#who want more badass lois lane

[mrhowells]

Smallville 4x14

I love this episode a lot🥹

THAT'S ADORABLE😭😭

"You're gonna be fine. I know you're gonna be fine. Everyone I've ever hit was alright."

Lois -everyone I've ever hit was alright- Lane:

Clark really sleeps on the couch now that Lois lives there? LMAOOOO

the way he immediately smiles when he sees the dog I can't🥹🥹

"You hit him? With your car?" "No, with my fist🙄🙄"

CLARK YOUR FACE-

"Actually, I think it might be fun to have a dog around."

HE'S A MENACE, HE'S A DISGRACE, HE'S A FUCKING CLOWN, I LOVE HIMMMMMMMM

I'm crying

"I don't know. It's just kind of hard to be myself with her around."

that's so ironic though because apart from hiding his powers he is VERY himself around her

I need Tom Welling to stop smiling on my screen please and thank you, I'm not strong enough for this😭

ugh😩

Chloe helping Clark with his excuses, love to see it🥹 He's so bad at them he needs all the help he can get💀

Let me introduce you to my parents who have been married for about 30 years now:

"Let's see. He's annoying, and I can't get within ten feet of him without getting sick. I think we should call him Clarkie."

have I mentioned how much I love them before?

"I spent all morning on these."

they're both so cute🥹🥹

LMAOOOOOO he finds her so annoying

hsajaksjaksj LOOK AT HIS HAND IN THE SECOND IMAGE, HE'S SO DONE I'M SCREAMING

No because if I keep going like this I'll screenshot every single time they say something or even look at each other💀

Lois: You could be Skipper���

Clark: *fake ass smile* anyway-

STAHP I'M SCREAMING

he's about to throw hands💀

This is so confusing, I thought Jason's mom orchestrated the entire meeting with Lana but now she wants him away from her?

"Paranoia is not a very attractive quality in a woman."

Umm okay, AND? I mean I don't give a shit about Genevieve but this is such a dumb statement, as if she's supposed to give a fuck about what's "attractive" to Lex or others, like what?

Sometimes he sounds like one of those "pick up artists" that the internet makes fun of all the time, I'm sorry💀💀

I. LOVE. THIS.

That's the way someone talks to their own kid, not their guest and I love that because Lois clearly lacks parental love. Martha & Lois will always be so special to me😭😭

"Remember when Clark did that? He was only... three." LMAOOOO

Lex is clearly losing patience with Clark😬

Can I join this family pls look at themmmm

Martha is such a badass actually

I'm glad Lana overheard that whole conversation between Jason and his mother, now I'm just hoping they'll give her more agency instead of making her a passive character and her own storyline.

(edit: so she did NOT hear what they were talking about🤡🤡 At least she saw it)

Clark is such a little shit😭

Still arguing about dog names🤡

"Hold on there Forrest Gump, what are you gonna do, run?" LOL

She's like nuh uh, get in the car dude AND HE LISTENS💀💀💀

How are they acting like they're been married for decades???

NOT AN ACTUAL QUESTION BC I KNOW HOW AND I'LL TELL YOU: they're comfortable around each other even if they don't realize it

🎶and I will go down with this ship🎶 (EXCEPT I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO BECAUSE IT'S FUCKING SAILING, IT WILL NEVER GO DOWNNNNN)

let's move on

"What is this, another one of your famous hunches or are we just on a little scenic route?"

"Okay, stop here."

"Wha- where??"

"HERE. Stop here."

"OKAY."

>>>MARRIED.

they sound like my grandparents💀

LOOK AT MY LIL POOKIES INVESTIGATING STUFF TOGETHER🥺

YEEEEET

I need to know where Clark gets his clothes bc that stuff withstands literally anything💀

AKJASJKAKSL STAHP😭

"He (the dog) saved my life. I'll take my chances on his loyalty." Ooof, is he calling out Lex👀

what is Lionel trying to do?🧐

CUTE.

CUTE.

Clark is happy = I'm happy, it's really that simple

this episode is premium, top tier chef's kiss EXCELLENT

[jenn-the-mostly-harmless]

I don't want to get caught up in evaluating whether the old show is better than the new show, but I've been thinking lately about how wildly different the Trigun animes are.

The new show characterizes everyone very differently than the old one did. In the old version, Vash has this facade that he's carrying, a jokester silly man act to hide how fucked up things have been for him and how sad he really is. He also gets the chance to save some people now and then, and that's important, because it's what keeps him holding on. If he never saved anyone, the despair would be overwhelming and he might stop trying.

In the newer show, it's all out in the open. He starts as a sad boy, and he doesn't really save anyone. Some people survive, but it's not the same thing, there's little or no catharsis for his character. His experience is so bleak and his sorrow so obvious that I found it jarring when he was silly.

Meryl is different too. In the old version, she's a badass who has a shit ton of derringer pistols in her cloak because she knows the world is dangerous. She's savvy and prepared for anyone and everyone to try to fuck her over. She literally lives in a world so dangerous that following Vash the stampede to keep her job is worth it to her, and she keeps Vash at arms length for a long time because of all that.

In the new version she's basically Lois Lane. Other people fight and die for her as she naively follows Vash because she...thinks he's newsworthy? I found it hard to understand her motivation. She's also no longer the leader or the senior in her coworking relationship.

And then there's Milly from the old version. I loved her simply on big girl rules, so I'm definitely biased, but that said, she also brought an important humanity to the team. Milly was there to remind you that even though the world of the story is mean and desperate, there are still nice people who can treat others kindly. Talk softly, carry a big gun.

So how does Roberto De Niro (yeah, they really named him after the actor) stand up to Milly? He's mostly looking out for himself, but I guess he has fatherly feelings for Meryl, or he wouldn't keep shlupping along with her. I don't know, I found him and his motivations mysterious and eye-rolling. Is he a hard ass that is only doing a job, or someone who actually cares about all this?

But it's not just the characters, I'd argue the very plot is characterized differently. The first anime is all about characterization and spends a lot of time with the characters before getting to the broody sci-fi stuff, which only happens toward the very end. A lot of people who watched it when it came out won't even remember the darker sci-fi stuff because it was aired on old school tv and they just missed an episode here or there.

The new one is almost entirely concerned with the darker sci-fi plot, which is really interesting, but their characterization suffers for it. The action scenes are more impressive, but perhaps less fun. There isn't a lot of mystery to Vash's past in the newer version, but it definitely does a better job of telling the sci-fi part of the story than the first one did.

I haven't read the manga, this is just what I got from watching both animes recently. I find I like them both for different reasons, but it does make me want to read the manga to see how each compares to the original concept. It's easy to get tied down to the first way you meet a fictional character, but it's important to remember that they aren't real people and they change based on who is writing them. If I say I like Batman, am I talking about Adam West's version or Frank Miller's?

[glompcat]

Do you watch My Adventures With Superman? I feel like you would like it

I have been, and the first six episodes very much were my jam, they felt like after years of being burnt by DC to a point where I actively trained myself to stop caring - and more recently feeling like they specifically felt queer Jews should fuck off (Batwoman followed immediately by the Harley Quinn animated show was such a gut stab and very loud announcement on their part that if any of their queer Jewish characters were to star in something outside of comics they must leave their Jewishness behind) they were starting to redeem themselves.

However I really disliked a lot of "Kiss Kiss Fall in Portal" and it makes me wary of the show moving forward. Granted I basically have been doing my best to ignore DC since the insult that was the new 52, but back when I was a superfan of DC comics one of the key events in any timeline where Superman went evil was Lois died horribly and Clark was twisted up over it. Suggesting that throughout the multiverse Clark goes evil in enough timelines where Lois is alive and well that a collective of Lois's from across the multiverse would be packing Kryptonite and refuse to give him the benefit of the doubt really left a horrible taste in my mouth.

Additionally the way the multiverse Lois's behaved towards the one we are currently following did not feel true to the character to me. That is without getting into why I disliked the League of Lois's in the first place! Lois is not a scifi hero, and the idea that she actually is one in all the other universes - including ones we have followed in the past ourselves such as the DCAU and the dang Fleishman cartoons - really falls flat for me. Lois Lane is the greatest journalist of any universe she is in, defined by her unhinged willingness to do anything to get a story and bravery in the face of danger that puts metahumans to shame. Lois does not need any sort of dimension hopping craft or kryptonite guns or anything like that to be a badass.

Obviously I have no issue with the multiverse itself, DC has had a very well established and robust multiverse ever since the Silver Age when the Silver Age characters and the Golden Age characters would travel from Earth-1 to Earth-2 to have meetings, the only way to get rid of that multiverse is a Crisis and no one wants that, but the whole episode felt badly constructed to me and a truly badly thought out way to introduce doubts in Lois's mind about Superman's innate goodness, and probably also Krypton and Clark learning more about himself. There are far easier ways to establish these things, and even tie them directly to Lois's conflicted feelings about Sam Lane while setting up the big reveal that ~The General~ is General Sam Lane, Lois's father.

What made the show a delight up to that point was a sense that the creators really got what makes these particular characters so iconic they have stood the test of time. Clark being the most powerful man in the universe and also a total sweetheart. This is a character who was literally designed by Jewish immigrants in the 1930s to be a symbol of hope! He is supposed to cut through the noise of a toxic society to show a better way while also of course being an outsider trying to fit in. Lois being tenacious in the pursuit of a story to the point where it puts herself and everyone around her in danger - and that being exactly what Clark loves about her. Jimmy being a chipper and perpetually kinda youthful figure who loves his friends and they love him too (even if, lbr, Jimmy often also kinda annoys the often much older Lois and Clark) and rolls with the punches.

However the set up of that last ep went out of its way to single these versions of the characters out and say they are different from other versions of themselves.

I am not giving up on the show yet - I am hopeful with time the writers will find a way to redeem this plot they are setting up, but for right now? I felt like that episode missed the mark in a way that casts a long shadow over the rest of the show.

[saving-ray-23]

BATGIRL (ELEVEN)

Coach Yeoh was a master of all trades, it seemed. Lacrosse coach by day, seamstress by night. She had heard from James that she was a small, tiny fan of Batman and went nuts. The next day, she was presented with a dark purple jacket make of leather, a bright yellow bat-symbol on the chest. It was badass to say the least, not to mention one-of-a-kind.

And when Barbara asked how she got it, all the Coach said was that she knew a guy. By Friday, the costume was complete and awesome. Coach Yeoh had found this cape that clipped onto the jacket shoulders and a utility belt dyed bright yellow filled with dollar tree smoke bombs, safety pins, and a couple fake batarangs from Toys-R-Us. Barbara cleaned a pair of black jeans and laced tightly the yellow boots she had gotten for Bess too long ago to remember. She never got a chance to give them to her, but with all the effort Coach Yeoh was putting into the costume, she couldn't find a good excuse to not wear them. Last was a dark coat of greasepaint in a stripe across her face and with her hair braided back and most of her face hidden under the hood of the jacket, she was a female Batman.

It was extremely dorky, but that night, she just felt . . . cool.

James and his girlfriend were going as police officers— most likely a slight towards the Commissioner, but Babs tried not to overthink it. It was a party— something fancier than the annual Policeman's ball but hopefully not as awkward as a Gotham Academy Formal.

When they got there, it was a mess. Mostly adults, already taking advantage of the open bar and lack of more than three kids. She mentally sighed, watching her cousin's girlfriend practically dive into the crowd.

"You know," James said, leaning closer. "I heard Bruce Wayne's here tonight."

Babs tensed, nails digging into her palms as she forced herself to stay calm. "He's probably enjoying the chaos."

Just because his dad was there, Dick didn't necessarily have to be. She remembers him once saying he hated to stuffy balls and galas. Said it was all old ladies pinching his cheeks and saying how much he'd grown.

The costume ball seemed nothing like the boring events he'd described.

Squeezing her shoulder once, James disappeared into the crowd with an easy grin, as though he hadn't just dropped a bomb on Barbara.

She gravitated towards the nearest table, slumping in the seat. The lights were dimmed and the music was loud— something felt weird about the situation. Lex Luthor was nowhere to be seen, though she doubted he attended most of his parties. The bald-headed Superman-hater gave off more of a Gatsby vibe; throwing the party to show off all his riches without actually being apart of the party.

She looked around the scene, eyes searching for Lois Lane. Only Lois Lane. She wouldn't look for Dick buttface the third because he was a jerk who—

Who was kissing Jenny Addams?

Barbara felt— she felt—

She didn't know how she felt. Dick— she'd been mad at him for so long because he pretended to be her friend, just like everyone else. Because he wouldn't leave her alone— because he kept spamming her with bullshit apologies.

Because she thought he was better than that.

And she had felt bad for a while, too. She didn't like making people feel bad, even jerks who totally deserved it. It just made her feel bad and them feel bad and most of the time it wasn't worth it.

But clearly Dick didn't feel bad. Not at all. He was just perfect. Probably breathless because he hadn't come up for air in—

Standing, Barbara stormed out the doors.

__

It took Barbara nearly an hour to get back to Somerset. She had texted James after a while, letting him know she wasn't feeling well and left early. It wasn't really a lie. Seeing Dick suck face made her want to hurl.

Six subway stops later, she was following her phone's GPS back towards her house, wanting the quickest way back. All she wanted was to curl up in a ball and sleep for the next week.

"Stop— stop it!"

Babara's head whipped up from her phone, eyes straining to see in the darkness of Gotham. The costume's cape billowed around her in the wind, purple glinting in the moonlight. A flash of silver caught her eyes and then she made out two figures in the alleyway.

A smart person would turn and walk away. She was tired and just a kid, no real experience fighting off the mats. 

But, the woman was screaming for help and Babs had some anger she needed to expel.

Launching forward, she tackled the guy to the ground, fist colliding with his jaw. The leather gloves she wore did little to soften the blow, but the large figure still flipped her off of him, both rolling to stand. She fell into ready position easily, fists high and feet spread. This was just like the spars in the dojo— except, the guy was a lot bigger than the teenagers she usually fought with and he had a knife Babs had only just noticed.

Using one hand to hold the knife away from her, she rammed her hand hard against his forearm, his fingers losing their grip and the blade falling to the ground. Punching him square in the jaw, Barbara watched in shock as he crumpled to the ground unconscious. Blinking, she reached for the thin rope hanging from her fake utility belt, tying his wrists tightly.

Standing, Babs turned towards the crying lady, surprised she hadn't run off. Her bracelet was broken on the ground, but other than that, she seemed . . . fine. A little hysterical, but fine.

"What— who— " The woman gasped, looking her up and down.

Barbara felt good— the summertime high she'd been on seemed like nothing compared to the adrenaline rushing through her. She opened her mouth to respond, about to answer the woman when her phone went off.

COMMISH

The Commissioner was texting, asking where she was. She never told him she was going to the party— figured she'd be back before he even got home. But now— now, she had knuckles that were surely going to bruise and a woman was crying in front of her. If she told him what happened, he'd never let her leave the house. When she was a kid, he was always preaching to her how dangerous it was to be a vigilante— to run from danger, not towards it. Granted, her stopped caring so much about what Barbara did in the past few years, but still. Barbara Gordon stopping a robbery wouldn't stay secret long.

Good thing she wasn't dressed like Barbara Gordon at the moment. The purple grease paint around her eyes suddenly felt like a really good idea.

"Who are you?" The woman breathed more evenly now, arms wrapped tightly around herself.

"I'm just, uh . . . a friend?" She winced internally, feeling like she'd just quoted the worst action movie of the decade.

The sound of sirens rang out in the distance, maybe five blocks away. She winced— the costume might've fooled the scared woman, but she doubted the cops wouldn't recognize her.

"I, uh, I've gotta go." She explained badly, double-checking that the thin nylon once apart of her costume was holding the crook in place. "Sorry about your necklace!"

She ran down the alleyway, ducking around a corner and down the street. She was close enough to her house to make it before the cops could even get a statement from the woman. Babs had gotten away.

Gotten away. God, she sounded like a criminal.

Criminal.

She'd just stopped a crime! Saved some woman! She was a savior!

It felt pretty great.

[lurkinganon]

Louis Lane agreeing with Batman that Plastic Man could take on superman that or she being sarcastic?

[batfamtv]

i work for her

summary: batmom meets the justice league

bruce wayne x fem!reader

word count: 1508

"Shall I fetch you some tea?"

You smiled from where you sat, and turned your chair to face Alfred, "Yes please. I don't know why I'm so tired already, I'm normally up and about at this time.”

Alfred chuckled knowingly, “Well, being a full-time wife of the Batman will wear one too eventually.” He walked to you, taking a peek at the numerous monitors you turned back to look at. “And it’s not even midnight yet.”

At the sound of the stone wall sliding open and elevator descending, you turned around to look. Alfred did too, but immediately turned to face you, about to inform you that he will be leaving you for a while to make some tea, but--

“Wow! This is awesome!”

Alfred did a double-take. You raised your brows. Bruce wasn’t alone. He was with the other metahumans, smiling tiredly with his cowl in his hand. “Brought some friends.”

While the other metahumans inspected the batcave, your husband was quick to approach you, giving you a warm smile. You reached from your seat to take his cowl and place it on the table, and bring your hand back to his, squeezing it lightly. “Missed you.”

His smile brightened, squeezing your hand back.

Alfred reached beside you to grab Bruce’s cowl, mumbling about making sure there was no damage to it.

You noticed the young, elated kid who was observing the batcave with fascination. This must be Barry Allen. Diana you’ve already met, but the rest not yet--at least, not personally. You’ve only gotten to know who they were from the research you helped conduct.

Bruce called to the others, “Everyone, this is Alfred and Y/N. I work for them.”

Diana approached you and Alfred, patting the latter in acknowledgment. You shuffled to get out of the chair you had curled into, but Diana quickly stopped you before you could get up, “No, Y/N. Stay.” She smiled at you.

“Thanks, Di,” you smiled back gratefully and with a nod, Diana excused herself. Victor Stone was walking behind Diana, only giving you and Alfred a stiff nod.

“Oh,” Alfred shared a nervous glance at you before following Victor again with his eyes. You lightly shook your head in amusement.

Barry Allen looked very excited to meet you and Alfred, raising both of his hands to wave at you, one hand waving at Alfred enthusiastically, and the other extending to wave at you. “Hi, Batman’s bosses!” You opened your mouth to correct him, but he was already gone in a flash.

Finally, Arthur Curry passed by you and Alfred, “This is badass guys,” before giving you a thumbs-up and following after the others.

Alfred looked so surprised seeing these many people in the batcave again after all this time. You grinned at him when he gave you a look, clearly showing his surprise. “Well, I’ll put on the tea. I was going to get Mistress Wayne and me some.”

“Great,” Bruce glanced at his new teammates, almost feeling a little awkward to see a lot of people occupying his batcave.

“I don’t know where we’re gonna find the cups,” Alfred replied, shrugging.

“Ooh, remember that tea set I got from Bludhaven? Those were nice,” you suggested. Alfred nodded, thinking, “I do, but wasn’t those destroyed when the Dami--”

“I think there’s enough left,” you told Alfred, “I’ll help you look.”

Alfred brought his hands up, gesturing for you to stop. “Please, Mistress Wayne, I got this. You can do me the favor of resting to revitalize yourself.”

You waved him off, rolling your eyes teasingly. “I’m fine, I just need some of your tea, Alfred.” He nodded appreciatively and excused himself.

Beside you, Bruce turned to look at you, moving from holding your hand to lean down to plant a quick kiss on your temple. You smiled and held his face, planting a small kiss on his cheek. “Alfred’s right, you should be resting.”

“I will,” you nodded, reassuring him. “I’ll have some tea and take a quick nap.”

“We might be leaving not too long after.”

“Then, I’ll see you off.” You smiled, caressing his cheek with your thumb. Bruce leaned into your touch, before glancing at the team and back to you again. You chuckled at how Bruce Wayne, the Batman, was subtly trying to excuse himself to return to his team, albeit reluctantly, “Go, silly! I’ll be here.” He gave you another kiss and walked over to the others.

On the team’s downtime, waiting for Victor to fix the aircraft, Bruce was watching you sleep, finding comfort in your relaxed face. Diana walked over to Bruce, nudging him, “You should take her upstairs to rest.”

“I would, but I know she’ll get mad.”

“How is she?”

Bruce sighed, “She’s tired all the time. I told her she should just rest, but she insists on helping us.” He smiled at Y/N lovingly, then scowled, as if remembering something unpleasant.

Diana furrowed her eyebrows, “What is it?”

“Uh…” he glanced at her, unsure whether he should divulge. He hadn’t told this to anyone outside the family, “I had a dream, like, I don’t know, almost like a premonition. It was the end of the world, and Barry Allen was right here,” he gestured to the spot Y/N was occupying, “and he said to me ‘Lois Lane is the key.’” He made a face, glancing at Diana, almost looking for advice on what this dream meant.

Diana shrugged half-heartedly, “She is… to Superman. Every heart has one.” She smiled, almost bittersweet, remembering hers. Bruce glanced to Y/N again, almost ready to agree with Diana and drop the conversation.

Despite that, however, he continued, “I think it’s something more. Something darker.” Worry was etched across his face. He hoped Diana was right. He hoped he was wrong.

A while later, you woke up from your nap to see the team and Alfred walking to the elevator. “Is it time to go already?”

Bruce looked at you guiltily, you looked so comfortable all curled up in the chair, he didn’t want to wake you. “Yeah, time to go.” He and Alfred, along with the others are on the platform now, ready to ascend to the top of the waterfall.

With a sigh, you rolled your neck and removed the blanket you buried yourself into. Bruce smiled when you waddle towards him.

Victor, Arthur, and Barry all shared the exact same looks, gawking at you and your pregnant belly. With one hand resting on top of your belly, you laughed at their shocked faces as the platform ascended.

“Wait, what? You’re very pregnant!” Barry exclaimed.

“I am!” You nodded excitedly, “I’m not due anytime soon, though. I’m just big.”

“Don’t you...I don’t know...Shouldn’t you file for maternity leave? You should be resting!” Barry replied, glancing at you and your tummy worriedly. With that, Alfred and Bruce both looked at you with the expression, “See? That’s what we’ve been trying to tell you.”

“Well, the Batman never rests…” you glance at your husband, “and neither does his wife.”

“Wife?” Barry was even more shocked. “I can’t believe Batman is married!” He glanced at Bruce before turning back to you, “Can I touch your belly?” Barry asked, looking like he was going to vibrate with excitement. You nodded, laughing lightly, “Sure, but the baby is sleeping, so no kicks.”

The platform ascended to the very top, the aircraft on top of you. You stared at it in disbelief, Bruce had tried for the longest time to fix it, and now it was here, fully operational. You turned to your husband, “You fixed it?”

Bruce shook his head, tilting his head to Victor. You turned to Victor, “You fixed it! Thank you!”

Victor nodded, “It wanted to fly. Flight is its nature.” Bruce nodded at him, grateful, “Yours too.”

Barry was still talking excitedly to your tummy, finally saying goodbye to the baby. He looked up at you and smiled, “Thank you!”

“Take care, Barry,” you smiled at him. Arthur turned to you, giving you a shaka sign before joining Barry to the aircraft.

Bruce turned to look at you and Alfred. You smiled at him, handing him his cowl. He took it gratefully, before turning to Alfred, “He’ll be here, Alfred. I know it.”

“What makes you so sure?” Alfred asked.

“Faith, Alfred. Faith.” Bruce smiled, looking back to you. “I’ll see you later, Y/N.”

“Will you be here by breakfast?” You asked him jokingly. He grinned and with a light shrug, replied, “Hopefully.”

You laughed, blowing him a kiss as the ramp closed in front of him.

Descending to the Batcave, you were met with an annoyed look on your son’s face, in his suit, wielding a katana. “They already left? I was supposed to come, Ummi!” He huffed, not mad at you but at his dad for leaving him behind.

You leaned down to kiss Damian’s temple, arm around him to guide him to the main house, “It’s a school night, sweetie. Maybe another time.”

a/n: I had a dream about batfleck and now simp mode is on overdrive

[jonroxton]

Clois in the ep. Infamous (sm) , do you understand cloùs conversation in the barn?

it’s the climax of the episode where everything comes to a head. it’s glorious, very fast and very complex (by sv standards, maintext and subtext working over time in all these lines). and we have (literally) no time to digest any of it. not you, or me, and definitely not lois or clark. there was supposed to be a kiss, but! things! are! happening! so!

lois is about to get arrested (as she do) and she says: "without my lawyer, you're not gonna hear me so much as hiccup."

(i HAVE to start with this line bc it leads perfectly into the barn scene also. this? line???? i love it. if you get arrested, don't talk, kids! lois comes off as badass and extremely competent here and I LIKE THE LITTLE THINGS OK)

clark saves her, swooping in after her. this episode is very old school clois, with a great external threat upending their lives. their dialogue runs quickly, adding urgency. we get a lot of gems in this back and forth that first All Plot, beginning right away, but like all great scenes, it becomes about their struggle within it. how they cope with it, how they interact against such forces. scenes like these reveal character, and that’s lois as a loyal hype man a little in love, and clark as, you know, clark, always worried about destroying everything. against any other character, this scene would’ve gone a different way. but lois is all FIGHT ME COME ON, but that’s a little further down this post. 

SO. they swoosh in, back lit, hella romantic. but, you know, ppl r trying to Get Them.

"Nice interception, but you shouldn't be here. All the bloodhounds in the state will be sniffing you out."

prob the best thing about lois-knows what-if episodes is that she never quite gets over her awe in clark, but she does have a nose for reasoning things out. she compliments him AND warns him at the same time.

2. "It's okay. I know this sounds crazy, but in a few moments this will all be over."

THIS is why you barely have friends, clark. this is not an explanation! its just how he has been conditioned to answer, to protect his secret. but my brother in christ, this is lois lane.

3. "Okay, try me. My shock threshold is pretty high right now."

SEEEEeeeeee.

it’s funny that clark goes to his old ways irt explaining, when in this episode he has dumped it all on her. his kryptonian heritage and his powers and that the ppl closest to her already know. PLUS wanting HER to be the one to tell the world carries its own sub textual meaning (trust in her as a person, trust in her as a journalist, her integrity, her ability). there was a lot going on this episode, and lois is ready for more. or rather, she’s unfazed by the continuing madness.

4. “ lois, i have a ring that allows me to go to any moment in time.”

ngl, i’m proud of clark right here. it comes from two places, the old school clark, who knows he won’t have to face the consequences of actually telling the truth about all the weird shit constantly happening, and this clark that totally trusts lois and knows she can handle it. again, things are fast, and clark more easily leans into the absurdity of the truth bc lois has proven all episode she has a knack for it.

5. “i’m gonna go back to when linda lake ever wrote that article”

this little moment within the moment is truly glorious. because clark has walked away from her here, to get the ring, leaving lois speechless. which is rare and a sure sign of the apocalypse. but we get this moment of lois drinking in the new information and adjusting her understanding to just... keep going. to deduce what that actually means and why clark would do it at all. because she quickly understands and WANTS to do something about it. you can seeeeee it in her face even before she opens her arms to start a fight right then and there lol.

6. “the world isn’t ready to accept someone like me.”

man, clark has like no esteem. he has no high self-esteem, no low esteem. just like no esteem at all.

7. (ARMS WIDE) lois responds “then stay and fight back.”

bc BC even with the out of reversing time and fixing it all, lois’s first instinct is to challenge the challengers. it’s glorious GLORIOUS. even her attitude spikes.

8. “give people a chance to see who you really are.”

BC SHE KNOWS HIM AND KNOWS THAT PPL WOULD LOVE THAT PERSON SHE KNOWS. BC SHE LOVES HIM TOO. 

9. “lois, my whole life i’ve seemed different...”

here’s where the dialogue goes into overdrive, where no one is saying exactly what they want to say, but enough is conveyed to warrant a goddamn kiss, *ERICA DAMN YOU! it turns this great climactic moment into something very intimate. it’s confessionals without knowing you’re making a confession. and there’s no time at all to go through any of it!

10. “some people spend their entire lives looking for a way to stand out. to be a person that anybody would call special. when you first told me who you were, my thought was, ‘anyone but clark.’ and not because of the alien thing. i’ve known enough guys to know that you can be born on terra firma and be light years from normal.”

SHE DOESN’T EVEN CONSIDER AT ALL THAT HE’S AN ALIEN. SHE DOESN’T CARE. it’s not a factor into her vision of him. it’s not what informs her decisions about him. like! CLARK’S GREATEST FEAR! completely done away with. not a factor here! so what’s special is not what makes one different, or alien, or superpowered, but what binds one person to another. what makes one person special to another.

11. “lois, you don’t have to explain. i get it.”

DO YOU CLARK? DO YOuuuuu? it’s around right here that clark realizes what he’s losing in a lois that knows.

12. “no, you don’t. how can someone with x-ray vision be so blind? “

BC SHE’S NOT TALKING ABOUT WHAT HE IS. WHERE HE’S FROM. BUT WHAT HE DOES. HIS ACTIONS. WHO HE IS. that’s what she’s talking about, that’s what she loves about him. and it’s reflective of her type lol and those types have tells. BUT Buuuuuuuuuut something is different here.

13. “i’ve been down the hero road before. and every time i made a giant u-turn. but this. this was different.”

tell me you love clark kent without telling me you’re in love with clark kent.

14. “and this time it will be different, lois. when i do this no one’s going to remember who i am.”

 and then everyone will be safe. i want to remind everyone that every single time clark has told someone his secret they’ve either died or been severely hurt and brutalized. he has a legitimate fear. lois was about to be arrested for it. he’s protecting her and protecting the world and all that good stuff, but it’s at the expense of this stunning trust he has with lois that’s just beginning, that’s JUST started to morph into something. BUT THERE’S NO TIME. there’s just no way to explain to lois (and he wouldn’t anyway lol) how everything that’s happening is his greatest fear, how he’s dreaded this, how it’s coming true, how he can lose HER if it keeps going.

15. “and when you hit your reset button, you’re not gonna tell me your secret are you?”

“i’m sorry.”

THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT MOMENT HERE BC CLARK HAS HAD THIS SCENE PLAY OUT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER A MILLION TIMES BEFORE. A MILLION TIMES HE HAS APOLOGIZED TO HIS FRIENDS WITHOUT EVER FULLY EXPLAINING, COMING OFF AS UNTHINKING AND UNCARING AND EVEN CALLOUS. BUT HE REALLY IS TRYING TO PROTECT HER AND HIS FRIENDS AND HE TRULY IS SORRY. 

and something miraculous happens. something beautiful.

16. “it’s okay. why should i think i’m special? clark. i understand.”

lois is hurt, but she’s also empathetic to clark. and she lets him know. this has been lois’s way since always, she’s always been able to wave off clark weirdness. but this time she has background, this time she has a stake in it, this time she has fully experienced being on the other side of it, part of this other clark’s life. and she GETS IT. he’s hurting her by doing this, it’s hurting her visibly, but she fully gets why clark is doing this and she doesn’t try to stop him or demand more of him.

this is why clark is a little shook here. he can’t explain bc RUNNNNING OUTTT OFFF TIME, but he tries to. 

17. “lois, you don’t understand. it’s because you are special. i have to go.”

HE JUST WANTS TO PROTECT HER AND BE IN A WORLD WHERE U KNOW PEOPLE WITH GUNS WON’T COME AFTER HER JUST BECAUSE SHE’S HIS FRIEND. 

*so per some interview somewhere with an executive producer, they revealed there was a kiss in this scene, but when it came time to shoot it erica thought the kiss was unnecessary because of lois’s resilience and trust in herself and her connection with clark. and she was right. 

a kiss would’ve just made the romance of it all concrete, made all the subtext maintext secure. but what we got made the scene all the more complex on both sides. you get to chew a lot on what the characters mean with what little words and time they get, and that subtext is that they WANT to stay together, they WANT to be able to live in this world where they both know and she’s his confidante and things are good and they COULD FIGHT. it does make it a stronger scene.

[mythoughtsxxblog]

My Top TV Show Female Characters

I made a male version of this that some people actually read (thanks!!) So I thought it's time to make my female version! I'm sure there's more that I adore, but these are the ones that immediately came to mind. *In no particular order*

Haley James Scott (One Tree Hill)

Bethany Joy Lenz was one of the best actors on this show, and she brought so much to this character that I'm sure was only initially supposed to be your typical best friend to the main character. Haley James Scott was more than that. She is a wonderful wife (Naley forever, my #1 otp and simply iconic) and mother. Not only that, but she's talented and funny af. Her humor is so underrated, especially during her pregnancies, lol. Not only that but never mess with her family cause she will quite literally fuck you up (*cough* see Rachel Gatina) 💀

Blair Waldorf (Gossip Girl)

1/2 the reason why I even bothered with Gossip Girl to begin with. Takeaway that God awful relationship with the wannabe Batman voiced man, she is a literal queen that deserved better!! Leighton Meester's acting so underrated it annoys me that her career didn't skyrocket after this (there's still time though 🙏). Blair had her flaws, but was shown to be quite the good person despite everything. She is not only intelligent, but she's witty af and I love every bit of her sass. If only she had ended up with someone on her level mentally and spiritually.

Manny Santos (Degrassi TNG)

A whole ass trendsetting queen!!! Manuela Santos walked so that so many other bad ass tv women could run. The very first time I watched this show I instantly fell in love with her. She was honestly a good ass friend that dealt with so much shit that she didn't deserve. The abortion storyline was simply great because I'm almost positive girls watching the show felt safe knowing they had options when it comes to unplanned pregnancies. Her style? Immaculate. Her ability to change a once bad boy to an actual good guy? Iconic. Love her forever.

Stephanie Tanner (Full House)

This show was the very first sitcom I fell in love with as a little girl. I remember loving Stephanie. To the point where I wanted to join dance classes to be like her lol. I always was more invested in her storylines and I thought she was extremely relatable. Her catchphrases >>>> and the episode where she drove the car into the kitchen? Forever iconic. I haven't seen enough of Fuller House to give an opinion, but I'm sure she was just as iconic on there.

Jen Lindley (Dawsons Creek)

My sweet precious muffin. My cinnamon apple. Jen brought so much to this show. An iconic friendship (her and Jack 😭😍), amazing character development, and a lovable personality. I truly love her so much and I cannot believe the way her story ended. She deserved so much more. She was a beautiful person inside and out and Michelle Williams did such an amazing job. Especially when she was the youngest amongst the cast.

Lydia Martin (Teen Wolf)

My favorite banshee ❤ I seem to love characters with amazing character developments because here's yet another character that had amazing development. Lydia literally went from typical mean girl to an actual badass superhero. She was so real and so complicated (in a good way). I loved the depth to her character and forever happy they didn't keep her as the mean girl with no personality. Lydia Martin is a powerful woman. Also, her and Stiles forever have my heart.

Lois Lane (Smallville)

I love this show and the minute she came on I personally believe the show got better. Lois and Clark are legendary especially on Smallville. I know a lot of people preferred Lana and at first I was all Lana/Clark. But once Lois came on, I was like Lana who? Lois was more interesting and had better chemistry with Clark imo. I think my love for this character stems mainly from Erica Durance. She brought such a light and lovable vibe to this Lois.

April Kepner (Grey's Anatomy)

A strong ass woman. She faced so much hardship, but never ever gave up. Like the amount of shit this woman had to deal with?? It's always the characters that I love that have to deal with a lot and quite often never get the happiness they deserve. I'm so happy they brought her back and gave her a better and more proper ending with Jackson aka who she deserved to be endgame with. April could be quite neurotic to the point where it got annoying. But I still loved her and her flaws. She was extremely relatable. Also let's take a second to recognize how amazing Sarah Drew is.....the shooting episode and scene with the shooter??? ICONIC.

Tia and Tamera (Sister Sister)

Another sitcom I absolutely adore. Tia and Tamera are forever iconic queens in the show and in real life. I'll admit, Tia was favorite as a kid. I resonated with her more, but during my last rewatch as an adult I enjoyed the two of them and now I can't really choose a favorite. These two are my childhood ❤

[elindae-writes]

Let's keep the Jack Darby hate train going. Ok honestly this is my dumb onion on humans in tfp/tf media in general: I know they're supposed to be there to be the anchor for the viewer but it's like... Most of the time humans being around feels like they either gotta be written like the Lois Lane to Superman always being that one thing that keeps the Autobots nerfed because "oh no muh human is in trouble!" or they get something special about them *cough* Jack *cough* to keep them relevant to the alien robots but end up feeling like those bad fanfics with a human OC who's the ✨certified badass✨. Raf is on thin ice with his hackermans schtick and Miko is amazing. Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

The train has derailed yet is still miraculously chugging on.

I never liked how the humans are supposed to be audience surrogates. You see, I hate this because this implies that the show was designed to make you "live" through the Autobot drama by putting you in the place of McJack McDarby. The show tried to make me emulate Jack but all it did was make me just want to emulate Megatron. Like I resent this so much? only clowns want to live through the experiences of other clowns and u are not a clown Anon and I am ESPECIALLY Not A Clown

Yes, this rant is long so buckle up

What kind of writing decision even was this??

"Sir, we have this show, we could make the cool and interesting robot warrior leader of this struggling faction the main character--or the fast food boy"

"make the burger-flipper the ✨star✨"

If they cut Jack out then Optimus could've gotten that screentime instead and could have actually been the real main character. He would've gotten so much more character development!

Which would've made SENSE considering that it's Transformers: Prime not Transformers: Bland Bitch

I hate how they made Jack so ✨SpEciAl✨

"oh jack, only you and your mediocrity can save the world"

like what, excuse me, but i could shuffle into society and instantly find a more competent, interesting, and qualified person to replace Jack. i could just find some guy shopping for Lucky Charms in the cereal aisle and be like "u are the chosen one" and he would STILL DO A BETTER JOB

Jack shops exclusively out of other people's carts, smh what a loser. I bet Jack binge-watches Scooby-Doo.

When I was writing chapter 26 I was trying so so so hard to prevent my hatred for Jack from infusing the story. This was especially hard during the scene where Starscream had to comfort Jack.

Like if I had 0.01% less self-control we would've gotten this literary masterpiece instead:

Starscream looked down at the humans in his palm. Surviving in the Sahara was hard enough while alone. But with three delicate fleshies in tow?

Jack blinked sluggishly and shook like a mildly frightened chihuahua. "I hate sand. It's rough and coarse and irritating and it gets everywhere."

Perhaps Starscream could lessen this load.

He dumped Jack's lame bitch-ass on the dune and then punted him into the sky. Starscream then strutted off with Miko and Raf still in his servos. There, better.

I like June and Fowler. I love how every time Fowler appears in the show and in Unburied he just starts off by shouting "P R I M E"

Raf is indeed on thin ice. I've seen some people say that "ohhhh well, Raf is more used to human computer systems, that's why he's better at hacking through them than Soundwave is"

But I don't think so, I think Soundwave could completely figure out our computer systems in like five seconds.

My headcanon is that the deaths of his casseticons have forced Soundwave off his A-game and that he still hasn't fully recovered from the grief. That's why Raf poses a threat to him--Soundwave isn't at his peak potential. If Soundwave was in full on Hackerman Mode then he would absolutely wipe the floor with that 12 year-old. It's the only explanation I can think of as to why Raf is an actual threat to the 'Cons.

If you wanna get really angsty with it maybe Raf reminds him of his casseticons and he feels like he's fighting against them when he fights against Raf.

I find it funny how the kids aren't relevant at all during the finale, probably the only thing about Predacons: Rising that I liked.

Thank you for inviting me to your Ted Talk.

[tthankstoyou]

Your brain, with the gay awakening ask!!! I'm amazed! I must know more! Can you do the Newbies?

I'm so happy that you liked them! Omg yes here are the newbies, I hope you enjoy them <333

(Here's the original post if anyone hasn't seen it and wants to check it out)

- Marley: Based off of how in love with Marley is with 'The Sound of Music,' I think Liesl Von Trapp would have made her realize just how pretty girls are. She'd watch the scene for 'Sixteen Going on Seventeen' over and over again, low-key jealous of how Rolf danced with her. Marley would day dream about how she wanted to dance in Liesl's arms.

- Unique: Looking at how Marley and Unique are girlfriends, I think it's safe to say that Unique likes women who have a strong head on their shoulders. This is why I think Unique's first gay thought would be somebody badass like Buffy.

- Kitty: For her, it's not a specific character, but a scene. I could so imagine Kitty's guilty pleasure movies being early 2000s teen romcom's. Kitty would replay the scene from 'John Tucker Must Die' where Beth and Kate make out in the car, especially that casually without a second thought. Before watching that, she didn't realize girls could kiss each other. Based off of the transphobic comments Kitty made towards Unique, I'm guessing that she was raised in a very very religious Christian household where she was taught that being trans or gay wasn't.

- Jake: Danny Phantom... Jake gives off major vibes of being a whore for that cartoon ghost. He'd watch it everyday after school and claim it's because "it's just a really good show"... but he wouldn't be able to keep his eyes off of Danny Phantom the whole time he was on screen.

- Ryder: I imagine this man being a superhero fanatic. He'd be super into comics, especially the Superman ones. Ryder would have a poster of Superman on his wall and look at it whenever he needs a pick me up... totally not because Ryder was in love with him, what would make you think that *nervous laughter*. He'd have dreams where he was Lois Lane... which would slowly morph into daydreams too.

- Madison: Madison's very obvious crush on Jane show's that she's into smart women who won't stand for any bullshit. I can see her watching 'Legally Blonde' and being head over heels in love with Elle Woods... and by the end of the movie she was also in love with Vivian. Women who are powerful make Madison weak in the knees.

- Jane: I can just imagine Jane seeing Lavagirl on the big screen and being entranced by her character. I cannot tell you why, I just feel like Jane wouldn't be able to take her eyes off of Lavagirl.

- Mason: Freddy Mercury!!! Not questions asked!!! The home screen on his first phone would be Freddy wearing the wife beater and little leather spikey thingy around his bicep. The reason why he sung 'I Want To Break Free' was because he was tired of Madison controlling him BUT ALSO because he wanted to impress Jane. And like what is a better way to make a girl think you're hot than to sing a song by someone that you think is hot and dream about making out with.

- Roderick: I can't explain this, but Roderick gives off vibes that he finds Dylan O'Brien hot. Roderick watched 'The Maze Runner' and left the theatre with images of Dylan O'Brien running through his head. He wouldn't realize these were gay thoughts and not "I wanna be like you thoughts" until he decided to watch Teen Wolf... and thought very non PG thoughts.

- Spencer: I have literally never watched Modern Family so I can't give you an exact character, but it would definetly be somebody in the show. Like that's based off of how he talked about how Spencer talked about 'Modern Family' to Kurt. It helped people become more accepting of LGBTQ+ people, but I also imagine it might have had an impact on him and Spencer realizing he's gay.

[batfamscreaming]

This got too long for an ask I'm sorry

RE: the Kryptonian!Bruce roleswap -- I could see Clark "Averageman" Kent still becoming a reporter and working for the Planet, but getting dismissed as a folksy backwoods nobody.  Lane gets the headline again and again, and Kent gets stuck writing another puff piece on the local animal shelter.  It's not that he doesn't like working for the paper, exactly, but that he thought he'd be making more of a difference, y'know?  Drawing attention to big things, corrupt officials and crooked schemes.  There's something fishy about that Luthor guy, he just knows it.  There's so much that's sideways in this city, he wants to help. It starts with Clark grabbing a would-be purse-snatcher by the scruff one morning.  Then he just happens to be in the right place at the right time to stop a corner store from being robbed.  After that, he starts to think maybe he can do something after all, but it's not until he sees Lois get kidnapped in the Planet's parking garage one night that he realizes he has to do something, here and now. (Lois Lane is still a certified badass and Clark is mostly helping her rescue herself tbh) Also I feel it's worth mentioning that my dad has a claim that the first time the name Nightwing cropped up in DC Comics, it was being used by a de-powered Clark, who was trapped in Candor for an adventure.  I have no other proof to back this claim up, just Word of Dad, but do with that as ye will, ig

[greycappedjester]

If there were to be a DC Au for Haikyuu!! characters, who do you think each character would be?

Hmmm, good question. Off the top of my head?

Bokuto--Superman with Akaashi as a very exasperated Lois Lane and the rest of Fukurodani as the Daily Planet that simultaneously (a) pretending that they haven't figured out Bokuto's secret identity years ago and (b) covering for him hardcore to make sure no one else figures it out. Featuring Konoha as Jimmy Olson with a very snarky relationship with Akaashi.

Konoha: Hey, didn't our totally normal reporter Bokuto just jump out a window?

Akaashi: *sighs* yes.

Konoha: Aren't we on the fiftieth floor?

Akaashi *larger sigh, chugs coffee* yes.

Konoha: Just saying, because ya know that's a totally normal reporter thing to do

Akaashi: Konoha.

Konoha: Yep?

Akaashi: Shut up.

Iwaizumi as Batman with Oikawa as Catwoman. Matsukawa and Hanamaki splitting their time as Robin but it's very unclear on if they're sidekicks to Iwaizumi, Oikawa, or just doing this to fuck with both of them. (Yahaba and Mad Dog would totally make a great Tim and Jason dynamic, just saying)

Tendou as the Riddler, rest of Shiratorizawa as (less threatening than DC canon) Batman Rogues. Gonna say Semi for Scarecrow, Ohira as Mr. Freeze, Shirabu for Two Face, maybe Yamagata as Bane. Goshiki's just there as Unamed Minion #5 ("Guys, I wanted a cool name!" "Pfft, not until you're older, Unnamed Minion #5.") Ushijima is Posion Ivy, of course.

Shimizu as Wonder Woman, Yachi as her protege

Kuroo as Green Arrow with Kenma as a even-more-done-with-you-people Oracle (gonna go with Oracle in the Green Arrow family rather than Batfam in this AU cause it just works better)

Yudai Hyakuzawa as Martian Manhunter. I can't explain why it just fits.

Suga as Aquaman (but more in a Mera badass water magic way than typical Aquaman) I'm also going to adapt Mera's backstory for him so...raised to be Atantis' greatest enemy and somehow ended up as Atlantis' King instead--up to you how that happened.

Noya as the Flash. Asahi as the former Flash who lost his superspeed and got majorly almost fatally injured that needed advanced cybernetic surgery to make sure he survived. Asahi is taking Cyborg's role.

Daichi, Tanaka, and Ennoshita as Green Lanterns. Daichi is the older one that was believed to be dead for awhile before he came back. Ennoshita and Tanaka fill the bickering opposites-attract partnership role (like Guy Gardner and Kyle Rayner in....was it Green Lanterns Corp? series. I'm too lazy to check titles rn)

Korai Hoshiumi as Hawkman.

Kageyama, I'll be honest I'm struggling hard with. Let's see....ya know, screw it, I'm going to go with a redeemed villain-hero Cheshire. That would be fun and fit his angst/redemption mood. He would rock the whole ex-assassin vibes. Mix of Cheshire, Damian, and Cass.

Hinata is Starfire, no questions asked.

Missing a lot, but that's what I got for now.

(Hmm, Atsumu and Osamu as adult Wonder Twins where Osamu has quit superhero business and Atsumu still loves it so is trying to figure out how to make it work on his own. Rest of Inarizaki is also obscure, some retired, some active Silver Age-ish heroes. Only one I can really come up with rn is Suna as the Question, I'm thinking Aran is also a hero but dang I'm not coming up with a fitting one rn)

[athenagrantnash]

I know this isn’t fully your jam, but I would love a Taylor Begins episode Because I love her next to Athena she’s my favourite. Like S2 it was love to hate her, but S4 the growth, the maturity about her job now. I wanna know what drove that change. I really think the 118 drugging only planted the seed you know? I wanna know what made it grow, did it finally click during the pandemic? Before? Was there another story that drove that lesson home for her? I’m just so curious about her.

Oh, no anon... this is definitely my jam

I LOVE Taylor to pieces for pretty much the same reasons you just mentioned.

And yes, give me more Taylor backstory. She mentioned wanting to be a reporter since she was 14... what's the reason for that? I've seen some people hypothesizing that maybe it was 9/11 that prompted that, but I feel like because of her whole attitude about it in season 2 it wasn't something like that. If she was inspired to be a reporter after something like 9/11 her whole perspective would have been about telling other people's stories from the start, not about furthering her own career.

Honestly? I kind of like the idea that she grew up watching Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman and decided that Lois Lane is everything she wants to be when she grows up. When she was four years old she would go around wearing glasses and carrying around a little notepad and then do a "big reveal" where she takes of the glasses and is like "I am intrepid reporter Lois Lane! Now give me your stories!" (she got a little confused about who it was who had the secret identity).

When she got a little bit older she went through a phase where she thought it was stupid how much she was inspired by a fictional character when real life is a lot more important than stuff like that. She needs to be serious about what she wants and not let it be influenced by something as silly as a corny superhero tv show.

And then maybe after all of that 9/11 did play a part in it, but not in the sense that she wanted to tell other people's stories. More in the sense that there really ARE big enormous stories like that, like what Lois Lane got to report on. And hey, maybe taking career cues from a fictional character isn't that bad after all. I mean, she's a strong, badass, successful, and highly respected woman! Why shouldn't she want to be like her?

Also? I definitely think that it's COVID that really changed Taylor, because I have seen it. I work with a bunch of different reporters, and you have to change as a person after working through the pandemic. I have seen reporters who just couldn't handle it anymore and switched careers, and I have seen others whose passion for their jobs only grew because this is exactly why they wanted to report in the first place. They wanted to be able to share people's stories, to share the importance of something like this, to help people understand something that if often really complicated.

And for Taylor? She was forced to change her perspective. There is no way she could go out and talk to person after person after person who lost their job, lost a loved, one, is living in fear... she couldn't do that and not change. And that's part of what makes her story so beautiful.

She came face to face with the horrors of the pandemic, and it made her kind.

[thevindicativevordan]

Metallo

I wanted to talk about one of my favorite DC villains, a guy who I’ve always thought was incredibly cool. A guy who I’ve thought makes a really awesome contrast for Superman. A guy who has never been in stories that have utilized his potential in my eyes:

Let’s talk about Metallo.

Metallo’s Background

He’s one of Superman’s oldest Rogues, and also one of the Rogues who has gone through the most revamps. The Golden Age Superman fought a guy called Metalo aka George Grant who created a suit of armor made out of the strongest metal on Earth (something that would resurface in the Grant Morrison revamp during the New 52) and a super strength serum that made him Superman’s physical equal. In an odd way he was an evil proto-Iron Man/Post Crisis Lex Luthor:

The John Corben take wouldn’t show up until the 1950s, created by Robert Bernstein and Al Plastino. This was the foundation for the modern conception of Metallo:

Right off the bat Corben was positioned as an Anti-Superman, predating Bizarro who wouldn’t show up until later. Corben worked as a journalist to cover up his real activities as a murderer and thief. An accident that nearly killed him and crippled his human body, forced him to accept a deal with a scientist to transfer his mind to a new artificial body. The scientist transferred his mind into an android body covered in synthetic bulletproof skin, gifting Corben with super strength. The synthetic skin idea would be used in Byrne’s revamp and the DCAU incarnation. He was initially powered by uranium, but was told he would need Kryptonite to fuel himself permanently. Corben would also act as a romantic rival for Clark via wooing Lois with his pretense of being Superman’s secret identity.

Ultimately John Corben would die in his debut issue, after mistaking a museum prop for the actual Kryptonite he needed to power himself. I often wonder if the character might have been better off if he had not been killed off in his debut, similarly to how the Joker was saved from dying in his debut by editorial. There were many intriguing ideas present in Corben’s creation: He was a romantic rival for Clark Kent, he used his journalism in a similar if villainous way as Superman did, and he was powered by the very thing that could kill Superman while still possessing enough raw strength to stand on equal terms with the Man of Steel. If they had kept him around, fleshed him out more, might Metallo have enjoyed more long term respect?

 Regardless, Corben’s death paved the way for the third Metallo: His brother Roger Corben.

Roger likewise had a lot of interesting ideas that would eventually get folded into the modern Metallo. He was not a petty thief, but had a personal vendetta with Superman over the death of his brother. Superman accidentally caused the very accident that crippled Roger, adding to the man’s feud. Roger was also a leader within the Skull organization, rather than the small time criminal his brother was. This Metallo’s design would form the basis for the Geoff Johns/Gary Frank revamp during Secret Origin, and I suspect the Johns conception of Metallo as a member of a wider organization and whose transformation was caused by Superman has it’s roots here.

Sadly the take on a more fleshed out Metallo would not last. The Roger Corben version of Metallo would meet his end with the rest of the Pre-Crisis Superman Rogues Gallery in the seminal Alan Moore story Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

Enter John Byrne:

During his Post-Crisis revamp of the Supermythos, Byrne returned to the John Corben take of a petty thief injured in an accident, who is rebuilt by a mad scientist Professor Vale. Byrne added his own twist though, with the scientist believing Superman to be the first scout in a full blown Kryptonian takeover of Earth, and specifically crafted Metallo to be an Anti-Superman weapon powered by Kryptonite. Metallo was to be humanity’s defense against the threat of Superman, an idea that would be revisited in Johns’ and Morrison’s revamps. Unfortunately petty thieves don’t make for great heroes, and Metallo killed Vale, ultimately coming into conflict with Superman not over any desire to protect humanity, but to simply eliminate a thorn in his side.

This incarnation of Metallo has basically served as the basis for his appearance in outside media, with a design that blatantly draws on the popular Terminator films.

This version of Metallo would also acquire a variety of powers thanks to making a deal with Neron that included the ability to transform parts of his body into weapons, transfer his consciousness into any technological or mechanical device, and manipulate his size:

Personally I’ve always loved that powerset upgrade, and think it’s crucial it sticks. It let him kick the shit out of Superman AND Batman in Loeb Superman/Batman, which basically solidified for me that this dude was a badass you didn’t want to mess with. Shame he’s never come close to matching that initial impression since.

The DCAU mostly used the Byrne revamp’s take, but they did change a few aspects which would end up carrying over to the mainline version. Most important was the replacing of Vale with Lex Luthor as the mind behind Metallo’s creation, something that would be incorporated in both Johns and Morrison’s later revamps.

One aspect that they introduced that didn’t carry over, that was still utilized to great effectiveness in the show, was that Corbyn’s transformation had robbed him of most physical sensation. He couldn’t taste, smell, touch, all the little things that made us human, and that drove him nuts. Ultimately he would learn that Lex was responsible for what happened to him, and he would swear a grudge against both Lex and Superman. Malcom McDowell was a fantastic choice to play Metallo, and is still the guy I “hear” when I read Metallo’s dialogue.

Now we come to the guy who crafted the next big revamp of Metallo: Geoff Johns.

This version of Metallo incorporated a ton of aspects from the multiple revamps that had preceded it, in much the same way Secret Origin did to Superman as a whole, while also adding a few new twists that I consider essential to the character now.

Like the DCAU, Luthor was the one who transformed Corben into Metallo. Like the Roger Corben take, this John Corben was accidentally crippled in a fight with Superman that gave him a personal vendetta against the Man of Steel.  Similar to Byrne, this Metallo was created to be an Anti-Superman weapon. Corben and Lois had had a brief romantic relationship, similar to the original debut of Corben. Johns even incorporated some of the Golden Age Metallo by having Corben suit up in a mech suit made of “Metallo”, the strongest metal on Earth to fight Superman before the accident. Johns also added a key bit of lore that I love, that Corben served as a soldier under General Sam Lane, and became the man’s surrogate son, the child he always wanted as opposed to Lois and Lucy. Here Corben is motivated to fight Kal-El by a mix of xenophobia, need to impress his father figure, desire to impress Lois, and a simple dose of blood lust.

The last major revamp came from Grant Morrison during the New 52:

Morrison kept a lot of the Johns revamp: Corben was a soldier serving under Sam Lane, he had a brief romantic relationship with Lois, he was distrustful of Superman’s heroics, and his transformation into Metallo was connected to Lex. However Corben was a much more sympathetic figure under Morrison than under Johns, genuinely believing Superman to be a threat, he volunteered to be merged with the Metal-0 superweapon (another callback to the original Metalo) to defend humanity, but Brainiac hijacked his cybernetics and turned him into a weapon. 

While Metallo would get another visual revamp for Rebirth, posted in the first image, Corben has more or less stayed within the confines that Byrne/Johns/Morrison established.

How I would use Metallo

I said earlier that Metallo is a guy I loved that I’ve never thought has lived up to his potential. He’s a villain with a lot of cool ideas, he’s a villain who has been continuously used by a lot of my favorite writers, but he’s never lived up to the Anti-Superman characterization that’s baked into him. Too often he’s just been a glorified henchman, or a petty thug, rarely if ever challenging Superman except in the most basic physical sense. I think that’s a great disservice to the ability of the character to be a much more important Rogue. That writers so often refuse to focus on him or any of the Rogues beyond Lex also hasn’t done him any favors. Instead of creating countless new OCs that are tossed aside by the next writer, someone needs to come on board with a passion for revamping the classics.

A lot of Superman’s Rogues suck not because they aren’t cool or don’t bring any interesting ideas, but because the ideas don’t do a good job in contrasting with Superman’s attributes. Metallo is a great example of this, look at all the interesting ideas creators have crafted around him, yet none of them have really been able to push those ideas as a way to explore and contrast Superman, so we get basic “Metallo tries to kill Superman, fails, Superman sends him back to jail” stories. That’s a failure of creativity in my eyes. I think that by choosing from some of the revamps listed above, a better, cooler, more interesting Metallo can be crafted.

The basics as established by Byrne/Johns/Morrison are great! The essential ideas that should be incorporated from all of the revamps listed above are:

1. Corben needs to have a military background as in Johns/Morrison. The petty thief origin is too dull, there’s nothing really to be mined there from a characterization standpoint. As a soldier Corben can serve as an interesting critique and contrast of Superman as an icon of America. The “American Way” has always been a dicey add-on to the original “Truth and Justice” motto. Often it’s been used to cast Superman as an obedient stooge of the government, as he was in The Dark Knight Returns, a characterization that has dogged him ever since. I think Corben can serve as an interesting character to explore Superman’s relationship with the American military-industrial complex. I would have Corben be what said complex wants Superman to be, at least in the beginning: A human WMD they can aim and fire, who will always follow orders no matter how reprehensible they are, who has a firm “America First” mindset. That way you can contrast the mainline Superman, and show that Superman is not that while also establishing what “The American Way” means in his eyes. Or you can have Superman drop that aspect of his motto in-universe, out of disgust for how his government perverts it. Either option is fine with me, I didn’t mind when Superman renounced his American citizenship.

2. If Lois often has to end up working with Clark’s exes, whether it’s Lana, Diana, or whoever, I think it’s only fair that Clark has to end up facing down an ex from Lois’ past. It’s important to show that Lois had a life before Clark showed up, and I think Corben is a good way to explore some of that. He’s the possessive ex-boyfriend who doesn’t respect Lois’ personal space and is convinced he can “win her back” via sheer determination. You can also compare and contrast the way Clark courted Lois, did Clark occasionally make the same pigheaded assumptions as Corben did? Corben debuted as a romantic rival for Superman, and I think that aspect still has merit. I also like his status as Sam’s surrogate son, it adds for some nice tension with Clark’s father-in-law that the guy he actually wanted to marry Lois was transformed into a weapon to kill the guy who ended up being his son-in-law. 

3. Corben is a true believer in the threat Superman poses, and is willing to take on the transformation into Metallo to protect humanity. It’s xenophobia yes, but with all the Evil Superman stories going around, it’s hard not to sympathize at least a little bit with Corben’s viewpoint, which tie into a deeper attribute of Corben’s I think needs to be brought up: Corben should be a sympathetic villain. I wouldn’t make him a bloodthirsty psycho, Superman has plenty of those. Corben should have villainous valor, willing to tackle on whatever threats to humanity are out there, whether Superman or others. I would make Corben instead someone who has the genuine desire to protect humanity, but lacks Superman’s concern for collateral damage. In that way you could contrast the two’s brand of “heroics”, Superman’s loyalty to humanity as a whole over one nation, and concern with protecting lives first and foremost, Corben’s desire to protect humanity’s future for the “greater good” even if it costs a few lives in the here and now and loyalty to America above all else. 

4. I like the idea of Superman being inadvertently responsible for the accident that cripples Corben and mandates his transformation. It adds to his sympathy, helps justify why Superman might continue to believe Corben could find redemption (he wants Corben to change and also wants to find a way to earn Corben’s forgiveness one day), and provides a good personal reason for why Corben would hate Superman, blaming Supes for his current state. I would also have him blame Sam and Lex as well, but he would subdue those resentments for as long as he remained working for the military. Only after he finally snaps would he target those two.

5. Finally I would keep the ability to shapeshift his body into weapons, and to manipulate technology. I would have Corben emulating Adam Jensen from Deus Ex, able to “hack” tech around him for his own purpose, armed with a variety of weapons that make him a huge threat not just to Superman but to everyone. Finally I would get rid of the Kryptonite heart. I’m tired of every battle with Metallo going the same way: He shows up, blasts Superman with kryptonite radiation, Superman lies on the ground gasping in pain, Metallo stands around gloating like a moron instead of finishing Supes off, Supes beats him by tricking him or by someone else intervening. I want to see Metallo as an Anti-Superman weapon realized beyond jus the Kryptonite. How about incorporating the DCAU version’s lack of feeling, so that Metallo doesn’t feel pain from Superman’s blows or his powers? How about giving him an internal temperature controller, so he can’t be melted by heat vision or frozen by arctic breath? How about an invisibility cloak that hides him from Superman’s vision, sound mufflers that let him sneak up on Supes even with his hearing, basically go WILD with his Anti-Superman status, let us see a real fight between someone who can counter each of Superman’s powers! You have Kryptonite Man and Lex for the villains who mainly make use of Kryptonite against Superman, I think Metallo should go in a different direction. Morrison making it so that “Metal-0″ was already powerful enough to hurt Superman is all the justification you need as to why he still poses a threat in my opinion.

I’ll go over the basic arc I’d want to see him undergo and the kinds of stories I think he’s positioned to tell in another post.

[acelaces]

Just curious, who are your top 5 Detentionaire characters? =)

Camillio Martinez

My boy Cam.... He’s memorable despite having a lot of cringey dialogue he comes off more as a cringey, try-hard, social-climbing but ultimately loyal and understanding guy. Best thing about him is his immaturity.  Worst thing about him is his immaturity. I like the dynamic of Lee Ping making friends and foes and peeling back the layers of A. Nigma High. Cam as a character is a good representation of that because he’s your og, known-forever, predictable as monkey hypnosis bestie but Lee learns new things about him throughout the show and he learns new things about himself.  Cam is a protective big bro and he drinks Respect Women juice. He has repressed bisexual energy. Also he is the definition of a Short King.

Tina Kwee: Tina grew on me from my first impression of her as your colour-by-numbers Lois Lane mild mannered crush character. I think I started really liking her character when she and Cam improvised that Cameo and Tina-ette bit to get past Lynch. Tina’s a subtler character but all the details are so endearing. The Lee Ping desktop background, talking to herself in the third person, average older-sib syndrome, absolutely participating in the never-ending slap-fight one-upmanship with Chaz. She needs that scoop and she definitely forgets that she's like, a fuckign baby who needs to eat some breakfast and download a game or two on her phone. Also her iconic protective streak during the Research Frenemies arc. She has caffeinated gremlin energy. Only critique: not enough character interactions.

Lee Ping: Lee didn't come off as just another flavour of generic teenboy RebelTM character. He's a very grounded and well-written mc, but with enough meme-able moments to keep the fandom burning with that classic 2013 era energy. He tries to enter 'rad' as a password 3 times before giving up, but he can also math circles around the best mathlete. He has an armband tattoo he just assumed was a birthmark. Friend of cats and Tazzes, likes Lance Pinto movies and 'doesn't do' cliques. This is the guy that seems to borrow a pencil from you every single day and you wonder if he has ever purchased one, unbeknownst to you (and him) he has a pencil from every kid in school under his bed. Lee comes into the series smug asf and look at what the creators did, he has anxiety now. Lee spends most of the series crouching in shadows, hiding in vents and running away from shit and still manages to blunder into badass moments, get in a smug one-liner or dunk on Biffy. Critique: his character design hurts my eyes (red and green?!?!?) and we don't get a lot of his internal monologue aside from for exposition.Lee has memelord energy.

Chaz Moneranian / Li Ping / Kimmie/ Cyrus 

These three tie for 4th for being iconic characters that I love every time they're on screen even though I don't know enough about them to find them totally endearing. It's the fanon for me. 

Chaz: Insecure, narcissistic asshat who unabashedly loves drama and mess, queer-coded, possibly has super-human speed and is chronically disliked. No idea why this character was so relatable to me.....

Li Ping: It's the voice-acting for me, sometimes he goes really pitchy and every line read is unexpectedly awesome. He looks a lot like Lee and yet his character design is easy on the eyes. Unlike Lee who is genre-savvy and sarcastic, Li is the guy who sends you e-mails in all caps and with a signature with an embossed sword and an inspirational/ominous quote. Li takes this shit serious and WHY ARE YOU LAUGHING??? YOU HAVE CHOSEN DEATH. The fact his character backstory involves some serious Fridge Horror and he alludes to having committed and being capable of Actual Atrocities...and his best friend is a pet snake named Priscilla. Power of God and Anime On My Side energy.

Kimmie: The stoic Alpha-Bitch who raps about a cringey restaurant named after her, has dumb phone apps and an actually Evil mom, the fact that Kimmie can smell a stunt or lie a mile off but had the entire illuminati operating out of her foyer and didn't even notice. She's so mysterious that I think it made the fandom froth every time we saw a peek into her weirdly sad world. Also her interactions with Lee as the deadbeat dad of her ro-baby lmao.

Cyrus: He’s funny every time he’s on screen. It’s the perpetual smile for me. He has no-thoughts-head-empty energy.

Biffy: I honestly wasn't sure who to put for this last spot. It was crazy close because I wanted to put Jenny here. I think ultimately the one with more screentime won out. Also Biffy gets bonus points for being a character I initially disliked and then won me over. Classic subverted bully trope but without the unfortunate implications of characters like Buford from P&F. Biffy felt like a fully-rounded character and bonus points for looking at the cake and being like :0 (ancient meme)Biffy can't wait til he can legally get a tattoo but he would probably ask whoever was there with him to hold his hand when he's getting it. Biffy is 7 ft tall and hides in a bathroom stall to hear a teen rock band practice. I like when he advocates for Lee's well being and I like when that pits him against Cam and Holg (og friends vs new friends and the duality of man etc. etc.). Bif is the character most likely to call Lee up just to check in, after a day of getting threats, 'heads up!'s, and 'YOU GOTTA GET HERE FAST BRO's. Bif has ABSOLUTE UNIT energy

[youve-doomed-us-all-jerk]

ahh fantastic ep. of invincible

thoughts spoilery:

I know some people didn’t like that the show wasnt as meta humor-y/light as the comic (At least in the jokes n “this is a wacky crazy superhero world” aspect) but this ep makes me glad they went for more drama and that they take stuff like titans expanded backstory seriously, its good writing in the current age of superhero stories when everyone wants escapism (and yes gore doesnt automatically mean it isnt escapism lmao)

ngl i know the signs are pointing at amber being the temp LI till mark gets together with eve, but the clois stan in me loves superhumans and brave smart badass humans who make them better people and display grounded version of heroism, so kinda rooting for them despite knowing thatll super change the comicbooks future arcs but im always for adaptations trying something new.

I know titan bailed on mark at the end there but ngl he was being a better father figure than nolan has been so far :V taught him more than just “big picture” stuff anyway

you know what im glad they chose not to let amber find out mark was hurt so he’d be “absolved”, and I hope next ep is when he reveals his secret identity to her.

battle beast!!! I was expecting all animal n growly voice but the va director said “no michael dorn put on ur silkiest smoothest voice” and i thank them for that

debbie investigating it up, once again lois lane is the blueprint

once again props for the expanded backstory on titan, i still havent reread the comic but i dont remember if his story arc went anywhere else after this, hope he continues being on the show lmao, could be a good  parallel to mark if we ever get to the Dinosaurus  arc lmao

cant wait for ep 6, 3 eps remain