#I hope he's a recurring

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #286: The FIX Is On!

December, 1987

ASSAULT ON AN ANDROID!

That android is going to press charges! Andy knows She-Hul- oh I see she’s about to wallop him.

Also, Namor is in the little cast box. And on the cover. I guess he really is rejoining the team. I get the feeling he was just away from the team long enough for the Masters of Evil to start shit.

Anyway.

I have friends that love Andy the Awesome Android. I hope they enjoy this issue, vicariously.

The story starts in a random Manhattan scientific research lab. I assume Manhattan just has random scientific research labs considering Spider-Man is always thwarting people who are trying to rob random scientific research labs.

This random scientific research lab has been hired, I guess, to study the equipment of the Fixer, seized when he got arrested after that whole Avengers Mansion debacle.

But when Todd Martin, random scientific researcher, picks up the Fixer’s helmet, it shoots a mind control beam at him. He picks up the Fixer’s laser gun, shoots the other scientists, and then puts on the Fixer’s outfit and flies through the skylight.

Chilling stuff. The Fixer is truly a cruel, callous dick.

He’s gonna be a Thunderbolt one day.

The sad mind controlling of Todd Martin, random scientific researcher, may have been the opening scene. But the splash page goes to

DR DRUID

Who is here spying on his teammates for some reason.

“Doctor Anthony Druid appears in repose, yet his astral image is awake and alert as he prepares to send it forth for the purpose of observation. Those he would observe are also members of Earth’s mightiest fighting team. While their physical movements are easily monitored on the screens around him, it is their innermost thoughts and desires that concern Doctor Druid. These things he can only learn through astral eavesdropping. None will know they are being observed... and none -- save Anthony Druid -- will know why they are being watched... for now.”

You’re a creep, Doctor Anthony Druid.

One of the effects of Dr Druid’s creeping is that his creepy melon hovers over Namor’s shoulder as he has a tantrum about that lawsuit he’s involved with.

Remember that lawsuit? For property damage? That he insisted go to court ASAP and then bailed on preparations to go do ocean stuff?

Yeah, that didn’t go away.

Namor’s wife Marrina assures him that she’s going to face this legal battle with him but Namor just rages that he has to do legal battles when once he sat on a throne under the sea and made prince decisions.

Marrina asks him what kind of supportive wife he wants her to be then and he just sulks off into the sea.

This marriage is going great, so far.

I’d thought Namor had calmed down a little recently. Buuuuut, I guess nooooot?

Namor’s attorney Mr. Costello begs Marrina to go talk to Namor because dammit he needs to sign various things!

So Marrina goes under the sea where Namor probably feels like life is better down where its wetter. The once and future Prince of Abslantis is brooding amongst the kelp when Marrina finds him.

Explicitly brooding.

Marrina: “Oh, Namor, don’t brood so. We have such a life ahead of us -- so much fulfillment and love to come.”

Namor: “But this, my wife, this could delay our wedded bliss for some time. If I should goback. But that is an affair of the surface. Here, beneath the waves with you in my arms -- all things seem possible.”

Marrina: “Of course they do, Namor.”

Aww, maybe these two crazy kids can make it work.

I mean, Namor isn’t married in current comics. In current comics, he’s crashing on the Avengers’ couch after being kicked out of Abslantis and he’s only technically not under arrest by them for all the war crimes because they need him to punch the devil.

So clearly Namor’s life takes a turn at some point.

Meanwhile, Black Knight on Hydrobase. Examining all the equipment they took from Avengers Mansion. Bemoaning that he struck out with Janet van Dyne the Wasp by never making a move.

Meanwhile, Dr Druid’s giant creeper head lurks over Dane’s shoulder reading Dane’s thoughts like they’re Dane’s diary.

What a rude floating invisible head.

Meanwhile, also on Hydrobase, Captain Marvel Monica Rambeau supervises the construction of new Avengers facilities on Hydrobase.

Huh. I don’t remember if they ever said for sure they were relocating permanently to Hydrobase after Avengers Mansion got basically demolished. But its definitely happening.

She-Hulk does the construction foreman a startle by walking up carrying an I-beam by herself. With She-Hulk on scene, Captain Marvel puts her in charge so she can run errands.

Ha, way to throw shade at the Distinguished Competition.

Apropos of Monica flying off I guess, She-Hulk starts thinking about how creepy Captain Marvel’s powers are. Just turning into energy and all.

Vision used to get a lot of people randomly commenting he was creepy but hmmmmm.

I wonderrrrrrr.

I don’t mean to be coy. I wonder if Dr Druid has any relation to this. I might be paranoid but his noggin is wandering around peering into people’s brains during this exact time.

Anyway.

Monica’s errand that she had to do was nyooming into FBI agent Derek Freeman in Washington DC and asking him if he knows anything about where Captain America is.

Apparently, a couple of FBI agents got caught by the Avengers Mansion security system snooping around looking for Cap. And only a few days after that Cap(tain America) called Monica Marvel and told her that the government kept nagging him to come work directly for them. And not long after that he took an indefinite leave of absence.

So something is going on.

But what could it be? Well, Captain America Meets the Asthma Monster came out this same month.

Mystery solved.

(Another possible answer: the federal government issued an ultimatum that Captain America become an official entity of the US Government and I believe told him they owned the rights to his name, costume, and shield. So he told them to take the job and shove it and turned over his name, costume, and shield. This is when John Walker becomes Captain America and Steve Rogers becomes The Captain.)

FBI agent Derek Freeman tells Captain Marvel that the Avengers don’t have official security clearance anymore -- what with the Vision taking over the Pentagon’s computers -- but because he likes Monica, he’ll go ahead and do a little digging for her.

But what he finds is that whatever is going on is way over his security clearance and tied up in red tape.

Captain Monica is annoyed that she can’t find out anything about Cap(tain America) but FBI agent Derek Freeman is like eh Cap’s an adult. And tells her what she SHOULD be worried about is how the Fixer’s gear was stolen from where it was being studied.

Speak of the devil, in a maximum security prison in upstate New York, the Fixer is brought before the warden to be grilled about the equipment walking away.

Then Fixered Todd Martin OH YEAHs through the wall, shoots the guards, grabs the Fixer, and flies out.

Random scientific researcher Todd Martin comes to in the secret lair of the Fixer. He demands to know what’s going on but since the Fixer doesn’t need him anymore, he shoots him in the face.

That’s cold.

After leaving Todd Martin, random deceased scientific researcher, on the ground, the Fixer muses over his next grand plan. Even though he’s just thinking to himself, he’s very vague about it. He does pull up a big computer monitor map of the US with various points marked with Things He Needs.

Fixer: “So satisfying to see one’s grand design taking shape -- the itch of great ambition about to be scratched. And soon I will have more tools to complete my plans. Many more tools. One, in fact, is very close at hand.”

Dun dun dun!

Back at Hydrobase, the priority alert goes off, drawing She-Hulk, Black Knight, Namor and Marrina from the various things they were up to... to find that Dr Druid is the one who set off the alarm and is waiting in the Quinjet for them.

He even insists that they take off now, without waiting for team leader Captain Marvel.

Although she can easily catch up. But still.

As everyone is getting into the Quinjet, Marrina insists that she come along. Namor goes ‘no, there might be danger on this superhero mission we’re presumably going to’ and Marrina reminds him that she’s a superhero too. She was with Alpha Flight!

Namor agrees that she can come with but tells her that she’s got to stay on the sidelines until she’s made an Avenger too.

Ahhh so Namor is doing the Hawkeye thing of bringing his love interest in and insisting that she be made an Avenger. Well, Marrina seems cool so I’m game.

Captain Marvel does show up, nyooming into the cockpit through the glass.

Captain Marvel: “Now why have you mobilized the team?”

Dr Druid: “Well, I assumed -- quite naturally -- that you would want us mobilized as soon as possible, since something has come up.”

Captain Marvel doesn’t like this. (Neither do I). She especially doesn’t like how he alerted the rest of the team before he sent her an alert. So they’d already be in route before she even heard about it, maybe?

Even if he’s on the up and up as the newest member of the team, he really shouldn’t be taking unilateral action like this.

Anyway, now that Monica has arrived, Dr Druid tells everyone why he Avengers assembled.

An urgent call came over the direct line from Bobby Hutchinson, a boy in Ohio who Captain America tasked with keeping an eye on an android in a barn.

A weirdo in a costume drove up in a truck and went into the barn earlier and Cap(tain America) DID say to call if anything weird happened.

Oh, and then the barn explodes and Captain Marvel has to shove Bobby Hutchinson to safety.

Where the barn was, now the Fixer and the Awesome Android stand.

Fixer: “I have ‘fixed’ your programming, my Awesome Android. You no longer serve the Thinker -- henceforth, you are my ally!”

Captain Marvel nyooms onto the scene and shoves the Fixer with (what is apparently) a concussive blast of energized particles. Which flings him away from the barn and bonks him unconscious against a tree.

Since Monica does her homework, she’s familiar with the Awesome Android and its superpower mimicry abilities. So she doesn’t want to use her powers unless she wants the Android to start using them.

Instead, she tries to talk the Android down. Hey, why not? The Android didn’t really react aggressively when she bonked the Fixer out of the scene. He doesn’t have any standing orders.

Maybe the Avengers won’t even have to fight him!

-checks how many pages are left- Oh.

Neat thing though. We see from the Android’s POV as it scans Captain Marvel and he has pixel vision.

Oh, and the Fixer’s battle harness seemingly shoots a gas bomb by itself.

The gas surprises Monica so she can’t turn to energy before she takes a big ol’ breath of gas and passes out.

For whatever reason - hostility or curiosity - the Awesome Android picks up Captain Marvel.

The rest of the non-lightspeed Avengers in the Quinjet catch up about now and seeing the Awesome Android holding Captain Marvel, Namor immediately assumes its punching time and BWUNT!s the Android right in the vaguely face-ish part of his anatomy.

I mean, Namor calls him a faceless one and the narration claims he doesn’t have any lips or eyes. But he just looks like he’s constantly squinting and grimacing.

Anyway. The Awesome Android copied Captain Marvel’s powers just by picking her up. In exchange for the BWUNT!, he BWAAASH!s Namor out of the air with a concussive blast of energized particles.

Namor goes down.

Prompting She-Hulk, because she’s-Hulk, to muse about how hot Namor is and how she’d “swim in his wake” if he were only not married.

Anyway, she dodges the Awesome Android’s concussive blasts to close in and start punching.

Hard to say whether she’s making headway or not but she sure punches him a lot.

Maybe she was winning the exchange? But she gets distracted by a truck taking off and Awesome Android BLAPP!s her in the head.

Marrina finds Namor where he got blasted to. He’s conscious but recovering from the blast. Marrina even notes that his skin is still hot from the blast. She decides that now that he can’t get up and stop her is when she’s going to prove to Namor that she can handle herself.

She chose her time well to prevent arguments, at least.

Anyway, with the team getting its ass kicked and Captain Marvel unconscious, Dr Druid takes command. Which obviously he should be doing as the least senior person here, of course.

He tells Black Knight to rescue Captain Marvel while he, Dr Druid, distracts the Android.

Black Knight uses his cut-anything sword and hey what do you know, it cuts pretty deeply into Awesome Android’s arm. He drops Captain Marvel, Black Knight catches her.

Black Knight: “Whew! I wonder where dead weight is on the electromagnetic spectrum?”

Awesome Andydroid opens his mouth and just blows at 200 mph. Apparently this is an innate android power he has and not mimicked or absorbed. He was just designed to go BLAAAAAAAAAAAAAH and make things whhoooosshh

Anyway.

About a mile away from all this, Marrina catches up to the escaping truck and jumps on it.

She’s totally going to prove that she’s not a “helpless female” which of course is why she immediately gets captured, falling through a trapdoor in the roof of the truck.

Great, comic. Just great.

Anyway again

The Avengers recover after being blown away by the Awesome Android’s ability. But good news is that Captain Marvel is back up! And so is Namor!

Bad news is that Black Knight is thinking some pretty disgruntled thoughts about Monica’s leadership.

Black Knight: The Wasp would never have let us all go traipsing into battle without a plan. But our new chairwoman did -- and we’re on our butts for it! Come on, Captain Marvel. What’s our plan?

Instead of continuing to attack the Avengers, Awesome Android shambles over to the unconscious Fixer but Captain Monica has Namor whisk the supervillain out of his reach.

So now that they’ve done that, now Awesome Android is getting aggressive.

She-Hulk steps back up to the plate since she wants to repay the cheap shot he got on her.

Dr Druid pipes up in her head to suggest she hit Awesome Android in the right armpit because he’s “mentally located a strange nerve ganglia.”

That same nerve in the armpit is how the Fantastic Four beat the Awesome Android the first time so good mental locating, I guess, Dr Druid.

She-Hulk pops the Awesome Android in the pit and down he goes. Simple as that.

She(-Hulk) even has the spare time to ogle Namor some more as he’s helping lift the deactivated Awesome Android off of her.

Dr Druid lifts Captain Marvel to her feet despite her insistence that she can get up on her own, suggesting that it’d be bad for moral for the team to see Monica not on her feet.

Monica is suspicious of his motives but it’s She-Hulk who comes to her sort of rescue.

She gives Dr Druid a kiss on the dome for his help in defeating the Android and he indignantly scolds her.

Dr Druid: “These sort of emotional displays will not be tolerated, She-Hulk! This is a fighting team -- not a lonely hearts club! We should behave as warriors, not high school children!”

She-Hulk: “Anyone ever tell you you’re cute when you’re mad?”

Monica manages not to smirk in the background.

Despite the rocky way things went, Captain Marvel is pretty satisfied with how the team is gelling. She knows she’s got a long way to go before she can fulfill the chairwoman role as she should but she’s sure she’s on her way.

And then Black Knight points out that the Fixer they caught isn’t the Fixer.

Its... TODD MARTIN?!

Huh. I guess Fixer didn’t kill him. Used him as a surrogate again. Todd Martin has no idea what’s going on or how he got here. Or where the Fixer is, obviously.

And Namor just remembered that Marrina ran off on her own and hasn’t returned.

I wonder if those two things are connected.

Dangit, Marrina. Stop saying stuff about proving yourself or that you’re actually competent. It just sets you up for irony.

Anyway, yeah, the truck leaving the scene of a giant robot fight that also had a secret trapdoor in its roof was in fact the Fixer.

He sent in a decoy but was on scene until he wasn’t.

Fixer: “In the past, I contented myself with petty dreams and schemes -- never saw the big picture! But all that has changed! I’ve learned from my mistakes -- I’ve fixed my own shortcomings! And soon everything will be fixed! EVERYTHING... including the AVENGERS!”

So the good news is that he’s been bad at killing people so far so Marrina is definitely still alive. This ain’t her time to die!

The bad news is that next week, it’s time for more West Coast Avengers. We’ll have to wait to see what happens with Marrina.

The weird news is that robots have nerve ganglia apparently.

Follow @essential-avengers​ if you know why robots have nerve ganglia or if you just want to have Essential Avengers on your dash whenever I reblog these posts to there. Like and reblog to show your appreciation for this specific post. Add a comment if you have something to say.

[valc0]

Rogue is Jack

Rogue is the Master

Rogue is a pre-Hartnell doctor

[dustykneed]

Picture this; Bones holding Joanna, rocking her to sleep and the part in Beautiful Boy where it’s like “The monster's gone, He's on the run, And your daddy's here” is playing. :,)

Fatherhood gives you certain... skills. Coincidentally, this is also how Jim finds out that Bones sings.

:'))

[2004hitalbumsevenswans]

I really enjoyed Batman: Caped Crusader. I was worried (like everyone else) that Bruce Timm would push his Bruce/Barbara obsession, but they barely interact when Bruce is out of costume, and he’s all business as Batman. Barbara is (presumably) about the same age as Bruce in this adaptation, she’s a young public defender, who still lives at home with her dad. Commissioner Gordon is mentioned to have 30 years on the Gotham police force at one point. And the series is loosely based on Batman: Year One by Frank Miller, and has Matt Reeves as a producer. It’s definitely an interpretation of the early years of Batman.

The setting is vaguely and aesthetically set in the 1940s, mirroring the original Batman and riffing on DC comic stories and character interpretations from that time. Clayface’s story and appearance is based on the original interpretation of the character, which I really enjoyed - especially as someone’s who’s read the first couple years of the original Detective Comics/Batman stories. (There’s also a lot of great references to the Adam West show, and a couple of its themes are reimagined for this more noir story.)

I could see the series setting up something between Bruce and Barbara potentially, but their interactions are really blink-and-you’ll-miss-it. There’s a moment where Bruce’s is climbing back onto the Iceberg Lounge yacht and he uses a pick up line on her, which she scoffs at, then he proceeds to use the line on two other young women. There’s another moment that you could say is pre-flirting, or is at least setting up a foundation to further a relationship between the two. Where Barbara makes a comment about Batman letting himself into her office unannounced whenever he feels like it, and she tells him she needs a way to contact him, and he gives her the Batphone number. At this point I think you could make more of an argument for a Harleen/Barbara pairing than her and Bruce.

I think the characters would both individually need a lot more development to be in a romantic relationship. I’ll say this even though I know it will be an unpopular opinion: in this interpretation I wouldn’t mind putting Bruce and Barbara together. I know that’s practically sacrilege coming from someone who’s favourite character is Oracle but hear me out.

My main issues with Bruce and Barbara together (especially when it comes to Timm’s work) is the age difference. It’s often debated but Barbara in most iterations (including current comic canon) is around the same age as Dick, usually a couple of years older, 2-3 at most. Bruce is depicted as having at least 15 years on her, if not more. And most stories that have Bruce and Barbara together also fixate on her being batgirl. Then there’s the tendency to make a Nightwing-Batgirl-Batman love triangle which I don’t want to get into but I hate completely.

None of that is happening here. Barbara has her own storylines that are just as prominent as Bruce and Harvey’s. She’s an adult with agency and flaws and is just as fleshed out as any of the other characters are. I wouldn’t be surprised if the show takes a season or two to develop a romantic relationship between the two of them. Bruce is completely focused on being Batman and sees Bruce Wayne as a persona. He’s callous with peoples feelings (Harvey, notably) and is shown to struggle with smaller acts of empathy, opening himself up to people, and honestly, social skills. The last of which doesnt doesn’t affect him too negatively because he’s a rich and well known man in Gotham.

Compared to the Bruce Wayne of BTAS it was a smart choice to show a Bruce/Batman who struggles with people and emotions. It reminded me a lot of Reeves’ the Batman. In wider Batman media you usually see two types of depictions: a compassionate Batman (which is where I would place BTAS) or a more emotionless, be-stoic-and-punch-the-bad-guys-and-look-badass version that is usually just a male power fantasy.

This version of Batman sets up the foundation for a storyline that is relatively unexplored, and I’m sure they’re going to explore it more in the next season (which has already been greenlit).

I was surprised at the lack of adult themes in the show, it was marketed for an adult audience but could easily fit into a PG13 rating, but that was probably on purpose. I was impressed they managed to have so many strong, fleshed out storylines in only 10, 30 minute episodes. But I wouldn’t expect anything less of Bruce Timm, or some of the other names I recognized attached to the project in various ways (Greg Rucka, JJ Abrams, Matt Reeves, and Ed Brubaker).

While there are a lot of critiques of Timm I agree with, I generally enjoy his work and the care he puts into it. I love Greg Rucka and was really excited to see that he wrote the episode that was more Renee Montoya centric. And while I have my issues with Ed Brubaker, I do enjoy his work.

While the series is visually and technologically based around the 1940s, the politics are more modern. Harleen asks Renee out on a date and she talks about it with Barbara openly. I saw one review call the show “race blind” which I would not agree with. Most of the racism is implied through euphemism (the scene with Lucius Fox and Gentleman ghost), but it’s still felt as a point of friction for multiple characters, it affects how they interact with the world around them. There’s also a line spoken by either detective Flass or Bullock that implies no one in the GCPD wants to follow Renee because she’s gay. It’s cut off before the last word, but again, the meaning is implied.

An issue I always had with the Timmverse is its depictions of female characters. They always feel less real than their male counterparts, less important and less visually stylized. All the important (read: desirable) women have the same body shape. They’re thin and extremely, unnaturally curvy. I’m aware that these characters are supposed to evoke that 50s comic pinup imagery but I always thought it was a bit much. Male characters - even before the animation downgrade in BTAS season 4 - were always way more unique from each other than the female characters. That wasn’t something I felt with Caped Crusader. The three most prominent female characters (Barbara, Renee and Harleen) were all different from each other, with different heights, body shapes, hair and clothing styles. They also all had 3 distinct personalities that were built up through the series. I would argue that the show was as much about the “supporting cast” (characters like Harvey, Commissioner Gordon, Renee and Barbara) as it was about Batman.

Overall I was really impressed by the show. I was disappointed with how short it was. I hope that Renee’s personal life gets a focus with the next season, and I hope they bring back Greg Rucka to write it. I love how he wrote her in Gotham Central. I was a little annoyed that they introduced the Joker at the end of the series (as a peak into the next season). I think he’s too over saturated as a character, and sometimes his introduction into a Batman story takes over everything else, and he’s depicted as Batman’s Moriarty. I do have hope that this won’t happen in Caped Crusader, because it seems that villains will be reoccurring, but there’ll be a large cast, just like in BTAS. That aspect did remind me of the way characters were introduced in those early Batman comics, it really has the same vibe. I also really really do not want Harley to be involved with the Joker in any way. Please keep her as a separate character, this new interpretation of her is great as is, he doesn’t need to be involved.

I would also be interested to see if the show develops Barbara’s character into Oracle. I could see that happening with the introduction of the Joker at the end of season one. Maybe they’re going to rework the Killing Joke? I couldn’t see them having her as batgirl, but I would be interested to see how they worked Oracle into a world with 1940s technology. I’m thinking back to her as Oracle in the Doom that Came to Gotham, and how clever that was. I’m sure they could do something just as interesting with her here. Something more supernatural feels like a long shot, because Timm usually sticks to the more “realistic”, street-level versions of Batman, but they did introduce Gentleman Ghost. So it’s a possibility.

One thing I did think could have been better was some of the voice work. Not the voice acting itself, but the design. It felt too polished alongside the score and the animation. I wish the voice acting had been more atmospheric, had more depth. It felt too clean. Hamish Linklater was great as Bruce/Batman. Following Kevin Conroy is no small feat, and Linklater’s performance felt reminiscent of Conroy without sounding like an impression. It was quiet and unassuming, yet strong.

I’m not usually someone who watches things more than once, but I’m definitely going to be rewatching Caped Crusader soon.

[saints-who-never-existed]

Today I'm thinking about the degree to which a person is responsible for the loyalty they inspire in others.

To be more specific, I'm continuing my rewatch and thinking about the degree to which Franklin is responsible for the loyalty he has inspired in poor wee David Young.

-

Young's death is a foregone conclusion, one that's been years in the making to the point where he thinks nothing of his gruesome symptoms, yes. But his lionisation of Franklin is also a not-insignificant factor in Young neglecting to speak up about his failing health.

"I didn't want to disappoint Sir John..."

Then, as he continues to decline, Young relinquishes any semblance of bodily autonomy he ever had. He's terrified at the thought of being cut open and examined, begs for Goodsir to promise to refrain from doing so. But again, his loyalty to Franklin wins out - he trusts completely that whatever Franklin orders must be for the good of the crew.

"If Sir John orders it I will do it..."

And even as death rapidly approaches, Young isn't entirely free in his own mind either. He's an extremely vulnerable young man, little more than a child really. He's 3000 miles from home. He's dying and there isn't a thing anyone can do to stop it. He's even separated from his fellow Terrors now, friends who clearly cared for his well-being and could have been at least a small comfort to him as he passed.

Young is so so frightened and he can't even fully admit to and confront that fact because of Franklin.

"And don't tell Sir John I was afraid..."

-

I'm not sure yet what my point is really.

Young's loyalty and devotion to Franklin serves to make his death just that more desperate and traumatic than it otherwise would have been and it just feels like there ought to be consequences for that somehow. It feels like someone ought to pay for the tragedy of it all...

[sir-adamus]

in the last scene, everyone gets something to say except Tifa - the only sound she makes at all are these tearful sobs. she's devastated over losing Aerith

when Nanaki senses Aerith's presence, Tifa looks up for a second, then just... drops her head back onto her arms in the most defeated way

someone give this poor woman a hug, fucking hell

[quinn-pop]

*draws magolor again* *draws magolor again* *draws magalor agai—

[discjude]

So new ENTV video out (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FN8-EgqnRmQ) about Coven. Few thoughts

a) I am going to need that journal I do not care how I obtain it

b) it's going to be set outside of the endless woods. That are endless. Interesting to see how that plays out

c) soman talking about why people are drawn to the coven so much is very funny considering he didn't mention the Very Obvious Reason: wlw people

d) the prospect of the books getting graphic novel forms is very very interesting. I would honestly say for this I'd rather they be prequels/TCY graphic novels instead of TSY, solely because I've seen book 1 so many times in different forms. also I do NOT want to see Aric in the red school art style

e) I think I'll try and enter the competition since I can in fact do graphic design. Wait for it to be US shipping only lmao

[sonknuxadow]

why is almost nobody talking about the new sonic channel art. this shit is so cute

[viric-dreams]

Trying to sleep whilst simultaneously letting some potential lore scenes for future writing/art run in the back of my mind produces some truly unsettling results.

Under no circumstances would Roberts be court martialed for treason. Officer Beverley seems to understand this, but his logic is entirely backwards. Framed by the glow of the fireplace, Beverley leans back against the sole chair in his spartan lodgings and explains what he’s so sure is going to happen. If Roberts does not comply he intends to go to the London admiralty, to let them in on his missing time, the new player making waves in Anarchist circles, the lies at the foundation of his very existence. He seems to think that the Dark-Spectacled Admiral has the power to land him in political scandal.

His letters will never reach the Admiral. Roberts knows this with the same certainty that he knows the Dawn Machine burns in the Southwest. Beverley’s contact is the Voracious Diplomat. He’s trying to be cagey about it, but Roberts has seen the letterhead, shoved quickly into a drawer whenever they need the space on the desk to work. And the Diplomat would never let such a tidbit go to the Admiral, not when it’s worth so much more on Grand Geode.

Roberts was there for the Luminous Plot of ‘69. In fact, he had been the one to ensure that its perpetrators would never find a way to return from the slow boat, no trial, sham or otherwise. As he and the Commodore stood against the gunwhale and watched their cement-laden bodies sink into the Zee, the Commodore turned to him.

“You wouldn’t betray me, would you, Elias?”

The expression on his face is clouded, as if already playing through and wounded by the possibility in his mind. It feels like being thrown into ice water.

“Of course not, sir!”

The very idea is appalling. Surely the Commodore doesn’t truly believe it’s in the realm of the possible—not when the very idea makes his skin prickle. He’s the Commodore’s man, through and through, dedicated to both him and the Work.

The Commodore smiles, his golden eyes suddenly kind.

“That's what I thought. You wouldn’t do such a thing,” his hand reaches out to pat his shoulder, “Not from my most loyal midshipman.”

He can’t help but flush at the praise. Hopefully, the deck’s dim lighting covers it. But it hardly matters, for the Commodore turns away, gazing into the waves where they’d thrown the traitors not minutes ago. Roberts thinks the conversation is at its end when the Commodore starts again, eyes never leaving that fixed point on the Zee’s surface.

“If you did betray me, of course, I wouldn’t kill and feed you to the dawn flukes. That would be too easy of an end. Instead, I’d weld you into our smallest zub and ship you to Anthe. Who knows,” he shrugs, “you might just even have enough supplies to make it.”

He can’t breathe, his lungs are frozen in his chest. The image is all too real—trapped in that metal coffin, hardly able to move. Through the icy panic, all he can feel is the frantic hammering of his heart and the sharp twinge of the muscle of his left thigh, where the scarred skin puckers above it. The Commodore wouldn’t. Of course he wouldn’t. Right? He has to take a breath. He needs to respond. It’s been too long. His silence might be taken for suspicious.

“There’s no need for that, I assure you.” The words come out whole, though his voice is frailer than he’d like. The Commodore is studying him now. Roberts isn’t sure whether or not he can meet his gaze, what the Commodore might see on his face. After a moment the Commodore nods.

“I didn’t think so. But you never know.” With that, his mouth slides into a grin, demeanour changing like night and day. “We’d best get back soon. There’s work to be done back on base. I’ll alert the navigator.”

Roberts sees the hand coming soon enough to not flinch when it lands on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring shake, before the Commodore is off, already descending the ladder.

He takes a deep breath and steadies himself, chasing the claustrophobic phantasm from his mind. The Commodore is right—there’s work to be done.

Truth be told, he’s not entirely paying attention to the details of Beverley’s demands. He doesn’t have to, when he already knows he’ll agree to whatever he says. It’s clear as dawnlight what he must do. The Officer seems almost surprised by how easily Roberts acquiesces, but that surprise soon turns to barely-concealed delight as the scientific possibilities unfold before him. He’s already turned away from Roberts and back to the schematics, searching for a pen to record the newest thoughts.

It’s truly a shame, Roberts thinks, hand reaching behind him for the fireplace poker, to have to lose such a promising engineer. But treachery is something that the New Sequence cannot tolerate.

Beverley doesn’t even see it coming until the instant he brings the iron poker down across his skull.

[deadandphilgames]

oversharing in the tags time :)

[greenscreen-dress]

I wish all Precure seasons that attempt to force a reciprocated romance between young teen magical girls and animal-fairy mascots that turn into Ambiguously Adult Hot Guys™ a very Stop That Immediately Dear Gourd Why. 🫠

[bottlehawk]

okay pretty weird ask but do you accepts asks about crackships/crossover-ships? stuff like vriska x asuka langley-soryu, or gamzee x nagito komaeda?

the thing is i wish i had a deep and intimate understanding of any of those characters to be able to answer those types of questions. that being said i think that there should be a psychological horror/romance crime and punishment modern au fanfic where broke harvard law transfer student rodion raskolnikov kills nanna crocker while robbing her joke shop out of a strange morbid compulsion that arises in him one night and he steals a mysterious game disc off her office desk and ends up playing her copy of sburb. and he keeps being haunted by traces of this strange old woman and the greater secrets he has suddenly stumbled onto and wonders what the fuck he's gotten himself into while glimpses of her alternate selves and just general paradox time bullshit mess with his inherently doomed one player session. and then he can use time travel bullshit and then meet 1960s milf jane after attempting several scratches and they can go do dead ghost spades-make outs in the dream bubbles after a long game of godtier cat and mouse where they break everything about skaia and the game and kill several versions of their universes while finally succumbing to their fates in each other's bloody arms. or something like that. i think it'd be interesting

[arom-antix]

A Viktor sketch that ran away with me

Yuuri spotlight

Full drawing

[ereborne]

Song of the Day: December 19

"We're An American Band" by Grand Funk Railroad

[worldend]

toby fox said that he didnt think people would like this guy when he made him but dude. just look at him