That haunting chorus of violins that fill the dark, those words– Pure Vanilla looks back over the space and finds exactly what he'd feared. Expected.
There they are, gliding across the void so, so terribly intertwined they almost appeared as one. In some ways, he supposed they were. Pure Vanilla watches himself be led in a dance so improper and aimless and… Had Shadow Milk's expression truly been so… adoring, that day?
Fanart and coincidental birthday gift for the talented off1cially_done who wrote this (the fanfic is pretty heavy, remember to look at the tags before reading!)
Shadowvanilla fanfics are so rare, I gotta show my appreciation for them when I can(!) There was plan to draw a different scene but this chapter was too good, came for the toxic stay for the Eternal Sugar. I refrains from drawing the unreleased beasts in fear of messing up their designs but her depiction in the story was amazing I just had to draw her! Like ughh, pretty pink angel pls be my winglady <333
Also, the dancing scene was my favorite scene in "the light continue". For it to come back and confirm to us that yes this was PV's first spark of love is so aaaa- Anyways, here's something extra!
Giggling, saw this one meme and immediately thought of them. I know some spirits / spirit groups would also fit this but my brainrot focus to Rhythm troupe...
Fadel never planned on killing Style. He might have thought about it on a surface level, but he never truly planned on killing Style. He might not have even planned on killing Kant. I also think Fadel knows that Style isn't the one to blame for the start of the lies. At least subconsciously he knows this.
Bison told him how Style got involved. That Kant brought Style in at his request in order for Fadel to let them date.
Fadel is probably now skeptical about how involved Style is with the cops. This gave Fadel a line of doubt for Style's betrayal and that's all he needed. Then Fadel's actions for the rest of the episode betrayed his words about killing Style.
While Bison was fantasizing about killing Kant (though I don't think he actually wanted to kill Kant either and he was just in the middle of being supremely hurt by Kant and that was his way of processing but that's another post that I will probably never write tbh), Fadel was planning how to betray them the way that they felt betrayed. That is not the thought process of someone who wants to kill. That is the thought process of a lover who wants to seek equal justice for the hurt caused. Eye for an eye and all that. If Fadel wanted Style and Kant dead for betraying them, he would have had a different plan. He would have planned a quick death for Style and Kant and mourned his lover but moved on. He would have had Bison kill Style while he went after Kant. That would have been the cleanest and most surefire way to kill both of them.
But the thing is, Fadel and Bison are ultimately good people. They are hit men, yes, but they only go after people that they fully believe are bad people. People that they believe are hurting others. They believe the world will be a safer place without the people they kill in it. Which is why they will struggle to kill Kant and Style. Not just because they love them but because they are not bad people tha are deserving of death. It is also why Fadel and Bison stopped that abusive ex boyfriend, not once, but twice. They should be keeping a low profile, especially after that botched hit. But by helping and stopping that abusive ex, they made themselves known and they made themselves seen. They got injured in the process of helping. Now more people are involved and seeing their faces. That is not what two hit men hell bent on getting vengeance on their lovers by way of death are going to do. They are going to kill them first and leave. But they are incapable of not helping others when they know they can help.
Fadel, specifically, seemed to be searching for ways to not kill Style. First, by having just a lousy initial plan. Then, when at the bowling alley, he took his time getting that poison out. I thought it was odd how obvious this professional hit man was being by looking around so much. But then it hit me (pun not intended), Fadel was searching for a reason, any reason, to not use that poison. He was searching for something to stop him, and he found it. It was just a second, but it was enough to stop him. He thought he saw someone concerning and he stopped. Had he really wanted to kill Style, that brief glance would not have been a deterrent.
The thing that I've been most obsessed with though is in the hospital, after Bison has been stabbed and Fadel has decided to drop the mask, he warns Style:
He is giving Style a chance. He is telling Style as subtly as he can that he is a dangerous man and he already knows Style knows that. This line is Style's chance to run. This is Style's chance to be paranoid and look around every corner to see if his hit man boyfriend is waiting for him. Why drop the mask? Why warn Style? Why give Style a chance if he wanted to kill him? Fadel is capable of many things, but I don't think he could ever kill Style. When he told Style that he loved him, he meant it with his whole heart and soul. It was the truth of him and no matter how big the betrayal was, not matter how hurt Fadel is, he cannot deny the truth at the core of his being: he loves Style. And he cannot stop himself. He is trying, but to deny his love for Style now is to deny a fundamental part of who he is.
And that is why he doesn't kill Style at that pool. Why does he need Style to find Bison? He doesn't. Fadel already has the skills he needs to track them down. We could argue he needs Style to drive the car, but that's not really true. He got Style to that pool somehow and it is definitely possible to drive with a broken arm (please do not drive in a sling though please please please do not do that). So making Style help him find Bison and Kant is just another reason for him to keep Style alive. A justification to put off killing the one person he cannot bring himself to kill. Style knows this. Style knows that Fadel loves him. Style also knows that he loves Fadel. The lies have come out and the road is rocky but they both know deep in their being that they love each other. And that is why Fadel lowers the gun and rests his eyes. When he is in the car, alone with Style, with no one around to judge or to demand Style's death, he can relax. When it's just him and Style, Fadel doesn't need to worry about pretending to try to kill him (though I don't think Fadel realizes he was pretending). Alone, with Style driving them towards his brother and Kant, Fadel finally, finally rests.
Hello! Is it true that in the new Bleach novel Ulquiorra will be interested in Orihime (probably romantically)? I recently saw a TikTok explaining this, but I can’t find the source they got this info from.
I’m so flattered you chose me to ask this! 🙈 And yes, I have indeed seen that TikTok hehe.
Personally and unfortunately, no I do not think that video is a credible source. I assume the OP grabbed the crumb from the April Fool’s visual novel and twisted the narrative for more views (I don’t blame them—it is definitely head-turning news!).
In the visual novel, Ulquiorra does express that he has to go to the bakery soon before they sell out (and therefore doesn’t want to be involved in any of Grimmjow’s shenanigans). It sort of implies that he is a regular customer there.
But this is all we got. Orihime isn’t mentioned, nor is it confirmed that she works there in this AU. And there’s no telling if the novel will even follow the events of the visual novel so… 🤷🏻♀️
so I just watched the daredevil shows and I caught the fisk flu... do you have any kingpin-centric comic recommendations? perhaps something with vanessa, although I don't think she ever got a lot of limelight in the comics.
I'm going to read the main daredevil runs eventually but I hauve so much covid about willie right now.... I wish he was more popular in this website, I'm parched 😔
Oh, thank you for asking me! (◕‿◕✿) And I agree, not enough Fisk love in this fandom, despite being such a big (double meaning) character. One of the best villains of all time, unappreciated! But I'm happy to help with some recs where I can. You may, in fact, regret asking. xD
I wish I had better news on the Vanessa front. The unfortunate thing about her character, especially in Daredevil comics, is that she spends most of it in a coma of sorts. So you're very right about her never getting as much focus as you'd think, given her undeniable influence over him. But I'll try to give some suggestions with her and then mention my fav Fisk comics overall.
I'm admittedly guilty of not fully reading every Spider-Man comic with his origins. (I need to do that.) But if you wanna see this man be an absolute simp for his wife, I love The Amazing Spider-Man (1963) #197. Vanessa gives him 24 hours to quit crime, or she'll leave him. Fisk tries using his limited time to finish off Spider-Man and comes close, but at the last second, time runs out and Vanessa puts her foot down. He caves and they leave New York for Japan, where he legitimately quits crime to be with her. ♥
.......He quits crime until Daredevil #170. Which is another rec from me. Fisk planned on being good and turning past accomplices over to law enforcement. Vanessa goes ahead to NYC to help coordinate this (at the law office of Nelson & Murdock, of course), but she's kidnapped by the accomplices Fisk would betray. Needless to say, he immediately falls into old patterns to get her back safely. However, she is presumably killed in the fallout. She IS alive, of course, but not only does Fisk not know this (yet), she has lost her memories. Which sets the unfortunate tone for most of her character for the rest of her time. Even when he gets her back, she is mostly confined to a bed, having little presence other than moments when Fisk visits her and is sad.
But an amazing one-off comic about the conclusion of this dynamic is when Fisk hires a professional to help her mental state. Daredevil: Love and War (1986) is art in every way. It's a long one, but so good about showing Fisk's love for her, putting her own well-being over what he wants. Matt ends the comic somberly remarking that Fisk will never see her again, and sadly, this is pretty much true. So yes, despite Fisk's love for Vanessa being a very big deal due to how he feels for her, we never get to see it very much. I remember being surprised just how little there is.
Vanessa isn't really seen again until Daredevil (1998) #29, when she finds out Fisk was nearly killed. (Ironically, he's unconscious in bed this time.) There's a good bit to read in the middle, but Vanessa's arc comes to this wonderfully dramatic and tragic conclusion in Daredevil (1998) #92 and #93. The latter is good Fisk angst. 👌
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But for recs specifically about Fisk, I got you, anon. 👍 I'd say def hit the ones in red. The ones in blue, I leave up to you.
I'll warn you now that Fisk does appear a lot in Spider-Man and Punisher comics as well, but my personal reading bias skews very obviously towards Daredevil. (Though I have occasionally read others.) I like how he's portrayed in it best. SM goes a little too over-the-top with Fisk imo (understandable since he's physically weaker than a hero with vibes that demand camp), and Punisher... idk. I think SM comics want a vintage Bond villain and Punisher comics want a more flat, evil, thriller movie villain. If that makes sense.
If someone knows really good Fisk content I'm missing out on from other comic series, let me know!
Definitely pick up at Daredevil (1964) #170 where he's introduced in DD. I would especially recommend #170-#172 about him getting re-established as Kingpin, but reading some after that can't hurt. I adore the dynamic Fisk had with Daredevil for a time. It was so interesting for both their characters' sake. Especially in instances like #190. I highkey mourn what we lost from this comic era, when Matt would go to him for information and they would have their little tete-a-tete with mutual backscratching. It was so much more interesting (imo) than the deep hatred they usually display.
And then starting at #202, there's a character named Micah Synn who slowly becomes a mutual antagonist to them both. (Fisk is involved in #206 and #210-#214.) I wouldn't say it's "required" Fisk reading, just an interesting arc I like. It has great moments like this one from #211 of Fisk and Matt agreeing to work together. (I know I'm a shipper, but even taking my glasses off, this is so gooooooood!)
There is, of course, the notorious Born Again arc from issues #227-#233. It's a staple of their relationship taking a sharp turn, with Fisk trying to destroy his life. (Crazy how things between them change so much in just a dozen issues? But, ya know, different writers gonna write different.)
Here is where to read Daredevil: Love and War.
I recommend picking up at #254 with the introduction of Fisk hiring Typhoid Mary. Since Fisk and Mary are married now in recent comics, I think it's somewhat important to see how things started between them. (Maybe hit #254-#257 then #259-#263.)
#261 is... ahem... not not hot. 👀 They absolutely destroy his office. lol.
If you ask me, #297-#300 feel like the very delayed conclusion of Born Again. It's really good from the ironic outlook of Fisk losing everything after he tried destroying Matt's life. With #300 culminating in this one page I love. I love. I love sooo much.
After that, Fisk begins his slow rise back to power, coming up from literally homeless on the subway. I love his perseverance to always work his way back up. It's one of my favorite qualities about the character. You can follow his ascent if you choose.
I'd say the time to really clock back in for Fisk is in Daredevil (1998) #10-#15 with the Echo arc and how he raised Maya. But if you read no other issue therein, read #15. It finally details his origin from childhood poverty. It's different from the tv series but also clear how they were inspired by the comic to write episode 1x08. Fisk is blinded at the end of this arc (basically the Hawkeye tv finale), so he is taken out of play for a time, so to speak.
In Daredevil (1998) #27, he is stabbed on his son Richard's orders. This is when Vanessa comes back into the picture. Admittedly, I have not read this whole arc through, just bits and pieces. ^-^; You can read it for the Vanessa parts. Her retribution towards Richard, dismantling Fisk's empire, and having Fisk sent overseas for treatment (that also restores his sight) is important. But Fisk himself is not in it very much.
Another rise to power starting in Daredevil (1998) #46 as Fisk takes back the empire Vanessa sold off. Kinda ends with him going to prison in #50, so you could say there's not much to gain from reading it as we're at square -1 with not enough about Fisk's character to make it worthwhile, imo. (Not my favorite writing with him, to say the least. Like wtf?)
Starting in Daredevil (1998) #76, you have the Murdock Papers arc with Fisk trying to cut a deal to incriminate Matt as Daredevil to bargain for his own freedom. Admittedly, it's another I haven't fully read through. Some arcs just don't hit right for me. You could feel differently though. My favorite part is how this concludes in #81 with them both going to prison. lol.
I do like where it immediately picks up in Daredevil (1998) #82. Prison arc is good, and you can see where the Born Again tv series took inspiration all the way up through #93. For Fisk reasons, I like #85-#86 with Fisk and Matt working together to break free and not die. And then #92-#93 where you see Vanessa was behind trying to kill them. At the end of #93, Matt represents Fisk as his attorney to get him out of prison, Vanessa's dying request. Definitely read #93.
Following his agreement with Matt, Fisk leaves the country. I love where we pick up with him in Daredevil (1998) #116. It's been two years following Vanessa's death, and Fisk is still mourning. But in Spain, he meets a woman and her two children and begins to sort of be happy again. It reminds me a lot of how Fisk was at the beginning of Daredevil #170, content to leave crime behind and be happy in love.
I wish things ended better, of course, but I also love the following issue #117. (I think #117 is notable for another reason, and it's that Charlie gave a physical copy to Vincent as a gift that he keeps in his office. ♥) And then you'll possibly want to read that arc to its conclusion, but definitely read #116-#117.
Not DD but Savage Wolverine (2013) #6-#8 is good for Vanessa and Fisk angst reasons. Fisk becomes the leader of the Hand but they test him by resurrecting Vanessa to kill him or make him kill her. She's a bit zombie-ish, but it's a good/tragic little character arc.
I feel weird saying it because there are parts I genuinely do like, but I also sort of feel like the San Francisco arc (with him and Matt "coincidentally" on the other side of the country) could be skipped. If we're strictly going for Fisk highlights that I like most and recommend. I think the biggest point for me is that his memory is erased along with the rest of the world and he no longer knows Matt Murdock is Daredevil.
So insteeeeead... I'd suggest jumping right into the Mayor Fisk arc, tbh. Technically begins at the tail end of Daredevil (2015) #28, but all you really get from it is a page of Foggy telling Matt over the phone that Fisk just won the election. You're fine to pick up at Daredevil (2015) #595. (Don't let the number fool you. They switched to counting total number of DD comics instead of being broken up by different volumes.) I much prefer the comic Mayor Fisk arc to... what Born Again tv was. (Deputy Mayor Murdock, yes!) Matt tries to overthrow him but sorta has to accept Fisk as mayor by the end of the story in #605. I think I'd suggest reading all issues between the two.
Getting closer to modern comics and the numbering convention changes again. You can probably hit Daredevil (2019) in its entirety as Zdarsky builds on his own writing. 36 issues, so I'll leave it up to you. It's hard to suggest what to read or not read as it's all very interconnected. Difficult to skip around. My favorite Fisk parts are him vs the Stromwyns (powerful rich family) starting in #12 where he soon becomes afraid of them. Which comes to a head in #20 when he disobeys them and fights with Daredevil to protect citizens. I do like that within this run, he begins to fall for Typhoid Mary on an emotional level, where before it was more physical. At the end of #35, he proposes marriage, and in #36, they get married. This run is also notable for bringing in Butch (Fisk's illegitimate son he didn't know about) as a character, who is trying to become a criminal kingpin.
The Devil's Reign (2021) arc is undoubtedly what the Born Again tv series is working towards for S2, but I kinda doubt they'll do it right. (How can they?) Anyway... it's about Matt finally removing Fisk as mayor once and for all. Six issues, fairly dramatic, probably best to read the whole thing. Ends with Fisk retiring from Kingpin yet again.
It's difficult to suggest anything past that. Fisk has shown up in some stuff, and while I like parts of what we've had, nothing so far has really wowed me. I do feel they might have something in the works with him though, and I'd really like to know what the heck it is. (He may have found religion after being possessed by a demon? idk.)
Non-Daredevil Comics
Big recommend for Kingpin (2017). Obviously. It's a 5-issue run about him. I've read it a few times. It's Fisk trying to get a journalist to write a biography about him. He tries to play her, of course, by exaggerating his good side while she tries to dig deeper. But there are interesting bits that clearly aren't just for her sake, like learning Fisk has built a children's hospital he named after Vanessa. But still with plenty of dark Kingpin bits to balance things out.
I think Civil War II: Kingpin (2016) is a good one to read. Yet another instance of Fisk regaining power from nothing amidst a Minority Report-style plot where an inhuman is capable of predicting crimes before they happen. Which obviously makes crime difficult. But Fisk finds a little guy who negates that effect, allowing him to do his criming again. There is a non-zero chance I just like this intimate handwashing scene.
Kingpin (2003) is another short run about Fisk. It's an origin story as well, detailing him first rising through the ranks to be Kingpin, but this is NOT 616 Fisk. It is another, similar reality. I don't know why I don't care for it very much. If I'm being truthful, this one doesn't grab me like I wish it did, and I may have mostly skimmed it. But you might like it.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #32-#36 is a more cartoonish Fisk, but I don't mean that in a bad way. I don't think you really need to know much about the juvenile hero Moon Girl to jump right in. (Smart science girl has a dinosaur.) I like this arc with Fisk because we suddenly learn about an adopted daughter he has named Princess. She's a brat and I love her. I love how Fisk spoils her. I am the target audience for this silly little plot.
Doctor Strange (2015) #21-#24 seems like a weird choice. Because it is. But I like Fisk's inclusion in it. The city is overrun by monsters and he joins the heroes to try and set things right. He flies a limo into a giant creature, he comes out as a Lord of the Rings fan, he gets a possessed skull to play with. It's fun.
I like Spider-Man: King's Ransom. There are some comics leading up to the event, but I'm really just in it for the very end where Fisk has a magic tablet to undo death. He makes the selfless decision to forgo resurrecting Vanessa and bring back their son Richard instead.
Love What If...? (1989) #73. I've actually thought about uploading the whole issue into a tumblr post because it's 24 pages and who's going to stop me? Basically an AU where Fisk adopts Matt after Jack is killed. I think it's interesting from both characters' perspective how much they grow to care for each other. With Fisk even promising to quit crime after years of adult Matt defending him in court.
Daredevil Noir (2009) is okay. I'm gonna be real with you. I just like this Fisk. But a 1930s AU is always fun, right?
1872 is a western AU where Fisk is mayor of the small town. I really like it, but I like westerns so I may just be biased. I just wish we had more leading up to the events of the four-issue series because it says Fisk was a good man before, and I would have enjoyed watching his corruption arc.
Again, if I'm leaving out any good Fisk canon, I hope people let me know. I'm always on the lookout.
Thanks again for asking, and I hope I was able to help!
All yenas are "spicy". They are a wild, non-domesticated species. They have extremely high and specific enrichment and social needs, and tbh the vast majority of people who raise them aren't meeting those needs. Which is why they have a reputation for being difficult.
Your yena isn't gonna be satisfied doing one on one battles. They're pack hunters, and will need to have an outlet to pack hunt. People will often say that you can pair them with other dark type dogmons for them to get the necessary socialization/play but that's also not true. They look similar, but yenas aren't dogs. They are their own unique category, and use different cues for communication than other dog mons.
They also are always gonna bite. It's part of their nature. You can't train that out of them any more than you can train a charmander to douse their flame tails. It's how they communicate a lot of things. What you can do is teach them where your specific boundary is for how hard they can bite you, but tbh even the sweetest yena is gonna push past that boundary every now and again, just to see what'll happen.
Yenas are not easy pokemon to raise, and the vast majority of the ones that are in trainer care are not having their needs properly met. Despite the visual similarities, they are not dogmons and you can't use the same toolkit for raising them as you would for a houndour. And even if you are meeting all of their needs perfectly, quite frankly they are still gonna be little assholes because that's just what they're like.
anakin being paternal toward a tusken child is making me unexpectedly emotional. that’s huge. that’s so important. he’s- it’s just- ah. you know what’s up, you’re the one that wrote it, I don’t have to explain why it’s significant. it is, though, oh my god.
yes thank you!! I’m glad I could share it with you. I debated it—debated whether it’s too soon, whether anakin is capable of this—and ultimately I decided that yes. anakin needs to be able to have this overcoming.
and the narrative needs that moment too, I mean—this is a story of redemption, and I personally believe that redemption doesn’t just mean ‘go and kill the big bad guy’. redemption doesn’t just mean go and try to give reparations to your victims. redemption is recreating and moving forward. it doesn’t even have to be good deeds towards the specific people you’ve hurt, but just good deeds in general. I think what’s important is to heal the small world around in baby steps; that’s how you’re going to heal yourself too. you work your way up.
