#Aftermath of the multiversal tear arc

[oraclememehacker]

The Aftermath

After changing the heart of the scientists and sealing the hole in the fabric of space time, it was time for everything to start healing and returning back to normal. However, with such a world ending crisis, it was not going to be easy to recover. Record flooding caused untold amounts of damage to countless businesses among other things. It was going to take years for everything to truly return back to normal, and this was only going to be the beginning.

Futaba, thanks to the mirror system was able to get everything that she took to another world back to her home, and got everything plugged back in. Thankfully there was power, which was definitely not a thing everywhere, and whilst the house and the cafe had some flood damage, it wasn't anything too bad and could be covered by insurance.

In the meantime, the Sakura family, consisting of Futaba, Sojiro, Sophia, Wakaba and Necro, were currently in the cafe watching a news report about everything. It was being called the world's worst incident in terms of overall global cost in human history. She was just happy they were able to seal the hole...or everything would have gone very poorly.

She was also thinking about the Akiren that had been turned part cybernetic. Was he gonna be able to deal with life properly with that stuff on him? What about the rest of the formerly fractured phantom thieves? Were they going to be fine? So many questions with so little answers.

Plus, she just wanted to spend some time with her girlfriend and try not to let her chronic pain affect her too much. Maybe once things settled down they could have another day. And just enjoy their time together. And was the metaverse gone for good or was it going to linger around? Again with the questions.

All Futaba could do for now was have some curry and help clean up a bit, getting industrial humidifiers to dry things out. There was also the whole thing of going back to school but that would be something that had to be worked out eventually. Plus, she was noticing that Necro was acting a little bit oddly but didn't think much of it. Probably nothing important.

Things were going to be alright...hopefully.

[fantastic-nonsense]

Do we actually know what happens to Jason after the under the red hood movie? Because every time I think about that movie’s ending I want to burst into tears.

Do you want the shitty, original answer or the still sucky but way more optimistic reboot answer?

Technically speaking, since the movie simplified and altered the comic's events, we don't really know, because the Batfam of the UtrH movie isn't the same Batfam of the comics; Tim didn't seem to exist, for one thing, and neither does Cass (who wasn't around for that particular arc, but was certainly present). You can probably look to the Death in the Family movie for a better understanding of how DC sees that progression going.

That being said, here's how everything in the comics happened post-Under the Red Hood, pre-Flashpoint (DC's 2011 universe reboot):

Jason resurfaces as a murderous Nightwing imposter in NYC, eventually teaming up with Dick to take down a bunch of mobsters. They part on uneasy but peaceful terms.

He then runs a gun-running operation out of Star City, captured Mia Dearden (the current Speedy), and tried to convince her to be his sidekick. She refused, so he blew up her school. It was a whole...thing.

During Countdown, he ends up helping the League deal with the Monitors and ended up taking an accidental multiverse trip with Donna Troy and Kyle Rayner, briefly taking up the costume and moniker of Red Robin (yes, Tim's Reborn-era costume and name came from this arc; yes, Tim has never had a codename of his own. We know) before returning to Red Hood

briefly teamed up with Tim for a hot second, neither one of them was very happy about it, and he promptly got sent back to jail afterwards

He escapes and pops back up in Gotham in time for Battle for the Cowl, running around as a murder-happy Batman after Bruce's death. As Batman, he proceeds to: shoot Damian, torture and kill Black Mask's mooks, leave Tim to die after brutally beating him unconscious and stabbing him in the chest, and beat Catwoman into the ground (twice) before finally losing to Dick (who then formally takes up the mantle of Batman).

Jason, feeling put out that Dick "won the claim" to the Batman mantle, decided to make Dick's life hell in the aftermath. He picked up his own sidekick (a girl named Scarlet), made some truly tragic fashion choices, and started broadcasting his brutal methods of dealing with criminals on social media, forcing Dick-as-Batman to deal with him. This chase results in Damian getting shot in the spine 5 times by Flamingo (he gets better) and Jason cornered by Dick and Commissioner Gordon, screaming that he's 'the solution that Gotham needs' and sounding, frankly, completely unhinged.

Jason gives himself up, ends up in Arkham (largely for his own protection; he would have been flat-out murdered in Blackgate or any of the surrounding 'normal' prisons), eventually gets transferred to a normal prison, kills a bunch of people (tl;dr both self-defense, they were trying to kill him first, and just as a morally bankrupt method of escaping prison), escapes, reunites with his sidekick, and disappears. And that's the last we see of him in the pre-reboot universe.

......yeah, none of us like that either! Excluding Countdown (which was fun arc in an otherwise absolute mess of a comic...truly one of the worst comic events I've ever read in my life, please don't do it) and Red Hood: Lost Days, which covered Jason's training with Talia and the League of Assassins before returning to Gotham, mostly everyone agrees that Jason's post-resurrection handling was an editorial decision that sucked, badly, and no one's happy with how that turned out.

The post-Flashpoint/New 52 universe was actually good for one thing: DC decided to take the opportunity to rehab Jason completely and reinvent him as an actual anti-hero. Tragically, this job got handed over to Scott (fucking) Lobdell, who proceeded to write Red Hood and the Outlaws and fuck everyone in that book over who wasn't named Jason Todd. While Kory was hit particularly badly in the beginning, Roy has borne the longest-lasting damage from that run. Also, Jason/Starfire was briefly a thing. We don't like to talk about that either. That being said, Jason's new post-resurrection history is much more positive (both for him and for the Batfamily) than it used to be, and we love that for him!

After his resurrection, he trained with the League of Assassins and the All-Caste (which included some really awesome anger management training that Jason proceeded to chuck directly in the trash can until after the events of Under the Red Hood)

Under the Red Hood happens

he worked out of Gotham as a ruthless anti-hero vigilante for a little bit. Battle for the Cowl is implied to have happened, possibly without the 'trying to murder Tim' bit (we're not really sure)

he hooked up with Roy Harper/Arsenal and Koriand'r/Starfire, formed the Outlaws, and went on several adventures. Also, he got magic swords, which was a cool af choice that DC continues to do absolutely nothing with

in between this, he worked with the Batfamily a bit; he helped out when the Court of Owls attacked Gotham (Night of Owls), helped them deal with the Joker when it's revealed the Joker knows their secret IDs (Death of the Family), and teamed up with Damian for a Batman Inc. arc (it went...poorly, but not as poorly as it could have)

He went back to the All-Caste and purposefully got his memory erased because he wouldn't just go to fucking therapy like a normal human being, then joined up with the League of Assassins for a hot second (Roy was trying to save his dumb ass this entire arc; thank god for Roy Harper, honestly)

Jason regained his memory and went on a few more adventures with the Outlaws, then worked with Roy for awhile after Bruce's presumed death (he really just had amnesia), then teamed up with the other Robins to help take down a villain called 'Mother'; this included an undercover operation w/Tim to take down a cult operating out of Santa Prisca

lots of other shit happens, he reformed the Outlaws (this time with Bizarro and Artemis, forming a sort of 'Dark Trinity'), had several more adventures, teamed up with the Batfam several more times, and got into lots and lots and lots of arguments with Bruce (there was an arc about his bio father Willis and Penguin, Bruce thought Jason broke the no-killing rule again, there was a pretty brutal fight...it sucked)

He went back to being a lethal solo vigilante for awhile, went back for vengeance against Penguin (again), shit with Leviathan (international criminal organization formerly run by Talia) happened, and finally he returned to Gotham as a solo hero

Where he helps Bruce hunt down 'Cheer' (a Joker/Scarecrow wannabe), he and Bruce finally make peace, and he agrees to give up his guns, go non-lethal, and start working with the Batfam again

And that is where we stand with Jason today (as of August 2021)! Who tf knows what's going to happen now, because we're officially in unchartered territory; this is the first time since Jason was resurrected in 2005 that DC is making a genuine, concerted effort to re-integrate him into the family instead of just being the Batfamily's 'sometimes ally prodigal brother/son with daddy issues galore'.

So, overall: lots of tragic and really awful narrative decisions on one hand, lots of shitty characterization but positive character development and family re-integration possibilities on the other. Take your pick!

[lambourngb]

he’s got a smart mouth but a good heart - Michael Guerin

It’s Day 2, celebrating characters, and much to my own surprise, at the end of season 2, Michael Guerin decided to move into my brain and take up residence. Obviously I still love Alex Manes (He lives first and foremost in my brain since 1x08), but there was something about how Michael buried his own pain about his mother to help everyone in season two that rang pretty true to my own life right now. I didn’t always like what he was doing in season 2 but I understood it.

Anyway, when I find a story that celebrates how complicated he is, I cheer and rejoice- so here’s a few of the stories that I have gone back to again and again.

Truck stop knives and other assessors of childhood @angsty-aliens (13,200) I can’t lie, I love a good trope story, and I especially love a good sci-fi trope story, so this story hits all of my buttons. It takes our two science nerds, Liz and Michael, mucking around, and accidentally creating a version of Michael- but not just any version, but the child who hitchhiked to Fosters ranch, completely over humans and desperate to find his family. The kid who was feral from neglect and abuse... he was the cutest thing and the most mortifying thing that ever happened to Michael to be displayed and shown. This story takes the de-aged trope and turns it on its head, and oh yeah, there’s a sweet backdrop to Michael and Alex getting together.

Implicit Memories of You by @ninswhimsy (3464) - So this is an amnesia story canon-divergent story set after 2x11 basically, where they use the mind erasing drug on Michael. I know, I’m reccing this about Michael characterization, but it’s so solidly him after all the memories are stripped away and he’s acting on instincts, locked in a room to torture Alex with before death. There’s so much going on in so few words, something that Nin is a master at, especially the ephemeral remembrances of his mother that Michael has- oof right in the feels.

Maybe this time (he’ll stay) by @hannah-writes​ (7700) This is a sequel to one of my favorite stories I recced last year, dealing in alternative timelines where in one world, Michael is lost and alone and has pushed Alex away, and in another world where Alex came home from Iraq in a flagged draped coffin. It answers the question, what about Mikey? Where’s his happy ending? The confirmation of the multiverse means there’s an Alex out there who needs him- and through trial and error, Michael finds him. The world building in both stories is top notch, because for every action, there’s a reaction and reason shaping Michael.

Constant as the northern star by celzmccelz (53,000) - don’t know the tumblr here - This is an Mpreg, and it starts solidly after 1x13 and goes AU from there. But what if in the 100 mile drive home from Caulfield, Michael and Alex share a grief-induced moment of insanity where they fall back into their oldest language- sex for comfort, and then Michael does everything he does in the finale, including turning toward Maria, what if there was a souvenir? Despite the trope of mpreg, this is just how I see Michael, deeply in love with Alex but unable to trust that Alex feels the same depth in return. The friendships in here are also top-notch, from Kyle being a baby-doctor, to Isobel having her own Max-related spiral unable to let go of her brother only to refocus on Michael, to Liz fucking off with Rosa for the first half of the story because she’s caught up in her own grief (which turned out to be canon!). And there’s a whole plot here! With Jesse Manes being the worst.

Leave the light on by @sabrinachill​ (36,900) - Confession time- I love fake dating as a trope, I know, shocked right? But I especially love it with RNM because Malex are exes by 1x03. Mattie nailed the dynamic of pining and the assumption of unrequited love so well in this story. Although the POV switches here a bit between chapters, (and Alex is fabulous) what I really really loved was how she wrote Michael, in love but convinced that he’s messed up too much for Alex. Aware of his faults but not in a sullen way, but an acknowledgment that he was in a bad place and Alex hasn’t always been the best remedy him in the past. It was a very mature take on the “give me another chance” trope in Malex reunion stories, where both sides had a share of blame. The plot was suspenseful and tight (how do people do that???) with a climax that honestly shocked me! I really enjoyed rereading it while I prepped my rec-sets, and I won’t be surprised if this story isn’t mentioned by everyone doing ‘Creators Week’. It’s worthy of all the love.

Temporary wounds by @prouvaireafterdark​ (7800) - How many times can I rec this story? Hopefully you’re not bored by my adoration of this Lynne.  So even though it’s set post-season 1 with the assumption that Michael/Maria will fizzle out while Alex/Forrest date- it’s actually perfectly set for season 3 (an author who is psychic??). As a rule, I hate jealousy as a trope, but this story has the only type of jealousy I want to see on screen- where Michael wonders what was missing inside of him that Alex didn’t want to be public during their long affair (even with the acknowledgment that Alex was too scared before)- like that type of sad pining is my catnip!

The first who ever did by nostalijinks (33,000) post season 1, but really it also stands pretty well after season 2.  There was an interview during season 1 I think that talked about how all Michael really wanted was to be a hero to Alex (the way he stepped in front of Jesse as a kid)  but he thinks he failed at it since Alex enlisted. That failure soured him in ways but he never stops trying, for Alex. This is a really well done 5 times plus 1 story, with an overreaching arc of reconciliation between Alex and Michael, starting as teenagers, then as adults while Michael is with Maria, then as friends, real friends, trying to support Alex as Alex dates. The whole emotional journey of maturity that Michael takes here is so well done, where there’s no real villains in the friend group. I just love it. I wish the author had written 100 more like this one, but as a standalone work it’s epic.

The person that you’d take a bullet for is behind the trigger by @iwontbeyourmedicine​ (25,000) Ly has a very large body of work, that you could spend days paging through on AO3 or tumblr, but this one hits two of my kinks hard- the amnesia story line and true love conquers all. So three fandoms ago I was huge into Steve/Bucky, that iconic moment in Cap 2 where Bucky breaks through the brainwashing has never left me. This story takes my love for that moment, and makes it Malex. Alex gets programmed by his family and set loose on his friends, on the aliens and it’s a shitshow bloodbath since he’s really fucking good at kicking ass. Michael is caught between keeping everyone safe and trying not to hurt Alex, and the tension is just top-notch. I love how it’s not an immediate fix either, the way they circle each other in the aftermath, wanting to come home, but home would be a totally new step for both of them. Just chef’s kiss good at joining action, angst, and romance together.

Into the palm of your hand by @haloud​ (5900) hal is a treasured friend, so I am admitting some bias here, but we both enjoy talking about how wonderful and sad Michael is and how desperately we enjoy poking at that softness and then wrapping him up with love again... so this story was written pre-shamegate (and if you know what that means, I’m sorry) but it matches my head canon of what the history of hiding does to someone. The internalization of believing maybe there’s a reason behind the hiding that has nothing to do with homophobic townies. Alex has an ex boyfriend come to town, and he doesn’t tell Michael. And omg the journey hal takes us on with Michael’s spiral and Brave Little Toaster act was so wonderful and painful and real. The communication between these two was top notch as they worked through a road bump from the past, and let’s face it, once we get our malex back, these things are going to happen, and it will either tear them apart or bring them closer together- I prefer to believe it will be closer together.

There is beauty in a failure by @jule1122​ (2400) There’s been a few Greg and Michael stories to pop up on my radar after 2x10, and this one was one of my favorites. This is a Greg who pulls no punches in exposing his brother’s past to Michael, but also gives Michael the space to work through what he wants. It’s an AU from 2x12, that allowed Michael to break up with Maria for basically the same reasons that Maria used on him in 2x13. The way Michael is able to what he wants and communicate it Alex in the end- so good! We can only hope to see something similar in season 3.

I don’t know what to think (but I think of supernovas) by @queersirius​ (3900) This story is a delight from start to finish- I mean frustrated cursing turns the console on into a hologram who then takes the most pleasing form to Michael’s eyes? SIGN ME UP for those shenanigans. I fucking loved how Isobel saw it first too. And then the comedy of Alex discovering it? And what happens afterwards? Oh it’s so delicious. Now of course, full disclosure, this light-hearted romp through the feels also inspired me  to think up a much much sadder version of Michael building an AI for companionship considering how isolated he ended up being at the end of Season 2 and we all know Michael needs friends, badly.

Innuendo by the Roswell anon (6000) written for @bisexualalienblast​  the roswell anon is my favorite treasure in this fandom, I could pretty much list all of their stories as examples of some very fine Michael Guerin characterization. This one was one of my favorite post-season 1 fix-it fics though, because it has some of the most real 28-30 year old guy dialogue I’ve come across- from the crude jokes, to the sharply self-deprecating observations- this is Alex and Michael stripped down, all edges but what’s left is fatigue and love. The resolution at the end, where Alex observes that yes, Michael has tried the last 10 years but this is their first chance to try together- to pull in the same direction? It just lays me flat on the ground with how true that is to canon.

Whenever You Want to Begin, Begin by @foramomentonly (3200) - this is a sequel, and the first story is dynamite- don’t get me wrong- but it moves from the hopeful side of an ending to legit Happily-Ever-After here, and I devoured every word. First of all, having Michael turn to photography as a way of self-improvement is fucking genius. Photographers are always at the center of every happy event, but never the focus, and that screams Michael to me, the way he lives on the outskirts of the 9-5 job and literal outskirts of town in his trailer. The other thing is photographers are revealed by their work, and that’s also something I head-canon with Michael just in the mundane- he’s good with his hands, he wants to leave a car better than he found. Anyway, this story is gorgeously written, moves a bit like a really good bottle of wine- heavy but soft, as you watch Michael become Alex’s friend, and even more importantly, Alex becomes Michael’s friend. Fantastic- I’ve read it about four times now since it was published.

[official-cisphobe]

i highly admire your worldbuilding skills. can you tell us more about your OCs and their universe?

this is probably gonna be a bit lengthy so strap in! (edit: it is very lengthy)

the basics of Voidverse, like I explained earlier, is that there is a group of people tethered to each other by fate and higher forces, the purpose of the Alts is that they are a sort of keeper of balance between worlds and each of them is a sort of savour or hero in their respective timeline/universe. They weren't always aware of each other but when a great danger threatens all multiverses and all life they have to come together to defeat it—they do this with the help of someone called Katalin Huerta who has an ability called The Bridge ie she can create 'bridges' to other timelines/universes from wherever she is.

Technically the main character of Voidverse is Classic the Demon aka Classic, who is sort of a butterfly effect to get both the Alts and the end of the world running. but more about that later, I'll explain the other characters first.

anyway this ended up being super long so added a Read More to not take oevr anyone’s dash akdhsfsfg

Jojo - already explained

Leoh Yu - Leoh aka Badger is probably the most normal Alt out of all of them concidering he's not a demon or any sort of supernatural or sci-fi creature. Leoh grew up in Dazhai, China in the late 1970's to late 1980's with his mother and grandmother where they owned a farm and a bakery. His life took a turn when his mother got very sick and his family couldn't afford good doctors or treatments. at some point in the way of making money Leoh at 18-years-old was approached by a group of hitmen to recruit him, which after some time and thinking he accepted. Leoh worked as a hitman for about 30 years before retiring at age 40 to get married to his now husband Nico Mahariel as well as adopting a babygirl named Qing-Qiu. Leoh's past, however, will not let him go that easy but that's a story for another time.

Tuyja - Tuyja was a prophet of the Goddess Ghalme in an ancient civilisation called the Weykha. the Weykha lived in a sandstone kingdom and it is rumoured that they are where the legends of mermaids and Atlantis came from. Tyuja however was not of the Weykha people, instead she was born from the stars with ocean blue skin and horns made from spacedust. She was regarded as a sort of next in command from the Royal family and was basically treated as an extention of the Royal family (if not even higher than them), which infuriated the jealous Weykha prince. Tuyja had also fallen in love with a servant girl called Muza, which the Prince had used as leverage against her and turned the Weykha people against her, telling them that Tuyja would steal all their gold and jewellery and give it to a servant girl, that he had heard her say she would strip the skies of moon and star so that Muza would shine the brightest, that he had seen her tame ocean waves so that the servant girl could pick sea shells from the sand below. Tuyja had become a threat to the people who had praised her and come to her for guidance, they had banished her into the sea for 5000 years.

Quiet - named after one of my friends because I really like teir name and I've had difficulties naming this character for years, Quiet was born and raised in a lab where they were subjected to varieties of cruel and inhumane experiments going as far as getting permanent damage to their ribs and lungs. in canon Quiet only got their name after joining the Alts, Jojo who became their closest friend nicknamed them Quiet because they're,,, well,,, really quiet. ngl their story and character arc is on the undeveloped side

Lotus Draqon - Lotus is a half-human half-dragon who grew up outside his pack of origin because his mother Jupiter wasn't sure how the Matriarchs would react to Lotus' half-human trait. The dragons are an ancient people of long ago with vast magical abilities and lived in harmony with mortals, sharing their magic with them—until an evil was awakening and the Gods began to tear down entire cities. Mortals expected and begged the dragons to help them survive but the Matriarchs decided to abandon them, priotising the dragon's survival. They lived in isolation and hiding, shielded in a deep forest by magic for thousands of years. until Lotus as a young adult decided it was time for him to leave the nest and see the world. Jupiter was reluctant but Lotus was determined to never again live in fear. In time Lotus would become a very important figure to both the dragon and the mortals inhabiting the lands as dark forces began to matirialise and the Matriarchs became restless, declaring war against mortals.

Voidkeeper - demons are very hard to kill creatures, no regular blade or bullet with damage them much beyond cuts and bruises. the most efficient way to kill a demon is for one to end their own life which by Satan's rule is forbidden. It has happened technically two times but the first one was by a demon now known only as the Voidkeeper. After ending their own life as punishment their horns and tail were cut off, their magic taken away, and they were banished to the Void forever. Slyly they managed to grab some of their depleted magic and put it into a magical stone for safekeeping, it is only a very limited amount but can do very wondrous and powerful things things. The Void grants the Voidkeeper clairvoyance as to what is going on in whichever timeline and universe, they are a sort of silent watcher and will never interfere with the goingonabouts of the mortals. the Voidkeeper has a very minor but very important part to play in regards to the Alts and the saving of all life in the multiverse but for now they are patiently waiting and watching.

and finally there's our boy Class whose story is undoubtedly the most developed out of all of these so let's go through it:

Classic is a minor demon and was born at a time when the Underworld and the Human world were not so separate. He was born in a tiny demon village of about 15-20 inhabitants. His father had left him and his mother when Classic was about three years old and has not been seen since, Classic doesn't know if his father is dead or alive and doesn't really care about it either. Classic was an only child and pretty much a mama's boy, although he had a few friends in his village. Unfortunately his life changed forever at 12 years old when human soldiers pillaged his home, killing everyone—Classic would have been dead as well but his mother used her dying breath to save him with magic.

Classic had been knocked out during the raid but when he awoke he witnessed the aftermath of a bloodbath. Scared and alone and unsure of what to do he ran away from the scene and travelled days across the country until he stumbled upon a town of humans. Wrath overcoming his senses he murdered the entire town, leaving no human alive, going as far as tearing down entire houses and setting the entire place on fire.

Classic was later found in the ruins of that town crying by a group of angels. He was taken by them to a city in the sky and adopted by a family of angels. He wasn't generally liked by his neighbours but the angel child he lived with became his best friend for years to come. They grew up together, learned to use their different magicks together, Classic learned he could even materialise wings and fly albeit badly at first.

But as history has shown, wherever Classic goes, terror follows.

Classic had been having nightmares for months, very terrible ones, of dark forces beyond his understanding. They felt familiar and cruel, almost mocking.

Before he realised what he had done, the angel he spent his childhood with was dead and there was blood on his hands. Just like before, as if on instinct he ran away from the city of angels and went into hiding. Multiple years had passed by now and the human world was very different from what he remembered. It was no longer that easy to stay out of the radar of humans, since they were pretty much everywhere with cameras and police.

To say he was causing issues in the human world would be an understatement. He would steal, break into houses, even kill to survive. Random fires would start and radiation with no apparent source would appear all over.

This is where Katalin Huerta comes in—see, she is a commander of a very special branch of task force, it was her own creation. Her people dealt with supernatural oddities and threats, it was govrrment funded but entirely indepentant from their meddling albeit they can be difficult to please. Katalin was born with special abilities, a sort of family tradition—at birth her soul was bonded with that of a powerful spirit that had once been one with the soul of Katalin's mother. The spirit gave her the ability to control and create fire but her own speciality was her Bridge ability.

anyway, Katalin had taken notice of the strange indicents around town and taken some of her people to go check it out, only to find a teenaged demon crawling in an abondoned factory. She could tell the demon was just afraid and lost and decided to help him. Which is how Classic joined her task force.

Which honestly was probably the best thing that had happened to Classic, Katalin taught him to fight and better utilise his demon magic as well as taught him to use a sword (Classic has never understood guns and will never attempt to). Learning spells with a human was a difficult task but eventually they figured it out. Classic's natural abilities worked very strongly as illusion based magic as well as materialisation, although the latter has been more tricky to master even after all these years so as we speak Classic's only materialisation spells are his wings as well as his sword and teleportation.

Eventually the darkness haunting Classic began to rear its head again, Katalin catches wind of this and fortunately can help him keep it out from his head yet it still lingers in the air and grows stronger.

until now Classic had never before talked about the darkness. but at this point he was cornered and Katalin wouldn't take no for an answer.

At that point in time all Classic knew about the darkness was that it was some sort of ancient entity, it wasn't a demon because its presence felt entirely different from at least the demons Classic was used to. He nicknamed it Ash, as all he could remember from the times it has appeared are the ashes left by roaring embers.

In reality the darkness is one of the five forgotten gods of an ancient people. It was cast aside by the Creator and exiled from the land of gods. The darkness hates mortal life because of the gods' love for them, so it seeks to destroy all that is living. in its weakened state it needs a vessel to succeed and has been corrupting Classic and molding him into that vessel since that day he turned 12-years-old.

Only the Alts can defeat the darkness, whether Ash stays defeated is only a matter of time.

[yukahoo]

Jimin’s journey in the Bangtan Universe #11: Isolation and the slightly unsettling serenity

#0: Intro #1: The one who laughed the loudest #2: In this place of eternal mayhem the party never stops #3: Youth is not coming back #4: An impression of being stuck #5: “I’m trapped inside myself and I am dead” #6: The forbidden fruit #7: Darkness crept in #8: A deal with the Devil #9: A picture, a painting, rain, fire and tears #10: A redemption and/or salvation arc

So here we are back again. It’s the long-awaited continuation to the BU narrative arc. Let's get to it.

On a general level it seems we have gone back to approximately the Prologue SF era so in terms of a linear timeline, we are back to the very beginning of the story. Of course “linearity” of time might just be an illusion. With Seokjin's narration pondering about turning back time and righting mistakes in the end of the Highlight Reels and now the release of Euphoria, it seems the BTS creative team has put those ponderings into play.

I have seen a lot of discussion about SJ's role in the time warp, if he is actively controlling it and how. I don't really have anything to contribute to that. I'm more of a multiverse type of person, i.e. the theory that there are an infinite amount of parallel universes being created at every moment and with every choice. The differences between the universes might be big (Taehyung killing his father or not) or small (the boys wearing white instead of black) but each difference launches a whole new universe with an infinite more differences to be made. Unintended consequences might be a phenomenon to be explored.

But as always, I'll be focusing on Jimin's journey. And as always, our point of entrance to his story is in the I Need U MV bathtub, although this time the waters are calmer. The video seems to be "glitching" a bit.

In many ways the Euphoria SF brought things that have only been implied before to the forefront. For instance, it's the first time we see his hospitalisation in the "real-life". It was implied in the Lie SF but in a very conceptual, stylised way. I have previously explained in analysis #2 why I don’t think JM was actually in Hoseok’s hospital room in the Run MV.

We also seem to get confirmation that JM and HS did spend time together in the hospital as there is one scene where both of them are wearing hospital clothes. It's a peculiar tableau of a scene, frozen in a moment as the camera slowly rotates around to reveal a fearful-looking JM holding HS’s hand. 

At a first glance you might get the impression that HS is stepping away from JM. He maybe looks a bit disappointed. The mood is somber.

But at a closer look it’s not that simple. There is a quick hidden edit at the middle of the sequence where we see another angle of the scene overlaid with the original shot.

In it HS looks to be teetering over his own feet with his head hanging low, seemingly in danger of falling down the stairs. JM is holding him back and trying to keep them both in balance by clutching the handrail. Is HS passing out like he prone to do based on the INU MV? We don’t see a resolution for the scene.

The effects used as well as the colours or lack thereof remind me of the hyper-sterilised world of the Lie MV.

Another thing that has remained largely unaddressed thus far but is now made quite central is the overarching theme of JM's loneliness and isolation throughout the BU grand narrative. I talked about it especially in the context of the HYYH series but also in Spring Day.

In Euphoria this is made evident most acutely in the shots of JM alone in the hospital. The image of him skipping around the empty game room, obviously waiting for the other members to come visit him makes it quite painfully clear.

When the members do visit for JM's birthday, we see a lighthearted scramble to get to the hospital exit in a slow-mo pandemonium reminiscent of the Spring Day MV birthday scene. The way the mad dash begins with Namjoon at the game room door and ends with JM triumphantly throwing away his hospital gown (and pulling his SD shirt on instead) makes me think they are running away from the hospital staff and busting JM free, even if it's just for a day.

I have seen quite a few fans suggest that the members' visit never took place and was maybe all in JM's head. I guess in the BU anything is possible but I don't see any particular reason to think that. If nothing else, we do have the photographic evidence of the guys being there, in that room, wearing the clothes we see in the video. Of course the photographs might be hallucinations as well, but to me the interpretation is starting to get unnecessarily convoluted. For now I have no reason to think they were never there.

That is not to say he's not lonely. In a recreation of the "escape" from the hospital as described above, JM is seen running down the same hospital corridor towards the exit, but this time he's alone. And this time he stops himself before getting to the door.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who is reminded of the Serendipity MV with these hospital scenes. The way JM is dressed in loose, white clothing while his environment is in warm yellow hues. The isolation and the slightly unsettling serenity of it all.

In my previous analysis I called Serendipity a bittersweet respite in JM's otherwise bleak narrative, so if we want to establish a connection between JM in the Serendipity MV and JM here in the "real-life", then right now the most compelling explanation for me is that it's the world of Serendipity that is in JM's head. It's his happy place full of wondrous things he goes to when the loneliness gets to be too much.

We still don’t know for sure if and how Serendipity connects to the events in the BU but having seen this and knowing that Euphoria precedes Serendipity, I don't think I'll ever be able to see it quite the same way again.

After the escape from the hospital we transition to a montage of the guys hanging out and messing around. The way the running scene in the hospital corridor is edited to this makes it seem like it's the aftermath of their escape but in fact none of the guys are wearing the same clothes, so we should consider it a separate occasion.

And this is where it gets a bit strange.

Next up >> #12: Time warp

[victoriousscarf]

For the impression meme : Dick Grayson; Damian Wayne

(I tried to insert this picture later in the post but honestly it makes such a good header for me babbling about Dick so I’m leaving it where it is even tho this was an ACCIDENT) 

Dick Grayson:

First impressionLike, I know I watched the old animated Bats show and watched the movies etc so probably the first real time I went “Dick Grayson is a character” was the Val Kilmer movie which like, kill me. 

But honestly the first time reading comics I remember sitting up and going oh this is a character, this is a person and I’m SO INTERESTED was reading Hush (again, good/terrible comic to read early) which means Jim Lee’s beautiful art (I may disagree with 90% of anything that man says or does and would like him to retire from DC as editor but man I can admit he draws so PRETTY) 

Yeah like that panel. And his snark about maybe this time the Joker won’t break out from Arkham for at least a month this time. 

And I was like yeah okay. This is good. Let me go add Nightwing comics to my massive library request list (All the librarians knew my name pretty fast okay)

Impression now

My FAVORITE. Like no I’m serious, he’s right up there with Luke Skywalker as all time favorite characters. And also this is why I’m so damned picky with him as a character because at his core, I think he’s an inherently optimistic character, not because he’s naive or stupid or sheltered, because he’s not. But despite the terrible things that have happened to him, and in fact despite his own nature (his temper, his distrust, his workaholic tendencies) and despite the terrible things that have happened to him over and over and over again, he still makes the conscious CHOICE to believe in goodness, in kindness and compassion, in the world being a better place. (And honestly he’s a lot like Luke “I am a Jedi like my Father Before me” Skywalker in this way). He’s still flawed, as I said he has such a temper, and is about as distrustful of people as Bruce is. But he can BUILD trust with people (unlike Bruce for like the majority of people) and everyone loves him for it. The superhero community trusts him in ways they don’t trust Bruce Wayne (which is fair considering how often Bruce like causes destruction simply due to his own massive trust issues, like the Tower of Babylon and Brother Eye). And yeah okay he’s my favorite, but there’s also this view of Dick in fandom and even the more recent writers that strips a lot of this complexity and shrewdness and leadership from him. And so like in current pre-Rebirth (I’ve been waiting for rebirth to settle a lot more than venturing in there) my impression is not great. And i dread what’s coming both there and in larger media. Favorite momentAh damn like where would I even start.

Like it’s sad that in some ways my favorite moment dealing with him ever actually doesn’t even feature him in it, and it’s Bruce talked with Earth 2 Superman and Supes saying that their world was so corrupt, so dark, so tainted compared to his and he couldn’t understand why this world survived when his own had been destroyed when it was much gooder and Bruce looks at him and you can tell he’s wondering that too and then he goes okay but what about Dick Grayson and Supes sorta goes eh? and Bruce is like if everything is so much worse here, is Dick Grayson tainted and corrupted compared to yours? And Earth 2 Superman says no, no he’s still good, and Bats goes great and fights him. You get the implication that if that hadn’t been the answer, Bruce might have been as willing to give up on this world as that Supes but no, Dick still was the same shining bright light, still such goodness in a dark world and that made the whole world worth fighting for. LIKE KILL ME. Kill me. 

And honestly I still love Dick being so good that even when all the other teen titans were down and Slade Wilson charges into his apartment even out of costume and with no warning Dick manages to jump out his window and escape where the element of surprise pretty much took down the rest of the team. That’s a classic. 

Idea for a story

I’m a sucker for aus, especially aus where the DCU is more or less the same expect Bruce didn’t raise Dick. There was one scan I found where an alternate Dick was raised by Zucco and honestly that haunts me to this day. Or a novel length exposition of the time he was a vampire hunter and Batman was a vampire who killed his parents and it ends with them being together in the night… forever. LIKE THESE ARE CANON AUS give me more of that weirdness. (A lot of Batman elseworld stories that are canon sorta downplay Dick and what I’m saying is don’t. Upplay him like crazy and how he effects Bruce at ever turn, in every world, how all the Robins exist with him through time)Unpopular opinionI hate him and Barbara. I mean, with caveats but I can’t ship it. Partly because I really got into comics around the time of Infinite Crisis, so when Barbara was blaming him for being sexually assaulted, (And there’s a lot of baggage in there because the author at the time was refusing to acknowledge it was rape so like there’s no way to deal with the aftermath of that if you’re not even saying it happened) he cheated on her (what) and I’m pretty sure they were engaged just in time for shit to totally blow up. And then we fast forwarded to one year later and like this stuff didn’t really come up or get worked through? But yeah it was just a period where i found them really messed up and unhappy with how it was written and all the new 52 stuff makes me want to scream and possibly tear my hair out.

Like okay the one time I really liked them was like in the 70s during Batman Family where like she has a phd and was at a congressional hearing and Dick came along as her assistant? Like, that was fun and cute and I really liked their dynamic. Modern comics? Not so much. Favorite relationship…. Yeah Dick and Bruce man. I’m reading this not as a romantic relationship but in GENERAL of any relationships ever nothing has driven my love for DC quite like Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson and their clusterfuck of emotions about each other, the fact that no matter how or in what manner, they are fucked up in love with each other and it is incredibly destructive to both of them. They can’t like settle down and just care, because of who they are they’re constantly butting into and hurting each other and yet at the end of the day they are still the most important to each other. Favorite headcanonDick is demi sexual fight me. 

Damian Wayne

First impression

Okay I read Batman and Son like when it first came out in trade, having NO CLUE who Damian was gonna be, or how his arc was gonna play out so like my first memory is him kicking Tim through the fucking cases and going WHAT IS THIS. Like, I was pretty peeved when he showed up. I was like ugh, of course Bruce having a biological son had to happen sometime and yeah Talia, because Son of the Demon but uuuugh. That was to change. Impression nowHe is precious and must be protected, 11/10Favorite momentI mean, there’s a lot. But one panel that always sorta stood out to me was the time that Hush got plastic surgery to look like Bruce Wayne and confronted Dick and Damian like that. And there’s just this panel of Damian, barely coming up halfway Dick’s chest, putting himself between Dick and Hush like hell yes I will take you on, how dare you. And how protective of Dick it was, even though Dick was Batman and he was Robin, that didn’t even matter. 

So yeah that one panel stands out because it encompasses so much but I also love every time he loves an animal more than most humans. Idea for a storyIdk, I really like future Batman Damian again, as Morrison introduced him a couple times, including in Multiversity. I’d really be interested in the downright apocalyptic future he becomes Batman in and how the batfam backs him up, and how he creates his own because as much as his father, he cannot really work totally alone.  

Alternatively he and Billy Baston go on a series of misadventures and it’s as terrible as that sounds like it should be but also GREAT

Unpopular opinion… It’s really funny I can instantly pin down things I disagree with fandom on with Dick Grayson but so rarely with other characters. Idk? I love him? 

I guess a thing I’ve seen a lot is people not really exploring how he will change as he gets older and just sorta transpose how he is currently on his future self and obviously he’s going to grow up a lot and change and I don’t see that coming up a lot whereas I’m like super excited to see him grow up/explore him grown up in fics. Favorite relationship*Sigh* Well obviously Dick and Damian. I mean, again, this doesn’t even have to run romantically, I just loved their dynamic under Morrison. I loved the switch of Batman and Robin where Dick, who was the brightest Robin became the dark knight, with a little nugget of rage as his Robin. I still love that comics cares about them together but I feel like a lot of their later interactions misses the edge Morrison gave them. Favorite headcanon

Him and Connor Hawke hang out a lot and go to vegetarian restaurants and bookstores together and have very philosophical conversations about religion and art and literature and faith and how they view being heroes (and Damian coping with his past vs Connor growing up in a monastery) and what their fathers mean to them. 

Damian is very protective of Connor is what I’m saying, he’s the only intelligent conversation he gets sometimes. (Sometimes, way down the road, Jason joins them for bookstore excursions, looking for first editions to send Alfred and Damian is sorta pissy but he’s grown, he can handle this)