#you cannot through niceties and playing the rules make people give up the power they hold over others

[bookwyrminspiration]

i understand where letty’s coming from but also I desperately want to shake her silly and throw her over a bridge to knock some sense into her the social system is cruel to people on purpose it’s not an accident you can just point out and have righted it’s not that people just haven’t noticed it’s ingrained in its functioning and fundamentally flawed letty you can’t politely petition that away

[davidmann95]

Sooo… Superman and the Authority?

magnus-king123 asked: Your thoughts on Superman & the authority Give it to me...lol

Anonymous asked: Seeing Bezos take his little trip into space the same day Morrison puts out a Superman comic that touches on how far we’ve fallen from the days when we dreamed of utopian futures where everyone explored the stars was a big gut punch. Not used to Superman being topical in that way.

Anonymous asked: What'd you think of Superman and the Authority#1?

This is far beyond what I can fit in the normal weekly reviews, so taking this as my notes on the first six pages, with this and this as my major lead-in thoughts:

* Janin's such a perfect fit for Morrison - the scale, the power, the facial expressions selling the character work, the screwing around with the panel formatting as necessary to sell the effect, the numinous sense of things going on larger than you can fully perceive amidst the beauty and chaos. It's a shame he wasn't around 25 years ago to draw JLA, but I'll take him going with Morrison onto other future projects.

* His intro action sequence is such a great demonstration of why Black actually does have something to offer, and also how he's such a dumbass desperately needing Superman to save him from himself.

* While Jordie Bellaire didn't legit go with an entirely monochromatic palate the way early previews suggested, it's still an effect frequently and excellently deployed here. And glad to see Steve Wands carry into this from Blackstars since there's such an obvious carryover from its work with Superman.

* "Gentlemen. Ladies. Others." Great both because of the obvious - hey, Superman's nodding at me! - and because it's a phrasing that reinforces that this take on him (and let's be real Morrison) is old as hell.

* I'm mostly past caring about whether this is an alt-Earth Superman until it becomes indisputable one way or another, this and Action both rule so what does it really matter? But while there are still a couple signs in play suggesting some kind of division (the Action Comics #1036 cover, Midnighter up to time-travel shenanigans) the "lost in time" quote clearly thrown in after the fact to explain how he could have met Kennedy outside of 5G that wouldn't be necessary for an Elseworlds, the assorted gestures towards Superman's current status quo, the Kingdom Come symbol appearing in Action, and that Morrison would have had to completely rewrite the ending if this wasn't supposed to be 'the' version of Clark Kent going forward as was the intent when they first planned it all say to me that no, no fooling around, this is our guy going forward one way or another.

* Janin and Bellaire making the first version of the crystal Fortress ever that actually looks as cool as you want it to.

Anonymous asked: I like that Superman and The Authority is basically the anti-All-Star; instead of the laid back, immortal Superman who is supercharged, we have a stressed, ageing Superman whose tremendous powers are fading. The former will always be there to save us, but the latter is running out of time and needs to pull off a Hail Mary. Also, he mentions in his monologue to Black that he was "lost in time" when he met JFK, so maybe he is the main continuity Clark. Or he's the t-shirt Supes from Sideways.

* You're absolutely right - the power reversal is obvious and the ticking clock in play seemingly isn't for his own survival but everyone around him as he wakes up and realizes all the old icons grew complacent with the gains they'd made and he's not leaving behind the world he meant to. Both, however, are built on the idea of preparing the world to not need them anymore - it'll still have a Superman in his son, but that'll only work because of the others he empowers and inspires. The question is what happens to Clark if he's not going to live in the sun for 83000 years.

* Clark's 'exercise' here does more to sell me on the idea of Old Man Superman as a cool idea than however many decades of Earth 2 stuff.

* Intergang being noted alongside Darkseid and Doomsday speaks to how much Kirby informed Morrison's conception of Superman.

* This isn't exactly the most progressive in its disability politics but at least it makes clear Black's being a piece of shit about it.

* It's startling how much Clark can get away with saying stuff in here you'd never expect to come out of Superman's mouth. "I made an executive decision" "Privacy, really...?" "You have nowhere to go, Black. Nothing to live for." "There are few people in my life who I instinctively and viscerally dislike, and you've always been one of them." It only works because there's zero aggression behind it, he's just past the point of niceties and being totally frank while making clear none of these assessments preclude that he cares and is going to unconditionally do the right thing every time. He is absolutely, per Morrison, humanity's dad picking us up when we're too drunk to drive ourselves home.

* The story doesn't put a big flashing light over it, but it's not even a little bit subtle having the material threat of the issue be a ticking timebomb left by the carelessness and hubris of generations past.

* Manchester keeps trying to poke the bear and prove his hot takes about Superman and it's just not working. The front he put up under Kelley is gone after decades of defeats, and as Morrison understands what actually conceptually works about him as a rival to Superman underneath the aging nerd paranoia he's exposed as what he absolutely would be in 2021: a dude with a horrific terminal case of Twitter brainworms. I was PANICKED when I heard there was an 'offensive term' joke in this, I was braced for Morrison at their well-meaning worst, but it's such a goddamn perfect encapsulation of a very specific breed of Twitter leftist who uses their politics first and foremost as a cudgel and justification to label their abrasive, judgmental shittiness as self-righteousness (plus it's a killer payoff to a joke from way back in his original appearance). Cannot believe they pulled that off when they're so very, very open about basically not knowing how the internet works.

* @charlottefinn: Manchester Black using his telekinetic powers to force someone he hates to fave a problematic tweet so that he can screenshot it and start a dogpile

@intergalactic-zoo: “Once they cancel Bibbo, Superman won’t be *anyone’s* fav’rit anymore!”

* Friend noted this issue had to be fully the conversation because the whole premise stands on the house of cards of these two somehow working together, and with three 'silent' inset panels the creative team pulls off that turning point.

* So much of this feels on the surface like Morrison bringing back the All-Star vibes with Clark, but when he drops a "That's all you got?" in a brawl you realize what's underlining that bluntness and confidence in the face of failure is that deep down this is still the Action guy too. This dude ain't gonna get wrecked in his Fortress while the other guy chuckles about him being A SOFT WEE SCIENTIST'S SON!

* Bringing up Jor-El made me realize that Morrison already spelled out that this is the final threat to Superman, what he faces at the end of the road:

"Now it's your turn, Superman."

* A l'il Superman 2000/All-Star reference with the Phantom Zone map!

* There's so much intertextuality going on here even by Morrison standards - Change or Die with the old hero putting together a team of morally nebulous folks out to 'fix' everything, Flex Mentallo with the muscleman trying to redeem the punk, Doomsday Clock with the fate of the world hinging on whether Superman can get through to a meta stand-in for an idea of 'modern' comics cynicism, DKR and New Frontier and Kingdom Come and Multiversity and Seven Soldiers and What's So Funny and All-Star and Action and the last 5 years of monthly Superman comics and Authority and probably Jupiter's Legacy and Tom Strong - but none of that's needed. You could go in with the baseline pop cultural understanding of the character and not care about any of the inside baseball shit and get that this is a story about a leader of a generation that let down the people they made all their grand promises to as inertia and day-to-day demands and complacency let him be satisfied with the accomplishments they'd made long ago, looking at a new era and seeing the ways its own activists are dropping the ball. The only thing that fundamentally matters in a "you have to accept you're reading a superhero story" sense is that because he's Superman he's willing to own up to it and listen to people who might know better about some things and try to set things right while he and those who'll take his place still have a chance. And yes, the oldster looking back on their legacy with a skeptical eye and hoping for better from the next generation, hoping most of all that their little heir apparent can fulfill the promise inside of him instead of being a provocating little shitkicker, is obviously also autobiographical.

* The overlaying Kennedy reprisal is such a great visual of a sudden intrusive thought.

* The Kryptonite secret is the obvious "This is going to matter!" moment, but "He lied about his son" is a bit that doesn't connect to anything going on right now so maybe that's important here too? More significantly, the Justice League can't actually be the villains here but that Ultra-Humanite's crew are in an Earth-orbiting satellite makes pretty clear what's up.

* I've said before that between Superman, OMAC, and a New Gods-affiliated speedster this was going to use all of Morrison's favorite things. King Arthur playing a role isn't exactly dissuading me.

* Love the idea that all the antiheroes have their own community in the same way as the capes and tights crew. They definitely all privately think the rest are posers though and that they alone are Garth Ennis Punisher in a mob of Garth Ennis Wolverines.

* Manchester's fallen so far he's gone from trying to convince Superman to kill to convince him to dunk on people for their bad takes and Clark just doesn't get it. Official prediction of dialogue for upcoming issues:

"According to these bloody Fortress scans, the only thing that can restore your powers is an unfiltered hit of dopamine. Don't worry, Doctor Black has a few ideas."

"Hmm. Maybe I'll plant a nice tree?"

"...fuck you."

* Ok I already talked about how great the Fortress looks in here but LOVE this library.

* A pair of pages this seems like the right spot to discuss from Black's original appearance that underlines both his and Superman's inadequacies up to this point:

Responding to the problem of "the government and penal system are hopelessly corrupt" neither of them has any actual notion of what to do about it in spite of their respective posturing beyond how to handle individual outside actors - each is in their own way every bit as small-minded and reactionary as the other. Clark's coming around though, and he's holding out hope for the other guy.

* Superman: Have a lovely mineral water :) proper hydration is important :)

Manchester Black: *Is a dude who can get so mad he vomits and passes out. At water.*

* That last page is the one to beat for the year, and does more to put over the idea of this as an Authority book than that Midnighter and Apollo are literally going to show up. It also feels like Morrison tacitly acknowledging all the ways the premise could go or at least be received wrong - from Superman saying 'enough is enough' to who he's bringing into the fold to go about it - in the most beautifully on-the-nose fashion imaginable. Maybe they'll save us all! Or maybe they'll drown us in their vomit.

[uhxrp]

damnatio

in the backstreets of new orleans, vampires reign over the underworld—a market founded to circle the addictive blood types through the vampire population. but overtime, they expanded, as the appetite for darker experiences increased.

DAMNATIO

The vampires were the first to come out, unsurprisingly. Polished fangs and too-pretty faces the cover of magazines and newspapers and headlining every news show and interview with pretty words and long-taught niceties. A political game emerged in 2005, with hope and optimism behind it.

But with a charred body and no justice to claim, the first vampire out and proud was murdered in cold blood, and that deep seeded need for justice is not one you can quench with fifteen years of fighting for survival, for rights you can never quite reach. We are stronger, many whispered, a thought shared by vampires world wide.

We need to do something, they demanded of those above them... And it didn't take long for hope and optimism to be tainted with vengeance and arrogance and greed. It never does, and even vampires are susceptible to emotion.

//

Type-O, in little vinyl blood bags and speciality glass bottles like the old Coca-Cola vendors still offered, in their own coolers in convenience stores, grocery stores, even the pharmacy. Type-O, transformed from a little underground pharmaceutical company to a giant corporation, with new 'flavors' and 'specialities' under construction.

Don't miss out, the ad would read, playing into your capitalistic desires. New from Type-O: Type-AB. And Type-A. Type-B. Type-A+. Type-O-. The variations came and went, came and went, circling through production to get you hooked and changing formulas. Everything they could do to synthesizes all the different blood types, to give all they could, to keep vampires under control.

But a Diet Coke is only so good when you're craving the real thing. Vengeance, arrogance, greed - the cries grew louder daily. We need to do something, they called. We are stronger, or at least... They used to be, on a diet that wasn't synthetic scraps of what they once had. And some, it would seem, would never be satisfied.

//

No Rex or Regina of the four New Orleans vampire nests could agree then, and so an underground operation was built by one in secret. Their idea, but they couldn't risk getting their hands dirty, so small impressions were given to others. Sure would be nice to still be able to get the real thing, wouldn't it? I think you could make some real money that way. Might even be able to keep it a secret.

If you had been playing the political game for centuries, you would know what they were doing. You would know what they were telling you to start. You would know that they were warning you to keep it quiet, keep their name far away from it, to not risk the power they were building with the tug and pull of human governance. You would know.

But you, in your vengeance and your arrogance and your greed, would do exactly what the vampire now known simply as the alias Dionysus had done. You would start the Underworld for all vampires, something between mafia esteem and mob mentality meeting a need for dark desires to be satiated even by those playing defanged. You would traffic real blood, the good stuff, and find ways to satisfy all the vices for your clientele. And you would do anything to keep it secret, because that was the game you needed to play. And you would not do it alone.

//

Even now, so many years since it began, the Underworld is a secret. Vampires who know about it keep it covered and do not risk it being discovered because of what it could mean for the rights of them all. Too many political games played at once, and too many with dirty secrets they had catered to by Dionysus and his crew.

In fact, in the time since the Underworld was started, many have taken up leadership roles and stood to Dionysus' side to keep the secrets, to enforce that one rule they all knew and didn't have to say - What happens in the Underworld stays there... Or you do.

The vampires and their rumors are rampant, but even those high and mighty who abstain and drink strictly the synthetic that they have been offered keep those rumors squashed for their own safety. They look the other way and use secrets from a lifetime underground to cover up the Underworld. And it shows, in the rivalries between each Rex/Regina when the nests meet and discuss it, all in secret, always in secret. What happens in the shadows must stay there, for everyone's sake... And, besides, vampires are no strangers to hiding in the dark.

POSITIONS

Dionysus 

The leader of this whole organization, the one who started it all - or did he? He may be the ruler in the Underworld, but he is no leader in his nest. We all serve someone, and the one who whispered in his ear at the start is there, watching, pretending he isn't a part of any of this. Dionysus holds all the power, or so he thinks. Even the creator of the Underworld has his secrets, and Zeus is just one of many. For now though, and down where no one can identify him, he's a king in his small corner, desperately keeping his shadows cast so he can reign. Open.

Zeus

A Rex with a secret: it was all his idea. He cannot risk getting his hands dirty, playing political games with cunning unmatched on the surface, but indulging in secret in the Underworld like so many others. He knows the power he holds over Dionysus both in the man's kingdom and his own, and it's a secret he keeps to his heart should anything go wrong. But this secret... it threatens them all, in both kingdoms, and its with a watchful eye that he keeps his power and his secrets both, lest he lose it all. Open. Must be a Rex/Regina for a nest.

Aphrodite 

The vampire poster girl who keeps the light that casts the shadows. Dirty dealings going down in one building? She'll show up next door, call all the attention, dance a little, smile a lot, maybe even do an interview - anything to keep the deal next door a secret. Dionysus' right-hand woman, a secret few share to keep. Even those of high rank don't know her place in all of this, smiling like a good little vampire and endorsing Type-O to keep them where Dionysus wants them: beneath him. Taken by Athena with Kala Mitra.

Hermes 

Secrets travel fast, but Hermes travels faster. A master of gossip, and leader of the art of a well told rumor. How better to squash suspicions than to run the rumor mill yourself? He is in charge of keeping secrets, and he is a master of the art of persuasion and blackmail above all others. And who would expect the one never taken seriously? Petty gossip, no place in the real arena, he was told - but Dionysus saw something in him, and the devotion earned there isn't something you can buy with fear or intimidation. Open.

Ares 

War is all he knows, war and commanding respect. His life was war. His afterlife was war. He was gifted in destruction, in chaos, in enforcing the rules - and that was exactly what earned him his space in the Underworld. Where his Rex/Regina was afraid he would go too far and refused him the authority he thought he deserved, Dionysus fed into his arrogance. Keep it secret, don't go too far, but put them in their place if they threaten us - Ares was the only man for the job, and his ego knew it. Open.

Athena 

Where Ares only knew war in body, Athena only knew it in mind. She is all brains, the epitome of 'work smart, not hard'. She is the watchful eye, the one who lets Dionysus know of any who may become a problem, the one who sees every move. Too brilliant for the main arena, the Underworld offers her something the surface couldn't - secrets, shadows, and the power that comes from that. To the world, her exterior has never cracked, but to the shadows... Well, just like her, the shadows see all. Open.

Demeter 

How else could one have a blood trade without any blood? She is the one responsible for their harvest, and Dionysus keeps her one of the closest to his chest. Where Aphrodite is his right-hand woman, Demeter is his heart itself. She is trusted to make calls when he is away, trusted to keep their secrets, trusted to run the game as she needs to in order to get what they need without too many questions. She knows the value of discretion, and she knows her worth in the Underworld. And she's damned good at what she does. Open.

Apollo 

As the Underworld expanded, Apollo came to become a necessity. Some vices are not quenched by blood, and different needs came to the surface. Apollo is the one who brought forth those willing and wanting - consent, of course, the most important thing for Apollo with his disciples, always willing to enforce strict punishment on any who even attempts to infringe upon it - to satisfy those carnal desires. He is the one who protects them, who finds them, who brings them to this new home. He pays them, clothes them, acts as friend, confidant, and family. And, as Dionysus has always agreed, he has Ares on speed dial to ensure no one hurts his family. Open.

Artemis 

Artemis is the one who comes before Ares has to, to offer a choice. She is the hunter, and many have been her prey, but Ares is her shot. She does not dirty her hands, because she doesn't have to. She comes with a smile, and an unspoken threat on her lips, something dark behind her eyes as they watch you, as they follow you, as they tell you everything she doesn't need to spell out in words. Artemis is the redemption, for those who dare to stray, that you will wish you accepted should you not heed her meaning. Reserved by Tilly.

Hades 

Before vampires came into the light, so to speak, Hades was there. He was in the background, running something similar to the Underworld in Europe. He was optimistic when it all came to be, tried surviving on Type-O's creations for a few years, spoke out loud for the rights of his people... And then tragedy struck, trauma left in its wake, and optimism fell away to a cynicism unlike any other. He is the advisor to Dionysus, the one with experience and pride. He will not let them make his past mistakes. He will protect the Underworld he has now, in a way he failed to with his own previously. He knows what it's like to lose, and he will never risk it again. Open.

Hera 

Where Aphrodite is the poster girl to keep attention off of them with her media darling friendly celebrity vampire act, Hera is the poster girl who gets attention and finds clientele. She is the girl who looks too good to talk too, the one who has never done a single interview - because she didn't have to. A dark reputation even among immortals, those who follow her always find themselves in back alleys all alone - before her whispers find their ears, asks them what their darkest desire is, and if they're ready to have it fulfilled. She's never had to do any of the real work, finding ways to fulfill needs, or working to seek anyone out. For her, they find her, and she delivers them to the Underworld under the pretense of guidance. A pretense she is well aware is a delusion. Reserved for Mal.

Hephaestus 

When it all came to be, the first thing they needed was a place - and a basement. That was where Dionysus brought in Hephaestus. To the surface, he's a business owner, a very loud and busy bar that has been around for ages and financed his lifestyle for longer than any really know. But to the Underworld... He had built a hidden arena long before, soundproofed it, and kept the questions away under lies about VIP rooms and studios to come and big plans. The bar itself is upstairs, on the second and third floors, but the ground floor has only one entrance and exit, heavily guarded and kept away. If you call and ask, they're all booked up for the next season, but you're welcome to reserve it three months in advance, for hour long slots each. A well designed cover up and a well kept secret, with a fortune at risk. And Hephaestus? He never even broke a sweat. After all... He had been building it long before Dionysus asked. Open.

Hestia 

Somewhere along the lines, the Underworld expanded and new requests came. Art, literature, artifacts, magical equipment - people wanted more and that was where Hestia stepped in. On the outside, she's the perfect woman, all smiles and pleasantries and perfection. But under all of that? She's traded in artifacts for years, has a collection unlike any other, and she knows how to tell a fake from a mile away after so much experience. She has mastered the art of the mask, and she stays close to the money matters of the Underworld as well because of her expertise. After all, pay roll is complicated, but she's been doing it since before any of them knew to include it, and she's the master of a good bargain and a better sell. Reserved by Artemis.

Poseidon 

While Apollo brings sex, Demeter brings blood, and Hestia brings artifacts, Poseidon brings everything else. Drugs, off-limits potions, or anything else you could want outside of their realms? Poseidon can and will get it. He was once one of the best dealers in NOLA, and Dionysus remembered it. He had names of all species underneath him, running deals of all sorts, and getting into the Underworld meant expanding his business. Sure, he has a boss, but they all did in their nests, and at least this way he stayed boss of his underlings and a king in his own right - Something the outside was threatening to take away before he joined. And Poseidon? He's not the type to lose what he controls, volatile, greedy, and as moody as the sea. Open.

OTHER

Those who partake in the Underworld can be of any species, so long as they know that it is forever a secret. Anything and everything that is done in the Underworld can be used against its participants, with Athena's watchful eye always having proof and Hermes' tongue so close to blackmail, and everyone who has entered knows this well. Still, what started as vampires only, has extended to illegal activities of all types for all types of beings, so long as you know who to ask.

For now, only these listed positions are available as true participants in the subplot (and all must be vampires, nest does not matter though Zeus and Dionysus must share one), but Apollo's disciples (sex workers, of any species) and Demeter's donors (those willing to sell their blood to the Underworld, of any species) are aplenty, among other roles that can be thought of. We ask that these are claimed in the requests, listed below, to be kept track of as well. If a new request needs to be added, please PM a member of staff.

Additionally, if you plan to genderbend, make anyone nonbinary, shift things around, or even have an idea of adding a "god" to the Underworld, please PM staff so that we can approve this, as we would be willing to discuss all of these things. Thank you!

Apollo's Disciples Request (to come)

Demeter's Donors Request (to come)

Hestia's Smugglers Request (to come)

Poseidon's Dealers Request (to come)

Mortal blood - acts as sustenance, but in the form of your ultimate craving or favorite snack. The original Type-O+ acts as the synthesized version of this, with Type-O- acting as a drunk human, and Type-AB+ acting as a drugged human.

Fey blood - acts as alcohol, in a more pure form than drinking that of an intoxicated human. Type-A+ acts as the synthesized version of this.

Hunter blood - acts as ateroids, including a small boost of physical power as well as anger. Type-A- acts as the synthesized version of this.

Witch blood - acts as MDMA, including making thirstier as it goes. Type-B+ acts as the synthesized version of this.

Therian/Shifter blood - acts as cocaine, including a small boost of magical power as well as anxiety. Type-B- acts as the synthesized version of this.

Merfolk blood - acts as marijuana, euphoria and calm but with a small decline in power. Type-AB- acts as the synthesized version of this.

As a reminder - the synthesized versions are basically diet versions of the real stuff, so they are not as strong and not as filling. Please keep this in mind when using this information in your threads.