#All our Tomorrows|DC verse

[brooklynislandgirl]

@nightmarefuele may have had a certain Agent Chaos who may or may not have asked: What’s your favourite part of foreplay?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Puberty only came knocking on Beth's door, hat in apologetic hand, the year everything else changed, and maybe she didn't notice it right away. Where she was concerned about the mainland, what Gotham and college would be like, and the like, her brother was already twenty and anxious to leave behind a series of hearts that would invariably break. She'd come home early to surprise him but hadn't realised he'd already gotten himself company. Beth knew the girl to be a senior in her glass, more by sight than by name, and for the long blonde hair she sported. She remembers hearing the noises and being curious had made her way to her brother's door. She pushed it open and then stood there and stared. Until that moment, Beth had never seen two people engaged in physical intimacy. Moreover, she'd never really felt any interest beyond the occasional kiss in a story. So why did she watch until he noticed her? She doesn't know. Why did it fill her with a sort of rage she'd never known before? She doesn't know. She walked away as Andy pushed the girl off him and chased her out into the back yard after pulling on a pair of basketball shorts. He tried to explain himself by saying what he had done was sinful. That the reason the girl was making those noises is because sex was something terrible for girls and painful, too. Something that should only happen between husband and wife. At some point, she could only cover her ears and refuse to listen to him but more or less the damage was already done. The anger never really went away. It only became worse when Andy subsequently got married to that goblin of a woman. Beth was only eighteen then and maybe could be forgiven for the meltdown that followed his announcement. She hasn't yet addressed this fully in therapy. ~*~ But more than a dozen years later, that feeling lives in her belly, and she recognises it the moment he steps into the room. He doesn't need the shot-gun blast to garner her attention, but oh how he has a certain flare. She can practically choke on the smell of fear and adrenaline at the mere sight of him. Of course her own breath catches in her lungs for entirely different reasons, which go unnoticed and unmourned in the sigh she exhales slowly. He makes his rounds with small talk in flashes of charisma, nibbling on the hors-d'œuvres and passing judgement on the sparkling wine ~she feels quite the same but she's spoiled by the cellar her family has always kept~ but she feels bile rise when Rachel Dawes has to steal any chance or garnering his attention. Beth watches as she grandstands and hears the way he calls Rachel beautiful. If he watched her swim out in a pool of her own blood, would he find Rachel so pretty then? Beth almost gets to have an answer, a thing that hardly ever happens in day to day life although there is another surge of smouldering envy when she sees light dance off the edge of his knife, and how close he comes to kissing her. She doesn't understand why she feels that ache. Why her eyes prickle and her vision blurs, why she wants to tear Rachel apart because Beth has never really been a jealous creature. But that is the right word. Wanting something... some one ...that doesn't belong to you. Maybe never could. Beth isn't important. Certainly not enough to have a score of men blindly fighting over her. She's only even here because she's Bruce's neighbour, and they are expected to extend invitations to one another. She doubts he or anyone else even know her name. She tries to ignore that rush of heat deep in her belly. The way her knees turn to ocean-eroded sand. Doesn't know what to do with the urge to bite and lick and leave a scar on him all her own. Beth wouldn't flinch from him. She watches until the Bat comes and ruins everything, until the window shatters. When night comes rushing in with a whistling scream. ~*~ There's nothing a hot bath and Eddie Vedder can do for her.

[brooklynislandgirl]

Normally Beth would never dream of telling tales out of school. Or in this case, behind Aiden's back. The little witch is far more likely to use even forbidden spells to protect her friend. But Miss Esperanza is one of Aiden's closest friends, not unlike Jay is to herself. A hanai-sister. Found family. And when they spoke on the phone? It sounded like Marisol would turn up on her doorstep in order to check on Aiden if she wasn't forthcoming with the other woman's state of being. For Aiden's sake, she didn't mind travelling and bringing what little news she had to set everyone at ease.

Beth murmurs an almost silent 'mahalo' and accepts the coffee gratefully, wrapping her cold little fingers around the warm cup. She wonders if maybe that fickle sense of melancholy that seems to creep up on this time of year has a source that she can't see. Winter is supposed to be the dead season so autumn must be the lingering sickness. Is she romanticising heartbreak? Yes. Clark and Aiden's on-and-off relationship tends to darken with the year. Beth has never recovered from Lex, not really. The two men are more alike than they will ever know.

"I mean she gets up in da morning. Putters around da house wi' me." Minor spell-work because Smallville has always needed bountiful harvests and comforting preparation for the coming winter. She could point to that as the reason she chose to stay behind but it wouldn't be fully honest. She also isn't about to divulge that Aiden is also a witch. "It's gonna be a while before she feels herself again, wi' all dat time an' energy an' love wasted on him." Beth takes a sip of the coffee after putting some sugar and cream into it, allowing the hot liquid to soothe her throat and warm her belly. "I appreciate you lookin' out f' her. She an' I have been friends for a long time an' I worry mebbe sometimes she doesn't get da grace she deserves. I'll be sure t' let her know dat she's bein' fondly missed. Might do her some good to hear." She can't help but laugh and the sound isn't pretty. "You gonna hafta get in line, behind me. But...yeah. How long you know him? An' Aiden f' dat maddah."

@brooklynislandgirl

"How's our girl doing?" Marisol asked when she brought over coffee for the two of them. Ever since she found out that Clark and her broke up, she had been worried. she knew how much Aiden loved that man. It had been days since she came to the shop which caused her to worry. Ander was doing everything in his power to keep her calm. but she couldn't help herself. Aiden was like a little sister to her. It was taking everything in her to not go to Smallville and talk some sense into the man.

"Also garcias for coming to get coffee with me. I've been trying to keep the shop going while she's been away. It has not been easy. Most of our customers are asking for her." She wasn't going to push aiden to go back. she knew how it was to have a broken heart. it also didn't help her anger towards the man for doing it.

"I swear to the heavens, if he tries to come back, I'll throw a chancla at his head."

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

Got a few more until tomorrow

1: you said in a earlier post they like spider-man, I don’t know if you played and beaten the spider-man game with the white spider (2018 ps4), but what’s their reaction to that one scene in the game at the end with aunt may? Speaking of that just now playing the “3rd” game on the ps5, pretty amazing! No pun intended lol

2: what type of jokes do they enjoy? puns, toilet humor, dad jokes, dark humor,etc…

3: if there was a video game starting the two what type of game will it be? Like Gotham knights, mortal kombat shaolin monks, maybe like Arkham knight where you play as one character only but you can change characters in certain fights, etc…

4: in universe, did Jake come up with sky bird on the first try?

5: any alternative outfits for Chris? I did saw a flame bird type suit for Jake.

6: I saw an earlier post seeing Jake in a Robin outfit, was he like the fifth or sixth Robin for Batman? Or just become Nightwings sidekick?

Sorry for the lateness @gothicghost2000 but If I may…

1. Oh…tears. So many emotions pouring out of them, as if the earlier final boss fight against Doc Ock was bad enough for those two

2. Primarily they’d wordplay, snarky quips, quick witted one liners (For Example, from the film 300; “Our Arrows will blot out the sun” “….then we will fight in the shade”), dark comedy that often deals with recently deceased on Jake’s case (mainly as a defense mechanism when he’s left with no options but to investigate suspicious passings and has to do examinations of the body(ies) as per his detective skill in forensics) and finally, slapstick, Three Stooges style slapstick

3. Somewhat a hybird between classic Arkham Knight style open world with individual cases across a city or few and some stealth missions, 3D beat ‘em up, and for boss battles, 3D fighting with plenty of space to move around whether on ground or floating in the air a la the Budokai Tenkachi and Raging Blast Dragon Ball games. There’s exists in the menu a Fighting Mode that pertains to that last style of play with a small character roster fetaung not just the Duo but also both close Allies (for example Mar’i and Jon) and foes (some DC staples including Deathstroke and Zsasz or some newer villains they the two encountered recently)

4. He sort of did when he debuted his brand new blue Discowing colored outfit when helping Nightwing and Starfire take down a HIVE Five robbery. All he had prior to that small adventure was his moniker having bird in it so when the villains are beaten and some news reporters ask him about what his mantle is named, Jake took only look at a blue sky above and hastily said Skybird as a means to get out of their bombardment of questions. The next morning, the papers declare him Skybird and the rest was history

5. He’s currently coming up with a dark purple and grey Sleath version of his Nightwing suit which can enable him to blend into the shadows during spying missions since while his blue can theoretically work out fine enough, a darker color scheme can help better if he plans to pick up on schemes being plotted more up close

6. Mainly Jake as a ‘Robin’ was limited in being Nightwing’s particular partner during patrols and capers in Bludhaven, similar to when Cass was briefly operating as a Batgirl in Hong Kong. For the official Robin who does work alongside Batman at Gotham, that honor (at least in this fanon verse of mine but I digress) goes to Jake’s beloved uncle Tim(my) Drake. Jake transitioning to the Skybird mantle further solidified that notion of being technically his own mantle that just so happens to take heavy inspiration, tactics and aesthetics to The Boy Wonder.

[ncisfranchise-source]

It's hard to believe the NCIS franchise is over 20 years old. 

While the original series is still chugging along, NCIS: Los Angeles and NCIS: New Orleans have sailed off into the sunset despite still being in great shape creatively.

Both spinoffs ended while there was still plenty of gas in the tank, but the franchise overlords are more interested in taking us to different locations nowadays.

NCIS: Hawai'i was a valiant effort at a more diverse spinoff with an island backdrop, and it has its quirks that have won it plentiful fans.

NCIS: Sydney, the latest entry, is a fast-paced chapter that makes up for the lack of initial chemistry between its ensemble with brilliant characterization and some of the best cases in years.

Olivia Swann (DC's Legends of Tomorrow) and Todd Lasance (The Vampire Diaries, Home and Away) lead this new team of special agents from the Naval Criminal Investigative Service -- that's NCIS for those of you who are new here!

Out of the four episodes screened for critics, the series premiere has its clunky moments, but the second episode ironed out all of my qualms.

That's also around the time Swann's Michelle Mackey and Lasance's Jim "JD" Dempsey came into their own, and the rest of the cast, including Sean Sagar, Tuuli Narkle, Mavournee Hazel, and William McInnes, began to gel.

It's always nice when you see that progression on-screen, and throughout those initial four episodes, there is plenty of progression.

The procedural elements ingrained in the NCIS universe's DNA remain, but some interesting overarching storylines and conflicts plague the team members that must be addressed in the final four episodes of the season.

When NCIS: Sydney was announced, there were many questions about how well the universe would play out with an Australian crop of agents.

Given that there were initially no plans for the series to air in the U.S., there were also concerns it would erase what we NCIS Fanatics have loved about that universe for two decades.

Thankfully, the easter eggs peppered throughout the series are plentiful, giving the sense that the series is happening as Agent Alden Parker and Jane Tennant are leading their teams to success on the other side of the planet.

If you're familiar with any of the above series, NCIS: Sydney might feel a little familiar, but the new city adds more than it borrows, which is a strong indicator of success.

The bar has been set very high with the first international entry in the NCIS-verse, and it leads me to believe that Paramount Global will be interested in even more global locations.

With many procedurals off the air due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, NCIS: Sydney is a surefire hit, whether you've watched the shows that came before it.

[afaimsarrowverse]

The Top 25 Things the Arrowverse gave us:

25.  Elseworlds

This Crossover-Event will always remain extra special, because it saw Oliver and Barry swap identities, an evil would-be Superman, the introducting of both Gotham City and Kate Kane to the Arrowverse and Kara finding sisterhood with another version of her sister Alex by just knowing her. Oh and Gary was there too, totally random in the Elseworld Version of Earth-1 but still totally Gary, while Cisco was kind of evil and Oliver’s enemies were all cops.

 24.  Crisis on Infinite Earths

„Crisis of Infinite Earths“ was the biggest Crossover-Event of Television, because not only did it crossover all Arrowverse-Shows including the not-yet-green-lit „Superman & Lois“ and the first footage from „Stargirl“, it did crossover all of DC Television and Film. We had „Lucifer“, „Smallville“, „Birds of Prey“, „Titans“, „Doom Partol“, the 60s Batman-Show, the 90s Flash-Show„Superman Returns“, the Burton-Verse and Ezra Miller in there, as well as Kevin Conroy and a lot of previously unfilmed Comic Stories on the top of that.

 23.  The Annual Crossover Events

Starting with the launch of „The Flash“ the Arrowverse started doing crossover episodes and most of them did occure just before the Mid-Season Break and featured episodes in more than one of the shows. Soon more and more shows got invovled in these crossovers, and they got bigger. The Annual „Autumn“ Crossover Event was something to look forward too as long as it existed.

 22.  The Olivarry Friendship

When it got announced that Stephen Amell would return to „The Flash“ for its final season the Internet almost broke. This shows how much the friendship between Oliver and Barry did impact the viewers and how special it was for everyone, who got to watch it grow and change over all these years. And why we will never forget it.

 21.  Ray Palmer

Brandon Routh may have played Superman, but the superhero who really had an impact on the cultural landscape was his Arrowverse Role, Ray Palmer aka the Atom. Introduced in „Arrow“, becoming a main character in „Legends of Tomorrow“, Ray showed up in almost every Arrowverse-Show, and the likeable nerd was very much missed when he was written out of the Arrowverse. Since then he has returned, but sadly the end of Arrowverse does also mean that we won’t ever see him again.

 20.  Steelatom

The Arrowverse presented us many forms of male friendships, but out of all of them the friendship between Ray Palmer and Nate Heywood undoubtable was one of the most special ones. Two soft male nerds becoming BFFs and in many ways much more each others significant other than their respective better halfs is still not something we are used to see.

 19.  Black Lightning (The Show)

Yes, „Luke Cage“ came first, but without „Black Lightning“ the MCU Show would have been the first and only not-animated Superhero Show with a black lead involving the Black Community. „Black Lightning“ did for DC what „Luke Cage“ did for Marvel, and it even got to go out own its own terms. So „Black Lightning“ will always be that Black Superhero Show with a Lebsian Female Lead, that came, did what it set out to do, and finished the narrative despite everything.

 18.  The Power of Goodness

Certain so called fans tend to see DC as this dark and broody and egdy Anti-Marvel Brand. The Arrowverse however did very much not fall in this trap. Yes, early episodes of „Arrow“ might have fooled you into thinking they were going there, but as soon as Barry Allen speed into the show, the Arrowverse showed us that, no, no matter how dark life becomes these shows and that whole franchise actually is a story about how in the end there is more good than evil out there, and how goodness can inspire other people into becoming good themselves. In all the shows our heroes did inspire others to do better to become more and to never give up. Instead of an edgy story about gloom and doom the Arrowverse was a story about how one’s inate goodness can overcome anything and can inspire everyone around to listen to the goodness inside themselves.

 17.  Soft Males

Sure, we got Alpha Males like Oliver Queen or Mick Rory, but the Arrowverse also held a significant number of Soft Males, that were even more fun and frankly more inspirering to watch. In the end people like Barry Allen, Ray Palmer, Winn Schott, Cisco Ramon, Nate Heywood, Behrad Tarazi, Querl Dox or Luke Fox do appeal to people much more than the typicial male macho, we get to see everywhere else. And when people like John Constantine, Oliver Queen or Mick Rory find it in them to also step out of their own shadow and discover their softer side, it is even more beautifiul.

 16.  Female Friendships

Many ensemble shows treat us with outstanding male friendships but not all of these shows are „Friends“. Most shows have to fight for their female characters to have a relationship with each other. So it is an accomplishment to actually see a postive female relationship outside of familial bonds and sexual interest flourish. Most of the Arrowverse managed to produced more than a couple of strong female friendships over their run. Bookclub matters, and so does the fact that, no Kara does not want to pounce her female friends, that Ryan is not ready to give up on Mary, this shows us that women actually care about each other. Something that especially male writers often forget about.

 15.  An Ace Superhero

The biggest moment of seventh season of „Legends of Tomorrow“ was the moment in „The Fixed Point“, when Spooner came out to Zari as asexual. After admitting that she did not think about anyone „that way“, Zari explained to her that she is probabyl ace and that there is nothing wrong with that, and that there are many people like her and many of them still have happy relationships. This moment is even bigger because it was a latinx woman coming out, and it did give us the first asexual superhero on screen ever and one of very view openly ace main characters on a Television Show.

 14.  A Trans Superhero

Season 4 of „Supergirl“ did introduce Nia Nal, who would go on to become the superhero Dreamer, the ancestor of Nura Nal from the Legion of Superheroes. Played be Nicole Maines Nia Nal is the first transgender superhero on our screens, serving us an inspiration for many by coming out about her true self in the show and fighting hate and even her own family for who she really is.

 13.  Sara Lance

In the beginning there was Sara Lance. Long before characters like Nia Nal or Spooner Cruz or even Alex Danvers or David Singh would grace the Arrowverse Laurel Lance‘s little sister kissed boys and girls on screen, fought and overcame trauma, and never gave up on finding herself. Sara Lance proofed to us that you can come back from everything and that strong bi-sexual females can be lead characters on action shows.

 12.  Avalance

Because of the rotating cast „Legends of Tomorrow“ did not really have a central romance for its long run. Changing up characters and romances, there was however one that stuck with us and the Arrowverse for most of its run, and that is the relationship between Sara Lance and Ava Sharpe, which did include getting married and having a baby. Even more important while same-sex-relationships were only secondary ships on „Supergirl“ and „Black Lightning“ Avalance, since it involved the lead character of the show, was the central ship of the show.

 11.  Westallen

People tend to overlook that taking after the New 52 Idea of making the Wests Black during casting was a gamble for „The Flash“. But it also was one that payed of. The only Arrowverse Show that actually had their central couple for all of its run, took an iconic couple from the comics and made it real and did stick to it. Westallen is also a mixed race couple in Prime Time Television and sadly that is still not something viewed as normal today.

 10. Diversity

The CW did make „Dare to Defy“ their motto, but in the end they did give in, gave up their identity even before they were sold, because no one would buy them, if they would actually live up to their motto. Which is why half of the Arrowverse Shows was cancelled when they were. However while it was alive and prospering the Arrowverde did dare to defy. The Arrowverse had women, POCs, LGBTQ+ Persons, Non-Americans, Aliens and Non-Confermists as their protagonists and antagonists from the get-go. So of course I could not stay around.

 9.      Same Sex Weddings

Having celebrated their first Same Sex Wedding Of Screen during Season 1 of „The Flash“, the Arrowverse did feature no less than 3 [!] Same-Sex Weddings between Females in the year 2021, with Anissa and Grace getting married on „Black Lightning“, Sara and Ava finally tying the knot at the end of Season 6 on „Legends of Tomorrow“, and Alex marrying her girlfriend Kelly Olsen in the Finale of „Supergirl“.

 8.      Strong Female Characters

Yes, it all started with a man, but even the late great Anne Rice noted that she was intrigued that Oliver was surronded by women rather than men after the Pilot. Since then „Arrow“ always tried to aim for a strong female presence as well as female characters in general. The same is true for the other Arrowverse Shows, most notably of course for „Supergirl“ and „Batwoman“, but with Season 2 „Legends of Tomorrow“ switched Rip Hunter with Sara Lance as their main protagonist and Captain, and more than one critic has noted that „Black Lightning“ actually is much more about Jefferson’s daughters Anissa and Jennifer than about Black Lightning himself. And „The Flash“ tried really hard to keep both Candice Patton and Danielle Panabaker around until the very end, adding more female characters to their main cast over the years. And let’s not forget that the never picked up Backdoor-Pilot „Green Arrow and the Canaries“ would have centered around the daughter of Green Arrow and no less than two Black Canaries.

 7.      Season 8 of „Arrow“

Sometimes fans get something back. The short final season of „Arrow“ was very much a season tailored for the fans, a homage to the show’s history, that also aimed straight at the future of both the show and the franchise. Not as strong as Season 2 and not as shocking as Season 5, Season 8 of „Arrow“ still was something very special, which only the Arrowverse at that point of its existence would ever give to the viewers.

 6.      Season 1 of „The Flash“

While everyone might have their own personal favorite Arrowverse Season, Season 1 of „The Flash“ ist arguable the best out of all of them, most people would agree. The first real Superhero Show since „Heroes“, „The Flash“ paved the way for the rest of the more comicbooky Arrowverse, DC- and MCU-Shows, and probably even stuff like „The Umbrella Academy“. The show made people, who are not really interested in superheroes, interested in watching the show by putting the characters and their feelings and relationship first, but backing it up with an engaging story that relies on superpowers and time travel to work.

 5.      Legends of Tomorrow

The Arrowverse had a whole bunch of very different shows appealing to different audiences, but the one ouf of all of them that stood out was „Legends of Tomorrow“. After a luck-warm first season the writers threw out everything that didn’t work and went full in, embracing the fact that this was supposed to be a time travel show with superheroes and villains about a bunch of screw ups. They did not shy awawy from the crazy any longer but ran towards it instead. They made an outsider show for outsiders, that was beautiful and unique und very much not your average television show.

 4.      Coming back from Trauma

„Arrow“ very much had the message that in the end, no matter what happened to you, you can not only learn to live with it, you can come back from it. Oliver Queen’s whole journey is about becoming a new person, that is not ruled by his past anymore. And he isn’t the only one. When „The Flash“ started we learn about the murder of Barry’s mother and how he was able to come back from that, and how he had to learn to stop looking back and start looking forward. Supergirl’s whole planet was destroyed, almost everyone she ever knew died. And still she managed to go on after that und flourish. In some shape and form most Arrowverse Characters are shaped by trauma – and their shows tell us that this does not have to rule them.

 3. The One where they are stuck on TV

The best Arrowverse Episode out of all of them probably was „The One Where We‘re trapped on TV“ from „Legends of Tomorrow“s fifth season. Not only that, it was also the best Television Episode of the year 2020. Honoring TV that came before as well as the main character of the show, the episode also did include a valuable lesson. In the end that little TV Episode did more than most shows are capeable doing in years.

 2.      A Voice

If we are talking about the question what the Arrowverse gave us, we should not forget to menton the most important thing it gave us: A Voice. Yes, the producers listened to the fans, but that’s not what I mean. The Arrowverse gave us a voice – the not privileged not white not straight not cis-males who were not brought up by a loving parental figure - it gave a voice to everyone else, to the damaged, the overlooked, the ridicouled, the bullied, the loners, the persons on the fringes. It gave a voice to those, who think no one ever listens to them, by having the heroes listen. For those magicial years of television all of us were heard. By going for Green Arrow, the Flash, Supergirl, Batwoman, Black Lighning and John Constantine the stories told by something with the DC Lable on it were finally about us.

 1.      Hope for a better Tomorrow

When Oliver Queen came back to Starling City, he was a broken man, but when „Arrow“ ended he had been healed, something he never would have thought possible. Kara Danvers might have lost her planet, but she found a new home on earth, a new family and her calling. Barry Allen might have lost his mother and his father, but he found a future, where he has a new family, that flourishes and grows. Gotham may be a crap hole, but the Batwomen stepped in, when no one else did and made it a better place. While the Pierce Familiy fought to do the same for Freeland. Everyone who ever stepped foot on the Waverider came out stronger and more whole when they left the ship again, even those who did not leave alive, ironicially enough. In the end the most important thing the Arrowverse gave to us, is hope – hope that this will also pass, hope for a better tomorrow. Hope for a tomorrow, periode.

The franchise saved lives – with every show, ever episode at a time, probabaly many more lives than most people realize. And then it all came crashing down after a decade, when it became clear it had all been a lie.

So maybe they shouldn’t have bothered to give us ten years of lies in the first place. Or anyhting else on this list for that matter, because giving someone something only to take it away again without warning or reason is cruel, but giving someone hope and then taking that away, well that is just criminal. So in the end the Arrowverse was just that: A Crime against Humanity, because they told us life could be a certain way, only to end with the clear notion, that it actually in reality can’t.

[brooklynislandgirl]

It's ink, she tells herself. There's too much tang, even drying out, to make it true. She should run. Hide. There's no use, every better angel she has in her is dancing in her gaze. Psychopath, they whisper. The same people who kill their world without a second thought, do unspeakable things in the name of greed and power and call it privilege. She's always been a sucker for a beautiful smile. "Shouldn't you be scare, den?"

@brooklynislandgirl —

— ❝❛Say there's lots-a fish in the sea, Beth-bee, but yer the only shark I see.❞

[chorusfm]

AFI – Black Sails In The Sunset

When AFI began their fourth studio album, Black Sails In The Sunset, with the memorable gang vocals of “Through our bleeding, we are one!” they lit the match for one of the most explosive band trajectories ever witnessed in this scene. This would be the first LP with the now-classic lineup of Jade Puget, Adam Carson, Hunter Burgan, and Davey Havok, and featured a dramatic shift away from the punk rock sound they had explored on their earlier work in favor of a darker-tinged aesthetic. Black Sails In The Sunset is one of those gripping albums that grab the listener by the throat from the very first spin and beckons them to join in the fray. While AFI certainly weren’t the only punk band to explore a darker side to the sound, they did seem to do it a bit more flawlessly than the bands that would later emulate their career path. This album has recently received a fresh vinyl reissue via Craft Recordings, that releases on July 19, 2024, and it includes several additional bonus tracks like “Midnight Sun,” “Who Knew?”, “Weight Of Words” and the previously vinyl-only song of “Lower It” has been added to the tail end of the tracklisting (rather than closing out Side A, as found on previous vinyl versions). AFI have re-captured our collective imaginations on this thrilling, comprehensive reissue that hits just as hard as it did back in the early summer of 1999. After the opening song of “Strength Through Wounding,” AFI waste little time getting into the business at hand with a blast of punk rock energy found on “Porphyria,” that features the refrain of, “In darkness together, we’re bringing the light / In darkness together, we are forming / The fire tomorrow is born of the night / In darkness together we ignite.” What AFI were doing here was paying a quick homage to their past style, while still blazing a clear path ahead in their own artistic discovery. The band rarely lets up on the gas pedal with punishing songs like “Exsanguination” and “Malleus Maleficarum.” On the latter song in particular, AFI would hint to where they would take the exploration of autumn on Sing The Sorrow with the closing lyrics of “We all begin to burn / Autumn’s flame dances in my eyes / Set alight for all we’ve learned / My ashes falling, can you feel me?” The beats by drummer Adam Carson were spectacularly on point and filled with purpose throughout this memorable song. ”Narrative Of Soul Against Soul” continued down the path of a more brooding type of punk rock energy, while “Clove Smoke Catharsis” was a rare mid-tempo track that found AFI fully embracing the darkness in a metal-tinged song that featured heavy riffs from Jade Puget paired with Havok’s trademark vocal wail. My personal favorite song on the record is “The Prayer Position” since it was one of the more memorable tracks I heard when I witnessed AFI for the first time live at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC, and it prominently features heavy verses paired with a pop-driven refrain of “And in the distance there’s a gathering / That no longer seems so far away.” AFI would fully lean into this pop realm on Sing the Sorrow’s “Dancing Through Sunday,” but this aforementioned song is a great one to point to this discovery in their sound. ”The Last Kiss” hops along with a rock n’ roll passion that should’ve made Guns N’ Roses proud, and the bridge features a really unique-sounding guitar solo from Jade Puget that almost hints to some of the electronica that AFI would put in their later albums. The bass-heavy “Weathered Tome” put the band’s great chemistry on full display, while “At A Glance” showcased that the band could fire on all cylinders for a full album’s duration with ease. Everything quickly builds to the first true ballad AFI had written to date in the classic, “God Called In Sick Yesterday.” From the cautious opening riff from Puget, to Havok’s restrained clean vocals in the verses, the song continues to gather steady momentum before exiting into the darkness of the final lyrics of, “I can’t stand my laughter as… https://chorus.fm/reviews/afi-black-sails-in-the-sunset/

[mister-e-filman]

DC Earth-32505

Issue #5: Trainment

Over the next few weeks, Penny trained under her boyfriend while also having to go to high school where she signed herself up for fencing and Phys Ed. And in those weeks she grew stronger and faster, being able to get straight A's in both of her classes, which made her boyfriend and mother proud. Incredibly, she was now able to outrun her own dog, and even be able to lift a literal ton.

One day, after many many hours of training, Penny returned back to her lab only to find not just her boyfriend there but also someone else, someone whom she had never seen or heard of before. "Your girlfriend's here, Bailey," the stranger told Bailey without looking up from whatever he was working on. "I figured that, Peter," Bailey responded with a smirk. He turned to face her and said, "Well hello my dear! So nice of you to join us. Oh right, Penny this here is Peter Parker from Earth-199999 and-" "Wait, the multiverse is real?" Penny interrupted all the while staring in awe at Peter.

"Anyway, it turns out that the multiverse is SO much more complicated than originally believed because Peter here is from a part of the multiverse where things from here are so extremely stretched that um, well let's put it like this; say a man from this part of the verse is a woman in his part of the verse, and speaking of which, some things could still be somewhat the same like what you see before you, is a heroic version of the infamous Black Spider, whose real name is Eric Needham just to let you, Peter know.

So what did you say your superhero alias is again?" Bailey said. "I'm Spider-Man," Peter proudly declared. "We were able to compile a list of each other's verse's people and find their counterparts, some having MULTIPLE like Superman. We decided to title each universe, Peter here insisted that his be called Marvel, so I decided to call ours DC, after my Aunt Jinni's own initials. You can read the list if you want, but in the meantime Penny, it's now time to fly!" Bailey told Penny whose eyes widened in delight. She was finally going to ride her father's gift! Thanks to multiple weeks of learning balance, defending, etc., Penny was finally able to get the hang of riding the Sky-Stick. After carefully landing it in its place, she went to her room, now glad that she she was finally able to follow in her father's footsteps. She couldn't wait for tomorrow!

[brooklynislandgirl]

15. Do you have any piercings?

A Will and A Way || -

For a moment she thinks she has to have misheard Cisco. Not because what he said came across as though he'd been gargling mouth-wash with his lips pressed together while he was underwater. No, rather than the Charlie Brown Teacher sound effects, every word is clear and sharp and absolutely his voice in her ears though he's a respectable distance ~the other side of the table~ from her. Such an unexpected question and heard in a way she's unused to manages to scrunch her face in confusion. First, Cisco is never really comfortable talking about things like that. Idle discourse while they're working ranges the gamut of favourite video games, worst comic adaptations on streaming services, the nature of scientific advancement and the ethics they are bound in. Whenever she teases him about anything personal or untoward he tends to deflect with shyness and humour and in a lot of ways it feels like she's torturing him for no real reason. Second, she can't begin to understand why exactly he was asking. Was he considering getting his own piercings? Is he seeing someone and he needs to get some advice about how to work his way around them? Which brings up a more important question which is why he hadn't mentioned he'd met someone? Since when had she been out of the loop and how had she missed something so huge? "Uh." Ah yes, the eloquence of her intellect. Any day now, they're going to come along and confiscate her S*T *A*R Lab ID card and send her packing. Exactly what the Admiral would expect and would use at his pleasure to flay her alive. She keys in one more sequence before she slides out of her chair and comes around to Cisco's side of the table. This is a show-and-tell matter. She turns her head to the left so he can see her ear plain as day, and the four total she has there. "Lobe, and upper lobe," she says, pointing to the two lowest and most natural looking ones. Today, there's a crescent moon with a jewelled star in the lobe, an actual diamond solitaire in the upper. "Tragus" This is the opal stud in the bit of the ear attached to her upper cheek. Then she touches the silver ring and ball on the upper outer rim of her ear. "Helix." Then she shifts and offers him her right profile and the three there. The bar is the first one she points out. "Industrial." A matching solitaire diamond in the upper lobe, then a sort of tribal faux ruby in the lobe. "Bu wait, dere's more," she winks. She never takes her eyes off his face as she reaches down and unbuttons her jeans from first to last, and shimmies the denim down low enough that he gets a decent view of black lace against her skin. Three little aquamarine studs draw the eye to her narrow hip bone. "Sub-dermal implant. Dis one I got talked into when I was small kine tipsy." John had told her it was for protection. He'd held her head and whispered into her ear until the very last thing she was thinking about was someone cutting into her flesh and implanting metal into her body. If she was honest with herself, she's pretty sure John could have talked her into anything that night, and all the ones that came after before he disappeared from her life. But Cisco doesn't need to know that. To cover the sudden change in her expression, she turns around, back to him, and raises her shirt up a little. "An' I always keep small kine of home with me wherevah I go. Dis is symbolic of my aumakua, my islands, an' dere beauty." She doesn't mention or show him the other tattoos. They haven't gotten quite that close. "Now I'ma beatcha t' da punch an' say… no I don' got nipple piercings or ones…ah… down dere. I don' see da appeal, an' hand f' God, as a medical doctor, havin' dem can actually cause you to eventually lose sensitivity in dose places. So if ya considerin' piecings on ya… bits… my advice is…yeah, naw, brah."

[halfbakedideas]

✨Multifandom AU Masterlist✨

I have so many across so many fandoms. Feel free to ask any questions!

✅: completed ⭕: ongoing ❓: stagnant ❌: discontinued (not abandoned, I've got a habit of spontaneous updates) 🔔: not yet posted

Link to all series (Tumblr didn't like the individual links I tried to put):

half_baked_ideas - Series | Archive of Our Own

Transformers

Road Trip ‘verse⭕

Renamed from I’ll Ride in This Life With You

That AU where everyone lives in 1987 and Cybertronian Civil War still continues while the U.S. government gets involved in something they don't understand and falsely tries to weaponise the situation.

Continuity mashup of aspects from Bayverse, Aligned Continuity, and my own headcanons.

AU begins from the post-credits scene of Bumblebee (2018).

Ninjago

Secrets ✅

Darkish modern-day AU

Wu ends up taking in all the ninja

Vaguely inspired by an Ao3 fic called When The School Bell Rings by an author that I can't remember the name of

It’s Normal, No It’s Not ✅

Normal life!AU

All of the ninja don’t have good relationships with their parents

Something Inside Me is Trying To Remember A Story❓

Race against time

The Ninja wind up in an alternate universe where they’re convinced their boring lives there are all they’ve ever known

Nothing Is Permanent Except Change❓

Animal shifters AU where the ninja can shift into various animal forms.

Wishing Box 'verse❌

A magical object called the Wishing Box has the ability to change reality

Resulting in the creation of many different alternate universes

Time Moves Forever Forward❌

Lloyd gets yeet'd 43 years into the future and, as a result, gets a taste of what the (AU) future holds for him and the rest of the ninja

The Winged❓

Title WIP

The ninja live in a world where a good chunk of the human population is born with wings

Sonic the Hedgehog

Lab Rats⭕

Sonic and Tails were taken by Robotnik when they were young(er)

Maddie and Tom are government agents (sort of, their job descriptions are very vague).

The Wachowskis take in the two Mobians after finding them during a raid on a former research laboratory

Batfamily

Kaleidoscope Scales❓

Batfamily as merpeople

These Iridescent Wings ❌

The Batfam, like the rest of the human population, have wings.

Life is A Succession of Lessons That Must Be Lived To Be Understood ❌

Not really an AU, more of a sandbox for me to create my own Batfam canon

Combines aspects from multiple media (from fanfiction to animated DC movies)

The home of my they/them Jason Todd fics

Various Fandoms

Step 1: Rescue; Step 2: Life ❌

Star Trek Discovery

Title subject to change

Burnham takes Mirror Universe!Saru to the Prime Universe

Home is Where You Hang Your Hat ❌

Agents of SHIELD

Normal life!AU where Phil and May run a foster home and various characters are teen-aged/kid-aged.

Mostly Skye/Daisy-centric

Still-untitled Octonauts AU ❓

Octonauts

The title says it all

Somewhat human AU

Feel free to ask me about this one

Birds of a Feather ❌

Legends of Tomorrow

All of the Legends all have wings.

Peter Parker's Slightly Normal (But Actually Rather Ridiculous) Life ❌

MCU

Peter has been adopted by Tony after May dies and he now lives in the Tower.

There's No Happy Endings… ❌

A Series of Unfortunate Events (ASoUE)

Everything is just a bit worse than it already is in canon

[steves-on-a-plane]

Trending Cap

Words: 843 Pairing: Sam Wilson X Reader Also Staring: Bucky Barnes Summary: When Reader finds out Sam, as the new Captain America, isn't planning on doing anything special to celebrate 4th of July she suggests he recreates a viral TikTok trend. With the help of Reader and Bucky, Sam adds his own twist to the trend to great success.

“So, what are you doing for the fourth, Sam Eagle?” You asked the newly minted Captain America. You tossed yourself onto his couch and made yourself comfortable in his Washington, DC apartment.

“Who the hell is Sam Eagle?” Sam laughed.

“He’s a Muppet.” Bucky supplied as he walked into the kitchen carrying a six pack of beers. “He’s an eagle Muppet who’s whole personality is freedom and loving America. You have wings and you’re Captain America now. Also, your name is Sam. It’s a very funny joke.” He assured.

“Now you expect me to believe you know who the Muppets are?” Sam shook his head as Bucky began packing his beers into the fridge.

“I have a television in my apartment.” Bucky reminded him.

“To answer your question, [Y/N], this is what I’m doing. Sarah’s taking the boys off on a long weekend trip so I invited my two friends over and I’m going to cook some food, we’re going to hang out.” Sam shrugged. “What more could I want?”

“Ok, but I meant more like what are you doing as Captain America?” You clarified. “Like I know Steve used to go way over the top because it was his birthday and all, but are you not even going to post like a Cap meme or TikTok dance or anything?”

“A TikTok dance?” Sam chuckled.

“Why not?” You shrugged. “Maybe not a dance, but there’s this audio that’s been getting pretty popular.”

You reached for your phone which was dangling precariously off the edge of Sam’s coffee table. You opened the TikTok app and searched for the audio you wanted. Once you found it you played it for Bucky and Sam. The Audio started with the Star-Spangled Singer’s singing the verse of The Star Spangled Man with a Plan, the song from Steve’s old USO shows. Once the audio reached the line “We can’t ignore there’s a front and a war we must win” the background music changed to a more modern beat mixed with Sam’s very recent speech “I know there are millions of people who are going to hate me for it. Even now, here, I feel it. The stares, the judgement, and there’s nothing I can do to change it. And I’m still here. No super serum. No. Blonde hair or blue eyes. The only power I have is that I believe we can do better.”

“The trend is sort of a way to celebrate you as the new Cap.” You explained. “What most people do is they’ll do something like wear 1940’s fashion until the part where the music changes and then they switch to modern clothes. There are also some pretty impressive cosplays on here with homemade suits. For those typically its someone who starts out in a replica Steve suit and ends in a replica of yours. Usually they’ll act all hokey and exaggerated during the first bit and switch to a very serious lip-sync when it gets to the Captain Sam part.”

“[Y/N]’s right.” Bucky commented as he scrolled through TikTok on his own phone. “Walker might not be the only one you have to fight for the shield. These are some pretty impressive…what did you call them?”

“Cosplayers.” You supplied.

“Dress up people.” Bucky nodded.

“Alright, you’ve convinced me.” Sam nodded. “But the two or you have to help me.”

“Perfect! I’ve always wanted to raid your closet!” C’mon Buck, you can be my onset 1940s fashion consultant.” You dragged him towards Sam’s bedroom.

“[Y/N]! Don’t even think about taking one of my flannel shirts!” Sam called after you.

“Two shirts it is then!” You shouted back.

With Bucky’s help you were able to piece together a presentable 1940s stye outfit from Sam’s closet. The outfit consisted of Khaki slacks, a brown belt, brown leather shoes and a brown and beige stripped shirt. The collar wasn’t exactly wide enough for the time, Bucky wanted to point out, but it would do in a pinch. Luckily the wallpaper in the living room of Sam’s apartment looked ancient. It probable hadn’t been updated since the 1920’s let alone the 40s.

So, you positioned Sam in a corner of the room where most of his modern amenities were out of sight and filmed him dancing and mouthed along to the Star Spangled Man song. When the music stopped you stopped filming. Sam changed most of the way into his cap suit. He gave you the signal and you began filming. Sam added on pieces to his outfit, like his wings, and his goggles while repeating his speech. When he reached his final line “I believe we can do better.” He looked directly into the camera. You held his gaze for a second before cutting off the recording.

“People are going to love it, Sam.” You told him confidently.

“We’ll see I guess.” He took his phone from you and added his own caption to the video. “Wanted to get in on the trend. Have a safe and happy 4th of July.” He added in a few hashtags before posting the video.

“Now will the two of you let me enjoy the rest of my day in peace?” Sam asked setting his phone down.

“I don’t know, I kind of want to see you make a Sam Eagle TikTok now that [Y/N] has put that idea in my head.” Bucky announced.

“This is my place.” Sam reminded you both. “I can kick you out any time.”

“I was promised cold beer and free food. I’m not leaving until I get both.” Bucky insisted. “And don’t bother asking if I’d throw hands with Captain America because we both know you wouldn’t be the first or even the second to find out that answer is yes.” Bucky sat down on the couch you’d once occupied. Sam had a witty retort prepped and ready to fire, but his phone began to buzz in his hand.

“Our TikTok’s got a like.” He shared proudly. His phone buzzed again. “Oh another one!”

“There’s a few comments too.” Bucky said. “’Welcome to the App Cap’ and ‘It’s the 40’s fit for me.’ [Y/N], what does fit mean?”

Within minutes Sam’s phone was booming with notifications. They were happening so frequently he had to set the sound to completely silent just so he could hear himself think. There were a few negative comments. Someone had dredged out the classic “Not My Cap” hashtag, but overall the response was positive. After twenty-four hours the video had over 500 thousand likes and ten thousand comments.

“[Y/N], you want a job as my social media/PR?” Sam jokingly texted you the next morning. “But seriously, it was a good idea. Thanks for the assist.”

“Anything for you, Cap.” You replied back. “You can pay me back with dinner next Saturday night. I’m still dreaming of last night’s dinner. Oh also, I stole a flannel from your closet.” You added a winking emoji before sending Sam a photo of you wearing his flannel shirt.

“It’s yours.” He replied. “That shirt’s never looked so good.”

“I can think of one place it might look better. You’re floor.” You sent, trying to sound flirty.

“That’s probably where you found it in the first place.” He messaged back with a series of laugh emojis. “You can return it if you want.”

“You’re so oblivious!” You told him with an eyeroll emoji. “The shirt is mine, and…” But before you could send another reply a new message from Sam came through.

“I’m just joking. Are you free tomorrow for dinner?” He wanted to know.

“We just had dinner together yesterday.” You reminded him.

“Now who’s oblivious? You have to eat every day don’t you? And Bucky wont be at this dinner.” He texted back all in one message.

“Ohhhhhh.” You typed several extra ‘H’s to emphasize your realization. “I’ll see you at 6, your place.”

[shitpostingfromthebarricade]

1.3.2 Double Quatuor

For @brickrenouveautions (which officially ends tomorrow!!)  

Of the New Yorkers, one was from Los Angeles, another from Chicago, the third from San Francisco, and the fourth from Washington DC; but they were students, and to live in New York City is to be of New York City.

These young men were unremarkable.  Everyone knows the type, and these four serve as fine examples: neither good nor bad, neither learned nor ignorant, neither talented nor stupid; handsome in that charming April of life we call twenty.  They were four Chads; for at this time, Brads did not yet exist.  “Everybody make some noise!” exclaim the underclassmen.  “My boy Chad!  Chad’s coming at you hot!”  DJ Khaled was everywhere; elegance was champagne and fancy cars; the business-casual type was not prevalent till later, and the first of the Brads — Elon Musk — had only just launched SpaceX. 

The first of these Chads was called Félix Tholomyès, of LA; the second, Listolier, from San Fran; the third, Fameuil, from Chicago; and the last, Blacheville, from DC.  Of course, each had his lady: Blacheville loved Favourite, with the u because she had been to England once; Listolier adored Dahlia, who had chosen to assume the name of a flower when she arrived at university; Fameuil idolized Zéphine, a nickname for Josephine; and Tholomyès had Fantine, called ‘the blonde’ because of her beautiful hair, which shone like the newly-released iPhone 6 plus in gold. 

Favourite, Dahlia, Zéphine, and Fantine were four sorority girls, perfumed and made up, still somewhat students since they hadn’t finished all of their classes, plagued by relationship drama yet maintaining that youthful livelihood of carefree undergraduates and the resilient hopefulness that enables women to survive that first fall.  One was called ‘the baby’ because she was the youngest, and another was called ‘Grandma’ — Grandma was twenty-three.  To put it plainly, the first three were well-versed in the ways of the world, and Fantine the Blonde was still rather innocent.  

Dahlia, Zéphine, and particularly Favourite were not.  Fantine had already had far more than the average amount of drama in her relationship — ‘the drama’ named ‘Adam’ the first time, ‘Alex’ the second, and ‘Augustus’ the third.  Debt and vanity are awful consciences: one says you shouldn’t, the other says you should, and beautiful women always seem to have both.  When they inevitably make a misstep, society punishes them for it.  All the world, just barely out of reach!  Did Watson ever long for more?

Favourite, having been to England that one time, was Zéphine and Dahlia’s idol.  She’d had her own place off-campus even as a freshman.  Her dad was a proud, self-important math professor who never got married; when he was younger, his secretary bent over to pick up some papers he’d knocked to the floor, and without meaning to, he’d fallen in love.  Favourite was the result.  She still saw her dad on campus sometimes, and when she did he’d give a distracted nod as he hurried off to wherever he was going.  

One morning, an old woman let herself into Favourite’s apartment.  “Do you know who I am?”

“No.”

“I’m your mother.”  Immediately she’d helped herself to the contents of Favourite’s fridge and made herself at home in the guest bedroom.  Favourite’s mom was a mean old hag: she never talked to her daughter and would sit around for hours without saying anything; she ate enough for four; and when she did leave it was to go to the building’s lobby to gossip and complain about Favourite.

Listolier had a nail fetish, and Dahlia had beautiful nails which she was careful to maintain with regular manicures and a healthy regiment of promiscuity.  All Zéphine had to do was say “Yes Sir” in a particular tone to have Fameuil wrapped around her little finger.

The lads were all friends, as were the girls, so it was convenient.

There’s a difference between being wise and being philosophical: Favourite, Zéphine, and Dahlia were philosophical where Fantine was wise.  But how can Fantine be wise and then date Tholomyès?  Well, Solomon would argue that to know love is a prerequisite for being wise.  This was Fantine’s first relationship: the others may not have been strangers to hook-ups, but for Fantine, sex had meaning.

Fantine, rather than being born, seemed summoned out of nowhere: she had no mother or father, and her birth records must have disappeared with them, so for a long time she had no name either.  They had taken to calling her ���Fantine’ at the agency over the time in which she’d had no papers, and it stuck.  She got her first job when she was ten and moved out on her own into the city when she was fifteen, getting into a local university upon graduating with the help of her meager savings and several sizable financial aid packages.  Her only wealth was her beauty, gold and pearls in her hair and teeth.  Having no other savings, she worked and studied to survive; in order to live, she also loved.

She loved Tholomyès.

To him, it was a fling; to Fantine, it was everything.  Frat row knew their courtship well; they would meet at parties, air thick with booze and smoke and sex; Fantine would always leave before things became too heated, but she’d never stay away so long as to discourage him.  It was a game of sorts, and Fantine lost.

Blacheville, Listolier, and Fameuil made up their own group of which Tholomyès was the leader.  He was the brains of the operation.

Tholomyès’s family was well off and gave him a very comfortable allowance.  For thirty years old, he was in terrible shape: his face was wrinkled, his teeth were falling out, and he was already balding.  He liked to joke, “Hair at thirty, knees at forty!”  His body didn’t agree with most foods (not that he let this discourage him), and he had a weepy eye to boot; he made up for all of this with his personality.  He replaced his teeth with jests, his hair with joy, his health with irony, and his weeping eye was always cheerful.  He was not unlike a decorated corpse.  He wrote a play once that would never be published but that he loved to brag about, told people how he enjoyed dabbling in poetry from time to time, and moreover, doubted everything everyone said with a certain air of authority and superiority that no person with self-awareness enough to understand how little they know would ever dare.  

Naturally, this all made him the perfect leader for their band.

One day, Tholomyès took the boys aside and said, “The girls have been wanting a surprise for almost a year now, and we promised we’d do something special.  They’re always bringing it up, too; they sound like my dad’s third wife: ‘No es chiste!  Que a mí no me importa Jacob no ayuda: si tú no me ayudas, te me vas de la casa, que aquí no estoy de criada.’”

“What does that mean?” asked Fameuil.

“That she was about to turn off my 360.  But yeah, the girls are always like, ‘Tholomyès, you promised!’  Meanwhile, our parents have been complaining that they don’t see enough of us.  I think the answer here’s pretty obvious.” 

Tholomyès lowered his voice to relay his scheme, an idea so unheard of that it left all of them cackling, with Blacheville exclaiming, “You’re brilliant!”

They came across a bar soon after and went their separate ways.  The next time they saw the girls, the boys invited them out.

[sparklyjacquelee]

Here I go again! I want to do both Writer's Month and AU-gust this year, it's gonna be interesting! I wrote a lot already in July, so I hope this is gonna work out. So excited! :D I'm going to put all of these in a series on AO3, for easier organization. There are two prompts per day this year, which I very much appreciate as someone who doesn't write romance but my brain decided it would be fun to attempt all the settings prompts anyways, lmao. So, yeah, if you'd like a very unique take on soulmates au and alpa/beta/omega verse au, stay tuned. :P

Written for @writersmonth for Day 1: High School AU Fandom: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Esperanza "Spooner" Cruz, Sara Lance Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - High School Words: 1251 Series: Part 1 of Writer's Month 2021 Summary:

Spooner is the new girl in high school. Again. And again, she's made fun of for not making it a secret that she'd been abducted by aliens. But this time, when the bullying starts, someone unexpectedly comes to her aid.

Legends High School AU

[brooklynislandgirl]

A small eternity takes root, blooms, then withers in the the time she takes her first step to stand and then finds herself in the frigid gloom of Gotham's twilight maw. And in that time she thinks her heart burned out before it was forcefully restarted all with its constituent ache that she's too familiar with by half. She curses herself for being stupid enough to think that there was any sort of civility between herself and Jonathan. Smug. Impervious. Not unlike that thing that lives in the dark. The one that waits for her to close her eyes and try to sleep before it settles around her, enveloping her like a caul. Forcing her to scramble for every breath though she cannot move a single muscle. Can't stop a single tear because she can't even blink. And just like the darkness, he waits ~ever so pretty and pale and patient~ to devour her whole the second she lets her guard down. Can she grow strong enough teeth to sever their artificial graft? She can ask their professor in the morning, throwing away weeks of work toward the completion of the course. She could become so impossible that he'll be the first one to make the request ~ this is critical for his degree, basic supplement for her own. How dare he try to pick her apart when he is no better than her? In that moment of lashing out in the only way she can, Beth doesn't bother to put herself in her brother's place while casting Jonathan as herself. Instead she indulges the incredibly hurtful idea that at least she had been wanted, once.

When his fingers crawl across her joint as if she'd caught herself on some gossamer web, Beth startled out of her own blinding inner landscape. Her head whips up from a ground she hadn't been seeing, her lips twisting in a chimerical sneer-sigh, bearing the sharp, small teeth. Her eyes lack humanity as they fix on his empyreal features.

Her eyes are lightlessly dead, unbearably gelid even as she gazes at him, reflecting what he strives so hard to project. That odd half blink. And she is only Beth again. She drags her attention reluctantly from his face to his hand and back again, all of her dripping in shabby obloquy. "Don' have to what? Continue flensing me?" Defensive, but not uncharitable. "You don' have to pretend t' be my friend, ya know. Don' have t' pretend ou even wanna be doin' dis project. A hundred different kind of lie we can construct an' still earn a grade." Something cracks. "Is gettin' dark, anyway." Fear gives depth to that whisper of hers, the cold chaffing her exposed face. Her hand of its own accord doesn't leave his hip or even know how it got there in the first place.

@brooklynislandgirl x.

She thinks she hides herself so well. She might even believe it. Maybe it should be a point to his pride that he's a rare capable; does pushing his palm past the surface chill her to a shiver like it tries to him?

He'd like to estrange Beth from her own secrets.

But deciphering whether she holds him above or traps him below has a habit of becoming its own chore, the paradox of knowing her.

'The wall', Jonathan also knows, is one of many pitiable defects about the human psyche, common as wither in autumn. A mind assures to itself the membrane of a shield. But in this it dissociates. There, he's never found a challenge.

Beth's wall is multi-dimensional. He peels layers away— deftly, carefully, an eidolon or a tall tale in a malnourished, wafer body— and others materialize in their places. It's like following a tail through a maze, before the hedges take on the animal fur, the creature skin. It's like wanting.

How would he like to be caught lost in the dark. Unknowing, but known. How would he like to be wanting.

Unlikely. As unlikely as saying 'He. Understands.'

She's up and moving and it gets him just as ice-still. Bl-ink-ing. His left thumb tip twitches when she shoulders her bag by its practical sling. All one beatless moment,

and Jonathan's where he always, itching, sleepless night-thing he is,

—he's thinking—

How attractive she looks when she's this bare. Vulnerability only in fibers, but then she's naked.

She's gone. Sound of a bell crying.

And Jonathan's out in the cloud-damp cold sweat day. His body's still syncing through its first lunge. His hands are empty. Filled with questions without names. He's carried out on the wind's bitter tine with surgical sterility. It recognizes him. At his best, Jonathan tastes like winter.

He catches the ledge of Beth's elbow. His fingers feel softer at the cloth. There's human under here. She doesn't make it to the light at the corner.

“Stop. We don't have to.”

Held by the damp in the wind. Muscle memory for something he's never said. It might mean something else. His eyes might say this. His voice hangnails in his chest.

[twistedtummies2]

Gotham’s 31 Most Wanted - Number 22

Welcome back to Gotham’s 31 Most Wanted! Each day of January, I’m counting down my Top 31 Favorite Batman Villains of all time! This sinister secret society makes the Illuminati look like wimps. Number 22 is…The Court of Owls.

This evil organization is the single most recent addition to Batman’s Rogues Gallery to appear on the list (it’s almost exactly a decade old now, even with that said), and of all the “new additions” that have appeared within the past two decades or so, I’d say they’re the best. The Court of Owls is not one specific villain, but rather a whole GROUP of villains: a secret society, not unlike the urban legend of the Illuminati, that is made up of some of the oldest families of Gotham. The Court is interesting to me because they almost act as a counterpoint to Batman in a very particular way: Batman prides himself on knowing every inch of Gotham, and tries to be well-versed in its history and folklore. He combats the evil in Gotham City every day, using his technology and his detective skills to keep an eye on as much crime as he possibly can. The Court of Owls is a group so secretive and so mysterious, they are able to totally evade even his eye for a long time, and he is so puny and insignificant in THEIR eyes, they don’t even think much of him until he does something that gets him on their radar at last, so to speak. It’s interesting to see Batman – the man who supposedly knows everything – discovering a mystery so deep and so dark, even he is baffled by it. The Court is a symbol of order; the owl is the natural enemy of the bat, and it, like the bat, is a creature of darkness. Like the bat, it can symbolize death and menace, but it also symbolizes wisdom: the Court seems to use this motif and BOTH its meanings very deliberately, as they believe themselves to be the shepherds of the City, who know what is best to keep things running even remotely smoothly…and they will stop at nothing to keep their grasp on things. To this end, not only will the Court occasionally kidnap rivals and force them to suffer the tortures of a hidden labyrinth beneath Gotham, but they also have an army of trained, immortal assassins, known as “The Talons of the Owls” (or just Talons, for short), which actually employ many of the same tactics as Batman has. However, while Batman fights crime brutally but not lethally, the Talons will kill and even torture without remorse or pause. Whatever the Court demands of them, they will do. It’s implied that the Court has ties to Batman’s origins: Bruce once believed the mythical Court  had organized the death of his parents at the hands of Joe Chill, but was never able to find any evidence of this, naturally. To this date, it still hasn’t been confirmed, nor has it been denied. The Court and their Talons have been steadily making their way into other media in recent years. The animated film “Batman vs. Robin” is loosely based on their first comic book storyline; in “Gotham,” the Court is revealed to be a faction of Ra’s Al Ghul’s League of Assassins; perhaps most pertinent to our current times, the Court is set to be the main antagonists of the game “Gotham Knights,” and in another game, “LEGO DC Supervillains,” the Talon is an unlockable playable character. The countdown continues tomorrow with my 21st Favorite Batman Villain! HINT: This Villain Knows How to Leave a Mark.

[dailyaudiobible]

03/03/2021 DAB Transcript

Leviticus 27:14- Numbers 1:54, Mark 11:1-26, Psalms 46:1-11, Proverbs 10:23

Today is the 3rd day of March welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I am Brian it is wonderful to be here with you today as we continue the journey that we began what feels like a long time ago but was…wasn't although we are a couple of months into the journey. So, we are indeed well on our way. So, let's dive in today's reading today. And today is a bit of a special day. We are going to conclude the book of Leviticus and move forward into the next book, which was…which is called numbers and we will talk about that when we get there. But first, the last words of Leviticus, which is chapter 27 verse 14 through verse 34.

Introduction to the book of Numbers:

Okay. So, that concludes the book of Leviticus which brings us to be shiny brand-new first page and first chapter of a brand-new book called Numbers. And as we get into numbers it's going to sound like similar territory, maybe even territory that we've already covered, like this is redundant in some ways, but it's important to understand what’s happened because we’re turning the page here. We just finished Leviticus but we’re zooming forward in time a bit. And now we are at a time when the first generation is passing to the second generation of people who have left Egypt. So, this happened under Moses leadership. They've…they’ve seen God show up and miraculously provide for them, they’ve seen His mighty power and they’ve…they’ve received the law, but now that they've received it they have to actually live it, because God is giving the order to move out. It’s actually time. The time has come. They’ve been around Mount Sinai. They have the law and now it's time for them to go into the Promised Land. And we’ll see that spies get sent into the land to scope it out and we’ll see what their report is and it's an unfortunate situation because it disqualifies an entire generation and keeps them in the desert when it was time. Like we are literally opening the book of Numbers and it's time to go into the promised land. We’re just not gonna make it there. Not yet. So, the first nine chapters of numbers are going to provide review and structure because God is…is preparing the people to move out and move into the promised land and then we’ll see censuses being taken, additional laws being given, review of all the laws, we’ll see things like purification's and celebrations and then we’ll move into the story of the spies going across the Jordan into the promised land to spy it out. And we’ll take it from there until the end, as the first generation of slaves out of Egypt that were being formed in the deserts die off. And, so, let’s begin, numbers chapter 1.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we have transitioned into the book of Numbers and we’re just getting going there and we kind of flew over that to understand some context, just some of the lay of the land that’s out in front of us and what we’ll be covering. And, so, we did. We counted…we counted all of the people today, all of the people, all of the men prepared for battle that could go to war. It’s over 600,000 of them. This is all in preparation to move out and toward the promised land. Like that's the plan. We need to remember that. That's the plan. What’s supposed to happen now that they have received the law is that they're supposed to get information and march into the promised land and establish this culture while learning to live into the law. There are some unfortunate turns of events that prevent that happening straightaway. And as we watch what happens here, we need to be looking at our own lives as well because everybody has the wilderness, everybody has the wilderness in their lives. But maybe we spend a lot more time in the wilderness then we ever needed too.

And then in the gospel of Mark we are entering Jerusalem again. And, so, we’re very near to experiencing Jesus arrest and His Last Supper and His trial and execution again. And we are in a season now where we really are focusing on this, this season of Lent and we talked about that a couple of weeks ago when Lent began. And…and actually it's a month from today that Lent ends because a month from tomorrow will be Easter Sunday. So, we’re in the thick of it and this is that season when we really, really try to take to heart what’s going on in the Scriptures. It…it can't just be that Sunday school story, the Jesus died on the cross and then He rose then practically the next day. Like we need to embrace the story, the larger story, that separation between man and God is being eliminated, that restoration is becoming possible, that the final sacrifice is being given once and for all according to the Scriptures. We also need to deeply lament and contemplate that sin leads to destruction. And all we need to do is look at our lives, like a look at the story that our lives have been telling and we can see those times where we’ve gone off the rails and it has led to very destructive things and it always will. We sit with that. We open our hands and hearts and invite God to move things around, move things out, take people out move things in, bring in people, and rearrange the furniture. Whatever it needs, whatever our lives need, however they need to be rearranged so that as we approach Easter Sunday we really approach it with fantastic rejoicing that all things have been made new, that we didn’t just kind of move through it really quick and dress up pretty on Sunday and just hunt for Easter eggs and then move through, that we actually took the time in the season before Easter to lament and hold in our hands and hearts the weight and cost of sin, so that when we…when we celebrate the resurrection we celebrate it with this brand-new awareness that we are free from the curse of sin and death unless we willingly participate.

Prayer:

Jesus as we move into this territory in the gospel of Mark and as we continue to move through this season where we’re really contemplating this, come Holy Spirit, come Holy Spirit and show us the areas that still need work, things that need to be rearranged, things that need to be let go of. We can't do this without You. We can do this with You, and You are not withholding Yourself. We are just not paying attention but we’re paying attention now. Come Holy Spirit we pray. In the name of Jesus, we ask. Amen.

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And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hey Daily Audio Bible family this is Stephanie in Bangalore and I am calling partly because Daniel Johnson Junior you nailed some of exactly how I'm feeling about asking for help. And it's not anything that I can ask for help…physical help with, but family I do need your prayers. Those who have been listening since last year may remember that my husband and I are both a little older and we did…we were pregnant at this point last year and we last the baby on March 9th. We’re actually going to have a little prayer memorial service with our families that day this year Lord willing, but the grief is still there, and I know many of you understand that grief. And the grief that God has not yet chosen to give us a child…another child is there as well. So, please just pray for us as we, you know, seek to do a God wants us to do and also walk through this time of grief and uncertainty and…and everything. It also would be really great if I could go see my family this year. I haven't seen them in over a year and I’m very close with them. And yeah. Anyway, thanks for being there. Hopefully I'll call back soon with some encouragement for others. Bye.

Good afternoon Daily Audio Bible family this is Adrian from Washington DC. Today is February 27th and I have been meaning to call in for a while, but I've been putting it off. You know, I…I just wanted to openly the thank God for what happened last year, not necessarily the pandemic. But the shortened version was in July of last year I got sick and I wasn't feeling well and the last thing I remember was climbing into my sister’s bed and turning on the air conditioner because I was hot. And the next thing I know when I wake up and I'm in a hospital and I have been in a hospital from July 19th until…well the 23rd, that's when I woke up. And even after all that I still had a lot…a long way to go. I was transferred to multiple hospitals and dealing with multiple issues but I finally came home September 1st and March 1st will be six months since I've been home and I've made amazing progress to…progress because of a lot of amazing people and I thank them for that but I really just need to thank God because He had His hand on me the entire time, He had His hand on my family the entire time until I came home and I could not have possibly have made it without Him. So, I, like I said, I'm finally…I'm saying it out loud, saying it to my other family , thank You Lord for everything that You have done for me, everything that You have done to get me to this point where I can now walk a mile and I’m back…I've been…I've been back at work since last September, but I'm doing some of the things that I did before I got sick. Thank you, family. I love you.

Good morning my name is Vicki from Southern Oregon. And, you know, I think I came up with the name too, it's Soul Shine, not because it does but because that is what I'm hoping God is doing for me. I called in a few months ago and I'm calling for a praise report. I want to thank you, everybody that prayed for me and my son. My son has been taken to the state hospital. He’s severely mentally ill, schizophrenic and also has an addiction problem. And, you know, there's a window of opportunity for him to get help which is, you know, I know it's funny to call it a praise report when your son is in the state mental hospital but help…help is hard to find and hard fought. So, thank you for everyone that prayed for him and I pray that God will continue to work in his life and give him the freedom from his addiction and from his mental illness and that he will understand that the medications are helping him not harming him. Again, I thank everybody that prayed. Thank you, Brian for be here…being here.

Hello DAB family this is Rob still Worship Dude in Nashville. It's been a while since I've called in. I don't really have anything dramatic that I'm asking for. I just wanted to touch base. I've been listening to…for this…for gosh over 10 years. And I just want to say thank God, thank you for the DAB. Thank you for the community, thank you for the people who call in to pray, for those who engage with the prayers, for those who intercede for the prayer requests that have come in. We thank you Lord that you are omniscient, you are omnipotent, you are an omnipresent God, you are all knowing, you are all powerful, you are everywhere God. There is nothing that is too hard for you. And Lord as this great cacophony of prayers of intercession Lord arises around the world Lord, I thank you for this tool, this resource of the DAB Lord to just join the body of Christ together Lord. Would you release…would you release the spirit of unity amongst us as we bear one another's burdens Lord. We just recognize that you are doing a new thing. You are always doing a new thing Lord and Lord we stand together, and we ask that your Kingdom would come, your will would be done, that you would fill the earth with the glory of your presence. Father I thank you so much for the DAB, for Brian Hardin, for the amazing insightful and inspiring commentaries that you continue to share with us through him. Bless his team, bless all who support the DAB. Father I thank you that you are working on our behalf. We trust you. We love you and we bless you in Jesus’ name. God bless you guys.

Hello from beautiful Cincinnati OH this is Daniel Johnson Junior. One second while I throw another log on the Global Campfire here. So, it is the evening of February 28th 2021…2021. It's really been amazing because I've been journaling since the end of April, you know, journaling consistently and I was thinking back to like…like I like…for the shortest month of the entire year, February seems like it’s the longest. And I think that it's probably because we're far enough removed from the holiday season and the beginning of the year but not yet, you know, ready for the next season change that we really look forward to. And it just has been kind of wearisome, you know, to be present in this…in this month and kind of also just wondering if I had actually gotten anything done. Well, because of my journaling and I…one of my process that I have set up here is a monthly review. And, so, I went back and I looked through and I was just thinking, I just…you know what, I didn't get some of the goals that I wanted to, like, you know, getting a job. I'm still unemployed. So, I didn't get a job but I was looking at all the other stuff that I did, all of the habits that I’ve been tracking and all of the progress that I had made and it was also actually very inspiring. So, I just wanted to encourage you guys, you know, as you've been thinking about journaling, to do that journaling because you're going to be able to see how much different you are many months down the road, many weeks down the road. And that's all that I have for you right now. God bless you all from beautiful Cincinnati OH Daniel Johnson Junior saying make it a great day.

[singing starts] you do not lie you do not fail what is hard for you to do it doesn't exist. It can never ever never exist. My Jesus you do not lie you do not fail what is hard for you to do doesn't exist. It can never ever exist though. I call into your knowledge and your will from me what you say you will do. I just need to align with because you are not a man that changes his mind. Those that know you will trust in you not in horses and chariot body and soul flesh no man can prevail no man no man no man. My confidence is you what is hard, what is hard for you it can never exist [singing stops]. My name is Helen I'm calling from Nigeria. I just want to use this song to encourage somebody out there that what God cannot do does not exist. It can never exist. So, whatever you're passing through today just have it in mind that you have a God that can do the impossible, that can do everything and what He cannot do it does not exist. I want to thank everyone here. I know I just joined the…the Daily Audio not quite long, recently. I've been listening to everyone. I want to say God bless you all. God bless you. Bless you all.