#thank you milla you spoil me so much ---

[aurorawritestoescape]

TAKE ME

Joel Miller x f!reader || 900 words

Tw: 18+ mdni, smut, angst, fluff, death, unprotected piv (wrap it up), creampie. I chose not to include all the warnings so as not to spoil the fic. Pics are for the mood only, reader has no specific physical descriptions.

A/n: yesterday I sat down to work on Bad Blood pt5 but instead wrote this🫣 Hope you’ll enjoy it. Thank you to @milla-frenchy for beta-ing♥️

MASTERLIST

*****

He’s here. You can sense him. Then you can feel him. He’s not cold like you imagined. Like everyone would expect. He’s warm. Hot even. His breath fanning your neck. His lips sliding along your jawline. Scalding hot. Yet they don’t burn you. They caress. Show care. Give hope.

“Are you ready, sweetheart?” You hear him ask. Subconsciously you know it’s deadly quiet in the bedroom but his words are clear to you. You’re silent.

He senses your hesitation and sighs. His face is hovering over yours. He’s beautiful. His plush lips draw your eye first and you’re staring at them, wishing them on you. He gives you a warm smile and leans down to plant a kiss on your chapped lips.

You become hot all over, when he slightly moans against your lips. You slip your tongue into his mouth to taste him more. He’s saccharine with a hint of bitterness as if you’ve bitten into a rotten fruit. You don’t mind it. You pull him closer and he lets you, answering your passion with a buck of his hips against your cunt.

“Oh my…,” you whimper as your fingers grip at his arms and you feel them strong and huge under your touch. They immediately envelop you, rendering your body motionless in his tight embrace. Yet it’s not suffocating, not scary. You welcome the comfort of them, the warmth he’s giving you despite his whole nature.

“Please,” you whisper against his scruffy cheek, “It’s been so long.”

“Oh, sweetheart,” he coos at you, before you hear the shuffling of his clothes. He positions himself at your entrance and his hot stiffness sends a shiver down your spine.

“Sure?” He pauses, brushing your lips with his, and you breathe out a needy ‘yes’.

He’s inside you in a second. He’s big and it must hurt, burn. But it doesn’t. He fills you up perfectly and you tremble from the sensation. He doesn’t move though. His worried eyes, sad under the furrowed brows, are darting between yours.

“It’s ok. Move, please.”

He gives you a short nod and rolls his hips, sending his cock deeper inside you, making his tip kiss the deepest spot inside your core.

You cry out as the pleasure overwhelms you and you spread your legs wider for him.

“Take me, take me..,” you beg and he stops your pleading with another short kiss.

“Not yet. Let me enjoy you, baby,” he growls after parting from you and his velvet voice booms in the quiet of the room.

His handsome face is so close to yours, your lashes flutter against each other. Your whimpering lips call for his kiss again and again and it seems that he’s drowning in you as much as you’re losing yourself in him.

His thrusts start hitting you faster, harder, making you slide up on the bed. He grips your shoulder to keep you in place and pushes his cock in and out of you with fervor, not tearing his gaze off your face.

You’ve been exhausted for such a long time that without even registering it, sleep creeps up on you and you fall into the darkness for a few moments, minutes, hours. You’re not sure.

When your eyes flutter open he’s still going, still inside you, and his hips are moving languidly as if he’s trying not to disturb you, wants to let you rest. You must have come in your sleep, as your pussy contracts from time to time, wetness coating your folds and thighs, your skin slippery and sticky against his.

He’s not sweaty, not tired, even after having been plunging his cock into your soaked pussy for what feels like hours. Yet you know he’s on the verge of falling apart by the way his teeth are biting his lower lip without mercy. You lift your face to his and kiss him.

Only after tasting your mouth again, he comes with a loud moan, not ashamed of the euphoria that’s coursing through his body.

He’s spilling his load inside you and it’s warm and lavish as it fills you up fast and you sense it seep out from your stretched hole.

The sensation of his come, pressing on your walls, pushes you over the edge and you accompany his sounds with your needy whimpering as your cunt is pulsating and trembling around his cock.

He’s hugging you tight as you both ascend from your high, lips glued together, bodies pressed to each other. He pulls out and you feel the mess between your thighs. You don’t care.

His lips brush the shell of your ear as he says softly, “we need to go, sweetheart. I can’t - can’t give you more time.”

“I know. It’s ok,” you whisper back and you mean it. You’re too exhausted and you’ll gladly go with him.

“I’ll be gentle. I love you,” He whispers and he means it. He hates to do it but it’s all he is. All he was and will be. The angel of death.

A flick of his hand, a cold flash of steel and he’s staring at your lifeless body. With a pained sigh he takes you in his big arms and pauses for a second, watching your beautiful face. A part of him is glad that he gave you rest. But deep inside he wants to cry. A lone tear falls on your soft cheek when he plants the last kiss on your still warm lips. He starts his journey, together with you but completely alone. Always alone.

****

Thank you for reading!🌺

Please consider commenting and reblogging if you enjoyed the fic!♥️

Masterlist

Tag list: @milla-frenchy @harriedandharassed @survivingandenduring @missannwinchester @iamasaddie @nervousmumbling @bbyanarchist @stevie75 @puduvallee @auteurdelabre @mountainsandmayhem @senoratess @flamingochick55 @theoraekenslover @schnarfer @littlemisspascal @mermaidgirl30 @staywildflowahchild @yesjazzywazzylove-blog

If you'd like to be tagged in my future fics, let me know! 💕

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 3/19/2024

boy hope i never run out of zelda games to play or my mental health is going to Tank. there are very vague endgame stuff spoilers (not where zelda is, but some of the time fuckery) but i am going to spoil a bit of the rito sage quest. nothing is rot-13'ed. i feel like that's a fair compromise since this game has been out for about a year? please let me know YOUR opinions on recent game spoilers

listening

Thanks A Lot But No Thanks from the 1955 musical It's Always Fair Weather, sung by Dolores Grey. this was Dolores Grey propaganda in the @hotvintagepoll. i love a sugar baby song and this is sort of an. anti-sugar-baby song? a satitrical sugar baby song? she thanks suitors for increasingly improbable gifts (the state of Maine, et al) before killing them??

the PIPES on this woman!!! the comedic timing!!! she pulls out a gun and shoots suitors dead while thanking them for an autographed picture of john wayne!!! she pulls a big lever and they all fall under the stage!!! ive been having kind of a Time in the depths of unemployment and this made me genuinely laugh (not one short sharp bark of laughter, full on cackling).

thanks for the darling uranium mine indeed

reading

the moonstone by wilkie collins (and philip). this has been my falling asleep reading book. this is decidedly not a cozy mystery but the stakes are not like. so high i have to keep reading through the night to find out what happens. i'm having a good time with it, currently about halfway and still very irritated with rachel, the main character right now. i have not revised my "spoiled brat" opinion and i look forward to seeing if i ever revise it.

-

watching

The Three Musketeers (2011, dir. Paul W.S. Anderson). thank you mackintosh (this is a discard from my hometown library and no one needs to know where that is thanks). it's pretty widely available on free platforms rn which is how you know it's good. it's not Good is the thing but it is extremely fun. it is straight up the three musketeers but with an airship. milla jovovich jumps off an airship into the channel. milla jovovich does some assassins creed shit. luke evans does some assassins creed shit. there is an airship fight and an airship chase. it is So cheesy and unfortunately never got another sequel. it also inexplicably has some of the finest cinematic swordfighting since the golden age of hollywood.

this was a really successful impromptu movie night pick for a more widely varied gang than usual, including some teens. my bestie also enjoyed it, which i am So pleased by bc she has extremely exacting movie taste. this cast is so stacked for no good reason: orlando bloom, luke evans, christoph waltz, mads mikkelsen, matthew macfayden...

-

playing

i have a post in my head about breath of the wild and tears of the kingdom and their dialogue with each other about loss and grief, but i think that's going to have to wait until i have a little bit more brainpower. perhaps i can talk a little bit about how they make me feel about loss and grief, and how i was upset for zelda and her hundred-year siege in the last one but i am so so so desperately sad for zelda in tears of the kingdom.

i played through breath of the wild with a constant background sense of loss and grief. this is only partially due to the real-life severe depression and joblessness. i think this is a personal brain thing and not a game thing, but i did feel guilty when fucking around in breath of the wild and not actively doing main quests to save zelda. like i would look at the castle off in the distance and feel kind of bad. the champions (and zelda!) telling link as soon as physically possible that it wasn't his fault made me cry in real life every time. i get it's like a month max of in-universe time between games, but it still feels like he has once again missed SO much. i think this is sort of a larger symptom of depression in that i look at [REDACTED] in tears of the kingdom and get a bit hopeless about [REDACTED] and it's like. well i might as well go pick golden apples and not do main quests. time is meaningless.

i am really glad they kept the shrine of resurrection on the plateau in tears of the kingdom. if that hadn't been there i the player would have felt very unmoored. i cannot begin to think how unreal and depersonalized it would have made link feel.

enough of that! the hero's path function is so funny. there are such huge swathes of the map i looked at and said No Thanks! Not Yet!

my depths map is even funnier. eight lightroots so far. no thank you! too scary still! i thought until VERY RECENTLY that all the caves and wells led to the depths and was avoiding them. mistake! cool shit in caves and wells! some horrible boys as well but they are vastly outnumbered by the cool shit.

the rito sage quest fucked SO severely. i had so much fucking fun with that boss fight even though it took me a real life two hours to get up to the arena with the puzzles to unlock the boss fight. i also surprised myself and did not have to look up how to beat any of the puzzles or the boss! just entered a state of flow and looked up and it was three hours later! i know a lot of people are very grumpy about how this was not a totally new game with a totally new map, but i have nothing but praise for the mechanics in this completely new section. knocked my socks off. made me think but wasn't too frustrating. made me use all my powers and all my weapon types. it was simply a great deal of almost frictionless fun! some over the top sick as shit stuff that is the whole point of video games as a medium imo

unlocked all the geoglyphs and i am Upset. i am UPSET.

and now for some horse talk (TM): i kept the very first horse i caught out of nostalgia even though these stats are not very good. i think the naming scheme for this game will be H (the last game was C). the breath of the wild giant ganon horse is so funny. you can't do shit with this horse. you can't change the mane. you can't change the tack. you can't increase his stats. he's just There. Large.

tangential horse talk: why is this lynel in the wetlands. his feathering and fetlocks are going to rot off. he is going to founder

some places ASCEND works where i didn't expect it to: tree. water you can stand in.

i stumbled across the last power completely accidentally while trying to deliver some eyes to a mysterious god and this was so fucking funny. i DID throw this guy down a big pit in the last game and he never came back. i forgot about that.

also people were fucking gaga for rauru but why didn't i see people talking about either of these two last summer on this, the -girl affix site and the scruffy shredded boy site

some other bits and bobs:

i was so annoyed patricia was part of the compendium in the last game i fucking got her this time ok

very hashtag relatable languages moment

unrelated to either of those things, i have done the gerudo sage quest except for the boss battle and i missed two huge swathes of hashtag tunnel gameplay (going to find riju through the tunnels. simply went overland) and getting to the central temple chamber (simply used ascend). whoops

there's a little tower concept art piece in purah's room in the ancient lab! that's a fun little touch i really love, it really helps differentiate the games and show changes in the overworld between games in a very cheap and east way for the devs

bc i play these games like dressup simulators, i also want to note that misko's tents are also really fun, they really feel like they're from a much earlier era and i'm stumbling across an untouched archaeological site

-

making

garden update: growing along okay, it has been so so so wet lately and i should have bitten the bullet and bought the big expensive bag of perlite, the drainage is not terrific. i should elevate all the planters and that would help a bit too. tomatoes are bit leggy, i moved them out of the partial shade on the end of the balcony and in front of the window. i am a bit concerned about them getting scorched, but again it's been so wet lately they need all the help they can get. i feel like they're established enough to be pruned a bit to make them bushier but i am Afraid. there are worse things in life than leggy tomatoes

the pic on the left below: these bush beans are looking a bit strange as well. the four shorter ones came up, promptly withered their cotyledons, and i thought they died until they popped out their first true leaves. the larger ones i think may have some kind of mosaic virus but it's a little early to tell. these are bins that haven't been used outside (they stored clothes in for the move) and new dirt from home depot. either the dirt or the seed stock itself may have been infected? very strange. the cucumbers in the bin in the back (hidden by the beans) are also taking forever to get going. at least the sweet peas are doing fine. the spinach i planted in that back bin withered where the stems met the soil and died. i think it was simply to early and too damp for them.

anyway on the right pic above: these normie peas and normie climbing beans seem to be doing fine. that's dill in the gray pot and basil in the bucket, they also seem to be doing fine. just sort of a perplexing corner on the other side of the balcony.

[mcsplodeyx]

@gurabiti​ sent:   🍯, 🥛, 🐢, 🦄, ⌛, 💕, 💣, 😵, 🏡 ( pt. 1 )

🍯  -  FOOD HEADCANON

    he learned how to cook mainly from his dad.  not that his mom didn’t cook, but it was actually his dad’s favorite past time. when he was younger his mom used to tell him he needs to be able to care for himself and others should he ever get involved romantically or make friends. on top of this his dad was a extreme fan of spicy foods and often made them despite his mother’s protest to killing her taste buds and he took that after him. he gets his food knowledge and skill all from his father, mainly due to the fact masaru didn’t want bakugou and mitsuki arguing with knives in tow. and he loved spending that time with his son.

🥛  -  DRINK HEADCANON

    he doesn’t drink much soda or sugary drinks.  he normally drinks water ( tap, mineral, flavored rarely ), oolong tea and a single coffee during the day. however when he does drink soda or sugary drinks he likes watermelon fanta, strawberry coca cola or a toss up of ramune drinks. depends on his mood and if he’s out buying snacks with his friends ;  they’re bad influences on the snack picking.

🐢  -  MENTAL HEALTH HEADCANON

     his self image is heavily damaged.  what i mean by this is he uses grandiose projections to cover up the fact that he is very unsatisfied with himself. he is never happy with his improvement, especially after coming to UA, because he feels as though he’s constantly falling behind. though as all might said, it’s harder to improve when you’re at the top compared to others who are coming up from the bottom. he tries to tell himself this, but after years of processing his emotions on himself with the same behavior it’s a hard habit to break.

🦄  -  PHYSICAL HEALTH HEADCANON

      bakugou’s physical health is constantly maintained.  he works out daily in his own room, both dorm and home.  it’s a goal of his to keep himself in tip-top shape and it’s a routine that hasn’t been interrupted since he began to train himself towards becoming a hero.  he has a specific workout routine to ensure muscle definition and strength and honestly hasn’t broken it for a day in his life. this is also a double-edged sword, because he has the tendency to push himself and make his body feel absolutely worse the next day. he however just sees it as pushing his endurance.

⌛  -  SLEEP HEADCANON

      same as his physical routine, his sleep is routine. he goes to bed between 8pm - 9pm every night.  it was a unbreakable schedule until he got to UA and began to deal with the unprecedented villain attacks. regardless of this, he’ll still retire to his room around that given time frame and lie away if he’s unable to sleep. when he’s stressed he’ll often use the punching bag in his room as a stress relief until he’s too wore out to stay away.

💕  -  LOVE HEADCANON

        WHAT IS LOVE, BABY DON’T HURT ME  ----  he has no idea what the fuck to do when it comes to love.  feelings such as crushes and being in love is something he’s never taken into consideration as he’s too focused on winning. he sees love, his parents love each other very much, but he doesn’t consider it being a part of his life in his future. if he experiences these feelings, he isn’t sure what it is. he’ll feel embarrassed, flustered, aggravated and ultimately ignore it until he feels as though he’s going to explode. it’s not that he can’t love / doesn’t, but he actively holds no desire for love in a romantic sense. he never has and probably never will until it’s literally too late to say ‘no’.

💣  -  STRESS HEADCANON

      bakugou mutates his stress into physical output.  working out more, training his quirk, basically anything physical. if he sits on it and keeps it inside it only adds to his blowups and causes him to fall down a deep hole of anger. regardless, this still is detrimental to his physical and mental health, especially when it comes to training. he often overworks himself when he’s stressed and won’t stop until he feels a speck of relief or as if he’s improved something he aimed to ( which can be the main cause of his stress, anyway )

😵  -  SICKNESS HEADCANON

      when he’s sick he’s a lot less aggressive.  he’s sluggish, slowed down and absolutely hates it because it slows him down. when he’s sick, he’s much more accepting to being ‘cared’ for. ie: friends bringing him things, being checked up on ( tho he’ll say he’s fucking fine ) and just lazing around with some people online. he may complain, but he’ll accept it nonetheless.

🏡  -  HOME HEADCANON

        violence was a heavy part of his home life, mainly due to his mom believing in physical punishment and being a victim of anger herself. he’s always been smacked, pushed into his room or met with some sort of force when he’s acted up. he never saw a problem with it, as it was normally given to him as a disciplinary action although the actions were often tied into fights and words which hurt. this was purely from his mother ; his father didn’t have the heart and often tried to break it up or handle it a different way. however as bakugou got older and began to take a lot from mitsuki, he gave up and saw it as a losing battle. this does have a heavy influence on his behavior during his life.

[inkly-heart]

I agree 👀 /More asks under the cut!!/

Rasmus-”Yeah, when hell freezes over.”

Maybe, maybe not~;))))

Try stop me dear anon

He also owns a car. His dad likes to spoil himxDD

Stalker- Age play, watersports/feces, fisting, tickling, face slapping. DG- Aquaphilia, Age play, watersports/feces, fisting, talking too much.

He would startle at first but seeing his mom happy and fine he would calm down but he would still be careful, thouuugh he would eventually feel ok, long as MC shows him that he can trust them. (so better not to make a mistake.)

Stalker does have quite many crushes.xD Even though he’s desperate for love but at the same time he’s “careful”.  For example he has a crush on Angel but he knows he can’t get her but since he has difficulties to let go of her he keeps on stalking her and he does this with others too who he knows he can never have. There are also some crushes who he has never talked to but feels he could have a chance so on these crushes if he gains enough courage he would try ask them. But when he does find the one he would then forget the others and just focus on this one person who he thinks is the right one.

You mean the game? At the moment I can’t really say specific day but I will inform about it when I know better!^^

Angel- 8-10 Catherine- 5-8 Venni- 5-7 DG- 7-10 Stalker(Damon)- 7-9 Milla- 1 Gunther- 5 Sal- 4 Leevi- 6-7 Rasmus- 5-6

Thank you!

[reformedkingsmanagent]

A Werewolf in Vizima — Part 3

A/N: So. Yeah I know it’s been forever. I appreciate your patience. Thank the universe for that new trailer. I wrote more than this, not sure if you’ll get a fourth part today but it’s pretty likely at this rate. I hope you enjoy this.

[PART 1]     [PART 2]     [PART 4]

People were running, you attempting to make your way through them proving more difficult than you anticipated. Meanwhile, Geralt was already lengths ahead, having gotten quite the head start. After a few seconds you lost sight of the silver hair and almost gave up until you reached a gathered crowd.

In a dead-end alley between two buildings, a horrible scene waited. Once you pushed through the group, the iron hit your nose and you quickly turned around, eyes wide, hoping and praying to keep your composure. It wasn’t every day you saw someone’s innards spread across the cobblestones.

Before you could turn back around and put on a brave face, a gentle hand pressed comfortingly in the middle of your back.

Geralt.

“Go home, get inside. It’s not safe.”

You shook your head, the thought of sitting at home wondering if you’d ever see the witcher again—waiting for Johanna to die—seemed like torture. You were fine. You could handle this. 

Could you?

Moments later the city guards appeared, the clink of their plate-metal armor cutting through the whispers and quiet gossip as everyone craned their necks to try to get a good look at the mess.

“Everyone! Back in your homes, please! For your own safety, disburse!”

As one of the guards moved to push you back into the crowd, Geralt’s much kinder touch pulled you in towards his side.

“She’s with me,” he warned the guard. He got a look, but the guard soon returned his attention to the others gathered around.

You let out a sigh of relief, only then realizing how close you were to him.

“You should’ve gone home,” he sighed, eyes watching the guards attempting to get rid of the more persistent stragglers. 

“Where’s the fun in that?” you answered, though your stomach was in knots.

“I don’t like the thought of you leaving the city walls,” he explained, looking up at the top of the wall caging in this alleyway. You noticed the bloodied handprint, or...pawprint?

“Geralt, are you after a...dog?”

He sighed before taking a few steps closer to the bloody scene. “Not exactly.”

“Well, if it isn’t the Butcher of Blaviken himself,” a voice cut in. Both of you turned towards the new arrival to see Vernon Roche, a well-known Temerian hero, a loyalist to the end, and apparently an acquaintance of Geralt’s. “I knew they’d hired on a Witcher, but I never guessed you’d be back south so soon.”

They clasped arms for a moment and you saw an almost relieved smile on Geralt’s face. “Didn’t know they’d pulled you back. What brings you to this side of town?”

Vernon chuckled. “Once you’ve stormed a Nilfgaardian camp, this looks downright pristine.”

You huffed quietly to yourself, itching to berate him at the first opportunity for the slight against where you lived, but thought better of it. You were beginning to rethink this tentative ‘deal.’

While they talked you busied yourself with your own personal exposure therapy. Intent on being somehow useful, you turned towards the scene, looking it over until the mildly uncomfortable sensation deep in the pit of your stomach faded. 

The skin across the man’s gut was shredded, as if it had been a piece of parchment, something you never knew to be possible. You’ve seen sickness, which was a whole other beast, but besides the occasional drunken bar fight you had thankfully been spared of any serious violence.

Until today, you mused, glancing over at the well-outfitted witcher.

What had he done to earn a title like that? ‘Butcher of Blaviken,’ eh? Friends with Vernon Roche, and Keira Metz too. Even done some ‘favors’ for King Foltest. Why did you have to cross paths with someone like him?

After a few minutes of friendly conversation, Geralt turned to you, leaving Vernon to inspect the mess himself. He gently pulled at your wrist to turn you away from it all.

“I need you to go and collect the markings on Johanna’s door.”

“You’re not going with me?” The idea of walking around the city in the evening, especially after dark, didn’t sit well with you. You usually made the journey home with Milla as she lived pretty close to you. You weren’t very far from home even now.

Geralt glanced behind him, up towards the wall. “I can’t lose this trail.” He seemed to understand what he was asking of you, as he reached down to his boot and pulled a dagger and sheath free, holding it out to you. “I can probably meet you there, but if I’m not there soon, just go home, or find somewhere safe to wait out the night.”

You hesitated, but ultimately understood that at least being armed, you’d stand a slightly better chance. “You owe me for this.”

He offered an amused smile before nodding. “I do.”

You nodded back, tucking the dagger into the pocket sewn into your dress. Usually holding much more innocuous things than a blade, it still managed to stay hidden against your side. 

Now to see to Johanna.

***

The wooden door creaked as it was pushed open and you froze, crouched low just outside, waiting for any sign that someone was headed your way. While not exactly a private residence, there were still expectations that definitely put you outside traditional visiting hours, not that Johanna was allowed to have visitors anyway.

After almost a minute of silence, you squeezed through the doorway, quickly turning and using a gentle pressure to ease the door back into place. The rooms just inside were empty for the moment so you continued up the stairs, eyes set on the door right at the top at the beginning of a long hallway. Once you neared the top, you noticed that the dishes cluttered around the door still sat untouched, some likely spoiled by now. All of it felt unnatural. The chance encounter with the Witcher seemed more and more significant with each passing second spent standing at the top of the stairs.

Looking at the door, you couldn’t see anything like what Geralt had described. No markings, no words, no symbols—

There. There they are.

They were incredibly hard to see. You slowly knelt down as close to the door as possible, straining to pick up the outlines in the dark. You reached out, fingers falling into the grooves here and there on the inside of the doorframe. You had no idea what it meant. But Geralt might.

Taking a moment to rifle through your bag you never got a chance to drop off at home, you pulled a piece of parchment out, a note left from Milla regarding the supplies she’d set out for you that evening. Realizing you couldn’t get close to the notches carved into the wood without moving some of the dishes aside, you had a sudden epiphany. Whoever carved those markings into the wood was likely also the one making sure the offerings stayed there, to make sure no one got close enough to notice them, but also to see if Johanna tried to get out.

Feeling chills rushing down your spine, you moved some of the larger plates out of the way, getting ever closer to where you needed to be. Careful to lift and move the dishes instead of dragging them across the wood, you soon had a path. Without anything to make a rubbing, you used your nail, raking it across the carvings and hoping enough of an indentation would be made to be useful. With every bit of noise, your anxiety over being caught there, and possibly by the person who put those marks there grew. 

“H-hello?”

You fell back, reaching out to prevent your fall down the stairs, heart beating out of your chest at the small voice emanating from under the door.

You couldn’t believe it. 

“Johanna?”

“Please—”

“What?” you whispered.

“Get me out of here.”

You shot a glance at the end of the hall, as if the matron would be standing there, waiting. It was empty. Still, a lump in your throat remained. 

“Okay.”

[daresplaining]

“Purple” Part 3: Several Matt Murdocks Walk into a Bar...

    As much as I dislike the ramifications of the Purple Children’s decision to “solve” Matt’s secret identity dilemma by making everyone forget it, the “Purple” arc that establishes this plot point is quite good. The progression of Matt’s feelings about having a public identity from where Waid left him to the present makes logical sense, and his struggles to figure out how to deal with his escalating problems in this new status quo make for an emotional read. The mind wipe was not his idea, and he has mixed feelings about it, which I appreciate.

    However, for the sake of this run overview, I wanted to highlight #19 in particular, which is a stand-out issue that works just as well as a one-shot as it does an integrated part of the run, and which showcases a vital and-- I think-- perfectly in-character element of Matt’s personality. 

    For this story we are back in Matt’s head, though the landscape of the place looks significantly different than it did in issue #8, thanks to the intrusion of the Purple Man. While Matt’s blindness has always given him a degree of protection against Purple Man’s specific brand of mind-control, in this story arc he has found a way to amp up the potency and reach of his powers by using his children. This issue follows what happens to Matt while under the Purple Man’s sway, and switches back-and-forth between the real world and Matt’s mind-controlled subconscious, which here takes the form of a rather unusual bar.       

    This issue is pencilled and inked by guest artist Marc Laming, who is one of my favorite artists to work on Soule’s run. His work is beautifully detailed and expressive, and he and colorists Matt Milla and Miroslav Mrva do a great job of depicting the many Daredevils (and a few of their significant others) from throughout the comic’s history who populate the bar. For anyone not up on their DD continuity, here’s a breakdown: 

    With one of his greatest nemeses now finally under his full control, the Purple Man is eager to have some revenge. But instead of inflicting his own flavor of  pain on Matt, he decides to take a more insidious approach: he asks Matt to name the worst thing he (Matt) could possibly imagine himself doing. Something repulsive, that would break him were he to actually carry it out. This becomes a topic of debate for the Matts in the bar, each of whom has their own answer.

“Man Without Fear” Matt: “You lose control. You put your hands on the people who can’t defend themselves. You let the darkness out. You hear the bones splintering. You smell the blood, the coppery, swampy blood. You know the exact moment their hearts stop.”

Public Identity Matt: “Easy there, friend. We’re all just trying to have a good time here. How about you get back over there and I’ll buy you a drink?”

“Man Without Fear” Matt: “Who the hell are you supposed to be?”

Public Identity Matt: “Oh, you know.”

    (Please note Public Identity Matt, Foggy, and Kirsten’s facial expressions in the first panel. They crack me up.)

    It’s not only fun, on a geeky level, to see all these different versions of the Daredevil identity fight interact with each other, but it’s also a great way of exploring the huge range of character development Matt has experienced-- which is something I’ve always loved about him. Matt’s mindset and approach to superheroing, and the tone of the stories, encompasses such a huge range that all of the Matts in the bar have slightly different personalities based on where he was, mentally, at the time. And it’s logical that all of these different perspectives and conflicting ideologies are still present in the back of his mind. Matt has always been a complex character, and this issue gifts us a visual representation of that. 

    Black Suit Matt’s presence here is worth pointing out, because he is the result of some messy continuity that has never been resolved. He’s from the Man Without Fear mini-series, which is Frank Miller and John Romita Jr.’s alternate universe re-imagining of Matt’s origin story. It’s much more brutal and violent than Stan Lee’s version, and features a shuffling of the timeline that resulted in Jack dying while Matt was still in high school. Despite the fact that it was not written as a retcon, writers on the main DD series were quick to integrate elements of MWF into 616 Matt’s backstory. But it wasn’t a complete reboot; Matt’s yellow costume is still considered his first by most writers (it’s even in this issue!), Jack still died while Matt was in college (...or law school), and so Black Suit Man Without Fear Matt exists in a strange limbo, not quite canon but still somehow part of the 616 universe. 

    But for the sake of this issue, it’s best to just not think about it too hard. Here, he represents the most violent side of Matt’s psyche, which inspires his first response to the Purple Man’s question: which is seemingly to kill Kirsten. 

Kirsten: “Matt! What are you... What are you doing? Why are you with the Purple Man?”

Purple Man: “Be patient, Kirsten the Girlfriend! You don’t want to spoil the surprise.”

Matt: “You know... no. This feels a little small. I mean, I’ve lost girlfriends before. This would be terrible, sure, but... been there, done that. I can do better. Or worse, actually.”

    ...PHEW. Fortunately, Matt talks himself out of it. 

    If the issue were longer, we might have heard all of the Daredevils’ ideas, but sadly we only get a few more. 

Yellow Suit Matt: “You’re making this too complicated. Keep it simple. Get back to your roots.”

Armored Matt: “Wrong, idiot! You’re not thinking big enough, Murdock. The worst thing needs to be... extreme.”

    Again, part of the entertainment value of this issue is seeing the different Daredevils react to each other, and Soule makes a point of pairing the chipper DDs with the, shall we say, less psychologically healthy ones. And it’s worth noting that the two solid answers to the Purple Man’s question that Matt comes up with are both put forth by his darker identities; as mentioned, Man Without Fear Matt is emotionally raw by design, and while the armored suit period in the 90s wasn’t actually, relatively speaking, that depressing, it was a reinvention of Daredevil that Matt intended to be violent and frightening. And it makes sense that these darker DDs would have an easier time dredging up worst case scenarios. Frankly, it’s surprising that Volume 2 Matt-- arguably the darkest DD of all-- didn’t jump into the conversation (but maybe he was too distracted by hanging out with Milla (see above), and who can blame him?). 

    It’s also clever that the whole discussion is mediated by the one Matt who isn’t a superhero: Matt the Lawyer (who isn’t blind, which is a little weird). While the Daredevils represent all of the bombastic chaos of Matt’s impulses and emotions, Lawyer Matt sorts through their answers from a slightly removed vantage point and tries to apply logic to them. He is the clever, analytical part of Matt’s mind, and I love that he essentially serves as the main character for this issue. 

    Armored Matt (actually, his civilian identity was Jack Batlin, if we want to be really precise about this) makes the requisite “extreme!” 90s comics joke-- which made me laugh out loud the first time I read this issue-- and that leads Lawyer Matt to figure out his final answer. He requests that the Purple Man create worldwide chaos using his newly enhanced powers. And from what Matt and the reader can tell, he does. And then Matt explains what he has in mind.  

Purple Man: “...Now what?”

Lawyer Matt: “Nothing.”

Purple Man: “Wait... what? Nothing?”

Lawyer Matt: “Yes. This is the worst thing. The entire world goes to hell, I know about it, I have the power to help, and I do... nothing.”

Purple Man: “WHAT?”

    Arguments can be made about whether this is the actual worst thing Matt can imagine himself doing. That’s kind of the point of the issue, and I’m sure the answer changes daily for Matt. But it fits, and brings him-- as Yellow Suit DD advises-- “back to [his] roots”. The Daredevil identity serves many purposes for Matt, but one of its main functions is as a tool of empowerment. Its initial purpose was to give him a way to avenge his father’s death without breaking his promise to not become a fighter. After growing up unable to defend himself from bullies, unable to use his training (once he acquired it) out in the open, and ultimately unable to protect the person who meant most to him, he put on a mask and gave himself an alias, and thereby empowered himself to break free of that cycle of helplessness. Losing that power is certainly one of his greatest fears, and so the idea of choosing to render himself useless would be horrifying to him. 

    This is also a theme of Soule’s run in particular. This arc deals with the deterioration of the wonderful life he built for himself, Kirsten, and Foggy in San Francisco-- a destruction that is partly his fault, and which he is powerless to stop. It leads to the Purple Children’s decision to make the world forget Daredevil’s secret identity-- a decision in what Matt had no say. In the arc before this, Matt nearly commits suicide because he was unable to stop Muse from blinding Sam. And of course, the final arc of the run-- “The Death of Daredevil”-- is all about powerlessness; Matt achieves a huge victory over the Kingpin, then realizes it was just a dream. But the lesson inherent in Soule’s run is that whether or not he wins, Matt will never choose to not fight. 

    This moment of clarity and self-awareness, and the realization that his worst nightmare is actually coming true and he needs to stop it, allows Matt to break free of the mind control. He kicks the Purple Man’s butt and saves the Purple Children, who repay him by “solving” his secret identity issues (Hey, at least they meant well. I love the Purple Children...) But regardless of the unfortunate outcome, this is a great battle of wills between Matt and one of his most dangerous enemies, and is definitely one of my favorite single issues of the run.  

[diegoalvesisgod]

@cuterone and @montosmadman! You guys spoiled me so much! I brought the packages from the post office yesterday but kept the unwrapping for today as it was fairly late yesterday.

Kellin, thanks so much for everything, especially the letter and the thorough review of the fic. I was smiling like an idiot while reading it. As for Pogon, I actually have a friend who is a fan, so I already possess a pencil and a coaster, so my collection is growing nicely. My hometown club has a partnership with Gieksa Katowice, but I think they don’t mind Pogon, so I should survive. I haven’t tried the tea yet, but it smells delicious.

Milla, the Liverpool blanket will be perfect for watching football in bed! I haven’t read the fic yet, it’s waiting on my nightstand for when I make myself a cup of tea ready for some aaaangst. I’m curious about the tea as well! Also, what team am I supposed to support now with so many scarves?

Merry Christmas to you both! Will provide feedback on teas and fic later.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1242

Monday, December 24, 2018

 I was hit by a spasm of back pain on Saturday like the ghost of Christmas Past. That'll teach me for being such a Scrooge this time of year. I try not to be naughty but being nice is such a pain in the pants. I am slowly recovering under the gentle ministrations of Santa's Helper. Being around family and friends is better medicine than any pain pills I could take. My brother and sister-in-law hosted a brunch yesterday and seeing everyone together laughing and happy soothed me greatly. Just holding baby Oliver and making him smile eased my back pain.

 I saw the Ottawa premiere of Aquaman thanks to my Jee-Riz partner Chris, who won passes from the comic book store Myths, Legends and Heroes. I can sum up how I felt about the movie in one word; wigs. I wish they had spent some of the Atlantis special effects budget on better wigs for the actors. Arthur's dad's toupee was glaringly obvious. I've seen better hair on Cosplayers than Nicole Kidman's wigs. It looked like Amber Heard/Mera was wearing a wig at times but even when it looked like her real hair the colour red they chose was too unnatural looking. The movie's saving grace for me was Jason Momoa. He makes a great Arthur/Aquaman. I'm glad I didn't pay to see this one.

 Ugh. Stan Lee tribute covers. Terrible marketing idea.

 Dead Man Logan #2 - Ed Brisson (writer) Mike Henderson (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). A couple of things really annoyed me this issue. Sin, the Red Skull's daughter, acted like a spoiled brat. It's not a stretch to foresee the villains losing at the end of this 12-issue story. Then we have Forge repairing a machine that can get Old Man Logan back home. They actually go there and he doesn't stay. I'm for super heroics as much as the next nerd and maybe I'm selfish, but that irked me to no end. Old Man Logan has been whining about getting home ever since he showed up in this timeline and now he wants to stay to prevent all the super heroes from being killed by all the super villains. There isn't even a guarantee that is what happens in the future. And why don't they use the machine to fix things? Man I hate time travel. I really like Mike Henderson's art but this looks like another travelling super heroes versus super villains battle every issue, and that's not very interesting to me.

 Defenders: The Best Defense #1 - Al Ewing (writer) Joe Bennett (pencils) Belardino Brabo (inks) Dono Sanchez Almara (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). It's the big Defenders reunion to save Earth. Old Man Dr. Strange, Hulk, Namor and the Silver Surfer have to sidetrack The Train in order for Earth to survive. It's a bit complicated and I'm surprised that you didn't really need to read all the one-shots to get what's going on. I mean all those scenes where the stabby killer in the bed sheet is killing aliens isn't even mentioned in this story. So what was up with that?

 Marvel Knights #4 - Vita Ayala & Donny Cates (writers) Joshua Cassara (art) Matt Milla (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Here's where they explain why all the super heroes have forgotten who they are. T'Challa/Black Panther is featured in this issue that ends with him discovering the lair of villains. I'm wondering how the bad guys retained their memories.

 Old Man Hawkeye #12 - Ethan Sacks (writer) Francesco Mobili (art) Andres Mossa (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). That was a very satisfying ending. What a great prequel to the Old Man Logan story where Clint and Logan go on a road trip. This is where Clint loses his sight for good. I loved the last page epilogue showing Clint tracking down someone who will help him to continue to fight the bad guys despite his blindness.

 Runaways #16 - Rainbow Rowell (writer) Kris Anka (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Reading this Christmas special is better than getting a lump of coal. Having Doombot as a dinner guest made this a treat. I wish he was a regular member of the team.

 West Coast Avengers #6 - Kelly Thompson (writer) Daniele Di Nicuolo (art) Triona Farrell (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The good guys have been captured by the bad guys: Satana Hellstrom, M.O.D.O.K., The Eel and Madame Masque. Kate is still free however and she's not going to abandon her team mates. Too bad she gets waylaid on her way to rescue them. Her captor is a complete surprise, which will make the next issue a hoot.

 Thor #8 - Jason Aaron (writer) Mike del Mundo (art) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). This is an awesome issue with Thor fighting the Angelus. It ends with an ex-Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. being paid a visit by the Black Panther. I like how this book is being tied into The Avengers.

 Season's Beatings #1 - Jason Latour (writer) Greg Hinkle, Chris Brunner, Veronica Fish & Mario Del Pennino (art) Rico Renzi, Jim Campbell & Veronica Fish (colours) VC's Travis Lanham (letters). I should have realized from the cover that this was a Deadpool Christmas Special. If I had known, I would have bought a pair of socks from the Dollar Store with the $4.99 US that this comic book costs. Unless of course, you're a big Deadpool fan or West Coast Avengers fan or even an X-Force fan. They're all in here too. Plus Squirrel Girl and Doctor Doom. Come to think of it, this is an everything but the kitchen sink gift for a Marvel Comics fan who will get a few chuckles out of it.

 Freedom Fighters #1 - Robert Venditti (writer) Eddy Barrows (pencils) Eber Ferreira (inks) Adriano Lucas (colours) Deron Bennett (letters). This is some heavy duty patriotic poop right here. We start this 12-issue story in 1963 America that is ruled by Adolf Hitler and his "ratzi" party. The original Freedom Fighters meet to plot a resistance attack on a war robot factory. Things don't go well for the good guys. Jump forward to 2018 and the surprise appearance of the New Freedom Fighters; Black Condor, Doll Woman, the Human Bomb and Phantom Lady. All we need is Uncle Sam. Robert Venditti holds nothing back showing the Germans as ruthless racists. The art is really well done so I will give these Golden Age heroes a chance to see how they fare in modern times.

 Middlewest #2 - Skottie Young (writer) Jorge Corona (art) Jean Francois Beaulieu (colours) Nate Piekos (letters). A new character named Jeb is introduced who helps Abel get out of a bind. Jeb reminds me of the first time we meet Gandalf. Abel's quest continues and we find out a bit more about the symbol on his chest. I predict he'll meet his mother down the road but unlike the talking fox, I won't be travelling down it with him.

 Cover #4 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) David Mack (art) Michael Avon Oeming (Owen art) Zu Orzu (colours) Carlos Mangual (letters). This issue is a great example of how a comic book can tell a story with words and pictures. I felt like I was watching a TV show or a short film. Brian, David and Michael work together seamlessly

 Hardcore 1 - Robert Kirkman & Andy Diggle (writers) Alessandro Vitti (art) Adriano Lucas (colours) Thomas Mauer (letters). Yeah man, it is. Agent Drake is a drone pilot but what he controls are other human beings. A new nanotechnology allows him to take over and move a remote body for 72 hours so he can complete wetwork missions. It's really cool. The big problem arises when the guy who invented the tech comes back to reclaim it from the government. That guy is not asking nicely. I like this concept and the predicament that Agent Drake finds himself in at the end of this issue. Therefore, this goes on to my "must read" list.

 Klaus and the Crying Snowman #1 - Grant Morrison (writer) Dan Mora (art) Ed Dukeshire (letters). This $7.99 US one-shot tells the tale of how Sam the snowman helps Klaus save the Earth from murderous aliens. I loved how they wove in Norse mythology. You'd think a crying snowman would be doomed in the end and you'd be right, but fear not, 'tis a happy ending.

 Betty & Veronica #1 - Jamie Lee Rotante (writer) Sandra Lanz (art) Kelly Fitzpatrick (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). The BFFs are back with a 5-issue mini that starts off their senior year of high school. I know that these slightly more mature Archie Comics want to draw in a new audience but Betty dating Reggie? Sacrilege. A few other things bothered me storywise that turned me off even more. Betty drinking a spiked punch without noticing? C'mon. Then there's the art. I didn't like the interiors compared to the nice cover that Sandra drew. I expected my girl Betty to be treated better than this.

 Catwoman #6 - Joelle Jones (story & art) Laura Allred (colours) Josh Reed (letters). The finale of "Copycats" is a quick read so I read it twice. The first time was to see how Catwoman deals with the evil Mrs. Creel and her pumped up on drugs son. The second time was to see Catwoman in action and to savour the beautiful art and layouts. I wish Joelle Jones would do a Betty & Veronica mini.

 Extermination #5 - Ed Brisson (writer) Pepe Larraz (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). I tolerated this time travel tale because of the amazing art. I wish Pepe Larraz would do a Betty & Veronica mini. If you thought that the mutants being exterminated was a real threat then you haven't been reading X-Men comic books for very long. This story puts the young X-Men back in their own time and all is well again. The big surprise comes on the last page and I'm thinking "oh geez, here we go again".

 Domino #9 - Gail Simone (writer) David Baldeon & Michael Shelfer (art) Roberto Poggi (ink assist) Guru-eFX (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Soldier of Fortune part 3. The ladies are asked to kill Longshot. Haven't seen him in a while. Might not see him for long though, since he's supposed to bring about the end of the world. This is interesting because both Domino and Longshot have the same super power. Who's luck is going to run out first?

 Firefly #2 - Greg Pak (writer) Dan McDaid (art) Marcelo Costa (colours) Jim Campbell (letters). Mal and Zoe are being hunted by a gang of thieves and the Alliance. Darn tootin' there's going to be shootin'. I have been watching Nathan Fillion's new cop show The Rookie and I quite like it.

 Batman #61 - Tom King (writer) Travis Moore (art) Tamra Bonvillain (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). Knightmares part 1. The "what the!?" appearance on the last page of #60 is explained here as a new story starts. I knew something was hinky when I saw the string of pearls around the dead body of Martha Wayne in the alley. I thought we were in an alternate universe and we sort of are but it came as a complete shock when what was going on was explained. Arkham Asylum is getting a new inmate. At least he's new to me unless I want to go back and read Batman #38.

[carnelianwings]

Tales of Xillia - Jude’s side, cleared! (Successful attempt at 2:02:00, by the way!)

As @katanagasuki can tell you, this is a game that I’ve been long, long, long, long overdue to clear.  I regret not playing and finishing it sooner, because the story is a wonderful ride, and my only real critique on it is that it should have been one game instead of two - as it stands, the Elympios arc felt super short and abruptly ended, because I had been expecting it to be like Symphonia and so expected to spend a fair amount of time in Elympios and to see more of it than one city, one military fort, and a few of the open field areas.  Plus, I was also expecting Shadow and Aska to put in an appearance, since Celsius and Volt did as well.

Did I come away with a new ship?  Yeah, I did.  XD  I mean, I lowkey shipped them before, but when I saw that ending, no lie, I was crying.  I knew what was coming, I knew they wouldn’t get a happily ever after together, but damn it, seeing Jude set aside his tears so he could send Milla off with a smile killed me.  It was like watching Mikleo lead the other seraphim to circle around Sorey at the end of Zestiria again.  I mean, yes, I also know that Jude and Milla get to reunite (briefly) for Xillia 2, and that she’s able to reach out to him and vaguely communicate her presence to him, but I was not expecting the feels.  Even up until the very end, it was clear they saw each other as partners.  I think the moment that killed me the most though was when Milla asks Jude if what he wanted was for her to use the mana from the schism to recreate her human body but he just supports her and her decision to become the next Maxwell, setting aside his own personal desire.

At this point, all I can say is “Thank you Rays, for letting them reunite again”.

I think what I might do from here is do the post-game content, then do a NG+ Unknown run on Milla’s side, so I can get the full story experience, and then move onto Xillia 2.  I’ve had a few things spoiled for me for Xillia 2 (but that’s okay, I pretty much asked for those), including just how far Jude’s “I must protect/help Milla streak goes” (apparently, he’ll challenge the game’s Big Bad if he so much as hints he’s hurt Milla in any way), so that will be a fun set of challenges with a new character.  Overall, I really enjoyed the game, and I think if it hadn’t been for the abrupt ending due to them splitting the game, I’d rate it higher, but for now, it sits in 5th place for me after Zestiria, Vesperia, Symphonia, and Destiny (PS2 remake), in that order.

[balancoire]

Fandom: Tales of Xillia 2

Ludger/Fractured Milla (implied)

I found this in my old documents and decided to dust it off and finish it...god knows how old this was LOL

The sun was setting when Ludger and Elle finally got back to his apartment. With all of the Waymarker business, it felt like they rarely spent any time at home.  

Ludger dragged a finger along the kitchen counter; there was a fine layer of dust (aside from the paw prints Rollo had just tracked through it). And the whole place was starting to smell musty.  

Yuck.  

He was trying to pry one of the windows open when he saw the otherworldly Milla sitting alone on the swings outside.

Milla looked so forlorn, so lost. She pushed her swing forward a little bit, kicking rocks with the tip of her boot. Ludger immediately abandoned the window (it was too stuck to open, anyway) and went outside to meet her.

“Do you have a place to stay?”

Milla glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. “I can work something out. I always have.”

“You haven’t gotten yourself a room at the inn?”

A beat of silence. “I didn’t bring any gald with me,” she finally said, “and before you offer, no, I won’t spend any of yours. You need it for that debt, don’t you? So I’ll figure something out on my own. Don’t bother me.”

“Come stay in Ludger’s apartment with us!”

Both Milla and Ludger turned. He hadn’t realized that Elle followed him out of the apartment, but there she was with Rollo in tow. The girl smiled up at Milla as she grabbed hold of her hand.  

“We can share Ludger’s bed! He’ll sleep on the couch.”

“I really don’t want-“

“And he can make us dinner. Ludger’s a great cook, you know.”

“Please, Elle, I don’t-“

“Or you can make your soup! I mean, I don’t think Ludger has any of those bear claws in his fridge, but I’m sure we can find something else! We could even go shopping for ingredients.”

Milla’s resolve was crumbling fast in the face of Elle’s smile, which only grew wider as she spoke. Milla looked to Ludger for support – but, as usual, he said nothing, instead opting to watch them with a sly grin of his own.  

“W-Well, I… I suppose if Ludger doesn’t mind,” she said after a moment’s hesitation. “It is his apartment, after all.”

“Ludger doesn’t mind. Do you?” Elle asked, turning to give him her best puppy dog eyes.

But he was already nodding. “Of course I don’t mind.”

“Just for tonight!” Milla told them. “And then I’ll find a place of my own until we leave.”  

Elle led the way back inside. Rollo quickly made himself comfortable on the couch beside her, where she was flipping through a children's magazine Ludger bought her when they got back to Trigleph.

Milla stood at the doorway, taking everything in.  

"It's so...industrial. How do you find this comfortable?" she asked, nose wrinkled.  

"It's what I've always known," Ludger said.  

Milla nodded absently. She took a few steps inside and shut the door, but she hovered close to the entrance. She reminded Ludger of a prey animal, ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble.

"What's for dinner?" Elle asked.  

Ludger put a finger to his chin. "Good question. What do you want?"

“No tomatoes! And nothing spicy!”

Milla snorted. “Hm. A little picky, isn’t she?”

“She’s about normal for a girl her age.”

“I suppose so,” Milla said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Let me help with dinner. In return for letting me stay here, I mean.”

“You don’t owe me anything. I enjoy the company. It's just me here now that my brother's...out.”

Milla huffed. “Well, let me help anyway. I’m starving, and we’ll cook faster if there are two of us.”

“If you say so.”  

Ludger riffled quickly through the fridge and pantry. A lot of things – leftovers from their last stay in Trigleph, a half-gone bottle of milk, slowly rotting fruits – needed to be thrown out. There wasn’t much left when he was done cleaning…aside from a few tomatoes, of course, but Elle would have a fit if she saw those anywhere near her dinner.

Milla appeared at his shoulder. “It looks like you have enough for a stew. Or maybe a soup?”

“Ratatouille, maybe. Without the tomatoes.”

“Mm. I’ve never had a ratatouille before. It sounds foreign…but good.”

“It’s a stewed vegetable dish. One of my personal favorites,” Ludger said as he grabbed a handful of veggies that were still good – deeply purple eggplant, some bell peppers, an onion, and a large zucchini – from the fridge. “Julius used to make it all the time. He didn’t always have time to buy or hunt monster meat.”

“I see,” Milla said. She took the eggplant in one hand and hefted it. “Want me to cut this?”

“Sure. I’ll get everything else ready.”

Ludger set to work with the other vegetables. A peaceful silence settled over the apartment; he could hear Elle turning the glossy pages of her magazine and Milla chopping on the counter behind him, but it felt...homey. He hadn't felt this nice since Julius was home every night.

He glanced over his shoulder as he finished the bell peppers and grabbed the zucchini. Milla was quiet, but her expression was content – nothing like it had been when she first stepped inside.

“What have you made besides your…specialty soup?” he asked

“Not much. I’m very busy, you know.”

“That makes sense.”

"I like to bake sometimes... Cakes and cookies when I get a chance. Does Elle have much of a sweet tooth? Maybe I can make her something when things calm down."

"Don't spoil her," Ludger said, though he was smiling.

Milla turned around and playfully stuck her tongue out at him.

“Anyway, speaking of Elle," she continued, lowering her voice, "how did the two of you meet? Is she family? It seems pretty irresponsible to bring such a small child on a journey like this.”

“We met at the train station.”

“Oh?”

“There was an attack on the train we were both riding.”

“And somehow that led to following her to the Land of Canaan.”

"Yes. I couldn't find her parents, so..."

"Do they know she's here?"

"Not that I'm aware of. She's dead-set on finding Canaan."

"What you're doing for her is certainly above and beyond the call of duty. She's...very

lucky to have you looking out for her."

Milla said it with a strange note to her voice, but she was grinning when Ludger looked to her from the corner of his eye. There was something gentle about it.  

Milla didn’t smile often, but when she did, it was warm. And Ludger couldn’t help but grin himself when he turned back to the vegetables.

"Did you finish the eggplant? I'm going to throw the rest of these in the skillet," he said.  

Milla nodded and waited for him while he pulled a skillet from a cabinet, poured in a sprinkle of olive oil, and set it to heat. They added the diced vegetables in and got a baking pan ready to finish cooking the dish in the oven.

"It shouldn't be much longer," Ludger said to Elle. She nodded, but she was busy with whatever was in that magazine – it looked like it was open to a simple crossword puzzle.

"Hey." Milla's voice was soft. She was staring at her boots again, her brow furrowed. “Thanks again. For letting me stay here.”

“It’s no problem. Really.”

“You’re…um… I’ve enjoyed being with you and Elle. You’ve both made me feel welcome in this dimension, even if I don’t belong.”

“Don’t talk like that.”

Her head snapped up then. Milla’s gaze was angry at first glance, but when she spoke, her voice cracked.  

“We both know I don’t belong here. Everyone else knows the other Milla Maxwell. The real Milla.”

“You’re real too. Even if this isn’t your original dimension, it can still be your home.”

“No, it can’t. This isn’t my home, Ludger. It never will be. But I don’t have a choice, do I? I can’t go back to my dimension. Not ever.”

“It could be.” He slipped one hand over hers. “Elle adores and looks up to you. She’d be heartbroken if you left.”

Milla didn’t respond. But she didn’t pull away, either.

“Maybe you feel like you don’t belong now, but…we want you to stay. You’re a good friend to us, Milla.”

“A friend, huh. What if the real Milla comes back?”

“We can deal with that when it happens. And don’t call her the ‘real’ Milla. You’re a real Milla, too.”

Another beat of silence. A sigh. She stared at Ludger with an expression not unlike helplessness.  

“I wish I could believe that,” she said, quietly.  

“You will. One day. I guess I'll have to work on convincing you.”

And a smile – real and genuine – tugged at the corners of her lips.  

"Fine," she said. "Come on. Let's finish dinner."

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1161

Monday, May 1, 2017

 It's a great week to be a geek. The TV adaptation of Neil Gaiman's "American Gods" starts airing now. Thursday, May 4th is Star Wars Day. The "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" movie opens in theatres on Friday, May 5th. Saturday the 6th is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY. Sunday the 7th is another CAPITAL TRADE SHOW at the Jim Durrell Arena where Jee-Riz Comics & Appraisals will be hawking their wares. Fly your geek flags high.

 Ben Reilly: The Scarlet Spider #1 - Peter David (writer) Mark Bagley (pencils) John Dell (inks) Jason Keith (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This follows the "Clone Conspiracy" debacle as Ben tries to start a new life in Sin City. If you like your Spider-Man a little bit unethical then this book is for you. Ben also talks to imaginary people which can make for some confusion but it's a quirk that sets him apart from the other Spider-Men. I don't know if I'll keep up with this mentally unstable version but I like his new costume a lot.

 Batman & The Shadow #1 - Scott Snyder & Steve Orlando (writers) Riley Rossmo (art) Ivan Plascencia (colours) Clem Robins (letters). A murder in Gotham City sets Batman on the hunt for the killer with the victim's name giving us a clue to who that might be. Lamont Cranston's death leads Bruce to the Alps to visit an old teacher after some detective work talking to old associates of The Shadow. I liked how the similarities between the two dark crime fighters make this an interesting chess game between two masters of mainpulation. I wonder what the motive was if The Shadow did indeed kill his own descendant. Maybe the rest of this 6-issue mini will reveal the truth.

 Big Moose #1 - This double sized one-shot features Archie Comic's iconic dumbbell jock Marmaduke AKA Moose Mason. I did not know that he had the same name as a comic strip great dane, and I don't mean Scooby Doo. The first story "Moose vs. the Vending Machine" by Sean Ryan (writer) Cory Smith (art) Matt Herms (colours) & Jack Morelli (letters) is your typical dumb jock story that would fit right in an old Pep comic from the fifties. The second story "Have It All" by Ryan Cady (writer) Thomas Pitilli (art) Glenn Whitmore (colours) & Jack Morelli (letters) shows a more intelligent Moose juggling all of his stressful high school responsibilities. I felt for the guy, especially his struggle with an English lit paper. It made me suspect that Moose might be dyslexic. The last story "The Big Difference" by Gorf (writer) Ryan Jampole (art) Kelly Fitzpatrick (colours) & Jack Morelli (letters) has Moose making a new friend that's a little "after school special" but the kids will get the message. All in all a nice feature of a minor Archie character.

 No World #1 - Scott Lobdell (writer) Jordan Gunderson (pencils) Mark Roslan & Charlie Mok (digital inks) JUANCHOo (colours) Zen (letters). I picked this off the rack to read because of the sexy hot cover by Jordan Gunderson & Peter Steigerwald. Plus, Scott Lobdell wrote some comic books that I used to like. This one did not impress me. The Aspen Comics imprint seems to cater to good girl art fans, of which I am one, but a comic needs more than just T&A to keep me reading. I wasn't given enough information about the two main good girls in this debut to care about them so I won't continue reading.

 Wonder Woman #21 - Greg Rucka (writer) Liam Sharp (art) Laura Martin with Hi-Fi (colours). Part 4 of "The Truth" finds Veronica Cale getting ever closer to finding Themyscira and saving her daughter. I am looking forward to the conclusion of this story in Wonder Woman #23 to see what Ares' role is.

 The Old Guard #3 - Greg Rucka (writer) Leandro Fernandez (art) Daniela Miwa (colours) Jodi Wynne (letters). Two of the five team members are in the clutches of the bad guys so it's three to the rescue. This issue is a great example of a good writer making you care about the characters. Part of it has the origin story of one of the mercenaries. Another part shows how much two of the members care about each other. There's plenty of action over many pages beautifully illustrated by Leandro but also lots of action we don't see that is clearly implied in just one panel. That's good comic books.

 Deadpool vs. Punisher #2 - Fred Van Lente (writer) Pere Perez (art) Ruth Redmond (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Round two has 'Pool and 'Pun in a shoot out with the Don of the Dead, a crazy Mexican bad guy as deranged as Deadpool. Round three next issue should be fun with a new bad guy who you'll recognise right away. I can't wait

 Action Comics #978 - Dan Jurgens (writer) Carlo Barberi (pencils) Matt Santorelli (inks) Hi-Fi (colours) Rob Leigh (letters). Part 2 of "The New World" continues the review of Superman's origin story including his romance with Lois Lane and the birth of their son Jonathan. The identity of the villain is also revealed. What he has planned for the Man of Steel isn't anything new but it never gets old.

 Kill or be Killed #8 - Ed Brubaker (writer) Sean Phillips (art) Elizabeth Breitweiser (colours). Being spotted by the police while killing his last victim has complicated Dylan's life. It seems like every law enforcement officer is looking for him, which makes it even more difficult to find and kill someone else to keep the demon at bay. This could be the end of our killer vigilante.

 The Mighty Thor #18 - Jason Aaron (writer) Russell Dauterman (art) Matthew Wilson (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). In part 4 of "The Asgard/Shi'Ar War" the Shi'Ar gods Sharra and K'ythri act like a couple of spoiled brats and decide to unleash their ultimate weapon to destroy the universe. The opening pages have the good guys seeking help from one of my favourite mutants. Russell's art is crazy good and he's close to Geof Darrow in the details that he puts on a page. When the force unleashed can take out The Destroyer in the blink of an eye you know the good guys are in deep doo-doo.

 Detective Comics #955 - James Tynion IV (writer) Marcio Takara (art) Marcelo Maiolo (colours) Sal Cipriano (letters). I was enjoying this issue right up until the very last page. It's one of those deus ex machina moments that I better get an explanation of or else "League of Shadows" will be the Detective Comics story that benches this book.

 Josie & The Pussycats #6 - Cameron Deordio & Marguerite Bennett (writers) Audrey Mok (art) Kelly Fitzpatrick (colours) Jack Morelli (letters). I loved the Michael Allred cover. I really appreciate that all the ad pages were gathered at the back so that we get to read an uninterrupted story. This is one comic book that I read just for fun.

 The Wild Storm #3 - Warren Ellis (writer) John Davis-Hunt (art) Steve Buccellato (colours) Simon Bowland (letters). If Aspen Comics had done as good a job as these people in redefining their cast of characters I would endorse their books. Here we have a fire fight that's even prettier than the one in The Old Guard #3 thanks to the work of John Davis-Hunt. New readers should not be afraid to pick this series up because it's got cool characters and Warren Ellis always entertains.

 Elektra #3 - Matt Owens (writer) Juann Cabal (art) Antonio Fabela (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). It's all out action as Elektra battles through Murderworld. Just when you think she's won her freedom, Arcade springs another surprise. He never fights fair. I really like the covers by Elizabeth Torque and would love to see a comic book drawn by her.

 Old Man Logan #22 - Jeff Lemire (writer) Eric Nguyen (art) Andres Mossa (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Looks like Jeff is showing us Logan's greatest hits as he winds down work on this title. Maybe it will make some fans buy a few trades.

 Hulk #5 - Mariko Tamaki (writer) Nico Leon (art) Matt Milla & Andrew Crossley (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). I read recently that fans won't buy a Hulk comic book unless it's Bruce Banner as the big green galoot. Those fans are narrow minded and don't deserve to be called comic book fans. This book is great and has made the Hulk interesting to me again. I don't care who the Hulk is or who Iron Man is as long as there's a good story and nice art for the book. It's been 5 issues of this title hitting the racks and we haven't really seen the Hulk once. It doesn't matter because this story about Jennifer coping with the recent changes in her life is a good one.

 Infamous Iron Man #7 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Alex Maleev (art) Matt Hollingsworth (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). See, this is how you make a major change in an iconic character so that fans will want to read the book and not feel sick to their stomachs. I love this new version of Victor Von Doom. Brian has shown him evolving into the Infamous Iron Man instead of what happened with Captain America seemingly out of the blue saying "Hail Hydra". Here's another character that's been made interesting again and I will promote this title to anyone looking to read a good comic book.

 Ms. Marvel #17 - G. Willow Wilson (writer) Takeshi Miyazawa (art) Ian Herring (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). Okay, I don't get how Ms. Marvel and her friends defeated Doc.X but maybe it's because I'm an old luddite. I don't have a cell phone and barely know what apps are. I did appreciate the group hug that started this issue because I grew up in the sixties and that's what we wanted to do back then too.

 Star Wars: Darth Maul #3 - Cullen Bunn (writer) Luke Ross (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). This young disciple of the Sith is a lot less interesting than I first thought. He is merely motivated by his hatred of the Jedi and that's seems to be all that he's about. One dimensional characters aren't that interesting. It's the evil auctioneer that is making me stick to this story.

 The Totally Awesome Hulk #18 - Greg Pak (writer) Mahmud Asrar (art) Nolan Woodard (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). The evil aliens find out what happens when their food fights back. Amadeus showed a side of him that surprised me and made me like this Hulk even more.

 Doctor Strange #19 - Jason Aaron (writer) Chris Bachalo (pencils) John Livesay, Victor Olazaba, Al Vey, Jaime Mendoza, Tim Townsend & Wayne Faucher (inks) Chris Bachalo (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Yay, Wong is saved from Misery but I might be miserable after the next issue because it will be Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo's last.

 Weapon X #2 - Greg Pak (writer) Greg Land (pencils) Jay Leisten (inks) Frank D'Armata (colours) VC's Joe Caramagna (letters). The bad guys are on the Warpath and the mutant super hero is outnumbered. Sabretooth and Old Man Logan are still free but it looks like that won't last. Once Greg adds in the Domino effect the gang will all be here. I like Greg Land's art a lot more with Jay's inks.

 Invincible Iron Man #6 - Brian Michael Bendis (writer) Stefano Caselli (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). RiRi meets with Stark Industries, M.I.T. and last but not least The Champions. I'm most excited about her possibly joining the young super hero team. I wish Marvel would find a way to change the title to Ironheart. RiRi has been wearing the armour for a while now and calling this book Iron Man is just awkward.

����