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My name is IxAjaw (pronounced ish uh-how). I am a reader extraordinaire who sometimes calls herself a writer despite writing at the rate of a snail. Been around in fandoms for a while, usually as a lurker. Trying to branch out and be more active in fandoms I enjoy. Feel free to reach out if you think we have anything in common.
I crosspost my fanfiction to my Ao3 and sometimes to my FFN accounts; if you see my writing on any other site, it's not me.
Primary interests for me are Mega Man/Rockman (Classic, X, and Battle Network primarily), Pokemon, Comics (DC fan mostly), and Manga. Too many to list any specific ones, really.
Weekly Comic Thoughts
May. 19th, 2025 10:49 amReally late, but I've just been busy.
Aquaman 5: I think its very interesting how this arc has been pulling characters from existing stories. From the folklore of Jenny Greenteeth to the appearance of Captain Nemo and the Nautilus of 10k Leagues Under the Sea, it makes me wonder if those are part of the wider point of the arc or just easy-to-add characters for this soft relaunch of Aquaman for the average person to get into? I mean, Arthur is, himself, already a pastiche of King Author of Camelot but make it underwater.
Green Lantern Corp 4: Dunno if this is a retcon or what, as I am fairly new to GL stuff, but Keli just turned 12? Dang. Also, the parallel of Simon taking two kids to a shady 'underground' for her birthday vs Guy taking a meek trainee to the same underground... lmao. But yeah, they are definitely retconning Keli's origin, or at least the origin of her glove. Not sure how I feel about it. On one hand, I have no attachment to her specifically as a character, as I'm largely unfamiliar with her, but she definitely felt a little... overtuned? Like, the child super genius who builds stuff WAY better than any hyper-advanced alien society kind of cheapens the special-ness of the Lantern Rings, and I understand wanting her to 'fit in' more with the other Lanterns. On the other, since the Lanterns have a unifying power origin, its somewhat harder to make them feel unique in terms of ability, and so by doing so they run the risk of removing what made her unique. It's a tough position to be in.
Fire & Ice: Hell Freezes Over 2: I do like having Superman's mom been involved and savvy. What I don't like is how Tora and Bea are fighting. It feels rather juvenile and petty, for lack of a better word. This story can't decide if it wants to be a goofy slice of life thing or a superhero story that's tied into the larger, current happenings (what with Grodd's sister being a character and him looking for her). I'm normally down for bodyswap stuff, and the whole cast getting involved is a fun idea, but most of these characters are not well known enough for the flipping around to land. Though I am sort of enjoying Zachary Zatana. I think the other characters bounce off him well. If only they bounced off each other half as well...
Supergirl 1: Ended up trying the first issue of this series. It was okay. The art has the vibe of a more low-key story, which I don't mind but the story is trying to emphasize Kara's more heroic traits. It feels very Saturday morning cartoon, particularly with the hokey page where she saves that redhead girl from falling debris. The "I got you" panel is clearly supposed to be a shoujo-type "look at how hot/impressive she is" thing, but it feels... flat. Despite these gripes with the opening, the impostor taking over not just her Supergirl life, but her Linda Danvers life is a good enough mystery to make me consider picking up the second one. The second half of the issue is definitely the superior one.
However, I feel like Fake!Supergirl is somehow the redhead girl Kara saved earlier. Or, at minimum, related somehow, given that redhead was going on about how Supergirl was better than Superman.
Don't Run With Scissors 1: Trippy. Seems to have some sort of supernatural angle, but the issue was so short that it felt more like a teaser for the series rather than the first issue. You know how people will pull out select panels when reviewing something in video format to illustrate the story? It felt like that, a selection of story elements instead of the whole thing. Its unpolished in terms of both story and art but it does have character. Honestly, it sort of gives JTHM vibes if the story was trying to take itself seriously instead. There's literally nothing to say about the characters, though, beyond the sheriff kind of being a dick.
Absolute Batman 8: The parts with Freeze are good. And I understand what they're going for with the conversation with Bruce's friends being in shadow, but the disconnect between the visuals and the genuinely heartfelt words that Bruce needed to hear make it not land as intended, I think. The strongest parts are the bit where they're talking about how Malone felt guilty for being the 'reason' Bruce's dad died, as the last kid through the door, but you could actually SEE Malone. Of course, it coalesces into the end of the conversation, where Waylon (?) strikes a match and illuminates Bruce and his feelings along with the literal surroundings, like, I GET it. But I just think it could have been portrayed better. The light of his friends' words illuminating a snowy night juxtaposed with Bruce using fire against Freeze is obvious but it WORKS. It's not bad, I just wanted more to work with on the lead up, I suppose.
I do like the fact Waylon is the one who verbally gets through to him, and is the one he calls to rely on at the end... and then ends up getting kidnapped and taken to Ark M. Always a good cliffhanger. Despite my entire paragraph of gripes, I did enjoy this issue. Absolute Batman is not my favorite of the Absolute books, but it is solid and I am engaged.
A fairly low-key week.
Aquaman 5: I think its very interesting how this arc has been pulling characters from existing stories. From the folklore of Jenny Greenteeth to the appearance of Captain Nemo and the Nautilus of 10k Leagues Under the Sea, it makes me wonder if those are part of the wider point of the arc or just easy-to-add characters for this soft relaunch of Aquaman for the average person to get into? I mean, Arthur is, himself, already a pastiche of King Author of Camelot but make it underwater.
Green Lantern Corp 4: Dunno if this is a retcon or what, as I am fairly new to GL stuff, but Keli just turned 12? Dang. Also, the parallel of Simon taking two kids to a shady 'underground' for her birthday vs Guy taking a meek trainee to the same underground... lmao. But yeah, they are definitely retconning Keli's origin, or at least the origin of her glove. Not sure how I feel about it. On one hand, I have no attachment to her specifically as a character, as I'm largely unfamiliar with her, but she definitely felt a little... overtuned? Like, the child super genius who builds stuff WAY better than any hyper-advanced alien society kind of cheapens the special-ness of the Lantern Rings, and I understand wanting her to 'fit in' more with the other Lanterns. On the other, since the Lanterns have a unifying power origin, its somewhat harder to make them feel unique in terms of ability, and so by doing so they run the risk of removing what made her unique. It's a tough position to be in.
Fire & Ice: Hell Freezes Over 2: I do like having Superman's mom been involved and savvy. What I don't like is how Tora and Bea are fighting. It feels rather juvenile and petty, for lack of a better word. This story can't decide if it wants to be a goofy slice of life thing or a superhero story that's tied into the larger, current happenings (what with Grodd's sister being a character and him looking for her). I'm normally down for bodyswap stuff, and the whole cast getting involved is a fun idea, but most of these characters are not well known enough for the flipping around to land. Though I am sort of enjoying Zachary Zatana. I think the other characters bounce off him well. If only they bounced off each other half as well...
Supergirl 1: Ended up trying the first issue of this series. It was okay. The art has the vibe of a more low-key story, which I don't mind but the story is trying to emphasize Kara's more heroic traits. It feels very Saturday morning cartoon, particularly with the hokey page where she saves that redhead girl from falling debris. The "I got you" panel is clearly supposed to be a shoujo-type "look at how hot/impressive she is" thing, but it feels... flat. Despite these gripes with the opening, the impostor taking over not just her Supergirl life, but her Linda Danvers life is a good enough mystery to make me consider picking up the second one. The second half of the issue is definitely the superior one.
However, I feel like Fake!Supergirl is somehow the redhead girl Kara saved earlier. Or, at minimum, related somehow, given that redhead was going on about how Supergirl was better than Superman.
Don't Run With Scissors 1: Trippy. Seems to have some sort of supernatural angle, but the issue was so short that it felt more like a teaser for the series rather than the first issue. You know how people will pull out select panels when reviewing something in video format to illustrate the story? It felt like that, a selection of story elements instead of the whole thing. Its unpolished in terms of both story and art but it does have character. Honestly, it sort of gives JTHM vibes if the story was trying to take itself seriously instead. There's literally nothing to say about the characters, though, beyond the sheriff kind of being a dick.
Absolute Batman 8: The parts with Freeze are good. And I understand what they're going for with the conversation with Bruce's friends being in shadow, but the disconnect between the visuals and the genuinely heartfelt words that Bruce needed to hear make it not land as intended, I think. The strongest parts are the bit where they're talking about how Malone felt guilty for being the 'reason' Bruce's dad died, as the last kid through the door, but you could actually SEE Malone. Of course, it coalesces into the end of the conversation, where Waylon (?) strikes a match and illuminates Bruce and his feelings along with the literal surroundings, like, I GET it. But I just think it could have been portrayed better. The light of his friends' words illuminating a snowy night juxtaposed with Bruce using fire against Freeze is obvious but it WORKS. It's not bad, I just wanted more to work with on the lead up, I suppose.
I do like the fact Waylon is the one who verbally gets through to him, and is the one he calls to rely on at the end... and then ends up getting kidnapped and taken to Ark M. Always a good cliffhanger. Despite my entire paragraph of gripes, I did enjoy this issue. Absolute Batman is not my favorite of the Absolute books, but it is solid and I am engaged.
A fairly low-key week.
Weekly Comic Thoughts
May. 10th, 2025 05:15 pmI don't think I'll talk about every title I pick up in a given week, now or going forward, so much as this will be a highlight reel of things that caught my eye.
Amazing Spider-Man 3: I do think Itsy-bitsy is an underutilized villain in ASM, and I like her updated design, but I will never not roll my eyes at the need for every female character to at least attempt to kiss Peter. Particularly given that she's his daughter, sorta. Yech. Still, this relaunch has thus far engineered an interesting enough mystery, and I'm interested in seeing where this character goes.
Sonic the Hedgehog 78: Some good character stuff, if very domestic feeling. This, somehow, despite the fact an entire floating town is about to sink. I do enjoy Kit's animosity to Tails. Not only is a good parallel to Surge's animosity for Sonic, but its way more interesting than characters being universally beloved. Though, while not stated, I think its fairly obvious that Kit set the whole thing up to set up Surge as the 'hero'. Can't wait to see that particular Chekov's gun fired in the future.
And I am VERY excited to see how Whisper and Mimic's 'final' fight goes... with Silver, who has a history of having extreme reactions to threats and a willingness to murder if he feels it necessary as Whisper's ally... very excited!
Absolute Superman 7: I was lukewarm on the first arc of the Absolute Superman series. Of the Absolute books, it was definitely the weakest to me. But Braniac's story in this latest issue was genuinely compelling, and if the series is moving this this direction, I can see myself keeping up with it.
Absolute Green Lantern 2: Apparently people are not vibing with the horror overtones of the Absolute Green Lantern book, and I don't get it. This book is great so far. The religious horror aspects appeal to me on a personal level, but also make sense for a mysterious alien being that we cannot understand. Though I wonder how Stewart is planning to 'remove' Abin Sur with a seemingly normal ring, and how this all ties into Hal getting the Black Hand and Jo getting the GL powers. The Green Lantern powers are, at one point, described as a 'flame' despite there explicitely being mentions of light being a spectrum, so I'm very curious about how all this works in this new universe.
Amazing Spider-Man 3: I do think Itsy-bitsy is an underutilized villain in ASM, and I like her updated design, but I will never not roll my eyes at the need for every female character to at least attempt to kiss Peter. Particularly given that she's his daughter, sorta. Yech. Still, this relaunch has thus far engineered an interesting enough mystery, and I'm interested in seeing where this character goes.
Sonic the Hedgehog 78: Some good character stuff, if very domestic feeling. This, somehow, despite the fact an entire floating town is about to sink. I do enjoy Kit's animosity to Tails. Not only is a good parallel to Surge's animosity for Sonic, but its way more interesting than characters being universally beloved. Though, while not stated, I think its fairly obvious that Kit set the whole thing up to set up Surge as the 'hero'. Can't wait to see that particular Chekov's gun fired in the future.
And I am VERY excited to see how Whisper and Mimic's 'final' fight goes... with Silver, who has a history of having extreme reactions to threats and a willingness to murder if he feels it necessary as Whisper's ally... very excited!
Absolute Superman 7: I was lukewarm on the first arc of the Absolute Superman series. Of the Absolute books, it was definitely the weakest to me. But Braniac's story in this latest issue was genuinely compelling, and if the series is moving this this direction, I can see myself keeping up with it.
Absolute Green Lantern 2: Apparently people are not vibing with the horror overtones of the Absolute Green Lantern book, and I don't get it. This book is great so far. The religious horror aspects appeal to me on a personal level, but also make sense for a mysterious alien being that we cannot understand. Though I wonder how Stewart is planning to 'remove' Abin Sur with a seemingly normal ring, and how this all ties into Hal getting the Black Hand and Jo getting the GL powers. The Green Lantern powers are, at one point, described as a 'flame' despite there explicitely being mentions of light being a spectrum, so I'm very curious about how all this works in this new universe.
Mega Man FCBD & Timelines Thoughts
May. 3rd, 2025 01:14 pmFinally, the new Mega Man Timelines Free Comic Book Day preview is out! I've been waiting for this. My poor LCS has had to listen to me ask about it over and over again, since I almost always work on Saturdays and therefore typically miss these, at least AT release, and I absolutely did not want to miss it.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
Comic Previews Thoughts
Apr. 30th, 2025 02:01 pmA first impressions post for things seen in Comics Previews this week.
So many things announced, and I haven't even looked at the May Previews book itself yet (its running late. So there may or may not be a part 2.) The deepest thoughts are in the Marvel section which... isn't good, since I'm not super excited about basically any of it for Marvel. Which isn't to say there is nothing I'm excited for!
( Read more... )
So many things announced, and I haven't even looked at the May Previews book itself yet (its running late. So there may or may not be a part 2.) The deepest thoughts are in the Marvel section which... isn't good, since I'm not super excited about basically any of it for Marvel. Which isn't to say there is nothing I'm excited for!
( Read more... )
Archive/Crosspost from my Ao3. While this fic has 3 chapters, each one could theoretically be read as a standalone. They're tied together more thematically than by plot. As such, I'll tag the characters in the chapters they appear in.
Fandom: One Piece
Characters: Luffy, Straw Hat Pirates (pre-Jimbe)
Story Summary: Seashell Resonance: The sound of the 'ocean' that you hear when you hold a seashell up to your ear. The Voice of All Things isn't an ability Luffy just woke up with one day.
Chapter Summary: To Home: (of an animal) to return by instinct to its territory after leaving it.
“How the heck are you not hurt, bro?”
“I scattered like bones in the wind! Yohohohoho!”
Laughter was infectious, so Luffy couldn’t help but chuckle. Robin smiled along as she pushed wet hair out of her face.
“Even so,” she said, gathering everyone’s attention, “how do we intend to get out of here?”
( Read more... )
<Prev | <First>
Author's note: A big thanks to everyone who read this until the end. I would like to give a special shoutout to Harmonica_Smile, without whom this almost certainly would have taken even longer.
Fandom: One Piece
Characters: Luffy, Straw Hat Pirates (pre-Jimbe)
Story Summary: Seashell Resonance: The sound of the 'ocean' that you hear when you hold a seashell up to your ear. The Voice of All Things isn't an ability Luffy just woke up with one day.
Chapter Summary: To Home: (of an animal) to return by instinct to its territory after leaving it.
“How the heck are you not hurt, bro?”
“I scattered like bones in the wind! Yohohohoho!”
Laughter was infectious, so Luffy couldn’t help but chuckle. Robin smiled along as she pushed wet hair out of her face.
“Even so,” she said, gathering everyone’s attention, “how do we intend to get out of here?”
( Read more... )
<Prev | <First>
Author's note: A big thanks to everyone who read this until the end. I would like to give a special shoutout to Harmonica_Smile, without whom this almost certainly would have taken even longer.
Fanfic: Backup Plans
Apr. 21st, 2025 08:12 pmOriginally a prompt fill from here. The original prompt was 'Pink.'
Title: Backup Plans
Fandom: Mega Man Battle Network
Characters: Yuichiro Hikari, Haruka Hikari, Lan Hikari, Megaman.exe
Length: 3k+
Content notes: Character Death (offscreen)
Author notes: This fic assumes you know what a NetNavi is. For the purposes of this fic, all you really need to know is that it's a little digital guy who lives in your phone that you can customize and befriend, and that basically everyone has one.
Summary: Pre-series. Yuichiro Hikari becomes a father to twins. Yuichiro Hikari becomes a father thrice over.
( Read more... )
Title: Backup Plans
Fandom: Mega Man Battle Network
Characters: Yuichiro Hikari, Haruka Hikari, Lan Hikari, Megaman.exe
Length: 3k+
Content notes: Character Death (offscreen)
Author notes: This fic assumes you know what a NetNavi is. For the purposes of this fic, all you really need to know is that it's a little digital guy who lives in your phone that you can customize and befriend, and that basically everyone has one.
Summary: Pre-series. Yuichiro Hikari becomes a father to twins. Yuichiro Hikari becomes a father thrice over.
( Read more... )
If you missed Chapter 1, click here.
Archive/Crosspost from my Ao3. While this fic has 3 chapters, each one could theoretically be read as a standalone. They're tied together more thematically than by plot. As such, I'll tag the characters in the chapters they appear in.
Fandom: One Piece
Characters: Luffy, Shanks
Story Summary: Seashell Resonance: The sound of the 'ocean' that you hear when you hold a seashell up to your ear. The Voice of All Things isn't an ability Luffy just woke up with one day.
Chapter Summary: Resonance: the quality in a sound of being deep, full, and reverberating.
Shanks has been around the world, alright? He’s seen everything in this world worth seeing. Ninety percent of things worth seeing were also worth drinking, in his opinion, but Benn sighed extra hard when he said stuff like that. It was always a bit funny; sometimes Shanks would make him do it on purpose.
( Read more... )
Author's note: By "sharker-tree board" Luffy was trying to say charcuterie board. Delicious, if expensive.
<Prev | Next >
Archive/Crosspost from my Ao3. While this fic has 3 chapters, each one could theoretically be read as a standalone. They're tied together more thematically than by plot. As such, I'll tag the characters in the chapters they appear in.
Fandom: One Piece
Characters: Luffy, Shanks
Story Summary: Seashell Resonance: The sound of the 'ocean' that you hear when you hold a seashell up to your ear. The Voice of All Things isn't an ability Luffy just woke up with one day.
Chapter Summary: Resonance: the quality in a sound of being deep, full, and reverberating.
Shanks has been around the world, alright? He’s seen everything in this world worth seeing. Ninety percent of things worth seeing were also worth drinking, in his opinion, but Benn sighed extra hard when he said stuff like that. It was always a bit funny; sometimes Shanks would make him do it on purpose.
( Read more... )
Author's note: By "sharker-tree board" Luffy was trying to say charcuterie board. Delicious, if expensive.
<Prev | Next >
Archive/crosspost from my Ao3. Originally posted back in 2019.
While this fic has 3 chapters, each one could theoretically be read as a standalone. They're tied together more thematically than by plot. As such, I'll tag the characters in the chapters they appear in.
Fandom: One Piece
Characters: Luffy, Makino
Notes: None. Wholesome-ish character stuff
Summary: Seashell Resonance: The sound of the 'ocean' that you hear when you hold a seashell up to your ear. The Voice of All Things isn't an ability Luffy just woke up with one day.
Before the sun rose, Makino had a habit of walking along the beach. It was a habit gained from restless childhood nights, when the distant sounds of tigers roaring kept her awake. Tigers would never walk next to the ocean, her mother said, and so it became her place to hide, out in the open, further away from the forest where anything could be hiding. When she took over Party’s Bar, she kept doing so, even though by the end of the day she often wished she’d had the extra sleep. And even later, after Luffy crashed into her life like a bird flying in through the window, causing panic and chaos before flying away again, she would walk. It was if the entire world belonged to her and her alone, if only until the sun rose.
( Read more... )
Next>
Author's note: this chapter definitely is not of equivalent quality to the two later ones, BUT it was the first real thing I'd written after a long hiatus, and so I still think it has some charming elements. I'm astounded anyone else read past this chapter, though!
While this fic has 3 chapters, each one could theoretically be read as a standalone. They're tied together more thematically than by plot. As such, I'll tag the characters in the chapters they appear in.
Fandom: One Piece
Characters: Luffy, Makino
Notes: None. Wholesome-ish character stuff
Summary: Seashell Resonance: The sound of the 'ocean' that you hear when you hold a seashell up to your ear. The Voice of All Things isn't an ability Luffy just woke up with one day.
Before the sun rose, Makino had a habit of walking along the beach. It was a habit gained from restless childhood nights, when the distant sounds of tigers roaring kept her awake. Tigers would never walk next to the ocean, her mother said, and so it became her place to hide, out in the open, further away from the forest where anything could be hiding. When she took over Party’s Bar, she kept doing so, even though by the end of the day she often wished she’d had the extra sleep. And even later, after Luffy crashed into her life like a bird flying in through the window, causing panic and chaos before flying away again, she would walk. It was if the entire world belonged to her and her alone, if only until the sun rose.
( Read more... )
Next>
Author's note: this chapter definitely is not of equivalent quality to the two later ones, BUT it was the first real thing I'd written after a long hiatus, and so I still think it has some charming elements. I'm astounded anyone else read past this chapter, though!
Fanfic: When In Bad Company (Oneshot)
Apr. 10th, 2025 09:46 pmThis is an archive/crosspost of a Jojo's Bizarre Adventure fanfic I posted back in 2018. Fic was actually written before then.
Series: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable
Characters: Nijimura Keichou & Nijimura Okuyasu
Summary: Shortly after Keicho got his Stand, he tried to use it. It worked beautifully.
When In Bad Company
Keicho Nijimura sat on his bed, staring down at the ordered lines of toy soldiers.
( Read more... )
Series: Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable
Characters: Nijimura Keichou & Nijimura Okuyasu
Summary: Shortly after Keicho got his Stand, he tried to use it. It worked beautifully.
When In Bad Company
Keicho Nijimura sat on his bed, staring down at the ordered lines of toy soldiers.
( Read more... )
