#if you saw the draft that got posted

[fear-no-mort]

pov it’s the night of December 2nd 2013 and you’ve just burst into your grandsons room to pick him up so he’s not down there when you blow up the world the guy who ruined your life is from because you wouldn’t be able to live with yourself if you let him stay down there with everyone else which is Really fucking weird because you thought even coming back here in the first place meant giving up forever on anything for the rest of your life but this goddamn kid stops you from blowing up the planet and now you’re basically permanently fucked because now you’re just gonna have to keep on living and it’s because you love him. and tomorrow morning you will be running from alien police with him

[atalana]

so i've been doing a doctor who rewatch with my flatmate, which is giving me whole new avenues to think about doctor who meta from

and i wanna talk about this moment

the dalek emperor asks "so prove yourself, doctor. what are you, coward or killer?"

and i think the full context of his response goes a little underappreciated

because especially if you know a lot about doctor who, this line seems fairly obvious. still poignant as hell, but we know the doctor, and we know he's the man who'd always make that choice, it's built into his very mythology

except this is nine

and the choice he's being offered is whether or not to use a weapon that will kill every living thing in its radius - it'll wipe out the daleks, but the range of it also includes the entire earth. you can finally stop the war, but you have to sacrifice a planet you've come to call home, and all of its people, in order to do so. and you'd better act fast, because the daleks are waging war right now, people are already dying - if you don't do something, they're going to wipe out the human race anyway

logically, he should. logically, he has to.

but this is a doctor who is fresh of the heels of making that same choice! he already did it! not too long ago, with his own world in the balance, he proved himself killer, once and for all. what's one more planet, compared to all that? one more planet, to prove it wasn't all worthless? if you let them go now, you killed your own people for nothing

i don't think he knew, until he got his hands on that trigger, what choice he would make. he was certainly planning to be able to do it. and it's not like he stopped being a soldier after the war, when he met that one lone dalek he did everything in his power to kill it, to make the war finally over, to make it worth it. nine doesn't want to be a killer, but he knows that he is. and he's proven it many times this season

until right now. staring down his worst enemy, his worst nightmare, knowing that if he acts with mercy here he'll condemn the universe to destruction, he does it anyway. throws everything aside to give the devil itself the kindness neither of them deserve

this isn't just the moment he declared himself the man who never would. this is the moment he became the man who never would

and time lord regeneration's a funny thing. same man, new man. same memories, new personality, new goals, new ideals. and sure, some aspects of that are random, but there's still a chain of connection. each new incarnation becomes who they are in response to how the last one ended. the 50th enjoyed going into the differences between ten and eleven, how eleven ran away from everything that the doctor was before, played up the childish and the trickster and never fully looked at all the horrors in their past, because ten couldn't help but take responsibility. he considered responsibility the only moral option, but at the end was still so angry that this weight never stopped dragging him down, that he could never make the selfish decision. the world isn't fair and i don't want it to end like this, i see so much of that in eleven

and that defining moment of nine's that birthed ten, that's right here

the man who never would is a line stolen directly from the doctor's daughter. ten is the doctor who holds up genocide as the worst crime someone can commit, no matter the circumstances. ten who will let a dalek go just to avoid causing another. ten who won't touch a weapon of any kind unless absolutely necessary. who doesn't even want to be in the same room as a gun. it all comes down to this moment, with nine against the end of everything, in the final hours of his life

handed an identical choice to the one that changed his life forever and saying never again.

[cherubdulce]

“ I can't see me lovin' nobody but you

For all my life

When you're with me, baby, the skies'll be blue

For all my life ”

artist credit

[fivewholeminutes]

thanks to that one masked collective i have finally ventured into the digital art territory and i'm making this everyone else's problem now

[longelk]

hello snelk i hope you're doing well today!! i got back into inscryption lately after taking a cult of the lamb detour lmao. now im back to refreshing your blog every day like im opening up the morning paper ✌️

YAY THAT MAKES ME HAPPY I'll do my best to keep this blog active one way or another :)

[emelinstriker]

bro i'm actually fuckin crying

i was having anxiety the entire night over more random people from the other blog pulling up in my inbox and harassing me over shit i've already explained, but i woke up to like 4 messages and all rather wholesome and aren't accusing me

the fact that i haven't cried a single fuckin time the past 1-2 weeks of me knowing about this bullshit and just bottled it all up- and it just all comes all crashing the fuck down after seeing the sudden overwhelming support of people that actually read and understand context

it's literally only 6am here and i'm bawling my eyes out

i love every single one of you who isn't blindly jumping in on the fuckin hate train i wasn't even supposed to know about :'D

will be responding to them once i'm back in my room after school! fghfndghdfg already read through them tho, but i gotta go in a bit and can't type it all out hgfdgnfdhgnhdfg

[thirstyvampyr]

alternate universe shameless but it's about the milkovich family. they dont tone down terry, he's a nazi and a child molester. they show you all the trauma those siblings went through.

but they also show you when mandy, age 5, came home with a bruised knee, colin and iggy tracked down who pushed her at school and made his face bleed. or when mickey always made sure to block her door when he knew terry would be black out drunk, sadly he wasnt always there to protect her. or when their mother left and mandy started to cook so her brothers would be cared for. they show you the love bubble the siblings had to create in order to survive in this household. they also show you the awful coping mechanisms, the violence, the ptsd.

when did they all realize their life was fucked? when did they stop trying at school? mickey is shown to be quick with maths and he is also an artist and they never show that part of him. maybe one of them played an instrument (garage punk band era anyone?) but eventually had to stop to keep up with terry's shady activities. perhaps jamie and mickey knew they were both gay but never actually dared talk about it, but then on their wedding day jamie made sure all the guests were properly guided to the venue.

[nowandforalways]

"Never to change, ever to share...": An off-the-rails analysis of "Now And For Always" from the Lord of the Rings musical

Good day to you, my dears.

"Now And For Always" is my favorite song of all time and has been since I first heard it at age 16. With the revival of the musical giving us a ✨whole new arrangement✨ of the song, I decided now would be as good a time as any to analyze it as a whole and take a look at a few of the changes made to see how each version accomplishes exactly what it set out to accomplish with it's storytelling from a musical perspective.

A QUICK NOTE BEFORE WE START: While in the original production of the show, "Now And For Always" is clearly diegetic (that is, the characters in the show are actually singing the song in the world of the show), it's a bit more debatable in the new production. Samwise Gamgee is a wonder, but I find it hard to imagine him schlepping an entire guitar to Mordor - this ain't Hadestown, after all (the "Wait for me"/"And I'm coming with you" thing would require an entirely separate post 😉). Regardless, for the sake of analysis and also my sanity, we are going to say that the song is 100% diegetic in both versions of the show.

Key: NA = new/revival arrangement

OA = old/original arrangement

SO

First lets take a look at what stays the same between both versions (which is most of the song, tbh) and see what can be seen. We're gonna get lightly music-y here.

This song is in 6/8 time signature, which basically just means that it's counted out in two groups of 3 notes each - 123, 456 - with a sort of slope-y feeling to it, like rising up to 3 and falling back down to 6. You can also count it in a very slow 2/2 (1, 2), with each of those being on the 1 beat and then the 4 beat of the 6/8 counting pattern. This time signature has the effect of making it slow and relaxing, but still sound Hobbit-y, in a rather country-ish way. This time signature could technically become a very fast waltz, and it does lean into a natural sort of swaying motion when you listen to it. Perfect for singing around the fire.

The rhythm of the song itself is interesting because it's very speech-like. If you try to speak the words out loud in rhythm, it doesn't actually sound that off from a typical English speaking rhythm. This makes it very easy to learn, and very easy to add your own words to, as its implied Sam and Frodo are doing as they sing it. Lassi Longren, the composer of the song, said that it wanted it to sound like an old song that the Hobbits all know and sing around the fire, and the idea of a song like this with a chorus that everybody knows and then verses that are improvised by individual singers makes a lot of sense (makes me think of, like, "The Campfire Song" from The Lightning Thief - a song that is also in 6/8 and with a very speech-like rhythmic pattern).

The chordal structure also contributes to this homey, comfortable feeling. The song is in the key of D major, which is a fairly middling key (it's the key that most pennywhistles are automatically tuned to!), and is constructed around just 3 chords, with 1 more thrown in there if you want the cadence on "strange and rare" to sound correct. This makes it extreeeeeeemely easy to play - like I can barely play guitar, but I can reasonably play this. For the music nerds, the chords are I, IV, and V, with a little vi for that one cadence I mentioned earlier. This is essentially the most basic group of chords ever created, and it seems very intentional to me - it makes the whole thing feel comfortable and familiar, like it's an old song you know, even if it's your first time hearing it (Fun fact: The Shire theme from the Peter Jackson films uses also uses this chord group!). The only this about the song that might make it tricky to sing along with is its range - it's more than an octave, which can be hard to span if you're not a practiced singer. But you know, sometimes you just gotta have that fun melodic contour. Song gets boring if it stays all within too small of a range. :P

Okay so that's all the basic musical stuff that's the same between both arrangements. Time for the differences.

The most major musical differences in the NA as I can see are: Frodo and Sam switching who is singing the higher vocal part and who has the lower part during the second chorus, different instruments being used for the solo instrumental lines, and the whole of Frodo's solo verse and chorus. These all serve the major thematic change in this moment in the NA, but I'll get to that at the end.

First, the vocal lines in the chorus. You all know how much I looooove that Frodo is always on the lower part in the original show (see this whole post I wrote about it here!), and I equally love Sam getting the higher part in the OA for this song. It fits his character and part in the song very well - he started it off, he's done the improvising bit; after one chorus of unison to make sure that Frodo has a handle on the melody, he can pop off. Young, dreamy, surprisingly poetical Sam, with his love for elves & beauty & all things that grow, gets the chance to soar, while Frodo stays lower, hanging onto the melody. It almost works like foreshadowing for their characters, with Sam audibly choosing to do so much while it seems like Frodo is just there, but Frodo's actually doing the arguably far more important part of carrying the melody.

In the NA, they are flipped - now Sam stays on the melody while Frodo pops up to the higher part, and it still works just as well. Frodo's actually been on the higher part for the whole show up to this point, cause that's just how Louis Maskell rolls (the one very significant moment where he sings a lower harmony to Sam's melody is right before he leaves at the Grey Havens, which I could probably write a whole 'nother essay about), but it doesn't screw with the character perception in the way I had initially feared. Sam starts the song, Sam's got the guitar, so Sam stays on the melody, to carry the thing through. This now leaves Frodo free to do his thing with Sam's support. And this is where I start heading into headcanon territory, but I can't help but think by the easy way he slipped into it that maybe Frodo has sung this part before. He canonically has a nice voice (the Breelanders like it so much that they make him sing "The Man In The Moon Stayed Up Too Late" twice in the book!), and it would make sense for a naturally talented singer to get enough experience singing that they are able to whip out a higher part just for fun - maybe, if they ever sang this one down at the Ivy Bush, or by the fireplace in the parlor of Bag End, this was Frodo's part. And speaking from the same character perspective, Frodo is also everything I described Sam as before - dreamy, poetical, sweet - he's just older and, at this moment, significantly more tired both mentally and physically. But, he hasn't lost his hope yet, so he can still reach down and bring out a past version of Frodo, one who could sing that part in the song.

Next, the instruments. This is pretty simple; there aren't a lot of changes, but the one significant moment is the use of a harmonica instead of a fiddle for the solo in the middle of the song. Both versions of the show have instruments associated with certain characters (harp for Arwen, whistle for Frodo, concertina for Gollum, etc.) but the NA has the advantage of having all the actors play instruments, so it becomes rather explicit. In this case, the harmonica is being played by and associated with Bilbo, and that's neat, because this is a continuation of a story that he was also a part of. The fiddle in the OA is more representative of hobbits as a whole, so it also works in context.

Aaaaand the last one, the arrangement of Frodo's verse and chorus. This one is a doozy, because this is where we will be involving my theory on the different reasons for Sam starting the song.

So, the first time I heard the NA "Now And For Always", I actually started yelling IRL "IT'S A HYMN" as soon as it got to Frodo's verse+chorus, because, well, it is. Lemme explain. The orchestrations shift from the guitar and strings of the rest of the song so that Frodo is backed primarily by the ensemble singing "Oohs" and some sort of drone bass note underneath that I can't figure out (probably like a cello or something). The tempo suddenly becomes a lot slower and a lot less "bouncy", so to speak - that 6/8 time rising and falling pattern that I described before is significantly downplayed, and there are a lot more complete rests in the music, and that gives the whole thing overall a much straighter feel. This all gives a very hymn-like effect, particularly the "ooh"s, because voices moving between chords like that in a homophonic way (that is to say, everyone changes notes at the same time) is common in chorale-style hymns, and the drone, because having something called a "pedal point" (one note held underneath multiple chords) makes the music sound a lot older and more solemn. This is in contrast to the OA, which has, while not the exact same backing in Frodo's verse+chorus (it does get slower, and more smooth and flowing in the instruments), certainly much less contrast between Frodo's bit and the rest of the song than the NA. They both do this, but the NA just a bit more emphasizes how serious Frodo is about what he's saying. It's also is a texture that we haven't heard yet in the show and won't really hear again, so it kind of demonstrates the changes going on in Frodo by this point, like he's becoming something not quite of the world (sort of like all those comments in the book about him being "clear" or having a light shining through him). From a practical standpoint, it's also because Sam had been playing the guitar this whole time, and now he has gone to bed, so no more guitar. But above all, the vibe that making it sound like a hymn gives it is reverence, and that is important for the next bit.

Hoo boy, it's extrapolation/headcanon time. I've done a lot of actual musical analysis, but there comes a point where you have to take all those things you've gleaned and start spitballing about what they mean when combined all together. Here's what I have landed in: The changes in the NA reflect a change in Sam's motivation for starting the song in the first place.

Lemme explain.

In the scene before "Now And For Always", the boys are discussing Frodo's realization that destroying the Ring means that the elves will leave, and that there will be no more magic in the world. It's as they reflect on these very big changes that Sam starts singing a song about how at least some things stay the same. NOW. In the OA, Sam and Frodo start off the song in much the same place, emotionally - they're both kind of moody and mournful, feeling shaken at the idea of everything changing in such a big way, and missing the days when they believed that stories always ended with things returning to a happy normal. Sam's line "We hobbits only really like stories that end just the way they started, don't we?" is sort of a rueful realization that they are both severely freaked out by all of this because they come from a place that values unchangingness so highly. Sam starts the song as a way to bring them both some comfort by reminding them of home. He then fills in the bit about Frodo during the second verse because Frodo mentioned special folk and great adventures, they're both so tired that everything's funny, and Sam genuinely adores Frodo and knows how brave and important what he's doing is. Frodo's verse about Sam, in turn, is sung almost like a lullaby, which makes sense, as lullabies are often directed at the person falling asleep. So Frodo sings to Sam as he falls asleep about how much he admires him right back, sort of returning the compliment, like in the book. The way he says "it's not me they'll remember, you know" just before he starts singing has this weird sort of regretful tone to it, as if Frodo has kinda always known that his would be a thankless task, and that Sam, taking charge and leading them around and taking care of them, will be the one who goes down in history as being instrumental. He has been seeing this whole time how much Sam has done for him, and he knows that in time, others will too.

In the NA, on the other hand, the vibes of the scene before the song are somewhat different. The lines do not change at all, but the attitude from each of them is different. Here, we have the exact same conversation, but Frodo is audibly more stressed about it (not to mention more audibly exhausted), and Sam, in response, is keeping his tone very neutral, almost lighthearted at times. That general vibe continues into the song, which I thought was weird at first, until I realized what Sam is doing. Frodo is very shaken by all the big changes that he sees coming, so Sam responds by reminding him about the songs that they used to sing the Ivy Bush - the ones where nothing ever really changes. He says the line from above about hobbits liking stories that end the way they started like he's reminding Frodo of a fun fact, which is that despite everything going on around him, there are still plenty of stories about heroes where things are allowed to go back to the way they were. In other words, while the OA of "Now And For Always" is two people trying to comfort themselves by singing something that reminds them of home, the NA is Sam Gamgee Is Going To Cheer Up His Best Buddy Or Die Trying, first by reminding him that plenty of things do stay the same, and then by getting a bit silly and describing Frodo as one of the heroes (who, I will remind you, are allowed to go home unchanged). He goes until he sees a sign that he has succeeded somewhat in his quest - remember my headcanon about Frodo singing the higher part being indicative of his old self shining through? That could certainly be a signal to Sam that his little idea worked. More likely, the fact that Frodo starts waxing poetic about plum cake (which is so valid of him, tbh) when a few minutes ago he had to be ordered to sit down and eat something is also a sign to Sam that Frodo feels better, at least for the moment. So he feels alright to go to sleep. And then Frodo sings his part. And THAT'S why the reverent tone I mentioned earlier is so important. Because it makes it seem like Frodo also realizes, in this moment, what Sam has just been doing, and what Sam has been doing this whole time. The pauses in the music make it seem like he's coming to awareness, step by step, of just how much Sam has done for him, and the only possible emotional response for something that earth-shatteringly loving is reverence. And THAT'S why the NA ending works so gosh darn well - it gets across everything that Frodo is thinking and feeling in this moment with the music as well as the lyrics.

So, yeah. I don't have, like, much of a conclusion for all this. These are just a bunch of things that I observed about these two songs and then my brain running absolutely buckwild with extrapolating conclusions from there. And a lot of this is my own interpretation of what I hear, so if you thought something different, that's totally fine! Also, this is entirely based on only being able to hear what's going on, so if you've seen the show and I got the vibes super off for part of it, please let me know. :)

Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you around! Heyday!

EDIT: The more I think about it and try to feel it in my body, I might call the time signature a very fast 3/4. Regardless, all my points still stand. Just wanna cover all my musical bases. :)

[isfjmel-phleg]

Crash course in YJ (and adjacent) Kids

Have no idea what I'm talking about when #comicsposting again? Would like to know? For reference, if you want it, here's a rundown of my comics specialty: DC's cast of teenage heroes on the team Young Justice in the 1990s. Names, powers, backgrounds, etc. I spent way too much time on this.

Tim Drake (Robin)

Age: 14-15.

Powers: None, but highly skilled in acrobatics, detection and martial arts, weapon of choice is a bo staff

Background: Figured out Batman and Robin's secret identities at age nine. Volunteered to be the new Robin shortly after Jason Todd's death because "Batman needs a Robin." Initially the de facto leader of Young Justice with a reputation as the smart guy (but is in fact just as unhinged as the rest of them). Struggles to balance his two identities; he has to conceal Robin from his father and Tim Drake from his Young Justice teammates, which leads to trust issues among the group.

Distinguishing features/costume: Black hair, blue eyes usually concealed by a domino mask with opaque lenses, oval face, short and wiry. Green and red suit with leggings, black and yellow cape (distinct from Dick and Jason's costumes, which were bare-legged and did not have any black, and Damian's, which has much more black, a tunic, and a hooded cape).

Kon-El (Superboy)

Age: 16 physically but chronologically less than 2, is unable to age past 16 for about half the series.

Powers: Tactile telekinesis (TTK), the ability to control anything he can touch, which allows him to mimic super strength, invulnerability, and flight. Does not have Superman's other powers, such as heat vision, x-ray vision, etc.

Background: Clone created by Project Cadmus to be their mind-controlled replacement for Superman after his "death." Escaped before he could be artificially aged to maturity and has been an independent hero since Clark's return. During YJ 1998, is working for Cadmus as a field agent. A habitual show-off and flirt who harbors a lot of private insecurity and doesn't initially function well as a team player.

Distinguishing features/costume: Curly black hair in a fade haircut (later cut short and spiky), blue eyes, strong jaw, significantly taller and more muscular than the others, earring for most of the series, scruffy goatee later on. Initially wears a 90s-ified version of the Superman suit with a black leather jacket, later updates to a metallic version of a suit without the jacket.

Bart Allen (Impulse)

Age: 14-15 physically, chronologically 2-3 due to hyperaccelerated aging for the first two years of his life.

Powers: Superspeed, including the ability to vibrate his molecules through solid objects. Later on he develops the ability to create temporary replicas of himself ("scouts").

Background: Barry Allen/the Flash's grandson from the thirtieth century. Was born with his superspeed out of control and had to be raised in VR to keep his mental aging on track with his physical aging. Brought by his grandmother to the twentieth century to get his rapid aging resolved by Wally West, the current Flash. Currently lives in Manchester, Alabama with Max Mercury, an elderly speedster who is training/raising him. Thanks to his VR upbringing, struggles with patience and thinking things through, but is more intelligent and perceptive than he's usually given credit for.

Distinguishing features/costume: Lots of reddish-brown hair, yellow eyes, big feet, short and wiry. White and red suit with a lightning design, googles with yellow lenses.

Greta Hayes / "Suzie" (Secret)

Age: Never specified but probably around 14-15.

Powers: Exists in an incorporeal, smoke-like form that can float, shapeshift, create smoke constructs, teleport, and become tangible for limited amounts of time. As a Warder, a gatekeeper between life and death, can sense impending death and bring others into a pocket dimension called the Abyss which seems to be a sort of portal to death.

Background: An ordinary girl who was murdered by her brother as part of a ritual and was changed after death into her current incorporeal form. Was held captive by a government organization and studied in a lab but escaped with the help of Robin, Superboy, and Impulse and has been in hiding since. Cannot remember most of her past life, does not understand her powers, and frequently feels alienated from the rest of Young Justice (except Robin, whom she has a crush on), which leaves her vulnerable to those who wish to take advantage of her powers.

Distinguishing features/costume: Blond/light brown shoulder-length hair, blue eyes, smaller than the others, frequently surrounded by smoke. Off-white suit, long and trailing light brown coat.

Cissie King-Jones (Arrowette)

Age: Never specified, but would have to be 16 by the time she competes in the Olympics.

Powers: None, but a highly-skilled archer.

Background: Daughter of a former would-be superheroine who put her daughter through strenuous training and forced her into the identity of Arrowette from an early age. Sent to boarding school after Max Mercury reported her mother to CPS for child exploitation. Took up hero work again to spite her mother but, after a personal tragedy leads her to nearly kill, chooses to quit permanently. Becomes an Olympic athlete and occasional film actress while still keeping in contact with her Young Justice friends.

Distinguishing features/costume: Long blonde hair, blue eyes, oval face, significantly taller than the other girls. Red top, white skirt, and red boots and mask, alternatively a "Dark Arrowette" costume consisting of a dark red and purple suit with a hood.

Cassie Sandsmark (Wonder Girl)

Age: 15.

Powers: Super strength, speed, durability, and flight.

Background: Daughter of an archaeologist who is an associate of Wonder Woman. Eager to join Diana in heroics and seizes an opportunity to request super powers from Zeus, who grants them on the condition that her mother can deactivate them whenever she chooses. Enthusiastic and reckless but is also struggling with self-confidence in living up her predecessors' legacy. Joined Young Justice initially because of her crush on Superboy but comes to discover her talent for leadership and eventually takes over as team leader.

Distinguishing features/costume: Short blonde hair that gets longer over the series, blue eyes, heart-shaped face, physically matures over time. Goes through several costumes. Initially wears a dark wig and googles and mismatched clothing from her closet. Later versions vary but usually include a black shirt, red pants, bracelets, and a bar necklace engraved with "girl."

Anita Fite (Empress)

Age: 16.

Powers: Vodoun, usually used for teleportation; martial arts and use of an emperor's stick; and mind control through verbal commands due to having a piece of the Anti-Life Equation in her.

Background: Daughter of a government agent (who has been pursuing the escaped Secret) and a woman whose mother was a vodoun priestess. Has had her powers most of her life but is inspired to use them for heroics after witnessing Cissie stopping a thief in a mall. Joins Young Justice after Cissie leaves. Seeks revenge on her maternal grandfather after he kills both her parents, and gets her parents back...as infants whom she now must raise.

Distinguishing features/costume: African-American, long dark reddish hair, purple eyes, tall. Gold and purple suit and mask that conceal everything except her ponytail.

Slo-bo

Age: Physically a teenager, chronologically very young--comes into existence late in the series.

Powers: Has the Czarnian physiology of his original, which provides super strength, durability, stamina, and healing, but these are limited since he came from "the shallow end of the gene pool." Also a skilled mechanic and pilot.

Background: Clone of a deaged version of alien bounty hunter Lobo that comes into existence after Li'l Lobo's death on Apokolips. Is smaller and weaker than his original and considers himself an inadequate successor. Presents himself as extremely morally gray but is actually quite sensitive, emotionally mature (compared to the rest of YJ), and ultimately self-sacrificial.

Distinguishing features/costume: Spiky black hair, yellow iris-less eyes that go completely black when he goes blind, black markings around eyes, gray skin, smaller and skinnier than Li'l Lobo. Gray shirt, black vest, jeans with skull belt buckle.

Ray Terrill (The Ray)

Age: 19.

Powers: Light control, including emanating light, blasting rays/energy, flight, conversion to light energy, movement at light speed, creation of constructs and illusions, healing, and invisibility.

Background: Raised to believe he had a deathly allergy to sunlight and must remain in the dark but learned after the death of the man who raised him that he is really the son of the Golden Age hero the Ray and has inherited his light-based powers. Struggles with adjustment to using his powers and trying to live a mostly normal life and has a difficult relationship with his lying, manipulative father. Joined the Justice League for a while. Dragged into joining Young Justice late in the series to replace recently-lost members.

Distinguishing features/costume: Red hair, green eyes, average build and height, earring. White and gold suit (a light construct), black and gold band leader-style jacket, and gold helmet with fin.

Grant Emerson (Damage) [not actually a member of YJ but has worked with them, has connections to some individual members, and is around the same age]

Age: 16.

Powers: Building up biochemical energy in his body that results in super strength, durability, and speed, greater mass, and blasts of energy. If not discharged, this energy results in his exploding like a bomb.

Background: Son of Al Pratt (the Atom) and his wife Mary but never met them. Stolen after birth and experimented upon, which gave him DNA from numerous other superheroes. Raised by abusive foster parents. Manifested powers as a teenager but couldn't control them. Saved the universe during Zero Hour, accidentally blew up downtown Atlanta, had to join the Titans as an alternative to prison, went on a quest to discover his real parentage, joined the Titans again, and went on hiatus to concentrate on healing from his past. Used to be friends with Bart. Cannot catch a break.

Distinguishing features/costume: Brown hair with floppy bangs and sometimes a mullet, brown eyes, strong jaw, increases in muscle mass whenever his powers build up. Costume varies but consistently involves blue and orange or yellow, with a radioactive symbol on the shirt.

[lilyharvord]

Evangeline watching Cal interact with Mare at any point during war storm: 

[homosexual-fanfiction]

so i've been drafting and jotting shit down as it comes to mind for the multichapter wip, but i've been really stuck on this one plot point since yesterday afternoon that i have to figure out how to implement, so i've been rereading the same sort of chunk of the draft over again since then as i try to figure it out, meaning that i have gotten to face my "i wrote this in two seconds" vernacular repeatedly.

which means that--as it is what i jotted down right before the part that i have yet to figure out--i have read "your skin, mobert. your flesh." about fifteen times in the last 24 hours

[taxi-boi]

[lunar-fey]

TRANS GENDER CAT

[bl-inkstone]

a short blurb about meitham inspired by @zhongrin's ebg + afterparty events! this isn't super long or detailed or anything since it's already been a few days since the idea first came to me, but i hope you enjoy it anyway <3

"haitham, do you think other worlds exist?"

alhaitham blinks once, twice, before lifting his eyes from the book he had been reading to look at you. you're a dream lying on his chaise, with your hair loose and freshly washed, slowly drying in the evening light. he notes the subtle droop in your eyes and the heavy tilt of your head, the way you seem to melt into the scrolled arm of the sofa. you're tired, but it's barely a quarter past seven. neither of you have even eaten yet. did you overwork yourself again?

"well," he begins with a card of his fingers through your hair, gently detangling the strands as he works to gather his thoughts. "given the nature of the world we live in, ignoring the possibility of such an existence would be foolish. i'm hard pressed to say yes to something i haven't seen with my own eyes, but the idea isn't something i'd completely disregard. does that answer your question, mei?"

in lieu of a coherent response, you give him an affirmative hum and close your eyes to the soothing motions of his fingers running through your hair. unease settles in alhaitham's gut the longer the silence between you, something normally so comforting, goes on and he feels compelled to continue the conversation. as loathe as he is to disturb your rest, something in the back of his mind urges him to keep you talking, to keep you awake.

"love," he calls right as he stops playing with your hair. he sits up properly and plants both feet on the ground to pull you up from your rest on the chaise's arm, settling you into an upright position at his side. his arm snakes around your waist and pulls you closer to him, like a subconscious effort at seeking comfort at the uncomfortable feelings rising from the base of his spine, and he leans down to nudge you awake. when your eyes flutter open and you grumble in soft protest, the muted worry subsides just a little.

"mei, it's too early for you to sleep. our dinner hasn't even finished cooking yet. it's not good to rest on an empty stomach," he explains with some force behind his voice in an effort to keep you awake. he considers pinching you a little before completely ignoring the idea in favor of something else. "do you want some coffee? maintaining a healthy work-life balance is essential to a comfortable life, love. if your work is proving to be too much, i am more than willing to—"

"i think... i think i want to travel. to those other worlds, i mean. i think it will be fun."

alhaitham's jaw snaps shut.

once again, that damned silence returns and he finds himself at war with worry and fear. why are you talking like this? what do you mean you want to travel to another world? is this one not enough? is he not enough? wasn't your question just a hypothetical, just one of the many you like to throw his way?

where is this all coming from, and why does he feel so cold?

"mei," and it's all he can say, all he can do, to hold you and beg in a way that's not begging. "mei, my love, i don't... i don't mind if you want to travel."

the words taste like poison in his mouth, thick and bitter and so so unpleasant that he can't help the displeased twitch of his lips once he grinds the last syllable out.

"i'd never cage or chain you down," he soothes when your brows furrow at his words, "if you wish to see new sights and learn new things, then by all means, go ahead. i'll arrange for any preparations you need, and you know my mora is yours to use. all i ask is that you take me with you."

don't go where i cannot follow, alhaitham pleads with words unsaid, orange-teal eyes blurring at the edges with strange black lines. don't leave me without your warmth.

you don't reply, and a numbing cold trickles down the acting grand sage's spine when he realizes that you've fallen asleep. he feels the beginnings of a headache coming on, quiet whispers and flashes of colors he can't decipher slowly growing in volume past the deafening beat of his heart. he's only ever felt this a handful of times before in his life, but never to this degree.

you're sleeping. just sleeping, as you do every night in the comfort of his arms.

so why does he feel like his heart has turned to sand slipping through your loose fingers?

[meri-meri-mwah]

Luis Sera is the type of man to melt into oblivion if you scratch the back of his head and call him a good boy, especially during a cuddle session.

Like you two are just chilling in a small cabin, sprawled out on a clean bed. Luis is resting his head on your chest, relaxed, and then you suddenly place a hand on the back of his head. He doesn't question it since he thinks you're gonna twirl strands of his hair like usual (his hair has been getting longer lately). But then you start scratching it and say, "You've been working hard, babe. Such a good boy~" And now Luis is burying his face into your chest to hide his reddened face (and to prevent a sudden mewl from coming out).

[seventh-district]

so was anyone gonna tell me that Neil Newbon is the VA for Astarion or was i gonna have to find that out myself when he suddenly started uploading his playthrough of the game on YT