#having a whole army of barrys would destroy the world

[steakout-05]

in love with this new official multiplayer art someone posted as a screenshot in the jj discord

two of them!!! two barrys!!!! i LOVE how grumpy the right one is, lookat him he's so angy, grumpy little guy <3

[skylarmoon71]

Timeless Wells (Flash) Soldier- Chapter 10

“We have a lead.”

That’s what you wanted to hear.

When Iris dropped in for a visit later that afternoon, it truly was a welcomed distraction.

The fact that she came with information was just a plus.

“I’m sorry that we had to excuse your assistant, but this is strictly needed to know.” Harrison nods.

“I understand Detective. Please feel free to speak in front of my security detail. Ms. Yale.”

“We know each other.” Iris explains.

“Oh! Well isn’t that a coincidence.” You send him a blank look.

“Iris is the friend I have working at CCPD. “

“Ooooh! Well that makes more sense. What a small world.”

She laughs.

“Are you sure he’s a genius?”

“I’m starting to believe he bought his Phd.”

“Hey!!”

Iris continues to smile.

“It’s cute the little dynamic you both have going on here.”

“I think so too.” Harrison says proudly.

“You’re just a means for me to receive a wealthy pay check.”

“I’m starting to think her love language is hurtful jabs.” He says playfully, placing his hand over his heart.

“Carry on Iris.”

So she does.

“Justin Hainley worked here three months ago. “

Harrison rises from his seated position when Iris pulls out the file.

“Hainley..he stole my technology. He was using it to sell on the black market. I caught him one night copying the codes for the higher floors. He was reprimanded accordingly."

Iris nods.

“After he lost his job his life fell apart. The tabloids blew up and he lost his house and his girlfriend. Two weeks ago it was like he disappeared. No kind of activity. I checked with some of my contacts out of state. Flagged some of his old cards. He cashed out the last of his savings according to his bank statements.”

Iris passes you the file.

You sift through.

“He’s been planning for a while. His paychecks were pretty hefty. He could have hired an army if he wanted to.”

“Which is why I was a little thrown with the method actor stunt. It felt like a taunt. He’s after something bigger. "

“Bigger…”

Your body becomes tense.

“We need to get everyone out of the building right now.."

Iris is concerned by the urgency in your voice.

“IRIS NOW!! WE NEED TO EVACUATE THERE’S A BOMB SOMEWHERE IN HERE!”

She jolts, nodding vigorously as she pulls out her cell phone. She goes rushing out the door, calling probably all the reinforcements she can.

“Harrison, we need to go. He planned this whole thing. That little method actor stunt was a ploy. He was trying to get back into the building. I’m positive that wherever he worked, he memorized the process of getting in without being caught. If his target was to get even, then destroying everything you built would be his first step. It’s clear that he doesn’t care who he takes down with it. A mass casualty disaster like this, it would ruin your reputation. We need to leave.”

You begin rushing to the door, but when he doesn’t follow, you’re puzzled.

“Did you hear me, this guy is trying to kill you in whatever way he can. We have to go!!”

When Harrison turns to you, he’s wearing a sad smile.

“Barry.”

That’s all he says, and you’re stunned when the shimmering of a body materializes right in front of you. On instinct you reach for your gun.

“FREEZE!!”

You must be delusional. This man, whatever he was, appeared right out of thin air. He’s wearing a weird red suit.

It’s not the spandex that catches your attention, but that lightning bolt.

“I’ll be seeing you again”

“NO!!”

You open fire, aimed right for his head and Harrison yells. It’s pointless. None of your bullets land, and Harrison rushes to your side. You’re freaking out. You’ve emptied your entire barrel.

“W-We have to go he’s evil h-he’s going to kill us we need to leave!!”

Barry lifts his hand.

“I’m here to help. " He sounds reassuring, but you can’t trust it.

“Go Barry. “ He looks over Harrison.

“Are you sure?”

He nods.

“I’ll look after her, go and be a hero.”

Barry nods, and he’s gone in a flash of orange torrents. Your breathing is staggered, and Harrison takes your shoulders, doing his best to help you calm down.

“I-I saw him Harrison all those years. He was there, it wasn't a dream or PTSD. H-His suit looked just like that. I'll never forget the yellow and those red eyes..” You’re sobbing.

“It wasn’t him. Barry was not the speedster that you saw.” You’re still clutching onto him.

“S-Speedster..?”

Harrison nods. Your breathing is still very shaky, but he guides you to the floor. You needed to gather your breath. Collect your thoughts.

“When everyone is safe I promise I’ll explain everything to you. All the secrets, I’ll tell you all of it. But right now I just need you to look at me and breathe. Barry is going to get rid of that bomb and we’ll get this guy I promise. “ As he looks at you, there’s nothing you can truly do but place your trust in him. The man who’d been standing there hadn’t tried to kill the both of you, so that was a good sign. You nod slowly.

“O-Okay.”

It’s been a while since you've been this vulnerable.

All you can do is hope that on the other side of that door, the answers you seek won’t bring you more panic.

[terapsina]

Some thoughts on Zack Snyder’s Justice League.

First of all, this movie was loads and loads better than Whedon’s version.

Now, it’s not perfect, there are things I would have been fine with if they’d cut or changed slightly and I’ll get to them. But...

The character’s have actual character. I understood their motivations, I LIKED them so much better. And they each had their moments to shine, they were each important to the story.

-----

Like Cyborg. His story was the best improved part of this movie. Vic went from the side character with barely any screen time and not all that much to do. To the heart of the movie.

He was brilliant in this movie. Ray Fisher absolutely shined in this part.

From beginning, when Victor had removed himself from the world, seeing himself as an abomination and grieving his mom and being so incredibly justifiably angry at his father. Through starting to explore his powers and showing us his heart by filling up that single, working mother’s bank account. To the end, when he wouldn’t listen to the lies the mother-boxes were trying to spin and landing his ‘I’m not broken’ line.

Honestly I love this version of the movie for that alone.

Whedon really did do that character so dirty (on top of creating a horrible working environment for Ray Fisher and Gal Gadot and being a racist, misogynistic douchebag who shouldn’t be allowed in any kind of position of power and I hope Hollywood finally stops giving him movies but I suppose that’s a whole different conversation).

-----

Another thing this movie did much MUCH better was the Themyscira scene. The fight between the Amazons and Steppenwolf was done with much more weight.

It felt like there was a lot more respect shown for the Amazons here than in the 2017 version.

I mean, yeah, they still lost the box but here it actually felt like it might have gone a different way. The Amazons didn’t feel like they were just gnats in Steppenwolf’s way.

And the differences were subtle but really changed that entire sequence SO MUCH.

Like, okay, so that scene in the end when Queen Hippolyta is in front of her dying friend and shoots that arrow at him. In the 2017 version Steppenwolf flicks it aside like it’s an irritating mosquito while wearing this obnoxious superior face. While the new version shows him catch the arrow inches from piercing a vital area.

And that’s a thing all throughout that part of the film. The Amazons don’t get used as props here. They are warriors here. And it’s pretty clear that if he hadn’t gotten away when he did, that he would have LOST when the larger force of the army showed up.

-----

The aftermath of Superman’s death and resurrection gets a better hand too. And Lois Lane actually gets a decent amount of screen-time and Amy Adams is as usual just... really good in the role.

The decision to bring back Clark felt a lot less random here. And the fact that the characters actually did have second thoughts about it felt more real. I mean, they were literally using a world destroying box to do a resurrection. Stuff like that needs some second thoughts.

Also, I just can’t tell you how much I appreciate there no longer being that incredibly creepy CGI upper lip. That lip was in my nightmares.

And I really did need those scenes with Lois. I needed to have that time to see her grieve, to be an actual person and not just the magic Superman whisperer.

-----

And of course, Barry Allen. And the wayyyy better use of his powers in this movie.

Also that he was more than the comic relief? Good gosh, was that a relief. His scene with his dad was good. And when in the end he basically saves the day by breaking the big rule? Such a satisfying moment (especially because you KNOW that isn’t something that will be without consequences. Though to be fair if ever there was a moment where the use of time travel is totally a 100% justified it’s when it’s to erase the literal global apocalypse).

Also the scene with Iris was cute, though I could have lived without him pushing back her hair instead of going straight to saving her life, I mean the star-struck staring into her eyes was fine and rather adorable, but the touching while she literally can’t pull back was a bit much.

However that’s a really minor quibble and on the other hand I really liked how gentle he was as he slowly moved her so that she’d have a softer, safer landing (and I like how they imply that he can’t just pull someone away from a threat through the speed he’s using himself, because realistically that would probably kill a human instead of saving them).

-----

Now for the stuff that might have been done better, because though this movie IS a lot better it’s by no means perfect (as nothing ever is).

Okay, so I love the Martian Manhunter. He’s very cool, I DID get a bit excited when he showed up.

But.

There was no reason for him to be in this movie. Especially to take away from the impact of a really great scene between Lois and Martha. That scene should have just been a scene between Lois and Martha, and not be ended with a twist cameo that essentially steals the emotional impact of the scene that precedes it.

---

I also wish that Diana was allowed to be more powerful than shown in DCU. I mean it was certainly better than in the 2017 film but she’s literally a demigoddess. She’s supposed to be very close to Superman in power.

---

Also that darkest timeline stuff was... completely unneeded and honestly would have worked better as the prologue of the next movie than the epilogue of this one (I know there’s not going to be a next movie but they could have just released this part as it’s own separate thing then, like a short maybe).

But if they WANTED that scene kept, then IN that scene I would have preferred that they had either recast the Joker - or even better if they’d changed the scene and replaced the Joker with Harley Quinn.

Now THAT would have been a cameo that would have made me excited AND fit in.

Hell, now that I mention it, they could have added J’onn J’onzz to that scene too and then I wouldn’t have questions about why he hadn’t shown up to join the Justice League during the threat of an apocaypse.

-----

Really though, I absolutely enjoyed this movie A LOT. The characters had more depth. The story made more sense. The team had better cohesion and Batman wasn’t as much of an asshole. Everyone had their moment in the limelight. The villain had better explained motivation. And all in all it was a very fun time.

[aion-rsa]

How Zack Snyder’s Justice League Leaves the Door Open to Restore the Snyder Verse

https://ift.tt/3lqZB9g

This article contains Zack Snyder’s Justice League spoilers.

Let it be said that to the very end, Zack Snyder did it his way. In an era where superhero entertainment, and all other branded media, is shaped by what conference rooms think fans want, Snyder somehow pushed through a transgressive view of DC icons like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman that was brooding, unsettling… and memorable. Fans certainly haven’t forgotten Snyder’s self-described “deconstructionist” Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or that it was meant to carry onward into Justice League.

It’s that diehard loyalty among true believers which did the seeming impossible: It made a media conglomerate walk back its decision to lighten and truncate a director’s vision. Almost four years after Joss Whedon dramatically changed the tone and tenor of Zack Snyder’s Justice League, the Snyder Cut has debuted on HBO Max. And whatever you might think of it as a whole, it remains a pensive and superior work to what came before… and a seeming course correction from the direction the DC Extended Universe took after Snyder’s departure.

The marked improvement in Zack Snyder’s Justice League has left some fans demanding WarnerMedia “#RestoreTheSnyderVerse.” It’s certainly a loaded idea. But then folks said the same thing about releasing a Snyder Cut once upon a time. And the damndest thing about the four hour version of Justice League we now have is that it leaves breadcrumbs for everything Snyder originally had planned as a five-film saga—from Man of Steel through his original vision for a Justice League trilogy. Could it yet all come to pass?

Darkseid and an Anti-Life Superman

If you’ve watched the Snyder Cut, you got plenty of glimpses of the masterplan. It’s there when Cyborg has a vision of a world in ruins, with Wonder Woman dead on an Amazonian funeral pyre and DC’s ultimate space baddie, Darkseid, now on Earth, slaughtering Aquaman. Perhaps more chilling though is Snyder’s epilogue, created by reshoots, in which he returns to the Knightmare iconography from Batman v Superman. Ben Affleck’s Dark Knight is again in road warrior attire, and no less than Amber Heard’s Mera, Ray Fisher’s Cyborg, and Jared Leto’s Joker are his traveling companions. Meanwhile Henry Cavill’s Superman looms large as a force of evil coming to annihilate them all.

If you are unfamiliar with the backstory of Snyder’s original plan for the DCEU, this might be head-scratching. However, these are just fragments of the road not taken from Snyder’s original Justice League trilogy outline, as well as a possible backdoor in how to restore it. Snyder recently confirmed as much to The New York Times.

“It’s the fall of Earth,” Snyder said, “when Superman succumbs to anti-life… When Darkseid comes to Earth, in the movie that you’ll never see, the armies of Earth all unite again, as they did before. This time there would be aircraft carriers and Special Forces guys, all the armies of the world would come together, as well as Atlanteans rising out of the ocean and the Themyscirans coming off their island. That was our big finale.”

This vision for the future restored by the Snyder Cut is entirely in keeping with what we’ve previously learned about the arc of the DC cinematic universe under Snyder’s stewardship. As originally conceived, the climax of a Justice League trilogy was always intended to involve several things: Darkseid killing Lois Lane; Superman’s free will being destroyed by the Anti-Life Equation; and Batman and Flash using time travel to reverse this Mad Max apocalypse.

Now in Zack Snyder’s Justice League, we see hints of this with Superman cradling a dead, scorched body, crying in a way that implies it can only be Lois Lane. It’s part of Cyborg’s vision. That waking nightmare also shows Darkseid come and place his hand on Superman’s shoulder. Think Emperor Palpatine claiming ownership of Anakin Skywalker’s soul after the young Jedi helped kill Mace Windu in Star Wars.

It’s why Superman is evil in the final “Knightmare” sequence of the Snyder Cut’s epilogue. This sequence is also almost entirely added by reshoots filmed in 2020, with Affleck, Leto, Fisher, Heard, and Joe Manganiello as Deathstroke coming back for additional photography with Snyder.

Joker even lays out the endgame of Snyder’s Justice League trilogy when he asks how many universes exist where billions die because Batman doesn’t have the backbone to die himself? That’s because Snyder’s whole five film arc is supposed to lead up to the Dark Knight sacrificing himself for Lois Lane (and thereby Superman) thanks to the miracle of time travel.

For context, Snyder has personally revealed the “Knightmare” sequence in Batman v Superman—where Ezra Miller’s Barry Allen wakes Bruce from a nightmare to say, “It’s Lois Lane, she’s the key!”—was never a nightmare at all, but a vision the Flash implanted in Batman’s head.

“Flash travels from the [Batcave] in the future to the Cave in the past,” Snyder wrote on social media in 2018, “but he is ‘too soon,’ meaning he went too far back, also meaning he will have to step off the ‘cosmic treadmill’ one more time.”

The cosmic treadmill is a DC Comics device which allows the Flash to travel through time and to even commandeer another character’s consciousness. Bruce Wayne’s visions in both Batman v Superman and the Snyder Cut are not dream sequences, but actual events which will happen in Batman and the Flash’s future. Interestingly, the full breadth of this plot point was so radical that it likely played a role in Warner Bros. losing faith in Snyder’s vision.

“The original Justice League that Chris [Terrio] and I wrote, we didn’t even shoot,” Snyder said during a Q&A last year. “There’s a lot of it that we shot [but] the actual idea, the hard, hard idea, the scary idea, we never filmed because the studio was like, ‘That’s crazy.’ And we were so insecure at the time… we were just like, ‘I guess it is crazy. We’re fuckin’ nuts. There’s gonna be mass hysteria in the streets if we film this.’”

Batman, Lois Lane, and a Pregnancy Test

Zack Snyder’s Justice League leaves hints of how to restore that “hard idea.” The broad strokes are that the second Justice League movie would’ve been about the League versus the Legion of Doom (hence the scene of Lex Luthor revealing Bruce Wayne’s secret identity to Deathstroke in the Snyder Cut), and the third would be Lois Lane dying and Superman going evil. Batman and his crew of allies would then warn his past self through time travel, leading Batman to throw himself in front of the Omega Beams used to kill Lois… and there would be a radical added incentive to do so:

In the third film, Bruce Wayne and Barry were also meant to learn that Lois was pregnant with Batman’s child. Yes, Snyder’s original vision was for there to be a secret love triangle between Batman, Superman, and Lois Lane, and for the saga to end with Superman raising Batman’s son.

Snyder partially confirmed this as well in a new interview with Vanity Fair when he said about the first Justice League movie, “The intention was that Bruce fell in love with Lois and then realized that the only way to save the world was to bring Superman back to life. So he had this insane conflict, because Lois, of course, was still in love with Superman.”

That appears to be the hard idea jettisoned before the Snyder Cut was even filmed. But was it entirely thrown away? For eagle eyed fans watching Zack Snyder’s Justice League, there is a new scene where Amy Adams’ Lois Lane is making the decision to let go of her grief over the then-dead Superman and she rummages through her nightstand. If you look closely, there’s a pregnancy test sitting in her drawer.

The implication is Lois might be pregnant with Superman’s child. However, there is more than enough ambiguity for fans to see that the larger story threads for Snyder and Terrio’s original Justice League trilogy could still come to pass. Thanks to leaked outlines for Snyder’s trilogy making the rounds on the internet, we know Bruce Wayne was only meant to learn Lois was pregnant with his child in the third Justice League movie. It could still be so.

Read more

Movies

Zack Snyder’s Justice League vs. the Whedon Cut: What are the Differences?

By David Crow

Movies

Zack Snyder’s Justice League – What is the Anti-Life Equation?

By Jim Dandy

While we never see Affleck or Adams share a single scene together in the Snyder Cut’s four hours, it doesn’t mean a future sequel could not have added this detail, revealing in a moment of grief and loneliness between films, a mistake might’ve been made. It might be a queasy idea for fans of how the characters are typically depicted in the comics, but then that was originally Snyder’s intent before BvS disappointed. Who’s to say it didn’t happen off-screen… just like Superman’s Anti-Life corruption that we don’t see in the Snyder Cut, but which is heavily implied happens thanks to the Knightmare sequences.

In all honesty, it seems each of Snyder’s original key points for a five-film arc live on in the Snyder Cut. So could these elements be fully explored down the road like the “Restore the Snyder Verse” hashtag demands? In theory, yes. Technically Snyder’s version of Justice League isn’t canon; Whedon’s is. And there are already elements that indicate they’d be impossible to seriously reconcile. For instance, the Atlanteans in Zack Snyder’s Justice League can only speak in air bubbles (not underwater), and they all have proper English accents, including Mera.

In 2018’s Aquaman, by contrast, the Atlanteans have American accents and a decidedly less dour underwater kingdom. Still, there is no hard narrative reason why there couldn’t be two timelines. After all, Heard returned for 2020 reshoots with Snyder, reprising Mera’s posh Londoner accent, which was abandoned by Whedon and James Wan.

And honestly, continuity is overrated. There’s no narrative reason Snyder could paint his own proverbial universe away from other movies, just as Todd Phillips did with Joker.

Of course the larger issue is DC Films’ current leadership has rejected the Snyderverse as a future for their characters they’d like to invest in. Batman v Superman failed to gross $1 billion as the studio expected, but the more colorful Aquaman reached that number handily. Affleck, meanwhile, walked away from Batman. Walter Hamada, head of DC Films, even called the Snyder Cut a cul-de-sac just last December. And in his own recent NY Times profile, Snyder said, “This was going to be the last movie I make for the DCU.”

So actually discovering what happens when evil Superman descends from the heavens to threaten Batman, Joker, Cyborg, and the rest—and learning if Lois might be pregnant with Clark or Bruce’s child—will likely forever remain the province of fans’ headcanon. But hey, Snyder fans have a precedent now of making their headcanon a reality.

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from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3tBqhXQ

[starcityhq]

WHAT: The Avenging League finalizes a plan to move against NOVA. This time, the X-Men join them.

WHO: Batman, Captain America, Cyclops, Wonder Woman, Superman, Iron Man, Loki, Bucky Barnes, Emma Frost, Blue Beetle, Iceman, Zatara, Batwoman, Gambit, Moxie, Signal, Black Widow, Supergirl, Flash (Barry Allen), Flash (Wally West), Spiderman, Nightcrawler, Huntress, Hawkeye, Bruce Banner, Rogue, Human Torch, Zatanna, Beast Boy, Green Arrow, Speed, Cable, Nightstar, Polaris, Marvel Girl, Wolverine, Honey Badger, Raptor, Oracle, Batgirl, Stinger, Wiccan, Scarlet Witch, and Red Robin.

WHEN: August 30th, 2020.

BATMAN: The meeting was called in light of new information received from Tony Stark, a man Bruce could take or leave, given the choice, but it provided them with enough to make a move. In the recent weeks he knew some of the burden had fallen on Steve's shoulders. There were other things going on within his own family that needed to be addressed and taken care of, but he didn't even know where to start. Damian and Dick's absence from the large table was strange, discomforting, and his expression was more grim than usual.

Also notable was the addition of the X-Men. He'd never worked with them before in this capacity, but he knew what they were capable of. Over the years, he'd built up a mutual respect with Scott Summers and, perhaps to a lesser extent, Emma Frost, but the others he was much less familiar with. Scott was already in the know.

"The X-Men have joined us because we have a plan. One that will involve every person in this room." No greeting and no small talk. He wanted to get straight to the point.

CYCLOPS: Scott didn't conduct things in quite the same removed fashion that Bruce usually addressed people, but they weren't there for greetings and small talk. If there had ever been a time for that, it was long since passed. "All of us in this room have a part to play in eradicating a threat that is becoming so ingrained and systemic in our world, that if we fail to address it now we may not get another chance. The X-Men," he glanced briefly toward the faces who had accompanied him there from District X, "will do it standing beside the League. Whatever ills mutants have faced alone in the past, we don't need to face NOVA alone. We can't."

"Several weeks ago, a NOVA detention facility was destroyed outside the city." His gaze flickered briefly to Lorna, masked entirely by his visor, "There are others like it. Mutants, metahumans, and other enemies of NOVA are being held there illegally. I won't go into detail about the things being done to them in captivity. Whatever your imagination tells you, it's likely worse. We need them removed, the facilities shut down and reduced to be non-operational. My X-Men and I will assist the League in making sure this is done. Many of you have asked me when we would make our move, what I was waiting for. Here it is."

He had the information that Tony would be presenting and he already knew what part he meant his people to play. X-Force had been reconvened for a reason. They could handle the unknown and the half-known. "Iron Man has uncovered something disturbing that we can't ignore. Our X-Force team will be going alongside members of the League to investigate. We expect resistance. Beyond that..." he spread his hands, "be ready."

CAPTAIN AMERICA: Steve looked first at Bruce and then at Scott, wondering what it was like to lead large groups with little to no inclination to speak to the members like people and to just regurgitate information. He just... had never functioned that way. Maybe it was because he wasn't some kind of super genius, or maybe it was because he had gotten his start in the army rather than alone or at fifteen on a team of child soldiers assembled with little to no prior training before they were flung out into the world. He was used to talking to people as just another person. As someone who had to connect and convey urgency. "I think a little bit of context is necessary here," he said simply. While they could all just cut to the chase, he was sure it would eliminate questions to fill people in on what the hell they were talking about.

"As you all know, several months ago we had our first meeting of the Avenging League, wherein teams were assigned and objectives were given. X-Men, to fill you in, we have been working on NOVA on five fronts. Bruce and Scott are referring to the findings from some of those teams. The patrol team, meanwhile, has been discrediting NOVA and diffusing violent patrols on the streets whenever possible. I'll leave Bruce to explain the findings, but suffice it to say that our more technical side of things, particularly Oracle and Red Robin, have been working on hacking in to NOVA's systems for all those months as well. However, as Bruce said, it was Tony who discovered something urgent enough to call us all to order."

He glanced at several members seated around the massive table before continuing, "Last meeting, we were interrupted by Robin coming in with what we now know to be a prototype of one of NOVA's inhibitors, the effects of which were what caused the city-wide loss of powers during the Joker's crime spree. Tony, Bruce Banner, and formerly Princess Shuri had done work on figuring out what we were dealing with and Tony came to me last week with a... disturbing hypothesis on how they managed to pull all of it off. That's a big part of why we're here. It's time to start acting, as Scott has said."

He knew that the X-Men hadn't necessarily carried the same ideas as the League or the Avengers in the past, but he wanted to make it perfectly clear that they were allies this time around. "The X-Men and their X-Force will be invaluable help in dealing with this. For all intents and purposes, we're all on the same team. Scott, Bruce, and I are going to make sure the efforts are evenly divided to get the job done, but we need to deal with this threat quickly and efficiently. This is what we've been waiting for. I'm gonna pass the floor to Tony to explain further what we're dealing with. Tone?" He looked to his friend, knowing he could definitely articulate things more clearly.(edited)

IRON MAN: Cyclops wasn't as dry as Batman, but it was a close call. Tony didn't exactly mind, because he wasn't in the mood to listen to a bunch of small talk when he was eager and ready to share what he knew with the rest of the league. He'd never been the best at teamwork or collaboration, but he'd come a long way from where he started. By now, he was smart enough to realize that there were plenty of capable people working around him, even if they weren't on the same team, and he was especially impressed by those working the digital side of things. They were also the only team he had regular communication with.

He was out of his seat before Steve finished talking. Pressing a button illuminated a blue, 3-D model of the city above the center of the table. "Caught some footage from my suit during a flyover." It didn't occur to him to explain that this happened only because Hulk had split the concrete. He breezed by that point, instead changing the view so the ground lit up in yellow criss-crossing lines. "There's a whole grid system underneath the city. The inhibitors are all underground." He pointed at each intersecting line. "We're talking far. The grid goes as far down as a mile areas with a higher elevation. It was lucky for us that the portion I caught was high enough to be unearthed at all. There are thousands of them, all connected, which means they likely have the same power source."

Changing the view, he rotated the city so they were looking at it from above. The yellow color was brighter along the water. "I also picked up an area, near the harbor, that is giving off much stronger radiation. Energy. Much too strong to be just an inhibitor. My hypothesis is that they have an underwater facility. Connecting underground tunnels that gave them the ability to set up this entire grid without any of us being the wiser. They did it all right under our nose."

ORACLE: Babs sure did have a time not cutting over people, eyes mostly just focused on Tony once she heard that he had things to share. It wasn't that she was uncaring about the X-Men, quite the opposite. She was happy they were here, but she wanted to know the news more than anything else. She almost smirked as Tony rose from his chair, sensing the same impatience in him. Keen eyes inspect the model before them, even rising from her chair and leaning forward silently to get a full look. At the news of the same power source though, she smirked. That's something they can deal with, even if it was underwater.

"Well, that big of an energy reading means that they're leaving a nice bread crumb trail for me," she'd already had her laptop out at this point, and she goes from looking at the model to typing quickly, though doesn't break her thought process, "Give me time and I can get a rough estimate of where the power source specifically should be. A layout will take more time, their systems are tricky but not impossible. Any entrance would help in that department." Unlike most everyone else, she could start her work right away.

BLUE BEETLE: Teddy had been working on the same team as Tony so far, so the news he was sharing wasn’t a surprise. He’d never been the most confident when it came to situations like this, usually his input was ignored or not even asked for. But he had been given a job as part of the Tech group and had some less than thrilling news to share. “We’ll likely need one. In fact any way we could try and get a head of this would be smart.” Ted said, his voice quieter than his usual boisterous nature as he rose to his feet. “See, Tony charged me with working a kind of Faraday Cage, something we could use to block any kind of electromagnetic fields. It would stop the pulses their technology sends out and render it useless in the affect it has on anyone with enhanced abilities.” He explained. “Ideally this could’ve been equipped on someone like Stinger,” he nodded at Cassie, “But it’s just not feasible.”

“Despite having a great deal of experience in this area,” his damn backpack could fly off and produce one, “Every prototype I’ve been able to create just isn’t strong enough to effect the web they’ve already weaved.” He adjusted his goggles, a little nervously and continued, “I could eventually make something strong enough to neutralise it but I’d need time, weeks, maybe even months to make a finished, reliable piece of tech that I’d be confident in risking someone going in with.” Ted wasn’t about to put someone’s life at risked with a rushed piece of equipment. “And… given who we’re dealing with, I don’t think we have that much time to waste.” ICEMAN: As Teddy returned to his seat Bobby spoke up from the other side of the room “We don’t.” His voice certain. Bobby’s bottom jaw jutted forwards a little bit, as though thinking hard on what he was going to say (a rare thing for him) “I dunno all the work you’ve been doing. But I’ve been doing recon on behalf of the X-Men. I’ve gotten a look deep inside NOVA’s workings and the shit they’re doing to people… to children-“ he cut off and swallowed, going quiet while the temperature around him dropped by several degrees, his emotions getting the better of him like they almost always did. He cleared his throat, “We don’t have months. We don’t have weeks. We don’t even have days.” He looked around at the other faces in the room. “They need to be stopped and they need to be stopped now. Whatever it takes. Go in guns blazing get the damn media involved if helps.” He shook his head slightly, running a hand through his hair, obviously agitated.

ZATARA: “That won’t help.” Zach hadn’t gone into this affair planning to say a thing, he was new to the group, one of the younger members and probably disliked by several of the others in the room. But he could offer one insight the rest of them probably lacked. “That one article the paper got out the first time hurt them some and the fallout of that was NOVA coming down hard on the political powers in the city. I’m pretty close to the Mayor and his wife so believe me when I say they’ve got their claws embedded deep into the politics and the papers. Even if we went public with this information, gave it over to reputable journalists anyway? They’d have a hell of a time getting it out in any official way and even if they did NOVA has the influence to spin it any way they like. Doesn’t help that that Nabel woman’s got enough PR skills to make my agents jealous.” He added wryly. “We’re on our own here.”

FLASH: "We need an opening." Barry spoke up from another part of the room. He had been biting his tongue - trying to contain his natural urge to meet-and-greet with all of the new faces that were there since their last official meeting. "We have been making steady process, but without an opening to exploit we aren't going to be getting anywhere. Inhibitor networks miles underground or inside mountains... that isn't an issue. Normally, speedsters like myself or Wally could just phase ourselves through the ground to get to them. It's tricky phasing downwards instead of forwards, but it could be done. Underwater, however? We can run on top of the water - but not through it." He shook his head. "Zach and---I don't know your name, sorry; I'm not the one with the files on everyone--" Barry grins playfully and shoots a look a Bruce before clearing his throat and continuing. "They're right though. We don't have the time to plan things out any long than this meeting. We need to come up with a course of action and we need to do so in a speedy manner."

SUPERMAN: The sheer number of people in that room would have been enough to give anyone hope, surely. Had there ever been a larger, better equipped, more motivated group ready to take action? He couldn't recall one. He knew little of the X-Men, though he'd been into District X a handful of times, but they seemed as eager and prepared to make their move as the League. Moreso, maybe. Their struggles had gone on long before NOVA was in the picture.

He opened his mouth to say something to that effect, but Zach's mention of the papers turned his attention elsewhere. "NOVA doesn't have their hands in everything. The Gazette has been standing against them for months. We do have a voice, and we're using it when we can. Taking direct action against NOVA is only one step. We need the people on our side, and we've been working since the day the League reformed to make sure that's happening. The Gazette is doing it with us. But even without that..." he made a broad gesture with one hand around the room that had seemed so large but with all the teams present was nearing capacity, "are we really that few?"

"For those of us heading underwater who can't manage it naturally, I have plenty of confidence that our tech team can compensate. Anyone here taken scuba lessons?" The grin he wore wasn't at all because he wasn't taking it seriously. He was. He knew everything they stood to lose, everything that inaction had cost them and so many other people, but when he looked around that room he knew that it would finally be dealt with. It was worth smiling about.

NIGHTCRAWLER: Kurt had stationed himself in a proper vantage point in the room - nestled quite comfortably up in one corner near the ceiling; hands and feet clinging him to the walls with ease. There were so many people, it was astounding when you got them all together in one room. It really opened his eyes to just how many people were working to help keep the people of this City safe and to help rid them of the NOVA situation that plagued them all. The mutant recognized only a handful of non-mutants; most by reputation and name alone and others by former relations - such as the faces of several Avengers team members. The man couldn't help but frown as Bobby spoke from another part of the room. He wanted to comfort him - seeing his expression change as his emotions took hold of him - but there was a time and place for that and this wasn't one of them. Once 'Superman' had finished speaking about his confidence in the teams they had assembled, Kurt took the opportunity to speak - keeping his pace slow so his accent wouldn't make it too hard to understand him.

"I personally haf followed efery story ze Gazette has put out regarding mutant relations or ze situation ve haf vis NOVA. Zey are expertly written and judging from ze online forums of various chat groups sroughout ze city, zere is a large amount of support backing ze ideologies zey are composed of." He explained. "I cannot speak so much on tactical advice as I can on my own matters - I am a teleporter; ze X-Men's 'Nightcrawler' and vherefer ve need to get into; I am my Bamfs are at your disposal." He gave a nod of respect to their 'leaders'.

RED ROBIN: Tim listened, knowing better than to get involved until he had more information. "Babs and I have nailed down the coordinates of the detention facilities outside the city like the one Magneto attacked. We have all those official locations." It had taken months to crack their system, but once they had, it had come easily.

He moved his spot to settle next to Babs, pulling out his own machine to begin working with her. "We'll help however we can, including zeroing in on a signal for this new underwater facility." He didn't have too much more to add. He had been so busy with nailing down things about Dick's assault that he hadn't focused on the League as much as he should, but now that he was close to cracking that, too, he could put much more effort in.

BRUCE BANNER: Bruce was momentarily grateful for Tony's focus on certain details while completely ignoring others. It wasn't as if everyone in that room wouldn't have known what happened, what Hulk had done, and Bruce did struggle to compartmentalize it enough to accept something good coming of it. It had though, at least in this case. Minimal injuries, maximum and unexpected information. Not that he was going to take any kind of credit for smashing holes in the ground.

"What you're looking for is similar to gamma radiation, but it's not..." he spread his hands, and looked between Barbara and Tim, "it's not like anything I've seen before. If you find the focal point, wherever that's strongest, that's where we'll need to be."

SUPERGIRL: Kara squirmed in her seat at the mention of the media. Both Lois and Clark worked for the Gazette and had been producing articles shining the light on NOVA's terrible actions. Even though she knew what they knew, it didn't prepare her to hear the details from both Scott and Bobby. Wincing, she looked down at her hands. "How long?" She directed the question at Bruce, Steve, and Scott. "Before we make a move, I mean." They said there was a plan. It didn't seem likely, given the circumstances, that they would sit around longer than they had to.

NIGHTSTAR: M'gann paid close attention. This was her first official hero meeting and she intended to remember every detail of it. Down to the cookies Supergirl had brought. There were far more heroes than she'd expected, many of them familiar faces. She took great comfort in that.

"I might be of some use in finding these underground facilities. My telepathy extends out like a globe. It would be easier if I had a specific person to track." An exact telepathic signature. "But people being kept underground is unusual. I should be able to sense them without too much trouble." The rest of what she could do, the team leaders already knew.

HONEY BADGER: This is the first time Gabby has ever seen so many different people in the same room that were like her! It was kind of amazing if she was being honest with herself but this is a serious meeting. This wasn’t the first time Gabby had been in one but it was the first time when it was for something good. She took a handful of cookies — four of them laid out on a napkin in front of her as her feet kicked back and forth while listening to everyone else speak first.

“We have to help everyone in those facilities, I agree with Bobby. We should be doing everything that it takes. I know what it’s like to be poked and prodded at in places exactly like where NOVA is operating. I’m willing to take the risk so we don’t leave those people in there because they might not have much time.” She crushes a piece of the cookie she broke off in her hand so crumbs fall into her lap. Gabby tries to collect herself, looking over at her family for a moment then back to everyone else in the room.  “I don’t care what someone has done, treating anyone like an experiment isn’t okay.”

She takes a quick bite of whatever is left of the sweet in her hand, trying to calm herself down. “I’m sorry. I’m just really passionate about this sort of thing. I just want the world to better for everyone — Mutants, Meta-Humans, and animals too. Whatever plan we come up with, I want to be part of it.” Her mind trying to ignore flashbacks to her upbringing.

POLARIS: Lorna couldn't help the guarded look she wore, arms crossed firmly across her chest as she peers around. Sure, one could argue that she had reason to trust those around them now, but she only trusted those she knew. Her eyes dart between the people talking tech, and if Bobby hadn't burst out she would have. Still, she takes a breath. It's quite difficult in the moment, not to snap, not to break in, but hearing the sentiment of brute force makes her shake her head as people speak. She choses her words carefully, more than aware that it's possible others here may know she was with Magneto, more than the couple that did. Still, she wasn't about to shy away from saying her thoughts, and if it came up, then it came up.

"If Magneto showed us one thing, it's that brute strength will backfire on us. The short term saving mutants will be a success, yes, but at this point the long-term repercussions could be catastrophic. Think a mob of civilians descending on District X-- people we don't want to fight." her eyes go to Gabby and Bobby, but land on the man who spoke just before him, "My powers work with the Earth's magnetic fields, and metal. Is there something that I could help with? I know how to create electromagnetic pulses. I... can feel what they have. The web, and I could feel an underground facility if I had time," her eyes turn to Tony Stark, trying to explain, "If you can help me narrow down any materials they're using in construction I may be able to get a better sense, too.... but it may involve concentrating in a very obvious area... like in the air above it. Not sure if that's helpful. " she shrugs with a sigh, turning to her teammates particularly. Normally ready to go in guns blazing with NOVA, she's trying to take a moment.

"If we repeat what happened, we'll have more fallout to deal with. The brief amount of time that it takes to get a layout and a plan together is worth it. Unless we want to be grouped with Magneto some more." 

ROGUE: Anna stiffened, her gloved hands folded on the table, but she didn't say anything at first. She hadn't been involved in what happened at the first facility, or fully supportive of the move in the first place, but that was exactly why she'd stayed out of it. Her gaze went to Wanda, as if to see if she were at all affected by the topic of her father being raised at the table.

Normally she was all for going in hard and strong. All the tech talk wasn't her style and she didn't really know what any of them were talking about, so it wasn't something she could offer help on. "Dunno if that's such a good idea, sugah," she said to Lorna under her breath, but she was looking at Scott. Erik had worked with the X-Men plenty of times in the past, but she couldn't imagine him willing to take orders from a group that included so many non-mutants.

MOXIE: She was told to keep her words concise and professional. This was not a time to mince friendly words with others, though she could barely contain her excitement to be a part of something greater than anything she had ever seen in her life.

“Well, first of all,” she started, standing from her seat when it was her turn to speak, blueprints in hand. “Thank youse for bringing me on board. I ain’t much of a hero myself but if I’ve been invited here, that must mean I’m bringing something to the table, right?“

Without another moment’s pause she presented one of the blueprints, unfurling it on the table. She would gesture a hand towards the different aspects of her design as she spoke.

“Sorry it’s on this silly little blue paper. I like to keep things old fashioned, ya know? Feel free to pass it around to the higher ups over there. I understand youse need extra support under the water. I myself did some digging on the currents here. They’re not any more pleasant to the kinda waters I’ve experienced back home. Taking that into consideration with my daddy’s notes on the conditions of the water he had left before he passed, I’ve been working on some deflector technology that could be attached to anyone’s suits, which could provide extra support while you’re lookin’ for these facilities. I used my Heart of Gold as a reference, but because some of it is influenced by magic and I’m not magic at all, I substituted that with a modified magnetic wave field that serves a similar purpose to “Nyx’s Blessing,” which will deflect any projectiles coming towards you on land or underwater, in this case. It’s activated by your heartbeat and breathing patterns so if you sense something is wrong, it’ll give you a small barrier to protect you.”

An anxious grin followed, swallowing the forming lump in her throat.

“But y’know, if that’s not suitable, I’ve got other plans I’m willing to share with the technology team to provide my experience on the kinda conditions and obstacles we’ll have to look out for if we’re going underwater. I have access to all my daddy’s old notes. Seeing as he was an Atlantean, I’m sure the materials would still be useful and their technology is more advanced, from what he told me.” 

BLACK WIDOW: Natasha sat by Logan rather than James this go around. It wasn’t all that often that the X-Men and the Avengers were in the same room together and it wasn’t for some fight. So she was pleased that she could actually settle beside her friend. Since the incident with the inhibitors and leaving Clint, they had been meeting up semi-regularly just to drink and talk. Not much beyond that. Now here they were about to take down NOVA. She bit her lip as she listened, taking in the influx of information. “Wanda and Billy could help those of us who need help with the breathing underwater issue, right?” She had, in fact, taken scuba lessons, but it didn’t seem pertinent to bring it up.

She was also aware of the heightened emotions in the room and she ignored them for the most part. This was a mission briefing. “I’m sure that Cap, Batman, and Cyclops have a plan, and I’m sure it won’t include mass destruction of the facilities and every living thing inside that doesn’t ping for mutant, meta, or enhanced.” If it did, she’d still do what she was told, but it would still shock her. Cap didn’t work like that and neither did Batman. She didn’t speak for Cyclops. The X-Men had done their share of death. Not that she blamed them. Sometimes it was the best way to go about things. “Let’s give them a minute to tell us what we need to be focusing on. A lot of us have been running recon, so we’re aware of what’s going on on the inside. I’m sure that’s why we’re here.”

She listened to the new girl speak, blinking at how she sounded like she was from an mafia movie about Capone. She’d been around in the 20s, but she didn’t remember it. Surprising. “It seems like a good idea,” she said. “So we aren’t completely relying on powers in case the inhibitors pop.

ZATANNA: "I've enchanted charms to grant glamours and certain physical protections before. I wouldn't even need to be near them or concentrating on the spell. Water breathing wouldn't be much of a problem. But," As much as she hated to admit any shortcomings, Zatanna obviously had the foresight to plan in situations like this. Recalling her very similar conversation with Barry, the corners of her mouth turned down a smidge. "They haven't been tested near inhibitors. And relying on them underwater isn't exactly the safest test run."

Zee shifted her weight from one foot to the other, glancing at Bruce, at Clark, at Diana, at the rest of the most familiar faces. It felt less like failure directing her statements to people who already knew. "I can provide heavy combat power until the second they decide to turn on the inhibitors. If we beat them to it, though, I can portal a good number of the people trapped there out."

GREEN ARROW: Oliver Queen had finally managed to return to Star City after well over a year's absence, and what he was met with was...worse than it had been. NOVA and The Justice--The Avenging League (he still needed to get used to that) were locked in an all out war, and it held Star City, HIS city, in a stranglehold. He wouldn't have it. Not at all. So, he jumped right back in, with briefings from both Clark and Bruce, and was finally back in the meeting. There were...a lot of personalities in the room. Some he knew well. Many he'd never even seen before. It was refreshing, in an odd way. Gave him hope that they may just pull this shit all off.

As he listened to the people talking, he couldn't help but feel like people were just...rattling stuff off. It felt structureless, like a city hall town meeting instead of a game plan. But, he was sure that Bruce had a plan. Bruce had a detailed plan for how he ate breakfast in the morning. "Alright, everyone," Oliver spoke up, putting his feet off the table he currently had them resting on. "I'm sure they know exactly what all of us are supposed to be doing. Just give the big guys a chance to speak. You all know what I can do, just point me and my bow in the direction of the bastards who are ruining my home."

BATWOMAN: This was a ridiculous amount of people. Kate was used to flying solo and only occasionally pairing up with maybe a handful of other heroes and heroines at most. Even as a part of the old Justice League, she had never really had to worry about dealing with the entirety of their membership. Here in Star City, however, under this - Avenging League - and now with the addition of the X-Men from District X, it was honestly a little overwhelming. Yet, she outwardly showed little expression - her jaw locked into a sharp frown and her body poised with a rigidness that mimicked Bruce's own. She listened to each person in turn as they spoke up, taking in the words they sad - no matter how heartfelt or generic the information they held seemed to be. Everyone has a part to play, no matter how small, and the only way they were going to deal with this NOVA group was by putting everything together into one solid plan.

To that end, the woman leaned forward - the brilliant red of her cowl's attached wig draping over her shoulders as she waited for Oliver to finish what he had to say. "Look," She began - her tone low and just slightly off-pitch thanks to the slight modulation tech incorporated into her cowl. "I'm rather new to everything going on here in Star City, so I've had to play catch up in an extremely short amount of time." She prefaced. "We need to look at this from a more tactical perspective. Yes, we each have bits and pieces of information to share, but we should be focusing our efforts on the biggest problem at hand - how do you assail an underwater fortification with possible inhibitor technology in place? We still don't know if they actually have inhibitors in place around the power core or not, right? All our planning and preparations aren't going to do a damn bit of good if only a tiny fraction of us can even make a stand." Kate finished her statement with a sigh. "We need plans - and we need contingencies for that plan; and more for those."

HUMAN TORCH: “Whatever the plan is, I’d like to officially unassign myself from computer duty and underwater mystery investigations.” Johnny wasn’t the “come up with a plan” guy. He was the “ball of fire and great hair” guy, and lately he’d only been the latter. Peter wasn’t going to go off the rails, and if he was tucked behind a screen with Oracle and Red Robin then it wasn’t like he was going to cause another scene. Johnny didn’t need to be there, and he definitely had no place in the ocean. That left the other thing. He was pretty sure in all the many many words that had been spoken, somebody had said a team would be going after the other NOVA detention centers. He wanted a spot. With a small shrug, he leaned back in his chair. “That’s all I got.”(edited)

SPEED: His first impression had been that everyone talks so much. it was almost enough for Tommy to try hiding under the table to sleep until it would be over. Although the only aspect that keeps him actually paying attention is the fact they’re talking about a topic familiar to him. His fingers grip onto the armrest of his chair as they vibrate just enough to disintegrate them into ash while everyone talks. You just might miss it if you weren’t paying attention but at least Tommy didn’t blow anything up.

He spent his entire childhood in and out of detention centers. It wasn’t until his powers came in that they slapped an inhibitor collar around his neck and threw him in a high security prison. He knows what if’s like to be treated like an animal and experimented on everyday.

“You should always plan on scum like that having inhibitor technology built into everything. They’re prepared even if it doesn’t appear like they are. It could be in every wall they build.” His voice finally fills the room as he leans forward, memories of his own torture playing on repeat in his mind. It doesn’t stop him from getting a word in though. He doesn’t have much else to add because Tommy knows they wouldn’t like hearing what he would like to do. If it were up to him every facility would be vaporized with the scientists with it.

BATGIRL: Stephanie had five cookies left, but none of them were chocolate chip, and suddenly that was the one she actually wanted. Her gaze darted over to the plate once or twice as she pondered whether or not it was worth calling attention to herself just for another cookie. Ultimately, the answer was yes.

But she was quick. It was just a coincidence that she got back to her seat just as it suddenly seemed to be her turn. Was she supposed to say something? Her gaze darted to Bruce, Tim, and Cass - in that order - but then she shrugged. "...Sounds good to me. Anything that's not circling the same city block twelve times in one night." Patrol was getting a little repetitive, even though she enjoyed making the embarrassing NOVA tweets and TikToks. The one trending right now was one showing an agent reaching for his weapon only to discover that it'd been replaced with a very large churro.

HUNTRESS: Helena knew this was serious talk, and she was taking it seriously, but she had never been one for good posture, or for being a leader, for that matter. She was more than comfortable listening to the plans form around her, her foot slung up on the edge of her seat, chin propped against her knee, messing with the hoop in her conch piercing. She was paying close attention, even if it didn't appear that way. It was a strategy she used often: if no one took her seriously or thought she wasn't paying attention, they'd let slip information they'd otherwise hide.

So she was prepared when the discussion rolled around and it seemed to be her turn to talk, and sat up straighter, dropping her hand from her ear. "I'm with Green Arrow. Give me a direction to point some arrows, and I'm good. If you need to keep someone in my ear for on-the-fly instructions, my only request is that it's Oracle, Blue Beetle, or Red Robin," she dropped a wink in their direction. She knew enough to know that they'd most likely describe her as the 'problem child' of the Birds and want to keep track of her so she didn't take things into her own hands if things started to go south."Beyond that, I just wanna take these fuckers down." She shrugged. "However you want to use me to do it, I'm willing to do. But uh... I do agree with Bat-chick over there," she nodded towards the redhead, "We need some contingency plans. Something tells me NOVA isn't gonna have just one line of defense."  With that, she sat back again, hand moving almost subconsciously back to the earring, twisting it back and forth.

HAWKEYE: Kate had technically led people before. She didn’t love it. It hadn’t even actually been on purpose. Regardless, it had happened (somehow) and given her a newfound appreciation for what it was like to be at the head of the metaphorical (or in this case very big and literal) table. She could just sit there and take direction, but...

“I don’t mean to pop the power bubble or anything, but I’m pretty sure that we shouldn’t be relying on anybody’s extra abilities to get or find or detect anything. It’s you guys,” she made a vague gesture at a random assortment of her fellow League-ers who were more than just baseline human, “that they’re trying to get rid of. This is just a shot in the dark,” except it wasn’t really, “but I’m guessing that means it’s probably also you guys that they’re prepared for. If they’ve got a super secret lair under the ocean, we should probably count on getting in the old fashioned way. Isn’t that like, somebody’s job? Your job, probably?” The final remark was directed toward Tony Stark at the front, though it probably didn’t rest squarely on his shoulders.

SCARLET WITCH: Wanda sat listening for the most part. She wasn't passive, per se, but she certainly wasn't going to interrupt. However, she didn't particularly appreciate the insinuation that she and the others in this room--mutant, meta, or enhanced--were not capable of infiltrating without their abilities. "If I'm not mistaken, mutants are not useless even with the inhibitors. All of the Avengers have been trained to fight by Captain America. As I understand it, so have the X-Men by Cyclops. While it is wise not to rely solely on our powers, we don't know what NOVA will do. Regardless, I'm sure it will be taken into account that powers may be lost." It made her uncomfortable to be seated in the same room as the X-Men discussing the loss of powers, but it was what it was. She was who she was. "As it is, however, we shouldn't do nothing with them on the chance NOVA will see fit to remove them again. We should use what we have while we have it."

She didn't even entertain the notion of grouping with Magneto and frankly couldn't help the look she shot Lorna in spite of herself. Fortunately, Anna spoke before that and she kept her tongue. Whether their reasons were the same was hardly the point. What did matter was that they surely didn't think her father was the right fulcrum for these plans. Rather than commenting, however, she instead turned her attention to the newcomer. She was old world, much like Steve and Bucky, but what she said did make sense. "A failsafe, as it were," she agreed, nodding to Gladys. "It makes sense. If it can be pulled off quickly enough." She glanced to Tony on reflex. He was, after all, the tech genius she was most familiar with. As Tommy spoke, Wanda could sense his discomfort with the scientists. She felt her jaw tense. Of course her child was uneasy. Without a thought, one long-fingered hand reached out to catch her son's, giving it a reassuring squeeze. She wanted to provide a quiet strength for him, and a grounding one. After all, he was always poised to bounce off the walls. And when he was uncomfortable, she knew it would be worse. He'd want to run off the extra energy.

MARVEL GIRL: Prior to the initial start of the meeting, Jean had caught sight of some faces, familiar and unfamiliar. There was hardly any time for any mingling, as it was serious business. But still, she made the effort to ensure her son was sitting right next to her. She had reached over and patted the top of his hand, leaning down to kiss his cheek before taking her seat.

There had been quite the amount of opinions, both formidable and perhaps, a bit disconcerting. She exhaled quietly right after Wanda had finished speaking and she stood from her chair to address the crowd.

“I for one, agree with Wanda,” she said, gesturing her sentiments towards the woman, “Though I myself have been out of commission for quite some time, I wouldn’t dismiss the idea that us mutants can’t continue to fight back even with the Inhibitors in play.”

She turned her gaze briefly towards Scott. She had worked with him for many years as well as most of the X-Men in the room. Though he was not perfect, he was someone she admired and to know that he was putting in his efforts on behalf of the X-Men was worth praising. “Scott is a formidable leader. He is very capable of consolidating our strategies as well as an excellent negotiator. If need be, I would like to echo his sentiments on dispersing us to work in tandem with the rest of the League.

The young lady with the underwater devices does have a point about observing the currents of the water, provided it is confirmed they do have an underwater facility. It would be far too dangerous to go in there unless we know what exactly is in there. If it’s deep enough, they could be using the darkness of the water as a disguise to hide various traps and mines. Not to mention water currents can be as aggressive underneath than just on the surface. If that’s the case, perhaps if there is someone willing to scan the area by sonars, we needn’t worry about losing any additional numbers in our rankings. As for the various ground teams, I would take advantage of those who are able to easily detect things by smell, such as my colleague, Logan and his daughters, who have an enhanced sense of smell. Surely, even if certain chemicals didn’t have a particular smell on the surface, I’m sure it could still be detected. If not, if there are any samples of such Inhibitors obtained, I’d recommend anyone with a strong knowledge of chemistry observe the ingredients to see if they react to certain elements such as fire or magic.”

Her gaze flickered in Logan’s direction, pursing her lips. “But of course, that is all pre-planning as I wouldn’t want anyone to be put at risk in those stages alone. I think it’s important to find out exactly what we’re dealing with other than the threat of a potential underwater facility. NOVA surely has information on some of us and may be more than prepared and if we don’t have the contingency plan, things will surely turn sour.”

WOLVERINE: This wasn't the first time Logan had worked with the Avengers and he'd been much less reticent than the others to attend the meeting, despite not always being the most reliable team player. The so-called Justice League he didn't know much of anything about. He wasn't exactly eager to end up on a team with a bunch of strangers, but it wasn't his call to make. There were a lot of things he could say about Scott, was perfectly willing to say about Scott, even, but he was here because he believed in his leadership. That was the whole point.

Everyone was just talking so damn much.

Seated between Natasha and Gabby made it a little harder to show that annoyance. He'd met Gabby recently, it took adjusting to, but he was already letting himself get involved in her training. He didn't doubt she was fully capable of holding a position on the team, but he hadn't seen her in action, not like he'd seen Laura or Daken, and she was different. Even Laura he didn't completely want on the X-Force.

He watched Jean as she spoke, giving a slight nod, and realized suddenly it was time for him to say something. Instead he made a nondescript hand motion. "I like the cookies. Next."

BUCKY BARNES: “The odds of figuring out exactly what’s in there ahead of time are probably zilch,” Bucky pointed out. He wouldn’t be heading to that facility, regardless, as the recon team had been working for months to be ready to take down the remaining detention centers. They were as ready as they were going to be for that, though. It wasn’t the thing that needed discussing. “Nothing is ever that easy. But given what we know about NOVA, whatever they’ve got isn’t something any of us want them to keep having.” He shifted in his seat and lifted his left hand as he looked to the three up front. ”However you get in, just make sure you’re ready not to leave anything behind. That’s what you need to do the old fashioned way.” Besides, an underwater explosion, by nature, was more easily contained.

LOKI: Loki nodded at Bucky’s assessment. He didn’t particularly understand the issue with mutants versus non, and he wasn’t at all uncomfortable to be sitting in a room with both. He considered for a moment. He had been trying to find out more about the inhibitors, but it was a slow process. June headed that up and he could get too deep in her science because of how territorial she was. Still... if they had some time, perhaps Loki could get Jihl to talk to him about it. He had had dinner in her office a few times and he could tell she was warming to him even more. He could get information about the facility maybe, if not the actual inhibitors.

“I should hope that the Media isn’t corrupt any longer,” he remarked. Though he would have been able to tell if Lois was a liar. “As for what goes on with NOVA, many of us are aware. Is that not why we’re here?”

He looked over to Batman and Captain America. “Your inside man,” he pointed out, knowing it was prudent to keep his name out of people’s heads specifically but aware that they had discussed the concept itself in the past. “Could he or she not try to tease out some information on this facility?”

SIGNAL: This was the first chance he'd had to really see everyone together. The past couple weeks had just been weird. Duke didn't really know how to process everything yet. He gave a short clap at the end of Gladys' presentation, grinning at her, and leaned over to whisper, "good job." Even though he hadn't seen the finished product until now, he still knew how long and hard she'd worked on it. She was clearly proving to be a good asset to the team. He was glad Bruce had trusted him enough to give her that chance, even though that undoubtedly meant he had a file on her now. That had been the only reason he'd hesitated in getting her involved.

"I don't think anyone in here would be useless without their powers," he offered mildly. With Bruce's rigorous training, he knew he would be able to keep up with the others. His abilities were completely separate from that. Judging from how competent Steve and Scott had proved to be as leaders, he had no reason to think they wouldn't have trained their teams similarly, or at least prepared them for that possibility in light of recent events. "I think the point she was trying to make was that plans shouldn't have us rely on enhancements if there is a chance of them being taken away."

CABLE: War never changes.

Nathan learned that lesson a long time ago. He rose up against Lord Apocalypse once, a vicious dictator from two thousand years into the future. He doesn’t know how to feel about the likelihood of him trying to rise up into power again but that isn’t what this meeting is about. The point of these thoughts is that Nathan has led armies before —and worked alongside others to strategize the best plan of action to take.

He might not be a leader anymore but maybe some mannerisms never really leave you. His messiah complex still deeply embedded into his actions. However, Nathan just wants to try helping out not just his fellow Mutants but anyone they needs his help. He has always fought for everyone and it was important to come together now.

He felt honored to be part of the meeting but maybe being part of the X-Men and X-Force meant playing his part by offering his expertise. It makes Nathan happy to have guaranteed a chair next to his mother — sitting up straight while everyone is talking their piece. He was even taking notes and scribbling in his own ideas between the lines. His attention focused on every gesture and expression while everyone spoke. It finally comes down to his turn so Nathan does what he happens to do best — public speaking.

His chair is pushed back silently, only a slight squeak before Cable is on his feet. Everyone else might have spoken while sitting down but that’s never how he addressed his associates in an environment like this. One hand made of flesh and bone pressed against the table while the cybernetic one is on his hip.

“If any of our efforts are going to work we have to unite as one. Some of us have never worked with each other but we’re here to change that. We don’t have much time but what we can’t afford to do is rush in without a plan.“ His left eye glowing yellow while speaking as wisps of energy flow out of it. “While I’m always in favor of using our abilities to our advantage, I agree with the others that we have to put into consideration that NOVA will develop creative ways to prevent us from using them. We can’t rely on just that if we’re going to succeed but you’re all brilliant so I trust that you know this already.” He’s not always this serious but Nathan takes meetings like this seriously and always will. “If there’s a chance that we can make this world a better one for all of us then who would turn it down? We’re taking these facilities down either with our enhancements or without them.” Nathan could do both — he’s an expert marksman after all and also pretty good with a sword too.

Deep breath. “Nobody is useless without their powers but maybe that’s not what they’d expect out of us. I look forward to investigating as part of X-Force. We should keep in mind that communication and cooperation will be a must going forward. This is about freeing those people and reuniting children with their parents. I take it very personally when families are ripped apart, maybe more than most but this isn’t about my personal feelings right now when there’s so much at risk. We know what NOVA is capable of but we can’t eliminate the potential for the unexpected. It won’t be easy but taking down any threat is always going to have it’s challenges. If we work together I know that we can come out on top in the end. This won’t be without bumps and bruises along the way but I have faith in us.” He takes a moment to look around the room.

“That’s all I got unless anyone wants to hear my potential tactics after we’re done here.” Nathan slowly sits down in his chair and his eye stops glowing finally. His gaze looks at who was next with a nod of his head as if to signal that it was their turn.

STINGER: Though Cassie took in every word that people said, she was otherwise slightly occupied. She was suddenly keenly aware of Tommy's presence, wanted to go something when he spoke, but the helmet and Stinger costume meant he didn't know who she was. Well, what she was about to say was going to be a dead giveaway in combination with the (very clear, very purposeful) Wasp designs in her costume. Still, she'd keep her cool in this moment, and find him the moment they finished. "Those of us with tech or no powers may be able to get inside, but it's still risky. As long as I have the suit, the pym particles will keep working for me, and I should be able to get small enough to avoid security sensors." no doubt, since the bank, Cassie hadn't gone anywhere without her suit stored somewhere on her person, terrified of being caught powerless again. Still, the suggestion was gentle as she even began to find flaws in it after a moment. Her helmet turns to the head of the table instead, trying not to stare at Tommy.

BEAST BOY: Gar sat quietly, looking from person to person as they spoke. He wasn't even sure he should be here, really. He hadn't taken on any real hero role (animal rescues didn't count) since he left the Titans, so to be at the table with everyone here was... wild. Still, he can't dent the way his heart tugs towards the people lamenting what NOVA could really do. He knew he'd be among the first to be picked out himself, but too much violence in response wasn't the answer. They needed a plan, and he's go with it, but for now he sat quietly, awaiting to see what those he was used to following would say.

FLASH: Contrary to his normal demeanour, Wally had elected to keep his mouth shut unless absolutely necessary. Seeing all the unfamiliar faces sat around the table had made him painfully aware of how long he'd been out of the game, and how much their world had changed since he'd taken his sabbatical from hero work. The experience was giving him flashbacks to when he was first introduced to the Teen Titans: young and naive, suddenly seeing a whole new world that he was suddenly a part of. AS the presentation started he reached down and gave M'ann's hand a squeeze, glad that she'd saved him a seat. The comfort didn't manage to stop the nervous machine-gun tempo of his heart as the reality of the situation seeped in. He was here, in costume, with Barry, and Megs, and Bats. Swap out M'gann for Dick and it was almost like the old days. Including a really ostentatious, expensive and largely impractical secret facility for the bad guys.

He leaned forward on the table, resting his chin on steepled fingers in thought. "Barry's right, our powers really don't gel with water all that well. We're still pretty fast, but the heat build up we generate evaporates all the water around us. So not exactly subtle. Get us close enough however..." He shrugged, knowing full well how difficult that would be. But who knows, maybe there was someone here whose powers could get them to a wall of a facility that was god knows how deep beneath the ocean. "There's not a lot of things that we can't phase through, and we probably have enough brain cells between us to unlock the doors." He became aware that he was breaking his no-talking rule by a significant amount. "You know, if possible. Not saying we have to, just thinking out loud."

BATMAN: Everyone deserved a chance to speak. For that reason Bruce was silent, his gaze shifting to each person as they said their piece, and he didn't once move to interject. The suggestions for contingencies were acknowledged with a slight nod. He never did anything without thorough planning. That included back-up plans and back-up plans for those back-up plans. Even if he hadn't been a vigilante for as long as others at this table, he knew nothing ever went according to plan.

Once it came back around to him, he was quick to make one thing clear, even though he'd stated it in no uncertain terms at the very start of the meeting: "A plan is already in place." This was a league and he knew that meant collaboration, but responsibility fell on the leaders' shoulders when it was all said and done. "What Iceman has said is correct. We do not have weeks. There is no time to test and redesign shields that could effectively protect against the inhibitors. We do not even know if it can be done. As Bruce Banner said, this radiation is nothing like what we've seen before." Although others had suggested using their powers to find the inhibitors, it was Lorna he addressed. He knew she'd attacked the NOVA facility from a distance with Erik, but that was before the inhibitors had been upgraded. At that point they had only affected mutants. "You will not be able to use your powers. Even when the inhibitors are shut off, they give off enough radioactive energy to effectively cloak themselves to metahuman, mutant, or alien abilities. We will not be able to rely on enhancements, which is why I would encourage everyone to brush up on their training. That is why," he directed his next statement to Gladys, "your deflector technology will be helpful. Red Robin, Oracle, and Spider-Man will be on the comms. They make up the first team. There will be three more. We've split them based on your individual abilities and where you're best suited to help. The first team is charged with detecting and infiltrating the underwater facility. Superman, Iron Man, Dr. Banner, Blue Beetle, Moxie, Cyborg, Tempest, Flash." He looked at Wally to indicate which Flash. "Wiccan, Scarlet Witch, Nightstar, Wolverine, Gambit, Polaris, Cable, and Raptor. Red Robin will be on your team's comms and help direct you, along with Moxie's technology. The second team will be large. There are multiple facilities involved. From my understanding, Cyclops will further split you up. This group will include Supergirl, Speed, Human Torch, Iceman, Nightcrawler, Zatara, Flash." Barry this time. "Black Widow, Rogue, Stinger, Black Bat, Captain America, Sergeant Barnes, Cyclops, Ms. Frost, Huntress, Marvel Girl, and Honey Badger. Oracle will be with you on the comms." He sighed. "As you know, we are unable to leave the city vulnerable. The final team will remain here - prepared, willing, and able to respond to any location at any given time. I will be on that team, along with Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, Batwoman, Loki, Batgirl, Signal, Black Canary, Hawkeye, and Beast Boy. Spider-Man will be assisting us on the comms. The city will need us to be visible in the case that something goes wrong."

CYCLOPS: “It’s not lost on us how much is at stake here,” Scott began, looking toward Bobby, Nathan, and the others who had accompanied him there. It was the kind of fight that they’d been intimate with for most of their lives, a ceaseless monster of a thing that grew a new head every time one was removed, but it was a fight they could never give up on. By extension, it was one he never stopped planning for. A major reason he’d allied them with the League was the expectation that they could not lean too heavily on the abilities that came naturally for them, and that no amount of training could entirely prepare for that. They needed other resources, technology, and just sheer numbers - all things that the League and its members could provide. “We have to go into this with the intention and plan to use everything available to us. When it comes to NOVA, consider any powers you have to be a liability, not an advantage, and in any situation where we might rely on them we’ll have a second option.” And given the way both Scott and Bruce thought, probably a third and fourth one, too.” “X-Force will be going with the first team to the underwater facility. All of you are in this room with the exception of Kid Omega, and the assignment will be relayed to him as necessary.” There were enough dissenting voices and disruptions without including Quentin when it wasn’t required. “For the facilities outside the city, we have every reason to believe they’re structured similarly to the one taken down a few months ago. That mission didn’t end as we expected,” thanks to Erik and Lorna, which he didn’t point out, “but it let us know what to expect inside. Three six person teams will infiltrate these bases, liberate the people that NOVA is holding captive within them, and render the buildings unusable. We are not there to take the lives of the agents. This is a non-lethal mission, and anyone unwilling to abide by that rule...” he lifted a hand toward the door, “remove yourself. We can’t allow anyone to jeopardize this operation, the lives of your teammates, or the freedom of NOVA’s prisoners because you’d rather exact justice a different way. Is this clear?” He continued on, willing to address opposing opinions once they’d covered the basics of what he meant to occur. “You’ll be given your team assignments once this meeting has adjourned, and in the short window of time between this and when we take action, we’ll spend most of it training. Many of you in this room don’t know one another and trust doesn’t always come easily, but we’re all going to have to find it. We have a way into these facilities that we expect to work, a way to skirt around the inhibitors and get one person inside each of them to shut the system down and give the other team members a window. This has to happen simultaneously, or close to it, at all three locations. We don’t want NOVA to have time to compensate or react, if we can help it, and to do that we have to give them as little warning as possible. Execution in the beginning has to be as flawless as we can make it.” And for the X-Men in the room, they’d know Scott’s standards for that were particularly high. “That means working together and doing your part, but believing in the rest of us to do ours, too. I know this may seem like a situation where there’s too many cooks in the kitchen, but if we move in tandem and follow the plans that are being laid out, we can win here. We all know what’s at stake if we don’t.”

“That said...with most of the X-Men out of District X, the people on the other side of the wall are counting heavily on the League members remaining in the city to keep NOVA in check. We have our own defenses in place, but it’s a responsibility I normally take on myself. I’m taking...an enormous leap of faith.”

He nodded toward Steve, then. “Captain America, Emma, and I will be heading out to these detention centers with you and training with you to do it. We plan to be there every step of the way. X-Force, you’ve been told who you’ll have on your side, and you’ll hear more from Iron Man how you’ll be getting into the facility. Your mission is less predictable. I have faith in you all to complete it.“

CAPTAIN AMERICA: A while back, I said that some of you could train with Wanda and Dick on how to figure things out without the use of your powers. My team has been specifically trained in hand to hand as well as with their powers and it's been invaluable in times like these." They didn't have time anymore to recommend training. He could only hope people had taken Dick and Wanda up on the offer that had been made at the first meeting. He wasn't sure how Scott trained his people, but he didn't ask right now. They had already placed emphasis on being sure to be ready to use them as a last resort.

He waited to see if anyone left on the non-lethal stipulation, hoping they didn't lose anyone. He was glad when his team and the X-Men proved them all right by not leaving before he continued on. "Avengers, we've done things like this before. You know how goes. Tony's got briefings on the detention facilities, like Scott said. With any luck and a lot of strategy, we'll be able to get in, do what we need to do, and get out without much fuss and this'll be a huge hit against NOVA. We can manage this kind of thing without bloodshed. I know we're capable of that."

He glanced to some of the people around the table before adding, "If you see anything while you're on this mission that could be useful in the future, I absolutely suggest you take note of it. Maps, plans, et cetera. That's not the main focus of the mission, but you'd be amazed what kinds of things you can run across." That had been how he had managed so many years ago to help take down HYDRA. Just one glance at a map when he was on a rescue mission for Bucky. It had been invaluable.

IRON MAN: It had taken an enormous amount of effort to sit there and wait until everyone finished talking. Tony had to force himself not to interrupt at least half a dozen times, particularly to explain the pointlessness of using abilities to locate devices that canceled out abilities, but even he recognized that not everyone in the room was up to date on the technology. It had undergone a massive enhancement once it was upgraded to include mutants. He managed to relax when that was explained, at least as much as he could relax with frayed patience. "The silver lining is that there's a lot of gray area between alive and dead, for those of you not morally reticent."

Nodding, he stole a quick glance around the table at those named to be in their group. A click of a button displayed a 3-D map of a NOVA facility that had been provided to him prior to the meeting. "All of their above ground facilities are laid out the exact same way. Guess NOVA doesn't budget for style. As Cyclops pointed out, my team, the one that's going underwater: we're at a disadvantage. I have a plan, but it'll be touch and go. We don't know that the layout will match this. We have to rely on constant and consistent communication with each other and, more importantly, Robin. Right? ...No. You're one of them though, I know that - wait, don't tell me." He snapped his fingers. "Red Robin. We'll go over the details later." Unlike the other team, they weren't fortunate enough to have actual 3D blueprints. Most of their information would be reliant on Gladys and Tim and what they would pull from their respective technologies. For Steve's sake, he was attempting to trust that everyone knew what they were doing - but seeing firsthand how the bat cult offered some comfort.

CYCLOPS: “You have your assignments,” Scott interjected after Tony. “Those of you heading to the detention centers, convene with me and I’ll split our teams. Use what little time we have wisely, find a way to trust the people you’re going in with. Whatever differences we’ve had, leave them at the door for now. We’ve got too many people counting on us.” 

He glanced toward Steve and Bruce to see if they had any parting words, and for his part ended on a simple, “Good luck to all of us.”

CAPTAIN AMERICA: Steve nodded as Scott spoke, pleased by how well this had gone. "Remember that it takes teamwork for an undertaking like this one, but it's what we've been working towards for months now. This is the first step in finally getting these guys outta here. Familiarize yourselves with one another as much as you can. Trust that we'll have each other's backs." He shook his head. "The last thing we want is for a man to get left behind if we can help it, and we want to get the people suffering out of harm's way. But this is what we do best."

With a little playful grin, he added, "I'd say 'Avengers assemble', but we're so much bigger than that this time around. Just like this is so much bigger than any one team." He looked around at every face around the table before speaking up. "Heroes," he said in that authoritative tone, because that's what they were. First and foremost, beyond teams, beyond friendships, and their grievances of the past between one another. They were sworn to protect, to save those who could not save themselves. And perhaps there wasn't need for pomp and circumstance for them. So he spoke to them like a man speaking to his equals, fist curling in front of him to assert the point. "Let's get it done."

[dagenspear]

Crisis On Infinite Earths Outline Fix, Part 4

Here's Part 4! This one is a bit shorter, but the next one will be longer again. For parts 1, 2 & 3, here:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Here are the ideas God blessed me with:

Spectre Oliver explains to them the situation. That they have to prevent the Anti-Monitor from being created, and that will prevent all of this from happening. He tells them that Wally will take them into the past and that he will guide them to the time and place.

Sara is skeptical. Emotionally empty and depressed, after she thinks she saw another Laurel being killed, she recalls her losses, her dad and Laurel and how she feels she's wasted her time trying to preserve the timeline, stating that it was all for nothing and that she'd betrayed them for that.

Ray is intensely desperate to try something that will allow them to save everyone.

Kara and Lex, shockingly on the same wavelength, are furious that they've lost, but for different reasons. Kara's pain and grief at the loss of her world/Argo, and now Barry, has manifested as rage after being utterly powerless to even protect earth 1, understanding that they'd have all been dead if not for Barry. Lex's ego wounded at the loss and his opportunity to have victory over Superman stolen from him, he wants revenge.

Kate wants to try, but is struggling with how they'd be able to accomplish it.

Wally insists that he's can't do this, as he's not the Flash. He states that his speedforce connection isn't even a whole one. We show that he's lost the Flash ring.

Jjonn is struggling with survivors guilt, as, for the first time, all of his people are really gone.

Spectre Oliver tells Wally that if he doesn't do this, everything he cares about is lost and uses his power to awaken Wally's potential and has him superspeed into the speedforce with everyone, telling them that he'll guide their journey.

Similar to the episode, they're caught in the speedforce, now Oliver showing them pivotal moments from his life to relay a message to them.

He shows Kate the death of Tommy, and how he tried to hide from his pain by running away, it being his first real loss in his attempt to save his city. Kate explains that she wants to have hope, but is afraid she'll fail at it, as she feels it's not in her nature. Oliver cites that it was his friends that helped him see his future as one where they could find hope.

Sara doesn't know how to keep going through her life, with all the losses she's had, stating that she's used the legends as a way to avoid her pain, but she can't anymore. She's still filled with self loathing at how she betrayed her sister, the people she's killed, feeling that she's all alone now and seeing E2 Laurel die at the hands of the Anti-Monitor was a reminder of that. Oliver reminds her that his dad's loss isn't the only one he's suffered, and that he knows what it feels like to think that there's nothing left to fight for.

He shows Wally the scene from the Flash Pilot, where Barry talks about he's not sure he can be like Oliver. Then shows him himself not wanting to go back to Star City after he's decided to live with Felicity. He explains that heroes aren't just unbreakable and never fail, never bend, that they're people who can think they don't have what it takes to be heroes. That's why he didn't want to leave the bubble with Felicity he'd built for himself. He tells Wally that his fear of not being good enough is something even the Flash can have. Oliver gives Wally the Flash ring. Oliver asks him if he's ever wondered why his powers maintained even after Savitar was erased, when they should've been gone along with him. Wally hasn't ever thought about it. Oliver tells him that whether he believes it or not, he has a place in God's plan.

He shows Kara how he tried to kill Slade, because he thought he could solve his problems with letting his anger and fear drive him (showing how that only brought on more pain and suffering) and he cites Lex as what can happen when someone lets that consume them.

His confrontation with Ray is about Ray feeling like he has a responsibility to stay on mission, even if he's found a sense of peace in his life, referencing his new relationship. Ray thinks he doesn't have the right to ever give up, and that's why he's driven by his obsession to do this now, as overcompensation for what he feels like was his failure, his complacency because he felt a calmness about his life now and he feels like if he hadn't that would've allowed them to fight against this problem more. Oliver tells him that he doesn't have to give up being a hero to have a life with someone, reminding him of the season 3 situation where Oliver himself thought all he could be was the Arrow, but he could have the rest of his life.

Oliver relates to Jjonn about the connection to their children. Jjonn, dealing with the powerlessness of being unable to protect what was left of his people, like he was his family. Oliver explains to him that he's felt the same way, but he thanks God that he hasn't lost his children. But Oliver tells him that he still has daughters, has a family that needs him. Jjonn understands that he means Alex and Kara. Oliver tells him that they can't let them down.

The group is all taken back into the time of the Monitor, at this time named Mar Novu. A scientist who seeks to empower himself with the energy of the temporal zone and monitor the entire timeline of the multiverse, he uses the energy of a dying sun to punch a hole through the universe to reach the temporal zone. In doing so, the energy of the dying sun will tap into the anti-matter universe, the opposite energy of everything and give Mar Novu's form to the anti-matter, essentially binding his life force to it. When this happened, it cracked that universe, breaking it apart into other factions within the multiverse.

Our group confronts him. Kara angry, she tries to deal with the problem and attempts to force Mar Novu with violence to stop his experiment. Lex is supportive of this tactic, but without saying as much. Jjonn is concerned about Kara's aggression. And he and Kate push back against Kara's aggression. Sara is apathetic. Ray tries a different tactic, appealing to Mar Novu's of his responsibilities, but he fires back that he has responsibility to science to see how far he can go. Wally points out how insane that is, stating that his experiment will cause the destruction of the multiverse, which Mar Novu blows off as an unfounded and ridiculous fear, stating that he's gone through the calculations and is certain nothing will go wrong, even after they claim to have knowledge of the future.

Lex decides he's had enough and activates his Lexo suit, outright threatening Mar Novu's life to stop his experiment. Mar Novu, afraid for his life, now admits that the machine has already begun and is automated. Lex examines the machine, before stating that it can't be destroyed (the resulting destruction from it would still tear a hole into the anti-matter verse).

Sara has a conversation with Jjonn about the loss of family, him sensing her emotions, her loss, relating to his own of his people, his brother now. Here we reveal that Sara never actually slept with Oliver before the ship wreck, though she nearly did once, but Oliver was high and drunk, passing out before they could, him thinking they did, and that afterward Sara hated herself so much she let Laurel think she had and Oliver as well, also revealing that her mom didn't know she was going to be with Oliver when she left to get on the Queen's Gambit. And when Ray begins to talk to Sara about about letting those you care about drive you, Sara relates herself to Mar Novu, and is able to realize that he had a family and that the Anti-Monitor killed them (his loss driving him going after the Anti-Monitor), which she tells Mar Novu will happen, and with the drive realizing that it would cost him his family, he pushes himself harder to figure out how to deactivate the experiment, understanding that while it can't be deactivated, they can still keep it from punching the hole to the antimatter universe and forming the antimatter by somehow depleting the energy output of the energy source of the machine, which is a sun. Ray suggests minimizing the energy output by shrinking the energy output of the sun long enough for the machine's activation to complete. Mar Novu agrees that it could work.

Mar Novu takes a moment with his family, which Kara takes in.

They prepare, but the Anti-Monitor from the future has tracked them through the temporal zone and attacks, with his army of shadow creatures. Sara, beginning to see what she's fighting for when she sees the lives of Mar Novu's family threatened, puts herself between them and the Anti-Monitor, stating that those she loves wouldn't want her to give up, that to do that would be to fail her sister again, fail her family, and to honor them, she never will fail them, for Laurel, for her dad, she'll fight until her last breath.

Here we learn more about the Anti-Monitor, in that he's jealous and hates that Mar Novu had a family, had a life, a universe, a multiverse, seeing him as nothing but a reflection of his futility, of a multiverse of endless possibilities, while he had none of those possibilities and so he allowed himself to become consumed by the hatred of Mar Novu and sought to destroy every ounce of him, his family, his, in his mind, futile multiverse, to instead replace it with a single, perfect antimatter universe that was all his own.

The Anti-Monitor beats Sara, badly, nearly killing her, reminding her of how alone she is, but is stopped by Spectre Oliver, who tells him that she's far from alone.

Spectre Oliver and the Anti-Monitor engage in battle.

The shadow creatures attack Mar Novu, Wally, Ray, Jjonn and Kara. Wally superspeeds around them, creating a lightning blockade that barely is keeping out the shadow creatures. They begin tearing at it, slashing at Wally, who can't keep it going.

Kate, after convincing Lex to give her the harmonic frequencies of the pulse Lex used to separate the shadow creatures from control and work out how to reverse it, she, much to Lex's anger and opposition, uses the reversed pulse to draw the shadow creatures, now, to her and away from the others.

Ray uses his tech to shrink the energy output. Mar Novu takes on the remaining energy to close the circuit, Kara stopping him and taking it on for him, rather than let him die, telling him that he has a family to look after and to go get them out of here, to safety. The machine's energy output is minimized, the antimatter portal is never created. The mission is a success.

The Anti-Monitor is enraged. His link to the antimatter universe is severed. He lashes it out, throwing all of his remaining anti-matter energy at Spectre Oliver, who then absorbs it, and with a simple confident smile, Spectre Oliver tells him that that's exactly what he needed, then using the energy the Anti-Monitor threw at him, Spectre Oliver creates a link between their energies, absorbing it, grabbing the Anti-Monitor's head, drawing out his energy through his eyes and mouth, filling himself with that energy, then negating it. Oliver tells Anti-Monitor, "You have failed this universe!" and then lifts up his head, releasing the negated antimatter energy up into the sky, it healing the cracks between the multiverse, reaching the remaining universes, them all coalescing together, the energy causing an explosion between himself and the Anti-Monitor.

Jjonn Jones is the first there, taking Sara with him. He sees the badly damaged Anti-Monitor, reading his mind just before he teleports away.

The shadow creatures having disappeared away from Kate and Lex as well.

Kara drops to floor, unconscious from exhaustion. Ray Palmer taking off his helmet and picking her up, like Superman held Supergirl's body in the Crisis On Infinite Earths comic.

Oliver lies on the ground, the energy beginning to consume him. Jjonn takes Sara to Oliver. Sara is there, holding his hand as Oliver tells her that it's okay. This isn't an end, but a beginning, telling her they'll see eachother again, that this is God's perfect plan and it's always been his destiny to fulfill it, as he has now been redeemed by God. The energy within Oliver consumes him entirely, him disappearing in energy dust, Sara's hand slipping through the dust. Sara cries.

Kara awakens, going to check on Kate, then her and the others emerging to see the green energy of the Spectre filling the sky, and Oliver gone. They all look up at the sky in shock, as the energy gets brighter and brighter, then consuming them all, as we cut to...

TO BE CONTINUED...

END OF PART FOUR.

Please review and tell me what you think!

[6rookie-writer0110]

It's over, we are your new rulers

Kara Danvers/Over girl x Male Reader

Request- Loved the dark Carol story. I had this idea that the reader is a King of an whole Empire and he also wants the infinite stones. At the end of Endgame he comes with his own huge ship and whole army to claim them. His Queen is Kara (like with a black suite. Like overgirl.) Carol things she can take him but Kara is his wife and also bodyguard and she is much stronger then Carol. Can you do like a cool battle and the reader gets all stones at the end and conquers the earth and they have to surrender

Alex’s world has turned upside down. She is feeling angry and hurt because her sister Kara is now a villain. She has tried everything to get Kara to become good again. Kara is far gone and is married to you. Alex has been asking for help to save Kara because of even Barry and Oliver couldn't save her. J'onn knows Nick Fury and he told the problem about supergirl. Nick sent Carol Danvers to meet up with Alex and J'onn. They told Carol what is going on. Your picture shows up on the screen.

”Who is that?” Carol asked.

”His name is Y/N and he rules an empire so he is the king and Kara is the queen. He is very strong, cocky bastard and my sister married him. I don't know what happened between them that made her go evil. I need you to keep Y/N busy while I try to get close to Kara” Alex said.

”Okay. We need to come up with a would agenda of what will happen if you can't save your sister” Carol said.

”I will save her,” Alex said.

Carol didn't say anything. Now they talk about a plan.

~Outer Space~

You are on your ship and Kara walked in the room. You kiss her and she is happy being with you.

”I have a gift for you,” You said.

”What is it?” Kara asked.

You take out a box and give it to her.

”I thought, you can use a new suit. I got this made just for you” You said.

She opened the box and takes out the new suit. She loves it and she has a big smile on her face. The new suit is black and red. She hugged you and kissed you passionately.

”I love it so much, Y/N. I'm going to put it on right now” Kara said.

You smiled at her.

”Can’t wait to see it” You said.

You wait for her. Once she came out wearing the new suit, you smiled at her.

”You look so beautiful,” You said.

”I love the suit even more,” Kara said.

”Come, we have a lot to talk about,” You said.

You and Kara hold hands and walked towards the control room. You turn on hologram and the infinite stones showed up.

”What are those?” Kara asked.

”Those are called the Infinity Stones. There are six, each can control something different like Space, Time, Power, Reality, Mind, and Soul. With those Infinity Stones, we will rule the universe and we will be unstoppable. Think about it, we will own all six stones and we can do whatever we want. Let's them together” You said.

”Yes! Let's get the stones together. I know no one will stop us. If they think they can stop let them, I don't mind improving my skills” Kara said.

”I love it when you talk like that. I know where we can get them” You said.

”Where?” Kara asked.

”Earth,” You said.

” Let's pay a visit to some old friends,” Kara said.

She starts to kiss you.

--------------------------

Carol explained what the Infinity Stones can do. The plan is to get the stones and stop you and Kara. Now Carol and Alex have all the stones together.

”Will the stones really stop him for good?” Alex asked.

”Yes. These stones are the most powerful items in the universe, anyone will do anything to get these stones. Let's get ready” Carol said.

Alex starts to get ready and her mind is racing.

”Alex, we will get Kara back and he will be gone for good” J’onn said.

”I really hope so. I miss her so much, we all do. I want him to suffer for taking Kara away from us” Alex said.

”He will pay for everything,” J’onn said.

Suddenly, everyone can see a giant spaceship arriving.

Everyone sees you and Kara get out of the ship. Alex glared at you and everyone gets ready.

”Give us the stone or we will take it by force,” You said.

”Do you think we will give up that easily?” Carol said.

You shrug your shoulders.

”You know what it doesn't matter, give in or fight back. Either way, all of you will now down to us” You said.

J’onn has the gauntlet where are all the stones are. Your army is standing behind you and Kara. Carol thinks she can take you on. You smirked at Alex, you know she hates you with a passion.

Carol went straight towards you but Kara stepped in. Kara punched Carol and she hit the ground hard. Carol used flight and she went straight towards Kara. Carol was going to punch Kara but she grabbed Carol’s fist then used headbutt on Carol. Then Carol hits the ground and Kara just smirked at her. Carol starts to use photon blasts then Kara used heat vision and she starts to walk towards Carol.

Before Carol can do another attack then Kara distracted her by using ice breath then she punched Carol in the face.

”Do you think it would be that easy?” Kara said.

Carol stands up.

”I’m just getting started,” Carol said.

Kara smirked.

”Good, because I'm in the mood for a fight,” Kara said.

”Tell me, Alex don't you think your sister looks amazing in her new suit,” You said.

”Y/N I will make you pay,” Alex said.

”ATTACK!” You yelled.

Barry and Oliver arrived with their own army. Now the war has started. You used flight to catch up to Alex but Barry stepped in. He thought he would easily stop you, by running in a circle but you can see him. You grabbed him by the throat and you start to squeeze.

”This won't end well, for you or your friends,” You said.

You threw him across the field.

Kara is fighting against Carol, Oliver, J’onn, and Sara. Kara just laughed at them when she starts to fight them.

”I'm not even tired. But I do thank all of you giving me a workout” Kara said.

Oliver got and shot an arrow at Kara, but she used her heat vision to destroy it. Then you arrived and stand next to her.

”Having fun my dear?” You said.

”I'm not breaking a sweat. But it's cute, they think they can stop me” Kara said.

”We will stop you. Kara this isn't you. You cared about saving people and giving hope to others. He is just using you, soon he will leave you” Sara said.

”I have proved my love for her. She knows I won't leave her” You said.

”Y/N, you don't have to explain yourself I know you love me. How about we defeat them then grab the stones” Kara said.

”Oh, you are so perfect,” You said.

Ray, Sara, and Carol tried to hit Kara at the same time but she punched Ray then threw him against Sara and Carol. Then used ice breath to stop Mick using his flame gun. You have your boot on Oliver's throat and you are choking him.

”You truly look amazing in that suit. Later, we will have a feast” You said.

Kara punched J’onn and blocked his kicks.

”This suit is so much better than my old outfit. Come on, guys this fight is getting so predictable. Y/N I'm getting bored and they are not any fun” Kara said.

You sigh. Then you kicked Oliver in the face.

”Yeah, you are right this fight is getting predictable,” You said.

Sara was going to do a high kick on you but you dodged her attack. Then you punched J’onn in the stomach.

-----------------------

You and Kara stand in front of Alex and she has the Gauntlet.

”Give it up, Alex. Look around there is no way you will win,” You said.

”I won't give up on saving my sister and killing you,” Alex said.

”I like that attitude of yours. But you are getting on my nerves” You said.

You were going to attack Alex but Carol stopped you. Kara was going to stop Carol but you stopped Kara.

”No, my love. This time I will fight her just get the stones” You said.

”Piece of cake,” Kara said.

Alex threw the Gauntlet at Carol. Now you are going after Carol and Alex will try to stop Kara. Alex has Kryptonite and she will use it on Kara. J’onn and Clark tried to hold Kara down so that Alex can use the Kryptonite on Kara.

”You guys are pathetic,” Kara said.

She slammed J’onn and Clark against each other.

You and Carol glared at each other. You and Carol charged at each other, you and Carol used the same move going to use a punch but the vibration was strong that caused you and Carol to fall back.

Carol ran towards you then used a high kick to your face. But the attack didn't hurt you. You spit out the blood and she thought it would make you fall. You grabbed her leg fast then punched her in the stomach.

You have many different abilities. Your hands into fits and an energy source surrounded your hands.

”Tonight everyone on earth will bow down to me,” You said.

”Over my dead body,” Carol said.

”I can make that happen,” You said.

You have a higher endurance then Carol. It will take so much longer for you to get tired.

She used flight and you went after her. She tried to punch you but you caught her fist. Then you grabbed her throat and you slammed her against the ground extremely hard that it caused a small earthquake. She let's go of the gauntlet then you grabbed it. Clark used heat vision to stop you but you used heat vision also. Clark is using all his force, you and Clark start to walk while using what vision. You used energy projection to attack. He falls down before Barry can use lighting attacks on you or before anyone can attack you.

You put on the gauntlet and everybody felt a powerful energy wave. You feel the power of the stones and you have a sinister smile. Kara kissed you and you kiss her back.

”No one will stop us,” You said.

She gently touches your cheek.

”Let’s rule the universe as we planned,” Kara said.

She kissed you passionately in front of everyone.

Kara walked towards Alex and looks down at her sister.

”I told you, big sister, no one will stop us. But it was cute that you thought you can stop me or him” Kara said.

”What happened to you,” Alex said.

Kara laughed and walked away.

--------------

Time went by, many heroes tried to stop you or Kara but they have all failed. You still hold the stones now you and Kara are planning to have kids. Alex hasn't given up to save Kara or to kill you.

[f4liveblogarchives]

Fantastic Four Vol. 1 Annual 1977

Tues Aug 27 2019 [12:59 AM] Wack'd: We open with Johnny testing an experimental racecar [12:59 AM] maxwellelvis: As he does [01:00 AM] Wack'd: Truly life is a hurricane here in...*checks notes*...Nassau County [01:00 AM] Wack'd: So Crystal and Lockjaw materialize in the backseat of the car and snatch Johnny away on some urgent business [01:01 AM] Wack'd: Poor Ted, who is the guy who designed this racecar! I feel bad for him despite the fact that he doesn't even rate a mention on Marvel Wiki [01:01 AM] KarkatTheDalek: That's another reason to feel bad for him, I think [01:02 AM] KarkatTheDalek: What must it be like to be a near complete non-entity... [01:02 AM] Wack'd: Marv Wolfman has apparently decided that Lockjaw's bark sounds like "wurf" and therefore his teleportation is called "wurfing". I agree with both these decisions [01:02 AM] KarkatTheDalek: That's amazing [01:03 AM] KarkatTheDalek: Who needs *BAMF* when you have wurf [01:03 AM] Bocaj: Amaze [01:03 AM] Wack'd: So the Great Refuge has been conquered! Again! Every goddamn week, with these people [01:03 AM] Wack'd: Sure

[01:04 AM] maxwellelvis: Is that one of the yetis? [01:04 AM] Wack'd: I...don't think so? I hope not [01:05 AM] Wack'd: He's a one-off villain from the Inhumans book [01:05 AM] Wack'd: He never appears again after this [01:05 AM] Wack'd: Johnny blows up his gun but he has a force field, which is very good [01:06 AM] Wack'd: Also apparently Crystal can now call down lightning from the sky like she's Storm or something [01:06 AM] Wack'd: Also tornadoes! She has definitely been confused for Storm [01:06 AM] Bocaj: tornadoes is just air [01:06 AM] Wack'd: Not that this does any good. It's a really good force field you guys [01:07 AM] Wack'd: Honestly, like. He would have to just sit in there forever, I think? Not really conducive to ruling a city. [01:07 AM] Wack'd: Maybe he can move the force field around, I dunno [01:08 AM] maxwellelvis: Somebody get some club soda! [01:08 AM] Wack'd: Meanwhile in Hollywood a Fantastic Four movie is being made. It is going poorly [01:09 AM] Wack'd: Sue is irritated that the actress playing her looks nothing like her and is wearing a low-cut bathing suit. Ben is irritated he's been replaced by a giant robot [01:09 AM] Wack'd: Reed is irritated Johnny's been written out because the effects are too expensive [01:10 AM] maxwellelvis: Somewhere, Jessica Alba and Carl Ciarfalio feel insulted. So does HERBIE. And none are sure why. [01:10 AM] Wack'd: And in case you're wondering the Fantastic Four cartoon series that couldn't get the rights to Johnny because they were tangled up in a movie deal had entered production at roughly this time [01:10 AM] maxwellelvis: Spooky [01:10 AM] Wack'd: Or, you know [01:10 AM] Wack'd: People at Marvel knew what was up [01:11 AM] Wack'd: Seems more likely than precognition [01:11 AM] Wack'd: Why do I feel like this guy is a parody of someone specific?

[01:12 AM] maxwellelvis: Dino. [01:12 AM] maxwellelvis: That's who. [01:13 AM] Wack'd: ...from The Flintstones? [01:13 AM] maxwellelvis: The robot, the accent, the emphasis on gimmicks [01:13 AM] maxwellelvis: DeLaurentiis. [01:14 AM] Wack'd: Oooooh [01:14 AM] Wack'd: Brainfart [01:14 AM] maxwellelvis: and of course, the glasses [01:14 AM] Wack'd: I know of him by vague reputation but was unaware of his...peculiarities [01:15 AM] maxwellelvis: The onion smell, I thought was a reference to SenSurround, but I don't know if he had anything to do with *Earthquake!* [01:16 AM] maxwellelvis: But he was an odd man. [01:16 AM] Wack'd: Anyway the giant Thing robot goes berserk. Who could've seen this coming [01:17 AM] Wack'd: Oh hey at least one person can be proven to have liked The Gong Show 😛

[01:18 AM] maxwellelvis: The emphasis on spectacle that the robot provides sounds just like him. As does cutting Johnny from the movie entirely to save on expenses. This is the guy who had a big argument with Sam Raimi over how many explosions should be in the climatic battle in Army of Darkness, after all. [01:18 AM] maxwellelvis: That caricature of Jamie Farr is kinder to him than real life ever was. [01:19 AM] Wack'd: He was kind of transphobic so I'm okay with this [01:20 AM] Wack'd: Ben throws a gong through the robot's neck, decapitating it [01:20 AM] Wack'd: I did not see The Gong Show being plot-relevant but here we are [01:21 AM] maxwellelvis: The Gong Show was probably taped, but I'm pretty sure that's gonna make the final cut anyways. [01:22 AM] maxwellelvis: If anyone has the connections to get the Four to sign off on that, it's Chuck Barris. [01:22 AM] Wack'd: They do keep it in the show [01:22 AM] Wack'd: It gets a 6 [01:22 AM] maxwellelvis: Heh [01:22 AM] maxwellelvis: That's good. [01:24 AM] Wack'd: So Johnny, Crystal, and Lockjaw come back and wurf Ben back to the Great Refuge [01:24 AM] Wack'd: And also stopped to pick up Reed and Sue off-panel [01:25 AM] maxwellelvis: Probably because Ben would have the funniest reaction. I'm getting the feeling this Annual is focusing on humor. [01:25 AM] Wack'd: Well, that bit was [01:25 AM] Wack'd: Ben mostly just grumbles that they ruined his chances of a regular gig [01:26 AM] maxwellelvis: I could see Ben as the new Unknown Comic, honestly. [01:26 AM] Wack'd: So uh apparently a buncha stuff happened in the Inhumans book [01:26 AM] Wack'd: The Great Refuge was destroyed and the Royal Family retreated to space [01:26 AM] Wack'd: Thraxon tried to organize a rebuilding effort but Pietro accused him of trying to usurp Black Bolt and got real mad [01:26 AM] maxwellelvis: Did they finally build Attilan yet? [01:27 AM] Wack'd: It's just what the Great Refuge is called apparently [01:27 AM] maxwellelvis: Huh. [01:27 AM] Wack'd: So anyway Thraxon points out that Pietro is not Inhuman and this gets all the other Inhumans sans Crystal to turn on him [01:28 AM] Wack'd: The Inhuman Royal Family returned and Thraxon kicked all their asses [01:29 AM] Wack'd: We're spending a lot of page time on what's frankly kinda a foregone conclusion, honestly. I'm skipping over a lot of fight scenes that impact literally nothing [01:31 AM] Wack'd: The seldom-seen little sibling of "Sue tries to do something awesome and gets her ass kicked", "Sue does something awesome and literally falls unconscious from the strain"

[01:31 AM] Wack'd: Apparently Thraxon expanded his force field over the whole city. So that's his game [01:32 AM] Wack'd: But not anymore [01:32 AM] Wack'd: Another part of Thraxon's plan is to literally strap the Royal Family and Pietro to a rocket and shoot them into space [01:33 AM] Wack'd: You know, the place they just came back from [01:33 AM] Wack'd: Sure [01:33 AM] maxwellelvis: At least this time she was just faint for a moment and not out for the rest of the fight. [01:34 AM] Wack'd: So fortunately Thraxton loses his powers because the person who gave them to him, "the Dreaded One", has deserted him [01:34 AM] Wack'd: For some reason [01:35 AM] Wack'd: The Four take their own rocket and follow the Inhuman rocket and-- [01:35 AM] Wack'd: C'mon I just made a Mystery Science Theater 3000 joke

[01:36 AM] Wack'd: It's weird realizing only this year do the Four suddenly exist in a world containing Star Wars

[01:38 AM] Wack'd: fuck ooooooooff

[01:41 AM] Wack'd: I'll save you the trouble--a Nova villain who menaced the Four and the Inhumans enough to make it into two issues of the Fantastic Four: Foes miniseries. Also fought the New Warriors and Night Thrasher. Last seen in a Howling Commandos arc from 2016

[01:42 AM] maxwellelvis: He's terribly mysterious [01:43 AM] Wack'd: Character shilling! Also apparently Aaron's staff did eat the staffs of Egyptians what were also turned into snakes. Did not learn this in Hebrew school

[01:44 AM] maxwellelvis: What were you taught? [01:45 AM] Wack'd: Moses turns his staff into a snake to prove God is real but Pharaoh writes it off as a stupid trick [01:46 AM] Wack'd: Presumably because we as kids would be a bit baffled by the idea that all other Gods are fake but also Egyptians had real magic on hand [01:46 AM] Wack'd: It is indeed a bit of a puzzlement [01:46 AM] maxwellelvis: Yeah, the version I'm aware of had the Pharaoh bring in his best magicians to show he's not impressed, but Moses is the one who shows that the other is doing a cheap trick, because his snake is bigger and kills the other two. [01:47 AM] maxwellelvis: Prince of Egypt makes it into a big smoke-and-mirrors routine. [01:47 AM] maxwellelvis: Literally. [01:47 AM] Wack'd: There's no, uh. Rationale in the Bible? [01:47 AM] Wack'd: It's literally just "some other Egyptians turned up and turned their staffs into snakes also, and then Aaron's snake ate them" [01:48 AM] Wack'd: No big reveal or anything [01:51 AM] Wack'd: So anyway this nameless extra from Exodus is exiled for his failure and finds a magic amulet that gives him superpowers and the ability to live forever [01:52 AM] Wack'd: And now he wants to harness Black Bolt's power to hypnotize all of Earth. Somehow. [01:53 AM] maxwellelvis: That's not how his power works. His voice isn't hypnotic, it blows stuff to smitheroons. [01:53 AM] Wack'd: He basically wants to use Black Bolt as a battery to power his hypnosis [01:53 AM] maxwellelvis: Ahh [01:55 AM] Wack'd: Anyway they scuffle for a while before Sphinx gets nervous he might actually get his ass kicked and throws them all out the airlock [01:55 AM] Wack'd: Lockjaw has meanwhile freed the Inhumans. He could've done this at any time probably but okay [01:57 AM] Wack'd: Look dude, sure you manage to miraculously crawl your way to the 21st century, but you still don't even have 100 appearances. Godly power only means something if you have popularity power to back it up

[01:58 AM] Wack'd: ...is this a thing Black Bolt can do? I feel like the answer is "no"

[01:59 AM] Wack'd: Anyway the day is saved by...Black Bolt [01:59 AM] Wack'd: Not much of an Fantastic Four annual [02:00 AM] Wack'd: Sphinx is blasted into space and then everyone goes home [02:00 AM] Wack'd: The end [02:00 AM] maxwellelvis: SPHINX!

[mozart-the-meerkitten]

Heeeyy, okay, so I finally saw Endgame tonight. I’ve known what happens in it for months, but this was the first time I actually saw it. Yeah, stuff happened, moving on.

So, let’s get right down to the biggest problem in Endgame, and the one thing keeping it from being one of the single most epic movies of our time; the time travel shenanigans.

This post is gonna get long, so read more below the cut.

To illustrate precisely how Endgame went wrong with time travel, I am going to compare it to the time travel in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow TV show. Specifically the final two episodes of season 2, “Doomworld” and “Aruba”. Yeah, I’m comparing Marvel and DC, there’s a good reason, I promise.

Okay, so Endgame’s plotline is pretty well known, but in case you don’t know it, here’s a brief summary; Thanos kills half of the population of the universe, the Avengers (what’s left of them) freak and kill Thanos, who has unfortunately already destroyed the Infinity Stones, the only things that could fix the universe. 5 years pass, and Scott Lang (Antman), previously presumed dead, comes out of the Quantum Realm and tells everyone that time travel is possible and that they can use it to reverse what happened. They go back in time to get the Infinity Stones before Thanos, they do, and, long story short, one epic battle later they kill Thanos and his army. They put the stones back, and almost everyone lives happily ever after.

Now, on to the plotlines of Legends’ “Doomworld” and “Aruba”. Before I go any further, let me just say that season 2 of Legends came out in 2016, several years before Endgame OR Infinity War. Alright, so there’s this thing called the Spear of Destiny that can change reality. The bad guys, called “The Legion of Doom” manage to get it from the Legends and use it to create their perfect reality, which turns out to be a Doomworld for everyone else. The Legends exist in this world, but at first don’t remember who they are. I’m not gonna get into how they get their memories back, but most of them do, and they decide that they have to go to the past to steal the Spear of Destiny from themselves to stop the Legion from getting it. They manage to do this, but they all die, except their leader Sarah, who uses the Spear to 1. Revive her friends, 2. Get rid of the most annoying member of the Legion (Eobard Thawne, long story, watch The Flash) and 3. She uses the Spear to remove the power of the Spear, making it useless. Everyone lives, they return the Legion to their proper places in time (did I mention they’re all time travelers?) and decide to go on vacation in Aruba. Unfortunately, they do not land in Aruba, they land in Los Angeles in 2017, which is covered in dinosaurs and features Big Ben and a number of other buildings not from LA in the background. The season ends with Sarah saying, “Guys, I think we broke time.”

Okaaaaay, still with me? Good.

So, to give you my thesis statement; Endgame’s time travel was wrong because there are no consequences. This also happens to be what Legends does right.

The problem with Endgame is that you have so many people who get taken out of their proper times and not returned. A few examples; Loki stealing the Tesseract after the battle of New York, Gamora from 2014 just chilling now in the future somewhere. The Thanos that was defeated in the big battle was from the past and therefore him dying then creates a massive paradox. Like, what the heck? Other noteworthy additions; Nebula shot her past self and didn’t die. Steve Rogers went and apparently lived an entire life in the past with Peggy???? (Without telling her about Hydra, rescuing Bucky, saving the Starks, meeting young Tony, or doing a whole host of other things. Steve Rogers who in Civil War said, “If I see a situation headed south I can’t just ignore it.” Yeah, right, Marvel, that’s exactly the kind of life Steve would live in the past.)

Now, literally all of this (except the part with Steve, but that’s another post) would be fine if Endgame had shown us that there were consequences to these actions. Like, for instance, Loki leaving after the battle of New York completely changes the next two Thor movies at least. Gamora never meeting Peter Quill in the past but him still remembering her is also a paradox. But no, Marvel leaves us with the sunny, cheerful ending where everyone but Tony’s family and Bucky Barnes live happily ever after. No consequences to time or anything.

Meanwhile, Legends of Tomorrow (and The Flash, for the record) is all about consequences. It is made very clear that the Legends going back in time to meet with their past selves will have consequences, and the show delivers those consequences when the group crashes in LA and finds dinosaurs and Big Ben there, and with Sarah’s line “I think we broke time”. To diverge a little, every time Barry Allen (the Flash) has gone back in time and changed something, there have been massive consequences for his friends and family and city that he then has to deal with (black holes, portals to other universes, his friends losing family members, his friends gaining superpowers, ect.). Another way to handle this is demonstrated in Doctor Who season 3, where in the final two episodes the villain makes a “Paradox Machine” to remove the consequences of humans from the future coming back in time to kill their ancestors. 

So, by all rights we should have a third movie titled, “Avengers: We broke Time” that deals with the consequences of Endgame. Because there are consequences, even if Marvel wants to ignore them. (Also, if you’re not looking at my comparisons of the plots of Legends and Endgame and wondering of Marvel blatantly ripped off DC then, well, I don’t know what to tell you. I could be wrong, but I can’t unsee the similarities.)

In conclusion; what the flippity heck, Marvel?

[thecomicsnexus]

A Song of Pain and Sorrow!

HEROES AGAINST HUNGER 1986 BY JIM STARLIN, CARY BATES, ELLIOT S. MAGGIN, PAUL LEVITZ, MIKE W. BARR, MICHAEL FLEISHER, BOB ROZAKIS, ROY THOMAS, J. M. DEMATTEIS, ROBERT BLOCH, ROBERT LOREN FLEMING, MARV WOLFMAN, TONY ISABELLA, GERRY CONWAY, BARBARA RANDALL, ANDREW HELFER, DAN MISHKIN, LEN WEIN, ED HANNIGAN, MINDY NEWELL, STEVE ENGLEHART, JOEY CAVALIERI, PAUL KUPPERBERG, DOUG MOENCH...

GEORGE PEREZ, PARIS CULLINS, DENYS COWAN, JAN DUURSEMA, KEITH GIFFEN, ROSS ANDRU, JOSÉ LUIS GARCÍA-LOPEZ, CARMINE INFANTINO, MARSHALL ROGERS, BERNIE WRIGHTSON, JOE BROZOWSKI, SAL AMENDOLA, CURT SWAN, BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH, ERNIE COLON, WALT SIMONSON, EDUARDO BARRETO, DAVE GIBBONS, JACK KIRBY, TONY SALMONS, DAN JURGENS, JOE KUBERT, DAVID ROSS, JIM SHERMAN...

KIM DEMULDER, TONY DEZUNIGA, VAL MAYERIK, ALFREDO ALCALA, JOE STATON, KLAUS JANSON, JERRY ORDWAY, MURPHY ANDERSON, KARL KESEL, MIKE KALUTA, GRAY MORROW, JIM APARO, JOHN BYRNE, JEFF JONES, TERRY AUSTIN, STEVE LEIALOHA, ROMEO TANGHAL, BRUCE PATTERSON, AL MILGROM, TOM MANDRAKE, BILL WRAY, JOE RUBINSTEIN, HOWARD CHAYKIN, GREG THEAKSTON, ALAN WEISS...

DAINA GRAZANUS, MICHELE WOLFMAN, GENE D’ANGELO, CARL GAFFORD, ANTHONY TOLLIN, TOM ZIUKO, GEORGE ROBERTS, LIZ BERUBÉ, NANSI HOOLAHAN AND TATJANA WOOD

SYNOPSIS (FROM COMIC VINE)

Superman delivers an acre of top soil to Ethiopia. A sirocco threatens to blow away the top soil, but Superman's quick actions save the majority of it. Lee Ann Layton, a member of the Peace Corps, casts doubt on Superman's ability to truly change Ethiopia for the better. Superman carries out his task to pepper the Ethiopian landscape with acres of top soil. The top soil is blasted out of Superman's hands. Miles away, Batman investigates the crash of an airplane, which was delivering food to Ethiopia. Seeing Superman flying overhead, Batman signals the Man of Steel to join his investigation.

A cursory glance with his microscopic vision reveals that a particle beam brought the plane down. Superman tasks Batman with enlisting the aid of Superman's nemesis, Lex Luthor. Batman tasks Superman with discovering how their unknown foe knows the schedules of the famine relief planes. Superman's investigation brings him into conflict with a trio of androids, which Superman destroys. Superman traces a broadcast signature to an alien craft, buried miles beneath Ethiopia. Superman confronts the Master, an alien that feeds off hopelessness and entropy.

Superman battles the Master, only to find himself teleported away, back to the surface. Batman storms Luthor's island base. Batman confronts Luthor. Batman convinces Luthor to use his plant growth formula to aid Ethiopia. Luthor only consents to prove his superiority over Superman. Batman, and Luthor, rendezvous with Superman. Suddenly their surroundings are plunged into pitch, as the entire planet is encased in a sphere of total darkness. With the Earth completely cut off from the light of the Sun, all life on Earth is in jeopardy.

Luthor locates the Master's ship, just outside of a refugee camp for famine victims. Luthor is visibly shaken by his encounter with the starving children. Luthor tasks Batman with evacuating the camp. Luthor teams up with Superman to confront the Master. The Master teleports Superman into another dimension. Luthor attacks the Master, who grows stronger feeding off Luthor's despair. Layton chastises the Batman for placing the camp in danger. Batman races to the Master's ship to render assistance. Superman flies faster than the speed of light to escape the Master's dimension of abject darkness.

Playing the instrument lodged in his chest, the Master releases four fireballs, each threatening a different city. Superman is forced to abandon Luthor, to deal with the new threat. Superman dissipates the fireballs. Luthor continues his desperate battle against the Master. Batman joins the fight. Luthor projects a force field around the Master's destructive instrument, preventing the Master from playing it. Nonetheless, the Master closes on Luthor, intent on crushing the life from him with his bare hands. Superman intervenes, and beats the Master into submission.

Superman wrenches the instrument from the Master's chest, then hurls the Master into the dimension of darkness. With the threat of the Master ended, Superman works with Luthor to end the famine in Ethiopia. Luthor's plant growth formula, however, fails. What worked on Luthor's world, Lexor, is incompatible with the soil composition of Earth. Layton explains that it took man years to turn Ethiopia into a desert, and a single afternoon of super-heroic efforts was never going to restore it. Layton states that it will take a concerted effort, on the part of the entire world, to save the African continent. As Batman, Luthor, and Superman depart, Layton allows herself to feel hope for the future.

BEHIND THE SCENES

1983-1985 FAMINE IN ETHIOPIA (FROM WIKIPEDIA)

A widespread famine affected Ethiopia from 1983 to 1985. The worst famine to hit the country in a century, in northern Ethiopia it led to more than 400,000 deaths, but, according to Human Rights Watch, more than half its mortality could be attributed to "human rights abuses causing the famine to come earlier, strike harder and extend further than would otherwise have been the case". Other areas of Ethiopia experienced famine for similar reasons, resulting in tens of thousands of additional deaths. The famine as a whole took place a decade into the Ethiopian Civil War.

The famine of 1983–85 is most often ascribed to drought and climatic phenomena. However, Human Rights Watch has alleged that widespread drought occurred only some months after the famine was under way. According to the organisation, and Oxfam UK, the famines that struck Ethiopia between 1961 and 1985, and in particular the one of 1983–85, were in large part created by government policies, specifically a set of so-called counter-insurgency strategies and "social transformation" in non-insurgent areas.

The economy of Ethiopia is based on agriculture: almost half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment come from agriculture.

In 1974, a group of Marxist soldiers known as the Derg overthrew the government. The Derg addressed the Wollo famine by creating the Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (RRC) to examine the causes of the famine and prevent its recurrence, and then abolishing feudal tenure in March 1975. The RRC initially enjoyed more independence from the Derg than any other ministry, largely due to its close ties to foreign donors and the quality of some its senior staff. As a result, insurgencies began to spread into the country's administrative regions

By late 1976 insurgencies existed in all of the country's fourteen administrative regions. The Red Terror (1977–1978) marked the beginning of a steady deterioration in the economic state of the nation, coupled with extractive policies targeting rural areas. The collapse of the system of State Farms, a large employer of seasonal laborers, resulted in an estimated 500,000 farmers in northern Ethiopia losing a component of their income. Grain wholesaling was declared illegal in much of the country, resulting in the number of grain dealers falling from between 20,000 and 30,000 to 4,942 in the decade after the revolution.

The nature of the RRC changed as the government became increasingly authoritarian. Immediately after its creation, its experienced core of technocrats produced highly regarded analyses of Ethiopian famine and ably carried out famine relief efforts. However, by the 1980s, the Derg had compromised its mission. The RRC began with the innocuous scheme of creating village workforces from the unemployed in state farms, and government agricultural schemes but, as the counter-insurgency intensified, the RRC was given responsibility for a program of forced resettlement and villagization. As the go-between for international aid organizations and foreign donor governments, the RRC redirected food to government militias, in particular in Eritrea and Tigray. It also encouraged international agencies to set up relief programs in regions with surplus grain production, which allowed the AMC to collect the excess food. Finally, the RRC carried out a disinformation campaign during the 1980s famine, in which it portrayed the famine as being solely the result of drought and overpopulation and tried to deny the existence of the armed conflict that was occurring precisely in the famine-affected regions. The RRC also claimed that the aid being given by it and its international agency partners were reaching all of the famine victims.

Four Ethiopian provinces—Gojjam, Hararghe, Tigray and Wollo—all received record low rainfalls in the mid-1980s. In the south, a separate and simultaneous cause was the government's response to Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) insurgency. In 1984, President Mengistu Haile Mariam announced that 46% of the Ethiopian Gross National Product would be allocated to military spending, creating the largest standing army in sub-Saharan Africa; the allocation for health in the government budget fell from 6% in 1973–4 to 3% by 1990–1.

Although a UN estimate of one million deaths is often quoted for the 1983–5 famine, this figure has been challenged by famine scholar Alex de Waal. In a major study, de Waal criticized the United Nations for being "remarkably cavalier" about the numbers of people who died, with the UN's one-million figure having "absolutely no scientific basis whatsoever," a fact which represents "a trivialization and dehumanization of human misery.". De Waal estimates that 400,000 to 500,000 died in the famine.

Nevertheless, the magnitude of the disaster has been well documented: in addition to hundreds of thousands of deaths, millions were made destitute. Media activity in the West, along with the size of the crisis, led to the "Do They Know It's Christmas?" charity single and the July 1985 concert Live Aid, which elevated the international profile of the famine and helped secure international aid. In the early to mid-1980s there were famines in two distinct regions of the country, resulting in several studies of one famine that try to extrapolate to the other or less cautious writers referring to a single widespread famine. The famine in the southeast of the country was brought about by the Derg's counterinsurgency efforts against the OLF. However, most media referring to "the Ethiopian famine" of the 1980s refers to the severe famine in 1983-85 centered on Tigray and northern Wollo, which further affected Eritrea, Begemder and northern Shewa. Living standards had been declining in these government-held regions since 1977, a "direct consequence" of Derg agricultural policies. A further major contributing factor to the famine were the Ethiopian government's enforced resettlement programs, utilized as part of its counter-insurgency campaign.

Despite RRC claims to have predicted the famine, there was little data as late as early 1984 indicating an unusually severe food shortage. Following two major droughts in the late 1970s, 1980 and 1981 were rated by the RRC as "normal" and "above normal". The 1982 harvest was the largest ever, with the exception of central and eastern Tigray. RRC estimates for people "at risk" of famine rose to 3.9 million in 1983 from 2.8 million in 1982, which was less than the 1981 estimate of 4.5 million. In February and March 1983, the first signs of famine were recognized as poverty-stricken farmers began to appear at feeding centers, prompting international aid agencies to appeal for aid and the RRC to revise its famine assessment. The harvest after the main (meher) harvest in 1983 was the third largest on record, with the only serious shortfall again being recorded in Tigray. In response, grain prices in the two northern regions of Begemder and Gojjam fell. However, famine recurred in Tigray. The RRC claimed in May 1984 that the failure of the short rains (belg) constituted a catastrophic drought, while neglecting to state that the belg crops form a fourth of crop yields where the belg falls, but none at all in the majority of Tigray. A quantitative measure of the famine are grain prices, which show high prices in eastern and central Tigray, spreading outward after the 1984 crop failure.

A major drain on Ethiopia's economy was the ongoing civil war, which pitched rebel movements against the Soviet and Cuban backed Derg government. This crippled the country's economy further and contributed to the government's lack of ability to handle the crisis to come.

By mid-1984, it was evident that another drought and resulting famine of major proportions had begun to affect large parts of northern Ethiopia. Just as evident was the government's inability to provide relief. The almost total failure of crops in the north was compounded by fighting in and around Eritrea, which hindered the passage of relief supplies. Although international relief organizations made a major effort to provide food to the affected areas, the persistence of drought and poor security conditions in the north resulted in continuing need as well as hazards for famine relief workers. In late 1985, another year of drought was forecast, and by early 1986 the famine had spread to parts of the southern highlands, with an estimated 5.8 million people dependent on relief food. In 1986, locust plagues exacerbated the problem.

TL;DR

The famine was caused by a series of events, most of them of politic nature (and the cold war didn’t help). But apart from the human causes, the region has been suffering draughts for a long time (and still does), ruining Ethiopia’s main industry.

AID (FROM BBC)

BBC's Michael Buerk achieved something very rare - he not only reported the world, but changed it a little bit.

His vivid on-the-spot coverage of a famine "of biblical proportions" in Tigray in northern Ethiopia pricked the conscience of the richer part of the world.

The money came pouring in. Bob Geldof's Band Aid and Live Aid led the way in galvanizing public attention, raising cash and mobilizing a huge relief effort.

As a result, many thousands of lives were saved - and tens of thousands of those facing starvation received food.

BBC World Service has broadcast an Assignment documentary based on the testimony of key figures on the ground in and around Tigray in the mid-1980s. Presenting evidence, that some of the famine relief donations were diverted by a powerful rebel group to buy weapons.

The documentary has revealed some uncomfortable facts and provoked a strong response. This morning a British newspaper, The Independent, gives over its front page to complaints from Bob Geldof and several leading charities. They accuse the BBC of "disgracefully poor reporting".

This documentary was put together by Martin Plaut, Africa Editor at BBC World Service News. He has a particular expertise in the Horn of Africa, and indeed reported from there on the famine back in the 1980s. He has spent almost a year gathering material and doing research for this documentary - and the BBC stands by his journalism.

As so often is the case, the famine that afflicted northern Ethiopia was compounded by war. Much of Tigray was controlled by a hard left-wing rebel group, the Tigrayan People's Liberation Front. They were fighting the Ethiopian army, then the largest in Africa. This was also the era of the cold war - and the Americans were seeking to undermine the Soviet-aligned Ethiopian government.

It is not in dispute that millions of dollars of relief aid was channelled through the Relief Society of Tigray (Rest), which was a part of the TPLF rebel movement. It was the only way of reaching those in desperate need in rebel-held areas. What Martin Plaut's documentary uncovers is the systematic diversion of aid received by Rest to buy arms for the TPLF.

Martin tracked down two key former members of the TPLF who explained how they managed to divert the money.

They are now at odds with the then TPLF leader, Meles Zenawi, who is currently Ethiopia's Prime Minister. But they are credible voices.

One of these former TPLF fighters, the rebel army commander at the time, makes an allegation which has attracted particular controversy - that the organisation made a policy decision that only 5% of the money received by Rest would be spent on relief, with the bulk going directly or indirectly to support their military and political campaigns.

Among the other accounts featured in the World Service programme, Robert Houdek, who was the senior US diplomat in Ethiopia in the late 1980s, states that TPLF members told him at the time that some aid money and supplies was used to buy weapons. A CIA document paints the same picture.

Bob Geldof was given every opportunity to express his point of view while the documentary was being made, but declined to be interviewed.

Some relief agencies - including Christian Aid and Cafod - pointed us towards their staff involved in directing food supplies 25 years ago, and those voices were included.

Two key aid workers active in and around Ethiopia in the 1980s confirm in the BBC World Service programme the way in which relief was channeled through Rest - though they dispute that there was a significant diversion of money for arms buying.

"If we were being conned, I think it was on a very small scale," said Stephen King, then overseeing from Sudan the work of Catholic charities in providing food to the starving.

The documentary did not say that most famine relief money was used to buy weapons - it did not suggest that any relief agencies were complicit in the diversion of funds - it explicitly stated that "whatever the levels of deception, much aid did reach the starving".

But there is a clear public interest in determining whether some money given as famine relief ended up buying guns and bullets.

And that's what the evidence suggests.

REVIEW

So, if you paid attention to the story behind this book, it was done by pretty much the same people that did Heroes for Hope (Marvel’s version). Now, I’ll be very direct here, I think this one works better than Marvel’s.

Marvel’s version is too vague and abstract about the problem (there is one panel explaining how they weren’t responsible enough with trees).

In this book, even with a crazy super-villain involved, there is at least one explanation about the cause and what WE can do from our comfy homes. Which was the whole point of the campaign. Sure, in my quick research I couldn’t find any evidence that peanut crops were involved, but let’s just say that the book doesn’t spend too much time explaining the issues.

In fact neither of the two stories explain the ongoing civil war. There are at least some vague references to conflicts in the area in this book.

Luthor’s involvement was a nice touch. But just like with “Heroes for Hope”, here the heroes involved only make a glorified World’s finest issue.

The villain is there only to give the heroes an excuse to stay longer. I cannot say that story makes much sense, but it is pretty much the same motivation the villain had in Heroes for Hope.

But at least the three characters involved were Batman, Superman and Lex Luthor, and everyone knows these characters. So it is accessible.

The character of Lee Ann Layton... I am not sure if this is an actual real life person or what, but she should calm the fuck down a little!

She starts attacking Superman’s efforts, and pretty much anything they try to do because they are not bringing money. Lady, at least they are trying!

The art feels a bit more uniform in this book than in Marvel’s version. Perhaps because the artists involved were mostly from DC, with experience on these characters.

In the end, it is important to remember that the artists involved did this for free.

How successful was this comic-book? I never found the exact figures and no one recovered the comic book sales charts of the eighties yet. Maybe some day someone will tell us. In any case, if only 5% went to help the people, and the rest to keep them hungry, maybe it is best not to know.

I give this special a score of 6

[mymusehatesme]

Muse’s DC Fic Recs

SHORT ‘n SWEET

- Call Me Quizzical by illegible on AO3 (1310 words, T)

     Characters: Edward Nygma, Harley Quinn; (Harley/Riddler)

     Summary: They appreciate without quite understanding.

   [I haven’t read many Harley/Riddler fics, but this one was my first and kicked it off!]

- 22 by illegible on AO3 (2200 words, T)

    Characters: Edward Nygma, Harley Quinn; (Harley/Riddler)

    Summary: Two-Face is duality and chance in the ever-changing now. Harvey Dent is a man, neither more nor less.

  [This story is super interesting and I love it!  I love Two-Face so much and this was one of the first stories I read with him as a main character.]

- Home by ageless_aislynn on AO3 (786 words, T)

     Characters: Eobard Thawne (Eowells), Caitlin Snow; (Caitlin/Eobard)

     Summary: A very Snowellsian alternative ending to the season 1 finale, "Fast Enough." For Snowells Week 2015, Day 3, prompt: "Home" 

   [Snowells is one of my favorite ships and this is part of a collection!]

- Logical Consequences by Moonrose91 on AO3 (791 words, M)

     Characters: Jonathan Crane

     Summary: No one cares, not here.

   [BAMF!Crane is watching out for the kids!  Angels to some, demons to others is personified here and it is glorious!]

LONGER FICS

- It was with your words that you built a home for me by mrs_badcrumble on AO3 (4359 words, T)

     Characters: Lois Lane, Zod, Clark Kent; (Lois/Zod)

     Summary: Lois ignores the voice that is saying to stop provoking the man with a warship, a personal army and many, many weapons, and says: »You may have the tactical advantage, but what it comes down to is that we would rather destroy this world than have it taken from us. We have a large enough stash of thermonuclear weapons to turn this whole planet into a radioactive wasteland and we will do it if we have to.« There is a horrified gasp from the people around her, but she doesn't care. She is locked into a staring contest with the General which she doesn't intend to lose. She hopes they won't call her bluff, though. She doesn't, and they don't. The General turns away first. »Forgive us, Miss Lane, if we have come across as warmongers and thieves. We simply desire a new home.«

   [Honestly, Lois/Zod was not a ship that occurred to me until this fic, but after I read it, it’s all I wanted for a while!]

- like tv in black and white by narquelie on AO3 (4930 words, T)

     Characters: Caitlin Snow, Eobard Thawne (Eowells), Ronnie Raymond, Cisco Ramon; (Caitlin/Eobard)

     Summary: Caitlin's never been particularly fond of the idea of soulmates.[Snowells] [Soulmates AU]

   [Beautiful imagery!  I felt like I was reading a fairy tale despite the subject matter.]

- Show your face (finish what you started) by Lizicia on fanfiction.net (1854 words, K+)

     Characters: Caitlin Snow, Grodd, Eobard Thawne (Eowells); (Caitlin/Eobard)

     Summary: So there was a gorilla who called Caitlin good and Wells Father and I mean, how could I not write a story? Coda for 1x21 'Grodd Lives'

   [OH, THIS WAS AMAZING.  Grodd acting like a child who wants his parents to get together?  I need more.]

- You Smiled by prettyinterestingcompany on AO3 (23574 words, T, [abandoned])

     Characters: Caitlin Snow, Harrison Wells, Barry Allen, Iris West, Cisco Ramon, Lisa Snart; (Caitlin/Harrison Wells), (Barry/Iris), (Cisco/Lisa)

     Summary: “When  I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew” -Arrigo Boito

     It started with a formula. It spiraled from there.

   [Even though this is abandoned, it is SPECTACULAR.  It’s a soulmate AU where whatever your soulmate writes on their skin shows up on your skin!]

- You've got the wrong face (but all the right lines) by lonelywalker on AO3 (4177 words, M)

     Characters: Caitlin Snow, Eobard Thawne (Eowells); (Caitlin/Eobard)

     Summary: Seriously injured and trailing blood all over Central City, the Reverse Flash goes to the only place he can: Caitlin Snow's apartment.

   [Notice a lot of Caitlin/Eobard here, eh?  Yes, I have a noticeable ship.  No, I’m not going to stop.]

[robininthelabyrinth]

Coldwave Fic Prompt: Len is, very reluctantly, the DC-verse equivalent of the Sorcerer Supreme. Meaning he is a VERY powerful magic-user, who - tends to ignore magic as hard as he can, for the most part. (Based on that GIF set of Len snapping off handcuffs and sarcastically calling it 'magic').

Fic: Magic Trick (ao3 link)

Fandom: Flash, Legends, ConstantinePairing: Leonard Snart/Mick Rory

Summary: “Do you wanna see a magic trick?” Len asks.

“Seriously, Snart?” Barry shoots back, clearly annoyed. “We’ve been captured by an army of - and I still can’t believe I’m saying this - super-intelligent ninja human-dinosaur hybrids in the middle of a rescue mission to save Iris and Mick, and you want to show me a magic trick?!”

(in which Leonard Snart may be the Sorcerer Supreme, charged with protecting the world from horrors that would destroy it, but he hasn’t lost his sense of humor)

A/N: A/N: I’m 100% unfamiliar with Dr. Strange or the Sorcerer Supreme mythos, although I once saw the Dr. Strange trailer a few months ago (and I still don’t know what that movie was about). Long story short: do not expect any accurate Sorcerer Supreme canon here.

—————————————————————————————————

“Do you wanna see a magic trick?” Len asks.

“Seriously, Snart?” Barry shoots back, clearly annoyed. “We’ve been captured by an army of - and I still can’t believe I’m saying this - super-intelligent ninja human-dinosaur hybrids in the middle of a rescue mission to save Iris and Mick, and you want to show me a magic trick?!”

“Dead serious,” Len assures him, even though he agrees that the entire situation is rather ridiculous. “And they’re not ninja dinosaurs. They’re pirate dinosaurs. They’re acting like pirates.”

“The costuming is clearly more ninja inspired - you know what? No. We’re not having this argument. Not again. Five times was more than enough!” Barry pauses. “Wait, what were we talking about?”

“Do you want to see a magic trick?” Len asks, very patiently.

Barry stares at him incredulously, and then that innate sense of humor, that sense of the ridiculous that lets him keep going, that lets him have hope in every situation, takes over. That’s why Len likes him so much.

“You know what,” Barry says, shaking his head. “Sure. Go ahead. Show me a magic trick.”

Len smiles.

He’d hoped Barry would say that.

—————————————————————————————————

“Do you want to see a magic trick?” the dying man says.

There’s no one else around, so he must be talking to Len; Len, who was hiding in the trash behind the building in the alleyway because his dad would find him otherwise. He’s really well hidden, though, so he doesn’t know how the dying man - and he is dying, badly, his eyes and ears and nose and mouth all bleeding - knows that he’s there.

“I can see your aura,” the man says. “I know you’re there. I know that you’re as hard and cold as ice on the outside, but I can see -” Here he coughs wetly. “- I can see the gold of you on the inside. You’re a good man, deep down.”

Len doesn’t respond.

“It wouldn’t be my first option, you know,” the man says. “Giving this to a stranger. But the man I chose as my apprentice - he became corrupted by it. By the power of it. When we first met, his aura was so pure, like you wouldn’t believe - though I guess that was part of the problem - I know to look to the core, now, beyond the surface -”

He coughs again.

He’s dying.

Len’s mom died. Len knows what it sounds like.

“My apprentice did this to me,” he says. He sounds - not sad, not really. Resigned. “He was convinced to by the Others.”

The way he says Others sounds pretty ominous.

“Before he could finish me off, I locked away everything he had,” the man says. “Cut him off. But he’ll figure out a way to get it back, and then we’re all going to suffer. He’s angry. Always angry, and when he gets back, he’s only going to be more angry. He’s going to hurt people.”

Len swallows. That sounds like his dad. He’d always been angry, shouting and throwing things and grabbing hard enough to hurt, but when he’d come back from prison he’d been so much more angry.

Things hurt so much more now.

If someone who could kill like this man was dying was that angry…

“If I don’t give it to someone, he’ll get it,” the man says. “And people will be hurt. Please.”

Len doesn’t want to, he’s never wanted anything that might make him more of a target, but he can’t let someone like his dad get power. He doesn’t care what type of power this guy’s talking about - whether it’s politics, or Family, or even just a really powerful gun - he just knows that it can’t be allowed.

He climbs out of the trash.

“You’re just a boy,” the man says, sounding disappointed.

Len’s used to being disappointing. He just stands there and lets the guy make up his mind.

“I guess I don’t have a choice,” the guy sighs. “I don’t got long left. Not long enough to take the time to be picky - and you’re gold on the inside. At least, you are now. Gotta hope for the best. You read a lot of fantasy, kid?”

Fantasy?

“No,” Len says honestly. “I don’t really got time to read.”

He has to steal to keep his dad happy, and he’s got to feed and care for Lisa, and he’s got to go to school and do just enough of the homework there that the state doesn’t come asking any more questions than they already do about the boy who’s in the hospital so much that his dad has started refusing to take him even when it really, really hurts.

“Shit,” the man says, rubbing at his face. “Well, I asked for a worthy successor, and the power brought me here, to you, so I guess I’m just going to have to trust it.”

Len has no idea what the man is talking about. Only that the blood is flowing freer now, from his mouth and his eyes and his ears and his nose. If he keeps bleeding like this, he won’t have any left on his insides.

That may, Len thinks warily, be the point of it.

What a terrible way to die.

“At least it’s unexpected,” the man muses, more to himself than to Len. “They won’t know to look for a child. All right. I’ll do it.” He looks at Len. “You’re ready for this?”

No, Len’s not ready. Not at all. But he can’t let men like his dad win. He can’t.

He nods.

“So, kid,” the man says, and he coughs, long and low and deep, and his voice is kinda weird when he continues, “you wanna see a magic trick?”

Len says yes.

—————————————————————————————————

“Do you want to see a magic trick?” Len asks the boy who’d rescued him.

The boy - Mick Rory, the guards said his name was - just grunts.

There was no way he’d known that the other boys had been seduced by the Others to kill Len, lured in by glittering promises that hid the darkness behind; the Others, trapped in their alternate universe or whatever the pocket that kept them far away was, were only able to reach out in little ways, whispers, promises and lies. They wanted Len to die because then his power would leave him and go to the next best person if Len didn’t name a successor while he was alive, and then they might be able to convince someone to open the door for them at last.

That’s what they wanted: to get out of that pocket of darkness that they’re trapped in, to come into the world of light - and then to devour it, piece by piece.

They’d tried the whispers and the promises on Len first, of course. The voices slithering over him at night, kind and gentle, sad and pathetic, old and wise; they offered him fortune and fame, the love of women and men, power beyond his wildest dreams.

They offered him revenge against the man who hurt him.

Len doesn’t say no to them because he’s the one that nameless dying man chose to save the world, like the chosen ones in those fantasy books he checked out in the library afterwards to try to figure everything out. That wasn’t the reason at all.

He says no because he just doesn’t dream that big.

Len doesn’t want power. He doesn’t want more responsibility than he’s already got. He doesn’t want any more of any of it.

But he doesn’t want to give what he’s got away, either.

It’s Len’s power now.

No one else’s.

So what if he doesn’t use it for anything big, saving the world by stopping some undefinable bad guy?

So what if he only uses it for stupid stuff, like making Lisa smile, or using the portal to walk between worlds just to get away before the cops catch him?

Not that it works that way every time, if he wants to keep his power secret from his dad. He has to keep it a secret, because the only reason the Others haven’t been able to get his dad on their side is because his dad just ever can’t believe Len would ever have any power.

That’s why he got caught on that last job. That’s why he’s in juvie, just after nearly getting shivved by Others-inspired kids.

Len hadn’t realized they’d been taken in by the Others at first, either. He’d feared discovery more than he’d feared the kids, so he hadn’t fought back with everything he had - a mistake. He hadn’t realized how serious the murder attempt was until it was very nearly too late.

Mick jumped in and saved him. He didn’t have to - there was nothing in it for him except trouble - but he did it anyway.

Mick’s a good kid.

Len doesn’t care about the rumors that run through juvie, the rumors that say Mick’s a pyro and an arsonist and that he burned his whole family down. He’s pretty sure it’s all true, and he doesn’t care.

Mick saved him when he didn’t have to.

That’s enough for Len.

He’s recovering in the bottom bunk; he’d been paired up with Mick after it all, because the guards didn’t want someone to try to stab him again and Mick at least had helped, not hurt. Len could’ve told them that any of the six who’d attacked him weren’t likely to try again - when the shiv had scraped Len’s side, drawing blood, the Others had come to watch, unable to stop themselves, pulling themselves as close as they could to the world of light, eyes avid and greedy, and the kids had gotten a glimpse of what the Others that’d made such promises to them really looked like.

They weren’t going to fall for those promises again anytime soon. Even if it was only because their sleep would be too full of nightmares for the sweet words of the Others to penetrate.

Len’s not going to say anything, though. He’d rather have Mick.

Mick. Mick’s an interesting question. Len’s been here, recovering, for a few days now, and he knows the Others whispered all sorts of promises to Mick, all in exchange for him just popping down and smothering Len in his sleep - easy for a big boy like Mick, strong and sneaky - Len knows they’re trying it, because Len can hear them, the stupid fucks, he knows what they’re planning and they know that he knows and they don’t even care that he knows because he wouldn’t be able to stop Mick anyway - but it doesn’t work.

Mick rejected them all without even thinking about it twice.

Mick’s a good guy.

Mick might even be safe.

(like the dying man’s apprentice was safe?)

Still, Len has to try. He can’t do this alone anymore.

So he asks, again, “Do you wanna see a magic trick?”

Mick sighs and pushes his head over the railing to look at Len. There’s a strange, puzzled sort of fondness to his expression, like the kid that’s been irritating him these last few days has actually somehow managed to grow on him; Len’s not sure how, because he doesn’t think he’s ever made a good impression on anyone but Lisa, and she’s just a dumb baby and easily tricked.

“Sure, kid,” he says, shaking his head, like he thinks he’s humoring Len. “Show me a magic trick.”

Len raises his hands, cupped together, to Mick, and summons flame for him - the essence of flame, the magic core of it that hides in every fire, and Len cuts through all the crap to produce the purest version of it he can find, a small flame flickering in his hands, safe and limited and, to a worshipper like Mick, everything.

After that, well, they’re more or less inseparable.

—————————————————————————————————

“Do you want to see a magic trick?” Len asks Lisa, ten years old and sobbing, because for all of Len’s powers, he can’t fight his dad. Blood against blood - if every religion says it’s wrong, it’s gotta be wrong, right?

But Lisa’s bleeding from a broken bottle to her arm, and Len’s bleeding from a hell of a lot more than that, and there’s some Family men who are coming upstairs to, quote, “do as you like with ‘em” because their dad has debts to pay and no means to pay them with.

At least he had shame enough to leave before anything happened.

(are you sure you won’t take our offer, an Other hisses in Len’s ear, we could save you - save her - we could hurt him like you’ve been hurt)

Lisa, though, wonderful Lisa, she just sniffs and nods. “Yeah, Lenny,” she says. “Show me a magic trick.”

And he takes her through the portal of worlds, the great old Doors that he imagined from a book series he’d read to Lisa a million times over the last few years, and he takes her to her favorite place - an elderly dragon’s hoard, where he’s collected all the gold he can find and more besides, where he loves it and cares for it but doesn’t mind visitors since he’s too fat to really care about defending it anymore as long as no one takes any away from him - and he lets her sit and laugh and play, and forget everything that’s happened today.

And he tells the dragon, “Watch her”, and the dragon straightens up his massive body, the size of a train, and nods, taking the duty upon its shoulders, and then Len goes back and makes sure there aren’t any Family men to cause problems anymore.

He’s gotten good at covering his tracks when he does this - bullets not created from nothing, but summoned from the guns of an opposing Family; hairs and nails and blood plucked from other crime scenes; no evidence of his own presence there.

Mick meets him outside when it’s all over, bundling an exhausted Len into the back of his car and driving away.

“You gonna keep doing that?” Mick asks, looking at him through the rearview mirror.

“Doing what?”

“Killing Family,” Mick says. “You’re good at it, and it’s a decent thing to be good at doing.”

Len shakes his head. “I don’t want to be a superhero,” he says, and means it. He has enough trouble with the monsters he already faces: the Others trying to fight their way into their world, the Witchhunters who are searching for anyone with a trace of the Gift, the Order of the Path that worships at the feet of the Sorcerer Supreme and is looking for their lost God - and which don’t really feel like taking ‘no’ for an answer when he doesn’t seem inclined to go with them back to their mountain fortress to let himself be worshipped the way they think is proper. And worst of all, out there, distantly, Len knows that He is there, the dying man’s apprentice, the corrupted one, the one who thinks that Len stole his inheritance when Len accepted the mantle of successorship in his place. He’s looking for Len too, and when he finds him… “I just want to be a thief.”

And that is both true and Len’s greatest defense, because no one suspects the guy who’s robbing ATMs of being the Sorcerer tasked with keeping the world safe from other-dimensional creatures.

He’s even been tossed in jail a few times, a sitting target unable to defend himself, and all his enemies walk straight on by. He’s felt them, searching, but they don’t search Iron Heights.

They’re looking for a hero, not a criminal.

“Where’d you leave Lisa?” Mick asks. “With old Snaketooth?”

“She always did like gold,” Len says, vague enough to answer Mick’s question without actually confirming her location in case some shifter’s taken Mick’s face again.

Mick shakes his head. “Of course she does,” he says, fond as ever. He doesn’t stay by Len’s side just for the flame anymore; he knows the dangers and the risks and everything that could go wrong - much of which already have, in one way or another, all but that final confrontation with Him - and he stays by Len’s side anyway.

There’s a ring on Len’s finger, now. A quiet promise, vows sworn while standing together in the heart of a star - a reminder of the real reason Mick stays.

Sometimes Len curses his misfortune. Other times, like when he looks at Mick and his heart feels so full of joy it could burst, he can’t bring himself to.

“Pigs incoming,” Mick says, glancing out the window, frowning. “You got enough juice to make us incorporeal for a bit?”

“Sure,” Len says. It’s one of the easier tricks, actually - just shift everything you want to affect (here, a car and two men) a half-universe to the right, and suddenly you’re as invisible as a ghost and able to walk or drive through walls just the same.

“Great,” Mick says, and grins. “Show me a magic trick, boss.”

Len does.

—————————————————————————————————

“Do you want to see a magic trick?” Len asks the empty air.

Empty, because he’s alone. He doesn’t like to be alone. Being alone means he has time to see all the awful horrors pushing up against the thin magic wall that protects the world from them, and time to see means time to think, and time to think makes him feel like he ought to be doing more to stop them.

Never mind that he’s the longest lived Sorcerer Supreme in over a century, or that the other practitioners of his craft tell him he’s been remarkably successful at repelling the Others and to keep up the good work.

Never mind the crippled old fortuneteller that he has tea and tequila with on every off-month’s second Thursday, that everyone else rejects because of her history of crimes and Len rather likes for the same reason, who tells Len that it’s his ability to be restrained and discreet about fighting that has helped him survive this long.

“Most of 'em, they’re arrogant snots,” old Madame Xanadu spat out in her creaky old voice, the last time they’d spoken. “I’d know better than most -” She’d been an apprentice to one, years ago, and she’d been corrupted, too, all unknowing, but with dreadful consequences. She hadn’t gotten the power, in the end, but she’d broken the hold of the corruption that’d grabbed her. She was resigned to the fact that she didn’t have it and she’d never have it and honestly she didn’t want it anymore: what she’d lost to the corruption had been so much worse than anything she would have gotten out of it. “- and I tell you, the more you use, the more trouble you’re in. Rescuing the world, pah! It’s bad enough to try to keep it intact. Fix, fix, fix, that’s what you ought to do.”

“Sure, Nims,” Len said, fond of her as ever, even though she kicks him under the table every time he calls her that. She likes to grumble that she told him her history to teach him a lesson, not to get a dumb nickname, to which Len liked to respond: why not both? “I’ll be careful.”

“You can never be too careful,” she replied, her eyes mistier than usual, and that’d been his only warning to start stockpiling power, because the dying man’s apprentice had found him at last and was coming to collect his inheritance.

He’d made the worst sort of contracts, with Others and Witchhunters and deranged Path monks and even worse creatures besides, with those that pretended to be gods and those that might not have been pretending, and he’d pulled back everything he was, bursting through the bindings the dying man had put on him, and he’d come after Len.

They’d fought forever and a day.

It was the worst fight Len had ever been in, magic to magic, weapon to weapon, soul to soul.

The apprentice didn’t make stupid assumptions the way some of Len’s other enemies did, didn’t think Len was going to be foolish and heroic and dumb, and he’d thrown everything he had at Len.

And Len? Len had thrown everything he had back.

His love for Mick and Lisa against the apprentice’s love for his master, however twisted that love had become.

The apprentice’s pain against Len’s own, the perception of a master’s betrayal against the slow, dripping realization that Len’s father never loved and never would love him the way fathers ought.

The apprentice threw the captivity of his magic being bound against Len; Len threw back Iron Heights, that yawning pit of despair and blackness and lives cut off by society long before death took them away.

The apprentice summoned monsters.

Len called upon his friends.

That old bastard Constantine was sober, for once, his eyes flashing as he cast spells and incantations with a fluency Len would never be able to achieve; his own enemies were supporting the other side.

Madame Xanadu did what she could to rebalance her books, her blind eyes no impediment as she reached out hand and will to crush anything that skittered and crawled on a plane different from the one they stood in.

Zatanna - Len still has no idea why Zatanna’s there, after that whole awkward one-sided crush and rejection business. He thinks Constantine may have blackmailed her. The reason is immaterial, though: she’s there.

But it hadn’t all just been magic and darkness.

Len has friends well beyond the realm of magic, and he called upon them, too: Mick, his beloved right hand, and Lisa, of course, but others as well. The man with the knives he’d roomed with at Iron Heights, the mother with the dead eyes and the rifle that lived next door, the strangely friendly cannibal he’d met as a child: they all came to fight by his side, and never mind that they didn’t entirely understand what they were fighting.

Old Snaketooth the Dragon - he’d liked Mick’s name so much, he’d taken it on as one of his own, taken it and treasured it with a dragon’s jealous love - roused himself from his long-guarded hoard and came, the size of a train twice over, long and writhing and bellowing flame and poison gas both with equal ease, batting wing and tail, wielding sharp claw and sharper tooth.

But there were more yet to come, more than even Len had realized.

Len’s crews came for him, he who’d treated them fair and cared for them as long as they obeyed his rules, he who had rescued them when they’d gone astray and disciplined them and given them the wealth they desired without the fear of betrayal.

Len’s neighborhood came for him, he who’d protected them from the Families and paid their debts and told their kids with long-suffering grace to go to school despite everything.

Len’s cities came for him.

Tears streamed down Len’s face for the first time in years, when they came forth into the battle, and even the apprentice’s jaw dropped open in surprise.

The Twins did not rouse themselves lightly.

The Gems, they were called by those that loved them, and whether that was their rough-accented city dwellers’ admiration of their finer qualities or a shortened nickname for the sleeping Gemini, no one yet living knows.

They’ve always been there, ever changing but ever constant, growing and shrinking in size but their attraction eternal: a thousand names they’ve gone through, and a thousand more they’ll go through before the end.

Central is the elder, Keystone the younger, and the great Cities of the Midwest Plains are as mighty as their fellows in the East and the West for all that they were less accustomed to battle.

For the first time in a thousand years, they roused themselves, strengthened by the souls of their residents, of the thousands upon thousands of them that melted together by years and close proximity, and once they were roused, they came: the Cities came forth in all their splendor to do battle for their true-born son who’d always loved them best of all.

Len hadn’t even thought to call for them, but still they came.

Every person he’d put love into over his life, each one and everything: they all came.

And so the battle was won, in the end.

The costs were terrible, the casualties great: Mick burned with starfire and left for dead, unconscious in the hospital bed not far away; Lisa angry and distant; the Dragon slain; the magic scattered.

But they survived.

The world survived.

Len buries his head in his hands and wonders if it was worth it.

“Do you want to see a magic trick?” he whispers to himself.

He doesn’t know.

—————————————————————————————————

“Do you want to see a magic trick?” Len shouts, gleeful, as he wields his new weapon, a cold gun, the sister of Mick’s heat gun. They’re standing shoulder-to-shoulder again, just the way it ought to be.

“Even your best magic trick won’t stop me from beating you!” the Flash calls back, superhero bravado unable to disguise how much he’s enjoying their combat.

This is fun.

He’s going to have to bring Lisa in, if she can take time off from her duties as the Dragon’s heir. Old Snaketooth had died knowing that his hoard would be cared for by one who loved it as much as he, and he had been well pleased.

Mick laughs in glee and shoots a line of flame down the street that the Flash dances around in a crackle of lightning.

Len smiles at his cities, who are watching their antics with the fond eyes of mothers gazing upon two favored children playing, and he summons a fire hydrant that was actually located a block away a few minutes before (not that anyone will notice but sanitation, and even that not for a few months - the indifference of government at its finest) and cracks it, the water spurting out all over the streets for him to ice just as the Flash goes by, his eyes going wide, his arms starting to pinwheel as his feet lose their grip.

The way the Flash falls on his ass and slides into a nearby wall is enough slapstick to make his cities (and his Mick) laugh in glee.

“Better luck next time, Flash!” Len calls, pulling Mick and their loot away. They had a car prepped for a getaway.

Mick flicks on the radio, which they’ve set to the Flash’s comm channel.

They drive away safe, listening to the Flash’s helpless laughter at his well-earned and rather hilarious defeat. He’s gotten into full-on hiccups by the end of it, his friends in no better state than him, and even Joe West, who tries to be serious, unable to keep from guffawing.

“And you know what the best part is?” Cisco Ramon asks, voice audible over the line even through the static and his giggles. “I have video.”

Mick twists to look at Len in silent plea.

“Okay, fine,” Len says, still grinning and high on adrenaline. “Our next heist can be to go get a copy of that.”

Now that was magic.

—————————————————————————————————

“Do you want to see a magic trick?” Len asks, his hands in the guts of the machine, Time Masters all around him.

Mick is gone away safe, Sara hoisting him onto her back and sealing her promise to keep Mick safe with a kiss for good luck.

Len doesn’t know if even his magic can survive the destruction of the Oculus, but he knows this: the Oculus has to go.

It’s twisting time, hurting it, and each twist tears through that fragile boundary that protects the world just a little bit more.

The Others are the gods here, their dreadful power come too close for human sanity to prevail; Len can see their madness shining in the eyes of the leaders of the Time Masters. He wonders what promises they made to tear these false monks from the path they swore to tread.

He wonders what promises could ever be worth the terrible damage these men have wrought upon themselves and others in the service of the Others.

He doesn’t, at this moment, much care, though.

They tore Mick from his side and tormented him; Len returned to him his sanity and his sense of self, but the scars in his mind remain, just as the scars of starfire burns remain on his shoulders despite Len restoring his mobility as best he could. It doesn’t matter: they made Mick suffer.

The Time Masters have destroyed so much, killed so many, and yet Len is not too proud to say that those many deaths meant less to him than that injuries they did to the one he loves.

He knows he may not survive this, this final explosion, this final battle. Before he made this choice, before he came to this crossroads, he stood with his hands held high and cast the name “Lisa” in the air, naming her his successor should he die - she deserves it more than anyone else, born and raised in the safety of his power and the risk of his love. The Dragon’s heir knows the risk of what he does and will take on the duty that he has borne so long; she does not want it, no, but she will take it, and she will shine like a starburst of gold with it.

He hopes Mick forgives him for dying.

“You bastard,” one of the Time Master shouts, the only reply to Len’s question.

It’s okay.

Len wasn’t really expecting an answer.

He lets the budding explosion he’s been growing between his fingers go.

—————————————————————————————————

“Do you want to see a magic trick?”

Len opens his eyes.

“Thought I was the one who was supposed to say that now,” he grumbles.

He recognizes the man who stands before him, even without the bleeding eyes and ears and mouth, even though it’s been near on forty years since he last saw him.

He never did get the man’s name.

“Old habits die hard,” the man says with a shrug.

He’s not alone. There’s a figure behind him, massive and mammoth and serpentine -

“Snaketooth?!” Len exclaims. “What’re you doing here?”

The man before him chokes. “You named one of the Great Wurms Snaketooth?!” he demands.

“No,” Len says, rolling his eyes. “My husband did. Obviously.”

“You have a -” the man pauses, then shakes his head ruefully. “On second thought, who am I to criticize? You’ve lasted so long and done so much; perhaps it was best, then, that you were never taught the old ways.”

Len’s gotten some idea of that already from Madam Xanadu, all about how he was supposed to forsake all friendships and romances for “their own good”, as if they’d be any less of a target if he loved them from a distance.

Letting a disaffected blinded corrupted former student be one of Len’s teachers would definitely not have been this man’s preference if he’d lived, but hey - it worked out, didn’t it?

“Am I dead?” Len asks. He thinks it’s a reasonable question, given that the two in front of him are definitely dead.

Old Snaketooth laughs, and the world shakes when he does - a Great Wurm, one of the pillars of the rotten apple core of the world; he was so much more powerful than Len, young and bumbling, had ever known he was.

“That,” he lisps through his big front fangs, “is the magic trick.”

—————————————————————————————————

Len’s pretty happy, all told. He’s gathered up all the most powerful of the Flash’s villains (speedsters not invited) into the Rogues and disciplined them to follow his rules - no killing, no going after friends or family of the Flash, and keep your eyes on the prize; his cities rested safer, now, and were supplied with endless entertainment as they fought and helped the Flash in equal measure.

He’s gotten Mick back from the Waverider, and Lisa from her hoard (she’s courting Cisco and some girl name Cynthia, which involves being around a lot), and even Barry’s happy to see him.

So, yeah.

A minor pirate-maybe-ninja invasion aside, Len’s life is looking good.

“Well?” Barry says challengingly, smile curving his lips. “You gonna show me a magic trick or what?”

Len’s smile widens.

“Just you wait,” he tells Barry. “I’m going to blow your mind.”

And then he shows him a magic trick.

Best one he knows.

[multiverseforger]

The Batman Who Laughs is a version of Batman from Earth-22 of the Dark Multiverse. In that reality, the Earth -22 Joker learns of Batman's identity as Bruce Wayne and kills most of Batman's other rogues, along with Commissioner Gordon. He then subjects thousands of Gotham City’s citizens to the chemicals that transformed him, subsequently killing several parents in front of their children with the goal of turning them into a combination of himself and Batman. When Batman grapples with the Joker, it results in the latter's death as Batman is exposed to a purified form of the chemicals that gradually turn him into a new fusion of Batman and the Joker, one with Bruce Wayne's intelligence and physical strength and the Joker's psychopathy and warped, sadistic sense of humor. The process proves irreversible by the time Batman discovers what is happening to him. The Batman Who Laughs proceeds to take over Earth-22, killing off most of his allies and turning his son Damian Wayne into a mini-Joker and recruiting the children infected by the Joker Toxin as his "Rabid Robins". The Batman Who Laughs seems to be the leader or second-in-command of Barbatos' Dark Knights and recruits the other members.[2]

After arriving on Prime-Earth (Earth 0), the Batman Who Laughs takes control of Gotham and oversees events at the Challenger's mountain. He distributes joker cards to the Batman's Rogues, giving them the ability to alter reality and take over sections of the city.[3] Accompanying him are Dark Damian and three Rabid Robins, having intended to destroy all of reality by linking the Over-Monitor to Anti-Monitor's astral brain. The Batman Who Laughs is defeated when the Prime Universe Batman is aided by the Joker, who notes the alternate Batman's failure to perceive this scenario due to still being a version of Batman.[4]

While assumed dead, The Batman Who Laughs is revealed to be in the custody of Lex Luthor, who offers him a place in the Legion of Doom.[5] At some point during the formation of the Legion of Doom, Joker met with Lex Luthor and advised him not to bring the Batman Who Laughs into the group. The Batman Who Laughs talks to Lex Luthor about the worlds beyond the Source Wall as Joker listens in.[2]

The Batman Who Laughs eventually resumes his attack on Batman, drawing in a string of alternate versions of Bruce Wayne to taunt his counterpart as he prepares for a mass assault on Batman. As an additional asset, the Batman Who Laughs is allied with the Grim Knight, a version of Batman who uses guns and turned his Gotham into a military dictatorship. With no other way to stop his other self, Batman is forced to 'accept' a twisted 'transfusion' from the Joker that begins to turn him into a variation of the Batman Who Laughs, attempting to fight it down while relying on the psychosis of the technically-treated James Gordon Jr. to try to predict his foe. When the Batman Who Laughs draws in a version of Bruce Wayne who has not even lost his parents yet, Batman is able to defeat his other self by luring him into a confrontation in the Waynes' graveyard, with Alfred subsequently using a transfusion from the other Bruce to restore Batman to normal before he is sent home and the Batman who Laughs is locked up in the Hall of Justice dungeon. However, his serums did manage to infect Shazam, Blue Beetle, Donna Troy, Hawkman, Supergirl and Commissioner Gordon, (the latter was infected during issue 7 of The Batman Who Laughs miniseries by Scott Snyder).

A year later, The Batman Who Laughs is still locked up in the Hall of Justice, but with the help of his new Secret Six he begins to set his plan in motion. He starts by having Commissioner Gordon lead Batman and Superman to the cave under Crime Alley where King Shazam will infect Superman. Later, Superman appears seemingly "infected" (with Batman listening in). making their way to the Hall of Justice weapons room. The Batman Who Laughs tells Superman that he plans to infect the world with his serum. He then makes an off-handed comment to Clark that his plan will be like the destruction of Krypton and Lois and Jon won't survive. Superman attacks The Batman Who Laughs, seemingly blowing his cover. However, the whole thing was revealed to be an illusion by Batman, with The Batman Who Laughs praising him saying that he had a similar system on his own world. The Batman Who Laughs' next step is having Scarab (the infected Blue Beetle) hack the Fortress of Solitude and Batcave computers. As this is happening, he begins taunting Clark saying that they were all evil inside and that he will soon know, but as Superman is about to be infected Supergirl catches the tainted Batarang and is unwittingly infected (as the batarang was designed to infect Kryptonians). As the Legion of Doom signal shines in the sky, The Batman Who Laughs muses to himself that he is on a collision course with Lex Luthor, but isn't too concerned because as he puts it, "Batman always wins."

In the "Watchmen" sequel "Doomsday Clock", the Batman Who Laughs is among the villains who are analyzed by Doctor Manhattan when Guy Gardner uses his power ring to show the constructs of villains that they have faced.[6]

During the "Dark Nights: Death Metal" storyline, The Batman Who Laughs becomes Perpetua's lieutenant. Aided by an army of evil Batmen from the Dark Multiverse called the Dark Knights (consisting of Baby Batman, Batmansaurus Rex, Batmobeast, Castle Bat, and Robin King), they enforces her rule. When Wonder Woman decides the best cause of action is to make the first Anti-Crisis following a talk with Wally West, she is confronted by the Batman Who Laughs, whom she proceeds to gut with an invisible Chainsaw of Truth. Though dead, the Dark Knights set to work to unleash the Batman Who Laughs’ true plan; preparing the body of the final Bruce Wayne.[7] This body happens to be Batmanhattan, a version of Bruce Wayne who copied the formula that created Doctor Manhattan.[8] At Castle Bat, the Dark Knights succeed in transferring the Batman Who Laughs’ brain into Batmanhattan, an action that may have repercussions if Perpetua were to find out. After Perpetua warns the Batman Who Laughs of the beings like her who may sense her actions (worried they might destroy her), he proceeds to wipe out the remaining Dark Knights with the exception of Robin King. The Batman Who Laughs then shifts into a new form called the "Darkest Knight" exclaiming that he knows Diana plans to remake the Multiverse, he however wants to make "52 Planets of Nightmares".[9] The Darkest Knight and the Robin King break into Valhalla Cemetery. Knowing that they are after Wally's power, Jay Garrick, Barry Allen, and Wally West run with the Darkest Knight giving chase.[10] Barry, Wally, and Jay team up with Kid Flash and the rest of the Flash family to outrun the Darkest Knight and his army of Dark Multiverse Flashes in order to reach the Mobius Chair.[11] After some convincing from Wonder Woman who traveled back in time to the "Infinite Crisis", Superboy-Prime shatters the Crisis worlds, saving Batman and Superman in the process, and directs all energy to Wally. However, it does not work. Before they had a chance, the Darkest Knight rigged the Mobius Chair so it would always direct the power to himself. And now he has everything he needs to remake the Multiverse in his own image called the Last 52.

[ramajmedia]

Crisis On Infinite Earths: DC Comics Crossover Explained

The 2019 Arrowverse crossover Crisis On Infinite Earths stands poised to forever alter its reality, and challenge the rules regarding what can and cannot be done with superheroes within the context of several television series. Fans who are only familiar with the TV shows may not know the story of the original Crisis On Infinite Earths comic books, which inspired the event and had a major effect upon DC Comics and the comic book industry at large.

To call Crisis on Infinite Earths revolutionary would be an understatement. While some historians argue that Marvel's Secret Wars was the first major comic book crossover event, it lacked the scope and scale of Crisis on Infinite Earths, focusing on only a handful of characters and originally being conceived as a tie-in comic for a line of action figures. By contrast, Crisis On Infinite Earths was intended to showcase every character DC Comics' had ever created, and was meticulously planned over the better part of a decade.

Related: Arrowverse's Crisis On Infinite Earths Explained

While it remains to be seen how closely the Arrowverse Crisis will follow the story of the original comic book storyline, it has set itself up in a similar vein by introducing the mysterious Monitor. It has also established similarly high stakes, with Oliver Queen destined to die as part of the coming battle, after he bargained with the Monitor to save the lives of his friends. The event is also borrowing the tagline from the advertisements that promoted the original comics: "Worlds will live. Worlds will die. And the universe will never be the same!"

What Crisis On Infinite Earths Was All About

Crisis On Infinite Earths came about for two distinct reasons. The first was a desire to streamline and simplify the DC Comics' line of books so that it could be made more accessible to new readers. The second was to showcase everything that made DC Comics unique, as a way of celebrating the company's 50th anniversary.

The planning for Crisis began in 1981, after writer/editor Marv Wolfman received a letter from a reader asking why a character didn't recognize Green Lantern in the most recent issue, when the two had met before in a different comic published 3 years earlier. The letter exemplified the reasons why Wolfman felt DC Comics had been slowly losing their audience for years; it was too hard for new readers to become attached to a series, due to the sheer size of the DC Comics multiverse and the different versions of popular characters that existed. For instance, one Superman book might depict Clark Kent as he was in the Christopher Reeve movies, while another showed him as an older man with graying temples, happily married to Lois Lane.

Wolfman pitched a revolutionary story that would allow the whole of DC Comics' multiverse to be condensed into a single reality. After DC Comics' top brass approved the basic idea, Wolfman began to lay the groundwork in the comics that he wrote. At the same time, DC Comics hired a professional researcher to go through every book DC Comics had ever published and catalog all of their characters, so that they could all appear in Wolfman's proposed story.

Related: 6 Things That Need To Happen In Arrowverse’s Crisis On Infinite Earths

This undertaking took two years, by which point it was decided that the story should be delayed until 1985, so that its release would coincide with the 50th anniversary of DC Comics' foundation. During that time, Wolfman's frequent artistic collaborator and co-creator of the New Teen Titans, George Perez, heard about the project and requested the assignment of drawing the 12-issue maxi-series be given to him. With Perez and executive editor Dick Giordano assisting him on the plotting duties, Wolfman began to shape the story of Crisis On Infinite Earths.

What Happens In Crisis On Infinite Earths

Wolfman lay the groundwork for Crisis On Infinite Earths with the introduction of the Monitor - an alien who appeared throughout the DC Comics' multiverse. At first the Monitor seemed to be an intergalactic arms-dealer, supplying supervillains with advanced alien weaponry. Yet the Monitor was also depicted engaging in noble acts, such as saving a young girl called Lyla Michaels from being lost at sea. Between his ill-defined powers and the seeming randomness of his actions, the Monitor was an enigma for many years.

The opening chapters of Crisis Of Infinite Earths explained the Monitor's actions, if not his background or the limits of his powers. A physical manifestation of the positive matter multiverse, the Monitor had come to learn of the existence of a being of pure evil who was his equal and opposite - an Anti-Monitor who ruled over the anti-matter universe. Somehow, the Anti-Monitor had discovered that the destruction of positive matter universes expanded his realm and increased his power, leading him to start destroying the multiverse in a bid to become all-powerful.

Steadily weakened by the destruction of the realities that empowered him, the Monitor hit upon a bold plan. He would build an army of heroes, forged from the mightiest beings across the multiverse and set them upon the Anti-Monitor. To that end, he began empowering the evildoers of the multiverse as a means of testing the heroes. Beyond building his army, the Monitor also empowered two champions to act as his agents.

Related: Every Superhero Actor Returning For Crisis On Infinite Earths

The Monitor transformed Lyla Michaels, whom he had come to raise as his own daughter, into the heroine Harbinger, giving her the power to spread her consciousness throughout the multiverse in a series of clone bodies. It was Harbinger who gathered those champions the Monitor had found worthy of joining his epic crusade. The Monitor also gave immortality and invulnerability to a scientist he dubbed Pariah, who had accidentally developed a connection to the Anti-Monitor after his experiments opened a portal to the anti-matter universe, leading to the destruction of his Earth. The Monitor used Pariah to track the Anti-Monitor's movements, as Paraiah's connection forcibly teleported him from reality to reality, arriving in a universe just before the Anti-Monitor and his forces began destroying it.

The Aftermath Of Crisis On Infinite Earths

In the end, the Anti-Monitor was defeated, but only thanks to the sacrifice of many heroes. The most notable among these were Barry Allen, The Flash of Earth-1, and Kara Zor-El, the Supergirl of Earth-1. In the end, only five Earths survived the Crisis: Earth 1 (home of the Justice League), Earth-2 (home of the Justice Society), Earth-S (home of Shazam and all the heroes once owned by Fawcett Comics), Earth-4 (home of Blue Beetle and all the heroes once owned by Charlton Comics) and Earth-X (home of Plastic Man and all the heroes once owned by Quality Comics).

These five Earths merged into a single Earth with a single shared history, dubbed New Earth. The heroes of Earth-2 and Earth-X, who had existed during World War II in their original timelines, were now the first generation of superheroes on New Earth. The heroes of Earth-1, Earth-4 and Earth-S constituted the new generation of heroes, operating in modern times.

Most of DC Comics' major titles were rebooted, with new origin stories being commissioned to explain the heroes' origins on New Earth. The Superman mythos were changed so that Kal-El was the sole survivor of Krypton, with no Supergirl, Krypto the Super Dog or Beppo the Super Monkey to assist him. Batman's background remained largely the same, but the editors of the Batman titles pushed the idea that Batman no longer operated in the open and was considered an urban legend by most of the people of Gotham City. Black Canary became a legacy character, with Dinah Drake having served in the Justice Society and her teammates acting as an army of uncles to her daughter, Dinah Lance, who went on to become a founding member of the Justice League as the second Black Canary.

Related: Arrowverse’s Crisis on Infinite Earths: 10 DC Comics Earths We Need To See

How Crisis On Infinite Earths Will Be Different On The Arrowverse

The creators behind the Arrowverse have been building towards producing a live-action version of Crisis on Infinite Earths for years. The first hints were dropped in the pilot episode of The Flash, with a newspaper from the future describing how The Flash disappeared during a crisis where the skies turned red and shadowy demons stalked the streets of Central City. These events matched the Crisis On Infinite Earths comics, where the skies turned red during the event and the Anti-Monitor's followers included shadowy demons.

While the Arrowverse has grown to encompass dozens of worlds, it has not become as unmanageable as the DC Comics' multiverse of 1981. With the exceptions of Supergirl (which is set on Earth-38) and Black Lightning (which was only recently established as being a part of the Arrowverse), all of the Arrowverse shows have been set on Earth-1. As such, there has been no indication that there will be a single, solitary universe once Crisis on Infinite Earths comes to a close, though it has been announced that there will be one new Arrowverse show starting up in Fall 2020.

Given that, Crisis On Infinite Earths could be just the thing to shake-up the Arrowverse and streamline the whole line-up. It would be far easier for Supergirl and Batwoman to have team-ups if they were living on the same Earth. It would also simplify things for the benefit of new viewers if the new universe were to eliminate some of the excess characters and leave Caity Lotz as the only Black Canary. With infinite Earths in play, literally anything is possible.

More: Everything We Know About Arrowverse's Crisis on Infinite Earths Crossover

source https://screenrant.com/crisis-infinite-earths-dc-comics-crossover-explained/

[katybudgetbooks]

YA Books We’re Anticipating in April 2017

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett (4/4):  Seventeen-year-old Bailey moves to California to live with her father and, perhaps, finally meet an online friend and fellow film buff, but soon finds herself attracted to an annoying co-worker.

The End of Our Story by Meg Haston (4/4): Every love story has a breaking point... From the author of Paperweight comes the star-crossed romance of two high school friends in a tale rife with deeply buried secrets and shocking revelations. BEFORE: Bridge and Wil have been entangled in each other's lives for years. Under the white-hot Florida sun, they went from kids daring each other to swim past the breakers to teenagers stealing kisses between classes. But when Bridge betrayed Wil during their junior year, she shattered his heart and their relationship along with it. AFTER: When Wil's family suffers a violent loss, and Bridge rushes back to Wil's side. As they struggle to heal old wounds and start falling for each other all over again, Bridge and Wil discover just how much has changed in the past year. Though they once knew each other's every secret, they aren't the same people they used to be. Bridge can't imagine life without Wil, but sometimes love isn't enough. Can they find their way back to each other, or will this be the end of their story?

Shadowcaster by Cinda Williams Chima (4/4): From New York Times bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima, this is a thrilling story of the unfathomable costs of war, the allure of dark magic, and two principled and conflicted characters drawn together despite everything they stand to lose.Alyssa ana'Raisa, the reluctant princess heir to the Gray Wolf throne of the Fells, feels more comfortable striking with a sword than maneuvering at court. After a brush with death, Lyss goes on the offensive, meaning to end the war that has raged her whole life. If her gamble doesn't pay off, she could lose her queendom before she even ascends to the throne. Across enemy lines in Arden, young rising star Captain Halston Matelon is being sent on ever more dangerous assignments. Between the terrifying rumors of witches and wolfish warriors to the north and his cruel king at home, Hal is caught in an impossible game of life and death.Lyss and Hal's intricately linked fates become inseparable when they fall under the shadow of a new enemy--a force that threatens to extinguish the last rays of hope in the Shattered Realms.

Alex & Eliza by Melissa de la Cruz (4/11): 1777. Albany, New York. As battle cries of the American Revolution echo in the distance, servants flutter about preparing for one of New York society's biggest events: the Schuylers' grand ball. Descended from two of the oldest and most distinguished bloodlines in New York, the Schuylers are proud to be one of their fledgling country's founding families, and even prouder still of their three daughters--Angelica, with her razor-sharp wit; Peggy, with her dazzling looks; and Eliza, whose beauty and charm rival those of both her sisters, though she'd rather be aiding the colonists' cause than dressing up for some silly ball. Still, Eliza can barely contain her excitement when she hears of the arrival of one Alexander Hamilton, a mysterious, rakish young colonel and General George Washington's right-hand man. Though Alex has arrived as the bearer of bad news for the Schuylers, he can't believe his luck--as an orphan, and a bastard one at that--to be in such esteemed company. And when Alex and Eliza meet that fateful night, so begins an epic love story that would forever change the course of American history. In the pages of Alex and Eliza, #1 New York Times bestselling author Melissa de la Cruz brings to life the romance of young Alexander Hamilton and Elizabeth Schuyler.

The Freemason’s Daughter by Shelley Sackier (4/11): Saying good-bye to Scotland is the hardest thing that Jenna MacDuff has had to do--until she met Lord Pembroke. Jenna's small clan has risked their lives traveling the countryside as masons, secretly drumming up support and arms at every stop for the exiled King James Stuart so that he may retake the British throne. But their next job brings them into enemy territory: England.Jenna's father repeatedly warns her to trust no one, but when the Duke of Keswick hires the clan to build a garrison on his estate, it seems she cannot hide her capable mind from the duke's inquisitive son, Lord Alex Pembroke--nor mask her growing attraction to him.But there's a covert plan behind the building of the garrison--a secret that cannot be revealed. Will Jenna hide her family's mutinous plot and assist her clan's cause, or protect the life of the young noble she's falling for?In Shelley Sackier's lush, vivid historical debut, someone will pay a deadly price no matter what Jenna chooses.

Given to the Sea by Mindy McGinnis (4/11):  Kings and Queens rise and fall, loyalties collide, and romance blooms in a world where the sea is rising--and cannot be escaped. Khosa is Given to the Sea, a girl born to be fed to the water, her flesh preventing a wave like the one that destroyed the Kingdom of Stille in days of old. But before she's allowed to dance, an uncontrollable twitching of the limbs that will carry her to the shore in a frenzy--she must produce an heir. Yet the thought of human touch sends shudders down her spine that not even the sound of the tide can match. Vincent is third in line to inherit his throne, royalty in a kingdom where the old linger and the young inherit only boredom. When Khosa arrives without an heir he knows his father will ensure she fulfills her duty, at whatever cost. Torn between protecting the throne he will someday fill, and the girl whose fate is tied to its very existence, Vincent's loyalty is at odds with his heart. Dara and Donil are the last of the Indiri, a native race whose dwindling magic grows weaker as the island country fades. Animals cease to bear young, creatures of the sea take to the land, and the Pietra--fierce fighters who destroyed the Indiri a generation before--are now marching from their stony shores for the twin's adopted homeland, Stille. Witt leads the Pietra, their army the only family he has ever known. The stone shores harbor a secret, a growing threat that will envelop the entire land--and he will conquer every speck of soil to ensure the survival of his people. The tides are turning in Stille, where royals scheme, Pietrans march, and the rising sea calls for its Given.

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli (4/11): From the award-winning author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda comes a funny, authentic novel about sisterhood, love, and identity.Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. No matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can't stomach the idea of rejection. So she's careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.Then a cute new girl enters Cassie's orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly's cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly's totally not dying of loneliness--except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie's new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. If Molly can win him over, she'll get her first kiss and she'll get her twin back. There's only one problem: Molly's coworker, Reid. He's a chubby Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there's absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. Right?

Bang by Barry Lyga (4/18):  A chunk of old memory, adrift in a pool of blood. Sebastian Cody did something horrible, something no one--not even Sebastian himself--can forgive. At the age of four, he accidentally shot and killed his infant sister with his father's gun. Now, ten years later, Sebastian has lived with the guilt and horror for his entire life. With his best friend away for the summer, Sebastian has only a new friend--Aneesa--to distract him from his darkest thoughts. But even this relationship cannot blunt the pain of his past. Because Sebastian knows exactly how to rectify his childhood crime and sanctify his past. It took a gun to get him into this. Now he needs a gun to get out. Unflinching and honest, Bang is the story of one boy and one moment in time that cannot be reclaimed, as true and as relevant as tomorrow's headlines. Readers of This is Where It Ends, The Hate List, and Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock will appreciate this extraordinary novel.

Grendel’s Guide to Love and War by AE Kaplan (4/18):  Tom Grendel lives a quiet life--writing in his notebooks, mowing lawns for his elderly neighbors, and pining for Willow, a girl next door who rejects the -manic-pixie-dream- label. But when Willow's brother, Rex (the bro-iest bro ever to don a jockstrap), starts throwing wild parties, the idyllic senior citizens' community where they live is transformed into a war zone. Tom is rightfully pissed--his dad is an Iraq vet, and the noise from the parties triggers his PTSD--so he comes up with a plan to end the parties for good. But of course, it's not that simple. One retaliation leads to another, and things quickly escalate out of control, driving Tom and Willow apart, even as the parties continue unabated. Add to that an angsty existential crisis born of selectively reading his sister's Philosophy 101 coursework, a botched break-in at an artisanal pig farm, and ten years of unresolved baggage stemming from his mother's death . . . and the question isn't so much whether Tom Grendel will win the day and get the girl, but whether he'll survive intact.

Legion by Julie Kagawa (4/25): From the limitless imagination of Julie Kagawa comes the next thrilling novel in The Talon Saga.The legions will be unleashed, and no human, rogue dragon or former dragonslayer can stand against the coming horde. Dragon hatchling Ember Hill was never prepared to find love at all--dragons do not suffer human emotions--let alone with a human, and a former dragonslayer at that. With ex-soldier of St. George Garret dying at her feet after sacrificing his freedom and his life to expose the deepest of betrayals, Ember knows only that nothing she was taught by dragon organization Talon is true. About humans, about rogue dragons, about herself and what she's capable of doing and feeling.In the face of great loss, Ember vows to stand with rogue dragon Riley against St. George and her own twin brother, Dante--the heir apparent to all of Talon, and the boy who will soon unleash the greatest threat and terror dragonkind has ever known. Talon is poised to conquer the world, and the abominations they have created will soon take to the skies, darkening the world with the promise of blood and death to those who will not yield.

[sueboohscorner]

#Gotham S 3 Ep 20 "Pretty Hate Machine" Spoilers, Recap, and Review

Woah, this episode had a lot going on and it left us on a cliffhanger! Just to be expected before the two hour premiere of the third season finale of Gotham.

Well, I don’t want to take up the time with pleasantries, so let’s dive right into it.

Now the last thing we saw in the previous episode was Lee (Morena Baccarin) inject herself with the Tetch virus because Jervis Tetch revealed that even though he and Jim were involved in her husband’s death, it was actually all her fault, and boy, oh boy, does she put the virus to good use right away.

You know how the Tetch virus brings out the darkest part of a person? Like how it brought out Marco’s jealousy and Barnes’ need for absolute justice? Apparently, the virus brought out her sick love for Jim….as well as her desire for some heavy eye makeup. So Jim (Ben McKenzie) realizing that Lee stole the virus, he confronts her about it at her home and, well…..with the super strength that comes with the virus, a scuffle quickly occurs and Lee manages to knock out Jim.

At the GCPD, Harvey (Donal Logue) and super stressed out over Bruce, Alfred (Sean Pertwee), are quickly crossing off every marked spot on the crystal owl map. Unfortunately, the reason they’re going through them so quickly is because no matter which spot they arrive at, it’s the same thing: dead members of the Court of Owls. What in the world happened to them, you ask? Um, well…with Bruce (David Mazouz) under the Shaman’s (Raymond J. Barry) control, they’re going from location to location taking out each Court member until it’s time to detonate the weapon. Oh yeah, and it’s totally confirmed that the Shaman is the freaking LEADER!!!!!!!

In a, I guess, unconventional way, Alfred gets some stress out when the GCPD arrests Dr. Hugo Strange (B.D. Wong) and Harvey give the O.K. to get information out of him about the Court and Bruce as well as he can. Needless to say, seeing Alfred Pennyworth dangle Strange of the side of a building by just his tie was an awesome thing would witness.

Anyways, while Bullock and Alfred are in a tizzy about what to do next, Lee thinks it’s a good time to come on in and inform the GCPD that she had buried Jim in a coffin. So, it’s kind of another day in Gotham I suppose. Don’t worry; she didn’t kill Jim. She buried him alive with a CB radio and a sample of the Tetch virus for Jim to take and escape with. So now we have Alfred worried sick about Bruce, and Harvey worried sick about his partner Jim. Those poor guys. They, of course, lock up Lee and her caked on makeup in a cell.

With a little detective work, Jim figures out that the radio he and Harvey now have, has about a mile radius on them and they quickly discover the general location where he’s buried.

While searching for Jim, the time and location of the bomb are then revealed: at Union Station at twelve o’ clock, which does not give Harvey enough time to find Jim and the bomb before it goes off. Running very low on oxygen, Jim reluctantly takes the virus and breaks free of the coffin.

With the members of the Court gone, the Shaman and Bruce have only one thing left to do: detonate the bomb. Shaman gives that responsibility to Bruce because he is entirely convinced that it is his destiny to destroy Gotham and make it rise from the ashes of insanity. They are quickly stopped by Alfred who threatens to shoot the Shaman. Bruce hesitates only for a moment when he arrives. You can see the absolute torment

Alfred is going through seeing Bruce under the control of the Shaman and the whole crazy, destiny talk. Alfred begs Bruce to step out of the way and drop the detonator. The Shaman furiously steps in front of Bruce and sets off the bomb himself, Alfred shooting him in the process. In Bruce’s anguish, the Shaman has one last message for Bruce: to seek out the Demon’s Head. In a grief stricken fury, Bruce tries to attack Alfred, but then arrested by the GCPD.

Now we see Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) stress out about his lack of a freak army to Ivy (Maggie Geha) in a safe house *emphasis on safe*. He inquires Selina (Camren Bicondova) to go and find Firefly since she knows her. The Riddle (Corey Michael Smith) and Butch (Drew Powell) quickly barge in to capture Penguin and Ivy. Selina manages to get herself out of there, only to get knocked out by Tabitha (Jessica Lucas). But it turns out, when Oswald called it a safe house, he wasn’t kidding. Armored plates and lights are activated and provide a much needed escape for him and Ivy.

At the Siren’s Club, in exchange for Ivy’s safety and money, Barbara (Erin Richards), Edward, Butch and Tabitha make a deal with Selina to help them find out where Oswald is hiding. We also get a little snit between Babs and Tabs because of the whole betrayal thing with Mayor James.

Unknowingly, Ivy reveals that she and Oswald are hiding in her greenhouse. With Riddler’s posse accompanying him, they quickly hold Oz at gunpoint. Edward has full intention to shoot Penguin, but only until he calls him “The Riddler”. Scoffing at his stupid request, Oswald declines a quick death and would prefer a slow and painful one compared to calling Edward by that ridiculous title.

Sounds of people are heard outside the greenhouse. It’s strange because, we seem to have everyone involved in Oswald and Edward’s war in the same room…..until FISH MOONEY (Jada Pinkett Smith) APPEARS WITH ARMED GOONS, BITCHES!!!!!!

Needless to say, everyone, especially Oswald, is stunned to see her. Well, I guess Butch is more amused than surprised, but whatever. The only thing Fish came for was Oswald. In a surprising turn, she takes Penguin for herself and leaves everyone else in an opened mouth stupor.

Meanwhile, even with the virus in his system, Jim couldn’t make it in time to stop or turn off the bomb. Apparently Lee had escaped police custody and smacked Jim around a bit before the counter hit zero. The bomb goes off and a rush of red madness affects thousands of people, leaving so many innocent people to fall deep into insanity.

Wow, wow, wow! A lot of awesome stuff happened in this episode. A lot of things got resolved, leaving with even more questions and new problems in the episode’s wake. Even though Lee was in the episode, I still liked it.

8 out of 10 for me.

The title of the episode is “Pretty Hate Machine”, which is also the name of a Nine Inch Nails album. I have no idea of connection between the two, or even if there are any. If anyone can think of one, let me know in the comments section.

I would state now the things I liked and did not like about the episode, but I enjoyed watching the whole episode. Is every episode of Gotham or any television series a ten out of ten? Absolutely not. But nonetheless, I had a great time watching and experiencing this episode and I can’t wait for the two hour season premiere of the season finale. It’s going to be hard not seeing Gotham and waiting for the next season, but I am grateful as hell that there is going to BE a next season and I know that the season finale will leave us all emotionally scared and wanting more.

And as always, stay weird. Til next time.