#I feel right when thinking of myself as Dinah

[mango-dot-yum]

Idk if I’m just mishearing things, but

I swear she says “my name is Diner” and not “my name is Dinah”

I’ve watched this clip like 7 times (╥︣﹏᷅╥᷅) I SWEAR SHE SAYS DINER

(Unrelated but I think this is the first time I’ve reached the tag limit on a post)

[timmydraker]

Tim had a jumper that doesn’t seem all that special, but to Alfred, Bruce and Dick is incredibly important. Dare they say vital to caring for Tim.

It’s a big wooly thing, once a pale mossy green but now with a hint of brown and white from fading and use. It’s too big for him to the point that the sleeves have to be bunched up when worn and even than they hang over his hands.

It looks like a dress on him, which isn’t help but his naturally slim build.

The jumper is held in such high regard because when Tim puts it on it means that he’s not feeling like he usually does.

His confidence, his snark, his wit, and his mental strength is either hard to reach or impossible.

Tim, in the only instance he actually talked about what was going on when he wasn’t wearing the jumper, said he felt both like a tiny little fish in a giant pond and like his skin was a sheet of paper.

Bruce talked to Dinah about it and said it was most likely a form of mental regression, but Tim refused for it to be called him being ‘little’ or anything that would remind him of being a kid again.

Because he doesn’t act like a kid, but maybe it’s not right to associate Tim Drake with a normal child behaviour pattern. He doesn’t babble or whine or want to watch kids shows like Dinah had suggest he might, but he does go non verbal or only say one or two words in response to pretty much anything.

He puts his jumper on and will just… sit there.

Tim is always moving or thinking, always doing, but when he gets in his ‘jumper state’ as Alfred calls it, he tends to slow down completely and just want to sit somewhere warm and feel the fluff of his carefully maintained jumper.

Sometimes, he seeks out warmth outside of heaters and fires and the sun.

It’s on one of those days when Tim stalks down to the Cave with his jumper on, hair messy over his head and hands held up to his chest in an almost shy manner.

Jason notices him first and simply raises an eyebrow in confusion while Damian scoffs, “What on earth are you wearing, Drake? That looks moldy-“

But Tim doesn’t even look at him, eyes on the floor as he goes over to Bruce at the computer and pokes the older man’s shoulder once before retracting his hand.

Bruce immediately turns and opens his arms, an almost heartbroken look on his face as he lets Tim drawl onto his lap and bury his face in the crook of his neck.

“I’ve got you. Anything in particular or just one of those days?”

Tim speaks in a voice like a husk that Damian and Jason only hear because they’ve come closer and sound travels in the cave, “Janet, birthday.”

Bruce Wayne, The Batman, The Caped Crusader, then fucking coos and kisses his head before rocking him slightly.

“That makes sense. Do you need someone here tonight? I can call Dick or stay myself if you need.”

The two other boys in the room look at each other, shocked to hear Bruce say he will give up a patrol to seemingly cuddle someone.

Tim shakes his head, “Alfred.”

Bruce nods, kissing his head again and saying, “Thank you for coming to me so I can help you. I’m so proud of you for not making yourself go through this alone again.”

It’s not exactly a whine that leaves Tim, but it’s not a word that is Bruce’s answer.

Jason comes forward and awkwardly scratches the back of his head, “I don’t really know what’s going on, but can I like… help or something?”

Bruce smiled as Tim nods against him after a few moments, the boy in his arms turning to reach a hand out for Jason and then strangely patting the hand Jason offers up for him.

Damian, not trying to be rude but needing to understand what is going on, clears his throat and demands, “Explain what is wrong with Drake.”

Luckily Bruce had gotten better at understanding how his son communicates and looks to Tim for permission before answering, “Sometimes Tim needs to… be free of responsibility and just feel like a person for a bit. He isn’t always up for talking and just wants to be around people he trust, and me, Dick and Alfred have managed to convince him to actually come to us when he needs that.”

Bruce smiles at where at where Tim is holding Jason’s hand and swinging it around a bit before feeling over the rough calluses and thick fingers with apparent joy.

Damian frowns a little at his father’s explanation but nods regardless, “Very well, we shall set up the family room for the evening before we head out for patrol.”

Bruce smiled and pulls Damian’s head over to kiss his hairline as he hears Jason mutter, “Weird little guy, aren’t ya?”

Tim hums and pinches his finger and smiling at his older brothers yelp.

[cakypa120]

Aka continuation of the previous post. Conversation between the League and Marvel.

Billy didn't know that the League would go so crazy when they saw his notebook. Bruce and Clark were especially pale, staring into the depths of space for ten minutes. Diana was pacing back and forth like a caged animal. Barry was tapping his foot rapidly, nervously biting his lip. Hal looked green. Arthur looked at everyone smugly. J'onn was already eating his fifth pack of Oreos. Shayera was tapping her finger on the table and frowning. Oliver stood straight and clenched his hands into fists.

Marvel: I don't understand your frustration. You didn't do this

Barry: You don't understand?! Marvel, this is not normal!! I killed you 43 times!! This...this...

Barry pauses, tears welling up in his eyes. Billy feels awkward.

Marvel: Sorry. I'm just used to it. It's always one of you.

Bruce: It's not just the League, it's the Titans and Young Justice. Why did they kill you?

Marvel: *shrugs* Sometimes you tell them to, sometimes they do it themselves, sometimes they're mind-controlled. There's a lot going on. I like Nightwing the best. He always kills me quickly and painlessly. I didn't even realize I was dead until I took my first breath in this dimension. You can tell a pro.

Bruce covers his face with his hands.

Clark: Did John ever...

Marvel: Yeah, along with Damian. Two demons who were enjoying it way too much. I gave them a few points for cruelty.

Clark covers his face with his hands, too.

Diana: Brother... This... You need to get help!

Marvel: Who? Dinah? Should I remind you that she's seventh on the list?

Diana: Brother, throw that list and those points away! What happened... How can you react like that?! You were killed! And very cruelly! Your face was melted! Your heart was ripped out! You were poisoned! You were mobbed and killed! How can you be so calm? HOW?!

Billy didn't know what to say. Had he resigned himself? A long time ago. But that fear still lived in him. Every time he thought about how and who would kill him. To do many things so that after his death the world would continue to exist. Hell, he himself sometimes pushed them to kill, because sometimes they didn't want to kill him. They always looked at him with sadness. As if killing him was not what they wanted.

Marvel: Too many lifetimes to get used to. And this notebook is like... I don't know... a distraction? A way to understand you? To find some kind of pattern in everything? I don't know. It's just that over time all the pain has dulled, it's not gone away, but it doesn't hurt as much as the first few times.

Hal: Dude. This... this... I don't know what to say.

Oliver: Have you ever given up on being a hero?

Marvel: Sure. Who do you think I am? But even so, I didn't even live to be fifteen. Once I was killed by Diana right in the crib, the second time I was killed by Clark on red kryptonite, the third time I was killed by Hal, who became a Yellow Lantern, oh, don't forget how Arthur chopped off my head when he was taking over dry land. By the way, the fact that the brain lives for twenty seconds after being cut off is true. I did the math myself.

Everyone looks at him strangely.

Diana: I killed you in the cradle?

Marvel: Yes. I couldn't even roll over. You killed my sister then, too.

Diana presses her lips into a thin line.

J'onn: Do you have a sister?

Marvel: Yeah, but she's currently missing. I'll find her soon and introduce her to you. She's pretty sweet.

J'onn: Has she ever killed you?

Marvel: Yeah. It's not nice to have your throat torn out by sharp fangs, but it's a lot nicer than being stabbed with arrows. Yeah, Oliver, your version of me couldn't kill the first time, so you shot me so many times.

Oliver: Thanks, I could live without that information.

Marvel: You're welcome. I need to get back to patrol. The city can't save itself.

Batman: Hold on. The meeting's not over yet.

Marvel: Come on, I already know what's going to happen. You'll swear not to kill me, you'll even create special protocols, but I'll still get killed, even with those protocols. So I suggest you calm down a bit and think with a clear head. And I'm going back to the city. Bye.

Marvel leaves. The heroes remain silent. The weight of guilt weighs on their laps, and the knowledge that they can't fix anything eats them up, depriving them of any hope. There's only one question spinning in their heads.

How dare I kill Marvel?

Part 1

[wonderjanga]

Guys… Marvel Might Need Some Help

Captain Marvel talks to himself. It’s a well known fact. The normally cheery and friendly man is a little crazy, but aren’t we all? And you see, the thing is, they know he’s talking to himself because not only did they get Zatanna to check if he was talking to a ghost of some kind, but he’s personally confirmed it:

Marvel: “Oh uhm… I guess I’m talking to myself.”

Batman: “Talking to yourself…?” *blinks rapidly as if Billy can see that under his cowl* “Captain, do we need to schedule an appointment with Black Canary?”

Marvel: “What?! No! I’m perfectly fine! Everyone talks to themselves!”

That’s what Billy thinks anyways. See, Billy developed the habit of talking to himself because he was usually alone most of the time before he met Freddy and reunited with Mary. Talking out loud made himself feel less lonely. Freddy also talks to himself, but he keeps it mostly to mumbles, and as for Mary, she does the same thing as Billy. So, with the only two people he converses with on the daily as the standard, he’d say talking to yourself is normal.

By the way, Batman got a little more concerned at his reasoning, but couldn’t really deny it because he’s talked to himself before, after going 45 straight with no sleep on. He had been hallucinating talking to Tim. Speaking of Tim, the boy often mutters to himself when going over cases so… Bruce supposed he would let it go. He’d still have Dinah on speed dial though if Cap seemed to get worse.

Billy didn’t get worse, he just didn’t change his normal talking to himself.

Billy: *in Marvel form, talking to Marvel in the reflection of one of the Watchtower’s windows* “What a stupid idiot.”

Reflection!Marvel: “I know, right? Who does that?”

Billy: “I couldn’t tell yo…” *trails off and looks to the side to see Bruce staring at him* “…Hey Mr. Batman. You need something?”

Batman: “No.” *continued staring*

Billy: *has no choice but to stare back*

Batman: *walks away staring at Billy the entire time until he turns a corner*

Later, Bruce reviewed the footage. What he didn’t know was that people can’t see Marvel’s reflection talking back. Cameras couldn’t pick it up either. So sure enough, he saw Cap having a full blown conversation with a mirror. Strike one for Marvel.

Then, there was a time after a battle against the usual alien invaders where Marvel was genuinely just staring at either the ground or his shadow and talking.

Billy: *in Marvel form talking to Marvel (Thavma?) as a shadow* “That’s what I was saying. What if he doesn’t…”

Shadow!Marvel: “He’ll definitely let you. And if he doesn’t, you could always just break his kneecaps.”

Billy: “I’m not doing that.”

Shadow!Marvel: “I’m just saying. It’s just if that old man is that pressed about you getting some food, it seems a change is needed.”

Batman: *watching this entire interaction and not being able to hear Shadow Marvel*

Strike two for Marvel.

Then, there are the times Marvel will just blankly stare ahead in meetings, mumbling to himself.

Marvel: *mumbling under his breath* “Mercury, you’re being loud.”

Batman: *sitting next to him, slowly looks over*

Supes: *presenting and looks over to Marvel for a second before shaking off what he said*

Marvel: “No, I’m not smashing a window and letting everyone fly out. I’m not insane.”

That was strike three for Bruce. Which was himself too many strikes in his opinion. That one sentence also gained an extremely concerned look from Clark who literally paused his presentation to stare at Marvel with a dumbfounded expression for a moment.

After the meeting…

Batman: “Marvel, I’d like to talk with you.”

Marvel: “Oh uhm… Okay! What’s up, Mr. Batman?”

Batman: “What’s up is that I’ve spoken with Black Canary and we want to schedule an appointment between you and her.”

Marvel: “Mr. Batman, we’ve already talking about this. I’m perfectly fine. I don’t need therapy.”

Batman: “You might think you’re fine, but I’ve grown concerned over recent behaviors you’ve exhibited.” *hands him Canary’s business card* “At least consider it.”

Marvel: *looks at the card* “Uh… Will do.”

Batman: “Good.” *walks off*

Marvel: *as soon as Bruce is out of sight, chucks it into his pocket dimension to forget about it*

Nope, nope, nope. He’s not touching therapy with a ten foot pole. He’s heard that stuff costs like thousands of dollars! He does not have that kind of money. Not that he doubts the League would cover it. He also just doesn’t want his behavior to be psychoanalyzed. No thank you. He really doesn’t need to be told something is wrong with him when he is perfectly fine. Marvelous in fact!

[ladyloveandjustice]

So running this poll caused me to reawaken my headcanons on which Sailor Moon character would be the Batfamily's favorite. I think I did this before but I'm being more thoughtful right now.

Bruce Wayne: In the tags I was musing about this, and basically, Tuxedo Mask is very like him (Sad orphan, wealthy, introverted, kind of uptight, has less powers than the others, like high places) but that would actually annoy him because he doesn't like himself. I settled on Sailor Jupiter as his favorite, he relates to her having a similar background (orphan, martial arts skills) but the way she's able to be so openly sweet and nurturing, when he struggles to show those sides of himself, makes him admire her, annnd that also really reminds him of Dick. He also really likes Sailor Pluto, vibes with her loneliness and mystery. He is,to the surprise of many, a Chibiusa fan, because she's essentially Usagi's Robin and she gives him parenting feels. Hotaru as well, for the goth aesthetic and general introversion and reminding him of Cass.

Dick Grayson: Sailor Moon. He thinks she's very funny and sweet and loves her stupid speeches. I think he'd also be a Chibi-Usa fan and passionate defender. He does find it very funny how much like Bruce Tuxedo Mask is (and he appreciates his ridiculous speeches) so he's a fave too.

Barbara Gordon: She likes Mercury a lot, but her true favorites are Sailor Venus and Sailor Jupiter, they remind her of Dick and Dinah, and she just thinks they're fun. Hotaru also gives her a lot of feelings for reminding her of Cass.

Jason Todd: I think he'd like Sailor Mars and Sailor Uranus about equally (and he also likes Sailor Neptune). He really relates to how Haruka believes in doing what's necessary, even killing, and even vibes with how she's conflicted sometimes. Michiru is hard for him to pin down but he does really like her.

Tim Drake: Immediately Sailor Mercury came to mind. Considering his taste in friends and love interests he might like Sailor Venus (though the fact she reminds him of Kon would just annoy him half the time) but yeah, I think he'd vibe with Mercury the most, not just the "she's smart one" thing but he'd find her sweet and root for her to come out of her shell. He'd also be fond of Tuxedo Mask.

Stephanie Brown: Sailor Moon, but Mars and Venus are close seconds. She loves silly girls and she loves angry girls. She's fond of Hotaru too because she reminds her of Cass.

Cassandra Cain: Sailor Saturn, she really relates to her, but she also likes Sailor Moon a lot, mostly because she reminds her of Steph a bit and Usagi triggers her protective instincts.

Kate Kane: Like many a lesbian (myself included), Uranus and Neptune meant a lot to her when she was young and even if it weren't for that I think she really vibes with their personalities. Uranus might have the edge considering her taste, but I'm going to give her Neptune as a fave, she finds her intriguing.

Damian Wayne: Sailor Mars, self explanatory imo. Also he pretends he doesn't actually like the show and calls it stupid. He likes Luna and Artemis and Diana a lot.

Selina Kyle: Luna and Artemis and Diana lmao. But as far as humans go, Sailor Neptune. Her elegance and general loyalty and moral conflict appeal. She also likes Sailor Mars, and does feel protective of Sailor Moon. Tuxedo Mask reminding her of Bruce alternately makes her frustrated with him and have affection for him just like real life.

Alfred: Tuxedo Mask, he likes his taste in clothing and yep, reminds him of Bruce. He also likes Sailor Moon.

I have not read enough comics with Duke to pin him down, I'm sorry, (Maybe he'd like Sailor Moon? From what little I've read?) Same with Harper.

[pushovermediacritic]

The Land Before Time Liveblog 6

The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock

Last Time: The Gang's home was damaged by a bug infestation and they went a road trip while it was being repaired, but their parents wouldn't stop arguing, so they ran away. The Gang stayed at the house of the same foreign kid they kidnapped in 2, but they were very rude and insulting toward his home and cuisine, hurting his feelings. However, someone broke into his house and The Gang helped his parents fight them off, so now they're all cool.

The Gang were driven home by a nice old lady with a huge crush on Littlefoot's grandpa, making the trip super awkward.

This Time: This is another one I haven't seen. Based on the title, I assume it's focusing on the Great Rock That Looks Like A Long-Neck from the first movie.

The Universal logo has been updated, but it's still not Pangaea. Still a missed opportunity.

The narrator has been replaced by Littlefoot's grandpa. Interesting decision. He's still narrating, but it's from a 1st-person POV and more focused on the in-universe legends and mythology of dinosaurs. Such as the idea that the Bright Circle birthed the Lesser Lights in the Dark Time (the sun created the stars).

And this isn't just a creative decision, Grandpa is actually telling these stories to The Gang around a lava crack (standing in for a campfire).

Littlefoot wants to know which stories are true, and the other kids scold him for interrupting (or "erupting" in Petrie's case). Grandpa resumes his stories, listing off the herds of dinosaurs that came into being.

When he gets to the Threehorns, Cera is ambushed by two smaller Threehorns.

The Darker One: "Ooh, Dana, Dinah!"

The Lighter One: "Threebie Hornas!"

The Darker One: "A-Hiya!"

...fuck. Shit, fuck, shit, goddamnit! I HAVE seen this movie! At least the start of it. I fucking repressed the memory of this scene.

These are Dana and Dinah, and I need you to know that I could NOT make out what the lighter one (whichever that is) said in that second bit, I have to look up the script of this movie to transcribe it accurately. I thought they said something like "Tweety warned us".

Actually, I think that's WHY I didn't remember watching this movie. It's coming back to me now. I'm pretty sure I remember sitting down in a playroom to watch a VHS, popping this one in because it's a Land Before Time movie I hadn't seen, and then I got to this scene and replayed this exact line of dialogue over and over again, just trying to figure out what the hell they were saying. Eventually I annoyed the supervising adults, the other kids, and myself enough that we switched the VHS to Batman Beyond.

These two aren't even good continuity! The first movie established that Cera has sisters, and she mentions them again in the second movie, which ends with her getting more, younger siblings. So you'd think Dana and Dinah would be her younger siblings from the second movie, right? Nope, she's apparently "Auntie Cera". So I can't even give them credit for that! So I guess Cera's dad has a brother or sister?

Grandpa tells the kids to settle down and resumes his story. Those herds found their way to the Great Valley and everything was good, until the biggest, meanest Sharptooth of all time found them. A Longneck kid gets his leg stuck while running from the Sharptooth, and his mom tried to save him but it was too late, all seemed lost until the Lone Dinosaur arrived. Obviously a riff on the Lone Ranger.

The Lone Dinosaur fought the Sharptooth for hours, and we only see the end of the fight. He tail-whipped the Sharptooth in the ribs, then the Sharptooth slashed him above his eye before a headbutt to the chest knocked him down. He wrapped his tail around its ankle and tripped it face-first into a boulder, then he tail-whipped it in the back, knocking it off a cliff.

With the fight over, the Lone Dinosaur leaves. The young Longneck he saved asks him to come back, but he just turns his head silently and walks off into the sunset.

Shortly afterward, there was an Earthshake and a huge rock magically erupted from the ground, crackling with blue electricity as it grew!

This is the titular "Saurus Rock"!

So, nothing to do with the Great Rock That Looks Like a Longneck from the first film? Also, not for nothing, but that rock from the first film looked a lot more like a Longneck than Saurus Rock does. See?

Anyway, Saurus Rock is actually still there, in the Great Valley, though it was never mentioned or referenced in any of the previous films because it's apparently hidden in mist most of the time. And it's also surrounded by a bunch of other mountaintops. Even though that's not apparent from the first scene we see it in. But we do see it in the background of Grandpa's story scene.

And according to Grandpa, there's a circle of teeth around Saurus Rock's neck, from the very Sharptooth the Lone Dinosaur defeated! And, uh, yeah, if you look close, you can actually see a circle of teeth there (both on the flashback one and the modern-day one). I guess that's something the Great Rock That Looks Like a Longneck doesn't have: a sick Sharptooth tooth necklace.

When Auntie Cera notices the twins shuddering in fear, she decides to add to the story to spook them.

Cera: "They say that some nights, you can see the ghost of that Sharptooth, wandering around, looking for his teeth!" *she jumps at them from behind while roaring*

*The Gang all laugh*

The Darker One: "Scary Dana!"

The Lighter One: "Dinah No-no!"

Dana and Dinah: "Uh-uh!"

Grandpa *laughing*: "We-he-hell, I’ve never heard that part of the legend, but they do say that if anything ever happens to Saurus Rock, bad luck will descend upon the Great Valley."

Okay, so what I'm gathering from Dana and Dinah's dialogue, they are legit babies. Like, actual toddlers. That makes me a little more forgiving. I thought they were just annoying brats, but they're barely stringing words together. Also the darker one is Dana and the lighter one is Dinah. According to the wiki, Dana is male and Dinah is female.

Littlefoot asks again if it's true, and Grandpa just says it's a good story, and nice to think about. LIttlefoot's grandma walks up and scolds Grandpa for telling them stories when it's almost bedtime. The kids all go home, Cera having to let her niece and nephew ride on her back because they claim to be too tired to walk.

That night, Littlefoot dreams of himself being the Lone Dinosaur (still child-size). He gives that mean 'ol Sharptooth a tail-whip to the foot and it hops away in pain. The other dinosaurs cheer and raise him up. Littlefoot then wakes up and wonders if it's true, and we get a mysterious silhouette standing on a rock against the moon.

I will say, I'm not exactly sold on the "An American Tail 2: Fievel Goes West"-ness of this plot so far, but I do think this visual is pretty striking.

The next day, The Gang is eating Tree Stars and the twin baby Threehorns are cheering on Spike to headbutt a tree and knock more down. They climb up the tree and shake a branch to make more fall. Cera's dad then shows up to scold the kids, because it's Autumn (the time of the Changing Tree Stars) and they need to eat the leaves as they fall, not shake more out. Grandpa shows up to mediate (he's always there when conflict arises). Cera's dad then scolds her for not watching the twins, and they fall out of the tree right on his head.

Cera: "Rrrright here, sssee?"

Cera's dad (grumbling): "Huh, hanging with those Longnecks, should've been watching the twi-ugh..."

He stomps off and Grandpa follows. Yeah, this is following up on 5, Cera's dad is still racist. Though I'm not sure if this is enough to say the racism theme is still fully in play.

The kids think about what to play next, and Littlefoot wants to play "the Lone Dinosaur", with a Sharptooth that chases everyone and then a hero to save them. Because it was his idea, Littlefoot calls the Lone Dinosaur, and whoever plays the Sharptooth has to be big and mean.

Hmm...

I like the character animation, but they already did this bit! In two different ways!

In 2, they mention that Cera is sick of always playing the Sharptooth in games, and in 1, they all unanimously decide that Ducky has to be bait for the Sharptooth. Littlefoot even gives her the same face he gives Cera here:

Also, it's really weird to compare the designs. It's been a real frog-boiling experience, where the design shifts from movie to movie are so gradual it's hard to notice. And this is only movie 6!

Cera's surprised they want her to play the villain (again, she shouldn't be, according to movie 2 they make her do this all the time), but Petrie reminds her of how she scared the twins last night. She buys it and starts roaring and chasing them into a small crevice. Littlefoot wants to make a dramatic entrance, so he stands up high on a rotting log, which then breaks under his weight and he falls.

But then Littlefoot is rescued by a mysterious new Longneck named Doc who looks just like the Lone Dinosaur. Or at least, the imagined version of him from the story. Doc is a Diplodocus, voiced by Kris Kristofferson. Cera's dad shows up and is immediately suspicious of this stranger, and then Littlefoot's grandma and grandpa show up and the kids explain what happened. Grandma welcomes Doc to the Great Valley, but Cera's dad needs to meet his racism quota for the day.

Cera's dad: "Hold on there, we don't know anything about this fellow. Who is he? Where's his herd?"

Doc: "Kind of a loner."

Cera's dad: "Mighty suspicious if you ask me. I say send him on his way."

Doc (menacing): "You sure you feel up to it, friend?"

Cera's dad: "Well, I- uuuhhh, that is, uh-"

Grandpa: "Uh, our life here is a sheltered one, eh, perhaps we've forgotten how to greet unexpected guests. As Grandma said, you're welcome here. What's ours, is yours."

Cera's dad: "WHAT?! But- i~it's the time of the Changing Tree Stars! Every day, there's less food to go around! And Longnecks eat a LOT!!"

Grandpa: "There's still plenty for all."

Cera's dad (grumbling): "Huh! Longnecks, always stick together instead of protecti... *he storms off*

Wow, we are officially keeping the racism theme A-ROLLING! Seems like this time around, we're folding in "distrust of outsiders" into it. Also, it's become a very consistent character trait for Cera's dad to be overly conscious of food and water shortages. Not unreasonably, considering he's experienced one drought and three famines so far, but it's always him speaking up about it and demanding that people ration.

Grandpa insists that Cera's dad is good once you get to know him, and Doc quips that he doesn't want to stay that long, which gets a laugh from all the kids except Cera (even the twins). Grandma tells the kids to run and play, but Littlefoot's still star-struck. For the first time this scene, we the audience see the left side of Doc's head, and it's got the scar the Lone Dinosaur got from the Sharptooth battle on it. Littlefoot then leaves with the rest.

Later, Doc is eating leaves from a tree and Littlefoot is spying on him, creeping closer. But Doc already noticed him, and he asks why he's not playing with his friends. Littlefoot just thanks him again for saving him. Doc brushes it off. Littlefoot recommends a place to get Tree Stars, but Doc already knows where it is because he's been here before. Doc does a precise tail-whip to cut the last cluster of leaves from the tree, and then Littlefoot notices the scar, too. Littlefoot asks about it and Doc brushes that off, too, telling him firmly to go play with his friends. Littlefoot takes the cue and leaves.

Meanwhile, the other kids are playing at a bubbling mud puddle. Cera makes a game of hopping across on the big bubbles, but the twins jump past her and dunk her in the mud. She climbs out, annoyed, and then the twins tackle her again. Cera finally snaps and tells them to get lost. The twins tear up as the rest of The Gang shoot her dirty looks. Then Littlefoot runs in, tackling Cera again, launching her back into the mud. Littlefoot insists that Doc is the Lone Dinosaur, but the other kids are skeptical. To convince them, Littlefoot jumps into the first song of the movie, the Legend of the Lone Dinosaur.

You know, I'd be disappointed if this wasn't a western song. That said, it's decent. Pretty catchy, and I like how the mud is used. I like the use of imagination sequences again, but they're not quite as fun as in Big Water. Petrie knowing the term "carnivore" is a bit odd, but it's a good rhyme, so I'll let it slide.

I do think it's funny how Littlefoot just makes up shit to add to the Lone Dinosaur lore. Originally, he was just a badass wanderer, but now he's got an elaborate mythological origin story. Between this song and the last scene, I think they're implying another theme about how your heroes are just people, and hero-worshiping them is weird and makes them uncomfortable. Let's see if I'm right.

After the song, the other kids are won over to the idea, but Cera's still skeptical. She points out that Littlefoot's grandma said those were just stories, and also they supposedly happened a long, long, long time ago, meaning the real Lone Dinosaur would have died of old age by now.

Littlefoot: "Well, I think he is alive! And he's right here in the Great Valley! I'll bet, if you ever got a goood look at Saurus Rock, you'd see it looks just like Doc!"

Dinah (whispering): "Dana, Dinah, rocky go-go!"

Dana and Dinah (whispering): "Now!"

Oh dear. The Threehorn toddler twins have already gotten in trouble tree-climbing, now they're conspiring to go rock-climbing. And Cera already told them to buzz off earlier. Grandpa calls Littlefoot away and the twins sneak off.

That night, Littlefoot is quoting Taxi Driver's "You talkin' to me" scene while pretending to be tough, mimicking Doc. This is the second time Land Before Time has directly referenced another piece of media (the first was earlier in this very movie with the "Lone Dinosaur" referencing the Lone Ranger), and I don't like it. The insular and self-contained nature of the setting is a big thematic element of the franchise, and this breaks it in a different way than the cooking references in 5 broke it and Ozzy saying the word "Struthiomimus" broke it. It just feels weird, like it doesn't belong.

Grandpa tells Littlefoot to go to sleep, and he does.

Early the next morning, Cera wakes Littlefoot up asking if he's seen the twins. The Gang search around for the Twins and Cera starts headbutting a tree in frustration. They start recalling the events of yesterday, and Cera blames herself for telling them to leave her alone, but they eventually remember Littlefoot also talked about seeing Saurus Rock and conclude that must be where they are.

Meanwhile, the twins are having a blast getting themselves in trouble, climbing WAY high up while giggling and laughing non-stop.

I take it back, these two are annoying.

The Gang follows.

Cera (tearfully): "And I remember the day Dinah said her first words!" (flat) "Or was it Dana?" (tearfully) *sniff* "'Shiny peep-eye no-no!'" (sarcastic) "Whatever that means."

Ducky: "It is simple. That means 'the Bright Circle is shining in my eyes and it hurts'."

Cera: "How'd you know that?"

Ducky: "I am also a twin. 13 of us hatched at the same time! 13 twins!"

Littlefoot: "C'mon, you guys! We've got a long way to go!"

Cera: "So then, what does 'no-no grampy threebie grrr' mean?"

Ducky: "That means 'never make grandpa threehorn mad'."

Cera: "Are you sure about that one?"

Ducky: "No, but it is good advice just the same!"

Wait, "grandpa three-horn"? I thought... it's now that I'm realizing I'm an idiot and I completely forgot how family relations work. Dana and Dinah aren't Cera's cousins, the children of a sibling of her dad. They're her niece and nephew, meaning they're the children of one of Cera's siblings. Her dad is their grandpa.

So this is really weird. The first and second movie showed Cera having multiple siblings, either around the same age as her or younger. But since movie 3, her siblings have completely disappeared and the narrative has treated Cera like she's an only child. Now 6 has a mysterious unseen older sibling of Cera's who dropped their kids off for Cera to watch. I hope this movie eventually has some explanation for what's going on here.

Dana and Dinah reach a ravine with some huge stone pillars.

They start to jump across the pillars, just like with the bubbles but with much higher stakes. Dinah almost falls, but she pulls herself up and they make it across.

The Gang keep following, and Cera laments how scared and tired they must be. Smash cut to them playing leap-frog in a field, giggling non-stop. They pass by just as a Sharptooth walks over and sniffs the ground.

You can actually see them on the far right, there. Also wait, I thought Saurus Rock was supposed to still be in the Great Valley? Why is there a Sharptooth here, on the path to Saurus Rock?

The Sharptooth sniffs and follows them, but they obliviously leap-frog through a hole in a tree and the Sharptooth gets its head stuck in it. Hilarious. /sarcasm

The Gang reach the rocky valley and Ducky and Littlefoot hop across with no issue. Cera hesitates, but once she starts she finds it kinda fun and gets across. Spike is too scared to go, and Petrie encourages him to just not look down.

Oh 'cmon, we just did this last movie! 5 had a scene very much like this, where the gang had to cross a ravine on a log. They're just switching Cera and Spike's roles, for some reason. In 5, Cera was telling herself not to look down and Petrie scared her, while Spike strutted across with confidence. Now Cera has fun and Spike is scared, and Petrie is now supportive instead of troll-y.

And frankly, the scene was stupid in 5, too, since they've crossed ravines on logs multiple times before in this franchise with no issues from anyone. It's just obvious padding for time.

Anyway, Spike is scared until he sees something and crosses with quickness. It's a fern on the other side to eat. After Spike crosses, all the stone pillars collapse. Guess we won't be going back that way.

The Gang continues on and come to an area with huge trees. Cera insists her dad could get the tree stars on the top by knocking one down, and she demonstrates by headbutting a tree, bouncing off with no effect. But that tree feels odd, and looks odd, and sounds odd... sounds? It's the Sharptooth embedded in the tree from earlier! It rips out and chases the kids as they scream in terror. The Gang escape by climbing between two big trees next to each other, blocking off the Sharptooth.

On the other side of the big tree forest, Littlefoot gasps as he realizes they're at Saurus Rock.

Littlefoot: "Saurus Rock DOES look like Doc!"

Cera: "Sorta."

Petrie: "Maybe."

Ducky: "A little."

Then Cera notices the twins, on top of Saurus Rock. They're happy to see "Cerey" and are very "uppie", and Ducky translates that means they're high up. They start rolling around near the edge, and the Gang start climbing to save them. Cera's standing on one of the tooth spikes around its neck when the twins fall off, land on her, and knock the tooth spike down. It lands on the ground and crumbles.

The Gang walk back through the big tree forest. Dana and Dinah are apologetic, but Cera is surprisingly understanding, until she shifts to blaming Littlefoot! He's the one who gave them the idea. Dana and Dinah point out (with Ducky's translation) that Cera is the one who told them to get lost, and Cera retorts that she's not saving them the next time this happens.

Cera: "And not a word about this to Grandpa Threehorn."

Dana and Dinah: "Uh-uh. No!"

Cera: "'Cause you don't wanna see Grandpa Threehorn when he’s mad! When Grandpa Threehorn gets mad, it’s even scarier than... than-"

Littlefoot: "A Sharptooth!"

Cera: "...no, I think a Sharptooth's a little bit scarier. Maybe."

Ducky: "No, no, Cera! R-really, behind you!"

Cera: "Oh, come on. Don’t try that old gag on me!"

Especially since WE DID THIS OLD GAG ALREADY! LAST MOVIE! Littlefoot was mad at the idea of someone eating the last Tree Star and the Sharptooth was behind him and he thought the others were scared of him until he realized. C'mon movie, I'm really trying to give you a chance! It doesn't even make sense for Cera to be skeptical, they were JUST running from this same Sharptooth in this SAME area two scenes ago!

Cera gets the idea when it drools on her, and the kids start running. Cera leads the kids into a log.

Ducky: "Cera, it is a good thing that Sharptooth are not very smart!"

Really, Ducky? Really? You're saying that after LAST movie? When we were friends with Chomper and befriended his parents?! I'm sorry I keep bringing up 5, but things keep happening in 6 that remind me of it! It's almost like the yearly release schedule of these movies doesn't give the script-writers a lot of time to iron out continuity, or something!

The kids keep yapping in the log, and the Sharptooth hears them. It peers an eye down into a knothole at the same time Ducky pokes her head out.

I guess this scare is supposed to be instant karma for Ducky calling the Sharptooth stupid, but why? Why did Ducky need instant karma? Why did she express such an opinion in the first place?

Whatever, the Sharptooth picks up the log with its mouth and throws it. It lands perfectly between the two ledges of the ravine that used to have big stone pillars. One-by-one, the kids squeeze out of a hole in the log and cross. Ducky is nervous, and Petrie reassures her.

Petrie: "No worry! You Swimmer, right?"

Ducky: "Mm-hm."

Petrie: "If you fall, there a skinny little river waaaay down there that you might land in! Maybe.

Ducky (sarcastic): "Oh, thank you. I feel SOOOO much better now!"

This is a funny joke, I like Petrie being more troll-y, but again, it contrasts a previous film. The action climax of 4 hinged on Ducky falling from a MUCH shorter height into a river, and the surface tension knocked her out. That was a big dramatic moment that Petrie was personally responsible for, so the subject and tone of this joke feels off.

Spike gets stuck in the log as the Sharptooth approaches! Littlefoot and Petrie are just barely able to pull him free when the Sharptooth bites down! The Sharptooth bites again and the log breaks, sending it plummeting into the ravine.

The kids make it back, and Littlefoot reassures Cera that her dad will never know the twins ran away. Cera's dad overheard that, and demands an explanation. Cera insists they didn't go far, and the twins babble something that Ducky (unhelpfully) translates as them going to Saurus Rock.

Cera's dad: "SAURUS ROCK?! Cera, it was your duty to watch the twins! And you failed."

Cera: "Yes, daddy."

Cera's dad: "I am very disappointed in you! Now, you march yourself right home! Apparently, you still need to be watched yourself. Losing the twins, I never heard of such a thing! It's absurd!"

Honestly, he's being too harsh here, but he's not wrong. Littlefoot laments his big mouth (Ducky should be saying the same thing for translating), but Petrie reassures him that it was just bad luck. Ducky calls back to Grandpa's words. Since they broke Saurus Rock, they had bad luck, which could spread to the Great Valley, then the dinosaur world, then the whole universe!

Littlefoot has a nightmare about him destroying Saurus Rock. He asks his Grandpa, who reiterates that the legend goes that Saurus rock breaking means bad luck. The next day, Littlefoot goes to Petrie with his theory. Petrie doesn't believe it, but Ducky and Spike show up, with Ducky's beak and Spike's tail wrapped with leaves because they got them stuck in a hive of buzzing stingers. Petrie brushes it off, then falls into a tree and gets chased by a swarm of bees. Littlefoot leads into song 2 of the movie, Bad Luck.

It's pretty mediocre. The subtextual message the song is conveying to me is that the kids are over-reacting and completely imagining it, considering the vast majority of "bad luck" events in the song are self-inflicted. But by the standards of "kids overreacting and imagining negative thing" songs, Bad Luck is completely outclassed by Big Water, which had a lot more interesting visuals with the imagination fish.

And if that's NOT the subtext of the song, it's even worse, they could have shown actual instances of over-the-top and entertaining bad luck, not just for The Gang, but the rest of the Great Valley.

I do like Spike scatting, that's a great way to incorporate the mute kid into the songs, I wish every song did that. And I like the flow. But the lyrics have a pretty basic rhyme scheme, and the song doesn't really go anywhere, it just repeats the same idea over and over.

After the song, the twins show up and babble something, which Ducky translates as "Cera's dad wants her home right now". Cera walks away, but she trips over the twins and rolls into a flowerbed. Littlefoot takes that as proof.

Back to the adults, we see why Cera's dad called her over. A watering hole is mysteriously all dried up and the adults are discussing it. Grandpa points out that there's no need to panic, there are plenty of other places to drink, but Cera's dad retorts that this one was the coolest and clearest. One of the adults says it's bad luck, and Littlefoot feels bad about it before he notices Doc watching from a distance.

Littlefoot goes to Doc and asks what to do about bad luck. Doc says you can either fix the problem or move on.

Littlefoot: "Oh. What if- what if you don't want to move on?"

Doc: "Then you're asking the wrong Longneck, kid. I'm a loner. That's the way I've always lived. This valley's nice, but there are others just as nice out there somewhere. I've always done it my way, moving on, looking for someplace a little better."

Littlefoot: "Don't you ever get lonesome?"

Doc: "Sometimes. Sometimes I feel a bit crowded too. My footsteps were planted on the wandering trail long ago. I'm too old to change now."

Doc's a shameless cowboy stereotype, but the execution on him is pretty good. He's cool, but tired and old. His character design helps, he looks just as old as Grandpa. Speaking of Grandpa, he's watching this scene in contemplation (he really does follow Littlefoot around to make sure he stays out of trouble, doesn't he? Fair). I also like Doc mentioning there are other places just as nice as the Great Valley. 4 implied something similar, with the Land of Mists. It helps temper the Great Valley Exceptionalism we hear all the time from the narrator and adult dinosaurs living here.

The Gang are back to playing when a sudden storm emerges. The adults call their names and Cera goes back for the twins, making The Gang all separated. The storm is so powerful that a tornado strikes up, and Grandpa and Littlefoot are yelling for each other. Close together but the rain and wind is so powerful they can't see or hear each other.

Cera gets the twins back to their grandpa, who says he's proud of her. The tornado rushes forward and Littlefoot is caught in it. Doc curls up around him to protect him from the wind. Then, just as suddenly as it came, the storm leaves. Doc and Littlefoot emerge from a pile of trees, and Littlefoot thanks Doc for saving him again, but he brushes it off, again.

Everyone starts cleaning up the debris and rubble, and Cera's dad proposes a theory:

Cera's dad: "Mighty strange the way things have been happening lately. Take this storm, for instance."

Grandpa: "We've had whirling winds before, they're just part of the circle of life."

Cera's dad: "I know, but it seems to me that we've suffered more than our share of misfortunes since a certain stranger came to the Valley."

The other adults are quick to accept this theory and scapegoat Doc as the bringer of bad luck. Littlefoot runs in to insist that Doc is the greatest Longneck who ever lived (mildly offending his own grandparents). Cera's dad claims he's not saying anything bad about Doc's character, just that he's bad luck, but Littlefoot insists he didn't bring the bad luck, and Cera's dad relents.

Littlefoot rejoins the gang and Cera takes her dad's side that Doc brought the bad luck. Littlefoot reminds her it was their own doing (technically, it was the twins and Cera's fault, specifically).

Cera: "Look, I never liked the guy much, okay? And I'm not even sure I believe in this bad luck stuff. But if the grownups wanna blame him, why not let 'em?"

Littlefoot: "'Cause it's not fair! They're gonna end up chasing him away and... I don’t want him to go."

Cera: "Well, there’s nothing you can do about it anyway."

Littlefoot: "Yes, there is! I can fix it!"

With that, Littlefoot storms off to take Doc's advice and fix the problem. The others glare at Cera. Cera reveals the reason she's taking her dad's side is because he's back to being proud of her, so she can't tell him now and ruin it. Cera angrily throws a log and it hits a huge pile of sticks that fall onto The Gang. The Gang decide that the bad luck must be real, and therefore they caused it, and therefore they have to fix it.

Meanwhile, Littlefoot's talking to himself and pretty quickly transitions into song 3 of the movie: On Your Own.

Eh. It's okay. It kinda ignores that Littlefoot has been on his own before and he was miserable, right after his mom died in the first movie (and it kinda prompts the comparison with that shadow shot).

The second half where Littlefoot goes from cheerful to sad is expected and not really prompted by much. I thought the shadow was the Sharptooth at first (yeah, it fell down a ravine, so did the one in the first movie, and it survived) but no, it was just some clouds. And the lyrics overall are really basic.

The part where he's imagining his friends superimposed on rocks is hilariously terrible, though. The rocks aren't even close and the drawings of The Gang... well Cera and Spike look okay, but Petrie and Ducky are so off that it's a little offensive that's how Littlefoot imagines them.

The rest of The Gang are looking for Littlefoot and discuss to figure out where Littlefoot went. Wait, it took them until NOW to realize that Littlefoot was talking about fixing Saurus Rock?! That wasn't obvious?! They tell the twins to stay behind, while they go.

Littlefoot goes to the ravine, his goal is to rip out a tooth from the Sharptooth and replace the one that fell out of Saurus Rock.

Meanwhile, Doc tells Littlefoot's grandpa that he's going to leave. He was already planning to leave soon anyway, and he wants to head out before things get hairy for him. After he walks away, The Gang runs up to Grandpa and he asks where Littlefoot is.

Back with Littlefoot, he's climbed down the ravine and comments that the Sharptooth looks and smells dead, so he shouldn't be afraid. I will say, that's something I appreciate about this franchise. At least so far, it's not unwilling to acknowledge the concept of death. Also, the Sharptooth isn't dead, its eye opens while Littlefoot leaves to look for a stick. Dinosaurs are Built Different.

Grandpa is on the way to Saurus Rock with The Gang. The old Longneck is having trouble climbing the rocky cliffs on the pathway there, and he admits that he's never seen Saurus Rock before, those were just stories his own grandfather told him (which FINALLY explains how they knew about the Great Valley in the first movie).

Littlefoot props the Sharptooth's mouth open with a stick and tries headbutting a tooth out. It's tiring work, but at least there's a breeze.

Littlefoot: "Wait, a second. I'm inside a dead Sharptooth. Why would there be a breeze? Unless, it's breathing. But if it's breathing, that means... IT'S ALIIIIIIVE!"

You know, the characters seem a bit slower on the uptake in this movie than they were in previous films. But I do think the audio quality is better. The characters have more of a decibel range, they're actually whispering and yelling, instead of just talking louder or quieter.

The Sharptooth stands up and Littlefoot manages to jump out of its mouth before it bites down on the stick. He runs away through some rocks, and the Sharptooth starts headbutting the rocks to carve away at them. On the other side of the rocks, Littlefoot sees...

ANOTHER SHARPTOOTH! Two of them!

He keeps running and sees the heroic shadow of an adult Longneck. He thinks it's Doc until he realizes it's Grandpa, who tells him to run. Grandpa tail-whips the new Sharptooth in the face, launching it into a rock. Littlefoot reunites with The Gang and they cheer on Grandpa as he grabs the Sharptooth's neck with his tail and headbutts it down again (badass!). The other Sharptooth returns and distracts Grandpa enough for the downed one to get in a kick to the side.

Littlefoot runs in to help, but then a tail lashes out and grabs the yellow Sharptooth by the leg, tripping him.

It's Doc! It's now a 2-v-2.

The green Sharptooth turns toward Doc, but Grandpa gets up and slams it from behind with a huge swinging headbutt!

Both Sharpteeth get up and charge in, but Doc and Grandpa sidestep and the Sharpteeth headbutt a stone pillar together!

Grandpa: "It's a good thing Sharpteeth aren't very smart!"

Really? That's the badass one-liner we're going with? Blatant racism, calling back to Ducky's earlier line? Wow. You know... I guess it's in-line with the Western style of this movie...

Grandpa and Doc use their tails to grab the stone pillar together and pull it down, collapsing it and burying both Sharpteeth in a massive pile of rocks. The kids celebrate and a Sharptooth tooth lands next to them, which startles them briefly.

Littlefoot tells Doc not to leave, but it's time he hits that ol' dusty trail. Too much talking. Littlefoot tells him that they might need a hero, and Doc says he already got a hero, referring to Grandpa. After Grandpa helps the kids out of the ravine, they put the new Sharptooth tooth in place of the old stone one on Saurus Rock.

It's a little... small. Grandpa doesn't think that bad luck was actually caused by this, but it's reassuring to Littlefoot to try. Littlefoot thanks Grandpa for being his hero.

The epilogue is Cera dramatically telling a story to a bunch of little kids, including the twins (in hindsight, I'm so glad they didn't tag along to add artificial drama to the finale).

Petrie and Ducky help out with the scare chord, and then Littlefoot takes over when it comes to the hero moment. It's basically the exact same as Grandpa's Lone Dinosaur story, except replacing the Lone Dinosaur with the Grey Dinosaur, which is Grandpa himself.

Grandpa (narrating): "And so, another myth was born. It would change with each retelling. And even now, who knows where this one will end?"

Gotta leave it open-ended for more sequels!

This... was not as good as the previous films. In fact, this is easily my least favorite Land Before Time movie so far. By a wide margin, actually!

For a movie titled "The Secret of Saurus Rock", this movie sure was cagey about revealing any of its secrets, wasn't it? It was ambiguous on whether Doc was really the Lone Dinosaur and it was ambiguous on whether the bad luck from damaging Saurus Rock was real or not. That makes it hard to really criticize either of those plot points from either of their angles, which just makes it all the more frustrating.

I was really hoping for some big revelatory moment where Doc is like "yeah, I saved those people, but I don't like they made such a big deal out of it, even going so far as to build that statue in my honor, it freaks me out" or something like that, but nope. It's just left up to mystery, which annoys me. And because of that, the interesting theme I thought they were implying in the song Legend of the Lone Dinosaur is completely absent, souring my opinion of that song.

Speaking of songs, this movie has the weakest line-up of songs in the whole franchise. Legend of the Lone Dinosaur is the best one, but it's only okay, especially with the lack of any interesting thematic work. Bad Luck sucks, the ultimate ambiguity of whether the bad luck is real or not kneecaps what is otherwise just a mediocre song anyway. And On Your Own has a good concept but poor execution.

I do like that it kept the racism theme, though it ultimately barely utilized it. The thematic work in this movie is the weakest it's ever been. Littlefoot has an arc about appreciating his family instead of hero-worshiping a stranger, Cera learns responsibility looking after the twins, Cera's dad distrusts Doc for being an outsider, and Littlefoot's grandpa gets to live out his hero fantasies from when he was a kid. None of those themes gel with each other, and they're all underbaked. And the casual anti-Sharptooth racism REALLY feels uncomfortable, especially for the direct follow-up film to The Mysterious Island.

Before watching this, I heard this movie had the best fights in the franchise, but they're just okay. Better than in 4, for sure. The myth fight is good, but the final battle is too short, Doc does one attack before the rock pillar finisher. The fights are definitely nowhere near as good as in 1 with mom vs Sharptooth and The Gang vs Sharptooth, the double raid boss in 2 of The Gang and their parents vs Chomper's parents, or the ridiculous marathon battle in 3 of everyone vs the Velociraptor terminators. I'd say the fights here are about on-par with the triple Sharptooth fight in 5. There's no blood, but the tooth kinda makes up for that.

The story is WAAAAAY too cliche and referential for its own good. That's a problem I also had with 4, but at least 4 had really entertaining villains in Ichy and Dil. The Sharpteeth in this movie are nothing, personality-wise. Doc is good, but he can't carry the film by himself! Doc doesn't even get a song! That's crazy, Kris Kristofferson was a huge country music singer, not giving Doc a song is a MASSIVE missed opportunity!

On another note, Movie 6 is too late to be introducing a new big landmark in the Great Valley like Saurus Rock. Movies 2 and 3 were all about fleshing out the Great Valley and its various locations and landmarks. There's a reason 4 and 5 explored other locations, the Land of Mist and Mysterious Island. But 6 introduces like four huge brand new locations in the Great Valley, and that's too many. Especially since we've had a few aerial views of the Great Valley before, and we didn't see anything like the landmarks in this film. It just feels like they're making shit up, there's no continuity.

Dana and Dinah are almost as bad as Ozzy and Strut. Not quite as shamelessly derivative, but easily just as annoying. The only reason they're not as bad is they don't get as much screentime, and they're not in the climax. Also, their relation to Cera really bothers me, we never see their parents or get an explanation for why Cera has suddenly been saddled with taking care of them.

There are a couple animation errors where Littlefoot's grandpa is drawn with his grandma's design, and vice-versa, but the errors are not as bad as in 5. That said, the animation itself is a small step down.

The pacing isn't too bad, this doesn't have the "it takes until halfway to get in gear" problem the other sequels had. The halfway point of the movie is when they break Saurus Rock, but that doesn't significantly affect how interesting the plot is.

Pros: The pacing is okay. The fights are decent. Doc is good. Cera's arc is interesting on paper. The microphone quality was good (really stretching for something nice to say here).

Cons: The themes and subplots are all over the place and really disconnected from each other. The story is cliche. Doc doesn't get a song. The songs are really weak. The twins are really annoying. The characters are dumb. The Doc and Saurus Rock story ambiguity was frustrating. The animation is bad. The anti-Sharptooth racism sucked. The CONSTANT repetition of bits from 1 and 5 got REALLY annoying. The fact that it was Autumn barely mattered!

Score: Early in the review, I was thinking a 6/10, then it dropped to a 5/10, then I landed on a 4/10. While writing up my overall thoughts here, however, I think I talked myself into giving this movie a 2/10.

Everything good I can say comes with a caveat, and there's a LOT that just rubbed me the wrong way or I outright hated. Doc himself is good, he's like a 7/10 character, but even a hero can't save this movie.

The Land Before Time: 8/10 (hypothetical uncut version: 9/10)

The Great Valley Adventure: 8/10

The Time of the Great Giving: 7/10

Journey Through The Mists: 7/10

The Mysterious Island: 9/10

The Secret of Saurus Rock: 2/10

[elisedoves]

Leather & Lace: Chapter Three (Greaseball/Dinah)

The sky is becoming dark, and all Greaseball wants to do is go home. She wasn’t supposed to work today, but someone else called out, so she was called in. Just her luck. If she’s expected to work more hours, she expects more money. Her boss is an asshole—he’ll never give her a raise.

She’s worn out, and her muscles ache just as much as her eyes. Much to her relief, the day is over, so she heads toward the exit to clock out. The musky smell of engines and gasoline sting her nostrils. 

“Hey!” a voice calls out from behind her.

She halts in her tracks, turning around to face whoever it is. It is a tall, lanky guy with bronze skin and a dorky smile on his face. His curly hair sits neatly in an updo, showcasing his brown eyes clearly.

Greaseball has seen him around–he’s one of the best workers in the shop. He’s there almost every day, and yet, Greaseball has yet to learn his name.

“Hey,” she replies, unsure of his intentions. “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” he says. “I just thought I’d introduce myself! Name’s Rusty. Yours?”

“Greaseball… What’s it to you?”

Rusty seems unfazed by Greaseball’s tone and continues, taking a step closer. “I see you in here all the time, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say a word. Are you new to town?”

Greaseball shifts her weight, uncomfortable from the boring conversation. Meeting new people is the worst—it’s all small talk until you’re comfortable enough to be yourself. She tries to think of something interesting to say, but fails.

“Yeah.” 

“I’ve been here for a long time,” Rusty explains. “Maybe we’ll see each other around?”

Greaseball fights back a groan. There it is. The words that she dreads hearing the most are “maybe we’ll see each other around” and “you should call me sometime”. If the words aren’t being said by a cute woman, she’s not interested.

“Well, it’s been a long day,” Greaseball sighs. “But yeah, sure.”

Rusty smiles. “We can go bowling sometime. There’s a really nice alley not far from here.”

Greaseball has to hold in a laugh. Bowling, really? That’s the best he can do? It wasn’t what she was expecting, but it’s better than being asked on a dinner date. With how bored she’s been lately, what does she have to lose?

“Bowling, you say?” she chuckles. “Gee, I haven’t gone bowling since I was a kid.”

Rusty shakes his head. “Nothing wrong with that! I’m sure you’ll be good enough. I won’t judge you if you’re terrible.”

Greaseball cocks a brow, smirking. “Me, bad? I won’t be bad, trust me. I will bet you right here and now that I can beat you.”

“Oh, you’re on! But I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you. I go bowling plenty. You’ll have to try pretty hard to beat ol’ Rusty!”

Greaseball rolls her eyes, but she shows no real irritation. She doesn’t think she’s ever met someone quite as annoying as Rusty, but why not give him a chance? She’s been lonely, and a friend would be nice. She has nothing else to do.

“How about tonight?” she asks. “You got any plans?”

Rusty’s face lights up. “No, I don’t.”

“Let’s go, then. Lead the way.”

Greaseball practically has to run through the parking lot to catch up with the guy. She hops into her newly-repaired car and smiles, starting the engine. She follows behind Rusty’s car, feeling happier than she has for a while. She isn’t sure what’s going to happen tonight, but she’s excited to find out.

When Greaseball pulls into the parking lot of the alley, she yawns. It’s late, and usually she likes to be in bed by now. At least she won’t be bored.

The parking lot is lit up by the alley’s neon sign–purple and green. Their logo is of a palm tree and a dolphin. Strange–nothing in Prosperity is tropical. It’s all dirt roads and farms, and there are no beaches that Greaseball is aware of. Not unless you drive way, way out of town.

She leaves her car, checking to make sure it's locked before heading toward the alley. She waves at Rusty, who runs to catch up with her. She hears the sound of crickets chirping, reminding her of how late it’s getting.

“I hope this will be worth losing sleep over,” she says.

“If you like greasy bowling alley fries, it’ll be worth it!” Rusty retorts.

“I’m hungry. I’d eat just about anything right now.”

…

After an hour of bowling, they take a break. The two sit at a small table, sharing a container of fries. They are both more disheveled than they had been an hour ago, the competition of the night getting to them.

“I’ve gotta get a shower when I get home,” Greaseball complains, shoving a fry into her mouth.

“Where do you live, anyway?”

“Not far from here. It’s just a little one room apartment.”

Rusty nods. “Oh. I’m not too far from here either. I assume you live on your own?”

Greaseball leans her cheek on her hand. “Yeah. I don’t know anyone here, so… no roommates.”

“I’m sure you’ll meet someone soon. You met me.”

Greaseball can’t help but crack a rare smile. She shoves another fry in her mouth, then brushes her hands off on her pants. She keeps her eyes on the guy across from her, wondering what his deal is. She thinks about whether he has many friends, or what his hobbies are besides bowling.

Even though he’s dorky and almost too happy-go-lucky, Greaseball is glad she gave him a chance. It’s been ages since she’s hung out with anybody. So, she makes a promise to herself. She’ll hang out with him again.

[prideandvain]

Rating:

Mature

Archive Warning:

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Category:

Other

Fandom:

Starlight Express - Phillips/Stilgoe/Webber

Relationship:

CB | Caboose/Electra/Greaseball (Starlight Express)

Characters:

CB | Caboose (Starlight Express), Electra (Starlight Express), Greaseball (Starlight Express)

Additional Tags:

Unreliable Narrator, NPD Electra, references to sexual trauma, past sexual trauma, sex as an apology(Doesn't work), Augments, attempt at sex, Not stated but He/She Electra, Original London Cast

Language:

English

https://archiveofourown.org/works/66247891

Full fic below but it would be nice to get kudos on it on ao3

The augment has been so drawn out I honestly forgot what Greaseball was upset with at the start. Now its turned into a argument where we scream small meaningless nitpicks at one another.

I make it seem like this is normal, it isn’t.

This was the first time let my anger get to this point. I keep myself calm and relaxed in front of others. I find my persona to be very important. I like to keep true for the most part so honestly its a miracle Greaseball worked me up to this.

That's another thing wrong with him. He brings out the worse in me. He ruins me. He ruined Dinah, he ruined Pearl, and now he's ruining me. What flower is safe from his hands? CB is the only one not actually ruined by him, but I’m pretty sure CB is too far gone to be ruined anymore. Or at least whatever damage is given to him doesn’t fucking matter. Like a drop in an ocean of a fucked up individual.

“You always fuckin’ do this Electra! ‘M fuckin’ pissed off because you ain’t ever apologize either!” Greaseball yelled and I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. It doesn’t even matter. Besides I apologize. I always apologize.

“Don’t fucking lie to me! I apologize! Unlike you! All you can do is misspell a word and pray it works! Asshole!” I screamed back. I feel a bit bad for CB being in the middle of this, us just letting ourselves into his shed to start a dumb augment that will end with me apologizing. Because I always do.

“When?! ‘Cause I ain’t even heard the word sorry come out of your mouth! I don’t think you even know what that word means!” Greaseball shoved me, causing me to take a couple steps back to steady myself.

“Oh come on! I apologize! I let you have sex with me. Isn’t that enough?!” I fire back, its always enough for the people I work with, and the racing competitors, and anyone I pissed off. Either that or I let them punch the shit out of me.

I let them get their frustrations out on me. It works, because then they act nice to me until I mess up again and we go through the cycle over and over again. One of the only lessons I learned on the streets that still apply to my life.

“That ain’t apologizing Electra!” CB and Greaseball said in unison. Bullshit. It is. Everyone else takes it as such.

“Yes it fucking is! Come on, Stop acting like it isn’t!” If I were to ask my components I’m sure they’d agree. I know they will. Because it is an apology.

“Oh come on! Stop staring at me like that! If you really want an apology right now then take me!” I fired at them, they were staring at me with such disgust. It sickened me.

They’ve always accepted it before. Why now? What changed? Am I repulsive to them?

They didn’t say anything. Why aren’t they saying anything? Why do they have pity and disgust in their eyes. I’m not pitiful and I don’t think I’m disgusting.

“Oh baby…come on! Take your frustrations out on me!” I take top off, in a graceful movement, dropping it to the floor. Baring my chest to them as I step closer to Greaseball. CB liked watching after all. Sometimes I forget he’s in this relationship. Always watching, never acting.

I grab Greaseballs shoulders and stare down at him, he’ll fold. He’ll accept my apology, take his frustrations out and then we’ll go back to normal. As always. As we do, at the end of every minor argument. Maybe they weren’t used to it during the fight. Maybe that's why Greaseball is staring at me with such utter disgust. I normally wait until I know he calmed down a bit. Maybe he's too angry.

Maybe he doesn’t actually find me repulsive.

“Back off Electra! I ain’t having sex with you! That ain’t an apology. I ain’t even sure if I wanna be around you anymore” Greaseball said, disdain and hate dripping through his words as he shoves me, much harder then before, away. I hit the floor. Like I’m trash.

Like I’m scraps he doesn’t want anymore.

“Baby! Please come on! CB you have to agree this is an apology? Right?” I plead, I see him shake his head. Saying something. Maybe the fall unplugged the wires for my audio, so I can’t hear no more.

Him and CB say some other things. I can’t hear them. I don’t know. I don’t care.

I realize they are walking out, I turn around, tears pricking at my eyes, they hurt. The tears. “Please, wait wait! Don’t leave me, please come on, CB, GB! Oh don’t leave me alone, please…”

They leave me alone in CB’s shed. I’m alone, in a shed that’s not mine.

They find me repulsive.

I’m repulsive

I’m disgusting

They broke up with me.

Tears I keep hidden fall down my cheeks, running my eyeliner and mascara. Ruining my look.

I’m ruined.

I grab my shirt as I stand up.

I’m unlovable. Because how can I be loved if my boyfriends even found me repulsive.

I need to leave

[allthegoodgirlsgotoheaven]

could you do some hurt/comfort hcs for greasedinah?

a/n : omg ofc ofc! I wasn’t sure of the scenario you’d want so I went with the aftermath of canon, so like right after everything :)) hope you like!

Hurt/Comfort with Greasedinah

warnings: talk about insecurities

Even though Dinah forgave Greaseball and decided to give their relationship another shot, she’s still really hurting.

The love of her life up and dropped her for her best friend just to win a stupid race, of course she’d be emotionally conflicted!

In the days following the race Dinah is kind of distant and sad, her insecurities eating her up from the inside.

In the past Dinah pulling away and seeming sad wouldn’t have fazed Greaseball, she never was very good with other people’s feelings. But now that she was working on being a better girlfriend, she started to notice how different Dinah was acting

“You feeling okay doll?” Greaseball came into their shared room to find Dinah curled up on the bed with that same dejected expression she’d been wearing for days.

“Of course, never better.” Dinah fixed her face into a clearly forced smile, trying not to burden Greaseball with her worries. In her mind, if she was less of a burden she’d be easier to keep around.

Greaseball came and sat next to her on the bed, taking a deep breath, “You’re sure? You seem…I don’t know, sad.” It made sense for Dinah to be hurt and sad over what happened, she felt horrible for causing her that kind of pain to begin with.

Dinah sniffed a little, trying to keep the floodgates from opening back up. She’d been crying on and off for days, and since her and Pearl were still not really made up, she didn’t have her usual person to vent to at present, “I’m fine, just tired is all.” Her voice broke, shattering the mask she’d been trying to hold up

Greaseball watched helplessly as tears fell down Dinah’s pretty face. Starlight, she was terrible at comforting people, but Dinah clearly needed it. “Dinah, you’re not okay, just talk to me, okay doll?”

Dinah shook her head, wiping her tears quickly, “It’s stupid, you don’t need to worry yourself about it.” The little sobs that interrupted her words made her seem supremely unconvincing.

“Baby, if it’s upsetting you this much, it isn’t stupid, I want to know so I can help. Even if it’s something I did, especially if I did something actually.” Greaseball held Dinah’s hands, squeezing them gently. She was glad to see her sobs were starting to subside.

Dinah paused and thought for a moment, finally deciding to just tell her and hope for the best. “It is related to everything with the race a few days ago? But I’ve just been in my head making myself worry.” She looked down at her lap and pulled one of her hands away to pick at her skirt.

Greaseball looked puzzled for a moment, “Making yourself worry about what?” She had promised Dinah nothing like that would ever happen again, so what was she worrying about?

“Um, I guess seeing you with Pearl kind of made me think about how she’s all shiny and pretty and perfect, and I’m just not so much.” Dinah sighed, she knew she was pretty, but she just never felt pretty enough anymore.

Greaseball was taken aback, Dinah thought she wasn’t as pretty as Pearl? How was that even possible? “Baby, you’re like, insanely pretty, it doesn’t matter if Pearl is shiny and new, she’s not you.” She held Dinah’s cheek in her palm, rubbing the tears off with her thumb.

“I spent a long time wondering when you were going to realize I wasn’t good enough and go find someone new, and I guess I thought that day had come. I’m glad it didn’t, and I’m happy we’re trying again, believe me, but I guess I just worry that I’m not special or interesting enough.” Dinah sighed, wiping her eyes and leaning into Greaseball’s hand.

“If anything, you’re too good for me, I’ve never thought you weren’t good enough, and I don’t think anyone else would either, not that their opinion should matter.” Greaseball couldn’t even wrap her head around Dinah, the kindest most wonderful person she knew, genuinely believing she wasn’t good enough for her.

Greaseball knew that may be partially her fault, races made her irritable and antsy, and she definitely had been dismissive towards Dinah leading up to this race, “If I ever, and I mean ever make you feel like you aren’t good enough, I want you to smack me, because clearly I forgot just how amazing I have it with you.” She was absolutely serious too, Dinah deserved to know how loved she was.

Dinah laughed and wrapped her arms around Greaseball tightly, burying her face in the crook of her neck, “I love you.” her muffled voice declared, followed by Greaseball kissing her head and grinning at her now much more relaxed girlfriend.

“Can we cuddle for a bit? I missed it.” Dinah looked up at Greaseball with pleading eyes, and she was helpless to resist.

“Of course, c’mon.” She scooped Dinah up and placed her on her lap, squeezing her tightly against her torso so she could kiss her face and make her laugh.

They stayed like that for the rest of the night, and Dinah finally seemed back to her usual happy self again.

Hope you liked! I know it’s a bit long lol

[froizetta]

WIP Wednesday (but it's Thursday)

So I told myself I would post this yesterday, but when I left for the evening I realised I hadn't in fact done that. Whoops! But hey, it's only like 4 and a half past midnight on Baker Island, so if you think about it, it basically still counts as Wednesday. Right?

Anyway, this one is the next chunk of my superbatlantern fic, because I thought I might as well just commit and post what's basically the end of chapter 1. (For anyone who hasn't read the preceding parts: part 1 and part 2.)

“You were spying on us,” Bats said in that rough, low growl of his. He didn’t sound happy.

Well, there didn’t seem much point in denying it at this point, huh? “Yeah,” he said.

“Why.”

“Is that really important?” Hal shrugged. “Curiosity, mostly. I sensed a little sexual tension earlier in that meeting, while you two were going at it with each other.” The word choice made Batman’s eyebrow twitch gratifyingly. “I thought maybe you’d come in here to continue what you started, so I decided to check. That’s all.”

Superman went from looking mostly dismayed to a little bewildered. “So you wanted to catch us—what? Having sex? This is the Watchtower, we wouldn’t— Why would you think we’d even do that here?”

Hal felt his eyebrows raise. “What, you mean you haven’t? Ever?” Superman didn’t say anything to that, which to Hal was pretty much as good as an admission. He grinned. “Heh, thought so. I always knew you were less of a boy scout than you let on.”

Superman looked like he wanted to respond to that, but Batman cut him off coolly before he could. “Clark, focus. Hal’s concerning attempts at voyeurism aside—”

“Hey!” Hal objected. “I wasn’t out there trying to jack off or anything, don’t make it weird—”

“Putting that aside,” Bats continued firmly, “we need to deal with the real issue here.”

He turned his ice-blue gaze on Superman, who met it immediately as if by instinct. They did that kind of thing a lot, silently communicating with each other with just a look or a subtle gesture, like they had some kind of freaky, psychic bond. Just like now, where the meaningful glances exchanged above Hal’s head were a whole conversation he couldn’t hear.

…Huh. Hal probably should have figured they were dating a while ago, actually.

After a long few seconds, they seemed to come to an agreement. Superman turned back to address him, stoic and serious. “Hal, we need to know you’re not going to spread this around.”

Hal raised an eyebrow. “Or what? You’re gonna blackmail me? Kick me out of the League? Put my feet in a bucket of cement and drop me into the Atlantic?”

A muscle flexed in Batman’s jaw, the way it always did when he was pissy. “Obviously not.”

“Good,” he said, flashing the ring alongside his signature grin. “Because I’m not feeling super threatened.”

That muscle flexed again and Batman’s hands clenched to fists. Okay, so he was really pissed, huh? “Christ, Jordan, this isn’t the time for your pointless posturing,” he snarled. “Can't you take this seriously, for once in your life—”

“Bruce,” Superman said softly, laying a hand on his shoulder. “It’s gonna be fine, okay? It’s Hal.”

Hal bristled, unsure what the guy meant by that but instinctually convinced that it had to be some kind of dig at his expense. But before he could say anything righteously indignant, Bats just kind of…softened? There wasn’t really another word for it, all that sneering tension seeping out of him in an instant. Bats reached up to squeeze the hand on his shoulder, grateful and reassuring, and it all felt so easily intimate that whatever words were about to come out caught in Hal’s throat.

Hal swallowed. Geez, what was wrong with him? He wasn’t normally like this around Ollie and Dinah, and god knows they weren’t that shy about PDA. And this was barely even that. What about it was weirding him out so much? Just because it was them?

Superman smiled at him, all benevolence and understanding but for the tension around his eyes. “Look, there’s a reason we’ve been keeping our relationship private. We agreed when this started that dating openly would be too complicated and too much risk for our secret identities. And unfortunately, that includes the Justice League. You know how gossip spreads among the superhero community.”

Boy did he. When Carol had dumped him for good, he’d gotten a commiseration text from Booster Gold. Fucking Booster Gold.

“And I don’t want what we do in our private time encroaching on what we do here,” he went on. “We have a leadership position in League together with Diana. The two of us being in a relationship could…complicate things, here.”

“You don’t want that, huh, big guy?” Hal said. “That not a concern your boyfriend shares?”

Batman’s expression remained blank. Superman’s eyes hardened. “Don't try to change the subject, please. This is serious.”

“Clark is right,” Bats said. “Hal, we need explicit verbal confirmation. Will you agree to keep this a secret, or are we going to have a problem?”

Hal shrugged. “Yeah, sure.”

Both of them paused.

“Really,” Batman said, with an edge of suspicion. “Just like that.”

“Yeah, just like that. Why are you acting so surprised? I’m in this game too, I know the drill. I can keep a secret.”

“You wear a flight suit with your name on it under your Lantern uniform.”

“And yet somehow, the general public hasn’t worked it out yet. Go figure.” He felt his lips pull into a sneer. “Look, what do you want from me? I said I won’t blab and I won’t. Am I supposed to sign a pact in blood or something?”

“Shockingly, I wasn’t actually going to suggest that,” Batman said dryly. “But it would certainly be more comforting than just taking it on faith.”

Hal gritted his teeth. “Oh, right. So you don’t trust me, is that it?”

“Bruce,” Superman said, frowning.

Bats just shook his head. “It’s nothing personal. Trust alone is a poor basis for most agreements.”

“So that’s a 'no, I don’t trust you' then? Fuck you too. How many times have I pulled your ass out of the fire by now, Spooky—”

“Fewer times than I’ve done the same for you—”

“Okay, that’s enough,” Superman cut in, face like gentle thunder. “Bruce, we’re asking him for a favor here. Antagonizing him is counterproductive.” Bats just grunted and looked away. “And Hal, you have to understand this is difficult for us. For both of us. We’ve kept this hidden for a long time, from almost everyone in our lives, and you’re the first person to find out like this. I hope you can appreciate the gravity of that.”

Hal scrubbed a hand through his hair, feeling the sudden rush of anger drain out of him. It was honestly hard to stay mad when Superman was using his Nice Reasonable Mediator voice. “Yeah, I… Look, I do get it, okay? I’m not gonna blab, because no matter what either of you think, I’m not that big of an asshole. I don’t go around fucking up other people’s relationships for fun, you know.”

“We know, Hal,” Superman said, reassuringly. Batman was annoyingly silent.

“Cool. Are we done here?”

“We’re done,” Bats said.

Thank god. Hal was feeling shittier and antsier the longer he sat here with these guys.

[zahri-melitor]

New(ish) Comics:

Last week carryover entry –

Black Canary: The Best of the Best #3: there was still some delays getting this into the shop here, so I didn’t get around to writing it up till now. Still very satisfying, in terms of the writing around Dinah and Shiva. I feel the level of ruthlessness here is more in line with the way the two of them are together, than say how Shiva is around Cass.

We got Bruce turning up! And he appeared mostly to be grumpy and ‘I know you’re hiding things from me’ which is on brand for a Dinah-focused book. Also Ted Grant is the best, he loves his niece Dinah so much, and that was fully on display.

Absolute Superman #3: gosh does this run love dunking on AI generated text.

Still enjoying Lara having character and purpose, and all the Krypton-based section of the story.

Batgirl #3: I like how this is playing with Shiva’s backstory (in a different but complementary way to what King is doing right now, in terms of what’s being picked out). Also personally very excited to see Nyssa back, because I always hated they just murdered her immediately in OYL and wasted the potential drama she brings. Also just for myself, I’m really glad to see a head on discussion of Cass's skillset and whether she is truly unbeatable, and how for multiple reasons, her 'I always win' doesn't necessarily play out, particularly when she's emotionally involved in the situation.

Batman #156: Honestly I spent most of this watching Zdarsky move the pieces into place to hand over his run. (Which. As I’ve said before, he clearly built offramps into all of his stories; he’s just finally using one) Riddler actually challenging Batman with riddles is fun and almost retro in some ways – it’s nice to have Eddie actually doing his thing, looking cheerful about it, and overlooking a giant flashing problem.

Birds of Prey #17: I think the thing I liked most here is that we circled back and fixed the ‘Amazons are mad at the Birds’ situation from the start of the run. A satisfying payoff. I also enjoyed the evil minions going “that’s a New God, we did not sign up to deal with that” and bailing at the sight of Barda.

Justice League: The Atom Project #1: look I’m interested in the ‘people’s powers have moved around’ plot, but I am profoundly uninterested in Captain Atom and I’m already suffering through Jenny Sparks.

I am hypothetically interested in this multibook JL plot, but I might let it build up to read later.

Shazam! #19: you know how Green Lantern can go through phases where everyone’s using Hal’s oath, and then people get creative again and give varying individual ones? Well, Shazam is definitely in the ‘everyone gets their own pantheon’ part of the cycle again, and personally I’m all for it.

I love Mr Mind, he’s so calculatedly hilarious and villain-monologuing in his evil. And he’s exactly the way I enjoy him the most in this story.

Two-Face #2:  The benefit of a legal drama set in a court run by villains is that all the weirdness, differences in system and inaccuracies wash over me in a wave of ‘look this isn’t supposed to be perfectly accurate’. I can forgive and move on. In terms of Harvey and Two-Face’s separate plots – I’m loving the separation in the colouring and artstyle between them.

The Warlord #83: this week in Skartaris we opened with simultaneous panel plots for what Travis and Tara were up to. One of my favourite comics tropes, so thumbs up there.

Jennifer and Joshua meet up with Aram Al Ashir, who if you’ve forgotten is the erstwhile ‘second best thief in Skartaris’ and also prince of Kaambuka.

This guy. The one who dresses like a jester. That’s what passes for formal attire in his kingdom. He just wants to play annoying rogue-bard to Travis.

In the far future, Travis’s slave rebellion is going well until they try to kidnap the US president and discover he’s lost his mind from guilt (over causing nuclear war) and now is being controlled by his secretary. Travis breaks through the president’s belief it’s all a bad dream and our vizier-like secretary karks it.

Look there’s a whole lot of very US rah rah imagery here. Beating people up with the seal of office etc.

(This sure is America!!!)

Anyway, after the US president returns to his right mind he cancels slavery, then shoots himself out of guilt. USA! USA!

And now far future has no US President! But what they do have is…the chance to make Travis’s life harder!

USA! USA!

(Of course they try to make him president. He’s already consort to a queen)

[havendance]

AN: Guess who read Black Canary (2007)? It me 😔 I wrote this real quick because Dinah deserved better.

(AO3 | Superlove (for melo))

Dinah looked up from the letter, from the only connection she had to Sin, alive, safe and far away now. She could still feel the terror of watching her fall. “How could you?” she demanded. “How could you do this without telling me?”

Ollie gently took the letter from her hand. He was burning it before Dinah could process enough to try and stop him. “The league had to believe she was dead,” he said. “Your reaction sold it. I’m sorry.”

“Get out,” she said.

“I wouldn’t have hurt you if there was any other way.”

“Well you did!” Dinah shouted. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye!”

“You can visit her once things quiet down,” he said. “This isn’t forever.” He was reaching out a hand to her.

“Just go,” Dinah said. “I need to be alone.”

“I love you, Pretty Bird,” he said. 

“Go!”

He went. 

Dinah was alone, just like she’d wanted. She didn’t even have Sin’s letter. She knew about keeping secrets—it was a fact of life in this game. If it had been any other secret Ollie had kept from her, she probably could’ve forgiven him. This wasn’t just any secret though, this was Sin, this was her daughter.

Dinah hadn’t wanted to be a mother. She hadn’t wanted to be responsible for  a child she’d leave behind when she went out every night, for another person who would cry at her funeral when some enemy inevitably got the better of her. Then when that changed, when she did want someone to pull her and Ollie closer together, someone to keep close when Ollie just kept running away, she couldn’t. Sin had been none of that. She’d been nothing of Ollie’s at all. Sin had been someone who had needed Dinah’s help. Someone she didn’t mind staying behind with. Her’s to protect, her’s to raise, her chance to do things right.

I’m sorry, Sin. In the end I couldn’t.

She should get up, She hadn’t showered or changed her clothes since… since going to rescue Sin. She should return Barbara’s worried calls. Dinah didn’t do any of that. Instead, she went over to the trashcan and pulled out the ring she’d tossed in.

“All of this, and I still love you, you bastard,” she said.

She could hear Barbara’s voice in her mind: You can’t seriously still be thinking about saying yes.

“I’m not.” It sounded defensive even to her.

You can’t trust him. This isn’t the first time he’s kept things from you. How do you know he won’t do it again?

“Oh shut up,” Dinah muttered. “It’s my choice, not yours.” She set the ring on the counter and shook her head. “ I’m over here arguing with myself, I need to sleep.”

She’d think about it in the morning. In the morning she would remember all the reasons why this was a terrible idea. She’d remember all the betrayals and stop being so happy. Tonight, though, as the delayed relief of reading Sin’s letter finally set in, all she could think was that he hadn’t caused Sin’s death after all. He’d even helped to save her. 

She clapped her hands together. “Bedtime, Dinah,” she said. “Shower and bed.”

But she still kept hearing Ollie’s voice saying “I love you, Pretty Bird,” in her head.

[laurelwinchester]

i love your quotesposting! what are some of your favourite quotes for laurel?

Anon, I'm going to be so for real right now.

You have no idea what you've unleashed by asking me this.

I've spent a few days compiling this and I barely even broke the surface of my collection. The word count for this simple tumblr ask answer is insane and it's literally just a sample of my Laurel Lance Lit file.

This is my Olympics. I've been training for this for years.

First of all, this is going to be divided into sections. Laurel, Black Canary, Laurel and Oliver, Laurel and Sara, Laurel and Dinah, Laurel and Quentin. (See, I didn't even delve into ship quotes! No, I do not count Laurel and Oliver as a ship because fuck him.)

And do keep in mind that I lean toward angst at any given moment so the majority of these are angsty as hell.

Second of all, let's start off with a top ten of the most definitive Laurel Lance quotes and then the rest will be under a read more because it's. A lot.

All right, let's get started.

.

.

.

A SMALL BIRD WITH A TERRIBLE HUNGER: A collection of quotes for Dinah Laurel Lance (compiled by @laurelwinchester over the course of we don't even need to talk about how many years.)

.

Let me tell you a story about hope: it always starts and ends with birds.

- Victoria Chang, Love Letters

.

Life is tough, my darling, but so are you.

- Stephanie Bennett-Henry

.

You will save yourself. You cannot help it.

– Molly Brodak, The Cipher

.

You are still the child who gently places fallen baby birds back in their nests. You are still the soft soul that gets your heart broken over cruel words and awful acts when you watch the news. You are still the gentle heart who once tried to heal a flower by attempting to stick its petals back on when ignorant feet trampled it.

This is why you are important. This is why you will always be needed.

Kindness is the greatest endangered thing. And here you are, existing, your heart so full with it.

- Nikita Gill, Your Soft Heart

.

You think I'm not a goddess? Try me. This is a torch song. Touch me and you'll burn.

- Margaret Atwood, Helen of Troy Does Countertop Dancing

.

Ah, world, what lessons you prepare for us, even in the leafless winter, even in the ashy city. I am thinking now of grief, and of getting past it;

I feel my boots trying to leave the ground, I feel my heart pumping hard. I want

to think again of dangerous and noble things. I want to be light and frolicsome. I want to be improbable beautiful and afraid of nothing, as though I had wings.

- Mary Oliver, Starlings in Winter

.

The heart is the toughest part of the body. Tenderness is in the hands.

- Carolyn Forché, Because One Is Always Forgotten

.

There is a lion in my living room

I feed it raw meat so it does not hurt me. It is a strange thing to nourish what could kill you in the hopes it does not kill you We have lived like this for so many years. Sometimes it feels like we have always lived like this. Sometimes I think I have always been like this.

- Clementine von Radics, There is a Lion in My Living Room

.

You want a better story. Who wouldn't?

- Richard Siken, Litany In Which Certain Things Are Crossed Out

.

I love you. It will end. Leave something of sweetness and substance in the mouth of the world.

- Anna Belle Kaufman, Cold Solace

.

.

.

Dinah Laurel Lance:

I sputtered a first, clean breath. I'm here. I'm still here.

- Jenn Givhan, The Decision

.

there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I'm too tough for him, I say, stay in there, I'm not going to let anybody see you.

- Charles Bukowski, Bluebird

.

I reason with myself because I'm not unreasonable. I let the wrong men in. I send storms to my lover, small boxes of them. Come down to me – I've been crying as long as I can remember.

- Ruth Awad, The Wolf Tells the Magpie

.

I just want to be loved without

being shredded into pieces.

- Nicole W. Lee, Even the Dust

.

One can live without having survived.

– Carolyn Forché, Blue Hour

.

I'm not used to being loved. I wouldn't know what to do.

- F. Scott Fitzgerald, More Than Just a House

.

I say to a stranger, I am harmless.

But the word doesn't seem right. I have been harmed, but I do not wish to do harm, but I could do harm. (I am not without desire.)

- Ada Limón, To the Busted Among Us

.

Understand that there is a beast within you that can drink till it is sick, but cannot drink till it is satisfied.

- Frank Bidart, The Third Hour of the Night

.

It was always all aftermath, your life.

- Christian Wiman, Now, When There Is No Now to Burn

.

I want to say harder, I can take it, but there's no proof I can.

- Stacie Cassarino, In the Kitchen

.

It seems no matter how I try I become more difficult to hold I am not an easy woman to want

- Nikki Giovanni

.

When I imagine myself I am barely there.

- Clementine Von Radics, Sweet the Sound

.

I'm not too gone to be healed, am I? I'm not too gone, am I?

- Alice Notley, In the Pines

.

I want it to be my fault she said so I can fix it

- Louise Glück, Blue Rotunda

.

You'd break your heart to make it bigger

- Richard Siken, Landscape with a Blur of Conquerors

.

What is this impulse in me to worship & crucify anyone who leaves me

- Emily Skaja, Aubade with Attention to Pathos

.

/ still i dream myself bloodied / my body swallowed / my body grass-stained & longing for the treeline / to reveal something green / a savior / something growing / whole, inside me / what happens to the shape of the girl / she's eighteen / long-limbed & oaring across a cumberland lake / my body, the quiet grave / it's the difference between drowning & burning

- Maggie Woodward, In the Witch Elm

.

If I could do girlhood again, I'd ask to be scarier. Less whimpering - more pyromaniac urges, more flirting with kerosene.

- Sally Wen Mao, Drop-Kick Aria

.

It's strange to know this world I loved, loves me best dismembered.

– Jihyun Yun, The Leaving Season

.

But I? Choked-up lungs and erratic flight; I leave too fast to find the light.

- Elisabeth Hewer, The Deserter

.

.

.

Black Canary:

If you're going to live through this I would suggest you stop and learn that no matter how hard the most obvious solution would be to start screaming.

- Kolleen Carney Hoepfner, A Live Thing, Clinging with Many Teeth

.

I don't need your praise to survive. I was here first, before you were here, before you ever planted a garden. And I'll be here when only the sun and moon are left, and the sea, and the wide field.

I will constitute the field.

- Louise Glück, Witchgrass

.

I've spent half of my life not knowing the difference

between killing myself and fighting back

What if I don't want healing as much as I want justice? What if I don't care if justice looks exactly like revenge? Do you think I don't know that I can't want revenge without strapping the bomb to my own chest?

- Andrea Gibson

.

A bird too must love this world, even in its hard places.

- Mary Oliver, For Example

.

The way a girl becomes a bomb: gradually, in open mouths & restless childhoods & a thousand gut-wrenches

- Topaz Winters, Portrait of My Body as a Crime I'm Still Committing

.

If the canary does not sing to you, my friend, blame no one but yourself. If the canary does not sing to you, then you yourself sing to it. Sing to it.

- Mahmoud Darwish, from eitherTuesday, a Bright Daytranslated by Mohammad Shaheen in 2009 orTuesday and the Weather is Cleartranslated by Fady Joudah in 2011.

.

I am myself a small bird with a terrible hunger

- Mary Oliver, Summer Story

.

.

.

Laurel and Oliver:

Your fingers crowned with meat hooks and cleavers. You holding me and whispering, Who did this to you? sawing me into a shallow boat. You did, you did, you did, and you, and you, and you, you did this to me in my home, you did this while crying. I cannot make a sound as though my mouth is full of honey. Of a colony of bees. Honey, honey. You lift my skin. Inside it lives your dreams of forests where snow grows old and you are young, cold and white and lonely without my suffering, and you want to say, Not me, not me, I wouldn't hurt a bee, but honey. Inside my blood and bone and their network of tendon and meat we have you and I, our histories of hunting and being the beast. If not, what are we doing here, my dead body, and you, assessing my death, looking at your hands like a fool, like a child who finds that a dandelion will die only after he has plucked it?

- Emily Jungmin Yoon, Autopsy (Note: I fear this is THEE Laurel and Oliver poem. It's basically a summary of them.)

.

He wanted a body so he took mine. Some wounds never vanish.

Yet little by little I learned to love my life.

- Mary Oliver, Hum, Hum

.

1. You asked me if I was afraid to die with your hands around your throat. Then got angry when I told you I was afraid that you said loving me made you feel like constantly being choked.

2. I told you I was drowning and you asked me to stay away before I got you wet.

3. You said you knew your cat loved you because she always presented dead birds at your feet, as you pulled up your shirt to show me the scars marking the number of times you'd thought about me.

4. You said I was most beautiful when I was burning, then said you hated the smell of ash as I set myself on fire.

5. You complained that I didn't open myself up, then screamed at the mess I made as I let myself bleed.

6. You said you didn't want to feel anything for me then got angry when I tried to leave.

7. You told me it wasn't pretty to hate myself, so I let you do it for me.

- Lora Mathis, This Is Why It Didn't Last

.

.

.

Laurel and Sara:

When we were kids, my sister rescued birds. Her long-fingered hands would tuck & fix their feathers, wings.

Now fly away.

*

Who will save me if I can't save you?

- Christine Marshall, Little Tiny

.

When you buried yourself under the water, you stole all my love with you. What a beautiful robbery. A beautiful heartbreak of robbery, taking my heart with you. I have been trying to grow it back over the years. Fall keeps coming.

It is possible to be wild and kind at the same time. It is possible to be both alone and be loved. I have known this to be true. In others. In me. To be loved. And to also still be alone.

- Anis Mojgani, In the Pockets of Small Gods

.

We depart, we say goodbye

Yet each of us remains in the same place, staked out and waiting, it is the ground between that moves, expands, pulling us away from each other.

- Margaret Atwood, Newsreel: Man and Firing Squad

.

.

.

Laurel and her mother:

My mother had two faces and a frying pot where she cooked up her daughters into girls before she fixed our dinner. My mother had two faces and a broken pot where she hid out a perfect daughter who was not me I am the sun and moon and forever hungry for her eyes.

- Audre Lorde, From the House of Yemanjá

.

in the end you saved your entire heart for her and she would not eat.

- Jody Chan, Sick

.

Does your mother love you all the time? Have you ever doubted?

- Chen Chen, Poplar Street

.

Sometimes, parents & children

Become the most common strangers. Eventually, a street appears where the can meet again.

Or not. I've doubted my own love for my mother. I doubt. Do I have to forgive in order to love?

- Chen Chen, Poplar Street

.

I wanted to be a good mother, the mother says Sometimes you weren't, the daughter says.

Sometimes you weren't a goo daughter either, the mother says and the daughter says, I wanted to be good.

- Hayan Charara, Mother and Daughter

.

.

.

Laurel and her father:

It is a deliberate thing: how you've turned me into prey.

– Rachel Nix, A Distraction of the Empty Spaces

.

And I think that's what a father is – a blade that never stops cutting.

- Desireé Dallagiacomo, Origin Story

.

How will I know what loves me now and what doesn't? How will I forgive you?

– C.K. Williams, The Hard Part

.

I wanted to be loved more than I wanted to be alive. For so long

I thought not to be loved is good but to be loved is to be good.

All those years, convinced – surely I must be bad, the way you keep punishing me.

– Leila Chatti, Faulty

[cakypa120]

Shazamfamily liked Epic the musical, but when they put all of the JL to watch it, or even when they do it themselves, some of the gods are constantly saying somethings that actually happened or corroborating the story Infront of them.

The Shazamily really like the musical Epic. So they decide to show it to everyone else in the League. They manage to do it at a bonding night.

Bruce: Epic? I've heard something about it.

Billy: Yeah, it's a musical about the adventures of Odysseus.

Barry: Is that the one who blinded the Cyclops?

Billy: Yeah. That's him.

The Troy Saga

Bruce: I gotta hand it to him, he wanted to raise him as his own.

Barry: Zeus is a bastard. No offense, Diana.

Diana: My dad wasn't a very good God then.

Clark: Marvel, is this all true?

Billy: Pure, and if anything is different, I'll tell you.

Eugene: Sometimes it's good to have Gods in your head.

Hal: You know, I think Politec is going to die.

Oliver: It's obvious!

Dinah: One more word out of your mouth and I'll throw you off the wall myself.

Hal and Oliver: Yes, ma'am.

The Cyclops Saga

Hal: I told you so!

Dinah:*punches him in the stomach*

Bruce: It's stupid to tell a Cyclops your name. It won't end well.

Darla: Zeus said Poseidon got really mad.

Clark: Really?

Pedro: Sure. Injuring a child of a God was insulting the God himself. The punishment was murder.

Barry: Shit, do we have to wait for Zeus to go on a rampage over Diana?

Billy: No. Time passes and Gods change. Including Zeus. He's a jerk though.

Zeus: Hey!

Achilles: He's right.

Atlas: Should I remind you about all your kids?

The Ocean Saga

Bruce: I told you.

Hal: Yeah, yeah, Spooky, we know how smart you are.

Clark: Poseidon is really mad.

Mary: Yeah.

Barry: What Aeolus said scared me.

J'onn: It's a god. Of course his words are a warning.

Solomon: Not everything the gods say means anything. Sometimes it's just crap.

Zeus: Why do I feel attacked?

The Circe Saga

Billy: Did you know that Odysseus is Hermes' great-grandson?

Bruce: Is that why he helped?

Freddy: No. Because he was bored.

Clark: How did he know that?

Darla: He told us himself. We have dinner with him sometimes.

The Underworld Saga

Barry: I feel so sorry for his mother! *cries bitter tears*

Diana: *comforts him*

Hal: Why wasn't Hades here?

Billy: He was swamped with work. He said there wasn't even room for a dropped needle. So many people died.

J'onn: I'm interested in the words the choir sang in the background of Tiresias' prophecy.

Bruce: I'm more interested in the prophecy itself.

Clark: It bothers me that Odysseus is becoming a monster.

Billy: What can you do? The gods make people change.

The Thunder saga

Barry: Why didn't they listen to him?!

Hal: Zeus was flirting with a cloud?!

Diana: My dad's not that perverted.

Billy:*puts his hand on Diana's shoulder* I have bad news for you, sister.

Eugene: By the way, it wasn't rain.

Hal and Barry: Stop talking!!

Zeus: I wanted to seem really dangerous.

Hercules: Stop making excuses.

Oliver: They could have easily lost six people, but they had to screw up like that.

Bruce: I can understand them.

Oliver: But can't justify it.

The Wisdom Saga

Bruce: Odysseus didn't cheat on his wife?

Zeus: Lie! Blatant lie! He had an affair with Calypso! And they even had two children!

Hercules: Compared to you, he's more faithful than any dog.

Achilles: Agreed. Everyone knows what a womanizer you are.

Billy: He had an affair with Calypso.

Barry: Then why did Hera decide to let him go?

Darla: She and Athena are friends. So...

Hal: And Zeus?

Billy: Athena is his favorite daughter.

Zeus: That's not true!

Hercules: Don't lie. Everyone knows that Athena is your favorite.

Solomon: You don't even hide it.

Bruce: Athena definitely has a favorite.

Clark: What she said about the bloodshed in Odysseus' house worries me.

Oliver: I would kill those pathetic suitors too.

The Vengeance Saga

Hal: Holy shit!!!

Barry: Tell me he actually did that!!

Billy: Yeah, he did. It's not shown much, but he landed exactly six hundred punches. I swear you can still see those scars on Poseidon.

Bruce: Why was Hermes dancing on the raft?

Mary: He was bored.

Clark: How did Zeus react to his brother being attacked?

Pedro: He literally laughed. He still reminds Poseidon of that when he wants to be a piece of shit.

Zeus: I admit. It's true. His face is so funny.

The Ithaca Saga

Oliver: Why is the suitors' song so beautiful and so terrible at the same time?!

Diana: Now I understand why Ares has a portrait of Odysseus hanging in his room. Such carnage.

Jonn: Isn't Penelope brilliant?

Bruce: I agree. That's pretty clever. Maybe me should have a similar competition for my daughters' hands?

Oliver: I'll help you set it up.

Barry: *cries since the reunion between father and son. The last song finished him off and he turned into a puddle of tears and snot*

Hal: *tries to help Barry come to his senses, although he himself is crying*

Dinah: That's wonderful.

Clark: I agree. Thanks for introducing us to this musical.

Shazamily: You're welcome!! We're glad you liked it.

[nightwing-titan-official]

Kinda ooc for this, but, fav HC of Nightwing that u want to use in this account?

///OOC///

Im so sorry this is so long anon, I WILL eventually in the next few days be making a prettier better organized pinned post with this info, but for now, this is what I have!

Oooooohhhhhh. Okay!! So there’s a few relevant HCs!! That’s actually a great thing to ask! And probs info I should have pinned…. I’ll make a prettier pinned post for this info later when I’m on my computer!

First order of business:

Dickbabs doesn’t exist here! More Babs HC than Dicks, but around these parts let’s just generally accept that Babs is the same age as Dinah and more an older cousin vibes.

Like yes she’s one of his childhood friends/teammates, but not his age!

Is he with Kori? Is he with Wally? Roy? Heck even Garth? Who knows! I sure don’t. I’m undecided atm.

Donna is his ride or die bestie who will support him always, even if she’s calling him out for being an asshole in the process.

I know that his current canon birthday is in March, but in previous comics one day it used to be is October 24th! There’s some special significance there for me so that’s when I like making his birthday in my writing.

I don’t generally write Dick as Romani. Not because I don’t think Romani rep is important, because ir very much is; that said I don’t think I have the knowledge to do so respectfully. Without a level of knowledge I feel comfortable with, I don’t want to give misrepresentation. I’ll be honest, I’m an adult with a job and other life things. Researching just isn’t my top priority right now. I do research Romani culture when I have time, because I would some day like to feel confident in writing him as Romani. I just don’t feel I currently have enough knowledge to do so respectfully and for sure avoid stereotypes or get information correct.

While I would never intentionally use a negative stereotype or spread incorrect information, as a mixed POC myself, my preference is that I would choose for someone not include representation of my cultures if they cannot do it correctly, rather than have incorrect information or stereotypes being circulated, and so that’s the the influence in the choice I choose to make here and with Dick in general. I know how harmful and hurtful generalizations and incorrect information can be. I’m half Jewish and Asian, and it’s bad enough with cultures that do have information widely available and I don’t want to ever inadvertently add to incorrect representation to a culture like the Romani peoples where media has been misrepresenting them for centuries.

What I have seen of their culture is that it’s beautiful and full of many different traditions and cultures and a lot of information available is very surface level. This isn’t bad, Romani people have chosen to largely keep large portions of their culture and language closed practices and information to protect their people and history, as is absolutely their right to do so. That said, until I have time to dedicate to a real deep dive and learning as much as I can, unless I make some Romani friends who are able and willing to help me when I’m uncertain of something would be okay, I either keep Dicks ancestry vague, or I typically make him German or Eastern European and a part of cultures I’m more comfortable with and know more about.

I like Dick and Tim being the closest brothers, Dick and Jason being like good friends, and Dick and Dami having a more parent/child relationship.

Messy Cs get Degrees dad Bruce vibes. He has had his ups and downs.

Not necessarily evil Alfred but not good best grandpa ever Alfred.

Dick grows civil with Talia after adopting Dami.

Court of Owls is a thing, some of Dicks ‘Circus Training’ was absolutely the foundations to what his training would have been for the court of owls. This is something he is able to relate to Dami with.

And now, here’s a not so little timeline of events under the cut! Important info but also kinda long, so!

• Dick is an only child

• Dick starts learning the building blocks for trapeze and acrobatics as soon as he starts walking

• He starts performing when he is 3.5

• Dick lost his parents just shy of his 8th birthday

• Bruce took him in after getting Child Services approval shortly after his birthday

• Bruce buys as much of the Graysons’ belongings as he can to get them to Dick. Several of the others in the circus happily pass things along to him as well once they learn he has custody of their little Robin.

• Dick tries sneaking out a lot to get Zucco. He figures out Bruce is Batman.

• Bruce relents and they come up with Robin together. Robin is Batman’s partner in crime-fighting.

• Dick helped him take down Zucco, then was benched for about a year for training before he started patrolling a couple days a week for an hour or two in the safest neighborhoods, never school nights.

• Dick didn’t patrol more days or in more dangerous areas or longer hours until he was 10. Bruce never let him patrol more than 6 hours total in a week though until he was in his teens, though he did sometimes bring him along for emergencies and such. He preferred for him to help with civillian evacuation as much as he could convince him to. Dick however is a feral gremlin baby who wanted in on the action.

• He met the JL that year as well, and the second time he met Diana he met Wonder Girl (Donna, also 10)

• He and Donna would occasionally work together when the JL teamed up and got nicknamed the Wonder Twins.

• He met Speedy (Roy Harper, then age 15) when he was 12

• He met Kid Flash (Wally, then 14) shortly after.

• Then he met Aqualad (Garth, then 14) when he was 13, and that’s when the Teen Titans formed.

• The og Teen Titans (Roy 16, Wally 15, Garth 14, Donna and Dick 13) operated for about 3 years before splitting up.

• Dick got kicked out by Bruce the first time at 16.

• This led to the reformation of the Teen Titans with some new members. Roy was no longer on the team, but Wally still was as well as Donna for a bit. In addition Beast Boy, Raven, Cyborg, and a few months in Kori join the team.

• Dick gets abducted by Deathstroke. I like to give Dick extra trauma so let’s just assume a lot of bad things happened and he is abused in several ways. I don’t plan to really reference this here, though. If he’s asked about it, it will be a brief yeah that happened and redirect sorta situation.

• Dick gets rescued by the team and Hal helps a bit. (because I like them having A leaguer they trust that isn’t Supes or a mentor to any current or former Titans)

• Hal is given permanent Titans Tower access.

• After finding out about what happened Bruce brings Dick back home and they patch things up.

• Dick and Kori start dating (17, Kori is about his age)

• Dick graduates and starts college

• Dick drops out and they fight about it, Dick gets kicked out by Alfred who insists it’s for Dicks best interests of he goes off to be independent

• Dick moves to Blud and becomes Nightwing

• Dick (19) becomes a cop

• Jason (12) becomes Robin

• Dick and Jason don’t get along great at first, but over the course of a year they get closer

• Dick wants to adopt Jason but Bruce does first

• They’re finally close and like brothers, when Jason dies at 14 while Dick is in space

• Bruce doesn’t even try to contact him until he’s home. They fight. Dick stops talking to him again.

• Tim finds him to try and make him Robin again, Dick (21) gives Tim (12) Robin instead

• Dick works through his grief, starts therapy, works with Tim from the start bc he doesn’t want to fail another Robin. Somewhere in here he kills Joker.

• somewhere in these in-between ages Dick is dating Kori and Mirage happens. Kori doesn’t react well, they break up for a time but eventually become at least friends again. I’m gonna try and keep ships pretty open ended here for now!

• UTRH happens when Dick is 24

• Dick and Jason reconnect and get close again

• Tarantula happens.

• Cass!!!

• Damian (10) shows up when Dick is 25. Tim is barely 17. Talia DID NOT sa Bruce here.

• Court of Owls

• Bruce Dies when Dick is 26

• Dick adopts both Tim and Damian officially. Dick is 26, Damian is freshly 11, Tim is still 17.

•Damian is Robin to Dicks Batman after Tim runs away overhearing a conversation between Dick and Alfred where Alfred is trying to push for Tim to not be Robin, and Dick actually just wants to get Tim therapy.

• Tim finds B, Dick and B coparent bc Dick would rather peacefully coparent than lose Damian altogether. Tim stays with B and is nearly 18 at this point.

This is 3 years later. Dick is 29, Damian is 14, Tim is 21, Jason is 23, Cass is 23, Steph is 22, Babs is like 38/39, Bruce is like 46, Roy is 32, Wally is 31, Garth is 30, Donna 29, Kori is 29.

If the ages are a mess up there shhhhh they’re perfect these are gustimates and all that really fully matters at this point is the current ages anyways 😅

Anywhosies!!! If anyone wants more details in here feel free to ask! I just didn’t want to make this timeline even longer 😅

[shoot-i-messed-up]

hal/clark for the ultimate ship meme!

TYYYYYY YES one of my favorite ships!!!

ULTIMATE SHIP MEME!

Send in two (or more) names and I’ll fill all this out about the ship!

General:

Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs

How long will they last? - in the beautiful superlantern world in my head, they're endgame and last for decades until either one of them dies

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - oh they have to be coworkers for at least 2 decades before falling in love. the being friends part is CRUCIAL to their dynamic.

How was their first kiss? - lbr the first time they kissed they probably kissed on a dare at a justice league team bonding slumber party or something. it was hal getting dared obvi. altho in most of my fics, their first kiss is super romantic bc i'm a cornball like that <3

Wedding:

Who proposed? - as with all Hal ships, I don't really see them getting married, BUT if it had to happen, it would have to be Hal. Especially so with Clark because he really respects Hal's own sense of agency and he wouldn't want to push for any more than Hal would give him.

Who is the best man/men? - Lois is Clark's best man, and Barry is Hal's. If Diana's ordained, I could see her being the officiant (she would be AMAZING at it), but i could also see her being one of Clark's groomsmen. Okay, potential other groomsmen in Clark's entourage: Bruce, Jimmy, J'onn, Kara. Potential others in Hal's entourage: Ollie, Dinah, Tom, Kilowog, Guy, John, Kyle.

Who is the braid’s maid(s)? - N/A

Who did the most planning? - Clark

Who stressed the most? - Hal but (and not to repeat myself but) about the marriage commitment, not the ceremony itself. I think Clark was definitely stressing more about the ceremony itself.

How fancy was the ceremony? - Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big. I think they'd do really really small, just close friends and family only, but with these two, that's still like a hundred people.

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - mmmmm... no clue. I feel like it'd be cheating if I said Sinestro.

Sex:

Who is on top? - Hal, most of the time, but they like to switch it up all the time

Who is the one to instigate things? - Hal b/c high libido

How healthy is their sex life? - Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now

How kinky are they? - Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head (Clark is canonically kinky, and I could absolutely see Hal being so, too. But somehow these two together strike me on the more vanilla side. It's probably the boy scout squared dynamic. That's also why I only gave them a 6/10 for how frequently they have sex.)

How long do they normally last? - mmm I usually do trans Hal x intersex Kryptonian Clark, so they could probably last through the whole night if they wanted to.

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - er. okay so I do think about this and. I think that Hal would probably get more orgasms but Clark would get harder orgasms, ykwim?

How rough are they in bed? - Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it. (Hal can get pretty rough, although Clark never gets hurt, obviously. But I think when Clark takes charge, which is probably a good ~40% of the time, the sex is much softer and slower. So it really depends.)

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? - No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory. (I like to imagine they love to cuddle all the time. Hal's so physically affectionate, and so is Clark. But they would never do so in public, lest they get bullied into oblivion by their friends.)

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - I could totally see them getting pregnant by accident, talking about it for a long time, and then deciding whether to keep it or not. Maybe just the one.

How many children will they adopt? - whichever children come their way. Probably Helen, maybe Kon and/or Secret.

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? - Clark

Who is the stricter parent? - Hal but only because I think Clark would fall too hard for the puppy eyes.

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - Clark

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - Clark

Who is the more loved parent? -

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? - Clark because he would be THE paragon of a dad, but I think Hal would make an effort to also go to the PTA meetings.

Who cried the most at graduation? - I could see it being either of them but I’ll say Clark

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - Hal

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - Clark

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Hal (Clark will eat a gun)

Who does the grocery shopping? - Clark (and thank god it’s not Hal)

How often do they bake desserts? - probably every so often

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - really doesn’t matter to them, but probably meat

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - they’re both hopeless romantics. I could see them both trying to surprise the other with an anniversary dinner and then them saying fuck it and just getting takeout to eat on the moon

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Hal

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? - Hal (although I see an argument being made for Clark if he tried to use his heat vision on something he shouldn’t have)

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Clark

Who is really against chores? - Hal

Who cleans up after the pets? - Clark

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Hal

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - I don’t think either of them would? Maybe Hal if he was feeling a little insecure about how him being in a relationship with Clark looks to their friends.

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Clark. He does have X-ray vision

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Clark. I do think having been a military man, Hal still takes short showers.

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - Clark (the dog is Krypto)

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - they probably do every major holiday, including and especially the Jewish ones since they’re both Jewish (in a manner of speaking)

What are their goals for the relationship? - I think Clark would specifically not set any goals, for fear of scaring Hal off. Hal’s goal for the relationship is to be the best boyfriend he can.

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - I think both of them are early risers, but for this, I’ll say Hal because he’s more likely to run his body to its limits, stay up for like a week straight, and then pass out for two solid days.

Who plays the most pranks? - Clark is a little shit but I do think Hal plays more pranks