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dyketectivecomics · 5 years ago

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Randy’s Ultimate Birds of Prey Review (first thoughts)

I want to preface this by waxing just a little poetic here, because I can. The true spirit of the Birds of Prey has been and will always be in the way women love and support one another. As friends, as teammates, as sisters-in-arms against whatever the world throws at them. And while not every comic, not every story, will be Completely Outstanding or without fault, I can say with certainty that when given to competent writers and loving artists, to diligent crews and hard-working casts, that that spirit is seen and felt just as strongly.

First we’ll be tackling the comics, separating them mostly by run (with Dixon to start, the Simone’s turn at the line to follow, then 2010, New52, and BatBoP). Then we’ll discuss the two separate forays into live-action that the Birds have taken (BoP02, and BoP20 respectively) And to finish it all off, we’ll take a prospective look at HQatBoP, given that (at the time of this posting) it has only one issue, and more than enough untapped potential. To keep myself focused and keep things hopefully brief, we’ll be discussing each run’s Line-Up, Writing and Art, and finally overall Plot/Character Development. I will also try to keep things as spoiler-free as possible, but it’s also been a decade since some of this stuff was written, so... YKNOW Spoiler Caution Advised.

Without Further Ado, Let’s Fly~

The Dixon Era:

The Line-Up

As the Definitive Starting Point for the team, this era is marked most notably by the sole members, Dinah and Babs, and their numerous memorable one-off adventures. They are joined on a few occasions by other heroes. Or, while working separately from one another, will team-up with others as they lead their individual lives. The core of this budding ‘team’ remains as a duo for the majority of this part of the run, however.

The Talent

Dixon and his writing is not without faults, of course, as any given international mission could fall prey to stereotypical archetypes and pitfalls. For the most part, Dixon’s writing remains among some of the most entertaining I’ve found, comparatively speaking. With a knack for wisecracks and poignant thoughts alike, I find myself looking forward to more of his work, with a great sense of cautious optimism.

The art, in this same vein, can be also be hit or miss at times, just as much as exploitative panels/questionable dialogue make their inevitable way in. I cannot recall anything outright offensive or demeaning, but one should approach with measured expectations.

The Development

Easy to follow along, but with plenty of twists and turns to keep me interested in the direction any given mystery would lead our duo. The banter and camaraderie that’s slowly and surely built up between Dinah and Babs had me falling ever more in love with their dynamic and with their bond as they grew to not only work well with one another, but into becoming fast friends. The focus is in the development of these characters and this new season of life they find themselves in, rather than grand-sweeping, or long-running plots. But with fun enough jaunts and adventures regardless, I already find myself looking forward to rereading these issues in the near-future.

It is important to note, that in the interim between these two general eras i have marked, that there are numerous Other Writers that took their own cracks during this particular run of BoP, both preceding and superseding Simone. As she and Dixon have the longer-running pens, and that they have the most notable influence in the fandom consciousness, is the biggest reason for why i’ve named these sections as such.

Simone’s Turn:

The Line-Up

A Turning Point for not only the run itself, but the group dynamics as well! This era is marked by the permanent reintroduction of Huntress onto the team, Lady Blackhawk being another quick to follow, and the team’s subsequent rotating cast expanding to many heroines beyond as well. Simone’s writing doesn’t miss a beat in the banter, however, and takes the team from Dixon just as steadily as runners pass a baton.

The Talent

Again, the writing itself usually never misses a beat, and the art, as memory serves, carried very well alongside it, something most usually without offense and downright enjoyable in some places to pour over. While there were certainly some moments and dialogue that gave me pause, for the greater majority of this run, one can expect entertainment, nonetheless.

The Development

While the preceding run had focused moreso on interesting stories and one-off adventures, here is where longer-running plot threads began to take root, and more complicated games and chases between heroes and villains were given room to unfold. Most notably as the Calculator takes more and evermore dramatic actions against Oracle and her team. Not without its fair share of delightful rough patches as team dynamics shift right alongside the cast rotations, anyone who appreciates a long game and character development is likely to come away satisfied from this run, even as it draws to brief close... Which brings me to...

BoP (2010):

The Line-Up

Picking up not too long where the previous run ended, Oracle brings her team (Black Canary, Huntress and Lady Blackhawk) back together with a couple new faces (Hawk and Dove) to wrap up a few loose threads, and, hopefully, begin something anew.

The Talent

As before, Simone doesn’t usually miss a beat with this team, even while taking account the changed dynamics and time apart the group has spent. Dialogue and plot threading is just as tight as ever.

Unfortunate, however, is the fact that the art in the run ended up with more misses than hits for me, mostly in the first half of the run and most often in the sense of objectifying and oversexualizing our heroines in fashion that is disappointing, but unsurprising coming from the comics industry.

The Development

The plot takes a bit of a beating, rushed in some places as Flashpoint and the New 52 reboot loom heavily on the horizon, but Simone and the team superseding her take those changes in stride, delivering a story that may or may not satisfy everyone’s tastes. For those who were left wanting from the way the first run ended, it’s important to note that the threat of the Bird’s longer running nemesis, the Calculator, comes to a much more satisfying and final end after his temporary defeat in the Oracle: The Cure miniseries. While not entirely necessary, I would highly suggest reading that mini, and the issues of Batgirl (2009) which include Babs, to get a clearer sense of the arc that Barbara and this villain have taken. While this run is not a perfect ending, per se, it provides an ending nonetheless, and an entertaining adventure to cap off the series that once again perfectly encapsulates what camaraderie and sisterhood is all about for this team.

The New 52:

The Line-Up

With a fresh new universe and timeline to make one’s mark in, this team is kick-started alone by Dinah Drake-Lance, though Barbara (as Batgirl) is later to follow. For the first part of the run, Dinah is joined by a new character Starling, (whose mannerism and role on the team most closely resemble of fusion of previous members Huntress and Blackhawk) Katana, and Poison Ivy (acting a role of anti-villain, mostly). For the latter half of the run, following Ivy’s betrayal and Katana’s desire to strike out on her own, the team is joined by Condor (a meta whose backstory and powers are explored as the series progresses) and Strix (a former Talon who brings extra and endearing muscle to the team).

With many members carrying secrets or ulterior motives, tension often runs high among these birds. Those who enjoy drama or a little more disarray in a team, may find themelves entertained by the turns these ladies will take on one another. Most certainly a break from the norm previously established, and from those to come.

The Talent

The writing for this run is filled with many quick quips and snaps, each character developing a distinct voice and personality. While the New 52 is often a point of contention among DC fans, anyone wishing for something fresh or different from pre52 characterization of these characters may find themselves delightfully surprised.

Art-wise expect similar fare as the 2010 run, as some costume design choices are questionable at best. The action itself is entertaining, though, with some interesting opportunity for unique visuals as more metahumans and meta dangers are brought along.

The Development

What sets this run apart from the others, certainly has to do in the dynamics that are laid out over the series. Every character has their own motives or secrets to hide, creating a delicious tension that helps keep a reader guessing just how this team will inevitably break apart. Story arcs themselves are usually pretty well-paced, though with such heavy focus usually on whatever threat immediately faces the team, moments of character development and interpersonal development can be lackluster at best, nonexistent at worst. And while that was certainly frustrating, I personally found myself intrigued enough by any given on-going plot to nearly forgive it... Nearly.

BatBoP:

The Line-Up

In the Wake of Rebirth, the Birds find themselves once again starting anew, with Batgirl (Babs) and Canary (Dinah) forming what each believes to be a brief alliance. With the Huntress crossing their path, eventually the trio recognizes how well they work together, and these three remain once more as the core members for the majority of this run.

They are joined for a brief time by Gus Yale, taking on the Oracle identity to provide technical back-up. Even more brief is a memorable team-up which included Gotham heroine and villainess alike for the Manslaughter story arc.

The Talent

While exposition is often written with a flair of humor, and many interesting one-liners can be found, overall that humor can grow tedious, and the dialogue itself often came across as either very stilted or simply unrealistic. Many characters can fall very flat, while others feel like shadows of their pre52 selves. Whether the writers intended to make these characters their own or to emulate previous characterizations, I could care less about, as the pacing and plotting itself leaves such a poor taste in my mouth.

This run’s saving grace, however, is most certainly in the character design and the artwork. Given practical costumes, colorful palettes, and powerful posing, visually it’s a breath of fresh air.

The Development

Quick and simple story-arcs is the name of the game here, but unlike during Dixon’s era, these one-off adventures are all too often infantilizing and condescending towards its audience. The development of this trio’s friendship also feels extremely rushed, the camaraderie and kinship unearned compared to the toil and work put in during previous runs. With a completed long-running story arc set from the beginning issues and brought to a neatly-wrapped conclusion by the end, one can walk away satisfied that a story has been brought to completion. However, with no true middle act in the issues between, this remains one of the weakest of Birds runs for me, as the plot borrows much too heavily from pre52 (what with the return of the Calculator as a main villain), while also neglecting to produce too many original ideas of real note.

BoP02:

The Line-Up

In usual fashion for TV, we mainly follow a trio of gals, this time consisting of Barbara Gordon (as Oracle), Helena Kyle (as the Huntress) and Dinah Lance. Rounding out the supporting cast is Alfred Pennyworth as a confidant to the team, and Detective Jesse Reese, Huntress’ ally within the police. The main antagonist for this series is none other than Harley Quinn, who is introduced first to the audience as Helena’s therapist.

The Talent

It takes a team to pull off any performance art, but that especially rings true for television. While the writing and acting can be a tad hammy in many places, even by early 00s standards, there’s a clear level of love and care taken by the actors and crew alike. Outfits and costuming is fairly typical, fashionable for the time, even, and the same can be said for the soundtrack as well (which rings with an air of nostalgia, as someone who listened to plenty of pop/rock tracks of this time period well throughout my child & teenagehood).

I’ve often described this series to friends and fans alike as a ‘so bad, but good’ kind of show. Which isn’t entirely fair. Rather, it’s a guilty pleasure, because it’s perfectly imperfect. It’s got the heart and the soul and a lot of vision that falls just a little short at times. But it can be a pleasure to view all the same. I do not begrudge anyone who chooses not to view it, however, as in many ways it feels like a spiritual predecessor to what would eventually become the CW/Arrowverse. And we’ll dive more into that just below...

The Development

In an odd enough twist for the time, as by 2002 Huntress (Bertinelli, that is) had only joined Canary on a few missions in the comics, the show runners have replaced Bertinelli with the other known Huntress, Helena Wayne (or known here, rather, as Helena Kyle). Made stranger still, is forgoing the use of Dinah’s character as Black Canary and replacing her Canary Cry with psychic meta-abilities instead, simultaneously transforming her into a runaway and aging her down to her mid-teens, further differentiating her from her fellow cast members (as Kyle is portrayed as early 20s, & Babs’ as early 30s). This dynamic is a very dramatic flip compared to the comics, but (but!) not entirely an unwelcome one, for me.

While giving Babs the chance to act more as a leader and den-mother alike to these two budding heroes. Kyle, in similar fashion, taking on an elder-sibling/mentor role to Dinah’s naiveté. Dina’s portrayal of Babs has certainly set a standard for those who may follow, as she captures so much of the dual love and sternness the character carries. Kyle’s character takes a simple, but satisfying arc as she learns to trust those around her, despite her past and what she believes to be her nature. And finally Dinah just starting to come into her powers and her identity, one could see further development for her character, had the series progressed beyond the first, and only season.

Alas, with one lone season, we shall never know what may have been. I can say, however, that the slow build up of Harley as the main threat facing New Gotham, and their swift, but hard-won defeat of her, was wonderfully satisfying. And with enough of one-off and self-contained episodes in between, it makes for an interesting, but quick and relatively painless binge.

BoP20:

The Line-Up

In another case of Adaptation Deviation, taking center stage for this story is none other than the Clown Princess of Crime, Harley Quinn. In this tale that our protagonist narrates, we’ve also got BoP staples Dinah and Helena (Bertinelli this time) returning, and former guest ‘Birds’ Renee and Cassandra to round out the protagonist team. The Black Mask, Roman Sionis, and serial killer, Victor Zsasz, serve as the primary villains.

The Talent

WHERE to even BEGIN. If television takes a team, movies take an entire goddamn VILLAGE to pull off, and to pull of WELL. For all intents and purposes, BoP(atFEoOHQ) is an absolutely goddamn DELIGHT for the senses. The sheer amount of COLOR, choreography and every moment acting as villains and heroes alike are at the TOP of their game. The soundtrack is something that I’ve been listening to for well over two months at this time of posting (& likely will continue to listen to well after). There’s almost too much to be said and has already been said about the love and labor that clearly went into this film, but suffice it to say, it’s something I’ve come to appreciate even more every time I’ve had the chance to rewatch it. On viewability alone, even with a strong, and well earned R-rating, one can’t help but simply sit back and enjoy it for the ride that it is.

The Development

The plot, despite even Harley’s sometimes roundabout storytelling skills, is simple enough to follow. And with character introductions and motivations padding out the rest of the runtime, and leading up to a predictable but nevertheless astounding 3rd act team-up, fans new and old should walk away satisfied. That being said, with Harley as our protagonist and her character arc taking precedent over the others because of that, this movie does come across as more of a Harley Quinn Show with a Side of Birds. Another point of contention is the absence of Barbara Gordon, either as Batgirl OR Oracle, and the drastic change of Cassandra’s characterization. While these two points are definite drawbacks that sadden me, the overall production is damn-well near enough to make me forget. This movie, while nowhere near a Complete adaptation of any particular Birds comic, is nonetheless a fun romp, and captures enough of the essence of what Birds should be about; women uplifting other women.

HQatBoP:

The Line-Up

To tie in with the movie, this line-up follows the same five female protagonists, this time as Harley finds danger following her as she makes a prodigal return to Gotham City. With only one issue out, and hints of the Gotham mob and Joker alike to be facing our team, only time will tell just how many heroes or villains may be involved in this miniseries.

The Talent

With Harley Quinn alums, Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti spearheading this story, and with the blessing of the DC Black label, fans who enjoy the raunchier or more violent side of comics, and who enjoyed the Harley series, will find a fantastic start in return to form in this comic. It might be a little too soon to tell, but from what I have read from this duo already, I have nothing but hight hopes for how they’ll flesh out this story.

The Development

An interesting start and lots of exposition to ease new readers into place, this comic seems to be a good bridge for those unfamiliar with any previous Harley work (though they do sample heavily from their old runs), or those who may be coming solely with knowledge from the movie. Once again, Harley will be taking the center stage in this series, but already with Helena and Cassandra joining her fight, and Renee making an antagonist entrance at the end of the first issue, this series feels full of promise. Certainly not quite like any Birds series that’s been published before, but hopefully the herald of something more to come.

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While I firmly believe each comic run has their merits, I would be remiss not to recommend the original run (and the 2010 follow-up) above all else. It is the definitive run, after all, and with over 100 issues to pour over, plus one-offs and miniseries from the same era abounding, anyone looking to get into Birds will find themselves with plenty to parse through, and plenty to enjoy, when reading.

While I certainly have more to say about these runs and even more so about these characters, as I close out my reading for the first time on Birds of Prey, I can only hope for more adventures for this team in the future.

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signor-signor · 5 years ago

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Trending 27th - January 2020

What have been your efforts in the campaign for SaveWOY and what are your upcoming plans to save WOY? Now this is a question worth answering!

In the past, I made a little list of the things I did to support SaveWOY and bring awareness to Wander Over Yonder’s existence and its third season plans. Since then, I’ve done a whole lot more from hand-drawn art to more intricate art. Some of them are almost as special as that signed poster @peepsqueak got from the WOY crew as a token of their gratitude.

Here’s an updated list of everything I did for SaveWOY so far:

Attended the SaveWOY picnic at Griffith Park, where I got to sign a banner.

Pointed out various higher-ups involved in the business of Disney television.

Sent several letters to the higher-ups, some of which had envelopes with an image of the downed space pod taped to them.

Started a weekly Twitter post series, SaveWOY Thought of the Week.

Made Lite-Brite art of Wander and Lord Hater, which Craig McCracken and Francisco Angones liked.

Attended D23 2017 with an Operation: FORCE drawing of Hater, a colored page of Wander and Sylvia and a few facts about WOY, and an orange pen with a green hat (I got the hat from the aforementioned picnic) - there, I signed a bench with Wander and the phrase, “Never hurts to help.”

Signed my name, drew Wander (and my own character, Jacken DeBox), and wrote, “Happiest place in outer space!” on the highest beam for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.

Wrote a letter (and drew Wander) for the victims of the Las Vegas tragedy with the message, “The darkest times call for the sunniest smiles!”

Got Craig to reveal the name of the ship (said to play a BIG part in S3, made a cameo in Future-Worm) when I commented that we’d have to figure out the name - his response: “The ship is called The Star Nomad.”

Wrote a couple of cards to two Disney higher-ups with the message, “A little nice makes naughty think twice!”

Drew Dominator in a situation that might take place several seconds after she passes the downed space pod, just in time for Noël Wells’s B-day.

Made the Star Nomad with LEGO Digital Designer.

Made three images in the style of the original Star Wars trilogy VHS set.

Posted 50 WOYS3PredictionPolls on Twitter.

Made an image of “The First 5 Years” with over 140 individuals (including the question marks for 3 new mains and 2 new regulars - I still want to know what they look like!) and one cleverly made Hidden Mickey.

Shared WOY-related images from my 1st 5 Years fan art on Twitter acknowledging the B-days of most of the voice actors (Charlie Adler, Kevin Michael Richardson, Ken Marino, Josh Sussman, H. Michael Croner, James Adomian, Jason Ritter, and Piotr Michael clearly noticed).

Typed a summary of how I think the S3 premiere would go.

Typed lyrics to “Let’s Go Soarin’ and Explorin’,” a song from my aforementioned S3 premiere summary. Wouldn’t it be great if Andy Bean used it?

Made a microgame with WarioWare: D.I.Y. where the player has to spin the fan to make the Star Nomad fly. Part of a chorus from “Let’s Go Soarin’ and Explorin’” included.

Started FanCharacterFriday on Twitter - more Tumblr users seem to like Dr. Otmar Vunderbar.

Made a short comic page of Lord Hater trying to break out of the DTVA vault plus a sly reminder that Disney owns the rights to WOY.

Shared a list of potential episode titles for S3.

Made an actual LEGO Star Nomad based on the model made with LDD. Hopefully, those who worked on WOY have noticed. In case you missed it, here’s a picture...

Now, the ideas I have in mind for further boosting support for the campaign. I may not be able to do most of them myself, but they are certainly for everyone’s consideration.

Provide updated information of higher-ups (if any).

As soon as we find out what Kid Cosmic looks like, expect fan art of him saying, “Watch my show and tell your friends so we’ll make that Mousey Company pay for what they did to my half-brother!”

Another SaveWOY picnic - if there’s one in my general area, you can count me in.

LP album artwork of My Fair Hatey.

A mural identical to that of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate consisting of not just characters from WOY, but also characters who were said to debut in S3 and characters who’d fit in perfectly, namely some of my OCs.

Pumpkin stencils of the main characters for Halloween.

Drawings of various WOY characters stuck on the ex-secret planet explaining why they need to leave said planet. Maybe I could also show how the galaxy’s villains would react if they learn that Lord Dominator’s been bested by Lord Hater.

Drawings consisting of SaveWOY-related messages spoken by the main characters from Disney shows that got at least three seasons (e.g. DuckTales, Fish Hooks), tons of love from the viewers and the executives (e.g. Gravity Falls), or both (e.g. SvtFoE, Mickey Mouse ‘13).

Example with Phineas and Ferb:

Phineas: “We may be creative and famous, but we’re not the ones who came up with the Star Nomad. It’s the ship powered by orbbles! Orbbles! I’d LOVE to see it take flight, wouldn’t you? If you let Mr. McCracken end the show his way, and not the executive way, which, truth be told, is the absolute worst, Wander will surely be elated!”

Ferb: “The Orbble Transporter was invented by conjoined twin brothers, voiced by the performers of the theme song.”

Irving (peeking in from the side): “Speaking of voices, the titular main character sounds JUST LIKE ME! How could you possibly resist?! And look, just because I’m the biggest fan of these guys (gesturing to P&F) doesn’t mean I have no interest in what’s planned for the furry orange fella!”

Since I’m a full-time Disneyland cast member, I should be able to make contacts with anyone who might have more clues about what S3 would entail. It might be a long shot, but if I’m able to convince Disney that WOY’s influence on my life boosted my chance at gaining employment at the company, they should understand.

A weekly Jeopardy-type pop quiz on Twitter - here’s the catch: you must refrain from finding information online when you read the answer (I bet you that the most hardcore fans of the most popular shows will get most of the questions wrong).

Example: This arachnomorph got his name from a dog tag he swallowed when he infiltrated a fish-shaped ship. He later became Lord Hater’s beloved pet.

-Who is Captain Tim?

Summaries of S3 episodes I made up myself a while back.

More fan-made characters - my most recent is an elected official of Cluckon, Mayor Spye C. Drumstick.

Conjuring a logo that best fits the status of S3/TV movie - Wander Over Yonder: The New Galaxy (the center would have the silhouette of the Star Nomad with Wander and Sylvia on it).

Brainstorming possible ideas for the three new main characters.

If all else fails, I suggest we make a web comic based on the hints we accumulated back in 2016 and what we learned from the cameo in Future-Worm’s finale. Team Sea3on has been taking that approach for SatAM Sonic the Hedgehog S3, though they are also making an animated version.

That’s about all I’ve got so far. In closing, I have several questions to ask as the new decade kicks off.

Disney executives: Are you even listening to us WOY fans? What more do you want? I’ve done so much for the campaign that I feel I’m entitled to know everything that was planned for WOY’s third and final season, especially now that I’m working full-time for your company. If you tell us what your demands are, we’d be happy to oblige.

@crackmccraigen: Are you aware of how hard the fans and I have been trying to talk Disney into giving you the chance for true closure? We’ll make sure we watch KC when it comes out on Netflix. If we’re lucky, we might see WOY get added to Disney+, where it should get that closure, assuming you’ll have finished KC your way before then.

@suspendersofdisbelief: I know you’re super busy with DuckTales and you love the plans for WOY S3 so much that you can’t bear to reveal it all in one post, but it’s been waaaay too long since we got any hints from you. Are there any other WOY S3-related facts you could describe in much greater detail? The campaign could do with more motivation.

Non-WOY fans: Are you convinced? Need I remind you what’s in the end tag of the “last” episode of WOY? You know there’s much more to life than tales from the land of Ooo, a blue middle school cat boy in a world of unusual individuals, adolescent twins in an Oregon town filled with oddities, a half-gem half-human protagonist, a coming-of-age princess of Mewni, a trio of ursine trend-followers in San Francisco, and all that jazz. If you’re not one bit interested in Hater’s origin story and all that was planned for S3, it’s your loss.

Pessimists: Will you please dispense with this unnerving “Wander is dead” talk? As a certain Popeye would say, “That’s all I can stands, I can’t stands no more!” You’re not trying to let the Disney bosses win, are you? You probably used to think previously canceled shows like Hey Arnold!, Samurai Jack, and Young Justice could never be brought back. The point is, all is not lost.

@peepsqueak and WOY fans/SaveWOY supporters: Have I been of assistance? Almost every remark I’ve ever made shows wit and perception. I mean, just think. Wander is still stuck in that vault where his goal of reforming Lord Hater remains incomplete, and he has no idea of what threat awaits him. He says, “Glorn, help us.” It’ll take something big and extraordinary to convince every Disney fan (and perhaps every Netflix fan) to talk some sense into the higher-ups. Not to mention the replacement/back-up voice actors we’ll have to find if Disney takes even longer (we already lost one - René Auberjonois). We shan’t rest until we get the answers!

@disneyanimation

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henry-hart · 6 years ago

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“The Spy and the Kid...Spy Kid?” - Chapter 4

Dedicated to: @sunbeameyes @kiwikwami @youngbloodthekilljoy @ramune-ray @up-the-tube @shonashee @lesbian-so-what @an-anxious-gay-mess @writing-excuses @sleepylilsnowflake New additions @alissamikealson @x-cookies-art-x @can-you-believe-it and @periwinklechild because I see you guys on my feed a lot, and I want you to know that I appreciate you. Special mention @coldasalaska because they said THE most wonderful things about this fic and my writing in general, and I want them to know that they are one of the reasons I am smiling on this day. :)))))))

Summary: Jasper’s cousin, Elizabeth, is in town for spring break, but Henry suspects trouble when she arrives just a new, unnamed villain begins terrorizing Swellview.

Warning: Minor cursing (really minor)

A/N: Right off the bat, I want to say that this chapter is long, but I’m not apologizing for that anymore (I’m not being snappy of mad or short--just matter of fact. :)). That’s just the way I write, and I hope you can all see it as getting more content and see it as a good thing. :))))))) Now to the notes about this chapter. It’s a bit--emotional. That last chapter was more action and this is more of a chance to say “okay, but what does it mean? What are the emotional or mental repercussions?” I’M BEING 100% SERIOUS WHEN I SAY THAT THIS IS THE CHAPTER WHERE LIZ SEES JASPER AND FINALLY MEETS CHARLOTTE. LIKE, IT’S FOR SURE HAPPENING. THE CHAPTER IS WRITTEN, AND I CAN SAY THAT IT IS FACT. (sorry for all the caps. I’ve just been waiting for the moment Char x Liz meet, and I’m sure you all have too.) I hope you enjoy, and feel free to comment what you thought, good or bad!!!! xoxoxo

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

“Henry! Hen-ry!” Ms. Shapen bellowed.

Henry, who had fallen asleep at his desk, jumped straight up, nearly falling out of his seat in the process. His teacher’s loud voice reverberated in his skull like a train whistle, loud and piercing, taking over all other senses, pulling him out of unconsciousness with the speed of that same locomotive. He was disoriented for a minute, having been ripped out of his nap. Everything around him seemed muted and far away in the way that all things are after waking up--like they exist on a different plane.

Henry looked around and saw that the classroom was empty save for Ms. Shapen, Charlotte, Jasper, and himself.

“Is class over?” He asked, rubbing the warm sleep from his face.

“Well, duh,” Ms. Shapen snapped, leaning towards him with her hands on her hips. “You’d know that if you hadn’t slept through the entire thing.”

Henry grabbed his book bag off the floor--he hadn’t even taken anything out of it--and stood up. “I’m sorry, Ms. Shapen. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

Ms. Shapen just stared at him, unimpressed. “You think you’re the first teenager to give me that crap?”

“Well, no, I was just--”

“Just get out of my face already. I just got a week off from all of you, and you’re ruining it.”

Henry didn’t say anything back. He just nodded and left to join his friends who were waiting for him by the door. The trio started for the front doors of the school.

“Are you okay?” Jasper asked, studying the red sleep lines all over Henry’s right cheek from where his skin had been pressed to his sleeve.

Henry stifled a yawn. “Yeah, why?”

Charlotte quirked an eyebrow. “Well, for one, you’re wearing the same clothes you wore yesterday.” She reached out for one side of his flannel and shook it, drawing attention to the wrinkles for emphasis.

Henry looked down at his shirt, taking into account for the first time that day just how unkempt he looked. He imagined his hair and face weren’t looking too hot either.

“I had a long day yesterday.” He said, not feeling like going into details while at school. He scratched at the red bump on his neck (turns out that it was a bug that had bit him last night in the park--he woke up this morning with a mark much like a mosquito bite that itched just as much). “Ray will fill you in later.” He muttered.

Sleep hadn’t improved his disposition; he was still bitter about being told to stay out of things for the day.

Charlotte eyed Henry, trying to figure out why he seemed so irritated. She knew that he had been through a lot yesterday--she had been working too when he and Ray went out after Donnie and Hyde in the park--but Henry had left work more defeated rather than angry. What else had happened last night?

Jasper was also worried about Henry. Long forgotten was their quarrel, and Jasper woke up today with his friendship with Henry still intact and happy to see his cousin. After all, she had been in town for an entire day, and he had yet to see her, but any thoughts of Liz went to the back of his mind when he saw that there was something going on with his friend--something that dimmed Henry’s eyes and made his shoulders droop.

Jasper picked up on what Henry had said last. “What do you mean Ray will fill us in? Aren’t you going to work?”

Henry turned away from his friends, ashamed. “No, I’m not.” Before either of them could ask why, Henry held a hand up. “Like I said, Ray can fill you in later.”

Charlotte didn’t like letting the subject go, but she didn’t want to press Henry anymore than he already was. “Okay, yeah. We’ll ask Ray.” She agreed, continuing to watch him even as Jasper changed the subject.

“Do you think you could bring Liz by the shop then?” Jasper blurted, barely containing his excitement. He realized then how rude it came across and immediately backtracked. “I mean, only if you want to, of course. I can always stop by your house after work, if it’s too much trouble.”

Henry managed a small smile despite how down he was feeling. “No, man, it’s okay.” He understood how much Liz being here meant to Jasper. “My mom kind of kidnapped her for the day, but I promise I’ll bring her by the store when she’s done.” Henry recalled how Liz had fared with his parents the first night they met her, and he hoped today with his mom had been much better for her. Thinking back to dinner, he also remembered that he owed Jasper a piece of his mind. He turned to give his friend a pointed look. “Thanks for the heads up about Liz’ parents, by the way.”

Jasper looked away from Henry. “I was wondering if that would come up.” He muttered.

Henry scoffed. “It didn’t just come up. It was practically the first thing my parents pulled out of her at dinner.”

Jasper’s mouth fell open, hardly believing he was being chastised for not mentioning that family members of his have died. “Well, it’s not like I want to talk about my aunt and uncle’s death.” He retaliated.

Henry went silent, feeling a little awkward for not thinking of the connection to Jasper. He sighed, dragging a hand down his face, trying to get his brain back to functioning normally. “I’m sorry man. I just knew my parents were gonna be nosy, and I wanted to save Liz the embarrassment.”

Jasper nodded, understanding that his friend’s intentions had been good. Jasper wasn’t still affected by his aunt and uncle’s death, but it did send a painful pang through his chest to think of them, despite not ever being close to them. He could understand how it would make for an uncomfortable topic around the table. He gave Henry a meaningful smile. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure Liz wasn’t too shaken up.”

Henry shook his head. “No, she said it was okay, that it’d been awhile ago.” He gave a quiet chuckle. “She let my parents off way too easy.”

Charlotte had no real idea what either of them were talking about, but she was intuitive enough to pick up on the gist of the conversation and decided a subject change was in order. “What do you mean your mom kidnapped her?”

Henry, glad for the change in topic, sighed, but it was a good-natured one. “You know how my mom is with guests.” He began. “Well, I think Liz being a girl makes it worse. Mom’s flight got cancelled because of the weather, so she has the day off. When Piper and I left for school, she had Liz baking cookies with her.”

Charlotte and Jasper laughed.

“That doesn’t sound too bad.” Charlotte commented as they walked out of the front doors to head to Henry’s car.

Henry shrugged. “I guess not. I just don’t know how much Liz enjoys baking and all that.” He pulled his keys out of his pocket and hit the unlock button. Headlights flashed across the parking lot through the rain.

“I’m sure she’s fine.” Jasper dismissed with another laugh (they came easy now that they weren’t talking about his deceased aunt and uncle). “Liz is cool like that. She’s always thinking of other people.” He snapped his fingers as a memory came to him. “When we were younger, she used to go to bucket conventions with me even if it meant missing her inventor’s conventions.”

Charlotte perked up at this. “Did you say inventor’s conventions?” She was already excited to meet Jasper’s cousin, being the only person in the group who hadn’t, but if Liz was a female inventor like her, then Charlotte needed to meet her now.

Jasper nodded, a wide, proud smile breaking out across his face. “Yeah. Liz is crazy smart. She made a robot that could open soda cans when she was like six. I swear she’s gonna win the Nobel prize or something some day.”

Henry noticed how his friend’s whole face lit up when he spoke about his cousin, and Charlotte looked just as animated. Henry understood how they felt; even after only knowing her for a day, Henry thought that Liz was pretty cool too.

He was also glad that he didn’t have to fix anything with Jasper; they were still best friends with none of the hostility Henry had worried was there.

“I’m gonna bring the car around.” He said, breaking up their conversation about the many things Liz and Charlotte have created.

Jasper looked all around them, resting his eyes on Henry last, “No Piper?” He fought back a smile.

Henry shook his head. “No, she’s going to a friend’s house or something, so I’m driving.”

Charlotte and Jasper exchanged looks of relief. They wouldn’t have to worry about Piper’s crazy driving, which was an even greater relief considering it was raining. That was a combination that had the both of them feeling anxious all day, but it wasn’t a problem anymore.

Henry moved out from the cover of the rain and walked--he saw the Mythbusters episode that proved running in the rain doesn’t help--to his car, hands shoved deep in his pockets, shoulders hunched up high, and face downcast to avoid getting rain in his eyes. The heavy pounded down on him anyway, soaking his flannel and drenching his hair, but the rain was warm--cooler than the air but still warm. It provided more of a relief from the heat rather than an annoyance.

He opened his door, not minding that he was going to get his seat all wet, got in, started the car, and drove to pick his friends up form the front of the school.

The ride was quiet; both Charlotte, sitting in the passenger seat, and Jasper, sitting in the back, knew that Henry wasn’t overjoyed about not going in for work today. Whatever had made Ray give Henry the day off, it was obvious their friend wasn’t happy about it, so they left him alone to his thoughts rather than force him to engage in conversation.

When he dropped them off at Junk ‘n Stuff, he didn’t even bother getting out of the car.

He rode silently home, alone, accompanied only by the sound of the heavy sheets of rain sloshing off his windshield with each swipe of the wipers.

-----------

Henry grabbed a piece of leftover pizza out of the fridge, not even bothering to heat it up in the microwave, and made his way to the couch. It was his day off, even if he wasn’t too happy about it, and he had just got off of school for a week; he wasn’t required to do much of anything, so it looked like he and the couch were going to be very well acquainted for the time being.

He had spent the whole hour that he was home aimlessly going through his phone, scrolling through pictures, checking social media. He wasn’t even sure what he was looking at; his brain was on autopilot. He was going through the motions without putting any real thought behind them. He was feeling listless which was partly due to the stormy weather and partly due to the fact that he was home right now instead of at work, helping the others solve the big mystery they were all facing.

A little part of him was scared that, because he wasn’t there, they’d figure it out without him and prove once and for all that he really is useless. Ray can’t be hurt. Charlotte is a genius. Schwoz creates all their technology, and Jasper watches the store. Henry’s just a sidekick. How much did they really need him? Did they need him at all, or was he just a setback? Could Ray have stopped Donnie and Hyde if Henry were out of the picture? Maybe Ray had really sent Henry home not so that he could rest but so that he was out of the way, so that the others could work without being bothered by someone who’s just a sidekick.

Henry couldn’t take his own thoughts anymore. He was starting to spiral out of control in a dark cloud of insecurity and anxiety. He had to find something to distract him because he needed to get out of his own head. His phone wasn’t cutting it.

He grabbed the remote and flipped on the TV. His parents must’ve been watching last because it was left on the news channel. Henry decided he’d leave it. He didn’t have the energy to flip through channels until he found something interesting to watch. The latest season of Dog Judge had ended, and he didn’t have any other show he was really invested in. There was never really anything good on anyway.

The news did have a tendency to depress him considering they don’t exactly report on the positive goings-ons in town, but he was in one of those sad moods when watching something else sad just seemed to be the way to go.

“So, Mary, what does the weather look like for Swellview?” Trent Overunder, one of the news anchors, asked.

The camera panned to the blonde news anchorwoman, Mary Gaperman. “It’s raining, Trent.” She smiled brightly into the camera.

The camera moved back to Trent. “We can see that, Mary.” He looked at the camera with a helpless expression. “I meant what does the weather look like for the next couple of days.”

She smiled again. “It’s still raining,Trent.”

Trent sighed, muttering just loud enough for the viewers to hear, “Okay, I expect nothing, and yet I’m still disappointed.”

Henry muted the TV then, shaking his head at the ridiculousness of the male news anchor. Mary tried her best, but it’s not like she could do much working next to someone like Trent Overunder who took every available chance to cut her down.

I get it, Mary. It sucks being the sidekick, he thought.

He took a bite of his cold pizza, watching the muted people on screen talking and moving about. Henry kept his mind busy trying to read everyone’s lips. They flashed to the meteorologist who gestured to a map of Swellview that showed a large storm front moving over the town. It was followed by another large storm.

Swellview wouldn’t be getting a break from the rain anytime soon, Henry thought. He found the perpetual rain was pretty fitting, considering the way he was feeling. There was a metaphorical cloud over his head. Might as well be a real one too.

“I guess news anchors are bogus everywhere.” Henry heard from right behind him.

He jumped, choking on the pizza he was eating, and turned to see who was standing behind the couch. His thoughts were so loud, he hadn’t even heard Liz come down the stairs.

Liz gave him a wide-eyed look, surprised that she had startled him so badly.

Henry swallowed his food, cleared his throat, and nodded. “Yeah, I guess.” He gestured to the TV. “I’m not a big fan of that Trent guy.”

Liz made her way around the couch, standing near the edge closest to the kitchen, moving away so as not to scare Henry again.

Henry took note of the fact that her long, brown hair was dry for the first time since he’d met her. It was a pretty, deep shade of brown--like raw umber--and fell in waves down to her elbows. She was wearing black skinny jeans and a cropped and worn black shirt that said “I heart science” but the heart was an atom with particles swirling around it (Henry was proud of himself for knowing that considering he wasn’t the smartest person around). He remembered how Jasper had said she was really smart, and her shirt made a small smile tug at the corners of his lips.

Now that it wasn’t wet or up in a bun, Henry realized Liz’ long hair was almost identical to that of the girl he’d fought last night. He couldn’t not see the resemblance now, and it didn’t help that Liz was wearing all black too.

He pushed any similarities he thought he found to the back of his mind, chalking it all up to being just a reaction from all the stress he was under. Liz couldn’t possibly be any more different from this new villain. She was likable, easy to be around, grounded. Hair color didn’t mean anything. It wasn’t substantial evidence to base any kind of assumption on; it was pure coincidence.

Henry dismissed the notion entirely. He couldn’t trust any connections he found; he wasn’t thinking properly. His brain was desperately searching for answers where there weren’t any, taking whatever he could get as explanation, and Liz had fallen victim to his mad need to understand what was happening. He’d apologize to her for even thinking it, but she wouldn’t understand what he was talking about. He decided to just let it go.

He gestured for Liz to sit next to him, and she did.

Liz sat down on the couch and looked at the TV, watching Trent’s mouth move wordlessly. “I don’t blame you. That guy’s a real jerk.” She heard, from the top of the stairs, him talking to the female anchor and didn’t like what he had said. It sounded like a lot of misogynistic condescension to her. She was glad Henry muted it.

It took Henry a moment to remember what they were even talking about. The news. News anchors. Trent Overunder. It was coming back to him now.

“What about the ones where you’re from? Are the anchors there jerks too?” He found himself stepping right back into the conversation with little effort, and he gave Liz credit for that.

Conversation came easy with her. She was easy to talk to, and Henry liked talking to her. He didn’t feel like there was anything he had to do or be--there wasn’t some expectation he had to live up to. He could just talk. It was like a breath of fresh air, being there with her, not feeling like there was something he owed her or she owed him. That was something he desperately needed today.

Liz shook her head. “No, not really. There is this one guy who makes horrible puns though--and they’re always at the worst times too.” She tilted her head to the side, tapping a finger on her chin. “Oh, and the meteorologist never points to the right part of the map.”

Henry laughed, and Liz joined him, liking how, with Henry, things didn’t have to be serious. Her job had pretty much always been her life. From about the time she was thirteen to now at seventeen, she had been all about business. She put childish things away for the sake of her job, to be fully committed to her work as her aunt and uncle wished, and she had sacrificed much in the process. Hanging out with friends, having fun, being a normal teenager--she didn’t know what any of those things were. Talking with Henry was about the closest she’d ever come to any of that, she thought, and despite being on the job--a job that had consumed the past four years of her life--she found herself enjoying it.

She looked over at Henry once their laughter had died down--really looked--and noticed his appearance: wrinkled clothes, tired eyes, and disheveled hair. He looked awful, like he’d really had a rough go of it, and Liz felt her heart clench.

Last night, Liz had seen the extent of Henry’s caring nature, and it had derailed her. She was supposed to get in and get out, to only use the Hart house as a means to be on location, but Henry--and the rest of his family, really--was complicating that.

Having only known her for one day, he had kept himself up, worried sick about her well-being, instead of sleeping. When she’d made it back to the house, unharmed and having just finished a job she could never tell him about, Henry had looked so relieved, so happy, to see that she was okay and unharmed. She wasn’t expecting it. She hadn’t known how to react. It was alien to her that this boy, who was only one step away from stranger, had valued her safety so much. It was a real testament to Henry’s character. There wasn’t a doubt in Liz’ mind; Henry was an incredible guy.

She went to sleep last night with a warm internal feeling, like she’d had a shot of alcohol and it’s effects were buzzing through her veins, letting her know she was alive. Despite not knowing what it meant or what it felt like to have a friend, Liz imagined it was something like that.

Henry’s sincerity and concern had touched her, and she wanted to reciprocate some of that back to him. She may be a hard worker, but she was still a person, a person with integrity. She could manage this act of kindness without throwing her whole mission out the window. She could allow herself to have this small taste of normal teenage friendship.

Opting for distraction to help Henry feel better--she had no other real option considering she didn’t know what was bothering him--Liz decided to focus on anything but Henry’s appearance. She saw the plate in his lap, taking note of what he was eating.

“So it’s a cold pizza kind of day, huh.” She reasoned, knowing that anyone who didn’t take the time to heat up their pizza was going through a hard time.

Henry chuckled dryly, thinking that was an understatement. “It’s a cold pizza kind of day.” He agreed. He realized it was rude to eat in front of guests. “I can get you some. I can actually microwave yours.” He added as an afterthought.

Liz shook her head with a smile. “That’s alright. Your Mom and I made cookies earlier.” She put a hand over her stomach. “A girl can only eat so much.”

Henry rolled his eyes. “I hope she didn’t guilt you into cooking with her.”

Liz made a “please” face. “Your mom didn’t make me do anything I didn’t want to do. ”

Henry sat up a little, thinking cookies sounded like a good idea, a silver lining to this dreary day. “Are there any left?”

Liz bit her bottom lip. “We may or may not have eaten them all.”

Henry raised his eyebrows, surprised that two of them had finished off a whole batch of cookies by themselves, but he wasn’t mad. It was hard to be mad around Liz. She just radiated positive energy. Henry wondered if she knew she was such a light.

He then realized, after talking about her so much, that his mom wasn’t anywhere around, and Liz had come from upstairs not the kitchen. A horrible thought crossed his mind.

He set his pizza down, staring straight ahead. “Mom didn’t show you any embarrassing family albums, did she?” He asked in a slow voice, grimacing as he predicted what Liz’ next answer was most likely going to be.

Liz smirked, knowing exactly which photos he meant. “Depends on what you consider embarrassing.”

Henry burned bright red. “Oh god,” he moaned.

His mother had a habit of showing people who came over to their house the Hart family album. Not only did Henry find it a little awkward that his mom shoved photos of their personal family memories into stranger’s faces, but there were pictures that Henry had trouble looking at himself. For instance, the ever classic “let’s put our naked children together in a tub and take pictures” pictures that parents always insist on taking. Henry had been about five and Piper was only a baby, but they were still naked and the people looking at them were still strangers.

There was little he considered more uncomfortable than people he didn’t know seeing him as a naked baby. It was worse when they looked at him now, a fully clothed teenager, and he just knew they were thinking about how they had seen him in all his chubby, naked glory. Just knowing they had that knowledge made Henry’s skin crawl.

Liz laughed a light, bubbly laugh at the redness of Henry’s cheeks. “Don’t worry, Henry. You were a cute baby.”

Henry’s face burned hotter. “I’m gonna kill her.” He grumbled, turning away from Liz to salvage the little bit of dignity he still had.

Liz tilted her head, looking up at the ceiling in thought. “I like your mom. She’s sweet.” She decided for a subject change, not wanting to make Henry any more uncomfortable than he already was. She had succeeded in her plan to take his mind off whatever was bugging him, though, and silently celebrated in the way Henry’s shoulders picked up ever so slightly. “She calls me ‘sweetheart’ a lot. I like that.”

Liz didn’t get much maternal attention at home, so it was nice to be in a house hold with a family whose mother was warm and loving for a change. She hadn’t intended on finding a family like the Hart’s when she took this job, but she was glad that she had. Even if she had come into town for her work and she wouldn’t be with the Hart’s past this one week, she appreciated that she got to experience a familial unit like theirs at all.

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment. Liz played with the frayed strands on the knees of her black jeans, trying not to feel guilty for enjoying the civilian side of this job, while Henry ate his pizza, finding a small bit of joy in the reprieve Liz had given him from his gloomy mood. They both watched the silent TV as the news went on break and a commercial for Fred Lobster came on.

Liz noticed the girl sitting in the back of the restaurant looked familiar. Her eyes widened. “Is that--”

“Piper, yeah.” Henry answered. He took the TV off mute so they could hear it. “It sucks that she’s not here right now. It seems like every time she goes to watch the commercial, the news cuts in.”

Immediately after he finished talking, the news cut in to give an emergency announcement.

“This just in, flash flood warnings have been issued for the following areas.” Trent stated in that voice that only people on the news seem to have. He paused for a moment before saying, “Swellview. That’s it.” He held a finger to his ear and spoke again. “I’m receiving word that we can’t only talk about Swellview--even though we’re the Swellview news--so Mary will be reading off the less important surrounding areas that also have flash flood warnings.”

When the camera was off him and on Mary, Henry and Liz heard Trent say under his breath, “What, do they not have their own news channels?”

They looked at each other and shared an eye roll.

Henry was about to mute the TV again when the topic changed to one that made his stomach drop.

“Last night, well known criminal duo Donnie and Hyde reportedly broke into Schneider’s Bakery.” Trent said. His brows pulled together as he read more of the report. “We’re told Captain Man and Kid Danger answered the call to stop the thieves, but unfortunately they were unsuccessful. Donnie and Hyde managed to escape, and what they were doing at the bakery remains a mystery.” He looked down at the paper in front of him. “I am told that a delivery truck went missing. The contents are unknown.”

The camera moved to Mary. “Some reports have come in of a possible accomplice to the two criminals: an unknown girl wearing all black. She also escaped with the criminals.”

“She is suspected to be working with the notorious thieves, so if you see any sign of them, you are urged to contact the police. Or the Captain Man hotline, though I’m not sure what more they’ll be able to do.” He muttered that last bit.

Henry sank lower into his seat, feeling worse. Even the news was mocking him.

Liz was sitting next to him, however, straight as a metal rod. She was hardly even blinking. Her heart had stopped the second the female news anchorwoman had mentioned the accomplice.

How do they know about me?

There wasn’t anyone else around besides Liz, Donnie and Hyde, their henchmen, and the meddlesome superheroes. That was it. Liz had made sure of it. How had the news found out about her then?

Liz knew she would be given hell by her boss the moment he caught wind of this. She had been sloppy. Somehow there had been a mole, someone who leaked her presence here in Swellview, and somehow the news had gotten word of her. First Captain Man and Kid Danger had almost derailed the entire operation, and now whoever watched the evening news would be aware of her existence.

No. No. No. No. This couldn’t be happening.

Things like this never happen to Liz. She’s too good.

It was those damned thieves’ fault. Donnie and Hyde were a joke, and she had been cursed the moment she had been assigned to work with them. Somehow, she just knew, they were responsible for this.

Henry cast a glance in Liz’ direction, taking note of how still and silent she had gotten. She had gone white, like she was suddenly sick. She looked about as bad as Henry felt.

“You okay?” He asked.

Liz jolted out of her thoughts, realizing she was still sitting next to Henry--someone who wouldn’t know why the news had affected her so. She shook her head, giving him a fake reassuring smile--something she was good at. “Yeah, I’m fine.” She gestured to the TV. “It just sucks that Captain Man and Kid Danger couldn’t stop those two.”

Just like that, she had her true feelings tucked away somewhere Henry would never be able to see them. She was an expert at compartmentalizing. Right now wasn’t the time to freak out about the repercussions she would face in her work from this news report. Right now she needed to be Liz, the regular citizen.

Henry cringed ever so slightly. “Yeah, it really sucks.” He couldn't help the personal contempt that bled into his voice. The news was broadcasting his epic failure to all of Swellview and only further driving in the nail that he and Ray were no closer to stopping whatever was going on. He wasn’t as good at keeping his emotions in check.

Henry wondered if Ray, back at work where Henry wanted to be, had seen the news report. He wondered if he was feeling as bad as Henry was. He wondered if Ray was feeling the same anxiousness he was feeling, an anxiousness that had him on the edge of his seat, impatient with his own ignorance to what was going on.

He wanted to believe Ray was in the same boat, but Ray hadn’t been sent home. Ray hadn’t been sidelined. Ray wasn’t the sidekick. He was the superhero.

Henry’s anger flared. His balled his hands into fists on top of his legs. He watched the news continue on, but he wasn’t hearing any of it. He wasn’t even really seeing any of it. All he could think about was the fact that he was here, in his house, on his couch, watching TV, while Donnie and Clyde and the new girl were out there, doing whatever they pleased, reveling in the fact that Kid Danger couldn’t stop them.

Henry felt a nerve twitch under his eye. He couldn’t just sit here; it would drive him mad. He had to get out of his house. He had to do something. He had to stop Donnie and Hyde and their boss and fix everything he had let fall apart. He couldn’t sit here, like some dejected puppy with its tail between its legs, letting everyone else fix something he had messed up. He had to prove himself. He had to prove that he wasn’t just a sidekick. He was going to stop those criminals if he had to do it himself.

He knew he was being irrational, but that’s the thing about emotions; they aren’t rational, and it was only going to get worse the longer he sat with only his thoughts to keep him company. Liz was a nice reprieve, but even her attractive personality couldn’t keep Henry from himself. The only way he was going to get any semblance of peace of mind is if he went down to the Man Cave and did his part--what little part that is. He had to get to the store and talk to Ray, make him hear him and let Henry help.

He just needed a reason to be there on his day off.

He remembered that Jasper had asked him to bring Liz by, so he decided to use that to his advantage as well as reuniting Jasper and Liz because that mattered to him as well.

He was still Henry, after all. Sure, he was in the midst of a crisis, but he hadn’t lost his softness completely. He still cared for others.

That was probably why he was having such a hard time with all that was happening; he cared too much. He cared too much what would happen to his friends and family and the people of Swellview if he let criminals do as they pleased. He took whatever happened to his town personal as he was someone sworn to protect it.

And he hadn’t done a very good job.

He jumped up from the couch, surprising Liz. “Jasper asked if I could bring you by our work today. You wanna go?” He was already moving towards the door, not waiting to hear her response and also not giving her a chance to say no--not that he thought she would. He pulled his car keys out of his pocket and grabbed a rain jacket, ready to walk out the door.

Liz stared at Henry for a moment, surprised by his sudden burst of energy. Seconds ago, he had been slumped and still, and now he was up and moving. Liz watched him, noticing he couldn’t seem to stop moving. He was swirling his car keys, fidgeting with his hands, shifting his weight from foot to foot. Liz didn’t understand it, but she did like the idea of seeing Jasper; so, she went along with it, figuring a drive would be much better for Henry than moping on the couch.

She also wanted something good to happen to her before she got the inevitable phone call from her boss, berating her for letting things go so poorly last night.

“Sure,” she hesitated, a little afraid Henry’s mood and energy levels would suddenly shift again. “That sounds great.”

She made her way over to Henry, grabbed the rain jacket he held out to her, and let him open the door for her. She found it sweet that he had, in the midst of his anxiousness to leave, taken the time to practice manners.

They didn’t have an umbrella--they were only walking down the driveway--so once they were out from under the cover of the porch, the unrelenting rain poured down on them. Liz was glad for the rain coat because it kept most of her clothing dry. She couldn’t say the same for her tennis shoes. They were splashing through puddles as she walked, soaking the material all the way to her socks. She was inconvenienced, but it didn’t get her down. She was going to see Jasper; there was little that could dampen the spring in her step now.

She hadn’t given herself time to really think about it, having jumped right into her mission the second she arrived in town, but she had really, really missed her cousin. Her heart was beating with the force of a drum, anxiously anticipating when she’d get to see him again in person. It had been close to ten years since she’d seen him last. She had no idea what to expect, but she hoped that time and distance hadn’t changed their relationship. Hidden in her excitement to see him, there was a small sliver of fear that made her think what if it has changed? What if he’s changed? I’ve changed, so how can I expect him to be the same person?

She remained quiet the whole ride, nervously chewing the inside of her lip, feeling her stomach twist itself into knots of uncertainty. Apparently there was something that could bring her down--her own mind. If she let it, her own doubts would ruin the one thing she had to look forward to today.

Henry didn’t sit still at all the whole ride there; he was tapping his fingers on the steering wheel and shifting around in his seat. He was antsy, impatient, on edge. He didn’t like how irritable he was. He didn’t like what yesterday’s events had turned him into--a mess of emotions, most of them being destructive.

He was hoping--praying--that there was good news waiting for him at the store.

He hated to think what would become of him if he didn’t start seeing something in the way of getting to the bottom of whatever sinister plot the criminals had in the works for Swellview.

----------

“Schwoz, can’t you stop what you’re doing for five minutes to listen to me?” Ray demanded, appalled that Schwoz wouldn’t even hear him out.

The little man had been running around the Man Cave all day, working on something that he wouldn’t tell anyone about. He just darted around, picking up various mechanical parts and tools, muttering engineering nonsense to himself that probably only Charlotte could understand. Now, when Ray needed to tell him about his dwindling powers--an incredibly important phenomena--he wouldn’t even give him the time of day.

“I can’t talk right now!” Schwoz snapped back, never looking away from tinkering with whatever device he was creating.

Ray’s jaw dropped. “Schwoz, we’re talking about my superpower, here. You know, the very thing that makes me a super-hero?” He moved to stand in front of Schwoz, aggravated that he wouldn’t even look up at him. “Hello? Schwoz?” He waved a hand in front of his face.

Schwoz flinched away as Ray’s waving hand distracted him, and he crossed the wrong wires, making sparks fly out all over his work table. He put down his tools, taking in a deep breath. “Ray, what I’m working on has to do with your superpower.” He picked up a soldering iron, melding two plates of metal together. “And Henry’s,” he mumbled, focusing back on his work.

Ray leaned away from Schwoz, eyeing him carefully. “How did you know about Henry’s powers? I haven’t told you about that yet. I haven’t even told you about me yet.” What did Schwoz know that he didn’t?

Schwoz tried his hardest to keep from looking at Ray, to keep from revealing what he had surmised about the events yesterday and the hero’s superpowers. In truth, he wasn’t completely sure about his hunch. He wouldn’t be until his device was finished, and for that to happen, he couldn’t be distracted. He needed complete concentration to make sure something this important was done right. He couldn’t afford to make a mistake.

The elevator beeped across the room, and Charlotte and Jasper walked into the Man Cave. They noticed Ray’s obvious distress, added it to the state Henry had been in, and concluded that something very bad and very serious had happened yesterday.

“Ray,” Charlotte began, deciding it was time for Ray to fill them in, as Henry had put it. “What’s going on? I saw a news report about Donnie and Hyde at a bakery?”

“Yeah,” Jasper added. “And Henry was acting weird today. He said you’d tell us about it?”

Ray was glad his call in to the news had worked. If people knew to look out for Donnie and Hyde and their new accomplice or boss or whatever she was, then maybe that would get the criminals scared. Maybe they’d think twice before making another serious move.

Further thought made Ray realize that maybe it hadn’t been such a good idea to alert the town. Now the criminals knew to be careful, and that could prove to be a very bad thing for the superheroes.

But he couldn’t worry about that now. He other pressing issues.

“How is Henry?” He asked, concerned for the state of his sidekick. He hadn’t looked too good last night, and Ray was troubled thinking sleeping on it hadn’t done any good for the boy.

Charlotte shrugged, her eyebrows pulling down in concern. “Like Jasper said, he was acting weird.”

Ray looked back to Schwoz and sighed. He really didn’t feel like running through everything that was going wrong for him, but maybe repeating it all out loud, all at one time, would help him to see a pattern or a connection or anything, really.

“It’s a long story,” he started, taking a seat on the revolving couch. “But it starts when Henry and I answered a video call from Donnie and Hyde...”

----------

“Hello?” Henry called out in the store. “Jasper, you here?” He held the door open for Liz so she could step inside and out of the rain.

Liz made her way around Henry and stopped short when she saw the store. When Jasper had told her he worked at a place called “Junk ‘n Stuff,” she had pictured something more like an antique shop but with none of the class. She was not expecting such a colorful, eclectic clutter of some of the strangest and yet most interesting things she’d ever seen.

A dinosaur head on the wall opened its mouth and shot out a stream of fire.

“What the hell?” Liz gasped, amazed.

Henry looked at her, taking note of the excited look on her face. Her eyes were wide and bright, like a fascinated little kid. He was wound pretty tight from the car ride over here, but he still managed a small laugh.

“Pretty strange, huh?”

Liz nodded slowly, spinning around to get a full few of the place. “I’ll say.” She walked away from Henry to see more of the items up close.

“I’m gonna go find Jasper.”

Liz absently waved a hand in his direction to acknowledge that she’d heard him. Her attention was solely focused on one of the random pieces of junk in the store.

Henry gave her one more look, smiling in amusement at how mesmerized she seemed to be before heading to the counter where he knew there was a button that would alert the Man Cave that he was up here.

Liz continued her prowl around the store, picking up things at random, looking at them up close, and laughing when they did the last thing she’d expect. For instance, she grabbed an odd hand device that was sitting on its wrist with the palm facing up like it was waiting for someone to put something in it. Liz examined it, trying to discover if there was some hidden purpose to the item. She found small holes at the tips of all the fingers save for the thumb. She gave an unexpected cry of delight when she pressed the pad of the thumb and bubbles shot out from the holes of all the other fingers.

She surprised herself with the sound and quickly covered her mouth with her free hand, almost as if she had done something wrong. She wasn’t one for squealing and rarely did she come across something that gave her just instant, childlike delight.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever seen.” She laughed to herself. She had invented devices that could deconstruct and then reconstruct items on a molecular level, yet she was the most mesmerized with this weird bubble blowing contraption.

She wondered if Henry would let her buy it.

She heard him approach her.

"Are you okay?" He asked having heard her yelp.

She didn't look up from the hand as she responded. "Yeah, I'm good. I just really love this thing." She turned to show Henry, but stopped short when she saw who he was with.

She nearly dropped the bubble blower.

"Hey, Lizzie," Jasper breathed, fighting back a smile but failing miserably.

It'd been years since he had last seen his cousin, and so many emotions were rushing through him now that she was there in front of him. Words wouldn’t come, but he knew there wasn’t enough anyway, not for what he wanted to say to her. Even if he could’ve managed to get something out, it wouldn’t do what he was feeling justice. He didn’t know what to do except smile. Nothing else felt right.

Liz was overrun with the same rush of emotions, but she was more a girl of action than words anyway, so she did more than smile.

She practically shoved Henry out of the way to tackle her cousin in a bone-crushing hug.

Liz couldn't keep rigid or impassive now. Her job, that whole side of her, was gone. She was too elated to be anything but the little seven year old girl she was when she saw him last. Jasper was the most important person in her life. He was the only real family she had--at least, the only family that actually felt like family. Not even her job could come before him.

She knew that once the initial shock was over and they saw the end to this day, she would be back to putting her mission first, but for now, she had this moment, and neither work nor her boss could touch it. She wouldn’t let them.

Her boss could chew her out and her mission could commandeer her life when Jasper wasn’t around.

She pulled away from him after an immeasurable amount of time (it could've been ten seconds or ten minutes--she couldn't tell) and kept her grip on his arms, taking another moment to study him, to soak in just how much he'd grown.

"God, look at you." She marveled wondering how this tall teenager could be the little kid from her memories. "You're so....grown up."

Jasper rolled his eyes. "I could say the same thing to you. Since when do you have two front teeth?"

Liz laughed, remembering how she had knocked one her baby front teeth out trying to do a flip on her bike when she was seven. "For about ten years now, I guess."

They were both quiet for a moment, letting it sink in just how long it had been. It hit both of them now, now that they were right in front of each other and seeing the changes the years had made, like taking a bowling ball to the gut.

"It's really been ten years." Jasper remarked, his tone breathy in disbelief. He noticed Lizzie’s blue eyes were glistening. He had only ever seen her cry once--at his aunt and uncle’s funeral--so he didn’t bring any attention to it, knowing she wouldn’t like it if he did.

Besides, to call her out would be to call himself out because he felt moisture pricking at the corners of his own eyes.

"Yeah," Liz whispered, thinking about how much she'd changed. She had a whole life she could never tell Jasper about. She was hardly the same girl he once knew. A lump formed in her throat. "It has." She managed to choke out.

Henry, feeling like he was intruding on an important, intimate family moment, cleared his throat.

“I'm gonna give you guys some privacy and go find Ray."

Jasper looked away from Lizzie to give Henry a concerned look. Ray had finished telling Jasper and Charlotte the story of yesterday not five minutes ago, and he was worried for his friend. He also knew Ray didn't have any good news to give Henry, and he didn't want to see him take anymore mental or emotional hits.

"Uh, be careful, okay?"

Henry frowned. "What do you mean?"

“Just, Ray told us about yesterday, and I don't want you to be upset if you don't hear what you want to hear."

Henry's expression hardened. Anger flashed through his eyes. He didn’t want Jasper to think he was mad at him, so he opted for saying nothing and left the two of them to go meet Ray. He tried his hardest not to linger on Jasper’s warning, not to let it get to him. There could still be good news.

He had to believe that.

“Is Ray your boss?” Liz asked once they were alone.

Jasper looked back to her now that Henry was gone. “Yeah, he is.” He tried not to let Lizzie see how concerned he was for Henry, but ten years had apparently changed little between them; she could still tell when something was bothering him.

She set the hand device down. “What’s wrong?” She looked to the direction Henry had disappeared to. “What was going on with Henry? He seemed...off today.”

Jasper shook his head in disbelief. “You always were really perceptive, even as a kid.”

Liz shrugged. “What can I say? It’s a gift.” She gave a smile but quickly snapped her brows together in a serious expression. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”

“Always so bossy.”

“Jasper.”

“And there’s the ‘get off my bike before I pummel you’ voice.” He noted, moving to take a seat behind the counter. “Have you met Henry’s little sister Piper? Because the resemblance is uncanny.”

Liz smiled, liking that she had the same fire she saw in Piper. “I have met her, and I think she’s awesome.” She could tell Jasper was going to interrupt--probably to refute what she’d said about Piper--so she held a hand up. “I also think you’re trying to change the subject.” She eyed him pointedly but softened her voice. “Tell me what’s going on with you.”

Jasper sighed. He’d have to tell her something, but he didn’t know what. He did know that he wasn’t very good at on the spot thinking though. Lizzie was tough and smart; she’d be able to see straight through him if he wasn’t careful.

He fiddled with one of the items for sale on the counter, avoiding her gaze knowing that if he maintained eye contact with her, his eyes would betray him. “Henry just had a rough day at work yesterday.”

Liz looked around the empty store and then back to her cousin, both eyebrows lifted. “Rough?” She gestured behind her. “There’s no one here.”

“Oh, well, yesterday there was a...a...a,” he scanned the room helplessly, hoping to find inspiration somewhere. “There was a--a woman.” He sputtered. “Yeah, a woman came into to the store making all kinds of accusations against Henry.”

“Accusations,” Liz repeated, not really believing Jasper. She knew well enough to know when he was lying, but she didn’t push him for the truth. If Jasper considered it important enough to lie to her, then she would have to respect his decision. “What kind of accusations?”

Jasper pursed his lips. “Just that he wasn’t doing his job and was being rude to her.”

“Rude? Henry?” Liz knew this woman wasn’t real and there weren’t any accusations, but she still had a hard time accepting “Henry” and “rude” in the same sentence. “I admittedly don’t really know him, but even I can say that Henry is the farthest thing from rude.”

“Uh, yeah, I--I know.” Jasper answered quickly, relieved she was buying his story. “That’s why Hen was so shaken up about it.” He thought of Henry down in the Man Cave with Ray. “He was worried she’d file a complaint and get him fired or something. He probably went to ask Ray about it just now.”

Liz nodded, leading Jasper to believe he’d done well in spinning some completely bogus tale. She knew his concern was real though. Something had happened to Henry yesterday. Liz could tell that much just by taking one look at her cousin’s sullen face.

She didn’t want this moment to be a sad one though, and like with Henry, she wanted to get Jasper’s mind of his troubles, so she backed away from the counter and back to where she’d set the bubble blower down. “How much is this?”

Jasper could tell she was purposefully changing the subject, but he was glad for it. Lizzie had always been incredibly insightful when it came to other people’s feelings, and he knew she was able to discern that he didn’t want to talk about yesterday’s events any longer.

He waved a hand in the air. “It’s free. Consider it a perk of having a family member who knows the boss.”

Liz’ nose crinkled, not liking his suggestion. She was already reaching in her back pocket for her phone (she had money in a little stick-on pouch on the back of it). “I can’t just not pay for it.” She looked around the store again. “You guys don’t seem to get too much traffic in here, so I think you could use the business.” She found a sticker on the bottom of the hand that labeled the price as ten dollars. She pulled a ten from the back of her phone and handed it to Jasper. She grabbed her bubble blower. “Souvenir,” she said holding it up for him to see.

Jasper took her ten with a pout. “I could’ve made you take it for free.” He handed her a bag.

“No you couldn’t have.” She stated simply taking the bag from him. She looked up at him once the item was in the bag and smiled, her eyes teasing. “But thank you anyway.”

Jasper’s face eased into one of contentment, not able to stay even slightly annoyed at her. He loved and missed her too much.

Liz crossed her arms and leaned them on the counter. “So, where’s this Charlotte I’ve heard so much about? I want to meet her.” She’d heard some pretty impressive things about her cousin’s other best friend, and she wanted to meet the girl who belonged to all the remarkable stories. She sounded like someone Liz would be able to get on with like a house on fire.

“She’s down--I mean, she’s in the back.” Jasper recovered. He didn’t like that he had to lie to Lizzie so much, but it was an occupational hazard when your best friend and boss were both superheroes.

“This place has a back?” Liz questioned, doubting that the small building had enough room to have a back.

“Yeah, it’s just where we keep the inventory.”

“There’s more of this stuff?” She jerked her head at a nearby stand with some items whose purpose not even Jasper knew. “Where does your boss find it all?”

Jasper pulled his lips in. He was precariously close to being caught in his lie. He also didn’t know how to answer her question. He wasn’t sure where Ray got all his weird store items. “I don’t know where the stuff comes from, actually. I just know that Charlotte is back there, and now I will...go get her for you. Stay here.” He held his hands out in front of him like he was instructing a dog to stay.

Liz narrowed her eyes into slits, not liking his tone but also suspicious. Jasper seemed more nervous than she remembered. Whatever he was lying about had obviously really gotten to him.

Jasper, satisfied that Lizzie wouldn’t follow him, disappeared to the back so he could call Charlotte.

He was excited to introduce her to his cousin, but he was also thinking she could use a break from all the tension and stressful atmosphere in the Man Cave. Lizzie would provide a nice break from the doom and gloom they were all facing in the workplace today.

He also believed they would be great friends; the two were so very similar.

He dialed Charlotte’s number, fingers crossed hoping things weren’t going too badly beneath him.

-----------

“So you’ve found out nothing?” Henry accused, shaking his head in disbelief. A sardonic laugh fell through his lips. “That’s just great.”

“We’re not too happy about it either, kid.” Ray said, trying to keep the anger and annoyance out of his own voice.

Henry had come downstairs looking for answers Ray couldn’t give him, and when he didn’t hear what he wanted, the kid had exploded. Ray wanted to cut in to point out that he hadn’t had the best day today either, what with Schwoz keeping mum about whatever he knew and the fact that they hadn’t taken any steps closer to finding anything out, but he couldn’t berate the kid, not with how terrible Henry was looking.

Ray noticed he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday; it was obvious he had slept in them by all the wrinkles. The dark bags that had worried Ray hadn’t gone away in the slightest. He suspected Henry hadn’t slept too well with so much on his mind, and his shortness with everyone was another indicator. Ray worried for what this meant for the both of them if Henry continued to obsess over this job, continued to deny himself sleep and proper health for the sake of getting to the bottom of things. He wouldn’t be able to take him out in the field. He couldn’t rely on Henry to make the right decision, not when he his judgement was so clouded.

Ray was also wary of telling Henry to stay away from work for another day because that obviously didn’t sit well with the kid.

So Ray had reached an impasse. The only thing he was sure of was that he wasn’t going to reprimand Henry for being snappy or brash.

“Then what have you been doing all day?” Henry snapped. He hadn’t meant to be so short with everyone, but once his hopes of hearing good news had been crushed, he couldn’t really help it. “I mean, you’ve obviously haven’t been finding any answers, so what was your time spent doing?” He whipped around to Charlotte, eyes wide and mad with desperation. “Please tell me you’ve found something, Char--anything.” His voice cracked, the hopelessness he was feeling leaking into his voice, flooding the anger out.

Charlotte watched Henry with sad eyes. She couldn’t bear to see him so deflated, but she didn’t have anything uplifting to tell him.

“No, I don’t.” She whispered, looking away from her friend, not allowing herself to see how he took it. “I’ve watched the videos a million times, but whoever this girl is, she’s good. I can’t find anyway to identify her.”

Henry dropped down heavily onto the rotating couch. He had no energy left. Whatever little bit he managed to muster up on the drive over here had been sapped as soon as Ray informed him that there wasn’t any progress.

He scratched at the bump on his neck.

“So that was a bug bite after all?” Charlotte asked, gesturing to Henry’s neck.

“Yeah,” Henry muttered, dejected, before laying back on the couch. “Turns out that was nothing too.”

Ray and Charlotte shared similar miserable expressions. Henry’s hopelessness was infecting them.

Charlotte’s phone buzzed in her back pocket. She really didn’t feel like spending the energy talking to anyone right now, but she read Jasper’s name as the caller ID and answered.

“Yeah,” she sighed.

Jasper obviously picked up on her tone. “Woah. That bad, huh?”

Charlotte looked over at Henry, who had both arms crossed over his face. “That bad.” She confirmed. “Why the call?”

“I know this isn’t the best timing, but my cousin is here. She really wants to meet you.”

Charlotte closed her eyes and dropped her head into one hand. “Does it have to be right now, Jasper? I’m not sure I can make a good first impression right now.”

“Lizzie is really incredible, Char. It’s not gonna matter to her.”

Charlotte wanted to do as Henry had done, lay down and wallow in the futility of it all, but she knew that wasn’t healthy. Nothing good ever came from focusing on how bad a situation was. She was an inventor, a scientist. There were no bad situations--just an opportunity for improvement.

She stood up from her seat. “Yeah, Jasper. I’ll be up there in a minute.”

“Great!” He replied. “And thank you, Charlotte. Really. This means a lot to me.”

Charlotte managed a half smile. “I know.”

She hung up and slipped her phone back in her pocket. “I’m going upstairs to meet Jasper’s cousin.” She was talking to Ray but looking at Henry. “Do you want to come with?”

Ray was looking at Henry too, but he felt a lot like Charlotte, that sitting down here focusing on all that was going wrong wasn’t going to help anyone. Maybe meeting a new face would be a nice change of pace for them all.

“Yeah, sure. Maybe she got lucky and isn’t too much like Jasper.” Ray answered, trying to be light.

Charlotte scoffed. “They are related, you know.”

“That’s why I said maybe she got lucky.”

Charlotte rolled her eyes, but in truth, she appreciated Ray’s attempt at acting like things were normal. She turned to the sulking boy. “You coming Hen?”

Henry wanted to be like his friends. He wanted to be able to just refocus his attention on something positive, but he’d already done that, and the positive had quickly switched to negative. He couldn’t take another hit like that. He figured it was safest to just expect the worst, that way he wouldn’t be surprised when things went to hell.

And, on the off chance that something actually did turn out well for all of them, then it would be a pleasant surprise.

He took his arms off his face and slowly sat up. “Yeah, whatever.” He droned in a dull monotone.

Another look was shared between Ray and Charlotte, but they said nothing as the three of them filed into the elevator and headed for the store.

Schwoz walked out of hiding then, a pained expression on his face. He didn’t like seeing everyone in such low spirits--especially Henry. The boy was usually very lively, hardly letting anything get him down, but now he acting like someone had snuffed his inner spark.

Schwoz couldn’t tell them now. He couldn’t drop another heavy load on them while they were already trying to stand up after the last one. He would continue to do as he had done yesterday: quietly work on his theory and pray to anyone who would listen that it all worked out.

He hated to think what would become of all of them if it didn’t.

-----------

“You already know Henry. This is my boss, Ray.”

Ray gave Liz a little wave. “Nice to meet you. Henry--I mean Jasper--has told me a lot about you.” He hoped she hadn’t caught on to his faux pas. In truth, he had heard more about this girl from Henry than from Jasper. Last night, she was practically all the kid could talk about, but that wasn’t something she could know.

Liz nodded at Ray. “Nice to meet you, too. I know how much this job means to Jasper, so thank you for hiring him.”

Ray was struck by the girl’s sincerity. He hadn’t expected a thank you from her, of all things. He gave a shaky smile, not sure how to react.

“And this is the genius herself, the mastermind, the one and only, the Charlotte.” Jasper announced, pushing Charlotte forward past Ray and Henry and towards Lizzie.

“Thank you, Jasper, for that totally modest introduction.” Charlotte deadpanned, obvious sarcasm in her voice. She turned to Liz and managed a friendly smile despite how much she really didn’t feel like smiling. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Jasper hasn’t stopped talking about you.”

“Likewise,” Liz said, taking notice of how Charlotte’s eyes didn’t match her smile. They all had similar sadness behind their eyes, so whatever had happened, it apparently had happened to all of them. “I hear you’re a regular Marie Curie.”

Charlotte lifted her chin, respecting Liz’ choice to name a female scientist. She definitely liked this girl. “I could say the same thing to you.”

Jasper was beaming watching the two of them. He was so ecstatic to see them getting on just as well as he predicted that he was practically shaking from excitement.

“Did you know Charlotte invented a device that could turn sound into energy?” He blurted, not waiting for the two of them to get on the topic of their inventions on their own. “Ooh, and Lizzie invented a self-purposing coffee machine that ran on its own coffee grounds!”

Liz and Charlotte looked at each other and laughed, finding Jasper’s eagerness amusing.

“Thanks, J, but, uh, I think we’ve got it from here.” Liz reasoned gently, wanting to have a chance to have a real conversation with Charlotte, just the two of them.

She was a little bummed that she couldn’t reveal some of her best work to her fellow inventor, but those inventions were made for her job. She’d have to miss out on this opportunity to get a scientist’s as well as an engineer’s perspective on her projects.

“Oh, but there’s also this one time when we were kids and Lizzie--”

“Jasper,” Charlotte cut in. “It’s really not necessary for you to--”

“And Charlotte made a device once that could--”

“Jasper, shut up!” Both girls yelled at the same time. The turned to each other and laughed, both thinking the same thing as well.

This girl is definitely best friend material.

It was a thought that felt bittersweet to the both of them.

Charlotte was regretful because she knew Liz would be gone, back to California, in a week. She was also facing a very serious problem with Ray and Henry and Donnie and Hyde and this Mystery Girl, so she wasn’t sure now was the best time to make another friend. She wasn’t sure how much of a friend she could be anyway, what with her attention so divided and with so many things to worry about. It hurt to think, but she might have to miss out on an amazing opportunity with Liz to spare Liz the disappointment of not having someone who could commit to a friendship with her.

If only she had met her at a different time.

Liz was feeling very similar but for a very different reason. She had come for a mission. Her boss had warned her not to get to attached, but he was warning her about Jasper. He had no idea that Liz would feel compromised because of Jasper’s two incredible friends.

Here she was, meeting quite possibly the coolest person she’d ever met, and she would have to deny herself the chance for a wonderful friendship.

But that was her job. That was one of the sacrifices she had made: friendship for respect. She had become so good at her job, so dedicated, because she had nothing to distract her. No friends. No real family (Jasper lived on the other side of the country, practically, and a whole decade had passed where she hadn’t seen him once). None of what the four people in front of her had. Whatever she faced, she faced alone. She had no one to bear it with her.

And she had accepted this. She had only been officially working for four years, but four years prior had been spent training, getting her ready for what her life was going to be. She came to just take being alone and shouldering problems alone as a way of life. She wasn’t saying it was easy, but it was just the way it is. She kept her thinking that way, that this was just how things went for her, because it kept her from questioning it. It kept her from rebelling. If she never acknowledged the other side, the other possibilities, than she never worried about what she was missing.

But now she had Jasper and Henry and Charlotte all standing in front of her, all people she knew that if she let herself, she could love all of them. She could know what was causing the pain behind all their eyes and she could help remedy it.

But that wasn’t her life. She wasn’t like them, and she couldn’t let herself even consider the possibility. She had to think of her job only.

She gave Charlotte a tight-lipped smile. “This sound to energy converter sounds radical.”

“I can tell you my thought process, if you’d like?”

Liz had a similar expression to the rest of the room now; dark eyes that exposed the lie of the false smile. “Yeah, definitely. Do you have it with you?”

Charlotte face twisted into a sneer. “No, it was destroyed by some reckless...kid.” She finished, not wanting to reveal Schwoz’ identity.

They walked off talking about science and engineering, using words none of the boys could ever dream of understanding.

During the entirety of their whole conversation, both of them had, nagging in the back of their mind, that whatever bond they were making would have to be fleeting, and it left them both feeling hollow.

-----------

“I’m gonna go to sleep.” Henry announced with little emotion behind his voice once they had gotten back to his house.

Ray, Charlotte, Liz, and Henry had only just managed to placate an upset Jasper who didn’t want to be separated from his cousin with the promise that he could come over for dinner tomorrow. Henry didn’t feel like entertaining company now or tomorrow or anytime in the foreseeable future, but he wouldn’t let himself be selfish like that.

His own problems were not reason enough to be mad at Liz for staying at his house or at Jasper for wanting to spend time with her. It wasn’t their fault he was finding it hard to be optimistic or happy. He would just have to push his internal conflicts down and wait for a time when he was alone to acknowledge them.

Liz nodded, understanding without Henry telling her that he really wanted to be alone. “Yeah, sure. I’ll tell anyone who asks not to disturb you.”

Henry looked to her to see her giving him a warm, understanding smile. His heart clenched, and he had to agree with Jasper.

Liz truly is incredible.

He left her then sitting on the couch in the living room so he could retire to his room. He shut the door, giving people the impression that he didn’t want to be bothered, and flopped on his bed, again not bothering to change his clothes or take off his shoes.

He feel asleep immediately like he had last night, but this time it was more from mental exhaustion rather than physical exhaustion.

He was once again awakened by a knock on his door. He read the time on the alarm clock next to his bed. It was nine o’clock. He’d slept for almost four hours.

Liz must’ve stayed true to her word and kept his parents away because they hadn’t even woken him up for dinner.

But now someone had come knocking on his door.

Henry was still groggy, but sleep had helped his mood the slightest bit. His brain didn’t feel so drained, and therefore wasn’t making anything he did--like getting out of bed--feel like it took maximum effort.

He made his way to his door and opened it, expecting to find his mother coming to check on him. Instead, he found no one.

He was about to just close the door and chalk it all up to his imagination when he looked down and say something on the ground: a plate of chocolate chip cookies and a glass of milk had been set down for him along with a note.

Henry didn’t have to read it to know who had placed them there.

He picked the plate and glass up, shut the door, set the food on his nightstand, and sat on his bed to read what Liz wrote.

A lump the size of a golf ball lodged itself in his throat as he read the letter.

“’Hey Henry. I felt bad about not having any cookies for you earlier, so I asked your mom if we could bake some more. She was literally jumping up and down while she said yes.’” Henry laughed, picturing his mom doing that very thing, and continued on. “’Anyway, I know you and Jasper and Charlotte and even your boss are going through something rough right now--you most of all. You don’t have to tell me what it is. I don’t need to know. But, I do know that chocolate chip cookies are magical. They make the hard times seem not so bad. (I think it’s the way the chips melt, you know?)’” He smiled at her anecdote. “So, here’s a whole batch, just for you. I don’t know how much it’ll help, but I hope it’s enough to remind you that things do get better...eventually. You just gotta find the melted chips in the cookie of life. God, that was lame. Sorry. Enjoy the cookies. Liz.’”

He held the note for a moment longer, watching as the paper shook as his hands did. He was surprised when he saw a drop of water at the bottom. He knew that wasn’t there before, so he felt his eyes and found that, unknowingly, a few tears had escaped his eyes.

“Thank you, Liz.” He whispered out loud to his empty room.

He knew she couldn’t hear him but still hoped that somehow the sentiment had made its way through his wall and to her room on the other side. He wanted her to know that her act of kindness had struck him hard. It had been the kind of thing he needed, and somehow she had known when even he didn’t know himself. Once again, his horrible day was salvaged because of the character of this one person.

He wasn’t okay, but he was the slightest bit better, and that made the world of a difference.

He took a bite of a cookie, agreeing with Liz.

Chocolate chip cookies were magical.

A/N Part 2: THE ANGST! I KNOW! I LITERALLY CRIED WRITING THAT LAST SCENE. :’(((((( I feel really bad for hitting Henry with all this stress, but at the same time, I love grittier stories. No one is gonna be happy in this fic. But, rest assured, there will be little bits of happiness scattered throughout the chapters (like the chips in the cookies!!!!!! lol), and because they’re going through some heavy stuff, stronger relationships will be made in turn. :)))))) Sorry if this chapter seemed boring. It wasn’t really a filler, but at the same time, it wasn’t full of action. I liked developing Liz x Henry’s relationship more because I’m really liking how it’s playing out so far. They have a LOT more in common than either one thinks, and it makes for an ironic, unintentional bond. They’re accidentally bonding over similar life experiences, and neither one knows. What did you think of Char x Liz??? It was a long time coming. lolol What about that sweet reunion between Jasper x Liz? I felt bad shoving their reunion to the back the last few chapters, but it made the moment more important when it actually did come. What do you think Schwoz knows? How do you think Ray will react when Schwoz finally tells him? What was the mystery contents of the delivery truck? Why were they important to Liz? Where did they get dropped off? Whom did they get dropped off to??? So many questions, so few answers. Next chapter will have another Liz mission, and this time we’ll get a little more insight into what this big “plan” is. Also, Henry will start to get suspicious of Liz, no matter how much he doesn’t want to. It’ll hurt, lads. Don’t expect to be happy either.....muahahahahaha Hope you enjoyed! Hope I kept you entertained, in suspense, and wanting more! Let me know what you thought!!!! xoxoxoxoxo

#glad i finally got this done #i was so busy making all those icons and headers that my writing got pushed to the side #lololol #hope you liked #hope i didn't upset you too much with the emotional turmoil #hope you stick around for more #bc it's only going to get more intense #sorry not sorry #bless all of you #i hope life is treating you well #henry danger #henry danger fanfic #mine #em writes

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davidmann95 · 7 years ago

Note

What are your thoughts on Infinity War and do you think the portrayal of Thanos is gonna make it harder for DC to do Darkseid in a future move due to comparisons?

Extended disconnected musings below the cut because world-shaking spoilers fucking obviously, but for the section of my audience that hasn’t seen it yet but is fine with simply seeing my immediate reaction and placement of it: it’s so very good, y’all. Hype as modern blockbuster filmmaking gets. Not a top-5 MCU flick (which is a credit to the MCU, not in any way a ding against this), but if you only count the Avengers movies that actually have “Avengers” in the title, this is definitely the best of that lot.

* I had been, while not concerned per say, very curious how the Captain America team would handle this - the writers might have been there from the beginning and done some pretty bombastic pulpy action in the first Cap movie, but the Russo Brothers had been entirely on the grounded side of the franchise, even doing the relatively grounded Avengers movie in Civil War - given this would be the most cosmic and superheroey of the bunch, and they acquitted themselves magnificently in every way imaginable. It’s big, it’s funny, it’s ballsy, it’s engaging, it’s fun, it’s weighty as hell, it’s emotional, it’s the gold standard of this sort of thing. I have no idea what they’ll do if they ever stop doing Avengers movies, because at this point the sky is the absolute limit for them.

* I know people have already inevitably been complaining about this being dependent on previous movies for continuity and character, to which I say

1. Fuck you, this is the sequel to a once-in-a-generation filmmaking blockbuster that completely changed the game, of course you’re going to know who the goddamn Avengers are, most especially if you’re going to see this movie. Don’t act like you’re that cool. You’re not that fuckin’ cool.

2. This may not have been a movie of character development, but it’s by no means a movie short on character. It’s very much in the vein of Grant Morrison’s JLA, in that it banks on familiarity and iconography not to change our understanding of these characters, but to do the most conspicuously *them* moments possible. Captain America might be a minor presence, but he’s Captain America as heck in this, and so forth.

3. This only banks on you having seen the first Avengers. Banner is our entrypoint character because he himself doesn’t know what’s going on so the Avengers breakup can be recapped in broad terms, the initial conflict you don’t really have to know about Ragnarok to understand (they could’ve been fleeing Thanos destroying Asgard for all a casual viewer would know), Spider-Man’s role is obvious even aside from him being a cultural icon, Panther is Cap’s secret ally the rest of the team barely knows about so and Wakanda are broadly understood, and the Guardians and Strange are reintroduced. Strange you immediately know all you need: Wong defers to him so he’s clearly a big deal, but he’s also still telling him things about magic - even if jokingly - so clearly Strange is not the most seasoned veteran and hasn’t been in this hidden mystic world forever. The Guardians are space bozos, and based on Star-Lord’s manchild nature and 80s nostalgia and lack of familiarity with the Avengers you can guess he hasn’t been to Earth in a long time even if he clearly hails from there.

* Thanos was…good? Though I would have yelled “BULLSHIT!” at my monitor when I saw Starlin declared Thanos in an interview to be exactly as he had always envisioned him had I seen this at the time, because this is very much from the Slade-in-Teen-Titans “scrap everything, and it’ll wind up better because there’s nowhere to go but up” school of villainous improvement. But seriously, while surely people will write eye-rolling thinkpieces on his nature and goals, he’s a proper vile bastard of the sort we haven’t quite gotten in these movies before that more than justifies his place after 6 years of buildup, with humanity to spare keeping him from being a caricature; it should avoid Darkseid comparisons quite deftly (and vice-versa), even if none of what made this work can translate back into the comics. And as much as the sidekick baddies might have been traditional uncanny-valley CG, this guy might be the most amazing effect I’ve ever seen in a blockbuster: I totally bought this was a real flesh-and-blood living being existing in recognizable 3-dimensional space whenever they zoomed in on his expressions. And more importantly, they acknowledged he has a nutsack for a chin.

* Speaking of effects, that’s how you do a fuckin’ magic fight!

* And speaking of villains: SKULL. What a payoff, and I sure hope he stays and fills the role Mephisto did in the original Infinity Gauntlet as Thanos’s right hand man, because I want to see him face down with Steve as Captain America one more time. In a very different movie/s, I could have seen him seizing the Gauntlet and promising Thanos he too will wipe out half the universe, but much less indiscriminately, with the great tyrant dying with the ultimate monstrosity his endeavor has brought about evident to him at last. And then you’d have the ultimate Nazi as the final boss, since not only are he and Cap enemies, but he battled Iron Man’s dad, was well-versed in Asgardian mythology and stole one of Odin’s treasures, and is like Hulk a failed Super Soldier. What we got should be pretty good too though. Fingers crossed he at least sticks around to menace Bucky and Sam once one of them takes over as Cap.

* Outside the villain, boy, who would have expected Thor would basically be the closest thing to a main character of this movie? I guess Marvel rightly expected Ragnarok would be fire, and knowing that he’ll now be the major remaining original Avenger, are trying to build him up in double-quick time. And with only half of Asgard gone, they can keep the setup Waititi provided after this (even if I wish they hadn’t brought back his eye. I’m not worried for him personally though; his godly constitution should be more than capable of resisting mere alien raccoon ass germs). And given Ultron was the Iron Man-centric flick and Civil War was literally a Captain America movie, it feels fair they gave this to the third member of the core trio. By contrast, I’m not sure whether Black Panther was too late for them to account properly for him, or they did know, and that’s why the final action was set in Wakanda even though it’s relatively irrelevant.

* The characters getting to bounce off each other was much of the heart of this, and while Downey vs. Cumberbatch was totally reasonable - I wish Strange and Spidey had more time together as promised as fellow Ditko creations, but doing Sherlock vs. Holmes makes sense, with “Do you concur, Doctor?” almost feeling deliberately evocative - I never would have expected Thor and Star-Lord to be the standout comedic pairing. And yet, as Drax put it, it entirely makes sense: “He is not a dude. You are a dude. He is a man.”

* What most leapt out at me as signalling this is the post-Trump movie relative to Civil War’s summer 2016 blockbuster? There, the question of whether or not the government can be trusted is the inciting incident that drives everything. Here, that the government is actively working against the right thing is so plain that Rhodes - who had previously said his critical injuries were more than worth standing up for the Accords, so passionately did he believe in all they stood for - immediately, casually acknowledges that the entire thing is fucked and bails with no fanfare, and that’s the end of it.

* I’d expected this to be an all-out invasion flick and so had been disappointed no Defenders or whatnot would at least cameo, but as it really turned out I’m not surprised there wasn’t a place for Daredevil to stick his horns in. And despite assurances, no Hawkeye! I’m sure as many as 5 or 6 people were quite disappointed.

* Betting pool on who’s actually dead? Obviously everyone vanished will be okay, but the others? Gamorra looks pretty stiffed, but she seems a safe bet to return. Vision’s end felt gruesomely final, but they put so much effort into implying he might be able to survive without the stone, and now they have a seminal story to draw on for a potential solo movie of his. Loki, I think, is most likely to remain in the ground. A last-minute return and final prank against Thanos wouldn’t be out of place for him by any means, but his character has come full circle, and I think it’s more likely that if he returns it’ll be as Kid Loki.

* Speaking of the vanishing, I really appreciate the thought that clearly went into who was taken off the board. The castoffs either really had nothing to do with the Thanos conflict, even and indeed especially if they were big for maximum shock value (Black Panther, Spider-Man, White Wolf, Falcon, Mantis), or DID have something to do with Thanos but whose arcs in terms of physical confrontations with him reached their logical climaxes (Star-Lord vented regarding their shared relationship to Gamorra, Drax tried and failed as he was always going to because that one-sided hate he wanted fulfilled isn’t as much at the core of his character as Gamorra’s relationship with Thanos is). Or in Strange’s specific case, the enigmatic type with an ace up his sleeve who could logically leave a final mystery and hope for others to have to rely on. And as a whole, it means the final OG Avengers movie ISN’T going to be an even bigger crossover movie than this the way we thought. This, for the MCU’s 10th anniversary, was the big crossover movie. The last Avengers movie as we’ve known it up to that point is mostly just going to be the founders (plus Captain Marvel, a mandatory Wakandan representative or two, and Rhody since he’s the other hero who was introduced in Phase One) getting one last hurrah. And it makes sense to go with that smaller cast, because they’ll want space to really zero in on Steve and Tony before they go, and since going at Thanos head-on is no longer an option, there’s not really going to be an opportunity for the same kind of massive super-war we got in here anyway, because then he’d simply de-create them.

* Steve and Tony are going to die, and going into pure fanfic, I think I know how it’ll happen. Steve will get the Gauntlet, and it’ll kill him to use it, but in an homage to the climax of Kree-Skrull War, he’ll use his last breath to not only revive everyone, but bring together an army of superheroes to defeat a depowered Thanos once and for all (Gamora or maybe Nebula almost certainly striking the final blow), raising his returned shield high, exchanging a last look with Bucky, and finally crying out “AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!” And Tony? Tony is going to knowingly walk to death in a doomed fight against Thanos as a distraction to give Steve that chance, becoming the guy who lays down on the wire and lets someone else crawl over him. It not only reaffirms his partnership with Steve and the idea behind the original Avengers just as both die, but brings his character arc totally full circle: he faces down the embodiment of his nightmares, and after having lived as the ultimate egotist, he dies as the man who sacrifices himself so someone else can secure the win. And Thanos was I believe introduced in an Iron Man comic, so that aspect’s pretty appropriate too.

* Jackson finally almost got to say motherfucker in one of these! And that’s the second Marvel movie with a character nearly saying fuck. Take the leap Disney, I believe in you. And much as that last shot in the stinger was neat, and much as this alternative would have been literally impossible, how much cooler would it have been if that screen had shown a “4″?

* My #4 title prediction? Avengers: The End. There was a big Thanos story by Starlin titled Marvel: The End where he destroys everything but ultimately turns it back, and that’d be both ominous enough to fit the warning that we should be scared of this title, and spiritually truthful. And since the Spider-Man movie right afterwards will according to Feige mark the start of the new MCU, they can title that Spider-Man: Brand New Day in accordance with said new beginning.

* Post-all this? It’ll be awhile yet before the Fantastic Four and X-Men come on stage, so ‘Phase 4′ will basically have to stall until they can bring in Doom to be the true final boss before the inevitable reboot a decade or so down the line. Spider-Man’s the new lead (hence the Iron Spider armor, which in Homecoming seemed deliberately to be overly gaudy as Tony’s vision of a Spidey remade in his image but now seems an indicating as his leading man status, the red/yellow/blue color scheme marking him as Peak Superhero) along with Panther, Captain Marvel, and likely Thor as the old standby. The Avengers likely disband for a bit due to losing the core and break up into different teams - your Ultimates, Champions, Young Avengers, etc. - before coming back together in New Avengers, managing to make the Avengers movie after the next one an event by making it about the reformation. Osborn leading the Cabal’s the big bad; he’s the leading man’s leading villain, he has the pedigree thanks to Dark Reign while still being able to put on a Goblin suit at the end, he lets them do the inevitable “all the bad guys get together to fight the Avengers” story, and while it might not work as well as it would have post-BvS pre-Justice League, using Sentry/the Void - a compromised, frightening, unsure, ‘realistic’ Superman figure - as his muscle and the true threat would be hella charged at the moment in a way I could see the MCU being cocky enough to go for, even if they never outright do Avengers V Squadron Supreme.

That’s what I got. As the god of thunder would say, farewell and good luck, morons.

#Avengers: Infinity War #Avengers #MCU #fanfic #Opinion

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frivoloussuits · 7 years ago

Text

Suits: What Comes Next?

What can Suits do next, in 7b and 8a and beyond? It’s a question I’ve been thinking about for a while, and while I’ve explored it in fic I think it’s about time I do a proper meta post. Strap in for lots of weird predictions about how Suits can go on, and what the potential pitfalls of each route are.

TLDR: Suits is probably but not definitely doomed. Their safest option, in my opinion, is to decisively break up Donna and Harvey in 7b, give Harvey an absolutely awful time through 8a (maybe 7b and 8b too?), and double down on another ship entirely. This is not their only option; Darvey is still on the table.

Word count: ~3K

Question 1: How can they handle Mike and Rachel’s departure?

First things first, now that Mike’s leaving, the powers that be are losing the core relationship of the show. Assuming the reason Mike’s leaving is that he and Rachel got a better job/life opportunity elsewhere (as opposed to, say, the two of them get killed off), there are two options here:

1.) Brush over Mike and Rachel’s departure as a happy, happy event for everyone involved. The remaining characters move on with their lives with minimal angst. Maybe a new sidekick (Alex? Donna? Louis? someone else new?) fills the Mike-sized hole in Harvey’s plot lines.

Pros: Patrick J. Adams described Suits as a fundamentally “aspirational” show. In his opinion the show can approach darkness, it cannot dwell there. This would allow the show to carry on with its typical plot lines without angst.

Cons: This may feel out of sync with the previous seasons. If everyone can pick up and move on without Mike in a heartbeat, then why were they so dedicated to keeping him around and protecting him for all this time? Also, now that two more members of the original core cast are leaving, Suits is at risk of having too few meaningful plots. Glossing over Mike’s departure would mean dropping a major source of potential drama.

2.) Dwell on the implications of Mike and Rachel’s departure. Harvey’s abandonment issues might come back to the forefront.

Pros: Drama. Tension. Sensible, in-character consequences over the loss of the Mike-Harvey relationship.

Cons: If the show dwells on Rachel and Mike’s departure, so will the audience. And if the audience is upset about the departure, they might end up alienated, sick of the reminders of what’s now missing. Also, as mentioned above, this show doesn’t like serious angst; it might be hard to strike the right tone.

Question 2: How to end 7b?

Patrick J. Adams has strongly hinted that the finale of 7b will include the Machel wedding. 7b is also intended to serve as a backdoor pilot for Jessica’s spin-off show. That’s all well and good, but what happens to our core remaining characters, Donna, Louis, and Harvey?

Suits knows the benefits of ending on a cliffhanger (or some sort of tantalizing promise of new conflict), they've done it every season except maybe 6. I think they have to do this again. Because they’ve now lost half their main cast, they’ll probably try to hook people more than ever and give them an incredibly compelling reason to tune back in. What sort of cliffhanger they might use depends on the answer to . . .

Question 3: What’s the driving tension of Season 8a?

(8b’s also important, of course, but I think it’ll be the ending of the series. And since I don’t have a great intuition for how this show can end without Mike, I won’t make detailed predictions. All I’ll say is that I think at least 2 out of 3, if not all 3, of the Donna-Louis-Harvey group will be happily and stably in love, and I think all three will achieve some level of personal growth. I predict that they’ll all be happy with their careers and that the firm will be doing well. Either that or the firm crashes, in which case Harvey probably throws up his hands and moves out of New York, lol.)

Okay, so fandom loves fluffy slice-of-life stories that don’t have conflict, but mainstream TV shows? Not so much. There ought to be a driving conflict that makes 8a run. I think Suits can have three major types of tension:

External Tension: A mostly-new set of characters invades and raises hell. Examples include the Danbury plot of 6a, the investment banking plot of 4a, and the failed Darby merger from 3.

Pros of external tension: So many options for drama.

Cons of external tension: Meh. Suits has done this a lot already, and how do you top the stakes of Danbury? What new threat can outside characters present that we haven’t already seen? If it’s just that “the firm’s in jeopardy again,” I think a lot of viewers will yawn, but the obvious ways of raising the stakes (disgruntled ex-client attempts murder, someone ends up in the hospital for multiple episodes, Louis makes good on the Daniel Hardman death threat, etc.) would potentially be too angsty and out of place.

Another potential issue is that the end of 7b would ideally introduce this new bunch of external troublemakers, and if 7b’s finale is already packed with the Machel wedding and Jessica’s pilot plots then that’ll be tough.

Old-Conflict-Resurfaces Tension: Oooh, this one could be fun. A decent way for Suits to go out (assuming Season 8 is the end) is to do a fabulous villain team-up. Maybe Daniel Hardman’s working with Travis Tanner, who’s being paid off by Charles Forstman, and so on. More broadly, if Suits can reach into its established rogues gallery and present some old threats as more menacing than ever and weave a credible yet surprising legal plot, that might be a way to go.

Pros: Lots of options for drama, though less than above. Potentially cleaner and more elegant, since Suits doesn’t need to introduce bunches of new settings and characters. If done well, it could viewers guessing all throughout, rethinking old episodes and searching their memories for clues to unravel every new mystery. All in all this could feel like a very fitting end for the show.

Cons: This may be very hard to pull off. It can tip one way and become boring, or the other and become absurd.

Internal Tension: My personal favorite. Something changes among our central trio, and they then generate a driving plot of their own free will.

Pros: Elegant. Minimal set-up (well, no, but the setup is all the character dynamics we’ve learned so well over the past seven seasons). A great way to propel meaningful character change and wrap up the central arcs. I think audiences will care about this tension more than any other kind, because it’s all about Donna, Harvey and Louis, and those central characters are what the general audience cares about most.

Cons: We’ve already seen a lot of Donna, Harvey and Louis. We’ve seen how they react in stressful situations. Pushing them to new limits is hard, there are few events that can still do it. The powers that be would have to be pretty damn careful to keep everyone in-character without just rehashing dramas we’ve already seen.

Question 4: Who is Samantha Wheeler?

For those who don’t know, Katherine Heigl is joining the main cast of Suits for Season 8. She’s playing Samantha Wheeler, a “talented new partner at Pearson Specter Litt who challenges the status quo and will either become the firm’s greatest ally or most powerful enemy.”

It’s possible that Samantha will come crashing in and become the one-woman generator of an “external tension” that drives Season 8a. I’m hard-pressed to come up with what’s so special about this character that she can cause such big waves, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible.

Pros: New drama. New relationship dynamics. If she’s connected via backstory to one or more of the main characters (and she probably should be, otherwise the audience is at risk of just not caring about her), that could cause drama amidst the Donna-Louis-Harvey group. Also! She might provide new romance opportunities, and god knows Suits likes its love stories. If Darvey and Louis/Sheila are both definitively together by the end of 7, I think Samantha is even more likely to have a love interest.

Cons: Things are already changing a lot from 7 to 8. The audience is at risk of 1.) being confused, 2.) being bored because they’ve already seen too much like this, 3.) feeling alienated because this isn’t what they signed up for, and/or 4.) just not caring. Adding a brand-new main character may exacerbate these issues.

Question 5: WHAT HAPPENS TO DARVEY?!?!?!

The powers that be wrote themselves into an interesting corner with the 7a kiss. The Darvey tension’s been simmering for ages, but it’s finally been pushed so far that Donna and Harvey have to confront it. If the Darvey will-they-won’t-they dance isn’t finished by the end of 7, I think audiences will revolt.

The writers are devoting serious attention to the fallout the kiss; the consequences will propel plenty of 7b drama, and I won’t be surprised if Donna and Harvey spend 5.99 out of 6 episodes feuding. That said, by the time the season is over, the Darvey plot should be decided one way or the other to avoid the aforementioned audience revolt. Working under that assumption, there are two options . . .

1.) Darvey gets together in 7b.

I’m going to quote another Aaron (the namesake of Rick Sorkin?) discussing the long-time workplace romance of another fictional Donna: “They are in a tough spot . . . because she works for him. Besides, sexual and romantic tension is, to me, much more fun than taking the tension away by having the sex and romance.” And while I can’t find the article at the moment, I’ve seen a related quote from Sarah Rafferty, where she said that she hoped Darvey would happen in the very last episodes of the show, if it happened at all.

Why might they say this? Because hardcore Darvey shippers may be thrilled to watch an entire Season 8 of canon Darvey, but I think more casual viewers will lose interest. The unspoken will-they-won’t-they tension has captivated viewers for years, and once that’s gone so is one of Suits’ biggest hooks. If the powers that be still want the Donna-Harvey relationship to draw people in, they’d better cook up something really special to replace the sexual and romantic tension.

Donna and Harvey have prepared for this relationship for so long that a lot of the typical sources in television love stories (one of them is jealous, one of them cheats, they miscommunicate, they aren’t familiar with each others’ priorities) would make little sense; they should be past that by now. If there’s any relationship conflict, that would have to be written quite carefully.

Another option is to let Donna and Harvey be happy together and throw conflict at them from the outside-- maybe someone else comes and tries to break them up, or threaten them professionally, and maybe they close ranks and become a wonderful battle couple.

(Personal note: If Darvey gets together, I’d like to see canon unquestionably establish Donna as Harvey’s equal in 7b and 8. I want to see them contributing equally to their relationship. I want to be convinced that they’ll both be happy in the long term, that this isn’t a relationship where Donna sacrifices for Harvey but has to grovel for his support in return, and I think they’re not there yet. Harvey really isn’t there yet. Getting there could generate plot.)

So these are some options for how canon can keep viewers invested through S8, but . . . I bet they won’t be as compelling for the general audience as the 7-season mating dance.

2.) Darvey gets smashed to hell in 7b.

I know I’m the only one, but I think this is still a real possibility!

At this point, Suits is running into two issues. One, it feels overall predictable and unsurprising. Two, it feels like it’s pushing its characters out of character in order to manufacture surprises (see: Harvey’s sudden infatuation with Paula, rule-obsessed Sheila’s sudden willingness to cheat on her fiance). If they can thwart viewer expectations on one of the biggest questions-- will Darvey happen?-- while remaining true to their characters, that could be pretty damn cool.

It’s also a reasonable option, in my opinion. It could generate plenty of plot for Donna and Harvey in 8a, since they might completely burn their bridges in 7b and have to rebuild from scratch, and it also leaves room for a different central romance!

So there’s this ship that nobody talks about. It’s a m/f ship, which means it’s more likely to be canon on this sadly heteronormative show than, say, Marvey. The characters have had compelling plots and interactions from Season 1. They’ve laughed together. They’ve survived drama. They respect, care about and understand each other. They have the same interests and hobbies. They have hilariously sexual conversations. They have literally said “I love you.”

I’m talking about Louis and Donna.

Yes, I’m serious, and so was Sarah Rafferty when she claimed Donna needs someone more emotionally open than Harvey to be her “life partner,” and so was Rick Hoffman when he said, “I just don’t understand how Louis could not be attracted to a woman like Donna.”

Pros of Lonna: Surprises! Drama! I can see this being the internal tension that drives 8a, and hell, I can’t imagine a better cliffhanger for season 7′s finale than a Lonna moment. This wouldn’t be radically out of character-- I’ve been checking, and there’s a surprisingly large amount of foundational material for this ship-- yet it’d massively upset audience expectations and also the existing relationship dynamics between Donna, Louis, and Harvey.

No, I’m not forgetting Harvey. Maybe he doesn’t want Donna himself, but seeing Louis end up with her would upturn everything he thought he knew about the world. Given that Mike’s also leaving and that he might still be dealing with Paula-related guilt, this plot twist would send Harvey reeling, especially if he and Donna are still working out the fallout from the kiss. If he lashes out and screws up his professional life too, then that can generate legal plots as well as personal drama.

Long story short, Lonna is potentially a massive plot generator.

Cons: The big downside of Lonna is that (besides Rick Hoffman and Sarah Rafferty who have been discussing it at least since Season 2) practically nobody ships it. Louis is so often treated as fodder for jokes, it’s possible that audiences just wouldn’t take it seriously. Also, a lot of Darvey shippers would be furious and heartbroken.

Question 6: What’s my ideal season 7 finale?

Okay, I know nobody is actually asking this, but I want to tell you!

Mike and Rachel dance peacefully at their wedding reception, safe in a happy bubble, oblivious to the world burning down around them. Jessica’s in the Plaza lobby, threatening some poor sucker over the phone in a desperate bid to save her political career. Harvey’s locked in the bathroom, fighting off a panic attack and failing, wondering whether he’s sick because of Paula, or because of Mike, or because Donna’s not speaking to him anymore . . .

Meanwhile, Louis and Donna share a sweet, intimate conversation on a hotel balcony that leads to a sweet, intimate kiss-- only to have Donna pull back, gasping as though she’s been burned.

SUITS RETURNS IN FALL 2018.

(I don’t know about you guys, but I would so tune in for that Season 8.)

#suits #harvey specter #mike ross #donna paulsen #louis litt #samantha wheeler #my meta

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