#I can't wait to kill my hand with this in like every panel for the first chapter <333

[glasscitadel]

Guys... after working on this incrementally over the past 8 months between other personal work and commissions, I finally did it. I have kicked clothing design's ass and have served my archael heirus, Eden, the finest religious sci-fi drip... Very minimally shaded so this can serve as a good reference!

And a version without wings <3

[damianbugs]

i spoke about this briefly before, and i think i have my thoughts more collected now to develop on it; i feel like comics which show bruce comforting his child self in flashbacks of the wayne murder in crime alley understand the purpose of batman a lot more than the ones that have him talking to his parents.

if you've been keeping up with recent batman comics, then you'll notice a theme of bruce getting the chance to talk to his younger self. the important part though, is that it is not because of time travel or some detached third party force — it's the young bruce in batman's head.

it's the him hidden behind the black door in his mind when he's fighting his nightmares —

Batman Knight Terrors #2, 2023. written by Joshua Williamson.

— and it's the him tucked away in corner of his mind after being drugged and tortured with his greatest fears.

Detective Comics #1075, 2023. written by Ram V.

after experiencing something traumatic, the one bruce sees suffering from it isn't himself, but the young bruce wayne in the alley. because at the end of the day, every hurt circles back to that night, to that boy, that he can't save no matter how hard he tries — because that boy never left the pool of blood he was sitting in.

i think people often attribute the existence of batman as something created for his parents. to avenge them, or to be the symbol that could have saved their life had he existed before, to stop anyone else from being killed in the same way. there's some truth to that, however, to me, the answer is a little more selfish.

i think it has always been for himself, but not the him now, but the him that is still stuck in that alleyway, waiting over his parents dead bodies. batman is a symbol of hope and reformation and justice, but at its core, batman is what saved bruce wayne.

as a result, the panels above have a very different feel to say, this moment when bruce sees an illusion of his parents in Superman/Batman #56, 2009. written by Michael Green and Mike Johnson.

it's an emotional moment for sure, but it didn't quite speak to me the same way this absolutely phenomenal moment did in Batman: Blind Justice, 1989. written by Sam Hamm.

of course this moment is a lot more cynical in how bruce uses batman to cope with his guilt, while the other moments focus on batman providing young bruce with the hope to continue that he isn't alone — the sentiment of batman being the one to pick him up from the floor and lead him away from the scene in a shared motif.

it reminds me of that one discussion that batman is a victims power fantasy. his own fantasy! because bruce has — in order to have a semblance of control over himself — separated himself from this event that it is a completely different child at the scene of the crime. it's this fact that let's him reach down, hold the boy's hand and tell him everything will be okay.

this bruce wayne is a child, his child, gotham's child, thomas and martha wayne's child, an orphan to protect.

batman was made for children like bruce wayne, to stop them from becoming like him and for them to hold onto when it does — because batman is still trying to fix a problem that has an endless hole. he can never reconcile this trauma and let the boy in the alley leave, because that's not what batman was made for.

batman was made to protect the little boy, and in order to do that, he must remain in that alley.

there's still a bruce wayne who had to grow up, who learned to fight and love and lose again and again, a bruce wayne who becomes batman. a batman who then, tries effortlessly to fix problems and save people, who goes out everynight because if he doesn't, then that boy in the alley is left there for nothing.

then there comes a moment where he falls through the cracks and he's face to face with the child who can't leave and can't grow up and knows nothing but loneliness and grief — and batman gets to tell this child that life becomes more than just this alley.

the child is happy, if even for a moment, that batman is there. that's what batman is for.

[gallusrostromegalus]

How do Hisagi and Kira cope with all the chaos Tousen and Gin wind up causing?

So my concept of this is based off these panels in the Manga, where Shuuhei realizes just how much work goes into running the Ninth Division:

(I love Jushiro's r u fuckin' serious? face here lol)

From the interlude between major battles in the middle of the Arrancar arc, in a cafe in seireitei:

*****

Kira sat in awkward silence as his friend and mentor bawled into his shoulder.

"EVERYTHING! I SWEAR, HE WAS DOING EV-ER-Y-THING!!" Shuuhei wailed. Five drinks in and the teetering walls of Shuuhei's stoic facade has crumbled like day-old cookies. "Managing all our contacts and sources, writing in the cultural articles as needed, keeping the presses stocked and in working order, wrangling the other captains to actually submit their reports, keeping the filing up-to-date- He was even writing the crossword every week!"

"It's uh. It's been a change for me too." Kira mumbled, awkwardly patting his shoulder. Across the table, Rangiku has assumed a facade of gentle sympathy as she waited for the storm of emotions to blow over.

"WHY?" Shuuhei demanded, sitting back up. "WHY DIDN'T HE ASK FOR HELP? The workload must have been killing him- it's killing ME and I read at least twice as fast as he ever did! Did he just... Not Sleep?"

"Well, perhaps he found the tasks he had delegated to you to be difficult for him, but the stuff you're struggling with was easy for him?" Kira tried, optimistically.

"No, that can't be it- It's almost the same work, just more of it." Shuuhei sniffled. "Did- did he not TRUST me to handle the workload? He was always a stickler for details- was- am I not good enough?"

"There's also the whole Treason thing." Rangiku pointed out, unhelpfully. "If I were plotting to overthrow the government, I'd take on extra paperwork to keep it quiet."

Shuuhei slumped over the table, contemplating the thought despondently. "...Was I not good enough to take wi-?"

"-You finish that sentence and I'll break this bottle right over your skull." Rangiku threatened. "You were TOO Good for him to make you an offer like that. If anything he knew you'd do the right thing and turn him in."

Shuuhei sniffled, unconvinced.

"How are you holding up Blondie?" Rangiku changed the conversation with the gracelessness but irrefutable power of an ox.

Kira considered her question, chewing his lip awkwardly. "I... Well I don't know how to say this delicately but, um-" he glanced down nervously at Shuuhei, who at least looked like he couldn't get MORE miserable. "-It's actually been kinda great."

Shuuhei stared up at him from the table, scandalized, and Rangiku barked a laugh loud enough to make the room ring.

"Gin was a...hands off sort of manager. He would always back up whatever we decided to do of course- Heck, he crossed swords with the old fart that runs the Fon Clan for us once, but ah... well. As annoying as him being largely absent was, he was worse when he decided to help." Kira sighed.

"THAT'S GIN!" Rangiku cackled. "I swear talking to him was like talking to someone from a different dimension sometimes- not a damn clue how anything worked."

"Yeah..." Kira smiled weakly. "We had a secret staff calendar to make sure he'd be occupied with something if we had a REALLY important project going on, which probably should have been indicative of something, now that I say it out loud."

"It's indicative of a crap manager, which is a far cry from treason, even if both should be hanging offenses." nodded Rangiku. "Speaking of management- Any idea when you lads are going to take the captain's exam?"

"What?!" Both yelped, startled.

"ME? CAPTAIN! ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Kira shrieked, laughing nervously like a Hyena.

"Nononono-" Shuuhei waved. "I'm half-dead running things as is, and Tousen left things relatively tidy- Apparently Aizen absolutely TRASHED the fifth division's filing and casework on the way out and it's bedlam over there. For all his other sins, Capt- Tousen at least finished payroll out until the middle of November." Shuuhei shrugged.

Rangiku blinked at what Shuuhei said, confused, but was distracted by the sudden arrival of more friends.

"Hi Rangiku-Chan!" Orihime waved from the door, out of breath and lightly singed from training with Rukia, who followed her in, looking equally gleefully disheveled.

"HEY GIIIIRL!" Rangiku squealed with delight, waving for Orihime to come over for a hug, and the girl practically tackled her. "Oof- How's training?"

"She can throw any Hado up to the mid-seventies right back at me now!" Rukia panted, delighted. "We're gonna start on Bakudo tomorrow, to give myself a break."

"-And Miss Rukia has been casting Hado in the 80's and a 90th level one without incantations, so I can't predict what the next attack is be like!" Orihime bounced with excitement.

"Sorry you're doing fucking what?" Kira gaped as Rukia sat down next to him, looking more than a little smug.

"Casting without incantations Kira, try to keep up!" She teased.

"Goddamn." Muttered Shuuhei. "All I've been doing is drowning in paperwork and failing to drown my sorrows."

"Oh no!" gasped Orihime, joining them at the table. "What's wrong?"

"Besides the everything?" Kira laughed darkly. "Apparently Tousen had been doing like 90% of the Ninth Division's Work and now Shuuhei is playing catch-up."

"Oh, wow." Orihime nodded, patting Shuuhei's shoulder sympathetically. "-that's a lot of work! And with his Spinal Implants too!"

The table blinked at Orihime, confused.

"...what spinal implants?" Shuuhei asked, peeling himself off the table and staring at her.

"Oh! oh no, I didn't mean to blab medical information-" Orihime waved.

"Traitors aren't covered by HIPPA, What Spinal Implants?" Shuuhei demanded, calmly but firmly grabbing her by the shoulders to stress the seriousness of the situation.

"I- um, well- When I was being attacked by Mayuri-Taicho, um, Mr. Tousen stepped in and- well frankly, he saved my life!" Orihime mumbled. "But- he lost his um, what do you call it-? The white jacket? and the back of his uniform had been ripped open so I got a pretty good look at his spine and honestly I thought it was some kind of weird body piercing thing at first but when I asked he got really cagey for a bit and said something about 'spinal implants' but MAN, they looked like they had to have HURT, not to mention the big scars on his shoulders..."

The assembled shinigami shared wary looks.

"...Okay, you're not in trouble. In fact, you might be doing us a big favor." Rangiku gently put her hands on Orihime's. "-But I need to you be totally honest about what you saw, or didn't see, or what you think you might have seen but aren't totally sure about, okay?"

Orihime nodded.

"-Did you, at any point, see Aizen's sword, or think you saw one of it's attacks?" Rangiku asked, eyes focused on the girl in a way that reminded her uncomfortably of being stalked by a leopard at the zoo as a small child.

Orihime thought carefully. "I- um. I saw the big Kido spell he launched right before he and Mr. Gin and Mr. Tousen went through that portal- he was really far away, but I don't think he had his sword out. I couldn't actually see what he looked like, just where the light was coming from? It's kind of embarrassing, but I still don't know what this Aizen guy actually looks like?"

"Oh my god." Realized Rukia. "He didn't take Kyoga Suigetsu out the whole time he was at the execution grounds. If Orihime hadn't seen him before then, she was never under his illusion."

"Rukia, sketchbook." Rangiku demanded, hand out and Rukia rifled through her pockets for the book and a handful of pens. "Alright Orihime- do you think you can draw what you saw on Tousen's back?"

"Oh! yeah, I think I can do that!" She nodded.

"Remember, only draw what you're really, really sure you saw- no adding details!" Rukia prompted, remembering The Orihiminator form her art midterms.

"Right! Um- well, if this is his back-" She drew an outline of a human back, noting were his spine and shoulders were. "-there were these like? Little iron nails? Going up in pairs on either side of his spine. I'm not totally sure, but I'm like... 98% sure there was one pair for every vertebra. His hakama and scarf were in the way so I don't know how far up and down the went, but it looked like his entire spine? and then there was this bright red thread woven and tied in really elaborate knots between them- Um. I'm not sure how exactly, but it was something like this- if I saw pictures I'd be able to point the pattern out again." She explained, continuing the illustration.

"-And then on his shoulders there were a pair of Kanji that had been like- carved into his skin? They were bright red, like they were infected or maybe that's what they look like when he'd been running? but um- yeah, it was "Silence" on his left shoulder, and "Obedience" on his right- Like this!" She said, holding up the drawing.

The shinigami, as a group, turned white. Rukia slapped a hand over her mouth that only sort-of stifled the scream she let out. Kira started to shake and Shuuhei got up and leaned out the window like he might be sick.

"...They weren't medical implants like he said, were they?" Orihime winced.

Rukia reached over and gently pushed the drawing down so it was facedown on the table. "That's. um. That's a Curse Orihime. That's a really, really nasty curse." She explained gently.

"Shuuhei-" said Rangiku, frowning. "You said that Tousen had finished the Payroll, right?"

"Yeah, out to the middle of November." Nodded Shuuhei, still looking green. "Weirdest thing- he ended it on the thirteenth, a Teusday. Totally not like him."

"-Its also really weird for a guy who is allegedly planning on committing treason to make life easy for the people he's leaving behind by finishing out the payroll." Explained Rangiku, taking out her communicator and Dialing. "Shuuhei- I want you to go back to the Ninth and see what other work he finished that doesn't make sense, and keep track of the dates he finished them out to, Kira- you do the same for the Third Division. That Teusday thing is bothering me. Rukia- I need you to go find someone from the Kido Corps and meet me at the First Division. Orihime- you're with me."

"Yessir!" The three lieutenants jumped to their feet and took off as Rangiku finished placing the call.

"-Sasakibe-San?" She asked when the line clicked on. "Sorry to disturb you, but I think Miss Orihime has discovered something of critical importance. Can I meet you and Yamamoto-Sotiacho at the first division? Now?"

[murdockmeta]

Matt's Protective Tendencies Regarding Gwen

So, for this post, I want to focus on three moments (cause with that many this is still gonna be too long aha) that stuck out to me on my second read-through. It's important to note these examples because Matt's relationship with Gwen is the closest we get to seeing him caring about anyone or anything.

Matt threatening George Stacy

This one is the most complex of the three. There are many layers to this scene but I think it's telling how Matt makes Gwen the center of the conversation. Also, he resorts to personal attacks on George's ability to protect Gwen and be a good father to her.

Matt does seem controlled in this scene to a certain extent, clearly there with the intention to taunt George, but I think he's... not as controlled as he appears.

This is the first time in the run we've really seen him use a more hands-on approach. So far, he's used legal loopholes, threats, manipulation, and so on. He's dodged (quite literally in some cases) every chance at a physical altercation.

Here, he shows up in relatively casual clothes (another interesting choice. the only time we ever see this.) and he eventually ends up holding George Stacy in a chokehold over the side of a building.

In the previous panel he's in, he's meditating when he's contacted by George. He picked up his phone on the second ring (not the first, despite how obvious the disruption is. hes trying to give the impression of nonchalance). He goes through the efforts of pretending to not know who's calling even though he definitely does.

When we see him again, it appears as though he's only changed his shirt before showing up at George's house. It's not the next day, it's probably not even an hour later. He was waiting for George to call. I'd be tempted to say he was growing impatient.

He starts with cheap attacks on George's morality and his job, petty things. It very quickly escalates.

Frank Castle had recently proven to be quite a threat to Gwen. Castle wants to kill Spider-Woman. Matt is refusing to let that happen. But, he wants George to be the one to make the call.

He's very dedicated to protecting Gwen but he also needs Gwen to trust him a tiny bit. He knows that if he outright kills Frank that Gwen would lose all faith in him. She would drop contact immediately and refuse to work with him again.

Yet, he's so persistent about protecting her, he goes to George to try and get him to do it. Matt wants Frank dead. Out of the equation. He's willing to physically threaten George, to get angry, to show maybe just a little too much of himself. He's trying every personal attack he can. And in his desperation to force George's hand, he reveals a lot about his motives. Even George picks up on this.

George is talking about what he thinks he sees in Matt. He thinks Matt killing Frank outright would show how bad Matt is, how cold and immoral he is, therefore losing Gwen's willingness to work for him. When really, it shows how dedicated and desperate Matt is. Matt cannot-- cannot-- lose Gwen. He needs her because for the first time since he was a child he has the chance to no longer feel alone.

He needs his plan to work. He can't have Frank mess it up but he also can't push Gwen too far away from him. So, he does all of this instead.

This is one of the most interesting goddamn lines in the whole scene. This is in the middle of Matt's attempt to attack George's ability to be a good father, his ability to protect Gwen. In that, Matt lets this slip out.

He's obviously projecting himself onto Gwen. And I also think he projects his relationship with Jack onto George but that's a discussion for another post.

So, does he think he's protecting Gwen from becoming like him? Making the hard decisions so she doesn't have to? He acts like he wants Gwen to become as bad as he does but even Gwen says in the end: he wanted to lose, he wanted to be caught. So...? We know he hates himself. And with the above line, we see the closest Matt ever gets to admitting how he truly feels to someone he lets live.

Gwen's different because Gwen represents a chance for things to go right. Matt needs to protect her because he needs her to succeed.

2. Matt refusing Gwen's apology

I was going to just highlight his first few lines in this panel but the whole thing seemed relevant to this post.

So, when I first read this line, I thought it was borderline out of character. He, of course, can't just refuse her apology, he has to give some self-centered reason why. But, everything he follows up with unintentionally reveals his hand once again.

To Gwen, Matt's reasons sound selfish and cruel. She thinks he just wants to use her, control her. She thinks he's interested in what she can do for him. And, well, he is. But it's never just that.

He wants her safe. He plainly says it. He wants her safe so that he can make sure she's not in danger, to make sure she doesn't die or make any decisions she's going to genuinely regret.

I think Matt's heavy-handedness in regard to Gwen's morality is extremely intentional. You don't change someone's mind about their personal morals by telling them how ridiculous their morals are all day. You don't change their mind by trying to force them to make deals they rather wouldn't. Arguably, that's how you make them stand their ground.

And I think that's what Matt's counting on. He sees it as a win-win, whether Gwen ends up turning evil or not (because if she does then he can finally die). But really... I think he wants her to have a reason to be good. He knows how hard-headed she is, it's one thing he likes about her. So, he knows that antagonizing her will just make her more assured when she comes out on the other side.

If she can stick through to the end and beat him, there's not much that can stop her after that. One important thing about Gwen's development as Spider-Woman is that at the beginning, she doesn't have the strong conviction to do good that 616 Peter has due to his uncle's death.

Peter died in her universe, but it didn't serve the same purpose. She felt guilt over Peter's death, but not the kind that strengthened her morals. It was this crushing guilt that dragged her down, made her lose faith in herself. A lack of confidence like that can quickly lead down a much darker path and we see that in Gwen throughout volume two.

She still needs that push. That final act that'll let her come into her purpose fully. And Matt intends on giving that to her if she's willing to go along with his plan long enough. He crafts himself into a big, bad villain for her. Just so she can be good.

3. Matt protecting Gwen's identity

Matt goes out of his way to make sure Gwen's identity stays safe. He knows her secret identity is important to her. He made sure he tied up his loose ends with Toomes so he wouldn't tell.

The one that's more interesting to me is the fact he didn't even tell his ninja her name. These ninja are assigned to protect her from any harm while they are in a foreign country and an assassin is after Gwen. But Matt doesn't bother giving them her name.

There's not even really a reason for him not to tell them other than him being overly protective of her. It's not like they're going to tell anyone, they're fucking ninja. They're sworn to secrecy out of pure principle.

Yet, Matt doesn't say anything. He could've even used it as a bargaining chip but he doesn't genuinely threaten to reveal her identity even once. Would it have really even affected his plans long term? Her identity is revealed at one point, and he still gets what he wants in the end.

But he never brings it up unless it concerns her identity being revealed in a way that may harm her. He never dangles it in her face. He respects it and protects her.

---

These are just a few moments I wanted to talk about. Honestly, the George Stacy one could've been its own post and I'll probably end up making another about it eventually.

Matt is so multifaceted and he shows that best with the people he dares to form attachments to. The main one being Gwen. The way he treats her is the closest he got to caring about someone. It's the closest we get to seeing what he's really like under all his disguises.

He demands control because he thinks that is the only way to protect the ones he's attached to. He knows, in his particular position, that there really is no other way to go about it. And he doesn't want the people he cares about to like him. He doesn't think he deserves it, really.

He wants Gwen to be better, to do better, so he allows her to hate him so much that she has no choice but to come out stronger in the end.

[beevean]

When you take everything Surge did and compare her crimes to what the other villains have done, she's only an obnoxious high school bully at the absolute most.

Sonic's most dangerous opponent of all time indeed /s

Surge doesn't even compete with Knuckles in 3&K, who was just a nuisance, but an intriguing one due to his knowledge of Angel Island.

And you know, I could forgive it, if I sensed that this was the intent.

Surge has the blueprints of how to be a Sonic rival, but she sucks at it, like a pet kitten trying to be a feral cat. She's weak (her lightning powers are nothing impressive), she's unexperienced, Sonic doesn't take her seriously at all, she's a big ball of rage that she can't express into anything that actually leaves an impact, and she ends up whimpering and crying when facing the prospective of fighting Sonic and Metal at the same time. She's an underdog that I'm supposed to feel pity for, with her tragic story and identity issues.

Yeah. But then why did she steal the spotlight to the degree that Sonic the Hedgehog didn't feature in the main cover of the first milestone issue of IDW?

Why did we have to spend more than one cumulative year with her, in an arc that amounted to "she stole Eggman's shit to look cooler, didn't work"?

What was the point of all that hype focused on how cool and badass and threatening and scary and toothy she is?

And most importantly...

How dare you think I'd side with her over Sonic?

Oh yeah, a common defense of #50 is that it's shown from her perspective, hence why Sonic looks like the smuggest, preachiest prick in existence, or why that one infamous panel had the light of God shining upon him. It's Surge's distorted perspective, guys! Flynn is such a genius actually!

This is a weak defense, because 1) the beginning and ending of the issue are focused on Sonic, so there is nothing that suggests that his section is not from his POV like literally every story with him, and 2) Flynn himself confirmed in August 2022 that the events of #50 can be seen only from Sonic’s point of view. (I love having the FAQ on my hands <3)

But that doesn't change that the entire point of Surge and Kit's existence is to have other people still yelling at Sonic for his big sin of conceding freedom to everyone. See, it's his fault that he didn't kill Eggman and Starline when he had the chance (when?), which caused Starline to turn against Eggman, which caused him to think of a way to surpass his idol, which made him create those two. If Belle is the dragging corpse of Mr. Tinker's plot, Surge is the rotting zombie of the deconstruction of Sonic's supposed Principles, and this is why I'm meant to take her seriously, and pity her, and find her cool and badass and so #deep and #relatable.

I reiterate:

Surge is a narrative mess masquerading as clever meta commentary. Oh wait, I can't call her meta - that is reserved for the Pontaff games :^)

[gotham-citys-third-finest]

Jason Todd and The Female Gaze: A Mini-Essay

I feel like DC still doesn't quite understand Jason Todd's appeal within the fandom. I know on some level they think it's because he's the DC version of the Punisher, and our mouths froth for revenge and guns in a world where the title character famously doesn't kill and detests them.

This post really opened my eyes to something I never considered in why I like Jason until I was on TV Tropes and saw that they described him as impulsive. It rubbed me the wrong way, like petting a cat backwards. Impulsive. He never felt impulsive to me and, in most iterations of his character, he is able to lie in wait for years before striking. But then it struck me that if he were a female character, he'd be called overly emotional instead of impulsive. Too sensitive, too feely to make rational decisions. On one hand, what the fuck is gender anyway? But on my hand, as an autistic woman who was taught to make myself more palatable (pretty) before making people uncomfortable, Jason is a familiar fantasy.

He feels the depths of wrath and envy, is forced to grin and bare the weight of every cardinal sin for some transgression he's made (being poor, being empathetic, being righteous). But he doesn't smile or carry them idly. He wields them.

There's a John Berger quote in Ways of Seeing about the hypocrisy of the male gaze:

You painted a naked woman because you enjoyed looking at her, put a mirror in her hand and you called the painting “Vanity,” thus morally condemning the woman whose nakedness you had depicted for your own pleasure.

DC puts a gun in Jason's hand and makes him a moral parallel to Batman, an alternative. But when it comes time to actually do what Batman can't (refuses to) do and free Gotham from the tyranny of a domestic terrorist, he's now corrupt and can only prove his goodness by following the path of the man who's mislead him in every life he's lived. He is a survivor who has bloomed beyond the confines of Batman's shadow. He is a victim incapable of reason when in his murderer's presence. He is a prisoner of the panels DC boxes him into.

But Jason (to me, to us) is his own Pygmalion and he is an unapologetic master of his own image. And we yearn for his liberation.

[autobot-ratchet]

MTMTE 12-13

MTMTE 12

still so cute that Tailgate's happy place is movie night

damn they really just cut right to the aftermath of the battle like “oh yeah btw Rewind's injured and Swerve got his face blown off. Just to let you know. Okay back to the present”

Drift is in his element, look at that smile, you go baby, slice those dudes up

gfdjks poor First Aid is so done with Chromedome's fussing, give the guy a break he's just worried about his husband

also yeah god this is the first time we get to say explicitly that they're married, isn't it? I remember being completely fucking floored by that the first time I read it, like “wait what do you mEAN THEY'RE ACTUALLY TOGETHER??? LIKE IN THE ROMANCE WAY?!?!?” like I had picked up on the queercoding vibes but then the comic was just like “yeah coding-schmoding, they're queer” and I simply could not believe that shit lmAO

also btw Cyclonus is injured too. Just fyi

I've made fun of Tailgate for embellishing his past accomplishments but damn does he do a good job of stringing Rewind along lmAO kid's a pretty good liar under enough pressure

I love how they show us that horrifying panel of Swerve's fucked up face without context and then later the context turns out to be “yeah he just accidentally shot himself in the face.” he looked down the fuckin barrel of the thing god lmAO

I love the concept of innermost energon so much. For a race that's constantly morphing and changing to give away the one part of themselves that always stays the same no matter what, the fuckin romance of it all

I love Tailgate trying to gas up Chromedome by constantly trash-talking Dominus just on principle alone lmAO “Oh that's Rewind's ex? Fuck that guy he's got nothing on you” “Tailgate he was an incredible person” “Incredibly cringe, maybe”

sorry I am now distracted by the idea of Tailgate using the word “cringe,” that wasn't nearly as much of a thing when this comic was coming out but he absolutely would, holy shit

ooohhhgdjhfs Drift recruiting Chromedome for The Overlord Thing while he's at his lowest and Rewind's incapacitated is so slimy, he really does have to do all the dirty work for this project huh

Cyclonus immediately goes back to help Tailgate clean up, he's making progress, we're getting thereeeeeeeee

I think this is the first time (of many) that Cyclonus looks at Chromedome and Rewind's relationship and is like “...........huh.” Like, he definitely uses them as a framework for his own relationship with Tailgate and wants what they have, even if he doesn't quite realize it at this point

Ah, right, I forgot that Whirl helps Rewind jump his spark out of guilt for nearly killing him alongside Cyclonus lmAO

And Cyclonus protected Rewind.... nnnnNNGFHSDFNgsdf *points at Cyclonus* HAHA YOU HAVE FEELINGS... YOU CARE........

MTMTE 13

I like the implication that this isn't the first time Drift has grabbed Swerve like a football

also love Cyclonus calling Drift too young, both of you are old as dicks

I will never be able to think about the bit where Swerve asks Drift to be his roommate and Drift is like “no thanks, in my off time I prefer to be alone in a state of heightened isolation exploring the limits of solitude” without thinking about that vine that's like “sorry dude I can't go do social event, I'm busy” and then it cuts to him in his room alone, drinking a can of beer with one hand and playing jock jams on a keyboard with the other, this one, this is the vine

I fucking forgot Swerve was still here, I thought they closed the door on him lmfAO they really just had that whole conversation with the door wide open

I'm still so sad we only got the good holomatter avatar generator after Ratchet had used his old one, not to mention everyone whose avatars we never saw. Every day I wonder what Drift's avatar would've looked like

Magnus shoving his way between Swerve and Tailgate, making Tailgate scoot three entire seats over

“I think the program is struggling with human gender- Do I look like a 'Mary Sue?'” ah-HAH *slaps knee*

Aww, I forgot Magnus's avatar is Verity, that's so sweet. I didn't know who Verity was the first time I read this, but now that I do it does hit different lmAO

fuckin rip Magnus. Fhdksjkl I just noticed Rewind recording in the background, you can see the light of his camera on his silhouette

“Why do I get the impression that you can't remember your worst enemy?” nnnnnnNNNNNGGHH

drunk Magnus is cute

“Where IS Chromedome?” “Oh, he's, erm... I'm sure he told me...” NNNNNNNGGHHFFGHGHFGH

“Savor this feeling, everyone. You never know what's around the corner.” yEAH, YOU GUYS SURE DONT...

Cyclonus teaching Tailgate to sing in old Cybertronian... Tailgate said earlier in the issue that Cyclonus was the only link to his past and that was defs on purpose so that this could be Cyclonus's moment of realizing that Tailgate is much the same for him

aww Swerve, buddy... I mean to be fair I would've done the same thing in Blurr's position, Swerve comes on a little strong, but oh man. Swerve's not a bad guy, he's just unbearably lonely but Blurr never could've known that

oh right this is the first little written blurb we get hell yeah

Rung quietly marveling at the miracle of Cybertronian physiology like. That's YOU!!! That's more you than you could ever know!!!!! He doesn't even know that he's the originator of all that!!!!!!!!

it is still so funny that Rung regained the ability to move by getting so sick of Swerve's shit that he subconsciously mustered the power to move his arm so he could shush him

mmmmphphgndfm one of the only things Rung remembers during his recovery period was the smile Skids gave him when he corrected the mispronunciation of his name... SKIDS IS REAL SWEET........

gfdjk the gang watching Cyclonus browse a gift shop like they're ethologists and Cyclonus is a species of animal they've never seen before

godjdfska Magnus trying to make a joke and failing harder than anyone ever could is still so funny.. HE'S TRYING OKAY........ Also, absolutely hysterical joke to be telling to Rung specifically

God Rodimus is such an ass lmAO “What is wrong with people” he asks the therapist, genuinely. Simply solve mental illness, why don't you

ooh, get him, Rung, stick to your guns, attaboy

God. Watching Rodimus lie through his teeth about investigating the voice Rung and Red Alert heard... I mean, it was never going to work out, bringing Overlord onto the ship, it was a doomed endeavor from the start, but seeing all these moments of Drift and Rodimus trying to keep it under wraps is just so bitter lmAO They did their best, their awful, awful best

[alena-reblobs]

Trigun Bookclub Trimax Vol10 Part 4

Vol01: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3  | Vol02: Part 1 | Part 2

Trimax: Vol01 Part 1Vol01 Part 2 | Vol02 Part 1Vol02 Part 2 | Vol 03 Part 1 | Vol03 Part2 | Vol04 Part1 | Vol04 Part2 | Vol05 | Vol06 | Vol07 | Vol08 Part1 | Vol08 Part2 | Vol09 Part1 | Vol09 Part2 | Vol10 Part1 | Vol10 Part2 | Vol10 Part3 | Vol10 Part4

God why is this volume so long and full of so many epic pictures

Commentary for chapter 6 and 7 of Vol10, will do the last one in another post!

While I'm doing this, reading each chapter and after that, doing my commentary, I notice the effect of the volume lessening...damn! I should read it in one go first and THEN write my thougths but I'm afraid I'll forget what I want to say. Vol9 and Vol10 are in a way really meant to be read in one go for the full effect.

Chapter 6:

Yes! Wolfwood trying to end this fight not with his weapon, but with his bare hands is so important! He's not fighting to kill, he's not EoM's puppet, he's trying to bring back a friend...I can't say why but also the fact that this obviously pains Razlo more than bullets also feels right. That's how it should be. And then...there's Vash.

Oh god and then there's Vash.

This is...one of the most cruel images of Vash yet. To me it is THE most emotional in the whole series. Pure desperation. Sadness for things lost. Vash allowing himself to break down while we only hear the punches of Wolfwood beating down on Razlo. Looking at this image makes me sad. Damn it Nightow for making Vash have to grief before they even had the chance to start their future together.

But again, props to Nightow for the storytelling.

Vash promised Wolfwood to leave Razlo to him BUT NOBODY DARE INTERFERE.

LIVIOOOOOOO

And just when we fought we had gotten rid of him and he couldn't piss us off any more he's coming back round to hurt our boy

THANK YOU RAZLO. There can never be enough bullet holes in this dead man's body.

I really really like that Livio is not treating Razlo like the bad guy here, but acknowledges that Razlo is also a victim in a way. A victim of having to live through the fucked up shit that Livio could not cope with, of having to deal with that. (I hope I worded that all right, since I don't really know anything about the medical condition of which Razlo is the result?)

You did it, man. You saved Livio. And now you're even a person he looks up to you. Of the feels.

CRYBABY LIVIO IS BACK BITCHES oooh you earned that cigarette, Wolfie

Chapter 7:

I just love the kids and Melanie and how lively it seems. Surely it was hard and filled with loss as everybody had lost their parents, but it must also have been a childhood filled with love.

Baby Wolfwood oh my sweet boy... Sometimes I have wondered how little Vash and Wolfie would have gotten along. Or well, I'm sure they would've gotten along. I just would love to see them interact as kids. Out there, little Wolfwood, a long time ago, was once a boy drifting in space who would later be your most trusted friend. And who would, not in every way, but in an important way, save you.

Ah, just below is the panel where it says "six years have passed since that day" that always confuses me?? Still now because 6 years is not possible? I will wait for any explanation that you, my fellow bookclub readers, will come up with.

Don't scream at him!!!

Vash wanting to explain it to them is killing me. And Wolfwood's expression here is so...unclouded. Completely honest. Vulnerable. No my sweet boy you are no monster, did that not get into your head??

With the little time left...maybe he's right, maybe he can not explain to the children what he is, all the complex stuff.

You know, Vash, Wolfwood is tired. This moment, he just wants to spend it with you, and isn't that enough?

Wolfwood saying this...and then Vash begging to GOD, praying to not lose that man.

I never really got the grip on what Vash means with "stupid things". There's been this theory that Vash denies Wolfwood telling Vash his true feelings, but I don't think so. I think they both at this point know how they feel about each other. I think Vash just...can't stand to hear the emotional talk now because it's simply too much. Maybe it would be nice if they could talk out their innermost feelins at last. But maybe, they don't need that. Have their actions not proven enough already by now?

Throw that confetti guys

If some of you are on twitter and have followed the trigun fandom there you might have stumbled upon the marriage tweet my friend made when she read this scene the first time. I have nothing to add apart from that it rips my heart and soul in two. Now, there's one more chapter to this volume but this arc kinda already concludes with this here...and so I just want to say: I have NEVER before read something that felt so deeply emotional and tragic like this whole...Wolfwoof dying scene. Or, I might have and I might not remember, but in my mind this is the most tragic thing I can recall. Because...it takes its time. It already starts in Vol08, with Wolfwood's inner thoughts, and then it goes on for the whole next Volume where the stakes are getting higher and higher, until Vash appears to save them and save Wolfwood but it STILL is not enough. And Vash is shocked, is in denial, is in anger and is griefing and then we get a short moment of breathing, before it hits us again. We're living this all through Vash, and...and he can't bring himself to smile in the end. He can't. He only stares blankly until he then slumps down. Oh, and I read in the Trigun Wiki I think that this scene here is the only scene where we see Wolfwood cry. Which....gives it also so much more impact.

And, all in all, I think this is not the worst ending for Wolfwood. Of course I am devastated. Reading so much fanfiction, seeing so much fanart, makes it pretty easy to forget that there is no future for these two in canon...not together. (which is WHY I read the fanfiction because good lord did I need something to cope) And when I think about how they never get the chance to live the life together as they both may have wanted...then the feeling of loss hits the hardest. But then, on the other hand: First, killing off one of your main characters while giving them a metaphorical wedding scene is a sick move. An evil, sick move. And second: it fits the series. Because Trigun feels so real, and in real life, things don't always turn out the good way. And Wolfwood, with his life, never really had any future...but the thing is also, he died while knowing that he was able to achieve what he always wanted: the orphanage is safe and he brought Livio back. It is all he ever wanted to do, and it is thanks to Vash that he was able to do it. Would it have been dope if he lived on and if he and Vash could build their own orphanage and be caretaker dads together? Oh hell yeah. But, within the story of the series...it was always unrealistic. Wolfwood died smiling- whatever we think about it, he was content with what he achieved. (I think so at least! The panels where he cries out, they always strike me as a defiance, not wanting to die, but that might be reading to much into it. The whole thing for him is so emotional, the confetti, which tells him they welcome him back, despite knowing who he is...it would be a wonder if he didn't cry. So it might just be the emotionality of the whole scene.

PHEW I'm sure I could say more if I thought a bit about it but I'm gonna shut up here now. Time to do the last chapter, though I'll make another post, this one is far too long already.

[kellterntempest]

Project I.V.O.

Another snippet: Agent Stone and Android!Robotnik make their attempt to escape from G.U.N. together. Stone has to remove Ivo's shock collar.

Stone let out a shaky breath. "We have to get this damn collar off you. They could remotely activate it at any time now - and keep you paralyzed indefinitely."

Ivo’s face darkened with agitation. "Everytime I have tried, it administers an electric shock to my body."

"Let me see." Stone moved closer, inspecting the collar. It was a smooth metal band all the way around, except for a flat piece on the front with a small digital screen that faintly shone light blue. Stone looked up at Ivo, gesturing to his clothing. "Can you take the upper half of your uniform off?"

Ivo nodded slightly, removing his arms from the sleeves and tied it around his waist, his upper half completely bare. The android stood still, watching the agent’s every move.

Stone carefully brought his hand to the side of the collar, stopping at an inch away. The screen on the front changed from blue to yellow, digits flickering along the display.

Not a good sign. Stone placed his fingertips on the metal, watching for another change. 

The light went red for a second, then electricity shot through both Ivo and Stone. Ivo hissed, twitching violently. Stone yanked his hand away quickly, feeling burning and prickling pain from being shocked. "Ah! God damnit!'

Well, shit. This was going to be more difficult than he anticipated. "There must be a transmitter in there that connects to the remotes - and some kind of touch and motion sensor."

"Obviously." Ivo scoffed, rolling his eyes. "The problem is opening the panel and destroying them.”

Stone frowned as he brainstormed a plan. "I think I can take it out, but…” He looked at the android with unease. ”I'm sorry Ivo, it'll be extremely painful for you if you're still…conscious while I do this."

Ivo clenched his fists, looking down at the floor. "I can't shut down independently like I could before in phase 3. We don't have access or even time to go back to the robotics lab. The risk is too high. We've come this far already, we can't go back."

Stone took a deep breath. He was right, they couldn’t go back, that sector would be crawling with G.U.N. soldiers, and it wouldn’t be long before they caught up to them.

Ivo straightened up with a serious determination. He put a hand around Stone’s arm. "I can take it. Do whatever you have to do. Just get the wretched thing off me, we don’t have a lot of time here."

Stone swallowed his anxiety, and nodded. “Right.” 

The agent raided the nearest utility closet for what he needed. Insulated gloves, hand tools, but found no protective gear for his ears. Shit.

Stone pointed to the chair next to the table. "You better sit down, I need you as still as possible."

Ivo sat down without a word, waiting for the pain to start.

Stone hesitated, a memory flashing in his head of how Ivo had viciously killed the man who had shocked him the first time. "You're not going to... uhm, you won't rip my arms off, right?" The agent laughed nervously.

"If you take too long, I may consider it." Ivo growled back, his hands tensely gripping the arms of the chair.

What a great motivation. Stone’s hands hovered next to the collar, holding two demolition screwdrivers.

"Stop wasting time and get on with it, idiot!" Ivo snapped.

Stone clenched his jaw and started his attempt to pry the panel away. The collar glowed red, sending unyielding volts coursing through Ivo again. The android was overtaken by agony but he fought it hard, willing himself as motionless as possible. His limbs were still shaking wildly, his upper body quivering from the effort.

Seconds felt like excruciating minutes, and Stone faltered as Ivo’s body released screams of pain.

"I swear I'll stick this on you next if you don't HURRY UP!” The android’s voice glitched in and out, deteriorating into something two-toned and metallic.

Stone struggled to dislodge the joint of the collar and the electronic panel. “I’m trying, you’re moving too much, I can’t pry it loose-”

“GET IT OFF!!” The android screeched, the frequency causing glass to shatter around them. 

Stone jumped backwards, nearly dropping the screwdriver. His ears were ringing loudly from the piercing noise, and he wondered if an eardrum could have burst if he hadn’t stopped. The panel refused to budge, and he was just causing prolonged misery for the android. The metal had been welded shut, and he didn’t have enough leverage. He needed a different tool to force it open. “I need a laser cutter, or an angle grinder.”

The android hit both fists on the arms of the chair, denting them. “And where exactly are you going to find power tools like that just lying around?!” His voice had returned to normal, but the pain and frustration remained.

“You’re the damn genius - do you have any better ideas?” Stone shouted back at him.

“Mechanical agitation - hammer and chisel the display - whatever you have available! The electronic display has to be the weakest point.”

Stone felt incredibly stupid hearing that. Why had he not thought of that? “What if I miss? This thing is slim, and I know how hard it is to stay still when you’re bit. And If I tie you down, nothing in here is strong enough to keep you.”

“This shock collar was designed specifically for me. I am only programmed to feel pain from it as a last resort for those military cowards to keep me subdued when necessary. Hits from you are not going to affect me. My skin is bulletproof - and a measly screwdriver won’t pierce through either.”

Right, he wouldn’t be much of a super soldier if he could always feel regular pain like humans. “So, what, if you get throat punched, you can’t feel it?”

A grin crept over Ivo’s mouth. “You will.”

Stone did not feel comforted. But he raised the tools in his hand, leaning close over the android. “Ready?”

Ivo shut his eyes, grabbing the sides of the chair again. “Do it.”

(To be continued)

[chidoroki]

182 Days of TPN - Day 168

Chapter 168: "Dad"

I know this is the same room Isabella & Peter were seen having their discussion in back during ch165, but to just have two plain chairs in such a large, empty room seems so extra. Regardless of that, I do like the panel of the trio here, even though they're surprised to find no one here due to the fake footage Peter fooled Vincent with that lead them there.

Dunno how all the kiddos are hearing Peter's message since the teams seem to only have one person with a communication device but whatever. Perhaps he's speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.

Although I have a hard time believing the Ratri men were able to tie up the Adam clones without a fight, I guess anyone will yield once you hold them at gunpoint. Also, the absence of Hayato in this panel is a nice hint to his role next chapter.

While the demon guards don't cause much of a problem during the rest of the story, it still would've been better if the kids killed them off instead of put them to sleep. I get that they didn't wanna kill if they didn't have to, but it would've been one less thing to worry about. Hearing about Sonju & Mujika's execution definitely adds to the stress. Not as much as their deaths could have, but we're thankful Peter was stupid enough to actually wait three days.

Along with all the citizens who drank the evil blood being killed, the Ratri clan and the higher-up demons taking control of the government, let's add the plan to assemble a ton of new Lambda farm into the mix as well. Talk about a big time panic. The premium farms don't sound so bad now huh?

Oh Vincent, you dunno these kids as well as you thought if you honestly believe they would shoot the adults in front of them. Emma, Ray, Don & Gillian couldn't manage to fire a shot at Andrew back when he held Dominic & Alicia hostage after the shelter raid. You're best bet would've been Oliver. This goes back to that old post of mine wondering who, among the kids, would be able to shoot at another human, but I still believe Ray could manage it, if only as a last resort.

The thought of Norman firing at another person was always a toss up for me though. Of course he showed no mercy towards demons during this WM phase, so even with the clear difference between demon and human, I wouldn't have been completely surprised if that cold persona of his came back with a vengeance once he heard Vincent get shot. Peter's been a thorn in Norman side ever since Lambda, so having this bastard personally hurt one of his friends just adds fuel to the fire. Norman (& Ray) did often mention taking down Isabella & Krone back during their GF days if they wanted to escape successfully, so they have level of brutality, it's just been real lowkey. Thankfully none of the children need to get blood on their hands. They've suffered enough already.

Please never say those words with your mouth. No one in this world considers you as that.

Hell yeah Oliver, let him know what's up!! I love that he, Zack & Gillian feel so strongly about the word "dad" because of the relationship they had with Lucas. The same can be said about Ayshe & her father but I can ramble more about all that next chapter.

Favorite panel/moment:

If you've been around me for a while, then you already know how damn hilarious this panel of Norman is to me.

I mean, in context, it's pretty serious, but thanks to a silly edit I've made years ago, I can't look at this panel anymore and not laugh like an idiot. So, now's the perfect time to upgrade it from a noticeable bad edit I made in the car on my phone once upon a time to something more worthy to use every time I lose my mind.

[harrowharks-iliac-crest]

31 (continued)

Oh, the chapter continues! For some reason I thought that was it. Delighted that it's not!

Ianthe had walked away from you, all split lips and gay loneliness; had she walked, less drunk with every step, toward the little room where Ortus bent over a dead woman? Was his ruined heart a gesture for your benefit? Would she leave so much blood; would she come here?

Simple answer: No.

Can't help but read "gay loneliness" a certain way. (eye emoji)

All around him, the incinerator mechanism rumbled to life. You spun away and looked up. In the protected plex booth stood Cytherea, spotlit by the strong white light from the panels above her,

Cytherea with the steel chair!!!!

In the second that you saw the ruddy white surge of flame, you did not know it was hot enough to melt steel. You only saw the steps of what you had to do.

Harrow what the fuck!!!! You're gonna go and save Ortus???

It was the first time, as a Lyctor, exploding such tonnage of bone into an incinerator’s flame, that you looked upon the limit of your power: and that limit still stretched so far out into the goddamn distance that it was out of your sight.

Wooooowwww. Holy heck.

“I know you’re there,” he rasped. “Kill me all you like. I would know you in the blindness of my eyes … in the deafness of my ears … as a shadow smudged against the wall, annihilated by light … stop. Not here. Not now. Let it go, love. I just want the truth … after all this time.” Ortus dropped his hand and said, with intent: “Just tell me—back then—why you brought along the ba—”

The what?????

HELLO?????

Hi what the fuck??????

“You saw what you saw,” you said. “You must have seen her stab you. The blow was from the front, with your own spear.” Ortus said, “I don’t know.” “You were conscious. You spoke to me.” He said, “I don’t know.” “We had a conversation. I want to know what it meant.” He said, “I don’t remember.”

Glad to know I'm not the only one who wants to know what this is all about.

Ortus also insane??? Harrow's present also messed up???? Both somewhat plausible.

Later on, when the Mithraeum was searched, Cytherea’s body was no longer on its altar; and God said he could not detect it anywhere on the station at all.

Cytherea and her steel chair have fled the scene. Typical. And just when I thought we'd get some answers.

(Hah. I don't think I actually thought that.)

...wait, hang on -

“If you mean the other—you were in serious danger of overegging the pudding. Nobody would ever believe you would get that drunk accidentally.” “Piss off,” came the response.

Mercymorn and Augustine are back to arguing - and it seems like they were... working together to distract God, and it was an act?

It was an act???

Huh!!!!

... Thus ends Act Three.

[cherryblossombombs]

maybe I'm choosing to think that a bkdk implied ending is likely not possible because I'm just so used to the lack of LGBTQ+ representation in media overall, that I made myself believe that every author will think the same and make it the same generic cishet ending

the argument I have towards an implied bkdk ending is "how do we know hori is going to do that? we don't know if he's planning for that ending."

Yes, we can use previous panels that show how close bakugou and midoriya are compared to a ship like midoriya and ochako.

I mean bakugou is literally the only person that made midoriya almost lose control of his power (twice).

And the fact that mirio had to tell midoriya that bakugou was not dead in order for him to not lose to AFO.

And the fact that bakugou apologized to midoriya, and that alone was able to get midoriya to come back to UA (and midoriya's eyes dilating when bakugou used his first name again)

And the fact that shigaraki told bakugou that he's the closest to midoriya, therefore he had to kill him in order to hurt midoriya mentally.

And the whole 37 volume cover (and if you think about it, the reason why that cover doesn't exist, canon-wise, is because midoriya can't look at bakugou's borderline-dead body without losing his shit, because he will lose the battle).

And how midoriya was bakugou's last thoughts and how he wanted to catch up with midoriya with a little smile on his face

And how edgeshot said to bakugou, while trying to heal him, "the one YOU'RE waiting for, deku, will come"

And a little addition, is how kirimina is a little similar to bkdk, where you have kirishima's/midoriya's body moving on their own to protect bakugou/mina, then a couple chapters/volumes later, bakugou/mina doing the same in return (along with midoriya/kirishima telling bakugou/mina that they've always been their hero).

And how one of bakugou's regrets was not holding midoriya's hand that day when they were kids, and we have a little special drawing at the end of S6E23 where bakugou is reaching towards midoriya's hand.

Also, the whole "child (midoriya) hiding behind the tree blushing and admiring their crush (bakugou)" panel when they were kids

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Welp I'm not doing any good with my "what if hori doesn't do it" argument, I'm literally contradicting it. All I'm gonna say is "let's see what happens" lol

You know what, feel free to add some more bkdk moments on the list that hints that hori is likely going to do an implied bkdk ending

[zeroducks-2]

has anyone asked abt batjokes for the ship game

you're the first anon! And DAMN YES

I ship it!

What made you ship it? Reading The Killing Joke at the ripe old age of eight. My mother thought comics were for kids and bought me a big ass "essential Batman stories" book, which started out with The Killing Joke and it rewired my brain I guess (my Batman experience up to that point had been random episodes of Batman Beyond).

What are your favorite things about the ship? I reckon I'm going to go on a bit of a tangent here. Sorry Anon I don't suppose this was the answer you were hoping for, but I am unable to contain myself :> So being that this is my first DC ship (and it might even be my first ship PERIOD), I'm more of a "I nostalgically ship it from afar" than an active, fanfiction-reader/writer kind of fan, but surely my enjoyment has always been rooted in the fact that it's a villain/hero situation where they're two sides of the same coin, at the point where they can't exist without one another. I ship Batman with 50% of his rogue gallery tbh, and unless it's just 'cause it looks hot, it tends to be about how Bruce tries to see the human side of these people (sometimes because he's known them since before they were rogues), how he extends a helping hand when he can, how he refuses to kill them because there has to be a way to rehabilitate them (and sometimes there is, and it's just the tragic nature of these stories which prevents the "rogues" from getting their own form of happy ending). This happens with the Joker too, and the most memorable occasion in which this happens is after Joker tortured and crippled Barbara (someone Bruce is supposed to love and care for), beside what he also does to Jim Gordon (also someone Bruce is supposed to be friends with). Joker himself tells Batman more or less "I hurt a defenseless girl, I terrorized an old man, what are you waiting for just beat the shit out of me" to which BRUCE SAYS NO. He says no because "you're just like me except you had one bad day too many, and I know you can get better, and I want to help you". We all know how The Killing Joke ends, with the proverbial joke and them laughing like maniacs about it (I have the panels always around so yall can experience them with me)

And the image of them laughing together is forever seared into my brain, especially because even if this guy did whatever the hell he did (and will keep doing it), Bruce replied with empathy and compassion. A monster, the irredeemable one who's never going to stop before anything because he's not even human, at this point he's the embodiment of everything wrong there can be in a person - he just got smothered with compassion and it almost worked. The "joke" (two madmen escape the loony bin, etc) is Joker's way to say "I'm sorry I really want to take your hand but I can't, I just can't do it", and Bruce understands this and for a brief moment of six panels it's just two friends laughing together. And that part of me which will always see itself in the ugly, irredeemable, rejected monster was and will always be so profoundly fulfilled by this.

Of course I am also not immune to the whole "you need me, you love me and you can't live without me" thing to which Batman reacts by kicking and screaming that it's not true, but which is indeed true and in every story in which Joker actually dies, Bruce cannot for the love of him cope one single day without him. This post puts it briefly but beautifully, go give it a look if you're rabid a fan of the dynamic such as I am.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship? Liking this ship (and Joker in general) is unpopular in and of itself lol, but I guess I can say that my unpopular preference is that as much as I ship them, I don't see sex involved in any part of their relationship which is more based off of beating the shit out of each other (or laughing about a dumbass joke in a stormy night in an abandoned amusement park), and being unable to let the other go when the chance presents itself. I see sex as essentially unnecessary in their dynamic, but it's also true that I don't really peruse Batjokes content beside the occasional fanart, so the sex part might have just not clicked with me yet.

[mercurygray]

While I'm waiting for the dust to settle on my last round of voting, I thought I'd treat you all to YET ANOTHER AU - an act never before seen on this stage! A SPACE AU.

He knew he shouldn't be here. Even if it was the officer's corridor, and he was an officer, there were cameras and monitors and the last thing any Fleet ship needed was more gossip, not when there was already enough to run a starliner into the next galaxy.

But he needed to see her.

The comm-panel hummed when he touched it, waking up to transmit his message. "Commodore Winters to see Commander Warren." And then, quieter, directly into the panel, as to the ear of a lover - "J, it's me. Please let me in."

The door slid to the side, and Dick stepped inside, letting the door close silently behind him before he took another step into the room. The lighting in the whole room was low, the internal sound system playing the Old Earth jazz she loved so much. He half expected to see a glass of wine on the table - one of her favorite vices after a long day - but the only thing he could see was a carafe of water and a small divided tray of pills, accompanied by her commpad, still displaying some typed notes from medical. He'd tried to shake down sickbay for the full report, but her staff were strangely loyal, even after all the places they'd been. "Let her tell you that, sir," Mitchell said, uncompromising. "She deserves that much."

And here they were - in her darkened quarters. His eyes gradually adjusted to the dark, finally finding the pale flash of her legs stretched out from her favorite chair. She was wearing the robe he'd bought in San Francisco the last time they'd been on leave, the deep blue one with the irises. I think this is my favorite possession, she'd said once. It feels like you. "How's the arm?" he asked, as directly as he could.

"I'll live."

God, what an answer. "I wish you wouldn't keep throwing yourself in front of things like that."

"Who else is going to?"

"Someone else who isn't in command of the whole starship, for starters. You have a crew, Joan, let them do thier jobs. It's what you trained them for, and they're good at it."

The idea looked like it pained her, and for more than a few moments she was silent. "I learned that from the best, you know."

"Yeah, well, now he's in charge of several starships," Dick replied. "And it's killing him every time he can't beam down to get you." He let that settle a moment. "So. How's the arm?"

She sniffed and held out the offending appendage, letting Dick carefully move forward, closer to her, and roll the sleeve of her robe up so he could see the damage, the red and angry inkvine welts under the transparent mediflex where the creature had attacked her, stretching from her hand all the way up the length of her arm, her skin looking for all intents and purposes like one big burn. Something in the saliva, the medbay had said, before they'd clammed up and claimed loyalty overrode an officer's privledges.

Marj had apparently spun things a little bit - this was worse even than he'd thought. He was glad Lee had shot the thing when she had, or it would have sucked Joan down whole. Mitchell down in medical could fix a lot of things, but chemical burns over an entire body would have been a tall order, even for her. "Does this hurt?" he asked, tracing his fingers as lightly as he could over the surface of the bandage-like mediflex.

"Billie's got me on some pretty serious painkillers," she admitted. "Said I'm not allowed back on the bridge for a few days and Marj will have the con." She took a deep breath. "It…it's not just on my arm, Dick."

He closed his eyes and breathed in and out, trying to calm himself so he could open the front of her robe, and draw the silk back so his eyes could follow the welts up over her shoulder and across her bare breast. He was afraid to touch any of it, because if he did that, if he followed the scars, he'd see just how close he'd come to losing her. If the poison had gone to her heart…

"Will you stop scaring me, Joanie? Please?" It was as close to begging as he would go.

When she spoke, her voice was quiet. "I can try." A pause. She gently tugged the robe back over her shoulder, tucking it down. "Were you - were you thinking of staying?" she asked, lightly, the voice she used when she was trying to make you think it didn't matter when it absolutely did. He tried not to make a face. "Not - not for that, I'm…I'm not all here, with the meds, it wouldn't - wouldn't be - good. But just to - to feel you. Please."

"I'm expected on deck in a few hours," he said, less excuse than explaination. "But I can stay." She nodded, rising stiffly from her chair, and made her way over to her bed, laying down on top of the covers so that her injured side was up and she was facing the wall. Dick eased his shoes off and carefully removed his uniform tunic before crawling in next to her, allowing her a little space.

But Joan wouldn't take it - she reached backwards and grabbed for his arm, dragging it over her body so she could hold it close, between her breasts, like a child holding a favorite toy.

He wasn't sure what made him say it, the openness of the dark and the music, or the subtle terror still surging through his body. All he knew was that it needed to be said. "I love you."

There wasn't even a pause this time. "I love you, too."

[megashadowdragon]

Sly Cooper 5 Prediction: The Death of The Panda King.

Now, for some backstory behind the pic, for those who love fandom as much as I do: the return of the villainous Clockwerk, arch-nemesis of the Cooper family of master thieves!

"What? But Clockwerk was destroyed at the end of Sly 2!" I hear many who played Sly 2 exclaim. To this, I reply: "More specifically, his BODY was destroyed." Sure, the Hate Chip that fueled its indestructibility was crushed, causing the whole thing to age into nothingness. Killed Off for Real, right?

But wait! Those who paid attention to the espionage mission in Canada during "He Who Tames the Iron Horse" will remember Arpeggio mentioning a "Clockwerk Brain."--ostensibly, the one remaining piece of Clockwerk that was organic (though likely sealed inside a plexiglass bubble and preserved with sci-fi fluids). But we never actually SAW it...and, since Arpeggio planned to use Clockwerk's body for his own, I suspect he left that part out when putting the FRAME back together.

So sure, all the OTHER major Clockwerk parts were accounted for. But the question remains...what became of Clockwerk's BRAIN? What if it had still be active all this time--if CLOCKWERK had still been cognizant? And what if the Hate Chip was really just a CONDUIT for Clockwerk's hatred--something to gather the negative forces seething in his mind and channel it throughout his mechanical shell, just as he could once focus his hate through every fiber of his flesh and blood?

Which brings me to the events of my fandom--though few were ever aware of it, he secretly influenced events behind the scenes. For more details, I've got a fanfic up on FF.net called "A Cold-Hearted Interlude," via my handle: Lonephantom

Long story short, Clockwerk survived. And now he's returned in a new body--sleeker, more graceful, and far more worthy of his stated goal of surpassing the Cooper family's skill as master thieves. After all, his old body--large, heavily-armored, and equipped with heavy firepower--is suited more for outright warfare than for the stealth and subtlety of a master thief.

That isn't to say that he's a pushover now, though. Far from it. Clockwerk's new body includes, among other things, upgraded versions of his old body's weaponry...

--- -Integrated pulse blasters built into his palms, modified from the first weapon he employed during his duel with Sly back in the Krack-Karov Volcano.

-The razor-sharp talons on his feet and hands have been specially honed, allowing him to slice into plates of steel--and thanks to his new humanoid frame, it's much easier for Clockwerk to utilize them in hand-to-hand combat.

-His artificial eyes are equipped with multi-purpose camera lenses, allowing him to see in regular, nightvision, infra-red, and ultraviolet. More importantly, Clockwerk's improved upon the hypnotic qualities that made his old set of eyes so valuable to the Contessa--by making eye contact with his foe, he can emit an eerie pulse of light that disorients them, leaving them more susceptible to both physical and emotional attack.

-Fans of Sly 1 and 2 will remember one of Clockwerk's deadlier weapons--the electro-rings that Sly had to fly through in the first game and shoot out in the second. In his new body, the mechanical owl's pectoral plates can slide open to expose a pair of integrated launchers, from which they can be fired. Like in Sly 2, these rings can generate a building charge that bursts out in the immediate vicinity like a land-mine, or an inward current to zap anyone who gets caught in the loop. What's more, the rings now have the ability to constrict, trapping an opponent in a rope-less lasso before emitting their debilitating shock.

-See those darker panels on his wings? Clockwerk can focus energy into them to generate a protective shield, allowing him to withstand the likes of a full rocket barrage from the Panda King! However, using the shield eats up power, so the villainous owl can't keep up the same kind of perpetual force-field that he apparently had in the first game (the thing that Carmelita's Shock Pistol had to de-stabilize before Sly could get his shots through).

-Laser bits--just as his old body could unleash security lasers in a last-ditch effort to protect him if he was ever badly damaged, Clockwerk has installed a set of miniature drones equipped with multidirectional thrusters, each one capable of emitting a concentrated laser beam. While relatively easy to dodge separately, the drones have been designed to operate in tandem with one another, creating lethal patterns of scarlet energy or snapping off quick bursts. On the plus side, though, they're rather fragile--a deftly thrown projectile or explosive could short-circuit them. And, like Clockwerk's wing-mounted shield generators, the beam bits have to recharge now and then--they can't fire endlessly. ----

[meanbihexual]

Tagged by @starknstarwars (thank you!)

No pressure tags for @firecatwashere, @starwers, @magicallulu7, @sullustangin, and anyone else who wants to share

From an upcoming (and so far unedited) chapter of Unintended:

"My brother takes his black," Asti announced haughtily as they approached the caf station at the back of the waiting room.

"I know," Phila answered, giving her a patient smile and ignoring her tone. She was a teenager, a worried and exhausted one at that, and Phila thought back to her 16 year old self and thought she probably would have had an attitude right now, too.

She reached for the pot of caf, pouring one for herself and one for Jorgan, as Asti did the same for her and her mother. Phila wasn't watching her, but she could practically feel the eyeroll coming from the girl. It was quiet for a moment, before Asti went on the offensive again.

"Why are you here?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Phila could see that Asti had turned toward her, hands planted on her hips and her mouth heavy with a scowl.

Phila continued doctoring her caf as she replied, "At the caf bar or--"

Asti cut her off, her voice irritated, impatient. "At the medcenter."

Finished making her drink, she turned and met Asti's gaze. "Because Aric is my friend," she answered simply. It was the truth, even if wasn't the whole truth, but it was as much as Asti would be getting. Phila wasn't about to spill her guts about her love life to Jorgan's kid sister when even they weren't sure what was between them yet.

"A close enough friend that you spent the night?" The question, pointed and accusing, snapped out as Asti made a show of inspecting Phila's rumpled appearance, that high, sleek tail of hair lashing behind her like a whip.

"Not that it's any of your business," Phila said calmly, not reacting to the younger girl's theatrics, "but I was asked to stay. I wouldn't be here if your brother wasn't okay with it." Her voice softened a touch as she picked up the caf cups and made to start back down the hall. "I know you're worried about him, but we're on the same side."

Phila walked a few steps on her own before she heard Asti grab her set of cups and follow her. They made it down two hallways before Asti caught up and cleared her throat.

"I just...get protective of him, is all," she said in a small voice, one that hardly sounded like her earlier self at all.

"I understand," Phila replied, shooting her an easy smile. "I feel the same way about my brother."

"Is he a soldier, too? Has he ever been in danger?"

"He's not a soldier, no. He's a psychologist. When he was a teenager he..." Phila trailed off, sighed, started again. "Let's just say he made some bad choices, and for a while he was in a really scary situation. He's okay now, but I still remember how it felt when I wasn't sure that's how it would turn out."

Beside her, Asti nodded. "Yeah. I get that." Whatever her issue with Phila, she seemed to have gotten over it. "I'm proud of Aric for what he does, but--but I dont want him to end up like Dad." The last words came out in a rush, as if she were afraid that giving voice to them would make them come true.

"I can't promise you that won't happen," Phila said seriously, coming to a stop outside Jorgan's room and turning to look at her companion. Aric had never given her details, but she remembered he had once said that his father was killed in action. "But I can tell you that every time we're in the field, I and everyone else on my squad do our best to make sure we all make it home safe."

Asti sighed. "I just want him to come home, to do something that isn't so dangerous all the time. I know I can't make him, but..." She trailed off, blinking back a sudden flood of tears.

Phila wanted to hug her, but thought that would be a bad idea with each of their hands full of caf.

"Come on," she said gently, hitting the panel to open the door with her elbow. "Let's get in here and you can talk to him, see for yourself that he's going to be alright. We can talk about this more later if you want to."