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incorrectfabfifteen · 5 months ago

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Hello, welcome to Incorrect Fab Fifteen, a blog about all things Silver Age Teen Titans! I've come up with the term Fab Fifteen to broadly refer to all of the members (which I'll explain below) as well as a natural expansion of the Fab Five (plus, it's better than just calling them the OG Teen Titans or the 70s Team).

For DC newcomers, don't be afraid of some of the comic terminology present, they'll make sense with more exposure.

Introducing: The Fab Fifteen!

Dick Grayson

Full name: Richard John "Dick" Grayson

Alter Ego: Robin I, Nightwing, Batman III, Red X

Birthday: March 20th

Love interests: Bette Kane (Pre-Crisis), Princess Koriand'r, Barbara Gordon, Helena Bertinelli (DCYou), Bea Bennett [There's probably more, feel free to send an ask so I can fix this]

Reading recs: The Judas Contract, The Cheshire Contract [collected as Nightwing: Old Friends, New Enemies], Nightwing Vol 1 by Chuck Dixon, Batman & Robin, The Black Mirror, New 52 Nightwing by Kyle Higgens

Wally West

Full name: Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West

Alter Ego: Kid Flash I, The Flash III

Birthday: January 16

Love interests: Donna Troy (Pre-NTT), Rachel Roth (🤨?), Frances Kane, Linda Park, Jesse Chambers

Reading recs: Born To Run, Savage Velocity, The Flash by William Messner-Loebs and Greg LaRoque, The Flash by Mark Waid, Flash Forward, The Flash by Jeremy Adams (especially The Return of Wally West and One-Minute War)

Donna Troy

Full name: Donna Hinckley Stacy Troy

Alter ego: Wonder Girl, Troia (Who Is Wonder Girl? until Total Chaos; JLA/Titans until Infinite Crisis; No Justice onwards), Darkstar (Zero Hour until Meltdown), Wonder Woman IV (Who Is Wonder Woman?)

Birthday: April 26

Love interests (oh boy): Dick Grayson (FORMERLY), Wally West (only during the Silver Age + some weird thing during DC Rebirth), Garth (Titans 2018 + Titans United), Roy Harper, Kyle Rayner

Reading recs: Who Is Wonder Girl? [Collected in The New Teen Titans Who is Donna Troy?], Wonder Woman By John Byrne Vol. 3, The Return of Donna Troy, Wonder Woman: Who is Wonder Woman?, Titans: The Spark and Into The Bleed

Garth

Full name: Prince Garth of Shayeris

Alter ego: Aqualad (also legal name until Crisis), Tempest

Birthday: March 6

Love interests: Donna Troy, Tula Marinus, Dolphin, Lilith Clay (temporary)

Reading recs: World's Finest: Teen Titans, Death of a Prince, Tempest by Phil Jimenez, Aquaman by Peter David, JLA: The Obsidian Age, Aquaman: Underworld

Roy Harper

Full name: Roy William Harper Jr.

Alter ego: Speedy, Arsenal, Red Arrow

Birthday: November 1

Love interests: Donna Troy, Jade Nguyen, Kendra Saunders

Reading recs: Snowbirds Don't Fly, The Cheshire Contract [Collected as Nightwing: Old Friends, New Enemies], Arsenal by Devin Grayson, Outsiders 2003, Justice League of America 2007, Infinite Frontier, Green Arrow 2023

Lilith Clay

Full name: Lilith Jupiter-Clay

Alter ego: Omen

Birthday: Not stated but her debut was November 18

Love interests: Gnarrk, Donald Hall, Garth, Bette Kane

Reading recs: The Terror of Trigon, Teen Titans by Dan Jurgens, Teen Titans: Life and Death, Titans Hunt (2015), Titans Rebirth

Mal Duncan

Full name: Malcolm Arnold "Mal" Duncan

Alter ego: Guardian (Pre-Crisis), Hornblower, Herald (Post-Crisis), Vox (Infinite Crisis until Flashpoint)

Birthday: Not stated

Love interests: Karen Beecher

Reading recs: Silver Age Teen Titans, Titans Hunt, Titans Rebirth, The Other History of the DC Universe #2

Fun fact: Mal Duncan was featured in the first interracial kiss in comics history with a goodbye kiss between him and Lilith!

Karen Beecher

Full name: Karen Beecher-Duncan

Alter ego: Bumblebee

Birthday: Not stated

Love interests: Mal Duncan

Reading recs: Silver Age Teen Titans, Titans Hunt, Titans Rebirth, The Other History of the DC Universe #2, Doom Patrol by Keith Giffen

Don Hall

Full name: Donald Hall

Alter ego: Dove

Birthday: Not stated

Love interests: Lilith Clay

Reading recs: The Hawk & The Dove, Silver Age Teen Titans, Crisis on Infinite Earths

Hank Hall

Full name: Henry "Hank" Hall

Alter ego: Hawk, Monarch (Armageddon 2001), Extant (Zero Hour until JSA)

Birthday: Not stated

Love interests: Dawn Granger, Ren Takamori

Reading recs: The Hawk and The Dove, Hawk and Dove: Ghosts & Demons, Hawk and Dove (1989), Birds of Prey (2010)

Dawn Granger

Full name: Dawn Marie Granger

Alter ego: Dove

Birthday: Not stated

Love interests: Hank Hall, Sal Arsala

Reading recs: Hawk and Dove: Ghosts & Demons, Hawk and Dove (1989), Birds of Prey (2010)

Duela Dent

Full name: Duela Dent

Alter ego: Joker's/Riddler's/Penguin's Daughter, Card Queen, Harlequin

Birthday: Not stated

Love interests: Earth-1 Dick Grayson, Earth-3 Dick Grayson

Reading recs: Silver Age Teen Titans, Teen Titans: Titans East

Bette Kane

Full name: Mary Elizabeth "Bette" Kane

Alter ego: Batgirl (Pre-Crisis), Flamebird (Post-Crisis, current mantle), Hawkfire (N52 Batwoman only)

Birthday: Not stated

Love interests: Dick Grayson (Pre-Crisis)

Reading recs: Teen Titans Vol 1 #50-53, Hawk and Dove Vol 3 Annual 1, Beast Boy (2000), DC's Legion of Bloom

Charley Parker

Full name: Charles Edmund "Charley" Parker (human name); Ch'al Andar (Thanagarian name)

Alter ego: Golden Eagle, Hawkman IV (Rise of the Golden Eagle)

Birthday: Not stated

Love interests: Kendra Saunders (I think?)

Reading recs: Hawkman: Rise of the Golden Eagle,

Tula

Full name: Tula Marinus

Alter ego: Aquagirl

Birthday: Not stated

Love interests: Garth

Reading recs: Tempest by Phil Jimenez, New 52 Aquaman, Mera: Queen of Atlantus, Aquaman by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Aquamen

So a special note: despite Beast Boy being a part of the Titans West (as well as appearing in the above photograph), they do not count as part of the Fab Fifteen, mainly because he's already part of the New Teen Titans. Also note that this acc won't be using the New 52 version of Duela Dent (although the Gotham Knights version is fine so feel free to send in any hcs about her)

Also you maybe be asking why Gnarrk's entry is below instead of with everybody else. That's because Gnarrk was never a Titan in the first place. Sure, he appeared as part of the title and was there when the Titans West was formed but he never actually joined the team at all. Gnarrk becoming a Titan became a thing when he was introduced following the New 52.

Gnarrk

Full name: Unknown

Alter ego: Caveboy

Birthday: Not stated

Love interests: Lilith Clay

Reading recs: Titans Hunt (2015), Titans Rebirth

Uhh, yeah, so that's the Fab Fifteen! Again, don't worry about this technical jargon if you're a newcomer and you just wanna look at the other posts, we're all here to have fun.

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fizzyorange-v2 · 3 months ago

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on not being able to save those you love, even from themselves

“I've been inside his head. That guy's a piece of shit.”

“It doesn't matter. I-I don't want to be someone who leaves people behind. I want to be someone who saves his family. And for better or worse... he's family.”

Credits:

1 - Billy-Ray Belcourt, A History of My Brief Body / Virgina Woolf, Final Letter to Her Husband // 2 - Nick Schager, The Boys Recap: Don’t Forget Your Second Wind // 3 - Adrienne Rich, For the Dead // 4 - Jodi Picoult, Handle with Care / The Boys, Assassination Run / Lena Oleanderson, Love in the Thoracic Cavity / Friedrich Nietzsche / @ell-hs, x / unknown // 5 - The Front Bottoms, Twelve Feet Deep / Dazai Osamu, No Longer Human / Walter Benjamin, One Way Street (tr. Edmund Jephcott), Selected Writings, Vol I: 1913-1926 / lillie, via Pinterest // 6 - John Le Carré, The Looking Glass War / Bring Me the Horizon, True Friends / starparkdesigns, via Instagram // 7 - Clive Barker, The Hellbound Heart / The Crane Wives, Tongues and Teeth / @neuxue, x // 8 - Susan Sontag, As Consciousness is Harnessed to Flesh: Journals and Notebooks (1964 - 1980) / Molly McAdams, Stealing Harper (Taking Chances, #1.5) / The Mountain Goats, Training Montage / Hael, Who Made You A Monster? // 9 - Bares, Montage // 10 - Aeschylus, Agamemnon / Garth Ennis, Preacher / D.N., excerpt from a book i'll never write #71 / @catradoraism, x / Poor Man’s Poison, Black Sheep // 11 - The Mountain Goats, Up the Wolves // 12 & 13 - Natalie Young, Notes on Earth Life // 14 - Brandon Sanderson, The Final Empire / unknown / David Fincher, The Social Network // 15 - Margaret Atwood, "Hesitations outside the door", Power Politics / @theartistichuman, x / Jorge Rivera-Herrans, No Longer You // 16 - unknown

as always please let me know if any links break, any credit is incorrect, or if you’re aware of where a missing piece of media is from :]

#oh i had to rewatch The Scene so many times you guys #please as ever send your thoughts and prayers for my emotional state in the form of reblogs #these two have me in a chokehold and have since the show began years ago #and ohhhhh. the grief of betrayal. the heartbreak of not being able to stop the betrayal. of not being able to save your betrayer #'it was my job to stop you. from hurting everyone. from hurting me. and i failed.'#cant wait to see if hughie is gonna be season 2 angry and betrayed or season 3 reverent and guilty or season 4 holding tight and forgiving #towards butcher or something new entirely #hope you guys enjoy this one!! definitely taken me the longest of any previous project #but im p happy with the finished product :]#fizz web weaving #the boys #the boys spoilers #billy butcher #hughie campbell #web weaving #the boys web weaving #butchie #the boys fanart #web weave #the boys season 4 #the boys s4 #victoria neuman #hugh campbell #the boys tv #the boys amazon

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kryptonbabe · 3 months ago

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Best of Blue Ribbon Digest 36, 1983

Some Kryptonites not on the handbook:

Platinum Kryptonite ➝‬ Gives Kryptonian super-powers to humans permanently (Batman Secret Files #1, 2018)

Black Kryptonite ➝‬ Strange and unpredictable effects on Kryptonians (Smallville series, S4E1 Crusade, 2004)

Pink Kryptonite ➝‬ Sexual / gender bender (Supergirl Vol. 4 #79, 2003)

Purple Kryptonite ➝‬ Began as a coloring error / Hypnotic effect, it can control the minds of anyone that is near it (Adventure Comics #171, 1951)

Kryptonite-X (Kryptisium) ➝‬ Not lethal, it restored Superman's powers, but caused him to absorb solar energy too rapidly making he lose control of his powers (The Adventures of Superman #511, 1994)

Slow Kryptonite ➝‬ It affects humans the same way Green Kryptonite affects Kryptonians (Batman Secret Files #1, 2018)

Magno-Kryptonite ➝‬ Tracks objects from Krypton including Kryptonite (Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #92, 1966)

Anti-Kryptonite / Fool's Kryptonite ➝‬ Pre-crisis: Looks like Green Kryptonite, but It's harmful to humans and is harmless to Kryptonians / In Post-crisis: it is the power source for one version of Ultraman, Superman's evil counterpart from an antimatter universe (Action Comics #252, 1959)

X-Kryptonite ➝‬ Granted Streaky the Supercat his superpowers (Action Comics #261, 1960)

Red-Green Kryptonite ➝‬ A synthetic Kryptonite created by Brainiac to mutate Superman, it made him grow a third eye on the back of his head (Action Comics #275, 1961)

Krypton Steel ➝‬ A harmless form of Kryptonite that only Superman could break (Super Friends, S3E30 Rest in Peace, 1978)

Opal Kryptonite ➝‬ Synthesized on Earth 2 this variant can apparently drive Kryptonians temporarily insane (Earth 2 #0, 2012)

Krimson Kryptonite ➝‬ Artificial construct of Mr. Mxyzptlk that eliminated Superman's powers temporarily (Superman Vol. 2 #49, 1990)

Orange Kryptonite ➝‬ Provides super-abilities to any animal that comes into contact with it for one day (Krypto the Superdog #4, 2007)

Periwinkle Kryptonite ➝‬ It turns the victim's skin and clothing periwinkle and causes them to completely lose their inhibitions (Superman Family Adventures #9, 2013)

Amber Kryptonite ➝‬ It removes Superman's powers and grant them to someone else (Dark Nights: Death Metal The Multiverse Who Laughs #1, 2021)

Synthetic Kryptonite ➝ Various effects / In Superman III (1980)‬ it caused Superman's morality to change turning him into an evil and destructive being (Multiple origins)

Bizarro Kryptonites:

Bizarro White Kryptonite ➝‬ It heals Bizarro, curing his instability (Superboy, S2E7 The Battle With Bizarro, 1989)

Bizarro Red Kryptonite ➝‬ Affects humans the same way Red Kryptonite affects Kryptonians (Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #80, 1964)

False Kryptonites:

Yellow Kryptonite ➝‬ Began as a hoax by Lex Luthor / Unknown effects (Action Comics #277, 1961)

Silver Kryptonite ➝‬ Began as a hoax by Jimmy Olsen / It causes hallucinations on Kryptonians and possess mystical properties (Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #70 1963)

Kryptonite Plus / Ultra-Kryptonite ➝‬ fake Kryptonite planted by aliens on the moon (Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen #126, 1970)

Fake Kryptonite ➝‬ Superboy's friends are selling these crystals labeled as "fake Kryptonite" to raise money for charity (Superboy, S2E17 Brimstone, 1990)

Purple Spotted Kryptonite ➝‬ Exclusive to the Krypto the Superdog cartoon, it made Krypto chase his own tail (Krypto the Superdog, S1E34 Streaky's Supercat Tale, 2005)

Blood Kryptonite ➝‬ Fake Kryptonite magically manipulated by Felix Faust to drain energy from people (52 #13, 2006)

#superman #kryptonite #streaky #krypton #action comics #smallville #bizarro #jimmy olsen #mr. mxyzptlk #lex luthor #brainiac #supergirl #lois lane #text #findings #dc comics #dc #comics #krypto the superdog

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scarlet--wiccan · 15 days ago

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Scarlet Witch reading guide

This is not meant to be a comprehensive list of every appearance, but a walkthrough of what you need to read to understand Wanda's lore, history, and personal life events. I also have a breakdown of the Maximoff's powers and an explanation of their parentage and ethnic background. [This is an updated + condensed version of this post-- the formatting is messed up and I can't edit it, so I made a new one]

X-Men Vol 1 #4-11-- Wanda & Pietro's first appearance as teenage mutants & Brotherhood members.

Avengers Vol 1 #16-27-- The twins join the Avengers. Known as the "kooky quartet" era.

Avengers Vol 1 #128-- Wanda meets Agatha Harkness and begins studying witchcraft.

Giant-Size Avengers #1-4-- Wanda meets Robert Frank and believes he is her father; Wanda and Vision confess their feelings and are married.

Avengers Vol 1 #181-183-- introduces Django Maximoff.

Avengers Vol 1 #185-188-- also known as Nights of Wundagore, the twins return to Transia and learn about their birth on Mount Wundagore & the origin of Wanda's powers; Wanda is possessed by Chthon.

Vision & the Scarlet Witch Vol 1 & 2-- Wanda & Vision acclimate to married life. Pietro's daughter Luna is born; the twins learn that Magneto & Magda are their birth parents; Wanda becomes pregnant and gives birth to twin boys.

Avengers West Coast #42-62-- includes Vision Quest & Darker Than Scarlet storylines. Vision's memories and emotions are erased; the babies are destroyed by Pandemonium and Mephisto; Wanda learns that she is a Nexus Being while suffering the manipulations of Immortus.

Force Works (1994)-- Wanda acts as team leader and begins a relationship with Simon Williams.

Scarlet Witch (1994)-- a miniseries which introduces Lore and expands on the concept of Nexus Beings.

Avengers Vol 3 #1-3; 10-11-- Wanda learns more about chaos magic and resurrects Simon Williams.

Avengers Vol 1 #503-507-- a storyline titled Chaos, which kicks off the Avengers Disassembled crossover. Wanda suffers an apparent mental breakdown and causes a series of calamities as her powers escalate to uncontrollable reality-warping.

House of M-- a sprawling crossover event set within an alternate reality of Wanda's creation; concludes with Wanda inadvertently erasing a large percentage of the mutant population. This is referred to as the Decimation, or M-Day. Wanda disappears and remains missing for several years.

Young Avengers; Young Avengers Special; Young Avengers Presents: Wiccan & Speed-- introduces Billy Kaplan and Tommy Shepherd, who learn that they are Wanda's reincarnated sons and begin searching for her.

Avengers: Children's Crusade-- the Young Avengers, Magneto, and Quicksilver discover Wanda as an amnesiac living in the care of Doctor Doom. They help her recover her memories and her powers are returned to normal.

Avengers vs. X-Men-- Wanda rejoins the Avengers. Alongside Hope Summers, Wanda helps banish the Phoenix from Earth and causes a proliferation of new mutant to manifest, the first step in her redemption for M-Day.

AXIS-- Wanda & Pietro learn that Magneto is not their father after all, and they're not actually mutants.

Uncanny Avengers Vol 2 (miniseries)-- the twins learn that their powers are the result of the High Evolutionary's genetic experiments.

Scarlet Witch (2016)-- Wanda returns to her magical focus and has henceforth been written as an adept spellcaster. The series does a lot of worldbuilding around witches and witchcraft. The twins learn that their birth mother was actually Django's sister, Natalya Maximoff, and that they are descended from a long line of Scarlet Witches.

Doctor Strange (2016)-- Wanda is featured in the Last Days of Magic storyline.

Uncanny Avengers Vol 3 #26-30-- Wanda rejoins the Avengers Unity Division and begins a relationship with Doctor Voodoo.

Avengers Vol 1 #675-690-- a crossover event titled Avengers: No Surrender.

Quicksilver: No Surrender-- an excellent miniseries following the previous event. Wanda and Jericho use magic to aid Pietro.

Avengers: No Road Home-- a sequel to No Surrender.

Strange Academy-- Wanda becomes a faculty member at a school for young magic users.

Darkhold (2021)-- the original Darkhold is discovered; Wanda's prior experiences have made her strong enough to handle it without corruption; she merges the Darkhold with her own soul and uses it to bind Chthon.

Trial of Magneto (2021)-- Wanda stages her own death as part of an elaborate scheme to gain access to, and magically enhance, the Krakoan resurrection system, leading to her final redemption for M-Day.

Scarlet Witch (2023)-- Wanda opens a metaphysical shop in upstate New York and constructs a magical portal called the Last Door, which opens anywhere in the world for those in need.

Avengers (2023)-- Wanda joins a new iteration of the Avengers, led by Captain Marvel.

Contest of Chaos-- a crossover event. Agatha attempts to create a new Darkhold, much is revealed about the origin and nature of chaos magic.

Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver; Scarlet Witch (2024)-- a special anniversary miniseries which leads into the solo title relaunch. The twins are hounded by an abstract entity called the Griever and begin to expand their powers beyond their previous limitations; new context is given to Nexus beings; Chthon escapes containment.

#scarlet witch #wanda maximoff #reading guide

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siflshonen · 5 months ago

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The Greatest Robot on Earth: Astro Boy and Pluto Part II

Part I is here. This side-by-side continues in part III here, or you can read the whole thing on Ao3.

Side-by-Side Comparisons

“The Greatest Robot on Earth” and Pluto

The best place to start in comparing these series is their summaries. This summary for “The Greatest Robot on Earth” comes from the 2002 Dark Horse release:

“In the novel-length "The Greatest Robot on Earth," a wealthy sultan creates a giant robot to become the ruler of all other robots on Earth. But in order for that to happen, he must defeat the seven most powerful robots in the world, including Astro Boy, who must have his horsepower raised from 100,000 to 1,000,000 to face the challenge! And his sister, Uran, also flies in to lend a helping hand!”

Well, besides the fact that Uran doesn’t actually fly, I suppose that’s true enough. Gotta love marketing copy.

And here is Viz’s summary for Pluto: Urasawa X Tezuka, vol. 1:

“In an ideal world where man and robots coexist, someone or something has destroyed the powerful Swiss robot Mont Blanc. Elsewhere a key figure in a robot rights group is murdered. The two incidents appear to be unrelated...except for one very conspicuous clue - the bodies of both victims have been fashioned into some sort of bizarre collage complete with makeshift horns placed by the victims' heads. Interpol assigns robot detective Gesicht to this most strange and complex case - and he eventually discovers that he too, as one of the seven great robots of the world, is one of the targets.”

An ideal world, eh? Well, I’m all about subverting surface appearances, so I like it. Anyway, right off the bat, we can tell that these two series aren’t the same genre, aren’t using the same principal characters, and aren’t concerned with the same stakes. They seem to only have one thing in common: the word “robot”.

The following pages for “The Greatest Robot on Earth” are from the Dark Horse Omnibus. In most cases, I have used pages from Viz’s Pluto: UrasawaXTezuka, but there are a few pages from the fan scans. Why? Because I own the physical manga, didn’t want to pay for all the volumes again in a digital version, and realized that the images in the fan scans were cleaner and bigger than most of the ones I could get from cracking the spine of my books and mooshing them on the scanner.

Pluto at Its Most Faithful

Mont Blanc died first in “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, and in Pluto he fares no differently. Of course, in true dramatic Urasawa fashion, Pluto chooses to begin with the fiery discovery of Mont Blanc’s head tucked within his killer’s calling card to establish the mystery and suspense of this work rather than start with a quaint lumberjacking-scene-turned-robot-fight like the original.

Urasawa and Nagasaki’s choice to include human victims in Pluto also immediately raises the stakes in a way that “The Greatest Robot on Earth” never did or would. It also immediately changes the type of exploration within the world that the series would do, given that the robots of the extended Astro Boy universe are believed to follow Asimov’s Laws.

Greece’s Hercules, spelled Heracles in Pluto’s English translation, is a straightforward warrior-type in “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, and he sasses the crap out of Epsilon when he shows up to speak with him just as he does in Pluto. He then gets trounced by Pluto after a drawn-out fight.

In Pluto, Hercules still fits the original warrior archetype, but with the addition of his very own character arc! His rivalry and friendship with Brando is new and refreshing, and his blooming respect for Epsilon pairs nicely with his own discovery of his humanity and personal beliefs as it relates to combat, war, and victory.

They called him the god of victory, after all, not necessarily bloodshed. He may have lost his fight with Pluto, but he went down believing he won and with a newfound appreciation for life and the bravery it requires to not fight. His manager Al Haft(a) is an easter egg character.

In real life, Greece participated in the Gulf War, but disagreed with the 2003 Iraq War and did not participate. Meanwhile, Australia participated with the goal of growing closer to the USA. In Pluto, these stances were swapped in their representative robots.

Personally, I think Epsilon (sometimes called Photar in the Astro Boy anime adaptation dubs) is the most surprising figure in these page comparisons if only because he didn’t actually change that much between works. Instead, it is Wassily who exploded onto the Pluto scene with his very own expanded story and Bora trauma. Yes, the disembodied hands scene is in both.

Pluto’s Epsilon looks just like Monster’s Johan, which is funny—Urasawa seems to use Tezuka’s Star System method across his works. In English, Johan and Epsilon are voiced by the same guy, too.

Speaking of, Bora is native to “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, and he is still a bomb. In “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, his creator takes the time to tell the sultan that he created him just to beat Pluto and, by extension, the sultan. In Pluto, Bora’s existence and purpose is to exact vengeance on a broader scale.

Uran’s changes between series are actually really straightforward. In the postscript of the physical Pluto manga’s volume 6, essayist and critic Gorot Yamada laments the fact that Urasawa avoided the “ero-kawaii” of Uran confronting Pluto in nothing but Atom’s briefs and calls it a “minor weakness” since it is representative of Urasawa’s relatively gentler hand in showing “cruelty or eroticism” when compared to Tezuka.

I can’t begin to tell you how funny I think this criticism is, although I do believe that Urasawa does have, overall, gentler sensibilities than Tezuka. But still. I don’t think we’re missing much by keeping Uran in her clothes. She’s still a snot, she’s still a braggart, she’s still good-hearted, and she still makes her big brother look like a square and a stick-in-the-mud. Writing precocious little girls and sweet stories of unlikely bonding moments are a few of Urasawa’s specialties, so I don’t find it surprising that he took the Uran by the hair-horns and maximized her existing character traits.

Spiritually, she feels consistent to me, though her basic actions are decidedly different: Pluto’s Uran doesn’t fight or try to fight Pluto, doesn’t want Atom to fight Pluto at any point, doesn’t ever hate Pluto, and has empathy-based powers (separate from that, she may just be smarter and more emotionally intelligent than the original Uran).

However, the sequences in the park and the underpasses where she befriends Pluto strongly resemble Uran’s near-naked adventures in the streets of “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, and that’s fun.

Abullah is where things get spicy, and that’s mostly because the only real change to his character was the addition of his human backstory and discovery of hatred. In Pluto, he is Tenma and Abullah’s science project who believes he is a human scientist (which he isn’t), but he’s actually also got a split personality! That’s a lot. There’s just so much going on with that. But still, where Pluto’s twist falls on the scale of wild twist bullshittery lessens considerably once you know how this character is portrayed in the original, I feel.

In “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, Abullah is a robot butler disguised as a scientist disguised as another scientist. Not to pooh-pooh the original’s Scooby-Doo antics, but, by comparison, Pluto’s reveal is actually quite nice, logical, and thematically consistent. It also gives Tenma a chance to look cool and not just pathetic.

Professor Ochanomizu is the best character. Don’t argue with me. In Astro Boy, he has a big heart and a big temper to match, and he gets knocked around more than Wile E. Coyote in a Looney Tunes segment. He spends most of “The Greatest Robot on Earth” being kidnapped and hanging out with the sultan, but Pluto spreads the wealth by letting the other roboticists be the damsel in distress throughout the plot.

In Pluto, he’s mostly characterized by doing kindly old man shit (do you recognize that robot dog and how it definitely influenced Ochanomizu’s design for Bobby?), but it is absolutely the kind of stuff the original Hiroshi Ochanomizu would do. He gets treated with more on-screen respect in Pluto than in Astro Boy, but only because he isn’t as cartoony. The animation team made damn sure to have the physics of his stomach work not like those of an innocent-at-heart anime girl’s titties when he’s enthusiastically running to the next big important thing, and that’s exactly the right spirit for a creator to have towards this character. A+ job, M2.

Also, in the manga only, Ochanomizu is the facilitator for the single most entertaining referential gag in all of Urasawa’s works: the police dog car diagram. This was cut in the anime.

In the postscript of Pluto: UrasawaXTezuka volume 5, manga critic and lecturer Tomohiko Murakami observes that “Urasawa’s depictions of Professor Tenma and Professor Ochanomizu almost appear to be [his] perspective on two different aspects of Osamu Tezuka’s character.” I don’t necessarily disagree, especially given the commentary Tezuka gave regarding Atom’s status as a “monster”, but I think that Ochanomizu and Tenma also more generally represent the “dark” and “light” side of progress and science. This is likely what Tezuka intended for them, too, back when he was writing the series.

But Tenma is just a hot mess. For the duration of “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, he was more or less emotionally stable up until the “death” of Atom (and guess what? He totally enabled Atom’s increase in strength to 1,000,000, despite Ochanomizu constantly advising Atom not to do), though his general moodiness and instability is a defining character trait for much of the series. He gets better over time, but make no mistake: he is an eccentric, reclusive, and vain disaster man.

In Pluto, Urasawa lets Tenma’s disaster qualities shine alongside his signature ego, moodiness, cynicism, and destructive tendencies. This man self-sabotages like it’s his job. He also flings his creations around willy-nilly and never thinks about the consequences, and that’s why he has a hand in a significant number of the most harmful and destructive events in the extended Astro Boy universe somehow, including in Pluto.

Tenma’s rejection of Atom at the dinner table in Pluto is way classier than his breakdowns in the original Astro Boy manga, but I liked the gravitas of the scene and the over-the-top vibe of the fancy dinner in the sunset. Tenma’s portrayals throughout different series run the gamut from “frenetic cartoon maniac” to “vanilla un-stellar dad” to “Phantom of the Opera”, and this is a nice lean towards the latter end of the scale.

His constant contest over ownership of Atom/influence over Atom with the Ministry of Science (and specifically one Hiroshi Ochanomizu) extends beyond “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, though, and I think elements of their more direct conflicts are very present throughout Pluto. I love an old man fight, and it seems Urasawa does, too.

But goddamn is it satisfying to see Ochanomizu tell Tenma to shove it where the sun don’t shine.

Apparently, their dynamic is so popular that it inspired a completely new series set in the alternate universe where they not only go to college together, but are best friends. If you want something fluffier than Pluto where the old men aren’t old, go read Atom: The Beginning, I guess.

And, like, sure. This is all great. But sans the extended old man drama, many of these side-by-sides have been pretty faithful to “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, and that is NOT what Makoto Tezka asked for.

Pluto as a Remix of Astro Boy

North No. 2, called Monar in “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, is generally the same robot as in his original portrayal, but instead of just going to fight Pluto, he stars alongside new character Paul Duncan in a brand new story about pianos and music and being blind and growing past trauma to accept others into the heart. Tezuka’s Kuroo Hazama (Black Jack) was even there in Paul Duncan’s memories. It had everything: crying old people and kids, medical drama, orphan trauma, mama trauma, prostitution implications, castles, the emptiness of fame and fortune, singing, an android dreaming of more than just electric sheep, long monologues, and an emotional goodbye where one character stares longingly (even if he can’t actually see anything) at the other knowing they shall never return.

I’ll just say it: Turkey’s Brando is a total red shirt in “The Greatest Robot on Earth”. Meanwhile, Urasawa gave him a family, a love of Turkish drinking culture, a friendship and rivalry with Hercules, and a penchant to dabble in illogical forces like luck, and a classic tearjerker death. Urasawa gave him the world.

In the anime, Brando is among my favorites. Y’all can swoon over your twink Epsilon or whatever, but it’s Brando over randos for me!

Chochi Chochi Ababa transformed into Saddam Hussein—er, Pluto’s King Darius XIV. One is a cartoon villain who provides an opportunity to learn a basic moral lesson, and the other is a motherfucking war criminal. I think that's a sufficiently mature new twist on an old concept.

Of all the characters present in Pluto, Atom himself is likely the one that gave Urasawa and Nagasaki the most grief, if only because he is the one and only Astro Boy, hero of justice, and if his portrayal wasn’t popular, they’d probably be sent to manga hell forever.

For me personally, one of the most gratifying details regarding his portrayal is how quickly he will lie while maintaining the lie that robots can’t and don’t lie. This line of thinking, as well as the implication that Atom follows Asimov’s Laws more because he wants to, not because he has to follow his programming, is something that became more and more apparent the longer the original Astro Boy ran even if none of the other characters directly said anything about it. Speaking as a fan, I also think it’s nice that Urasawa makes the most of upholding Atom’s observed personality traits throughout adaptations. That he made Atom a deeply curative flavor of an insect kid is a grounded, but nice touch.

(It may also be worth noting that Osamu Tezuka had a known fascination with insects. The “Mushi” in Mushi Productions means “insect”. I don’t know how intentional that was, but it seems Pluto’s Atom may have been intended as a chip off the ol’ Tezuka block whether he was his “monster” or not.)

But as lovely and detailed as Urasawa’s embellishments on these characters is, this is still not what Makoto Tezka asked of him. So far, these characters are strikingly similar to the existing “The Greatest Robot on Earth”, and apparently, if Tezka’s interview in the postscript of Pluto: UrasawaXTezuka volume 2 is to be believed, he told Urasawa multiple times to keep revising until he made it his own! It seems Atom really became Urasawa’s monster, too!

#astro boy #pluto #naoki urasawa's pluto #netflix pluto #naoki urasawa #hiroshi ochanomizu #osamu tezuka #umataro tenma #epsilon #brando pluto #hercules pluto #epsilon pluto #tetsuwan atom #astro #uran #sifl's meta presentations #Pluto presentation

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savage-kult-of-gorthaur · 1 year ago

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CENTRAL FIGURES OF THE AFRICAN CONTINENT OF EARTH-9997.

PIC INFO: Resolition at 1050x1600 -- Spotlight on sketch art/pencil art/character art of King Panther, Queen Storm, The Beast, and the Ani-Men of Earth-9997, from the "EARTH X" Sketchbook (one shot). February, 1999. Marvel Comics. Artwork by Alex Ross.

OVERVIEW/EARTH-9997 AFRICA: "In a world where meat and animal life has become scarce, Wakanda has become the sole sanctuary of the world's wildlife, under the monarchy of King Panther and Queen Storm. Reed Richards' friend and ally Hank McCoy, the Beast, now resides in Wakanda, seeking a cure for the world's mutations by studying her richest known deposit of vibranium. But his work has met with great interference. For plague X affected all life on Earth. And now, the spirits of T'Challa always believed to have lived within the great beasts of the plains have finally been given voice in the form of the Ani-Men."

-- "EARTH X" SKETCHBOOK (story/script by Jim Krueger & Alex Ross)

Sources: https://thedorkreview.blogspot.com/2013/11/alex-ross-earth-x-sketchbook.html & X (formerly known as Twitter).

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thevandynetrio · 2 years ago

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Marvel Action: Chillers #3

#nadia van dyne #peter parker #ch: nadia van dyne #ch: peter parker #dyn: nadia x peter #cb: marvel action: chillers (vol 1)#uni: earth 18157 #ty: panels #by: thevandynetrio

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ijustreallylikecaptainamericaok · 2 years ago

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Alias #24

#when you just wanna have a fight out on the lawn and everybody has to crawl out of the woodwork #like seriously i don't blame jessica #i would've run away too #jessica jones #carol danvers #steve rogers #scott lang #scott x jessica #otp: same old hell #alias (vol 1)#earth 616 #comics #quotes #perusing the funnies

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wolverineholic · 7 months ago

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James Howlett (Earth-80777) with Mariko Yashida & their kids, Elizabeth Howlett &Shiro Howlett.

taken from Weapon X-Men Vol 1 #2 (2024)

by Christos N. Gage, Yıldıray Çınar, Nolan Woodard & Clayton Cowles

#wolverine #art #comics #illustration #lobezno #marvel

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rogunetocentral · 2 months ago

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Through the Ages: A look at the Roguneto ship.

Age of Apocalypse (Earth 295)

Set in an alt-timeline caused by a time travelling Legion, the ancient mutant Apocalypse has taken over the world and enslaved the human race; however not all mutants agree with Apocalypse’s tyrannic reign. A team of mutant freedom fighters know as the X-Men, led by Magneto, fight to save the world from Apocalypse nefarious hold.

Rogue is a new recruit brought in by Mystique to help fight against Apocalypse. Rogue becomes Magneto’s second-in-command after both Jean Grey and Weapon X (Wolverine) leave the X-Men.

However, both Rogue and Magneto have developed romantic feelings for the other. Unbeknownst to Rogue, her current beau, Gambit, who is coincidentally Magneto’s best friend has previously commissioned Magneto to help find a way around Rogue’s powers. While interrupting a training session, Gambit asks Magneto to further research away around Rogue’s powerset. To which Magneto, knowing his own feelings for Rogue, reluctantly agrees to continue helping.

After sharing a rather intense personal moment while go over mission details, Rogue tries to speak with Magneto’s son, Pietro (Quicksilver) about her feelings for Magneto and her relationship with Gambit. Before anything could be said Gambit appears in front of the two, and after a quick exchange Rogue leaves to be by herself.

Rogue sees Gambit and Magneto speaking, about the aforementioned request, and asks to speak with Magneto alone. Once alone, Rogue reveals that to Magneto that she has feelings for him but doesn’t know if it’s right to act on them. Magneto reveals that while working on a way to neutralize Rogue’s powers, he discovered that he can create a biomagnetic shield around his body to shield from the affects of Rogue’s power, possible due to Rogue having permanently absorbed the mutant Polaris who shared Magneto’s mutant power of magnetism.

Before things can be further discussed the intruder alarms blares through the X-Mansion grounds and the X-Men quickly assembles to deal with the threat.

During the fight with “Wolverine”, Rogue chooses to save a injured Magneto from being killed leaving Gambit to be taunted by Wolverine. After the battle, Gambit decides to leave the X-Men after realizing that Rogue is in love with Magneto.

An undisclosed amount of time passes and we see that Rogue and Magneto are happily married with a son named, Charles.

However, due to the mysterious mutant Bishop arriving in their world and the startling revelation that their world is not the “correct” one. Rogue, now a leader of her own team, and the remaining X-Men kick into gear and take the fight to Apocalypse in the hopes of finally putting an end to his reign of terror.

After Apocalypse is defeated, knowing their world isn’t meant to survive, Rogue, Magneto, and their son Charles stand together as a bright wave of light sweeps over them.

In the 10th anniversary special it is revealed that the world of AoA, did not in fact die, but the phoenix possessed Jean Grey had saved everyone from certain death before vanishing.

When the people awoke to see that their world still stands they mistakenly believed that Magneto, in his battle with Apocalypse, found a way to save them all. Only Magneto knew the truth of Jean Grey but it kept it a long buried secret in order to focus on ridding the world of remaining factions loyal to Apocalypse and creating a new world where human and mutants can live in harmony. This proved to be too much on his conscious over the years and when Sinister confronted him with the truth and a possessed Jean Grey herself, Magneto finally was able to clear his conscious and let himself be arrested (for lying or something, idk) leaving Jean Grey to be the leader once again.

AoA was once again revisited In Uncanny X-Force vol 1. X-Force of the 616 having traveled to AoA meet with the remaining X-Men of the world. It is now 10 years after the events of the anniversary.

Special note: There are discrepancies between the revisit to Earth 295 in X-Force and the two previous AoA stories as little matches up with the events of the special and several dead mutants from the original AoA are now mysteriously alive again and Magneto is no longer in prison or was even mentioned as being in prison.

During the Uncanny X-Force revisit, Apocalypse was revealed to be back but in the form of Weapon X (Wolverine) has become more dangerous than ever. After the 616 X-Force return home, it’s up to the AoA X-Men to deal with Weapon X. Sadly, Rogue and Magneto are killed by Weapon X before they can stop him from further destroying their world (as told in David Lapham’s 2012 AoA series).

The Relationship:

The relationship between Rogue and Magneto was very much one that was on equal footing both of them were devoted and loyal to each other to the end.

They were able to conceive and raise a son together something that would have been incredibly difficult given the structure of the world they lived in and the constant threat of attacked by the forces of Apocalypse.

Due to this constant threat Rogue became one of the leaders of her own strike team during the fight against apocalypse, something kept her away from her young son much to her disdain. Pietro, Magneto’s elder son, and Rogue became close friends and helped each other watch out for Magneto and Charles until Pietro’s death years later.

After Apocalypse was defeated and the world on the edge of re-building itself, both Rogue and Magneto were able to find a better balance between fighting the remaining apocalypse factions and raising a happy, healthy, normal 6 year old son.

Throughout everything Rogue and Magneto remained fiercely protective of each other and their son. Even after the death of a 6-7 year old Charles Lehnsherr and Magneto’s paralysis, Rogue and Magneto stayed together until their untimely deaths at the hand of Weapon X.

#rogue #magneto #rogueneto #through the ages #age of apocalypse #Earth 295 #Otp: we share a kinship #Roguneto

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thehalfbloodedwitch · 7 months ago

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Diamonds around my neck Vol. 2 (D.m. x reader)

Pairing- Boss!draco x Employee!femreader

Summary- Reader and Draco are business rivals from the top two business companies, when the reader goes undercover to unleash Draco’s company’s secrets when she accidentally falls in love with him.

A/n- This is a Muggle au fic, no Voldy au, also MGBL is not a real job, I just made it up. Also, I have tried a new writing style for this fic, hope you enjoy :)

Warnings- Mentions of death, k1lling, basically a dark theme

Meaning- Y/e/c = your eye color

Words- 5,514 words (yeah ik its a lot)

Volume 1 Draco Masterlist Main Masterlist

"We meet at last," the man said, and Y/n froze, her eyes panicked and her breath hitched; she wasn't ready to meet this man, but now he stood right in front of her, "Pleased to meet you, Mr. Malfoy"

There stood Draco Malfoy, the manager of Reign of Fire was standing right in front of her, he stood there proudly with a smug smirk on his face.

He cleared his throat and spoke, “I have heard that you have decoded by far the most difficult set of codes”

“Yes indeed” Y/n said with a smile.

“Oh, how rude of me, please do take your leave, we shall discuss about your work tomorrow” Draco said as he stepped in the elevator while Y/n stepped out.

After just about a few seconds, that felt like minutes, the elevator door shut behind Y/n and she sighed of relief.

Back at Y/n’s apartment, she called up Sarah and told her about everything that happened back at the Reign of Fire.

After putting her cellphone down she took a warm bath with a lavender scented candle and bath bomb. She spent an hour or two in the tub wondering how on earth she would be able to make Draco Malfoy fall for her, a mere employee.

Despite being the most self-assured and intelligent woman on the planet, Y/n would always feel inferior to Draco Malfoy, after all he was the manager of the leading company in the entire world

Draco Malfoy had that effect on people, and she had to somehow make this man, who thinks others as nothing but mere filth, fall in love with her

The next day arrived sooner than she anticipated and once again she walked through those doors of the Reign of Fire lobby where Alex was waiting for her with a smile on his face.

“Welcome to the Reign of Fire Y/n, here’s your ID” Alex said as he hands over an id card which had a tag that was black in color with the letters Reign of Fire Employee edged on it in white.

“Thank you, Alex” Y/n said with a small smile on her face, at the moment she didn’t care about anything else, she was just waiting for her meeting with the manager, Draco Malfoy.

After handing over the ID, Alex kept on blabbering about the rules and regulations and what not, half of which Y/n had tuned out and after he said something about a topic that caught Y/n’s attention.

“Oh and please do meet Mr. Malfoy at his office, he had asked for your presence before you start with your work here with us, head to the elevator and go to the 49th floor where you'll be guided to Mr. Malfoy’s cabin, have a good day at work Y/n”

Y/n’s feet automatically started walking towards the elevator and as the elevator door closed she pressed the button number 49 and waited to reach the floor.

Her heart kept beating faster and faster as she neared the 49th floor, and after what felt like hours of waiting, the door of the elevator finally opened and outside a guard was stantioned as Alex had mentioned who guided her towards the manager’s cabin.

Here goes nothing

Y/n breathed and opened the gold knob to a magnificent cabin and in sat Draco, his blonde hair slightly messy, his tie hung loose over his neck and his eyes scanning a dozen papers from a folder he was holding

Y/n cleared her throat to catch his attention, which it did, Draco’s eyes left the folder and landed on her eyes, his icy blue eyes meeting her y/e/c orbs felt like fire meeting ice, an unspoken spark lingered between the two.

“I see you are prepared for work today Ms. Y/l/n” looking at her ID as his eyes scanned her entire attire and body.

“Yes, I am” Y/n replied

“Well, please do take a seat” Draco said after a while of silence.

Y/n went and took a seat right in front of Draco, and she couldn’t help but notice the details of his face at such close proximity, his face was as clear as a stream of river, his eyes were like turquoise pebbles and his lips lush pink.

His eyes didn’t leave hers even for a minute.

Y/n sucked in a deep breath before taking a seat. The air conditioning of the room was perfect, yet she could feel her skin burning like she was in a 100 degree oven.

"I've been curious since your interview ended – how did you become so skilled at coding? Your proficiency is impressive and it's surprising that you haven't found a job yet. It seems like only an experienced coder could have such talent."

"Mr. Malfoy, while experience certainly helps in gaining knowledge about coding, I believe that having a strong interest in the subject and regularly practicing is just as important. I have always been passionate about coding, and this has allowed me to develop my skills beyond what I might have learned through work experience alone."

“Hmm” is all Draco replied while holding that icy cold stare back at her

"I don't want to take up any more of your time. Please feel free to head to your cabin and begin your introduction to the staff," said Mr. Malfoy

And, Y/n got up from their seat and left the cabin.

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"Hello Y/n! Welcome to the Reign of Fire!" greeted Claire, one of the employees. Y/n smiled and took a sip from the champagne glass that the staff members had given her.

It was her first day and the team had organized a welcome party for her, complete with introductions.

"Pleasure meeting all of you! I'm excited to work with such a talented team," Y/n said in a cheerful tone.

While she was outwardly friendly, her mind was filled with plans to:

Charm THE manager of Reign of Fire

Uncover the secrets of this company and possibly after everything kill the manager

This wasn’t something that could be achieved by just luck or chance, it required proper planning and as of now she had to concentrate on how Draco Malfoy would even start liking her.

The day had ended and it was already 8 pm and Y/n decided to stay a bit longer at the office while drinking her tenth? No, twelfth? Whatever, glass of champagne.

As the hour grew late, the office lights began to dim. From her cabin on the 36th floor, Y/n could see the warm glow of the city lights through the window.

She noticed the little streetlights and shop lights twinkling below.

Her belongings were neatly arranged in the cabin, but there were a few empty cardboard boxes lying on the floor.

As Y/n took another sip from her glass, she heard footsteps towards her cabin, her eyes snapped open, a bit hungover but nevertheless alert, she clenched her glass tightly ready to use it as a weapon if needed.

“Isn’t it a bit late for you to stay here on your first day of work?” a voice that was not unrecognizable spoke,

Y/n lifted her glass and replied, “Can’t I celebrate on getting into my dream company for a little longer?”

“Of course you can, but you see Ms. Y/l/n, it’s already time for the office to shut, so I would suggest you to head back and be on time tomorrow”

“Alright fine boss, whatever you say” Y/n said, she was aware of what was happening but had no control over her mouth or the words that she was speaking

Y/n stood from the chair of her cabin and walked towards the door where Draco stood in his black tux, hair messy as usual and reeked of his expensive cologne.

As she went to turn off the lights of her cabin, she tripped and almost fell from the loss of balance from the heels she was wearing. However, a strong pair of arms grabbed her by the waist to steady her.

There was a brief eye contact between the two and were merely inches away.

“Be careful Y/n” his voice almost as soft as a whisper against her skin left a wave of shiver down her spine, her name against his lips sounded like it was meant to be said only by him, every syllable, every letter, everything about it felt right.

She couldn’t reply, her throat restraining her from speaking and after a while she felt Draco’s arms wrapping tighter around her waist as every second went by.

It was a surreal moment for Y/n as Draco helped her stand up, supporting her with his strong arms. But as he let go, she felt a sudden chill in the air and a sense of emptiness in her body.

The cabin was dark and the only thing visible were Draco's piercing blue eyes, staring straight at her as he casually tucked his hands inside his tuxedo pockets.

“After you” he said as he motioned her to leave and Y/n did

They walked silently to the elevator and then to the parking lot. The silence was charged with unspoken emotions that they both felt but didn't acknowledge.

They didn't exchange a word or look at each other, afraid to disrupt the fragile balance they were holding onto

Y/n reached her home after she drank some water and thought about the encounter she had with Draco, it didn’t feel, fake, it all felt as though the feelings she felt at that moment was real.

But Y/n couldn’t afford to let her feelings come in the way of the plan.

Y/n informed Sarah about everything that happened at the Reign of Fire, including her encounter with Draco, but she left out the intimate details.

Sarah was pleased with the progress they had made with their plan.

After their conversation, Y/n parked her car in her apartment's parking lot and headed towards her apartment.

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The next few days were filled with Y/n trying to get Draco's attention. However, he didn't even acknowledge her presence.

Y/n would enter the office, finish her work, and leave without any word from Draco. The days just went by, and Y/n felt as though she was getting nowhere.

It was clear to Y/n that Draco was avoiding her at all costs. She couldn't help but wonder what the reason was.

Was he trying to suppress any feelings he had or assumed to have for her? Or was it that he didn't have any feelings for her and was just being his usual cold self?

No one knew for sure, but one thing was clear – Draco Malfoy was avoiding a situation. It was out of character for him to avoid anything.

Y/n knew that she had to charm Draco at all costs, and that too at a specified time that was worth a whole year.

She had made a promise to Sarah that she would leave the company after a year, which meant that Y/n had only a limited amount of time to make her move.

She couldn't afford to waste any more time, and she had to find a way to break through Draco's cold exterior.

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“Please Alex, I must speak with the manager at once! It is urgent”

“Y/n you know it isn’t that urgent, you can solve that issue on your own” Alex replied, his eyes remaining on the pile of papers he had in hand while he put his glasses on to read

“I wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t actually urgent” Y/n protested as she sat on the chair in front of Alex in his cabin

“What’s the matter?”

“There is a server problem, more like a bug in the server that must have been planted by someone to hang the server, all the employees are complaining about the server being down for several days, I know how to fix it but I need to speak with the manager about this matter”

“A bug? On our server? Y/n, you must be joking because our server is the best and has been the best for over years now, maybe its a computer problem which, I can fix by tomorrow” Alex replied coolly

“It is not a computer problem Alex its-”

“What’s the issue here, Alex?” asked a cold voice asked, which was undoubtedly Draco's

"Eh, Sir, Y/n here wanted to speak with you about an issue that has raised recently about our database server,” Alex replied, keeping all his papers at hand to the side of the table and meeting Draco’s cold gaze.

“Ms. Y/l/n, what is the matter with our server?” Draco asked with an arched brow

“Sir, you see, the server has been down and acting strangely for many employees here and I suspect it’s a bug in the coding of the server that might be the cause for this” Y/n said as she turned her chair and faced Draco

“A bug in the server? How are you so sure Ms. Y/l/n that it must be a bug in the server that has caused any issue?” Draco asked, folding his hands over his chest and leaning against the door frame

“Uhm, it does look like a problem caused by bugs in the system, I have dealt with code bugs in a separate course that I had taken and it seems like the problems that I have seen in the server is because of a bug” Y/n replied crossing her legs

"The server's database can only be coded by the server developers. If you would like, I can check with them and let you know if there is a bug in the server. You may leave now," Draco said.

Y/n stood up from the chair and began to make her way towards the exit of Alex's cabin, but as she passed by Draco, their shoulders brushed against each other.

Suddenly, she felt his hand grab onto her arm, halting her from walking any further.

"And if this turns out to be a bug in the server, you're getting a raise," Draco said, his tone rough. Y/n quietly smirked in response, taking it as a playful challenge.

"We'll need to talk about that raise in a while then, sir" Y/n replied with a small grin, before gently pulling her arm away from Draco's grip and continuing towards the door.

Soon enough, about three hours after the meeting at Alex's cabin, Y/n was called to the manager's cabin.

As Y/n walked towards the cabin, she couldn't help but think about the fact that she herself had planted that bug in the server. It was to catch Draco’s attention, which it did, but now what?

She had no plan on how she would even start a conversation with Draco about anything romantic or flirty.

As she entered the cabin, she saw Draco ending a call with someone (presumably the server developers) and gave her the signal to sit.

“You indeed have blown my mind Y/n” was the first sentence Draco spoke after a short silence.

Y/n was more than shocked to hear Draco call her by her first name, not her last and this was something to celebrate over.

“What can I say, I am really good at my job” Y/n replied

"As we spoke earlier about the raise, how much would you like?" Draco asked, looking at her expectantly.

"I would love to get a raise for a million dollars," Y/n replied jokingly, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips.

Draco's clothes were tidy, except for his tie, which hung loose on his body. His hair was ruffled as usual, and his piercing blue eyes were fixated on Y/n

He couldn't seem to tear his gaze away from her, even for a moment.

“Uhm, I wanted to ask you something, Draco”

Draco's eyes scanned Y/n as he asked, "Sure, what is it?" His gaze was intense, and she found herself momentarily lost in his piercing blue eyes.

“Why have you been avoiding me?”

Y/n's question hung in the air, the tension palpable between her and Draco. Finally, he responded, his voice calm and measured.

“I haven’t been avoiding you, Y/n”

Draco diverted his gaze from Y/n to the rings adorning his hand. His fingers mindlessly played with the silver rings.

"Yes, you have, and I have noticed it. After the night we talked, you have been avoiding me. I don't understand why," Y/n said in her honey-sweet voice as she rested her hands on the table in front of her.

"You really want to know why I have been avoiding you, Y/n?" Draco said as he stood up from his chair and walked towards her

His hands were still tucked inside his pockets, and his icy blue eyes were now fixated on her.

“Yes, I do” Y/n said, her gaze lifted to meet Draco’s who now stood right in front of Y/n

"I've been avoiding you because around you, I feel different, almost like I cannot breathe when you aren't near me, you make me feel things Y/n, things I was sure I would never feel in my entire life" He paused for a moment, his eyes searching hers.

"You opened something in me that makes me never want to stop. I can't control myself when I'm near you," Draco said as he rested his forehead against Y/n's.

She could feel their breaths syncing together, and her heart was pounding so loudly she was sure he could hear it.

"What makes you think you should stop feeling them?" Y/n asked softly, keeping her hands on Draco's face and caressing his cheek gently with her thumb.

He stood up, straightened his tie, and cleared his throat. "You should leave." His voice was firm.

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Y/n informed Sarah about the progress with Draco, but she couldn't shake the feeling that she had towards him in that moment in his cabin. It wasn't something she had ever anticipated – the pure and raw feeling of love that she felt towards him, the way her body reacted every time he was near, and the knowledge of what Draco felt about her. It wasn't according to plan, and it ruined her.

All she could think about was the way she craved to just kiss him and know the taste of his mouth, how she wanted to feel his mouth over hers, she wanted to let him ruin every part of her.

But all these thoughts, these feelings she had to ignore because in this job, there was no room for any sort of distraction, no matter what she really felt, she knew in the end it had to go down by her having to kill him, she had no idea how she would even bring up the courage to do that, but she had to, there was no other choice.

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There was a meeting set up by the manager regarding the issue with the server, all the employees had to attend including Alex, who was hosting the meeting.

Everyone was assembling in the meeting hall when Y/n suddenly stopped in her tracks. "Guys, have any of you seen my phone?" she asked, looking around at her friends.

“No Y/n, did you leave it at your cabin?” asked Claire, after which Y/n’s eyes widened with realization

“Oh you are so right, thank you so much Claire, what would I do without you!” Y/n said and sprinted towards her cabin where she found her door open.

In sat someone dressed in a dark shade of black, Y/n's instincts kicked in and she reached for a spare piece of glass that she kept on the shelf next to the door. She held it tightly in her hand as she cautiously approached the stranger.

“Relax Y/n, I didn’t know you didn’t like people entering your cabin without your knowledge” said Draco who spun the chair around and stood up

“Draco? What are you doing here?” Y/n asked, keeping the piece of glass on her desk.

“I could ask you the same question” Draco replied as he made two long stride towards her and was now directly in front of her

“To begin with, this is my cabin and secondly, don’t you have a meeting to host?” Y/n asked, lifting her gaze to meet his.

However, Draco's face gave nothing away – not a hint of emotion that she could make out.

“I do, but the meeting’s second priority at the moment” Draco said as he suddenly grabbed Y/n by the throat and pulled her closer to him. His face was now just inches away from hers.

“You can do better” Y/n responded with a tiny smirk playing on her lips and without missing a beat she quickly swapped Draco's hand from her throat to her hand on his throat, while her other hand held onto his shoulders.

Draco looked impressed, and in an instant, Y/n's lips were on Draco's, both their bodies and lips moving in sync

Draco’s hands were fixed on Y/n’s waist, pressing it just slightly enough to keep her steady while Y/n’s lips were all over Draco’s, exploring his entire mouth with her tongue while holding Draco’s throat tighter and tighter with every movement of their lips

Y/n was intoxicated, unable to stop even at her own will, she knew this was wrong, she wasn’t supposed to be so engrossed, so mesmerized by him but at that moment she didn’t care, after all its just all going according to plan

Draco’s lips trailed down Y/n’s face to her neck leaving behind hot and steamy bites all over. The room was absolutely silent except for the occasional noises from the floors above but Y/n’s cabin was echoing with Y/n’s pleas of pleasure and ragged breathing

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“That is amazing news Y/n!” squealed Sarah, she sounded almost excited about what happened between Y/n and Draco

“We’re so close to this mission being a success, but there’s a few changes to our plan” Sarah spoke

“I really damn hope there is no change about the money we agreed on” Y/n said as she sat down on her bed in her apartment

“No of course not, its about the execution of the plan, since Malfoy isn’t a person who would share business secrets with his love interest” Sarah took a pause and giggled to which Y/n rolled her eyes, “You will have to just kill him and collect all his documents in from his cabin”

“But, won’t that make it even more suspicious? The manager is killed in his own cabin, and right after that an employee resigning, the cops would be in my ass” Y/n said

“Don’t have to worry about that, we have bribed cops to stay away from any case related to the manager of Reign of Fire, just do your job and make sure no one catches you killing him” Sarah replied with a stern tone.

“Yeah, sounds easy enough” Y/n said, “But it would take me some more time to plan out how I will be killing him”

“Sure Y/n, but you do have only a few more weeks” Sarah said.

“I’ll do it” Y/n said as she looked at the mirror beside her bed where she saw the hickeys that trailed down till her chest, the marks were still as new as ever

She hung up the phone and traced them with her fingers while all the memories of her steamy encounter with Draco flashed through her eyes, it didn’t feel forced, it felt easy, like breathing for the first time

This was the only mission where she felt this way. For Y/n, killing was a piece of cake and she could care less about the person she was killing but, for the first time in her entire life she felt as though killing Draco would be a challenge for her

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Y/n was in her office once again, she sat in her cabin while her fingers mindlessly typed the codes and solutions on her keyboard as her thoughts were consumed by the plan she had to kill. Draco Malfoy

But her mind was not focusing on the codes she was typing or the plan she had to make; instead, her mind wandered off to the thoughts of what she would say to Draco when she met him, after what had happened between them.

What the fuck am I thinking of?

I need coffee

Y/n then stood up and rushed to go to the cafeteria of Reign of Fire to grab a hot espresso to clear off these unwanted thoughts of Draco and focus on the plan she had to execute

After getting her cup of espresso, Y/n started walking towards her cabin when suddenly a hand grabbed her around her waist and spun her into the nearest corner of the hallway

“WHO THE FU-” before Y/n could finish her sentence a hand went over her mouth muffling her voice as Y/n’s Y/e/c eyes met icy blue storms

“Shh now, we don’t want to create a scene over here” Draco’s soothing and masculine voice spoke as he gently removed his hand from over Y/n’s mouth

“Draco, you scared me” Y/n whispered

“Sorry love, didn’t want to scare you”

That one word left Y/n speechless, the air from her lungs left and words were stuck in her throat.

No one had ever made Y/n feel so, different it was a very foreign feeling for her, she had never felt whatever he was making her feel

“What happened? I thought you-” Draco spoke as he was interrupted

“Nothing, just recovering from your horrible jump scare” Y/n said as she chuckled

“I wanted to ask, if you’re free after 6” Draco said as he removed his hands from her waist and stood up straight

“Well yes I am, but why?”

“I’m taking you out somewhere”

“Where?”

“Its a surprise, now are you free after 6 or not?”

“It would’ve been a yes if you hadn’t scared me”

“I’ll pick you up at 7, don’t be late”

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Y/n looked stunning in her elegant black dress that draped just above her knee. The dress was quite expensive, she had bought it for a masquerade party hosted at her previous office.

The doorbell rang in her apartment and as she opened the door she saw Draco Malfoy, he was dressed in a sleek black tuxedo and wore his rolex watch on his right hand with a charming smile on his face

“Just wait here, I’ll be ready in 5 minutes” Y/n said as she let Draco in and went inside her room to wear her earrings

Y/n put on her earrings and gave her makeup a final touch before exiting her room. As she stepped out, she noticed Draco's piercing blue eyes scanning her from top to bottom with a glean in his eyes.

“You look beautiful love” he spoke as he stood up from the sofa and the two exited the apartment where Draco’s porsche waited.

From the apartment to the whole journey to the restaurant, Draco’s gaze never left her

The dinner was delicious but more than the food, the ‘date’ Draco had taken her on was extraordinary.

The two of them talked about everything under the moon, and Y/n was amazed to see a side of Draco she never thought existed.

She had always known him as a cold-hearted person, but he had let his guard down and talked to her so easily.

As the night came to an end, the two once again shared a kiss. It was different from their previous ones, as this one was not desperate but rather sweet and loving.

Y/n couldn't believe that she was using the word 'loving' to describe a kiss.dracoslittleangel

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“Y/n, today is the day” Sarah’s message pops up on Y/n’s phone and for about half an hour she had been staring at the message like a slap on the face.

She was dreading for this day to come, according to Y/n’s ‘plan’ Draco was officially whipped for her and would not suspect a thing she would do behind his back,

Y/n had already after a few dates with Draco given information to Sarah about Reign of Fire’s secrets but it was officially the day she had to end it all.

And she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

She didn’t want to admit it, but deep down Y/n had fallen for the blonde, whether it be for his undeniable beauty or his charming personality, Y/n had in fact fallen in love with Draco Malfoy.

And she had no choice but to end it all

Y/n picked up the gun she had lying in her bedroom drawer since the day she shifted there and finally, the gun was going to be used, for doing something she will dread for the rest of her life

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Y/n entered Draco’s cabin, the manager’s cabin, she knocked on the door three times with a pause after each one, it was a secret code the two had created

“Come in” his husky and low voice spoke and Y/n couldn’t help but feel guilt all over her body

She entered the cabin and could feel the gun cold in her coat pocket, her hand went inside her pocket and felt the gun sitting there, waiting to be used to brutally murder the man she loved

It dawned on her that she was going to have to kill Draco and feel all the guilt of hiding so many secrets from him, hiding things from the man she loved and having to live with that guilt forever

Even in her dreams she could never kill Draco, it had only been a few months since she started developing feelings for this man but even within such less time she got to know this man for who he really was and not what he portrayed other people to perceive him as

“Hello love” said Draco, he looked at her as though they were about to share a loving moment with one another, who would’ve thought that this moment would be ruined by one betraying the other

“Hello darling” Y/n said, her voice low and not the same energetic or snarky but rather dim and lost of its essence

“Before you say anything, I have a present for you” Draco said as he opened his drawer and took out a velvet box and placed it on the desk, “Open it” he insisted

“Sure” Y/n said with a small smile and opened the box, inside which was a beautiful pink diamond necklace, one of the most rarest types of diamonds and would’ve costed a shit ton of money

“You really shouldn’t have Draco” Y/n says, as she admired the diamonds on the necklace

“You deserve the world love, let me put it on you” Draco says as he comes closer to her, removing the diamond necklace from the box and putting it around her neck

“I love you, you do know that right?” Y/n asks, as her hand pushes her hair to the front so Draco could put the necklace on her

“I know” Draco says as he pauses, holding the necklace right around Y/n’s neck

“Love, can I ask you something?” Draco asked

“Sure”

“How much were you paid for killing me?:

silence

Y/n's face turned pale as she stood motionless, unable to believe her ears. Had she heard him correctly? Or maybe she might have misheard him, there was no way.

“What?” Y/n choked out.

“How much were you paid for killing me?” Draco repeats himself as with one hand he pulls out the gun from Y/n’s coat pocket

“Draco let me explain-”

But there was no explaining left to do

Draco knew everything all along

"Y/n, what would you take me for, a fool? I was suspicious of you from the moment you joined Reign of Fire, and I did some digging and found out everything about you." Draco said as the necklace around Y/n’s neck grew tighter and tighter

There was nothing left to do, Y/n’s hand instinctively went on to grab the necklace and try and release her from his hold

“D-Draco, please I-I wasn’t going t-to” Y/n tried speaking but Draco didn’t stop

The necklace kept getting tighter and tighter until there was no room for Y/n to breath, she tried kicking him, punching him, anything to release herself from his grip but nothing would work

“I checked your chats with your manager, what’s that bitch’s name? Aha Sarah” Draco spoke as he strangled Y/n with the diamond necklace, because of which there were cuts on her neck and blood oozed from her neck

Y/n’s vision started blurring and she tried speaking, fighting for whatever was worth but she grew tired, her mouth went dry and body went limp, and all she managed to speak out “Bastard” after which everything went black.

Y/n’s now limp body fell to the floor and Draco swiftly removed the necklace from her neck and placed the bloody necklace back in the box he took it from and placed it inside his drawers.

Straightening his coat he then signaled for someone to come in the cabin

“Alex, clean up this mess”

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Tags- @blackthunder137 @miss-celestial-being @itchywitch33 @nicofiliac @roguecheneyswife @steveslittlesunflower @slythermuf @cait2212 @crisppudge @draco-spencers-girl @tsukibaby1 @dracoslittleangel @enchatedforever @gacha_bella23 @raajali3 @lazydreamer19 @zmxchs @ravenqueen777 @tinafuentes @pascalshearts @kash2 @kash77 @angelxanastasia @horneybeach1 @bchanslvr

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