacle.

Another example arguably applies to the two main ladies of Peter’s life. Namely…

Aunt May and Mary Jane

At one point early in the novel Peter is listing off the price he pays for being Spider-Man. Among his complaints is that he has ‘no real love’. However this is in spite of referencing Aunt May in the same passage and MJ having appeared earlier in the novel.

In the former case one might argue that Peter was referring to romantic love and in the latter case the intent might’ve been that, whilst they were dating, he and MJ were not in love with one another.

More problematically is how both characters are handled in this story.

Now I’m not suggesting that a Spider-Man story is obliged to give Aunt May or MJ significant play, or more play than other supporting characters (Jonah and Robbie are definitely the most important secondary characters in this novel).

Heck, back in 1978 Mary Jane lacked the presence within the Spider-Man mythology that she has now, they’d only been dating for like 3-4 years by the time this novel was published; as far as anyone knew she was merely the latest Spidey lover not the endgame. That being said, her role as (at the time) the Spider-Man girlfriend did entitle her to a certain amount of importance at least on the level of Jameson. But okay, this was aiming to be a an action thriller/detective/pulp story, so giving focus to two newsmen over the girlfriend or elderly mother of the lead character makes a certain amount of sense if that’s what you are going for (even if a Spidey novel should probably be more than that).

The story doesn’t demand their inclusion but since this is the first ever Spidey novel, maybe Wein/Wolfman felt it a disservice to not include them as part of giving readers a taste of what makes Spider-Man tick.

With all that said though both characters would have probably been better off omitted from this novel completely given how they were used.

They both got the shaft but in noticeably different ways. Outside of an overwrought dream sequence May literally never appears and is merely referenced multiple times in annoying internal dives into Peter’s mind. It’s rote stuff. Peter has to quit cos Aunt May. She’s so kind. She’s so frail. She’ll die if she finds out the truth. Blah blah blah.

It’s not just that established fans would likely roll their eyes over this stuff, but even new fans in 1978 would likely get fed up with Peter’s hang up over May. And so much of this stuff fails to connect for the simple reason that, for as much as we hear Peter think or talk about her, she never appears to speak for herself.

As tedious and cliché as Aunt May on her sickbed had become by 1978 at least in most of those stories she was physically present. She’s still a prop to motivate Peter but here she’s been reduced to the idea of a prop. Although 1970s Aunt May wasn’t a great character she still deserved better. The kindest thing I can say is that the reference to her having recent heart attacks synchs up with Len Wein’s final storyline on ASM.

As for Mary Jane it’s just insulting.

On the positive end of things MJ’s flirtatious personality traits are present. On the less than positive side of things…her function in the story is a very clunky vehicle to get Peter to the Bugle, which is baffling considering Peter works there anyway and MJ doesn’t.

The long story short is that she bangs on Peter’s door early in the morning because she was told by Glory Grant (or whoever) that there was a sexy new reporter at the Bugle that all the men were drooling over and that she was now partnered up with Peter. She’s clearly upset, but claims not to but wants to get things clear because she thought she and Peter had ‘an understanding’.

WTF does that mean? That they are exclusively dating? That they aren’t exclusive but need to tell one another or get permission if they want to see other people? It’s not at all explained and if they were just straight up dating there would be no need to be vague about it.

Perhaps this is partially due to the iffy nature of their relationship under Wolfman’s run. Conway left readers in little doubt that Peter and MJ were both exclusive and more importantly in love with one another. Wein’s run muddied the waters somewhat as he didn’t go back on what Conway established save two significant moments. One of those is when Peter wonders to himself that he isn’t sure about his relationship with MJ when after Conway’s run he absolutely should be sure. The other is when MJ dates Flash to get back at peter for ditching her.

Whilst you can No. prize both instances, the fact is Wein didn’t explicitly go back on Conway’s work but also apparently didn’t take their romance as seriously, nor did Wolfman seeing as he broke them up ASAP into his run then made sure it was permanent later on.

What I’m trying to say is Wein, whilst he did give the couple some interesting ups and downs, didn’t exactly live up to the promise handed to him by Conway and Wolfman straight up disliked the Peter/MJ romance for bullshit reasons.

So whilst it is possible that Wein and/or Wolfman were covering their tracks by referring to Peter/MJ’s relationship as ‘an understanding’, I’m much more inclined to think it was one of them (probably Wolfman) misunderstanding or deliberately undermining the relationship cos they suck.

And let’s talk about MJ’s portrayal here. I honestly don’t understand the logic here. MJ hears there is an attractive woman who will be working with Peter and…she is angry?...because Peter…didn’t tell her/is working with her at all??????????

Huh?

It comes off as a ‘Jeez wimmn amirite fellas’ moment. Like MJ is threatened by this sexy woman she’s merely heard about. Okay, maybe there were 1970s standards for dating or just workplace etiquette that 40+ years removed I’m in the dark about. But even back then, if a woman didn’t like the idea of her male partner working with another woman, jumping to anger or a presumption of romantic shenanigans seems really petty and insecure.

And frankly, seriously OOC for MJ even as she was established back then. Let’s put aside how she vowed to be less clingy back in the issue where Betty and Ned got married (which likely happened before this story). MJ isn’t the type to be threatened by the mere presence of a sexy woman. Yeah she competed with Gwen, but that’s the key word. She competed. MJ knows she’s highly attractive and wants to be with Peter so she’ll go for it, but here she feels insecure about a woman she’s literally just heard about merely working with peter. Did Ann Nocenti write this or something?

It’s asinine and either really contrived in order to get us to the Bugle or a really desperate way to crowbar MJ in as part of a checklist of Spidey elements that should be in this story.

It feels like something Silver Age Betty Brant (Wolfman’s favourite Spidey love interest FYI) would’ve done but with MJ just being comparatively more chill and understanding when she realizes she’s made a mistake. Which is another bit of circumstantial evidence supporting my theory that this is more Wolfman’s work than Wein’s. Wolfman had a reductive view of who MJ was (although he technically established her issues with divorce/commitment) which was very much stuck in the Silver Age. He swiped plenty of his run from Ditko era Spidey stories and literally wrote out MJ in order to have Betty Brant become Peter’s lover again. So I suspect he was imposing the archetypical unreasonable Silver Age girlfriend template upon MJ in this story but tweaking it in accordance to her more hip and loose persona. Essentially a Silver Age girlfriend dialed down to the most mellow level…which is still NOT what MJ was at the time.

She proceeds to tag along to the Bugle, support a joke where peter forgets the name of the sexy Bugle reporter and then apologise, subtly offer sex and leaves. She is then unmentioned for the rest of the book until the very last chapter where she amounts to a pretty face, a cheerful personality and vaguely the supportive girlfriend. And frankly all that is really overselling it, she hugs Peter and congratulates him and little else.

She might as well not be in that chapter or in fact this entire novel. The subplot about the sexy reporter doesn’t even go anywhere. It’s just a clumsy means to facilitate the introduction of the Bugle cast, the incredibly minor subplot about Peter losing his job and get the ball rolling on Peter’s investigation.

Call me nuts but couldn’t the story have achieved all that by having Peter himself just go to the Bugle for work, been told directly by Jonah he was being partnered up with someone against his will, etc?

And you wanna know the worst part?

This sexy reporter is apparently a previously unmentioned niece of JJJ…who we never see. Not only would meeting Jonah’s extended family have been an interesting novelty if nothing else, but if you are going to have a whole contrived plot revolve around this niece have her put in an actual appearance maybe????? It doesn’t even go anywhere, I was expecting her to show up at some point and she absolutely didn’t.

So yeah, the female characters in this novel get fucked over quite a bit, even ones we merely hear about. Hell the opening chapter makes multiple mention of how the gangster’s wife is ugly and unlovable.

Jonah and Robbie

As I said, Jonah and Robbie get more play in this novel and they are actually handled well.

By this point in time neither character had been exactly given three dimensions and I can’t recall even a subtle implication that Robbie knew Peter’s secret. Nevertheless both characters are on point for how they’d been defined by 1978.

Jonah is the blowhard with a major anti-Spidey agenda, Robbie is steadfastly moral and voice of reason counterbalancing him. Jonah’s rants are a highlight as usual with a memorable argument with a cab driver and an even earlier one with Peter regarding his niece; to the novel’s credit Peter fights back.

We see both men display street smarts and investigative skills as they methodically pursue the trail of Ock’s scheme right to its climax. The most stand out example of this is when Robbie pays a drunk to spill information, the scene being ripped straight out of a crime noir story.

Furthermore, Robbie shines when he helps Spidey out during his duel with Ock, the aftermath of which involves him also calling Jonah out for his psychosis where Spidey is concerned. I can’t recall exactly if the comics had by this point pinned down that Jonah was in fact a very good newsman but had a Spider-Man shaped blind spot. If not then this would be the first time in canon that idea was established and furthermore kudos to Wein and Wolfman for lightly fleshing Jonah out some by doing so. They then followed up by doubling down on Lee/Ditko’s proposed rationale for Jonah’s vendetta, having him verbalize to Robbie his resentment and jealousy towards the wall-crawler. However they soften him up by having Jonah be more upset that the attention Spider-Man garners overshadows the normal everyday heroes like cops and firefighters.

This is an interesting angle to approach Jonah from, even if it doesn’t really jive with the status quo of the novel wherein Spider-Man is clearly regarded as a public menace. Howe can he be a public pariah yet also someone people glorify at the expense of fire fighters?

This then precipitates some more interesting

There are also two noteworthy exchanges towards the end of the novel.

The former has Robbie succinctly skewer Jameson for allowing his hate-boner to blind him and acting as JJJ’s conscience, insisting he print the truth about Spidey’s innocence. This is followed by an over the top old timey dialogue about how Jonah is going to spin this to his advantage; It just goes to show how back then Jonah was more of a yellow journalist than the dignified newsman.

The latter has Robbie sings Spider-Man’s praises. Whilst it’s heartwarming for us old established fans to see Robbie express such respect towards Peter, in the context of the novel the scene has it’s problems. To begin with it is arguably overwrought and rather unrealistic in the context of the scene. More significantly it’s rather too blunt a way for Wein/Wolfman to essentially spell out to the readers why Spider-Man (in their view) is a great character and you should love him. It falls flat since newer readers would’ve only experienced Spidey in the course of this rather short novel anyway so the moment feels rather unearned, albeit much more applicable when you look at this in canon.

Also since Robbie is essentially implied to not know Peter is Spidey in the novel it feels odd to new readers that Robbie would be speaking this way, as though he knows Spider-Man to a much more personal degree. The novel even states Robbie I mostly indifferent towards Spidey a chapter or two earlier than this speech so it’s another example of the novel being inconsistent. The actual sentiments of the speech as they truly apply to Spidey can be discussed later.

Don’t be fooled. I’m not trying to say JJJ or Robbie were not great in this novel because perhaps more than anything they absolutely work.

Doc Ock

I don’t have a whole Hell of a lot to say about Doc Ock in this novel. Doc ock hadn’t really been given the meaty layers he’d get later on and by this point was Spider-Man’s #1 bad guy kind of by default. He was the most visually dynamic of Peter’s foes, the one that thematically had the greatest connection to him (aside from Norman, but he was dead) and had been the most recurring of Spidey’s foes.

He also doubled up as a mad scientist and a fighter meaning he was a character with a shade more versatility than knuckleheads like Sandman or clever yet weak opponents like Mysterio.

Wein/Wolfman use him fairly well here and you could argue this novel is a better Doc Ock story than Spidey story.

I said above that this novel likely takes cues from (among other things) James Bond novels and here Ock certainly echoes a Bond villain in his scheme, he even has a secret lair with death traps and hilariously a finely furnished room on an oil rig.

He’s described using effectively intimidating language. Wein/Wolfman interestingly avoids describing him as overweight and instead claims he’s stocky and strong, conveying a sense of power quite apart from his tentacles. When he and Spidey begin dueling at the end of the novel the novel really sells him as formidable and dangerous figure.

Perhaps the highlight of Otto’s characterization stems from his rant about how he spent years unrecognized for his genius. Whilst Doc Ock has always had an undercurrent of being driven by a desire for recognition, to my recollection this was perhaps the first time ever it was stated outright. It’s not much but it allows Ock to be a tad more than a one dimensional villain.

The primary weakness of his portrayal mainly stems from the mystery surrounding his identity. To any old hand at Spidey it’s incredibly obvious it’s Doc Ock very early into the novel and it becomes even more obvious as soon as he is identified as the Master Planner. This even creates some continuity problems due to Wolfman canonizing the novel. Given how momentous an event the MP Trilogy was in Peter’s life why would he fail to remember the Master Planner was a moniker used by Doc Ock? And if Otto is attempting to maintain secrecy why would he use an alias that is public knowledge anyway?

Hell now I think about it, why even bother with secrecy at all? Remember this was before the days of the internet and when surveillance technology wasn’t what it is today, so if what benefit would Otto have in disguising his voice or using an alias when trying to blackmail the oil tycoons? If anything, being upfront with them would surely be more intimidating.

Other weaknesses include his committing his plans (including a confession of murder) to a diary for plot convenience, his Scooby-Doo level disguise and conveniently (and repeatedly) verbally confessing to murdering Huddelston.

These issues are partially connected to another problem with the novel, that of padding.

Not so fantastic filler

In spite of its length the novel is weirdly padded out. For sure a lot of stuff to people who’re already fans of comic Spidey there is a lot of unnecessary stuff. But even having said that there is plenty of stuff to cut here.

The filler takes two dominant forms.

The first is stuff you would expect. The brief subplot regarding Otto’s diary doesn’t really serve the plot much as Otto destroys it pretty soon afterwards. It mostly exists just to cheaply inform Spidey of Otto’s scheme but there were much more elegant and effective ways for him to have learned about that. There is basically a brief video game side mission wherein Peter has to save an old blind man from being run over by a carjacker, all to desperately (and unsubtly) remind the readers of Uncle Ben’s death. There is a brief fight involving Jonah and Robbie verses their kidnappers, which at best might serve to set up Robbie’s bravery for when he helps Spidey out later. And I already mentioned all the stuff with Mary Jane.

The second and probably more annoying for of filler is the needless elaboration on bit characters. A random cop, a random security guard, a random tourist and a random criminal are among the several pointless characters who do not need names, let alone potted backstories regarding their future’s with the police force or their street names. Each one feels like something ripped from a noir novel but the only instance where this is effective is in the case of Alan Huddelston. He is the POV character for the first chapter and integral t the plot, so his murder nicely sets the tone, puts some pieces in place for the story and establishes a bit about Doc Ock. Everyone else though is not only cuttable but their inclusion made me outright dislike them.

I suspect the writers were so used to the faster pace afforded by comic books that they found their initial efforts for the novel coming up short hence these insertions.

Peter Parker’s Portrayal

Obviously the single most important thing when it comes to a Spider-Man novel is how it handles Spider-Man himself.

It’s a mixed bag.

At face value Wein/Wolfman seemingly capture Spidey circa the late 1970s. Descriptions of his movement clearly evoke comic images in your head.

His banter sounds authentic to the time period too, although his quips aren’t the greatest. They feel oddly old fashioned eve by 1970s standards although maybe that’s just me because I find Stan’s Spidey dialogue still holds up.

However ultimately this portrayal of Peter Parker falls flat, largely because it doesn’t strike a balance between earning the moments of pathos or emotion from newer readers and for older Spidey fans it’s very rote. Actually it’s more like it’s rote but it also gets stuff outright wrong.

A small example of this Peter’s agonizing to quite. Putting aside how that had been done to death even by 1978, the novel has Peter come off as rather whiney and it’s almost like it’s yelling at you to appreciate the novelty of a superhero who doesn’t ENJOY being a superhero. When Peter sought to quit even in the early days of the comics, Lee and Ditko earned it much more through the art and through conveying Peter’s constant uphill struggle. For newer readers though the first thing they read about Spidey is him in costume and complaining, already framed for murder. Most adaptations opt to either first set up Peter then introduce Spidey or open with standard Spidey action and then after establishing his normal life have it go to shit. Wolfman/Wein are in essence writing for a new audience who they think already know enough about Peter to care, when in reality they don’t and the audience that does care wouldn’t be impressed by recycling so many tropes of Spidey for this novel.

Another example is Peter’s complaining that he has no real love. This is baffling if you contextualize it into the comics canon because, hello…Gwen Stacy (who is never mentioned once in this novel even though her Dad died due to Doc Ock)and Mary Jane? Maybe this ties into Wein and/or (more likely) Wolfman’s over all problems in handling MJ in their runs, but like Peter undeniably is in love with Mary Jane by this point and knows she reciprocates. This feels more appropriate to a generalized idea of Spider-Man as opposed to the specific nuances of the canon character.

Undeniably though the single biggest example of mischaracterization comes from when Spider-Man suspends a suspect in a web high above the ground to make him squeal and then literally leaves him there. As in the guy has to carefully disentangle himself from the webbing and gradually inch his way back inside to safety. The novel never states Peter’s webbing lasts just 1-2 hours, but even if it was permanent, WTF man? Unless there was some extenuating circumstances Spider-Man would’ve leave the guy there.

I am not familiar enough with Wein’s wider bibliography, but that feels much more like a Wolfman thing. Wolfman’s work routinely involves tough guys beating the shit out of gangsters and this scene is ripped out of crime noir story. It’s another example of how I suspect Wein/Wolfman looked to precursors of the superhero genre for influence but it doesn’t really jive here.

Then of course we have the second act climax in Doc Ock’s lair. Guys…this is 100% a Master Planner Trilogy rip off.

Now in defence of this story, the cliché of ‘Spider-Man needing to use his willpower to lift something really heavy’ hadn’t yet become a cliché by 1978. In fact this may well have been the very first time somebody returned to that well in all Spidey media.

But here is the thing. As eye rolling as it has become to see that cliché again and again…this is probably the single worst example of it I have ever seen.

This isn’t an homage, this is basically an outright rip off.

You could argue JMS outright ripped this off too back in his Doc Ock/L.A. arc in ASM vol 2. But that story didn’t involve also going through a veritable laundry list of Spider-Man clichés as well.

For real this is a story where Spidey is framed for murder, Jameson is an irrational lunatic who ironically needs Spidey to save him, Peter angsts about Aunt May’s heart, contemplates retirement and ALSO needs to lift something really heavy.

How much of a rip off is this?

Well stop me if any of this sounds familiar. Spidey goes to the Master Planner’s secret lair, there he learns the MP is really Doc Ock. At the lair he survives several obstacles, then is buried under tons of debris and is in danger of drowning. But using his will power he frees himself.

The only real difference is Spider-Man is in danger of drowning because the tide is coming in not because he is underwater. Combined with Aunt May’s lack of immediate peril, Uncle Ben’s memory and the build up to this moment and you basically have a shittier version of the scene that undermines Peter’s character.

It comes off as rote because he’s dwelling on May’s fate if he dies (and how she’s so sweet and kind) for the umpteenth time in the novel. And because we’ve spent so little time with Peter as Peter (as opposed to Spider-Man) that emotional investment is lacking. The dialogue if placed in a different story could work, but having Peter think to himself ‘I’m Spider-Man!’ doesn’t mean much. It’s like if in the first ever Sherlock Holmes novel, Holmes saves the day by clenching his teeth and affirming his own identity. It’d falls as flat as when Cumberbach revealed he was Khan in Star Trek: Into Darkness.

More than this in the actual MP Trilogy Peter went through Hell BEFORE we got to this moment. He suffered a shitton before the single worst thing could happen to trip him up at the finish line. This comes out of nowhere and is dispensed with. He doesn’t evolve or change in response to the moment.

At best it’s just another injection of titillating peril to keep people interested, at worst it’s Wein/Wolfman indulging themselves by redoing the best Spider-Man story ever.

It’s not even the culmination or climax of the story either. Whilst the iconic scene in the original story was the start of the third part of the story, it was 100% the culmination of the saga over all. This? This is the second act climax, it’s the equivalent of when Spidey fucked up the ferry in Spider-Man: Homecoming. Except that at least had consequences, this was glorified filler.

Then we have Peter’s desire to quit. I’ve already talked about this a whole lot but one thing I didn’t touch on is something that happens after he recounts his origin.

Once Peter repeats his responsibility mantra he begins to follow up by claiming he’ll never forget his lesson.

Well putting aside the semantics of that because he obviously has quit multiple times in canon (ASM #50 comes to mind) isn’t he literally forgetting that lesson in this very novel by opting to retire?

The novel then continues to basically imply great responsibility naturally comes with great power. “Sure great responsibility comes with great power…” This is a small but significant thing to misinterpret. Spider-Man’s mantra isn’t about how great responsibility is part of the package when you get great power, it’s about how that power needs responsibility to temper it, to keep it in check.

That’s why the original quote (as Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz have pointed out several times) is “with great power THERE MUST ALSO COME great responsibility.”

What Wein/Wolfman describe is the equivalent of just saying: “with great power COMES great responsibility”.

But it doesn’t.

That’s the entire point of Spider-Man’s origin. He had power, he didn’t use it responsibly, something bad happened. It’s also literally what Doc Ock is doing in this novel. He has power and abuses it, he doesn’t have any sense of responsibility and it causes harm.

The difference is small yet profound and what is ironic is that the majority of portrayals of Spidey use misquote even though they grasp the original sentiment. And yet here Wein/Wolfman get the correct quote but then follow it up with a misinterpretation in line with the misquote.

The novel continues by claiming Peter’s first responsibility had to be to himself and those he cared for.

Again, this is a small but profound misinterpretation of Spider-Man.

As far as Spider-Man himself is concerned yes his loved ones are his first responsibility (in terms of their wellbeing, obviously he’ll miss an engagement with them for the greater good) but not himself. Peter does not view his own well being as above what he does for innocent people as Spider-Man.

If a situation endangered Aunt May, himself and a stranger, his priorities would be May, the stranger, himself, in that order.

Wein and Wolfman are subtly demonstrating a big misreading of the character in this part of the novel, even if it is refreshing to hear Peter acknowledge himself and his loved ones as ONE of his major responsibilities and not irrelevant next to being Spider-Man.

Now in fairness, older stories under Stan did demonstrate Peter was willing to go into retirement for the sake of Aunt May (and thus by extension his other loved ones too), for example ASM #50. That same story saw Peter only come out of retirement when May was on the mend. The first time he seriously considered retirement (as opposed to throwing a teenage hissy fit like in ASM #3) was in ASM #18 when May was again seriously unwell. So there is a certain truth to what the novel is saying, the problem is May is not unwell in the novel. Spider-Man is planning on retiring simply because may MIGHT have another heart attack or he MIGHT die and be unable to take care of her which is literally the regular status quo of Spider-Man. Like he was doing this in ASM #1-100 so why the Hell is he now bleeting on about his responsibility to her and to alienating people who try to befriend him (which we see no evidence of in the novel, again, he’s literally dating MJ).

It’s another example of the novel being at odds with itself. This characterization contradicts things for established fans, but for newer ones it’s incredibly unearned.

The novel continues by having Peter say that if great power demanded great responsibility (which again isn’t what his mantra is about) then he’d give up that great power. This further cements Wein/Wolfman’s misinterpretation of Spider-Man because, hello, the point of his origin is that he had power and didn’t use it! The only way that Spidey giving up his great power works is if he is literally depowered, not simply choosing to not use it for fuck’s sake.

The whole passage in the book doesn’t even add up because Peter conditions his retirement upon both clearing Spider-Man’s name and bringing the Master Planner to justice…but why?

At this point in the novel all he knows is the Master Planner is stealing money from billionaires who themselves steal from the common man and who’s losses will not (the novel makes clear) impact him or anyone lacking a car. So if Peter is of a mindset to retire and doesn’t get that having his powers means he’s obliged to use them to help others, then why is he choosing to use them to help these douchebags and clear the name of an identity he’s giving up anyway?????????????

There are, of course, other discrepancies in Peter’s characterization too, noticeably in his account of his origin story. For starters he uses Stan Lee’s ASM #50 revision that Peter went sought to cash in on his powers specifically to pay back May and Ben when in AF #15 he is way more selfish than that. Additionally the origin claims Peter turned down an invitation to join his peers at the movies, preferring to go to his fateful science exhibit. This is a tiny but significant change, as originally Peter invited his peers to the experiment and was rejected, rather he rejecting them. It’s an important distinction as it made Peter more sympathetic and less asocial whilst still being an outsider. Essentially it was Lee and Ditko balancing things out rather than Wein/Wolfman’s take wherein Peter was just naturally a loner. Even if Spidey in costume should lean towards being a solo act, Peter as a person is not asocial.

Finally lets talk about Robbie’s little speech. Robbie tries to counter argue Jameson, when the latter explains his dislike for Spidey. JJJ’s argument is that the glorification Spider-Man gets comes at the expense of everyday heroes, normal people. Robbie’s counter is that a normal person is who is under Spider-man’s mask, and he could claim fame and glory by revealing himself if he wanted. He elaborates that the reason Spidey doesn’t is because so long as he wears the mask Spider-man can be anybody, a symbol of any man who hates injustice and who fights for the good can become.

This speech is another example where Wein and Wolfman’s sentiments have grains of truth in them but do not come together.

An important part of the whole point of Spider-Man IS that he is (relatively) ordinary. And on a meta level his costume totally covering his body does indeed allow the audience member a certain amount of wish fulfillment.

But there are several problems with this passage.

To begin with Jonah’s objections contradict the novel because Spider-man is a public pariah, not a glorified hero. In fact a great bit of the novel is where Spider-Man encounters a group of secrtaries who’re initially frightened of him due to his reputation, only to be taken aback when they realize he’s a lot younger and gentler than they believed.

Secondly, it’s very clear that the novel isn’t trying to zero in on a particular aspect of Spider-Man and talk about it metatextually. It’s obviously tyring to deliver some grand summation of Spider-Man’s character as a whole and what his appeal is. And the fact that he is a symbol or has a full body outfit has nothing to do with that. Spider-Man’s appeal lies primarily outside of his costume and his specific and particular life struggles. He really isn’t a symbol. BATMAN is a symbol. Superman is a symbol. Wonder Woman is a symbol. Peter Parker is a man.

Finally, the speech is just not great in the context of the novel. The dialogue is clunky and because Robbie hasn’t been shown to know Spider-Man (or Peter) all that well and has even been stated to be actively indifferent to him, it just comes off as disingenuous. Robbie isn’t Wein/Wolfman’s in-story mouthpiece, he is randomly possessed by their spirits and forced to speak their words.

It’s a nice to see Robbie doing Spidey a solid, but the sentiments are problematic.

And problematic just about sums up Peter’s handling in this whole novel.

Hell the novel resolves Spider-Man’s retirement angst practically off page and well before the climax of the story. Even by the standards of the time, that’s just incompetent.

Audio Adventure

Finally we come to how this audiobook adaption holds up.

It is…serviceable.

The narrator, Tristan Wright, is at his best with Doc Ock but his voice doesn’t suit the old fashioned dialogue. It comes off as an impersonation of how people talked in old timey movies as opposed to genuine. Jameson is the worst offender, although the dialogue would make anyone struggle.

His female and black voices are….eh….I don’t like them.

And as for his Spider-Man. Well, he skates the line between falling flat and just about getting the job done. But it’s never good. I know this is weird to say, but given how dated the novel is Wright just sounds too modern. They should’ve gotten someone who either sounds more old fashioned or was just an older person. Dan Gilvezan, voice of the 1980s Spidey cartoons, might’ve been a good choice.

Beyond that there is just nothing to really write home about this audiobook. It doesn’t have multiple actors or a soundscape, the only music involved is for the title sequence.

It gets the job done but does little else.

Conclusion

Over all, I must confess to being rather disappointed in this novel and even would kind of prefer it to be non-canonical given the continuity errors it creates.

It’s more valuable as a historical curiosity than an actual story and has perhaps lowered my (already not great) opinion of Wein and Wolfman as Spider-Scribes.

I’d advise checking it out if you want to be a completist or if you want to appreciate how the standards for Spidey novels have improved.

*Hot take: Aside from Conway’s work, 1970s Spider-Man was in general not as good as 1960s Spidey stories, let alone those from the 1980s.

**See why Stan was the GOAT?

#Spider-Man #Marv Wolfman #Len Wein #Peter Parker #doc ock #doctor octopus #otto octavius #J. Jonah Jameson #Joe Robertson #Joe Robbie Robertson #mjwatsonedit #Mary Jane Watson #Mary Jane Watson Parker #MJ Watson #Aunt May #May Parker

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