#Several heroes & rogues enter the city to investigate on their own | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

comicbookuniversity · 4 years

Text

SUPERMAN: UNDER AN EVIL STAR_A PROPOSED DCEU SEQUEL

Technical delays got in the way of this going out sooner, but I am glad something has put Superman back trending at least a little bit. Where Superman goes next on screen is in the air, so I would like to propose how it could go. I know there’s no way that this could be used, but I thought it would be fun to share. And if the producers of the DCEU want to hire me to write something that they could use, then that wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen. I think @davidmann95 was right: the next Superman film doesn’t need to be a grand statement piece. It just needs to be a good time. There’s this weird thought that Superman is boring, so we need a film that shows he’s fun as all Superman fans know. Snyder had his turn and he has his fans, but it is time for a new direction after the,at best, mixed legacy to Snyder’s turn with Superman. This isn’t to be dismissive or disrespectful, but if Aquaman can make a billion dollars while getting well praised for a far more ‘comic book’ take after Snyder, then why not Superman?

The film opens with Superman saving a family from an apartment building, and across town a protest is happening, police are in riot gear ready for action, and at the front of the crowd is a single known metahuman: Hank Heywood. The protests have been going on for hours now over the death of several homeless vets who were being cleared out, because the city did not want the homeless encampment there any more. Between scenes of the protest being covered by the news, we will see Superman performing a variety of rescues with a smile and kind words. Flying from rescuing around the city, Superman stops a tear gas canister from hitting the crowd and a SWAT member from using advanced equipment to attack Heywood. The whole scene is changed by his presence as the police and protesters back up from their positions, but Superman encourages the protesters to keep peacefully as they were and he finds the commanding officer. They have a talk about the police being unfairly positioned to enforce a status quo that has little to do with serving and protecting, but what the officers did to those vets was wrong. It might be easier for Superman to act, but it does not mean that the officers have any less of a responsibility or that they are shielded from accountability. Superman mentions the need to avoid escalation and how he’s been responding to other emergencies across Metropolis while the police were occupied doing this. The protest continues as Superman marches with them. The goal of the scene is to show Superman trying to advocate other ways beyond force, encourage peace, and standing for justice. While I would like to move Superman pretty left politically to match the spirit of his origins, I can definitely understand hesitation for broader market appeal. But that being said, we still need to show Superman openly caring about more than emergencies. He knows he needs to be a shining example of compassion and strength of character.

We cut to Lois Lane sent abroad to continue being the world’s best reporter at finding new metahumans and identifying where they stand. She just got done with a major story on how quickly Asian nations are developing their own metahuman responses. She’s taking a boat out of northern Japan to try to investigate reports of a strange activity around a crash landing in the ocean in international waters. She’s able to identify several warships and accompanying aircraft from Russia, Japan, China, and the USA. Without much warning, the ships are attacked by unknown forces. She is able to get some photos that help her identify one of the forces as being American. She knows where she has to go, so she grabs her phone. The forces fly off.

We cut to a scene in a suburban neighborhood. There’s a celebration at a home, we see a family celebrating, and while the kids are having fun, some of the adults look uneasy. We follow as a woman carries two drinks; one for herself the other for her husband: Captain Atom. His adult nephew asks how he feels about the party- now with everything changed. He says he’s happy to see the family for any reason. A kid walks up to the nephew and pulls him away, so Angela, his wife, talks and asks him if he’s made a decision: will he push to retire as he was supposed to have by this point or will he continue to serve? He’s not sure in the moment, but there’s a yearning to stay. But then the call comes in: Captain Atom is needed. He kisses his wife, and flies off.

Atom arrives on the scene at a military facility under attack. It’s Manchester Black, telekinetic terrorist, and he’s looking to free his friends after being detained while unconscious after fighting Superman. He escaped, but he’s back to save his friends. Atom demands he stand down, and there’s a dialogue exchange to code Atom as a moderately conservative military type and Black as a punk egoist with a poor understanding of liberal politics. They fight, Coldcast is freed, but before the other members of the Elite can be freed, Atom beats both Black and Coldcast. The goal of these two scenes is to establish Atom as a formidable hero, but also a man who is not certain about his place in the future. How much more does he owe his country, how much longer will he have with his family, and is superhero work something he really wants?

Clark is in his apartment, lots of philosophy and ethics books scattered everywhere, and he’s writing in a journal in Kryptonese. We hear the narration of his writing: Clark loves Lois and asked her how she’s so good at everything, but particularly her writing. She said better is the horizon she’s always chasing so she never stops. He’s applied this to his time as Superman and has been reading up to try to learn in order to do better. He feels like he could be doing more, but must walk a fine line in order to be the hero he wants to be and not the monster the world fears he could be. This caused him to push his powers to the limits, and in that he saw beyond anything he had could have seen before and was profoundly moved by what he saw. This moment of clarity changed him. He does not want to repeat his past- no more Zods. Everyone deserves life. He needs to balance out pushing for peaceful action and his awesome might whenever possible. The question isn’t what does his power let him do, but how does he use this power to do the most good?

Clark gets a call from Lois. She needs a ride and he needs to act quickly. He pulls his shirt open and there’s a gust of wind. We cut to Atom in an office with General Lucy Lane, having taken her father’s old post. They talk about how Black must have found the base, but Atom quickly pushes that aside. He wants to know where the Pentagon officially stands on his current situation. Lane tells him that his request has been postponed until further research on his new biology is complete. Atom is not happy with this as he was finally hoping to retire to civilian life. A call comes in, and Atom is needed again. He grumpily accepts the mission, and as Atom leaves the room, Lois enters.

Superman is seen flying around the Earth searching for the individuals Lois pictured, and he’s in luck when he sees them flying towards California. He stops them over the coast and tries to reason with them, but they are unresponsive. He sees something on them all that seems unnatural: starfish-looking creatures. They attack without warning, and at first their unusual powers working together have him at a disadvantage. The battle moves to land, and as Superman struggles against his attackers, the arrival of a peer changes the course of the battle. Captain Atom proves to be a great help, but before the battle can really change tides, the four leave. Atom is about to pursue, but Superman stops him to ask him what he knows. They stare down each, but Atom decides to tell the truth: they’re the Ultramarine Corps, the Pentagon’s best effort in the superhuman arms race and as a last resort against Superman himself. But they appear to have gone rogue, and it’s Atom’s job to stop them no matter what. Superman thinks the starfish creature is responsible for their behavior and he will help stop them, but he’s not happy about them. The two pursue at hypersonic speeds.

Meanwhile, Lois is trying to keep pace with Lucy as Lucy is trying to monitor the situation with the Corps and the crash site. Lois had already been researching the Pentagon’s efforts in metahuman biotech, but she wants to know two important things: what have been the deployments of the Corps and how many others are currently in development. Lucy asks Lois why she thinks Lucy will talk, because it’s been more than a year since their father passed and they haven’t spoken since then, so why would she start now. Lois is taken aback not having realized it had been that long. Lois says she’s sorry. A senior officer tries to make Lois leave as they enter a plane, but Lucy tells him that Lois is fine to travel. She still does not answer Lois and makes her stay behind as she enters a secure command section of the plane. A door closes in Lois’ face as she tries to get through to her little sister; she did not mean for it to be like this. The advanced plane takes off.

Approaching urban areas, Superman and Atom catch up to the Ultramarine Corps and knock them off course to more isolated areas. Atom is paired off with Pulse-8 and 4D, while Superman fights Glob and Warmaker-1. We cut back and forth between the fights as Atom and Superman struggle against their opponents. Superman takes the lead when Glob tries to crush him in his hyper-pressurized body, but Superman takes a deep breath-taking all of Glob inside his lungs- and blows him back out as an ice structure. This kills the starfish, and after a moment, Glob returns to normal stating that being blown out like that was one the grossest things that has happened to him. Warmaker-1 flies off, and Glob tells Superman to chase after him; he’ll be ok. We cut back to Atom who is struggling against 4D until he opens his perception beyond his limits, which allows him to track her atomic movements. He is able to pin her down long enough to destroy the starfish creature. With her down, Pulse-8 proves to be an easier opponent, or so it seems. Superman catches backup to Warmaker-1 in front of the White House. He knows he must be very careful, so he simply takes every blow Warmaker-1 can deliver to keep the collateral damage minimal as he pushes ever closer to his opponent. Superman eventually grabs and rips off the starfish creatures, which struggles to escape his grasp. Warmaker-1falls to the ground, but gets back up and shakes Superman’s hand and thanks him for ending the nightmare. Superman is visibly hurt, but seen healing in the sunlight.

Back on the plane and very near the crash site, General Lane gets word that the Corps has been defeated, but they’ve lost contact with Atom. Lucy calls Lois in. Before Lucy can say her piece, Lois apologizes again. Growing up in a military family wasn’t easy for her, and since Lucy always sided with their dad, it was hard for her to keep up family relationships when their father was so disappointed with Lois. She felt isolated and buried herself in her work. Lucy says she’s sorry too. She never meant for Lois to feel isolated. She wanted to make Dad proud by being the youngest general in history, but she let her career isolate her as well. They hug, but Lucy pulls away because she needs Lois to be Lois Lane. Lucy tells her the world is being invaded by an unknown alien force and that the Corps behavior is a direct result of this, which means a form of mind control is in play. Lucy needs Lois to be the independently trusted voice to the world before paranoia and misinformation spreads too quickly before the world can unite and act swiftly against a threat to the very autonomy of all people everywhere. Lois says she’s not letting her off the hook about the metahumans just because of an alien invasion, and starts a livestream the Daily Planet is trying to spread across the globe with their partners. The plane begins to move unexpectedly. Enemy combatants are on their way.

Superman sees Lois’ broadcast, and flies off to the Pacific Ocean. Flying down from a shortcut in low orbit, Superman is intercepted by possessed Captain Atom. The two struggle as Superman can see from a vast distance that foreign metahumans being controlled by the starfish aliens are after the plane Lois is on. Atom is raging against the control of the alien and telling Superman to get it off him, but Atom is generating K-radiation. Despite the pain, Superman acts quickly to throw Atom off balance to rip the alien away. Before being fully pulled off, the alien makes Atom release a concentrated blast of K-radiation, which knocks him out of the sky. Regaining his senses, Atom dives into the ocean to save a sinking Superman and carries him off above the clouds stating that Superman won’t die on his watch. At the very edges of the atmosphere Superman begins to wake up. He thanks Atom, and Atom says he owed him one after Superman caught him from falling from the moon. He tells Superman to heal up quickly, because his family and every other family on Earth is in danger and Atom can’t do this alone, so he flies off to General Lane. We see Superman push off fully into space to face the Sun.

The plane is rocked as Atom passes by to intercept the pursuing metahumans, and several sonic booms can be heard. On the plane, Lois narrates the battle. At this point we see Atom fighting several identifiable metahumans, but exactly who depends on budget and production limitations. I would personally like to see at least August General in Iron, a Rocket Red squad, and Cosmo Racer. I definitely would like to see more heroes to establish that the DCEU has really expanded when the camera was not looking, but I can understand not being able to have everyone. From the plane's view, we see a giant tentacle rise out of the water and seemingly millions of smaller starfish are flung in the direction of land. Atom is trying to play defensively to protect the plane, but this means taking a beating. Cosmo Racer proves the hardest to keep away, but right when Atom thinks he’s failed a red streak knocks him down.

We see Superman ripping the starfish away and burning it. The Racer, an alien themself, says they know this being. It is a Starro the Conqueror; no known planet has survived contact with a conqueror. Superman thinks it's time to do the impossible then. Another tentacle rises out the seas and sends millions more starros into the upper atmosphere to ride the jetstreams. Superman and the Racer nod and fly off from each other. The Racer joins Atom and the two aim to even the battlefield by removing the starros. Superman flies to the edge of the cloud of starros and begins to fly in circles around creating a wind tunnel he can lead them back to the sea with. Despite his efforts to keep away from him, the cloud of starros uses their psychic power collectively to interfere and they are able to land on him. The tunnel stops, but they fall back into the ocean. Several starros on Superman try to break his will and he has hallucinations. A satellite feed beamed to the plane shows this to Lucy and Lois. Lois starts to talk to Superman knowing he can still hear her. Her words help, and Superman is able to break free control of the starros. Atom and Racer are successful in removing all the starros from the metahumans. Atom’s containment suit looks damaged.

Superman joins the other heroes in the sky. The Conqueror Prime rises from the ocean floor. The heroes are ants in relation to its size, and it is teeming with millions of smaller starros of various sizes and colors. The heroes devise a strategy on how to defeat the Conqueror Prime. Racer stays behind thanks to his speed, while the Rockets and General flank Superman and Atom as they try to get beneath the alien to throw it back into space. Thousands of starros fly up at the group and they fight through this obstacle, but they have to be careful because if even one of them is taken, it could derail the entire plan. They get close, but one of the Rockets is taken and they are forced to retreat for a second pass. But even as they try to make a quick turn around, more and more Starros are being launched into the upper atmosphere and sent into the ocean. August General in Iron says that they must stop the spread or getting rid of the Prime will mean nothing. Even with their awesome powers, it seems to be far too much. Then sonic booms are heard and Superman can hear Warmaker-1 speaking on an ultrasonic frequency; Glob will break off the Corps to help Superman and Atom take care of the Prime while the Corps leads the other heroes in stopping the spread. Aerodynamically pointed, Glob meets Superman and Atom mid air to form an aquatic shell and they dive below the water. Warmaker-1 and the General take to the ocean as Pulse-8 and 4D work with the remaining Rockets to stop the ariel Starros. Cosmo Racer fights the possessed Rocket from reaching the plane with General Lane. We cut back and forth between the three groups as they fight the Starros.

As Superman and Atom push the Prime into space, Atom is struck and his suit breaks containment. Glob wraps around him to help contain him, but in the last bit of atmosphere, Glob can hear Superman say Atom should not be afraid, he will be fine. As Glob falls to Earth with Atom inside him freaking out about dooming the Earth with his suit breaking, Glob tells him to snap the hell out of it and that Superman says he will be fine. Atom cannot understand, but he takes a deep breath and uses his atomic vision. He sees and understands in a moment of clarity, and rips his suit off revealing a blue-hued man. This will transition the more traditional look towards a version of the Pax Americana look. Superman can hear the terrifying psychic words of Prime in his mind as it tells him to give up, but he smiles as he looks down to Earth. Every reason not to is in his sight and he pushes Prime into zero gravity, then circles the Earth at blinding speeds, and uses the gravity sllingshot to knock Prime into space at a velocity that will send it beyond the reach of Sun’s gravity.

The international heroes work to stop the spread of the Starros, but still are not able to stop all of them as they seek hosts. But then, a blue light grabs all the Starros simultaneously, and Atom can be seen manipulating them and sending them out into space. Cheers from across the world as Lois streams this amazing event and the heroes hug. Arriving back from space, Superman stops next to Atom and they shake hands.

Relieved, Lois ends her livestream, but does not turn off her camera. She asks Lucy how many more metahumans the Pentagon has. Lucy frowns, and not giving an exact number states a few. Note: in a post-credits scene, this could easily be used to introduce Wildstorm characters into the DCEU if desired. Lois points out that the world almost ended within several hours, and they’re lucky that there was a clear enemy. She asks her sister where this race ends, because next time the enemy may not be so clear. Lucy takes her point, but she says the world is getting stranger and more dangerous. Large scale response will be needed, but she understands what Lois is saying about escalation. It will not be easy to change course, but Lucy says she’ll do her best to ensure that the world won’t be consumed in this arms race. With that being the last word, Lois turns the camera off and then asks when they’re going out for drinks. It’s been too long.

We see Superman and Atom back at Atom’s place, and Angela is very excited to meet Superman. Superman is flattered, and he’s happy to see Atom have such a loving home. Atom asks Superman how he knew. He says he could see that Atom could see like him, but just had not reached that point yet. He knew as soon as Atom could see like him that everything would be fine. Atom asks if this is how he sees the world all the time, and Superman says not all the time, but he knows the feeling Atom is talking about. Atom cries. His wife and the world has never looked so beautiful before. Angela embraces Atom. After a moment, he says he is retiring no matter what his superiors say. He tells Superman that he won’t be fighting again, but if Superman ever needs help, he always has a friend. Superman says he’s happy to hear that and asks Atom that even if he does not plan on fighting to use his position to push for a better world. He understands why the Corps was made, but he hopes Atom will help push for ensuring they are deployed responsibly, held accountable, and used as a last resort. After all, we’re all we have and we need to trust each other. A scream in the distance can be heard, Atom nods and Superman flies off. The End.

#superman #dc comics #henry cavill #captain atom #dceu #lois lane #fan fic

2 notes · View notes

doctordash · 5 years

Text

Rydrion Tales: The Story So Far

Given the amount of interest our dear @gay-aasimar has been getting in the campaign, I figured I would help her out and take it upon myself to provide a write-up of our beginnings. This should cover the story about the Foxes of Fadun up to the point where she started telling our adventures. Because after all, what good is a story about heroes without a proper beginning?

In the world of Rydrion, months are measured in increments of approximately 60 days. Our story begins about half a year ago, in the autumn of the year 932 PLB, or “Post Last Battle.” Nearly 1000 years ago, Gods and Men fought side by side to save the material plane from destruction, and the Last Battle was the turning point where the Light’s Blade (one of the gods) sacrificed himself to forge the Divine Gate and seal away all the gods, both good and bad, for the survival of mortal races.

[A Pre-War rendition of the Light’s Blade]

A band of misfits came together from all across the continent and beyond, following postings of work for the promise of adventure to the coastal mercantile city of Terus. A surly dwarf named Thelgrun Fadun was putting together a team, and we were the ones who answered the post. A fateful occurrence if there ever was one.

>Zylfyr Foreyum, Half Elf Paladin of the Voice of the Tempest, god of strength, storms, conflict and battle.

>Xan’dur Foreyum, brother to Zylfyr, Half-Elf Bard

>Morg Boden, Half-Orc Barbarian

>Drakon Stoneflesh, Half-Orc Fighter

>Ailinon Alden, Water Genasi Cleric of the Weaver, goddess of time, life, death and balance

>Arctus Gravenport, Wizard

>Asher “Kane” Crawford III, Cleric of the Heart of Knowledge, goddess of knowledge, philosophy and intelligence

>Varis Syndrus, Wizard

And yours truly, Louis Beaumont, Rogue and undercover Prince of Goldenhill.

The newly assembled group quickly found their first contract, a distraught widow named Laurel Wisenbaum came to us in the hope we could track down her lost child, who’d gone missing near the City of the Dead, the massive district-sized graveyard in Terus. Hijinks ensued, including an abandoned mine, phase spiders, toothless gravediggers, a pair of benevolent ghosts and their lost family heirloom, an intricately carved crystal rose. Eventually, we found the lost boy in the Elven catacombs underneath the city, as well as the starving Mindflayer that had chased him down below. The creature was easily dispatched, and Laurel’s son returned, along with the crystal rose to help the pair get back on their feet.

Word soon spread of our merry group, and henceforth we dubbed ourselves the Foxes of Fadun, to give a colloquial title to our adventuring escapades. After being featured in the local paper, we caught the attention of a merchant captain named Barry Hiddleston. He was one of many suffering from a rampant bout of piracy in Anchor Bay, the waters off the coast of Terus, and his pleas to the city guard had fallen on deaf ears, thanks to lack of influence among the merchant guild.

We agreed to help the poor man, and found ourselves dragged headlong into a swashbuckling pirate adventure, eventually meeting the cause of the merchants troubles, an elven captain named Allisande. She was cursed by a witch, bound to her vessel, the Pero Terminus, and had been in pursuit of tracking down its cause. We offered to help her break the curse, in exchange for her leaving the merchants of Terus alone, and she agreed.

Eventually, we discovered the truth behind her curse. Allisande’s ancestors were worshippers of the Boundless Midnight, the dark god of undeath and destruction, known as the Shadar-Kai. Once followers of the Weaver, they turned their backs on the Light and were corrupted. We uncovered a scroll of dark power in an ancient shipwreck at the center of Anchor Bay, triggering a massive storm brought on by the weakened planar boundaries in the area.

[Except instead of Geoffrey rush its an Elven woman, not nearly as good]

The remaining crew of the Captain had mutinied in the meantime, stealing Barry’s ship, the Cricket, and launching us into a ship-to-ship battle around the churning waters of a raging maelstrom. Allisande succumbed to the darkness within, transforming herself into a terrifying Death Knight and crippling her vessel in the process. One of the Midnight’s Black Templars, she left us to our fate, wherein we escaped the maelstrom and last we saw, sent the Pero Terminus straight to the bottom of the sea.

Some negotiation with her remaining crew later, we returned to Terus having narrowly escaped our first real brush with far greater forces we had yet to comprehend. On our return, we were greeted by the steward and Royal Spymaster of the Queen of Terus, Bartholemew Ailheart. He had a job for us, on behalf of Queen Faile Rai herself. The Nobles of the city were being murdered and raided in their homes, and panic was beginning to set in.

An investigation into the raids led us to meet a half-orc by the name of Khaddash Dreamsong. He despised the nobility of the city and was leading the attacks against them, transporting his army by way of the World of Dreams. The World of Dreams exists in a parallel to the waking world, and people born as Dreamwalkers can enter it through sleeping. A powerful spell known as Gateway can open a portal through the World of Dreams as well, enabling transit across vast distances in the blink of an eye.

We discovered Khaddash was seeking the dwarven stronghold of Khundrakar, a mountain fortress that was his father’s former keep, stolen from the dwarves by orcs long ago. We acquired a contract to find the place ourselves from a dwarf named Khurdin Ironeye, and set off into the mountains to beat the half-orc at his own game.

Thankfully, we found it first, and after clearing the place out of its current orcish inhabitants, met a band of friendly Duergar that became our allies. It was here we left behind Ailinon, for the cleric was called home to her city by her goddess, and instead discovered a very unlikely ally, a half-drow bard by the name of Apsenin El’yar. We met another fearsome Death Knight in the hallowed halls, and after beating the Dragon that lived in the cavern below the fortress, made off like bandits with a horde of gold and treasure.

It was here we added a new member to our group of would-be heroes. Fadun called us back to the dock ward, telling us he’d hired on another adventurer. Another wizard, a strange and mysterious blind Elven fortune teller simply going by the name of Sesha. Her first trip with the group was on our trek to confront Khaddash.

Khaddash left the mountains after his failure to find the stronghold first, and we returned to Terus having put a stop to the plot against the nobility. We attended a banquet in our honor, and became friends with Queen Faile before discovering a plot to poison the wine at the party and presumably kill a good number of the attendants. It was done by a female Drow, who spoke of some sort of mass extinction event before killing herself before us.

Their backup plan was to assassinate the Queen herself, but we managed to thwart it just in time, returning to the Palace to find her held at wand-point by a raving madman. One standoff later, and a lucky shot by me to knock the wand from his hand, and we found ourselves rewarded handsomely for our work. Fifty thousand gold, a plot of land to be bequeathed to the Foxes, and a personal piece from the Queen’s collection. Mistral’s Eye, the Glaive of the Four Winds, the first Remnant from the Last Battle to come into our hands. As the only finesse-weapon user in the party, it was given to me.

[The Glaive in question]

For our chosen plot of land, we decided to find the lost fortress of Emberhold, high in the mountains north of Terus, in the Broken Ring. Emberhold was the site of the Last Battle against the Darkness, and had been lost for nearly a millennia. We set off with our map and a dream, and eventually came upon the reason behind its disappearance. A series of trials belonging to several different Gods, meant to test our worthiness and bestow upon us the title of the Lightbearers. We succeeded, the powerful magic hiding Emberhold from the world was wiped away, and the fires were lit once again. The Last Bastion of the Light shined with renewed hope, in a world that was soon to desperately need it.

Emberhold needed work, however, and after some magical messaging we convinced our Duergar friends to travel and begin mining the rich Mithril veins under the fortress. Along with them, we made a new friend in Vigil, a planetar bound to an enchanted statue, the last remaining guardian of Emberhold’s walls. We discovered writings from before the Last Battle in the office belonging to Loremaster Shen, a high cleric of the Heart of Knowledge, along with his most prized possession. A control amulet, paired to a lost construct named Vorn, the First Sentinel. We would need to find its resting place for the amulet to be of any use.

End of Part 1

#dnd #Rydrion Tales #Campaign Writeup #its gonna be a long one #multiple parts so #buckle up boys #dungeons and dragons #d&d

16 notes · View notes

ranger-of-estel · 6 years

Note

I have another prompt for you, my Ranger of Hope! Alas, it probably wouldn't make a good drabble (so you'll just have to make it longer...oh damn! 😉). I was Hmmm....I'm thinking Captain Canary, pre-relationship- Sara & Mick on a mission where their cover is they're fake dating or fake married and jealous Len is monitoring their situation closely (for the mission!) & is surly about it, which amuses Mick and prompts him to purosely aggravate Len so he'll confess his feelings to Sara

Okay so I FINALLY got my butt in gear and finished this one. It’s not exactly what you’ve outlined…but I think it keeps the spirit of the prompt. This is Chap 1 of 4, and can also be read on AO3

This is also my entry into the @leonardsnartbigbang event.

Make the plan

“Idon’t like this,” Leonard drawls, following Sara as she makes a turn down ahall to their left.

“Soyou’ve said,” Sara glances back at him and Mick, “but you have to admit, we arethe best ones for the job.”

He humshis agreement, his partner shrugging beside him. “I don’t know, a mission whereI get to fight ain’t so bad.”

Sarachuckles, “At least one of us will have a good time.” She motions down anotherhall, “Meet you at the jumpship in twenty?”

Leonardnods, and the three split to their separate rooms to pack and prepare for themission. He packs lightly: jeans, several layers of shirts, and a pistol thatcan easily be concealed on his person. He also has Gideon print blueprints ofthe arena and nearby hotels as well as fake I.D.s for all three of them.

Hearrives at the jumpship first, though Sara follows close behind, key in hand.“You have any idea how to fly this thing?”

Hesmirks, “I may have had the kid show me the basics.”

“Good,”she tosses him the key just as Mick joins them.

“Youtwo ready to get off this tin can?” he asks, tossing his bag through the doorbefore they begin to file onboard.

“I’mready for some fresh air, maybe a real cup of coffee.” Sara states from behindas Leonard settles into the Captain chair. “Some actual sunshine wouldn’t hurteither.”

“Icould use a beer, and nice greasy cheeseburger.” Mick agrees from the otherside of the ship.

“Whatabout you Len?” Sara asks as he pilots them into the timestream.

“I’lljust be glad for some peace and quiet,” he replies, they both make sounds ofagreement before continuing their conversation. He parks the jumpship farenough out not to be accidentally discovered, but close enough that it’s withinwalking distance of the city itself.

“Beforewe leave,” Len fishes out the I.D.s he’d had printed, “we’ll likely needthese.”

Sara chuckles,pulling out a small wallet. “Great minds?”

Hesmirks, “So it would appear.” He hands Mick his card, tucking Sara’s back intothe luggage. From there they make their way onto the crowded street. “There’s ahotel about four blocks up.” Len motions to one of the towering buildingsahead.

Saranods, shifting so that she’s just a step behind him. “How far from the arena?”

Heshrugs, “Twenty-minute taxi ride, depending on traffic.”

Theywalk in relative silence, Leonard weaving between people with a practiced ease,noting Sara does the same. An ability Mick has never needed, as peoplenaturally part when his partner approaches. Soon Sara is making her way to theconcierge desk while he and Mick stack what little luggage they have onto acart.

Sarareturns, grinning more like a cat than a canary. “Let’s go get settled in.” Lenraises a brow, but motions for her to lead. They ride the elevator up to thetop floor, and she offers a sideways grin as they step out. A swift swipe ofthe room key and they are stepping into a lounge area of what Len assumes is apresidential suite.

Windowsline the far wall, offering an impressive view of the skyline. Several couches,with coffee tables and more pillows than one could ever need. He can see atleast one large bed through a door at the far end, and a kitchen, including abar, on the left. Everything is in wood or a beige, and he doesn’t want to knowwhat Sara paid for the key in her hand.

“Thisis a pretty sweet pad, Blondie,” Mick looks over at her, tossing his bag ontoone of the couches.

Sarajust shrugs, “The only instructions from Rip were to stay in a hotel, andGideon was kind enough to cover whatever spending may be required.” She handedthem each a room key. “Only problem is that there are only two beds.” Shemotions to the room Len had seen, then shrugs. “Figure someone can take a coucheach night.”

Lencan’t help but smirk, “You’ve got good taste.” He drawls, grabbing his ownsuitcase to investigate the bedroom.

“I’llsay!” Mick chimes in, moving toward the kitchen. “Look at this bar!” He grinsat Sara, “Let me see that card, I’m ordering room service for dinner.”

Saralaughs, tossing the credit card at Mick, then turns back to Len. She motionstoward the other end of the room. “They said there’s an office space attached.”She shrugs, “Somewhere to look over the plans I’m sure you’ve brought.” Hereyes sparkle, an almost smile on her lips. “Get your peace and quiet for abit.”

He’snot sure what to make of that, if he’s honest. So he just smirks, “Thoughtful,Assassin.”

“I dotry.” And then she’s disappearing into the attached room.

Once hisbag is put away he goes to investigate the study, and is pleasantly surprised.It’s a spacious room, with a massive desk and surrounded by more windows. Hesettles into the expensive rolling chair, blueprints spread across the surfaceas he becomes absorbed into the work.

Hisattention is drawn by a sharp knock on the door; looking up he finds Sara smilingat him. “Hungry?” she motions toward the kitchen with her head, “Mick orderedpretty much everything the kitchen has to offer.”

“Ourdear Captain is not likely to let us out again,” he drawls, shaking his head.

Sarashrugs. “All the more reason to enjoy it now.” She holds out a hand. “Come on,Crook. Time to share your plan with the rest of us.”

Hepushes back from the desk, rising to follow her back into the gathering space.She’s right about Mick ordering the whole menu, plates and trays taking upevery inch of the table and ottoman. Leonard is relatively sure he’s pulledheists worth less than this meal cost. “So,” Sara draws his attention once moreas she settles onto one of the couches. “What’s the plan?”

“Well,”he drawls, settling into a recliner opposite her, which put Mick on the couchbetween them. “Until we can get eyes on the exact location of the target I canonly make a rough strategy.” He motions out the expansive windows, “But we doneed a cover to get in.” He grabs several of the finger foods spread beforehim. “I can get in as a sponsor.”

“Trainerwould be easier,” Sara interjects, gaining a raised brow. “Investors are justthere to see the show, but a trainer is going to have more access.”

“I’maware, and was thinking you are a better fit for the role,” he replies, headtilting in question. “So how do you expect to get yourself in?”

Shegives a shrug, popping a bite of sushi into her mouth. “Romantic partner.”

Lenknows his eyes widen some; Mick just chuckles as Leonard watches herquestioning. “Are you sure?”

She justsmirks back at him. “I’ve been Rip’s partner twice.” She makes a point ofshifting closer to Mick, flashing him a sultry grin. “I think I can handle datinga rogue for a few days.”

“Good, nowthat’s all settled.” Mick grabs a remote for the large flatscreen mounted tothe wall, arm settling over Sara’s shoulders. “I say we call it a night andfinish plannin’ in the morning.”

Saraand Len share a quick glance, both shrugging before settling back into theirseats as Mick picks some kind of action thriller. They fall into acompanionable silence aside from the occasional critique thrown toward thescreen.

As themovie comes to a close, Sara looks between the boys. “Okay, so who’s taking thecouch first?”

Leonardfrowns. “Both beds are queens.”

Saralooks at him, an amused tilt to her lips. “Are you suggesting we double up?”

Hesighs. “I’m suggesting that we are more likely to assume someone has broken inif one of us is moving around this space at night.”

Micklooks between them. “Fine, but I ain’t sharing.”

Saracatches Len’s gaze, head tilting in question. It’s not like they haven’t sleptin the same bed before: she’s turned up at his door on the ship afternightmares; he’s dozed off after a cards in her room. “We could make it work,”Sara offers a mock glare, “Just don’t try anything funny.”

Hesmirks. “Wouldn’t dream of it, Assassin.”

“Alrightthen.” She rises, hands pulled over her head in a stretch. “I’m going to goenjoy that jacuzzi tub before turning in.” She smiles between them. “You boyshave fun.” She pats Mick on the shoulder and then disappears into the bedroom.

“Smoothone, boss.” A smirk is playing at Mick’s lips.

Leonardlooks at his partner. “What are you talking about?”

Mickrolls his eyes. “Suggesting sharing a bed.”

“Ididn’t. You did.” Len settles back into the chair, taking a drink of his beer.

“Comeon, Snart. You’ve had your eyes on Sara since that bar fight months ago.” Mick’s arms cross. “In fact ‘m surprised youdidn’t try getting ‘er to play your partnerin this job.”

Thistime, it’s Leonard who scoffs. “I respect her and find her presence moretolerable than the other hero types on the ship.”

Mickjust gives a slow, disbelieving nod. “Whatever you say, boss.” From there, Mickturns on another action flick, and Leonard returns to the office to try andiron out a more solid plan. By the time he enters the bedroom, the others areboth in bed. Mick is spread across most of his bed, snoring like a log. Sara onthe other hand is curled on the far side of the second bed, her blonde hairabout the only thing that can be seen above the covers.

Leonardchanges into shorts and undershirt, slipping soundlessly beneath the sheets onthe other side of the bed. Sara stirs slightly, but does not appear to fullywake. They are positioned with their backs to one another, leaving Len facinghis partner’s bed and closer to the door. Like everything else about the room,the beds are impressive, and it takes very little time for him to drift off.

~~~

WhenLeonard wakes up the next morning, it’s to a small stream of sunlight that hassnuck between the curtains. Instantly he notes Sara is no longer occupying theother side of the bed, while he can still hear Mick’s snores behind him. Herises, quickly dressing and slipping out of the bedroom.

Thegathering space is empty, but the door to the balcony has been propped open. Ashe approaches the door, he can see Sara where she’s standing near the railing.She’s still wearing the form fitting tank and shorts that she’d slept in, hairpulled in a ponytail to keep the wind from blowing in into her face. She’sworking through one of the routines she’d learned at the League: a slightvariation to the one he’s watched her go through in the cargo bay of theWaverider.

Asalways, he’s caught by the deadly grace of her movements, eyes following hertoned arms and back as the muscles beneath shift with each movement. He leansagainst the doorframe, arms crossing over his chest as he watches her. Shemakes eye contact briefly, an amused smile at her lips before her focus returnsto her next move.

As sheslides out of the last move, her attention shifts back to him as she saunterstoward the door. “See something you like, Leonard?”

“Justappreciating the show.” He smirks down at her. “After all, not many get to seeLeague training in action and live to tell.”

“Mhm,I’m sure that was it.” The amused look is back as she brushes past him,grabbing a water bottle which she proceeds to down the contents of. He follows her into the kitchen, where shehits the power button on the fancy coffee maker, then proceeds to open cabinetsuntil she locates the mugs. “Coffee, Crook?”

“Sure.”He nods, checking his hip against one of the counters.

“Mickstill out?” she asks, gaining another short nod. “Can’t say I blame him, thebeds are pretty amazing.”

“Youslept well then?” he inquires, head tilting slightly.

“Very,you?” she replies, mirroring his posture against the other counter.

“I did,”he motions toward the office space, “and I owe you thanks for study. I got alot of preparations complete last night.”

Shegrins. “Well, you did say you wanted some peace and quiet.” She turns to placethe small plastic packages into the coffee maker, filling both mugs beforeholding one out to him. He accepts,moving to find some sugar and cream while she drinks hers black. “Care to walkme through things while our star gets his beauty sleep?”

Hechuckles, motioning toward the study. “This way, Assassin.”

Soonthey are settled on opposite sides of the desk, pouring over the blueprints andother notes Leonard had gotten about the building and event. “So,” Sara leansback in her chair, “we get in, get Mick in the ring, then what?”

“If I’mhis trainer, I’ll have to stay ring side, but you,” he looks at her, “you’ll beable to move around in the back rooms without drawing suspicion.”

Shenods. “Alright. So I go find our weapon, straight forward enough.” She giveshim an amused look. “Think you can keep Mick from wiping the floor with the guywho’s supposed to win this?”

Leonardsmirks back at her, setting his now empty mug on the desk. “I have a plan inplace for that as well.” They hear a door close, then heavy footfalls in theother room. “Speaking of,”

“Boss?”Mick’s voice is gruff with sleep as he calls through the suite.

“In thestudy,” Sara calls, followed by downing the rest of her coffee.

Mickcomes in, looking curiously between the two before shrugging to himself. “Isthere breakfast somewhere?”

Saralaughs, distracting Len from his own quip on the topic. “Hotel has acomplementary breakfast downstairs.”

“Good.”He turns and takes several steps before looking back at them. “You two comin’or not?”

Lenshares a quick look with Sara, she shrugs. “Breakfast sounds good.” She motionstoward the bedroom. “Just give me a minute to change.”

Bothmen nod, and as she exits the office space, Mick takes her place. “You twolooked cozy.”

Leonardrolls his eyes. “Just walking through the plans, Mick.”

WhenSara returns, the trio makes their way downstairs; as promised there is a roomwith rows of steaming containers filled with breakfast staples. By the timethey finish, Leonard is pretty sure the hotel staff is going to ban Mick from gettinganywhere near the bacon if they return.

Laterthat day Mick and Leonard go to get him officially signed up for thecompetition, while Sara takes to the roof to survey the area in more detail.Both tasks go smoothly, and soon, they are exploring the city before returningto the hotel for pizza and a card game that cuts late into the night. The easypart of their mission is over, now the challenge begins.

#Captain Canary #Leonard Snart #Sara Lance #Mick Rory #Rogue Canary #Not as Planned #Chapter 1 #Make the Plan #my ficlets #Prompt Fill

12 notes · View notes

rytfujgkuhhgmjgh · 7 years

Photo

AGENT CHEYENNE

☆┋ BASIC INFORMATION.

FULL NAME: jennifer anne carter

OTHER NAME(S): agent cheyenne (codename); naomi fitzgerald (alias); jennifer naomi müller (married name)

GENDER: cis female

PRONOUNS: she/her/hers

BIRTHDATE: august 31st, 2505

NATIONALITY: martian

ETHNICITY: french-canadian

SEXUALITY: bisexual

OCCUPATION: soldier / freelancer / mechanic

☆┋ APPEARANCE.

FACE CLAIM: noomi rapace

HEIGHT: 5′4″

WEIGHT: 117 lbs

HAIR: brown / red; black (dyed)

EYES: brown

SKIN: light

BODY: short and muscular

DOMINANT HAND: right

SCARS: a few small scrapes on her hands from hard manual work; eventually a branching network of red scars on the left side of her face, near her hair and jawline

TATTOOS: a unsc insignia on her left shoulder blade; a small freelancer logo on the bottom of her neck; the word aquarius on the back of her left shoulder, and gemini on the back of her right

ARMOR: standard Mark VI armor with a Rogue helmet; gold with white accents (example)

PRIMARY WEAPON: an assault rifle; later an energy sword; eventually a modified, directed EMP beam weapon

☆┋ FAMILY.

PARENTS: antoine carter (father); helen carter (mother)

SIBLINGS: n/a

CHILDREN: n/a

NOTABLE ROMANTIC PARTNERS: rolf müller (husband)

OTHER FAMILY: n/a

☆┋ BACKGROUND.

HOMETOWN: new paris, mars

EDUCATION: master’s degree in mechanical engineering

SPOKEN LANGUAGE(S): english; french; german (conversational)

MENTAL ILLNESS(ES): ptsd

LIKES: chocolate;

DISLIKES: failure;

SKILLS / ABILITIES: tba

☆┋ EXTRA INFORMATION.

MORAL ALIGNMENT: chaotic good

MBTI TYPE: istp

ENNEAGRAM: type eight: the challenger

SIN: pride

VIRTUE: fortitude

ELEMENT: fire

TROPES: action survivor; always someone better; be all my sins remembered; blood from the mouth; cosmic plaything; dangerous deserter; despair event horizon; determinator; don’t you dare pity me!; final girl; heel-face revolving door; i did what i had to do; martyr without a cause; nice job breaking it, hero; no good deed goes unpunished; shock and awe; social climber; significant monogram; team killer; that woman is dead; wrench wench

PLAYLIST

CHARACTER TAG

☆┋ PERSONALITY.

CORE STRENGTHS: optimistic; determined; curious; tenacious; adaptable

CORE FLAWS: selfish; self-depreciating; relentless; ruthless; proud; stubborn

I. CHILDHOOD

Before she was a freelancer, Agent Cheyenne was Jennifer Carter, the sole child of a young, Canadian born couple living on terraformed Mars, in the city of New Paris. Her father worked as a technician for a luxury starship company, specializing in dealing with the engines and exhaust pipes. Jennifer’s mother, an aspiring writer, was employed at a local newspaper and later, once her daughter was old enough to look after herself, picked up a part time job as a substitute teacher, all while working on her novel. From a young age, Jennifer knew her way around machinery. She was fascinated by puzzles, and could often be found dismantling a clock or radio—and once, infamously, her father’s tablet—to see how each item worked. After the tablet incident, her parents invested in a set of tools, as well as a robotics class.

As soon as she was old enough, Jennifer entered her designs, both robotic and mechanic, in competitions. She participated in some with her team, and others by herself. When she was fifteen, she won the Citywide Junior Prize for Robotic Engineering, and two years later, won the National Prize along with a good sum of money. Her passion and talent led to many college scholarship opportunities, and she eventually selected the Bonnie Dunbar Scholarship for Mechanical Engineering, which led her to Earth for the first time to attend the University of Houston. While she enjoyed her studies, Jennifer longed to be back home on Mars. As soon as her degree was completed, she travelled home—and it was on the shuttle back, watching a screen display news from the Outer Colonies, that she discovered her new path in life.

II. STRONG HAND

A soldier. That was what she was to become. The screen on her transport, flickering dimly, showed a group of armored soldiers rescuing civilians from a burning building. Jennifer wanted to be one of them. She knew she could never be a SPARTAN—those were trained in infancy—so she settled for the next best thing. She enrolled in a military academy and set about making a name for herself. The training was grueling, the instructors intense, and the food less than stellar, but she made it through, eventually. During her time in the academy, she lingered around the motor pool, where she fixed up several vehicles, as well as adding prototypes onto them.

When she went out into the field at the age of twenty seven, she was Private First Class Jennifer Carter, eager and more than a little naive. Six years later, when Project Freelancer recruited her, she was Corporal Jennifer Carter, tempered and impulsive, but still retaining her optimism. She’d gained renown for her engineering skills and quick thinking—she could dissemble and reassemble a gun faster than anyone else in her squad, and still have time left over to make her own personal modifications to it. The project came to her for this reason—to take into their ranks a skilled engineer, and she was all too happy to comply.

III. KEEP YOU ON MY SIDE

She was rechristened as Agent Cheyenne and given a new suit of armor. Her old family was left behind, and her new one was… interesting. She was placed on Team Delta, and paired with A.I. Unit Taurus, also called Tara, who already held a grudge against newcomers. Cheyenne’s impatience with Tara only made their relationship worse. But still, they managed, somehow, to work together in the field. They hated each other, but that didn’t keep them from leaving the other one to die. However, her position on the leaderboard began to slip. Ah, the leaderboard. She’d kept her place at a strong number eight for a long time, but the implantation of Tara and their subsequent inability to work together made her rank fall. Her remarks to the Director were met with only cold indifference. She’s your responsibility, Agent Cheyenne. I cannot fathom that you’d have the audacity to blame your ineffectiveness on me.

So she worked harder, trained harder, and all the while kept her falling position on the leaderboard in the back of her mind. During this time, she grew close to a few of her fellow agents, most notably Agent Charleston, whom she gradually began to think of as a younger brother of sorts. In general, she was friendly to her fellow agents and A.I. Units, despite being suspicious of the latter at first. She had a short romantic encounter with Agent Denver, and intended to follow up on that front, before outside circumstances intervened.

IV. BY THE THROAT

Those outside circumstances came in the form of a Covenant attack on the ship Equinox, the project’s main base of operations. The enemy cut most of the power to the ship, leaving only the most minimal life support systems uncorrupted. As an engineer, Cheyenne felt it was her duty to restart the ship, and rushed down to the maintenance levels, killing the opposition when she encountered it. Once in the engine room, she located the ship’s circuit board, and restarted it with the help of her armor enhancement, an EMP. But unbeknownst to her, a rogue electrical pulse, implanted either by the enemy or by the presence of an artifact called the Sarcophagus, disrupted her field. Cheyenne’s EMP killed two Artificial Units, Gemini (Gem) and Aquarius (Acadia), while they were still connected to their agents, Olympia and Denver, respectively.

Repercussions came swiftly and without mercy. While Cheyenne had saved the entire ship, she had done it at the cost of two lives—two lives that the Director had held in high esteem, considering that he had created the A.I. Units. Tara was reassigned to Denver, and Cheyenne’s hopes of ever getting back onto the leaderboard or into the Director’s good graces were dashed. Her behavior became more erratic, more self-destructive, and on two occasions she got into fights with her colleagues.

V. BURY IT

And just when she felt as though she couldn’t take the guilt anymore, the project was suspended. Something about investigation of improper use of government property and violation of laws and regulations. Cheyenne didn’t care. All she wanted was out—and for once, she got what she wished for. They were all sent home—A.I. with their agents—while the mess was sorted out. But Cheyenne did not go home. How could she face her family after everything she’d done? No, she ran—took a transport to a remote colony called Rhetza, dyed her hair black, took on an alias, and set up shop as their mechanic. She lived there for three years, working on a prototype modification of her EMP enhancement and avoiding any questions about her past. She kept tabs on the status of Project Freelancer, but after a while she let it fade into the backdrop of memories too painful to think of willingly.

Until three UNSC officials showed up on her doorstep and called her by her birth name. Corporal Jennifer Carter. She hadn’t heard it in so long. Jennifer Carter was someone else, someone who had died long ago, somewhere in the heat and sweat and gunfire of battle. But somehow, they’d found her, even after all this time. And they came with a message.

You’ve been reinstated. Suit up. We’re back.

VI. AFTERGLOW

tba.

#agent cheyenne #chbio.

4 notes · View notes

godsendrpg · 7 years

Photo

Peter Petrelli || 37 || Empathic Mimicry || Rogue

Open - Taken

——————————————————————- it WAS a brave new world

Personality Traits:

Distrusting

Loyal to friends

Jaded

Heroic

Summary:

Born to a rich family - always felt like he was destined for more.

Has worked as a nurse and paramedic.

Was there to watch Claire’s swan dive

Ran the Fortis company protecting Evos for a few years, before it was eventually disbanded after the EHRA.

Helped Sylar in killing Alan Shelby, the man who passed the act.

Currently, he stands as a more extremist member of the opposition.

Sometimes works with Micah but often feels the need to take more violent measures.

FC:

Milo Ventimiglia

———————————————————————————————— now the WAR is here

Full Background:

Peter’s Empathy is not limited to just his ability. Unlike the rest of his family, Peter opted to spend his life caring for others in the medical field. His early days as a Special were fraught with conflict. He began dreaming of the future when he acquired his mother’s, Angela’s, ability. These dreams became persistent and Peter went to track down Mohinder Suresh because of the book ‘Activating Evolution’. Around this time he was visited by a future Hiro Nakamura, who put him on the path of saving Claire Bennet from Sylar. During this time, Peter picked up many abilities and the pressure of having them without much control began to make his body sick. Claude Rains reluctantly taught him how to access his powers one at a time, but it was short-lived.

During an argument with a precognitive painter, Peter’s angry taunting led to the Isaac accidentally shooting a woman they both cared about. Peter was horrified by her death and went to visit Mohinder, only to find Sylar. Though the two heroes escaped, Peter was struck with a shard of glass in the back of his head and briefly died, learning about the rapid cellular regeneration’s “kill spot”.

After absorbing a radioactive ability, Peter squared off with Sylar. Although the heroes seem to beat Sylar, Peter could not control his radioactive ability, and Nathan rescued him by flying him into the sky to explode without harming anyone. For several months after, Peter lived in Ireland and had no idea of his true identity, only of some of his abilities. When accidentally using chronokinesis, Peter accidentally left his Irish girlfriend in an alternate Shanti Virus future. To stop it from happening, he briefly teamed up with immortal Adam Monroe, but once he realized the other man’s true intentions, he turned on Adam and destroys the virus.

While going with Nathan to a press conference, Peter was stopped by his future self and for a while after, Peter found himself inhabiting a criminal’s body while the future version of himself took over his life. In an attempt to once again stop a terrible future, Peter discovered that his father, Arthur Petrelli, was still alive. Arthur used Peter’s compassion to steal all of his abilities, including his base empathic mimicry.

When the heroes ambushed Arthur, Peter intended to shoot his father but found it difficult and Sylar took over, ensuring Arthur’s death himself. But before the Pinehearst building blew up, Peter injected himself with one of the synthetic formulas his father and Mohinder had been working on, giving him the power of ability replication.

Several months after, Nathan began working with the government to round up Specials. After a plane crash that he almost died in, he and the other heroes teamed up to stop Nathan and reveal the secret program. The government got backlash from this and Nathan was exposed after as a Special.

After some time, Peter tried to live normal again and rejoined the medical field, as a paramedic. He wanted to save as many as inhumanly possible and his relationship with his family became strained again because of this obsession. When ‘Nathan’ came to him for help, Peter put his obsessive behavior aside. Until discovering that ‘Nathan’ was really Sylar with Nathan’s memories. Soon after, Sylar regained control of his own body and Peter fell into a depression but distracted himself by investigating the carnival again with Noah. In a desperate attempt to keep his friend Emma from killing hundreds of people at the carnival, he sought out Sylar and used Matt’s ability to enter Sylar’s mental prison.They eventually bonded over how they’d changed and broke free to save everyone from Samuel Sullivan, later witnessing Claire’s jump off a Ferris wheel.

A year later, Angela had tried unsuccessfully to recreate the company but Peter took over and decided it was best not to let either Angela or Noah have the leading role, as they would only repeat their past mistakes. Instead, Peter decided to open up a school for people with abilities where they would provide general education while helping them with a greater sense of control and understanding over their powers. The school was called The Petrelli School for Gifted Individuals.

What should have been a monumental push forward, just left Peter’s life, and the world as a whole, in shambles.

Peter tried to keep his head above water for a while after his mother’s death, but after even more attacks on the school, Peter was at his wit’s end. He couldn’t save anyone whilst sat behind a desk.

The Registration Act was the final straw for Peter, leading him to seek out Sylar. With their powers combined, they easily took Shelby down, and although this was just a symbol that Evos would not take it lying down, Peter knows it only made the divide between Humans and Evos bigger. This was the path he’d set himself down, though, and if no one else was willing to do what was necessary to keep their species alive, the Peter would happily take that mantel.

Now Peter heads a searing revolution - prepared to go the extra mile to fight back against the oppression that faces them. He, and the people who follow his path have left the city in ruins, but Peter truly believes this is the only way. They tried being nice, but now all there’s left is to fight.

#lsbio #peter petrelli #milo ventimiglia #empathic mimicry #rogue #canon; heroes #taken #taken male #taken rogue

2 notes · View notes

swipestream · 5 years

Text

New Release Roundup, 19 January 2019: Fantasy and Adventure

This week’s roundup of the newest releases in fantasy and adventure features a raygun past that should have been, a privateer out to rescue his fiancee, monstergirl madness, and the escape of a rogue superhero.

Accidental Assassin (Sellswords #2) – T. L. Branson

A light shines in the darkness.

The earnings from their last heist have dried up. Now, Ocken and Riley are once again in need of a job.

Ocken doesn’t dare work for the mysterious Viper again, but Riley wants to use the stranger to take down the crime lord, Edward Ziken. Except Viper is nowhere to be found.

But Viper isn’t the only one looking for hired hands. Soon, Ocken and Riley find themselves as pawns in yet another plot for power.

The job seems simple enough, but there’s more at stake than they could possibly know.

Bert Henderson Double Adventure – Spencer Hart

DEATH RAYS & DAMES are all in a day’s work for company troubleshooter Bert Henderson.

Bert’s boss runs Phillips’ Atomics, builder of atomic-powered planes, spaceships, and industrial tools. These high-tech inventions are revolutionizing the world of 1949. So when Mr. Phillips’ interests are threatened, Bert can find himself traveling anywhere on Earth – or beyond.

Criminals and foreign agents are in for more than they bargained for, when Henderson is on the case.

And if there’s a gorgeous dame involved along the way, that can bring its own sort of trouble…”

Contains Bert Henderson’s first and second adventures:

DEATH ON THE MOON: The first ever murder on the Moon brings Bert to Roosevelt Base to find the killer. Mr. Phillips is financing an observatory on the Moon, and construction is halted while the murderer is loose. Can Bert find the killer and prevent more death on the Moon?

FIRE IN THE ANDES: One of Mr. Phillips top engineers has gone missing in Argentina, and Bert is sent to find him. But the investigation leads to the discovery of a greater threat. Complications ensue from encountering a lovely senorita. Can Bert deal with both the case and the dame?

Breaker (Monster Tamer #1) – Isaac Hooke

Three women.

One man.

A whole lot of monsters.

Malem is a Breaker. He breaks the minds of beasts, exerting the steel vise of his will over their own, bending them to his wishes.

His ability is severely limited in terms of the types of creatures he can control, and how many. Most monsters have always been beyond him.

And then one day he accidentally breaks a monster girl. Doors begin to open for him faster than he thought possible…

Also available: Conqueror

Heroes Fall (Heroes Unleashed: Serenity City #1) – Morgon Newquist

He wanted to be a good man. Instead he became a hero.

Twenty years ago, Serenity City’s great Triumvirate of heroes – Achilles, the Banshee, and Pendragon – maintained a golden age of peace and prosperity. Then, in an instant, it all went wrong. The city’s mightiest champion, Achilles, lost his mind during a showdown with the enigmatic supervillain Thanatos and went on a rampage across the city, leaving the Banshee dead and a swath of destruction in his wake before Pendragon could stop him.

Today, as Achilles rots in solitary confinement, Victoria Westerdale investigates a new mystery. Why are young and forgotten heroes disappearing off the streets? Why doesn’t anybody else care? And how is it tied in to those infamous events that brought the city’s greatest heroes to ruin?

And what’s going to happen to them all after Achilles escapes?

Infinite Dendrogram #8 – Sakon Kaidou

In the year 2043, Infinite Dendrogram, the world’s first successful full-dive VRMMO was released. In addition to its ability to perfectly simulate the five senses, along with its many other amazing features, the game promised to offer players a world full of infinite possibilities

Having maxed out his Paladin rank, Ray considers what job to take and level next. As he does so, he hears of a job that was newly excavated alongside an ancient ruin in Altar’s Quartierlatin County — an area bordering the Dryfe Imperium.

As it happens, Ray already meets the conditions for the job, and it suits him well, so he wastes no time going out to make the switch. But of course things are never quite so simple…

Along the way, he encounters Azurite — a mysterious masked swordswoman. There was simply no way Ray could’ve known the far-reaching political implications of his venture to the ruins…

The Starry Sky Chessboard (Starchild Escapes Arranged Marriage #6) – Fat Bread

The vast sky contains thousands of God’s domains.

Yun Xi was born in the Sword Domain, more specifically, the White Lotus Sword Domain. He has a female childhood friend who tends to become jealous very easily, while running an ordinary bakery for a living. At the age of eighteen, he was to marry his arranged bride, with the wish of living his days normally and peacefully.

But on his sixteenth birthday, the shined down on him with three different choices for him to make. These three choices came in the form of three fairies which suddenly appeared in front of him. The boy then learned a terrible truth, that his life was at stake. A bad ending, which was supposed to happen to him, was coming soon.

In order to survive, the youth had to set foot on the battlefields of many deaths trails, all while learning how to love as well as struggling to become stronger.

The Steel Hounds (The Artar Chronicles #1) – Vladimir Vasilenko

Stan, also known as Mongoose, is an extreme traceur and a freerunner, whose real-life talents attracted the attention of The Steel Hounds, the most notorious and private clan of the virtual world of Artar, famous for serving the grey cardinal. While the political landscape for this new world is yet to form, intrigues, conspiracy, daring raids, and sabotage are the main weapons of the Hounds, and his evaluation has just begun.

To complete it successfully and become a full-fledged member of the clan, Stan will have to adapt to working side-by-side with the most unique people with shady backgrounds — even if he is not a team player by nature and has already failed at the very beginning by choosing the least suitable class for teamwork: Battle Monk.

Stan is rebellious, free-spirited, and daring. He risks his life every day just to avoid getting bored of the daily grind. Normally, an expelled student has no hope of entering the virtual world of Artar, an expensive online VR project, but when a suspicious organization offers to pay all expenses to let Stan in for a special purpose, Mongoose gets his chance to become one of the select few. However, to successfully complete his trial, Stan will have to face his main enemy — himself, while finding peace and mastering all five styles of the Battle Monks of Artar.

Voyage of the Lanternfish – C. S. Boyack

An honorable man is mistaken for his disreputable father. Now he’s pushed into a political scheme to start a war that will spread across multiple kingdoms. James Cuttler’s fiancé is being held captive to ensure he goes through with the plan.

He soon decides his skills are at sea and procures a ship to wage war upon those who disrupted his simple life. He can’t do it alone, so he recruits a band of cutthroats to help him. But first, they need guns and munitions to outfit the ship properly. Deception and trickery will only get them so far. Eventually, they’re going to have to engage the enemy.

James’ goals aren’t necessarily the same as his crew. It’s a delicate balancing act to collect enough loot to keep his crew happy, while guiding them back to rescue the girl.

Warhammer Chronicles: Warriors of the Chaos Wastes – C. L. Werner

Many horrors stalk the blasted wastes at the top of the world. Mortals and daemons alike wage war – and in this volume are three tales of such monstrous, god-touched warriors.

The Chaos Wastes are an unspeakable region of magic and madness. In this hellish tundra, the Dark Gods wrestle for supremacy and champions war in their name. Death comes for any who traverse these plains in swift and savage form. Yet there are those who dare brave the wastelands, burdened by their own dark purposes. Wulfrik the Wanderer, cursed by the Ruinous Powers, seeks a prize to appease the forces of Chaos; the Skulltaker, champion of Khorne, hungers for fresh blood; and the last warrior of a Norse tribe sets out to steal the treasure of a god. But in this monstrous arena, there are no winners. Dark forces plot, daemons feed, and even the landscape itself takes sides. This omnibus contains three novels by one of Black Library’s popular authors.

READ IT BECAUSE: These three classic novels exploring the nature of Chaos are from the master of dark fantasy, C L Werner – if you’ve not experienced them, you owe it to yourself.

Will of Fire (Buried Goddess Saga #3) – Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle

A Kingdom held hostage. A thief lost in time. The battle to seal Elsewhere has begun.

The villainous Drad Redstar has won the favor of king and country after leading a decisive victory over the rebels at Winde Port. Now with a seat on the royal council, he condemns Torsten to a lifetime in the dungeon and invites his militant people to take up residence in the capital. But not all light has been squelched. There is one disgraced King’s Shieldsman left who remains loyal to Torsten, and only he can help free the Glass Kingdom from Redstar and his dark desires to revive the Buried Goddess.

Across the known world, Sora deals with the loss of her one and only friend. She seeks out a Mystic of the Panping; someone who can help her figure out what really happened to Whitney in a journey that illuminates her past and present. With the true nature of magic revealed to her, she finds that Whitney is lost in Elsewhere, the world between worlds, and she’ll stop at nothing to bring him back.

As magic and war collide in Will of Fire, the third installment in the Buried Goddess Saga, the fate of the entire world will change.

New Release Roundup, 19 January 2019: Fantasy and Adventure published first on https://medium.com/@ReloadedPCGames

0 notes

comiconverse · 7 years

Text

Looking Back At Batman #1: The Court of Owls

Batman: The Court of Owls has now become one of the most memorable Batman arcs to emerge from DC Comics in modern times. Its themes and plot points have made their way to the small screen on Gotham. The real accomplishment of the arc, however, was in the way it pushed fresh new ideas to the fore, in a corner of the DC Comics universe that is always in danger of retreading old ground. After all, with a character that has been perched atop Gotham's gargoyles since 1939, how many new challenges could possibly await the Caped Crusader. What new antagonist could possibly be brought forward these days to exceed those Batman has already faced-down?

Enter Scott Snyder.

Snyder did what many lesser mortals would have thought impossible. He created a completely original Batman story that mixed the new with the familiar and turned Batman's "oldest and truest" friend against him - Gotham City itself. Join us, as ComiConverse looks back at 2011's Batman: The Court of Owls by Scott Snyder with art by Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion.

A Batman story of the ages.

Looking Back At Batman: The Court of Owls

(Spoilers necessarily lie ahead).

"Gotham Is". It's a segment run every week in the Gotham Gazette, Snyder tells us in the opening lines of Batman #1; one where the Gazette's readers are offered the chance to define the city they live in. But surely both Snyder's protagonist and his own readers must have felt they knew the answer to this question by now. Gotham is dark. Gotham is dangerous. But through it all Gotham has always been Batman's city. Our hero tells us as much in his internal monologue during the issue's opening pages.

It's a level of certainty we all shared.

Over the years, there have been efforts to see other antagonists dislodge heroes like Batman and Superman as defenders of their respective cities. Magog famously sought a showdown with Superman, in the Kingdom Come storyline, for the right to defend Metropolis, while numerous foes like Jean-Paul Valley and Jason Todd have all tried to claim Gotham for themselves at Batman's expense. What has remained constant during all of this has been the character of the cities themselves. Metropolis with its gleaming towers and Gotham with its dark back-alleys, each inherently tied to its protector at an almost spiritual level. Listening to Batman and Superman speak about their cities, its not hard to see the sense of psychic income they draw from their connection to Gotham and Metropolis.

In particular, I will always remember the sudden surge of energy and purpose that overcame Superman, as he watched Doomsday close in on Metropolis, during the Death of Superman story arc. These characters are defined by the cities they protect, and that was a thread very few writers had seen fit to pull on, until Snyder tore that fabric wide open in 2011.

Batman #1: A Perfect Start

Every great detective story begins with the mundane and steams boldly towards the fantastic. Snyder opens his masterpiece with a day like any other in Gotham. Batman, with the help of his closest ally, is undertaking a seemingly low-level investigation into a guard at Arkham Asylum who is likely on the take. Having loosed most of Arkham's most dangerous prisoners to block Batman's path, we never do dive any deeper into the guard's activities, are instead left to gaze upon an incredible two-page spread by Greg Capullo, where Batman is starred-down by a hallway full of his rogue's galleries more prominent members. To the bottom-right, we see Batman's mouth curl into a thin-smile. Though the odds seem overwhelming, these are familiar criminals whose actions can be easily predicted, and Batman is never without a plan.

There is one arch criminal absent from the scene, however, and we are soon taken inside an adjoining cell, where we find The Joker casually reading a novel. The two banter back and forth, before we see the Joker helping out the Caped Crusader with some rather acrobatic-looking fighting moves.

Here we see the foreshadowing of several themes that will dominate the Court of Owls arc; friends, enemies and the blurring of the lines between them. Let's not forget the connection that exists between Dick Grayson and the Joker. As we learn that Nightwing was, in fact, role-playing the Joker, the more Bat-litterate among us will remember the Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker, where we are shown an older angry Dick Grayson, who has had his personality taken over by the Clown Prince of Crime.

Credit: Warner Brothers

Batman #1 sets a similar tone by dropping numerous hints about the trustworthiness of Batman's closest friends. Seeing Nightwing stroll boldly through the Batcave, still in full Joker garb, leads to a cool bit of dialogue, in which we find that Bruce was eerily impressed by Dick's ability to role-play a psychopath, and that Batman left his side-kick in Arkham an extra day, for fairly questionable reasons. Why? We are not really told.

From there, we see Bruce Wayne basking in his role as one of Gotham's leading citizens. Bruce Wayne may be a role Batman likes to play, however, there is no doubt that both sides of his persona relish their opportunities to help steer Gotham in the right direction. As Wayne makes a presentation to Gotham's high society, we are shown a light show displaying the 'Gotham of Tomorrow' - it is the Gotham of Bruce's dreams. As yet, it's a Gotham that both Bruce Wayne and our reader continue to hope for. Gotham City remains a fairly stable and predictable feature of any Batman story, and its assets and challenges are familiar to all of us.

At least for a little while longer.

We are quickly introduced to Lincoln March, a Mayoral candidate who is also seemingly interested in steering Gotham towards a better future. Bruce is only able to deal with Lincoln's flattery briefly, before Alfred calls to direct Batman towards the scene of a grizzly murder.

Credit: DC Comics

The opening shot of the crime scene sees an outline of Batman rising up from behind Detective Harvey Bullock, reminiscent of scenes from Batman: The Animated Series. We hear Bullock make a snide remark about Batman returning to "stealth" mode, in contrast to his days in Batman Incorporated under Grant Morrison, when the character's activities were much more public.

From there, we are taken through a marvellous episode of CSI Gotham, as Snyder uses the investigation of the crime scene to accomplish many of the essential functions for this first introductory issue. We are introduced to the Court of Owls and to Batman's remarkable dismissiveness towards the idea of their existence. Batman is certain he knows his city to its core, although Harvey Bullock is unquestionably less sure. Bullock's vision of Gotham is that of a street level cop, who feels lucky to have escaped home each night in Gotham's back alleys. The two banter about the crime scene and the legend of the Court, prior to Batman discovering a warning written in linseed oil on the wall. Once lit, the writing reads...

Bruce Wayne will die tomorrow.

With the flaming words still burning in the background, a triphammer series of images and phrases get every bat-fan excited for what's about to come next. First, Alfred calls-in to let Batman know that the DNA testing has come back form the corpse looming before Bullock and Bruce. It shows the DNA of DICK GRAYSON!

Then, as Batman absorbs that information, Bullock rambles about how Bruce Wayne's likely assassin would have to be someone within his inner circle and how Gotham is not a city to be trusted. In the end, Bullock says, Gotham is not a trusted friend, Gotham is "a mystery".

And so, issue one ends with a renewed focus Gotham City's character, a new and exciting notion within the Batman mythology.

The reader is left slightly shaken with a new mistrust of both Batman's closest friend and the city that has been Batman's reason d'être since he dawned the cape and cowl.

And yet, one get's the sense that Batman's faith in both has remained unchanged, for now.

The post Looking Back At Batman #1: The Court of Owls appeared first on ComiConverse.

0 notes