#i know that hes got killed really early after Order in comics but i would honestly prefer him to die this way

[u5an5]

Theory: The Clone X was not Cody like some people think or even Fives (I know he's been dead for a very long time but so was Boba Fett and look where we are. Plus, Echo was supposed to be certainly dead too; making him Winter Soldier-esque storyline wouldn't be that surprising) or not even Slick.

((Also, now that we've seen his face devoid of any tattoos or scars I think first two takes are definitely not applicable anymore; they wouldn't put that much effort to make him unrecognizable))

Back to the point: In my opinion, The Clone X was none other than...

Fox.

Now let me explain.

Who else, other than X, was loyal to the law and justice dictated by it over any moral or ethic code?

Fox.

Who else was portrayed with such single-minded focus on hunting down traitors of the government he served, regardless of what it was?

Fox.

Who else could know not only Coruscant so well but also identify Rex like they knew each other?

He already was a remarkably successful tracker of traitors, why not make him more efficient by pointing them out for him?

Good soldiers follow orders, after all.

[playertwotails]

So I've been thinking about Forces and Frontiers and their new "General Knuckles" characterization. Under the cut cause it got longer than I thought it would lol.

First off I'm not a fan of it and it really doesn't make sense for his character to me. He's someone who grew up in isolation, is easily trusting while also being a hot head that hits first asks questions later, none of that screams General of a resistance.

My working theory as to why they did this was they wanted a quick way to get away from himbo Knuckles that Boom had introduced. Cause his character was always presented as smart before with his knowledge of history and archeology just that he lacks the common sense that comes with being around other people and he was ignorant in that way.

In my opinion he should have been presented as the front lines man who's the first and last on the battle field. That way he was still very much in the inner circle of the resistance in Forces but his character isn't just sitting back in war meetings planning but in the middle of every fight. Since previous characterizations of him have never been a "think things through first" kinda guy it just doesn't make sense to me to suddenly make him the "plans guy".

My next thought was to give the General title to Amy. Cause it does kinda make sense. She's usually the character that hangs back since she's not one of the main 3 with that characterization being a left over from her early days of "damseled girl character." But she's also way more charismatic than Knuckles, has been shown to make plans, be detail oriented, and care deeply about other people.

But at the same time she's also characterized as a bit of a hot head and doesn't like to sit back while her friends are potentially in danger. With more recent versions have her liking to be beside them in a fight and is also shown to be one of the more heavy hitters with her hammer now-a-days. Plus her having to send people into a fight and them potentially being hurt (or killed) on her orders, while a good set up for angst and some character development, just didn't sit right with me.

Then it hit me.

There is a character that walks into a room and with few to no words commands respect and other's, even villains, to listen to them at the drop of a hat....it's Vanilla. Sega missed out on bringing her in from the sidelines and doing interesting things with her character in Forces in my opinion. She's been shown multiple times to be able to waltz into a room and immediately take complete control. She's is quickly able to command people and direct them to the best and most efficient course of action in a few of her scenes in the IDW comics.

Heck a lot of main characters have been shown to be a scared of her being angry, one of them being Rouge who's a spy and has literally been a double agent.

Imagine it though in Forces maybe we don't know she's in charge to begin with and it's kept a mystery for most of the game of who's the one leading the charge against Eggman. The main cast just keeps referring to the General in their conversations about their plans but not saying their name. Then after they do the big Sonic rescue and it's time for a big war meeting, boom ! in comes Vanilla who ain't messing around. I can imagine a line from Sonic of "Vanilla!!!?? You're the general!!!" in the scene where she's walks in.

This also leaves room for a few jokes of her flipping from serious leader to "mom of a 6 year old" attitude. Like big serious meeting and she's talking and directing what people will do in a big assault on an Eggman base and then suddenly she just like "oh! and I also brought cookies and juice boxes for all of you while we talk" and then immediately switching back to talking about planting a bomb or something.

And like even with Tails going off on his own and disappearing from them could have been an interesting topic of conflict with all of them. Like Vanilla having to give the order to Amy and Knuckles to not go looking for him cause they don't have the man power all the while Cream could be upset with her for not letting them look for her friend. Or something along these lines.

Idk I just really feel like Sega is sleeping on Vanilla and could do so much more with her. Just with her being a mom and the only consistent cannon friendly adult in the sea of over powered kids with her own kid jumping into the fray cause she's also an overpowered child just has a lot of potential there to me.

[northoftheroad]

Dick Grayson in the New 52

(Prime Earth, from after Flashpoint (2011) up until the Convergence (2015).

As everyone might know, I'm not a great fan of the New 52. I'm sure some characters had great stories, and there are indeed some compelling stories for Dick, but generally, I feel it did him few favours. Before Flashpoint (Dick became Doctor Fate in Flashpoint: Deadman and the Flying Graysons, by the way), Dick Grayson had a long and rich history together with scores of characters and was one of the most experienced and skilled "superheroes" out there. Instead, we got a guy in his early 20s who had met Bruce Wayne when he was as old as 15, didn't have his best friends from the Teen Titans, hardly knew that version of Superman, etcetera. (Dick had been in a relationship with Kory, seen in some flashbacks, but I don't think there ever was a New Teen Titans team.) 

Dick's Nightwing suit was also red instead of blue; I believe to have all four "Robins" in the same colour, which I didn't mind. But I really, really don't like the New 52 version of his Robin suit. 

I honestly don't think there are a lot of stories from this time that are important to know about reading forward, i.e. things that will be referenced in later comics (and fanfiction...) There is the Court of Owls extended storyline, naturally, when it turns out Dick's great-grandfather is a Talon and wants Dick to follow in his footstep, something the Court and Parliament of Owls seem very much into (The Gray Son of Gotham). This has forever changed Dick's past at Haly's circus, from where he would have been safe to where he would have been handed over to a future as a Talon. 

There is Forever Evil when Dick was killed and revived, after which Batman took the chance to "persuade" Dick to pretend to stay dead so he could infiltrate Spyral, leading to the title Grayson (2014–2016). There's Damian dying and coming back too, but Dick had a minor role there. 

Towards the end of the New 52, DC was working to give their characters all their memories back from pre-Flashpoint, and the (Silver age) Titans were reunited in Titans Hunt (2015–2016). 

Anyway, here are some notable comics with Dick Grayson from the New 52, trying to keep it in in-story chronological order. 

Nightwing vol 3 # 25. A story from Dick's time at the circus. 

Nightwing vol 3 # 0 (2012) and The Long Year (in New 52 Secret Origins vol 3 # 1 (2014)) tell somewhat different versions of how Dick came to Bruce and became Robin.

Batman and Robin vol 2 Annual # 2. Partly a flashback story to when Dick was Robin. Bruce fires him and forgives him a night or two later; none of them are characters I can particularly care about...  

Grayson Annual # 2. A couple of flashback pages to Dick/Robin meeting the (young) New 52 Superman.

Batman & Robin Eternal (2015–2016) and Batman Endgame # 1. Parts of Batman & Robin Eternal occur in the past when Dick is Robin, and for instance, faces Scarecrow for the first time. 

Justice League vol 2 # 51. DickRobin’s first meeting with the Justice League. Batman tells him he will be leading it in the future.

Nightwing vol 3 # 1. Dick has just left being Batman and gone back to Nightwing.

Nightwing vol 3 # 2–10. Connected to the Court of Owls storyline. # 7 tells how Dick's childhood friend Raymond was taken to become a Talon, after Dick had left with Bruce. # 8–9 includes the story of Dick's great-grandfather William Cobb, his love affair with Amelia Crowne, and how he became a Talon, took his son from Amelia, and left him at the circus. 

Nightwing vol 3 # 11–17. Dick invests all his money in rebuilding the Amusement Mile in Gotham and invites Haly's circus to work there. He gets help from the businesswoman Sonia Branch, the daughter of Tony Zucco, his parent's murderer. However, Joker targets the Amusement Mile and the circus, and in the end, Dick is left without any money and the circus people leave him. 

Connected to the Death of the Family crossover, where the Joker imprisons the bat-family in the cave. The story arc ends with Bruce's allies leaving him, angry that he never told them that the Joker might have known who they are all along. 

Nightwing vol 3 # 18. The aftermath of Damian's death. Dick is told that Tony Zucco, the man who killed his parents and was presumed dead, is alive. 

Batman and Robin vol 2 # 23 Nightwing. Dick tries to help Bruce cope with Damian's death. 

Nightwing vol 3 # 18. Dick moves to Chicago to search for Zucco. In # 28, Zucco ends up in jail. 

Forever Evil (2013-2014) In # 1, Nightwing is captured by the Crime Syndicate of Earth 3, and they demask him on television. Justice League vol 2 # 23.4 and # 25. Thomas Wayne Jr, Owlman on the Crime Syndicate, tries to convince Dick to become his partner against the rest of the Syndicate. In his own dimension, he had killed that Dick Grayson's parents to make Dick bond with him. In Forever Evil # 6, Batman and Catwoman find Dick trapped in a murder machine; a bomb that will explode unless his heart stops. Lex Luthor knocks Batman out and ostensibly suffocates Dick while giving him a cardioplegia pill. Dick flatlines, and the countdown of the bomb stops. # 7 Luthor revives Dick with a shot of adrenalin. 

Nightwing vol 3 # 30. Bruce is an abusive ass and fights with Dick to force him to pretend to stay dead and infiltrate Spyral; Bruce describes it as an espionage group hunting masked heroes. In the last pages, Dick is with Spyral. 

There was also a # 30 that never was published about Dick's funeral and the reactions of his friend and family. 

Grayson (2014–2016). Dick is working as Agent 37 at Spyral. He has been equipped with a Hypnos Implant in the eyes, used to show hallucinations to enemies (and more); it can also be used to render the agent wearing them unconscious. I've said it before; I can enjoy the Grayson book if I read it as Dick is playing the part of sexy (and sometimes obnoxious) super spy out of necessity. He is clearly homesick when he talks to Bruce to report his findings. 

Batman Eternal takes place when Dick is presumed dead; he's mentioned twice, I believe (# 5 and 18)

Batman vol 2 # 40 (April 2015). Dick stands in as Batman, fighting the Joker. 

Grayson # 5. The best issue of the run, in my opinion. Dick keeps a newborn baby alive after a plane crash in a desert, telling her a story that builds on the classic Robin Dies at Dawn. 

Grayson # 12. Dick returns to Gotham, where Bruce is an amnesiac and has forgotten about Batman and all his kids. Dick reveals himself to Alfred, Jason, Tim, Damian and Barbara (Jason, especially, is pissed; Damian is overjoyed) to get their help to take down Spyral. Quotes from older comics surround his meetings with the other bat-characters, so it's a fun issue to read for that. 

Starfire vol 2 # 6–8. Guest starring Dick as Agent 37. 

Grayson Annual # 2. Dick meets and teams up with the New 51 Superman, who has lost most of his powers. It has its moments, and Dick talks about how he remembered Clark's story about the Kryptonian gods Nightwing and Flamebird when he decided to leave being Robin. 

Batman & Robin Eternal (2015–2016) and Batman Endgame # 1. A part of Batman & Robin Eternal takes place in the past when Dick is Robin; in the story "now", Dick is Agent 37. It revolves around a character called "Mother", who "creates" characters on order. It is implied Bruce worries that he was doing the same thing with Dick, when he trained him to become Robin. The book includes many characters, for instance, Cassandra Cain, who is reintroduced here. Personally, I don't think you miss out a lot if you skip this book, but to each their own. 

Robin War (a book and crossover including Grayson # 15, 2015–2016). Dick and the other official Robins train and work together with the Robin movement in Gotham. It ends with Dick accepting a position as a Talon for the international Parliament of Owls – they had tricked Damian into taking the role earlier in the book, but their goal was set on Dick. (Dick will, of course, work to dismantle the Parliament, in the Rebirth Nightwing title.)

Titans Hunt (2015–2016). The return of Wally West led to Rebirth and everyone remembering a past they've forgotten (DC's way of explaining the shortcomings of New 52, if I understood correctly). Just before that happens, Titans Hunt reunites part of the old Teen Titans, and Dick returns to his Nightwing suit. 

The New 52 brand ended in 2015, when DC published a bunch of miniseries under the brand Convergence. The storylines continued into 2016 until Rebirth happened (Dick's appearances there is something I will try to get into in a later post).

And there were a lot of different versions of Dick Grayson during Convergence...

The future of Dick and Kory from the New Teen Titans timeline, in Convergence: The New Teen Titans # 1-2

The future of Dick and Barbara from pre-Flashpoint timeline, in Convergence: Nightwing and Oracle # 1-2

The future of Dick from the old Earth-Two (who actually died together with his "almost adopted sister" Helena/Huntress in Crisis on Infinite Earths) in Convergence: Detective Comics # 1-2

Dick from Earth 2, who was a journalist, never met Bruce but Thomas and became Batman, in Convergence # 2–8, Earth 2: World's End and Earth 2: Society (he's not in every issue). 

Note. This is a much more complete list from a Tumblr account that I believe is no longer active:

[donnerpartyofone]

horrorphones...

Like many of the cretinous shut-ins who follow this blog, I hate phone calls. If you call me on the phone without an approved appointment I will assume that you are experiencing a deadly emergency. You will scare the shit out of me and I may not even be relieved if there is no deadly emergency. For me to talk on the phone, I practically always have to write a little script, even if we are very close personal friends. I must have a physical list of talking points in case my mind goes totally blank from the enormous pressure and I forget my entire life. I usually have to have at least one drink for calls lasting longer than a minute or two. I would probably be most comfortable conducting all social business from behind a Late Show desk on which I could reassuringly tap my stack of helpful cue cards. I will write you very long personal letters. I will text and DM with you at all hours of the night. I just cannot talk to you on the phone. The phone fries my brain. Actually, I feel extremely nervous even after a phone call, even if everything went well, even if it was super fun. I kind of have to sleep it off.

Unfortunately, not all people communicate in non-phone ways. I have one best friend (I'm an adult, I don't put the top people in a hierarchy as if they all serve exactly the same purpose and some are better than others; I have a couple of verified "best friends") who is just too much of a free spirit to be really into the internet, or to be brooding over long written documents. I gotta talk to her on the phone or she won't feel loved, she'll feel detached and isolated. I love to talk to her, but I still need to get in the like phone zone in order to not act like the total fucking outer space alien that I actually am. Being me is very taxing.

But now I have this old friend, see. An old friend and also a friend who is old. Actually I have no idea how old he is, he was old when I met him. He gave me my first post-college job (my first "real job" ever, I was and remain an unemployable mess) at his comic book store, where I stayed for many years. The whole crew there was very tight. He is a cool, smart, funny, cultured, frustrating, infuriating, offensive, secretly caring and wonderful sort of person. We went through a lot together, including several years of a random customer stalking and harassing me. We dealt with the police together. We served the dregs of society together. Sometimes we hated each other. But he is a major reason that I survived my 20s.

Several years ago he was in a freak accident where he was pinned under a heavy piece of furniture in his apartment for days. It could have killed him. He already had a well-developed case of Parkinson's, I don't know if that's related. Through a series of different events, he wound up moving into an assisted living place on the other side of the country, near one of his brothers. I'm sure he hates it. Every year on Halloween, which is a little bit before his birthday, I send him a hand-drawn card featuring classic comics characters doing all sorts of demented things, along with a little update letter. One year I got a letter back asking me to call him. OH NO, I thought. I didn't call.

Yesterday was a big, very challenging, in some ways very rewarding day. When I was finally all out of tasks I decided to turn my brain fully off and become spectacularly stoned. I was well zooted when my fucking phone rang. I quickly Googled the number, and I'm pretty sure it was the assisted living facility where my friend is. I didn't pick up. They called back once, but left no message. I felt pretty bad, though I also knew that in my current state it would have been a huge disaster if I answered. What if he died? I thought, knowing that he has a lot of siblings and I wouldn't have been that phone call, and also if it were important they would have left a message or kept trying. I forced myself not to worry about it by popping a couple of Benadryl and making it an early night.

I think I have to call back though. I might regret it if I don't. I have been thinking about this for a long time. I have all sorts of worries. What if he's incoherent now? What if we can't understand each other? What if I have nothing to say? What if he IS coherent but he wants to say terrible things about politics (a life-long constant for him, I don't know if he even cares as much about politics as he does about trolling people)? But also what if he like dies and I have to sit around thinking about how selfish I am for never calling him for all eternity? I'm sure I'm the only person making him original personalized art for his birthday every year, but does that really get me out of everything else?

So the point of this post is to somehow force myself to call him. I have way too much shit to do and I am preparing for a lot of stressful social things with strangers and I need to stop being unemployed and I am cramping up a storm. But I think I also have to make the phone call. Maybe I will do such a bad job that I never have to do it again! Pray for me, pray for the sweet saving grace of personal failure.

[waspredteeth]

Wasp’s Comics Review (more like rambling, none of this is filtered thought)

Here’s some comics I’ve been reading in order to give me more motivation to keep writing the TAXONOMY!verse. Most of these are here in order to inform my personal views of characterization and how I’d write certain people based on their comics pre-2009/Bruce-Death.

Comics I have just recently finished/coming close to finishing:

Titans (1999)

Batgirl (2000)

JSA (2007)

Daredevil (2014)

Infinite Crisis

Battle for the Cowl

Blackest Night

Gotham Central

Nightwing (1999) #51-53

Robin (1993) #183

Titans (1999)

Okay, wow. I wasn’t expecting how good it would be. I started reading it mostly for Damage-Grant Emerson since I heard he had a nice relationship with Roy, and there’s a couple issues where Bette and Gar show up. Despite a few moments where the comic shows it’s age, I’m pleasantly surprised at its overall quality and character writing. Before this, I had only a little bit of prior knowledge of the Titans, so I really got to know them from this. My only gripes with it is that I don’t get to see Grant again (in a speaking/active role) after Roy drops him off at the reservation, and I think that storyline where Argent turns out to be dating a kid is weird. This comic has also given me more appreciation for Roy and Lian. I can understand Arrowfans now, Lian shouldn’t have been killed. Wtf, man. I got attached to her. I also think Roy and Cheshire’s relationship was interesting. Garth is not a huge character in this run, but I appreciate the kind of characters that are little more drama-free. (Not totally) (again, knowing Dolphin/Cerdian from this run, wtf man. Why do so many kids die in the 90s/early 2000s?!?) In conclusion, Roy Harper and Garth are now way higher up on my list of favorite DC characters. I also enjoyed Donna Troy, even though I had no prior context to all of the Dark Angel/mind wipe stuff.

Batgirl (2000)

This was a re-read, since I last read it around 2021. I forgot a pretty good portion of the early issues, so reading it again gave me renewed appreciation for the writers and Cass’s character. It reminded me just how great her character is, and definitely refreshes my ideas about her. I will be taking this in greater consideration when I get into her role in Chiroptera. I’m still not a Cass expert though, so if anyone else has some good ideas about how she would gain the Batman mantle and fight ideologically with Jason over it - thoughts are needed!!

JSA (2007)

Another re-read. Mostly here bc I needed to refresh Grant post-Zoom attack and Tom Bronson in my mind. Now that I’ve read Titans 1999, I can see how some people might take his characterization in JSA as different and a little ooc. My POV is, Grant in JSA is older so he’s gonna be different no matter what - it doesn’t bother me as much. When he shows up in the TAXONOMY!verse though, I am definitely including his familial relationship with Roy & Lian, and maybe hinting towards his brief friendship with Toni. I do think that Roy should’ve made at least one appearance in JSA for Grant.

Daredevil (2014)

My only non-DC read this month. I mostly read this bc I needed to step away from DC content, but also I like seeing the differences in the writing of vigilantes between Marvel/DC. I want to include just a bit of the grounded chaos from this Daredevil run into the au. Also, the utter insane angst that Matt goes through. This man is constantly struggling.

Infinite Crisis/Battle for the Cowl/Blackest Night

They’re…events. Not much else to say. Somehow I need to figure out how to work out the whole “Bette got teleported onto another Earth” in the au. Also, I think I will be keeping Grant’s death. Not because I like it, but because I need the emphasis of loss and grief (for Tom) for the themes of Chiroptera to work. I’m going to resurrect him eventually. No way he’s staying dead.

Gotham Central

Unrelated to the au. I just wanted to reread some Renee Montoya stuff.

Nightwing #51-53; Robin #183

Exclusively read bc it takes place right before Battle for the Cowl. This will inform a bit of my characterization for Dick and Tim. Will give a disclaimer though, I am way more familiar with Dick’s character now than I am Tim’s. I’ve read Nightwing 1996 more than once and I’ve gained further insight from Titans 1999- so hopefully I have a better idea of him. I’ve attempted to read Young Justice (1998) but I’ve never finished it yet. I’ve only read the Robin issues that crossover with No Man’s Land and War Games before this. I have my work cut out for me with Tim’s content *sigh*

[toastess-with-the-mostess]

The Galaxy Garrison sucks ass and this is why I think so Part 1

I rewatched another vf episode and got reminded of my hatred for the Galaxy Garrison, this is my OWN interpretation. Voltron as a whole never gave enough context about the GG to ever show it in a purely positive or negative light. I'll be excluding VLD, Beastking Golion, Armored Fleet Dairugger XV ,and the comics here since that's a hard reboot, the original Japanese dubs have nothing to do with each other, and the comics are their own seperate beast.

This part will be focusing on Defender of the Universe and slighty Vehicle Voltron, more parts will be added by show

Parts: 1 2 3

Rant after the cut for dash reasons, feel free to add your own opinions and/or additions to the post, I really want to hear about other interpretations of the GG!

I'll be upfront about this, some of my hatred does stem from headcanons my mutuals and I have made up so I'm going to try my best to stick to what we have in canon and why I think it portrays the GG negatively

Starting off with Voltron Defender of The Universe (dotu) with a slight Vehicle Voltron (vv) connection I don't know about the rest of you, but sending the people who, and many fans would agree, are getting positive recognition in the Academy somehow to the point where officials are WATCHING them into the deep universe isn't a good idea. You'd keep your best soldiers close to home and only send them out if necessary So tell me why the Garrison decided to ship 5 important cadets out onto The Explorer with 15 other cadets (presumably) who have similar qualifications to them It's because they're all misfits, somehow, someway, the Garrison wanted them gone, and what better way to get rid of them without a good reason than to send them off chasing a fairy tale and walk them straight into enemy territory under the guise of "looking for new habitable worlds" while also testing an experimental mech Not to mention two of these cadets were CHILDREN, yes I'm talking about Pidge and Chip, there is no reason for them to be out there FIGHTING so young

Now solely focus on DOTU In dotu we know the original team of 5 get sent out to Arus but don't make it before being enslaved by the 9th Drule Kingdom, the kingdom King Zarkon rules over I'm not going to entirely blame the GG for that one, however they WILL get blamed for SENDING THEM TO A PLANET THEY KNOW IS INFESTED WITH ENEMIES I will admit I haven't watched dotu in it's entirety or recently at all so that last part could be wrong, please correct me if so Once again I'm bringing up Pidge, WHY SEND A CHILD WHO IS COMMONLY PLACED AT 12 IN AGE TO A WAR RIDDEN PLANET, being sent on a mission like this practically alone with 4 other basically equally inexperienced cadets means they had to have graduated early to even do it! And when they finally got to Arus and Voltron, they didn't know jack shit! They were completely in the dark and forced to fight not just for their survival but for the planets and even the universes too! Just the damn 5 of them until Sven got got and couldn't fly! Now given they tried to find a new pilot and Allura immediately stepped up, not giving them much of a chance to fight, but they likely still hailed the GG for another pilot! And they never even sent one out! The one time the Garrison ever sent someone out, he almost killed the team because he was a shitty leader! Not to mention this is likely their only other attempt at helping Arus! There was no back up from them, they just left Arus and it's people to hide in tunnels and hope they werent found and enslaved by the 9th kingdom! The 5 boys were the only people that ever gave help, and that's because they went against orders to do what's right, something the GG could never convince themselves to do In following the trend of the Garrison being absolutely useless, Balto was an allied planet, who most definitely had Garrison bases on them if the Stoker twins got drafted, WAS OBLITERATED BECAUSE THE GARRISON COULDN'T BE DAMNED TO HELP THEM OUT Now I'm sure the bases that WERE there did help the people evacuate, but that doesn't clear their name since other than that there was no help to even DISTRACT the robeast I say distract because obviously regular military forces can't take a robeast down, but Voltron can, and if they at least did that then Pidge wouldn't have had to watch his home planet be destroyed by his very eyes There's another side to this in saying that the GG was too far too do anything, to which I response, oh no they werent If Balto was way out there and was an allied planet with GG bases on it, how many other nearby planets were also allied? How many GG bases were notified of a robeast and told to not engage or even go HELP a planet in need?

Next part will be about VV also with DOTU connections since they're supposed to be happening at the same time

[androxys]

Androxys Reads... Batman #401 and Tec #568!

We’re starting the post-Crisis, New Earth Batman reread! As such, we’re starting with Batman #401, the first New Earth Batman story according to the sources I read online. This issue is a tie in to the Legends event, so we’re also reading Detective Comics (hereafter referred to as ‘Tec) #568 and the actual Legends miniseries. Tec #568 is another Legends tie-in, and is the first New Earth Detective Comics story. Technically the proper order to read these is Batman #401, then Tec #568, then Legends #1, so I’ll try to keep my overall Legends thoughts to a minimum.

For those who don’t know, the basic plot of Legends is that Darkseid wants to break Earth’s fascination with superheroes–destroy their “legend–” and cement himself in the minds of Earth instead. Darkseid is all about conquering minds and spirits. Legends is the first big event after Crisis on Infinite Earths that gets everyone together and establishes the superhero community on New Earth, so we need to read through it to understand Batman’s place relative to other heroes.

NOW it’s time for Batman #401

I like that Batman started its New Earth chronology with a #1, albeit #401. It makes things a little cleaner than over in Tec, which started at #568 in the new continuity.

We start immediately with a murder investigation that Batman is eavesdropping on, which I feel sets the tone pretty quick. He’s a detective, he’s on the hunt, he’s alone in this shadow as the wind whips through his cape in a suitably dramatic fashion. 

[Batman #401]

It also immediately establishes the villain: Magpie, who apparently left a note claiming responsibility for theft and murder. Cool, but then Denny tags an explanatory editor’s note that references The Man of Steel #3, because it wasn’t convoluted enough to read this comic already. Both Batman #401 and Man of Steel #3 were published with a cover date of November ‘86, so at least the entire Magpie Cinematic Universe was on sale at the same time. It’s also important to note that even though they were published at the same time, the events of Man of Steel #3 happen several months before Batman #401.

The ‘Oxys Notes on Man of Steel #3 is that it’s the first time Superman and Batman team up, and it’s to stop Magpie. She steals stuff and leaves deadly replicas in the place of whatever she stole. Batman and Superman get off to a rocky start, to say the least.

[Man of Steel #3]

It’s worth noting that Batman isn’t lying about there being a bomb–he suspected Superman would be able to tell. “Does this mean this post-Crisis Batman is willing to kill?” you may cry out. Only himself! This totally well adjusted vigilante just had the bomb in his own belt. After he and Superman deal with Magpie, he just hands the bomb over to Supes.

On a more serious characterization note about Batman in this post-Crisis continuity, I really like this discussion that Superman and Batman have after they’ve apprehended Magpie.

[Man of Steel #3]

This is November of 1986. These are Batman’s first appearances in this post-Crisis world, and I think it matters that his compassion is something that gave eight speech bubbles to.

“She’s not a real criminal … She’s just a frail, human psyche. An unbalanced id that got pushed too far. … Yes… I feel sorry for her Superman. But I feel more sorry for her victims.”

Batman feels for everyone. He feels for Magpie, who he doesn’t see as someone who does evil for evil’s sake (like a certain green-haired fellow might), but as someone who was a victim in her own way. But, he contends, that doesn’t outweigh her actions. He feels for her victims too, and greatly so. ‘Compassion yet consequences,’ or perhaps ‘consequences yet compassion’ seems to be an early established theme for Batman.

Anyway, Man of Steel #3 ends with a sweet resolution and Bruce stating that “In a different reality, I might have called him friend,” just in case you forgot this is a new reality with a new status quo and this was Batman and Superman’s first meeting.

Anyway, back to the comic we’re actually talking about, Batman #401.

I love this scene with Gordon, after he’s done talking with the investigator, where he sits alone in the room and asks out for Batman’s thoughts. It shows that he knows that Batman was going to be there, listening in, even if he can’t see him.

[Batman #401]

This sequence works so well to establish that even though this is the new continuity, this Batman isn’t starting fresh. (That story will come soon!) Gordon knows him and respects him. And Batman respects Gordon back! He tells him what he’s been up to and what he thinks of the case, and they’re fully depicted as partners in justice.

[Batman #401]

And… the debut of Brucie Wayne, rich idiot. Batman set a trap for Magpie using an item from the Wayne Collection, so of course Bruce will be there. He gets partnered with a detective undercover as his date, and right away he’s laying on the charm… and we can see he’s getting exactly the reaction he wants.

Anyway, then G. Gordon Godfrey shows up because this is a Legends tie in and he has to shout off some anti-superhero stuff. The Oxys’ Notes on Godfrey is that he’s a televangelist who hates superheroes and is slowly getting people more and more riled up. I will say, he does make a precinct observation to Gordon that one day, Gordon will be judged at large for his partnering with Batman. I know this theme will take years for these themes to play out, but the seeds are being laid even now.

[Batman #401]

I like this sequence, as Godfrey is shouting about how dangerous and evil superheroes are while Batman is running through the crowd, trying to stop a gas attack on the party. It’s not terribly complex: here’s Godfrey saying all these things about heroes that Batman is actively disproving by example, but it’s effective. And again–here is the compassion he feels for everyone, as he holds Detective Valle.

[Batman #401]

This has nothing to do with the plot, it’s just a moment to appreciate Small Jason.

[Batman #401]

A quip? From Robin? It’s more likely than you think. (This reading series may also serve as mild propaganda against the idea that Jason was “always the angry Robin” but we’ll see.)

There's a fight, they escape a deathtrap, Batman catches up to Magpie. It's a Batman comics, you know the formula.

[Batman #401]

But here’s another example of how Batman sees himself as an enforcer of the law, and perhaps an executor of consequences… but not of punishment. He says to Magpie “I have to take you in, but I don’t have to hurt you.” He’s willing to use violence as a tool, but it’s not what he wants. That’s not necessarily what this Batman is about. He’s about justice–and he sees other forces as the arbiters of that justice. He’s just the one that brings them in. And I think that’s important to set up here! This one sentence undercuts a lot of the but-whataboutisms that get levied at Arkham’s revolving door. Batman is about bringing people to justice, but he isn’t the one that metes out that justice. That is left to police and the courts–systems larger than just one man.

In the last lines of this issue, Magpie accuses Batman of being “a horrible man.” He responds that “I am what I have to be.” Have to be because of what, Bruce? A promise made by an eight year old in the dark? Because this is the only way Batman can function? Do you feel trapped on this path already, doomed by your narrative? I’m fine, I’m so fine about this.

Now let’s move on to the next chapter: Detective Comics #568.

It opens with Batman and Robin observing an anti-superhero rally, because it's a Legends tie-in and they're establishing what's currently going on. It’s actually kind of unclear whether or not the guy speaking is supposed to be G. Gordon Godfrey or just a guy who has taken up the message and is repeating the gospel. I personally think that it might be more effective, narratively, if it’s the latter–it shows that Godfrey’s ideas are spreading and more people are emboldened to hold rallies against superheroes.

[Detective Comics #568]

Robin jokes that the guy on the stage makes him want to just hang up his cape and go home, which Bruce admits is the ultimate goal. The purpose of Batman, again, is not to punish. It’s to stop crime, to keep it from happening, and to bring those who commit it to justice. At the same time though, does he think he’ll ever get there? Will there ever be a day he can hang up the cape? Almost certainly not. But that doesn’t mean he won’t try.

[Detective Comics #568]

Just to make sure the point is being driven completely, 100% home, Batman has this moment with Jason after he gives Bruce a bit of an attitude about taking care of a wounded student instead of rushing in with Batman. Batman! Is! About! Compassion!

The rest of this story is just a classic Penguin plot. He’s doing something with birds, blah blah blah. Batman confronts him but he gets away. Batman goes back to the Batcave to do research. Jason tells a corny joke. Batman deduces where Penguin is. He goes and fights some giant falcons. He stops Penguin. All is right in the world.

I will take a moment to say, I like that it's such a classic Batman plot, even though it's tying in with the larger event. It's giving a very grounded approach to what Batman and Robin are up to and what they normally encounter, but it still grounds their story in the context of a larger world. There are other things happening in other books, but that doesn't distract from the fact that Penguin is up to something.

The parting scene of this comic has Bruce and Jason watching the news about a G. Gordon Godfrey rally, and Jason asks Bruce if he thinks that superheroes are holding back “the common man” from achieving their potential.

[Detective Comics #568]

Bruce observes that in the recent fight against Penguin, a civilian was instrumental in his capture, showing that people in spandex do not have a monopoly on doing good in the world. Righteousness is not a limited resource, people just have to do it. Bruce asserts that “the triumph of the common man is assured… whether or not there’s a Batman to help him.”

These first two Batman stories seem to be establishing the thesis statements for Batman. It’s about hope, first and foremost. Hope that people can do what’s right, hope that the work of individuals can stop injustice everywhere. And I love that, because it’s a reminder that Batman is not exactly a grimdark. He’s a gothic character, he’s heavily intertwined with fear, and he’s not opposed to violence… but his core is still a hopeful one. It’s still a kind one. Batman is compassionate, because he was a victim once. He never wants anyone to feel the way he did, because he’ll never forget it. So he reaches out, even to those who he’s bringing to justice, because every person is still a person. There’s a fundamental dignity he affords to every human, but he doesn’t lose sight of the fact that some people disregard others’ humanity–and that is unacceptable.

I really like these two stories as the jumping off point for Batman on New Earth. I’m probably going to write up a little post on the larger Legends event and how Batman plays into it, but we’ll see. 

For these, I also want to point out where comics are collected, if people want to read them themselves. Batman #401 is, to my knowledge, uncollected, but I know Tec #568 is collected in The Dark Knight Detective Vol 1.

[whispersafterdusk]

Heart of Stone - ch 2

Yan hadn't wasted any time putting the new builder to work.

In fact, Unsuur was pretty sure she'd forgotten about him with how busy she suddenly seemed; it had been ten days since they'd first spoke and he'd only seen brief glimpses of her recently, rushing here or there in town with a clipboard or packages tucked under an arm, or leaving or entering her yard for the first or last time for the day.

Admittedly, there HAD been a drastic uptick in the number of commissions getting completed now.  Mi-an had been chipping away at the backlog by herself before the new woman had arrived but she had been just one person; he suspected the two were now dividing and conquering as he was noticing that all the canvas orders (that he and Justice had been waiting weeks for) were all delivered at once by the new girl (left in a comically large pile on Justice's desk - Unsuur hadn't realized they'd put in THAT many unfilled requests for it).  All the wood-based commissions were knocked out together, all the metal and "bits and pieces" ones too, and all the stone, and -- yeah.  They definitely had to be divvying up all those old commission posts and getting them done in batches together.

((Continued below cut))

As his patrols took him passed Mason's old place (he would mentally re-name it once he knew the new builder's name) he was able to watch as the yard evolved; the ground was swept clean and fully cleared of debris, there were more furnaces and machines there now than there'd ever been with Mason running the place -- and, that was important: things were running. There never seemed to be downtime with the new girl's machines; they were always, always working at turning out goods and materials, though he was only seeing her tending to them in the early morning and then right before bedtime on his final nighttime patrol.  A few times he'd passed close enough that he could have waved or maybe greeted her but...she just looked so busy, and he didn't want to interrupt her or cause her to fall behind and give Yan a reason to complain at her.

He hadn't seen her yet today though; it was lunch time and he decided to go home for a bowl of soup and some time spent in front of the little fan he kept in his kitchen area.  It wasn't any hotter today than it had been recently but he couldn't ignore the call of a fan-driven breeze so he decided to cut across the oasis area to get home faster, and as he climbed up the steps he spotted the new builder sitting there on one of the benches overlooking the water; she had her legs stuck out in front of her, head tipped back, ever-present clipboard in her lap and her hat on the bench beside her.  She stirred at the sound of his footsteps and glanced around her quickly, a look of anxiety plain on her face, but then seemed to relax when she realized it was him.

"Ah!  Unsuur - hello!  I swear I haven't forgotten about you."

"Hi," he replied.  "It's ok if you did.  Everyone else does too."

"What... That's... Um, I mean-"

A flurry of emotions crossed her face, a bit too quickly for Unsuur to catch them all.

"-I'm sorry, I really haven't forgotten.  Yan has been burying me in work -- if I didn't know any better I'd think he's trying to kill me.  But!" she went on, smiling finally.  "I should have some time a few nights from now.  If you're free, I mean."

"I don't usually have anything to do after my evening patrols, aside from watching the sunset.  Or maybe stacking some rocks.  My last stack got blown over in the last sandstorm."

She looked a bit puzzled by that; did no one tell her about the sandstorms?

"Well... If you like, come by in...  Let's say three days from now?"

Unsuur nodded.  "I'll see you then.  And don't let Yan take advantage of you. He'll back down if you're firm with him, or else tell Minister Matilda and she'll make him back off.  He shouldn't be working you so hard since it's his own fault he didn't keep Mason on track."

"We're almost caught up so it shouldn't be too bad for much longer.  I'll keep that in mind though," she replied, with a small smile - there was something underlying it but Unsuur wasn't sure what.

Though he wasn't especially close to where she was sitting even at this distance he could see her eyes suddenly widen, staring at something off to his side; turning, Unsuur could see Pen standing there at the top of the steps near Water World, hands on his hips and with his usual cocky smirk bordering on a leer.

"Skinny!  There you are - I've been looking all over for you!"

"Ah, h-hello, Pen. I need to get back to work before Yan catches me, goodbye-"

The words came out in a rush and she scrambled to grab her hat and clipboard, rushing off in the opposite direction along the wooden walkway and out toward her shop across the tracks.

Pen laughed loudly.  "Can't evade me forever, woman - we live in the same town!   I'll catch you for an afternoon sparring lesson sooner or later."  He turned his attention to Unsuur.  "Aha, Unsuur, buddy - are we still on for whac-a-mole tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I guess.  Unless something happens, but it's been pretty quiet lately."

"Tell me about it," Pen grunted.  "I wish that Logan would show his face around here so I'd have a break in the monotony of my usual workout routine.  I'm sure a life or death battle or a damsel-rescue or two would get the blood properly flowing for an afternoon!"

Unsuur frowned; he didn't like the idea of a damsel needing rescuing.  He also wasn't exactly thrilled over the look on the builder's face when she'd seen Pen standing there and decided he'd keep an eye on him too.

But Pen was already walking away, chuckling under his breath, and the builder had disappeared from view as well.  Unsuur counted to ten before he went up the stairs himself and crossed the street to head home.

...shoot - he didn't ask her her name again.  He really needed to ask Justice or someone before he showed up at her house in a few days.

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

Two days passed pretty quickly -- three days?  Two days, since the entire third day hadn't fully passed yet.  Regardless, Unsuur was walking along the tracks toward the builder's workshop, admiring the sunset as he went.

He could see Dawn (he'd finally asked Justice) sitting near the fence on a stool with her arms crossed and resting on the top slat and her chin on her arms.  Was she waiting there just for him?  It was actually a little surprising to see her sitting still as Yan was still running her and Mi-an ragged.

She spied him approaching and sat up straighter, waving to him; he waved back and broke into a jog, coming to a stop in front of her but on the outside of the fence.

"Hi, Unsuur - how are you?"

"Good," he answered.

When he didn't say anything else the smile she wore faltered, ever so slightly, and she arched an eyebrow at him.  "Just...good?  I guess that's better than bad."

Wait a second...  She had actually been expecting an answer.  Usually when he got asked that it was out of social politeness, not genuine curiosity. "...not much else to say.   Patrols have been uneventful, which is a good thing.  I did find a rock shaped like a duck yesterday but I left it sitting where I found it.  It looked comfortable there."

She laughed quietly at that.  "Where was it?"

He pointed over her shoulder, off toward the series of crags and bluffs that ringed the edge of what were sheer drops down into one of the bottomless canyons in the area (but not literally bottomless - just so deep that if you dropped anything over the side you'd never see it again).  "Over there.  You should be careful though, there's always wild yakmel in the area and in the evenings that's where rocket roosters like to...roost."

"Noted," Dawn replied.

She had turned on her stool to look in the direction he'd pointed and Unsuur noticed that her hair was hanging free down her back. It was longer than he'd expected and looked silky and slightly rippled from where it had been twisted into the bun. She turned back around and he focused on her face again.

"Are you free for the rest of the night, then?"

Unsuur nodded.  "I finished my last patrol, ate dinner, and came straight over."

She reached over and unlatched the gate, then stood up and carried the stool with her as she led him toward a pair of metal stands (more like tables topped with metal grates, really) pushed up against the side of Mason's - now hers - old place next to a small wooden cabinet.  There was a makeshift canvas canopy and a small overhead light tacked to the wall overhanging the tables, and the tables themselves were divided into little stations -- two different types of grinders, a saw with a blade guard, what had to be a buffing wheel on one end, and...what was probably some kind of vertical grinder on the other.  There were also jointed and adjustable tubes running up from a sealed bucket on the ground, both connected to and positioned over the grinders and saw.

There was already one squat stool here and she placed the one she was carrying down beside and slightly behind it, gesturing for him to have a seat while she took the shorter one.  He sat and was close enough that he was practically sitting at her elbow and could nudge her with his knee if he wanted; the workstation was a bit cramped so he assumed he needed to be this close to see properly - why would she have sat the stool this close otherwise?  Unless he was supposed to move it himself to a comfortable distance...  Without knowing what she wanted to show him though he wasn't certain what would be an acceptable proximity, so he stayed where he was for now.

"Would you like a drink or anything?"

"No thank you.  Is this your jewelry making machine?"

She slipped a hand under one of the tables and slid open a drawer he hadn't noticed in his initial once-over.  Inside were tools whose function he couldn't place just by looking at them (aside from some pliers - those he recognized) along with a cloth bag that she removed two pairs of battered safety glasses from.

"It's several cobbled together but yes," came her response.  She compared the two pairs of glasses and handed him the pair that looked less scratched up.  "Safety first - wouldn't want to get a stone shard in your eye."

"I wouldn't want a stone shard in any part of me."

She giggled and slipped her pair on, then pulled the agate piece out of her front pocket before setting it on the table in front of her near one of the grinders.  Off the wooden cabinet's topmost shelf she pulled a notebook, a small glass pot full of a tan cream, and a spool of delicate-looking bronze wire and arranged them within easy reach off to her side on the tabletop, then turned the machine directly in front of her on.

The notebook was open, turned to a page about halfway through it; there was a sketch on the page that looked...roughly the size and shape of the agate he'd picked.  He did a quick visual comparison and noted that it definitely was the right shape just from a different angle, one he hadn't truly appreciated in the quick time he'd held the agate in hand.  The sketch had some scribbled dimensions around it and then a series of lines and arrows below it that didn't look like much more than a jumble of lines and angles, along with some straight lines marked across the sketch in what he guessed were somehow key positions for...something.  The wire, maybe.

The builder reached over and picked up the agate then, and he sat and watched with interest as she began to work and tried not to lean into or over her too much.   She was quietly explaining what she was doing, as she did it, but he quickly became distracted by her hands as they cleaned and shaped and polished.

After a bit she ran out of things to explain and was repeating some of the earlier motions --she wasn't changing the agate much, mostly just smoothing off all the jagged edges, and there was a point where she paused to rub the back of her wrist against her chin to scratch an itch.  The movement left a smudge of dirt behind, tinged orange with the agate dust that she'd carefully ground away that had turned into a thin paste from either the cream stuff or the tiny dribble of water she was using to keep the machine cool as it was running.  He then noticed, in this soft lighting, that she had shallow dimples. She also seemed to like sticking the very tip of her tongue out of her mouth as she worked, when she wasn't talking to him.

After awhile he did feel a little bad when he realized how much attention he was paying to her instead of TO her; her words were reaching him but then kind of flowed off him like the unimportant announcements at fireside meetings tended to do... It wasn't intentional, it was just something his mind did when there were other more interesting things to focus on, and she was new and interesting to him and so was the process of making jewelry -- never once had Mason ever tried to demonstrate anything he did.  Mi-an didn't really do that either, come to think of it.

As he considered that thought she turned the machines off and pulled a pair of thin-nosed pliers from the drawer; after drying her hands she switched over to the bronze wire and began to twist measured strands into loops and a delicate braid, which she then placed onto the stone at the same points where those straight lines had been marked on the sketch.  It was like placing little metal lassos, then forming them into a knot at the back of the stone with free ends sticking out the front.

When she began to work in another shape around the stone, using two more separate strands of the wire twisted together, the meaning of those other markings on the page suddenly struck him as her hands moved -- that first line up was the side of the shape, the arrow indicated where a corner would twist into a new direction indicated by the next line.   Corner to sides, back and forth.  So, up, corner, down, corner, line...

A star.  She was making a star - a tiny one, if he was right.

"You're really good at this," he said then.

She paused to look over her shoulder at him, face a bit red (that agate dust sure did get everywhere).  "Thanks.  This is pretty much the only hobby I was allowed when I was growing up."

"Why?"

She kept deftly manipulating the wire between her fingers and with the pliers, starting to weave it together into a loop that passed through each point of the star.  "I... am the only girl out of 7 kids, and the youngest.   My mother was so happy to finally get a girl that she was determined to do typical girly things, all the time, and we fought a ton on what she wanted me to do and what I wanted to do: I liked creating things, she wanted a perfect doll.  The jewelry thing was feminine enough that I could get away with it and it scratched the itch of wanting to make things."

"That sounds pretty unfair."

She let out a small hum, expression clouded.  "It was...  But, it worked out.  Mostly.   --whoops, forgot something, excuse me-" she interrupted herself as she leaned passed him, almost over his lap, to reach the lower shelf of the cabinet for a small metal box there.

Unsuur scooted further back, out of her way.  "You're a good builder too though."

With a small laugh she seemed to pull in on herself, holding the box against her chest.  "I-I guess.  I wouldn't say I'm any better than anyone else, I'm just willing to do the work."

"I know everyone is really happy to finally be getting those old commissions fulfilled - myself included.  The Civil Corps has enough canvas to handle several months worth of uniform repairs now."

He got a shy smile in response before she cleared her throat and began sorting through the contents of the little box.  Whatever it was rattled delicately, metal-on-metal, but he couldn't see into the box from here to tell what it held.

While he waited out of habit he scanned the surroundings; there was always a breeze in the evenings that came in across the desert and he silently watched a small tumbleweed rock back and forth at the corner of the gate -- that little lamp above their heads gave off just enough light to see the nearest edge of the fence line and aside from that weed he didn't see anything moving about.

Qi had tried to explain the wind to him once - something about how sudden changes in temperature generated air movement; he didn't fully grasp the technical aspect of it but understood the basics, and after having spent many evenings outside he knew what the evening breeze was supposed to feel like, normally.  Up until just this moment the wind had felt like it always did -- gentle and cooling, carrying the hint of cactus blossoms, pushing the tumbleweeds (and sometimes trash, but he tried to pick that up when he saw it).  It was a welcome transition between the punishing heat and the chilly desert night.  But then it chose that moment to gust, sending that little weed whizzing off out of sight into the night; it blew Dawn's hair over her shoulder and partly into her face, even brushing against his arm for the briefest moment before she turned away and into the wind to brush it all back into place and gather it at the base of her neck.  Unsuur was vaguely aware of her twisting it into a loose knot as he stood up and turned to squint into the wind; the force of it against him remained steady and the cactus blossom fragrance was gone now and replaced with the smell of old and choking dirt that coated the back of your nose and made his skin feel grainy (though he knew that part of it was, currently, just his imagination).

Still, imagined itchy skin or not he knew that smell and what a sudden strong and steady wind meant.

Dawn was looking at him with a questioning look, a few wisps of hair still stubbornly hanging over her forehead.

"Hey...  Do you like sand?  If not...I've got bad news for you."

She blinked at him, then burst into laughter a breath later.  Huh.  No one had ever laughed at that joke before; he was starting to like that sound and hoped he didn't look too pleased with himself as he sat back down since he needed to talk to her about a very serious subject now.

"Has anyone taught you basic sandstorm safety?"

"Justice and Owen both have warned me about them.  Is there...is there a sandstorm coming?"

Unsuur took a deep breath.  "Yeah, there is.  I can smell it.  It'll probably be here by midnight, or at least by sunrise.  When it gets here you should stay inside unless you absolutely have to go out.  Sandstorms by themselves are dangerous but some really nasty monsters like to use the storm as cover to creep closer to town.  Justice, Pen, and I will be keeping the town safe like usual but visibility will be really bad -- if you find yourself needing help we might not realize it until it's too late.  So, just stay inside, ok?"

She listened to him without interrupting - without her attention straying from him, for even an instant - and nodded in agreement once he'd fallen silent.  He waited to see if she had any questions but none came.

"Unless you have something to protect you from the wind and sand, it's painful to go outside anyway," he added.  "It's really not worth it."

"I'll keep that in mind...  I guess we won't be installing those lifts tomorrow after all."

"Lifts?" Unsuur repeated.

Now it was his turn to follow her finger as she pointed over toward the far corner of her yard where he knew was a big metal platform taking up most of the space.  It was difficult to see with only the little lamp shining but he could make out big, hulking shapes set on and to the side of the platform and machines there.

"Rocky had commissioned new lifts to get down into the ruins weeks ago -- Yan never prodded Mason into doing them.  In between everything else we've been doing Mi-an and I have been working on one lift apiece and had planned to move them into place tomorrow."

Ha.  Little wonder her machines hadn't ever seemed to stop since she arrived, if she was building something that big already.  "I don't think you will be.  Sorry. I'm sure Rocky will understand."

Dawn shrugged; the movement dislodged that loose knot of hair and sent some of it tumbling over her shoulder again in the wind.  "I can't fight the weather and neither can he.  We'll get to it as soon as it's clear again." She took a small pin backing out of the metal box and slotted it into place in the wire knotwork on the back of the agate, crimping it in place with the pliers before turning it around to show him.

Held in place in the middle of the agate's widest part was a teeny, tiny little star within a circle; it almost looked like a...a deputy's star.  It shined brightly in the light as the agate behind it gleamed, and he was surprised when she held it out for him to take.

"And done!  Here - you can keep it.  Consider it a thank you for carrying that trunk for me, and keeping me company."

...keep it?  This was for him?  "I'm not a deputy though," he said after a moment - he was having trouble thinking of anything else to say.

She laughed quietly and began to clean up the scattered bits of agate dust and brush off the grinder.  "Justice said you're in training. Close enough, right?"

Unsuur gently closed his hand over it then quickly opened it and checked that he hadn't just bent the wires.  "I...  Thank you."  It was about the length of his thumb and about as wide at the widest part, tapering into a blunted point that would point down when pinned in place.  Should he pin it to his jacket?  What if he lost it?

The wind picked up even more and Dawn barely managed to catch the corner of the notebook before it was sent flying.  "--you'll make it home before the storm hits, right?  They don't appear that quickly?"

That pulled him out of his thoughts and back to the present.  "They can but I should be fine.  Stay inside tomorrow and be safe, all right?"

She quickly tossed everything back into the wooden cabinet and flipped a latch over the handle before standing up and reaching to fold the canvas canopy flat against the wall.  "I will.  Good night, Unsuur.  Be careful."

With a small smile and a fuzzy feeling he stood, and slid his stool under the metal tables as she did the same.  "I'll be all right.  Good night."

He headed across the yard and out through the gate, latching it behind him, and was careful to hold on to the agate tightly, so he wouldn't drop it, but not too tightly that he'd bend the wire (though the pin backing was digging into his palm a little bit).  On the walk back his thoughts were a bit of a jumble because, wow, he'd gotten to watch, from start to finish, the creation of this little piece of art, and she was kind enough to let him have it too.

Halfway home Unsuur decided it was far too nice to risk losing it so he'd need to find a really good place to display it in his house...  Hopefully Wilson wouldn't be too jealous when he saw it.

[bisexualmikisayaka]

when examining the timeline created by every show, the suspension of disbelief has to get higher and higher. it was kind of funny with tcw - the hoops that the writing room had to go through in order to not ever let anakin and grievous meet, for example - but the more each of these new shows takes place within a past timeline and not in the future, the thinner and thinner it stretches.

something like the mandalorian, which was set in the largely unexamined post-ot, pre-st period focusing on a character we’d never seen before, worked. that was something that wasn’t as hard to stretch because it was a corner of the universe where the skywalker saga wasn’t relevant, and nobody we knew was cropping up to make how it fit into the established sequence of events confusing (until we hit the later seasons). rebels, in its beginning-of-the-rebellion-super-early-ot period, was able to get away with the same thing for the same reasons, although it starts to lose you a little bit when incorporating guys like yoda (like, why the hell wouldn’t he tell luke about ezra? and speaking of luke, how could he not know about the ghost crew?). 

kenobi is the breaking point. are we supposed to believe that leia developed selective hearing when reva was yelling obi-wan’s name in the cargo ship area, or that she suddenly couldn’t read when his name and face was broadcasted all over daiyu? would a person like her really never ask bail or breha “hey, who was that jedi who rescued me when i was ten?” so how does the ANH message still work? it’s pretty solidly implied they’ve never met one another before and all she knows of him are her father’s stories. there’s also the implication that obi wan and anakin are going to encounter one another. they are going to fight. what does that do to their ANH battle? they’ve also seemingly killed off the grand inquisitor, and despite my joke post earlier about replacing him with rebels!TGI, it also completely fucks with their established timeline if he’s as dead as that shot made him seem. i’d be worried about a complete rebels decanonization if they hadn’t already cast sabine and ezra for the live action ahsoka show, as well as everything with bo-katan and the darksaber in the mandalorian. 

i don’t know what they’re trying to achieve with this. my thought would be that they’re trying to set us up for a remake of the original trilogy, but i don’t know that disney could pull it off. they’re already flooding the market with these shows, we’ve got to be approaching critical mass the way we’ve pretty much hit it with marvel. people are going to get tired. also, the original trilogy is the cornerstone of the star wars universe, and there is a very vocal portion of the fanbase who are fervent defenders of their superiority and... purity, for lack of a better word. i can’t imagine that a remake would go over well with them, especially given the way disney’s partial to bending if enough people get loud enough. and honestly, i can’t imagine that a remake would have the same popularity that scored the original this extended universe. 

whatever direction this show goes, i think it just really shows the dire need for... something new in the star wars universe. legends did that - having never read them, i can’t speak to the quality of their writing, but at least there were comic runs following skywalkers tens of generations after luke and his kids. this current team at disney can’t keep playing in the same sandbox because eventually they’re going to run into the exact same walls again and again and again, and the way things are going, i don’t think anybody is going to be happy with whatever they do to surpass them. 

[webbedphantom]

So I wanna talk about this guy-

Meta Spider is one of the coolest concepts I've ever come up with, somewhat inspired by AUs where Joker or someone else gets Yaldy's power, as well as a very long and very epic fanfic where Yaldy possesses all the Thieves except Joker and tries to resume his plans. (I'd share what the fic was, but I can't remember what it was called sadly, which sucks because I never finished it-)

The idea here was also somewhat inspired by the beginning of NWH, where I was considering the idea of Aaron's identity being revealed, but the issue was that I didn't know how to walk that back tastefully. Keep in mind, NWH released before I'd started writing here, and Twitter doesn't exactly do the concept of verses.

The solution I came up with was simple, a deal with the devil. Which if you're at all familiar with Spider-Man comics, sounds really bad, but I promise this is better than that dumpster fire.

After Aaron begins to stress over how much his life is ruined, and how it has put all his friends in danger, Yaldabaoth appears with a deal. He will manipulate the minds of the masses to forget who Phantom Spider is, though he won't be able to do so for anyone with a Persona or anything similar, meaning the team, Akechi, Shido, and a few others would still remember. And the only thing he asks is to borrow Aaron's body for 24 hours, and more importantly, his innate connection to the Metaverse.

He doesn't agree easily, and he makes sure there are rules a limitations on what Yaldy can do during those 24 hours. Obviously, he's trying to fuse the worlds together, but do that in Aaron's body will require him to get his hands dirty, so he only agrees on a few conditions.

He cannot kill anyone

He cannot harm his friends

He will give Aaron a year to prepare. Not much point in reverting the status quo if he doesn't have time to enjoy it.

Yaldabaoth agrees to not harm his allies, as long as they don't get in his way. If they do, they're fair game, though he still cannot kill them. As for the year to prepare, Yaldabaoth will only agree to a month to get his things in order. He knows if he gives Aaron too long, he's likely to devise away to limit him even further.

Aaron reluctantly accepts.

He doesn't feel he has a choice. His identity being out puts everyone around him at risk. If he ever wants to be in their lives again, if he wants to keep them safe, he has to take this deal.

But he doesn't keep it a secret from them. As soon as the deal is made, he goes and he tells them about it. Obviously, they aren't particularly happy about this, but they understand why he agreed.

So they prepare. They all mark the day of the takeover on their calendars, and they gear up. They don't have to beat him, they just need to stall him.

Now the exact events of what happens during those 24 hours, I've never come up with. Mostly because since this was going to be an event, I was going to leave the details up to whoever I was writing with. But it's a really interesting idea, that I'd love to write sometime!

What I will say is that this would be a really tough fight. Once he knows the Thieves are trying to stop him, he isn't going to hold back much, he will hit them with everything he has as long as he knows they can take it. Aaron won't be able to resist his control, all he can do is nudge things a little to make sure he abides by the terms of the deal. And the only way he can get control back early is if Yaldabaoth breaks his word, which would involve either killing someone or harming one of Aaron's confidants who never got in his way, which aren't exactly ideal.

Last thing I'll say is while I don't have the specifics of the event laid out, I do know what happens if they succeed. Aaron gets his body back, and proceeds to pass the heck out for a few days. But when he wakes, he starts looking into those abilities Yaldabaoth used, to see if he can actually just... do that.

What are those abilities? Don't worry, I've got a post in the works that will explain exactly how powerful Aaron can be. (As well as explain why a lot of those powers won't be seen in a majority of his verses)

[lokiondisneyplus]

'Loki' takes over: Tom Hiddleston on his new TV series and a decade in the MCU

Ten years after Hiddleston first chose chaos in Thor, Marvel’s fan favorite God of Mischief is going even bigger with his time-bending Disney+ show.

Tom Hiddleston is Loki, and he is burdened with glorious purpose: After playing Thor's puckish brother for over a decade in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, no one understands the mercurial Asgardian God of Mischief as well as the actor. He can teach an entire seminar on Loki if given the opportunity — which he actually did during pre-production on his forthcoming Disney+ show. In conversation, Hiddleston quotes lines from his MCU debut, 2011's Thor, almost verbatim, and will playfully correct you if you mistakenly refer to Asgard's Rainbow Bridge as the Bifrost, which is the portal that connects Loki and Thor's homeworld to the Nine Realms, including Midgard, a.k.a. Earth. "Well, the Bifrost technically is the energy that runs through the bridge," he says with a smile. "But nine points to Gryffindor!" And when he shows up to the photo shoot for this very digital cover, he hops on a call with our photo editor to pitch ways the concept could be even more Loki, like incorporating the flourish the trickster does whenever magically conjuring something. The lasting impression is that playing Loki isn't just a paycheck.

"Rather than ownership, it's a sense of responsibility I feel to give my best every time and do the best I can because I feel so grateful to be a part of what Marvel Studios has created," the 40-year-old Brit tells EW over Zoom a few days after the shoot and a week out from Thor's 10th anniversary. "I just want to make sure I've honored that responsibility with the best that I can give and the most care and thought and energy."

After appearing in three Thor movies and three Avengers, Hiddleston is bringing that passion to his first solo Marvel project, Loki, the House of Ideas' third Disney+ series following the sitcom pastiche WandaVision and the topical The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Led by head writer Michael Waldron (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Heels), the six-episode drama sees Hiddleston's shapeshifting agent of chaos step out from behind his brother's shadow and into the spotlight for a timey-wimey, sci-fi adventure that aims to get to the bottom of who Loki really is. "I wanted to explore slightly more complex character questions," says Waldron. "It's not just good versus bad. Is anybody all good? Is anybody all bad? What makes a hero, a hero? A villain, a villain?"  

Even though Loki — who loves sowing mayhem with his illusion magic and shapeshifting, all with a major chip on his shoulder — has never been one for introspection, the idea of building an entire show around him was a no-brainer for Marvel. When asked why Loki was one of the studio's first Disney+ shows, Marvel president Kevin Feige replies matter-of-factly, "More Hiddleston, more Loki." First introduced as Thor's (Chris Hemsworth) envious brother in Kenneth Branagh's Thor, Loki went full Big Bad in 2012's The Avengers. That film cemented the impish rogue as one of the shared universe's fan favorites, thanks to Hiddleston's ability to make him deliciously villainous yet charismatic and, most importantly, empathetic. The character's popularity is one of the reasons he's managed to avoid death many times.

"He's been around for thousands of years. He had all sorts of adventures," says Feige. "Wanting to fill in the blanks and see much more of Loki's story [was] the initial desire [for the series]."

The Loki we meet on the show is not the one who fought the Avengers in 2012 and evolved into an antihero in Thor: The Dark World and Thor: Ragnarok before meeting his demise at the hands of the mad titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War. Instead, we'll be following a Loki from a branched timeline (a variant, if you will) after he stole the Tesseract following his thwarted New York invasion and escaped S.H.I.E.L.D. custody during the time heist featured in Avengers: Endgame. In other words, this Loki hasn't gone through any sort of redemption arc. He's still the charming yet petulant god who firmly believes he's destined to rule and has never gotten his due.

Premiering June 9, Loki begins with the Time Variance Authority — a bureaucratic organization tasked with safeguarding the proper flow of time — arresting the Loki Variant seen in Endgame because they want his help fixing all of the timeline problems he caused while on the run with the Tesseract. So there will be time travel, and a lot more of it than in Endgame. As Loki makes his way through his own procedural, he'll match wits with new characters including Owen Wilson's Agent Mobius, a brilliant TVA analyst, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw's Judge Renslayer. The question in early episodes is whether Loki will help them or take over.

"One of the things Kevin Feige led on was, 'I think we should find a way of exploring the parts of Loki that are independent of his relationship with Thor,' or see him in a duality or in relationship with others, which I thought was very exciting," says Hiddleston, who also serves as an executive producer on the show. "So the Odinson saga, that trilogy of films, still has its integrity, and we don't have to reopen it and retell it."

Yet, in order to understand where Loki is going, it's important to see where he came from.

Hiddleston can't believe how long he and Loki have been connected. "I've been playing this character for 11 years," he says. "Which is the first time I have said that sentence, I realize, and it [blows] my mind. I don't know what percentage that is exactly of my 40 years of being alive, but it's substantial."

His time as Loki actually goes a bit further back, to 2009 — a year after Robert Downey Jr. big banged the MCU into existence with Iron Man — when he auditioned for Thor. It's no secret that Hiddleston initially went in for the role of the titular God of Thunder, but Feige and director Kenneth Branagh thought his natural charm and flexibility as an actor made him better suited for the movie's damaged antagonist. "Tom gave you an impression that he could be ready for anything, performance-wise," says Branagh, who had previously worked with him on a West End revival of Checkov's Ivanov and the BBC series Wallander. "Tom has a wild imagination, so does Loki. He's got a mischievous sense of humor and he was ready to play. It felt like he had a star personality, but he was a team player."

Hiddleston fully immersed himself in the character. Outside of studying Loki's history in the Marvel Comics, he also researched how Loki and the Trickster God archetype appeared across mythology and different cultures. "He understood that he was already in something special [and] it was a special character in a special part of that early moment in the life of the Marvel universe where [he] also needed to step up in other ways," says Branagh, who was impressed by the emotional depth Hiddleston brought to the part, especially when it came to how isolated Loki felt in the Asgardian royal family.  

There was a lot riding on that first Thor feature. For one, no one knew if audiences would immediately latch onto a Shakespearean superhero movie partially set on an alien planet populated by the Norse Gods of legend. Second, it was integral to Feige's plans for the shared universe. Loki was supposed to be the main villain in The Avengers, which would not only mirror how Earth's mightiest heroes joined forces in 1963's Avengers #1 but also give Thor a believable reason for teaming up with Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), and the rest of the capes. Feige first clued Hiddleston into those larger plans when the actor was in L.A. before Thor started shooting.

"I was like, 'Excuse me?' Because he was already three, four steps ahead," says Hiddleston. "That took me a few minutes to process, because I didn't quite realize how it just suddenly had a scope. And being cast as Loki, I realized, was a very significant moment for me in my life, and was going to remain. The creative journey was going to be so exciting."

Hiddleston relished the opportunity to go full villain in Avengers, like in the scene where Loki ordered a crowd to kneel before him outside a German opera house: "It's the unspoken truth of humanity, that you crave subjugation," says the Machiavellian god. "The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power, for identity. You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel."

"I just knew that in the structure of that film, I had to lean into his role as a pure antagonist," Hiddleston recalls. "What I always found curious and complex about the way Loki is written in Avengers, is that his status as an antagonist comes from the same well of not belonging and being marginalized and isolated in the first Thor film. Loki now knows he has no place in Asgard."

Loki did find a place within the audience's hearts, though. Feige was "all in" on Hiddleston as his Loki from the beginning, but even he couldn't predict how much fans would love him. Feige recalls the reaction at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con: "Did we know that after he was the villain in two movies, he would be bringing thousands of people to their feet in Hall H, in costume, chanting his name? No, that was above and beyond the plan that we were hoping for and dreaming of." It was a dream Feige first got an inkling of a year earlier during the Avengers press tour when a Russian fan slipped past security, snuck into Mark Ruffalo's car, and asked the Hulk actor to give Hiddleston a piece of fan art she created. "That was one of the early signs there was much more happening with this quote-unquote villain."  

Despite that popularity, the plan was to kill Loki off in 2013's Thor: The Dark World, but the studio reversed course after test audiences refused to believe he actually died fighting the Dark Elves. Alas, he couldn't out-illusion death forever. After returning in Taika Waititi's colorful and idiosyncratic Thor: Ragnarok, Hiddleston's character perished for real in the opening moments of Infinity War. In typical Loki fashion, before Thanos crushed his windpipe, he delivered a defiant speech that indicated he'd finally made peace with the anger he felt toward his family.  

"It felt very, very final, and I thought, 'Okay, that's it. This is Loki's final bow and a conclusive end to the Odinson saga,'" says Hiddleston, who shot that well-earned death scene in 2017.  

But, though he didn't know it yet, the actor's MCU story was far from over.

Credit: Charlie Gray for EW

When Hiddleston returned to film two scenes in Avengers: Endgame in 2017, he had no idea where Loki portaled off to after snatching the Tesseract. "Where'd he go? When does he go? How does he get there? These are all questions I remember asking on the day, and then not being given any answers," Hiddleston recalls. To be fair, it's likely the Powers That Be didn't necessarily have answers then. While Feige can't exactly recall when the writers' room for Endgame first devised Loki's escape sequence, he does know that setting up a future show wasn't the primary goal — because a Loki series wasn't on the horizon just yet.

"[That scene] was really more of a wrinkle so that one of the missions that the Avengers went on in Endgame could get screwed up and not go well, which is what required Cap and Tony to go further back in time to the '70s," says Feige. Soon after that, though, former Disney CEO Bob Iger approached Feige about producing content for the studio's forthcoming streaming service. "I think the notion that we had left this hanging loose end with Loki gave us the in for what a Loki series could be. So by the time [Endgame] came out, we did know where it was going."

As for Hiddleston, he didn't find out about the plans for a Loki show until spring 2018, a few weeks before Infinity War hit theaters. "I probably should not have been surprised, but I was," says the actor. "But only because Infinity War had felt so final."

Nevertheless, Hiddleston was excited about returning for his show. He was eager to explore Loki's powers, especially the shapeshifting, and what it meant that this disruptive figure still managed to find a seat beside the gods in mythology. "I love this idea [of] Loki's chaotic energy somehow being something we need. Even though, for all sorts of reasons, you don't know whether you can trust him. You don't know whether he's going to betray you. You don't why he's doing what he's doing," says Hiddleston. "If he's shapeshifting so often, does he even know who he is? And is he even interested in understanding who he is? Underneath all those masks, underneath the charm and the wit, which is kind of a defense anyway, does Loki have an authentic self? Is he introspective enough or brave enough to find out? I think all of those ideas are all in the series — ideas about identity, ideas about self-knowledge, self-acceptance, and the difficulty of it."

“The series will explore Loki's powers in a way they have not yet been explored, which is very, very exciting.”

The thing that truly sold Hiddleston on the show was Marvel's decision to include the Time Variance Authority, a move he describes as "the best idea that anybody had pertaining to the series." Feige and Loki executive producer Stephen Broussard had hoped to find a place for the TVA — an organization that debuted in 1986's Thor #372 and has appeared in She-Hulk and Fantastic Four stories — in the MCU for years, but the right opportunity never presented itself until Loki came along. "Putting Loki into his own procedural series became the eureka moment for the show," says Feige.  

The TVA's perspective on time and reality also tied into the themes that Waldron, Loki's head writer, was hoping to explore. "Loki is a character that's always reckoning with his own identity, and the TVA, by virtue of what they do, is uniquely suited to hold up a mirror to Loki and make him really confront who he is and who he was supposed to be," says Waldron. Hiddleston adds: "[That] was very exciting because in the other films, there was always something about Loki that was very controlled. He seemed to know exactly what the cards in his hand were and how he was going to play them…. And Loki versus the TVA is Loki out of control immediately, and in an environment in which he's completely behind the pace, out of his comfort zone, destabilized, and acting out."

To truly dig into who Loki is, the creative team had to learn from the man who knows him best: Hiddleston. "I got him to do a thing called Loki School when we first started," says director Kate Herron. "I asked him to basically talk through his 10 years of the MCU — from costumes to stunts, to emotionally how he felt in each movie. It was fantastic."

Hiddleston got something out of the Loki school, too. Owen Wilson both attended the class and interviewed Hiddleston afterward so that he could better understand Loki, as his character Mobius is supposed to be an expert on him. During their conversation, Wilson pointedly asked Hiddleston what he loved about playing the character.

"And I said, 'I think it's because he has so much range,'" says Hiddleston. "I remember saying this to him: 'On the 88 keys on the piano, he can play the twinkly light keys at the top. He can keep it witty and light, and he's the God of Mischief, but he can also go down to the other side and play the heavy keys. And he can play some really profound chords down there, which are about grief and betrayal and loss and heartbreak and jealousy and pride.'" Hiddleston recalls Wilson being moved by the description: "He said, 'I think I might say that in the show.' And it was such a brilliant insight for me into how open Owen is as an artist and a performer.'"

Owen Wilson as Mobius and Tom Hiddleston as Loki in 'Loki.'| Credit: Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel Studios

Everyone involved is particularly excited for audiences to see Hiddleston and Wilson's on-screen chemistry. "Mobius is not unlike Owen Wilson in that he's sort of nonplussed by the MCU," says Feige. "[Loki] is used to getting a reaction out of people, whether it's his brother or his father, or the other Avengers. He likes to be very flamboyant and theatrical. Mobius doesn't give him the reaction he's looking for. That leads to a very unique relationship that Loki's not used to."

As for the rest of the series, we know that Loki will be jumping around time and reality, but the creative team isn't keen on revealing when and where. "Every episode, we tried to take inspiration from different things," says Waldron, citing Blade Runner's noir aesthetic as one example.

"Part of the fun of the multiverse and playing with time is seeing other versions of characters, and other versions of the titular character in particular," says Feige, who also declined to confirm if Loki ties into Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness and/or other upcoming projects.

Making Loki was especially meaningful to Hiddleston because they shot most of it during the pandemic, in late 2020. "It will remain one of the absolute most intense, most rewarding experiences of my life," he says. "It's a series about time, and the value of time, and what time is worth, and I suppose what the experience of being alive is worth. And I don't quite know yet, and maybe I don't have perspective on it, if all the thinking and the reflecting that we did during the lockdown ended up in the series. But in some way, it must have because everything we make is a snapshot of where we were in our lives at that time."

While it remains to be seen what the future holds for Loki beyond this initial season, Hiddleston isn't preparing to put the character to bed yet. "I'm open to everything," he says. "I have said goodbye to the character. I've said hello to the character. I said goodbye to the character [again]. I've learned not to make assumptions, I suppose. I'm just grateful that I'm still here, and there are still new roads to explore."

[ludwigplayingthetrombone]

[TW: blood and a small bit of gore during a flashback at the beginning]

Behold! Chapter 3 is here! this is one i added in to clarify how it fits into the mchanzo timeline! This first part takes place after chapter 5 of getting together comic.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

If you like, consider leaving a tip! or become a patron for early access and nsfw!

Genj: What is happening, Baptiste? Who is hurt? Bap: Hanzo’s in critical condition. McCree is also unconscious 

Mei: Genji, we need your help with McCree. Don’t worry, he’s stable now. Dr. Ziegler wants us to monitor him until she stabilizes Hanzo. Echo: What happened, mei? Mei: ...Reaper attacked him. I held him off until hanzo could save us. McCree woke up, so we fled. McCree went back to help Hanzo while he insissted I go help evacuate the area. But.. I told snowball to watch out for him. Then...

“McCree said Hanzo was shot by Reaper. [genji’s uneven, desperate grunts/ breathing] Gabe: That’s enough, kid, he’s dead! He was dead 10 minutes ago

Gabe: They can’t hurt you anymore. Genj: He isnt HERE! What’s the POINT. He needs to die! I have to kill him! I JUST WANT HIM DEAD I just want him DEAD! I’ll only be satisfied when he’s dead, Reyes.

Bap: Genji

Bap: You zoned out, what’s on your mind? Genj: When I was in Blackwatch... I told reyes over and over that I wanted nothing more than for Hanzo to die painfully. Bap: That is... understandable given what you were going through. Genj: I am worried Reaper said... or this influenced him to... I wanted to bring that period up with Hanzo myself. Bap: You are not to blame.

Genj: I told McCree that, but i know he feels the same. Bap: You had no idea any of this would happen, Genji. Could you have predicted Overwatch would fall when Reyes killed Antonio? You think I knew my contribution to Talon would lead to suffering? There’s no way we could have known. The people who helped you out of a dark time now vowing to hunt you down... I dunno, just-. People having an intimate knowledge of you when you were so vulnerable is... terrifying.

Bap: That is more on his character than anything. And a betrayal of your trust in him. Hanzo will understand. Genj: Thank-you for helping save my brother. Bap: You’re very welcome

Genj: When do we separate?  He’s holding on?? I-um! I have to help plan a mission, so I have to go now. Bap: O-Oh sorry! Be safe. Genj: I’ll see you. I have to tell McCree too. bap: See you.

Genj: [I shouldn’t have chickened out... Maybe it could have lasted longer. I refuse to fall for another medic.] Mc- Oh sorry if i startled you! Bap: Are you showering? Water’s cold. Genj: No, I got a present for you on my mission! Bap: Oh?

Genj: Behold! Look how cute! Bap: You laugh, but i’ll wear it. Genj: What have i Done.... Got it!

Pharah: Go to bed. Bap: Genji... [genji snores] Jess: No,no,no, listen, far, we staked out the place for 48 hours and-.... [genji’s back cracks and he moans]

Genj: Oh!! Evening! I didn’t know you were back!

Bap: H-Hey! Flexing the ‘stache tonight? Genj: oH! I forgot, forgive me. I thought I was alone. Bap: It’s just your face, Genji, it’s ok. Genj: I know, but it’s scandalous! [bap chuckles] Bap: One moment, rock in my shoe... Genj: I don’t have that problem

Genj: You’re staring

Bap: I uh- It wasn’t... I- Genj: I was expecting a cool quip from you. I’m disappointed. Bap: You looked so contemplative and cool. Like you have something you want to say.

Genj: What makes someone a hero? Is someone a hero because they want to be one or because they have to be one?

Bap: Asking the hard questions tonight? Genj: I’ll admit I don’t know if I consider myself a hero... The media does, but... am i really? I’m not sure why i returned after the deal Overwatch forced my hand to take. Used then tossed aside. Did I want to save people or did I want to see my friends again?... I don’t think i’m a nice person.

Bap: Well.. why can’t it be both? Why is wanting to be with people you like such a selfish thing? Genj: I suppose. I don’t feel I deserve it. I grew up in a high place of privilege and notoriety. But now, I don’t feel apart of society at all anymore.

Genj: More like I’m stuck between different planes. I based so much of my identity on my status as an heir to the clan. Now that it’s bee stripped away from me... I don’t recognize what’s left. Looking at myself in a mirror, I don’t recognize myself.

Genj: I’ve been having these thoughts... Do my friends like me or do they pity me? Bap: Look at me. I neber knew the old you, and I think this you is a hero. So, if you don’t believe your old friends, then... How about believing me?

Bap: Your friendships are real. Your compassion is real. Your dumbass-edness is real. I assure you, you’re a unique, interesting man. I like this Genji.

Genj: You’re starting to sound like a comic book hero. Bap: Ah. I do don’t I? NO! [laughing] Genj: ouch, I need to cut my hair again.

Bap: [cough] It’s cold, I’m headed back.

genj: Yosh

Bap: Are uh- Are you headed to eat? Genj: yes. It’s Angela’s shift to cook, so prepare yourself. Bap: I’ve already taken imodium and ordered backup pizza [chuckle]

Oh no.

[scandalsavagefanfic]

Hello! I am a huge fan of ur writing. I've loved everything I've read of yours. I've read alot of what you've posted, except for a couple of the tags that are squicky for me (so I'm very thankful you tag very thoroughly). No judgement for the squick, it's just not for me. & when I'm having a bad day, I usually just go thru ur ao3 and find something to reread. I think about Therapy's Bruce & Jason every damn day. While I obvs appreciate ur darker more "problematic" content (I really vibe with some of the themes you write about bc of my own trauma, & so it's very cathartic to read about in a fictional setting), I am truly a sucker for ur more happy content. The Happily Ever After verse also lives in my head rent free. Idk more wholesome stuff just seems more special when you write it. Anyways. I would die for you. But the point of this ask is cause I'm curious as to why you don't like Urban Legends? I'm sorry if you already talked about it here or on twitter and I missed it. I was just wondering because I really enjoy your take on things and would love to hear why you dislike it. I've been enjoying it so far personally, but I am always open to DC comics criticism.

Aw thank you so much! I'm so flattered by everything you just said. You're so sweet ❤❤❤❤❤

I haven't talked about Urban Legends here or twitter (I haven't been very active in either place lately. Just a lot going on and no energy 😔) but I'm happy to do it here.

Before I start though, I just want to add a standard disclaimer and make it clear that if you like it, there's nothing wrong with that and you don't have to let me ruin it for you lol. Like what you like.

That said, since you asked...

I said this when I was talking about it on discord, that there is a difference between hope and expectation. I always hope that a new story centered on Jason (or anyone really, but things have been especially egregious for Jay for 15 years) will be good or at least treat the character with a minimal level of respect (to be honest, the bar is super fucking low). But my expectations always temper my hope, to keep it from getting unrealistic. Because my expectations are based on experience.

The long history of Jason Todd, since even before his resurrection, has been one of retroactively trying to make him "a bad seed" in order to absolve Bruce of any responsibility in his death.

I don't even expect DC or their writers to start honoring the fact that Jason was not an angry, reckless Robin (and less of the later than Dick or Tim and definitely Damian). There plenty of ways that retcon can be folded into his history and be compelling and sympathetic. And if they're going to stick with that retcon, I'm only asking that they do it in one of those compelling and sympathetic ways because Jason was 15 when he died, heroically, in one of the most selfless acts in comics, to save a woman who literally handed him over to be brutally murdered. He was 12 when Bruce plucked him off the streets, he'd been homeless and fending for himself for at least two years. I personally think that Jason's story hits harder for him and Bruce if their original, canon relationship, of Jason as starry-eyed and eager to learn and absolutely devoted to Bruce and Bruce to Jason, is preserved. But Jason's origins does leave room for a meaningful interpretation of him as angry and frustrated at the lack of meaningful results of Bruce's methods.

And that's really where my irritation at stories like Batman: Urban Legends, Cheer and Batman The Adventure Continues has it's roots.

Every time one of these stories comes out, I think (or hope, rather) that this will be the one that remembers and respects the origins of the Jason and the Red Hood, that takes into account the changed sensibilities of comics readers in the 30 years since Jason's death and the subtle, 20 year, retroactive campaign to make him the "bad Robin". The "born bad" trope is played out and literally no one likes the message it implies. That some kids are just bad eggs and there's nothing parents or the adults around them can do. Especially when it's played as the kid's fault. If Jason's time as Robin is going to be characterized by anger, then it should be rooted in anger at the social injustices he witnessed as he grew up in an impoverished, crime-ridden, area and the horrors he faced raising himself when every day was a battle for survival. There are topical, meaningful, stories to tell with that backdrop.

But those are never the stories we get.

⚠⚠ Spoilers for Batman: Urban Legends, Cheer ⚠⚠

I'm particularly disappointed in Urban Legends because for the first issue, it looked like that was the kind of story we were going to get. I was put off by the first flashback of Jason being mesmerized by Bruce's guns, and I got that feeling in my gut that it was a bad sign. Jason depicted as impatient and overconfident and the scene with the guns is heavy-handed foreshadowing that got my spidey-sense tingling. I had a inkling then (in the first three pages) of how this story was going to play out, but it was early and I could still see many narrative paths that could lead to a satisfying story. My concerns were soothed somewhat and the little flame of my hope fanned, with the flashback of Alfred scolding Bruce, with Barbara's concern for Jason. A bit of worry returned with the way Jason ruthlessly pursued an addict who didn't appear to be a dealer and with the ending of the issue. The stuff with the addict sat wrong with me but the ending was tempered some by how despicable Tyler's dad was written. The scene was clearly set so that the reader could sympathize with Jason's decision and the scene with the addict could be brushed aside as a side-effect of comics over-the-top need for constant action, so I still held hope.

Issue 2 made me uncomfortable and it's where my hope starts to take a backseat to my expectations. I can dismiss Jason's self-deprecating internal monologue as unreliable narration, except that the flashback reinforces his thought process to explicitly show that it's not unreliable narration, and should be taken at face value. Jason faces physical abuse at the hands of his mother's drug dealer and when the flashback continues later, Jason kills the drug dealer. To be clear, this is a pre-Bruce Jason. His mom is still alive. He's like... 10. He kills this guy for shoving his head into a wall and implying Jason's mother paid for her drugs with sex. This is a scene that serves a single purpose. To show that Jason has always been prone to violence.

In the spirit of full disclosure, there is the small chance the drug dealer might not be dead. But the story obviously wants the reader to think he is, and it hasn't done anything to change that yet.

Starlin already did this story with The Diplomat’s Son in 1988 and he did it infinitely better. AND that’s still technically canon. So now I’m supposed to believe that Jason lost his cool bad enough to kill two douche bags before his sweet 16? Like it’s totally normal for abused kids raised in poverty, who’ve led hard and heartbreaking lives to just... haul off and kill people? That’s bullshit, and when taken with the Jason in the third issue, who is little more than an idiot thug, this story is really doubling down on some fucked up stereotypes.

Which brings us to the most recent issue. I went into this installment with very low expectations. I thought this story was going to be about Jason, through this experience with Tyler, a young boy with a similar background to Jason's, coming to the realization that Bruce's way is the best way and that Bruce did his best by Jason.

That would be annoying (in no small part because it takes increasingly absurd levels of plot armor to keep Bruce's no kill rule relevant, let alone irrefutably right). But I can probably live with that, if only because maybe if Jason officially falls back into line with the Bats crusade, maybe I'll get stories that treat him with respect, stories that don't relegate him to comic relief, dumb brute, or a background body with no lines in a story about the Joker burning Gotham (like Jason would just fucking stand there quietly for that).

And that may still be where the story is going, Jason realizing Bruce is right.

But holy shit do I not have the right words to describe how fucking insulting and gross issue three is.

From start to finish--including the flashback--Jason is written as cruel and fucking stupid. Like straight up dumb.

The entire issue is Bruce explaining the fucking basics to Jason like it's his first day. And Jason flies off the fucking handle and terrorizes a doctor he knows isn't a part of making the Cheerdrops, beats the shit out of some random addicts, and finally, when he can't accomplish anything on his own because he's a dumb brute he calls Barbara for help and rushes in with no information where he's promptly incapacitated and must now wait to be rescued by Batman.

This panel is the least of the issues sins but I can’t screenshot the entire story but it’s representative of the tone for the whole issue (and retroactively tainted the prior two issues).

This is beyond insulting. The only conclusions Jason comes to in this issue are the ones Bruce leads him to by talking to him like he can’t make the simplest connections. And like... in this story Jason can’t make the simplest connections.

This (and the Jason throughout the entirety of this issue) is a far cry from the Jason we fell in love with in Under the Red Hood, who was competent and strategic and intelligent enough to seize control of Gotham’s underworld from Black Mask (who’s no fucking slouch, he’s the first and only person to unify organized crime in Gotham) AND elude and manipulate Bruce until the time and place of his choosing.

This is a far cry from even the Red Hood and the Outlaws Jason who is competent enough to fight the League of Shadows and Ra’s al Ghul (among very dangerous and skilled others) and smart enough to create antidotes for mind control nanotech viruses.

As he should be, by the way. Jason Todd is one of the best, most comprehensively trained fighters in DC’s stable of non powered vigilantes. He’s not irrational or hot headed. He’s pragmatic, tactically minded, and patient. He’s a detective. Right now. Has been since he was 12. Bruce doesn’t have to make him one because he already is. 

Jason is not a stupid thug who uses his fists because his brain doesn’t work. And I can’t tell you how so very exhausted I am by this narrative. 

This is actually the most egregious example of Jason’s skills and intelligence being not just undermined but dismissed entirely. Even Morrison’s Jason had some degree of competency. 

The one, single redeeming factor of this story is the art. It’s beautiful. And Marcus To is a godsend he seems to be one of only a couple of artists who remember that Jason was a child when he was Robin and I’m literally only buying this book because of him. 

Anyway, I’m sorry. I didn’t want that to come out so... um... passionately lol. I’m just very very tired. My intention with this isn’t to ruin it for you, if you like it, that’s fine. 

But this issue shot this story to the top of my "Vehemently Despise” list. 1) Batman: Urban Legends (Cheer), 2) Battle for the Cowl/Morrison’s Batman and Robin, 3) Batman The Adventure Continues.

I hope the next issues somehow salvage this dumpster fire. But I’m not expecting it.

(Damnit. That sounded harsh again. To reiterate, I’m not trying to judge anyone who enjoys it, I just personally hate it and you asked me why lol 😅)

[gemma-collins-ily]

Jesper with s/o who really knows how to kick ass (aka sis was trained by someone)

Jesper with a Trained S/O

a/n - I love the pairing of Jesper and the pet name honey too much aaah. Also this was written over two nights when I was half asleep so forgive me if it isn't top notch xoxo 💗💝

Warnings: fighting, poison, bruises/cuts but no real mentions of blood or anything

so

Kaz obviously employed you because of how amazing you are at any type of combat

but when asked the specific reason, he had only responded with a cryptic answer that gave the Crows nothing

"They're an asset to the team. Just as all of you are."

you would train at extremely early hours of the morning, often seen jogging back up the stairs to your room drenched in sweat right when others first awoke

but no one knew what you were actually doing

until Inej caught you in the training room in the Slat, practically beating a punching bag

the funny thing was, you didn't look as though you were a street fighter, one who had developed their own adapted technique that would get them by in a scrap

your punches were calculated, muscles flexing in just the right way and stature perfect

it was the ideal stance for a real fight in a ring

she didn't say anything and instead decided to get up just a little earlier each day in order to observe you

she was caught when she let the door creak accidentally, but instead of kicking her out of the room you only offered to leave so she could use it

she refused and said she'd rather watch you

and she did from then on, you having no protest or apparent problem with it

sometimes, you'd go up against Inej and circle each other warily, not daring to underestimate the other

you had only been on a few low level heists with the Crows at that point, Kaz mercifully easing you into the work

but it was noticed by Nina that whenever it was necessary to run and hide, you could sprint with full stamina and hardly break a sweat unless it was done for a long amount of time

she also noticed your heart rate barely raised

she brought it up once

"Ugh, (Y/N), I'm so jealous, you literally must be super-human, how are you so energised?"

this was said through panting breaths as she bent to rest her hands on her knees, much like the others were doing

this meant in turn it wasn't really registered by anyone

only you

you didn't really mind people knowing you were trained in combat, but didn't flaunt it or let anyone know without them finding out

you would act casually when found out, downplaying your skills

everything was a threat in the Barrel, and saying one wrong thing near one wrong person could cost you your head

you hadn't stiffened when Nina said that, only nodding and grinning, leaning against the wall with your hands in your pockets yet not saying anything verbally

you knew how to play the game and in order to do that, you had to let them subconsciously dismiss the very idea itself

Albert Einstein iq I'm telling you

psychology at its very core

you know

so

it's all forgotten until they see your skills put to use on a heist

if you've watched now you see me 2 and watched the spectacular card sequence, the next part is basically that

your tactful hand at cards could beat Kaz Brekker himself

on the heist, you know one of Kaz's sacred backup plans

only one, mind you

so, it's like the card sequence

you're all going in as guests but you and Kaz will shoot the card with the information between you and your separate searches

"Hands the other way, ma'am."

Your hands flew the opposite way, palms now facing the guard as the card was quickly flipped between your fingers, and with a single, efficient flick of the wrist Kaz had it in his possession.

"Alright, on your way you go."

Jesper had only seen because he was stationed behind you, otherwise he never would have known it was so seamless

Nina told them later that kind of thing seemed to be a regular occurrence as your heart rate had been completely average

showing how confident you are, go bestie

it was true

you and Kaz had trained for that heist often however barely for any length of time at all

the best part for you was that you had been checking how noticeable it was and flipping the card back and forth between you in meetings

Jesper's eyes had widened comically when he observed the whole thing and his jaw dropped

you laughed as you stepped past and kissed his jaw, making it close promptly as he chased after you, desperate for answers

your cards can also be poisoned

and in another heist they doubted you

because they had seen you help pull something off but not use any as a weapon

you were motioned by Kaz to appear innocent until another signal was given, one of which only you and Inej had been paying attention to and so understood

but after you hissed at Jesper out of the corner of your mouth, he stayed subdued too

you remained eerily silent as they pushed you against the wall and searched your pockets

the cards were brought out and ridiculed, even if you had cleverly concealed knives, now you knew how you would kill these men

after the go ahead was given, you burst into action, swooping downward and catching the man holding you off guard

you collected the cards and grinned as you stepped back, now the front most Crow in your little pyramid formation at the end of the street

"And what are they gonna do?"

A malicious glint appeared in your eye as Jesper tapped your shoulder, thinking you had backed yourself into a corner here.

but then, your hand flew out and struck one clean in the eye, making them wail and drop to their knees as you flung another card, swiping a man's cheek

they did not fall until a minute later, that minute consisting of you whipping cards at them and Jesper tugging on your sleeve

he'd do that a lot, before he knew of your training and maybe after too

it wasn't that he thought you couldn't handle yourself, just that he wanted to protect you in any way possible

so pulling you behind him was a knee jerk reaction, desiring to save his loved one from any possible threat or danger

he would do anything for you, let a bullet pierce his chest, a dagger land in his throat, as long as you emerged okay

it was only later, when you got Kaz to pick up the cards, saying it would be easier to wash them with a cloth than learn how to balance the slightly differing weight of a new pack

you made Kaz do it because he had leather protection and knew of the poison darkening the edges of the cards to an inky black

they were kept in a special and specific packet so there was no possible way of you being hurt unless you were completely careless

that was completely unable to happen because you were wary enough to know what to do and what not to

but Jesper still insisted you left them in his coat after he found out, wanting you to be totally risk free

"What if you're not with me? How will I use my weapons?"

"Well, my darling, that will not be the case," he paused to snicker at his unintentional joke about the container then continued, "because Kaz will absolutely keep us together at all times."

You hummed thoughtfully, "How do you know that?"

There was an immediate answer, no moment of hesitation from your sharpshooter, "He simply can't handle how fantastically amazing I am on his own, knowing I am far superior and so will continue to pair us together to avoid having to face that foe."

"Jes, honey, he could partner you with Inej or Nina or Matthias, you know that, right?"

He was stumped and his mouth opened before closing once more.

the cards were still not handed back though

don't worry, new ones were purchased after Jesper insisted on 'clinging' to the other pack like a lifeline, according to Kaz

he did find out about this after you saved his ass in a fight with them

he was so mad, not that you'd defied him but that you had put yourself in danger with the cards

but after Inej pointed out he had to trust you at some moment in time, he softened

because how could you think he didn't trust you?

he didn't ever want you to have to answer that question and set about trying to rectify the situation

you received breakfast in bed and apology cuddles

"I trust you."

It was the mantra he had been repeating for days and you smiled as your hand came to rest upon his jawline.

"I know, darling. I know."

You were met with a soft kiss to your collarbone as his head dipped to fall into the crook of your neck, wrapping his arms around your waist in a tight but gentle hug.

He hummed before continuing, "Just wanted to make sure, honey."

the cards were left wordlessly on your bedside table, drawing a small sated smile from your lips

after he came to terms with the fact that you were a Dreg, a Crow, someone who would be targeted because you were entwined with him, he became just a little overprotective

not that you minded

just reassuring him often you were okay and he was too

after Wylan came along, you politely requested to know if he could make some kind of thing that would make the cards easier to collect

he came up with the idea of a magnetic substance that could be brushed over the centre of the cards, meaning if you kept one in your hand and waved it over the others, there would be no time delay in which you would have to pick them up

again

the added weight, even such a small increment, affected the momentum needed and angle necessary

for days, you were flinging your cards at a wall, barely stopping to eat, wanting to be useful

Jesper dragged you back to bed several times in the early mornings with coaxing syllables and sweet words, promises on how you would get it right tomorrow

"Sweetheart, just come back to bed. Wait a few hours and try again. You're so close to getting this. I just know it."

As you wrapped yourself in the comforter his hand came to stroke your cheek, "There you go, see, you were looking half asleep on your feet, doing yourself no good anyway, lovely. Or those cards."

when witnessing your physical combat skills, Jesper would let a surprised chuckle fall, not fully in control of himself

watching you flip an enemy who had underestimated you over your shoulder never got old

neither did seeing your boot swivel slightly on their chest as you proved just how skilled you were

awww such pure and innocent love

"Don't think I won't beat you in a fight again, Lion. Or there won't be another opportunity for you to."

"That's my partner!"

"Alright Jes, bit much but thanks for hyping me up."

Just as you turned and both of you were about to walk away, a cold and clammy hand clamped over your ankle and you instantaneously recoiled.

Then, before Jesper or the Dime Lion knew what was happening, your fist connected with his stomach, hand coming up to cover your false and exaggerated yawn.

"So cool." Was whispered from your sharpshooter as you stalked off, boots clicking on the gravel pavement.

he had forced you into a chair, begging you to let him take care of your now bruising knuckles and you begrudgingly agreed

"Wasn't so bad, huh?"

"Don't push it." Was the joking response as his arm slung over your waist, and his thumbs brushed over the bandage he had applied so carefully as his hand covered the one you had let hang at your hip.

"Wouldn't dream of it, darling. Don't have the foggiest why you would assume such of me."

if you ever couldn't handle the entire situation and obtained an injury, Jesper would stay by your side

when a minor one, like a small gash on your forehead appeared, he would insist on personally caring for it

and if major, he would hold your hand, allowing you to squeeze it as hard as you wanted when the pain became too much

the same went for the other way round, you giggling at bandages wrapped all around his head like a bandana

but only after you knew he was alright

if tears filled your eyes, caused by relief, his thumb would come up to brush them away and slightly pull the corners of your mouth into a weak and wavering smile

"I'm alright. I'm okay, honey, you just remember that."

the both of you would press gentle goodnight kisses to each others foreheads or lips, forgetting a bruise or cut

this would end in frantic apologies and inevitable laughter when you kept speaking over one another

basically, Jesper thinks you're so badass, amazing and fantastic, reminding you just how highly he regards you everyday

you will protect him and he will protect you, no matter what

[barbiegirldream]

Would you mind explaining what you mean by MCU Peter is a whitewashed version of Miles Morales? I’m not that into comics/superhero movies but I’ve seen this mentioned a few times so I’ve always been curious

Peter Parker is a poor Jewish coded boy from Forest Hills Queens who grows up in a small house with his Aunt and Uncle. Ben was like some guy and May ran that Homeless shelter FEAST. He's your avg teenager who goes to public school and gets bullied. When he gets bit by a spider he goes wrestling to try and earn money for the family. Uncle Ben gets shot Peter becomes selfless to a neurotic extent and becomes Spider-Man. He becomes a solo hero for many years rejecting invites to the Avengers, starting and ending most of his team ups with fist fights, and just generally being a lone wolf (spider). He doesn't team up with Tony Stark until around the time of Civil War when Tony gets him with talks of responsibility. When Peter face reveals as was required of him Aunt May gets shot on the Kingpin's orders. Peter loses his shit goes mental almost kills the Kingpin, has Dr Strange make everyone forget Peter Parker is Spider-Man, and makes a deal with the demon Mephisto for Aunt May's life and sells his marriage with Mary Jane. Now he and Tony just like argue over Miles and beat each other up when Tony's not out being a borderline villain.

Miles Morales is a black/Puerto Rican boy from Brooklyn who lives in an apartment with his nurse mother Rio and cop father Jefferson. Miles wins a scholarship to the Brooklyn Visions Academy (exceedingly similar to the school MCU Peter goes to that he in no way would be able to afford) Miles is a very outgoing young man who's always willing to do a team up. He and Tony are very close and have the mentor/mentee relationship Peter and Tony never did. Also in Miles's original universe I won't get into it he was also relatively close with Captain America

Ned Leeds in the comics was someone Peter met at the Daily Bugle, Ned was a reporter. Peter and Betty Brant had dated a bit in high school but broke up after graduation. Ned Leeds was always jealous of Peter. They never really got along all that well. Ned like died in Germany or Russia idr on a business trip with Peter at some point. Then he suprise wasn't dead and became the hobgoblin which is like the Green Goblin but orange. Hence the jokes in the movie about Ned going evil and trying to kill Peter.

Ganke Lee is Miles's best friend. And he helps Miles as the man in the chair. Ganke is incredibly skilled with computers. As well Miles told him pretty early on that he was Spider-Man.

This picture sums it up red haired dude is comic Ned to MCU Ned to comics Ganke

Michelle Jones seems to be some weird mashup of Peter's old roommate Michelle who once sold his clothes so he would pay his half of the rent. Miles's ex girlfriend Barbara Rodriquez who was an edgy loner who can sing so I'll be surprised if they never utilize Zendaya's ability to sing.

Peter never went to high school with Ned or MJ in the comics.

Liz Allan in the comics was one person Peter did go to high school with. She was the daughter of the people who owned Roxxon or something you know the generically evil businesses. She went to college with Peter where they both met Harry Osborn. She would marry Harry and they have a son named Normie Osborn who is Peter's godson. Liz was very stuck up and pretentious and also sometimes villainous if it meant her son was safe. But she loves Peter because he's family so that was rarely a problem.

Liz Allan in the mcu was totally different. And the comics in this case took her and changed her name to make one of Miles' friends/love interests, Tiana Toomes. Or Starling who is the granddaughter of the vulture and used his gimmick to become a hero. She was so very much MCU Liz Allan but so different to comic Liz it doesn't matter.

A lot of May's personality in the MCU was also stolen right from Miles' mom Rio.

And it took Peter three fucking movies to no longer be a stupid over trusting selfish kid. No Way Home is the first time I felt like I was watching a movie about Peter Parker.

[amor-immortalem]

Everything Undesired

Genre: angst, hurt/comfort

Warnings: dead dove: do not eat, heavily implied rape, gross misuse of a pact, dissociation victim blaming

Summary: not all pact masters use their pacts judiciously or in a positive way. What happens when a pact is misused in one of the worst ways possible?

A/N: so a while back I did a comic by the name of ‘Meet Me Under the Azaleas’ I’m no longer happy with the writing I put into it originally so I wanted to rewrite it using the same plot line and adding some extra scenes that weren’t in the original comic which I’ll be taking down tonight. It should work better as a fic anyway.

Chapter 1

“You are ours. We own you.”

Those words rang in his head over and over as he stumbled his way into his room, overstimulated, exhausted- a mess. He knew it was a mistake to answer the call of those witches tonight. The thoughts of what they did, how their hands ran over his body, what they had taken away. It made his stomach churn and tie itself in knots with guilt and shame. It burned just the same as the rope marks on his wrists and ankles- wounds that would heal within the hour.

“You won’t breathe a word of this to anyone- this we command of you, Avatar of Greed.”

Those women -no, they were monsters- abused the innate trust that comes with a demon who enters a pact with a human, multiple in this case. They had violated the boundaries he’d put in place the day he started dating his human. Oh God, what would she think if word ever got out? He had no way of speaking out- to scream the truth until his voice was raw.

He needed to shower, to get the stench of sex and sweat off of him. He had to get their scent off of him. As he entered the bathroom, Mammon tore off his clothes as he started the water. The lights remained off as he couldn’t bare to look at himself after what happened. Not after how he just let them use him like that.

He stepped under the boiling water and just let it run against him. The falling water did nothing to drown out the deafening voices running rampant in his mind.

“Disgusting!” They roared, “Useless! Pathetic! Weak! Whore! ….. Scum!”

He falls to the floor of his shower, hands gripping at his hair as he let out a whimper that eventually turned into quiet sobs. The steamy air making it harder to breathe. Why didn’t he fight against them harder- against their orders. No, he just laid there and took it.

He grabbed the soap and a wash rag and scrubbed his body until every bit of him was raw and even then he wouldn’t stop. It was only when he saw the blood swirling around the drain that Mammon realized what he was doing to himself- how bad the water burned the exposed skin. It felt like hellfire raining down upon him.

He felt horrible as he reached up and switched the water off. He could still hear it in his head as he reached for a towel- all the crying, screaming, begging for them to stop.

He was a pathetic, sorry excuse of a demon, he thinks as he wraps the towel around his waist and travels down the his stairs quietly. It’s early morning now. There was only a few hours left before he would have wake up for school. He contemplated just skipping the entire day. There would be know way he’d be able to function. He could always say he feels sick- its not that far from the truth. He would decide in a few hours, he thought as he crawled into bed. It didn’t take long for her to move closer to him. His naturally warmer body temperature was what drew her to him. His body involuntarily tensing as she nuzzled into his chest, arms slipping around his body. He would only tuck her head under his chin and drape and arm over her side as he let the scent of her shampoo relax him enough to fall into a light sleep.

After a short while, someone's alarm blared among the sheets- whether it his or Arella's, he couldn't be sure. Mammon patted around for the offending phone, just wanting to get five more minutes of shut eye. He eventually succeeded but not without waking his partner.

"Morning, Love," Arella sighed, her voice still laced with the grogginess of sleep.

"Mornin', Treasure," The demon yawns as he curls back up, pulling her closer to his chest. "Sleep well?"

"I did. What time you get back last night?" Arella's voice is soft as her hand slides under his shirt, rubbing gently along his side.

"5 this mornin'." He says as he tries to hide the way his body recoils from her touch, a pang of guilt strikes his heart as she notices. "Sorry... 'm not really feelin' all that great right now..."

"No, that's alright." She removes her hand from his side, choosing instead to rest it against his cheek as she readjusts herself so she's eye-level with him on the pillow. "How selfish of those witches to keep you out so late on a school night..." Its at this point she notices the puffiness and how red his eyes are. "You look like you've been crying... Is everything alright?"

He just shakes his head. Mammon wants so badly to tell her what happened to him the night before- the real reason he got home so late, but unsurprisingly, no words come out. He just closes his eyes, letting himself relax under her gentle touch. "I'm jus' really tired s'all."

"I believe it. You only got a hour and a half's worth of sleep. Would you like to just stay home all day, just the two of us?" Arella moves him so he's resting with his head on her chest.

"That's sounds.... nice," he hums quietly, so close to falling back into the clutches of sleep.

"Alright then. Go on and go back to sleep," She kisses the top of his head, carding her fingers through the soft, fluffy locks the other hand rubbing small circles in the center of his back. "I've got you."

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

This carried on for months. The witches would summon him and as long as he complied with their wishes, they would hold his secret. By the third time, he would check out- let his mind escape to anywhere but the present until it was over. It became a vicious cycle. They would call, he would go to them, and then he would crawl into his bed for maybe an hour or two before forcing himself to get up for classes that he often fell asleep in. After the tenth, once they had finished with him, he asked why they were doing this and they told him.

“We desire something to bind you to us for the rest of our lives.”

“A child.”

The demon’s eyes widened at that. Never in his life had he been so opposed to the idea of having children. In fact, just before all of this happened he had been daydreaming about what his children with Arella would look like if they were ever so fortunate to have any but a child with one of the witches? It made him sick. A half-demon born from a demon of his status had a high probability of killing its mother- one who he would then have to raise. How could he explain that to his brothers- to Arella? The very thought filled him with dread. How could he ever bring himself to care for a child conceived from a crime? A child that would always be nothing but a constant reminder of the worst nights of his life. They didn’t deserve a life like that.

And so Mammon did the only thing he could think to do: he fled. He ran back to the Devildom, back to House of Lamentation as fast a his legs would carry him. He crashed through the doors of the house. Never had he been so greatful to be the first one home. As he climbed the steps up to his room he vowed to himself never again. He wouldn’t give them what they wanted, consequences be damned.

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

It had been six months since his last encounter with the witches. There was nothing on their end- absolute radio silence. Part of Mammon wondered if they'd gotten what they wanted from him after all. Everyday was filled with the anxiety of not knowing. His nightmares had gotten worse. Most of them were based around those nights he'd spent with them, others involved everyone finding out a one-sided version of what had happened, all spun in the favor of the witches. He dreamed of Arella leaving him, heart-broken from the implication that he would stray from her and running into the arms of one of his brothers. The worst ones- the ones he would wake up from covered in a cold sweat in the dead of night- consisted of him standing in the witches' home, the sounds of screaming, the smell of blood, the piercing first cries somewhere between the call of a demon and the screams of a human baby infecting his senses. It all felt too real. It felt like a crushing weight on his chest.

Over this time, Mammon had grown distant from both his brothers and Arella, hardly spending anytime with them. He fell apart. The grades he worked so hard to pull up had taken a nose dive, he was hardly eating- choosing only to consume just barely enough to sustain himself. He no longer slept for fear of the nightmares and he instead threw himself into side jobs that would keep him out of the house well passed curfew as well as earn him plentiful amounts of grimm. He couldn't go on like this much longer.

Everyone was worried for him. None of them had ever seen the Avatar of Greed in this manner and the gradual change in his demeanor alarmed them. Despite everyone’s best attempts, Mammon hardly smiled anymore. He just simply didn't seem to enjoy all of the things he once did. They all knew something was wrong but when asked the white haired demon would shrug it off, say he was fine when he very obviously was not. Everything came to a head the night Mammon collapsed, finally falling victim to exhaustion and hunger.

It was after this that Lucifer called the family to a meeting while Arella sat with Mammon in his room as he slept fitfully.

"What do we do, Lucifer?" Asmo seemed distraught with fear. "Our brother is suffering from something and we don't even know where to start in trying to help him."

"We have to get him to talk somehow," Satan quipped, "Perhaps Arella can-"

"If this were any other situation, I would suggest it but right now, I don't think that's a very wise move. If she forces him to talk it could very well damage the bond they share." For the first time in thousands of years, Lucifer didn't know what to do. Whatever was causing this shift in personality was eating away at Mammon. "We'll try to think of a way to fix this- to find out what happened to our dear brother. So let's start at the beginning of all of this. What do we know about what he was doing before this happened?"

"Well, Levi started, "He was getting called up by those witch sisters with more and more frequently. I heard him come home super late- like early morning hours late..."

"And after that is when he practically stopped eating." Beel chimed in.

"And he was having nightmares almost nightly, afterwards." Belphie nodded. "I did my best with my powers to look into them but there were so many mental blocks that he subconsciously put up, I couldn't see or hear anything very well and what I could see didn't make a whole lot of sense. They weren't very clear, but they had something to do with the witches... and I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt associated with them."

"Then obviously something happened while he was with them," Satan said, brow furrowed. "But what that may be, we won't know until he talks."

"Asmo, I see the look on your face." Lucifer called out to the Avatar of Lust. "Is there something, you'd like share with the group?"

Everyone's eyes were locked onto Asmodeus as the demon sat with a contemplative look on his face. He was very slowly starting to piece together what had been going on.

"Not yet, but I may have a hunch." He finally said. "Mammon has a pact with these women, correct?"

Next

Masterlist 2