#between lois and alt!clark

[stardustinthesky]

Lois and alt!Clark in Lois & Clarks

+

[hussyknee]

Not denying that the current state of discourse has taken new and distressing trends, but having been in online fandoms going on twenty years now, seeing people being like "I hate how fandoms are no longer places of fun but stress and toxicity" has me like??!!!? Bitch, fandoms have always been a few months of fun engagement and then fighting for your fucking life. Just because Web 2.0 has exacerbated some of the problems doesn't mean you get to be ahistorical about it, like an Elf yearning for the Gray Havens

[lol-jackles]

Wow. Superman and Lois is legitimately so good. It's bizarre to think they debuted on supergirl.

I'm loving Superman & Lois. While Lois & Clark: The New Adventure of Superman is still my favorite show of them, S&L is quickly gaining because the two characters are the best live action adaptation so far. Tyler has combined the best parts of Superman: lighthearted, yet mature. Wholesome, yet badass. Dorky, yet serious. And at the same time effectively convey the terrifying amount of power Superman has, but then reminds that he's here to help. Makes me really appreciate hs goodness and make his goodness interesting. And the cool thing about Superman is that we can be him in real life because we don't the powers because Superman is Clark Kent, we can be like Clark.

Lois is so grounded in her emotions and her reasoning that it becomes obvious why she is the only one able to have a real relationship with someone as Superman. She is also the crucial link between Iron, Superman, and the DoD and talked them down from the chaos instigated by Edge and get them to focus on what was really going on and get them to work with one another. The dialogues are on point with the characters wiling to agree to disagree and extend to trust people anyway, like they did with John Iron.

Hopefully the video that Jonathan saw of his alt-dad murdering his mom gets addressed soon, that is major heavy thing to have witnessed. This makes me wish/hope that Natalie Iron is still somehow alive and the two can meet. In the reconciliation scene between Lois and Jonathan, he said he wished he could have met his sister.

Now that I think about it, Natalie Iron and Natalie Kent wound up being a weird keystone to events on two different Earths. Without her, then Lois wouldn't have been able to relate and get through to Iron, and Iron wouldn't have gone through with his Steel Suit/Ship/Hammer on his own Earth which led to him crossing over to this Earth, attacking Superman, and setting off all kinds of early alarm bells about Edge that would've never gone off in the first place had he not been there.

Maybe the alt-Superman was actually Zod in his body. This occured to me when they established that it was Reborn Kryptonians, not humans given super power, in Edge's army.

While I don't like how the Supergirl show used Superman, but I will give credit where it is due for helping define this version of Superman since he wasn't meant to be in the spotlight and instead was just a supporting character. This Superman is humble and supportive, and that's what makes him so great.

[krinsbez]

Super-Sizing the Superfamily: A DC Comics Storybuilding Project

So, on a forum I post on, we’ve been working on a storybuilding project. To wit, we plan to envision a selection of Superman and related comic books, if the Superman family was allowed to be even bigger than the Batman family, with multiple Superboys and Supergirls, as well as various other characters. To this end, we are be using multiple different versions of some characters, as well as occasionally decompositing existing characters.

At the bare minimum, I'd like to come up with a set of Superman Family titles (not everyone gets their own book, of course), and plot out a year of storylines, culminating in a Superman Family Crossover. Ideally we'd go beyond that as well, but given how ambitious that goal is, I'm not holding my breath.

The project has hit a bit of a wall ATM, so I figured now was as good a time as any to post what we’ve got so far on Tumblr. With his permission, I am tagging @davidmann95, the Internet’s Premier Supermanologist, to get his opinion, but anyone is free to comment or make suggestions.

We begin with... The "Core" Super-fam. Note that this is not an exhaustive list of characters appearing in this thing: -Clark (Superman) -Lois -Jon (Superboy Blue?) -Chris (Superboy Red?) -Kon (Kid Cadmus) (decomposite, based on original, Jacket version) -Conner (?) (decomposite, based on later, Geoff Johns/YJ version) -Kara Zor-El I AKA Zara (Supernova) (decomposite Modern Supergirl , based on TV Show version) -Kara Nim-El AKA Nara (Supergirl) (Variation on Silver Age Supergirl)* -Kara In-Ze AKA Iara (Blue Bombshell) (DCAU Supergirl)** -Kara Zor-El II AKA Tara (Miss Metropolis) (decomposite Modern Supergirl, based on "Cheerleader" version)*** -"Cir-El" (Tomorrow Girl) -Mae (Matrix) (I'm gonna say that for our purposes, she managed to come back after being separated from Linda) -Linda (Mighty Maid) (as per the post-Earth-Angel part of PAD's comic, with the Earth-Angel thing being backstory which we will leave vague) -Kristen (Superwoman) -Karen (Power Girl)**** -Mon-El (?) -"Uncle Carl" (decomposite Bizarro. Imperfect clone, somewhat "cured") -Bizarro #1 (decomposite, Imperfect duplicate, lives on Htrae, etc.) -Jimmy -Perry -Lucy -Kenan (New Super-Man) -John Henry (Steel) -Natasha (Steel? Starlight?) -Lana -Krypto -Streaky -Ma and Pa (I've seen good arguments for one or both of them being deceased by the modern-era...but I'm including them anyways) Possible members: -Lori Lemaris -Luma Lynai -Marvel Maid and Marvel Man -Vartox -Strange Visitor -Sally Selwyn -Lyla Ler-Rol -Thara Ak-Var -Alpha Centurion -More I'm not thinking of. 

*In the Silver Age, Jor-El had two brothers, his younger brother Zor, Kara's dad, and his twin Nim-El. We are making this Kara daughter of the former rather than the latter, born on Argo City, which survived the destruction of Krypton, named for her presumed dead cousin, sent to Earth when the systems keeping the city alive began to fail. **Keeping mostly the S:TAS backstory, with the caveats that the people of Argos were Kryptonian colonists, not a separate species, and that she's a relative of Zor-El's wife Alura In-Ze, with "Kara" and "In-Ze" being common family names. ***Something her ship encountered on her journey to Earth created a duplicate that took even longer to arrive, and was the subject of the previous Superfam crossover. ****The original "Super Girl", magically created by Jimmy wishing into existence a perfect mate for Superman.

Next, The Superfam books and casts thereof (not distinguishing between main, supporting, and recurring characters) (no villains as of yet. Mostly)

-Action Comics: Anthology title, each issue spotlighting different members of the Super-Fam.

No specific cast.

-Superman: Duh.

Somehow, I don't think we've specifically cast this one.

-Lois Lane: Again, duh. Serious journalism, with occasional Wacky Hijinks.

Lois

Clark

 Perry

 Jimmy

Lucy

Gen. Lane

Lex's administrative staff (Mercy, Ms. Tesmacher, the Loisbot, etc.), whom she is “casually bitchy” with

 As-Yet-Unselected-Police-Contact

 Bibbo

-Jimmy Olsen: Third verse, same as the first.

Jimmy

The Planet staff

 Iara (who he's dating; superspeed makes long =-distance relationships easy)

The New Newsboys (Famous Bobbie included)

Scorn

Ashbury

Misa

-Power Girl: Ditto.

Karen

Atlee

Hiro

Mae

-Cadmus: Again. We're basing this mostly on the bit of Kon's '90s book when he was hanging out on Cadmus, with the caveat that the Hairies moved the Wild Area (and thus the whole damn Project) to a pocket dimension with entrance termini in a number of different locations, including, but not limited to, Metropolis, Honolulu, the Un-Men reservation in Louisiana, and wherever the Justice League of China is headquartered.

Kon

Golden Guardian

The OG now-adult Newsboy Legion

The New Newsboys (Famous Bobbie included)

Dubbilex

Tana

 Roxy

 Serling

 Tekka

 Kenan and the JLC

 Mickey Cannon

 Sam Makoa?

Prince Tuftan and friends

-Adventure Comics: Stories about Conner, Iara, and Tara hanging around Smallville; inspired largely by Kon's late '00s title. Back-up feature is stories about Clark's Superboy years.

Conner

Iara

Tara

Lori Luthor

Lena Luthor I

Ma

Pa

Simon Valentine

Psionic Lad

Lana

 Loretta "Golden Genie" York (the character formerly known as the Yellow Peri)

-Sons of Superman: Starring Jon and Chris.

Chris

Jon

Lois

Clark

Beacon

Jor-El AI

Kelex

Ma & Pa

Lucy

Kon

Conner

Kristin

-Planet Comics: About the adventures of the Daily Planet crew in general. Workplace comedy, Clark keeps the glasses on, mostly.

Perry

Lois

Clark

Jimmy

Cat

Steve Lombard

Ron Troupe

Dirk Armstrong

Angela Chen

(I'd like to feature more of the various folks who've been shown working for the Planet over the years)

-Streets of Metropolis: Comparatively gritty stories about battling street-level crime, starring Gangbuster, Black Lighting and fam, and the MPD.

Jeff

Anissa

Jennifer

Lynn

Gangbuster (let's face it, most of y'all wouldn't recognize his real name)

Maggie

Turpin

Henderson

Leocadio

-National Comics (alt. title: Supernova and the DEO): Zara's adventures trying to make it on her own in National City, whilst helping Alex and the DEO.

Zara

Tara (commuting from Smallville)

Linda

Mon-El

Alex

Director Bones (standing in for the show’s version of J’onn, though the relationship is *probably* less familial)

Cameron Chase?

Winn

Simone D'Neige (standing in for the show’s version of Cat Grant)

Lena Luthor II (standing in for the show’s version of her aunt; we’re assuming that she stayed aged up after being de-Brainiaced)

Dreamer

-Steel and the Girls of Steel (need a better title): Starring John Henry, Natasha, Cir-El, and Traci 13.

John

Henry

Natasha

“Boris”

Cir-El

Mia (i’m counting Cir-El and her alter ego as separate characters)

Traci 13

The Supermen of America (a team, including Super-Chief and “Iron” Munro, inspired by Superman’s example, that John Henry is training)

-Nightwing and Flamebird. Adventures in the Bottle City of Kandor, which is majority Kryptonian but has a sizable population of other species. Despite the title, the eponymous duo are not the protagonists, but rather an ordinary citizen who’s taken it upon themselves to unravel the mystery of their secret identity (the truth is that an assortment of people take turns at wearing those costumes)

?

-Superman Family. Anthology title, with each issues featuring a team-up between Clark and another member of the Superfam.

No specific cast

There are a few other odds and sods here and there, but that’s most of it, asides from the fact we’ve decided to costume the Supergirls thusly:

-Karen, of course, wears the Power Girl costume. -Cir-El has a distinct costume already. -Linda is rocking the DCSHG look.* -Iara has her S:TAS look.* -I wanna say Nara's wearing one of the Bronze Age-era outfits, but they might be too '70s to really work? -Mae is wearing a somewhat sexier version of the classic look (I'm imagining she's the second-most vavavoom-y of the Supergirls after Karen). -Zara I is wearing the second TV show suit with the pants. -Zara II (Tara?) is wearing the Jim Lee cheerleader outfit. Note: despite both being a miniskirt and bellyshirt, her outfit is notably skimpier than Iara's, with a shorter, lower slung skirt, and a tighter top with...what's the right way of saying there's less of it? This is her deliberately distinguishing herself from her older duplicate's more modest look. *May switch these, IDK.

[simply-ellas-stuff]

My thoughts on Zack Snyder's Justice League because I watched it

The opening sequence, bc even tho the repeated scream audio was stuipid this opening was better

The new meeting between batman and Aquaman - that drawing on the wall in the og was unnecessary

Diana's extra badassery

The design of Stephen Wolf, because now he actually looks scaryish

The Queens emotions about losing her sisters of Themyscira - QUEENS DON'T JUST SEND THEIR PEOPLE INTO BATTLE EMOTIONLESSLY THESE SCENES WERE NEEDED - FUCK

THE BIGGER WITH IN THEMYSCIRA WHY THE FUCK DID THEY CUT THAT OUT?! - oh right, its because the previous director is sexist as fuck,

Stephen Wolf's Daddy Issues because that's fucking hilarious

Bruce explaining his want to find everyone bc of his promise

The close up on the fly things because that actually made it scary

THE FUCKING LIGHTING CEREMONY IN THEMESCERIA HOLY MOTHER FUCKING SHIT

Diana's extra badassery after getting the Arrow because WHY THE FUCK WAS THAT CUT?! This explains SO MUCH about how Diana knows SO MUCH about a time she wasn't alive in and I have NO FUCKING CLUE why it was cut!?

Arthur Curry is a Stripper - Confirmed!

Arthur and his trainer talking, but idfk why they kept the bubble thing Although I do like that they clarify that it's not just Mera who can do that bubble thingy

The scene between Stephen Wolf and the stone-wall dude person was cool and it explained why Stephen Wolf was so desperate

Zeus, Ares, and Artemis prepped for battle along with Poseidon in the flashback was FUCKING AWESOME!!! Diana's Aunt as well, the shows of the Green Lanterns, and the ring returning to the planet [Although they should've named Artemis, bc she can easily be mistaken for Athena - Also; Artemis' roman equivalent in the goddess Diana ]

Darkseid being in the flashback, which explains a lot

The Gods vs Darkseid was FUCKING AWESOME

Barry's awkward rambling after running into Iris

ALSO IRIS FUCKING WEST!!!

The Big Belly Burger Reference, nicely done

My dad says Iris' car is beautiful

BARRY SAVED IRIS BITCHES

The slow-mo crash gave me anxiety

My dad says, "I know you got all the time in the world but c'mon this is ridiculous" about that scene then "That beautiful car..."

THE SCENE WITH STEPHEN WOLF AND THE ALTLANTIAN MAKES EVERYTHING MAKE SO MUCH MORE SENSE BECAUSE HOW THE FUCK DID STEPHEN WOLF KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE MOTHER BOX IN ATLANTIS

Do. Not. Make. Diana. And. Bruce. Romantic. Don't. Fucking. Do. It.

The use of slow-mo is kind of redundant

Victor being fucking AMAZING even tho he's getting in trouble at school

Victor and Mama's discussion gives some life to the 2-Dlike Cyborg from the og movie, WHY THE FUCK WAS IT CUT?!

Victor's inner-world where he's still fully human

Barry being sarcastic as fuck towards his father lmfao

"Very attractive Jewish boy"

The reference to Grodd YAAAAAAAS

I still hate that Barry's lightning is blue and not red

The explanation of the Speedforce and Snacks

"What are your super powers again?" "I'm Rich" Still one of the best lines

I love Diana's shirt in the scene with Alfred

"Looks like you have a date, Ms. Prince" lmfao - Unless his name is Steve, I doubt it

I feel like Victor and Diana would be a good brother/sister duo, ngl

Burying the fucking box at your mothers grave was the stupidest shit I have ever fucking seen Victor.

COMMISIONER GORDON HELL YES

Barry's utter fail at being normal around Diana

The underwater click-like dolphin speak was cool, but still kinda dumb knowing that later Aquaman speaks underwater just fine - ngl

Nice Liquidkinetics, Mera. Amber you're still a cunt.

Also, Mera says her parents died - Wasn't her father alive in Aquaman??

Victor seeing the bat-signal explains how he knew how to find them, honest

The badass entry of Bruce, Diana, and Barry makes me laugh

Barry is far too close to Bruce

Victor scared Barry LMFAOOOO

If Victor's father is the head of STAR Labs where the fuck is Harrison Wells?????

THEY LEFT BARRY BEHIND, ASSHOLES

Diana's annoyance at Barry running ahead is such a Mom thing

Stephen using the bug thing makes SO MUCH MORE SENSE

Diana trying to make a plan and it getting ruined fits with the exasperated Mom theme she's got going on.

THE SONG HEN DIANA GOES AGAINST STEPHEN WOLF, THE FUCKING VOCALS ALONG MAKE ME HYPE AS SHIIIIIIIIT

"I Belong To No One" I FUCKING LOVE IT

HEEEEEEEEELL of a push Barry lmfaooo

"Thank you Alfred" "Don't mention it" Mans is bored of your shit

"Sword Lady" LMFAOOOOOOO

Diana's x-move thing against Stephen Wolf YAAAAAAAAS BITCH

Diana saving Barry's ass - Accurate!

Victor taking over the Crawler makes more sense this way, honest

OKAY YOU AN ACTUALLY SEE AQUAMAN IN THE WATER AND IT MAKES IT MAKE SO MUCH MORE SENSE

That jump onto the crawler was smooth as fuck Diana!

Stephen Wolf getting visions from the boxes also explains a lot about some shit

"I know the requirements, I wrote them" Suuuuuuubtle lmfaoo

Victor brining the box them also fits better

Why is this Stone looking mother fucker speaking Latin?

Hello Darkseid, you look particularly dramatic this evening

Victor's explaining how he knows about the box makes a lot of sense, why was this cut again??

Actually explaining the fucking Mother Box was Helpful

Mrs. Kent and Lois having a heart to heart holy shiiiit

Martha talking about how Clark's death was drowned out by Superman's - wooow

WHAT THE FUCK IS WITH MARTHA'S EYES IS THAT J'ONN J'ONZZ?! THATS THE MARTIAN MANHUNTER HOLY FUCK IT'S J'ONN J'ONZZ

Ironic that Ezra-Flash's hero is Superman while Grant Gustin's hero is superman lmfao

Diana and Arthur chatting was cute, the quote was awesome and the Atlantians totally copped that quote from the Amazonians

Alfred being a sarcastic fuck is my favorite

Alfred being the voice of reason, as always

Arthur helping Barry pick a hat is AMAZING

Diana telling the boys to change, mom or big sister?? lmfaoo

Barry's social awkwardness gives me second hand embarrassment

This little infiltration arc makes SO MUCH more fucking sense

Every one being suited up and triggering the alarm is amazing

Mr. Stone fucking trusting his son is my faaaaaavorite

THE SUITS ACTIVATED AND CAME OUT WHEN CLARK WAS MOVED PAST THEM DUDE WTF

IS LOIS PREGNANT?!?!?!

Barry looks like he's about to throw up

BARRY HAS ALREADY TIME TRAVELLED THAT LINE SHOULDVE BEEN KEPT IN

Arthur being antsy about not doing the resurrection makes so much sense

VICTOR SEEING A POSSIBLE FUTURE IS THE BEST SHIT

I love vision-Diana's Norse burial

EVIL VISION-SUPERMAN DUDE CMON

THE MISUNDERSTANDING MAKES THIS WORSE AND BETTER AT THE SAME TIME

HE REVERSED TIME WHEN HE RESURRECTED SUPERMAN WHAAAAAAAAT

The Military arriving was a sensible addition

The fancy ass dramatic ass arrival of Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Flash, and Cyborg when Superman gets to the monument is hilarious

Victor loosing control is the woooooorst

The Lasso of Truth almost got through to him but he's a stubborn fuck

Superman functioning in Flashtime is something I will never understand

Yeah lets shoot at the guy whose indestructible, right

"you should probably move" LMFAOOOO

Batman v. Superman part 2 insert eye roll here

headbutts like children - and that's cheating on the playground Clark.

Heat vision makes so much more sense than "do you bleed?"

Lois coming in cluuuuutch

I like Lois' appearance better than Alfred bringing her, it fits Lois better

Arthur and Barry now have rivalry lmfaooo

Mr. Stone being obsessed with the mother box is annoying as fuck

Mr. Stone is an idiot and he should've fucking left the box alone

That was a horrible death why was that necessary?!

Arthur being a pessimist in this movie is honestly hilarious, tho why is he anti-love??

Barry being surprised at Batman's richness is never not funny

"I'll take that as a yes" okay Clark, don't show off

IS LOIS PREGNANT OR NOT?!

"Its really me Ma" Best scene of the whole fucking movie

Barry and Arthur heart-to -heart "I thought you didn't car" "I never said that" BUILD THIS FRIENDSHIP

BRUCE TELLS DIANA OF THE VISION

Bruce talking about faith never bodes well

THE QUEEN LOOKS BEAUTIFUL

"uh with the power of love" "Barry" LMFAOOOOOO

THE KRYPTONIAN SUITS LOOK AMAZING

Since when does Superman have Geokinesis??

I LOVE HOW BOTH OF HIS FATHERS ARE TALKING TO HIM I FUCKING LOVE IT

THE SUIT UP SCENE ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME IT LOOKS AWESOME

"just have to knock a little louder" Well, that's one way to knock Bruce

Nice crash boy

Straight up sounded like "Loud and queer" lmfaoooo

Diana leading the teeeeeeeaaaam Hell Yes!

I do miss the "I think we're all gonna die" lasso-Arthur scene tho. it was stupid - but funny.

DIANA COMING IN FOR THAT SLICE AND DICE BAYBEEEEY

THE TEAM SHOOOOT YES totally taken from Marvel but fuck did it look good

"you really are out of your mind" says the idiot who talks to fish

"not done yet" vs "your welcome" I like the second one better

Glorious hair Arthur lmfaoo

Fucking chair eject

NICE SHISH-KA-BOB ARTHUR FUCK

Alfred doesn't even fucking blink when Clark arrives

ARTHURS TRIDENT DOES THE WAVY THING ON LAND TOO BROOOO

Oh yeah, step back for the demi-god princess

DONT PISS OFF DIANA AND DO NOT USE HER FAMILY TO FUCK WITH HER IT NEVER ENDS WELL

The familiar flash buildup power ring will never not make me happy

Daaaaaayum Diana!!

Nice catch Arthur

Diana knows her mother and sisters are alive bc they sent the arrow to her, so why is he even trying it??

NICE SAVE SUPERMAN!!

"Not impressed" Smooooooth

THAT FINAL BATTLE IS FUCKING AWESOME

TIME TRAVEL

BADASS DIANA WITH THAT DEPCAPITATION

You sent Today at 5:44 PM

Them all standing there was straight up "Fuck with us, I dare you"

The epilogue was great but that dream was confusing, are we doing Alt-universe shit??

MARTIAN MOTHER FUCKING MANHUNTER BITCHEEEEEEEEEEZZ

IS LOIS PREGNANT OR NOT?!

[intergalactic-zoo]

I was almost ready to comment on how this series is using single-word episode titles, just like "Smallville" did, but now we've got this mouthful playing on a book that was roughly contemporary with that show. It's pretty clunky, but whatever. 

It's nice that this episode gave us a break from the Luthor story, choosing instead to focus on Lois's investigation and some good character moments for the Kents and Lana's family. The mantra that "life is simpler in Smallville" gets an explicit repudiation, some fences are mended, and some new mysterious antagonists are introduced.

Spoilers ahoy! 

If not for the enormous amount of COVID-imposed lead time this series had, and the amount of time it takes to write and record and add special effects to a live-action TV show, this episode would feel like a course correction for a lot of the problems I've had with the last couple of installments. 

I'm writing this a little longer after watching the episode than I typically have, so I'm going to go plot-by-plot rather than chronologically through the episode. 

Painting the House: a cute scene, and a good way to remind us that, even with all the drama and the teen angst, the Kents are a loving family. 

Jonathan & Jordan: Jordan joining the football team is a neat plot point that goes in unexpected directions, given how that kind of thing has typically played out in Superman stories. I like the way that it sets up conflict with Jonathan in the beginning, but eventually he realizes that Jordan's not trying to take away the thing that makes him feel special. Jonathan being the one to convince Clark to let Jordan play—and making the case that Jordan's abilities just even the playing field with respect to his size—is a good moment of solidarity and understanding for him. 

And Jordan, for his part, really does seem like he's found what he needed. Being able to take out some aggression on the football field—and having Clark's support—ends up being the key to getting a handle on his anger and being able to solve some problems with kindness rather than sulking and violence. I also appreciate that at least one of our initial antagonists—Sean—has moved out of that role, at least for now.

Coach Clark: There have been lots of attempts over the years to saddle Superman with various character flaws, but I think the one that fits best is being overprotective. On the macro scale, you get "Must There Be a Superman" and "King of the World," and on a micro scale you get stuff like this, being a bit of a helicopter parent and nearly losing Lois early in their relationship by eavesdropping. It rings true in a way that other attempted flaws—being dull-witted or indecisive—haven't. So it's nice here to see him realize it and acknowledge his mistakes, and to realize that he doesn't have to make the same choices his father did in order to keep his kids safe. After all, Jonathan Kent I didn't have superpowers. It'll also be nice for Clark to have a place to be earnest, mild-mannered Clark Kent, since he's outside the Daily Planet environment.

Lana and Sarah: Somewhere in my drafts I have a post about poor Lana Lang, a character made to fill a niche—the Lois Lane analogue for Superboy—and has never had much of a life outside of that niche. Every time Lana is introduced into adult Clark's life, she has a different deal. She's a TV reporter with a British accent, she's married to Pete Ross, she's a successful engineer, but she's almost always the girl whose life fell to pieces in one way or another after Clark Kent left. It's not fair to either character—Clark's presence in a person's life should elevate them, not devastate them—and while I understand the reason for giving her a failing marriage and conflicts with her children, I do want to see Lana have a happy ending in some adaptation or incarnation. 

Anyway, I like Sarah as a character, and it's interesting to see how her story parallel's Jordan's, with her mother's overbearing overprotectiveness leading to conflict. It creates a contrast between how Clark and Lana are handling their respective teenage offspring, and gives them a nice bonding moment. It's easy to see how these bonding moments could turn into Lana trying to rekindle the old flame with Clark, and I really hope that doesn't happen, but platonic male-female friendships are rare enough on TV that I can imagine it's hard to set one up without everyone seeing a ship setting sail. 

Speaking of ships, I know that Jordan and Sarah are an obvious pairing, but I hope Jordan is smart enough not to try to be her rebound relationship (and ruin his reconciliation with Sean). But honestly, I kind of hope Jordan is gay or bi, giving a way to tie his feelings of being different and search for identity to the struggles queer kids commonly face in an explicit way rather than an allegorical one. 

Seriously though, let Clark and Lois have a strong marriage that doesn't need to be threatened by the Other Woman for unnecessary drama. Let the drama build out of normal family conflicts, not tropes that were sexist and outdated when they were common in the Silver Age. 

Lois's Story: "The news comes to Lois Lane" seems to be an ongoing theme, as the next lead in her story just walks through the door of the Smallville Gazette. Unsurprisingly for a story involving Lois Lane, this leads to a conspiracy involving disappearing workers and super-powered enforcers. Lois explicitly makes the point I said earlier, that the stories in small towns do matter, and too often get overlooked because there aren't enough reporters covering them. 

The action scene where Lois is attacked by someone with Kryptonian-level abilities is pretty good. I always like when Superman enters a confrontation by trying to de-escalate before fighting, and I always like when Lois enters a confrontation by trying to fight before calling in the big guns. The fight between Superman and the assailant (who I think is credited as Subjekt 11, but I assumed that character was going to carry forward and, uh, doesn't look like he is) showcases both a nice escalation as Superman learns what the guy's strength is, and some nice uses of powers. The CW effects teams have gotten pretty creative over the years. The one issue I have is that Superman slams the guy through a cinderblock wall right at the start of the fight, before he's tested those abilities, and I feel like that would have done some real damage if he'd guessed wrong and the guy was a baseline human. The No-Prize Answer would be that either he scanned the guy before hitting him and knew, at baseline, that he was a meta, or that he knew Lois wouldn't call him unless she was dealing with a metahuman threat. Still, it bugs me. 

I do hope we learn more about what Subjekt-11 was. Metahuman? Kryptonian? Some kind of experiment? I'm frankly more interested in the Morgan Edge stuff than alt-universe Luthor. 

The woman who takes out Subjekt-11—who I guess was also with Edge at the meeting last episode—seems to be named Leslie Larr, no doubt a reference to Lesla-Lar, the Silver Age Kandorian villain who happened to be an exact double for Supergirl, because every major character had a double living in Kandor. Whether that means she's Kryptonian or some other swerve is something, I guess, we'll learn later.

Other: I noticed an Easter Egg that I haven't seen reported anywhere else: The Whitty Banter Show! For those who don't remember, Whitty Banter was the host of a Metropolis talk show in the 80s and 90s; there's ads for it all over the Death of Superman Newstime issue. In trying to remind myself what Easter Egg I remembered catching, I also learned that Kryptonsite still exists! What a blast from the past. There was a time, many moons ago, where that was a daily visit for me, along with the Superman Homepage. 

And Blogger.com, for that matter. But those days are clearly far behind us.

[88y53]

Dream Superman game

Title: Superman: Metropolis

Pitch: PS4 Spider-Man meets God of War meets Batman: Arkham City/Origins meets Superman Returns: the Game.

Premise: Superman is about 5-7 years into his career and is well into his prime. He’s not a rookie anymore, and he has a firm grasp on his powers and his philosophies. Think Paragon Commander Shepard from Mass Effect.

He and Lois Lane have already moved in together and she knows his secret, and Lex Luthor is in jail.

Everything is perfect.

It’s another day at the offices of the Daily Planet (here modernized as a digital news company like Buzzfeed mixed with The New York Times), meeting all the classic co-workers - Jimmy Olsen (showing off his brand new camera, before blinding himself with the flash, “it was like looking into the sun!”), resident “alpha-male” Steve Lombard (working on a new Jim Halpert-esque prank for Clark Kent), Cat Grant (bugging Lois for help on her “Top Sexiest Billionaires in America” ... which is obviously just an excuse to put Bruce Wayne at the top, again), Perry White screaming at everybody to get back to work, and Ron Troupe, just sipping his coffee and watching the chaos - when suddenly there are explosion at three different places across Metropolis!

Superman flies to the three locations, helping the fire department put out the fires and rescue people trapped inside [allowing the player to get a feel for their powers], before learning that there’s been a massive break out at Stryker’s Island orchestrated by Luthor and now eight of Superman’s villains have escaped into the city.

Bosses: (in alphabetical order)

Bloodsport - an alt-right nutjob with advanced tech.

Encantadora - a woman who either uses a complex array of photonic entanglement machines to control light, or just straight magic, (it’s ambiguous) to cast illusions.

Lex Luthor - former head of LexCorp, Luthor - whose reputation is now ruined because of Lois and Clark’s journalism - no longer cares about how people see him and is in full supervillain mode. He still thinks his crusade against Superman is justified, but the only person he’s fooling is himself.

Livewire - a former internet podcaster who‘s absolutely addicted to attention. She absorbs and manipulates electricity in the gigiwatt range - powerful enough to stun Superman - using LexCorp developed nanoscopic electrical conductors derived from Kryptonian technology that’s been grafted to her skin. She has a new career goal of being the "Woman that Killed Superman."

Metallo - ex-mercenary turned cyborg with a kryptonite ore in his chest powering his nigh-invulnerable body. Lasers inside his chest and eyes fire into the ore and project concentrated beams at Superman that whittles away his Stamina bar. Luthor also installed a euphoric response system that stimulates the pleasure center of his brain whenever he hurts Superman, so he literally feels good whenever he attacks him.

Parasite - a selfish janitor that was exposed to a less-refined version of the krypto-conductors that empower Livewire, allowing him to absorb energy from basically anything; thermal, kinetic, electro-chemical, nuclear, etc. His only weaknesses are that the conductors start to eat him if he doesn't "feed" enough, and that they can max out if he feeds too much.

Prankster - Michael Moore meets Tyler Durden. A charismatic and destructive showman that organizes complex and elaborate pranks and takedowns on corporate America and authoritarian institutions. However, the problems he creates in trying to “wake people up,” are just as dangerous as the problems he’s trying to solve.

Toyman - a schizophrenic engineering genius who previously worked for Luthor (and designed Metallo’s body), and is scavenging equipment from industrial warehouses and construction areas to build more “toys.”

Superman must track them down, while dealing with other problems that have decided to rear their ugly head.

Side-Quests:

Working with Dan Turpin and Maggie Sawyer to deal with Intergang cases.

Working with Professor Hamilton and Leo Quintum on S.T.A.R. labs experiments.

Mr. Mxyzptlk puzzle challenges (like flying through golden rings).

Random citizen rescues.

Levels where you play as Clark Kent at the Daily Planet and interact with the staff, or go on investigative journalism missions.

Gameplay: The “maypole mechanic” (the mechanic that everything dances around) is that Superman doesn’t have a health bar. He’s invincible. The challenge comes from collateral damage, which is measured by civilian Life Clocks (that count down the longer you wait) and total into your Reputation Bar (which shows peoples’ trust in Superman). If they drop too low, all hope is lost and you lose.

Now, this isn’t like the Superman Returns game where it felt like one big escort mission, encounters are structured with invisible aggro walls, and if you leave the confines of the encounter area and don’t return quickly enough, you lose the fight and your Rep. takes a massive hit. In each encounter there are optional tasks for Superman to complete that boosts your overall Rep., such as saving people, fighting enemies, helping the Metropolis Special Crimes Unit, putting out fires, etc. You can beat the villain without completing the additional challenges (they are saved by SCU), but you miss out on Reputation.

The challenge comes from having to juggle multiple catastrophes at once.

Interface: The minimap and HUD is part of a S.T.A.R. Labs created a “krypto-frequency” that Hamilton and Quintum synced up to the Fortress of Solitude, and only Superman can see and hear it. Using monitors in his suit (which also a hotspot), it keeps track of his solar-saturation, and Superman can interact with it by finely tuning his heat vision.

Combat: The camera is in an over-the-shoulder third-person position, and "combat challenges" are what keep the fights interesting because you lose Mxyzptlk Points (Mxyzptlk Points allow Superman to upgrade his powers — basically magical XP) if you don’t focus on them; don’t get hit, creative use of power, watch the clock, etc. To get the “Flawless Protector” rank you need to complete missions with little-to-no collateral damage.

Reputation Points allow you to upgrade your costume material at S.T.A.R. Labs (friction proof coating that lets you fly faster, or lead weaving to block out XX% of kryptonite radiation, etc.)

Mxyzptlk Points allow you to upgrade your powers (shortening the time to build up your Stamina bar, for example)

Getting shot is dangerous, not for the player, but for other people because the bullets will ricochet off Superman and hit someone else, which will cost the player points. So Superman must activate his Super-Speed to catch the bullets.

You don’t lose health, but when you’re hit you lose Stamina, which keeps you from using other powers. When you’re completely depleted you can’t even fly and are susceptible to being knocked prone until it fills up again automatically. Blocking hits like in God of War is the best way to fight because it preserves your Stamina, and allows you to counter or switch between targets using super-speed.

When Superman faces off against regular humans his heat vision auto-targets their weapons or their shoes (enemies generally just jump out of the way of his heat vision unless Superman specifically targets the weapons). His Frost Breath freezes them in place (or you could freeze their weapons and then blast them with heat vision to cause them to explode in their hands, so mixing powers unlock new strategies). His Super Breath is the best offensive power against thugs because it’s completely non-lethal, but it requires time to build up because he needs to suck in the air. He doesn’t do one-hit knockouts (even though he eclipses them in weightclass) because he “pulls his punches” so as to not seriously hurt or kill them.

Special takedown moves are also available when a player’s XP bar fills up, and boss fight takedowns require certain Quick Time Events.

Metropolis is a completely open sand-box, with the player able to travel to any boroughs of the city; from the New Troy, Queensland Park, Hell’s Gate, Bakerline, etc. All with the flying mechanics of Anthem.

The boss fights are analogue to timed puzzles (like in Mario games), with Superman needing to understand their attacks and think creatively about his environment and powers. The enemies can’t beat him, but knocking him out wastes precious seconds and the drama is beating them before time runs out. Such as Parasite overloading a nuclear reactor or Superman having to prioritize fixing the Metropolis dam before dealing with Livewire. Better time builds up Rep points. Kryptonite-based enemies like Metallo and Lex Luthor are the most dangerous because they can kill Superman. It continuously cuts down his Stamina Bar until there’s nothing left and you fail the mission. You can get back Stamina by soaking up solar rays, but that takes time you don’t have.

Each boss has a different skill-set, requiring the player to adapt and think creatively about Superman’s many powers in order to win:

Bloodsport - He uses disorientating mechanics to fight Superman; high-frequency emitters, flashbangs, etc. and an evolving fighting mechanic like Mr. Freeze. Superman must utilize different variations of his Super-Senses in order to fight him.

Encantadora - She uses her powers to create complex illusions like Scarecrow, and Superman must navigate the maze to beat her.

Livewire & Parasite - They’re a double-boss fight -- Livewire uses the electricity she absorbs from the Metropolis dam to fly and shoot powerful lightning bolts at Superman, but she’s vulnerable to water and when she’s recharging. Parasite jumps around the arena, occasionally tackling Superman to absorb some of his Stamina. He can’t be hurt because he can just take in the energy from Superman’s heat vision or his punches. When Livewire is dealt with, Parasite turns on her and absorbs her power. However, in doing so he maxes out his absorption and can be hurt.

Metallo - Superman has to chip away the kryptonite core in his chest with his heat vision (because getting too close to him with the ore exposed will quickly deplete the Stamina bar until you lose), and rip off pieces of his chassis when his chest cavity closes up. He is finally beaten when Superman pours molten metal onto him and freezes him in place.

Prankster - He’s more like Victor Zsasz in Arkham City, in that his boss fights are more like scavenger hunts as Superman tracks down his hacking trail.

Toyman - He fights Superman using a giant mech and spawning waves of robot minions, like Clayface in Arkham City. However, the mech’s bipedal nature makes it top-heavy and easily tripped.

Lex Luthor - he is the Final Boss of the game and, using a kryptonite-powered battle suit, incorporates all the mechanics of the previous bosses.

Central Theme: The central theme of the story is a twist on the age-old “power corrupts” adage; power doesn’t corrupt, power magnifies. All of Superman’s enemies could’ve easily used their powers and skills in more productive ways that benefited society, they just didn’t want to. They’re content with being bad guys, while Superman’s attempts to reason with them fall on deaf ears. That’s what makes someone like Superman different from his villains — a good man with power becomes a great man, while a bad man with power becomes worse. That’s why it’s so important that power never be given to bad men.

Teasers:

Brainiac, who has tried to invade before but was pushed back. Now there’s a possibility for a rematch.

Zod, who was one of the first supervillains Superman faced in his career before being imprisoned again in the Phantom Zone. However, there’s still a chance he and his soldiers could escape.

Darkseid’s presence is felt in the Intergang side-quests, and a possible cameo from either Orion or the Forever People.

Lois and Clark are trying to get pregnant, but biology isn’t on their side, so Hamilton & Quintum offer to help.

Atomic Skull, Conduit, Kryptonite Man, Manchester Black, and Riot were all locked up in a different section of Stryker’s, but have since escaped while Superman was distracted.

DLC:

Lobo abducts Superman and takes him to Mongul, where he’s forced to fight his current champion of WarWorld -- Bizarro, who’s so happy to show Superman is “Bizarro World.” Superman then has to escape, with help from either Lobo or Maxima.

Superman teams up with either Supergirl or Captain Marvel for another adventure.

[stormkrigeren]

Whumptober Day 26!

Link to the Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34210837/chapters/86534524

Title: Adrift - Clark

Prompt: Alt. No. 15 - Anxiety

Word Count: 1798

Clark liked taking the ferry.

Not only was it the quickest way to travel between Metropolis and Gotham across the bay (besides flying, of course) but it also had a nice view of Stryker’s Island and the inside of the boat had the second-best seating Clark had ever come across in public transportation, only topped by the comfy padded bus seats on Route 8 through Metropolis. The crowd on the ferry was always just enough passengers to be considered ‘a lot’ but also polite and orderly in a way that didn’t make such a gathering uncomfortable, and the little booth benches on the boat’s second floor were the perfect spot for him to get a bit of work done during the forty-five minute trip. Lois was not as big a fan of the ferry as Clark was, but he chalked it up to the fact that she had lived near a coastline nearly her entire life whereas the Kansas farmboy still got excited at the cry of gulls and the smell of the ocean.

He had just finished covering a story in Gotham - something about a change in import regulations at the harbor and the effect they would have on shipping charges - and Clark managed to catch one of the last ferries home before they stopped for the night. It had rained a bit that morning, though now the stormclouds had descended and covered Hobb’s Bay in thick fog only abated by a very light sea breeze. Visibility would be down, the ferry captain announced over the PA as the boat left Gotham Harbor, but the radio towers and instruments were operating fine so they would only be a few minutes behind schedule due to reduced speed.

That was fine by Clark - it gave home more time to compile his notes from the interview in Gotham, and he had a snack that he always kept in his bag in case he got hungry. Even with the delay, it wasn’t going to take more than an hour to reach the Metropolis side, then maybe another half-hour by subway to get home around five-forty-five which gave him just enough time to break out the Korean dumplings and start a pot of rice before Lois got back from work. He knew that neither of them had any urgent projects, so maybe if they finished their respective articles before nine they could put on a movie…

Clark knew none of those domestic fantasies of a nice night at home with his girlfriend would come to fruition the moment he heard the soft clunk of what must have been one of the ferry’s propellers, followed by a significant decrease in the boat’s speed - it wasn’t hard to tell that something was wrong.

He considered himself to be a curious person, but unlike Lois, he wasn’t much of a snooper or eavesdropper. Much to both her and Chief’s displeasure, Clark typically preferred to wait until the whole story played out before he started asking questions, and by then he had already missed his chance at breaking the ‘breaking news’. Lois often urged him to take a more direct approach: if he saw something, he should say something. Now Clark could clearly see that the ferry was in a bit of trouble for some reason or other, and he knew that, of course, the quickest way to find out how or why it was in trouble would be to talk to the captain.

A bit reluctantly, Clark grabbed his bag and got up from his seat to seek out the wheelhouse, which wasn’t too hard. After rapping politely on the door and enquiring to the man who answered whether the captain was in, he was presented to an older man who looked genuinely tired with the whole situation and in need of a cigarette as he introduced himself as Captain Pokorny. The captain, after seeing Clark’s press pass, reluctantly gave him admittance into the wheelhouse where most of the ferry’s crew was currently gathered in discussion, and explained the situation.

A propellor - one that had been showing signs of wear-and-tear and was supposed to have been fixed in the last maintenance check-up - had somehow either jammed or broken off of the boat completely, leaving only one working engine that the captain was reluctant to complete the trip on in case it overheated from the strain, which was highly likely considering how old the boat was. In short: they were a little bit stuck.

There was no danger of the ferry sinking in Hobb’s Bay - that would require a leak of some sort, the captain explained - they were just unfortunately stranded and adrift in the open water until the Coast Guard could arrive to give them a tow back to harbor. There was, of course, the chance that the Gotham or Metropolis Harbor Police would show up first, but the general sentiment in the pilot house was that ‘those boys take as long crossing the Bay as it takes to drive damn around it’.

Clark dutifully recorded all of this information, writing it down for a potential story to turn in at the Daily Planet when he got the chance, and asked a few more questions about what the maintenance schedule was like, what sort of improvements the crew thought could be made to the ferry system, and how long before the Coast Guard was expected to arrive.

Having got his answers and what he considered to be a pretty solid basis for a human interest story, Clark thanked the captain and returned to his favorite seat on the ferry’s second floor to wait out the estimated hour or so until help arrived (the Coast Guard had been alerted and would be on their way soon, the radio officer had assured him, but were caught up with an incident involving some missing fishing boats further north).

Clark dutifully transferred his notes from the moleskine notebook he had taken to always carrying with him to the backup drive on his phone so that he could at least have both a physical and digital copy of his work - a skill taught to him by Lois, who was well-familiar with the importance of keeping backups and often kept up to five copies of her stories on various flashdrives, dropboxes, and in desperate times, even her own notebook (a dollar-store composition pad in the bottom of her emergency go-bag). And speaking of her, it occurred to Clark that he should probably let his girlfriend know that he would be a little bit late, except there was one issue: cell service in Hobb’s Bay was patchy at best and straight up non-existent on a normal day, so instead of giving Lois a call and getting the chance to hear her voice, he had to satisfy himself with a short, explanatory text that would hopefully go through sometime soon.

The funny thing was, he could resolve the whole situation all by himself if it weren’t for one tiny issue: Clark was on a boat packed with passengers, and there were just a few too many curious eyes around for the reporter to vanish and Superman appear without somebody noticing the change. No private corners to turn his cape, no hidden closets for him to conveniently step into - even the bathrooms were out of the question considering the ever-present line leading into them. In short, Clark was just a little bit stuck where he was.

He would not say that he had anxiety, he was far too level-headed for that. It was just that sometimes, if he was a bit stressed or under pressure or hadn’t eaten or slept in the past few days, he had the tiniest bit of trouble with keeping his thoughts from wandering to some… unpleasant scenarios.

The boat could sink. The weather could get worse. The Coast Guard or harbor police could get lost and never find them. Or if they were found, the rescuer wouldn’t be able to do anything. To put it plainly, there was the possibility that Clark wouldn’t get home that night simply because there were too many watchful eyes on a ferry in the middle of Hobb’s Bay.

It was a shout from the ferry’s upper deck that caught his attention and pulled him out of his unhealthy downspiral of anxious thoughts. Said shout was followed by many running steps, someone gasping and another praying under the breath as onlookers gathered on the floor above. Clark was obviously curious, and mounted the stairs with a group of passengers ascending to see what the commotion was about, and he was met with the sight of lightly-drizzling fog surrounding the boat, still uncomfortably thick but now punctuated by a sharp flash of color in the mist - a bright red cape drifting on the breeze nearby.

She spotted him immediately - of course she would, he’d have expected nothing less considering how overprotective she was - but made no sign that she recognized him besides a hint of a smile as she observed the gathering crowd, and a slight raising of the eyebrows in his direction as if to teasingly ask ‘what sort of fuck-up have you found yourself in now’.

The uncomfortable ball of ice that had been forming in his chest suddenly got a bit lighter at the sight of her, and Clark found himself almost sighing in relief. She was here, everything would be all right now, he didn’t have to worry anymore - but that wasn’t to say she couldn’t use his help. Clark gave her a quick summary of the situation in hushed tones, knowing that not even the crowd surrounding him would hear while she would pick up his voice with ease.

Once he had explained the issue, she gave him the slightest of nods in acknowledgement, her gaze sweeping the boat itself in a quick glance as she located the problem, assessed the ‘fuck-up’ she had come to rescue him from, and allowed herself to drift on the light breeze just close enough to the boat to ask to speak with the captain about giving them a tow.

The anxiety that had been settling uncomfortably in Clark’s stomach released its hold slightly, and a little more when the captain arrived and an arrangement was worked out between him and Superwoman over the issue of getting to harbor. A Coast Guard vessel was already en-route but it was agreed that the Kryptonian would be allowed to tow them across the rest of the Bay to Metropolis with the CG acting as backup in case something else broke. All in all, the ferry would only be delayed by about ninety minutes and have Clark back on dry land in less than that without having dented his enjoyment of taking the boat in the slightest.

[godstaff]

I'm not sure if this was ever asked, but do we know how many SM/WW kisses we've had in comics total? I know there was a collage of over 50, but there's got to more than that now right? I don't see the Action Comics 600 on the list and there was like 3 kisses including the cover. Beyond Universe with the alt versions too. We are reaching close a hundred and none is fan art and mostly canon. There's a reason Diana has more intimate moments with Kal than Lois. Animation & movies are the next step!

I actually don’t know the full account, but I’m sure there were plenty. I wouldn’t try to compete with Clois kisses, though, because I assume there was a lot more of them in 75 years. If not, they should look for marital counseling.

Anyway, we all know it’s not about quantity but quality. James Bond kissed hundreds of women but I’m pretty sure the ones with Tracy, his late wife, were those he really treasured in his memory.

Since we’re already here, let’s get one thing clear, people: Clois romance is something designed by Sieguel and Shuster, the creators of  Superman, to give him someone to rescue, a damsel in distress, because in those days the male hero must’ve had a focus for his affections, someone the dragon took away for them to assault the castle to rescue. Even womanizers had “that special lady” who helped carry the story, make it more thrilling and ensure a happy ending.

SuperWonder, on the other hand, was something natural. It just happened. Somebody said one day: “Hey! How come these two are not together? They’re perfect for each other.”, it wasn’t by design and Diana is clearly NOT a damsel in distress. Once the idea was installed in the collective mind, it grew slowly throughout the years, even decades, as something furtive, always lurking in the shadows (or “elseworlds”, if you wish), waiting to happen. When it finally did, it exploded and DC regime had to forcibly terminate it, ban it for eternity and label it as poisonous, because their little hands couldn’t hold it and their little brains couldn’t grasp the total beauty and complexity of it all. It completely overwhelmed the poor ignorant bastards.

So, yeah: there probably were more kisses between Lois and Mr. Lane than between Clark and Diana, but I, for one, prefer marriages for love than prearranged ones, no matter if they are disguised as tradition.

[rachel-was-distracted-and]

Doctor Who: The Return of Doctor Mysterio (2016 Christmas Special)

I was going to watch the new episode with the new companion and then I remembered that I never watched the 2016 Christmas special, the one new DW episode we got in that miserable year

My first reaction to Twelve swinging upside down outside the window was that this is very reminiscent of Matt Smith’s Eleven, but I also haven’t watched Who in what, over a year? :/

“Mom says you can come in, you’re expected” ?!

The kid then gives him cookies and milk. Because there’s an old guy out the window and it’s Christmas Eve.

I wonder if they had to pay Marvel and DC for rights on all this...licensed merch 

Wait I just realized this kid is American.

This kid reminds me of my cousin

“How do you have a glass of water in your pocket?” “Skills.”

Is there a Doctor Mysterio? IRL? (edit: just learned the title of the episode and maybe this WAS done on Who previously?)

localized disruption here in New York...ah 

(btw I still am unsure how previous season ended, I watched it way back when and I re-read my lousy “live”blog and still don’t know what happened)

Uh-oh, what did this kid do with the gemstone

He ATE the gemstone. Because the *doctor* gave him a thing that looks like medicine and a glass of water

TBH I’m slightly surprised this accidental superhero thing didn’t happen sooner, it’s adorable and works for me

Another baby? I know James Cordon’s time on Who was a while ago, but...

Is he babysitting? His chest still glows red and...wait is that future kiddo or not

The bald guy from Bridesmaids and last year’s Christmas special is back!

Looking for “the little boy’s room” hmmmmm

This politician rich science guy who isn’t perturbed by the brains is rubbing me the wrong way I guess

I thought the lady in blue was Clara and was torn between OMG and GODDAMMIT

Ultimately I’m glad it’s not

EW the brain has EYES WHAT

AH UM the guy was playing dumb before?Oh no they “exchanged containers”

“I had a change of mind” THE WORDPLAY KILL ME

I mean did this guy not see any of this coming? He knew something was up when he wasn’t surprised by the brains what did he think was going to come of it. (I admit I sort of half-assed watch nowadays while on my laptop but still, what?)

Ooo the companion in this episode is a journalist!

Twelve and the bald kid have no kind of reunion - unless i missed it

It’s a superhero! “Oh my god he’s real. The ghost. Masked vigilante but he’s--super”

Um tbh this guy looks like Agent Smith from Deadpool (I don’t remember his real name, Jason?)

He has his very own Lois Lane!

Ew what is her political bias? What is “not to his taste”? Now is not the time for this I don’t want either of them to be alt-right or whatever the kids are calling it these days

(Because yeah, you either believe in human rights or you don’t. You either believe kids should have clean water and affordable education or you don’t. You are either on the right side of history or you aren’t. It is that simple.)

So is this kid from a while ago or from *today*

Well did he keep this promise or not (guess not)

“Sorry, duty calls” probably going back to babysitting

The Doctor has the baby *relief*

Yeah he confronts him about that promise he broke

Yeah he’s a nanny; torn between wanting to give kudos for a male nanny and wanting to tell moffat to fuck off for trying to check off some kind of list of subverting stereotypes I don’t even

Lois Lane is the mother of the baby he’s nannying for! hahaha

Wait hold up how can she afford this beautiful apartment in NYC as a journalist? Baby’s daddy ran off so it’s not like he’s bringing home the bacon

Is this brown haired kid with the glasses the kid? Yeah he can’t stop the X-ray vision...OH

AW

AWW

“It’s the gem-stone...responding to puberty”

“I have X-ray eyes. I like everyone” Ew wait he nannies for his middle school crush? I don’t like this. I would not want anyone from middle school watching my baby no matter how much they liked me or I liked them unless I straight up married them (which I haven’t)

She looks like Clara again. They have a type, don’t they?

This squeaky toy is so FUCKING ANNOYING and also unprofessional, fuck.

Throw the squeaky toy away, Doc! Holy shit!

She has good inference skills and yet she’s so annoying

That was so fast! 

Why is Grant’s hair so lame, is it the Clark Kent thing? Clark’s hair wasn’t this lame.

His Ghost voice is much better than Christian Bale’s Batman grunt, I’ll give him that

Oh my god this girl has like no respect for Grant’s time? How can she be so smart and so dumb at the same time? Are real people like this??

And they’ve known each other for 24 years

And Doctor tells Grant to try not to be an idiot.....

Oh no the brains are going to try to take the Ghost

Some cool time magic from the Doctor

Hope they don’t try to take the Doctor

Doesn’t the Doctor have some kind of intergalactic police force behind him? Didn’t he at some point? This show makes no sense

“Good to keep an open mind!” heheh

He whistles and ah THERE’s the TARDIS

driven by the bald guy now in Constantinople garb

I’m sorry, where did bald guy come from again?

He’s a Christmas special companion is all? He mentioned getting cut out of Hydraflax which like rings a bell I guess

I DO NOT ship Lois Lane and The Ghost, this crush and whatever she has going on has lasted way too long (I don’t want to call it friendzone but--OH MY GOD is Stephen Moffat reimagining Superman as being friendzoned by Lois Lane?)

Y’all--if anyone even reads this--y’all know that the idea of the friend zone is problematic right? If you just see women as real people instead of just wanting to bone them, then there is no friend zone (that’s the thing--there should be no friend zone. It’s creepy that he does all this for her and it’s dumb that she has him nanny her kid and doesn’t even recognize that he’s the superhero. I’m not sure why he’s doing this. I get he’s like a good person or whatever, I don’t think he fails to see Lois Lane as a person, I just still don’t like this situation. They both deserve better.)

This started off SO WELL and now I have so many PROBLEMS with it

UGH is she realizing her feelings for Grant NOW

Oh no they’re gonna do the thing to the Ghost

Nannies are superheroes, did anyone ever argue this? (Whoops I might have trivialized it before)

Aw he tried to tell her! He’s still trying

She’s so dumb

OH NO

What does New York not being a capital city have to do with any of this again?

See, staging an alien attack while the aliens have already landed and integrated is an interesting premise, but when it’s just thrown out in passing...it’s not as good.

I like the New York being a sanctuary city talk, but like, I feel like I’m being pandered to?

“It’s a good plan! I like it! How come our side never has plans like that?” Same.

What the fuck, why couldn’t the Ghost get away

The aliens don’t recognize Grant is the Ghost, haha fuck

This villain guy is good casting

Oy vey now what’s happening

It’s up to Grant to save them !

The shrug he gives her is great though

“You know what? I prefer you in your superhero costume” WHAT that’s a SHITTY line

“You think this is over?” “Yah” *shoots the screwdriver* and AH, UNIT is on its way, I knew there was some kind of backup

EW the brain left the body...and moved into one of their own. This doesn’t need a sequel though

How was he gone 24 years is this something I’m supposed to know? He always comes back he’s a goddamn time traveler

Oh good she got rid of the squeaky toy

“Her name was River Song” yeah but BOTH of them are TIME TRAVELERS

River was another thing that started off so well

Oh so the today stuff was the return of Doctor Mysterio, and the stuff with child Grant was the original?

Next time: I’M SO EXCITED FOR BILL

[stormkrigeren]

Whumptober Day 23!

Link to the Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/34210837/chapters/86363698

Title: Screaming - Clark

Prompt: Alt. No. 7 - Screaming

Word Count: 744

He woke up struggling to breathe.

Panic enveloped him immediately, and he tried to sit up only to be sharply reminded of the restraints binding him down and digging into his chest and ribs. His already-labored breathing quickened in place as it occurred to him that something was wrong, he couldn’t move, it wasn’t supposed to be this dark-

It took him a moment to realize that the screaming he could dimly hear over the sound of his own pounding heart was also his own, his voice hoarse from shouting out in a fear of something he couldn’t quite remember. It was too dark, too quiet, General Zod was nowhere in sight… and it was only then that Clark realized with relief that he was in his own dim bedroom and not the prison-ship Black Zero.

The adrenaline still coursing through his bloodstream kept him gasping for breath, but he was awake enough now to recognize that the room was exactly as it had been when he had gone to sleep, though a few hours had passed if the dim moonlight peeking through the blinds was anything to go by, and his blankets were considerably messier than he remembered. Even though he knew that it was just a nightmare that had woken him and not an angry Kryptonian intruder, Clark couldn’t help but scan the apartment for anyone who wasn’t supposed to be there and he found it empty besides himself.

Just a nightmare, he told himself as he tried to relax a little bit only to be surprised by how taut he still was even when awake. It was just a nightmare, he had nothing to be afraid of, but he could still feel the alien restraints pinning him down and his throat was raw from screaming…

Clark briefly wondered how much he had been screaming in his sleep, guiltily imagining having woken the neighbors up before his train of thought was suddenly broken by an incredibly jarring buzz shattering the silence of his bedroom. He flinched in surprise at the sound, frantically searching for the source of what he was almost entirely sure was a chainsaw close by before he recognized his phone on the bedside table, chiming brightly with a new message. Sighing in relief but now dealing with even more panicked adrenaline than he had a moment before, Clark unlocked it to see the familiar image of Darcie’s profile picture next to a notification signifying that she had recently texted him.

Are you hurt? the small words read, written in her typical overly-concise style that Lois both admired and detested for being so on-the-nose. Clark’s phone pinged again in his hands a moment later, the first text followed by a second message stating, I heard you scream. Is there someone in the apartment? Do I need to come home?

I’m fine, he typed in return, Just a nightmare - no need to come rushing back.

The little bubble indicating that Darcie was typing popped up, and stayed there for an unusually long time before finally responding, Are you sure?

Was he sure? Was he really sure? Clark knew that she could be there in under twenty seconds if he asked her to, all flustered and windblown as she alternated between telling him what a wuss he was and interrogating him about what was really a minor situation. She would probably march around the apartment checking all the locks and windows for signs of an intruder in her sharp well-intentioned but admittedly-overprotective way before forcing him to down a cup of tea and get back in bed. He knew that Darcie meant well and was genuinely concerned about him but he also knew that she had a terrible habit of brooding over the slightest threat to his safety, which apparently included nightmares - a night that he should have spent sleeping and her working would turn into an awkward situation once he had to admit that he had called her home over a bad dream. With a sigh, he shook his head and typed up his response.

Yes. I’m going back to sleep now, he sent, Goodnight.

Clark set his phone aside and switched off the light, pulling the covers up over his head just as the device pinged a final time. He didn’t bother checking what Darcie had said in response but knowing her it was probably either a poor attempt at Sleep tight or Check the lock on the front door.