#especially since Warriors would get all mad and say he hates his step dad while Ganondorf is actually an excellent parent

[wutheringmights]

bites i mean puts in three votes MYSELF. :grabbyhands: modern au :O??

ok enough people have bitten me than I am obligated to talk about this so prepare to be VASTLY DISAPPOINTED by how mundane all of my ideas are

Instead of a war, the entire drama is based around the results of a civil suit that has the potential to change the law, etc etc etc

Very important and dramatic stuff

And you know what? I wasn't planning on there being a tied in reality show aspect, but at this point, we got to do it, don't we?

The Knights of Hyrule are a law firm headed by Lincoln Harkinian, which deals with high profile cases as well as a lot of charity cases

So the backstory is that Warriors, who is in college at the time, is told to help out on a very important legal case as an intern involving his distant cousin, Spirit

Spirit at this point was also in college to study to be an engineer. he and Warriors are distant cousins from the same massive extended family that every member of the Chain is from

I should mention that this family is so massive that it can be a little unclear at times how everyone is related to each other. Have you ever gone to a family reunion and met someone who is your mom's cousin's uncle's child? Like that.

So the original plan was that Spirit would stay the summer at the Harkinian home while Warriors interns with his dad to work the case

The case is probably something like Spirit being accused to doing something illegal at his engineering internship when in reality he was a whistleblower for some massively unsafe work practices

Except Warriors messes the case horrifically to the point where Spirit not only loses but his reputation is ruined, and that's not to mention that Warriors's had terrorized Spirit the entire summer

Needless to say that this was the last straw and Lincoln disowned him and kicked him out

Warriors has nowhere else to go, so he blows his savings on a huge trip around the world and disappears for a few years

When his savings are up, he ends up having to beg for a place to stay with his extended family

Up until this point, he's been a high living city boy (like New York), but everyone in the family who isn't a Harkinian is living in farm country

So this small home town has the majority of the Chain living there more or less, and Warriors has to adjust to having a massive wrench thrown into his life plans

So Warriors begs for a place to stay, and what do you know, Time takes him in

Except, Warriors doesn't know he and Time know each other from before. See here, that same time period Warriors was working on the case, their distant cousin was also staying with him and Spirit.

Despite being older than him, this cousin had a massive baby face and hadn't hit his growth spurt yet, so they all thought he was still in high school

And now that Time has finally grown, aged, and got face tattoos; he's utterly unrecognizable

Warriors can't ever remember meeting Time before, but he also hasn't been to a family reunion for years, so he just smiles and nods and goes along with it

Between his soul-searching trip, therapy, being away from the city, and having some consequences be knocked into him, Warriors has started to get over his emotional issues and decides he wants to give college another try and maybe get into law school on his own merits

And he starts to make friends with all of his other distant cousins, who all turn out to be really cool people

(Wind is still younger than Spirit, but he's still his uncle by virtue of people in his family having babies very late and too early in life)

Plus all of Warriors's distant cousins barely know anything about the Harkinian branch of the family, so he gets to skirt by unnoticed

The entire origin of the AU is the idea of how funny a modern family reunion would be when the Harkinians are this infamous branch of the family who are both extremely successful and a total mess. Rumor has it that Lincoln disowned his kid. He and Warriors get into a fight by the open bar and Warriors splashes a margarita on him. Lincoln married some guy from the Dragmire family (who have wronged our family for six generations now!) but Ganondorf actually seems like he's ok and honestly we like him better than any of the other Harkinians so he can stay. Plus he goes to all of Warriors's school plays and talks about him and Linkle like they're his own kids. Apparently this massive bit of drama happened in their family a few years back and Time is the only one who knows what happened but refuses to speak about it because then he'd have to take a side and he's not willing to do that.

Anyway, eventually Lincoln comes back into Warriors's life because something from the case Warriors screwed up is relevant in this civil suit and Warriors's expertise would be greatly appreciated

So Warriors is flung back into not only city living, but workings of the rich folk as he tries to right his wrongs

of course he brings his favorite cousins with him (or more like they invite themselves)

And Spirit has disappeared at this point, but basically he ended up abandoning his degree and is now making a good life for himself as a car mechanic

[purplestrawberrywerewolf]

Sparring and girlfriends

Chapter 3 of Raya and her brother oneshots. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/31347410/chapters/77516774#workskin

3)

Sparring and girlfriends

“I swear, your brother hates me, Raya”  

“My brother does not hate you Namaari. You know how he is, he can be a bit hard to read”

“No, I’m sure he hates me”

Raya rolled her eyes as Namaari listed on about how Quan hated her. “’Maari, I think you need sleep” she excused. Namaari rolled her eyes. “No, Raya-”

“I’m not hearing any of this” Raya walked out the kitchen as Namaari sighed. No, she knew Quan had it out for her since they became Kumandra again. It began when her and Raya were starting to become friends again. Whenever she would hug the princess or even give her a kiss on her cheek, her older brother’s eyes were fixated on her, almost as if he was planning his revenge.  

Even when she wasn’t around Raya and was just in Heart in general, he would send a few glares her way. And when they started dating, it got worse. He would purposely hide her things or when he and Raya were sparring and Namaari wasn’t far from them, he would ‘accidently’ throw his spear at her, barely missing by a hair. “Sorry, Namaari. Didn’t see you there” he would say almost mockingly.  

She knew he hated her. No, DESPISED her. She knew it. But every time she would bring it up, Raya would roll her eyes. “You’re just being dramatic” she says.  

Namaari walked out the kitchen to find Raya when she almost ran into someone. “Sorry, I-” it was him. Quan looked at Namaari with irritation before turning into the kitchen, making sure to shoulder bump her as he did.  

She took a deep breath before going into the kitchen where the prince was. “Why do you hate me?” She demanded. Quan was pouring himself some soup when he heard her.  

“I don’t” he answered simply. Namaari scoffed. “Yeah, okay that’s why you’re always giving me glares right? Or always making sure you make my visits miserable?” She asked irritated.  

She knew Quan was losing his patience. “Fine.” He placed the bowl down and Namaari’s heart skipped a beat in nervousness. What was he going to do? Hit her? Fight her? What?  

“The reason I don’t like you is because of what you did. Yes, I know everyone has forgiven Fang, but I’m having a hard time. Especially because you hurt my little sister in the process of breaking the dragon gem”

Namaari stayed quiet as Quan explained. “And now, not only are you back here, but your dating my sister now. So now, it’s twice the paranoia” he said. Namaari scowled. “What, you don’t trust me?” She asked. Quan glared. “No, not at all. I don’t trust you with Kumandra, and I don’t trust you with my sister. Now that you’re dating her, now I gotta keep an eye on you to make sure you don’t hurt her. Because if you do, so help me Namaari, I will make sure you wish you were never born” he growled the last part before walking out the kitchen, leaving a shocked Namaari.  

*

“He threatened me! Can you believe it? And when I told Raya, she got mad and walked away and hasn’t spoke to me all day. What do I do now?” Namaari ranted as she paced back in forth in the Heart guest room. Her Serlot Mai was lying on the floor in front of the large bed as her rider ranted,  

“I need to do something”

“Do what?”  

Namaari yelped when she heard a voice appear behind her and noticed Sisu. “Sisu” she greeted as she bowed. The dragon laughed. “No need for that. I just wanted to see what was going on. Who are you talking to anyway?” She asked.  

Namaari glanced at her cat. “My...cat” she answered. Sisu nodded. “Okay, so what’s going on?” She asked. Namaari sighed. “Quan hates me” she revealed. She expected a shocked reaction from the dragon but instead she shrugged. “Yeah, everyone knows that” she said.  

Namaari’s eyes widened. “What?” She asked. “Namaari. Everyone knows that he isn’t a big fan of you. But the thing is, I’ll help you” she offered. Namaari raised an eyebrow. “How?” She asked.  

“Look, the thing is, you don’t need Quan to like you, but you need him to respect you” she explained. Namaari nodded in interest. “So, challenge him for Raya’s hand” she said. Namaari’s eyes widened. “What? B-but we’ve only been dating for a year”

“And he’ll be hating you for more. So, do it. Challenge him and make him respect you, and boom.” She explained. Namaari thought for a moment. This was a good way to ask Raya, and to have Quan’s respect. “Okay, let’s do it”

*

Quan fell to his back with an “oof” before a foot set lightly on his chest. “Too short, eh?” Raya stood above him as she pointed her sword to his chin. The older sibling chuckled before he pushed the blade with a gloved finger.  

“Touche, Ray” Raya removed her foot before leaning down and helping the taller up. Raya groaned as he ruffled her hair. “Stop! It took so long to get this look” she complained. “Oh shut up” he laughed.  

“Quan!” Both siblings looked up to see Namaari standing in the middle of the training grounds. Raya raised a brow. “’Maari? What are you doing here?” She asked.  

Namaari swallowed a lump in her throat. “I-I came to see your brother” she answered. “What? Why?” She asked. Namaari drew her swords. “Quan! I challenge you to Raya’s hand!” She yelled. Gasps of bystanders rose.  

Quan glared at the Fang princess. He felt a tug on his arm and looked to see Raya. “Don’t” she pleaded. He shook his head. “I have to” he took a few steps toward the princess. “So be it” he answered. Namaari felt her arms shake in nervousness when she realized everyone’s eyes were on them.  

Soon, they both ran at each other, their swords clashing and creating a spark as they did. Namaari twirled and knocked the prince off his feet and he landed on his behind before looking up at the girl in irritation. Namaari kept herself from flinching as he stood up again, and their swords clashed before she went at him but he jumped and flipped over her, and landing behind her. Gasps lit up at the action.  

Namaari felt sweat on her brow as they fought. She could feel his anger and hatred toward her through their fighting, his blows getting stronger while hers got sloppier by the minute. She dodged a blow before getting up and try to swing at him with one of her swords, but he caught her wrist and snatched the sword out of her hand and kicking her in the chest, making her fall on the ground.  

She landed on her back as the prince of Heart hovered over her. “Give up princess Namaari” he practically spat. He raised his sword when another knocked it out his hand. Both prince and princess looked over to see who had done it and saw Raya holding her father’s sword as a look of shock and anger, along with some sadness painted her features.  

“That’s enough! What is wrong with both of you?!” She demanded, her breathing getting ragged and heavy from emotion. Quan looked at his sister in shock before glancing at the Fang princess. “I just want you guys to at least tolerate each other. Is that so much to ask for? W-why can’t we have a nice dinner without you trying to rip out her throat and you trying to fight my brother?” She asked them both. She then put her sword back in its holder.  

“Talk to me when you’re mature” she finished before she walked out the training grounds, leaving both lover and brother behind.  

*

Namaari sat on the balcony of the palace as the sun set. She replayed the scene in her mind. Her and Quan fighting, and Raya stopping them before storming out the training area. She leaned against it as thoughts raced her mind.  

“Hi” she turned to see Quan standing next to her. Namaari glanced over. “Hi” she answered. Quan sighed. “I’m sorry” he apologized. Namaari looked over in surprise. “W-what?” She asked.  

Quan chewed his bottom lip before repeating it. “I said, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for always glaring at you, and sending you threats. It's just...” he trailed off before he continued with a deep breath.  

“Raya’s my baby sister, and after the Druun hit and we were alone for 6 years, I made it my job to protect her. Especially when you were chasing after us when she stole the Fang scroll” he explained and Namaari listened. “After everything, even though I know she’s 18 and grown, I can’t help but see the little 12-year-old that was always with me growing up. And now that you guys are serious, I know you guys might take the next step and... get married. And I know it’s supposed to be a dad thing, to get worried about their daughter, but I'm making it an older brother thing now. I love Raya, she’s my sister and I only want to protect her” he paused. “But I also want her to be happy. And if being with you, makes her happy, then so be it. You have my blessing to marry her” he finished. Namaari’s eyes widened. “Wow...thank you, I honestly thought you would fight me until the death” she chuckled. He let out a small laugh.  

“Hmph. I would, but I don’t think my sister would be happy with me killing her girlfriend” he joked. Namaari laughed. He stuck out a hand. “Friends?” He asked. Namaari smiled before shaking his hand. “Friends” she said. “Also, my statement still stands. If you hurt my sister, I’ll send Tuk Tuk after you” Namaari giggled. “Okay, I’ll remember. But we should probably talk to Raya” she suggested.  

*

“Are you guys done?” Raya asked while reading a book. Namaari and Quan stopped walking in shock. They found Raya at the royal library when they went to look for her. They were walking towards her, when she had spoken up. “Uh, well yeah. We’re done fighting each other. We realized that your feelings also matter and we’ll do our best to at least tolerate each other” Quan explained. Raya placed the book down and looked at the two. “You better” she said before getting up and pulling both warriors down for a hug.  

“I love you guys” Raya whispered.  

“We love you too”

…...

“Quan stop glaring at Namaari”

“I’m trying!”

[smkkbert]

Time for a story - Dangerous Liaisons

“What would I do without you?”

Oliver smiled when he took the two milk cartons from Addie and Connor. The two toddlers smiled happily about the compliment. They were at that age to love helping in the house or the garden or whatever else the adults did. Of course their help usually caused things to take much longer, but Oliver didn’t mind.

Sometimes he really wished that he would have been given the chance to help as a child. Only Raisa had ever let him help with anything without making him feel like he was annoying. Maybe that had been part of the reason why he hadn’t given a damn anymore in his youth. If his help had meant that he was only in the way, it had seemed reasonable to not offer any more help eventually.

“Can we get more?”

“You could get two tins of sieved tomatoes.” Looking at Addie’s frowning face, he scrunched up his nose, trying to find the right words to explain that to Addie and Connor. “You know, the red tin that daddy always adds to his special spaghetti sauce.”

Addie thought about it for a moment before she nodded her head. Grabbing Connor’s hand, she pulled him to some shelves then. Oliver grinned, watching them disappear in some aisle.

Connor was only a day older than Addie. To say they were the same age was hitting the bull’s eye quite exactly. Because of that and because of the many playdates Lyla and Felicity had made for the two of them, they were best friends already now. Whenever there was a party that everyone of the Arrow Family attended, they always found themselves immediately. They had just gown up to become good friends. If their mothers had anything to say about it, they would certainly wish for them to become more than just friends.

Thinking about it, Oliver had to admit that there was something very sweet about the thought of Connor and Addie falling in love with each other. The Queens and Diggles had been through quite some tough times together. They were connected in ways that barely anyone would understand. Adding a little love story to it would be the little cherry on top. It would make their story almost ready to be used as a foundation for a movie.

With a shake of his head, Oliver got into the waiting line. He knew that Felicity and Lyla, just like him and John, wouldn’t mind if their families got connected like that. If it didn’t happen, neither of them would push for it. After all, they loved their kids too much to put their own romantics daydreams or their needs and wishes above the wellbeing of their children.

It only took a couple seconds more before Addie and Connor came running back. Each of them was carrying a can of sieved tomatoes in their hands. Once they stopped in front of them, Oliver put them into his cart and smiled at the both of them.

“You really are the best shopping assistants I could have asked for.”

Addie nodded proudly and high-fived Connor. “We really are.”

Chuckling, Oliver lifted her into his arms and kissed her cheek. Addie hadn’t always been the easiest to take care of. As a baby, she had driven him and Felicity insane because they hadn’t been able to guess what she had wanted and needed. She had been crying for hours without ever giving them a pause, and nothing could have helped to calm her down.

Now, it was quite different from that though. Addie was still not easy to take care of because she was stubborn and feisty, and she knew exactly what she wanted and what she didn’t want, but she was easier to calm down now than she had been back then. At least now she could tell them what she was thinking.

While Oliver was stroking his fingers through Connor’s short hair, he noticed that Addie’s focus had changed. She was smiling at something or someone behind him. The slight blush on her face and the way she looked away from whatever or whoever she was looking at told Oliver that she liked whatever she was seeing.

When Oliver turned his head back over his shoulder to follow his daughter’s gaze, he realized that she was keeping eye contact with some guy. He was standing a couple of feet behind them in line. Whenever Addie was looking in his direction, he was smiling or making faces though. Olive guessed that he was either a dad himself or that he had at least some toddlers in his close environment. Otherwise, he would never be this good at it. Most guys in their twenties didn’t know what to do with toddlers after all, and Oliver couldn’t really hold it against them. He had been no different at that age either.

Addie became uncalm quite soon, so Oliver let her back down to the floor. She leaned herself against his leg and wrapped both of her arms around his leg tightly. Again, Oliver looked into the direction of the man, Addie had been kind of flirting with. He was throwing Addie an air kiss by kissing the palm of his hand and blowing the kiss in her direction. Addie squealed excited, but she was hiding her reddened face against his legs nonetheless.

It was kind of sweet, Oliver thought to himself, especially because it was a rather rare view to see Addie so shy. Still, he had to admit that he wasn’t too happy about the whole situation. The thought that even his youngest daughter was now flirting with strangers reminded him that she was one day – even if it was taking two decades – finding someone she loved and start a family of her own. He was nowhere ready to face it, considering that he was nowhere ready to have his oldest son go to college somewhere far away from home either.

Since Addie was kind of struggling in his arms. Oliver kissed her cheek once more and let her down to the floor. Addie still held onto his legs, but she also continued looking at the stranger.

While Oliver wasn’t happy about the situation, Connor seemed to really hate it. As soon as Addie was standing next to him, he hit her. Addie seemed to be anything but pleased about it. She frowned at her friend angrily and hit him right back.

“No, no, no,” Oliver said when Connor lunched out again already and lifted him into his arms, “we don’t hit each other.”

“Addie- Addie-“

Connor seemed to be out of words which was kind of amusing to Oliver. He knew exactly what jealousy was like. He had experienced it himself more than once. In his marriage with Felicity, there had been so many moments that he had felt jealous. Only lately, he had realized that it was a completely useless emotion. That was why he had chosen to let go of all jealousy and trust Felicity a hundred percent. He knew that, if she was flirting with someone else, it never meant anything.

As Connor started crying, Oliver put his hand to the back of his head and pushed his face against his shoulder. Connor cried against it quietly.

“I know it sucks when the girl you love is seeing some other guy,” Oliver whispered to Connor’s ear, “but you have to woo her now instead of angering her.”

Connor frowned at him. “Woo her?”

“You have to be little, charming prince. You have to make her smile a lot.”

Connor’s frown deepened briefly, but he soon smiled and nodded his head. Oliver looked at him encouragingly once more before he kissed his cheek and set him back to the floor. The young boy took a step towards Addie, but she shot him an angry look and hid her face against Oliver’s leg.

“Addie, I’m sorry,” Connor said and put his hand to her back, rubbing it up and down, “forgive me?”

Addie frowned at Connor angrily once more. She couldn’t be mad with him for too long though. Connor was her best friend, and she always wanted to reconcile with him quickly. That was why she turned towards him and let him hug her.

Oliver smiled at the sight. The kids were still so young, but their hearts could already carry so much love. Oliver could only hope that they would never lose that.

“We do a princess tea party at home, okay?”

Addie nodded, excited about the idea. “With tea and crackers and feather boas.”

Connor nodded his head. “Okay.”

“Okay.”

When Addie started getting their supplies onto the counter, Connor turned his head towards Oliver once more. Oliver winked at him. Connor was without any doubt a good boy, and Oliver knew that, if time passed, Addie’s heart would be safe with him.

* * *

A short chapter before the angst storyline begins!

* * *

@fannaz​ @promiseyoullbepatientwithme​ @bytemegeekette​ @felicity-said-just-in-case​ @phanseptiic​ @orangeisorange​ @mspotatohead14​ @whentheheavenfades​ @emmaamelia95​ @smoakingskye​ @seaolicity​ @ourwritinginvein​ @1022bridgetp​ @felicityqueenforever​ @leagueofolicity17​ @yryssss​ @myhauntedblacksoul​ @sherlock44​ @sinceriouslybea​ @olivyflavescentdeer​ @olicitys-castle​ @ofnothingcharming​ @vaelisamaza​ @smoakedandcharmed​ @alexisa1206​ @florence-bubbles​ @addictiontelly​ @queens-of-arrows​ @memcjo​ @hysterical-for-joshifer-blog​ @oswinelevenforever​ @olicitylovemaking @bandanab310​ @mymusiclove101​ @lynslogic​ @scarletqueen23​ @olicityshipper19​ @alex-wesley​ @arrows-4ever​ @unabashedlynerdypatrol​ @louehmysoul​ @ligiapimenta​ @chattyyana​ @charlie-leau​ @coal000​ @samcrowleys​ @ishippolivia​ @julygqueen​ @malafle​ @miriam1779​ @charlinert​ @melaux​ @ontheolicityship​ @myshipperlife​ @wrightainsley @lexi9515​ @ladygreenwood​ @multi-fandom-crazy-fangirl​ @morinamel​ @mje-thomas​ @kebarry​ @canadianheartgirl​ @nannett2307​ @almondblossomme​ @kathrynelizabeth89​ @imdfabulous​ @mrt2501​ @arsipaci14​ @salasvia​ @brandis91 @cainc3​ @morganmiguess @pr0fessi0nal-fangurl​ @iamisalima​ @nessafrancis-blog​ @jonhdiggle​ @niki-is-amazing​ @universed-posts @hopeful-warrior​ @senoritaswiftie​ @bellemmie​ @green-arrows-of-karamel​ @iheartarrow​ @olicityovereverything​ @oliverfel4​ @olicity-in-the-heart​ @fullychippedcreation​ @geemarie​ @everything-but-normal-cat @myarroworld​ @tjmartinez​ @pleasantfanandstudent​ @j69confessional2​ @scentedcolorpirate​ @icanica74​ @tjmartinez98​ @certainmentalityface​ @tatianadamaceno @ryelew​ @wildwillowzepplin​ @missafairy​ @letsplaymurde-r​ @lipizette​ @positivepiper​ @nuttymilkshakehologram​ @laksagirl-blog​ @turnupthemusicandscream​ @pumpernickle93 @onceuponanolicity​ @1106angel​ @jaspertown​ @fadinglands​ @morganashimi83​ @mochababychristy​ @omglovechrissie​ @mariejr88-blog​ @thetaufactor​ @onceuponanolicity​ @speakandseethetruth​ @bri206​ @aglasgo​ @geemarie​ @pineprincess​ @nerdgirljen​ @eternal-olicity14​ @allyouhadtodowas-stay-stay-stay​ @lovelycssefan​ @tsseract​ @flowerandsunshine​ @dcnmarvelgamergeek​ @blondeeoneexox @monetsmark​ @bb-olicity​ @mashamarty​ @rulerofsilence​ @erika-amber​ @nothingmorethanmyotps​ @kayleenyc​ @tonto16 @olicityfluv​ @olicitea1990 @haahaaa2408​ @pattid1​ @faegal04​ @24karatgem​ @wrldtravler​ @readerkas​ @olicity-beliver​ @greencoffeecups​ @snorlaxishere​ @sonothappening118

(If you want to be tagged or untagged, just let me know. :))

[miss-mishka]

The Old Guard (Image, 2017) vs Youth (comiXology, 2020): A Completely Biased Comparison

I don’t really know what this is, kind of a crack review, because I had more to say about these two recent reads than I could fit in my Goodreads reviews. So it will be a long read if you opt to proceed. Be warned: ADULT LANGUAGE BEYOND THE CUT, I make no promises that my words will be coherent throughout & sarcasm will abound as I discuss two mini/limited issue comic series’ that I’ve recently bought into.

They are: 

1)The Old Guard, 2017 Image Comics 5 issue miniseries release, written by Greg Rucka, illustrated by Leandro Fernandez

Main cast, above, left to right: Sebastien le Livre aka Booker; Nile Freeman (no alias, currently); Andromache the Scythian aka Andy; Nicolo di Genova aka Nicky; Yusuf al-Kaysani aka Joe. Noriko is also a related, but not pictured, character.

2) Youth, 2020 comiXology Original 4 issue miniseries, written by Curt Pires, art by Alex Diotto

Main cast, above, from left to right: River, Jan, Kurt, Frank. Trixy is also a main character, but not featured on this group cover. (That wasn’t deliberate on my part.  Since it’s a new series, I wanted a cover shot to help you if you want to shop for the series & this was the only one with most of the group clearly visible.)

So now let’s get to some plot.

The Old Guard is a group of warriors that are much harder to keep dead that your average person.  Their ages range from Andy, estimated over 6,000 years old, to Nile, 27 per issue #4. The hows & whys of their ability to recover from injuries up to & including death, are completely unknown, but the ability can end with the same lack of understanding as it began. Andy has found 6 others like her in her time on Earth. 1 has died.

Youth is the teenaged couple Frank & River running away from their home town, meeting up with the older teenaged, possibly early 20s,trio that comprises rest of their group. While fleeing cops, drunk & high after a party, the group’s van is struck by what appears to be a meteor. It does, but doesn’t kill them. They each get a special power from it & all can suddenly fly.

Their enemy/obstacle/villain:

For The Old Guard, it’s big pharma bro Steve Merrick; his security chief, former CIA agent & the one who led Merrick to Andy’s team, James Copley; and the ‘mad’ scientist Dr. Ivan.

For Youth, this is it.  Bootleg Nick Fury and the government resources at his disposal.  (Take note, this is the one clear win that Youth has over ToG.  I love & want more Don.)

Relationships:

Joe & Nicky

Andy & Noriko

Frank & River

Frank & Trixy (just hooking up to help ruin the actual relationship above)

While both comics have their group dynamics, they also have a clear gay couple at the center of their storylines.  For The Old Guard, it’s Joe & Nicky.  For Youth, it’s Frank & River.  But Frank seems to be questioning, as he’s drawn to his new female acquaintance, Trixy. Kurt & Jan also seem attracted to Trixy, but the relationships between those three are not explored in these issues.  River is most definitely immune to Trixy. So, Frank & River fall into the dysfunctional relationship category while Joe & Nicky, together over 900 years, are #RelationshipGoals.

So what’s the 411?:

For The Old Guard, Andy, Booker, Joe & Nicky sign on for a job from Copley to rescue some kidnapped schoolkids. Izza traaaaaaaaaaap! While the team decides to go on the offensive & track Copley down after he’s learnt their secret, Nile is killed in action only to find that she’s one of the ones that don’t stay dead easily. Andy goes to retrieve the new ‘recruit,’ the first since Booker in 1812, while the guys go to a safehouse to search for Copley.  When Andy & Nile finally arrive at that location, they find Booker recovering from severe injuries while Joe & Nicky have been taken. It becomes a rescue mission for their captured brothers in addition to the seek & destroy goals for Copley.  Along the way, Booker & Nile bond.  Andy’s a tougher nut to crack. While Booker tries to locate their targets, Joe & Nicky are being tortured by the mad Doctor “for science” in hopes of discovering a profitable immortality drug for Merrick’s biz. Booker conveniently finds the whole Merrick operation taking place in Dubai, so off they go for their rescue mission & revenge.  But...well, IZ ZA TRAP! Booker’s done with this undying thing & has sold the team out to see if Dr. Ivan can cure him of life while using the others to defeat death.  Andy & Nile, though, aren’t helpless lil ladies.  Neither are Joe & Nicky.  With rescue under way, Joe & Nicky convince the doctor to let them go, then kill him, then find the others, meet Nile for the first time, kill Merrick as one happy new family, take off for Malta(yeah, in the comics, they’re THERE again), vote Booker off their island for 100 years & then leave him alone to be found by one very salty Noriko - she’s well-brined after 500 years in the ocean & batshit insane, to boot. That’s the first of three arcs planned for this group.  About 160 pages over the 5 issues & not a panel wasted, in my opinion.

For Youth, River’s got a lousy step-dad, Frank has a lousy job; together they hate their town & lives, but maybe kind of love each other.  So River says let’s steal my stepdad’s cherished old Mustang & run off for California.  The car gets a flat, but there’s no spare to replace it & they ran away with no money because they’re teenagers.  While broken down in a Walmart parking lot, the car draws the attention of Kurt, who grew up learning some mechanical stuff, appreciating the classics & is willing to offer help. Upon hearing that it’s a flat tire & the couple has no means to replace it, the decision is made to torch the car (it’s a Mustang, HOW DARE YOU?!) & get into the van with Kurt & his two female travelling companions. The five barely exchange names before they’re off to a party where alcohol & drugs mix to make Frank & Trixy horny for one another. River sees them making out & starts to leave when the cops show up to raid the party with all it’s underage & illegal happenings.  River, such a sweetheart, is ready to leave Frank & Trixy to be arrested, but Kurt makes sure they all get away together in the van.  A high (emphasis on high cause Kurt did some cocaine at the party) speed chase ensues with just a little awkwardness among the group as they realize that Frank & River were together & Trixy only kind of cares that she was pulled into their mess. Before there can be arguments, hairpulling slapfights or other drama over the man, the speeding vehicle is demolished by a meteor slamming to Earth.  Except it may have been aliens? In issue #2 we see this:

After this faceoff, these celestial beings go at it, destroy what appears to be their home planet & create the space debris that hits the van & gives the youths powers.  It totally killed Jan for a little bit, but that’s ok because Jan has the best powers.  She came back from death & can track other powered people without Prof X’s massive Cerebro setup, which is handy when you’ve got Bootleg Nick Fury tracking you down because of the ‘anomaly’ that hit you. Trixy?  She’s got a temper.  When Don Thunder descends upon them with a small army of soldiers, Trixy turns them into twisted piles of gore and metal.  I’m not sure what she did, but it was messy.  I imagine in a movie the squish, crack, snap, pop, burst & splat sound effects would reign in that moment.  With that dealt with, the group makes plans for what they should do next.  Which is apparently, rob an armored truck (can anyone guess whose idea it was?) because they have no money for food or lodging.  The heist does not go to plan because the guard driving the armored truck is distracted so he doesn’t see River standing in the road trying to stop the vehicle until the newly powered kid STOPS the vehicle.  I’m pretty sure the guards, especially the driver whom they made sure we knew had a pregnant wife, are dead.  Frank’s upset about this, blames River, who honestly could have flown off as soon as he realized that the truck wasn’t stopping as planned & the now very strong River smacks Frank into a wall.  This pairing is not destined for 900 years together, I imagine Yusuf would continuously chop off his hand rather than strike Nicolo in a non-fun & consensual way.  But the Youth gang still grabs some money bags and flies off.  While multiple people capture it on their cell phones.  Modern technology is an enemy to both the Youth & Old Guard. The kids take their money & go party.  Alcohol & drugs again.  Frank & Trixy making out again.  This time when River sees his man with the girl, he declares the relationship over & storms out of the club.  Killing a few people & knocking a sizable hole in the building to fly off while Frank freaks out & Trixy realizes this guy might be too much drama for her edgy self. We’re at the end of issue #3 which closes with this gem:

The more you know, right? Issue #4 has Don recovering from his injuries after Trixy’s finishing move failed to eliminate him (Dictionary: fore*shad*ow, verb: be a warning or indication of (a future event)).  He sees video of the armored truck robbery on the news (O! these pesky kids with their cell phone cameras & viral videos) & he’s back on the hunt for the gang.  River’s gone back home to the place he always went to to be alone when his stepdad was too much to deal with at home.  Frank finds him there, because he had been shown that spot.  It was their spot. It’s a sweet reunion where Frank still loves River despite the carnage so long as River still loves Frank with the cheating.  A win-win lost-lost. And our Bootleg Nick Fury has his remaining eye on the lovebirds & is ready to attack!  Jan, Kurt & Trixy see breaking news of the fight Frank & River put up against the government goons & Trixy is outvoted by the other two that they’ll go help their acquaintances of like 48 hours.  The time they take deciding & getting there, though, puts them unfashionably late.  Frank is seriously injured causing River to go Dark Phoenix so that the others can get Frank to safety.  It fades to black, skips forward 3 months & implies that Frank’s going it alone in California where he was meant to be with River, but River is gone. (So obviously not dead, but captured by Thunder who clearly has his own powers because River’s Phoenix fire definitely didn’t kill this Superspy.)  But Trixy’s all consoling and explains how Jan is locating other kids with powers - posthumans, they’re called -  all around the world & they’ve decided to start searching for them to create a bigger group.  Frank says it’s like the X-Men, but Jan isn’t quite Xavier level leader, so I say more New Mutants. Frank declines to be part of it. Trixy leaves him on a nice, sunny beach & goes to find Jan who portals them here, the most obviously “Not X like” structure in the world for their not a Bootleg X-Men/New Mutants series to take place in in the future: 

(JFC, the colors alone are classic Wolverine! Originality. Did you maybe want to try that with this series?)

For the end of “Season 1″ of Youth, which implies there will be more.  The single issues of the 4 part mini account for 125 pages & I consider several of those pages wasted. 

Final Verdict:

With powerhouse publishers like DC & Marvel having decades worth of this content, Youth was entering a very crowded arena.  The only thing it focused on as a lure to draw attention from the big leagues was the relationship between Frank & River, but representation has come a long way & Youth needed more. More story development, more group dynamics, more SOMETHING. Because I read the series in a world where I now know that The Old Guard exists & what Greg Rucka did with that series in simple & overt representation is a master class that Curt Pires needs to attend before any 2nd season talk for Youth. The world, my world, is ready for immortal gays. We’ve seen it, we need more.  If River’s still alive, as I suspect, then there’s potential, but it shouldn’t magically erase all the issues that Frank & River had as a couple.  They are not anywhere near the level of Joe & Nicky.  And if/when Youth returns it needs to focus on the characters that we’re supposed to engage with & keep the focus on ALL OF THEM.  Comics take art, with or without words, to tell some incredibly entertaining & complex stories. Don’t waste the space on blackness & block quotes, no matter what Marlon Brando is doing with mailboxes. Create the visuals & worlds in your head & tell the story with your heart so it comes to life for all of us.  That’s what Rucka did with The Old Guard & I want to see more writers, artists & publishers striving to attain that level for us.  I’m spoiled to it now & you can expect this kind of insanity from me if you fail to reach for this bar.

If you cannot tell by the end of all this, I am completely biased in favor of The Old Guard & if you can afford it, but haven’t done so yet, BUY THE BOOKS! Youth gets points for effort & dragged for everything else.

[head-and-heart]

The 100 Highlights - “Damocles: Part 2″ (5x13)

Hey guysssssss. 

I’m back to cover my final highlight recap for Season 5. After this, I’ll be going more in-depth on analysis/criticism of the overall season so enjoy this lighthearted blundering while you can. :)

To read other posts in this series, you can click here. 

Tree is really out here (as always) doing his best work. The score during the opening sequence this episode was *kisses fingers*

I have to say that I did enjoy Bellamy protecting Madi in various ways throughout the finale. He promised Clarke that he would, and it feels like he’s living up to that promise. First by stepping in front of her to protect her from Octavia, and then later when he told her “we’ll be right beside you”, ensuring that he would have her back the entire time. And that he would be there to advise her whenever she needs his help.

“Now we win.” Lousy shot. Ha. Sorry, but that was hot.

“You’ll never know your daughter.” Good. Fucking. Riddance.

“We’ve been here before, Madi. We were the criminals. The 100.” I get weak for any reference to the original hundred what can i say i’m a starving woman

“You can execute them because they’re the enemy, or you can break the cycle. You can be better than them. You can be better than us.”

I do like the theme of Season 5 being about breaking the cycle. Let’s hope that the writers really do mean that when they say it.

I also enjoy the return of motivational speeches Bellamy. Madi may have been the figurehead throughout this episode, but it was really Bellamy leading the way. He may have changed, but he’s still the heart. He still inspires people, and I’m glad that he got to the be the one to have this moment where he changed the tide of the war. It felt like a nice wrap up of his journey over the course of “Book One”.

“We’ll wait as long as we can.” “Deja vu.” MONTY IS THE ONLY REAL ONE HERE. My first thought when Raven said that line was “oh ffs not this again”. 

I did enjoy the parallel of Monty saving Murphy’s life like Murphy did in 4x13. 

“First we save their lives. Then we let them prove they deserve it.” “The commanders told you that?” “No. Bellamy.” aksqinsks first lemme laugh at Clarke’s skepticism about the flame telling Madi to spare them because that bitch KNOWS that they would never be so noble lmao. Second lemme appreciate my crumbs.

I mean ... I guess we finally know how the radio calls were addressed???

Clarke’s hopeful little smile when Bellamy sat down next to her on the ship was really cute. She looks so guilty and nervous. Eliza raised millions for the Blarkes in this episode.

“THAT’S BRILLIANT!” Me, every single time Bellamy Blake speaks. Thank you for the enthusiasm, Clarkey G.

Bellamy and Clarke are so, so, so awkward in this scene between them but it kind of feels like ... the start of something? Like, they both have made huge mistakes and still found it in them to forgive each other despite it. And now they know how much the other cares for them. I have to hope that it means they’re going to move forward. For real, this time. How they’re supposed to.

“You’re not mad at me for leaving you in Polis?” “The commander told me not to be.” Anyway, Bellamy’s jokes still suck and Clarke still laughs at them so ... some things never change?

“I’ll meet you on the bridge.” That was a weighted fucking look, my dudes. I liked that Bellamy thought to include Clarke. It felt like an apology, in a way. 

Also, WAS THAT THE S5 BELLARKE THEME I HEARD IN THAT SCENE. Cause if so, it’s fucking beautiful.

THAT LOOK BETWEEN THE BLAKES. BOB AND MARIE HAVE SO MUCH CHEMISTRY.

“Cheer up. I wasn’t invited either.” I LOVE A WOMAN

“Your mistake was liking it. Power. It’s the kiss of death. It’s okay. I liked it, too.” Ivana and Marie are both such compelling actresses and HEY LOOK THEY GOT CHEMISTRY. I honestly really enjoyed this short scene between the two of them. They were enemies and yet - no hard feelings. Because the war wasn’t personal to them. We didn’t get many scenes between Charmaine and Octavia this season (or obvious reasons) but I’m intrigued to see if we’ll get more in Season 6 because they work really naturally together. And they seem to understand something about each other (or, at least, Charmaine understands something about Octavia). 

Bellamy and Clarke leading the meeting on the ship ... it felt like old times. I really loved that everyone looked to them for guidance in that scene, despite everything that happened throughout the rest of the season. Gives me hope that we might (finally !) get that co-leading dynamic back in Season 6, especially since they were the two that will be informing the others of Monty and Harper’s discovery. 

Bellamy, in particular, gave me serious Chancellor vibes in that episode. He really stepped into his leadership boots this season, especially near the end there. 

Dear god, please get rid of that goddamn flame as a viable form of leadership. If anyone from Eligius starts following it next season I’m calling B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T. Let Bellamy and Clarke lead, dammit! 

Also ... Zeke looked to Bellamy for permission to speak. Not the Commander. So jot that down, honey’s.

“And Bob’s your uncle.” “I thought you hated that phrase.” “It’s growing on me.” STOP this was cute (and now i’m cryingggggg cause that was Monty and Raven’s last interaction ever)

Clarke taking the bindi off of Madi. 10/10 great scene, let’s burn it now.

Marie in that tank top ... ummmmmmmmmmmmmmm where’s the nearest bucket of holy water

“Kind of like closing the door in the floor.” “Kind of like that.” I liked this callback. Octavia is soft with Bellamy in this scene in a way we haven’t really seen all season. It’s ... oddly nice? Coming from someone who has never cared for Octavia.

“You’re my sister, and a part of me will always love you.” “Does the other part of you still wish I was dead?” “The other part wishes a part of you was. Yeah.”

OKAY. I really liked this scene for a couple of reasons. The first being that I think it clarifies the line from 5x12 where Bellamy tells O that he wishes she was dead A LOT. It basically confirms that Bellamy was referring to the part of Octavia that is blodreina, which doesn’t feel as out of character (whereas Bellamy wishing for his sister’s death did). 

I also really like that, even though Octavia tells Bellamy that she loves him and he tells her that he loves her, too, he doesn’t forgive her. Bellamy and Octavia feel like they are finally on the road to establishing healthy boundaries and burying their dysfunctional relationship in place of building something new. I’ve always wanted this to be textual on the show and I never anticipated that we might actually get it. What they did with the Blakes this season is probably one of my favourite things to come out of the season.

And, as always, Marie and Bob are stunning together. This is a large part of the reason that I’m actually okay with Octavia surviving this season, because they work so damn well together.

I feel like Tree doesn’t get enough credit for his work so I have to mention, again, how beautiful the score was during that scene. He elevates the show so much with his music. In the scene where Clarke and Bellamy woke up, alone, it had such an eery feel to it. I really liked it.

Ngl, my FAVOURITE moment in this entire episode was Bellamy and Clarke’s soft-ass fucking smiles when Bellamy’s pod opened. Like, Clarke’s face when she was watching Bellamy wake up? A BITCH IS IN LOVE. And Bellamy was so soft too ughhhhhhhh Platonic Excellence

“Hey.” “Hey.” HEYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

LISTEN. BELLAMY BLAKE DESERVES TO WAKE UP TO CLARKE LIKE THIS EVERY SINGLE MORNING FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE OKAY? OKAY I’M GLAD WE’RE ON THE SAME PAGE

...

I’m a Big Fan. They’re so fucking cute. That was so domestic. How do I move on?

“Why is it just us?” I literally stood up and yelled “BECAUSE IT’S FATE DUMBASS”

“That’s the way mom and dad wanted it.” I stan my new Bellarke warrior 

“Can I just say that - wow - I mean, I can’t tell you how good it is to finally meet you. Weird, but good. Great, actually.” WHY IS THIS LITERALLY ME WHEN I MET BOB AND ELIZA 

ALSO JORDAN IDOLIZING BELLAMY AND CLARKE? RELATABLE. THIS WOULD 100% BE ME IF I GOT TO MEET THEM

“Who are you?” WHY THE FUCK AM I LAUGHING. Bellamy is so intense and he’s got his deep voice and he’s wearing his intimidation face and him and Clarke are both looking at Jordan like “what the actual fuck is going on” and then there’s Shannon Kook with his adorable fucking smile and his adorable fucking voice and he’s literally a bundle of sunshine and these two people are just glaring at him. BELLAMY, CLARKE, SWEETIES, PLAY NICE THAT IS YOUR GODSON YOU ARE TALKING TO

“My name. Right. I didn’t tell you my name. Sorry. I haven’t met anyone before, so clearly I suck at it.” Reason #2 for Jordan being the most relatable character ever. I, too, am the most horridly awkward human in the world. Step aside, Clarkey G, I think I’ve found my TRUE self-insert on this show.

Monty and Harper are just the loveliest couple on this show. I never anticipated how much I would love them when they hooked up in Season 3. Wow. It was really nice to get all of those shots of them in peacetime, just loving each other, on the ship - especially after how little screentime they got throughout the rest of the season. Also, I swear that Shannon has a mixture between Monty and Harper’s smiles. What is this sorcery?

“Smart like his father.” “Kind like his mum.” CAN YOU HEAR ME CRYING ALL THE WAY DOWN HERE ON EARTH 

(Also ... sounds like my new damn favourite character.)

“Hey Bellamy ... hey Clarke.” WTF MY EYES ARE SWEATING

“Wait ... take care of our boy.” Listen, Jordan. Madi failed me. I’m counting on YOU to parent trap them. Okay? Okay.

But seriously, the fact that Monty and Harper trusted Bellamy and Clarke to take care of their kid, that they wanted it to be them ... is A Lot. I’m excited to see how that goes in Season 6. 

When Jordan opened the window and the new planet appeared and the music started swelling I got fucking shivers. Holy hell. It was so beautiful. TREE WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME 

“Can you see it? Is it beautiful? It is in my dreams. I hope we do better there. I hope Jasper was wrong and we aren’t the problem. I hope your lives there will be as happy as mine has been. Be the good guys. May we meet again.”

GUYS THOSE WORDS FROM MONTY ARE FUCKING EVERYTHING

LIKE, THESE ARE THE EMOTIONAL BEATS THAT THE REST OF SEASON 5 HAS BEEN MISSING

This is honestly the first real time where I’ve had hope that they might actually break the cycle. That they might build something new. Its the end of an era, but it feels like the start of something new. I genuinely cannot predict what is going to happen on that planet. Which is a new feeling. And I like it.

And of fucking course it would be Monty and Jasper (and Harper) who are responsible for breaking that cycle. Of course. This is the best thing they could have done with Jasper’s memory, is sending Monty on this mission to do better for the rest of humanity. And this is the best send-off I ever could have asked for for any character. Monty and Harper have been with us since the beginning. It just feels right that they should get this ending, that they should be the ones who usher in the next generation of The 100. Like. Wow. I’m speechless.

Also, that Bellarke side hug was er nice. That’s the most domestic they have ever looked. Idc. Bellamy staring at the Earth alone on the Ark in 4x13 and 5x01 vs him staring at the new planet with Clarke at his side is the ONLY parallel I claim.

The final shot of them through the window with the planet reflected around them was STUNNING. Honest to god the most beautiful shot I think this show has ever done. 

“End Book One” on Bellamy and Clarke, together, staring at the new world and the new hope they will deliver to their people. Maybe that’s what the first five seasons were really about. Bringing them to this place, where they are staring at the future - side by side, as a unit, ready to face whatever comes next.

Fuck. 

I have to say that I enjoyed the second half of that episode way more than the first half. I feel like it had a lot of emotional beats that I really wanted to see throughout the season (that we just weren’t getting) and it also teed up a lot for the next season. I’m so intrigued by what they’re going to find down on that planet, and I’m excited for the writers to really break the cycle and build something new - hopefully something that involves more character moments. 

I still haven’t decided if I’m going to continue with this series in Season 6, but stay tuned! I hope you enjoyed reading all of my recaps throughout this season. It’s been a ride ahaha. See ya on the other side, folks.