#some of them have an extra scene of a lantern guy at the beginning. no one knows why

[nukaposting]

pov you’re trying to track down accurate information on the phantom of the opera silent film

[rubykgrant]

What the RVB Characters do for Halloween-

Donut; takes those “be careful of candy” warnings WAY to seriously, assumes everything is potentially poisoned or is The Drugs, and hands out flyers on how to stay safe (people take them, and then immediately throw them away)

Kai; one of those WEIRDOS who actually likes candycorn and black licorice, so she stocks up on it (wears a tank-top that just says “This is my costume”; Grif wouldn’t let her wear her more inventive outfits)

Sarge; hides in the bushes on a street corner to jump out and scare people dressed as some horror slasher villain, drenched in a gallon of fake blood (so he’s just RED), and cackles maniacally when they run screaming

Grif; after being convinced he can’t pass as a big teenager and go trick-or-treating, he settles for eating a ton of candy at home and watching a horror movie marathon (some neighborhood kids also throw an egg at him, so now he has a whole vendetta against a bunch of children)

Simmons; also does the movie marathon, but because he mentioned he never got to do a lot of Halloween stuff as a kid, the others decide to fix this by taking him to a haunted house tour (he’s mostly OK, until they got to a room with a bunch of fake rubber snakes that drop down)

Tucker; watches some movies too, but earlier in the evening he volunteers to help be a chaperone for a group of kids going trick-or-treating. He himself dresses up as a character from Reservoir Dogs... but people just think he’s Will Smith from MIB (he’s having so much fun helping with the kids, he doesn’t even notice all the single moms that try to flirt with him. ironic)

Wash; smuggled a black kitten home, hoping the fact that it is Halloween and thus the cat matches the holiday theme will convince the others to let him keep it (he already has 2 others... and to sweeten the deal, he got everybody lots of their favorite treats)

Caboose; in his Blue armor, and handing out handfuls of candy at the mall, taking pictures with kids; he was MADE to be a costume character, everybody loves him (also, Freckles is helping by shooting out jelly beans and mini chocolates)

Tex; got like... REALLY into decorating. She went nuts with it. She started putting stuff up on the first of October, and just kept adding more and more every day (when the others tried to ask her to tone it down, she just left and came back with a 20 ft tall fake skeleton guy)

Church; he also got REALLY into something... he started looking up recipes for unique treats and goodies, so he’s been baking different cookies/cakes/pies/muffins/ect all month and decorating them (nobody is complaining- they’re delicious. later, he and Tex go on a walk through a cemetery and scare some teenagers by doing their AI/ghost trick and popping up through headstones)

Doc; the official candy giver-outer for their place. He oohs and ahhs at all the costumes, and O’Malley will give the kids a spooky thrill by going into a rant (no real threats, just Halloween fun. the kids are crazy for it, some of them come back again- and he has enough candy for repeat customers)

Lopez; entered a Halloween jack-o-lantern carving contest and won (he had a HUGE pumpkin, and was able to carve a very detailed and delicate design that features a scene with vampires in a castle)

Locus; found out about a Halloween costume contest where the theme was the Reds and Blues. He asked to borrow Wash’s armor to dress up as him. He came in third (and then begged Wash not to tell the others he did this. Wash promises, if Locus will help convince them to let him keep his new kitty)

Carolina; started a spooky book at the beginning of October, and paced herself to finish it on Halloween. She mostly hasn’t been bothered by it... but there was just ONE little part of the story that kinda made her paranoid (and now she doesn’t want to admit a book freaked her out, so she’s being extra clingy with the others, not wanting to be alone)

[why-bless-your-heart]

Actually no, some more things if I were doing a Hal Jordan Green Lantern movie:

Movie opens with Hal Jordan going down. Lots of dramatic nonsense specifically to irritate any pilots in the audience. Picture of baby Hal with his dad in the cockpit. Hal crashes but walks away.

Carol Ferris is all kinds of furious. He went much further than he was supposed to and broke the plane so now they’re going to have to take like four months to build it again. Hal points out that with the data they were able to get they can skip an extra six months of testing, so really, he did the right thing. He doesn’t need anybody else’s input.

Carol threatens to fire him, but he charms his way into one last chance. It’s for realsies a last chance this time.

Establish Hal as a loner. His brother Jim reaches out, says that he and his family are in town and the kids would love to see their uncle, Hal makes some sort of excuse to not see them and goes home to an empty apartment.

Montage or credits or an extra scene or whatever, I don’t care, something so that way we can transition to:

Hal coming to consciousness in the desert, a good hundred yards or so from the burning wreckage of whatever plane he was testing. Dazed, he stumbles off.

Flashbacks for this bit as he’s making his way through the desert, confusing his dad’s last flight with the crash he just had. All of his equipment went crazy, and he could have sworn he saw something streaking through the sky.

He stumbles across a crazy-looking ship’s wreckage. Hearing a slight movement, he goes inside and finds a badly injured magenta alien dude. Abin Sur asks for water, and Hal finds it in the ship. He hesitates, but gives most of it to Abin Sur before he can’t drink any more and Hal finishes it. Gotta show that our guy has some potential for heroism.

It’s very important to magenta alien dude that Hal take his ring and some sort of old-fashioned lantern thingie. He’s talking about will and protecting the sector and stuff, and there’s this rhyme that Hal has to get exactly right, and then he says something about never expecting he’d see a human in the corps, and then he dies. Hal lays him out respectfully, then scavenges for maybe some more water and leaves, ring in his pocket.

The sun starts to go down and Hal sits down to rest for a while. He’s finally beginning to process how stupid he’s been, he should’ve stayed near the wreckage where there was a better chance of being found. He’s gonna die out here and it serves him right. He takes out the ring and looks at it, then puts it on. Whatever. He picks up the lantern thingie and looks at that. Talking to himself, he says something like “I should be getting home right now.”

Zoom. Green turbo-express straight through the air (screaming the whole way) to his apartment balcony. He staggers a bit, then vomits.

Cut to the full-on manhunt going on in the desert. They’re losing hope.

Freshly showered, Hal gets himself a beer from the fridge and sits down on his couch. It’s nice to be back, he’ll figure out the how later.

Cuts between the increasingly despairing search for Hal or his body and our man sleeping in late, watching soap operas, and trying to figure out his magic ring. Finally the search is called off.

Hal’s in his pjs on the couch when the super unlocks his door and Hal’s brother comes in. Tearful reunion on Jim’s part, confusion on Hal’s. Everyone thinks Hal’s dead. Hal doesn’t have a good explanation for how he got home safe and sound.

Jim gets mad. You don’t do that to people, you don’t do that to your family, you don’t do that to your boss, etc. I’m so happy you’re alive, I’m gonna kill you for putting me through this, all that good stuff. Hal gets Jim out with some lame excuses and half promises.

Hal tries to use the ring, but this time it doesn’t light up. He thinks about it, then tries putting it on top of the lantern thingie. Nothing happens. He’s befuddled, and starts going over everything the magenta alien dude said. He repeats the rhyme.

Fwoom. The lantern thingie lights up, the ring fully charges, it levitates into the air. “Hal Jordan of Earth, you have the power to overcome great fear. Welcome to the green lantern corps.” “Um... thanks?” The ring gloms onto his finger, puts him in uniform. Then zoom. Green turbo-express to space this time.

The worse for wear, Hal stumbles onto an elevated sidewalk on a very alien planet, with very alien aliens. Green Lantern of Sector 2814 is announced, and an alien who looks like pink Dracula turns around with a smile that quickly dies. Everyone’s shocked. Hal Jordan begins to quietly freak the frick out.

Obligatory info dump and then Hal Jordan gets thrown into boot-camp because I love Kilowog okay he’s an absolute classic

Also can you imagine how fun a GL boot-camp would be to watch, the whole point is to get them better at visualizing and maintaining constructs, there’s all sorts of crazy challenges and puzzles to encourage lateral thinking, and Kilowog’s out here going “I SAID THIRTY-SEVEN LINKS ON THE CHAIN, DOES THAT LOOK LIKE THIRTY-SEVEN TO YOU, I’M GOING TO SPEND THE NEXT HOUR SHOUTING OUT NUMBERS AND YOU HAVE TO SHOW ME HOW MANY THAT IS BY CONSTRUCTING IT WITH YOUR RING BEFORE I HIT YOU AND IF IT’S WRONG I’M STILL HITTING YOU. NINETY-EIGHT!” *whack*

There’s a terrible trio quickly formed of Hal, Tomar Tu, and Ch’p.

They are struggling. Classic awkward squad antics. Then all three of them massively flunk their final practical exam which is like. Idk. A convoluted game of alien sharks & minnows, which ends with the three of them standing sheepishly in front of the smoking rubble of what used to be the barracks or something.

They’re in big trouble and get shipped off to a planet without rings and told that they can try the exam again after a week. It’s miserable. The weather seems to have a sense of humor, there are weird earthquakes, the landscape will change at a moment’s notice, the flora might be actually sentient? and nobody’s having a good time. They have a full-on fight and some very hurtful things are said.

Unfortunately they have to work together to survive because there are like chasms and landslides and volcanoes and such. They have a few heart-to-hearts, and realize that they all have a bit more in common than they might think. Camaraderie achieved! Just in time for the test, which they pass this time with flying colors thanks to the power of teamwork(tm)

Good old Mogo’s one of the best instructors the corps has, all the problem recruits get sent to him.

IDK, some final showdown or something. I should probably have an actual menace to Earth in this movie. Bad guy wipes the floor with Hal, but Hal keeps on getting up, and finally, his uniform gone, the ring almost entirely out of charge, bruised and bloody, a faint green glow on the horizon, and then the cavalry arrives. That is all.

[your-frenchblondgirl]

Marvel's Loki: 12 Easter Eggs, Hidden Meanings, & Plot Details From Trailer

The God of Mischief is up to no good again.

Marvel President Kevin Feige unveiled the first in-depth look into Tom Hiddleston's debut solo series, Loki, which will follow the consequences of the 2012 version of everyone's favorite horned anti-hero as he makes a timeline-disrupting escape. From references to other Asgardians to apocalyptic alternate futures, Loki's trailer is full of hints to the show's mysterious plot.

Without further adieu, let's break it all down. Here are 12 things from the Loki trailer — including Easter eggs and hidden references — that you (probably) missed.

Endgame Effects

The first 25 seconds of the trailer contextualize where we are, and how we got here.

To recap, Avengers: Endgame's time heist was not a perfect mission. When the team of Tony Stark, Captain America, Hulk, and Ant-Man travel to the events of 2012's The Avengers, they successfully obtain the Soul and Mind Stones without problem, but fail to capture the Space Stone. After being knocked aside by an irate Hulk (stairs!), the Tesseract pops out of its briefcase, landing at Loki's shackled feet. Behaving like a true God of Mischief, Loki picks up the cube and dips through a portal.

From there, our solo series begins.

Iron Man Callback

Loki crash lands in a desert, located in what appears to be Mongolian-era China, considering the attire of the three people that approach him. Desert crash landings are no stranger to the MCU, as fans will recognize this moment as emulating Tony Stark's crashed escape from the Ten Rings' cave in Mark I of the Iron Man suit.

Owen Wilson

He may not have looked like him, but he sure sounded like him.

Owen Wilson makes his first appearance as a character that goes unnamed on-screen, but closed captions reveal him to be Mobius M. Mobius. What a name! Mobius does not have a rich comic history, but he has been involved in the prosecution of the Fantastic Four before. Interesting timing, don't you think?

Mobius takes a shackled Loki down an elevator, saying he's bringing him somewhere to talk. Loki, donning a Time Variance Authority prison jumpsuit, claims he doesn't like to talk, but Mobius immediately calls his bluff.

Here, Loki is a prisoner of the TVA for his time crimes. This group of timeline FBI officers are tasked with ensuring that everything operates as planned. When 2012 Loki escaped with the Tesseract, he essentially broke the timeline laws, and is now being remprimanded for it.

The Minutemen Meet Mysterious Figure

The TVA's cybernetic police force make their first appearance in what looks to be ancient China. Known as the Minutemen, these guys are tasked with carrying out TVA laws and directly deal with individuals that have interfered with the flow of time.

Here, the Minutemen are searching for someone, or something, in a past time period. If it is indeed ancient China, this would put it at the same location Loki crash landed into at the beginning of the trailer.

While the Minutemen execute their search, a mysterious cloaked figure drops a lantern on surrounding grass, and the smoke brings at least one Minuteman to his knees. There's no telling who this mystery man is, but if reports are to be believed, it could be Jonathan Majors's Kang the Conqueror debuting ahead of his lead antagonist role in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Kang has been rumored to be introduced in Loki for months, and there seems to be more tangible evidence of his existence in future frames.

More on that later.

"Glorious."

The MCU is stacked with notable quotes, but there's no one that delivers a Shakespearean line quite like the God of Mischief.

In just one word, Loki calls back to his character-defining statement from 2012's The Avengers: "I am Loki, of Asgard. And I am burdened with glorious purpose."

Oh, and this line is uttered in Stark Tower. Evident by the particular mirror design, it looks like Loki will return back to the timeline he escaped from.

The Three Faces of the TVA

Twice in this trailer we see three figures displayed in an area of prominence.

The three faces first appear behind Gugu Mbatha-Raw's high-ranking TVA executive, who is presiding over Loki's trial. The faces appear once again a couple of frames later, this time attached to full-scale bodies in the form of massive statues.

The faces have been speculated to belong to the Time-Keepers, three time-travelers who head the TVA. The trio, and the TVA organisation, have had disputes with none other than Kang the Conqueror, often fighting over temporal territory across the universe. Loki's timeline meddling might have disrupted Chronopolis, Kang's metropolitic city of conquest that combines all eras of the Conqueror's rule. If Kang is indeed an enemy of the TVA and Loki meddled with his city, Loki's may be in for a whole world of hurt.

Flashback Failures

Wilson's Mobius shows a shackled Loki footage of the God of Mischief's 2012 failed conquest of Earth, to which Loki disapproves. This could begin Loki's identity stuggles, which will be a central theme of the series.

Similar to how General Ross showed the Avengers their past destructions in Captain America: Civil War, it's likely that Mobius is taking Loki on an unpleasant trip down memory lane.

What will be particularly interesting is if Mobius shows Loki future events that he is unaware of. Remember, this Loki has only lived up until 2012's Avengers, so he has not experienced anything from Thor: The Dark World, Avengers: Infinity War, and beyond. What if Mobius shows Loki that he did in fact get the Asgardian throne at the end of The Dark World? How will Loki react to watching Thanos choke the life out of him in Infinity War's opening act?

Roxxcart... Roxxon?

Loki is seen with the Minutemen embarking on a mission inside a supermarket.

'Roxxcart' is prevalent throughout the aisles and entranceways, making this location all the more intriguing. Fans will recognize the 'Roxx-' prefix as attached to the Roxxon Energy Corporation, a company that is prevalent on the Marvel comic page. Roxxon has been engulfed in some shady business in the comics, and has been teased to appear in live-action before. If this supermarket is under the Roxxon banner, Loki might have just gained a massive conglomerate adversary.

Upon entering Roxxcart, the Minutemen hold a man at taser-point, though it's unclear if he's their target or simply an innocent shopper. All the while this is going on, the cloaked figure from earlier in the trailer watches from security footage.

Mephisto

Mobius and a Minuteman approach a young boy in a church. The boy offers an object to Mobius, which he accepts. As the two speak, a notable stain-glass window sits behind them. The window depicts a devil-like figure sitting royally, with many speculating this could be the extra-dimensional demon, Mephisto.

Let's start deep diving into speculation.

Considering Loki takes place in a branched timeline and will utilize time travel as an integral plot device, it's fair to assume we will not only visit the past, but also the futures.

Dystopian futures.

We speculated in the WandaVision trailer breakdown that Mephisto would play an integral role to Scarlet Witch's series. Let's run with the idea that Mephisto is not only in WandaVision, but is defeated. Could this tribute-like window indicate this takes place in a future where Mephisto wins?

In the comics, Mephisto spans centuries, popping up in the earliest days of Marvel lore. What if this scene is in the past, when Mephisto was worshipped as some form of god-like figure? There is no telling how Mephisto will factor in to any MCU projects, but if he does indeed debut in WandaVision, this mural becomes a lot more interesting.

Avengers Tower in Ruins

Remember what I said about exploring dystopian futures? This frame gives us our strongest indication that that is a tangible possibility.

Here, stands alone in what is presumed to be Central Park. Around him are jagged ruins of collapsed skyscrapers, complete with overgrown grass indicating that some time has passed since this destruction occurred. Still standing somewhat upright in the skyline is none other than the Avengers Tower in rough shape.

These ruins likely take place some time after Avengers: Age of Ultron, considering the famous Marvel tower has a closer resemblance to its Avengers' style than its original Stark model. Could this be a future where Thanos wins, and humanity gives up on solving it? Or better yet, what if this is Ultron's success story?

Clean-Cut Loki

A suit and sunglassed Loki boards an aircraft looking a lot more like Tom Hiddleston than the God of Mischief we're used to.

Loki is likely undercover here, or at least does not want to be recognized. From here, he jumps out of the plane, calling for Heimdall to time the Bifrost just right to prevent him from falling to his death, like Black Widow (too soon?).

His appearance resembles that of D.B. Cooper, a mysterious man that held a plane hostage, took its passengers' money, and leaped from the plane, never to be found. Could Loki be placing himself in key historical moments?

It is unclear if Idris Elba will return as the Bifrost's gatekeeper in the series, but it is worth noting that Elba has expressed interest in portraying Heimdall again.

Vote for Loki

The final shot of the trailer features a suited up Loki complete with a new horned crown and a 'LOKI FOR PRESIDENT' pin.

The God of Mischief is joined by armed warriors from different time periods, who quickly turn their weapons to the titular character. It is possible that Loki has been gathering some form of an army every instance that he travels through time, and this is the band of misfits he came up with.

Let's talk about that presidential pin!

It remains to be seen whether or not Loki is running a legitimate campaign or if the pin is just for show, but sign me up for an alternate future that sees Loki in the oval office.

While we covered as much as we caught, there's always more information to be found. Speculation has run wild about a possible Black Widow appearance in the trailer, and new findings are surfacing seemingly by the minute.

Loki is set to stream on Disney+ in May 2021.

x

[scrivenerofmossflower]

I Ain’t Afraid of No Ghost

Word Count: ~2.8k Summary: Four new friends decide to celebrate their recent meeting by doing some light breaking-and-entering at the local cemetery. They're looking for a ghost. They accidentally come out with the seeds for a YouTube channel. In which Gonff has done research, Rose brought the video camera, Martin's a little too comfortable with this, and Columbine wonders how a pre-med like her wound up stuck with two theater geeks and an enigma. read on ao3 Notes: Human AU, College AU. Un-beta’ed, all mistakes are my own. I’ve been sitting on this for like, over two years and the fact that the ��verse is still bothering me and I still remember all the details to the set up means that I’m just going to have to exorcise it. Have a Halloween fic the day after Halloween.

The cemetery was on the western edge of town and looked not as a cemetery usually does, with neatly kept graves and graveled paths and mown lawns, but as a cemetery should. With the sun just below the horizon and night falling quickly, the overgrown graveyard with it’s off-kilter, lichen covered headstones and crumbling mausoleums looked like something right out of a horror movie.

“Hollywood called, they want their set back,” Rose said. All four friends were leaning against the iron gates at the entrance, nerving themselves up to go in.

“Oh, come on, this is B-list horror fodder at best,” Gonff countered. “More like Haunted Mansion or Hocus Pocus than—are you recording this?”

“Yep,” Rose said. She turned her phone towards him, zoomed in and out on his face, and stuck out her tongue. “You know how big a wimp my brother is about the spooky stuff, so I was going to send it to him. Congratulations, he just found out you’re a massive Disney geek.”

“Everyone likes Hocus Pocus—”

“Are you seriously going to do this?” Columbine interrupted, and rolled her eyes when Rose turned the camera on her.

“Scared?”

She sighed. “Of getting arrested for trespassing? Yes.” She reached out and made a swipe for the camera, but Rose avoided the grab. “Especially if you’re going to be recording us breaking the law—Martin!”

While they’d been talking, Martin had swung himself onto the top of the chest-high wall and sat straddling it with one leg to either side. “What?” he asked. “It’s not that high.”

“That’s not really her point, mate,” Gonff said. What was chest high on Martin was shoulder high on Gonff, and between that and a bit of extra pudge, it was a bit more of an undignified scramble up. Martin snagged the back of his shirt and heaved when it looked like he wouldn’t quite make it. “Thanks. C’mon, Columbine, you’re up next.”

She sighed again, but took both their hands and let them haul her up between them, with a neat little twist that left her sitting on the wall, feet on the outside.

“Here, catch,” Rose said. She tossed her phone up to Martin and waved off their assistance, bracing her hands on the top of the wall and hopping up, accepting her phone back with a grin. The group paused again on the top of the wall. “So,” Rose said, dragging out the vowel and turning the camera on each of them. “What do you think we’re going to find?”

“I was poking around in the library this afternoon,” Gonff volunteered, drumming his heels against the wall, “and turned up a couple of specifics. Apparently there was this chemist—and I use the term loosely, he wasn’t trained and it was the 1700s, I think—but when he died he said he’d be back.”

“And was he?”

“Well, he was exhumed at some point, and the body was unsettlingly preserved. Though I suppose saying the tomb was broken into would be more accurate; a curious medical student tried to cut off his head.”

“And you say it’s the theater geeks who’re weird,” Rose said. “When has a theater geek ever tried to cut off someone’s head in the name of science?”

Columbine just raised both eyebrows in Rose’s direction. “Really? We’re really going there?”

“Okay, but when has a medical student willed their skull to a theater so it can be used in a production of Hamlet?” Martin asked, and ignored how all three just looked at him in bewilderment. “Go on, Gonff. The body was unusually preserved, the student tried to take its head.”

“Which I contest, honestly,” Columbine interrupted. “You could get as good a sample without desecrating the corpse like that.”

“Anyway,” Gonff said. “As he was putting the head in the sack he’d brought with him, he heard whispers coming from the corners of the tomb.” He gestured, describing the scene with relish. “Whispers at the edges of reality, seeping through the cracks. When he turned around, there were shadows writhing and twining in the corners, reaching out as if they would pull him into the void itself.”

There was a beat of silence.

“And this tomb is in this graveyard?” Rose said, scanning the layout of the ground below them.

“Yep. The student ran, of course, and left the head behind. It’s probably still there, kicked into a corner by a panicked foot.”

Martin and Columbine exchanged skeptical looks. “Guilty conscience, obviously, and probably wind through the leaves,” Columbine said. “Look, there’s trees all along the wall, and there’s grass and stuff, too. When was this?”

Gonff blew out an exasperated breath. “I don’t really remember, a few years after the guy died?”

“So call it the 1810s at the latest,” Columbine said, crossing her arms. “Way before electricity was harnessed for things like flashlights. If he had a lantern or an oil lamp, those shadows were probably caused by the unsteady light source, and obviously an overactive imagination.”

“Speaking of which, anyone else have a flashlight?” Martin asked. “First quarter moon won’t be up for another few hours.”

There was another, longer silence.

“We are really bad at this,” Gonff said finally. “Martin’s the only person who brought a flashlight? Seriously?”

“I was just going to use my phone,” Rose said. “But that’s going to eat my battery, especially if I’m recording at the same time.”

“Lesson learned. When poking around old graveyards after dark, everyone in the crew brings a flashlight,” Columbine said, shaking her head.

“We’ll keep it mind for next time,” Rose decided, and hopped down into the graveyard without further commentary. “Come on, let’s go find this tomb. You remember which one it was, right, Gonff?”

“Yeah, it’s in the north corner. I’ll lead the way.”

“If it makes you feel any better,” Martin said as he helped Columbine down off the wall, “I swung by earlier today to talk to the groundskeeper. Ghost hunters aren’t new to him, and we’ve got permission. As long as we don’t break anything, leave trash around, make too much noise, etcetera, he’s fine with it, if a little resigned.”

“I’m beginning to think you’ve done this before,” Columbine said, half joking, half accusing.

Martin shook his head. “No, I just don’t see any reason to take unnecessary risks.”

Gonff laughed from in front of them, and turned around to walk backwards and still face them. “Matey, I’ve known you for a week and I can already say with full confidence that that’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told.”

“I did say unnecessary risks,” Martin said with complete calm. “Besides, I haven’t been that reckless around any of you.”

“Yes, because jumping two flights of concrete steps is perfectly reasonable,” Rose said, giving him a very disappointed look.

“I was running late and took the landing on my shoulder like you’re supposed to.”

The deeper the four friends passed into the graveyard, the older the headstones became. What names and dates had survived the years were obscured by green-gray or orange lichen. At the very back were a row of small marble buildings, some with long fractures in their walls, some with craggy domes, some in eerily perfect repair but with the iron grate hanging askew. The casual back and forth banter grew quieter as they approached, until at last the muffled sound of shoes upon gravel swallowed it up entirely.

“That’s it,” Gonff whispered, nodding towards a mausoleum built into a low hill, the dark space where its door should have been framed by ivy and brambles.

Rose took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Break my phone and I’ll curse you,” she said, and thrust it into Gonff’s hands.

“Wait, what are you doing?”He fumbled it, checking the camera and keeping it trained on Rose. The image was becoming grainier as the light faded, but it was still enough to film, for now.

“I’m going inside,” Rose said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “That’s why we’re here, isn’t it?”

“Oh, no, not without me you’re not,” Gonff said, shoving the phone at Martin. “Here, you hold this.”

“I’m pretty sure this violates the 'don’t break anything' request we got from the groundskeeper,” Columbine said, rubbing at her forehead.

“Do you want to go in to explain every ‘experience’ they have, or shall I?” Martin asked. The video wouldn’t show the fond grin he wore, but it was clear enough in his voice as he trained the camera on Columbine, equally fond for all her exasperation.

“You’ve got the flashlight,” Columbine pointed out, waving him on. “I’ll stand guard on the off chance someone comes to run us out.”

“We can jump the wall and make for downtown if that happens,” Martin said. “Always have an exit strategy.”

“You’ve definitely done this before.”

“No, that’s just general life advice.”

They were interrupted by a low call from Gonff from inside the mausoleum. “Martin! Flashlight?!”

Martin fished the penlight out of one pocket with one hand, keeping the camera steady on the door as he approached. He knocked on the jamb with it. “Hello? Sorry for the disturbance, but we were just hoping to look around for a little bit, if you don’t mind the company. We’ll leave you in peace again soon.”

He flicked the light on, and startled back when it illuminated Rose, who was far closer than he’d expected. She also backed off with a pained protest. “Warn a girl before you do that, will you?”

“Sorry, sorry,” Martin said, angling the light a bit lower.

She rubbed at her eyes. “Were you talking to the ghost just now?”

“Look, if there is someone in here, just because he’s dead doesn’t mean we have to be rude,” Martin pointed out, following Rose into the crypt. “How’d you feel if someone came poking around your room without even apologizing for it?”

“You don’t even believe in ghosts,” Gonff pointed out, squinting around. The three of them drew closer together—ghost or no, they were in a small space with a dead body after dark, circumstances creepy enough to raise the hair on the back of anyone’s neck.

“I prefer to hedge my bets,” Martin said, sweeping the penlight slowly around. It was mostly empty, but for a few dead leaves in the corner and a low, rectangular construction in the middle of the room—the tomb itself. “I don’t see anything in here. Should we go a bit deeper?” They were huddled near the door, the blue-bright LED penlight aided by the distant starlight and the sickly yellow glow of a nearby streetlight.

“Yeah, why not,” Gonff said. His voice was a bit higher than normal, but he slid one foot forward, then another. Rose trailed behind him, looking closely around the room.

“Are you sure I shouldn’t go in front?” Martin asked.

“You’ve got the camera,” Rose said.

“Right,” Martin muttered, not sounding too pleased with that. “Of course.”

“I’ll curse you, too, if you break my phone—” Rose started, only to cut herself off with a gasp. “Did you hear that?”

“No?”

Another long moment of tense silence, before all three heard a rustling sound from beyond the tomb.

“I heard that,” Gonff said, this time with an almost manic sounding giggle. “It sounds like he doesn’t like curses. Maybe don’t talk about that right now?”

“Right,” Rose said. She swallowed. “Sorry.”

“There’re a lot of dead leaves in here,” Martin said, directing the penlight towards the corners. “It was probably the wind, or an animal. Something like—huh.”

The light illuminated a misshapen lump closer to the entrance, a bundle of something that looked like it might be cloth. The trio stared at it for a moment.

“Do you think that’s the head?” Rose whispered.

“It’s definitely something,” Gonff said. All three drew closer together until their shoulders were touching.

“You know, I sort of thought the head would’ve been moved, or missing, or eaten by now,” Martin said.

Gonff blanched. “Eaten?”

“Well, yeah. Animals, scavengers, that sort of thing. What, did you think I meant cannibalism?”

“No…”

“Well, only one way to find out,” Rose said. She squared her shoulders. Each step forward echoed hollowly in the empty mausoleum, and when she spoke, both Gonff and Martin couldn’t quite suppress a jump. “Martin, will you stop moving the light around? I’m nervous enough as it is.”

“I’m not moving the light, Rose. And my hands are steady, before you ask,” Martin protested, eyes on the video to make sure this was the case.

Rose halted without turning around. When she spoke, her voice was forcibly calm. “If it’s not the light, what’s making the shadows move?”

“Martin, are you getting that?”

“I’m recording the shadows acting like shadows, yes,” Martin said patiently. “They’re moving because you’re moving, Rose, and you’re between the light and the—oh,” he said, as the shadows trembled again and moved up the wall.

There was a crash of stone on stone from behind them, loud in the sudden stillness. All three screamed, Gonff and Rose both latching onto Martin’s arms. Martin had dropped the penlight to free one hand, and the light swung wildly about the mausoleum, chasing spiky shadows and weird shapes up the walls.

“I think we should get out of here,” Gonff said, already backing out and dragging Martin along with him.

“Good idea,” Rose agreed, matching Gonff pace for pace. “Great time and all, really interesting, but we ought to, you know, go analyze the footage, see if we got an EVP—”

“Not find out what that was?”

“A ghost angry about a joke about curses.”

“Don’t joke about curses, I was cursed once and it offends me,” Gonff agreed with another high pitched giggle.

“This is just for practice anyway, next time we’ll go investigate,” Rose said.

There was another rustling, and the penlight caught the reflective gleam of eyes at the other end of the room.

They broke and ran, bursting out of the mausoleum and almost bowling over Columbine.

“What, what did you—”

“Eyes, dark, something—”

“Just run!” Rose said, pushing the both of them ahead of her.

“Over the wall?” Martin asked the group.

“Yes, fine, just away!”

This wall was conquered far more easily than the first, the fear adding extra speed to all four friends’s flight.

“You really saw a ghost?” Columbine panted.

“No,” Martin said, at the same time Gonff said “Yes!”

“There were eyes, mate, actual, glowing eyes!” Gonff continued. “And the shadows, you saw the shadows!”

“I saw shadows move that weren’t caused by Rose,” Martin said.

“And the crash? And the rustling?”

“Coincidence. Dead leaves. There wasn’t a ghost in there.”

They stopped a dozen blocks away, Rose clutching a stitch in her side, Gonff with his hands braced on his knees, gasping for breath.

“Then what was it?” Rose asked, leaning her head against the wall of the closed coffee shop.

“I don’t know,” Martin said. He was breathing deeply, deliberately slowing his breathing back to normal. “But it wasn’t a ghost.”

“That’s… because… it was a fox,” Columbine said, also bent double and panting for breath. She waved her phone, which the other three only just noticed in her hand. “I saw it come out about two seconds before you did,” she said, straightening as her breath came back. “Snapped a few pictures. He’s a cutie, you probably scared him.”

“We scared him?” Rose repeated, scandalized.

“Oh, let me see,” Gonff said, leaning over her shoulder as she swiped through the handful of pictures.

“Wait, let me get a shot of this,” Martin said, a grin beginning to steal over his face. He raised Rose’s phone again, getting a good angle on Columbine’s. “Aw, he is cute.”

“What about the eyes—?”

“Probably a family,” Columbine said. “I mean, that’d be a great place for a den, wouldn’t it? Sensible people don’t go in.”

“Did I ever claim I was sensible?” Gonff asked her, turning to look at her indignantly with his chin still propped on her shoulder. “Did Rose? Did Martin?”

Rose shook her head, beginning to laugh. “So our first ghost… was actually a family of foxes,” she said.

“Apparently,” Gonff said.

“Stepping through leaves, knocking something over, moving around so that there were shadows,” Martin listed. “And our imaginations did the rest.”

Columbine shot them all a grin. “Good thing I didn’t come in with you guys, then, or I wouldn’t have evidence,” she said, waving her phone in Gonff’s face.

“Well, you’ll have to figure out a way to get evidence from the inside next time,” Rose decided. She put out a hand and wiggled her fingers. Martin passed her the phone.

“Next time?” Columbine repeated.

“Absolutely,” Rose said, and panned the camera around the group. “After tonight, we’ve got to find a real ghost. This is too embarrassing a note to leave on, don’t you think?”

[fbdo1986]

halloween headcanons for everyone’s (or at least my own) favorite ot3!

i’m approaching this with the au in place that they don’t start dating until the summer after senior year/a few weeks up to a month after the events of the film! so they don’t really do the high school party thing in their relationship! that being said, ferris and sloane did go to a few halloween parties while dating in hs, and were always known for their couples costumes that Obviously only a bi guy and girl could pull off! consider: they went as romeo and juliet one year, wearing clothing that resembled shakespearean dress. that’s all you need to know about these two giantic and obnoxious dorks who are literally perfect for one another and also cooler than the population of their high school.

when it comes to halloweens in their relationship though, they tend to stick to themselves/a night in! when they’re in college they sort of try the whole party thing, but it’s really not cameron’s scene, so they sorta abandon it! if the two are really itching to go to a party though, cam will stay home and prep their own party in his dorm while they go out for a bit!

what their parties entail: halloween music! these three love their dance parties, so they always need a soundtrack! the classics everyone loves! the monster mash! psycho killer! highway to hell! werewolves of london! also, horror/halloween movies! none of them are scared of them, although cam can be slightly squeamish when it comes to gore and blood, but he sucks it up most of the time. they end up watching campy halloween flicks more often than not, they’re ferris’s favorite! sloane has a love-hate relationship with slasher movies (hate mostly for the ones that exploit their female protagonists) but she likes the more classic ones! i think that ferris is very adamant about how anti-feminist and sexist a lot of horror movies are, even moreso than sloane is, and it makes cam and sloane laugh. of course they agree, but there’s something totally hilarious about pausing a movie mid-way through only for ferris bueller to rant to you about anti-feminist movies. i think cameron likes thrillers the best! they always have a good time with paranormal movies too. movies bring the Best out of chatty ferris, and they don’t mind, because out of any movie to talk during, why wouldn’t it be during a horror movie in which you bond in yelling hopelessly for the protagonist to make a better decision? fun fact! they all like watching it’s the great pumpkin, charlie brown together early in the evening. it’s a childhood staple for all three of them, and they like to prepare themselves by making big mugs of tea/cocoa/apple cider beforehand, putting on their comfiest sweaters, and cozying up on the couch!

candy preferences!!!!! idk why this brings me so much joy to think about but it does! first off, ferris has an ADAMANT hatred of candy corn. the first time sloane brings it home it becomes a huge Thing because of course, everything is a Thing with ferris. sloane doesn’t really see what the problem is, but this sends ferris into a giant spiel about how much it sucks, which ends with cameron annoyingly trying to hit ferris with said candy corn to shut him up. cameron won’t eat a lot of it anyway because it’s so sugary, so sloane doesn’t find it worth it to get any because it’d just be her having it. however, it becomes an inside joke every subsequent holiday, sloane taunting him with a small amount she’s acquired somewhere. ferris likes chocolate-y candy the best, cameron prefers chocolate candies with caramel, and sloane likes peanut butter and chocolate the best! 

costumes! i touched on this slightly in the first hc but i honestly don’t think the trio are going to dress up in costume if they’re just sitting in cam’s dorm/are at home. it’s a thing if they’re having friends over (or if jeanie comes to visit! they like to go full out for her if she’s coming) or if they go out, but it’s not the usual. instead, they still wear like, halloween attire/themed clothing and obviously spend time in their thoroughly decorated living room. if they do dress up, i’ve thought of a few costumes i definitely think they’d try their hand at! i definitely think one year cameron dresses up like a vampire/dracula and like. yes these sweeties are always aware of how beautiful their partners are but the fact that he looks So starkly different from how he normally shocks them in the best way because he looks so awesome and so handsome. almost immediately, after they process their initial shock of how different cam looks, sloane and ferris begin a bit about how they’re just two innocent strangers who somehow showed up at his castle and they “really hope they don’t get turned into vampires by this tall handsome and brooding stranger!” this continues until they’re just hanging out on the couch and watching a movie when ferris lays his head on cam’s shoulder and sloane shouts that his neck is exposed, so she has to “kill” him by stabbing him in the heart with a stake before he turns ferris into a vampire, it’s so incredibly dramatic but cam loves every second of it. as suggested by my friend jon, i think ferris as a zombie baseball player would be a fantastic look. honestly, ferris as any type of jock would definitely make cam and sloane swoon, even though cameron is technically the jock out of the three of them. while this is mildly self indulgent just because i think sloane would rock a suit, i think if sloane went as a magician one year, complete with a top hat of course, i think she’d have so much fun with it! generally i think sloane likes to have a lot of fun with her costumes, and likes to get them super accurate to whatever she’s portraying. i also think that costumes for three people are a bit hard to come by, but for shits i’m gonna explore the advanced taste if the three of them went as brian, sally, and maximillian from cabaret. i think it’d be especially fun if cameron was brian, since technically ferris should be since he’s the one who has a lasting relationship with sally, but let’s be honest with ourselves. who suits a suave stranger like max more than ferris? 

traditions! i touched on this also a bit earlier, but i think the trio generally love cooking for one another, so i think they make it a point to make things extra special on holidays! they all probably contribute to cooking the various parts of meals together, but usually one of them (most likely sloane, she’s precise with measurements that baking requires whereas ferris likes to have more fun improvising when cooking) will make dessert! it’s almost always pumpkin cookies, but sometimes a pie will make an appearance! also, i think because these three are incredibly sentimental, a holiday absolutely calls for photos together, even during their mundane halloweens spent at home. they’re brandishing their jack-o-lantern’s, making sure there’s evidence of their costumes when they dress up, and if jeanie is coming over it’s a must. they like having photos of them with her. no one’s quite as much of family as she is! expanding on jeanie, i think if jeanie does come to visit, chances are (it’s a fun spin on a headcanon i made not too long ago) she brings the bueller dog who she’s firmly taken in to their apartment and they end up walking him all together around the neighborhood, admiring the decorations and saying hello to any kids who might be passing through there trick-or-treating! (also jeanie acts like she’s too cool for this, but she’s definitely got some sort of costume on this dog. there’s no way around it.) 

[kessielrg]

[Kingdom Hearts] When you give a bunny kid a cake…

Summary: After living for so long with a pack of toddlers, you grow used to their sweet doe eyes when they're about to get in trouble. Ventus has not grown such an immunity toward Oswald's sextuplet bunny kids and as such they recruit him into sneaking the ultimate treat; Ortensia's triple chocolate silk cake. [lowkey requested by @chibi-mushroom and the idea was just too adorable not to ignore]

Rating: K

Word Count: 2,714 words

If you like this story, please reblog!

---

When Ortensia invited them over for a small fall party, Ventus didn't quite think he'd spend most of the time trapped in his girlfriend's bedroom. Not that they were doing anything exciting to begin with. Playing mancala had been Sabrina's idea, but now she looked like she was ready to go to sleep. She laid against her stomach with her head cradled in her arms, the mancala board at the foot of her bed, and Ven volunteering to sit on the floor. Sabrina's eyes drooped lower whenever Ven took his turn.

“You're allowed to go to sleep.” he told her at some point. “It's just me, Terra, and Aqua.”

“And Vanitas.” she spat back. “There's no way I'm going to sleep with that creeper in arm's distance.”

And so, indirectly, Ventus now had the reason why she had him trapped in her room. She needed someone to keep her awake. Someone that wasn't going to be too loud or annoying just by sharing a room with her. Someone, in other words, that she trusted.

He did not feel lucky knowing he was that someone.

“What did you do last night?” he then asked her. “You look so… dead inside.”

Sabrina opened her mouth to retort -a possible 'that's because I feel dead inside' if he knew her well- but was cut off with six little voices calling, “Sabreenie! Sabreenie!” from the other side of the door. Without skipping a beat, Sabrina shouted back;

“Buzz off!”

“But we need you Sabreenie!” three voices told her.

“And Ven-Ven too!” a single voice reminded them.

“Yes! And Ven-Ven too!” two others chorused in agreement.

Sabrina let out a low groan as she buried her head further into her arms.

Even though he knew she didn't want to hear it, Ven told her, “Can't you humor them for now? They are your siblings.”

“Not by blood.” she grumbled as she started to get off her bed anyway. Ven fought the urge to fondly smile at her while she sat straight up, and rubbed the sleep from her eyes using the palm of her hand. It looked enough like a scene from a movie that Ven wondered if she did it for show.

His opinion on this was squashed easily when she did rise to her feet. If it wasn't obvious Sabrina was exhausted, it became quickly apparent as she made her way to the door. She had a light, unintentional sway to her gait, which almost led to her bumping into the mannequin she used to test outfits before she wore them. It was actually kinda weird that she had it out- she usually hid it in her closet when guests were coming over.

Regardless, she made it to her door with otherwise ease. Sabrina opened the door and was greeted to six bunny children. They had stacked themselves by their shoulders- but even with the added height, the bunny kid on top was just barely tall enough to see above Sabrina's shoulders.

“You have three minutes.” Sabrina said to the bunny kid on top.

“Mama made a cake!” they happily told her.

Sabrina cocked an eyebrow at them. “And…?”

“Mama told Junior, Roy, Ray, Ruth, Herb, and Elias that cake has to wait until dinner.” came the sullen reply. All six of the bunny kids hung their head in misery.

“And I assume you want it now?”

The bunny children eagerly nodded in unison. Their little tower swayed for a moment from the small weight change, but the six were able to readjust quickly.

“Why didn't you guys get Vanitas?” Sabrina then wondered, casting them a suspicious glance.

“Van-Van is napping now.” one of the bunny kids told her. The others gave a solemn nod in agreement.

“But why Ventus too?”

“Sabreenie always hides Ven-Ven.” the bunny kid on top told her.

“We want to play now!” the others happily chorused.

“In other words,” their adoptive older sister mused as she leaned against her door frame, “You need a scapegoat.”

“Why would they need a scapegoat?” Ven curiously wondered, appearing by Sabrina's side. His girlfriend looked back at him with a disinterested raise of her eyebrow.

“When you give a bunny kid a cake,” she informed him, “Nothing after will go down in your favor.”

Now it was Ventus's turn to give her a funny look. He looked back at the bunny kids and saw their pitiful little faces. It was absolutely heartbreaking seeing their long faces; Ven could already hear a few random bars from Sarah McLachlan's Angel playing in the distance. 'In the arms of a bunny child...'

“Aw, come on Sabi,” he tried to gently tease, “Look at them. Look at those sad little faces...”

There wasn't even a moment of hesitation before she spat, “Those are the same faces they make before half the house gets set on fire.”

The bunny children let out a unified sound of surprise, then gave her a rather prude raspberry. Even with her being a good 13 years older than them, Sabrina retaliated with a raspberry of her own.

“You know,” Ven gently said to her, “You're not much different.” To the bunny kids proper, he said, “I'll help you.”

Unified squeal of joy came from the bunny kids as they hopped off each other and into Sabrina's room. Once everyone was in her room, Sabrina grimaced as she shut the door. The bunny kids might have been small, but with all six it still seemed like there wasn't enough room for everyone. Sabrina sat back down on her bed as Ven and the bunny kids started with their game plan.

“Our plan is simple,” he told the kids with a sense of mirth, “Ortensia usually leaves the cake in the fridge before we actually eat it. To avoid a crumb trail -literally- we should take it to the laundry room. All we really need to do is get some plates and forks from the…”

“This isn't going to work.”

Ventus and the bunny children looked over at Sabrina with the same look of bewilderment. It was Ven who soon gave her a rather cheeky grin before asking, “Jealous because our plan doesn't involve you?”

“Hardly.” Sabrina snorted. “While it is rather smart to eat it in the laundry room, Ortensia will hear you all clatter around the kitchen like a batch of chickens with their heads cut off.”

Ven's face immediately fell. “Oh.”

“This is where a divide and conquer plan would come in handy.” Sabrina went on, moving herself so the other seven could get a better look at her. She even pulled out the mancala board to better illustrate her plans. “Half of the six will go distract Terra and Aqua by directing them outside, the other half will keep Ortensia upstairs. Maybe Oswald too, but he's either-or in this kind of situation.”

“But who's getting the cake?” Ven asked, looking up at her with a curious tilt of his head.

“You are.” she claimed. “Alone.”

“Why just me?”

“Because I am making this plan foolproof, and I don't want to get between Ortensia while she's in guest kisser mode.”

Ventus recoiled a little and didn't look at her directly when he mumbled, “I wouldn't say Aqua, Terra, and I are guests...”

“You're not,” Sabrina affirmed with a huff, “But try telling Tense that.”

Ven let out a contemplative hum before looking down at the bunny kids. They looked back up at him with wide, adoring eyes that practically read 'isn't our big sister the best?' When he turned to Sabrina again, Ventus admittedly (and rather embarrassingly) zoned out slightly as she went over the plan to her siblings. There was a sense of concentration etched into her furrowed eyebrows as she went on. If she wasn't so interested in fashion and aesthetics, Sabrina would have made a good strategist.

“Roy, Ray, and Junior, take Ortensia upstairs and be loud about it. Junior might want to cause an 'accident' in the bathroom to be sure. Pops can jump in on that if it's real bad, so he's out of your hair too. Ruth, Elias, and Herb, your job is probably the easiest because Aqua and Terra love the stuffing out of you. Take them outside and show them your jack-o-lanterns. They should still be standing perky after a month. If not, make up a sob story of how much hard work you put into them and now they're rotting. Get some waterworks going and Terra will be eating out of the palm of your hand. All in all, you can only hold Mom's attention for about ten minutes before she figures something is up. Ven should have gotten the cake by then, so let's make that our time limit. Everyone good? Good. Break.”

“Break!” the bunny children immediately repeated with a clap of their hands. The six of them immediately left Sabrina's room to do as they were instructed. Ven remained where he was for a moment. Sabrina looked at him, a soft smirk appeared on her face.

“You didn't hear a word of that, did you?” she asked him.

“Of course I did!” he told her as he stood up. “I just gotta wait for the Six to clear everyone from the kitchen, then I've got less than 10 minutes to take the cake from the fridge and to the laundry room.”

A small snicker came from his girlfriend as she shook her head. “Good guess.” she gently teased. “Now go steal that cake before Ortensia finds out.”

. . .

Sabrina could deny it all she wanted, but the bunny kids got their sense of stealth from her. Or maybe the plan she made really was foolproof. Ventus waited out in the living room while the bunny kids tried to distract their respective roadblocks. Terra and Aqua had been easy targets; at least one of the bunny kids hopping into Terra's arms, and the other two tugging at Aqua's skirt to get her attention. Ortensia was harder to budge. It took two bunny kids to finally make her crack- running down the stairs (how they got up undetected to begin with was beyond Ven) in hysteria.

Just to be sure though, Ventus did wait an extra minute or so before going into the kitchen. He tried to walk as casually as possible, but the sudden anticipation of getting caught made him want to walk on tiptoes. He did find it rather hilarious that Sabrina as indirectly trying to help hide the noise he could have made in the kitchen- not that Cheyenne Kimball's One Original Thing was the best soundtrack to this moment.

Ventus carefully peeled the door to the refrigerator open and nearly let out a sigh of relief to see that cake was placed on one of the higher shelves. It had to be a higher shelf because of the Six, even if they attempted a bunny stack, but it must have been too high for Oswald and Ortensia too. Terra or Aqua must have placed it up there. For Ven, it was an easily reach and careful extraction. He set the cake down on the counter with care.

Ortensia had really outdone herself with the cake's presentation. Looking to be about three tiers, the cake was covered entirely with chocolate frosting with hand piped rosettes around the top edge. In the center was a neatly twirled covering of whipped cream, hand cut chocolate strips decorated the top of it. For a moment, Ven almost felt bad that he was an accessory to a soon to be cake murder by six ravenous 4 year olds.

Almost.

“Cake is for after dinner, Ventus.”

Nearly jumping out of his skin, Ven quickly tried to find the source of the voice before noticing Vanitas coming down the staircase. His twin had an undeniable smirked etched on his face. Seeing it made Ven's blood run cold.

“What are you doing in the kitchen?” he questioned. It sounded so accusatory, as if Ventus himself wasn't trying to do something that would have warranted the wrath of some very angry adults.

“Woke up from my nap and the wabbits weren't there.” came the reply, simple as day. “Came downstairs to harass Terra, I guess, and here I run into you…” Vanitas looked his older twin up and down with a smirk on his face before asking, “What'cha gonna do with that cake, Ven?”

“Eat it.” came the automatic answer. Ventus immediately flinched upon hearing himself. This answer only seemed to amuse Vanitas as he got closer.

“All alone?” he snorted. “I doubt that very seriously.” That was when a certain thought crossed his mind that almost made him laugh hard enough to tears. “This is a cover up operation! Hate to break it to you Ven-Ven, but giving Sabreenie a whole cake isn't gonna help with her seasonal depression.”

Ventus's face immediately scrunched into distaste. “She doesn't have...” he tried to argue, but was soon distracted when one of the bunny kids came down the staircase. The tiny four year old gave the cake a look, drooled a little, and in realizing that Vanitas was there, got right back into action.

“Hey there, squeaky.” Vanitas greeted when the little rabbit jumped high enough to be noticed. “What's eating you?”

But the bunny kid was speaking so quickly, it was hard to follow exactly what they were trying to tell Vanitas. Knowing that the message wasn't easily going through, the bunny kid changed tactics, leading Vanitas into the living room. Ven could only watch in a small awe as Vanitas willingly followed the bunny kid. Apparently Terra wasn't the only pushover when it came to them…

Ven shook his head. The mission was almost a success, and with the unexpected roadblock gone, he had to finish the deed. Carefully picking up the cake again, Ventus made his way around to the laundry room. It was no hassle in setting the cake down on top of the dryer. Letting out a small sound of relief, Ven wiped an imaginary bead of sweat from his brow. He left the laundry room as quietly as he entered it. The mission was accomplished- now all he needed to do was tell the bunny kids and possibly get them a spoon or two.

Going into the living room did lead to a small shock. Somehow, the bunny kid that had gone to distract Vanitas had gotten the teenager to go back to sleep. It took everything it had in Ventus not to let out an unflattering snort. When the bunny kid noticed him, Ven was given a doe eyed look of question. At his nod, the bunny kid let out a happy, “Thank you!” before bounding off to get the others. It was rather adorable, honestly, and Ven felt good about himself as he went into the kitchen to get spoons for the seven of them.

He didn't expect for all six of the bunny children to beat him back into the laundry room by the bunny kids. Someone really needed to come up with a reason why these kids were so fast. It didn't seem right.

“Ven-Ven helped us...” the oldest of the bunny children decided.

“So he gets first slice!” the others finished off with a solemn nod.

Ven chuckled a little. He took his spoon and made a rather generous scoop of cake. Normally, doing such a thing would have physically hurt him. But at the moment, knowing that the cake wasn't going to survive much longer, he chose to ignore it.

“I think this is all I need.” he decided out loud. He gave them all a smile before adding, “Thank you.”

“Is it for Sabreenie?” one of the bunny children curiously wondered. But Ven looked at them for a moment before giving a sly wink. The bunny kids went into a flurry of giggles as Ven started to leave. A smile was also pressed into the corners of Ventus's lips. Sabrina had been a major factor in their cake heist, so of course she deserved a piece of it too. Sure, cake might not help much with seasonal depression, but at least it could show that he still cared about her. And that, for now, was enough.

[zachscarroll]

Final Thoughts on Paper Mario the Origami King with some major spoilers

I thought this game overall was incredibly charming and worth your time if you are a fan of the classic games like the original Paper Mario 64 or Thousand Year Door. It was leaps and bounds ahead of Sticker Star, and overall I thought it was better paper Mario game than Color Splash ever hoped to be.

Even though I'm pleased with playing it through it does have some glaring issues. Right out of the gate, this game is being held back by some sort of executive decisions from Nintendo and it shows tremendously especially within the first few hours of the game. I know nothing about the development of the game, but there are defiantly some things that seem either out of place or rushed which is strange.

Practically the first 3-4 hours of the game is nothing but tutorials, which they do need to explain stuff but not this much oh my goodness. They truly took a lot of the challenge out of the game and made it "very, very young kid oriented" and I'm not looking for the most challenging game out there--I usually play most games on easier difficulties so I can enjoy the adventure instead of having to be annoyed with redoing things. Olivia pops up way too much. I liked her character for the most part. Between Huey, and Kersti, Olivia was a very good one. Huey was a little bit more funny, but Olivia had a lot of charm and multiple emotional arcs. I know saying that sounds silly for a Mario game but she does grow as a character showing that she's still worried about whether or not she can really stop her brother. However, she pops up every time something happens. It's too much. I can see something has appeared Olivia. It's okay--but I'm getting off topic that's exactly what Huey did too in Color Splash. I hate to say it but when she leaves your party by being crushed by a boulder it felt like a classic paper mario game then. You had Bobby with you and he would add his own flair as the helper character.

Bobby truly was a great partner, and even if he's only with you for like maybe 2 or so hours I enjoyed having him around. I'm extremely glad they had partners return even if they felt more like story related. I liked having more than just Olivia with me. All of the partners except Professor Toad were really cool. It kinda sucks that Professor Toad is so forgettable because he is the only partner who has an over world ability. I think it would have been cooler if he was like a Monty mole or something instead of just a Toad with a shovel, there's just so many Toads in the game that an archaeologist Toad could have been cool, but I don't really know where they were trying to go with the character. He was like a scaredy-cat kind of character but also made weird like college references like about his thesis. At the very least he had an unique outfit? I don't know I'm reaching for Professor Toad. Why not just have Captain Toad who's an already established character and an explorer? Anyway, I found it kinda weird that no one else had an over world ability, and they could have done some more interesting puzzles if they had given Kamek or Boswer some. I loved having Kamek join and how he talked about being self conscious and lacking self esteem because Bowser never listened to him. Bowser Jr. was cool too, he wasn't as bratty as I thought he'd be. He was written like a tough kid. Both Kamek and Jr. have satisfying reasons for leaving your party. I liked how they put Mario first in order to save the whole kingdom. It made me as the player feel like "these bad guys know that Mario can save them." I know it's silly but again just a nice touch to the story. Of course you get Bowser to join you right at the very end which is just so great. He even talks about his parenting practices. Luigi also have a shockingly hilarious and "key" role to the story. I'm so glad to see these classic characters have great writing behind them, and really show off that these partners are pretty vital to paper Mario. Especially Luigi and Bowser when in the previous two titles had maybe like 8 lines between the two of them. Yes they don't do much in battle, but they are vital to the story. If my paper Mario games have a fun and unique story then that's all I really want.

Bobby was my favorite. If you haven't seen the one big twist involving Bobby, I'd skip this section and pick back up at the next paragraph. Anyway, Bobby sacrifices himself to save Olivia. While you can kinda piece things together and see it coming after a while you don't expect Bobby to just like straight up die. I remember when it happened I was like, "they really did this in a Mario game?". They even have a cute moment later on in Bowser's castle where Olivia thinks she see Bobby again. Overall he was amazing. That whole area of Shogun Studios felt the most reminiscent of classic Paper Mario games. I had a grin on my face pretty much the whole way through.

The one big gripe I had with the partners is other than Bobby any time you wanna go back to Toad Town or other areas they're just like "yeah okay i'm gonna stay here see ya later". Why? Why not let them come with you? The writers don't have to write any additional dialogue and if they did that would have been cool. Why wouldn't Professor TOAD wanna go back to TOAD town? There's an extra area where you can take Bobby at one point to get photos taken with him in Shogun Studios. Why not do that with other characters as a cool little Easter egg? Truly I didn't understand why they couldn't travel with you. I know in that infamous interview floating around with the directors and producers saying they only wanted one partner at a time so it didn't cause any confusion for swapping them out but that's so stupid.

Back to the game being held back--there were times I could see the designers desperately wanted to make a unique character better, or give something else a personality but they weren't allowed to. It hurts a lot when the original paper Mario games could give toads fun little names like  "Zess T." or "Fice T." and now we have "Professor Toad" or "Battle Lab Toad". There are two toads in Toad Town that both say something like "where's Purple Toad?" or "Where's Blue Toad?". Stuff like that takes me out of the enjoyment of the game. It's only when you go and look on the around on other sites that you find out that the Origami Craftsman man is actually Theofold. Yes, we did have captain T. ode, but like. That's just "Toad". Back to that interview from the producers of the game where they say they can't really alter Mario characters anymore like give them age, gender, etc. But come on. I'm not really sure why they can't give the toads proper names. I know that's an extreme nitpick, but that's definitely something that takes me out of the game and reminds me "oh yeah we can't do this anymore". Even Bobby, will constantly remind Olivia to call him "Bob-omb" It just feels like a slap in the face. Bring back Toadsworth? An established character who has been MIA for like years now. Just please. Please make the Toads different they did a very good job here with a handful like, the sea captain, captain T.ode, Professor Toad, and the Shangri-spa Toads. I remember those toads because they were dressed up differently than the other ones. I even remember the Toad who told you where the heart ups were because he was in a completely unique pose then the other ones. Please Nintendo I'm begging you just make them look more unique or don't rely on them as a pillar of a character. They are all the same. Just do more colors of Toads! There's red, blue, yellow, green, and purple.Make an orange Toad or something please. I liked finding the Toads in the different areas and they would unfold from origami, it gave me some korok seed vibes. Do more stuff like that!

Concerning the game's overall story, I liked it, but it could have been so much more. There were multiple key moments where I was like "why wouldn't they have a cut scene for this as like a flashback?". The first one was right at the beginning of the game. They instead of showing you in the actual game like a cut scene, they show a small slideshow of Toads setting up for the Origami festival with Princess Peach on the logo screen which I guess is okay, but I'm not a fan. Personally, I would have liked there to be a sort of storybook intro that the previous games had being like "every 100 years the toads in toad town set up a festival to honor the proud technique of origami" and then cut to Mario and Luigi getting a mail call from Parakarry (like the previous games) and then being like "the festival is today we hope to see you there." and then bam they're driving to the festival. I know that seems kinda dumb but why not show that in your game instead of Luigi being like "can't wait to get there" while he's driving his cart from Mario Kart. It's a little weird to me. The biggest moment like this happened when you first meet the origami craftsman (who yes is just a Toad) he explains these unique origami techniques he used to fold King Olly to make him come to life, but like brushes past it real quick. And then at the very very end (skip ahead if you don't want spoilers) Olly talks about this 1000 crane origami wish thing that was never brought up before by anyone. If he had mentioned it when he dropped the boulder on Olivia that would have been acceptable but it just kinda comes out of nowhere. If you're going to bring these things up then like at least mention them once before or have some type of set up and pay off for it. It just felt kinda rushed. The ending was cute though, and I remember liking Color Splash's ending a bit more but this one was surprisingly beautiful with how it ends with floating lanterns it reminded me a little of Tangled.

The other big thing people are complaining about is no experience. This has pros and cons. pros: the battle in this game a lot of them are scripted or can be ran past no problem. However if you want to buy better weapons or accessories (this game's subtle nod to the badge system) you need a lot of coins. A lot of them. You use the coins in battle to let the Toad audience help you or use coins to buy more time to line up your foes properly. I like this system. While I could have gone for a little more incentive to battle I found myself using my coins even if I had thousands of them. I thought it was a pretty good balance. I don't see why they couldn't have thrown in a little more to make the battles worthwhile though. Why not after ever 10 battles let you pick a stat? Mario's running speed in the over world could be faster, Mario's first strike can be stronger, It doesn't cost as many coins when using them in battle? These are just thoughts I've had if they don't want to use a traditional style stat system. They had max up hearts that raised power and health it's just kinda strange why they don't want to have stats improve or give you another reward for battling other than money.

I will say while backtracking to get missing collectibles I avoided battles outright. If I got into a battle while backtracking I would sigh. I knew there was nothing left for me to spend my coins on so I would try to run from the battle but nine times out of ten I would fail running from the battle. At least the battles go by quickly, but it would use up durability on your consumable weapons. I'm very glad that they brought back permanent weapons and no stickers or cards. This weapon system is a littler underutilized though. I feel like if the designers went in they could have come up with three or four more weapon types. Why not use more Mario related power ups? Why just the fire or ice flowers, tail, and pow block? Why not have a jump move that hits in a 4x4 area like the hammer? They have a hammer item that works like the jump move! Why not have the frog suit back from sticker star or color splash that you can use to dodge unavoidable damage if you don't line up the monsters in time? I loved the battle system a lot more than Sticker Star and Color Splash but it seems like they only scratched the surface of the attacks Mario could do. If you're going to have different weapons that break why not have 10 or 20 unique different weapons as opposed to just more powerful versions of the same 5 weapons? Same with the healing items. Why only mushrooms, when in Toad Town you can get coffee that speeds you up or slows you down? Especially when you find a handful of coffee shops in the game, why can't I buy those coffees there? Why not bring back the cooking in the game from the first two? I know it'll never happen, but near the end of the game you get a spot to cook one item and I really got my hopes up.  I know I'm presenting a lot of questions, but this is all I thought about when doing the battles. If they do an "origami king 2" or something that reuses this battle system I feel like there is a lot of room for improvement and a lot more unique encounters. I also feel like they did this because they didn't want to over complicate things. They wanted the battles to be simple after you did a puzzle section. Also the battles are super snappy. Lasting two turns if you get the right line up and can be more if you don't. I think that's a really good way to make the player really learn the right way to move the board. That being said there were many times I didn't see the solution and would brute force my way through making some of the battles a bit of a slog.

They do flip the script a lot with the boss battles. First off "The Legion of Stationary" is great. While it took me a while to get used to them, they were some of the best fights in the whole game. The Tape boss was extremely cool and used an element that I wished more games could use. They let you get comfortable with the battle system then the tape is like "no you can't move stuff around, or you have to move the 2 rings around at once." This was such a cool battle and it really did make you think. I will say it was a little weird that the bosses were real life objects like colored pencils or a bunch of rubber bands, but I thought it was more comical. I know a lot of folks did not like them at all. They were set up and referenced though because all of the tools were mentioned in a bookshelf in the origami craftsman's library. This is how set up and pay off is done correctly because Olly would have seen him using them and so he'd use them against the toads and Mario just a nice little touch really. If you missed the book in the library scene they really hammer it home by showing you the legion of stationary was on the origami craftman's desk. I've looked around online and apparently a lot of the bosses can be beaten differently, they don't all end in 1000 fold arms finishers which is super cool.

Also the two other big mechanics for this game were the 1000 fold arms and the paper macho bad guys. The 1000 fold arm thing was fine, it felt right at home in a game like this which focused on origami. That being said the paper macho characters felt tacked on. They did not belong in this game, They were the other side of the battles being in real time and defeated by Mario using his hammer on them. The reason why they had to have these were if Olivia was not with you like on the cruise ship you had a way to take down a boss without her help, because she's needed for the 1000 fold arm technique. Cool idea, but felt wrong for this game which focused on origami it's like they really really wanted to make this a Zelda game and have action style battles to contrast to the puzzle ones. Again, I could see them being used in another game.  

If they do make another Paper Mario game, and I hope they do, I hope they keep pushing the needle forward.Every game since Sticker Star has been a HUGE improvement, and if we're not going back to the original games I hope each game makes an effort to address all of the glaring issues that all of us Paper Mario fans have.

[tessatechaitea]

Justice League Annual #1 (1987)

Martian Manhunter has five thousand different super powers compared with the one super power of the rest of the team (Black Canary's sonic scream. The other "super powers" are just technological accessory based).

If this comic book isn't about Martian Manhunter's addiction to Oreo cookies then what am I even doing with my life? The only reason I love Martian Manhunter is that he loves Oreo cookies and I view him as the father I never had. Whenever I had a problem growing up, I would think, "What advice would Martian Manhunter give me?" And that's why I was so fat in Junior High School because the answer was always "Eat more Oreos." I know Martian Manhunter's eventual addiction is to "Choco's" but fuck Choco's. Fuck them like every other off-brand Oreo cookie. They fucking suck. Speaking of things that suck, this dick isn't going to suck itself. Now picture me pointing at the comic book because I need to read it. That's how I begin reading all of my comic books. And I say it loudly so the neighbors will think, "Oh boy! That guy next door isn't a nerd at all! Total sex maniac!" The "Hunting the Manhunter" blurb on this cover reminds me that Millennium is coming up and I think I hated that? No, no. I'm sure I loved it! There are two things I couldn't get enough of in my teen years and comic books was the second one of them. Kord Industries has bought some property in the middle of Ultra-Nowhere, South America, and some of its employees have gone off to scout the location.

Wasn't that the episode with the shape-changing hottie who loves sucking the salt out of men? You know what I'm talking about. Also she was probably a male monster posing as a female monster. Proof of that theory is that every single episode of the first season of the original Star Trek could also have been the name of a gay bar.

Inside the abandoned research facility, the Kord employees encounter pretty much the same thing Kirk, Spock, and the other one encountered:

Vampire John Travolta! It's possible I'm misremembering the Star Trek episode.

While on monitor duty, Guy Gardner discovers that large groups of people on four different continents seem to be under the control of a single will and Batman asks Martian Manhunter, "Do you think this is League business?" What the fuck else would be, Bat-Turd?! A new Internet fad like planking or the Harlem Shuffle? I mean, it totally could be that except that the Internet doesn't really exist during this story. I mean if you want to be a pedant about it, I suppose the teenage Internet across college campuses. But nobody likes a pedant so just shut the fuck up and live in my reality while you're reading my stupid comic book review. Just take the fucking Red Pill and relax! Except don't do that because the idea of The Matrix Red Pill has been co-opted by the worst of humanity who think they're somehow the most logical and philosophical people on the planet when they're really just awful monsters rationalizing all of their mean desires.

How did people come away from reading this comic book hating Guy Gardner and not also despising Batman?

The Justice League splits up into teams of two to cover the mass hypnosis issues in Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, and Los Angeles. I'm not sure Batman knows how to balance teams because he sends Doctor Fate and Martian Manhunter together while leaving Mister Miracle with Blue Beetle. Here are my teams: Guy Gardner with Blue Beetle because Blue Beetle is effectively worthless and Guy Gardner has the most powerful weapon in the universe. Batman would go with Black Canary because her sonic scream is sort of like a bat's echo location. Martian Manhunter would go with Scott Free because they're both aliens. And Booster Gold would team up with Doctor Fate because their outfits match. Blue Beetle and Mister Miracle head to L.A. with some, um, problematic dialogue? I think?

This is an "anal sex/everybody in Hollywood is gay" joke, right?

With newer comic books, a scan of 620 pixels (basically the width of the main column of the blog (although I think the width changed when I added the Goodreads app. I should probably fix it so the 620 pixel pictures stop bleeding off into the right-hand frame (if you're reading this on Tumblr, just ignore it. Just ignore everything since Tumblr fucked up their code and now I can't even center pictures or get the captions to sit snugly right up underneath the scans))) was usually enough to read the dialogue clearly. But with these old comics on newsprint, they're fuzzier and the font seems much smaller. Sorry about that but I won't betray my artistic integrity by scanning less than the full panel! At least not in this case is my defense against the pedants who can easily find many examples of me doing exactly that. First Black Canary is treated like shit by Batman and now she teams up with Booster Gold who can't stop hitting on her until she reminds him she's a competent limb-breaker. This must be the kind of comics Comicsgaters wish we could return to! "Remember when women were treated as sexual objects and not one member of the Justice League was Black and constantly said, 'Booyah!'? What great times!" Black Canary and Booster Gold become John Travolta Vampire slaves almost immediately because Batman chose the improper team pairings. It's bad enough that Batman would fail at making proper pairings but it's extra bad when Batman is being written by a writer and the writer made that choice. I mean, how do you pass up the opportunity to team Booster Gold with Doctor Fate?! They would look so fucking good together! Batman and Guy Gardner (you know how you can tell Hal Jordan is the real Green Lantern? Because people will say "Green Lantern" when discussing him instead of "Hal Jordan") wind up in Tokyo where Doctor Light is all, "Hello, boys! I'm a vampire now!" Then she blinds the fuck out of them because Batman forgot to put on his Bat-sunglasses.

Batman steals this move from Doctor Light in the next regular issue.

Doctor Light kisses Batman and he's all, "Yeah, yeah. Okay. Okay. I get it. Being a vampire is pretty awesome. No wonder writers write vampire versions of me every other year or so."

I don't think the editors briefed Willingham on what Beetle's Bug can and can't do.

Beetle lands at Kord West and is immediately swamped by John Travolta Vampire's thralls. So he does the thing he does in nearly every comic book except the one where Maxwell Lord shoots him in the head: he runs away. But he doesn't run fast enough and winds up possessed aboard the Bug with Mister Miracle. The story hints that Miracle gets possessed just after the scene changes but he's Scott Free, the world's greatest escape artist! I would guess he'd be the one to save everybody else but judging from the cover, it's Martian Manhunter who keeps from getting possessed. In Australia, Doctor Fate wades into a group of infected people because he's a gigantic arrogant prick. He's all, "I'm a frickin' Lord of Order, assholes! I know a spell that can get to the root of this problem!" And then the Vampire John Travolta is all, "I'll kill Kent Nelson if you don't leave his body." And Doctor Fate is all, "Well, J'onn, I've gotta go! Nice hanging out with you! Ta ta!" Which leaves Martian Manhunter as the only person left on Earth who isn't infected (or at least the only person left who is in this story). I bet that's pretty lonely. But Martian Manhunter is used to being lonely. I wonder if he's capable of making his right hand into a female martian so he can fuck it? Martian Manhunter has no idea what he's dealing with so he puts on Doctor Fate's helmet to gain all of the other powers that he didn't already have without it. But only for a few seconds because Superman would never be able to get an erection again if he found out Martian Manhunter had all of his powers and could also do magic. J'onn wears the helmet just long enough to learn what Doctor Fate learned about the contagion: it's a sentient cell! It's smart cancer! And I guess Vampire John Travolta was Patient Zero. Now J'onn just has to figure out how to fight Smart Cancer. I don't even know how he'll defeat it because I just looked up Smart Cancer in the Who's Who to read about its weaknesses and wouldn't you know it? There's no entry for Smart Cancer! Maybe it was in an update that I don't own. Like that version of Who's Who that was just loose pages to stick in a binder! I have that one too but it's possible I just didn't buy all of the expansion packs. Martian Manhunter heads to the source of the contagion to meet Smart Cancer head on. What he finds is a boss from Castlevania.

When you have thousands of people at your disposal, is the most effective way to use them shoving them together into one giant person?

The first thing Smart Cancer's Granfaloon does is try to smash J'onn with its people fist. In effect, it's smashing a dozen people head first into the ground so that dirt sprays up all over the place. So I guess a dozen or so people are now dead, right? It's not like Smart Cancer gave them invulnerability to massive head wounds.

I think this panel is the one where all the Justice League editors through their hands up in resignation and sighed, "I guess the Justice League is ridiculous now."

Martian Manhunter realizes, like me, how fucking stupid Smart Cancer is to put all of its people in one gigantic people-shaped basket. Since all the minds are linked, he realizes he can throw the Fate helmet on one of the people and Doctor Fate can possess Smart Cancer. It works but only for a limited amount of time. Doctor Fate can't hold that many people under his sway. But Doctor Fate does know who can control Smart Cancer: the martian! He can shapeshift his cells into some kind of prison or something. I don't know. It was explained in the most basic medical and scientific terms but they were still beyond my attention span. In the end, Martian Manhunter contained the Smart Cancer in him and that's where it lives now? Oh, and speaking of "the end," check out this clever and titillating final panel:

"Why's it gotta be the ass of the only woman on the team?" I say while pulling my pants down.

Justice League Annual #1 Rating: What?! I don't rate annuals! I mean, maybe sometimes I rate annuals. This one was okay. It was sort of interesting but I was disappointed that Vampire John Travolta wasn't the actual enemy. I hope Smart Cancer fights its way out of J'onn and makes another appearance later.

[rivaltierno]

You listed Future Shock as one of your bottom SS episodes, can I ask your thoughts on that? :o

Sure thing!

My issues with “Future Shock” are a mixture of like, legit critques of the episode’s writing and more personal things I simply just didn’t like about it. I’ll put my major thoughts about it under the cut for length purposes. 

To get the most petty reason out of the way up front: I’m just not that big of a fan of Batman, and by the time this episode rolled around I was already getting tired of seeing him/his cast so much. “Future Shock” was the 6th crossover episode of the series and the 5th one involving Batman in some manner, and frankly, if I wanted to see the guy that badly I would be watching one of his series’ instead of Static Shock.

Speaking of which, probably the biggest issue issue I have with “Future Shock” is that I don’t think it really works as a Static Shock episode - it’s a Batman Beyond episode that Static happens to be in. Besides a cameo from Gear and a brief appearance of the Gas Station, Static is our only connection to the show in this episode. Everything else in all Batman Beyond, from the setting to the villain to the characters Static is surrounded by. Static isn’t even the character who gets any development in this episode (though he’s the only Static Shock character active in the story), it’s the guy from the show we’re not watching who gets it.

Sure, the episode does explain who these villains are and whatnot so the audience isn’t completely lost, but I shouldn’t have to have a crash course in Batman Beyond’s lore to enjoy or even just understand a Static Shock episode. From how I see it, “Future Shock” is just one big Batman Beyond advertisement and that’s it.

Yes, all of the other crossover episodes are just advertisements too, but at least those episodes still had the Static Shock cast/setting play a part in their stories. Most of them are set in Dakota proper and involve Static’s relationship with other characters, whether it be with the rest of his cast (him and Daisy in “Toys in the Hood”, him and Gear in “A League of Their Own pt. 2″) or the other DCAU characters he’s supposed to be working with in the episode (him and Batman in “The Big Leagues”, him and Green Lantern in “Fallen Hero”). Even “Hard as Nails” - which is an episode I rank low almost exclusively because its good parts are pushed aside to show off more Batman characters - made sure to ground Static’s part of the episode in his desire to help Allie. All “Future Shock” had was Batman berating Static for half the episode and then reluctantly teaming up with him again later, which is not exactly something I want to watch (but more on that later).

Likewise, all the crossover episodes built up their stories a lot better too, in that they were actually built up. Static and the other heroes in those episodes had actual reasons to work with one another, usually of the “[X] villain is in Dakota!” variety. Even “A League of Their Own pt. 1″ and it’s “Static needs to charge the Watchtower!” reasoning which I personally don’t really care for is still like, an actual reason. “Future Shock” had “Static is working with Batman and Robin for some reason and then he zaps a time machine that they had for some reason and gets sent to the future”.

On the topic of that opening scene, it has my other biggest problem with “Future Shock” in it as well, in that I think Static was written very poorly in this episode, in an almost OOC way even, especially in the beginning. 

I don’t for a second believe that Static would have decided to just try and start the random time machine like that. This isn’t Season 1 or even Season 2 Static that’s brand-new to being a hero and wants to impress the League heroes. This is Season 4 Static who has been a hero for at least a good year and has worked with League heroes multiple times now. Even ignoring the experience side of the argument, Static is a smart character, both in a book-smart “good at science” way and a more observational way. I feel like that alone would make him realize “Hey I shouldn’t charge this malfunctioning machine that I don’t know what it’ll do once it’s working properly”.

I don’t think that his more impulsive tendencies would make this in character for him, either. Yes, Static has in past episodes ignored orders from others and acted on what he thought was best. But these instances have been based on more moral reasons than egotistical ones. He ignores Batman in “League of Their Own pt. 2″ to save Gear, he goes to try and talk to Green Lantern in “Fallen Hero” because he wanted to give him a chance to change his ways before fighting him, and so on. Static in “Future Shock” deciding to ignore Batman’s warnings because he thinks he can “fix” the machine or whatever is not the same. 

I’m more lenient of other actions Static does in “Future Shock”, like for some reason deciding to trust that random dude in the street instead of waiting for Batman since you know, unfamiliar situation and all that, but I still think that my point still stands for those scenes as well. I feel like this episode purposefully wrote Static like this to play on the “inexperienced hero meets a more experienced one” angle they were going for in this episode. 

Now, this isn’t an inherently bad idea for an episode, I actually like the episodes that play on this dynamic for Static (“Blast from the Past”, the Anansi episodes, etc.). The problem is that those episodes have Static working with adult heroes, who legitimately have more experience than him in both being a hero and general life situations. Since “Future Shock” is a Batman Beyond crossover episode, that means the “more experienced” figure in this case is another high schooler.

Thus, the episode has a limited-experience high schooler yelling at and looking down upon a different limited-experience high schooler for being a limited-experience high schooler. I found this incredibly annoying in this episode and made me kinda hate Batman in it. 

Sure, in hindsight why Batman’s so upset makes sense, but like I was saying earlier, I was watching this episode as a Static Shock fan wanting to watch Static Shock characters, so I’m naturally going to care more about how Static is being treated in the story than what the other guy is going through. It’s also true that Batman does learn to respect Static a bit more in the episode, but I feel like that’s done better, or at least more enjoyably, in other crossover episodes. When Batman learns that lesson in “Hard as Nails”, Static gets to learn the man’s secret identity. All Static gets in “Future Shock” is existential concerns about his future self caused in heavy part by Batman himself.

Those are the two major reasons I really dislike this episode, but there are other ones as well. For example, it bummed me out that they made Gear fat as an adult entirely to make jokes about it instead of just letting him be fat and moving on. I can’t really think of major things I liked about it, either. I can’t think of any jokes or quips I laughed at (I think there was like, one facial expression I sorta chuckled at but I’m not sure if it was supposed to be funny or not), I can’t think of any memorable action scenes, and I didn’t like the character interactions throughout it.

There are small things I liked about it, sure. I liked the adult designs for both Static and Gear and the future of the Gas Station. I liked that the reasoning for adult Static getting captured is that he wanted to help Gear and assumed it wasn't a trap. In a petty way I liked Robin’s comment about Batman not being as great as everyone thinks he is. But those things aren’t really enough to carry the episode for me. The adult designs could have easily just been an extra on a season DVD or something, for example.

I think that's all I have to say about “Future Shock” and why I rank it so low. It’s poorly written, and there’s not much I really liked about it, but it's not the worst written episode and it didn’t make me super mad or uncomfortable, either. 

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Ego

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Years ago, comic book movies were absolutely, totally afraid to be even a little weird. Raimi carried the weirdness torch for a while thanks to the success of the Spider-Man trilogy, but for some reason he was the only person unafraid to be goofy; even Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, a movie about one of the more fun and campy classical hero teams, was completely and utterly afraid to show a big man in purple armor who eats planets and so instead opted to show us an intergalactic fart cloud. The precedent set by franchises like Blade, X-Men, and Nolan’s Batman films lingered for a long time.

Then along came James Gunn.

Gunn is a man unafraid to be weird, and Guardians of the Galaxy really changed the game in 2014. There’s a gun-toting raccoon, a talking tree, a bald blue cyborg woman, and an alcoholic duck, and the movie is a smash hit critically and financially; there is now no excuse not to put the wierdest stuff from the comics faithfully into film. And for the sequel, Gunn apparently saw fit to bring in one of Marvel’s most bonkers bad guys: Ego, the Living Planet.

Ego is the perfect example of how to adapt something utterly bizarre from the comics, changing some major elements while still staying true to the nature of the character himself. Ego here is Peter Quill’s father, something that isn’t true in the comics, as well as a Celestial, something also not true in the comics… but he is still a sentient planet, and he is still completely and utterly evil.

Actor: Kurt Russell, 80s superstar and the reason Solid Snake exists, plays Ego to perfection. Ego is a character with, well, an ego; he’s selfish, self-centered, and lacking in empathy, but he also needs to come off as charming and friendly or we the audience would see through him immediately. Russell is the exact perfect man for that job; this is a guy who managed to play a character who was mildly transphobic and still have them come off as likable. Russell is also able to switch from affable and charming to scary and furious with ease, which is a big help after the reveal when Ego drops all pretense. Russell just kills it, there’s no other way to put it.

Motivation/Goals: Ego has an almost sympathetic goal, one that, from a certain point of view, makes him come off as a bit sympathetic. The guy was drifting alone in the void for eons and had to piece himself together, so is it any wonder he was horrifically lonely when he was finally able to set out to find life? Of course, that loneliness and isolation led to him developing some really nasty personality traits, and so he decided the best course of action after finding out other intelligent life was “boring” was to plant seeds on every planet, sire a child with powers just like him, and then wipe out all life and turn all the planets in the universe into extensions of himself. It is a plan truly befitting a character with the name “Ego,” and while it is true his motivation is at least a little deserving of sympathy, his goals and how he goes about trying to ameliorate his pain is what makes Ego an irredeemable monster.

Personality: Ego is perhaps one of the most aptly named characters in all of fiction, and he’s also one of the few characters one could make the honest claim that his ego is literally the size of a planet. Ego puts forth this identity of a charming, fatherly figure, happy, affable, jokey… just really sweet and charming. But much like the avatar he uses, it’s all just a mask.

Look at how he talks about what he did to Peter’s mom; he says it with such a wistful, resigned melancholy flavored with this “I did what I had to do” smugness that is a twisted reflection of how one might recall their first date, and then follows it up with a horrifically callous response of “I know that sounds bad.” Ego is such a monstrous, unrepentant sociopath with so little regard for life that is beneath his lofty stature that I just don’t think he really comprehends things like empathy. He is the ultimate psychopathic manchild, an arrogant egotist who hides behind this friendly veneer until the moment things don’t go the way he wants, at which point he starts screaming, ranting, and raving. The fact he is completely and utterly taken aback that Peter would unload multiple shots into him after being told Ego gave his mother a brain tumor is really telling of just what kind of person he really is.

Final Fate: The bomb Groot planted on Ego’s brain goes off, and Ego’s avatar crumbles to dust as the planet begins to blow up, seeing as its brain just got obliterated. The beautiful karma of this moment makes it extra delicious; after putting that tumor on Meredith Quill’s brain, is it not fitting he die after having something planted on his brain?

Best Scene: Ego just really dominates every scene he’s in, but I think the big reveal, where he shows just what a sick and depraved villain with a lack of care for life as he reveals what he did to Meredith Quill, is one of the MCU’s finest scenes.

Best Quote: It took only one single line to cement Ego as the most horrible, evil, disgusting monster in the MCU: “It broke my heart to put that tumor in her head.”

Final Thoughts & Score: Ego is fantastic on so many levels, but one level I think should not be overlooked is on a meta level. As I mentioned, for the longest time silliness and weird concepts were out the door when it came to superhero films. One needs only look at the X-Men franchise to see how dour things were, with their dull black costumes and overwhelmingly miserable and unfun atmospheres. More lighthearted or sillier fare did not go over well, as Iron Man 2 and Green Lantern can attest, and magic was totally absent for a while in the MCU probably because of fears audiences wouldn’t take it seriously. But James Gunn changed all that, and I think Ego definitely played a huge role in cementing that audiences will embrace and love in the weirdest stuff out of comics. Thanks to Ego, I think a lot of other creators became unafraid to let that freak flag fly and put things in movies they might have been too worried to put in before, with the ultimate and best example being Mister Mind joining the DCEU in the end of Shazam! It gives me hope that Tawky Tawny might show up there in a sequel.

On a character level, Ego is without a doubt the most punchable scumbag in the entire MCU, with only Mysterio coming close. The fact he casually admits to killing Peter’s mother and expects him to be okay with it… Can you really blame Peter for immediately unloading his guns into his father? I mean, when faced with a man who is utterly unrepentant in killing a loved one that they also claimed they loved and says they had to do it to further their goals, would you not also have a knee-jerk reaction like that? Yes, I am getting at this being a canon moment that shows Peter’s reaction to Thanos in Infinity War was not a stupid moment, it was a moment that was built up by what he did to Ego. And I think that just adds to Ego even more, because he helped cement a character trait of Peter’s that would lead to one of the most horrific gut punches in cinematic history.

Ego is an easy 10/10, and is one of the MCU’s greatest villains. He’s a perfect “love to hate” character, and he’s also a perfect villain for a story about family. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has family as a focal point of the story, with the arcs of every single character revolving around the idea that family doesn’t have to be blood ties, it can be with the people who love you and who you’ve bonded with the most. Yondu’s line of “He may’ve been your father, boy, but he wasn’t your daddy” is what really sells it, honestly; Ego is Peter’s biological father, yes, but Yondu raised him and even if he didn’t always do right by him, in the end he showed himself to be a better man and better dad than Ego ever could have hoped to be. I suppose that’s a bit off topic from Ego himself, but I feel like it’s important to note just how deeply thematic he is as a villain, tying into the core message of the story while also letting loose in utter sociopathic villainy.

I think there is a great irony in Ego’s ultimate plan; for all his claims of being lonely and desiring others like him, what exactly does he think would happen if the entire universe was nothing but himself? Would he truly have been satisfied? Perhaps; he was a narcissistic to the highest degree for sure. But I like that there is some ambiguity to things about Ego, I like how there are some things to think about, I like how a villain who has a plan that is not clearly thought out by them yet that they believe is the proper course of action is something of a setup for what Thanos would be.

And really, out of every other villain in the MCU, Ego is most like Thanos. The obvious part is the plan, though only Endgame Thanos really wanted to reshape the universe in his image; still, as I mentioned, their plans are both something they believe is the true and righteous course of action, though Thanos is far more sympathetic in this regard. They also both felt the need to sacrifice loved ones in pursuit of their goals, and they both have incredibly poor relationships with some of their kids. I think the main difference is that Thanos, for all his faults, does have some empathy, he does have some sympathetic traits even if they don’t redeem how much of an awful person he was. Ego has none of that. Ego squanders any sympathy he could have gained by being utterly unrepentant and casual about his misdeeds, which include slaughtering his other children and killing Peter’s mother despite claiming to have loved her dearly. At least Thanos openly wept at what he did to Gamora, at least he felt sadness,  guilt, and regret. Ego just doesn’t care. He did it because whatever he really felt for Meredith, there was only one person he could ever truly love: Himself.

In short, Yondu was right: that guy was a jackass.

[utanoprincesamascenarios]

I'm not sure if requests are open, the description says they are but it could be a mistake. If they are could I request Starish reactions with a scaredy cat s/o. It's the season of spookiness and I'm not taking it well.

Otoya

Being a bit of a scaredy cat himself, Otoya understands how his s/o feels during Halloween especially.

He tries to be brave for them, and he’ll always assure them that none of the pranks are real, and that although the decorations look real, they’re just pretend, and that it’s all in good fun and in a few days everything will be back to normal.

When his s/o clings to him when something especially spooky crosses their path, he feels a tiny bit of pride that he’s the one they go to when they’re scared. Of course, it gets to Otoya too, and he returns the bear hug right away.

When everyone else wants to watch a scary movie, Otoya arranges his own movie date with his s/o to keep their mind off things. They have a cuddly movie date with comedies, and they just laugh when they hear their friends screaming in the videos that somehow made their way on social media.

Masato

Masato vows to keep any and all scary things out of his s/o’s sight. If the decorations in the dorms get out of hand, he’ll sneakily tear down the more gruesome ones. If something is hidden away, waiting to be found, he’ll disarm the trap before his s/o can even get close.

He doesn’t want to ruin everyone’s fun, though, so he’ll hold his s/o’s hand whenever they need him to, and he’ll lead them to the less scary decorations so they can have a bit of holiday fun too. There’s plenty of shops to admire that utilize the colors of fall instead, and they’re just as fun to check out.

They’ll do a lot of Halloween activities that are completely innocent, like carving pumpkins and thinking of a cute couple costume, that Masato will make for them, of course. Masato will also bake Halloween treats with them and hand them out to everyone early on Halloween.

If something really scares them, Masato will hold them close and whisper they’ll be alright in their ear, and he won’t let anything happen to them. They’ll be safe as long as they’re in his arms, and that’s just the thing that his s/o wants to hear.

Natsuki

Even though his initial reaction to his s/o’s scared reactions is that they’re just the cutest things he’s ever seen, he’ll quickly change his mindset and promise he’ll bring a smile back to their face, since that’s when they’re actually the cutest.

Natsuki knows all the shops in town that have cute Halloween decorations, the ones with the cutest stuffed animals, and the ones with the best tasting Halloween-themed desserts. His s/o would be so overloaded with all the cute parts of Halloween they’ll forget there’s anything scary out there in the first place.

He’ll buy them a cute costume to wear on the actual holiday, and he’ll stay in with them and give candy to all the Trick-or-Treaters. Kids are too adorable to be really scary, so they’ll have a great time watching all the costumes pass by. Everyone is so creative this year, Natsuki is already planning the next costumes for them to wear next time.

Natsuki is a pretty big guy, so he promises that he’ll be his s/o’s personal bodyguard any time they feel like they need some extra protection during the spooky season. He’ll pick them up and carry them in his arms, claiming that he’s too tall for any vampires or werewolves to get him. Ghosts might be a bit trickier to take care of, but he says he’ll ask them nicely to leave his s/o alone. He’s got them covered no matter what kind of monster may appear.

Tokiya

Tokiya, being the logical guy he is, really doesn’t understand what is so terrifying about Halloween, but he makes an effort to see things from his s/o’s point of view. Fake blood was more cheesy than anything, and although special effects in movies were getting better, they were still pretty easy to spot, but he supposed that too much of this stuff could wear away at someone.

His s/o gets a little more clingy, and he takes it in stride. He’ll talk about the origins of certain monsters and movie characters, and somehow hearing these things explained in the most matter-of-fact way possible really detracts from the scare factor. Tokiya rattling on about the figures in the horror genre is actually pretty soothing, and they’ll end up falling asleep more often than not to the sound of his voice on those nights they were too scared to sleep.

Also: “I was a big wolf in one of my stage plays, and I wasn’t so scary then, was I?”

Tokiya isn’t the biggest fans of Halloween parties to begin with, so he has no problem staying inside when the rest of Starish goes out to scare themselves silly. But in the off chance they do want to go out, he’ll stay by their side and talk with them most of the night. If anyone tries to pull pranks on them, he’ll quickly shut them down and give them a look that will guarantee they won’t try it again.

There’s plenty of stuff to focus on that isn’t scary that can improve their view on Halloween. He’ll tell them to focus on black kittens, jack-o-lanterns, candy, hiding under a blanket with hot cider… which he suggests they do, because that’s one of the best parts of fall.

Ren

Ren loved that his s/o was a little scaredy cat. The fact that they were practically always hanging from him was absolutely amazing, and he loved that he was who they turned to when their fears were acting up. And of course, he always told them that they can latch on as long as they needed to. He’ll hug them and give them kisses and picks them up and smother them with affection to distract them from any terrors.

Ego boost aside, he’s genuinely very attentive to his s/o when they’re upset. He knows when to remove them from a situation that’s a bit too much for them, and he’ll stick with them as long as he needs to in order to calm them down. Sometimes he’ll take them on a drive just to get them to focus on something else.

Ren’s favorite part of Halloween by far is the costumes, so he sees this as a great way to bring a little positivity to the night. He’ll tease that they could always dress up as a ‘sexy’ version of something, or they could always go the route of dressing up as elegant vampires that would surely gain the attention of everyone that saw them. How could they be scared when they’re too busy stealing the show?

In the true spirit of things, Ren thinks of a cute nickname for his s/o just for Halloween. Perhaps they’re his black kitten, or they could be his little devil… the possibilities are endless, and his s/o is too busy shooting down all of his advances to be scared of Halloween.

Syo

Syo, of course, will be the absolute bravest person on the planet for his s/o’s sake. Nothing can get past him. No one jumping from behind a corner, no hyper-realistic spiders hanging from the ceiling, no jump scares on websites… Well, that last one was a little trickier, but he was good at looking over his s/o’s shoulder and making sure they don’t follow any weird links.

He sees Halloween as a good time to try to get over their fears. He believes in them, and he knows that if they put their mind to it, they’ll be able to take anything head on. He’ll ease them into scary situations on their own terms; they’ll start with something small like plastic bugs and rats and gradually move on to scary movies and things like that. Of course, if anything gets to be too much, he’ll calm their nerves and tell them he’s proud of them for trying.

If his s/o is embarrassed about being scared, he’ll take the fall for them and claim that whatever going on is too scary for him, and he’ll insist that they should knock it off because it’s getting to him. Then when no one’s looking, he’ll wink at his s/o and give them a knowing smile.

Syo has the perfect alternative for scary moving nights: Prince of Fighting! Sure they’ve watched them a million times, but they’re not scary at all now since all the suspenseful scenes are easy to predict at this point.

Cecil

Since Cecil isn’t used to any Halloween traditions yet, he’s more confused than scared of anything. He’ll ask his s/o to explain their reactions and what’s so scary about stuff, and they’ll usually refuse and just tell him to ask someone else. But he’s pretty persistent, and through explaining things to him, his s/o starts to realize that all these things they thought were terrifying aren’t so bad.

Cecil reminds his s/o that he spent a good chunk of time as a black cat, so he can personally guarantee that there’s nothing scary about felines. He thinks that all of the Halloween creatures are just misunderstood, and he’ll talk to his s/o about that and those conversations also help ease their fears.

He also asks if there’s any Halloween songs that he should know about. Once his s/o fills him in, he’ll insist that they sing together. It’s hard to be scared when you’re having a blast singing a duet with Cecil, and he’ll definitely start up random singalongs as often as he can.

Cecil is always wanting to learn, and as a result of that, his s/o ends up learning things too. Knowledge helps get rid of the fear of the unknown, and it’s a subtle way Cecil helps his s/o get over the Halloween jitters. By the end of the season, Cecil sits back and smiles as they take in all Halloween has to offer. It took a little bit of work, but he knew it was just the thing his loved one needed.

Also, since Halloween is his birthday, a lot of the focus is taken from spooks and instead directed at birthday prep and festivities. His s/o never had a lot to look forward to during this season, but now that Cecil was around to dote on, they had a brand new outlook on the holiday.

I hope your Halloween isn’t too scary, and I hope you can have a fun day despite all the scares! 

[thebuildingcacophony]

Silverheart Event/Notes (OOC)

Hey folks, 

Just wanted to give big ooc props to the two people that helped a lot with this campaign. Big props to @logainenoviar for this help with the NPCS (Varorie indefinately and Sandman) as well as Aurora ( @iamauroracole) who first thought of this in all the rest is cleaned up. Think of this as mostly ooc stuff. If you wanted to know a bit of who or what, or some of the ideas that went into it. Feel free to look under the cut.  If this may help someone else whom is beginning to story telling, feel free to ask questions below. 

Greymane manor: Silverheart (tentative location) (Milteristic trying to regain Gilneas and put together a few splinter rogue groups to do his best to destabilize the forsaken and others within the region)

Stormglen Village: Logaine’s NPC (2nd in command, romantic interest. A girl, she will try to take over Silverheart’s mission. Take over if Silverheart dies early, possible disorganization, slips information: Protect your interest, and then protect your goals. Would write notes, void elf (blood elf version) Possible plant: and tries to over take Erudition)

Worgen warrior: Last of his clan or one of such, trying to raze since Death Knight came by and slaughtered half of his clan.

(If they are really into letter: Really bite into the letters and your friend, maybe another npc will get countering information. Good information )

Disguise cache: hair color, disguise cart, seeing a plant.

Resource Cache:

Artifact: Deception (possible) (Wolve’s skin etc)

Clandestine Island: Worgen Druid (Possibly Arcane based to view the island)

(Assassin might try to kill them if  (NPC might try to follow them (add new people to go after silverheart))

Expansion on the NPC female Commander.  She would allow information to take out distractions and or people that would look to overtake her in the eyes of Silverheart.   She is deeply involved in his mission and wants it to succeed as long as she is integral to the success of the mission.   The notes would be from her to the party and signed as Your Friend.    If the party bites on the notes/letters after a few successes another party would write a note clearly different in every way, and give countering information.   Perhaps protecting their own interests and less subtle steering.   After a few good letters they would then steer them to a trap.  The Commander would know this and actually send a letter from Your friend suggesting they avoid this region because it is a trap for someone that has been bothering that lieutenant.    If the party go’s the commander would be there cloaked in shadows and disguises and take out the Lieutenant before he could divulge any information he may have gleaned.   Well before the party would subdue him on their own.   (Unless you want a..  “You are all fools..  She’s been… “  then an arrow through the eye that then explodes juicing the guys brains before he can expose her.  Lol )

Resource cache’s and perhaps a disguise kit if they seem to like the cloak and dagger aspect.   The kit would have a couple wigs and other items to change the shape of a person’s body. Bigger breasts, slimmer waist bigger waist, smaller breasts different paste on chin and cheek shaping kits you get the idea.

The Worgen could just be an asset using the war to do horrible things.  Attacking civilians in their homes and leaving an horrific scene behind.  Maybe trying to make people move away from that region.   Demoralize the military and garrisoned troops. 

(There are quite a few things we ended up not using, but gives you a general idea) 

(Here’s an overview of the finale event:)  Silverheart Event: Get to the Center of Silverheart/Traps! Cloth: 4, leather: 6, mail: 8 and plate: 10 for hit points. Healers can heal but doing so takes away one of their hit points (heal 1-8 of the hit point pool). Trying to reach the top of the tower to Silverheart: If all lose their hit points, mission failure. Getting to the middle where Silverheart is Maybe 7 to 8 traps?  *Grease Slide near the beginning (Perception: 15. If succeed: +2 to save, 15 (+2 if did well with perception.) (If chose to disable, anything 13 or less would hard trigger the trap. 15 to dodge… 1 would automatically trigger the trap. Coasted in dark thick grease slightly flammable.  *Come to the door (locked: Flammable possible. Looks at remarks along the door frame: when opened flames pop out! If covered in goo, take extra damage (2 +1) only for those attempting to open the door. Perception (13…..)(Disabling the trap: 15 or attempting to do something else) *If they decide to scale, very hard considering grease. Burning pitch that rains down along there by different sides but doable. If greased (18+ to dodge, burning with grease 2+1)  (*) Door before Silverheart is locked with no trap but a very particular key. They could try and pick the log but it would set off another trap if not looked at. (Spiked within that would hurt the person doing the lock picking (+1) (Key would disable the trap) (*) Key is held within one of the areas before that seems to be largely magnetic. It lies within the middle of the room (Perception, and try to disable the trap. If it does go off, everyone is stuck along the floor depending on how much metal they have. The key itself would be upon the ceiling. (Might be some shenanigans with rope, falling down and different ways to get to the thing. They could try to stop but risk all the metal falling down upon them. (Various swords, jagged metal pieces etc) (*) Door way up various traps of piercing arrows and flaming picture frames. (1 to 2, perception. If failed activate, can try to de-activate the traps) (think various routes and infrared punctures during the hallway. Falling axes, arrows...the works) (*) Rolling stones….or possibly rolling stones. Two on either side and one big one. Large pressure gate (Perception, can dodge. (+2 per boulder) (Nausea rays, giggle rays possibly up the stairs too? Thoughts regarding) (Trail by fire: Gargoyles that spit oil and then lanterns on the edge...filling up and causing explosive damage….various ways to find a way out. Anti Arcane shield from teleporting! ) 

[nightmareonfilmstreet]

7 Horror Reads to Chill Your Soul This Summer

It’s summertime, and word on the street is that the livin’ is easy. If you’re anything like me, summer’s arrival means that you’re hiding in the air conditioning and comfort of your home (mosquitos find me quite the tasty treat and I’m not trying to contract West Nile). Othersout there who aren’t as delicious to the carnivorous ectoparasites of the world as I am are hitting the road. They’re going to the beach, they’re camping, and they’re laying in the sun to absorb the delectable, radioactive rays of the sun. It’s the time of cold drinks, loud music, and if you’re a fiend like the rest of here at NOFS, spooky stories.

While the rest of the world tries to limit the creepy and macabre to the month of October, we live a life of perpetual petrification. When you’re at the beach or hanging out by the pool, let the other people get in and splash around like shark bait. We know that there’s nothing sweeter than a horror novel to help keep you cool and take your breath away. So, for this article, I’m going to highlight some of my favorite horror novels that are great summer reads.

So what makes a horror novel a “Great Summer Read”? Well, brevity is a plus. We don’t really want to be lugging around Stephen King’s IT or Robert McCammon’s Swan Song on our way to the beach or up a hiking trail. I struggle to carry those beasts from my bookshelf to the couch, to be honest. So, while it’s not an automatic disqualification, I tried to stay away from the 1,000 page behemoths of the horror world. I also tried to take a look at subject matter and pick titles that involve summer, summer breaks, vacations, or basically anything that can whisk you away to land of pure imagination. Basically what I’m saying to all of you is that this is a completely subjective list. I loved reading these titles either this summer or in summers past, and I think you will, too.

So, without further ado, here is my list of Great Summer Horror Reads:

  1. The Troop by Nick Cutter

    This was the first novel I read from Nick Cutter, and it hooked me for life. It follows a troop of 5 14-year-old boys as they embark on their yearly summer scout adventure on Falstaff Island, an uninhabited area not far from their home on Prince Edward Island. Their excursion is cut short when a bone-thin, obviously diseased man who tries to eat everything in sight lands on the island. Scoutmaster Tim does his best to help the man, but he is soon overtaken and the boys face a nightmare that worms its way into the group and destroys what they thought they knew about themselves.

This book is gory. It is disgusting. It is a vivid walking nightmare that is best read out in the open air, surrounded by other people. Nick Cutter has proven himself to be one of the most visual authors in the horror genre, and never is that more evident than in The Troop. He uses the remote setting and the fear of foreign beings inside your body with an insatiable appetite to create a suffocating sense of paranoia and claustrophobia. You are trapped on this small island with these boys as they fight the disease that brought the skeletal man to their shores, and you must find the survivor inside of you to make it off.

Perfect For: A long hike and camp in the wilderness. Read it by the light of your Coleman lantern. Don’t worry about the noises you hear in the darkness, they only approach when they’re hungry…

  2. The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay

    I didn’t think that a book would ever crawl inside my bones quite like Tremblay’s A Head Full of Ghosts did. I was wrong. His new novel, The Cabin at the End of the World is his most tense, terrifying book to date, which is saying a lot.

Seven-year-old Wen and her dads are vacationing at their cabin deep in the forests of New Hampshire when she is approached by a giant stranger. He seems pretty weird, and he tells her that her dads are not going to want to let him in the house, but that they have to. Then three more just like him show up. Wen runs into the cabin and her parents barricade the door. The strangers approach, and they knock. They are disciples of a god that visits them in visions, and Wen and her parents are the only people capable of ending the coming apocalypse.

This is much more than a home-invasion story. It’s s tale of survival, sacrifice, apocalypse and doom that has you guessing until the very last chapter. Not only is the fate of this loving family at risk, but the future of the entire human race may just rest on their shoulders. (Side note: The Cabin at the End of the World is the first horror novel that I have read that has a queer family at its center. I know there must be others, but this is a first for me. Well done, Paul Tremblay.)

Perfect For: Staying at that creepy lodge you booked online. You and your family should be just fine! Maybe just don’t answer the door when you hear a knock, ok?

  3. Providence by Caroline Kepne

    You may know the name Caroline Kepnes from her amazing novel You, which has been turned into a series for Lifetime that will air this fall. Her depiction of narcissist/psycopath Joe Goldberg was refreshing, funny, dark, and utterly terrifying. Providence, her third novel, follows a different path than her earlier works, but it is just as gripping and horrifying.

One morning, middle-schooler Jon Bronson is abducted from his small New Hampshire town (what is the deal with New Hampshire, you guys? I mean, is it really that spooky?). He awakens at his home four years later with no memory of his kidnapping or his captivity. Beside him is a copy of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Dunwich Horror and a letter from his abductor that tells him that he is fine, but he has an un-specified special ability. The joy that his best friend Chloe feels after his return is smashed to pieces once they find out that his “special ability” begins to threaten the lives of those he loves.

Kepnes is one of the finest authors in the world and she is a master at creating pace and tension. All three of her novels force your eyes across the page like they are tied to the front of a freight train. Providence is an exploration of not only what makes us human, but what keeps us that way.

Perfect For: Sitting on the back porch with a sweet tea and plenty of sunshine. Be sure to pack sunscreen for the rays and extra Kleenex for the nosebleeds that will splatter the page.

  4. Some Will Not Sleep by Adam Nevill

    A bestial face appears at windows in the night. In the big white house on the hill, angels are said to appear. A forgotten tenant in an isolated building becomes addicted to milk. A strange goddess is worshipped by a home-invading disciple. The least remembered gods still haunt the oldest forests. Cannibalism occurs in high society at the end of the world. The sainted undead follow their prophet to the Great Dead Sea. A confused and vengeful presence occupies the home of a first-time buyer . . .

If you have read any of my articles, then you know how much I love Adam Nevill and his terrifying tales. I was able to interview him last year (check it out HERE), and that piece remains the highlight of my journalistic career. Most of you may know him as the author of The Ritual and Last Days, but I fell like his work that is most like a “Great Summer Read” is his collection of short stories, Some Will Not Sleep.

While the book itself has some girth, it is conveniently sectioned into several perfectly crafted short tales of the horrifying and disturbing. These stories, according to Nevill on his website, were written and published between 1995 and 2011, and they reflect fears that are often the author’s own. About the title of the book, I can’t explain it better than the Master himself:

Some within it do not sleep, some who read it may not sleep, and he who wrote it often doesn’t sleep.

Perfect For: Reading in the car on the way to your destination. That way, the nightmares hopefully won’t be able to find you as you travel down the road.

  5. Rabbit in Red: The Complete Series by Joe Chianakas

    (Disclaimer: Joe is a local author that I have had the pleasure of working with in the past through my job. The inclusion of his series was neither asked for nor was it paid for… Joe… come on, man. GIVE ME SOME MONEY, BRO!)

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory was designed, created and run by Rob Zombie? Well, wonder no more! This series of books (the first of which was selected to be included in a 2016 Horror Block and sent out to tens-of-thousands of subscribers), compiled together in one volume, follows a group of teens as they spend their summer vacation competing for an internship under the reclusive owner of a horror film company.

They compete in VR challenges that mirror some of the most iconic scenes in horror film history and intense trivia that will leave even the most knowledgable horror hounds scratching their heads. This series of books is a quick read that will keep you up at night as the kids win their internships and enter the dark web of their beneficiary. It is a love letter to the horror genre and, as it did with me, it will make you fall in love with the genre all over again.

Perfect For: Handing out to your teenage niece or nephew when they visit for the week. They have annoyed you enough with the youth-words that they use, so it will feel really good to keep them up at night.

  6. Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror by Steve Alten

    You didn’t think I would put out a list like this and not include a shark book? You know nothing about me! Instead of going with the classic Jaws by Peter Benchley (which, to be honest, I really do not care for), I decided to opt for the book that started the series that the next great shark movie, The Meg, is based on.

Jonas Taylor is a deep sea diver working with the United States Navy. He spots a Megalodon while on a top-secret mission in the Mariana Trench. No body believes him, of course, because the Megalodon is supposed to have been extinct for millions of years. To prove them wrong, Jonas becomes a paleontologist (as one does) and attempts to find the beast again. His wish is granted when he returns to the Trench, only this time, one of the beasts follows him back up to the surface.

Chaos ensues. People are gobbled up like Tic Tacs and there’s only one man in the world that can stop it. JASON MOTHERF**KING STATH… oh, sorry… JONAS TAYLOR!

It’s ridiculous in all the right ways. It is a 50’s monster movie come to life with thrills, chills, blood and awesome one-liners.

Perfect For: Enjoying the bay while laying on one of those giant inflatable pool floats that look like a swan. You know the ones! Take a deep breath, relax, and hope that there’s nothing watching you from beneath the waves.

  7. Malevolents: ‘Click Click’ by Thom Burgess and Joe Becci

    I must say that I am a novice in the realm of horror comics. I know that there are a lot of them out there, but I’ve just never gotten into that style of horror literature. I can gladly say that Malevolents: ‘Click Click’ has opened my eyes to a whole new world of terror.

This incredible comic book from award winning writer Thom Burgess follows four school friends who dare one another to spend the night in one of Britain’s most haunted houses. They bring along with them an Ouija Board (what could go wrong), and tell each other the story of the ghost that lives in the walls and wants to take your tongue from your mouth.

I include it in this list because it is short (only 32 pages or so), it’s horrifying, and it transports you to a different place and time. If you’re stuck at home due to work or insufficient funds, Malevolents will take you on a trip that you will never forget.

Perfect For: Reading by flashlight after a summer storm has knocked out your power. If you don’t look at the shadows crawling out of the walls, they won’t come after you… I promise. ‘Click’

So, there you have it! Whether you’re out and about this summer or hanging out in the house like me, here are 7 horror reads that will chill your bones and keep you cool as the temperature rises. Do yourself a favor and pick these titles up today! While you’re at it, join our Facebook group, Horror Fiends of Nightmare on Film Street, and let us know what you think.

  The post 7 Horror Reads to Chill Your Soul This Summer appeared first on Nightmare on Film Street - Horror Movie Podcast, News and Reviews.

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[kitanoko]

Ok so different anon, but "Todoroki and Izuku team up to try and help each other woo their crushes, the only issue is they have no idea what they're doing." WAS AMAZING WOULD YOU DO A ROUND TWO? The way your write todomomo makes me cri >

PART ONE IS HERE

Hello, its been awhile since I posted a hc and I did wanna do a part 2 for this. @negumiandtodomomo​ you asked for a festival-themed one so here it is (this isn’t related to the drama cd but oh wells)! im so sorry again my inbox is pretty full, i haven’t gotten to all the asks

I really like these two pairs together though hewhew. Most festivals in Japan happen in the summer but there are lantern festivals in Autumn in some parts of Japan :) I also sneakily added a scene related to my Tangled Au 

They’re wearing the same outfits as in this HC about another festival

Click read more below!

-the night of the disastrous horror movie meetup, Midoriya squirmed in his bed and couldn’t fall asleep. He texted Todoroki, clearly stating that he wanted to redeem himself in front of Uraraka. Todo obviously agreed; he embarassed himself in front of Momo just as much. But what should they do?

-the next day at school, they began their secret discussion. ”I say we go to the library and study. Yaoyorozu likes reading.” Todoroki suggested, and his friend facepalmed. “Isn’t the library a little bit too boring? I don’t think Uraraka-san would enjoy that.” 

-Then Midoriya’s eyes lit up. “Its the Lantern Festival this Saturday!” Todoroki knew what he meant and so at lunch, they asked their crushes individually.

-”Yaoyorozu, do you want to go to the Lantern Festival this Saturday?” Todo asked, and she looked up at him from her bento, curiously. “Just us two?” She questioned and he quickly denied it. “No, of course not, with Midoriya too, and probably Uraraka.” Todoroki recalled the time they went to the Ennichi Festival together, unplanned, and added, “we’ll have fun. Just like last time.” She toyed with the neatly folded napkin on her lap and accepted.

-Over on Midoriya’s side, he’s sitting underneath the canopy of a tree with Uraraka and Iida. He wondered how he’ll ask Uraraka without getting Iida involved. Not that he didn’t like Iida. It’s just that double dates don’t work with extra people. 

-”Is something on your mind, Midoriya-kun?” Iida said and picked up a piece of carrot. Midoriya gulped. “Actually…Uraraka-san…about the Festival this Saturday….” His face is already red, what the heck deku control urself. “wouldyouliketocomewithme” The words sewn together, exiting his mouth like a bullet fired point blank and Uraraka, chewing on her plain onigiri, bursted out cheerfully with a ‘yes’. Iida figured what was going on, and noted that he had to visit his brother in the hospital and so Midoriya needn’t ask him. 

-Saturday. Todoroki and Midoriya met up with the girls at the entrance of the festival. The boys both wore a navy blue yukata with a thick tasuki rope wrapped around their sleeves and back. 

-The girls came a minute or two after and Midoriya almost melted at the sight of Uraraka? 

-The bubbly Uravity heroine wore a blossom pink kimono, magenta coloured obi on her waist, and she had her hair up into a low bun. Momo on the other hand, wore a powder blue kimono with a matching obi, and her hair was in a chignon.

-Midoriya stuttered a bit but gathered enough courage to say “Uraraka-san, you’re very cute today. Well…well..that is everyday…but right now especially!” Uraraka was so happy, she was grinning from ear to ear and playfully punched Midoriya on the arm, “you look so cool as well! I really like the tasuki!” 

-Midoriya saw Todoroki not moving an inch and so he goes “Todoroki-kun, don’t they look nice?” He’s hinting so hard but does the thick-headed Todo get it?

- Todoroki straight up walked in front of her Momo and went “Yaoyorozu, I like you–” he somehow paused and the other three almost had a heart attack?! Midoriya wasn’t expecting him to be THAT direct right in the beginning of their hangout! 

-Until Todo finished his comment with “ — in a kimono.” Momo wasn’t ready regardless and couldn’t even look at Todo’s nonchalant expression. Uraraka puffed out a laugh. 

-Their first stop was the nijuuyaki stand because Uraraka and Momo were dessert enthusiasts. Albeit, Momo’s usual lady-like manner, she did not hesitate to swallow down a nijuuyaki in merely two bites. The red bean filling was too good to resist! Uraraka finished hers just as quick and Midoriya offered his second one to her. “Are you sure Deku-kun?” “Ya of course! I can always get more later.”

-Todo saw some of the red bean filling pour over the back of Momo’s hand and he grabbed her hand and wiped it away with the sleeve of his yukata.

-”Todoroki-san, your sleeve…it’s dirty now!” He shrugged. “I’ll wash it later.”

-Momo didn’t say it but his hand felt really warm 

-They go to the shooting range after. Though the boys turned semi-competitive in front of their crushes? Todo and Mido went to play first and they were getting so worked up over who shot more of the balloons dangling on the other side. 

-“Midoriya, I’m going to get the left column in one go.” “Not if I get it first!” 

-The other two boys playing beside them had nothing else to shoot because Todo and Mido went crazy over it.

-”Gees… UA kids.” Todoroki heard the other two boys mumble before leaving.

-Momo paid to play against Todo after and she just snipes all of them without hesitation. Todoroki pursed his lips and reminded himself to never go to the shooting range again; he successfully shot one balloon down when playing with Momo and that was only ‘cas she did a ‘mistake’ and shot off half of it already. Par for the course of Class A’s weapons specialist. “Mr.Sniper trained me for a bit actually,” she said humbly, and Todoroki mentally noted down another fact on the list of things he should recognize Momo for. 

-While that was happening, Uraraka dragged Mido to the goldfish scooping stand. Uraraka wanted to save money and so she told Midoriya she’ll watch him only. After lots of convincing from Midoriya, he paid for her and Uraraka actually really liked goldfish! 

-”GET THAT ONE HURRY, IT’S SWIMMING AWAY!” “OH…….I GOT IT!” Uraraka found herself pressed firmly against his arm, screaming and shouting in amusement, and when they both locked gazes, she flinched back. Midoriya hooked his arm at the back of his neck and tilted his head away. “We should…get back to the others!” Uraraka blurted, feeling herself stiffen, face flushed.

-Momo pointed at both of the goldfish that they chose to bring home in little plastic baggies and giggled. “The one that Uraraka-san has is green and the one that Midoriya-san has is brown….just like both of your hair colours! Matching fish, how adorable!!!” 

-Uraraka didn’t even notice until now? “Yaoyorozu-san, please!!!!” Midoriya quickly protested but Momo was enjoying it too much

-It was time for the lantern releasing ceremony at the river. The four bought two lanterns to release together. Todoroki put a hand around her shoulders, making sure Momo wouldn’t be lost in the crowd when the four headed down to the water and Midoriya finally got his chance to tease her back.

-”Yaoyorozu-san, both of you …standing so close…and are wearing blue too? How matching…” 

-Midoriya meant it in a lighthearted way but Todoroki was not impressed; he tightened his grip on her nonetheless

-Momo seemed especially bright after the comment though? 

-Everyone had their lanterns ready and when they counted down to zero, all the lights encompassed within the feather-light paper floated high high above and all around them. 

-The reflection on the river was like stars hovering over the water; ethereal. 

-the light bouncing off of Uraraka’s glowing face as she flashed her teeth in a winsome grin illuminated her joy and Midoriya was glad for once that the ‘date’ went well.

-Momo could feel Todoroki’s body heat as they stepped closer beside each other, heads lifted to admire the speckles of wanderlust in forms of small paper lanterns. His emerald eye catching gleam of the scene in front of them.

-”Are you cold at all, Yaoyorozu?” Todoroki asked her suddenly in a low voice, and she shook her head. He released his hand on her shoulder long ago but she could still feel his warmth idle on her skin. 

-She wandered as the crowd began to dissipate, if this could be an annual thing for them.

~~

note: tasuki is a piece of rope or cloth that are used to hold up their sleeves on yukatas. When worn it looks like this! I personally really like seeing guys using tasuki for their yukatas 

nijuuyaki is sorta like dorayaki but it isn’t pancakes on the outside and looks like this!

Hope u guys enjoyed this XD! 

[81scorp]

Constructive criticism: DCEU in general

(Originally posted on Deviantart Mar 23, 2018. Has been edited a few times)

I am a big DC fan. When I was little and couldn`t even read, Superman was the first comicbook superhero I was introduced to. The second one was the Hulk.I am however not one of those DC fans who completely ignore the flaws of the DCEU movies. I have studied dramaturgy and I have seen several educational videos on youtube on how to make movies competently.The DCEU movies have two problems. One is the vision of Zack Snyder who who has to make every heroic character into a damaged, dark and depressed antihero who is reluctant to help others. Snyder has however left the DCEU, partly because of a family tragedy but also because he was fired. (I want you to know that in this case I separate the art from the artist. From what I`ve heard Snyder is a nice guy, he has my sympathies.) So with Snyder gone the DCEU technically only has one problem left, and in this case the problem lies with Warner Bros: The movies are too rushed. WB are too concerned with catching up to Marvel than to take their time and tell a good story. If they had taken their time and planned things out beforehand they could have made it much better. It also helps that Marvel, who understand their comics more, have their own studio. If I could run so fast that I could screw the laws of physics, travel backwards in time and change these movies, this is what I would have done.

2013: Man of Steel Make a few changes, like Pa Kent not telling little Clark that maybe he should`ve let those kids in in the bus die. (Yes, I know, he didn`t say it directly, but it was in the subtext.) I`ve gone into more detail about it in my constructive criticism of Man of Steel.

2014: Wonder Woman Yes, it has a few flaws, but I`m not gonna change a thing... with one exception. That scene where Diana gets a package from Bruce with the photo of her and Steve Trevor. Remove it from this film and put it as a mid-credit scene in Batman v Superman. (I mean, in this hypothetical Flashpoint universe WW comes out before BvS, so it works) 2015: Green Lantern Parallax is not the villain, but Sinestro. See my constructive criticism of it. 2015: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Remove and change all the stupid stuff. (Once again, I`ve gone into more details about this movie`s shortcomings in a previous constructive criticism.) Here`s one thing I would like to add though: Amanda Waller has a cameo in this movie. (She could be one of the people in the interview montage that gives their two cents about Superman and how he affects our world.) And after Batman v Superman I would have made two solo movies, one for the Flash and one for Aquaman (not necessarily in that order) to properly flesh out and develop their characters before Justice League. That way, there`ll be enough room for Cyborg and Steppenwolf to get sufficient character developement.

2016: The Flash In this version Barry is not Sheldon Cooper-ish. Plot Barry`s mom was killed when he was a kid and his dad was framed for the murder. Barry grows up and studies to become a crime scene investigator. He is friends with journalist Iris West. (They are not a romantic couple... yet.) Meanwhile: Somewhere else, a guy named Mark Mardon is being tested as a human guinea pig by some unknown man who`s face we don`t get to see. The tests on Mardon finally give results: He developes superpowers, more specifically: weather manipulation powers. To test his powers he creates a thundercloud. Meanwhile: Barry Allen is ready to go home after a hard work day. He`s about to shut the window when he gets hit by lightning and thrown into a case full of rare chemicals that the police have confiscated from a gang of criminals. He wakes up the next day at the hospital. Later he discovers that he has become superfast, but he also realizes that it is not ordinary superspeed. If it was, his clothes would burn up from the air friction, so it`s something more than just superspeed. He does an act of heroism, while hiding his face by wearing a red hoodie jacket, and realizes that he could become a superhero. (He`s also inspired by Superman who gets mentioned on the news.) Speaking of the news: Amanda Waller gets interviewed on TV, she mentions that a special jail has been built that`s strong enough to hold superpowered individuals. She thinks that it`s a necessity after the destruction of Metropolis. He studies hard with the forensic science stuff while making his Superherocostume from scratch. Mark Mardon goes around and steals hi-tech devices and chemicals, things that are sciency in general. Turns out the confiscated, rare chemicals that, combined with lightning, turned Barry into a Superspeedster are some of the chemicals that are needed to make the drug that triggered Mardon`s latent superpowers. Mardon steals the science stuff because of a quid pro quo thing: The unknown scientist gave him powers so that he could lash back at society (He`s a jerk with a crappy childhood) and in return, he uses his powers to help the scientist do more illegal science stuff. Barry fights Mardon and wins. Mardon gets taken to the special jail by Amanda Waller`s goverment guys. Barry visits his dad in jail to tell him that he`s passed the test and is now a licensed forensic scientist. Iris figures out Flash`s secret identity but keeps her discovery a secret. (This could be revisited in a possible sequel.) Mardon also gets visited in jail. We never see the face of his visitor but we see that he`s... wearing a yellow version of the Flash`s costume? And... he seems to be vibrating, and his voice is vibrating too. The man tells Mardon that he`s willing to give him a second chance, not yet though, maybe in the future. But if Mardon screws up a second time there will be no more second chances... ever. Mardon gulps and understands. Pre-credit epilogue or mid-credit scene: Barry is out late at night running as the flash and runs into Superman who asks him if he wants to join his team. Barry`s answer is a mischievous smile. 2016: Aquaman I`m gonna borrow a little from Lion King on this one. Plot It begins with a mother telling a bedtime story to her son about the atlantean kingdom. How the Princess of Atlantis got married to a man that turned out to be cruel and when the princess realized that she ran away and left the kingdom. One day she would return, save her people and end the evil man`s tyrrany. The mother and her son both suffer from a condition: they need to rehydrate a little more often than normal people (either by drinking an extra glass of water or take a bath/shower) or else they`ll get weak. The mother needs to rehydrate every sixth hour, her son every eighth hour. The mother`s name is Atlanna, she`s married to a lighthouse keeper named Tom Curry and her son is named Arthur. Atlanna has a nickname for her son: Orin, which is the Atlantean version of "Arthur". When Arthur gets older his mom disappears for a few months every year but always comes back. As time goes by Arthur starts to discover that he has powers: He can breathe underwater, control underwater creatures and developes superhuman strength and stamina. One day Atlanna disappears and doesn`t come back. Arthur suspects that his mother`s stories are true and his father confirms that they are indeed true and tells him about his first meeting with Atlanna, how he found her washed up on the shore. Arthur and his dad say their goodbyes and he starts to look for his mom and the city of Atlantis. After some searching he finally finds Atlantis, meets the resistance who are trying to overthrow Orm Marius aka: the Ocean Master. Ocean Master has a henchman: King Shark. He meets Mera, a leader of the resistance, finds out that he has to go on a quest to find "the trident of Atlan". After going though lots of troubles he and Mera finds the place where the trident is hidden and he is reunited with his mother. Atlanna has been wounded (it happened years ago), she can still move around and give orders but she can`t engage in most kinds of strenuous activities, like close combat. She`s sorry for leaving Arthur but she couldn`t just stay with him and his father knowing that her people were suffering. Arthur understands. He tries and succeeds in getting the trident from the giant sea monster that guards after it has deemed him worthy. In the end the resistance is victorious, Ocean Master is defeated and believed to be dead, Atlanna abdicates and is reunited with Thomas Curry. Arthur is crowned the next king of Atlantis. One day he visits his parents to tell them how things are going. As Arthur and his parents have their reunion a woman comes walking, It`s Wonder woman in civilian clothing. She tells Arthur that her people and his people were once allies thousands of years ago. She wonders if he`s interested in rekindling that alliance. Arthur finds her proposal intriguing. ( I changed my version a few months after I had seen the movie to be more similar to James Wan`s version.) (And yes, I`m aware that I`m following the Marvel formula with these two examples, but what Marvel is doing is working.) 2017: Justice League See my constructive criticism of it.

2017: Suicide Squad See my constructive criticism of it. And after that... 2018: Solo Batman movie Batman fights crime with his old partner Dick Grayson who calls himself Nightwing now. Barbara has been struggling to walk again for years. Catwoman appears in a few scenes. The movie`s villain could be... I dunno... Clayface? Mid-credit scene: Barbara learns to walk again. It is strongly hinted that she`s gonna batsuit up in a future movie. 2018: Man of Steel sequel Superman meets Supergirl and fights Brainiac. Detective John Jones can be introduced in this one.Followed by...

2019: Batgirl and Supergirl: World`s Finest Batgirl and Supergirl team up to fight a threat and become friends. John Jones is revealed to be Martian Manhunter.

2019: Wonder woman sequel It would take place in modern time, chronologically after the first Justice league or the Batgirl and Supergirl movie. Maybe Circe could be the villain?

2019: Shazam! Just do the David F. Sandberg version with Zachary Levi. It was pretty good. 2020: Justice League 2 Justice League fights Legion of Doom.

2020: Solo Cyborg movie

Green Lantern Sequel Hal recruits Jon Stewart to help him keep the peace in sector 2814.

The Flash Sequel

Aquaman sequel

(doesn`t necessarily have to be in that order), and after that...

New gods The story of New Genesis and Apokolips. Of how "Scott Free" grows up in the hell that is Apokolips and manages to escape with the help of Orion and his former enemy turned ally Big Barda. In the end he manages to escape to Earth where he meets the Justice League. Man of Steel 3: Doomsday Superman fights Doomsday and dies. Followed by...

Justice League 3 Remember the opening to Justice League with the two kids interviewing Supes for their podcast? I would save that scene for the beginning of this movie instead. It would be followed by a montage of people trying to get on with their lives, people leaving flowers at a memorial dedicated to Superman, and Lois, Supergirl and Batman still mourning. All this to a sad cover of "Running up that hill". Earth is invaded by Apokolips and Superman is back from the dead... as a servant of Darkseid. Flash/Wonder Woman/Supergirl tries to snap him out of it, telling him he`s not a weapon. Supes snaps out of it and fights Darkseid. Apokolips retreats, Earth is saved once again. Hooray! And that`s how I would do it. The sad thing is, DC has done this shared universe thing before and done it well: the Arrowverse and the DC Animated Universe. I used to wonder if Marvel was ever gonna get a good movie made. Now I wonder if DC is ever gonna get a good movie again. WB, please make better DC films.