#steve saga meta

[illusion-reality-steve]

Update

I know it's hard to tell when all my posts are scheduled, but I was so busy for the past few weeks. So busy that I haven't had a chance to look at this blog and all the Steve-related tags I follow.

I finally had time to check the tags last weekend, and I'm blown away by how active they are. For a long time, it was only @incorrectstevesagaquotes and a few other people who posted Steves on Tumblr. Seeing all this activity now is beyond cool!

I am so proud of the Steve community here. There is art, discussion, memes, and just so much passion going on here. Not only are we still keeping discussions of Sabre's SCU alive, but we're also talking about Steve stories created by other people, and we're still being creative and excited about the Steve Saga, the series that started this fandom! Tumblr is one of the few platforms where lesser-known fandoms can thrive, so I'm glad we're doing exactly that.

I'm gonna try reblogging these amazing posts I find in the Steve tags! As an experiment, I'll start having Steve reblogs scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays, which would expand my usual schedule from 3 posts a week to 5 posts a week!

I'd also like to bring @incorrectstevesagaquotes back. There are a lot of submitted incorrect quotes and a lot of art in the Steve tags that I'd like to show. I'd like to make @incorrectstevesagaquotes into a place where people can discover all the Steve Saga fans on this site. Hopefully I'll have time to queue those posts soon!

[shackleton2]

The other day/always, people were talking about Steve's terrible ending and how Endgame could have gone differently and betrayed that character arc less, and I was inspired to jot down my pitch.

So here's my Unwritten Engdame Fix-It AU:

Steve was the one who had to return the Stones.

“You cannot return something from disorder to order,” said the Ancient One. “Not without paying a price.” “And who collects it?” Steve asked. “As fate would have it, someone you have met before.”

[Steve and the Red Skull encounter on Vormir, final resolution between two main cap characters, and he trades his Cap self for Natasha or at least her soul getting to rest in peace]

Steve swallowed, fidgeting with his now-too-big suit. There was a cotton-wool feeling in his windpipe. It was a very familiar feeling and he knew how it went from here. Sam would probably know where to find an inhaler. “Bucky’s gonna kill me,” he muttered, and pressed the time GPS.

Sam and Hulk-Banner started getting all nervous about Steve not showing back up at the jump spot. Bucky just got heavier and heavier with each passing second. They were only panicking because it hadn’t occurred to them yet. What he had already figured out.

Steve wasn’t coming back. Steve was done, he’d finally paid enough dues to satisfy even him, and he was going to stay where he wanted to be, where his home was, which was in the past, with Peggy. It sure as hell wasn’t in the unfamiliar modern world with a funhouse-mirror nightmare version of his old buddy. It made perfect sense, and Bucky would be a selfish piece of shit for feeling anything but happy for Steve.

Which, apparently, he was. He’d just drawn in a deep resigned breath to interrupt Wilson and Banner’s worrying when a big flash popped right back where it was supposed to be, and there stood

—

—Bucky’s brain shorted out. Then it processed that Steve wasn’t getting air and violently rebooted. “Asthma.” When Sam responded with nothing but the gooniest look of utter incomprehension Bucky had ever seen, he elaborated loudly. “ASTHMA. Medicine. Right fucking now.” “Inhaler,,” responded the medic in Sam’s head as the rest of him stared in disbelief at tiny 5’4” Steve Rogers. Then he managed to snap his head up and around. “Medkit. Bruce—”

“I—I think I got one, I try to stock a range of stuff, you never know how somebody’s gonna come back,” Bruce rambled, shell-shocked, as he handed the oversized first aid box over. Sam rifled through it and snatched a small rescue inhaler in a matter of moments.

“Here,” he pressed it over to Steve, then froze. “Wait, are you— are you our Steve? Are you, like, fresh from the 40s, or—?” Steve snatched the inhaler, managing an impressive withering glare for someone who’s lips were turning blue. “It’s me,” he rasped grouchily a minute later, between coughs. Bucky was spinning out so far he’d left orbit by now. “The Stones….to fix the timelines properly….there was a price…”

[idiosyncraticrednebula]

I don't pay attention to MCU anymore, and honestly, I only really like certain aspects of it in retrospect, such as the Steve Rogers's stuff. I think about how outrageously wrong the writers were for writing him having sex before marriage (fornication). First of all, considering the character and values Steve had throughout the entire Infitnity Saga prior to Endgame, it comes off as widely out-of-character for him to having done that before. I'm (not) sorry, but Steve has a massive "I'll have her home by 8, sir. Don't worry." energy to him that I highly doubt he would've even been comfortable with the idea of sex outside of marriage. Steve is a correct type of man, and he'd very probably see it as disrespectful to her for him to do that. He's the type to stop before they go any further, actually, because he feels and knows it's not right. You have to add the fact that he was very probably raised as a Catholic. I don't care how you headcanon him and how much times have changed, Steve is a "by-the-book" kind of guy when it came to that and other things. Was he perfect? Of course not, but I'm (not) sorry, he would've waited until marriage. This isn't even just a baseless headcanon given how it's pretty in-character for him.

[shares-a-vest]

can i ask where you get your inspo for your joanie munson series? i want to write more fics for emma but i dont really have, to put it lightly, good childhood memories or experiences so im not really sure how to make them realistic or "cute"

Hi CJ! Thank you so much for the ask and for supporting my little Joanie Munson AU. I LOVE seeing you pop up in my notifications when I write about her 💖 Tbh, I’m a little like squeeee someone is asking about my writing, right now!

Okay, before I delve into some rambling about my Joanie Munson AU, I just want to give a shout-out to everyone for getting through childhood crappiness, whatever it may be. Sending you all (and you, CJ) the biggest hugs.

Sooooo I don’t actually draw inspo from real-life experiences. Nothing that happened with Joanie happened to me and a lot of this AU is driven by me wanting to give Steve and Eddie a loving little family that is all cute and silly and filled with love.

The only thing miiiight come from real life is the fact that most fics are set at Steddie’s apartment or someone’s home. As a kid, my family were pretty housebound because I was sick and even now my life circumstances have me living in a bit of a small bubble – it’s all good btw, but I’m just trying not to give details, so apologies if this part reads a little too vague!

With only a couple of exceptions, most of this AU has developed via community events/prompts.

Right now, I’m working my way through each of the Flufftober Spring Prompts. I try to treat this AU as I would any other prompts – just starting with a super basic idea, maybe even a line of dialogue that gets in my head and seeing where it goes.

For example, the ‘Daisies’ prompt. I knew I wanted Joanie to be making daisy chains with Claudia. Then I thought it could include Wayne, then I wrote from his perspective, then added this silly side Steddie moment. And I always keep in mind how I have this AU set up (even if a lot of those ideas are just sloshing around in my head for now).

Like, Joanie’s grandparent figures are Claudia and Wayne, so what’s her relationship/dynamic like with them? How does Joanie’s personality shape the ficlet too? How is she like Steve and/or Eddie personality-wise in this situation? What parts of her are just your average excitable kid?

I know that overall, I want to keep this AU fluffy and silly. It sometimes falls into angst territory when I start writing about Steve’s parents but I can never bear to leave my Blorbo sad for too long.

Tbh, some comments/tags on my Flufftober Spring writing have me thinking about the meta aspects of this AU in ways I hadn’t before. It’s not like I pre-planned writing a Steddie Dads AU btw, I just fell into it after one ficlet and started to build it out from there. And even things I find myself writing about then sort of become an ongoing thing – if that makes sense. Like Joanie owning a Furby and the silly saga of that has appeared three times now.

The comment on THIS ficlet perfectly sums up an underlying… theme??? I guess, in this AU (Steddie healing their inner child, which BRB SOBBING 😭). Another tag by @marvel-ous-m on this one beautifully described this AU as ‘slices of life’ which it very much is, and I enjoy sticking to that. I guess what I’m getting at with all this is using your own parameters and the interior world of your Emmaverse AU to your advantage.

Gosh I hope this reads okay and isn't too rambling!! I love your Emmaverse and can't wait to read more of it.

Feel free to reply, send more asks or DM (if you want, no pressure of course!) I hope this was helpful in some way 💖😊

[nikrei]

Just finished with Saga of the Swamp Thing #50 (which goes a little bit past crisis on infinite earths to finish up the storyline it starts in and around it) and oh man do I have some thoughts about the whole set up and how it reflects the changing meta of DC at the time.

Basically the whole storyline is that a great evil is coming to the world, the darkest source of all evil, and it is being led to the gates of heaven to destroy it and god (and its 1985-86 so this is a v v bad thing) and John Constantine (for whom this is the conclusion of his inaugural arc) is gathering a team of all the magic folk (and Steve Dayton) in the world to prevent it, and when that doesn't work, to stop it.

So we have this newly born great evil, as innocent as that sort of thing can be, and it first squares up with Etrigan (I say squares up but Etrigan is a gnat to this thing) and we get this interaction:

(Get wrecked Etrigan)

Then its Dr Fate's turn!

Then it's the fuckin Spectre's turn, everyone's last hope against this guy (as the floating lightball angels are just throw themselves against it to die)

And while every being there is freaking the fuck out we've got Swamp Thing, wandering on in to have a chitchat (love this for him)

And then the great evil clasps hands with god and a sort of morality ecosystem is developed, ending with this page:

And really its this ending page that's so so interesting to me, this idea that the rigid dichotomy of morality of the pre-crisis comics is going to change going forward- the heroes of that simplified past were the ones that were curbstomped while more complicated thinking is what carries the day!

And the fact that they wrote it so clearly into the universe, like there had to be a watsonian reason that the comics are getting darker and grittier not just the doylist "this is the direction that editorial is taking us" is v fun to me.

[incorrectstevesagaquotes]

Illusion Steve, singing: When I think about my worries and I think about my strife, here’s what I simply say

Illusion Steve: AAAAAAAHHHHHH

[thecomicsnexus]

DARK DAYS: THE FORGE / THE CASTING AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2017 BY SCOTT SNYDER, JAMES TYNION IV, JIM LEE, ANDY KUBERT, JOHN ROMITA JR, SCOTT WILLIAMS, KLAUS JANSON, DANNY MIKI, ALEX SINCLAIR, JEREMIAH SKIPPER AND STEVE WANDS

Throughout his years, Batman has encountered a strange metal with many different applications. In his search to find the power behind it, he may unleash something into our Universe that will destroy it.

SCORE: 6

Don’t get me wrong... I think the concepts in this story are amazingly put together... it almost feels like a Jack Kirby meets Geoff Johns story.

But the amount of exposition is just too much for a reader. Two full (extra length) issues filled with expositions... sometimes by people who... would probably not give them, like the Joker.

I read this story when it came out, and because I stopped reading comics around the time Bendis and King were ruining everything... I kind of forgot what everything leading to the latest “metal” story was all about. So here I am, trying to make sense of things, and I think it is too much to take in.

Perhaps the most interesting bit of information is that the “meta” in metahumans was meant to be metal (but they only had a 4 character string to work with). Also Signal is a meta, something I completely forgot.

Joker and Batman’s past with Dionesium I remembered well (because I actually enjoyed the whole “Heavy”/”Endgame” saga).

I do remember where the story is going, though, so I wasn’t completely lost... if anything... I was probably more lost when I read this the first time around.

But this is also extending Grant Morrison’s lore around Barbatos and the early tribes of men. It’s nice that someone is trying to enrich the past of the DCU, but when these things happen, you have to wonder when someone will make a continuity error and invalidate half of it.

I certainly didn’t remember that the Outsiders were already reintroduced here...

Art wise... there are some John Romita Jr pages in both these issues... but the rest looks very good :p

[overclocksaa]

anon / I was re-reading Demon in a Bottle, I realised Tony was very dependent on Bethany when it came to sobriety. I know it isn’t the most accurate representation of alcoholism .. but why do you think Tony could maintain his sobriety for long after the second drinking arc as opposed to Demon in a bottle? Is it because he was dependent on Beth and wasn’t fully willing to sober up? Your metas are the best! 

sldfjsd thank you, anon, i just have an unhealthy ability to recall when it comes to specific panels and arcs, especially in iron man vol. 1.

so like...firstly, i wanna say that overall, relapses happen, and tony having a relapse early on after realizing he does, in fact, have a drinking problem isn’t necessarily like...unrealistic or unexpected?  especially when that relapse centers around his life literally falling completely apart around him - what with the whole indries moomji and stane thing going on which basically triggered the whole thing, like.  i just recently reread (like this past week) the entire indries saga and fucking ouch.  she did the verbal equivalent of ripping his heart out and grinding her heel down on it and then using it to put out her cigarette when she was done.

tony’s sensitive, we all know this (or we all should by now i like pointing that out).  him taking it super badly is not, in fact, unexpected.

also i’m gonna say that i think him leaning so heavily on bethany and then trying to go it alone without other help wasn’t necessarily a great move on his part?  considering right after this the whole thing with bethany’s husband pops up and she’s in and out of the picture off and on for a long span of time (she finally fully comes back into the picture when tony’s gotten himself sober and has moved out of new york to california on the cusp of getting his money back - you know that whole thing with her and whitney having swapped bodies and everything).  like she had her own shit to be getting on with, with all of that, she had to figure out what to do about her husband being alive (which she was working on before he died) and it was just...a lot going on at once and honestly tony did pretty good up until the indries thing.

but with that it got really bad, and more people got involved, you know?  rhodey was involved, he tried to get tony off the street and somewhere safe (his mom’s) and tony ran for it.  and steve tried to get through to him, with the whole when you’re ready to talk i’m ready to listen thing and then bridal carrying him out of a burning building.  hell, even deadpool tried,  deadpool.  too bad tony literally doesn’t remember that, like...i don’t think overall it would change his ultimate opinion of wade but it would show certain things about wade in a new light, maybe.  point is, and it’s pointed out a lot during this time period and later (during tony’s soberversary story) that tony relapsed and stayed drunk and didn’t fight what was happening to him too hard because, well, for one, he was tired.  he says in basically no uncertain terms that he was ready to die, he wanted to die, and his drinking was a slow way to kill himself (and it would have, if he had kept going for sure).  like if you really pick at his sobervesary story you see that he’d been dealing with what is basically suicidal ideation and his untreated depression for a long time and he was just...very tired.

tony is very clear about being frank on the fact that he didn’t want help, and that’s why he did what he did.  that’s the way he sees it, and like...we all know addiction is more complicated than that but in the end it’s tony’s opinion and how tony feels about it that matters most of all so if that’s how he felt about it, then that’s how he felt about it.

but once we get into the second dawn of recovery, there are a lot of differences between bethany confronting him about his drinking and telling tony about her husband and how tony approaches it the second go around.  basically, the lesson here is that you have to ultimately do it for you.  not someone else.  like he has his first real realization this second time with gretl’s baby and trying to keep him alive through a blizzard, the realization that - as tony sees it - he’s been about to throw his life away.  then, while he’s in the hospital, not only does rhodey tear out like a bat out of hell to get to tony and make sure he’s okay when he finds out where he is, henry hellrung visits him, too.  henry’s important in this story not only because he was the actor who portrayed tony on the avengers tv show and he and tony are the doublemint twins, but because henry is also an alcoholic and by this point has turned his life around, gotten sober, and reaches out to help tony.  henry’s tony’s aa sponsor, after all, you know, that tells you where henry stands in that hierarchy with tony’s sobriety.  it’s henry tony goes to when he needs to talk about certain things, not steve, not rhodey, not pepper, not carol, not anyone else, because they have a bond in that way (even if you ignore the rumors that when they were both drinking they had a fling). 

anyway, to not put too fine a point on it, i think the reason the second attempt stuck so well is because one, tony was ready to help himself.  for himself, not for someone else.  it’s a healthy growth on his part?  like tony doesn’t give much a shit about himself overall for anything but this is one instance where for a moment he actually set a boundary.  two, it’s different, in the sense that henry has firsthand experience as an alcoholic himself, so there’s a different kind of understanding there, i think.  kind of like tony and carol later on.  and three, tony didn’t try to do it cold turkey alone, he started attending aa which has actually had a huge impact on his life and how he views his sobriety.  he jokes about it like it’s an exclusive club, that they have some membership requirements, but instead of being around supportive friends that couldn’t relate to his frame of mind (which i’m glad tony has those supportive friends, it’s good that he does, it’s good that he has people like rhodey and pepper and steve and bethany that in general are proud of him for getting and staying sober and understand how much his sobriety means to him), here’s a group of people in different stages of recovery that he can relate to and share a part of himself his supportive friends honestly can’t relate to firsthand, you know what i mean?  aa is kind of the glue to it in why it stuck, because tony learns he doesn’t have to just suck it up, tough it out alone, if he needs a meeting he goes to a meeting and gets support.  it’s one of the healthiest decisions he’s literally ever made concerning himself, recognizing that he doesn’t have to do that alone and there is support and understanding and people that will get him through it in a way someone like steve or rhodey just can’t.

long story short, with tony specifically, and the way tony views himself, he really did have to want to do it.  and  once he wanted to do it, he found there was a network of support from people who had been right where he had and could help him along, and he made the decision to give that a go and found, hey.  having a support network for this isn’t so bad after all, because you know it instills coping mechanisms beyond keeping a stiff upper lip.  aa was super good for him - still is, we see that in civil war ii when he is very aware he needs a meeting after rhodey’s death and even tries to respect carol and her probable need for one by attempting to find a different meeting than his usual so they don’t add tension to each other’s need and suffering.  like...aa worked for him.  he admits he doesn’t attend regularly but he does when he feels like he needs that support and that’s why it’s stuck the second time around.  it’s not just acknowledging the problem, it’s finding something that works with helping the recovery along.

(it’s also why dan slott’s shit at the end of ts:im is actually...ooc for tony and also kind of gross but that’s another story altogether.)

[thesaltofcarthage]

Avengers: Endgame and Stakes That Are Too High

So Endgame is coming up (in a week and a half as I write this), and while people are generally excited, it’s also tinged with fear. The fear is joked about, or melodramatic, or memed, but there’s genuine fear in the anticipation of the end of this 22-film saga. And it’s gotten me to thinking: the stakes in our stories are becoming too high.

I feel like this has been happening more often — certainly since the turn of the millennium. I don’t ever remember being scared of a story coming to a close when I was a kid. 

I think there are several factors involved in this phenomenon. 

1) Game of Thrones. It’s not that heroes didn’t lose or die before GRRM, but Martin, combined with HBO, made a very big splash in popular culture with the death of Ned Stark. In the past, bad guys died all the time. Love interests and plucky sidekicks died for the sake of manpain to send the heroes on roaring rampages of revenge. But for the white male hero, the apparent protagonist, to die, and like that, shifted the discussion. It changed what was possible in popular storytelling. HBO noticed that viewers didn’t leave, so that suddenly gave everyone permission to approach storytelling with a Don’t Get Attached mindset.

2) Joss Whedon did this too on a smaller scale. There’s a great Sheldon cartoon from Dave Kellett where Joss says “Everyone loves it when beloved characters get killed!” and Sheldon has to protest “NO, it drives people nuts!”

(Think I’m overstating this? Joss wrote and directed the first two Avengers films. The first Avengers movie was getting everyone together. But remember who got stabbed and died? Coulson. A third-tier character, but still beloved. What happened in Age of Ultron? Quicksilver gets killed. A third-tier character who was important to Wanda.) 

Then there’s the famous tweet from PaperClippe: “George R. R. Martin, Joss Whedon, and Steven Moffat walk into a bar and everyone you’ve ever loved dies.”

I am not familiar with Moff’s work beyond Doctor Who and Sherlock (where he managed to murder an entire show), but I’m assuming it’s the same deal as Joss: killing off beloved characters because he thinks people enjoy the shock.  

We don’t.

3) Social media and the Internet overall. Having this connectivity allows us to be more excited about the characters, so it allows us to be more invested in the characters. We create and share stories, art, crafts, memes, headcanons, vast swaths of meta, discussion. We talk about how we identify with the characters and their struggles. We can have these discussions for literal years, with people around the globe, most of whom we’ll never meet and would never have known about without the Internet. And I think the very strong identification with and investment in the characters is why we’re getting the “If X dies in Endgame, we riot” memes. 

The Loki fandom is suffering this in particular, although Steve Rogers and Tony Stark are getting a lot of it too. Steve and Tony have suffered so much. They have endured so much. If the actors are done with the characters that’s fine, and we get it. But we’re all out here begging Marvel not to kill them. Just let them walk off into the sunset. Let Tony marry Pepper and adopt Peter. Let Steve and Bucky have their soft epilogue. They deserve to be allowed to retire. 

Loki’s death in Infinity War was so stupid and narratively pointless that a lot of fans, myself included, believe that there’s a plan behind the scenes (since we know Endgame involves time travel) which somehow explains it and gives it meaning. Because if not, then one of the most popular MCU characters — the only antagonist to keep returning, film after film, and primarily because audiences love him — died for nothing. Loki has had an amazing character arc, especially because he started as an antagonist. Over the course of four films where he co-starred, he has gone from innocent to antagonist to broken to tortured to major antagonist to broken and tortured again to self-sacrifice to indulgence to survival to antagonist again to self-sacrifice again, dancing on the line between “good” and “bad” and never landing squarely on either side. Not even any of the Avengers themselves have had such character development. 

And a lot of Loki fans are worried. We’re genuinely, legitimately scared that Loki’s death won’t be “fixed” because Thor needs “stakes” to save the universe. The stakes are so high that the fun has been sucked out of the story. The stakes are so high that really good characters are being killed off because studio heads can’t think of any better way for a movie to end. How is this any way to run a railroad?

4) The Blockbuster Machine, aka Story Gravity. Damon Lindeloff explained this in exquisite, painful detail to Vulture magazine a few years ago. (Read the whole thing; it’s not that long and it’s quite eye-opening.)

The upshot is that “small stakes” stories aren’t big movies. They don’t make enough money. You have to have a story where the world is at stake if the studio is going to turn a profit. And now if you don’t make the Billion-Dollar Club, your film is a failure. 

So all of this kneecaps smaller character stories. But newsflash, studios: smaller character stories are how audiences fall in love with characters. It’s how we become invested. It’s why we’ll come to the next Avengers movie on opening night and break Fandango with pre-orders. 

Age of Ultron is not the best Avengers movie, but the opening party where everyone is just hanging out and drinking and boasting and playing Try To Lift Mjolnir? That’s bliss. That’s a million Domestic Avengers fanfics. It is the reason we ultimately watch. This is the characters enjoying their reward. It’s what they fought for: the opportunity to kick back and relax for a while.

Obviously a two-hour movie about this won’t make money (or would it?), but this is the ending, the breather, that I think audiences want. We want the characters enjoying their Happy Ever After or their Happy For Now. Why is everyone fighting endlessly if they’re never allowed to get what they’re fighting for? Why suffer all this pain if there’s no reward at the end? What is the point of that, in narrative terms? 

To come at this from a different angle: I stopped watching Agents of SHIELD around the middle of Season 5. Season 4 had the amazing Framework arc, and I remember turning to my sweetie and saying “How do they recover from this, emotionally and psychologically? Fitz is a mess. He’s become a sociopath. Mack has his daughter at last. Daisy has to re-get over Ward. How are they going to continue?” And the answer was that shortly after escaping and tussling with AIDA/Ophelia/Madame Hydra, the team was... kidnapped and sent to the future. In SPACE. 

Into a crapsack future, where SOMEBODY BLEW UP THE EARTH. 

Okay, fine. That was interesting to work through, and of course we knew they would fix the problem and Earth wouldn’t get blown up, but... they got back to our time, and they accidentally brought the sniveling idiot with them whose name I blessedly can’t remember, and the sniveling idiot turned out to be FitzSimmons’s grandson. 

FitzSimmons finally, finally got married, after five seasons of teasing and being deliberately kept apart to the point where even the characters were like “come the fuck ON already,” and then Sniveling Idiot was going to turn them in or something? and Coulson announced that he was dying? and then I read a spoiler about Fitz getting killed in the finale? and General Talbot going psycho and getting powers and turning evil and blowing himself up? and I just noped out. 

The stakes were too high. There was no reward.

We invested five years in these characters, longer in the case of Coulson, and the overall stakes of the show just kept going up. And up. And up. It was HYDRA (which, I will cheerfully admit, improved the show immensely). And then the cocoons and the discovery of Inhumans. And then AIDA and other LMDs so you never knew who was real and who was a copy. And then the Framework. And then KREE IN SPACE. And I just... we needed a breather. The characters needed a breather. We needed a chance to step back, to let the tension ratchet down again, to make the story about the characters again. We needed a six-episode B-story about everyone talking to a therapist about what went on in the Framework. We needed someone like Daisy, or better yet Coulson, breaking down sobbing about the amount of pressure they felt trying to save the entire planet from getting blown up. We needed to let FitzSimmons BE FUCKING MARRIED. We needed Coulson and May to enjoy their romance quietly, delicately unfolding, if the romance was how the writers wanted it to go. (I didn’t particularly care one way or the other about the romance per se, but I did care that they spent like a year and a half building this up and then Coulson fucking dies, come on.) 

Did AOS recover to that in Season 6, with Mack as director? I don’t know, because I walked away. I got so invested in the characters that I couldn’t watch them get tortured over and over with no relief ever in sight. I know that conflict is the heart of drama, and with conflict comes risk, but at some point you also need resolution. And resolution should not always arrive in the cemetery.

This is what I’m hearing a lot in regards to Endgame. People are scared — scared! of the end of a story! of entertainment! — that the characters we have come to love so much are going to be killed off. That the only way an arc can end is in death. 

A lot of people are going to die on the last season of GOT also — the Tony Stark/Jon Snow Stark Targaryen memes have been copious lately — but GOT made a point early on that No One Is Safe, and that’s the show’s bread and butter. After the first season, you knew what you were getting into. You knew that the rule of Martin’s universe was Don’t Get Attached. But that’s not what the original promise of the MCU was.

No One Is Safe has its place in storytelling, but can’t we also have stories where the heroes are allowed to have Plot Armor again? Does every epic have to involve heroic sacrifice? Does every story have to be epic, for that matter?

Look at Spider-Man: Homecoming. This was an origin story. It was small-scale, and intimate, and frankly fantastic. It was all about the characters. The world didn’t need saving. There was one bad guy with understandable motives who was surprisingly sympathetic. 

Remember the first Thor movie? All about the characters. It was a Shakespearean family drama, Hamlet by way of King Lear with space Vikings. Civil War? All about the characters and their philosophical perspectives. Captain America: The First Avenger? Up until the end bit with Red Skull and the Tesseract, it was all about the characters. All three Iron Man movies? All about the characters. Captain Marvel? All about the characters. Doctor Strange? All about the characters. Black Panther? All about the characters and how they view their responsibilities to the world, with an enormously sympathetic antagonist whose point of view made so much sense (minus the violent methods) that Nakia had also come up with it and was arguing for it even before she or T’Challa knew Erik existed. Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp? All about the characters. About not giving up on family. 

It’s not that these films didn’t have villains, or stakes. It’s not that there was no conflict. It’s that the stories were about the heroes. The stories were about people making choices, and living with the consequences of the choices. 

Thor is a sadder, wiser prince at the end of his first movie, and Loki survives both that and The Dark World to continue to make more mischief. (Fun fact: Loki’s death was scripted as final in TDW. That’s how Chris and Tom played the scene. Test audiences were utterly convinced that Loki survived the stabbing and refused to accept that he didn’t have a way out, so they had to go back and film the ending where Loki disguises himself as Odin. The audiences brought Loki back out of sheer stubbornness. How’s that for Plot Armor?) Tony gets the shrapnel removed so he doesn’t have to poison himself any more, and he and Pepper eventually get back together. Steve is on the run with Team Cap, but he has regular contact with Bucky.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a big-stakes movie. It’s about more than the characters. HYDRA being hidden within SHIELD since the beginning is pretty worldview-changing. It’s taut and exciting and brilliantly done. But you never worry that Steve or Natasha are going to die. Fury appeared to be dead for a while, but Fury is a second- or third-tier character. We love him, but he’s like Odin or Heimdall: important, but not critical. 

I do love the idea of the interlocking stories building up to Infinity War. I think it was hugely ambitious, and (pending how Endgame turns out) basically succeeded. 

But Avengers succeeded too, and would have without the macguffin of the Infinity Stones in particular. There were big stakes, but not “someone has to die for the story to advance” stakes. 

And that’s what I’m objecting to, I guess. Studio heads feel like there’s nowhere to go but bigger. And that eventually bigger has to mean “dead.” Because otherwise people won’t get excited. It’s not daring or bold or whatever if people don’t die.

My suggestion is that the more that “bigger means dead,” the more you’re going to drive audiences away, because you aren’t promising, or even offering, a payoff for their emotional investment. Everything becomes a Michael Bay movie. Michael Bay movies are fun, but they’re meaningless. The MCU is aiming for more than that.

Similar to this, although unrelated: I asked my sweetie if he had wanted to watch a particular show from John Rogers, creator of Leverage and The Librarians. The show ended up only being one season. My sweetie refused, because he said he didn’t want to fall in love with a show which then just ended abruptly after 13 episodes. 

This is where I fear we’re starting to head with the MCU, or with SF/F stories overall. Instead of embracing new universes, new writers, new series, we’re going to hang back. We’re going to be afraid to fall in love because there’s no promise that we aren’t going to get burned. And I separate “burned” from “heartbroken” deliberately. Bucky’s death in TFA is heartbreaking. Peggy’s death in Civil War is heartbreaking. Loki’s death in IW burned us. Bucky’s death was tragic, but earned within the story. Peggy’s death was earned within the overall story, and at the end of a long and productive life. Loki’s death was not earned. It was stupid. It didn’t make narrative sense. 

When writer C.E. Murphy was wrapping up her amazing Walker Papers book series, I didn’t ask for anyone not to die, or even for two specific characters to end up together. What I begged was, “Don’t make us regret coming on the journey with you.” She promised she wouldn’t. She kept her promise: The series ended gloriously, positively, with both sadness and joy. 

The TV show Sleepy Hollow ran for three seasons with Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) and Lt. Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie) and their amazing chemistry. In season 3, Beharie got tired of the writers not knowing what to do with her character and asked to leave. The writers could have given her an amazing year-long sendoff, but she instead died abruptly and stupidly. While Ichabod and Abbie spent an entire year reiterating the strength of their partnership and the belief that “we were not meant to bury one another,” in the season finale, the spirit of Abbie (a black woman) told Ichabod (a white man) in a vision that she was one of many helpers in his quest to do whateverthefuck it was rather than his equal and partner in their quest. Most of the fandom (me included) ragequit the show in that moment. There was a season 4, but I couldn’t even hate-follow it, and the show was cancelled. We spent three years loving these two and their interactions, and the way it ended ruined the memory of their entire journey. 

This is what we’re afraid of with the MCU. We’re afraid that these characters will come to such unnecessary, ignominious endings that our experiences of the entire 22-film story will be tainted. We’re afraid that beloved friends will come to cheap ends for the sake of a cheap shock. We’re afraid that studio heads will only see dollar signs in coffins because they lack the imagination to allow for a graceful, kinder ending. 

When the stakes are too high, the audience walks away. The stakes are so high that the fun has been sucked out of the story. Our hearts are in your hands, Marvel. Please don’t hurt us.  

[illusion-reality-steve]

Me on January 2020: There are a lot of Steve Saga characters who have smol bean energy. Now I really want to figure out which Steve Saga character has gentle giant energy. Who's the friendly big guy who is so kind and loving?

Me:

Me, opening a document and starting RRFF: I know the guy.

[saiilorstars]

Masterlist of all my Stories

This post is no longer being updated as ALL of my OCs can now be found here!

Bonus: Music Playlist for each OC!

LAW & ORDER: SVU

1. Montserrat Novak 

1. Dare To Forget Me 

Pairing: Rafael Barba x OFC Story Summary: Detective Montserrat Novak originally planned to transfer to SVU but mysteriously withdrew her papers. Nine months later, Olivia pulls her profile when Montserrat becomes a material witness to a case. From there, Montserrat can't really get away from SVU. Now she finds herself dealing with a Detectives & an ADA whom she seems to have a talent at pulling all his right strings.

2. Try Again (One-Shot)

Pairing: Rafael Barba x OFC

THE FLASH:

1. Belén Palayta/the Azalea

1. It Had To Be You

Pairing: Barry Allen x OFC  Story summary: Her focus has always been to graduate & stabilize her job - no where in there did that include becoming a metahuman. Left with a side Belén fears, she tries to make a life with Star Labs & Barry Allen. Despite the darkness, the secrets & the fear driving she & Barry apart, it never lasts...because in the end: "There can never be another. It had to be you," they say to each other.

2. Rise Up

Story Summary: Zoom is coming for the Flash so there’s no time to waste. Along with Zoom comes his terrible band of metas to terrorize Central City. While the Azalea makes her return to the city, she unknowingly marks herself as the target of another dangerous hunt. Together, Belén & Barry must work with STAR Labs to prevent their Earth from falling as Earth 2 did. It is time to rise up.

3. It’s So You -- AU/Companion story for Belén/Barry

LEGENDS OF TOMORROW:

1. Graciela Haynez/the Jinx

1. Redemption

Pairing: Rip Hunter x OFC Story summary: Graciela Haynez made her peace when Rip Hunter walked out of her life—she was at the top of the chain reigning as the infamous Jinx after all. Years later when Rip disappears, the Legends bring Graciela to the Waverider to find him thanks to a letter the Captain himself wrote asking for her presence. Graciela knows that the letter was written in a time before everything fell out between them but it’s urgent to find Rip before the Legion does. Graciela wants to believe she’s become a better version of herself but as she leads the Legends & fights the Legion, she finds herself questioned. Is she still the Jinx—a mantle that has passed down from generation to generation with the promise to keep the fear instilled in others—or has the mantle die with her when she decided to switch sides?

DOCTOR WHO:

1. Minerva Souza: The Monsoon Seasons

1. Next Stop, Everywhere

Pairing: 10th Doctor x OFC

Story Summary: She's clever, and he likes it. It's a good thing she likes him too. So are they on the same page? She and he, in the TARDIS, next stop everywhere? *First of the Monsoon Seasons*

2. Star-Crossed

Story Summary: Minerva & the Doctor are now together and ready for their next set of adventures with Donna Noble! However, things get complicated when secrets of Minerva’s family are revealed and Minerva is forced into a certain process. How will Minerva & the Doctor react when they figure out the ultimate secret of the Moontsays? What will Minerva become in the end?

2. Renata/Gala: The Home Saga

1. The Beginning of Everything

Pairing: 10th Doctor x OFC

Story summary: While hiding from the Family, Martha Jones and the 10th Doctor (currently John Smith) come across a particular woman who does not want anything to do with them. In fact, Martha would go as far as to say that Renata Cartwright hates them, more so the Doctor. After the Family is gone and the Doctor returns, he comes face to face with a woman who wants nothing to do with him…almost as if she knew him. And she outright refuses to travel with him. 

2. Metamorphosis

Story Summary: Renata has survived her illness and regenerated. With everything seemingly put behind them, she & the new Doctor decide to give themselves a chance but will they last? What with newcomer Amy Pond, Dr. Song lurking by - claiming things from the future - and Renata’s belief in her inability to change for the better, things might not be looking so great for her and the Doctor. *2nd in the Home Saga.

A. The Home Collection -- AU/One Shot Companion story

3. Avalon Reynolds: The Fairy Tale Memoirs 

1. Stars Dance

Pairing: 11th Doctor x OFC

Story Summary: The Doctor knows she’s not the most typical companion but she’s the one who needs him most. Avalon Reynolds has grown up knowing the Doctor’s stories all her life. Although she’s troublesome, she has a heart of gold that the Doctor cannot deny. He brings her, Amy Pond and Lena Reynolds into the TARDIS. But in doing so, he starts setting the seeds for the biggest stories of his lives.

2. Falling in Temptation

Story Summary: It’s not time to fall in love. In fact, the Doctor thinks it should be forbidden being who he is and what he attracts from the galaxies. He’s dangerous (though Avalon knows it and likes it). However, Avalon is sought out by the Silence and knowing that she will suffer in the end, the Doctor intends on doing what he has to, to keep her safe…even if breaks his hearts.

A. Fairy Tale Memoirs -- AU/One Shot Companion Story

MARVEL:

1. Seren Soul (Steve x OC)

1. Illuminated (One-shot series)

Summary: Now that Steve made his choice to fight against his own team, he has to live with the consequences even if it means leaving behind the one person he couldn’t possibly forget about. Seren Soul isn’t a woman he can easily forget. He just never has the right words, much less the bravery he needs, to tell her everything. It’s then Seren who starts a dance of caution with him, after they’re forced to separate, in an attempt to figure out what those words he couldn’t say to her were.

2. Chloe Winters (Bucky x OC)

Princess (One-Shot series)

Summary: Steve asks his new friend to help his best friend Bucky deal through all the memories Hydra has left behind in his head. It's just that Bucky doesn't see how she's going to be able to do that...

2. Part 2: Charms

--Summary: Bucky struggles to avoid Chloe and put those wrong feelings to rest. Meanwhile, Chloe is still under the idea that she’s done something so wrong that Bucky won’t see her anymore.

3. Part 3: March

--Summary: As time passes, whatever is happening between Chloe and Bucky seems to solidify. During a birthday party, 2 very different thoughts come to each of their minds. Chloe wonders when exactly is Bucky’s birthday while Bucky wonders when, oh when, will he get to dance with Chloe?

CRIMINAL MINDS:

Aitana Serrano (Spencer x OC)

Tell Me Something (one-shot)

The Demise of Dainty (one-shot)

Planning is Everything (one-shot)

THE ORIGINALS:

1. Maleny Rowan: The Girl in the Forest Series

1. The Girl in the Forest

Pairing: Klaus Mikaelson x Female OC Story Summary: The girl in the forest Klaus Mikaelson once knew disappeared without leaving a trace, leaving him heartbroken. Now in New Orleans with an unborn child on the way, he meets a woman claiming to be that girl of the forest; the precise one he once loved. Though in a new body, Mal still piques his interest & more. Can the two reunite and solve the curse before she disappears once more? 

SAILOR MOON (CRYSTAL)

1. Azula Keena

1. Reign from the Shadows

Pairings: Eventual OC x OC, Usagi x Mamoru

Story Summary: Usagi Tsukino chose to forget her life as Sailor Moon after dealing with the Dark Kingdom. However, after the future is threatened by the Black Moon Clan and the past is met by a dangerous Shadow entity calling herself Senka, Sailor Moon must be brought back into action. With their space-enthralled friend, Azula Keena, and the four Shadow Sailor Guardians, Sailor Moon and her Sailor Guardians endeavor to stop all forces of evil and find the Shadow Princess before it’s too late.

HARRY POTTER:

1. Romina Oswell (Draco x OC)

Thoughts of Dreamers (One shot)

Summary: During a sleepless night, thoughts and plans of the future are discussed in a world where they don't seem possible anymore, at least not the way they had originally intended.

BATWOMAN:

1. Right To Survive

Characters: Original Female Character, Alice, Kate Kane, Mary Hamilton Summary: Rosalind “Dawne” Coleman was dying last time she remembered, but now she finds herself in the world of Batwoman where she now has to survive Alice’s plans for Gotham City.

PANDORA:

1. A Taste (One shot) || Ralen x Original Female Character

Batch 1 of Upcoming OCs

Batch 2 of Upcoming OCs

Batch 3 of Upcoming OCs

[cblgblog]

2. 13. 30.

Yay, I love when people actually answer these things :D

2. What’s your feel-good movie?

So, there’s probably a “better” answer for this. As in a Disney movie that I’ve watched 8000 times since childhood. But, let’s go with the weird answer, which is Captain America: First Avenger. Mind you, this is in a post Avengers Endgame world. Because First Avenger has that downer ending, Steve realizing he’s a man out of time and that he’s lost the chance at a life with the woman he loved. And for a good 9 years, between that and the Cap sequels, I loved that movie, but it also lowkey murdered me on every watch. But, post Endgame? Against all the odds, my faves beat the bad guys and got their happy ending, courtesy of timey wimey shenanigans. And there’s something reassuring about that, within the narrative, and on a meta level. It took like 80 years in canon and 9 years (9 damn years) irl, but ultimately, the good people got their good life, their reward for all the suffering and sacrifice, and rewatching First Avenger now, with the Infinity Saga complete, that downer ending is completely recontextualized, knowing it’s not the end at all. But you know, I haven’t overthought this at all.

13. What’s your comfort food?

French toast. It’s sweet and filling and it smells delicious and it reminds me of my mom and grandma.

30. What reminds you of home (doesn’t have to mean house… just things that remind you of the feeling of home)?

Being inside by the fire on a snowy day. The Harry Potter books (books, not author, I’ve ignored everything after DH). Being in a boat on the lake. Fireworks during summer.

Soft asks

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: July 2019

I’ve really stepped up my comics reading having fully embraced my local libraries. You can just borrow them whenever you want! Also saw lots of movies and watched a lot of the Bachelorette. It’s been a good summer. 

……….FILM……….

Midsommer (2019) Oh wow. I’m not one for scary movies but this never felt like a scary movie. Sure it was definitely “horror” in the sense that so much of it is horrific, but it never relied on the typical “scary movie” tactics. For this, I am grateful.

Paddington 2 (2017) The perfect counterpoint and emotional reset after our matinee screening of Midsommer. This video does a better job of explaining why I love these movies, but if you haven’t got the time then know that the Paddington movies are a masterclass in efficient storytelling, visual comedy, and good natured entertainment for all ages. It’s not quite the same as Pixar sneaking in jokes that only adults will get, it’s more that it tells a universal story with familiar characters that land at any age. Just beautiful.

Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) Okay so I get that illustrating a tie-in book for this movie means I likely can’t be objective, but I really dug the film. Solid themes that carried through to most of the characters and their arcs, as well as some of the most comic-book accurate visuals I could have hoped for. And I really dig the Parker/MJ dynamic here. Ugh it’s just all so good.

Alien (1979) I don’t need to tell you how well this holds up. Still as subversive and terrifying as it was 40 years ago. Still not sure what the alien was doing in the escape pod before Ripley shows up.

The Dead Don’t Die (2019) This was a weird one. Meta zombie movies already exist. Zombies as social commentary already exist. Zombie comedies already exist. I suppose I was just hoping for something...new? It was all of these things, but it didn’t seem to push any individual element into unexplored territory. The cast seemed like they were having a good time, but I don’t think it quite translated to the screen. I’d recommend Shaun of the Dead, Fido, or Zombieland instead.

……….TELEVISION……….

Instant Hotel (Episode 2.01 to 2.06) A 6-episode season of Australian reality tv judging Airbnbs? A cast that includes an 80 year old trying to look 20 and perfect couple who find each other hilarious? Sign me up. It’s available on (Canadian) Netflix but if you can find it, check it out.

Stranger Things (Episode 3.01 to 3.08) Without spoiling too much, I’ll say that this season was on par with the first, and felt better than the second. It’s not as moody and contained, but it really embraces what I take to be the spirit of 80s media. I feel like the early eps were setting up more of a zombie/body-snatchers plot but I don’t think the series likes to stray too far from the core of that first season. Super fun, wildly silly, and once I embraced the lighter tone it really delivered.

Queer Eye (Episode 4.01 to 4.08) This season really seemed to focus on philanthropic and independent businesses and I’m here for it. There was a Wayfair product placement towards the end which...felt out of place given the politics of the show, but dang if this series isn’t a light in the darkness!

Neon Genesis Evangelion (Episode 1.01 to 1.03) What a mood. It’s a slow burn but I’m really digging that the world feels established and that we’ve come into something well after all the big revelations happened. Now that the crazy has settled, we get to spend more time seeing how the crazy affects the day-to-day. Or what the day-to-day looks like in a new, wild world. Digging it.

The Bachelorette (Episode 15.08 to 15.13) Just wild. Watching that rollercoaster with Luke P was excellent television and terrible dating but that finale was *chef’s kiss* perfect.

……….READING……….

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett (Page 230 of 406) Fun so far! There’s far less of the angel/demon relationship than I expected, but that’s only because I’m going off of what the Amazon show has been promoting. I need to do more research into how they shared the writing because the humour and meandering chapters really feel like Pratchett. I’m keen to see where it all goes!

Mr. Splitfoot by Samantha Hunt (Abandoned) I read half the novel before deciding this one wasn’t for me and it’s not because it wasn’t well-written or an engaging story. I found this on a list of good reads for those who like Wonderland and Alice’s adventures, but I’d say the links between the two were...thin...at best. When you’re expecting fanciful worlds and exaggerated characters, but get far more human (and all too real) trauma then it’s a jarring experience. I read a synopsis of the last 100ish pages that I missed and admit that I think I would’ve been satisfied with the conclusion, but it’s a bummer that the first 60% of the book felt like a holding pattern to get to the good stuff.

Delicious in Dungeon Vol. 5 by Ryoko Kui (Complete) Still one of my favourite fantasy comics. The characters are nuanced and are continuing to get developed, as is the setting and supporting cast! Every so often it’ll break format, but I appreciate that the gimmick (including a monster-based recipe in each chapter) isn’t getting in the way of good storytelling. I love everything about this and you should be reading it.

Superior Spider-Man Vol. 1 & 2 by Dan Slott, Ryan Stegman, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Humbero Ramos, and so many more (Complete) I wasn’t sure about this before picking it up but it’s a fascinating study of Spider-Man. It feels like an answer to all those that focus on plot holes and logic. Doc Ock has taken over Spider-Man’s body and he, as the epitome of troll, is just going through and “fixing” what Peter Parker gets wrong. It’s an interesting study in learning more about someone with opposing views. It even keeps Parker’s spirit around to dramatically and comedically respond to his life being taken over by a villain. It’s good! Not the first Spider-Book you should pick up, but worth reading if you want a spider-change. 

Saga of the Swamp Thing Vol. 1 by Alan Moore, John Totleben, & Steve Bissette (Complete) After hearing good things about the TV series based on this character (still haven’t watched it) I figured I’d check this out. Knowing very little about the character going in, I loved every second of it! It’s a little bit horror, a little bit classic superheroics, and just a touch philosophical. Can’t recommend this enough.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 2: Squirrel You Know It's True by Ryan North, Erica Henderson,  (Complete) I can’t (and won’t) stop praising this book. It’s fun, creative, and funny! Pitting Squirrel Girl against an evil Squirrel just makes sense and is a fun break from the classic Marvel villains. Hopefully we get back to more of the classics, as that’s what I enjoyed most about volume 1, but it’s good to see that the book doesn’t shy away from variety.

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant by Tony Cliff (Complete) Such a great adventure comic! Set in the early 1800s, it’s like a Female Indiana Jones adventure with all the swashbuckling and plundering that you’d want out of a treasure hunter. Mature in its handling of a number of topics, but done in a light tone and without heavy violence. I think it was sorted as a young adult graphic novel in my library, and that feels fitting. Stellar art and charming characters.

The Undertaking of Lily Chen by Danica Novgorodoff (Complete) Very character driven and an interesting foundation for the story (set in northern China when tradition demanded men be married even after they’ve died). There are really inspiring moments with the watercolour artwork and while it didn’t always resonate with me, it really served the story.

……….GAMING……….

Maze of the Blue Medusa  (Satyr Press) We very nearly had our first character death! Almost multiple! But they’re playing with level 9ish characters and with quick wits it’s proving difficult to defeat them. They’re still kinda wandering around this maze, but I think it’ll all start to come together soon!

And that’s it! As always, feel free to send me anything you recommend to see, read, hear, play, and so on.

Happy Wednesday!

[20thcentutygeek]

5 Comics that would make GREAT TV shows

Mainstream premium TV shows are getting more genre based all the time. More than that they are become weirder, more adult and more ambitious. HBO has been leading the charge with Game of Thrones and West World, but we have had a bevy more. We now live in a world with Shows like Preacher, The Boys, American Gods and Good Omens, and that’s just from Amazon Prime. Throw in The Handmaids tale, Stranger Things, Legion as well shows coming soon like The Witcher, Sandman, Watchmen and His Dark Materials and you have a sea of content that will keep even the most discerning nerd happy. However, there is still so much great source material to be mined that would make great TV shows. 

Here is our top 5 Comics that would make great TV shows:

Transmetropolitan (Writer: Warren Ellis / Primary Artist: Darick Robinson / Running 1997 - 2002). Ellis doesn’t have the most optimistic opinion of the future. He explores where we are and where we’re going as well as almost all of our faults in this 60 issue satire. The story centres around Spider Jerusalem, a future gonzo journalist or Ellis by way of Bill Hicks and Hunter S. Thompson. He’s angry about pretty much everything and he wants to expose the hypocrisy of the world. The overarching story becomes the sage of Spider vs. the person he sees as the embodiment of what is wrong, politician and eventual president, The Smiler. 

The future cyber punk world is brought to life by the excellent art of Darick Robertson. It captures the essence of the zany, dirty, corrupt and relevant world. This is another piece of sci-fi that becomes more relevant as time goes by. The politics of the book are reflective of the time, but the corruption runs deep and I’m sure Spider would role his eyes in a post Trump world, shaking his head at the rhetoric and chest beating on both sides of the isle. 

The world needs a live action Spider Jerusalem. 

Planetary (Writer: Warren Ellis / Primary Artist: John Cassidy / Running 1998 - 2000). Where Transmetropolitan is a dark cynical Ellis, Planetary is his desire to explore the world of conspiracies and secret organisations. It’s centres round a mystery that runs through the ,majority the 27 issues, while many of the issues are actually one and done stories. The first arc introduces a world that is alive with analogues of the Fantastic Four, Godzilla and Doc Savage. It’s loaded with homages and Easter eggs, without ever being pandering or overly referential. 

The titular Planetary, is a secret group that collects information of the weird history of the world. They start as bystanders and observers but become more entwined in the events at the story progresses.

Again Ellis is partnered with the perfect artist for the material, John Cassaday. His detailed, shadow filled art wonderfully fills the world with character and life. His art is measured for each scene. The intimate feels character driven and focused, while his splash pages are awash with crazy details. It’s a feast to enjoy on every page. 

The potential to expand this and explore so many ideas, not just sci-fi but all genres and ideologies, world be amazing. This is an untapped well of potential that could rival the best cutting edge show. 

The Invisibles (Writer: Grant Morrison/ Primary Artists: Steve Yeowell, Chris Western, Philip Bond / Running 1994 - 2000). We’ve recently had Doom Patrol from DC which used many of the ideas from Morrison’s run in the 90s. It’s weird, surreal and challenging while still being an action adventure. We’ve also had Legion which has challenged the reality and mental state of a primary character. These shows challenge the viewer to accept a lot of absurd things. This could be kicked up a gear in a live action take of The Invisibles. A group of reality rejects that are fighting an inter-dimensional war, possibly. It’s twisty, violent and weird in the best possible way. Morrison used this comic as a meta commentary and source of chaos magic for his life (seriously, check out the story of how he caught an illness he had given the character King Mob in the book, only to be cured when he cured King Mob in the comic). 

The art in the book is provided by several artists across the volumes. Each brings something different to the series but all bring Morrison’s world to page, realising some bizarre stuff that has been mimicking to never bettered since. 

This is one of those comics that has been placed on the ‘unfilmable’ pile. However, I’m convinced that the right team could produce something that would challenge viewers with its content, and how we interact with TV shows and it’s story lines. 

Saga (Writer: Brian K Vaughn / Primary Artist: Fiona Staples / Running 2012 - on going) The others on this list are loaded with adventure, violence, intrigue and imagination but Saga brings those and heart. Primarily the story of a couple, warriors from opposing sides in an intergalactic war, and how they struggle to raise their child and settle to start their family. It grows from there to become an epic story spanning planets and years, and doesn’t scrimp of the sci-fi weirdness. 

The expansive story telling is rounded out by Fiona Staples art. Staples has a realistic style which captures emotion and expression perfectly. Many of the characters have human faces and her style captures the nuances of emotions and relationships. However, it also means that when alien and weird elements are introduced they stand out but never feel cartoonish. Vaughn May have thought up the world but Staples realised it. 

This would work excellently on TV as a character driven series. The comic forms a great foundation to work from, however Vaughn and Staples have created such a rich and textured world that more stories could be explored. This could be as complex as Game of Thrones and as much of a sci fi fantasy staple as Star Wars. 

American Vampire (Writer: Scott Snyder / Artist: Rafael Albuquerque / Running 2010 - on going) The stereotype of the classic vampire is Eastern European nobility, usually looking like Bela Lugosi. Scott Snyder decided to examine the idea of what world happen if vampires were more influenced by the country they are from, what would be the American Vampire? The series starts in the old west and progresses through the 20th Century following the lives of several key vampires, providing an alternate take on some key events. However this isn’t a stale history lesson, Snyder brings the horror and the gore in spades. This idea and story is realised on the page with the art of Rafael Albuquerque. His scratchy gothic art style balances the detail and abstract to provide an perfect vision of this horrific under world, just a step away from the norm. 

Being based around an alternate take on real history this story could explore so much. Yes, this would be a kick ass vampire horror tale, but it could also be used as an analogue to comment on modern issues; the immigrant experience, bigotry, mental illness etc. The potential for this show is awesome. 

[animentality]

I'm a fan of marvel, but it doesn't like, light a fire in my belly or anything.

I wonder how all of the hardcore marvel fans are gonna do when all the original avengers actors have moved on to other projects or whatever, and we go to a second generation of marvel movies.

I'm sure some people will still be obsessed with anything marvel but something IS changing once the avengers saga has closed the chapter on one book?

I mean listen I like the avengers, but I'm not a super hero buff so I wouldn't say I understand the obsession with Tony Stark and Steve Rogers and so on.

They're fun quippy characters and have a lot of female fans who really like handsome guys they can project the perfect boyfriend onto.

Also perfect manly hetero white men that the majority of the world can relate to and project their own fantasies of being powerful and rich onto.

That's all well and good.

And super heroes are of course a popular fantasy for everyone, who're going about their lives trying to find something to live for.

But I dunno, where does that massive energy go?

Like all of the hype for the avengers movie, for infinity war, now for endgame.

Once everyone's seen it, I'm sure everyone will be buzzing with art and memes and content.

I'm sure we'll be talking about it for years.

But what's the actual endgame?

I know marvel likes money. They're cold corporate businessmen and they're most likely just calculating what their next financial movie will be.

But what about everyone else?

What are you going to do...?

I know you'll keep up with the marvel movies and maybe the content will keep itself going until long after we're dead, maybe spinning into remakes in the future.

But what was all this for?

Did we all learn a lesson?

Start a civil war over your best friend?

Don't kill half the entire universe's population, that's bad?

Or maybe it's about the meta commentary? Believe in yourself, be an artist, be a writer, develop your skills in a fandom space?

These are worthy lessons, but I wonder.

I'm really curious as a marvel bystander who thinks the movies are solid and well written but not particularly life changing to me personally just to see what happens next.

Huge fandom energy doesn't usually dissipate immediately unless it's like Voltron and ended in a way that managed to piss just about everyone off.

I doubt endgame could ever be that divisive.

So we'll see.

Come April.

Get hyped, guys, it's the event of the decade.

Maybe one day your kids will ask you what it was like.

[ivedonestranger]

Chapters: 25/? Fandom: Teen Titans (Animated Series), Justice League & Justice League Unlimited (Cartoons), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Jinx/Raven (DCU) Characters: Raven (DCU), Cyborg (Character), Robin (DCU), Beast Boy, Batman, Green Lantern, Diana (Wonder Woman), Superman (DCU), Blue Beetle (DCU), Jinx (DCU), Koriand'r (DCU), Phil Coulson, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), See-More, Dorcas "Godiva" Leigh (DCU), Jason Woodrue, Bulletman, Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes, Zatanna Zatara, Komand'r (DCU), Stephen Strange, Karen Beecher, Kyd Wykkyd, Gizmo (DCU) Additional Tags: Multiple Crossovers, World Domination, Epic, Dark, Canon Temporary Character Death, Minor Character Death Series: Part 1 of The Midnight Saga Summary:

Though there were some in the know when it came to multiple realities, very few understood how expansive it was. Not only were their realities that changed fundamental parts of the known quantities, but there were also realities out there that were entirely different. Worse, there was something between those realities, and it wanted to get in.

All it needed was someone to open the door. She was his way in.

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Robin threw himself to the right, and the powered armor portions of his suit catapulted him through a small sapling causing it to explode into tiny wooden shards. Where he was standing was a smoldering black spot from a Kaz'Kal beam weapon.

'Oh, this is getting exciting,' he thought to himself sarcastically. Since the arrival of the Midnight Empress' swarm, he and his team had been pushed back from the center, and all Dick could do was hope that the plan was still working. Right now, though, he was doing his best to keep alive and take down as many of the enemy as possible.

"I need some backup!" Gizmo's voice screeched through the tiny speaker in Robin's headpiece. The augmented reality system painted a diamond to his left about 500 meters in the fray. Robin charged through the brush dodging bolts of energy that came out of nowhere. Robin's heart beat hard at the jungle melee. It was almost impossible to make out the movement in the smoke and smoldering fires that were crisscrossed with energy bolts and gunfire. In a matter of seconds though, the boy wonder could make out the metal spider arms of Gizmo followed by the mini-rocket blasts incinerating nearby foliage.

Cyborg charged through at the same time as Kid Wykydd materialized.

"defense pattern Delta," Robin called over his speaker. Gizmo immediately lowered to their level, and they took up a circle facing outward. When Robin slipped into his spot, he activated the energy cannon built into the arm of his suit, and they began to fire.

It seemed like years as the wave upon wave of Kaz'Kal continued to charge them haphazardly. There was no way out of the fight, but so far, no one had fallen. Green fire reigned down as Starfire slammed into the ground sending a shockwave scattering the enemy. Eyes blazing with fierce power, she fired off multiple starbolts cutting through the cannon fodder of the Midnight Empress.

"What are we doing?" Kid Wykydd called from his position. "We can't stay here forever."

"We gotta fight until we can't anymore. Superman and Batman have their plan. We have to keep fighting until we're told to recall." Robin responded, trying to ignore the dropping energy meter of his weapon. How long could they hold out?

When her mind came back to her, she found herself crumpled on the floor of the Fortress' disused throne room. The dust had settled back down from their portal entry, and everything hurt. Raven pulled herself up and looked about trying to clear her vision of the pain that pulsed through her head.

She found him, Sovereign, laying on the floor trying to get up himself.

"What happened?" she barely croaked out.

"They….they hit me with something that stripped me of my power." Jason coughed his arms, shaking as he tried to push himself up. "I'm not invulnerable, Rachel, I knew there would come a time Iris would figure out something."

"What do we do? They'll storm the Fortress to get to you."

"Hold them off, Rachel," Jason said as he collapsed to the floor. "I'll regain my strength if I live long enough. Peace of this reality rests on you now."

Raven pulled herself up and felt a thrum through her chest. She looked at her hands and found they had a slight glow to them.

"I've transferred as much power I could to you, Rachel, but I don't know if it'll be enough."

The sorceress gritted her teeth and balled her fists in anger.

"It'll be enough."

"Robin, you still with us?" the voice of Green Arrow came across the speaker.

"Alive and kicking," Robin responded glad to hear a voice other than his team. It means others had survived Midnight's onslaught.

"Good. It looks like the bitches are pulling back and teleporting out. Can you regroup at the secondary location?"

"We're on our way."

Without having to say a word, The New Teen Titans destroyed the last of the cyber minions and Kaz'Kal before making their way through the forest to the staging area they had set up before the fight. When they broke through the woods and into the field, All Robin saw was destruction. Bodies were lying everywhere. Many of the enemies but there were some colorful suits and human bodies of their allies among the dead.

Triage tents had been set up, and the medics were hard at work. Robin looked at his own team. Starfire was bruised and skin bleeding in places from branches and the enemy. Cyborg's armor was stained, and he could make out the fact his systems were on back up power. Kid Wykydd did not look damaged, but Gizmos was a pile of black and blue bruises and had to use his spider arms to carry him forward.

They made their way towards the big tent when a familiar form came limping towards them from a nearby medical tent. Robin did not think it was possible, but he broke out into a grin.

"Garfield!"

"Robin!" Beast Boy said with a kid like grin. "I see you survived the bugs. Glad I never had any phobias over those. Anyone seriously hurt?"

"No," Robin said after looking at each of his team for a response. "Just scrapes and bruises."

"Well, can't help with that at the moment, we got some seriously injured people. You'll have to patch yourself up."

"Not a problem. How bad is it?"

Beast Boy's face fell, and he shook his head. "We lost a lot. Most among the non-metas but we did lose some metas to."

"Who?"

"I heard Doctor Strange talking. We lost Hawk girl and Black Lightning. Big Barda is critically wounded, and they don't think she'll make it through the night."

Robin gritted his teeth. So much death, heroes who had protected Earth for so long were gone.

"BB, Doctor Strange needs us to start prepping the wounded so we can move!" called a voice that rang familiar in Robin's ears. He saw the blond girl come out of the tent and freeze when she saw the Titans.

"Terra," Robin said with a frown.

"We needed all the help we could get," Beast Boy said. "She and I are working together in the Medical division, until I can heal enough to rejoin you in the field, Robin."

There was too much going on, and Richard knew he couldn't drum up old hatreds, especially when one of his own had betrayed them.

"I gotta go, Robin. I'll see ya." Beast Boy said patting the boy wonder on the shoulder.

Making is way through the rest of the shuffling soldiers and the tents, Robin finally met up with Green Arrow who looked more like a brown stain of mud and blood than his trademark green. He flashed a weary smile and motioned towards the main tent's entrance.

Robin strode in with his team camping outside, and it took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the dark. Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman were among the few powerful heroes that were there along with Iron Man, Agent Coulson, Captain America, and his retinue.

"My drones confirm that Midnight has withdrawn back into its fortress," Batman was saying with a low pain laced growl. He looks like he had caught the worse end of a beating. "Coulson and I got a direct hit on Sovereign so we can confirm he is down. We need to move now against Midnight Empress and her Archon Knights before they can regroup."

"What are you suggesting?" Green Arrow asked pulling some more arrows from a case in the tent and re-filling his quiver.

"All out assault on the fortress," Superman said grimly. "We cannot allow Sovereign to regain his strength, or he will rip this reality apart."

"Were risking a high casualty rate," Captain America said gritting his teeth. "I know our wizard friends can open portals and get us closer, but we'll have to cut through a lot to get in."

"It's our only chance," Tony Stark said pointing at the holographic Fortress that hovered over the overturned bucket. "As soon as Sovereign is back on his feet, he's going to hit us with everything he's got. Midnight is on the pure defensive. They didn't expect us to strike such a blow."

"When do we move?" Diana asked, folding her arms acrossed her chest.

"As soon as we can."

Raven had lifted Jason off the ground and set him on the empty throne that had seen eons of time. He coughed and could barely keep himself upright. The Midnight Empress sensed them first, the descent of Jinx and Blackfire who alighted gently into the throne room.

"What is your bidding, Mistress?" Jinx asked, stepping forward, looking curiously at the weakened form.

"Mann the defenses and prepare for a counter-attack," Raven said quickly as she stepped away from Sovereign after making sure he was comfortable.

"They aren't going to try to strike us now, are they?" the pinkette asked surprised.

"Well, it seems her god is wounded," Blackfire spat. "We're all going to pay if they come after us."

Raven snarled and spun on the Tamaranian and reached out with her hand. Blackfire was knocked backward and suspended in the air gasping and clawing at her throat.

"I do NOT need insolence from you right now, woman," Raven snarled, a deep thrum in her voice. "You are vexing me more than you are worth."

"Mistress," Jinx said calmly approaching and placing a hand gently on Raven's forearm. "We don't have time to create new Archon Knights. Blackfire is mouthy, but she serves."

Raven contemplated the thought as Blackfire kicked and gasped for breath dangling from the invisible power the Midnight Empress had cast. There was something delicious about watching her squirm, to have her life hanging so near the balance. With a huff of disgust, Raven threw her aside sending her into one of the stone pillars. Blackfire coughed and gagged trying to pull herself up from the ground.

"They will portal into the outskirts and launch a siege," Raven said returning to Sovereign's side to stand by him. "They won't be able to pierce the fortress' defenses that way. Secure the walls and let them throw themselves at us. Once they tire out, we'll destroy whatever is left."

Jinx bowed low while Blackfire turned on her heel and soared back up through the cavernous window she had come through.

"Control," Jason gasped out and then coughed.

Raven came to his side and knelt down beside him. He ran his hand through her hair and smiled at her. "You must show restraint. The power coursing through you can easily consume you. It feels good to have others lives in your hands. Avoid indulging in those fantasies."

"I will try."

"It's a fine line, my love. I know."

My Love.He had called her his love. A smile broke across her face.

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

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15078734/chapters/49278503

FF.net: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12993044/25/The-Corruption-of-Rachel-Roth