#Up to you if the Justice League is real or fiction in their world

[goldengirlgalaxy]

The Princess' Dolls

After Danny has ascended to the throne of the ghost king, something goes wrong with his clone Ellie. Her form destabilizes again, and when they stabilize her, she's physically only five or six years old.

Danny takes to watching her, but looking after a half ghost child is a lot harder than it looks, especially when Ellie learns duplication but can't seem to figure out how to undo it for hours on end, and each clone gets bored really fast. To counter this, Danny makes Ellie a set of dolls, all modeled after the Justice League and various related figures. He even uses a special enchantment he learned to make sure the dolls stay intact no matter what Ellie puts them through.

Ellie loves the dolls and she and her clones have a tendency to put together large productions using them, ranging from superhero fights to sitcom stories to fairy tales to a few 'things' Ellie remembered reading online before she was de aged.

Meanwhile, almost every single Justice League member has been noticing some oddities as of late. They can hear voices from no where, they feel like something is touching them when there is nothing, their muscles sometimes spasm without cause. And, on occasion, they find themselves sleepwalking as they dream of a giant telling a story.

No one brings this to the attention of the other members until several members get knocked out on a mission, only for their unconscious forms to start acting out a play.

(Or Danny accidentally makes several Justice League Voodoo dolls and a young Ellie keeps playing with them)

[fangirleaconmigo]

I will never not laugh when I see someone say “Jaskier is useless.”

People have watched so many superhero movies that they think everyone has to glow or shoot lasers to have value.

I mean…sure, yes...he is useless…IF you consider the human experience of friendship, love, and art a complete and utter waste of time. lmao.

Just because Yen is magical and Geralt is a warrior doesn't mean that this is a superhero group. It is not. Forget about the Avengers and the Justice League for a second. Forget about Star Wars. This is not a team formed to save earth. This is not a band of rebels throwing off imperialists.

The Witcher is a found family. Their most pivotal decision is to love and protect one(1) child. Their most important super power is love.

Geralt, Yen, and Ciri’s biggest problems are that people want to use them as tools. People see Geralt as a tool to rid them of inconvenient problems without having to get their own hands dirty. They see Yen as a tool to amass power, and they see both of them as rungs to use to get to the ultimate tool. Ciri.

Geralt, Yen, Ciri, these people are fucking exhausted. And I don’t mean they need naps (though they do). They are all that bone deep, hollow, exhausted that comes from having to battle every moment of every day to be seen as a PERSON. The kind of exhausted that comes from not being able to trust ANYONE because there is a price on your head.

Jaskier is their person. Yes it takes time to get there with Yen. But he gets there. He is their port in the storm. He would never turn them in not for any amount or any gift or anything. He is the person that they know beyond a shadow of a doubt does not give a fuck about power and who isn’t capable of seeing them as anything but friend shaped. Person shaped. They are his folks.

He is important to them because how do you even keep going with the world against you, without at least one person who just loves you for you? Who just loves your bad jokes and your navel gazing and who sees your prickliness for what it is? Vulnerability?

Wouldn’t you fold and give up without that? Without friendship? What would the story be then?

And for Mr Jaskier, that’s not even getting to the crucial deeply important cultural role that troubadours play in a world with no television or internet or data storage. It’s not even touching on his role as a narrator, historian, and world builder. And that’s not even getting to the 'art is an integral, crucial part of this fictional universe, (just like it is in real life)' part of it.

It’s not even touching on the fact that his “gossip” often turns out to be critical intelligence and his fame and political savvy are constantly bailing them out of trouble.

We don’t need to!

If you can look at Geralt *gestures at his whole deal* and not see that this poor man needs a friend more than literally anything else in the world...then I cannot relate. And if you can look at Yen and Jaskier or Ciri and Jaskier and not see how beautiful that is, people drawn together by the undeniable need for found family and the undeniable value of loyalty in a shitty world, then I don’t know, man. We are on different ass wavelengths.

[sunyot]

Must See T.V. Moments - Invincible 2024

*****SPOILERS for SEASON 2: EPISODE 6*****

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I'm in my T.V. Phase now...

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*******I MEAN IT. SPOILERS AHEAD******

The 'parasitic alien' remains a classic Super Hero villain. My personal first introduction to this villain came from watching Batman Beyond. In a two-episode Saga, Terry gets the opportunity to fight alongside The Justice League of his era. Naturally, he finds discord only to discover... well you get the idea.

This concept plays on one of our fears as people: being controlled. As gamers, we're so used to being puppetiers. Yet imagine Being the puppet. Imagine further maintaining a small hint of consciousness; an out of body experience where you watch your every action taking place. We might wonder if we'd still feel pain? Would we feel anything at all? The parasite would probably have a total lack of self-preservation, and that scares us.

This show still reigns as one of the best-written shows on television. Robert Kirkman handles tension so well. I'm avoiding reading the comics, but when I see an episode as good as this one it's very tempting. The series integrates so many layers, adding a density to the storytelling. Amazing story craft like this, in my opinion, is the cause of fiction withdrawal. I know the feeling well.

Sometimes, a series feels like it's speaking to you personally. It becomes a drug that taps directly into your veins. I keep a list of shows on my phone that give me this feeling. Maybe one day I'll share them. Really, I keep them to remind myself which shows give me the true feeling I'm searching for. I do this in the hopes of limiting my sometimes lengthy searches for new entertainment.

Let's start with the obvious.

Do you Ship 'Mark X Amber' or 'Invincible X Atom Eve'?

Fans of the series remain vocal about their preferences. And I get it. They prefer for Mark to spend the majority of his time as Invincible, the superhero. They want to see him at his most powerful, going on adventures, fighting alongside a crew, and receiving the admiration of beautiful potential partners. Seeing Mark in a more ordinary human life could feel less fun. And Amber is, in a way, a representation of that. Her groundedness reminds Mark, and the audience, that he's still just a guy. This can cause conflict between the audience and certain characters. Protagonists often serve a cathartic outlets for viewers. Fans of Twilight want to see the quiet, studious, normal young lady swept up into an extraordinary series of events. Seeing someone like themselves, allows them to live vicariously through the plot.

Likewise, superheroes serve as one of our culture's best self-insert fantasies...

This is good. This is healthy, I'd argue. Being able to explore yourself in an idealized fashion can help people create fragments of identity which can sometimes become the sparks of our moral centers. All that said, writers like Kirkman, understand that stitching these fantasies to universal human experiences are what make them memorable. It's the filtering of the wild through the boring that make our stories sing.

In real life, we have relationship problems. We screw up. We do poorly in school. We fail at our obligations time and time again, while the world forces us to push onward because our obligations are always with us. As Mark continues to try and do the right thing, his humanity outshines his Viltrumite heritage.

*****SPOILERS for SEASON 2: EPISODE 6*****

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Rexsplosion reads Home Decor Magazines - Invincible 2024

"I actually thought Rex died..."

This series plays with tension brilliantly. It also avoids having too many moments of relief. When the immediate danger fades, the characters still live in a state of worry. They're always waiting for the other shoe to drop. We learn something quirky about Rex, but only because he almost died. This semi-sweet moment humanizes him, yet emphasizes the ominous nature of the series. Our heroes have to take their happy moments when they can get them. The Team, now scattered, became a question mark. This world cannot afford uncertainty surrounding its heroes. We saw their near demise in Mark's absence.

And with a few quick scenes of Mark's loved ones, we're of where he's most vulnerable.

This brings me to my favorite aspect of the episode:

- The Fiction inside the fiction -

This will always be one of my favorite methods of storytelling. Seeing characters in fiction read or watch their own fiction lets us see how they relate to their world. Sometimes it's done through myths and legends. Sometimes in other clever ways...

When Mark receives a box of science fiction stories (stories written by his father) we are able to more directly relate to the character.

This look of wonder and skepticism on his face. This is all of us...

My father introduced me to Star Wars. He had the original trilogy on VHS tapes. He recorded the movies when one of the major networks aired them without commercials. I wore those tapes out, watching until my imagination expanded to the vastness of any epic tale; spilling over into my daily life sunshine I could carry in my pockets.

At this moment in the show, I am Mark. I'm sitting on my bed, hearing my father's voice as the story plays out on the pages and in my mind. And I'd wager, I'm not the only one.

In dramatic fashion, we now get to go on the journey inside this new universe. This fiction within a fiction is crucial as it becomes the notion of creation from the perspective of beings we know to be created. How funny is that. Funnier still, to Mark this tale plays as cinema. Whereas to us, it's still animated; which is a wild concept when thinking of sentience.

Even the title 'The Man with the Invincible Gun' ...feels like foreshadowing to me.

*****SPOILERS for SEASON 2: EPISODE 6*****

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I'm sure most of you caught on quick, realizing that these stories are based on Mark's Father's real adventures. I think it's funny seeing a character like Mark, superhero, space traveler, one of the strongest beings in the Universe, forget all that, and lose himself in the story. Again, this character trait displays Mark's humanity. Of course, he eventually realizes that these stories are far from lore.

Knowing his father, it's probably safe to assume these were not heroic journeys of an idealistic space explorer. More than likely they were unsuccessful Viltrumite invasions of unsuspecting alien inhabitants. I also think we'll at some point get to meet some of these aliens and learn the truth of these encounters. But still, it's fun to dream.

This episode makes me want to read a good book...

It also makes me want to write. It's been a while since I've done that either.

A few more things. Seeing the Seth Rogan alien makes me wonder when I'm going to be able to hear him as his own character because every time he talks, all I hear is Seth Rogan. His is the only character that does that to me. I'm hoping my brain eventually adjusts.

Also, let's readdress the title screen.

What does it mean this season? In Season 1, the answer felt obvious. The blood splattered across the title showed the surprising violence of the heroes world, which slowly dragged Mark deeper into its depths. In this season, the classic 'Invincible' logo cracks away to reveal a red one.

What's the meaning, I wonder. Mark might be one bad event away from turning into Omniman, a true Viltrumite warrior, like the Mark of the other Universe. And speaking of other Universes...

Our friend Giant-Brain-Outside-My-Body-Man returns to get a bespoke suit from a tailor with four arms.

This tells me that no matter the universe, timeline, or year, nothing feels better than wearing a fresh new suit. We also get to see him do a little multi-dimensional hopping.

I wonder which Universe this could be...

Cryston

[wanderingmind867]

My take on Blue Beetle (Ted Kord):

Ted Kord is known as the Canadian Bruce Wayne. Well, maybe not explicitly by that nickname, but that is the type of character he shall be. He's less dark than Bruce, but you know what I mean, I hope.

Ted Kord is the head of famed manufacturing company Kord Industries. Known around the world for it's research skills and for it's work in the development of new technology, everybody knows the Kord family. They're like the Rogers family, except without a monopoly on telecommunications. But based on the behavior of CEO Ted Kord, you may not always know that they're such a successful company.

Ted was always a shy boy. Early in his life, people around him began to notice just now precocious the boy was. Shy, lonely but incredibly creative and intelligent, ted was head and shoulders above his peers when it came to academics. But he never excelled socially. Ted has almost never had any friends, and his father was a cold, distant rich miser. With his mother having died when he was very young, Ted never really had anyone who cared for him in his life.

To cope with this loneliness and isolation, Ted loved to spend time alone reading. Ted fell in love with old fantasy and adventure stories, as well as with superheroes and superhero comics. Specifically, Ted loved the semi-fictional adventures of The Blue Beetle, otherwise known as archaeologist Dan Garrett. (The stories were semi-fictional because Garrett was a real archaeologist and adventurer in the 1920s and 30s, but he never had a magic scarab or secret identity as the Blue Beetle).

For Ted, these stories were an escape from his lonely life at home. They helped him deal with his cold home life and lack of friends. Ted began to dream of one day becoming a real hero, just like the Blue Beetle he fell in love with.

As Ted aged, he began to feel disillusioned by his family's work. He used to hang out with his dad's assistants and with the factory staff. He got to see how hard their lives were, and how much of their problems could be traced back to his dad. His dad hoarded money, was rude to his workers, refused to let them unionize or get raises, etc. Eventually, something explosive was going to happen. And something explosive did indeed happen.

When ted was around 20 or so, the factory workers went on strike. Around the same time, a bunch of the key organizers of the strike began to go missing. Suspicious, ted began investigating. And what he found really shocked him. He found out that his father was hiring someone to sabotage the strikes by injuring the strike organizers. Outraged, Ted knew he had to do something. But what? And then it hit him: this was his chance. He now had a chance to become a hero, like his idol as a child.

So ted got to work designing a costume and an arsenal of weapons to help take the attack to the saboteur. And just like that, The Blue Beetle was born! He took out the saboteur and helped bring his father to justice! And now Ted Kord lives two lives. Sometimes he's Ted Kord, CEO of Kord Industries, dedicated to making amends for his father's actions. While other times he's the Blue Beetle, one of Canada's most famous Superheroes!

The Blue Beetle was one of the founders of the Justice League of Canada. Naturally so, since he's one of the most famous heroes Canada has. People even know of the Blue Beetle in America, which is shocking considering how often americans forget Canada exists. He was a natural choice to help found the team.

PS: If you're waiting for Booster Gold, I can try and do my take on him too. I'm not sure if I want both of these characters to be introverts who open up around each other (like having Booster Gold really be very shy and his persona is a bit act), or if I want Booster to be more extroverted and Ted more introverted, making them an odd couple kind of deal. I'm leaning towards the first one, but both would work I suppose.

[starsofmilos]

I’m Not a Hero (Adrian Chase x reader)

Request: Reader with a deadpool personality!!

I love this idea and I’m finally feeling better so we’re back to posting! Ear is still in some pain, but I am feeling much better! Also thanks @charleetheefictionalfucker​ for the request!

Masterlist

Warnings: mentions of sex, violence, some angst, some fluff, cursing, making out, mentions of abuse

What’s a hero?

A hero is defined by a multitude of things. Someone brave or selfless! If we’re gonna go by the literal meaning then a hero is,

‘A hero is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength.’

A hero carries qualities that make someone a good person. A hero would sacrifice the people they love and themselves with remorse to save the world.

It’s for this reason only you hate the word hero or anyone who describes themselves as one.

Heroes are cowards. Heroes are people who use their abilities for good while also acting recklessly to save everyone, They get praise while some prisoners  who do the same things as a hero but with bad intentions get put away for life.

It’s not fair.

Life isn’t fair and neither is society and unlucky for you. You live in a world full of heroes. The justice league for example. God you hated Batman and especially Superman.

There was only one hero you actually admired and it was because he was like you. He was goofy and silly. He is also the love interest of this story so of course you’re gonna admire him. 

Adrian Chase or as you know him Vigilante. 

You were kinda obsessed. Mostly because he did what you did and his name was so fitting. He wasn’t a hero but he also wasn’t a bad person and you respected the hell out of him for that. 

So you kinda watched out for him. It wasn’t like you were stalking you just made sure he stayed safe. In the two months you’ve been watching out for him you had secretly saved him a total of seven times.

Not like you were counting though...(you totally were)

You just wanted the one person you considered genuine safe and his ‘partner’ Peacemaker never really did that.

Adrian didn’t meet you though not until he went on a mission with the team. You’d been following him since he joined project butterfly. 

One night the team had managed to get separated and Adrian was cornered. He only had six bullets and there were four men who were all armed.

Well they weren’t really men more like aliens. 

Adrian was cornered though, so with no hesitation (100% hesitation) you jumped in. 

“Get down!” You yelled at Adrian jumping in between him and the butterfly approaching him shoving your gun to it’s throat shooting him. Once he dropped the other three began to shoot.

Adrian stared in shock as you took all the hits easily. Blood gushed from the holes on your body as you groaned out in slight pain.

“Ow fuck! That hurt!” The butterflys stared in shock as the holes patched themselves up while you removed one of your katanas moving in to decapitate them. 

You panted grimacing jumping as you heard a gun cock. Adrian stood behind you keeping his pistol ready to shoot you. He shook from slight nerves as you tilted your head in confusion.

“Who the hell are you?!”

“Are you seriously thinking about shooting me after literally watching me walking off getting shot?!”

“Yes!” Adrian yelled back, “Fucking hell I don’t know who you are and while what you did was very fucking cool and kinda hot! You’re a fucking strong bitch!”

“Okay and?!”

“What do you mean and?! I don’t trust you! You took down four butterfly’s on your own and took gun shots with ease! Not to mention how incredibly skilled at fighting you are! Now who the hell are you?!!”

You groaned, “I don’t have a name but I know who you are Vigilante and had I not stepped in you would’ve died!”

“Yeah appreciate it! Who the fuck are you and how the fuck do you know who I am?!”

“That doesn’t concern you! Now take care!”

“Wait wait! Don’t you dare walk away from me-” Adrian grunted as two clips of bullets were thrown at him. 

“They’re the ones you need. Now go kick alien ass!”

“Wait no! How do you know- Where did you even come- HEY!” You disappeared as Adrian stared in shock. 

Needless to say after meeting you, Adrian definitely wanted to see you again but you were hard to find.

“So she knew what the butterflies were?” Emilia asked in shock by what he just relayed. 

“Yeah she was weird! But in a badass way!” Adrian exclaimed with a hint of excitement. 

“That’s impossible for her to know the butterflies though! We know them because of this whole project thingy. So she either is a butterfly herself or Adrian you have a stalker.”

“I mean she did do something weird..”

“Which was?”

“She uh got shot in the chest about four times and walked it off.” Everyone looked at him in shock,

“And you didn’t mention this earlier!” Adebayo yelled out exasperatedly. Adrian shrugged.

“I didn’t think it was important.” 

“That is important you idiot!” Emilia sighed pinching the bridge of her nose. Chris laughed a bit as John chuckled.

“I guess this means we have to find this person.” John muttered. Emilia nodded.

“Until we know she is not a threat or a butterfly then yes we have to find her.”

“Well how are we gonna do that!? I’ve been trying for two weeks and I have no luck.” Adebayo hummed at Adrian’s words.

“Well she said she knew you right Vig and that she’s been watching out for you well it seems that way so...”

“So?” Adrian raised an eyebrow at Chris. 

“So if you were to say be in danger again do you think she would step in?” Emilia sat up a bit.

“Christopher Smith that might have been the first actual good idea I’ve ever heard from you.” Chris flipped her off as Adrian glanced at everyone.

“So what I put myself in danger and hope she shows up?”

“Yeah pretty much.” He scoffed not thinking they were serious.

“Well obviously it wouldn’t be actual danger we’ll get someone to attack you-”

“If she really has been watching me then she’ll know I can take down one person no problem-”

“Not if they’re bigger than you and you’re unarmed.”

“Who will do that-”

“Obviously the person who thought of the idea.” John smirked pointing at Chris.

“What no way! From what he said she sounds like an absolute monster who will kill with no remorse!” Adrian laughed at Chris.

“We’ll stop her before she kills you but for now we need to make the setup.”

That led to now, Adrian groaned being thrown against the ground harshly. Chris laughed a bit seeing Adrian struggle to sit up.

“Do you have to hit me that hard?”

“Gotta make it believable Vig.” Emilia’s voice rang out in his ear as Chris kicked him down.

Adrian grunted coughing out a bit as Chris sighed glancing around before pulling out his gun.

“Time to die Vigilante-” Another gun cocking next to his ear cut him off.

“You sure it’s his time?”

Adrian sat up seeing you standing behind Chris. “Drop the gun.”

Chris obeyed as you eyed him suspiciously, “So Vigilante wanna tell me why your best friend Peacemaker is trying to kill you?”

“Wait you know who I am-”

“Everyone knows who you are fuck face. You’re known as the racist hero-”

“I’m not racist!” You scoffed.

“I told you that you came off as racist!” Adrian stood up coughing a bit. You hummed putting your gun down glaring at the both of them.

“You stopped him from shooting me-”

“Please you dumb fuck I know he wasn’t gonna shoot you. I came out because I knew you were looking for me.”

“Oh..”

“Yeah idiots. You both made it obvious.” Adrian chuckled a bit as you smiled under your mask.

“So Christopher Smith and Adrian Chase-”

“YOU KNOW MY NAME NOW!!”

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” You gasped out feeling a sharp pain in your arm. Chris had stabbed you with a needle.

You yanked it out angrily glaring at him. “You s-stabbed me..” Your words came out slurred, “No..You drugged me! You son of a bitch!!”

You pulled your gun out pointing it at Adrian and Chris. “Both of you stay b-back!”

Adrian sighed raising his hands up, “Calm down..” 

Your eyes began to droop as you swung your gun frantically. 

“I don’t think she’s a butterfly..Drugs like this don’t effect them.” Chris muttered out as you fell still holding your gun up.

“W-wait y-you thought I butterfly!...” You garbled out head slumpng.

“In our defense you did take bullets and healed them right up..”

“Not alien..failed experiment....” 

You slumped down groaning before falling asleep. Adrian winced as Chris raised a questioning eyebrow.

“I feel kinda bad..She really was just looking out for me..”

Chris sighed as Emilia came out with everyone else. “Well pick her up and let’s get going. Drugs are only gonna last-”

“Two minutes for me!” Your head popped up a bit lazily. “Knocked me out and once I can move again I am gonna kick all of your sorry asses!!”

Your words were still slurred and you were immobilized. Adrian sighed picking you up. “Okay here we go.”

“Put me down! Fuck! Stupid bitch! Dumb whore!” Adrian laughed a bit as you slurred out insults.

“Okay so we gotta move fast.”

Adrian and Chris tied you down in a chair leaving the room after removing your weapons. You groaned out feeling your limbs start coming back to normal. They all surrounded you eyeing you with a small amused look.

You struggled in your restraints as Adrian grinned. “I was a boy scout. You won’t break those ties easily.”

“Take off her mask.” Emilia told Adrian.

“NO!” You yelled out shaking your head. “Don’t fucking touch my mask!!”

“I’m not removing her mask.” Adrian said as you yelled out. 

“Chase we gotta see who this is-”

“No! You touch my mask I swear when I get out of this chair I will kill every single one of you motherfuckers!”

“Okay okay we won’t remove it!” Adrian reassured you. Chris groaned standing up.

“I’ll do it!” You flinched in your seat as he grabbed the edge of it.

“Hey!” Adrian stopped Chris from doing it. “She said she doesn’t want her mask off! We’re not removing anything!”

You wiggled your ties before deciding to screw it and break your arm so you could slip out. Adrian yelled out seeing your broken wrist snap back into place. 

You untied yourself using everyone in shock as an opportunity to break free. Adrian grabbed you as you stood up trying to run out.

“Fuck Off!”

“Stop stop! We just wanna know who you are?!”

“Oh why didn’t you just say so?! I am not an alien and my name is-” Adrian covered your mouth.

“Don’t give away your secret identity!” You bit his hand stomping on his foot throwing him away from you.

“My name is Y/N and I honestly don’t give a shit if you know it and to be quite honest the author doesn’t really know how she plans on getting you to know my name!”

Adrian and everyone shared a questioning look with each other. You sighed grabbing your stuff from the corner.

“Hey! We’re not done questioning you-”

“No you’re not! But I will cooperate!” You moved taking a seat across from them.

You lifted the edge of your mask pulling out your vape. “Now ask away on my terms.”

“So your name is-”

“Y/N as I’ve said before.”

“And you’re not a alien?” Chris asked you. Adrian couldn’t help but to admire the bottom half of your face showing as you puffed out smoke.

“No I’m not an alien.”

“You mentioned failed experiment?” Emilia spoke up now just as intrigued as everyone else.

You nodded taking another hit, “Yes they tried to make a weapon. Someone to call a hero and got stuck with me. I uh..Shit was fucked and I’ve never looked back after I left.”

She nodded as Adebayo leaned forward, “So you left and became a hero on your own terms-”

“No no let me stop you there sweetheart I am not a hero.” Adrian raised an eyebrow at your words.

“Wait you’re not? I thought you were...”

“Heroes don’t kill Vigilante and Heroes aren’t selfish..I’m selfish. I know I am. A hero would sacrifice themselves or whoever they deem necessary to save the world while a villain would sacrifice the world to save whoever they wanted including themselves.” 

“So you’re a villain?” Adrian asked removing his mask. He realized there was no point you knew his name. You smiled seeing him take out his glasses.

“You’re cute..and no I’m not a villain either..I honestly don’t know what to call myself..But I’m not a hero.”

Emilia and the team didn’t know what to think of you, but they were sure of one thing.

“We can’t leave you alone.”

“What?” You coughed a bit at Emilia’s words.

“You’re a liability since you know Vigilante’s identity and you know what the butterflies are. We can’t risk you blabbing your mouth to random people-”

“How do you know I haven’t already?”

A gun cocked loudly as Chris pointed it to your head. You raised an eyebrow giving him a smile.

“I’m kidding. I wouldn’t give away Vigilante’s identity.”

Adrian sighed a bit in relief, “So how did you figure out my identity?..”

“It was easy. Look I’m a contract killer, but I only kill people who deserve it and make money from it and I’ve had shitty people come to me with your identity wanting me to kill you.”

“Wait-”

“Relax. I always kill them and whoever they told. I consider you one of the good ones and I always take care of whoever they work with.”

“So you watch out for Vigilante?” Chris asked a bit doubtful.

“Yes in a way after getting the first hit job for him. I usually study whoever I have to kill and I watched him for two weeks before deciding whether to do it or not...Vigilante is someone I...He’s a good person.”

Adrian couldn’t help but to grin at your words. Someone actually thought what he did was good and not bad. Not to mention you described him as something no one has ever. 

A good person.

Adebayo smiled as well. You cared for him. Not that you would admit it though.

“So what’s the plan then?” You asked Emilia curious of her decision. 

“You’ll be joining the team.”

“Wait really?” John asked her.

“It’s the only way I can think of us being able to watch her on a tight leash and what’s one more killing psycho.” John chuckled at her words as you nodded.

“Alright. I’ll join or whatever.”

“Really? We don’t gotta convince you or anything?” Adrian sat across from you.

“Really. I know you don’t trust me, but that’s okay I don’t trust you either.” You grinned widely before standing up to walk out.

“See y’all tomorrow.”

“Will we really?” John muttered under his breath as Emilia told Adrian to keep an eye on you. Adrian agreed. Mostly because he wanted to get to know you.

Later that night during his patrol, Adrian had been sitting in his car waiting for something to happen. He didn’t expect for you to open his passenger door and climb in.

“Hello!- WOAH WOAH!” You yelled out as he pulled out his knife swinging it at you.

“Oh..Sorry hi there!” He put it away as you huffed.

“Jeez. Maybe I should’ve killed you when they offered me half a million.” Adrian laughed at your words before noticing you sliding your seatbelt on.

“What are you doing?”

“Joining you on patrol. Didn’t blonde women say you have to keep an eye on me?”

“Uh well yeah but I’m on patrol.”

“Okay? I’ll help you. I got no kills to do as of late and I’m bored not to mention I’m trying to get into your pants.”

“Well tough luck with that. You’re not getting in my pants. Honestly you’re a criminal if Emilia hadn’t told me anything. I would’ve killed you.” You laughed.

“I’d like to see you try Adrian.”

“Don’t say my name.” Adrian groaned out while starting the car.

“Why? I like your name besides I told you I’m not a bad guy.”

“I didn’t say you were, but you break the law.” You rolled your eyes.

“You do too. Hypocrite. Also I only kill bad people. Only difference between me and you is that I get paid for what I do.”

“You’re basically an assassin.” He exclaimed while looking around.

“You’re basically a Vigilante.” You laughed imagining the blank look on his face under his mask as he turned to you. “That’s were the name comes from huh?”

“Yes and I thought it was cool.”

“I never said it wasn’t. Dude you’re name is fucking cool. It’s why I keep trying to get in your pants.” Adrian couldn’t help but to chuckle.

“Fine Y/N.”

“Oo careful Vigilante if you say my name like that I get all tingly.” 

“Maybe that’s what I want.”

Adrian cursed himself. He shouldn’t be flirting back with you, but it came so easy. You were so carefree and...

“You think I can kill ten people with five bullets?”

Like him.

“If you try hard enough.” 

It was after that the two of you became inseparable. Adrian and you were attached to the hip every mission and when he went on patrol. You even invited him to some of your jobs.

He always denied, but stopped judging you for doing it. The only thing you still hadn’t done was show Adrian your face.

It began to irk him a bit. Mostly because you knew his name and face, also where he lives. You guys had movie nights and he had never seen your face.

“Fucking shit man..Blood does not come out like that!” You complained while the killer stabbed their victim on the screen. Adrian and you usually watched horror on movie nights.

“Can I ask you something?” You hummed while lifting up the bottom of your mask taking a sip of your beer.

“Why do you always wear your mask?” You smirked glancing down at Adrian.

“I have my reasons. Why do you ask?” Adrian shrugged.

“I don’t know. I guess I just find it kinda weird. You’ve seen my face and know practically everything about me. All I really know is your name.” You shook your head.

“No you know more.”

“Not really.” You set your beer down moving to sit across from him. 

“Yes you do. You know me personally. More personally than I’ve ever let anyone know. That sounded weird. Author messed up their words there, but what I mean by that is..I’ve shown you more of me than I have ever shown anyone Adrian...Do you really not know me?..”

Adrian sighed shaking his head, “No..I do kinda know you. Like I know you’re favorite foods and drinks. I know you laugh whenever something awkward happens cause that’s your trigger response..I’ve never seen them, but your eyes grow slightly wide when I flirt with you which is often.”

“See..You do know me, but if it bothers you so much and you think you need to see my face to really know me...” You grabbed the edge of your mask jumping as Adrian grabbed your hand stopping you.

“I don’t need to see your face in order for me to know you. You’re right..I do.” You shook your head moving his head.

“Because you know me you deserve to know. Plus I’ll be able to reveal my face more often not to mention maybe you’ll finally make a move when you see me or you’ll drop me completely after seeing the ugly scar I got on my face from the experiment.”

Adrian’s eyes widened as your face was revealed. You did have a scar. It looked slightly painful. It ran across your left cheek to the corner of your lip.

Adrian wanted to reach out and touch it. He wanted to touch you. You smiled awkwardly laughing as you grabbed your mask ready to slide it back on.

“I know ugly right? I’ll put my mask back on-” Adrian took your mask from you shaking his head.

“Never say that again.” He grabbed your face eyeing your lips. You took a shaky breath feeling vulnerable and exposed under his gaze. His fingers trailed your scar carefully as he grinned at you.

“Dude you’re hot.”

You laughed loudly. “I mean it you’re so fucking hot.”

“Nice try Adrian. I’m not stupid-”

“You’re not stupid and I’m not joking. Holy shit balls dude you’re fucking gorgeous.”

You sat stunned as Adrian studied your face. Clearing your throat after some time, you reached for your mask ready to slide it back on. 

Adrian immediately grabbed it throwing it across the room. You glared at him as he smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry just keep it off..You look better without it anyways.”

“What if someone else sees?..”

“No one will. I promise. We’re here at my place. I’ll close the windows if it’ll make you feel better? Just please keep it off.”

You sighed before nodding, “Close the windows.” 

Adrian cheered doing a small happy dance skipping away to shut the windows. You sighed as he sat next to you wrapping his arm around you.

Reluctantly your eyes gazed over to him catching him in time as he glanced at you. “Can you stop staring shithead?”

“Can’t help it..” He muttered with a grin. 

Adrian had realized something that night. It was something he didn’t ever think would happen especially with you of all people.

He loved you.

He just didn’t know if you felt the same. (You so obviously did)

It became obvious to everyone that he did care for you. He became more protective of you. Adrian was always protective of those he cared for and you just made number one on that list.

It annoyed you.

How were you supposed to be a contract killer when you had a overprotective Vigilante watching your every move?

“So how much do you charge?” You cleared your throat staring down at the young women sitting before you asking you to kill her husband.

“Depends how much are you willing to pay?”

“Whatever it takes. I just can’t live with him anymore and I don’t wanna be in fear of him finding me. I want him gone.”

You nodded, “I’ll do it for a seven hundred.”

“Really? Isn’t that a little cheap-”

“Don’t question it. Get it to me by tomorrow.” She nodded with a grateful smile before walking out of the bar. 

You sighed ordering a beer before jumping as Adrian jumped in the seat in front of you.

“Hey was that a client?” 

“Yeah I have a new case so I’ll be busy for the next couple of days.” Adrian frowned a bit.

“So you won’t come for the mission then?”

“You mean the one in three days with you guys? No I’ll be there I should be done with this by then if I get started now at least.”

“Oh..so do you mind if I ask who it is?”

“I do since we’re in public besides this is boring hot stuff. It’s all a bunch of crap and stupid shit. I’d rather talk about you.” You raised the bottom of your mask flashing him a smile taking a sip of your beer.

“Why don’t we get out of here?” Adrian asked you offering you his hand. You took it letting him lead you out.

“Man is this it? You finally taking me to bed Chase?”

“Maybe.”

“I love when you get mysterious makes me all tingly.”

“Shut up weirdo.”

“I know you did not just call me weirdo. Mister I pour the milk before the cereal.”

“It tastes better.”

“It’s the same!” Adrian rolled his eyes as you both bickered the entire way back to your place. 

The night was the usual between you both of watching movies and obnoxiously flirting with each other. 

“Hey...this guy you’re going after is he dangerous?” You hummed as Adrian rubbed your legs. 

“Well kinda yeah, but most of who I go after are dangerous and believe me this guy is not the worse. I’m doing this for his wife. He beats her.”

Adrian nodded, “I hate men like that.”

“I know I also hate them it’s why I do this type of work. Why are you asking though? Don’t tell me you’re worried for me?”

“No why would I be? That’s dumb..”

“I know it is..” Adrian nodded looking away from you. He seemed a bit tense and almost a little angry?..

“Holy shit Adrian are you actually worried for me?”

“No! No! I know you can take care of yourself.”

“I can so why are you so worried?”

“I’m not worried.” You raised an eyebrow as he grew defensive.

“If you’re not worried then I need to start heading out to start this job. You can spend the night here if you want.” You sat up stretching grabbing your mask. 

“You gotta go now?”

“Yep. I’ll see you in three days.” Adrian nodded as you patted his cheek walking out. 

“Yeah three days..”

You smiled leaning down to finally do the thing you’d been wanting to do for a while. You grabbed his shirt and yanked him up to you.

You kissed him. You kissed him hard. 

Adrian’s eyes were widened in shock as he panted softly once you pulled away. “I will be okay. Stop frowning and stop worrying. Promise I’ll be back.”

You walked to the door as he stood up following you, “This is so not fair! You can’t just kiss me and leave!”

“Yes I can dip shit! See you in a couple days!”

Adrian sighed as you skipped to your car. He had it really bad for you..

Which is why he did what he did.

“You stupid fucking idiot!!” You threw your mask off angrily glaring at Adrian.

“Look-”

“No! No! You are a cock sucking piece of shit Adrian!” He sighed as you tossed your guns to your coffee table angrily. “I can’t believe you you just! UGH!!”

“I thought it would help you-”

“No! Fuck you! You did this for you! Don’t use that stupid excuse that you wanted to help me!”

“Y/N-”

“Fuck you Adrian.” You walked to the restroom stripping your gloves off to start washing yourself up. Adrian sighed removing his mask following you.

“Y/N-”

“Go away.” He groaned throwing his hands up.

“Would you fucking give me a chance to speak?!”

“No! Why should I? It’s all gonna be a bunch of bullshit excuses! Cause you are bullshit!”

“It’s not a bullshit excuse! You needed this guy dead right?! So I handled it for you-”

“Not safely! I always handle it in a way they can’t tie it back to the people who hired me! You put his wife at risk for doing my fucking work! I study my kills before going after them take my fucking time! You screwed it all up!”

“I didn’t mean too-”

“I know you didn’t! It’s why I’m pissed off! You didn’t mean too, but you still did it anyways! This is my work here Adrian! One you said you didn’t approve of so I don’t know why suddenly you wanna help!”

“They’re gonna tie the murder to me anyways!”

“I know that! It’s why you got fucking lucky! But they are gonna question why Vigilante went after this normal looking man who doesn’t have a criminal record! Did you ever think of that?! Or were you too stupid!?”

“I am not stupid!”

“You are when you’re reckless! I can’t understand what the fuck were you thinking! Do you know how fucking lucky you are I got there before the cops did!?”

“I know I was lucky!”

“No you don’t we were both shot at! I took the painful hits for you so you’re dumbass didn’t die!” You kicked the cabinet sink angrily as Adrian turned away from you.

“I didn’t ask nor want you to do that!”

“I did it so you didn’t get hurt!”

“But you did!”

“I can heal myself! I can’t die remember!”

“Doesn’t mean I want you to get hurt! I don’t want you hurt you fucking idiotic bitch!”

“Why do you care so fucking much?! I thought you hated me! I’m technically a criminal remember! You said it yourself if Emilia hadn’t told you not too you would’ve killed me! You hated me! Fuck!”

Adrian felt his throat swell up as he choked back tears not wanting you to see him cry. This was all so stupid.

“I should’ve never gotten involved with you Adrian! I should’ve just kept my stupid distance and not gotten fucking involved!”

“Then why didn’t you!” He screamed out.

“I don’t know! I was just as much as an idiot!” Adrian groaned pulling his hair. You moved around Adrian going to your kitchen.

“I need a drink.” You mumbled out as Adrian huffed laughing.

“I just can’t believe you’re upset with me for helping!”

“I’m upset because you put yourself at risk and did my fucking job!” You hissed once you slammed the door feeling your shoulder throb.

Adrian relaxed slightly seeing the grimace of pain on your face. “Your shoulder when we fell it dislocated. Let me help you pop it back in-”

“Don’t touch me!” You snapped at him. 

“I’m trying to help!”

“Well stop trying! I’ll pop my own shoulder in when I want!”

“It’s hurting it’ll literally take a second!”

“I don’t want your help!” Adrian clenched his fist grabbing his mask.

“Fine! Fine! Be angry and stubborn! I don’t care anymore! I’m going home!”

“Good! I didn’t want you here right now anyways!” He stopped turning around.

“See I was gonna leave but then you said that so now it makes it seem as if I’m leaving because you told me too! Which isn’t what I wanted!”

“Oh my god!” You exasperatedly yelled out grabbing your shoulder.

Adrian took a deep breath removing his suit. “What are you doing?”

“I’m gonna get undressed and I’m gonna crash on your couch we can talk in the morning.” You laughed a bit sarcastically. 

“No! I seriously don’t want you here right now-”

“I don’t care what you want. You’re hurt and I wanna make sure you’re okay.” You sighed looking away.

“Fine. Fine. Morning you’re gone though.”

“After we talk sure.”

“I don’t wanna talk to you!” Adrian approached you offering you a small smile. 

“See you say that but I know you do. You always wanna talk to me. Now let me help you pop your shoulder back in.” You relaxed a bit as he grabbed your arm.

“Fuck!” You yelped out as he pushed it in. Adrian winced himself hearing the crunch. “Mother fucker that fucking hurt!”

It was quiet between you both for a bit as you caught your breath feeling the pain go away. 

“Look..I really am sorry for messing up your thing and for having you get shot for me. I killed him because I was worried for you.”

“I’m sorry for calling you stupid. I told you not to worry for me though. I’m always fine. You said it yourself too. You hate my work.”

“I hate your work, but I don’t hate you. I want..I want you safe. It’s weird for me to say that, but I want no I need you fucking safe. I can’t have you hurt Y/N.”

“That’s selfish of you Adrian..”

“I know. So maybe I’m not a hero like you thought I was because I know I’d throw away the whole world if it meant you were okay.”

You huffed a bit glaring at him. Adrian smiled at you. “I hate you.”

“I know.”

“This doesn’t mean I’m not still mad at you.”

“I know.”

“God screw you for being fucking cute and likable!” You yanked him down for a kiss. Adrian smiled into your lips kissing you back.

“You screw up any of my jobs again and put yourself at risk like that again I will kill you!”

“Okay!” Adrian kissed you again.

“About what you said earlier too..I’m not a hero either I care for you just as much now take me to bed and screw me into the mattress!”

Adrian grinned throwing you over his shoulder. “With pleasure!”

I guess neither of you were heroes, but you both still did your best to do the right thing..

“I’m not sorry for killing him though.”

“I know you aren’t Adrian. I want you to be sorry for screwing me over!”

“I am sorry for that but I’ll kill whoever I need too for you to be safe.”

Again you both tried to do the right thing.

[aqours]

hi i'm gonna rant about rwby for like the first time in 6 years

ok i'm gonna rant about how this season didn't matter + Ruby's suicide attempt (because yes that's what it was) hi i haven't been involved in this fandom since like fucking season 3 ended

so at the end of the day Jaune is back to not being old and Ruby didn't become Ruby 2. this is slightly better than my predictions because i FULLY anticipated Ruby post-ascension would essentially become a new character that would also just fully be one of Jaune's cheerleaders down to her core so that Jaune could fully replace Ruby as the mc once and for all

i can't tell if it's better or worse that the 2+ year wait for RWBY fans and the end result is an entire season where NOTHING happened. there are no lasting consequences. it was a waste of fucking time and it's clear they genuinely thought the Justice League movie, which was based on a crossover comic that literally nobody liked would be what would save RWBY, a show produced by a company that is in incredibly hot water that prooooooobably wants to wash their hands of it by now. instead, just as the comic was dogshit, the movie was also dogshit. there's not even a scene to hype up a potential season 10 lmao

i genuinely think they were betting all their money on the Justice League movie and oops it's gonna sell like dogshit

and what gets to me is like. the fact NOTHING mattered. i thought for SURE that they'd keep Punished "Venom" Jaune because it makes him look more like Miles or that they would kill off Ruby as we have known her to make Ruby 2 again to make Jaune the new mc as Miles has clearly wanted for ages so there would be lasting consequences but there isn't? the entire thing was actually the equivalent of those like, old filler arcs Naruto and Bleach used to have back before the industry started preferring anime seasons over the show never stopping and its BAFFLING

and all for what? suicide analogies? i actually saw someone be like "WHY IS IT THE MOST MEDIA ILLITERATE PEOPLE BECOME RWBY CRITICS anyways it's clearly not a metaphor for ascension because the ever after people-" yes for THEM its not fucking suicide. for the people native to this world returning to the tree and being reborn is not suicide. that's how their world works. they're born for purposes. they fulfill those purposes. they can keep doing what they do as long as they want but? there's no stigma for THEM to chose to end their current existences so they can be reborn as something else. a scene i actually REALLY liked was when Weiss was like it IS really weird, to them, because they are NOT native to this world and thus it's such a bizarre alien aspect. and that Jaune was kind of forcing their worldview on the Paper Pleasers who were clearly OK with it. in the context of the native inhabitants of the people of the Ever After the context of ending your life so you can be reborn is not harmful to them- it's a NATURAL part of their world and that's OK! it's weird to them, to us, but that's OK! it's a fantasy fairy tale world that works differently than the real world and Remnant with a COMPLETELY different philosophy surrounding death. when you know for sure you'll be reborn as something else in a fictional setting, the philosophies and morals of death can change. that's fine.

in the context of RUBY it was suicide. in the context of RUBY ROSE who is NOT native to this world it was a suicide attempt. she was MISERABLE. she was depressed. Yang fucking stepped in front of Blake and glared at her like an enemy. Ruby was at her most horrific mental state yet and was completely ignored by everyone until it was too late. Neo actively manifested physical trauma in front of her until Ruby reached such a breaking point after seeing her mouse friend be killed she actively decided she wanted to end her existence as Ruby Rose. she did not want to keep being herself. Ruby decided that for her existence as Ruby Rose was completely destroyed and she became somebody new with no memories of her past that it was preferable to being alive as she was now. the sheer brutal reality is that if Neo had handed her a rope instead? probably the same result.

Ruby committed suicide in front of her best friends and five minutes later they were smiling and hugging and basically saying well maybe she'll come back BETTER maybe it was a good thing she did that what the fuck

nothing in this season mattered. it was a fucking filler season. nothing of long-term consequence happened. clearly the writing team fucking loved 13 reasons why and you know what i don't judge for shit like that but why was it in RWBY. why did this show of all things do this weird suicide thing with Ruby and present it as a good thing. "she was taking her medicine" no Yang was fucking HORRIFIED to see it. they just justified it like ten minutes later. she committed suicide and everyone was like "well maybe that's not so bad actually" and then it went from "she committed suicide" to "it was a suicide attempt" instead.

nothing mattered except that we know clearly 13 reasons why is the writer's favorite show. it's obvious that this was a filler season and instead all of the actual manpower and effort went into that movie in the hopes that it'd attract DC fans to the fandom in the vain hopes that the DC fans + bumblebee canon now would be enough to save it. please for the love of god let it die

[aboutzatanna]

One of the things that’s really exciting about Zatanna’s webtoons is the return of Allura.   

  Allura has come up in this blog a few times but I thought I would make into one post.  

For those of you not in the know, Allura is the closest Zatanna has had to an archenemy and has shown up a few times in Zatanna stories.  

Her first appearance was in Justice League of America Vol 1 #51 (1967) created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky which was the finale of Zatanna’s debut arc in the comics ‘Zatanna’s Search’.  Allura was an elemental trapped in the sword of parcellus. Zatanna frees her after she promises that she will take her to her father.  

However, once Zatanna got to the location of her missing father, it turned out that Allura was the one who was responsible for her father being missing, she cursed him which would ensure both of them would die if they ever saw each other again.  

Allura also had a good twin whom Zatara had been searching for and who forcefully convinces the bad Allura to release the curse on Zatara so both father and daughter could finally reunite:    

Allura returned again in Zatanna’s back up story in Adventure Comics #413-415 which was later reprinted as ‘DC Super Stars of Magic’.  This time Allura was revealed to be the mysterious force that possessed John Zatara and briefly banished Zatanna and her boyfriend/stage manager, Jeff Sloan to another dimension. Note that Zatanna describes her as her father’s greatest foe:

Allura’s final appearance was in  the 1987 Zatanna Special (which was recently uploaded to DC Universe Infinite) in which Zatanna was summoned by her mother from beyond the grave to rescue her people which also leads her on a journey of self discovery which is complicated by the many obstacles thrown her way by a mysterious assailant which is soon revealed to have been Allura:  

After ‘87 Special though, Allura faded into  obscurity and despite her importance by being the catalyst setting off Zatanna’s heroic journey, she’s barely mentioned afterwards.

Part of the problem with Allura is the lack of a defined motive. Why does she hate the Zatara’s?   What is an elemental?  Why were there two Allura’s? What happened to the good one? Why does she need a host to exist in the real world?     

I hope the web comic fleshes her own and gives her a consistent defining motivation and leads to the character appearing in the main universe. 

And yes, there is more than one character named Allura in the DC Universe. Supegirl’s mom’s name is Allura In Ze and was created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino and first appeared in 1959.  Then there is Princess Allura from the Golden Age Wonder Woman comics who debuted in 1947 in Wonder Woman Vol 1 #25 and was created by William Moult Marston and HG Peters. She was a princess of fictional nation called Zarikan. 

Other than a name there is no connection between these three Allura’s.  

But lets hope Zatanna’s Allura finally gets the prominence that she deserves and becomes a memorable villain. 

[redjaybathood]

To elaborate on that reblog. Do I have an issue with Titans as a team? Or Young Justice? Fuck no. Kids, teens, get together and save the world, stop the bad guys. It's the shit. Where's the Justice League? I don't care, they're losers.

Bruce picking up Jason when Dick left him, and offering him to become Robin; Tim having to volunteer when he realizes that Dick doesn't want his old job back, but someone needs to do it bc Bruce is going off the rails; Tim quitting because of his dad and Bruce drafting Steph instead - and yeah, she's already been a hero in her own right but Batman doesn't offer to mentor her, supply her with armor, protect her when she needs backup, at any point before or after, he's replacing Tim with her; Bruce firing her like it's a fucking job, but if it's a job, where's hazard pay? Any kind of pay? Child labor laws? Basic fucking respect for a colleague? Then Steph dies, and it's just Tim and the cycle continues again with Damian and Duke. At no point he stops and thinks, hell, if 50% of the kids I am supposedly making safer by partnering with them, die, maybe... It's not as safe as all that.

At least, at no point that he actually makes any change.

However, if you tell me that it's fiction, why so serious? Why bring real life into it? But I'm just working on the conditions set by Universe. Every second Robin dying is the reality for Gotham.

And also, what pisses me off, is how it's very convenient to treat some things (like, can a vigilante or a hero use the deadly force?) but not the others. Like. You know how many meta I've seen making Jason out to be predatory for having Scarlet fill his sidekick role and saying zero on Batman and Robins, when firstly, he's literally mentally unwell at the time, and a villain, whereas Bruce is supposed to be stable and a hero. Plus, if Robins are willing, then what about Sasha? She wasn't? If you call Jason predatory for this, you need to acknowledge that Bruce is repeat offender. Moreover, Dick is, too; secondly, at the very fucking least he did keep her safe and at the end she got money and ability to leave Gotham, because he realized how shitty a life that was for a kid.

People use Jason and Gen O storyline as evidence that Jason didn't care about kids. And, you know, that arc was a shit writing. I ranted how Jason should not be allowed to raise kids, he's bad at parenting. And that's true. But he didn't recruit them, he literally was blackmailed into it by Luthor, and if he didn't become their mentor, someone else would.

But you know what he didn't do in that arc? Hit a kid and then blame him for it. Or showed them what it is, actually, totally okay to go overboard with a criminal if you personally don't like them, and then, when a kid does the same at another occasion, turn around and blame them. He also never verbally dressed them down or made feel like shit, like they don't belong. He didn't do a lot of shitty things that Bruce did. And never, at any point, his mental issues were taken out on them, or him using the kids to cope.

[folk-ever-lore]

with great power comes great responsibility

Tim had always been a huge superhero fan, even after he became one himself. As a kid, they’d been his escape, and nothing could change that. He’d looked up to and practically worshipped the real-life heroes in his world, but fictional ones? He loved them even more if that was even possible.

He loved the way that they were both so human (even if they weren’t really human) and so incredibly unrealistic power-wise. The MARVEL universe had always been his favourite, in any form. He’d devoured the comics, the movies, and the TV shows. He loved them all.

He loved how the mutants in MARVEL were so similar to metahumans in his own world. Both groups struggled with discrimination, both had good and bad individuals with gifts, and their gifts come from genetic mutants that people were born with.

He loved the Avengers and how their group reflected the Justice League. Iron Man was a bit of a play on the little that was known on Batman; Thor was a Norse, male version of Wonder Woman; Dr. Strange was a play on Zatanna; Hawkeye was clearly a less rich version of Green Arrow. Of course, not all of the MARVEL characters were based on real-world superheroes and issues, but Tim always found it more enjoyable when they were.

But his real favourite character was Spider-Man. He’d never once been able to pick out any one reason for that, but no other character could compare in his opinion. Maybe it was his age, maybe it was the fact that he’d fought to become a hero at a young age just like Tim, maybe it was all the different versions of Spider-Man. But either way, Tim truly loved the character.

That was why the Ultimate Spider-Man TV show was his favourite. That and the plots and the cameos from other MARVEL characters and the humour. Maybe the show in general just stood out to him. However, that didn’t matter. What did matter was it was his favourite TV show and he’d just found out that his girlfriend hadn’t watched it.

“You haven’t seen Ultimate Spider-Man?” He’d asked, completely bewildered. Marinette had always loved superheroes, or so he thought. He would have thought that she’d have watched it.

“Non,” she replied, “I haven’t watched many superhero films or TV shows. Real life was crazy enough in Paris, we didn’t need to watch the TV shows.”

“I suppose that is fair. Not much could top the stupidity that was the Bubbler or any of the many times Mr. Pigeon was akumatized,” he admitted. That was fair. At least half the akumatized villains Paris had dealt with during Hawkmoth’s reign felt like they could have been from a comic book or TV show or film without an issue. That’s why it had taken so long for the Justice League to offer aid to the Parisian superheroes. “Would you like to watch it with me now?”

Marinette laughed lightly. That was such a Tim thing to do. “Sure, I’ll watch it with you.”

“Yay!”

“But,” she started, upon hearing his automatic cheer, “you only get five episodes to try to convert me before I make my judgement. Do we have a deal?” She held her hand out for him to shake if he was going to accept.

He paused. Only five episodes? Would that be enough? He supposed he’d have to work with what he had been given. “Alright. We have a deal.” He shook her hand.

“You set it up and I get the popcorn?”

“Sure,” he said quietly, not wanting her to change her mind. He loaded up Disney+ on the TV and found Ultimate Spider-Man in the Spider-Verse section of the MARVEL page on the streaming service.

“You ready?” He asked as his girlfriend handed him a bowl of popcorn and sat down next to him.

“Oh go on then,” she sighed, clearly faking her annoyed reaction as the smile on her face was as bright as a day in Paris.

He pressed play.

Jonah Jameson: “I know you’re out there you wall-crawling menace! It is the duty of every New Yorker to report the actions of these masked miscreants! So listen up: As long as J. Jonah Jameson is CEO of Daily Bugle Communications, I won’t rest until New York has seen the last of Spider-Man!”

...

Nick Fury: “With great power, comes great responsibility. Good words from a good man.”

Spider-Man: “Uncle Ben was the best.”

Nick Fury: “It’s been what? A year now?”

“What happened to Uncle Ben?” She asked.

“He was killed in a robbery gone wrong,” Tim informed her. “Peter was there and couldn’t help, blamed himself and became Spider-Man.”

“Well that’s awful,” she commented. Her heart ached for the young boy, fictional as he was.

...

Nick Fury: “I want to S.H.I.E.L.D. train you to be a better Spider-Man. The Ultimate Spider-Man.”

...

Dr. Otto Octavius: “Impressed, Mr. Osborn?”

Norman Osborn: “Very, Octavius. More than ever, I’m convinced Spider-Man is the key to military superiority. Once I replicate his abilities, I’ll market an army of spider-enhanced super soldiers to the highest bidder. Nick Fury is a fool to think he can get Spider-Man to work for S.H.I.E.L.D. I prefer Spider-Man the way he is. Headstrong, undisciplined, easy to anger.”

Dr. Otto Octavius: “And easier to turn. I’ll inform our remaining allies to begin phase two.”

“Those two seem nasty,” she muttered under her breath. Only getting a hum in response from Tim.

They must be very important then, she guessed if he didn’t want to confirm anything about them. Could they possibly be the big villains of the season? Maybe.

...

Wizard: “Warning students. Your principal has something to tell you.”

Principal: “Students. Your attention, please. Your school is now under the control of the … the …”

Thundra: “The Frightful Four.”

Mary Jane Watson: “Uh, there’s only three of you.”

Marinette laughed at that. Maybe this show wasn’t too bad. She could definitely- maybe, see herself enjoying it. It was definitely funny.

Sure it was a bit childish with all the narrating and stuff, but it had originally been a kids’ show. Maybe that was the beauty of it. She definitely liked this show.

...

Jonah Jameson: “In a shocking betrayal of the justice system he claims to uphold. Spider-Man, today, led known super-criminals in an attack on innocent school children. Believe me, ladies and gentlemen, it gives this humble commentator less pleasure. I imagine to say: I told you so. It is the opinion of Daily Bugle Communications that the police should issue a warrant for Spider-Man’s arrest! And that nothing less than deadly force should be employed in the pursuit of Spider-Man!”

“Well he’s just a nasty piece of work,” she remarked at the news reporter’s announcement. “Spider-Man is just trying to help people and is getting slandered like this?”

Tim nodded, “Unfortunately that’s what happens to Spider-Man. In every single story, he gets unjustified hate from the press and the public.”

“Well, that’s unfair.”

...

Spider-Man: “Okay let’s do this. Put out the welcome mat S.H.I.E.L.D. Spidey’s come a callin’. Fury was right. With his help, I can do better. I’m done with this lonely loser routine. It’s time for me to step up and show the big boys what the Ultimate Spider-Man can do.”

...

Peter Parker: “Your friendly neighbourhood Ultimate Spider-Man, reporting for duty sir!”

Nick Fury: “Welcome to S.H.I.E.L.D., Spider-Man. Hope you survive the experience.”

“How was that?” Tim asked once the first episode finished, anxious to hear what she thought.

“It was certainly something,” she replied carefully. Not wanting to give him any definite answers until she’d watched a few more episodes. Tim didn’t need any false hope. “It was enjoyable and I’ll certainly watch the next few episodes with you, but I refuse to give any further judgement until the end of episode five.”

“But-” Tim tried to argue, wanting to hear more about what his girlfriend thought about his favourite TV show of all time.

“But,” she interrupted, “we could try watching as much of the next four episodes as possible so I can tell you my thoughts after that.”

Tim sighed, “That’s the best I’m going to get, isn’t it?”

“Yep,” she replied with a smile on her face.

“We better get watching then.”

“We’d better,” she snuggled up close to him as he pressed play.

Throughout the next four episodes, which they totally didn’t binge-watch, Marinette and Tim made sure that they were always stocked up with popcorn. At the start of every episode, they would take turns with making some more. It probably wasn’t the most healthy thing to do, but at least it wasn’t coffee. Alfred would have had their heads if he found out that they’d drunk that much coffee in that little time.

They weren’t going to risk that.

When one of them wasn’t making popcorn, they were generally cuddled up together. That had been very nice. The pair of them had smiles plastered on their faces. They didn’t get to do stuff like this all that often - not with all the work they had to do and all the superheroing - so it was incredible to get the chance to relax and have some fun now.

When they got to the end of the fifth episode, Marinette faked a huge sigh. “I guess it wasn’t that bad,” she admitted.

“So you liked it?” an ever-curious Tim asked.

“I did,” she confirmed. “It was good. I’ll happily watch it with you anytime.”

***

Ladybug grinned. She’d been planning this for weeks.

Even since Tim had shown her the Ultimate Spider-Man, she’d wanted to surprise him somehow with some new knowledge on the character, so she’d started watching some of the other Spider-Man movies and TV shows. And when she’d watched the Toby Maguire films, she’d focused in on one scene that she thought Tim would love, probably did love.

The infamous upside-down kiss.

Ladybug and Red Robin had teamed up for patrol that night, and she’d lead him on a bit of a wild goose chase so that she could find the perfect spot to re-enact the kiss in question.

She jumped down to the ground from a building using her yoyo to control the landing. Tim followed her without question, presuming that she’d seen something down there for them to deal with.

Once Red Robin was down on the ground with her, she threw her yoyo up so it went around the house’s chimney before suspending herself upside down, hanging in the air.

“Do I get a kiss or what?” She asked cheekily.

“Oh go on then,” Tim responded jokingly, “I guess I can do that.”

He grinned, pulling her face close and kissing her.

“You’re the best,” he said playfully after they’d pulled away. “You know that right?”

She grinned, “I could have guessed that, but why don’t you kiss me again to show me?”

Tim laughed, “Deal.”

[zorilleerrant]

you know, thematically, it’s all well and good to say that “Jason died, and nothing changed” but like. practically speaking? that’s ridiculous. so much changed in comics between when he died and when he came back just by the nature of the medium, and so much of it could be chalked up to responses to his death (whether or not that’s of Doylist relevance because who cares)

everyone now wears body armor. instead of just literal spandex, they’re wearing full coverage hi-tech protective suits with lots of extra armor, padding, and first aid equipment.

medical technology improved a huge amount, not just because it did in the real world, but the narrative focus on healing and recovery increased and people wanted to ask and answer questions about it

technology overall improved a huge amount, too. Batman stories have shifted from being vaguely historical fiction inflected to being heavily futuristic and full on SF most of the time

not to mention Batman’s increasing acceptance of other tech, including alien tech, Atlantean tech, Themiscyran tech, future tech, alternate world tech, and magic based solutions

because of increasing usage in storylines, all members of the Batfamily are now extensively trained in bombs. everyone can dismantle even complex bombs quickly and safely

increased training overall. focus on the characters’ backgrounds and competence has taken much more of a front seat, especially to justify child superheroes. training in team dynamics has also become much more orderly and successful

there is a much, much larger team of Batfamily members, which increased since Jason came back, but was already significantly more involved by the time he came back, especially support personnel and tech innovation

all characters carry many more weapons now, especially backup weapons, and are much more trained in using them

everyone wears comms at all times and is expected to communicate with all other team members. even when deactivated, comms can be reactivated remotely if the Batfamily is worried

everyone has tracking devices. further, everyone is heavily monitored by video surveillance, including usage of drones, bodycams, and, sometimes, magic or alien tech

there is an extensive network of international heroes that Batman works with and can rely on; international intelligence is hugely increased, as well as local support in specific instances

because more of the research is written into the background rather than the main story, we can assume most missions contain more prep work and higher amounts of intel and familiarity with subjects/places

because there are ever more crossovers and DC-wide events, there’s less delineation between Batman and other comics. consequently, practically speaking, he relies more on the Justice League and his other teams, and is willing to call them in for help should he need them. this extends even to non-main-continuity characters like Constantine

other superheroes now just watch Batfamily members constantly and are at their beck and call. whether this reached saturation before Jason came back is a good question, but it’s definitely true now and can easily be read as a good faith effort

many villains rehabilitated or started to rehabilitate and (because the stories got boring) the mafia was pretty much wiped out in Gotham. (they’re back now but that’s beside the point)

because writers and audiences became more concerned with Arkham as a story element (rather than just a convenient reference), the structure of it improved and became helpful. (they keep going back on this because it’s like. not useful to storytelling to fix that)

everyone just ended up having access to the Batcomputer to do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted, even remotely, and also it didn’t have limits to information anymore (because of the Batopticon mostly), in addition to, narratively, Batfamily members being more open with helping each other research and plan

also they have lots of ways of bringing people back from the dead now and they just do that constantly

everything’s changed

[covertblizzard]

unrelated things i apparently wrote in the note which is supposed to be for me to take down my fic ideas when they pop up to me while i am away from my laptop

GRAVITY IS NOT PLAYED AROUND ENOUGH IN GL LORE, DOES THE LANTERN FIX THIS? (context: i want them to be bouncy on the moon and weighed down in some big big planets, etc., but mostly bouncy on the moon)

Bruce, halfheartedly trying to dissuade dick from dating wally: isn't it weird to date your father's coworker? Dick, pulling a face: ew why would you phrase it like that ^^Me everytime i think of justice league animated flash being wally

Do you think humans reminder of things come from societal and genetic memory and fears too? Like why we think things were giant before and they WERE giant before like mice do this right? (context: i could explain this but it would take me like paragraphs so eh)

Something something batfam lovers will be like "jason is wrong for killing" and also  "jason should kill XX family member's abuser for them and take on some kind of protector figure role". So you agree then? You agree that it is cathartic for victims to get closure and it's sometimes maybe okay to kill morally reprehensible people in a fictional setting? And look! I think it's super important that Batman sends out the no-kill rule for irl context! I think as popular as Batman is, with a he can kill agenda, it's potentially VERY dangerous and can inspire others to take up arms against what they think is right and killing for it. That's no good, very bad! I don't even agree with death sentences / capital punishments and I think it should be abolished! But at the same time, it IS also fiction. I don't want to get into rights and wrongs because that's a whole other point. (And DAMN do I hate the "judge, jury, executioner" argument, like the point of having these separate is for impartiality but when the court system is literally so screwy, you can put in 10 roles and it could be less just than 1 person, court =/= justice especially when court is unfair and the court IS unfair both in the real world and in universe. Just think about the number of people turned away from seeking justice because "you're right, but there's no way to win this case because XXX reason, but it would just cost you a bomb" and that this is relatively considered a NORM. I could say "just think of the recent scandalous semi-well-known ruling you've heard" and it doesn't matter WHEN you’re reading the post, something popped up in your mind. I'm not saying what anyone is doing within the court system ISN'T important or isn't worthwhile, and I'm sure there are many passionate amazing people working hard to bring justice to people, but I also think it needs a reformation that I rarely ever see discussed.)

[rose---child]

This video is pretty cringe but this does go over something I have talked about before

Crossovers are massive. Everything cross overs

Warner animated properties is probably much easier to think of as a lava lamp of continuity.

All animated Warner media over time has been in the same continuity at some point.

Yes batman can be fictional to the loony toons then later be a real character and vice versa but over all they live in the same continuity but maybe different universes.

When I was watching ok.ko either last year or the year before I think I talked about how ok ko lives probably closest to the main “cn city” from the bumpers of the 00s but like there is also the earlier bumpers that don’t show them in character but as actors, in those you see Velma and Johnny bravo as a couple and I think later they have a cross over later. Oddly enough these bumpers had the Hannah Barbara justice league, not the dcau bruce Tim look

There is also the cn universe theory I remember from like a decade ago where people said that many Hannah Barbara and cn shows make sense to be in the same world. You have the towns vile is the same world as samurai jack and dexters lab. It’s been forever since I’ve seen it but idk.

THEY DIDNT EVEN BRING UP PIBBY

It’s 5am what am I doing

[rhiaemrys]

Look the Batman child soldiers argument doesn't work because comics. If you want to really argue about it from a real world perspective. Well in the real world Batman would be at fault hands down. Superhero's aren't real and don't equate so its mute. But look if we are apply real world logic and scenarios there are millions of kids who join armies or gangs or want to fight injustice. In the real world it is always the parents responsibility to not allow that behavior.

Okay anon, I’mma be real with you here. I love this argument so much because yes you’re absolutely correct they ARE fictional characters and have no agency and are the collection of authors years of doing either really smart or really dumb shit with them. NOTHING ABOUT COMICS IS REALISTIC. It’s a narrative vessel used to tell stories about vague concepts like “justice” and “love” and sometimes the corruption of power when you get the right people writing them.

However at the same time I’m laughing so hard rn. You do realize I was never making the “realism” argument right? I did not agree with one or the other, and if you pressured the post you were talking about to choose a side it would agree with you. I was more talking about in canon, within his own universe, Batman absolutely has justification for training those kids because they were ready and willing to whack a bitch with a tire iron at any moment in time. I’m like 95% sure if you had given Dick a chainsaw at age nine he would have been out for blood. It’s brought up CANONICALLY in Young Justice (if you consider that cartoon canon) when Wonder Women questions Batman’s reasoning for a child sidekick and his induction into the Justice League itself. It’s a valid question, IN COMICS as it is in real life, but it’s a wildly different conversation in those two contexts.

Thank you so much for making my day anon, I nearly screwed up in class because of this.

[glapplebloom]

Music is its own Reality. (Don't expect a Notes for the recent DB).

In real life, Music can be inspirational, motivational or just entertaining. In Fiction, it’s its own type of magic. It can do a lot of things and these examples are just scratching the surface.

Give Music to the Musically Challenged

Let’s start with a My Little Pony example. Scootaloo does not sing well. It’s been established in the series and continues to be despite being in good songs like the Perfect Stallion or the example being used: Hearts as Strong as Horses. She sings so well in it. But when not in a Musical Number, her terrible singing voice comes in. That is the Power of Music. But you may notice something else that happened in this song. That’s because of another power of Music...

Condense Time

The Hyperbolic Chamber can give you a year’s worth of training in a day. With the Power of Music it can make you fully trained in just one song. The Regular Show episode “No Train No Gain” shows the power of Montage to its fullest. In two minutes with the first song, Pops leveled up when in normal time he would have taken weeks to reach. And at the pace they were going, they would have completed the training in two weeks. 

But you know what would speed it up faster? Dragonforce’s Through the Fires and Flames. So what would normally take months to complete, that originally would be done in two weeks, gets done in six minutes. So Pops became a universal destructive force in 6 minutes thanks to the Power of Music. Who knows how strong he would have gotten if they used Hearts on Fire...

But how could it do that? That’s because...

Music can Transform You.

Teen Titans Go may not be for everyone (and most times not for me), but when it comes to BER they have the best examples when it comes to the Power of Music. Whenever BER is playing, the Power of Music Transforms you. It brings you to its reality and reshapes the world. Be it 40% 40% 20%, the 5 Part Night Begin to Shine special or its superior Sequel, Teen Titans Go really shows the power of music to full effect.

When the Night Begins to Shine, it turns the weak Cyborg into a powerhouse on the Level of Optimus Prime. They can freely travel to other worlds because they’re Forever Mine. They can defeat Dragons because they Rise Up. They are the greatest team outside the Justice League because they know of the Chimerical. And Cyborg was able to save this Word of Music because You’re the One.

And it was music that saved it because...

Music Can Overcome Anything...

Rock and Rule definitely has its issue, but it showed the power of what Music can do. One Voice. One Heart. One Song. United by two people. With a demon summoned only their song was able to send it back to where it came. And Mok had no clue. There are other incidents where music defeated a big threat, like the Smurfs singing defeating Satan. And Rainbow Rocks showed a Battle of the Band doing the same. With a good song, it can do anything...

Except stop flame wars. But still, the Power of Music is one of my favorite sources of magic in fiction.

[dancingbabya]

I like the mundane, I realize it more and more considering how scarred I was as a child from the action and war displayed in media. (Both fictional and real) but as I’ve gotten older I don’t care much for the fantastical, I find it appealing and I enjoy it but I’ve been curious about the other side of things.

For example I was talking to my mom. I’m in my mid twenties btw, growing up I watched all the live action x-men movies with my parents. We also watched other super hero shows like justice league, TMNT, TeenTitans, and some stuff like Smallville.

I started thinking: does Superman (Clark Kent) eat or drink certain things just to appear normal? Because as a Kryptonian his senses and abilities are heightened due to our yellow sun, correct? Like his hearing is so strong that he can hear everyone heartbeats, canonically he heard Louis’s death and flew around the world backward to reverse time (this is like the old old movies I forgot when I watched it) just to save her from death.

↑ cause of this example shouldn’t there have been far more consequences in the gander scheme of things in the older shows. I know it’s just a movie, but previously things like the movies information was tied into the shows. Meaning it wouldn’t be too far fetched for the show to present the aftermath of reversing…

That wasn’t the point I’ll go on that tangent another day. If Superman’s senses (the five senses specifically) are heightened wouldn’t that mean all his life he’s tasted food and drinks far different from human?

IMO let me spell this out so I don’t get people yelling at me. In my opinion, I don’t think Clark would drink coffee because he wants to. He’d do it to fit the whole journalist drinking coffee because your up all hours of the night or things like that. Because coffee can be supper bitter if prepared incorrectly, not to mention sometimes when you work in an office you’ll get an asshole who takes the first freshly brewed cup of coffee leaving the rest of the coffee much weaker. (Having working in an office setting this grinded my gears even if my cup of coffee is mostly milk and sugar)

Yes, he could add copious amounts of milk and sugar (mans was raised on a farm so I feel like he’d be very picky about things like that too.) But I feel like he would also as a person who isn’t human wouldn’t be affected by things like alcohol or coffee. Things we consume that can affect our brain would have no affect on his because his body wouldn’t allow for that due to our yellow sun. He’d much prefer to drink and consume things he finds enjoyable. So I think he’d enjoy tea, and he’s never like dicky about it he’s a mild mannered reporter remember? Raised on a farm from infancy to maybe 18 or twenty, no one would think he has an accent because he’s practiced speaking proper since he decided to be a journalist he didn’t want any kind of misunderstandings. Tangent right I’ll go back to my point.

Clark would enjoy tea. But I feel like as someone raised on a farm he would let you know if you make bad tea. He wouldn’t be mean about it either. He’d try to be so kind about it, obviously not everyone is kind when they feel insulted.

That’s not to say he isn’t curious to try other foods and things outside of just America, but I think Clark’s pallet is very southern food centric. So he did have tips or recommendations on cooking when he started living with Louis. I feel like she’d get snippy with him and just tell him to cook in that case and he did. Clark would do all the cooking at home and no one can stop him. In the hustle and bustle of the city life yeah it isn’t easy to cook everyday but he tries his hardest. I personally think he’d have a little balcony garden of fresh herbs or veggies that he can’t seem to find in the city or they just aren’t up to his standards (his parents are absolutely sending him produce in the mail, and he brings come of it back to his apartment when he goes to visit them)

Thank you for listening to my rambling I just thought it was an interesting thing to think about and maybe I’m not following the right people who like superheroes the way I do.

[iainwrites]

One last parting shot of the summer 2023 "fuck it why not" list!

-Scary Movie (nowhere near as good as I remember it)

-A co-watch of Scream V. Enjoyed much more than Scary Movie, and enjoyed the fact that I was watching it with a friend and could do my predictions/analysis with them in real time.

-Dr Who 50th Anniversary Special. It's been a LONG TIME since I watched it. Now that I have little connection to the series, watching it critically for the story instead of going along with the hullabaloo of the anniversary, I can say that it's a good Doctor Who story. The way the plot can be moved along thanks to having 3 Doctors is done in a clever way, and more often than not, it's just plain entertaining. The Tom Baker stuff feels a little out of place with everything else, but that final nod to the past has its role, I guess.

-AND! An Adventure in Space and Time. I never watched this when it aired, or when I bought it. Completely wonderful stuff. David Bradley has only ever been the crotchety old man/bastard, so to see him do something similar and different was great. Plus, being able to see something new from a series I inhaled once upon a time is a rare treat these days. The "I don't want to go" feels a little heavy handed, but everything else was pretty fun.

-The Long Halloween. A solid "meh." I came up with the Batman/Superman/Justice League/JLU, so my views on any DC animated piece are biased. Plus, The Long Halloween was one of the first non-TV/movie pieces of Bat-media I took in, which biases my opinion on it doubly so. It's an okay movie; they keep some stuff the same, they change others (sometimes for weird reasons); Troy Baker imitates Mark Hamil but doesn't sound quite right (that's a "me" thing). I don't regret watching it, but it's not something I'm rushing back to see again (see "Mask of the Phantasm").

-The Flash. Another "meh." The reprise of the Danny Elfman theme was very nice, but everything else just happened. And the swearing; you don't need cuss words to be entertaining or interesting. Use them sparingly as punctuation.

-I Know What You Did Last Summer. I was never a horror fan, but going back to things that came out in my hey-day is pretty fun. It was a good movie, too; good killer reveal, fine acting from all on board. I can see where Scary Movie took some of the ideas, and can see when I Know did it a hell of a lot better.

-Starship Troopers. There's probably going to be a big lore read on it later. A military science fiction concept with some pretty interesting world building: I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did.