#Birds of Prey Film Complet

[chaotic-omnisexual-squirrel]

one thing i love about birds of prey is how it lets the women be vicious.

in every single fight scene, it's not sexualized, it's not even really done for aesthetics, but it is completely done to emphasize just how dangerous and capable they all are.

obviously it's stylized, because it's fighting for film. it's impossible to have a completely realistic fight scene in a movie (but honestly fuck realism anyway), but it doesn't demean them.

the use of the noise (their voices, breaking bones) when their fighting, on top of the screaming, their facial expressions, all makes the violence, one, much more real than the usual gliding through fight scenes, hair all messy and undone, and two, just reminds you that they are trained killers, and not the eye candy that every guy in the film treats them as.

overall, let women be violent and capable and break both the legs of any guy who decides to be a douchebag.

[elizabethwydevilles]

Padme, during RotS development

One thing to understand is that for the first several months of pre-production, George Lucas is still writing the script (pre-production started roughly around late April of 2002, with the first draft of the script finished in late January 2003. To quote Paul Duncan: 'before the script was written, the design team were given the freedom to imagine possible scenarios', and Rick McCallum: 'usually no one would go off and spend millions of dollars without understanding what the very foundation of the film they're making is, but we break that very rule of film production'.

Sources for this post are The Art of Revenge of the Sith by J. W. Rinzler (2005), The Making of Revenge of the Sith by J. W. Rinzler (2005) and The Star Wars Archives, 1999-2005 by Paul Duncan (2020).

It's also going to be a long ass post, so see under the cut.

June 7-21 2002(?): Ryan Church painted a battle scene: 'What if a bunch of bad guys were attacking Padme and the clones who were trying to get back to their ship?'

August 2002: While revieving costume designs, GLucas indicated that Padme will need senatorial, casual and action wear.

October 12th, 2002: 'For the first time, it is rumoured that Padmé might die in this film. She might be seen last on Alderaan.'

October 25th-31st, 2002: In response to GLucas requesting a new locale for a Padme and Anakin 'love scene', Erik Tiemens designed several Naboo sceneries. Upon viewing them, GLucas moved the scene to Coruscant; some design elements are used for Kashyyyk.

October, 2002: Iain McCaig designed costumes for Padme. Note the bird of prey.

October 2002: While designing the world of Kashyyyk, Erik Tiemens painted a scene of Padme walking with wookies. (Note: Image is a cropped version of the full art work)

November 1st-8th, 2002: Iain McCaig: 'George said there might be a scene where Padme's doubled over in agony and Yoda is there unable to help her'.

November 22nd, 2022: Erik Tiemens designed a set of new locations for Padme and Anakin 'love scene' on Coruscant.

December 19th, 2002: Erik Tiemens: 'I was brainstorming with Iain [McCaig] and he thought that Padme might have a dagger in her hand'.

December 20th, 2002: Derek Thompson illustrated his idea of having Vader find Padme and the children, who are being protected by Jedi.

January 31st 2003: GLucas delivered the first rough draft to his producer Rick McCallum. The outline given in the book is brief, but Padme's basic storyline in the 55 page script appears no different. However, Anakin's nightmare about Padme features her consumed by flames, and Padme goes to Mustafar with her handmaidens and Captain Typho - who are gunned down by clones on arrival.

February 6th, 2003: Erik Tiemens designed a piece of concept art for Padme's funeral procession.

April 12th/13th 2003: GLucas presented the first official draft of the movie script. It's 111 pages long. Padmé and her entourage are still attacked on their arrival on Mustafar, but this time by droids whom Anakin defeats. In regards to Padme's death, Palpatine tells Vader that a Jedi murdered her.

May 5th, 2003: Iain McCaig's designed Padme's funeral outfit.

May 24th, 2003: Erik Tiemens illustrated Padme and Anakin's farewell before he leaves for Mustafar.

May 29th, 2003: Erik Tiemens illustrated Padme watching the Jedi temple burn.

June 13th 2003: GLucas presented the second official draft of the movie script. It's 135 pages long. Anakin's nightmare of Padmé is changed from her being consumed by flames, to her dying in childbirth. There is now a scene where Palpatine suggests to Anakin that Obi-Wan is meeting with Padmé secretly. In regards to Padme's actual death, Palpatine tells Vader that he [Vader] murdered her, just as in the movie. Just like the finished movie, it is noted that Padme dies of a broken heart. Padme's final smile at Leia is noted to be the smile that Leia remembers in RotJ.

June 26th, 2003: The fourth draft of the script is completed, consisting of 129 pages. Padme is no longer accompanied to Mustafar by Typho and her handmaidens.

June 30th, 2003: Principal photography begins.

July 2nd, 2003: First Padme scenes are shot, both located in her apartment (Her and Obi-Wan discussing Anakin, and Padme with the other senators).

July 3rd, 2003: Revised script for the scene in which Obi-Wan tells Padme he knows about her and Anakin.

August 12th, 2003: Last day of principal shooting for Natalie Portman.

September 17th, 2003: Principal shooting finishes.

December 21st, 2003: Iain McCaig designed a practical costume for Padme.

March 9th, 2004: All but the last ('thunderous applause') of Padme's political scenes have now been cut from the final film.

August 23rd - September 3rd 2004: Reshoots

August 23rd, 2004: Additional scene scripted for reshoot the following day.

January 31st, 2005: One last day of filming for Natalie Portman and Hayden Christensen.

Script excerpt (unknown date)

Art (unsure dates)

Padme's apartment layout and colours

[fanartbyherd]

Gotham Map

whoo! I'm not 100% done but if I don't stop now I will never stop.

over a month of work and I can now say I have completed my own map on Gotham!

as well as Bludhaven and summer set,

Bludhaven famously being the sister city of Gotham and primary haunt of Nightwing.

Summerset is a community between the two cursed cities that is just extrodinairaly normal. (I don't know what comic it is but I got the name from one I was looking at.) but here's the panel.

(No idea what issue this is from, I was browsing quickly through a large collection of older Batman comics and didn’t have time to sit and read it yet.)

So! Some Good Golly Gosh Context for the existence of this map. Before someone comes at me for non cannon accurate information and BS I'm about to pull.

This map was created for my use for a Transformative work I started toying with the idea of, that now has a hundred something chapters drafted (note: Drafted dose not mean written only one of those chapters is written and available to read. Dandelion puffs)

found here:

this map is a combination of the (mostly taken as) Cannon Map and the map that briefly appeared in "the Doom That Came to Gotham" film. the main inspiration for the Fanfic Idea. as well as things scavenged from Fannon and my own head cannon. some parts of it are also cobbled together from other bits of cannon, things such as the long halloween, Batman Year one, the one Nightwing comic I have read all the way through, a Batwoman and Catwoman comic, The Arkham Knight games, Actual maps of New Jersey (I mentioned that in my previous post about this map), The Harley Quinn Show, Joker (that movie) especially the subway map that apparently appeared in that film. Multiple Batman films... I'm not actually sure what batman movies I have watched just that one of them had Ra's Al Ghul and the scarecrow in them and featured the Narrows, and the 2022 batman film, and birds of prey. I really should have been keeping track of all the inspirations I used. I do that for Original works... but not for fan works as I'm not that used to making them or something.

this map operates with the assumption that the year is somewhere around 2020. and that in 1920 the city of Gotham suffered from a destructive fire. (see events of the doom of Gotham)

and in the late 1950s suffered from a catastrophic earthquake. (haven't read it but heard through the grapevine about Batman: no mans land. lots of the online maps reference it)

Also opperates under lovecraftian horror rules, because that's what this elderich horror AU...

the colors are a bit hard to see unfortunately, but they are mostly for my own use.

Gangs of Gotham:

Lime Green-Jokerz: they have close ties to the cult of the clown posse. operate mainly around the Amusement mile.

Scarlet red-Redhood: Headed by the mysterious Warlock Redhood. the gang is relatively young but rose to power quickly in 2005. most of Park Row (aka crime ally) and some of the surrounding areas are under the red hoods control.

they took their name from an earlier gang that was wiped out by the jokerz. The higher members of the gang jokingly refer to themselves as Red hood's merry men.

Red hood has a deep hatred for the Joker and Black mask considers him his primary rival.

Cyan Blue-Siloni: A Gotham grown mob, that consists of many different families that merged to become a singular mob.

Indigo-Moronei: Major rivals to the Falconies, they also got mostly destroyed in the same incident that destroyed their rival gang, but there where people to pick up the pieces

Gold-Cosa Nosta: a collection of families mobs originating from Sicily

Grey-Falconies: in the early 1940s the family was nearly destroyed following a series of incidents.

Dark green-Thorn: American Gangsters.

Colbalt blue-Penguin: Took their name after the moniker used by a professor at Gotham university. Rose to prominence in the 1920s during probation as the main go too if you wanted to set up a speak easy. under the leadership of Ms. Ollie "the penguin" Cobb. the gang was nearly taken over by the falcons in the 30s but after the destruction of the original falcon famaly managed to establish themselves. even operate as a half legitimate business a good portion of the time.

Orange-Lucky hare: collective term for the Irish mobs such as the Rileys, Sullivans, and so on.

Maroon-Black Mask: Run by the ambitious warlock Roman Sions Aka Black Mask. dominating he aria of the Bowery, He and the Red hood have a very violent Rivalry. He covet's Red hood's "red burial shroud." and territory. The black mask gang has ties to both the older sionis mob and the false face society.

yellow-Maxia: the gang Run by Maxie Zeus and the twelve olympians. the gang was founded by Greek immigrant Maxine Seuss. former Archeologist who went a bit mad after the death of her husband and daughter. she immigrated to the United States in 1922, after her American husband's death. her son Maximilian took over after his mother.

pale pink-Yakuza: are what they say on the Tin, operate both in Gotham and in Bludhaven.

purple-Scareface: one of the old Gaurd of street gangs. Is headed by “scareface” and his Vantriliquist. Scareface is a man who was opporating in Gotham back in the 1890s and 1910s but was hung by the place that later became Blackgate Penitentiary. He was also the man who ordered the death of Cyrus Gold and the subsiquent dumping of his body in Slaughter swamp.

brown-whispers: the collective name used for the Russian and Ukrainian mobs in the area. They operate partly out of the old subway tunnels. Mainly consists of the Ibansscas and Odessa gangs but there are others referred to by the collective term.

jade green-Evening Dragons: collective term for a good deal of gangs and organizations that have East Asian origins or influences.

this includes the East side dragons, Ghost Dragons, Golden dragons (might see where the name came from) the Lucky Hand Triad, Hanoi tan.

sky blue-Whites: A merger of the Black gaters gang and the Gangs run by Warren White "the shark".

pink-Other: a bunch of smaller gangs, gangs that are not organized or seen as being one of the largest players. gangs that are less well established or gangs that are extremely local to a certain neighborhood.

Intergang (metropolis baisses), street Demonz (local biker gang), the Mutants, sprang bridge soldiers, Burntly Town Massive, Decons, Escabedo Cartel, The stonewall Drug lords, Pealuan cartel, Skevers, Moon, and para military groups like Bane's and TYGER. and on rare occasions when Two-Face's Gang on the periodical basis that they become an issue.

Cults of Gotham:

I'll probably make some other post on a more in-depth chat about the cults of Gotham, the Occult comunity, and how they interact with the gangs, elite and citizens of Gotham. but that's not this post. here's a quick overview.

-Cult of Ghul: its leaders were destroyed in 1920. prior to this they had a lot of influence in Gotham as the guardians of the Lazarus pits that exist below the city. after the 1920s they lost most of thir influence, they still ave plenty of influence in other parts of the world with the surviving al ghul daughter.

-Court of Owls: been around forever want "what's best for Gotham" at least what they think is best, after the dismantling of the Cult of Ghul took over as the head honchos in the city.

-Baset's cats: Catwoman runs this cult, its a sect that broke off from a cult in New Orleans.

-Court of the yellow sign: They're a problem, and looking to make themselves everyones problem. very popular among the elite as it is a lot about pleasure and indulgence, and theatrics. work often and closely with the cult courts and the wounderlanders.

-She who Breaths: has a few other names, but is primairly a fertility and prosperity cult dedicated to Shub Niggurath and simular entities. they have a close and cordial relationship to the Green lady and is well respected among the Gotham and surrounding areas cults.

-Court of winter: the local fairy court.

-False face society: have a lot of pull and sway in the criminal underworld. also deal with the fay and vampire population of Gotham.

-Rail hoppers: A strange and loosely organized secret society whose worship revolves around the public transit system... people aren't really certain what thier deal is. but they're normally harmless.

-Pain: pain anyone? sort of your typical demon worshipers.

-Dead's Dawn Society: they have some weird beliefs around necromancy. the bats and birds is a decisive topic.

-Clown posse: people who believe that they can somehow appease the Entity known as the Joker. its a bit more complicated than that.

-Green Lady: Worshipers of the green.

-Bat and Bird watchers: one of the most yet least organized cults on the list. they aren't always considered a cult by the other cults in Gotham and has many facets to them. the

-Torch bearers: worshipers of Yeb and Nug. more so Nug than Yeb.

-Mad Society: AKA the brotherhood, a section of Gotham vampires worship here and seek to bring about the end of humanity and have vampires rule the world. or something along those lines.

also might want to create an army of werewolf women. this causes issues with the wounderlanders.

-wonder landers: in reality encompasses a great number of smaller cults who are all associated with the dreamland and dreamland deities in some way or another. but the main part style themselves after the book Alice in wonderland, the Avatar of the Elder God Hypnos. the current Batwoman's sister is a member.

-Triad: worshipers of the Earth Gods Lobon, Zo-Kalar and Tamash.

-Court of Dagon: Mostly dock workers and Deep ones who worship Dagon and Mother hydra.

-Court of truth: primarily worshipers of Aletheia, have some loose connections to the order of Saint Dumas.

-Court of stone: a group who seeks the caves of Solomon. spend a lot of time spelunking in the tunnels and cave systems of Gotham.

Stops on the Railway system.

H. Red Line: Redwall, Avalon hill, bludhaven port, the spine, old station, Melville station, Drawbridge station, Mealtide park, span bridge station, Gotham university, Cemetery hill, city council, Gold Gotham station.

8. Sea Line: Arkham, Arkham bridge park, Eastside, dockside, old city hall, memorial park, old Gotham, city council, Cemetery hill, Southside, span bridge station, lainly point station, Mealtide park, train yard.

0. Silver line: Steel st, Wayne Central, clock tower, city hall, central library, Roman st. Ottisburg, Park row, old Gotham

J. Tree line: Ash st. Oak st. clock tower. chinatown, Alder st. park row, Lemur park, spring st. cherry lane. Robinson park, Ottisburg, Roman st. Old Town

K. Central line: Wane central, clocktower, Penguin station, Millers Harbor, china town, old town.

9. the Loop: Wayne Central, Owl station, Burnley, Penguins station, Elliot Center, Precinct station, justice station,

A. Amusement line:Airport terminal, Kane street, Riverside, stadium, blackgate, Sheldon park, city hall, clock tower, Wayne central.

(some stations are not yet named, especially on the silver line, central line and tree line.)

the city also has an extensive Bus and Tram system, but if I drew that I may actually go crazy and try to bite someone's head off.

(stuffs mislabeled slightly on this map below but its accurate enough)

Parks

Robinson park- a park just outside of park row. its said to be the domain of some strange being known as poison ivy.

Memorial park-houses the 1920s fire memorial.

Wayne park- between North City park and Southside park. its located in the Financial district.

Sheldon park- the park next to the amusement mile. it could use some clean up, but is popular with teens and explores as it allows for an easy access to the cave systems of Gotham.

Southside park- houses the Gotham City zoo. and just outside of the flood area of the Cauldron.

North city Park- near the Gotham central hospital.

Lemmars park- in the cherry hills district. it was converted from the old Lemmars and other farm lands when the city expanded.

Arkham bridge Park- a rather large and wild park that takes up much of the eastern coast of Old Gotham Island.

Anders park- a small park south of Robinson park. its well known for cult activity.

I'll figure out the bridge situation some other time, just know that for this Span Bridge is the one that connects Bludhaven to Gotham.

Districts.

1.Bristol- Island home to Gotham's Elite and Wealthy. the entire island essentially acts like a gated community. there is no metro trains to Bristol but there are a handful of bus stops. home to Gotham Academy a prestigious K-12 private school. Wayne manor and Drake manor are both located in Bristol.

2. Old Gotham- Mostly destroyed in the 1920s fire. the revitalization and rebuilding of the district left it with a very Art deco look.

home to the city council, the old city hall, and the Old Library.

3. Downtown-Built in a gothic revival style as an honor to the cities name and legacy. its history has been shifting with its demographic for years. still a rather populated and well lived in neighborhood, even if some businesses have moved to the financial district.

on the other side of the water to the area known as the Cauldron

4. Arkham City- Relatively unpopulated compared to other other parts of the city. is notable for its unique Victorian Gothic revival architecture. a lot of the structures are original to the area as Arkam Island survived relatively unscaved from the 1920s fire and the earthquake in the 1950s. the more populated parts of the island are heavily crowded and home to the failed "ark project" and the failed "wounder city." the most famous feature of this district is located on a small island just off the coast of the larger Arkham Island, and that is the infamous Arkham Asylum.

north of Arkham island are three islands of Founders, Bleake, Miagani Islands.

5. Docks- the main Port and Docking Area of Gotham. there are a lot of warehouses and industrial buildings in this area. also home to plenty of famous food stands and hole in the wall places like Mama Mathew's shrimp, as well as a good assortment of Bars and Dives, such as Sandyhood, Noonan's and Siren's whale (favorite bar of the Gotham City sirens).

the docks also hosts the Empty water tower that has Become one of Omen's Roosts. (note: Omen is Red Robin)

6. Parkrow- More well known as Crime Ally. once a prosperous neighberhood, it survived both the 20s fire and the 50's earthquake and fallout of both incidents. in the 80s, some of the area was redeveloped into "projects", though crime had already been on an upward spike since the 30s. some classic revival buildings survive from the cities heyday.

the old courthouse that hadn't been in use since 1903 was in this district as well as the famous monarch theater. and Leslie's Clinic.

the district has the cheapest renting all of Gotham but also a huge homeless population.

home to the Oldman building, the abandoned fire station, and is well known to be the haunt of the Red hood and the strange spirit known as the red wraith.

park row has its own community culture. you are likely to get stabbed.

7. Narrows- A narrow strip of land between the South (old Gotham) and North (new Gotham) islands. it is densely packed with buildings that frankly are not up to code. its just as densely packed with people. people make the best of the situation they find themselves in.second cheapest rent in the city, largely lawless.

jacks junkyard is a bit of lifeline in the area.

8. China Town- this districts architecture and open-air markets are what the it is famous for. Alongside its colorful nightlife (and we aren't talking bats!) Traditionaly played host to the cities east Asian immigrant communities. some parts of the districts are known as Korea-town or little Japan, there is also the statue street, that traditionally housed a lot of immigrants from India. the district is well known for having its own spin on the cities beloved gargoyles.

9. Little Italy- little Italy and the surrounding areas play host to many immigrant communities from the 1830s to 1950s. it rebuilt stronger and better both after the 1920s fire and the 1950s earthquake.

home to Maroni's pizzeria, leaty tile bar and the falcon statue.

10. Bay Ridge- another mainland district on the east side of the river.

11. Dimond District- the crystal, and glass facade that covers up much of the corruption of the city.

a popular district with locals and tourists both.

houses the main precinct of the GCPD, the County court house

12. Fashion district- An extension of the Dimond district but houses many more shop and places of entertainment. it's known for its 1950s futuristic appearance as it had to be rebuilt after the 1950s earthquake. has few fewer gargoyles compared to the rest of Gotham. relies on a series of flood dykes to keep from flooding. less prone to flooding compared to the poorer district of Coventry.

part of the area known as the cauldron.

13. Burnly-a large district that is a mix of residential, financial and industrial. it's a safeish neighborhood. though there's plenty of issues, but if you follow common sense rules for Gothem you should be fine... probably. its not as safe as some of the rich neighborhoods, or the mainland neighborhoods.

Gotham cathedral is in burnley, the watchtower is at the edge of the district.

14. Coventry- home to the Central library, the Elliot center, Iceberg lounge and millers harbor.

Millers harbor was created by the use of floodwalls and dykes in order to drain portions of the once marshy land and create a new part of gottam city. as a result most of millers harbor and coventry sits below sea level and is prone to flooding.

part of the area known as the cauldron.

15. City hall district- has a lot of crossover with the financial district and Dimond district. City hall, Gold hotel, National history museum are all located in this district.

16. Financial district- home to office buildings of most of Gothams companies. including the influencial Wayne industry. there are also several upscale apartment buildings in the area. Wayne tower is located here and the cities Subway system has its central station

the historic clock tower is towards the edge of the district.

17. Tricorner- a handful of small neighborhoods but the island is less populated, there is several industrial areas here, such as Kane industry having their plant in the area. Fort Damas is located on this island. its an inactive fort, and is now a historical site.

18. Newtown- a residential neighborhood with classic brick houses, different areas of knew town have different and rather recognizable styles.

19. Cherry hills- once upon the time used to be orchards. though there was space city earlier, the area was built up a lot on the 1970s. it is a pleasant area famous for the flooring trees that are in the area some still around from when the area was farmland. its also a testament to the fact that Gargoyles never go out of style in Gotham, even when the city dose brutalism. its a popular place especially during in spring. Bech tower is located in cherry hills.

20. the Bowery- the third cheapest place to live in in Gotham. the Bowery suffers a lot from the same issues that its neighboring district the Narrows and Park Row. Most buildings in the Bowery are Brick or stone. Gargoyles are quite popular here.

Black mask dominates the streets. Sal's Dinner and Hogan's ally Bar.

21. Upper Gotham-part of West Gotham

22. Lower gotham-part of West Gotham

23. Robbinsville-East side of Gotham river.

24. Lesser Gotham- the largest district on the new Jersey main land. it's practically its own city and was built up during the 1950s. its got its own police precinct (I feel like that's the wrong word) hospital, fire station and schools. probably one of the safer places to live in Gotham, but its still Gotham. people who move into Gotham from outside and can afford it tend to move here. largest issue is that

25. Gotham town- facing The Atlantic Ocean, its a relatively industrial area housing Star labs, Orion chem, Cobolpot steal and one branch of Wayne enterprise.

26. Ottisburg- A quite popular neighborhood, fox tech is located here.

27. Gotham Achors-located on the east bank of the River. A good deal of bridges that go into Gotham proper are here.

28. Midtown- part of West Gotham. location of Gotham general hospital.

29. Gotham village- part of the suburbs of Gotham, located in the west bank of Gotham River (seriously that's what it's called?) the Gotham Aquarium is found here.

30. East side- connected to the down town area, east side is a nebulous region that includes districts like the docks, millers harbor and down town.

31. South side- relatively industrial area. in recent years has seen revitalization in the form of parks and green spaces. relatively considered a tourist attraction as people from bludhaven will actually visit the area. its water front is relatively clean, and its proximity to Gotham university means that entertainment venues get a good deal of traffic.

the ferries to Gold Island and metropolis leave from that area.

gold island hosts the "statue of lady justice" that stands at the entrance to Gotham Bay.

within south side is the rust district. its still largely industrial and

32. Amusment Mile- Createdwith the intention of it being a boardwalk, it has several venues and pairs that fulfill the purpose. it is mostly safe during daylight hours, but should be avoided by anyone who's not looking to risk thier life at dawn or dusk, and especially it is ill advised to go there at night unless accompanied by a member of the clown posse, even then... the chance is high of encountering a certain clown prince of crime and his carnival of fools.

33. Harthrow Docks- part of East Gotham. A private docking area. was rebuilt in the 1920s. unlike millers harbor in coventry its a natural harbor.

((Also I welcome suggestions and idea on the "personality" of the different districts and locations that exist there and what the places look like.))

A huge thank you to @downtherabbittrail and @theredhoodedcryptid.

the red hooded cryptid gave suggestions on maps to use as resources.

I recommend checking out her cryptid batfam fic its quite nice.

meanwhile I stole (got permission from) Downtherabbittrail to use a lot of the street names they invented for one of their fics.

other street names are scavenged from other sources (cannons or cannons) as well as me just making stuff up.

Here are several closeups of the parts of the maps. Still illegible but it is what it is.

Here is a close up of bludhaven. It’s a lot more accurate to the maps I found online. especially compared to the maps I used for Gotham.

Things to know about bludhaven.

It’s the sister city to Gotham and is on the other side of Gotham Bay.

Bludhaven was founded as a port for whalers. It never saw as large success as its sister city. As the city of Gotham is practically a city state in some regards. The city of bludhaven survived in part thanks to its close relation with Gotham and its businesses.

As well as seeing a steady stream of crime in its waters since the very early days of the settlements existence. The Span bridge crossing over into bludhaven ascos the Gotham straight was built in 1878.

the overall architecture of the city is more modern, but a lot of Americana style brick houses and apartments are around.

Bludhaven districts- I can tell you less about these, as I'm having harder time finding info, might have something with bludhaven blowing up in cannon at some point?

Centeral business district- is what it says on the tin. houses both bludhaven's main hospital and the BHPD (bludhaven police department.)

2. Melville-the older parts of Bludhaven and Bailey's church. (had a goat named Bailey once, my uncle named her because she stared at him the same way his at the time GF did.)

Melville is also the place where Nightwing's apartment and Roost is.

3. Caernarvon- a more inland portion and houses a great deal of industrial areas as well as many places of worship.

4. LAnely- the peninsula its mainly a residential area

The Spine: is what Bludhaven has instead of a Main Street. It is the largest street in Bludhaven and Acts much like a Strip. with clubs, restaurants, hotels and other establishments. it has a reputation but most of the businesses are legitimate during daylight hours. some business or another is open on the Spine 24 hours of the day. the spine goes right along an industrial area of the Bludhaven port and officially ends just before Avalon Hill

The largest crime boss In Bludhaven was BlockBuster between the years 1989-2007

the largest cults in Bludhaven

-Blood hounds: a local vampire cult. they actually have quite a bit of bad blood with the Mad Society.

-Cormorants: An odd Cult who are the self-proclaimed guardians of Bludhaven. thier opinion on Nightwings presence is a bit split and has caused a schism in the cult.

-night doctors: bad news.

-bird watchers: made a jump over from Gotham when Nightwing moved cities. they also watch the activity of the cormorants

-Rail hoppers: because the Bludhaven Metro and the Gotham Metro connect to each other the Cult of the Rail Hoppers extended their reach with the reach of the public transit.

(There’s a good bit of lacking information online about Bludhaven when I went digging, which is surprising as the city has been in publication since 19, certainly it’s not Gotham that’s been a thing since 19, but still. )

Final note about this map is that it likely will have updates, especially as I get around to writing and growing more confident in my research on the whole thing.

[burins]

eisners 2024 roundup pt 1!

because I collect for graphic novels at the library I technically get to vote in the Eisners. which means that every May I read an ungodly number of comics because try as I'd like to keep up with stuff throughout the year it is impossible!

there was a lot of really good fun stuff I got to read, and also some stuff that made me absolutely furious. please enjoy the fruits of my labor and my very very long spreadsheet.

Best Continuing Series: birds of prey 1-6 (dc, kelly thompson and leonardo basto romero)

if you read my yuri zine piece you might remember that at the end of it I mentioned I hadn't read this yet because I knew that Babs was going to be Batgirl in it. Babs is Batgirl in it, but the series is still really really good. it is exactly what I want out of birds of prey – a really cohesive, fun team comic. also dinah really shines in this! I love the old school take on the art and the almost screen tone edges of the coloring, it gives it a really retro feel. also appreciate the lack, at least so far, of tons of cheesecake. I read the entirety of old birds of prey and I'm done with crotch shots thank youuuu (this is not counting issue 5 which takes a really jarring completely different artistic bent where everyone is drawn like it's 2003 and they're anime waifus. you cannot skip issue 5 for plot reasons but i did grit my teeth through it)

(continued below the cut for saving-your-dash reasons)

honorable mention: shazam 1-6 (dc, mark waid and dan mora)

I have never before cared about a Shazam comic but this was really fun.. it really leans into Billy being a kid with some real big powers and the rapport between him and his foster siblings is delightful. also I'm never going to say no to Dan Mora art

i won't get into my feelings about taylor's nightwing run AGAIN here but i resent that i had to read more of it for the second year in a row. and i especially resent that the fps nightwing issue got a nomination for best single issue.

Best Limited Series: the cull (image, Kelly Thompson and Mattia De Iulis)

another Kelly thompson! this was a cool and interesting story about a group of kids who, after a tragedy, go out to the beach to film one last short film together and discover an alien world. the plotting is sharp and quick and the character stuff hits well. hyperrealistic art isn't always my jam, but I think it does work in this instance. also quite frankly the rest of this category was pretty weak.

honorable mention: superman lost (dc, chris priest and carlo pagulayan)

I loved the start of Superman lost. I thought it was a really fantastic take on Lois and Clark and the inevitable very real difficulties that their relationship would face. I loved how it let Lois be angry and hurt without condemning her which we SO rarely see in a capes comic. and then it almost completely lost me towards the end. I thought the infidelity / pregnancy subplot was both unnecessary and frustrating (and tbh I don't love the only Black-coded character in the comic, even if she does have pink skin, being a secret villain who's trying to keep Clark trapped with her.) it felt like it fizzled and that's a bummer because boy do the first few issues put clark through the grinder.

Best New Series: Phantom Road (image, Jeff Lemire and Gabriel Hernández Walta)

this category was really hard to pick a favorite because it was full of cool shit. phantom road is a familiar narrative if you've listened to Alice isn't dead, from the Long haul truckers to the truck stops that slide into another world, to the body horror other world monsters. I think Alice isn't dead does it better, but I'm excited to see where phantom road goes. in general I really like Jeff lemire's stuff and I think this will be well done, and hernandez walta's art is tautly paneled and slides between uncanny normal into horror perfectly.

honorable mention: black cloak (image, Kelly Thompson and Meredith McClaren)

I love the worldbuilding in black cloak, but I think it's undercut by art that is too cute for the story. everything in McLaren's art is really rounded and feels kind of like a video game world where I'm collecting pets or something, rather than a fairly gritty fantasy murder mystery. still think this is worth a read though!

honorable mention #2: Local Man (image, Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs)

I enjoyed this enough to read the second volume even though it didn't actually come out in the nomination period! the plot on this is great and although I think the trope of down on his luck superhero who has to go back in disgrace to his hometown and solve some mysteries is maybe a little overplayed (the overall plot feels a bit too watchmen lite for me) the way it's done here is interesting to read. also the diegetic comics are delightful, particularly the ones with Inga.

next category: kids 9-12. hey did ya'll know there are some really good middle-grade comics coming out right now! there are some really good middle-grade comics coming out right now. this isn't actually my collection area but too bad.

Buzzing (Samuel Sattin and Rye Hickman)

i'm usually not one for Issue Comics, even ones for kids, but this was such a lovely and sweet story about a kid with OCD who finds friends in his D&D group. the art is lovely and i wish baby me had had access to this!

Mexikid (Pedro Martín)

Mexikid is just a delight from start to finish. funny, poignant, great stuff about family and culture and the experience of going on a very long road trip with your horrible siblings who you love very much. Martín switches between laugh out loud humor and deep emotion with incredible facility. This was my picks for the category, but it was tight!

Saving Sunshine (Saadia Faruqi and Shazleen Khan)

really sweet story about a pair of twins who have to pretend to get along in order to get their phones back and end up remembering that they do, in fact, love each other.

on to the teens!

Best Teen (13-17) Danger and Other Unknown Risks (Ryan North and Erica Henderson)

I like this comic so much that I made my partner read it, and they also loved it. delightful romp of an adventure through a post-apocalyptic world in which magic has replaced all electricity. the Chosen One (and her dog) have to bring certain artifacts back to her uncle in order for him to save the world. or do they? the plot turns on this one are extremely good and the cast of characters is a delight

honorable mention: Frontera (Julio Anta and Jacoby Salcedo)

I think it is extremely good for kids, and for everyone, to read stories about the horrors of the us-mexico border. however the ghost subplot on this one really really lost me.. it felt like it took a lot away from the seriousness of the story instead of heightening it or relieving tension.

Best Humor: How to Love: A Guide to Feelings & Relationships for Everyone (Alex Norris)

I went in fully expecting not to like this at all- I assumed it would be really didactic. but it is actually both extremely funny and very sweet. it is essentially a relationship manual from the "oh no" comics person, with all of the silliness and care that that entails.

honorable mention: The Yakuza’s Bias (Teki Yatsuda, trans. Max Greenway)

what if you were a hard boiled high ranking Yakuza, and your boss's daughter got you into kpop? and you became really inspired by your bias and the way that he tirelessly works towards his dreams? delight of a manga (obvious comparison would be the way of the househusband and this is just as fun.)

Best Anthology: Deep Cuts (Kyle Higgins, Joe Clark, Danilo Beyruth, and others)

this SLAPPED. collection of loosely related comics about jazz and the joys of improvisation and the various indignities of the music industry. the art is great from comic to comic, the colors are so tasty, and this made me really emotional about collective artistic endeavor. it's good to have a jam session, and this is the comics equivalent of one.

honorable mention: The Out Side: Trans & Nonbinary Comics (ed. The Kao, Min Christensen, and David Daneman)

i'm generally pretty hit or miss on anthologies (the nature is such that there's gonna be someone in there i really dislike) but this one was actually quite lovely and the art was great. a good variety of stories and takes and a lot of nonbinary artists :)

DIShonorable mention: Comics for Ukraine (ed. Scott Dunbier)

i could have lived my whole life without seeing an Astro City take on the invasion of Ukraine. i wish this had been good! there was one single story in here that didn't make me want to go, head in my hands, hey maybe american comics writers are not like, best positioned to write about what it's like to have your country invaded! i just think. superhero comics are not always the best medium with which to tackle every issue. and that is okay! (the story, "talking to a hill," was also one of the few non-tie-in stories in the anthology and one of the few that actually like. told a ukrainian story rather than a weak allegory.)

Best Nonfiction: Last on His Feet: Jack Johnson and the Battle of the Century (Adrian Matejka and Youssef Daoudi)

woof this is a killer. incredible art incredible writing incredibly nuanced take on a pretty difficult figure, famous Black boxer Jack Johnson, that does not pull any punches in its treatment of either the virulent racism he faced or his treatment of his wife. honestly probably my favorite book of the whole collection.

okay my arm is crapping out so I'll round up the rest (adaptation, international, album, academic, strips, and a few good things I read for best writer and artist) later!

[akariuta311101]

C-Compsognathus

1. Time Period: Compsognathus lived during the late Jurassic period, approximately 150 million years ago.

2. Size and Weight: Compsognathus was a small theropod dinosaur, reaching about 1 meter (3.3 feet) in length and weighing around 3 kilograms (6.6 pounds).

3. Physical Characteristics: It had a slender body with a long, flexible tail and strong hind legs, indicating it was a fast runner. Its head was relatively large for its body, equipped with sharp, small teeth suitable for catching prey.

4. Diet: As a carnivore, Compsognathus primarily fed on small vertebrates, including lizards and possibly insects. Fossils have been found with remains of small lizards in their stomachs.

5. Fossils: The first fossils of Compsognathus were discovered in the Solnhofen limestone of Germany in the 1850s. A more complete specimen was later found in France, providing a comprehensive look at its anatomy.

6. Hunting Behavior: Compsognathus was likely an agile predator, using its speed and dexterity to catch small prey. Its sharp teeth and claws were well-suited for gripping and tearing.

7. Paleobiology: Studies of Compsognathus fossils have given insights into its growth, locomotion, and predatory strategies. It is considered one of the best-known small theropods, providing a clearer picture of the diversity within this group.

8. Significance: Compsognathus holds an important place in paleontology as one of the first nearly complete dinosaur skeletons discovered, which greatly advanced the understanding of dinosaur biology and evolution.

9. Distribution: Fossil evidence suggests Compsognathus inhabited regions that are now Europe, specifically areas with a warm, semi-arid climate during the late Jurassic period.

10. Feathers and Relation to Birds: While no direct evidence of feathers has been found on Compsognathus fossils, its close relatives, like Sinosauropteryx, had simple feathers, suggesting that Compsognathus might have had primitive feathering as well.

11. Cultural Impact: Compsognathus has been popularized in various media, including films like “Jurassic Park: The Lost World,” where it was depicted as a small but agile and dangerous predator, capturing the public’s imagination.

[twosentencereviews]

Joker 2 will (probably) also be bad

I've gone on record saying Joker (2019) was a badly-conceived film, with ideas that are, at best, inconsistent and muddled.

And now they're making another one. With Lady Gaga as Harley Quinn. Maybe it will be better this time?

...no, probably not. Let me break it down.

So, the entire design philosophy of Joker (2019) from writer/director Todd Phillips was, quote, "we're gonna sneak in a real movie in the guise of a comic book movie". That is, Phillips wanted to make Taxi Driver...but he's only a talented enough filmmaker to make The Hangover at best, and The Hangover Part III at worst, and so Warner Bros only trusted him with an IP that was guaranteed to succeed regardless of quality.

This sucks on two levels. If we judge Joker as a "real film"...it fails utterly, because it's using the visual language of the 1970s to whine about 21st century woes, and even then doesn't have anything to say. The "failed standup act goes viral" plot beat doesn't fit with the media landscape of the 1970s, while the clown rioters echo the "eat the rich, defund the police" sentiment that was brewing in 2019 and would explode with George Floyd's murder in 2020. These things are included because Phillips is the kind of jerk who complains about "woke culture" on Twitter. The only reason Phillips sets the film in the 1970s...is because he's cheating off Scorsese's homework.

But if we judge Joker as a comic book movie, it also sucks, because it completely fails to live up to what makes The Joker so fascinating. See, The Joker is a Batman villain; a standout antagonist against the rogues gallery. You cannot understand The Joker except as a literary foil, as a dark reflection of the Dark Knight. Batman is a solemn, incorruptible force for justice. The Joker is a manic, incorruptible force of destruction. While many of Batman's villains are sympathetic (e.g. Mr Freeze), and others are garden-variety thugs with powers (e.g. Clayface), The Joker is pure. He cannot be reasoned with or negotiated with, he has no agenda beyond causing mayhem, and he has no better nature to appeal to. That charisma, that certainty of purpose, is what makes the Joker such a fun villain. Phillips throws all of that in the garbage--Arthur Fleck is weak-willed, cowardly, and just needs a friend.

And now, in Folie a deux...he's getting one, in the form of Gaga's Harley Quinn.

Now, Harley Quinn is different from the Joker. Harley was introduced in Batman: the Animated Series, voiced by Arleen Sorkin, as a counterpart to Mark Hamill's Joker. Her origin story is that she was Dr. Harlene Quinzel, a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, who tried to fix The Joker...only to be pulled in by his madness, taking a new name, costume, and falling head-over-heels for "Mista J", her "puddin'".

This is interesting because while The Joker only really makes sense as a Batman antagonist, Harley only really makes sense in the context of the Joker. Harley's story is one of domestic abuse; she is The Joker's greatest victim, and yet his staunchest ally. She sometimes realizes this and tries to get away, but can't escape his manipulative gravity. This obsessive love, however, is not returned; The Joker's soulmate is Batman, the yin to his yang, his equal and opposite. Nowhere is this more clear than in the iconic Mad Love, where Harley almost kills Batman as a gift to her puddin', only for The Joker to furiously lash out in a "no one kills Batman but me" kind of way.

So while the Joker is fun because he's so unsympathetic, Harley is fun because she is sympathetic. The Joker is fully evil, but Harley is only evil because of her exposure to The Joker; without him in the picture, she's just a manic antihero.

And that's exactly what's happened to her character over time; fan and authorial desire to see Harley achieve independence and escape the cycle of abuse led directly to her more modern portrayals, such as Margot Robbie in Suicide Squad (2016), Birds of Prey, and The Suicide Squad (2021). But even then, she was introduced in Suicide Squad against Jared Leto's Joker, and the start of Birds of Prey is her mourning her breakup with him. Her animated series starts the same way, seeking autonomy and an independent self-identity.

Folie a deux...isn't going to be doing that. It can't. It doesn't work with Arthur Fleck. The whole point of Joker (2019) is that Arthur Fleck is a loser, he's a failed nobody, he is the dregs of society that everyone ignores. His sexual frustration and loneliness form the basis of a major (and idiotic) plot beat with Zazie Beetz. He is a million miles from the "charismaniac" of Hamill or Ledger--there is zero possibility that he could "infect" a brilliant psychiatrist.

To his credit, Phillips realizes this, and is taking a different angle. From the trailer, it looks like Gaga's Harley is going to be a fellow Arkham resident, and she's going to be the one who initiates flirtation with Arthur, in a sort of "love letter to a serial killer" kind of admiration. The trailer leans heavily on the refrain of "what the world needs now is love, sweet love", and overall seems to be framing itself as an honest-to-god romance. Instead of the Joker/Harley relationship being abuser/victim, it looks instead to be toxic enabling, where Harley encourages Arthur to embrace his worst, most destructive instincts.

And...that's probably going to be framed as a good thing. See, if Folie a deux is going to be a romance, then plot constraints demand that there needs to be an obstacle dividing the lovers and preventing their happy union. What obstacle could exist between Arthur and Harley? Why, the entire legal system, of course--we see in the teaser multiple shots of them going up courthouse steps. It's likely that the pair fall in love in Arkham, escape ("let's get out of here", Harley says), are recaptured, and then have to defend themselves in court. This might have a "happy ending" where they win and leave together, affirming that enabling a violent criminal is a good thing. Or it might have a "sad ending" where the court outcome separates them, affirming Arthur's nihilism and anger at a system he perceives as unjust only when it inconveniences him. Either way, Harley is going to be framed as good for Arthur, making him better while making him worse.

Could this be done well? Maybe. It's certainly possible. Canon is already so broken that it's no longer a limitation. A talented director might realize the moral complexity in the relationship between two violent, mentally unstable murderers. One could frame the entire thing as a tragedy, where "boy gets girl back again" is shown to be disastrous (as in The Graduate). Or, it could even be something of an inversion of the more canonical Joker/Harley romance; instead of Harley realizing that she's better off without Mista J, it might be Arthur realizing he is better off without Harley.

But it almost certainly won't be any of that. Because Phillips thinks that Arthur Fleck is relatable. He thinks he's a martyr, a victim of targeted injustice, a doomed hero refusing to bow to societal norms. But he isn't. Arthur Fleck is an entitled white boy who simultaneously sees his suffering as a systemic failing, while also refusing to see how the system harms others, and refusing to see how his own choices make things worse for everyone. Arthur Fleck is an embodiment of denied privilege, where cishet white men expect to be lavished with unearned success, and are butthurt when they don't get it.

And above all, the thing that media has always told men is that a manic pixie dream girl is going to find you and fall madly in love with you despite your obvious failings. That is the heterosexual male romantic fantasy; love without effort, acceptance without labor, companionship without obligation. Todd Phillips might play this straight. Or he might set this up for Arthur, only to deny it as an act of authorial cruelty. But the first film demonstrates that he lacks the self-awareness necessary to actually deconstruct it, to criticize the expectation itself.

So no. I don't think Folie a deux will be better than its prequel. Because for Todd Phillips to make a better movie, he'd have to be a better person. And he's not.

[shaymcsudonim]

Fuck it

Rambling Essay on Sir Pentious and Alastor as Narrative Foils 

Okay so, as a Christian myself, I like to apply the Jack Saint Test when analyzing stories about heaven, hell, and the afterlife. 

The original version of Mr. Saint’s test goes thus: whenever a story involves talking animals, it is either a story about animals, a thinly veiled story about humans, or a work that sends mixed messages and muddies its metaphors.  

For example, Shark Tale is a story about people. If all the characters were replaced with humans, the story would still make sense, as an odd couple buddy film about lying to the mafia (possibly a cannibal mafia, but I’ve seen weirder).  

Whereas something like Bambi would be difficult to transpose onto humans without a number of questions being raised. Such as why a hunter is killing a human mother, why the kid matures to an adult over the course of a single year, etc.  

And I’d say that the Land Before Time movies sent mixed messages and confused the hell out of me as a child. Anything where both the predators and prey were sapient and morally neutral freaked me out, tbh. 

Anyway, the religious version of the Jack Saint Test would be phrased thus: stories which involve heaven, hell, and the afterlife are either stories about Religion, stories about Morality, or stories using a particular Aesthetic. 

The Chronicles of Narnia are stories about Religion, specifically Christianity, complete with Lion Jesus and Bird Satan. Even if C.S. Lewis was using allegory, he was trying to convey information that was true in his worldview. 

The Good Place is a story about Morality. It doesn’t care in the slightest about what the afterlife might actually look like, or even if one exists. It merely uses the framework as a method for taking the audience along for a philosophic ride about the true nature of good and evil. 

Mairimashita! Iruma Kun is a story which uses religion as an aesthetic. It uses hell as a backdrop for an isekai story about making a found family out of demons. Superb, 10/10 would cry again. Not much to do with real-world religion, but it has some interesting notes on xeno-psychology, specifically on how morality might develop in sapient extremophiles.  

Hazbin Hotel straddles the line between Aesthetics and Morality. Specifically about judgment, punishment, and redemption, taking place in heaven and hell as conceived by pop culture. 

So yeah, St Peter as a blond white guy, demons being able to buy and sell souls like in Faust, or redemption being something possible to earn—none of those bother me, because this is clearly a story about the way that humans judge other humans in our mortal lives. It’s a modern myth, and a character-driven one at that. 

That being said, I am certainly grateful that they seem to be taking the veggietales route, and are trying to avoid depicting Furry Jesus, or God the Furry. It is an interesting detail that though ‘God’ and ‘Jesus Christ’ are used as expletives in-universe, Charlie mentions neither in her opening monologue in episode 1, she even avoids mentioning God by saying that the angels worship ‘good.’ 

Honestly, there might not be a God in this universe, and that would be a fascinating choice from a worldbuilding perspective. Although they might simply be going with the ‘clockwork creator’ route, since the angels were the ones who created Adam, Eve, and Lillith. 

Jesus not being mentioned in a story about redemption is kind of weird. Obviously, Charlie is the Christ-figure of the story. Or Anti-Christ figure as the case may be. But if the crucifixion happened, why is forgiveness a foreign concept to the angels? If it didn’t, why is ‘Jesus Christ’ a swear in universe? Is it a myth? A plot hole? 

As I said, the Doylist explanation is very obviously that they’re trying to avoid stirring up too much controversy (in the first season, at least). But considering the Watsonian one is a fascinating thought exercise. (“In 10,000 years you’re the first to change this town”? If there was a resurrection, it did nothing to change hell? I will just throw that thought into the corner and ignore it). 

Anyway, moving on from what the story didn’t say, what it did have to say is fascinating. 

Other people have already pointed out that comparing Hazbin Hotel to Helluva Boss, the Sinners seem to sink deeper into evil than the Hellborn, comparing Rosie to Beelzebub, Valentino to Asmodeus, and Alastor to Lucifer. 

And yeah, that’s a fair point. The angels and demons mostly just seem to be Normal Guys, doing their best. They have the expectation of living possibly forever unless killed, so they seem to place a greater value on stability of personality (most of them, at least). Whereas many of the humans died at the rock bottom of a self-destructive spiral and then continued to dig themselves deeper as demons. 

But the two characters I find most fascinating to compare are Alastor and Sir Pentious. I was not expecting those two to be foils, and was delighted at the contrast. 

I’m Ace myself, and I’m very used to the less ‘fuckable’ characters getting shoved into ‘redemption equals death,’ so I was feeling pretty cynical when Pentious’ ship got vaporized. Especially when Alastor had already survived.  

And then I thought, ‘wait, there was no narrative need for both of them to face death going up against Adam, not unless the story was making a point about it.’  

And then I started noticing more similarities. 

Even in the pilot, the two of them clashed, with Alastor considering Sir Pentious to be beneath his notice until the other demon ripped his coat. 

In terms of similarities, both are ambitious, with Alastor desiring power and freedom, and Pentious longing for recognition and accomplishment.  

Both make deals in pursuit of power. Alastor gathering the souls of those with less power than he has, and Pentious spying for Vox and building war machines for conquest. 

Their strengths and weaknesses, however, are different. Alastor is cold and competent, but allergic to trust and sincerity. Pentious is creative and sincere, though hot-blooded and pompous. 

Now, the series is far from over, but in the first season at least, it was humility that saved Pentious and pride that damned Alastor. 

Pentious is a buffoon. He’s not charismatic, at least not at first, but he’s not afraid to put his whole heart into anything he’s doing. He fails as a spy, fails as a paramour, fails as a hero. But he didn’t fail as a friend. 

 Alastor succeeds at infiltrating the Hotel and gaining Charlie’s regard, as well as a very literal favor from Hell’s Princess. He succeeds as an overlord. He succeeds in surviving his fight with Adam. 

But he failed to redeem himself. 

Now, don’t get me wrong, “I acknowledge that you are my friends, but I won’t die for you,” is huge progress. If Alastor didn’t want to be redeemed, he should have killed Charlie before she adopted him. She will never give up on him now, and Alastor is already as good as doomed.  

...saved, I meant saved.  

Ahem. 

But—see, here’s the thing. 

Alastor was so CLOSE. 

Alastor the manipulator, the dealmaker, hedged his bets and took steps towards obtaining what he wants more than anything else right now: freedom and power. That’s what all his scheming and plotting is aiming for.  

But he’s only working towards it. He doesn’t have anything to show for it yet. 

Sir Pentious, pure of heart, dumb of ass, gave his life for his friends, the ultimate act of love. (“Greater love hath no man than this: that he give up his life for his friends.”) 

And do you know what Sir Pentious has now? 

Power and Freedom.  

He’s quite possibly a Seraph, so he might even be third in heaven’s hierarchy? Certainly, Emily was thrilled to meet him, and the more sincere heaven-born and the heaven-bound humans will no doubt flock to support him in any efforts he makes to save his friends. 

(I wouldn’t be shocked if the egg boys have been spawning as stupid but well-intentioned cherubs for years now, so he might very well have friends already. If nothing else, I’m hoping that Dazzle makes it to heaven.) 

It’s just, after I had already separated this story from Christianity in my head, it hits me with a quite literal version of, “He who seeks to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.” (Not that Pentious literally died for Jesus, but “whatever you have done for the least of these, you have done for me.” Emotionally, it resonates the same.) 

So yeah, Hazbin Hotel sometimes blends Aesthetic, Morality, and Religion, somewhat muddying the metaphorical water in the process. 

But mostly, it’s still a character-driven myth. 

And I’m looking forward to season 2. 

[sjbattleangel]

"As a casual comic book fan, I really enjoy the MCU." This website:

"Dan Slott's Spider-Man run was fantastic, fun romp reminiscent of the character's Silver-Age years." This website:

"I really love Tom Taylor's run on Nightwing and Superman: Son Of Kal-El." This website:

"Look, I get that Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV wanted to bring the character of Cass Cain as created by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott but, thanks to editorial, they were forced to give her a completely new backstory, a new alias and she no longer had the ability to predict her opponents moves. Still, Batman & Robin Eternal was a great series; the Joker War one-shot The Symbol was an awesome return to form for the Batgirls; The Batgirls series was really fun; I'm looking forward to the rest of her adventures with the Birds Of Prey." This website:

"I love Tom King's work on Mister Miracle, Vision and Wonder Woman." This website:

"I really enjoy the works of Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron, Donny Cates and Jonathan Hickman." This website:

"Jeremy Whitley, G. Willow Wilson and Mariko Tamaki are some of my favourite authors working in comics right now." This website:

"Joshua Williamson is one of my new favourite working in comics. He absolutely knows his stuff and it's great that he's the new architect of the DC Comic Universe." This website:

"Grant Morrison is one of my favourite comic authors." This website:

"The Last Of Us Part II is a freaking masterpiece." This website (and the entire internet):

"I get that it has a horrible fanbase but I still love Rick & Morty." This website (and the entire internet):

"I get that it's not as epic or glorious ATLA and each season was rushed due studio interference and the creators uncertainty of the series containing, The Legend Of Korra is still a fantastic series with great writing." This website (and the entire internet):

"Star Vs. The Forces Of Evil is still a great series regardless of the controversial final season." This website (and the entire internet):

"I know Vivziepop was a member of the 4Chan boards as a teenager and art student, I'm well-aware that she might be control-freak, slave-driver but I still enjoy Helluva Boss and Hazbin Hotel regardless." This website:

"The Last Jedi is the best Star Wars film alongside The Empire Strikes Back. Rian Johnson is one of my favourite new filmmakers working today." This website (and the entire internet):

"I love Steven Universe, She-Ra and The Owl House. They are hopepunk masterpieces." This website (and the entire internet):

[angstyandromanticwriting]

Harley Quinn X FemWerewolf!Reader Angsty and Cute Reunion and Experiment Prompt with a hopeful ending

• Occurs after the events of the third film (The Suicide Squad - 2021) + Linked to previous prompts I’ve posted

!TW: Presence of weapons, mention of having a previous near death experience, self-doubt, implied suffering from depression, mention of murder/committing a murder, being held in captivity, mention of previously having an abusive father, injury detail, mention of blood, hint of anxiety + separation anxiety, mention of previously conducting experiments on a subject, mention of death after childbirth, swearing, violent intentions, being administered a death sentence, violence, getting shot, having a wound, stitching!

“So,” Harley began quietly, a pained expression on her face, whilst she was sat outside of your cell, her spear leaning against the wall in the corner, “you’re - you’re back? For - For good this time, right?”

You nodded, and she expressed relief, but wouldn’t dare let her gaze meet your’s; she was trying to hate you, after you’d been so reckless, and almost gotten yourself killed, last year, leaving her alone, again, though she had Cassandra, and the Birds of Prey with her, at the time. Whenever you weren’t with her, she found herself feeling empty, and as if she had nothing, and couldn’t believe, as well, that you’d risked your life for her so recklessly after you’d both previously fought, before the battle with the last of the late Sionis’ goons, and a batch of the Omegas they had decided to team up with. “I promised I would be,” you reminded her, and she nodded slowly, whilst remembering that you had; you’d managed to communicate with her by howling to her after you’d landed in a river, below the cliff edge, “a-and I’ve never.. I’ve never broken any promises I’ve ever made you, right?”

She faltered, glancing up at you, whilst guessing that you knew that she’d briefly been with someone else, whilst you were gone; a man she considered to be a walking red flag, but you didn’t blame her; you never could, believing that she deserved better than you, whilst trying to tell yourself that you were happy she had been searching for someone else, and trying to forget about you. “N-Nugget,” she murmured, her voice briefly trembling, whilst she bowed her head, not daring to meet your searching gaze again; she hated seeing you upset, and as if you’d lost the will to live, like you used to look, before, whilst you were living with your abusive father, “I-”

“No, Quinzels, it-.. it’s fine,” you reassured, “I don’t blame you.. You deserve so much better than me, I know, I.. I’m so sorry-”

“That - That’s not true,” she contradicted, a hurt look on her face, “I love you, Y/n; you’re everything to me, a-and you’re more than good enough for me, I just-.. I don’t know.. It had been - So long, a-and - I didn’t think you were coming back, though you were still howling, before I killed the guy, but then you - you stopped, completely, and.. I thought you were gone, little wolfy; I thought you’d forgotten about me.”

You frowned, managing to bring yourself to look up at her again, though all you wanted to do was break down and cry, feeling as if you had nothing left within you, or anything, but her, to live for. “I could never forget about you,” you replied, your voice close to a whisper, and sounding strained, as well as choked, “I.. I love you, Quinzels, and.. There was never a time when I didn’t find myself thinking about you, l-last year, o-or.. wishing that.. that I could return to you..”

She tilted her head partially, before leaning forward slightly, whilst her eyebrows furrowed a little. “So why didn’t you? Why did you leave me alone for so long, a-and stop howling that night I killed him?” She questioned, desperate to know everything that you’d not told her about, yet, and rightly so; she deserved an explanation, after you’d disappeared the way you had after going over the cliff edge.

You stared down at your trembling, and pale hands, and she frowned when she noticed them, wishing she could hold them in her’s, and try to provide comfort to you; she hated being separated from you, like she was, now, by a row of bars, and locked metal door. “I didn’t show myself to you again before, because-.. I thought.. I thought I would only ruin things again if I did,” you admitted, and she realised, a pained expression on her face whilst she shook her head gravely; she didn’t think you ever could ruin anything, “a-and I stopped howling that night because I thought you were happy; I didn’t stay long enough to hear - hear the gunshot.. But even if I did, I would have felt that it wasn’t you who was in trouble, and because I-.. because I knew then that you were trying to move on from me, I guess I just - gave up, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t trying to protect you from afar, as much as I could, and-”

“You had to show yourself to me again, before that Omega could get to me,” she guessed, and you brought yourself to glance up at her again through glistening eyes, before you nodded, and found yourself getting lost in her stunning icy blue eyes, like you usually did, whenever your eyes were locked with her’s, always in the best way possible, prompting your heart to begin to race at an overwhelming speed, to the point you found yourself struggling to breathe, or almost forgetting how to, at one point. “I’m so sorry, Y/n, I - I didn’t realise you felt that way,” she continued, whilst subconsciously inching closer to the bars of your cell, and you did the same, trying to get closer, but you would be stopped by the chains which were holding you back, prompting you to whine quietly; you just wanted to be close to her again, feeling as if you belonged by her side, and it was painful to be held back from her, when she seemed so close, though the bars of the cell were separating her from you. “B-But - You could never ruin anything for me,” she assured, “and I wasn’t trying to move on from you, that - thing - w-with that guy.. It sorta just - Happened, I guess, a-and like I said before, I didn’t think you were coming back to me, but that doesn’t mean I forgot about you, b-because I spent every waking moment thinking about you; about where you were, a-and about whether you still.. Loved me, o-or.. Or even hated me, after we fought like we did, before you went over the cliff edge with that Omega.”

You shook your head, a couple of stray tears managing to escape your eyes whilst you did, and you soon found yourself beginning to tremble a little, wishing you could get even closer to her, finding the distance between you both next to excruciating, but you found you couldn’t, whimpering whilst you attempted to shuffle even closer, to the point the metal cuffs around your wrists were beginning to cut into your hands a little, but you didn’t care, just wanting to feel her arms around you again, and to know that she truly was there with you; that your mind wasn’t playing a cruel trick on you. “I could - I could never hate you, Quinzels,” you whined, “n-not even when - o-or if you’re holding a gun to my head, b-because I was made for you, and - and I’m happy, existing for you like I am, now; I’m always happy, as long as it’s your name my heart knows, and calls, n-not my own, because I want only to belong to you, n-not myself.. The stone wolf I gave to you, do - do you remember it?”

“Of course I do,” she answered, “I’ve been treasuring it ever since you gave it to me; I love you, Nugget, and - and I could never lose anything you give me. I’ve been keeping it in my room with me, recently, j-just to.. just to prove to myself that you weren’t - that you weren’t just a figment of my imagination, after you stopped howling.”

Your eyes would begin to glint, and she smiled lovingly back at you, glad to see that you appeared to be happier than you were, when she first saw you again, appearing dejected, and as if you had nothing to live for anymore. “You mean you - Still have it, even now? After-.. After that fight we had last year? I thought you’d throw it away, a-and I wouldn’t have blamed you if you did-”

“I could never throw it away,” she interjected gently, pouting a little whilst she did, prompting your heart to skip a beat, “I love you too much to ever do something like that, even if the fight was ten times worse than it was; you’re my soulmate, Y/n - I didn’t realise that, before, but - I’ve known that since I first lost you that day, after the very first time you decided to save my life, and I found out that you were a werewolf - Even then, I knew - It was always you, Nugget, werewolf or not; it could only ever be you. I never felt for him, or Mr. J, what I’ve felt, and still feel for you - I realise that, now; I love you so much, a-and I swear I’m gonna try harder to show you that I do.”

You shook your head again, not wanting her to feel as if she had to prove anything to you. “You don’t have to do that for me,” you responded, “so - p-please don’t feel like you do.”

“I know I don’t,” she chimed, whilst her smile appeared to grow a little more, making your heart skip a beat, overwhelming you a little more, to the point you felt you had to try and get closer again, but by trying, you only made the handcuffs tear into your wrists a little more, making you whimper subconsciously again, evidently in pain; you hated being away from her, like you currently were being made to be. “Y-Y/n, what’s wrong?” She inquired, after you’d doubled over, beginning to cry; your wrists were burning excruciatingly, and she faltered, falling quiet when she noticed that they were gradually becoming blood-stained, like your hands were, alongside them. “It’s okay,” she cooed, “l-little wolfy, just look at me; you’re gonna be okay, I promise, just don’t try and move anymore, at least not - not forward, otherwise they’re gonna hurt even more. I’ll get someone to look at them for you, m-maybe Flag; I’m sure he’ll help; he has to-”

“No,” you interrupted feebly, “I - I’m fine, Quinzels, don’t - don’t worry about me; it doesn’t hurt, I - I can take it.”

“I know you can, Y/n,” she stated, “you’re strong; you always have been, but I don’t want you to have to, a-and I don’t want the cuts to get infected - Please just let me get Flag; he - he has one of the keys, and can help you, I’m sure he can; he knows you, clearly better than that Waller, or Milton does - please.”

You would hesitate, before giving in, not wanting to upset her any further than you had already, last year. “F-Fine,” you murmured, and she cheered, prompting you to smile subconsciously; you found everything she did adorable; you always had, ever since you’d first met her in college, “just because I want to do all I can to make you happy; seeing you happy makes me happy, and it’s one of my lifelong duties, as your mate - well.. If you still want to be my mate, a-and.. To marry me.”

“Of course I do,” she expressed, “I-.. I want nothing more, than to be tied to you, a-and to live as long as you do.”

“Wait, you-.. you still want me to change you, too?” You guessed, and she nodded, beaming over at you; she was certain of herself, that she wanted to be turned into a werewolf, like you, and by you; she couldn’t allow herself to get someone else to do it; she wanted it only to be you, who changed her.

“Please don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet, now,” she whined when she noticed the look on your face, and you faltered, shaking your head quickly, “I agreed to stay with you as long as you changed me in return, remember? And I agreed to, when this is all over, marry you in return, too-”

“I’m not getting cold feet, don’t worry,” you contradicted, and she appeared relieved, glad that you weren’t, “I’m just surprised that you still want me to do that to you, after everything that happened last year.”

“Why wouldn’t I want you to change me anymore? It was just a fight, Nugget - Every couple fights sometimes,” she explained, “nothing, and I mean nothing, could ever make me love you any less than I do, now, and always will.” You smiled warmly back at her, wondering what you’d done to deserve someone as good as her; you believed her to be everything, and yourself to be nothing, and the thought pained you, alongside the pain you were still experiencing as a result of the cuts on your wrists made by the handcuffs. “And, c’mon, you know I could never mean what I said,” she continued, feeling guilty all over again for what she’d said about how your father had been right about you, in terms of him calling you a ‘freak’, “your father couldn’t have been more wrong about you; you’re amazing, Y/n, as well as perfect, funny, kind, a-and-.. the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”

You would be taken aback by her remark; you couldn’t believe someone as perfect as her could ever think that you were any of those things; anything that wasn’t nothing, which you had always thought that you were, and had been made to believe that you were by your father. “You-.. You really think that - that-.. I’m.. All of those things?” You inquired, and she nodded quickly again, whilst she slowly rose to her feet, reminding herself of how she had to get Flag for you, to tend to your cuts.

“In fact,” she chimed again, “you’re more than all of those things, and I’m honestly so glad we met, a-and.. and that you came back. You didn’t abandon me, like Mr. J-”

You winced, upon hearing her mentioning of him, and she felt bad for bringing him up again, wishing she hadn’t, as soon as she had. “I could never abandon you,” you expressed, and she nodded, before smiling lovingly over at you again.

“I know,” she replied, whilst grinning toothily over at you, “you love me too much to, right?” You giggled feebly, before nodding, because you did, and always had; you loved her more than you’d ever loved anything else; more than you’d ever loved, or could ever love yourself. “I’ll be back soon, little wolfy, and I won’t let Flag refuse to treat you, I promise,” she assured, “I’ll also try and get him to persuade Waller to let you out; to let you help us - I don’t wanna have to be separated from you anymore like this, because of these stupid bars.”

“They’ll never let me out,” you responded dejectedly, “they think I’m a threat, Quinzels; that I’m like the Omegas-”

“So I’ll prove to them that you’re not like the Omegas,” she planned, “don’t worry, little wolfy, I can do it; I can change their minds, I promise, and we’ll finally be able to cuddle up together again, like we used to be able to do. Just wait here, okay? And don’t move forward anymore than you have, already - I’ll be back, soon.” She then rushed out of the room, and it wasn’t long before she’d returned with Flag, who appeared frustrated, and exhausted; he’d clearly had a long day, and just wanted to go to bed, at this point, but he forced himself to continue, and try to tend efficiently to the cuts on your wrists as a result of the tight cuffs around them.

Once he was done, you appeared more comfortable than you had been, before; he’d allowed for you to be free of the cuffs, so your wrists could heal. “You guys better get some sleep,” he stated, looking occasionally between you, and Harley, “adhere to our light’s out policy, if you want a better chance of convincing Waller to watch you prove our Alpha over here’s innocence.”

“Fine,” Harley uttered, “you’ll suggest it to her, won’t you, at least?”

“Sure,” he replied, “but I think you better try and appeal to her, too, just in case; she might not listen to me, now c’mon - Bed time.”

Harley nodded gravely, before she smiled sadly over at you, wishing she could stay with you; she hated being away from you. “Goodnight, Alpha,” she cooed, whilst Flag respectfully nodded his head in your direct, before he stood by the door, out of your eye line, “and don’t worry - It’s gonna work out, and you’ll be out of those binds, so we’ll be able to cuddle up together whenever we want to, I promise.”

“I hope so,” you mused, “I’ve missed being in your arms, Quinzels, a-and.. it hurts so much, just to be - just to be kept away from you, like this.”

“I know it does,” she corroborated, “but it’s not gonna be for much longer, I’m sure it won’t - Tomorrow, in the morning - That’s when I’m gonna talk to her; try and get her to give us a chance to show her that you’re one of the good ones; that you’re the true Alpha you always have been. Try and get some sleep, Nugget; this’ll be your last night alone in here, I’m certain it will.”

“I wouldn’t get either of your hopes up too much, Quinn, she might say no-”

“You’re not helping,” she interrupted sharply, and Flag winced, looking away, before she looked back at you, smiling apologetically over at you, “ignore him; she’ll say yes. Goodnight, little wolfy, I love you.”

“Goodnight, Quinzels,” you returned, whilst she slowly dragged herself toward the door, her eyes never leaving your’s whilst she did, “I love you, too.” She then smiled warmly over at you, before slipping out of the room, though she wished she could spend the night in there with you, rather than away from you. Once she’d sadly gone, you curled up, and tried not to worry about what might happen, the next day; you knew there was a strong possibility that Waller might refuse to let you and Harley prove to her that you were trustworthy, but, at the same time, you knew that she might decide to let you both try. Though you thought you wouldn’t be able to, you somehow managed to drift off to sleep, dreaming about how you and Harley would eventually be able to get married, one day, after the battle against the Omegas, and hunters, was fought, and won.

🜸🜚🜸

Luckily, the next day, Waller did decide, reluctantly, to give you and Harley a chance to prove that you were good, and could help them against the Omegas and hunters sent by the Omega Prime Minister to kill the other Alphas and Betas. “Unshackle her so she can change, Sergeant,” Waller instructed, and Flag nodded, before he began to unlock your binds, and you expressed relief, glad to be free of them; they had been paining you again, and Harley smiled lovingly over at you, behind them, hopeful that they’d finally let you work alongside her, whilst also quietly worrying that there was a chance that they might change their minds, and throw you back into the cell they’d recently been keeping you in, ever since you’d showed yourself to them, upon saving her life again. “I want to try something,” she continued, after motioning for Flag to draw back to her left side, and your eyes began to glint when Harley was signalled to step forward, “closer; I want to see how she reacts; if she can control herself, in an overwhelmed state due to certain feelings, or emotions, we’ll see how good her self-control is.”

Harley slowly drew closer to you, and you whimpered quietly, wishing you could just rush up to her and throw your arms around her, but you weren’t sure if you were allowed to, and didn’t want to ruin your and her chance to be able to be together again somewhat freely. “It’s okay, Alpha,” she cooed gently, and you relaxed instantly, your eyes locking with her stunning icy blue ones shortly after you had begun to calm down, “you’re doing great, just - just focus on me, okay? We’ll be able to cuddle up again soon, I promise, but first we need to gain you their trust, remember?”

You nodded gravely, beginning to fight harder to keep yourself back, though you wanted nothing, but to hold her close to you again, after you’d both not seen each other for yet another dark and lonely year. “Just a little closer, I reckon,” Waller stated, and Harley winced, not wanting to push you any further, but she knew she’d have to, so dragged herself even closer, slowly, to the point she could tell that you were beginning to tense up, a pained expression on your face, whilst your body began to tremble; you were struggling, clearly, especially whilst her scent was beginning to fill your nostrils, making you want to reach out and touch her even more, but you knew you couldn’t, scolding yourself for being so weak, as your fangs began to unfold, and claws threatened to penetrate through the gaps between your fingers; you just wanted to throw your arms around her, and hold her close to you, after you’d both been separated for yet another year.

You could also pick up the man that she’d been with’s scent, tainting her own, prompting you to growl quietly, and your irises to flicker between a bold orange, red, and their normal colour, for a moment; you were desperate to try and reinforce your ‘wolfy claim’ on her, after someone else had been trying to claim her for themselves. “It’s okay,” she cooed, and you relaxed instantly upon hearing her voice, letting your eyes meet her stunning icy blue ones again, “just try and focus on my eyes, okay?”

“That won’t do,” Waller spoke up again, and Harley glared over at her, “you know what the new bunch are like, Quinn, especially Falcon; he’ll, for sure, at some point, try and provoke her, so - provoke her; we need to see how she reacts.”

“That’s not fair-!” Harley complained, and Waller shrugged, appearing unperturbed.

“Why? Do you think she won’t be able to take it?” She questioned, and Harley grunted, before smiling sadly back at you, whilst you appeared anxious, worried about the possibility that you might accidentally hurt her, if you lost control of yourself.

“I know you can do this, Alpha,” she expressed quietly, before a pained expression crossed her face; she hated what she was doing to you, wishing she could just pull you into a hug; you looked as if you really needed one in this moment, and it would be easy for her to just reach out and touch you, but she knew she couldn’t, not yet, so she tried to hold herself back, like you were, alongside her, “why - why aren’t you hugging me? Did you not miss me?” You faltered, a hurt look on your face, but she quickly shook her head, prompting you to try and stop yourself from responding, though you desperately wanted to speak up and contradict her; tell her that you had missed her, more than anything, and that you’d spent every lonely night, as well as waking moment, thinking about her, wishing that you could be by her side again. “Y/n,” she reluctantly continued, “do - do you not love me anymore, or something? Is that why you’re just standing there, acting as if I mean nothing to you?” You whimpered quietly, and she began to feel worse, like you did, too; you hated that you weren’t doing anything to try and provide comfort to her, like a werewolf naturally would it’s mate, and hated that you were just standing there; it was paining you to not do anything, and to not pour your heart out to her like you were longing, and even aching to do, in that moment.

“Impressive,” Waller commented, “I thought she’d be going mental by now.”

“She has impeccable self-control,” Flag corroborated, “even, surprisingly, whilst we were conducting those experiments on her; she stopped lashing out after the first time.”

Waller looked over at Flag, a disbelieving expression on her face. “Really?” She pressed, and Flag nodded, recalling vividly how you’d just been, after the first time they’d taken you away to experiment on you, letting them take you out of your cell, without any physical fuss, and rarely any verbal fuss, either.

“I had to stay strong for Harley,” you mustered, your voice close to a whisper, prompting both Waller and Flag to look over at you, “I couldn’t-.. couldn’t lash out, and try to escape, because I knew it would be too risky to try and break her out, with me, and abandoning her could never be an option for me to consider; I’d never forgive myself, if I even tried to.” You then turned to face them both, fully, your eyes pleading with them to let you and Harley hold one another. “Please,” you begged feebly, your voice sounding strained whilst you did; you were trying not to cry, “let me - let me hold her, before we go on.”

Waller hesitated, but begrudgingly decided to change her mind when she heard Flag clear his throat beside her. “They are mates, after all, I mean,” he reminded her, “and they haven’t seen each other for a year - Imagine not seeing your partner for a year, Commander - The first thing you’d want to do would either be to hug them, kiss them, or even hit them, right? Depending on what context, or state your relationship is in with them, of course.”

“Fine,” Waller gave in, and your eyes widened a little, whilst beginning to glint, and you quickly turned to face Harley again, before throwing your arms around her, and she wouldn’t hesitate to return the hug, clinging to the material of your vest.

“I’ve missed holding you like this,” you mused in a barely audible, and shaky whisper, “so much.. I love you, Quinzels, a-and - you mean everything to me, y-you.. you know that, right?”

“I know,” she reassured you, and you smiled, expressing relief whilst you did; you’d really believed that she had meant what she’d been saying, before, about thinking that you didn’t love her anymore, because you hadn’t stepped forward to hug her, before, “I just had to say that stuff to show them that you’re strong, and can hold yourself back even when you’re provoked, remember?” You winced when you remembered, and managed a faint smile over at her, whilst she connected her forehead to your’s, affectionately booping the tip of your nose with her’s, whilst she did. “I love you so much, little wolfy,” she cooed, “and you’re doing so well; you’ve got this, I know you have - Hopefully it won’t be too much longer, now, and we’ll be free to be together again s-soon, I promise.”

“We’re short for time, ladies,” Waller spoke up again, and you both frowned, not wanting to let go of one another, but you both knew you’d have to, if you wanted to be able to be allowed to be together again, so you reluctantly let go of each other, before dragging yourselves a step back, your eyes never leaving her’s whilst you did, “now let’s see how you handle it, in your other form.” You winced, knowing it would be a little harder to hold yourself back in your wolf form, but you knew you’d have to try, so nodded gravely, and would be led toward the closest tree by Flag, so you could undress behind it in, not wanting to tear your clothes during the transformation process, which you managed to get though quite quickly, and slightly less painfully as you’d changed a few days ago, to save Harley’s life again. All the soldiers watching, including Milton, would appear surprised by your appearance; you seemed bigger than the Omegas due to your Alpha status, and your fur coat was completely white, whilst your irises were a bold orange colour. Harley smiled softly, whilst she watched you walk back toward the group with a slight air of authority; you were trying to appear unperturbed; to live up to your mother’s previous status as an alpha, herself, before she’d died after giving birth to you. You faltered, for a moment, upon remembering what had happened to her, and Harley would tilt her head partially, her smile soon fading; she’d guessed that you were thinking about your mother, as you often wore the same guilty expression on your face whenever you had, before, whilst you were with her. You huffed, shaking your head, before pushing yourself to continue walking, your eyes beginning to glisten whilst you did, but you tried to hide it from them by averting your gaze down to the ground. “Wow,” Waller commented, after you had stopped a few paces away from her, and Harley, begrudgingly looking up at her, when you felt able, “Quinn was right when she said that your eyes look like pearls, whenever you’re assuming this form.”

You would be surprised, before glancing back at Harley, smiling lovingly whilst you did, and she smiled warmly back at you, making your heart skip a beat, like it usually did whenever she was smiling in your direction like she was, now, her eyes glinting. “A-And they aren’t like the Omegas’ eyes, see,” she pointed out, and Waller nodded slowly, recalling how the eyes of the Omegas they’d seen earlier had been of a more menacing purple colour, not at all like the bold orange colour of your’s.

“That doesn’t immediately mean that she’s not a threat, though, does it?” Waller replied, and Harley grimaced, wishing she’d just make her decision, already; she hated to see you suffering like you currently were; it took you a lot of strength to fight back your urges, and you already appeared somewhat exhausted after the first test they’d administered to you. “Now,” she continued, and you tried your best not to growl quietly, whilst inching closer to Harley, not wanting to be too far away from her, though you’d been only a few steps away from her before you’d decided to try and shuffle even closer, “I suppose it’s somewhat promising that she’s moved only a little bit closer to you, and seems to still be keeping her composure pretty well. Let’s see how fast she can react to attempted attacks, just to test her efficiency - Officer?”

You sensed that something was supposedly wrong, before Milton had taken out what looked like a laser gun, and you snarled when you noticed the pointer aiming up at Harley’s head, before you quickly turned around, and made to lunge over at Milton to protect her, but a chain lasso managed to secure itself around your neck, making you whine aloud, and draw back, whilst you snapped your jaws in Milton’s direction, still thinking that he was going to try and hurt her - something you could never let happen. Harley could see that you were beginning to panic, upon noticing all the guns that were being aimed directly at you, in case you managed to try and escape free from the lasso; you had been trying to, after all. “A-Alpha-!” She called, trying to distract you, but you found you couldn’t move, paralysed with fear, and dangerously close to losing control of yourself. “Lower your damn guns, you’re scaring her-!” She cried, whilst trying to get to you, but Flag would try and hold her back, recognising that you currently appeared to be unstable, and possibly dangerous. “No-!” She shouted, trying to escape his hold, and her shout attracted your attention immediately after you’d heard it, quickly looking back at her, whilst your heart began to race; you thought she was in danger again, and that Flag was hurting her, prompting you to roar, before trying to leap at him, intending to free her from his hold, and maul him for trying to cause her harm.

“Sergeant, look out!” Waller warned, and Flag had to quickly jump out of the way, before you could sink your sharp teeth into his left shoulder. “I’ve seen enough, she’s unstable - She dies-”

“No, you can’t!” Harley shrieked, whilst you would appear dejected, stopping in place, so you could look up at her, a pained, as well as guilty expression on your face, allowing the soldiers to pin you down to the ground gingerly, whilst both Flag and Milton had to try and hold her back again, so she couldn’t try and save you from them, though she desperately wanted to, struggling against their hold, whilst they dragged her back into the base. You felt awful, and as if you’d failed her, and the thought disheartened you, prompting you to allow them to drag you back inside, without any struggle; you believed Harley would be better off without you, again, and that she deserved someone better who wouldn’t easily lose control like you just had, less than a minute ago.

|

“Please reconsider,” Harley begged Waller, “she - she was scared, a-and - and thought that Flag was trying to hurt me-”

“She unstable, Quinn,” Waller repeated, not wanting to have to change her mind, and she groaned, wishing Waller would just listen to her, for once, finding it frustrating that she wasn’t, again. “She could hurt the others, rather than our enemies-”

“N-No, she won’t,” Harley assured, desperate to save you from being executed by them, “I can-.. I can make sure she doesn’t; she listens to me, a-and Flag-”

“Sergeant,” Flag corrected quietly, and Harley winced, noticing the look on Waller’s face.

“Sometimes,” she added, “w-well.. In terms of Sergeant Nutcase over here, but she always listens to me, p-please give us another chance to show you; she’ll protect all of us against them, I know she will; it’s what she does; she, a-and the other Alpha and Beta werewolves, they-.. they’re here to protect humans from the Omegas, a-and the hunters.”

Waller would be surprised; she’d not heard of such a thing, before, and decided that it may be worth at least something to test you again, as long as Harley could keep you under control, like she said she could. “Sergeant, take Quinn back to the others,” Waller instructed, and Flag nodded, “the execution is going ahead, tonight; I won’t make you offer her any painful goodbyes, either-”

“N-No, please-!” Harley cried, whilst Flag attempted to drag her away. “You - You can’t take her away from me again,” she continued shakily, “I love her, please!” Flag then managed to get her out of the room, and Waller would sigh, before sitting down, and thinking about what she could do to get you to protect her and the others, away from Harley; she wanted to see that you’d protect them if she wasn’t in danger, with them.

🜚

“Just a little to the left, Sergeant,” Waller instructed, and Flag dragged you more toward the centre, “perfect - You know I’m a perfectionist, don’t you?”

“I believe I do, Commander,” Flag stated, managing a soft smile over at her, acting as if he thought, and was a little disappointed, to think that you were going to be executed, when, really, he, Milton, and the other soldiers knew of her plan.

“Good,” she chimed, “now - Bring out the others, except Quinn, Officer.”

Milton nodded, before respectfully bowing his head in Waller’s direction. “Commander,” he acknowledged, before walking back into the base, shortly returning with the other members of the group, excluding Harley, dejecting you as you bowed your head, wishing you could see her again, even if it was just for a measly few painful seconds.

“I regret to inform you all that - You might have been going to have a new friend,” Waller began, looking over at them, whilst some of them blankly stared back at her, and others sneered in her direction, “until now; she failed to prove herself, yesterday, but - No worries, she wouldn’t have been good for us, anyway; we’re strong without her, aren’t we? We don’t need one of those mutts on our side.” You faltered upon hearing her calling you a ‘mutt’, but found you couldn’t do anything, feeling empty all of a sudden, as if you’d lost everything. “I suppose you all have one thing to thank her for, though,” she continued, and you grimaced, whilst trying to fight back the tears that were beginning to invade your now dimmer eyes, “she’s earned you all a day off, to watch her die-”

You would be startled when you heard shouting nearby, and looked around to find that strange, and a little goofy makeshift Omegas were running toward the soldiers, and you snarled, your irises beginning to flicker between a bold orange and red; your alpha instincts were kicking in, telling you that you couldn’t let the Omegas hurt them, so you managed to tear the ropes that had been binding you by changing into your wolf form, also, unfortunately, tearing your clothes in the process. Waller had ensured that you be bound with ropes, rather than chains, so you could tear out of them, to fight the makeshift Omegas, who suddenly appeared terrified as you threateningly walked up to them, growling quietly whilst you did, your fangs purposefully on show; you knew that, although you wouldn’t consider Waller, or the soldiers being threatened by the Omegas, your friends, you couldn’t let the Omegas kill them, as your purpose was to protect innocent human civilians from them, like your mother had done, alongside other Alphas and Betas. “Thought she would,” Flag remarked, looking over at Waller, who appeared to be deep in thought, for a moment, until the makeshift Omegas - who were actually soldiers dressed up as if they were Omegas to achieve a reaction from you - called uneasily for her attention, alongside Milton who had to try and block you from them - A next to impossible task, especially when you were the same height as him, as well as slightly bigger than him, making it clear that you’d easily be able to knock him down, at best, before he could shoot you.

Waller winced when she noticed that you were still trying to get to them, and quickly rushed over to the group, intending to try and distract your attention, as well as try and calm you down. “Calm down, wolf girl,” she commanded, and you huffed, your eyes not leaving the shaky ‘Omega’ soldiers. “They aren’t Omegas,” she informed, and you would appear confused, looking over your shoulder at her, “settle down - I was just testing you, again.” You grunted, frustrated; you hated being tricked. “That’s better,” she remarked, “I have to say - I’m impressed; I didn’t think you’d actually try and protect us, like you did just then.”

“I told you,” a familiar voice rang out, and you immediately turned your head in it’s direction, your gaze falling upon Harley, who was walking up to the group, prompting your eyes to begin to glint, like they usually did whenever you were looking over at her, or were just with her, glued to her side, “she’s an Alpha; it’s what she does.”

“How the hell did she get out?” Waller questioned Flag, who winced, looking away from her. “You didn’t lock the door,” she guessed, but he wouldn’t respond, at first, “what the Hell is wrong with you, Sergeant? You obey my orders, not anyone else’s-”

“I just did it as a safety precaution,” he explained, and Waller scoffed, before shaking her head; she couldn’t believe he’d disobeyed her like that, “y’know - In case anything went wrong, and we needed the Alpha’s mate to calm her down.”

Waller threateningly got closer to him, prompting you to growl softly, watching them uneasily, and Harley quickly rushed to your side to provide comfort to you, and you instantly calmed down, feeling her tangling the fingers of her left hand within the white fur covering your right side. You smiled lovingly up at her, and she smiled warmly back down at you, before crouching down beside you so she could wrap her arms around your neck, and connect her left cheek to your right one affectionately. “She could have escaped,” Waller uttered, and Flag shook his head, before looking over at you, and you tilted your head partially in response to his action, until he looked back at Waller shortly after.

“I think we both know that she wouldn’t have wanted to go without the Alpha, c’mon, Commander,” he contradicted, “Quinn only escaped without her that time because she thought she was dead; she told me so, herself, and promised she wouldn’t try, again, as long as Y/n is with her.” Flag made sure to leave out the ‘for now’ part, knowing Waller would react badly to it; Harley had basically suggested to him that she intended to try and escape with you once the Omega Prime Minister, his army of Omegas, and hunters were gone.

“But she still could-”

“Sure,” Flag interjected impatiently, “but what matters is that she didn’t, did she? Look, she seems perfectly content, doesn’t she? They both do - Those aren’t really the faces you’d see of future escapees, are they? Think about it-”

“I suppose not, but-”

You then sensed something nearby, and growled quietly again, looking around, and Harley would be worried when she noticed that you seemed perturbed by something. “Alpha? Alpha, what’s wrong?” She questioned, and you subconsciously curled yourself around her, still looking around anxiously, whilst you did. “Something’s wrong; there’s gotta be someone here, o-or nearby, that wasn’t invited,” she stated, but before she could continue, chuckling sounded out nearby.

“Damn right there is,” an unfamiliar voice spoke, and you tensed up, upon hearing it, and would immediately roar when the figure emerged from the forest, behind the group, “and I’m offended by how you think we look, because - Those fools look nothing like us.”

“An Omega,” Flag uttered, and Harley had to try and hold you back, worried about you getting into trouble, if she let you attack it, too early.

“We look so much cooler, and neater, than those - goofy - humans,” the Omega continued, “don’t we, guys?” An assortment of growls began to ring out behind him, and your eyes began to flicker dangerously, as well as seemed to fill up with the anxiety you were trying to fight back; you were terrified of Harley getting hurt, seeing as there were a few of them, whilst she was worried about you getting hurt, too. “Well, I hate to crash the party, but - It was a little lame, anyway,” he remarked, before tilting his head partially, and grinning, “get them.”

“Shoot them!” Waller commanded the soldiers, and you managed to break out of Harley’s hold, panicking her, as the soldiers were now raising their guns, and one of them had managed to accidentally hit you with one of their bullets, whilst you were sinking your teeth into one of the Omegas. You whined aloud, letting the Omega go, and allowing it to pin you down to the ground, but before it could bite into your neck, Harley rushed forward with her spear, not caring if she got shot, too, which she somehow managed not to, knocking down the Omega, before she stabbed it’s left side with her spear, and dug out it’s crystal so it could no longer heal itself.

She then rushed back to you, after retrieving her spear, and helped you away from the fight, with Waller’s help - The others were all fighting with the Omegas. “You’re gonna be okay, Alpha,” she cooed, after crouching down beside you, and hugging you close to her; you couldn’t heal anymore, after losing your crystal the first time you’d saved her life from another Omega, “we’re - we’re gonna patch you up, and we’ll never be separated ever again this time, I promise - It’s you and me against the world, little wolfy, always, r-remember?” You nodded, managing a weak smile up at her, whilst Waller applied pressure to your wound, knowing she’d have to try and get the bullet out quickly, as it was made silver, and appeared to be paining you a lot more than a normal one would; you could feel that it was burning your side, and had to keep trying to stop yourself from clawing it out, distracting yourself to the best of your ability by letting your eyes get lost in Harley’s glistening icy blue ones. “I love you so much,” she expressed, whilst Waller made an attempt to dig the bullet out of your side, making you wince, and whimper quietly, “you make the flowers bloom, and flowers make me happy, like you make me happy, more than anything ever could.”

‘Do-.. Do you want me to buy you flowers?’ You inquired, and she would be surprised by your proposition, before her smile began to grow even more.

“I - I’d love that-!” She chimed, and you snorted, amused by her reaction.

‘Then I will, as soon as I’m good as new,’ you replied, and she nodded quickly, not wanting you to feel as if you had to get them for her whilst you weren’t in a great condition, and Waller was still currently cleaning your wound, and now in the process of stitching it up. ‘I’ll find you the best ones, because you deserve only the best, Quinzels,’ you added, and jolted a little when you felt the needle prick your skin again, and Harley tried to comfort you by stroking your neck, and fondling both your ears affectionately.

“Almost done now, Alpha, I promise,” Harley assured, “our Commander’s just about to start wrapping the bandage around you, now, and we’ll be able to cuddle up in bed together again, very soon; I’ll keep the pain away, a-and - and the bad dreams again, like I did, before.” You nodded, smiling lovingly up at her again, wondering how you’d survived without her, all those times you’d both been separated from one another, before.

‘I honestly don’t-.. don’t know how I.. ever lived without you, before,’ you admitted, and she nodded gravely, not sure how she had managed to before, either.

“I don’t know how I ever lived without you before, either,” she mused, and her eyes seemed to glint when she noticed that Waller had finished bandaging you up, whilst you had both been talking. “Look at that, Alpha,” she cooed, “you did it! You’re honestly the bravest little wolfy I’ve ever met, a-and I can’t wait to live the rest of my life with you, Cassie, and little Brucey.”

You would be surprised; you didn’t know that Bruce had been allowed to stay, whilst Cassandra had been made to stay at the new Birds of Prey base. ‘Bruce is here-?’ You inquired, and she winced when she remembered.

“Well, he isn’t allowed to stay here, but,” she murmured, a pained expression on your face, and you tried to hide that you were disappointed, not wanting to upset her, “he’s currently with Cassie, at our do-gooder friends’ new place - Sometimes they let me go and see them.”

‘Will they - Let me go with you, next time?’ You pried, hopeful, and she smiled softly, before nodding, certain that they would, whilst she looked up at Waller, a hopeful expression on her face.

“She can - She can go with me next time to see Cassie and Bruce, right?” She asked, and Waller sighed heavily, before nodding, too tired to come up with any reason why you shouldn’t.

“Sure,” she replied, before forcing herself to her feet, “I’m gonna check on the others.” She then rushed off, and Harley would carefully carry you inside, wanting to show you your and her new room. “It’s cozy, and the bed is just big enough for the both of us, but I can try and persuade Flag to get us an even bigger one, if it’s too small-”

‘As long as I can cuddle up with you, it’s perfect,’ you assured, and she smiled warmly down at you, glad that you thought so.

“Wanna test it out?” She suggested, and your eyes would begin to glint again.

‘Of course,’ you answered, and she giggled, before carrying you over to it, and lowering you down onto it carefully.

She then rushed around to the other side, and managed to get into the bed beside you, elated, like you were, to finally be able to be this close to one another again, after another dark and lonely year away from each other. “What do you think, little wolfy?” She inquired, and you snuggled up even closer to her, to the best of your ability, whilst she wrapped her arms around you, her eyes locking with your’s whilst she did in the best way possible.

‘It’s perfect,’ you expressed, ‘I love it, Quinzels, and I can’t wait to wake up beside you again.’

“I can’t wait to wake up beside you, too,” she returned, “they probably don’t need us out there anymore, so - We could stay here, for a little while - at least, get some well deserved rest?”

You nodded, clearly liking the sound of her suggestion. ‘I’d love that,’ you stated, and she would grin toothily, glad, ‘but I could never love anything more than I love you.’

“Stop,” she whined, feeling that she was beginning to blush, and you smirked, finding her reaction adorable, like you thought everything she did was, “I swear I’ll steal the rest of the duvet from you if you continue.”

‘I can live with that,’ you assured, certain that you could, ‘as long as it means I can keep teasing you-’

“Fine,” she gave in, “I won’t take the rest of the duvet, I’ll just sleep facing away from you.”

‘No,’ you whined, whilst she made to lay on her left side, instead, ‘come back, I wanna see you blush again-’

“Too bad,” she teased, “you’ll have to wait until tomorrow.” You whimpered quietly, disappointed, and she tried not to feel bad, but soon found that she couldn’t ignore you as she quickly turned to face you again, throwing her arms around you whilst she did. “I love you so much, Nugget,” she cooed, “and of course I’m gonna sleep facing this way; it gives me a great view of you to wake up to, as well as is the most comfortable side to lay on.”

You smiled softly over at her, glad that she was comfortable, and was enjoying the view of you beside her. ‘I think I’ve got an even better view,’ you claimed, and she giggled again, amused by your remark, as well as flustered by it, but she tried to hide that she was blushing again, burying her face into your neck, ‘goodnight, Quinzels.’

“Goodnight, Alpha,” she returned, before reluctantly letting her eyes close, whilst you hesitantly did the same, hoping you’d both get more time together, tomorrow, alone, so you could both have fun and stay up for longer, like you both had often done before, during your ‘double trouble’ college days.

~~~~~

Hope you enjoyed it! ❤️

[ms-hells-bells]

just came back from deadpool and wolverine.

fun movie. nothing special, but it doesn't have to be. i like it in the same way that i like birds of prey and the marvels; just an open and closed, straightforward plot that's not trying to be bigger than it is. there were some fun cameos, and hugh jackman was great, it makes me actually want to go and watch all the previous wolverine/xmen movies.

i didn't completely get all the references and some of the characters i didn't know, considering i've never seen any xmen or deadpool movies, but that didn't hurt my experience too much. i think critics will probably rate it about 7, maybe an 8 for some who are bigger comic and comic film fans. there were some kinda big plotholes, but because the movie wasn't some endgame kinda thing, it's easy to just ignore and enjoy.

also, i think this one will be just fine at the box office. with furiosa, when i walked into that theatre and saw only a couple other people in there, i had a terrible feeling. this was an r16 comic book film that's the third in the series, at 6pm on a wednesday, and the theatre was nearly full. if marvel just keeps at not worrying too much about the multiverse thing (they even made pointed jokes about the marvel multiverse being dead and buried in this movie), then i think people may really grow to like superhero blockbusters again.

[blubushie]

i think alot of vegans have a tendency to... antromorphize animals to a concerning degree. they don't have a concept of death and morality like we do, so it's pointless to guilt trip people with pictures of puppies or kittens looking sadly into the camera with an equally guilt trippy caption like "remember, if you still use animal products, their blood is on your hands!!" like girl that cat dgaf

I respectfully disagree on one part of this—animals DO have a concept of death, they just don't have cultures around it like we do. This is obvious especially when you work with stock like cattle or sheep but especially horses, who are Constantly Afraid Everything Is Deadly. Horses are the most anxious fucking animal on the bloody planet, rivalled only by cheetahs. Maybe.

This is why it's so important to socialise and desensitise your stock to people. It's one of the reasons factory farms are inhumane—no animal in a factory farm is going into an abattoir unafraid. There's simply too many animals for them to be properly desensitised by their handlers. And unlike slaughter in the bush, an abattoir requires handling and restriction of the animal's movements for the bolt to be properly placed. I can only imagine how terrifying it is to be brought to an unfamiliar environment and hearing the cries of the confused and anxious animals behind you as you're restrained and a boltgun is brought to your head. Cattle often need a second hit of the bolt because they're thrashing too much for proper placement of the first hit. That's fear.

But with animals like horses, or animals who are on small family farms, those animals are being worked with one-on-one often. They don't fear their handlers, and often don't fear strangers either. They're treated by veterinarians or by the handler themselves. Instead of standoffish, these animals are friendly. If you poke and prod at them they're calm. If you lead a pig out for slaughter, it goes freely. And when you kill it, it doesn't die afraid. This is how animals should die in meat production. This is what desensitisation means. This is why I encourage people to buy locally.

I'm not gonna lie and say our stock ever liked us. They were free-range cattle. We couldn't work with them one on one, they practically lived feral, so they were largely afraid. They weren't animals you could go up and pet because to them, we were massive predators who were dangerous, and everything with a brain fears death, or fears pain. Even if they don't understand what death even is, there is something instinctual inside them telling them to be afraid.

Sheep are often more relaxed—by the time slaughter happens, they've been sheared a few times and are at least familiar somewhat with people. Additionally they're more easily restrained and manoeuvred than cattle, which means we can get the process over much faster.

My concern with factory conditions have never been so much slaughter except the MEANS of slaughter. For example, chooks and other birds not always being dead when they hit the broiler. Or cattle being so terrified that they can't sit still for the bolt, same with pigs, or workers being improperly trained and therefore getting inconsistent bolt placement. Much of this is remedied with things like blinds (which prevent the animals from seeing you and panicking about it) and more efficient training. Other than that, my concerns are largely environmental—the conditions the animals are living in before slaughter, and how instances of animal cruelty are often excused or looked over even when caught on film (see: workers kicking birds or piglets).

Those kinds of advertisements are meant to prey on people's guilt. Oft they completely miss the target—dogs and cats are rarely used in any kind of animal product. At most there's lab beagles. Rabbits and mice are used in testing—speaking of which, despite mice being so similar physically and neurologically to humans, I have NEVER seen ARAs advocate for lab mice. Just rabbits, often against the beauty industry. I wonder why lab mice are looked over in favour of the cute bunny rabbits...

Almost like ARAs only give a shit about animals when they're cute. Like how it's fine to kill sea fish with their pleather microplastics, or drive reptiles and other animals to exinction by greenwashing deserts to grow their water-dense foods... But god forbid you eat a cow and use its durable hide that'll last you hundreds of years.

[ninareviewsfilms]

The Fantabulous Comeback of Harley Quinn

“Behind every great man is a badass broad!”

Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn follows the iconic antiheroine: Harley Quinn, as she navigates life after finally leaving her abusive and dependent ex, Joker. Unlike her previous fetishized depiction in Suicide Squad, Harley is no longer hyper-sexualized through the male gaze. Instead, the sequel consists of a female-fronted team, of all ages, races, and sexual orientations. Thus, the film is shown through both a female and queer gaze. It intentionally and unapologetically subverts the male gaze, but in an authentic way by focusing on the relationship between the five female characters. From cinematography to characterization, Birds of Prey quite literally said “fuck you” to Suicide Squad and completely reconstructed the gaze, surpassing its predecessor in every way possible.

Perhaps the most circulated image of Harley Quinn, is Margot Robbie stripping her clothes in Suicide Squad in an overtly sexual manner, shamelessly catering to the male gaze. It is interesting to note how only Harley had an undressing scene as her male counterparts stared in desire. Her body is constantly objectified by the camera through closeups of her bare body, almost never focusing on the face.

In Birds of Prey, a similar scene of undressing occurs, except this time, the cinematography does not objectify the female victim. The villain of the film, Black Mask, forces a man to undress a woman in public, with spectators all over. Instead of the camera closing in and panning on the undressed body, the cinematography focuses on the horrified face of the woman, and those around her. It reveals the villain’s nature without the expense of sexualizing the female victim. It doesn’t glorify rape culture like most, if not all, scenes of assaults on women do. Instead, the film accentuates the sheer pain and horror women feel when being sexually harassed or assaulted. And with that, a message to all male directors: it’s really not that difficult to show violence against women without sexualizing them.

In Suicide Squad, Harley was only seen through the views of others, but in Birds of Prey, she narrates her own story, displaying her independence and fun personality without being sexualized, or de-sexualized. The spectrum of women in superhero films is often either innocent and cute or overly sexualized and mischievous. Character development is non-existent. God forbid women are allowed to be complex and flawed. Relentlessly, Birds of Prey addresses this and seeks to set a new spectrum for women to exist outside of male desires. This is also seen in the characterization of men. The men, including the villains, are not all displayed in a “macho” or “manly” style. Instead of the sexualization of their ab muscles, we see their reserved personalities. Men actually show emotions (one even cries) in this film! They don’t have to be unemotional or bold, they can be calculating and resourceful – something apparently only women can be.

Moving on to the most obvious difference – Harley Quinn’s fantabulous ‘I-need-no-man’ makeover. Previously, Harley’s appearance in Suicide Squad is truly voyeuristic-scopophilia come to life, fetishized beyond belief. Thankfully she now sports colorful, and playful, outfits that put comfort above all. Yes, it is still revealing but it is evidently a creative choice made by Harley herself, reflecting her explosive personality. Instead of wearing lingerie to sexily fight (sorry boys), she can now comfortably kill in t-shirts and pants.

Finally, slipping in my favorite scene when Harley offers a hair tie to Black Canary mid-fight, I thought to myself: “this is it... this is what it is to be a woman.” As a woman, this is the ultimate form of solidarity. A small but powerful act that I’m sure all women have experienced. Truly, this is a film made by women, about women, for women.

Birds of Prey flips the switch from Suicide Squad, and introduces a new Harley Quinn: no longer Joker’s property, she becomes fiery, vibrant, and most importantly, an individual woman. Yes, she still has faults, and sure, she has brutally tortured and killed many, but it is precisely this freedom of flaws that breaks stereotypes and solidifies Birds of Prey as a superior woman’s film.   

[byneddiedingo]

Guy Pearce in Ravenous (Antonia Bird, 1999)

Cast: Guy Pearce, Robert Carlyle, David Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, Jeremy Davies, John Spencer, Stephen Spinella, Neal McDonough, Joseph Runningfox, Sheila Tousey, Bill Brochtrup. Screenplay: Ted Griffin. Cinematography: Anthony B. Richmond. Production design: Bryce Perrin. Film editing: Neil Farrell. Music: Michael Nyman, Damon Albarn. 

When the only thing critics can agree on is that your movie has a distinguished music score, you kind of have to admit that the film's a botch. Ravenous is an interesting botch, however: a horror Western about cannibalism, a topic that tantalizes anyone who has ever heard the story of the Donner Party. It has a strong cast, filled with actors who are gifted at playing baddies and weirdos, like Robert Carlyle, Jeremy Davies, and Neal McDonough. The cannibalism in the film is based on the Algonquian legend of the wendigo, an evil spirit that possesses humans and turns them into killers with a desire for human flesh. Yet the movie comes off scattered and sometimes clunky, with the grisly violence arriving without the buildup of suspense. The central character, Capt. Boyd (Guy Pearce), is given a confusing backstory. During the Mexican-American war, he tasted flesh, sort of, when he was wounded, heaped in a pile of corpses, and, unable to move, swallowed the blood of one of the men stacked above him. It gave him a brief surge of strength, during which he struggled out of the pile and performed the act of heroism for which he was honored. But when the commanding officer realizes Boyd is really a coward, he punishes him with a post in an isolated fort located in the Sierra Nevada. The fort is staffed with misfits, and soon falls prey to a mysterious stranger named Colqhoun (Carlyle), who claims to be the survivor of a wagon train that got lost in the mountains and had to resort to cannibalism to survive. Colqhoun is not what he seems, of course, and the rest of the business is bloody. Some of the movie's disjointedness stems from the disagreement between the original director, Milcho Manchevski, and the producers and a subsequent conflict between his replacement, Raja Gosnell, and the cast. Finally, Antonia Bird was hired to complete the film, but even she had problems with the producers and was critical of the cut that was released. Critics generally disliked the movie, but everyone seems to have been pleased with the innovative score by Michael Nyman and Damon Alborn, which relies on instruments from the historic period in which the action takes place and echoes of hymns and patriotic anthems.   

[weerd1]

ENT Rewatch Starlog, 07 January, 2024: Episode 2.26 “The Expanse”

An unknown probe comes to Earth and cuts a 4000 kilometer swath across the surface of the planet from Florida to Venezuela, killing as many as seven million people. When the Enterprise returns home, they are intercepted by the Suliban, and Archer is given an audience with the mysterious “Future Guy” who controls the Suliban. He reveals that other future factions have told a species called “The Xindi” that Earth will be responsible for their destruction in the 26th Century. FG gives Archer a location and tells him that the Xindi must be stopped or the timeline will be altered.

The NX-01 continues to Earth, but Duras, a Klingon Archer embarrassed a few episodes back, attacks.  He is warned off by the timely arrival of other Starfleet vessels, allowing Archer to tell Starfleet about Future Guy’s info. It turns out the Xindi are located in the Delphic Expanse, and area known for strange spatial anomalies, and generally impassible; Vulcans have been driven mad just entering the area, and a Klingon ship once had its crew “anatomically inverted.” Starfleet decides to carry on with the mission, re-arming Enterprise and assigning a military contingent. Trip discovers that his sister is one of Florida’s casualties, and begins to express anger and the desire to seek revenge. Phlox chooses to stay on board, while T’Pol is reassigned by the Vulcan High Command back to her homeworld. The NX-01 is going to drop her off on the way to The Expanse when Duras attacks again, allowing Enterprise to show she’s got more teeth now, including “photonic torpedoes.” 

T’Pol reveals that she has decided to resign from the Vulcan High Command in order to stay on Enterprise; Archer initially argues, but then orders them to change course away from Vulcan and head straight to the Expanse. When they arrive seven weeks later they are AGAIN  ambushed by Duras, this time with three ships. They skirmish in the thermobaric clouds bordering the Expanse, and as they get closer, Duras’ escorts break off rather than enter. Mayweather pulls off some fancy flying and Enterprise destroys Duras’ Bird of Prey. She’s taken some damage though to the antimatter injectors; not enough to stop them but something that may be important later. Archer confirms once more with T’Pol that she wants to join them, and the NX-01 enters the Delphic Expanse.

I’ve done these in the past where I did complete rewatches and write-ups for TOS and DS9. I wanted to do ENT as well, but started rewatching in chunks and bits and fell into a pattern without really catching them all, and like the entire world, have been just CRAZED the last three years and didn’t get there. But along the way I ended up watching all of Season 2 again, and wanted some opportunities to talk ENT.  I did recently make this post about the show in general, but when I started “The Expanse” this morning, it seemed like a good compromise to just follow the Xindi arc.  

As I recall, this fell at a time when Enterprise was taking a lot of shit-much of it deserved (some blatant sexism, plenty of cookie-cutter plots)—and DS9 was really starting to find an audience as it had finally made it to home video and you could watch THEM ALL IN ORDER AS RON D. MOORE INTENDED. There was a lot of buzz out there from Trek “fans” (and proto-internet dudebros and gatekeepers, and that was probably me in the case of the latter) about ENT not living up to canon or continuity.  To try to reel in some of that griping, TPTB (“the powers that  be” as we used to call them on Message Boards and Yahoo Groups etc.) decided to try to up some stakes, and go the DS9 route of a season long arc. Additionally, please know we were all living in a VERY fresh open wound post-9/11 and the inexorable hold that event would have on American film and television for about the next two decades (and perhaps now) was very much in play. So here comes the Xindi storyline.  

The set-up is good; the threat seems real, the Vulcans’ skepticism about the temporal Cold War works here, and T’Pol having to decide if she will stay on work well.

Trip being the crewmember personally affected is interesting, if cliche that a sister we didn’t even know he had is his connection. I might have had a few more characters know SOMEONE; the destruction did cut through Cuba and into Venezuela. Could have been a point for more characters, but fridging Trip’s sister does set up some trauma to explore through the third season; could have been handled better.  I always thought it was a bit of a stretch that an Duras ancestor would still be such a Klingon dickbag 200 years before Worf, but this episode efficiently cuts him out of Archer’s narrative and adds some damage to the NX-01 that will come into play later with those antimatter injectors damaged.  Not an edge of your seat cliffhanger, but a good set up for the next season, and it certainly brought me back.  

Next Voyage: Season 3 begins with “The Xindi,” getting right into just WHO these Florida-burning bad guys are!

(Images copied from the library at @trekcore; I will happily remove them if there is any issue with me using them. Meanwhile, all you Trekkies, go hit Trekcore! They're a fantastic resource.)

[scumgristle]

Vermilion Eyes (1990)

by Nathan Schiff

Publication date 1990 Topics rare film, obscure film, horror film, experimental film, VHS rip Language English "Obsessed with sex and death, a man is haunted by visions of beautiful women and brutal violence. He begins an odyssey into a world which, in his mind, transforms into an array of sexual fantasies and images of horrible accidents, suicide and murder. Like a bird of prey, he seeks out fatal automobile crashes and an assortment of other tragedies, which he records on film with a movie camera to view repeatedly, over and over. His dreams are a twisted amalgam of violent images juxtaposed with the tenderness of lovemaking. Overwhelmed by such fantasies, he soon becomes unable to distinguish reality from fantasy. He seeks to rid himself of these disturbing thoughts through love and by understanding the true nature of man. Instead, his emotional state falters, becoming more attuned with the notion of self-destruction. Morality becomes only a literary flourish, and dreams, now prophetic nightmares, the harbingers of complete and utter annihilation."

Directed by Nathan Schiff. Addeddate 2022-09-20 22:47:17 Identifier vermilion-eyes Scanner Internet Archive HTML5 Uploader 1.7.0

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