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cloveroctobers · 3 years

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GIRLFRIENDS - ALL AMERICAN GIRLS

A/N: because if we’re not stanning the girls too then what even is the point? + gender neutral! + something simple, hope you like?

GIRLFRIENDS — all american girl preferences

baby I could love you or love you not, hope you’re down with the friends I got 🎶

KIA: the deep brown skinned girl was down for supporting her friends no matter what. Sure she knew many people due to her active duties running multiple clubs, so she was always around many people but Kia liked her solitude every now and then to reflect on what needed to be reflected. She was the type of friend that was always down to listen to understand, rather than listen to reply. You two were friends long before your families figured out that you were related, making you cousins. “I knew there was a reason we connected, we’re blood!” so when you first got your significant other, it was nice and full of butterflies for you. Kia could clearly see that you were smitten with your person of choice and she supported you. She actually liked you two in the beginning but it only took about two weeks for things to shift, surprisingly. Things were starting to confuse you about the other you had interest in, they were hot and then they were cold and borderline possessive. You were new to this whole “love” or rather “dating” thing so when you asked Kia about it along with her and your? Uncle flip in earshot, they gave their opinions/advice whereas uncle flip said he could “talk” to them while Kia said you should sit them down and tell them how their actions were making you feel and go from there. So you took kia’s option and did so just for things to get heated, and it takes a lot to get YOU heated. They kept pushing you so you gave them the ultimatum: either you can give them love or you can leave with it and give it to someone else. At the end of the day you had your friends with or without them and would be just fine without them in your life if they continued to treat you like crap. This they were not expecting from you, sitting there mouth open but you no longer waited to hear what they had to say. Turning on your heels you spotted Kia and a few of your friends by your locker. You walked right over to Kia, after she gave a round of applause and a smile, you locked arms with her sharing a grin; very content being around your friends instead.

Cause you know girls stan girlfriends over boyfriends🎶

OLIVIA: “they’re crazy, liv!” You exclaimed, before turning to launch the bat over your head to smash the television near by. Olivia nodded her head, stepping back as pieces of glass flew around the room. You huffed knowing you’ll feel that pulled muscle in the morning but right now the annoyance was taking over your whole being. You had the bright idea to go to a wreck room and figured it would be fun to get your anger out in a...different manner. Olivia couldn’t tell you no after seeing how distraught you were over your relationship and you were one, if not, the only one there for her with her struggles so who was she to not show up for her friends? That would not be like the Olivia Baker you knew. She was the one always putting other’s needs before her own and in a way you knew this would be good for her after the whole Spencer incident (part 2 that is). Yet she only stomped and kicked on a few objects while you were going full hulk, using the bat after you almost smashed your hand through a wall. You didn’t need any broken bones especially being a pianist but when you’re angry sometimes you black out. “So you just told them to go screw themselves?” The doe-eyed curly haired girl asked after you sat against a broken wall with your knees pulled up. You grinned, panting and glancing over at her as she leaned against the wall still standing, “hell yeah I did! nobody comes between me and my girls. They’re the biggest idiot I’ve ever seen if they didn’t get that from the get go.” You winked making Olivia breathe out a laugh, glad you finally found some common sense to drop the dead weight of your ex-significant other.

I roll with my best, and you already know, that if they ain’t impressed, you’re gonna have to go🎶

LAYLA: “OH MY GOSH, Y/N THEY DID NOT!” Layla held onto your wrist laughing as the two of you sat on a shared towel on the beach. You nodded your head rapidly showing that what was just shared was indeed true. You had no idea how you ended up talking to them. maybe you were under the influence or really tired, just trying to be nice, and found them entertaining the other weekend at the teen club but lately talking to them felt very dry. No one’s ever held the status of being your significant other because no one held your interest long enough but here you were. They went to one of the other school’s here, a private one and sure they were nice to look at but the conversation was lacking. The connection was just not there and perhaps it wasn’t there the first time you engaged, you couldn’t pinpoint what was going on last weekend but you didn’t have to continue with what you already knew wouldn’t work. Layla was one of the main one’s out of your group to address what you were already thinking. So when they showed up with a few of their friends trying to chat you were embarrassed for them, doing them a favor after getting the look from your girls you let them down gently. However it seemed like they didn’t grasp the fact that you were basically canceling your talking stage, you decided to relocate and encourage your girls to join the dance party that was a good distance from where your failed love interest sat confused and clueless with their friends. However that headache was now gone as you danced the summer afternoon away on the beach.

so if you’re gonna press me and treat me like a- exit to the left and they’ll show you the door 🎶

PATIENCE: You’ve known Patience since middle school and she’s always been the best friend you could have asked for. You’re basically family and never sugarcoat anything from each other. So the minute you started dating Dane Kohler she immediately expressed her disapproval but you were too blinded by the sex really. You knew Dane wasn’t shit and for the streets yet you kept dealing with him for the toxicity of it all. It wasn’t until you overheard that he possibly got someone pregnant while he was on the phone with his boys that you flipped on him. After saying what you had to say, which he didn’t take seriously since he replied with, “Ah, you’ll be back.” You left him there going straight over to Patience’s house to tell her what was going on. She waited until you got out all you needed saying, “so are we busting windows to show him that you’re not some hoe of the week or are you finally kicking his stupid ass to the door? Take your pick.” You thought about it, not for long, as you said with a smirk, “Why not both?” Patience instantly pushed off her couch, “say less.” And out the two of you went.

We didn't have a problem in the world...Until you started making noise 🎶

COOP: No matter what, Coop was the friend that wanted to be by your side for the good and the bad. If something was wrong with you, then that means something was wrong with her too. Everything that happened with you, she would take it personal too. Majority of the time you appreciated that, that someone was so empathetic towards whatever situation you had going on in your life but it was odd that sometimes you couldn’t reciprocate that for Coop. Sure she’ll tell you her problems but she didn’t expect for you to want to jump in FOR her, she just wanted someone to be beside her and let her shine and do HER thing. She wanted that sense of control. It was one of her downfalls as a friend or person...depending on who you ask...Her situation with Spencer was much different than what was going on between your friendship. Yes you were bumping heads at the moment but at least the two of you were still speaking...somewhat...you two were involved in a disagreement and usually after a day or two things would be fine. This was one of those days. Coop was on her way over to you to clear the air and to let you know that she was thinking of dropping out and didn’t want your persuasion to stay but for you to support and listen. Before she could do that, she spotted your significant other towering over you yelling into your face, drawing some attention. However you weren’t flinching as you peered up into their eyes but from Coop’s angle she could see your eyes were fresh with tears of anger. It was when they slammed their hand against the locker that you were pressed against, Coop intervened. The pair shared words but it was enough to get them to back off of you. Letting out shallow breaths you dropped to a squat picking up your things that that asshole probably threw. They were good for their tantrums and this was coop’s first time seeing it. She only heard about it through the phone and by word of mouth from you. “I don’t know what their problem is but I don’t appreciate someone talking to you like that or taking it out on you. You need to cut them off, Y/n. Cause what I saw just then is not okay and can probably get worse. Then I’m really gonna have to put my paws on someone and I haven’t done that since when? Forever.” You snorted imagining Coop’s much shorter frame compared to your significant other’s but ultimately knew size did not matter in that aspect. “I hear you. They’re doing too much lately and I’m tired of it, they’re not worth the stress. This much I know.” “Good, glad we’re on the same page. Now where we ‘bout to eat at?”

Never gonna leave my girls, they're sticking by me 🎶

SIMONE: “I can’t believe you’re leaving me right now, alone with this, to go be with that bitch— that was enough for you to collect your things and exit the premises. Anybody that felt the need to talk about your friend like that didn’t deserve you. Plus who’s to know what they’re saying about you behind your back if they didn’t respect your friends. You knew your significant other could be a asshole but this statement really sunk in for you. It was clear that they didn’t care about Simone, your best friend who was going through the rough time of being a teen and pregnant. You were open to being respectful of your significant other’s garbage friends but you couldn’t get that exact treatment in return? This relationship was slowly but surely becoming real questionable to you right now. It took some time during the course of the day but Simone finally told you what hotel she was staying in after she informed you that she left the baker’s house for good. When she came to the door, she was shocked to see you here with your bags ready to stay the night or however long she was in fact staying. “W-what?” “I told you, you can’t get rid of me no matter what idiot person is in my life right now. I know you need someone and I don’t ever want you to feel alone. So let me in so we can watch train to busan and parasite.” Simone’s eyes started to fill up with tears as you walked into the room dropping your things onto the shared bed. When you turned to face the low-lidded girl, before you could catch the tears in her eyes, she engulfed you into a tight hug which you returned patting her back. “I’m so grateful for you.” Simone sniffed. You laughed, “your hormones have been whacky as hell lately huh?” “Yes, and I hate it.” “Well...we’re dealing with it.” “Thank you.” “What are friends for?”

#all american #all american cw #all american preferences #all american blurbs #Kia Williams #asjha cooper #Olivia Baker #Samantha Logan #layla keating #greta onieogou #Patience all american #chelsea tavares #Tamia cooper #Tamia coop cooper #bre z #Simone hicks #geffri maya

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makeste · 5 years

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BnHA Chapter 232: Giant Bitchslap Arm

Previously on BnHA: Gigantomachia woke up and started ninja-running toward Aichi prefecture. Then all of a sudden we cut to Hawks just chilling on an Osaka rooftop with a bag. Everyone was like, “whoa, Hawks, what are you doing in this arc?” Hawks was all “well I’ll show you” and then he had a flashback where he fucking murdered Best Jeanist, probably, and everyone was like “um, hey, what the actual fuck” and Hawks was like “well you asked” and we were all filled with regret for having done so. Back in the Ol’ Villain City, Twice caught up with Tomura and Spinner and they were very happy to see him, and Tomura was like “so anyway we’re almost at Re-Destro’s tower and I can’t wait to fucking kill that guy” and the others agreed but they also worried that Tomura was too exhausted to keep this up much longer, and so Twice went on ahead to try and finish off RD on his own. The chapter ended up with Twice #241762-D arriving at the top of the tower to confront RD and rescue my boyfriend Giran.

Today on BnHA: Twice creates some clones of Tomura and the gang to help him out. Re-Destro then insta-kills one of the clones and tells Twice that he’ll kill Giran if Twice uses his quirk any more. He then makes his arm go all big and he just fuckin’... [gestures wildly] WHIPASH!! and just smacks them all to death, and then he goes over to where Giran is and gets ready to kill him while he and Twice are having a moment. Thankfully the not-quite-dead-yet Tomura clone intervenes, and as he fights him, Re-Destro launches into a big villain monologue about the Mother of Quirks, a.k.a. the mother of the first superpowered child to ever be born. Long story short, that baby grew up to be Destro, and his mom was all “please be kind to him and let him live in peace!” and so they fucking killed her because people are terrible. As RD is wrapping up his story and about to kill the clone Tomura, the real one reaches the tower and is all, “TOUCH!!!” This is the single most badass thing anyone has ever done, and the chapter ends with a wobbly Tomura confusedly interrogating an enraged Re-Destro while “We Will Rock You” by Queen plays in the background omfg.

(All comments are my unspoiled reactions from my initial readthrough of the chapter. I did a quick edit for grammar and clarity immediately afterward, and added one or two ETAs in the process, but aside from that there are no changes.)

so this happened again

listen here my anonymous friend, thank you for not spoiling me, but I do have to say that if your goal was to have me once again approach this chapter in stark terror, mission accomplished lol

here’s how it’s gonna go. I’ve got a mirror, and we’re gonna use it to cautiously peek around corners before clicking to the next page, and from what I understand that should protect us from being instantly killed by Horikoshi’s murderous basilisk glare. the characters, on the other hand, well...

what kind of sound effect is this

glomp glomp? are these Horikoshi sound effects? does he know his little Twice clones are making enthusiastic hugging sounds?? and yet this is oddly in character though

also it looks like he’s cloning at least one Tomura and Dabi! so that should be fun. we get to see RD presumably murder them all on this little test run, and then they’ll hopefully have a better idea of how to approach this on their second go-around

RD says he had a lot of guards down below, and he’s praising Twice’s quirk. well, his “superpower”, anyway

that was the title of this chapter, incidentally; “quirks and superpowers.” I do vaguely wonder why they’re so insistent on using different terminology for it, and I wonder if there’s an actual reason for that

anyway so now Jin is yelling at the clones that they’re clones. so it’s okay if they die and stuff. lol. I’m sure that makes them feel a whole lot better

you guys this is fucking amazing though

I wonder if this Tomura is less sleep-deprived? also, Twice duplicated the hands as well! that’s something that was pointed out to me a little while ago, back when they were fighting Gigantomachia. this actually seems a bit iffy to me now that we’ve been reminded that he needs to understand the details of something in and out before he can copy it. like, he couldn’t copy the quirk-be-gone bullets because he didn’t know how they worked. but somehow he knows how these hands work though??

or maybe he doesn’t, and these hands don’t actually work like the Real Deal hands. that’s probably the case actually. so anyways I wonder if this Tomura will act a little different. I’m probably overthinking this to the extreme lol

and Twice and Dabi are making the exact same joke I made three paragraphs earlier about “that should make them feel a whole lot better.” get your own material you assclowns

last but not least, lol at him having to reiterate his tale of bravely overcoming past trauma yet again to Compress because he missed the whole story. poor Compress, all confused and out of the loop. I wonder if Twice duplicated his robot arm. it’s hard to tell in the picture whether it’s missing or he’s still just in the process of creating it

oh shit

heh. it’s possible Jin has not thought through the potential long-term consequences of this little undertaking at all sob. but that’s a problem for future Twice! right now current Twice has more important things to deal with, like kicking Re-Destro’s ass

yeah, you see, he’s all “don’t worry about that right now” and presumably tucking that whole notion away someplace in the back of his mind to be properly fucked up by later on. as anyone with ADHD can tell you that’s clearly the best way to deal with all of your problems

-- oh shit and it looks like this particular Twice doesn’t really need to worry about that anymore in any case

what is it with people in this manga being decapitated lately. who hurt you Horikoshi

uh, so. hey

are they?? they fucking outnumber you by a ton. though as you’ve just ably demonstrated, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything

fuck. okay let’s pause this for a sec to get our bearings here. so a bunch of clone Twices have RD cornered with a clone Dabi, Tomura, and Compress, all of whom have their own quirks, but presumably weaker versions of them. they’re also each basically one hit point away from a swift death, which is definitely something to consider

meanwhile RD has just the one of him, but possesses an unknown quirk, and does not seem to be at all fazed by the current situation which is a bit unnerving. oh yeah, and he does still have a hostage, though, if the others insist on taking their sweet time to go and untie my boy Giran. yeah. so that part’s also not good. dammit Twice untie him already

SHIT

MOTHERFUCKING -- OKAY JIN, LISTEN UP, NORMALLY I’D TELL YOU TO CALL HIS BLUFF, BUT A LITTLE MOUSE (ETA: referring to poor dead Miyashita, not the anon from earlier! I only just realized how that could possibly be read as being weirdly passive aggressive or something and that’s not the case! sorry anon!) INFORMED ME THAT THIS GUY DOESN’T ACTUALLY FUCKING PLAY AROUND, THOUGH. I HAVE A FEELING HE CAN AND WILL DO EXACTLY WHAT HE’S PROMISING, SO PLEASE TAKE HIM SERIOUSLY OMG I DON’T WANT YOU TO HAVE ANOTHER FRIEND’S DEATH ON YOUR CONSCIENCE AFTER WHAT HAPPENED WITH MAGNE

sob. where’s that mirror omg

okay... and we’re cautiously clicking forward... and good, Jin looks appropriately shook

maybe a little too shook. look I didn’t mean for you to just immediately freeze and surrender though, guy

aww but Tomura’s reassuring him

yes but as I already explained, you’re all technically one love tap away from the sweet embrace of death here while he’s at full power. it’s iffy dude. idk. I really like that you immediately spoke up to comfort your bro though! the League of Gentle Hearts continues to warm my soul

oh my god but seriously look at them

even Dabi is getting in on the friendship action. even if I’m not quite sure how he intends to not burn Giran to death along with RD lol. but at least his heart’s in the right place

-- oh shit

THEY LOOK SO WORRIED OMG AND LOOK WHERE RE-DESTRO IS STANDING

A COLD FUCKING CHILL JUST WENT DOWN MY SPINE OH GOD NO I’M NOT READY FOR THIS. I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU TOUCH A HAIR ON HIS SEXY GRAY HEAD I WILL WREAK VENGEANCE ON YOU SUCH AS THE WORLD HAS NEVER SEEN, AS SOON AS I’M DONE SOBBING MY FUCKING EYES OUT

SOB I DON’T WANT TO TURN THE PAGE. THE MIRROR ISN’T WORKING. HORIKOSHI IS A SADISTIC FUCK WHO HAS NO QUALMS ABOUT KILLING OFF EVERYONE I LOVE. BEST JEANIST, GIRAN, THE DOG. EVERYONE!!

SOBBB NOOO --

WHAT THE CHRISTING FUCK

OH MY GOD NO PUT IT AWAY!! HORIKOSHI KOUHEI I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON’T STOP RIGHT NOW!! I MEAN IT YOUNG MAN!!

SOB HE’S DRAWING IT OUT FOR ALL IT’S WORTHHHHHH I CAN’T I’M NOT PLEASE WHY

FUCK YOU AND YOUR COMEDIC INSERTION OF FOUR ADDITIONAL TWICE REACTION PANELS YOU PITILESS BASTARD!!

NOOOOOOOOOOO

THE BASILISK APPROACHES, GIRAN IN ITS SIGHTS!!

OH SHIT

holy -- fucking -- I don’t even

wow

well that all went down fucking spectacularly

looooool. okay, time to move on to plan B guys. bring on the indestructible mountain man. let Tomura have his “I have an army!” / “we have a Hulk” moment

so is Giran even still alive, or did he get caught up in all of that. lol I’m just fooling. of course he’s still alive, Horikoshi is going to drag out my torture for this entire arc and make it really slow and excruciating

yeah whatever. they have a hulk. just you wait

and some of the dying Twices are glomping over to Giran to make sure he’s okay, naturally. because my feels were briefly spared for a single fucking panel and we can’t have that, no ma’am!

HAHAHA WHY

THESE FEELS, MY GOD. WHATEVER!! JUST LEAVE ME HERE TO DIE THEN!!

JESUS CHRIST, HERE I WAS SHIPPING TOGAWICE LIKE ANYTHING, AND THEN HORIKOSHI COMES ALONG ALL “BUT ARE YOU SURE YOU WEREN’T ACTUALLY SHIPPING GIRANTWICE THIS WHOLE TIME” AND FUCK ME, HE’S FUCKING RIGHT

GIRAN IS SMILING SO SOFTLY MOMENTS BEFORE HIS LIKELY DEATH, AND I’M ABOUT TO PERISH IN A TYPHOON OF EMOTION. GIRAN IF I COULD LEAP IN THERE AND TAKE THE BLOW FOR YOU I WOULD

YOU GUYS HERE IT COMES. IT’S BEEN NICE KNOWING YOU ALL. LET’S ALL HOLD HANDS AND WAIT IN HELPLESS TERROR LIKE IN TOY STORY 3

and Twice makes sure Giran’s not alone at the end though. god I’m about to lose it for real though, shit

-- !!!!!!!!!!

(ETA: lmao I love that it’s making a “TCH” sound. like that hand is so done with his bullshit.)

what THE FUCK TOMURA ARE YOU SERIOUS?!! I WAS ALL SET TO GO ALL “OH HAPPY DAGGER” HERE AND THEN YOU TURN UP TO SAVE THE DAY WHAT IS HAPPENING

WHAT IS THIS CRAZY ADRENALINE RUSH AHAHA. DON’T BE FOOLED, THAT IS RALPH WIGGUM “I’M IN DANGER!” LAUGHTER THOUGH

but wow, so yeah. feels postponed. fucking deferred, motherfucker. FIRST WE GET OUR FIGHT ON

oh hey! funny you should mention! cuz it’s just that he’s been trying to prove said worth for the last six weeks! so if you could provide some convenient way for him to actually do that, that would actually be great. Machia is a harder sell than Simon fucking Cowell, so

oh, he’s still talking

actually this is super interesting to me omg. also that’s really fucked up. poor Damien! he didn’t do anything! all he did was glow a bit, what is wrong with people

(ETA: I have been informed by many kind people that Destro is not in fact the glowy baby Damien from China lol. I got kinda mixed up there lol.)

probably cuz they killed her

yep

yeah that seemed to be where that was leading. society is predictably fucked up, etc. that poor lady

this has nothing to do with anything, but I just want to throw it out there that I would kill to read an AU with the 1-A kids set in this time period roughly 200 years earlier where they have to hide their quirks for fear of being killed over them, and they’re all just doing their best and growing up scared and traumatized and some of them are bitter at the world and others are hopeful of one day making it a better place. oh my god. “makeste, that’s just an X-Men AU” you point out and oh my god you’re right. that means it probably already exists oh shit. I need to go on another fic binge

anyway

Tomura is all “yeah I know history too” and making me feel bad. some of us didn’t grow up in this universe, Tomura

Tomura just let the man talk, I need more worldbuilding stuff for my AU headcanons

you’d think that the Army would be embracing the word “quirks”, then? this woman seems like the type of martyr figure they ought to be all over. I guess there’s more to the story and I should take my own advice and shut up and let him finish

I see, so they associate the government’s use of the word “quirk” with their oppression. idk, I feel like they ought to be trying to reclaim it then. but whatever

so he’s wrapping up now

oh!!

his mother?!

DESTRO WAS THE SON OF THE MOTHER OF QUIRKS? DESTRO WAS DAMIEN?! holy shit!!

so that means RD is descended from the original quirk bloodline! yooooo I did not see that coming at all. no wonder the rest of the Army reveres him

anyway but now the interesting part is over and he’s moving on to crazed ranting

whatever you say buddy. how did you wind up with Giant Bitchslap Arm powers if your great-great-granddad was just some dumb glowing kid though

oh now he’s getting all pompous

I’m sorry I didn’t realize having a long and tragic family history was a prerequisite for kicking ass. though if it is. may I interest you in the horrific saga of the Shimura family, though. this so-called street punk has quite his own tale of woe actually

oh shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit

(⚆_⚆) [sits up straighter]

AHHHH THEY’RE SAVING HIM!!

YOU GO LEAGUE!! YOU GOT THIS!!

AHHHHHHH

!!!!! THEN TELL HIM TO SUIT UP

oh shit wait I think he might be talking about Actual Tomura and not Gigantomachia! even better!!

OH HEY THAT’S A NICE TOWER YOU HAVE THERE. IT SURE WOULD BE A SHAME IF SOMEONE... PATTED IT GENTLY

LOOOOOOOOOOL YESSSSSSSSSSSS

(❛ӧ❛三❛ӧ❛)

YESSSSSSSSS!!!!!

LMAO HE’S ACTUALLY BARELY KEEPING IT TOGETHER THOUGH AND IT’S THE BEST. “WAIT... YOU’RE THE GUY... BUT SHOULDN’T YOU BE... BUT WAIT WEREN’T YOU IN...?”

SO NOW IT’S ON BOTH EYES, EH? GOING FULL RORSCHACH UP IN THIS BITCH. WELL WHATEVER. I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW I’M HIGH ON THE ADRENALINE OF HAVING HAD THE FEAR OF GOD PUT INTO ME AND BEING RESIGNED TO ANOTHER CHAPTER OF HEADS BEING REMOVED FROM WHERE THEY’RE SUPPOSED TO BE, ONLY FOR HORIKOSHI TO BE ALL “PSYCH!! I STILL LOVE YOU!” AND HAVE MR. RIGHTFUL HEIR COME UP AND FUCK UP RD’S SHIT OMG. AND I STILL SHIP GIRANTWICE!! AND GIRAN’S STILL ALIVE SOMEHOW AGAINST ALL ODDS OH MY GOODNESS

ohhhhh man. well, time to place your bets then people. who would win:

one megalomaniacal balding CEO with a giant arm who talks too much but has like an army and shit

One Sleepy Boi

hahaha. well, Tomura? time to get that worth fucking measured, then, kid

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sebeth · 5 years

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Fantastic Four # 4 - 6

Warning, Spoilers Ahead…

Brief Summary: The return of Namor, the debut of Doctor Doom, and the first Namor-Doom team-up.

Debuts:

· Doctor Doom

· Baxter Building

· Yancy Street Gang

Favorite Cover: #4 – I love the image of Namor escaping into the ocean with Susan.

Points of Interest:

· Ben’s very indecisive on Johnny’s leaving the team. He starts with “He’s nothin’ but a spoiled brat of a teenager! What do we need him for?” to “When I find ‘im, I’ll team him to run off on us that way!” So do you want Johnny gone or not?

· Sue once again causes panic in a public setting by using her powers for ordinary tasks. Why do you need to be invisible to drink soda in a café?

· The amount of time Johnny has been away from the team isn’t specified. If it’s only been a few hours, the team is panicking over nothing. Johnny wouldn’t be the first teen to storm off for a few hours, cool down, and then return home. If it has been over a day, Johnny owes Sue a huge apology.

· Reed yanks a passing motorcyclist off his bike to see if he’s seen Johnny. Reed tells the man “But if you don’t know where Johnny Storm is, I’ve no more time to waste with you!”Reed’s rather rude. I mean, Reed was the one who yanked the poor man off of his motorcycle – possibly damaging the bike in the process.

· Reed thinks “I’ve got to keep trying! Sooner or later I’ll find some teen-ager who’s seen him!” Yep, that’s Reed’s solution to the missing Johnny problem – question every teenager in New York City on Johnny’s whereabouts. I was expecting more from the world’s smartest man – maybe a device that would sense Johnny’s elevated temperature or energy output but nope, instead he’s going to interrogate all of New York’s thousands upon thousands of teenagers.

· It’s revealed that Johnny is at Swanson’s Garage working on cars and hanging with his pals. The same Swanson’s Garage we saw Johnny at during the first issue of the Fantastic Four. I can understand Reed not being aware of the garage – he becomes so absorbed in his experiments he forgets the outside world – but are you telling me that Sue didn’t check out the place? Sue wouldn’t be fooled by the “tell her I’m not here” game – one invisible drop-in later and Johnny’s busted.

· Johnny uses his powers to weld the engine. He also shows off by flaming on – while near cans of gasoline! Johnny explains: “Notice how I can control my flame! By not moving, it doesn’t go near the gasoline!” Way to scare the crap out of your friends!

· Ben enters the garage by breaking through the wall. The team is racking up the collateral damage for a simple search mission – Swanson’s garage wall, the man’s motorcycle, and who knows if Sue paid for that soda!

· Ben warns Johnny: “And now I’ll teach you what happens to deserters! And your flame doesn’t scare me! I know you can’t move while you’re burning, because there’s gasoline all over here! One spark and your pals are done for!”

· Reading Ben’s early appearances are rather jarring compared to his later personality. I understand Ben’s anger, frustration and bitterness. I’m also sure his transformation caused a severe case of post-traumatic stress disorder but casually dismissing the safety of innocent bystanders? Not the Ben we know and love.

· Johnny, acting as the mature one, immediately flames off and attempts to defuse the situation. Ben proceeds to throw a car through the other wall of the garage. Ben takes a swing at Johnny: “You’ve always laughed at me because I was ugly! Well? Why aren’t you laughing now? Don’t worry, sonny boy…I’m not gonna spoil your pretty features! I’ll just rough you up a little…teach you who’s boss, once and for all!”

· Ben turns back to human mid-rant. Johnny takes the opportunity to flame on and retreat. Ben’s calls after Johnny: “Go on, Torch! Fly off! What do I care! Ha Ha! I’m human again! Fly away, you flaming freak!!”

· A flying Johnny thinks to himself: “The poor fool! He should know by now his change is only temporary!” Sure enough, Ben changes back into the Thing seconds later.

· Johnny’s often portrayed as the immature one but he was the exact opposite in this scene – he stayed calm, attempted to defuse the situation, prevented innocent bystanders from being harmed, and retreated at the first opportunity instead of being dragged into a senseless fight.

· The scene nicely shows that Ben’s rage is caused by the transformation – as soon as Ben regained his human form, he lost all interest in the fight. “The flaming freak” comment was interesting – did Ben feel that he was removed from that category since he regained his human form. Would Ben consider Sue a freak? Does Ben call Johnny a freak because he resents Johnny’s attractiveness?

· Johnny decides to retreat to the Bowery and hang with the derelicts. Johnny finds a comic from the 1940’s about the Sub-Mariner. A derelict tells Johnny that they have “a stumble-bum right here who’s supposed to be as strong as that Joker was supposed to be!”

· The derelicts harass the stumble-bum until a brawl breaks out and the bodies hit the floor! “Wham! Pow! Bam!”

· The derelicts gear up for round two but Johnny intervenes: “Hold on! Let him alone! Can’t you see, he’s ill? He’s got amnesia! A loss of memory! He doesn’t even know who he is!!” Johnny decides to shave off the amnesiac man’s beard and cut his hair with his flame abilities. Johnny proclaims: “Wait!! His face! No – it – can’t be! It is! It is!! He – He’s the Sub-Mariner!”

· Johnny has clearly been working hard on controlling his powers as evidenced by this scene and the previous scene at the garage. He seems to have done this without any prompting by Reed or Sue. It makes sense as Johnny’s powers are clearly the most destructive of the Four.

· I highly recommend this issue for Johnny fans – he has many shining moments and it’s a nice, subtle look at his character.

· Reed’s continues his quest of randomly harassing random citizens on Johnny’s whereabouts – the latest being a helicopter crew (while in the sky) and travelers in the subway. This amuses me way more than it should – maybe Reed really needed social time?

· An invisible Sue enters the Bowery: “I can’t believe that Johnny would ever come here!” Sue proceeds to walk right past Johnny and Namor! Seriously, is Ben the only observant member of this team? I guess Johnny gets points too for recognizing Namor

· Johnny flies Namor to the ocean and drops him in! Thankfully the bum is Namor and not some homeless man that Johnny terrorized for no reason.

· Namor returns to Atlantis to find that “It’s destroyed!! It’s all destroyed!! That glow in the water – it’s radioactivity! Now I know what happened! The humans did it, unthinkingly with their cursed atomic tests!”

· Sadly, this issue is from 1962 but the “human unthinkingly destroy” plot is still relevant today – for example, the bleaching of the coral reefs and the tons of plastic found in the ocean.

· Namor returns to New York City with vengeance on his mind: “I am the mightiest living mortal on earth!! And now, mankind shall feel that might…as it is turned against you all!”

· Namor’s been able to make that claim – unchallenged in the Marvel Universe – since World War II. He had to be really annoyed when the Thing, the Hulk, and Thor all debuted within months of each other. Namor being Namor, I’m sure was still telling everyone that he was “the mightiest mortal living on earth!”

· Namor uses a monster-controlling horn to summon Giganto from the depths of the ocean. Ben defeats Giganto by hauling a bomb into the monster’s abdomen. Poor Giganto!

· Sue adds another name to the list of men infatuated with her. Namor declares: “Well! Here is a prize worth catching! You’re the loveliest human I’ve ever seen! If you will be my bride, I might show mercy to the rest of your pitiful race!”

· Namor’s not one to beat around the bush! We now know Namor’s true weakness – it’s not lack of water, it’s beautiful women. We can’t even justify that he’s attracted to Sue’s personality – Namor glanced at Sue and was all “Whoa, mamma!”

· We now begin the longest running triangle in all of comics – Namor, Sue, and Reed. I don’t count Superman-Lois-Clark as that triangle only involves two individuals.

· Namor’s the epitome of mercurial mood swings so he changes from “Now I’ll have the girl, and my revenge!” to annoyance that Sue isn’t properly impressed by his manly manliness.

· Issue 5 opens with Doctor Doom playing with chess pieces modeled after the Fantastic Four. First Doom and later the Puppet Master – do all of the FF’s enemies act out their upcoming fights with action figures?

· Doom’s lair contains a stuffed vulture and reference books labeled “Demons” and “Science and Sorcery” on the table. The books nicely foreshadow Doom’s later affinity with magic.

· Johnny’s reading the “Hulk” comic back at the Fantastic Four headquarters. Marvel was really pushing the debut of the Hulk title – the previous issue had multiple “who is the Hulk” statements at the bottom of the pages.

· “Fantastic Four!! Heed my words! This is Doctor Doom!”

· Sue: “Who?” I wish Sue had been able to say that to Doom’s face. I don’t think his ego could handle it.

· Reed: “That voice! I recognize it! But I thought he was dead!” Reed has quite the talent for voice recognition since Doom is speaking through a metal mask from a helicopter.

· I’m loving campy, over-the-top Doctor Doom. Can you imagine if this was your first exposure to Doom in modern years? You’d seriously question how Doom became the top villain in the Marvel Universe! The crossover I want to see: First-appearance Doctor Doom versus Batman from the 1966 tv series!

· Flashback time: Reed and Victor Von Doom were college roommates. Doom, a brilliant science student, was fascinated with sorcery and black magic: “One night, the evil genius went too far, as he brought forth powers which even he could not control!” Cue explosion, facial disfigurement, and school expulsion.

· The extent of Doom’s scarring/disfigurement caused much debate throughout the years – was it a small scar that Doom’s ego couldn’t tolerate or was it massive disfigurement? The panel shows Doom’s entire head wrapped mummy-style so I’m going with the massive disfigurement option.

· Reed tells the group that Victor left the school and when he was last heard of “he was prowling the wastelands of Tibet, still seeking the forbidden secrets of black magic and sorcery”.

· Doom demands the Four send Sue to him as a hostage. Sue: Girl Hostage happens a lot in the early comics. Sue insists it’s the only way and Reed agrees. Seriously? The net only covers the exterior of the building – Ben and Johnny have the strength to tunnel underneath the building and exit elsewhere. Shouldn’t that be an option instead of handing Sue over to some ranting psycho? Reed’s definitely not earning “the world’s smartest man” title during the early adventures of the Four. Doom opens a section of the net so Sue can enter his helicopter.

· Doom demands the rest of the team “board my plane, and you must swear you will not attack me!” The team agrees. What?! Seriously, Reed, this is why you can’t hang with Captain America and Cyclops when it comes to strategic planning.

· Doom sends the male members of the Four back in time: “: “Gone to bring me the gems which, unknown to them, will make Doctor Doom the ruler of the earth!”

· The boys disguise themselves as pirates. Ben tells Reed to “Take it easy, Bub!” Ben was using “Bub” decades before Wolverine!

· Ben’s having a blast playing the role of pirate: “Ahoy, matey! Let’s see if we can date one of these pretty barmaids! Heh Heh!” It’s nice to see Ben enjoying himself as he’s been miserable throughout the series.

· Johnny’s also having fun: “This is keen! I feel like Errol Flynn!”

· Reed’s a fuddy-duddy: “Knock it off!”

· Ben has a moment where he refuses to return to the present: “Why can’t I stay? The future holds nothing for me! In the Twentieth Century I’m nothing but a monster…a freak! But here I’m somebody! I’m a leader of men! I’m a captain! I’m the guy who started the legend of Blackbeard! The kids will read about me in school some day! I ain’t never giving this up…never!” Ben, you’ve been in the past for 30 minutes, calm down!

· The trio returns to the present only for Doom to escape.

· A total campy, ridiculous and fun issue. Despite the goofiness, a few of Doom’s defining characteristics – the intelligence, the sorcery, the Doom-bots, the ego, the grudge with Richards – were clearly established in this issue.

· “Have the Fantastic Four at last met their match when Mighty Sub-Mariner and Evil Doctor Doom team up?? Don’t miss the Diabolical Duo join forces!”

· Johnny blazes across the sky. An onlooker gasps “The Torch!! A living legend! And I thought I’d never see him with my own eyes!” The onlooker seems to be mixing Johnny up with the World War II era Human Torch (Jim Hammond). Johnny hasn’t been the Torch for long. Definitely not enough time to be considered a “living legend”. Would the general public even realize there was a difference between Johnny and Jim? Issue 6 was published in the early 1960s. The original Human Torch operated in the 1940s – the older citizens of the Marvel Universe would assume it was the original making a comeback after a long sabbatical. After all, how many blonde men can set themselves on fire, fly, and call themselves the “Human Torch”?

· The same citizens gawking at Johnny are pushed aside by an invisible Sue. Sue turns visible to apologize and enter the Baxter Building. We’ve seen Sue use her powers multiple times to scare or push through people. She’s either a big fan of the “jump-scare” or using her powers to let out her frustrations by shoving people. Seriously, it would be easier – and more polite – to stay visible and skirt around people as opposed to moving around unseen and shoving people out of the way.

· Sue notes that “The Torch has been scouting for signs of Doctor Doom.” Isn’t Sue better suited for the task? She is the “Invisible Girl”! Johnny’s a human-sized ball of fire – Doom will see him coming from a mile away!

· We receive our first detailed glimpse of the Baxter Building. The Fantastic Four’s headquarters are located on the 34th to the 37th stories of the building. The members of the Four take the express elevator to the 34th floor. The elevator operates via a signal that is sent from the belt buckle of the members’ uniforms. The 34th floor clearly belongs to Reed – it consists of labs and computers. The 35th floor are living quarters, the recreation room, and the gymnasium. The 36th floor are conference rooms. The 37th floor holds the team’s vehicles.

· Reed catches up on the team’s mail. He discovers a letter sent from a child at Harmon General Hospital. The hospital is located across the street so Reed stretches across to have a long chat with the child. A sweet moment for Reed who is too often characterized as obsessed with science and oblivious to social mores.

· Johnny and Ben continue reading the mail. We receive the first mention of the Yancy Street Gang: “…and if the Thing will meet us on the corner of Ashby and Main Street, we’ll knock that chip off his shoulder and make him like it! Signed, the Yancy Street Gang!”

· Ben is not amused: “I’ve heard from those mealy-mouthed braggarts before! They get their kicks out of tryin’ to rile me!” Ben decides to answer the challenge: “This block is titanium steel – six inches thick and the strongest metal known to man! I’ll just roll it by hand into a from acceptable for mailing – I wouldn’t want the Yancy Gang to think I wasn’t neat – Here! Send this to them! And on the day they manage to unroll it, I’ll personally congratulate ‘em!” Clearly, adamantium wasn’t known to the Marvel Universe at this point.

· The Fantastic Four – secret identities or publicly known? The writers in the Fantastic Four and Strange Tales titles go back and forth on this point in the early issues. A few issues ago, the identities were stated to be a “secret”? If so, how does the Yancy Gang recognize Ben? He looks significantly different post-transformation! If the identities are still a secret at this point and the Yancy Gang still realize the Thing is Ben Grimm…well, Batman will have to forfeit the “World’s Greatest Detective” title!

· Ben’s itching to fight someone worthy of him, “a foe like Doctor Doom…or a Submariner!”

· Sue defends her crush: “Submariner is hostile because he’s hurt and bitter!”

· Yeah, Namor has man-pain! The fact that he looks damn good in a speedo has nothing to do with Sue’s defense of him!

· We switch to the ocean where the “hurt and bitter” Namor instructs porpoises in swimming maneuvers.

· Doctor Doom travels to Namor’s location, proposes an alliance, and brags up his credentials: “ I am strong – strong enough to join the powers of science to those of darkness! Show me the puny mortal who does not tremble at the name of Doctor Doom!”

· Let’s recap Sue’s reaction upon hearing the name of Doctor Doom: “Who?”

· Doom notes “It would appear that you’ve taken a holiday from your campaign against the surface world! Men no longer speak your name in fear!”

· Well, playing with dolphins doesn’t exactly reinforce an angry and vengeance-driven persona.

· Doctor Doom notes a framed photo of Susan Storm.

· Namor warns “Take care! That female is no concern of yours!”

· How did Namor get the photo? Did Sue give it to him? Did he take the picture while he held her hostage a few issues ago? Clip it out of a newspaper?

· Doom taunts Namor into assisting him: “What happened to your thirst for revenge? Have you forgot the glistening towers of your once great civilization? The culture and comfort enjoyed by your happy subjects…imagine your great and proud people struggling for thousands of years, defeating all the terrors of the deep to build a civilization, superb and beautiful…yes, beautiful and glowing with life until that last terrifying moment when that monster of a bomb lodged in the midst of that beauty…gone! All that glorious history gone in one brief instant! Replaced by an ugly crater in the ocean floor…littered with fused masonry and bitter memories that cry out…revenge! Revenge! Revenge upon the surface world which did this in its ignorance! Revenge upon humanity’s defenders! Death to the Fantastic Four!”

· Namor agrees: “I cannot harm the girl! But I will aid you in defeating the others!”

· Dr. Doom is a large ham.

· Namor is easily manipulated.

· I want to see a “What If?” where Namor’s all “Nah, I’m gonna keep playing with the dolphins”.

· Wouldn’t it be easier for Namor to simply ask Reed for assistance in locating the lost Atlanteans instead of trusting some random dude in armor?

· Namor leaves to pursue his part of the plan and plays “chicken” with an airplane along the way: “No time to dodge! It’s going to hit us head on!” “Bah! That’s enough horseplay! I mustn’t forget the mission!”

· Back to the Baxter Building where Johnny snoops around Sue’s possessions. Why is Johnny snooping in Sue’s room? Typical younger sibling nosiness? Johnny’s around 16-17 years old at this time. Sue raised Johnny – I’ve always felt that she was 10 – 12 years older than him. The dual mother-sister role makes it even odder that Johnny is nosing around her room.

· Johnny finds a photo of Namor and isn’t happy about it: “So! You’ve gone soft on Submariner – our arch-enemy!” The Four have only fought Namor once. I don’t think that’s enough to qualify him as an “arch-enemy”. Of course, the other options are: a short man who lives underground, aliens who were outsmarted by “B” horror movies, a maybe-maybe not hypnotist, and an egotistical man in armor whose master plan was throwing a net over a skyscraper. I can see why Johnny chose Namor for the arch-enemy role.

· Sue is not amused: “Give me that photo, you insolent brat!” When did this photo exchange between Namor and Sue take place? Were they taking pictures of each other during issue #4?

· Namor arrives at the Baxter Building and all hell breaks loose as Ben and Johnny brawl with the Sub-Mariner.

· Namor advises Sue to get out of the way: “He’s too angry to listen to reason! You’d best stay out of the way! I do not fear the Torch!” Yeah, Namor has had plenty of experience battling Human Torches.

· It’s curious that Johnny is so angry over Sue’s crush on Namor. Does he dislike Namor so much or is he afraid it would cause the breakup of the Four which is his home, family, and a large part of his identity?

· Namor states he’s come in peace and doesn’t mention the devices he’s rigged to the Baxter Building.

· Crack! The Baxter Building is launched into space for the first but not the only time!

· Namor rages: “The double-crossing dog is in a rocket plane above pulling this building into space!” And yet Namor will continue to ally with Doom after this betrayal.

· Namor’s not in much danger – he can simply jump out and fly away. Johnny would normally be able to escape but he “exhausted his flame” during his fight with Namor. Johnny didn’t have much stamina in the early issues. The Four’s planes were damaged in the launching of the building.

· Reed insists “our only hope of ever getting down is to seize control of that plane!”

· Does Doom ever recall his earliest attacks on the four and face-palm? They were so ridiculous and over-the-top!

· Reed stretches after Doom’s plane: “Somehow, conditions in space tend to weaken my powers!” Was this ever mentioned again? The Four spend a lot of time in space.

· Namor decides enough is enough: “That jackal Doctor Doom still has Prince Namor to reckon with!” Namor dives into a water storage, amps up to full strength, launches himself to Doom’s ship, evicts Doom from the ship, assumes control of the ship, and returns the Baxter Building to earth. Doom hitches a ride to earth on a meteor.

· Ben: “How do you thank an enemy? Submariner’s above us in that confounded ship. And if I could reach him I still don’t know if I’d shake his hand or try to smash him!”

· Sue: “Oh, he isn’t our enemy! I just know it! He’s so full of pain and bitterness that it blinds his better instincts! Submariner needs time…time to heal!” Sue, dear, I think the boys are over your continued defense of Namor.

· Namor: “So shall I return to the sea! Perhaps someday when I am no longer haunted by bitter memories of my lost people, I may return…but, until then, this is where I belong! In the sea which is my home!”

· So ends the first super-villain team-up in the Marvel Universe and the beginning of one of Marvel’s longest running love-hate relationships.

#Fantastic Four #Namor #Doctor Doom #Johnny Storm #Susan Storm #Reed Richards #Ben Grimm #Baxter Building #Yancy Street Gang #susan richards #invisible girl #Human Torch #Thing #Mister Fantastic #sub-mariner #Victor Von Doom #Giganto

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wits-writing · 5 years

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Earth’s Mightiest Retrospective Ep 48: “The Deadliest Man Alive”

(Directed by Steve Gordon, Written by Man of Action, Original Airdate: October 7, 2012)

The return of the Hulk in this episode marks the next step on Captain America’s arc to make up for the actions of his Skrull doppelganger in the first half of the season. We open with Captain America and Iron Man going to the Hulkbuster facility where their ally’s being held with the news that Hulk’s been exonerated of the crimes Red Hulk framed him for. General “Thunderbolt” Ross isn’t pleased that the monster he’s finally managed to imprison after years of hunting is being let go. He uses his every breath while the Avengers are at his facility to tell them Bruce Banner’s too dangerous to set free. The General is unfortunately proven right the second they open Banner’s cell. Something triggers an immediate Hulk-out. The Hulk immediately burst past the Avengers and out of the facility, so the heroes settle to find their teammate before the Hulkbusters can re-arrest him.

The heroes notice something strange in Hulk’s behavior because of how aimless it seems compared to usual. Somethings not right about the situation but Hulk’s too dangerous to let roam while he’s out of control like this. He has an internal debate with Banner about whether they can trust the Avengers after Skrull-Cap turned them in to Ross. While that’s going on, he’s grabbing at his own head in pain by whatever’s driving this rampage. Banner states that neither of them triggered the transformation. Neither side of their personality is left to consider these things for long before the other Avengers show up. While the others fight to subdue the Hulk, Cap tries talking to let him know it wasn’t him that let the Hulkbusters take him.

Any attempt at a peaceful resolution gets a bit undermined when Iron Man shows up in his personal Hulkbuster armor. Hulk’s not in the mood to listen anyway, especially since the bouts of pain in his head keep flaring and causing him to smash the area around him at random. When things seem to be at their worst, Red Hulk shows up to stop the original. After dealing with his predecessor, he asks the Avengers for a spot on the team. The sequences in this episode detailing how Red Hulk tries to convince the heroes his intentions to help are genuine make pretty good comedy. He’s plays up how he’s trying to make up for what he was “forced” to do as part of Code Red. Claiming like he was mind controlled like Falcon and Samson. He let’s himself be interviewed by the press and plays up the idea that he’s a good person underneath it all. Thunderbolt Ross let’s the press know his feelings about Hulks don’t make exceptions. Meanwhile the Avengers are left considering whether to take Red Hulk up on his offer.

Captain America’s the only one actively expressing and acting by his misgivings towards Red Hulk. He thinks the timing of Red Hulk showing up right when the original Hulk needed to be stopped on his rampage right out of prison was too convenient. The rest of the team decide having any Hulk on the team might be worth the risk and vote to let him stay. They hold a ceremonial press conference to present Red Hulk with his Avengers ID and have him stand alongside the rest of the team, sans Cap. While Steve’s later investigating his suspicions about Red Hulk, their new team member lets him know he’s aware of the suspicions and none-too-subtly threatens the Captain over it.

Steve takes drastic measures to help Hulk out of this mess. He breaks into Hydro-Base Prison from underwater to get into Banner’s holding cell. He finds out Wasp tagged along, since she has her own regrets about letting Hulk be captured again. She uses her shrinking powers to discover the source of Banner’s uncontrolled Hulk-out from earlier, an implant on the back of his neck. The implant gets activated again, though they manage to remove it in an act that re-earns Hulk’s trust in Cap. The other Avengers and Red Hulk show up to bust Cap for helping Hulk escape prison afterward, thanks to Red Hulk tipping them off about Cap going out on his own.

Once the two Hulks get into another fist fight, Steve give the rest of the team the rundown of how Hulk’s anger was being triggered by the remote device earlier. The fight ends up revealing the person triggering Hulk’s rampages, the Red Hulk himself. The original Green Goliath takes their fight outside the prison once Red Hulk realizes his remote isn’t working anymore. They end up on the docks, where Red Hulk starts threatening civilians to keep Hulk busy while they fight and criticizes him for being “soft.” When the rest of the Avengers arrive to intervene in the fight, Iron Man orders Red Hulk to turn in his ID card. As Red Hulk takes out the card and starts mocking the Avengers for their gullibility in trusting him, Iron Man activates a failsafe he added to the ID thanks to his own unspoken suspicions of the Red Hulk. He gets incased in a metallic polymer and reverts to his true form, General Thadeus “Thunderbolt” Ross.

With trust reformed between Hulk and the other heroes, they offer the Jade Giant his spot on the team back. However, Hulk decides he’s had enough of the hero life for a while and, with the man most dedicated to chasing him down in custody, decides he’s earned a break. He doesn’t leave before telling them they can always count on him to be there if they ever call on him again as the episode closes out. “The Deadliest Man Alive” is mostly about bringing closure to the Hulk’s narrative this season and does a decent job of that. Tying it into the final step on Cap’s journey to make up for Skrull-Cap’s misdeeds makes it a showcase for the best qualities of both members of the team. This will be the last we see of Hulk having an important role in an episode of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes and it’s a nice note to end the character on, even if it’s only so final thanks to the show getting cancelled.

Next time, we find out whose job it is to step up when Earth’s Mightiest Heroes aren’t enough.

If you like what you’ve read here, please like/reblog or share elsewhere online, follow me on Twitter (@WC_WIT), and consider throwing some support my way at either Ko-Fi.com or Patreon.com at the extension “/witswriting”

#Avengers #Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes #Earth's Mightiest Retrospective #Wit's Writing #TV Review #Marvel Comics #Marvel #superhero tv #superhero animation #animation #comics

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iwatchanimeoccasionally · 6 years

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@sweater-guy sorry this took so long and also if it got a bit, or a lot, cheesy. I had a lot of struggle between wanting to make it real and avoiding getting too real because, while the situation is based on you, I drew from real experience for the feelings so I wanted to avoid a panic attack, then I just tried to go for a happy ending. I hope it’s okay.

Trigger warning: This deals with homophobia, though I didn’t use any specific words because that is Too Much.

PS sorry if this makes things worse instead of better. I get that one person’s coping mechanisms don’t work for everyone. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if you need me to take it back down, again there will be no hard feelings if you do.

Izuku sucks at skating. He knows this, Shouto knows this, everyone who has ever been to this particular ice rink probably knows this. And yet, they’re back there again, because Shouto loves skating and Izuku hates himself.

If he’s being honest, Izuku has a lot of fun on these dates. Shouto isn’t actually that much better than him at skating, despite how much he loves doing it, though he has a lot more inherent grace on the ice than Izuku thinks he ever will. So, when they come here, they have fun fumbling around the outside, Izuku clinging to the wall and Shouto rarely letting go of Izuku’s hand. They talk and laugh at least three times a visit they joke about whether they should take lessons and, when Shouto insists that they don’t need them, it becomes debate over who needs them more.

“I’m going to go sign you up now,” Izuku say when they reach on of the exits from the rink, “You enjoy skating more, you should learn to do it properly.”

His loopy grin fades a little when a girl skates up to them. She looks about their age with blonde hair pulled up in a couple of pigtails and a puffy black coat that she’s drowning in. “Hey there,” she greets, immediately reaching a hand up and resting it lightly on Shouto’s arm. “Are you here with anyone?”

Shouto glances at Izuku, his brows drawn together like he doesn’t understand her question. “Yeah, I am,” he replies and he can’t keep the confused lilt from his voice.

The girl follows his glance and her eyes squint when she takes in Izuku. When she looks back to Shouto her eyes are wide again with false innocence and she’s got a smirk playing at the corner of her mouth. “I’m sure your friend wouldn’t mind if I stole you away for a bit,” she shoots a hard glance at Izuku like she dares him to argue but his mouth is frozen shut.

Luckily, that’s when the flirting tone sets in for Shouto and he shakes her arm off to reach out, taking Izuku’s hand in his own and weaving their gloved fingers together. “Sorry. We’re a bit more than friends and I’m not interested in being stolen away,” Shouto says, his tone not unkind. The way her face twists into a scowl would make it seem like he called her disgusting, though, and Izuku tugs Shouto’s hand.

“Let’s just go home,” he murmurs, stretching as far as he can on his skates to get close to Shouto’s ear. Shouto nods and they turn to go, but they’re intercepted before they can.

“Hey, Himiko, are these guys bothering you?” a man asks, come through the gate Izuku was about to lead them out. Shouto grasps Izuku’s hand tighter and starts leading them toward a different exit while the man exchanges a few quiet words with Himiko.

Before they can make it very far away, Shouto and Izuku and knocked over by a forceful shove to Izuku’s shoulder. They land heavily on the ice, Shouto slamming his shoulder into the wall and Izuku banging his left hip and elbow on the ice. The hulking man who intervened earlier skates past them, laughing and throwing out slurs as he does. Izuku’s on his feet in a second, ready to skate after the guy, his hands balled into fists at his side and aching to connect with the guys face. Himiko skates after him, giggling as she does and glancing back at Izuku and Shouto when she catches up with her friend.

Izuku opens his mouth to shout a challenge at them, but he pauses when he feels a hand on his leg. When he looks back, all words get caught in his throat. “Don’t,” Shouto murmurs. He’s still seated on the ice, his head bowed and his posture sunken in with only his left hand extended to grasp Izuku’s pants. “Can we go home now?”

Izuku can only nod, choking back tears at seeing the strongest man he knows so broken. He leans down and helps Shouto up, sliding in under his arm and supporting his weight when they stand. When he glances up at Shouto’s eyes, Izuku can see tears pooling there and he has too look away again before he breaks down in the middle of the ice rink. He leads Shouto in silence, for once no words come to him to fight back the smothering atmosphere, and when they get inside to trade their skates for shoes, Izuku has to kneel in front of Shouto and brush away his trembling fingers to help untie the laces.

By the time they get back to their apartment, Shouto has stopped crying and he’s able to walk completely on his own. Though he doesn’t put any distance between them with the development and, for that, Izuku is grateful. It’s only when the two of them are curled up in bed with Mighty Dog between them and music blasting in the background to drown them out that Izuku lets his sobs out. He cries until he feels like he’s incapable and when he looks up, Shouto doesn’t look much better than Izuku imagines he does.

“I’m sorry,” Izuku whispers and it gets lost in the music.

Shouto hears it, though, or he read Izuku’s lips because his brow furrows and he asks, “Why?”

Now ready to talk, Shouto gets up to turn down the music then sits in front of Izuku. Pushing himself to sitting, Izuku waits for Mighty to adjust to their new dynamic and cuddle into Shouto’s side before answering. “I’m not sure. I’m sorry that homophobic people exist. And that I can’t protect us from them. And that you were clearly upset and I just spent the last…” he glances quickly at the clock then recoils, “two hours crying instead of trying to make you feel better.”

Shouto sighs and shakes his head, red and white mixing on his face but his eyes steady on Izuku’s face. “It’s not your job to put my emotions before your own. And the opposite isn’t true for me. That experience was hurtful for us both and you’re always saying that it’s healthy to cry thing out rather than bottle them up.”

Izuku worries his lip and nods slowly. He ponders over his next words, unsure of what to say in this situation. They both know exactly how shitty it felt, there’s no point in rehashing that. A new concern dawns on him, though. Shouto grew up not having a lot of nice things and he eventually got used to not bothering to fight for them, he and Izuku have talked about that plenty of times before. Izuku’s heard that from Shouto’s sister, even. So what’s stopping Shouto from leaving him now because he doesn’t want to go through a similar experience again?

Just as Izuku is opening his mouth to ask what Shouto wants for the future of… them, Shouto speaks. “I don’t want to feel bad to being with you.” Izuku’s mouth snaps shut and he waits to see where this is going and he tries not to let his heart break over assumptions of where it might go. “People like them will always be around, we can’t pretend they won’t. And that sucks, but it’s true. So, there’s only one thing I think we can do.” Shouto pauses and closes his eyes, seemingly gearing up to something and Izuku has to bite his lip again, fighting back any sounds from escaping. “We need to work on that temper of yours so you don’t die fighting someone who thinks it’s funny to call us names.”

The laughter that bursts from Izuku startles them both, though Shouto smiles softly when his joke has it’s desired affect. “Seriously? Now you joke! I thought you were breaking up with me and I really was gonna have to go fight that guy!” Izuku exclaims once his barking laughter is finished.

Shouto’s brows furrow in confusion again and when he tilts his head to one side he looks just like Mighty when they ask who’s a good boy. “Why would I- oh,” Shouto’s smile dims and he looks down at his hands before reaching out to clasp Izuku’s. “Never. You’re worth fighting for.”

The smile they share then is genuine. The sadness still lurks clearly in each of their eyes and lingers in their posture, but they’re also both ready to move on. When Uraraka texts that evening, calling for a ‘family’ dinner, they go without giving it a second thought and the laughter that surrounds them whenever that group of friends get together helps chase away bad thoughts. Of course, those thoughts still linger and the words aren’t done haunting them when they arrive home, but spending the night drifting in and out of sleep while their favorite movies play on the background and just being with each other is enough to know that anything is possible.

#tw: homophobia #starboy izuku and whalecalf shouto

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arcanetrepidation · 7 years

Text

Remembered With Affection Thereafter

After a successful raid on a Talon-controlled location, Overwatch returns with the scientists they sought to rescue--as well as many wounded soldiers. But one patient stands out among all of them. Mercy answers the call, believing immediate care can still do something for her. Characters: Jack Morrison (Soldier 76), Angela Ziegler (Mercy), Reinhardt Wilhelm, Amélie Lacroix (Widowmaker). Oneshot, written in 2 hours. 1701 words. Comfort/Character Study. General audiences.

Sirens rang out through the base. Doors busted open and swung back and forth as stretcher upon stretcher went through them. In every bed laid an Overwatch agent, bloodied from one wound or another. Shotgun shells, SMG rounds, chemical burns… the list went on. One bed, however, did not share the same triage tag the rest did. While the majority of the tags read “DELAYED” or “MINIMAL”, this one read “IMMEDIATE”. The stretcher departed from the group—into a large room with an operating table.

“Doctor Ziegler.” A man followed the stretcher in. Blonde, with graying hair, and a gaunt face that held its expression with every word spoken.

“Sir, you are not—“ The nurse attending the stretcher began to protest his entry to the OR, but he was cut off quickly.

“Commander Morrison.” Doctor Ziegler replied, her voice muffled by the surgical mask she had just finished donning. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your non-sterile body in my operating room?”

“This isn’t a time for games, Ziegler.”

“As if it ever is. Get on with it.” Her eyebrows lowered, fingers clenching and unclenching. Her eyes darted to the covered body as the nurses began to place it on the operating table.

“You should not be saving this person.”

“I… I beg your pardon?” She let out a laugh, almost barking her question. “I do not understand.”

“This is the enemy, Ziegler. She’s a member of Talon—and there’s no use for her. We got all the information and all the hostages we needed while we were there. It’s better for everyone if she stayed down.”

“Well,” Doctor Ziegler replied, moving to stand over the body. “I am afraid that I cannot do that.”

“Angela.”

“Jack.”

“Do you not understand what I’m saying?”

“I understand perfectly well, Jack. You don’t seem to understand what I am saying. What I am saying is that when I became a doctor, I took an oath. I pledged my life to helping those in need—and whether she is the enemy or not, it is my job—no, my duty—to attend to her. I suppose I shouldn’t expect any less from the man who refused to intervene during the Omnic Crisis despite my urging, only to listen to a new recruit instead.”

“Well.” Jack’s lip twitched into a brief snarl, his eyes averting sharply to the left. “You’d better get started then.”

“Gladly. As I was about to.” Angela huffed. “Scissors. We need to get this off of her… but it’s skintight. Dammit.” Her eyes narrowed as she leaned in, fingers carefully nudging the tip of the scissors beneath one of the looser parts of the woman’s clothing.

“And one more thing.” Jack spoke up, back turned to Angela as he stood at the door.

Angela nearly threw the scissors at him.

“What.”

“Good luck. You’ll need it.” With a woosh of the doors, he had finally left.

“That’s the last of it.” Angela said, casting aside the sleek and stretchy material of the woman’s clothing. “How are her vitals?”

“They’re incredibly low, Doctor Ziegler. Blood pressure, heartbeat, and breathing rates are all incredibly low. She’s entirely blue, and… I… I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything like this before!” The nurse who wheeled her in said.

“Stay calm, we’ll get through this,” said Angela. “I cannot see any actual external wounds. Here, help me roll her.” As they turned her over, Angela’s eyes widened. “Nothing? This must be more serious than I thought.”

“That’s why I marked her for immediate treatment. No matter what, I can’t find what’s wrong with her!”

“Surely there must be something. Here, let’s check her heartbeat ourselves. Perhaps the equipment is malfunctioning.” Angela put her hand to the woman’s chest, and let out a soft gasp. “So cold… It must be a circulatory problem. But if it was a clogged artery, it wouldn’t be so spread out. It would have burst before getting to this point.”

“What about a stroke?”

“No, she would be long gone by now. It took you quite a bit to get here. I don’t think we’ll get any more answers without opening her up.”

“I’ll prep the anesthesia. Er, I’ll get the anesthesiologist.”

“No, we can’t. With her vitals like this, anesthesia may well kill her. We’ll have to operate without it. Let’s disinfect the area first.”

A few wipes and a clean slice later, Angela propped the incision open. The nurse’s face contorted into horror, while Angela’s brow furrowed with worry.

“This… what…” She leaned in. “The blood vessels are constricted. All of them. Every single one, with what looks like some sort of… cartilage?”

“What’s wrong with her?!”

“I don’t know!” Angela snapped. “I’m sorry. I just haven’t seen this before, it’s… so strange. What could cause this sort of condition?”

“I have no idea. But we have to treat her, don’t we?”

“I suppose so. Hand me a scalpel. We’ll find a way through it.”

Shnk.

“Oh my. Forceps, please.”

“Did you just break the scalpel?”

“My mistake, I’m sure. Scalpel.”

Shnk.

“Again?”

“Another.”

“Doctor Ziegler.”

“Another!”

Shnk. Shnk. Shnk.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Angela stood straight, her shoulders tight. Her hands gripped the side of the table so tightly her gloves squeaked against the metal handles.

“Ah…”

“Oh, do not tell me you are going to faint. You are my nurse! I need you!” said Angela.

“That… wasn’t me.” The nurse replied, his eyes drifting down to the table.

“Ah… docteur...” The blue woman’s eyes fluttered open, her pupils struggling to settle on Angela’s face.

“Oh, oh dear. Oh dear, oh no.” Angela leaned in. “It’s going to be okay. You’re safe, but you mustn’t move, okay? Go back to sleep now, just close your eyes and count to ten. You’re in good hands.”

“Docteur… Mon fils...”

“Your son? He’s going to be okay—you can see him again, but you must stay still.”

“Mon fils… Je vais lui voir encore…” The woman whispered, and slowly laid her head down, eyes half-lidded and falling to the side.

Bip, bip… bip… bip…. bip… … … bip … beeeeeeeeeeeeeeee—

“Clear!”

“Doctor, what are—“

PSSSHHHT!

“Clear!”

“Doctor, that’s not going to—“

PSSSHHHT!

“Clear!”

“ANGELA!”

“I…” Angela held the paddles firmly, her hands shaking and her shoulders heaving. “I can’t… I can’t, not after…”

“Doctor Ziegler, she’s… she’s gone. There’s nothing more we can do. Just… stitch her up. It’s the least we can do.”

Angela lowered the paddles into their cradles, breathing heavy.

“You’re right. You’re right. I’ll just… close her up.”

The operating room was silent for the rest of the operation, save for the small shhhp, shhhp of Angela’s sutures. She wrapped her chest in bandages, trying to make her look presentable. The body was taken out of the room, wheeled to the morgue by the nurse. Angela sat down at her desk, changed out of her scrubs and alone with her thoughts in her quarters.

She filled out the paperwork slowly. The name stayed blank. She didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t want that name poisoning her thoughts, her very being—she didn’t want to think about all of the people she knew, whispering it between each other as they heard the news.

“This is the enemy, Ziegler.”

“But that didn’t mean…” Angela whispered to herself.

Woosh. The door opened without another warning. A massive, hulking figure of a man stepped through.

“Reinhardt! What, uh, what brings you here?” Angela frantically asked, snapping out of her moment.

“I heard what you have done today, Angela.” Reinhardt walked past Angela, taking a seat on her bed. The springs creaked in protest. “And what you could not do.”

“Oh… has it spread so quickly?” Angela’s grin fell, and she averted her eyes.

“I understand that it must be hard to lose a patient. I, myself, have lost someone today. We all have. And it is something that will likely hang over us for a very long time.”

“I’m so sorry, Reinhardt, I had no idea.”

“She was the one who killed her.”

“What?”

“That woman. That… Amélie. She was the one who took Captain Amari’s life.”

“Captain Amari is dead?!” Angela stood up, her chair rocketing backwards. “And I… I tried to…”

“No. Angela, I came in here to tell you that what you did was honorable.”

“Honorable…?”

“It is something that… if I was in there, her life in my hands… I do not believe I would have had the strength to do. But you tried. You gave it your all, like you always do. Just like we all try to do. And sometimes… even that is not enough.” Reinhardt stood, putting a hand on Angela’s shoulder. “And that is something that we must learn to live with. Sometimes, we will fail.” His eyes drifted to the paperwork. “Sometimes, we will lose. But we will not always. And today does not have to be the day that we throw in the towel.” He gently pulled Angela in for an embrace. “Captain Amari would not appreciate it if we did.”

“You’re right.” Angela sighed into his arm, her cheek pressed against his chest. The thumping heartbeat was a far cry from Amélie’s. Full of life and determination. Something that carried Reinhardt onwards—no matter the situation. She could feel some of that seep into herself. Something that was needed.

“Thank you, Reinhardt. I understand.” Angela brought the chair back, sitting down, and began to fill out the paperwork once more.

Amélie Lacroix, it read. Cause of death: Unknown cardiovascular disease.

A rendezvous under moonlight, the lights and security measures of the base disabled. The two would not be disturbed.

On the left, a slender girl with hair that shone pink in the dark, her fingers like claws.

“The files?”

On the right, a tall blue woman wearing nothing but a hospital gown and bandages.

“Here.”

“Perfect. Everything we needed. And what about them?”

A quiet, steady gaze back at the base. The lights begin to flicker back on, and the security systems reboot. The two take their leave quickly and quietly.

“They will not be looking for me any longer.”

“... If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help. “

-The Hippocratic Oath, modernized by Louis Lasanga of Tufts University

#Overwatch #Mercy #Widowmaker #Reinhardt #Soldier 76 #fanfic #Zack writes a thing

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carterthornton · 7 years

Text

The Third Wave | Chapter Two: Yuko

Aiko arrived safely at home at around two in the afternoon, after accompanying Salvador to the hospital via ambulance. She took a bus home— coincidentally located right next to her workplace —and refrained from fiddling with her newfound power. Though, admittedly, the temptation was palpable. She was mostly concerned with how to break the news to her father, as the sheer absurdity of the situation would surely hit him like a meteor. He was a short-fused man at times, but he was rational in situations like this. With how she handled the situation with the police, Aiko banked on her father's rational side, hoping it would be the first face she saw as she came through her front door. To her dismay, however, she made a poor investment.

"You told them what?!" Aiko could see the steam shoot out of her father's ears as she finished her explanation, hissing like a boiling kettle. "Why the hell would tell the police that you have a Mark?!"

"What? Do you think they'd believe some normie Asian kid kicked a Mark-user's ass just like that?!" Aiko huffed, crossing her arms defiantly. "Dad, I had to defend myself... and you know I'm incapable of telling a good lie."

"Yeah... yeah, I know, Koko..." He took a couple deep breaths to regain his composure, then held her tightly in his arms. "I'm glad you're okay... though, I can't say the same for Salvador."

"The doctors told me his wounds aren't too severe. That beast guy's claws didn't damage any internal organs, and he woke up a few hours after they treated him. Though, he'll still have to stay for quite a while..." Aiko trailed off, staring down at her feet as she took a seat at one of the stools by her kitchen island. "I wish I could've-."

"Don't. Don't start blaming yourself, Koko. Salvador made his choice; he wanted to protect you." Aiko's father reassured her as he sat down on the nearest stool beside her own.

"Still... what about the store? Salvador is injured, and I'm hardly qualified to run it by myself..." Aiko sighed, looking down at the Mark on her hand.

"I'll figure something out with him, Koko. Leave that to me." Her father insisted as he took a closer look at the peculiar Mark. "So... what does it do?"

"I'm not so sure yet. It hasn't been identified in any of my books. Although, based on what I've seen in Sal's store, I think this thing might be an Alteratio-type Mark— the ones that alter the environment but not the user. I'll have to test it out to really get to understand it." Aiko clicked her tongue as she looped around the island and grabbed a mug from her cupboard, setting it out on the island's granite countertop. "If I'm right..." Aiko tapped the countertop with her right hand, then visualized the same arm she had created out of the ceramic floor earlier. To her surprise, the granite began to spawn more of itself. At first, it formed a small bulb, then, it rapidly expanded, forming a very human-like arm entirely composed of the polished rock. "Ah-ha! So it's a Construction Class!"

"Holy hell..." Aiko's father marvelled at the strange limb as it mimicked Aiko's moving hand, twiddling its thumb in a circular motion. "How did you figure this thing out?"

"Well... thinking back to my encounter with the homeless guy, I had touched the floor numerous times. I just made an educated guess." Aiko then looked back down at her Mark, trying to make sense of its symbolic meaning— the larger figure standing behind the man like it was some kind of minion. "I don't think this is the extent of this Mark's power..." Aiko focused again, imagining her body emerging from a pool of water. As she did this, the arm extended until a shoulder popped out of the granite, then a face, then a torso. Slowly but surely Aiko constructed a moving, articulate statue out of the granite countertop. Yet, the counter itself didn't seem to reduce in size at all. "What-..." Aiko trailed off as the golem turned to face her. "She looks like-."

"Jesus-..." Her father was the next to notice as he looked up at its face.

The granite construct, while retaining Aiko's body type, was much taller and better built than Aiko herself— almost seven feet in height. It wore nothing, and though feminine in form, it lacked any detail on its breasts and was completely sexless. However, the most frightening part of the statue was its face; it was not Aiko's, but her mother's round face, similar to the one in photos Aiko had, photos of her in Okinawa when she was in university. The golem's hair was done up in a ponytail and was also made of granite, yet it flowed the same as if it were liquid— all the way down to her hips. Both Aiko and her father were rendered speechless as the eyes of the silent statue simply stared down at its master from atop the counter, awaiting her command.

"Yumi..." Her father cupped his mouth with his right hand as the statue looked his way, copying his daughter. "Aiko... how did you-...?"

"I-... I didn't do it on purpose, dad! I'll try and-!"

"No, don't-..." He smiled as the statue's familiar face brought him back to his youth. "Her face looks the same as when I met her in the harbour all those years ago." He chuckled under his breath as he saw the rest of the golem's giantess body. "And the rest of her...?"

"I don't know... maybe I don't have control over that. Maybe it's just naturally... big...?" Aiko said as she waved her hand to the side, motioning to the golem to step down from the island. It obeyed without any hesitation. "It seems to follow my commands."

"You know what this means, right?" Her father asked as he sat back down on his stool.

"We have to get me a registration card?" Aiko replied.

"Most definitely. Now that the police know you've got a Mark, they'll be some registration officer phoning here any minute." He nodded, grabbing his smartphone from his pocket. "Now, where the hell is that phonebook...?" Aiko's father rummaged through a few drawers before he unknowingly bumped into the golem, who he forgot was still in the room; it was blocking the last drawer right next to the fridge. "Um... can I get through?"

"Dad, I don't think she speaks-..." Aiko was cut off by the golem, who gave her father a nod, then took its place behind her. "Oh."

"I'll make a call here, alright, Koko?" He said, sifting through the sea of numbers in the thick book. "Hopefully I can book you an appointment at the town office sometime tonight."

"Um, hey, dad..." Aiko awkwardly scratched the back of her head as the hulking golem carefully followed her, making sure not to drag its abrasive feet across the wood floor. "Can I go out and-?"

He scowled at Aiko immediately, rolling his eyes as she leaned against the golem, who stared at him with a blank, stone expression. "Aiko, you're killing me! You just got a Mark and-..." He let out a long sigh as the sound of elevator music welcomed him to the call line. "Huh... son of a gun..."

"What?" Aiko wondered.

"Well, I didn't think there was even a hold function on the registration line..." He said as he scratched his chin. "There must be a ton of people calling in right now."

"So then those news reporters were right? About The Third Wave?" Aiko added.

"For a change, yeah..." He chuckled as he stared down at the floor before looking up at Yumi's stone face.

"Ah, go-... go outside if you want. I'll call you in once I get an answer from the office."

"Thanks, dad..." Aiko said with a warm smile as she put her runners back on, grabbing her satchel and books. She turned to her new minion and patted her on the shoulder before opening the door. "C'mon, Yuko."

"Yuko...?" Aiko's dad raised an eyebrow at the name.

"Well, I figured since she looks like both mom and I, I'd combine our names...?" Aiko suggested as she walked through the doorway, waiting for Yuko to follow. Sure enough, it opened the door by itself and met her on the other side, much to her surprise. "Did you see that?!"

Admittedly, Aiko's father was practically screaming on the inside. The angry dad side of him wanted her to stay in the house, to get rid of the silly statue. But he couldn't find it in himself to say something like that, not when he could see his wife's face just a few meters away. Aiko was the kind of girl who would walk her path alone, independent. She got that from Yumi. And now that she had a Mark of her own, he could see even more pathways open up for her. On one hand, the multitude of possibilities frightened his rational side, shaking him by the shoulders, telling him to intervene. However, on the other hand, with all the knowledge she already had, and her mother's spirit guiding her, he just couldn't step in front of Aiko. She was eighteen, and despite his best efforts to get Aiko to stray from her goal, he couldn't stop her. Just like her mother, Aiko wanted to be an IMOP officer. Like it or not, he had to face facts.

****

Aiko's backyard was dominated mostly by the large creek that ran through it year round into a pond at the bottom of a ravine. Even in the winter, the weather would always be warm enough for her to wade in the clear stream. As a child, she would often make paper boats with her father, then race them down the stream to see who would make it down the waterfall at the end.

"Okay, okay... let's try something here..." Aiko dunked her hand into the creek, grabbing a rock about the size of her hand. Yuko stood firm in the creek, unmoving in the currents as she watched her master juggle the rock about. Aiko held the rock up to Yuko's face, making sure she saw what she was holding. "Alright, Yuko... show me what you can do. Think fast!" Aiko tossed the rock at her stone minion's face, and as she predicted, the golem blew it away. But not only did it do that; as a showcase of its strength and precision, it flicked the rock with its index finger, smashing it to pieces. "Holy shit!" Aiko shielded her eyes from the flying debris as the piece exploded into a grey mist. "Damn... you're strong." In fact, the force of the impact was so great that the golem's finger had been completely blown off.

Aiko wanted to try something else, something more intense. She grabbed a piece of white shale from the drier rocks along the banks of the creek, then followed the stream and jumped down into the ravine, marking a large boulder near the pond with a big white 'X'.

"Smash this rock," Aiko ordered her golem, slapping the large stone before taking a good few steps back for safety.

"Ha..." The golem muttered as it raised its left hand over the stone. "Ya!" Faster than Aiko's eye could track, the golem's hand slammed into the stone with incredible speed, smashing it like a piece of porcelain. However, it lost its left forearm in the process.

"Huh... looks like you need some repairs..." Aiko scratched her chin for a moment as she thought, searching the banks for a larger rock. Sure enough, she found a sturdy looking black rock— polished by the gentle currents. "I wonder...?" She tapped the stone with her finger, causing her golem to morph and change. Yuko lost her grey and became obsidian black like the stone in Aiko's hand, and she took on an even more polished sheen. Her forearm and finger also regenerated as well. "So I suppose I'll have to keep switching between substances to get the most use out of you, huh?"

"Uh." The golem nodded, standing tall and at the ready.

"Can you speak English?" Aiko asked the giantess, to which she received no reply. "Guess not... but you seem somewhat capable of individual thought. Where do you come from exactly?"

"Un..." The golem replied, pointing at the black stone in Aiko's hand.

"Well, yeah, I know that..." Aiko grumbled as she tossed the stone back in the creek, running her hand through her hair, realizing how insane the whole thing was. "Oh my god, am I talking to a rock...?"

"Uh," Yuko mumbled.

"Well, anyways... let's try some other stuff."Aiko climbed up the hillside into her backyard, scouring the ground for any other materials. "Where was that-? Ah!" Aiko grinned as she came to her father's axe; it was embedded in a two-by-four lying on the ground. She removed the axe from the wood, placing her hand on the metal head as she watched Yuko closely. As expected, the golem's body became the steel on the edge of the axe— a little faded but still metallic. "Oh, this should be good. Let's see how fast you are now..."

"Un." Yuko nodded, raising her fists and readying herself.

Aiko scooped up a handful of rocks, tossing them at Yuko all at once in a grapeshot volley. "Think fast!"

"Yaaaaaaaaaa!" Yuko screamed as she unleashed a barrage of punches, so fast in fact, that the speed of the punches kicked up wind, and her arms appeared to be simply silver streaks in the air. Each punch obliterated a stone flying at Yuko before Aiko could even gawk at the impressive feat. With a nod, Yuko ceased her flurry, her hands hot from the friction of scraping the air at such high velocities.

"Holy hell... even when she's made of steel she's fast..." Aiko marvelled at the steam radiating from Yuko's hands. "Her hands must've been going at least six-hundred kilometres an hour!"

"Un," Yuko grunted in her low but still feminine voice.

"Hey, Koko! I got through to the registration office!" Aiko's father called out to her as he stuck his head out of the door.

"What did they say?"

"They're clogged up until tomorrow morning I'm afraid. There's a ton of new Mark-users in Port Renfrew from what I've heard." He answered, motioning to Aiko to come inside. "C'mon. Let's have a bite to eat in that case." He then stopped the door with his foot to let them both pass. "Hey, is your statue thing steaming?!"

"Uh." Yuko groaned as she followed Aiko inside.

****

Aiko's father served his famous grilled cheese and mushroom soup that lunch, a Rodger Schmitt trademark dish he was awfully prideful of. And truthfully, it had the taste to back such pride. Aiko and her father sat at the island like they always did, and Yuko stood in the living room, eyeing the TV like a mystified child as 'The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly' played on TCM.

"Uh?" Yuko paid close attention to Clint Eastwood's character as he dispatched a multitude of cowboys with his revolver. "Un..."

"Uh, dad... don't you think she should be watching something a little more light-hearted?" Aiko asked as she watched Yuko pace about the living room carpet, mimicking Eastwood's stoic walk.

"Nah, she's a big girl. Besides, you've got her under control, don't ya?"

"Well, yeah, but..." Aiko swallowed nervously as Yuko began made a fake gun with her thumb and index finger. "I'm not so sure how independent she is."

"If she has both you and Yumi in her then she won't hurt a fly, trust me." He insisted, taking a sip of his coffee as he unfolded the newspaper, opening up to the 'world politics' section. "Ah, what the hell are the Russians up to now?"

"What? Did they annex anybody?" Aiko inquired.

"No, nothing like that. That didn't go over too well the first time. That Brokov is a tricky bastard, let me tell you... he's breathing down the neck of China again. The guy won't quit!"

"Geez, are the Russians crazy? Why don't they just get him out of power?" Aiko suggested, taking a peek at her father's newspaper.

"From what I've learned in books, those Russians like being oppressed. Besides, their president has an entourage of Mark-users around him at all times. Any assassin going after him is either a loon or has a death wish."

"Oh yeah... doesn't Brokov have Crimson Inferno as his right-hand man? I heard that guy once melted a whole town just by walking through it." Aiko recalled her days as a high school student when news of popular IMOP agents would trickle through social media and enter the classroom. "I think he had a Productorem-type Mark."

"He's a disgrace to the badge. He thinks he's some kind of god just because his academy won the M Games two years ago." He scoffed at the thought of him. "Most of those First Wavers are just a bunch of cocky assholes."

"First come, first to rule I guess." Aiko shrugged her shoulders, then took a long sip from her glass of milk. Her eyes wandered, staring over towards Yuko, who was clapping her hands vigorously at the sight of Clint Eastwood with a stogie in his mouth.

"Huh... she has good taste in movies." Aiko's father grinned as he finished off his coffee.

"You seem fairly lax about this whole thing, dad. I mean... there's a seven foot tall, naked metal woman sitting in your living room watching old western movies, and you're not even flinching." Aiko said as she gathered all their dishes and placed them in the sink to rinse.

"Eh, your mother told me crazier stories during her time in the IMOP. You've heard em'." He chuckled, folding up his newspaper and laying it out on that table as he tucked in his chair.

"Not all of them." Aiko pried, wishing to unravel this side of her father.

"There's too many to count..." He bit his tongue before his excitement got the better of him, and he tossed his coffee mug in the dishwasher, tending to the dishes in the sink that needed to be washed off.

"You would think." Aiko backed off, realizing the package she was unwrapping.

"Aiko? Would you toss these dishes in the washer? I'm gonna go out for a walk." Her father muttered as he shuffled past Yuko, who tugged on his pant leg curiously. But he shook her off. "It's fine."

Yuko unfolded her legs and stood up, wandering over to Aiko, who watched as her father stormed off without a goodbye. "Uh?"

"It's taken me four years to get that far with him... four." Aiko crossed her arms uncomfortably, glaring at the ground to vent her frustration. "I want to know what he's thinking when he's like that... just once." Aiko was met with a long silence as she sat on the edge of the kitchen sink, Yuko standing just a foot away. "Oh, what the hell am I doing? I'm talking to a giant hunk of metal now..."

"Ko..." Yuko raised an eyebrow at Aiko as she peered into her eyes; they were the same as hers. "Ko."

"Yeah, that's what my dad calls me. Koko." Aiko nodded, jumping off the sink.

"Koko?" Yuko grunted as she stared down at her own hands like they were those of an alien.

#manga series novel author tags outoftagideas gettingbored sobored

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