#Olivia and Lena would be the security

[masked-alien-lesbian]

Funny I've actually thought about this scenario before. I forget the year WTD took place in but I was thinking the heir would be grown like 17-19 years old and the TRR gang would probably be in their 40s.

I wonder how characters from other Choices books would fare in the zombie apocalypse. Like, it’s never stated what universe WTD takes place in, so what if like idk, the zombie apocalypse hit Cordonia and the TRR crew was forced to fend for their lives

[lazyvase]

PvWeek Finale (3/11/23)

Who's afraid of the big bad wolf?

Due to recent retcons, the world of Overwatch now has a main villain: Anubis. The one and (now) only "God Program".

Cause and Effect

This rogue AI is singlehandedly responsible for the backstory of every single hero due to it causing the Omnic Crisis, AKA the single most important event in the Overwatch timeline.

Without Anubis:

Gabriel Reyes, Jack Morrison, Ana Amari, Torbjorn Lindholm, and Reinhardt Wilhem would have never joined Overwatch, for without the Omnic Crisis, Overwatch would have never been needed to form.

Echo would have never been made.

Lena Oxton would have never been a test pilot for Overwatch's Slipstream project, and subsequently gain teleportation powers.

Cole Cassidy would have never joined Overwatch. He would have remained the right-hand man to Elizabeth Ashe.

Genji Shimada would have died after the fight with his brother, Hanzo, for neither Overwatch nor Dr. Angela Ziegler would have been around to save him.

Dr. Angela Ziegler's parents would also still be alive. Perhaps without their deaths, Ziegler may have not been pushed as hard to put all of herself into nanobiology and the medical field.

Dr. Moira O'Deorain would have never been hired by Blackwatch nor subsequently by Talon.

Olivia Colomar would have never had to work for the Los Muertos Gang as she would not have been orphaned by the Omnic Crisis.

Jean-Baptiste Augustin would have never joined Talon as he would have not been orphaned by the Omnic Crisis.

Amelie Lacroix would have never been brainwashed by Talon as her husband would not be the leader on Overwatch's Anti-Talon Task Force.

Akande Ogundimu would have never become Doomfist as he would not have lost his arm in the Omnic Crisis. He would have remained a competitive martial artist.

Aleksandra Zaryanova would still be a national athlete if there was no Omnic Crisis to fight in.

Hana Song would continue to be a Starcraft champion if the Gwishin weren't still around.

Lucio Correia dos Santos would have not become a star if the Vishkar Corporation had not taken over his town.

Without the Omnic Crisis, Vishkar would not have grown as big through their reconstruction contracts. As such, they may have ignored a young and poor Satya Vaswani.

Zenyatta would have never become a part of the Shambali.

Ramattra and Bastion would have never been built.

Orisa would not have been able to be built by Efi, for the OR models would have not been developed enough without the models Anubis made.

Vivian Chase would have never joined Overwatch.

Fareeha Amari would have not been able to look up to Overwatch and be inspired to be a hero by them. She would also not be able to work for Helix Security International as the organization was made to replace Overwatch. Her relationship with her mother may be slightly better off however.

Dr. Mei-Ling Zhou would have never lost 9 years of her life and 5 of her colleagues if Overwatch did not employ them.

Winston would have never joined Overwatch once he returned to earth.

Hammond would have never become Wrecking Ball as there would not be a mech-fighting arena in Australia.

Without the Omnic Crisis, the Australian Liberation Front would have never formed. As such, the Australian Omnium would have not been blown up, meaning there would be no wasteland. No wasteland means no Junkertown. Odessa Stone would have been able to grow up with her father, mother, and siblings.

Mako Rutledge would have lived a life of peace.

Jamison Fawkes would have a nice and quiet childhood with his mother.

Brigitte Lindholm would have never been inspired to be a hero by Reinhardt Wilhelm. She also would not be named Brigitte.

Anubis is also responsible for the anti-omnic sentiments present in the current world of Overwatch, for the Omnic Crisis caused these sentiments. Thus, Anubis is responsible for Null Sector for two reasons.

Anubis is the reason why many corporations are doing well, because after the crisis many companies took advantage of the economic downturn and reconstruction processes. (Vishkar, Volskaya, LuMerico)

Also, I lied. Two heroes origins do not depend on Anubis.

Dr. Siebren de Kuiper's experiment still would have left his mind shattered.

Kiriko Kamori would still have to deal with the Hasimoto Clan after the fall of the Shimada Clan.

Regardless, it is undeniable that Anubis has had an immense impact on the world of Overwatch.

Who is Anubis?

Recently, a question has plagued me: what is Anubis like? What is its personality? What is its opinions and beliefs?

Now, many would say that Anubis is a soulless machine that shows no emotion or sentient thought. That Anubis's only goal or drive or personality trait is to kill all humans.

I disappointedly agree.

All evidence points to Anubis having no personality or true motivations. A truly soulless machine. Which I guess could be used as a parallel to other omnic characters (especially Ramattra). But, man, imagine if Anubis had motivations and beliefs.

Would Anubis see Ramattra as a traitor? See Bastion as a broken tool? See Echo as a mockery? See Zenyatta as useless? Would Anubis hold a grudge against the 76, Reaper, Ana, Reinhardt, and Torbjorn for its imprisonment? Would Anubis have an immense hatred for Pharah over her duty of keeping it locked up?

Perhaps those questions are best saved for another time. Especially since I'm afraid of how the Overwatch writing team will handle Anubis with a personality.

The Future

The big question is: what’s next for Anubis. It’s still a potential threat as it remains locked up. Furthermore, both Talon and Anubis itself are trying to free it. It’s only a matter of time before the biggest threat in the Overwatch universe is free.

I’d imagine if Anubis ever got free, the easy thing to do for the developers is have it take over Null Sector so they don’t have to design new enemy models. And in all fairness it just makes sense. Free army based on your designs.

The Future of PvWeek

As you should all know by now, I'm discontinuing PvWeek. This series has been an interesting and educational experience. I've learned to not do this. I often found myself stressing to make sure the PvWeek released on time. I was also forced to release some lackluster and unresearched PvWeeks. I much prefer to take as much time as I need/want on Overwatch lore posting. So that's what I'll do.

However, PvWeek will return. As said in the first PvWeek, I started this series in order to generate hype for the upcoming PvE. I've recently realized that it's going to be a while before the PvE is anywhere close to being released. So I'd be stuck doing this series for a long time. Which would very quickly lead to burnout. Something I want to steer clear from. I'll probably start PvWeek back up a few weeks before the release of the actual PvE. So stay tuned.

Thank you to all who read and interacted with PvWeek. Stay safe. And good luck on your weekly challenges.

See you around.

[superlustersnew52]

Main Inspiration

Supergirl TV show

Secondary Inspirations

other Arrowverse properties

Powerless

Men In Black

History

This Earth is home to all sorts of alien beings, and this has been the case for decades. Government organizations such as the DEO and the Men In Black have helped aliens stay hidden among the population, while also going after aliens that cause problems for the Earth.

Around 2000 was when the public started to become more aware of the alien presence on Earth, when Superman first showed up. Superman also marked the beginning of the age of superheroes, with other heroes showing up in the following years, Batman being another one of the earliest ones.

But not everybody was all too eager to live in a world of aliens, or superheroes for that matter, a sentiment that led to Lex Luthor becoming President of the United States in 2012. His presidency did not last very long, though, as he would wind up getting impeached rather quickly, leading to Pete Ross becoming President, and Lex would eventually end up in prison. By the time the next election rolled around, public sentiments towards aliens went in the exact opposite direction, leading to Olivia Marsdin winning the election on a pro-alien platform, though she would later resign when it was revealed that she was an alien herself. Her replacement would then also get impeached due to his connection to Lex Luthor and the Children of Liberty, due to their terrorist actions. Following all that, politics settled down, with an inoffensive status-quo Democrat winning the next election.

In 2015, the cousin of Superman, Supergirl, came into the picture, becoming National City's resident hero. Not much longer after that, Lena Luthor, who had taken over LexCorp (renamed to L-Corp) upon Lex's imprisonment, would move to National City, hoping to get a chance to work alongside Supergirl. And they certainly did work together, and became very close, over the years of fighting against villains together. They fought various alien threats together, as well as Lex himself upon his release from prison (he would end up getting sent to the Phantom Zone by the end of all that), alongside other allies they had in the Superfriends. Many years after they started working together, shortly after Supergirl had chosen to reveal to the world that she went by Kara Danvers in her daily life, Kara and Lena would get married, and worked together at the yet-again-renamed Supercorp, with Kara having left behind her career as a journalist in order to put her scientific mind to good use by helping creating inventions at Supercorp.

Elsewhere, in Gotham City, Batman went missing in 2015 after he killed the Joker. Crime ran rampant there for years until Batwoman showed up to replace him...before she too went missing and another Batwoman replaced her. That first Batwoman would end up reappearing, but Batman never did. Instead of continuing the solitary life of Batman, both Batwomen decided to work together to protect Gotham, alongside other heroes that joined them, including some Batgirls.

Coincidentally, around the same time that Batman disappeared, Bruce Wayne vanished as well, leading to Wayne Enterprises going through some changes. Wayne Security's branch in Charm City, for example, known for its R&D department, went through some restructuring, Van Wayne leaving the company as Emily Locke took over. Eventually, they would get sold off to L-Corp. Wayne Enterprises itself went through multiple executives, notably Kate Kane, Ryan Wilder, and Marquis Jet. Eventually the company settled on Ryan Wilder as its CEO, with Kate Kane being the owner.

Various different cities, particularly in America, have their own set of heroes and villains, and have gone through various noteworthy events. In late 2019, various heroes from across the world formed the League, a team dedicated to dealing with global threats whenever they showed up - though the heroes in the League typically just operate in their home cities, only banding together when the situation called for it.

Starters

[overladies-love-ladies]

HEY um. i've been feeling bad. could i request pharah, sombra, sym and tracer with an s/o who finds it hard to understand a lot of things, feels out of place a lot, like they're always doing something wrong and upsetting others? thank you <3

Here’s the request for Out of Place Anon. Sorry for the long wait!! <3

Pharah-

Fareeha first noticed you when a new recruit berated you and the other secretary at the security HQ for mixing up the location of his training zone. You were on the verge of tears when she took the rookie officer by surprise and tore him a new one for abusing the staff. After he skulked away, she pulled you aside and took you for a walk around the base to clear your mind. Your walks with Fareeha became a routine until one day she finally asked you out on a proper date in the middle of the parking lot. You were thrilled she reciprocated your feelings, but you couldn’t help but express your concerns. What if you messed everything up? What if you were a lousy girlfriend who could never remember her birthday or where you had your first date? The stream of worries felt like it would never stop until a strong gust of wind swept across the pavement causing you to shiver. Fareeha simply grinned and threw her jacket around your shoulders and pulled you in for a hug. As far as she was concerned, you could do no wrong. Anyone who disagreed would have to answer to her. 

Sombra-

Olivia had a hard time understanding your discomfort at first. She lived for being a nuisance and making other’s lives difficult, but she couldn’t ever imagine you upsetting anyone. Everyone in the seaside town loved you. As the months of dating went by though, the more she noticed the signs. The way you flinched when someone raised their voice, or how you always tried so hard to do everything right, but never seemed happy with the results. She observed you in the marketplace, trying to interact with shop owners and how you would begin blushing and stuttering until you eventually clammed up. One night strolling along the beach, Olivia stopped suddenly and turned to face you, gripping your hands tightly. You noticed how wet her eyes were, shimmering in the moonlight. Her voice came out shaky; it was the first time you ever heard Olivia sound uncertain. She explained how she noticed the patterns in your behavior and how you were constantly walking on eggshells. She exclaimed with ferocity how you never needed to feel that way around her. Nothing you did would ever be short of perfect in her eyes. You were speechless but Olivia didn’t seem to mind. She knew that you would open up and trust her on your own time, and she would be ready when you were.

Symmetra-

Satya was no stranger to feeling out of place. She had her own struggles that she dealt with daily. Meeting you was like finding a patch of warm sunlight on a cloudy day. You were one of the few people she knew that could understand her discomfort in what many would consider simple interactions. Where you struggled with your confidence and constantly felt like a nuisance to others, Satya was comfortable with who she was, and longed to pass that self-love on to you. At the store, if you struggled with making a decision or talking to an employee, she would gently nudge you in the right direction. If you made a mistake when cooking, she would stop your berating words in their tracks and assure you that everything was wonderful. She found you one night before bed, leaning on the bathroom sink and staring woefully at the mirror. Without turning you asked her why she was so kind to you? So patient? Satya gently turned you towards her and rubbed your arms softly. She had to learn how to interact with others and face her own insecurities growing up. She would rather die before she let you face your struggles on your own. 

Tracer-

She eventually found her place at Overwatch, but Lena stepped on more than a few toes on the way there. She was very familiar with feeling like she annoyed everyone around her. So when she met you, another recruit who went completely out of their way to try and not bother anyone, she had a feeling she knew what you were going through. What started as a budding friendship slowly grew into more. Lena became more comfortable, making friends and finding her place in the organization, but she noticed that you were as worried as ever about what others thought of you. Lena, fueled by her determined spirit, vowed to herself to show that everyone at Overwatch loved you. For your birthday that year, she collected messages from each of your closest friends full of well wishes and reassurances. When you both curled up together that night to watch it in your room, Lena held your face in her hands and planted a kiss on each cheek. She asked you to talk to her if you ever felt like you were in the way or a nuisance at all, and she’d do everything in her power to make you feel better and reassure you that that wasn’t the case. You held her tight and settled in for your movie night, feeling better than you had in a long time.

[crimsoncityhq]

mwf 30+? mwfc poc?

regina king,  lena hedy, angela davis, zooey deschanel, rosario dawson, rashida jones, kristin wiig,  mila kuniz,  lupita n'yongo, kerry washington, michelle pfeiffer, angela bassett,  cate blanchett,  Natalie Portman,  Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain,  Cobie Smulders,  Dichen Lachman,  Ashley Madekwe,  Maggie Q,  Rachel Weisz,  Yael Stone, Lucy Liu,  Olivia Wilde, Emmy Rossum,  Carla Gugino, Sandra Bullock, Stephanie Beatriz,  Melissa Fumero,  Reese Witherspoon,  danai guirerria,  Emily Blunt,  Kerry Washington,  Lana Parilla,  Rebecca Ferguson,  Michelle Williams,  Elizabeth Hurley,  Gina Torres, Connie Britton, Chandra Wilson, Kim Raver, Viola Davis,   Mary Elizabeth Winstead,  Constance Wu, Emma Thompson,  Diane Guerrero,  Gugu Mbatha- Raw,  Helen Mirren, Gabrielle Union, Salma Hayek,  Nathalie Emmanuel, Rose Leslie, Winona Ryder, Ming-Na Wen, Melora Hardin, Taraji P Henson, Jazzy Jones,  Jurnee Smollett, Goldshifteh Farahani, Aubrey Plaza , Sonoya Mizuno, Emmy Raver, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Thandie Newton, Penelope Cruz, Aja Naomi King, Natalie Dormer,marion cotillard, eva green, Logan Browning, Gemma Arterton, Christian Serratos, Issa Rae,  Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Wunmi Mosaku, hannah simone, michelle gomez, li jun li, ursula corbero, bianca santos, malese jow,  Julia Louis-Dreyfus,  berta vazquez, wakeema hollis, & tristan mays,

Bolded names would fit WCs under the cut if you’re interested non!  

( sandra oh, cisfemale, 53 ) I hear that DEIJI "DAISY" RAU-BYRNE is looking for their SPOUSE Word on the street is they look like JOHN CHO,LAVERNE COX,IDRIS ELBA,LUCY LIU,JERI RYAN,REESE WITHERSPOON,JAVIER BARDEM, PAUL RUDD, WINONA RYDER, MING-NA WEN, JASON BATEMAN, ADAM SCOTT, MELORA HARDIN, JOSH DUHAMEL,JOHN LIGHT,RACHEL WEISZ,JULIAN MCMAHON, TARAJI P HENSON, WILL YUN LEE, MICHAEL EALY, DAVID LEE MCINNIS,LORNE CARDINAL, ANY FC 45+ PREFand that the last time they saw them wasLAST NIGHT. YOUR CHARACTER HAD ARRIVED IN CHICAGO MONTHS BEFORE DEIJI LANDED WITH THE REST OF THE COUNCIL. TO BE HER EYES, AND BECAUSE SHE HAD MANIPULATED YOUR CHARACTER IN BELIEVING SHE WOULD SIGN THE DIVORCE PAPERS. THEIR RELATIONSHIP HAS BEEN VOLATILE, WORSE WITHIN THE LAST FEW MONTHS SHE HAS BEEN IN CHICAGO. THE COUPLE HAVE 3 KIDS.You SHOULD reach out to CRIMSONFAUX. ( manish dayal, cis male, 37 ) I hear that RAHI KUMAR is looking for their CLOSE/BEST FRIEND. Word on the street is they look like JAZZY JONES, JURNEE SMOLLETT, GOLDSHIFTEH FARAHANI, AUBREY PLAZA, SONOYA MIZUNO, EMMY RAVER, PHOEBE WALLER-BRIDGE,  AGE RANGE 34-37 and that the last time they saw them was THIS WEEK. CHARACTER MUST BE A CIVILIAN, REACH OUT FOR MORE DETAILS. You SHOULD reach out to RAHIKUMAR. ( yahya abdul-mateen ii, cis male, 38 ) I hear that JJ BAPTISTE is looking for their AIDE . Word on the street is they look like MAGGIE Q, DANAI GURIRA, LUPITA NYONG’O, THANDIE NEWTON, PENELOPE CRUZ, and that the last time they saw them was THIS WEEK. PART OF HIS 'CREW’, THIS WOMAN IS LOYAL TO JJ AND DOES HIS DIRTY WORK FOR HIM - UNDER VERY GOOD PAY. You SHOULD reach out to JJBAPTISTE. ( antoinette robertson, cisfemale, 32 ) I hear that SLOAN WASHINGTON is looking for their HEAD OF SECURITY. Word on the street is they look like RICHY WHITTLE, AJA NAOMI KING, CHRIS PINE, NATALIE DORMER OR UTP and that the last time they saw them was [Was recently at the mayor’s office. This person is someone that Sloan trust with her and her families life. They had grown up together in Chicago and kept in contact when she went to go live in Paris. They are the first and currently only person that knows about what happened in Paris. In fact, they were the one that instructed Sloan on how to get rid of the evidence by staging the fire. In her pursuit to dismantle the crime families of Chicago her head of security guard is the person she turns to the most often.] You SHOULD reach out to CRIMSXNBEAU. ( antoinette robertson , cis female, 32 ) I hear that SLOAN WASHINGTONE is looking for their PARIS FRIEND/ FORMER LOVEN. Word on the street is they look like MARION COTILLARD, GABRIELLE UNION, EVA GREEN, NATALIE DORMER and that the last time they saw them was NEARLY SIX YEARS AGO. IN PARIS BEFORE SHE LEFT TO RETURN TO THE STATES. THEY FELL OUT OF CONTACT TWO YEARS AGO AND SLOAN HASN’T HEARD FROM THEM SINCE; EVEN THOUGH SHE HAS MADE THE EFFORT TO LOOK FOR THEM. You SHOULD reach out to CRIMSXNBEAU. ( yahya abdul-mateen ii, cis male, 38 ) I hear that JJ BAPTISTE is looking for their FAUX FOLIE DANCERS/ESCORTS . Word on the street is they look like 25+, ANY GENDER. SUGGESTIONS: LOGAN BROWNING, MANNY MONTANA, TATI GABRIELLE, KEKE PALMER, DAVIKA HOORNE, BRIGHT VACHIRAVIT, GABRIELLE UNION, BARRETT DOSS, ZANE HOLTZ, ELLIOT KNIGHT, ALEXANDRA SHIPP, NATHAN MITCHELL, KIMBERLEY ANNE WALTEMAS, ISSA RAE, JANELLE MONAE, NAOMI SCOTT, CHRISTIAN SERRATOS, PHILIPPA SOO, KATIE LEUNG, GEMMA ARTERTON, SAMARA WEAVING, THANDIE NEWTON, KRISTIN KREUK, MATTEO MARTARI, LESLEY-ANN BRANDT, ALEXANDRA SHIPP, ELODIE YUNG and that the last time they saw them was WHENEVER.(3/4) You SHOULD NOT reach out to JJBAPTISTE. NON SPECIFIC FC’S ( any fc you choose could fit the below WC’s as well)

( lauren cohan, cisfemale, 33) I hear that EDITH COHEN is looking for their SOBER COACH. Word on the street is they look like ANY FC (25+), and the last time they saw them was I HAVE A FEW IDEAS TO BOUNCE AROUND ABOUT THEM. I DON’T PLAN ON THIS BEING A SHIPPY CONNECTION. THIS PERSON WILL HELP BRIDGE HER SOBRIETY SO SHE CAN START TO FLY AGAIN. You SHOULD reach out to CRIMSONFAUX. . ( zendaya, female, 22 ) I hear that DIAMOND WASHINGTON is looking for their PERSONAL ASSISTANT. Word on the street is they look like UTP ANY GENDER, and that the last time they saw them was A DAY AGO, WHEN THEY CAME OVER TO CHECK ON DIAMOND - CHECKING ON HER WAS A NEARLY DAILY THING…IF IT WASN’T FOR HER ASSISTANT, DIAMOND’S LIFE WOULD BE CHAOS. SHE LITERALLY DEPENDS ON THEM FOR EVERYTHING. THEY HAVE BEEN DIAMOND’S PERSONAL ASSISTANT FOR THE PASSED FOUR YEARS, AND THE TWO OF THEM HAVE BECOME EXTREMELY CLOSE. THEY TAKE THEIR JOB SERIOUSLY AND MAKE SURE THAT DIAMOND’S DAILY SCHEDULE IS RUNNING SMOOTHLY. THEY’VE VERY MUCH BECOME LIKE AN OLDER SIBLING / BEST FRIEND TO DIAMOND. THE TWO MEET UP NEARLY DAILY FOR WORK AND NON-WORK RELATED HANGOUTS. OUT OF EVERYONE ELSE IN DIAMOND’S LIFE (EVEN HER FAMILY), HER PA IS THE ONLY ONE THAT REALLY KNOWS OF THE STRUGGLES DIAMOND IS GOING THROUGH, MENTALLY. THIS WC CAN BE ANY GENDER, ANY FC, SO LONG AS THEY’RE 25+ IN AGE You SHOULD NOT / BUT CAN reach out to SILVERNCRIMSON. ( chance perdomo, cismale, 25 ) I hear that AUDRIC NOIRE is looking for their ELDER SIBLING. Word on the street is they look like FC UTP MUST BE POC, and that the last time they saw them was IN A PHOTO WITH HIS FATHER. AUDRIC IS UNAWARE OF HIS FATHER'S SIDE OF THE FAMILY, ANY SIBLINGS ETC, AND HIS FATHER HAS SINCE PASSED. You SHOULD reach out to CRIMSONFAUX. ( yahya abdul-mateen ii, cis male, 38 ) I hear that JJ BAPTISTE is looking for their EMPLOYEE IN HIS DEBT. . Word on the street is they look like MALE AND FEMALE FCS FCS 30+. REACH OUT OR REFER TO EMPLOYEES WC FOR SUGGESTIONS. and that the last time they saw them was LAST WEEK. THE MEGARA TO HIS HADES. THIS CHARACTER MADE A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL WITH JJ SOME TIME AGO — IT CHOULD HAVE BEEN MONEY, OR A FAVOR, WHAT HAVE YOU — BUT THEY COULDN’T AFFORD TO PAY HIM BACK, SO NOW THEY WORK FOR HIM AS A MEANS TO PAY THE DEBT OFF.(0/2) You SHOULD reach out to JJBAPTISTE. ( yahya abdul-mateen ii, cis male, 38 ) I hear that JJ BAPTISTE is looking for their FORMER LOVER, FRIEND, OR WORK PARTNER.. Word on the street is they look like FCS 30 - 40 FOR LOVER, 30-50 FOR OTHER and that the last time they saw them was LONG TIME AGO. THIS PERSON EITHER BETRAYED, CHALLENGED, OR WRONGED JJ IN SOME WAY AND GOT A GLIMPSE OF HIS DARK SIDE, AND JJ DID SOMETHING TO GET BACK AT THEM IN HOPES THEY’D LEARNED THEIR LESSON; THIS COULD BE PLOTTED TO FIT THE WC. You SHOULD reach out to JJBAPTISTE. ( wagner moura, cis male, 47 ) I hear that NICOLAU ‘NICO’ MONTENEGRO DE SÁ is looking for their NON CORRUPT COPS. Word on the street is they look like ANY FC AGED 35+, and that the last time they saw them was YESTERDAY. NICO IS DETERMINED TO END THE GANG VIOLENCE IN CHICAGO, AND FOR THIS, HE’LL NEED A SOLID TEAM - WHO ARE JUST AS COMMITTED AS HE IS. NO NEED TO MESSAGE PRIOR TO APPLYING, BUT WELCOME TO! You SHOULD NOT reach out to MONTENCGRO. ( lucien laviscount, cismale, 29 ) I hear that ZANE WASHINGTON is looking for their EX GIRLFRIEND(S).. Word on the street is they look like FC UTP ( CIS OR TRANS FEMALES AGED 23 - 40 ), and that the last time they saw them was (0/4) SPORADIC DATES. ZANE OFTEN TRAVELED THE WORLD BEFORE HE GOT STUCK TAKING CARE OF THE FUNERAL HOME. HE HAD A HABIT OF BRINGING HIS GIRLFRIEND AT THE TIME WITH HIM TO CHICAGO AND THEN DUMPING HER SOON AFTER. HIS LAST GIRLFRIEND HE WOULD HAVE LAST SEEN ONE MONTH AGO AND WOULD HAVE CAME BACK TO CHICAGO WITH HIM IN 2019 TO RUN THE FUNERAL HOME. THESE CHARACTERS CAN'T BE A CHICAGO NATIVE. ALL OTHER DETAILS ARE UTP. . You SHOULD reach out to  CRIMSONFAUX. ( tessa thompson, she/her, 35 ) I hear that LORELAI FAUST is looking for their BAR TENDER EMPLOYEE AT DIRTY HARRY’S. Word on the street is they look like ANY FC, and that the last time they saw them was THEY’RE A NEW EMPLOYEE FOR RECENTLY OPENED DIRTY HARRY’S. THEY DO NOT KNOW ABOUT LORELAI’S CRIMINAL SIDE VENTURE BELOW THE BAR. You SHOULD NOT reach out to REVELAARE. ( tessa thompson, she/her, 35 ) I hear that LORELAI FAUST is looking for their STAGE TECHNICIAN EMPLOYEE AT DIRTY HARRY’S. Word on the street is they look like ANY FC, and that the last time they saw them was THEY’RE A NEW EMPLOYEE FOR RECENTLY OPENED DIRTY HARRY’S. THEY DO NOT KNOW ABOUT LORELAI’S CRIMINAL SIDE VENTURE BELOW THE BAR. You SHOULD NOT reach out to REVELAARE.

[douxreviews]

The Handmaid's Tale - ‘Under His Eye’ Review

Sorry I'm late. I kept putting off writing about this episode. Never a good sign.

Maybe it was because the episode began and ended with the increasing number of gutwrenching hangings – five just this week, according to June. They're like the Fenway Park scene at the beginning of season two but worse, because they're real. That red rope looked obscene somehow, with a slight touch of the ridiculous. It looked at first as if the handmaids were playing tug of war. I'm sure that was intentional. Not sure why.

June's pious walking partner, Ofmatthew, is having a difficult pregnancy this time; June showed her some sympathy early on when Ofmatthew felt sick at the hanging. Not so much at the end of the episode when June discovered that Ofmatthew is Aunt Lydia's spy, watching over June and "protecting her from herself." I wish I could say I was surprised.

Why was June so careless in Loaves and Fishes when she contacted the MacKenzie's unfortunate Martha, who was hung before she even got a character name of her own? (Her terrified face at the gallows made me cry.) And yes, I'm a mom, I get June's desperation, but talking Eleanor Lawrence into going for a casual walk to Hannah's school was monumentally stupid and reckless.

Because even seeing Hannah, much less grabbing her somehow, was impossible. High walls with barbed wire, watch towers, guardians with machine guns, and how come those guardians didn't see June scouting the perimeter? Her red cloak is highly visible on purpose – as she has said, like blood on snow. And of course, now that Ofmatthew has tattled to Aunt Lydia, the MacKenzies took Hannah out of that school and left Boston entirely. Hannah is now lost to June, possibly forever.

Eleanor Lawrence is clearly an ally and she did her best, but she's bipolar and has no filter and the way she was carrying on because she couldn't have a tour of the school only brought more attention on herself and June. Endangering Eleanor is certainly not going to make Commander Lawrence happy, since he adores her and is very protective of her. I'm surprised Lawrence didn't blow his stack at June, or worse. June could lose her cushy non-rape set-up at the Lawrences so easily, and wind up at the end of a rope herself.

Losing it with Ofmatthew, screaming "You fucking bitch!" wasn't wise or careful of June, either. June has plot armor. Let's face it, any handmaid that did what June got away with in this episode would be in the Colonies, or worse.

Checking in with DC's new power couple

Am I supposed to care about Serena's marriage? I so do not. Unless the ups and downs of the Waterfords will eventually lead to them to the Resistance, but is that even a possibility any more? I thought that was where Serena was going, but not if she's dancing romantically with the husband who freaking had her freaking finger cut freaking off.

Seriously, though, maybe I'm just thinking about Footloose, but why would Gilead allow dancing at all, much less something as sexy and suggestive as a tango? I was even under the impression that Fred and Serena couldn't have sex because they couldn't procreate. The Wives at the dance were joking about guardians as sex objects, or was it the waiters? I'm confused, and if I'm confused, the writers didn't do their jobs very well.

Olivia Winslow showed Serena an available home as yet "unrestored," meaning there was still stuff left from the family that used to live there. Shoes and coats by the door, photos of a mom and dad and their three kids, how could anyone look at that house and not feel for that family? I think Serena felt something. Olivia, not so much.

Meanwhile in Canada

The continuing story in Canada usually makes me feel a little better, gives me a little hope. Not this time.

Emily was interviewed by the Swiss mediator Lena about the incredibly violent things she did while she was a freaking slave and being held captive and raped against her will and nearly worked into a grave at a death camp, and can you tell this made me angry? Does the world really not know what is going on in Gilead? Sylvia's face was shocked and angry and fortunately, supportive.

And I loved Emily and Moira doing some serious bonding at the café. They may not know the same lesbian hangouts in Boston, but they certainly have PTSD and the worst of handmaid experiences in common. I liked how they tied the hangings and June to Emily and Moira and their murders, the Wife in the Colonies, the Commander at Jezebels. All of these women have been forced to kill. Look what they've turned us into.

But the thing is, the second time I watched this episode, all I could think of was where it had to be going. Emily went with Moira to protest the Minister of Border Security who wouldn't declare Gilead refugees safe from deportation. High Commander Winslow and Fred Waterford were talking about negotiating an extradition treaty with Canada not just for baby Nichole, but for "the others."

Emily and Moira are technically criminals, and omigod. They're going to be extradited back to Gilead, aren't they? I can't think of anything worse that could happen on this show, and the worst possible things happen on this show. Seriously, it might be too much for me. The Handmaid's Tale is hard enough to watch as it is.

Bits:

— I always enjoy the scenes in Loaves and Fishes. This time the announcement was that bee tokens can now be used for both bee pollen and honey. The handmaids were noticing the new mouth coverings, but apparently June hasn't shared what they're for.

— Was June actually hinting to Ofmatthew that she thought about abortion when she became pregnant with Nichole? That was another thing June did in this episode that made me crazy. Too reckless. What was she thinking?

— Naomi Putnam referred to June as a "ripe handmaid." Like a peach or an avocado. I remember Serena referring to them as apples, too.

— The Lawrences didn't have children of their own because of Eleanor's condition, because they were always "adjusting her dosage."

— What is the point of a school for girls if they can never read and write, anyway?

— Ofmatthew is played by Ashleigh LaThrop, who is also in The 100 this season. She must be doing a great job because I despise her and feel sorry for her at the same time.

— I want Emily and Syl and Oliver and Moira and Luke and Erin and Nichole to hightail it somewhere, right the heck now. Would they be safe in what's left of the United States, Alaska and Hawaii?

Quotes:

June: "Fruit cocktail? Really?" Alma: "I'm crappy at improv."

Serena: "Who lived here before?" Olivia: "I think they were Baptists."

June: "Where's the Commander?" Beth: "I don't know. In some commander place doing commander things?"

Eleanor: (to the baby) "We thought you were gonna die. But you didn't."

Moira: (to Emily) "How can we not have any gay in common? Jeez, I'm pretty sure that this is the first time this has ever happened in all of lesbian history."

Emily: "I killed a Wife. In the Colonies. I poisoned her. I'm not sorry." Moira: "I killed a Commander. I didn't have to, he was asleep, but I did it anyway." Emily: "Look what they've turned us into." Moira: "You killed anybody since you've been out?" Emily: "No. You?" Moira: "Nope. So I think we're good."

The images that stayed with me were that long, improbably red rope, and Serena and Fred improbably doing the tango. The common key word there is "improbable." Two out of four red ropes, perhaps? What did you guys think?

---

Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

[argyle-s]

Summary:

It's Christmas day. Alex spends some time with her dad, Maggie covers things at the DEO, Jeremiah thinks about how he get help get his family out of danger, Kara tried to mend fences with Olivia, and welcomes some visitors to National City. Sam and tried to cheer Ruby, Astra and Lena spend some time together, and Kara receives an unexpected Christmas Present.

Notes:

I’ve started a Discord Server.  Message me if you’d like to join.

Preview:

Friday, December 25, 2015

Alex smiled as the door opened, barely able to contain her excitement when she saw Jeremiah’s face.

“Hey, Dad,” she said as she stepped in and pulled him into a tight hug.

“Hey, Alex,” Jeremiah said as he hugged her back.

Alex let go of him, stepping back and bouncing lightly on her heels. “How you holding up?” she asked.

He gave a weak smile and a shrug. “Going a little stir crazy, if I’m honest,” he said.

“Well,” Alex said, not able to keep the grin off her face as she reached into her pocket and pulled out an envelope. “I’ve got good news for you.”

“What’s this?” he asked as he took the envelope.

“The US Marshals *finally* came through with your new ID’s,” Alex said, not mentioning she’d gotten a little frustrated and had Nimda expedite things a bit.

“Really?” Jeremiah asked as he opened the envelope. He pulled out a driver’s license, passport, social security card, a voter registration card, and two credit cards.

“Yeah,” Alex said happily. “The credit cards are a gift from Kara. There’s linked to a trust fund Kara set up. I wouldn’t worry too much about the limit, but she said to try and keep it under a million dollars a month. I think she was joking, but when it comes to money and Kara, it’s hard to tell these days.”

“Yeah,” Jeremiah said. “I did notice that.”

“So, the official story is that you’ve been in witness protection this whole time,” Alex said.

“You’re kidding, right?” Jeremiah said.

“Hey, don’t knock it,” Alex said. “You should hear the line of bullshit J’onn had to feed the White House about how you’re alive.”

Jeremiah frowned. “You didn’t tell them the truth?”

Alex scoffed. “No,” she said. “Half the government already wants to dissect Kara or raid her little island retreat for all the tech they can carry. Telling them Kara has access to time travel would be like throwing gasoline on a dynamite fire.”

“Well, that’s certainly an image,” Jeremiah said.

Alex grinned and took a step back, nodding towards the elevator. “Come on,” she said. “I want to show you what Kara got me for Christmas.”

Keep reading on AO3

[formerlyrunephoenix6769]

Ithought it would be much easier to make a post putting the fics in order they play out in the 'SHATTERED' universe.

"A HEROES WELCOME."

Pairing: Lena Oxton/Emily .. Tracerily.

TAGS: Emotional hurt/comfort. Fluff, Fluff and Angst. One shot.

Who is there after the gunfire has stopped and the camera's have stopped rolling.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16276430

"REFLECTIONS."

Pairing: Amelie Lacroix 'Widowmaker' / Olivia Colomar  'Sombra'  Spiderbyte, Syderbyte.

TAGS: Frenemies, Friends. Oneshot.

After Widowmaker's assassination  of Mondatta,  the two Talon  operatives take some down time at her ancestral home Castle Gulliard and things turn to Tracer.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15192530

"SHATTERED."

Pairing: Lena Oxton 'Tracer'/ Amelie Lacroix 'Widowmaker'. .. Dr Angela Ziegler 'Mercy'/ Fareeha Amari 'Pharah', Widowtracer, tracermaker, Pharmercy,

TAGS: Angst, Drama, Slow Burn, Spy shit, Thriller, Morally grey, Eventual Romance, Angst/Hurt. Hurt/Comfort.

CHARACTERS: Gerard Lacroix (mentioned), Jesse McCree, Genji Shimada, Jack Morrison, Ana Amari, Zarya, DVa,

MULTICHAP AND ON GOING.

Amelie/Widowmaker attempts to break free only to find people in her past unwilling to let her be.

A Doctor hellbent on correcting her mistakes.

A Security Officer left out of the loop.

And a Pilot left with more questions than answers.

Is the paragon of virtue, what it seems?

(Tracer isnt overly friendly at first. Or the one that 'saves' Widowmaker)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16245743/chapters/37980377

"FAIRY TALE IN GIBRALTAR."

Pairing: Lena Oxton 'Tracer'/ Amelie Lacroix 'Widowmaker'.

TAGS: Angst with Happy Ending, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Fluff,

CHARACTERS: Emily (mentioned)

TAKES PLACE DURING SHATTERED AND PARTS TAKE PLACE JUST AFTER 'HEROES WELCOME'

Watchpoint Gibraltar has been left in the hands of Tracer over the holidays.

The skeleton crew made up of volunteers and those that have no where to go

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17024256

You're welcome to like and share. :)  Please leave comments or kudos.

[dhaskoi]

Love, Judgment & Forgiveness

This was my entry for the Supercat Christmas in July fic exchange for the incomparable #damelola.  If you liked my earlier drabble about Lena getting caught with the kryptonite you might like this too.

Cat leans back in her seat with a sigh as she lays the paper down on the empty seat next to her, the DC cityscape slipping by outside the town car’s window.  When you work in the big white house your workday never really ends, but she’s found that with an early start she can snatch some time to herself on the drive in, usually spent flipping through her preferred papers.  Her fondness for newsprint is a little old fashioned, especially when her own publications (and she will always think of them as hers, no matter what shenanigans take place with CatCo stock) are steadily switching over to a focus on digital content.  The smoothness of the transition a significantly greater online presence is one of the things James has gotten right.  But Cat can’t imagine a time when she won’t love the tangibility of ink under her fingers, the weight of the folded paper in her hands, the rustle of the pages.  The day that picking up her morning paper doesn’t give her a little thrill she’ll know it’s time to cart herself off to a nursing home to play shuffleboard and be wheeled out into the sunlight at set times like a potted plant.  God willing she’ll die before there’s any risk of that.

She knew it would be hard, walking away from CatCo and National City for the second time.  She knew that this would happen, reading about Kara’s adventures and triumphs second or third hand and feeling left out.  The traitorous voice that used to whisper that she was already left out hardly even stirs these days, after all the times she’s repressed it.   Cat had told herself that White House Press Secretary was a job worthy to the challenge of keeping her fully distracted from what she’d left behind.  It turns out that once she’d settled into the role and started to get the hang of Beltway maneuverings the mechanics of the job were in fact less challenging than being a CEO.  She hadn’t realized how badly her schedule had been bloated by encounters with murderous, superpowered ex-employees, scheming billionaires (other than her), alien invasions and whatever crisis of the week their resident superhero had to deal with.

That said, she’s learning a lot from Olivia.  She suspects her old friend had more reasons than a desperate need to replace her decimated staff when she offered Cat the job, but Cat is so used to being on the other side of that equation that it took her an embarrassingly long time to realise she was being groomed for more.   She’s still considering what path she wants to take after her stint as press secretary wraps up.  On to communications director to put her name on some worthwhile legislation and get the experience she’d need to make a credible run for governor or the senate?  She doesn’t intend to be one of those idiots who thinks they can spend their way into an office without any accomplishments to prove she’s worthy of the task.

Some new business enterprise?  The way news gets distorted on social media has riled Cat for years, but being the WHPS has given her a new, more urgent perspective on the subject.  It’s different hearing briefings from the FBI about acts of violence set in motion by lies spread on Facebook and Tumblr.  Idle thoughts about a new type of media platform that integrates social media more directly, combined with rigorous fact checking and moderation, have been growing less idle lately.  Getting a new company off the ground at this stage of her life sounds like a nightmare, especially in a field that cutthroat, but the money from the CatCo sale and Carter’s impending college years are two significant differences from the insane and sleepless days when she was getting CatCo off the ground.

Which brings her to door number three.  A return to CatCo with the skills and knowledge she’s acquired here, using them to elevate her company further, take it to even greater heights.   Her understanding of how to leverage media influence for social change has been honed to an even sharper edge by her time in Washington – new knowledge of how the political machine works from the inside has given her some interesting thoughts about changes she’d like to make at CatCo if she went back.  The thought of it is tempting and unnerving in almost equal proportion.  Would she be moving forward or falling back into the same old rut if she went home to the city where she truly made her name?  And could she bear to see a certain bright-eyed reporter growing closer to the woman who seems to have stepped into what used to be Cat’s place in her life?  These are questions she doesn’t have answers to yet.  Until she does she’ll keep supporting and learning from Olivia –

Something in her driver’s body language catches her attention and Cat frowns, turning away from the window to reach forward and tap her on the shoulder.

“Lisa is there a -”

The whole world blurs as the car jerks to the side and Cat is thrown against the seatbelt suddenly cutting into her torso.  Force, pure force tossing her around. It’s like being a bug in a jar, picked up by the hand of a giant angry toddler and shaken hard.  Cat still remembers her first encounter with the sensation from her mercifully brief stint as a war correspondent when she’d been too close to an IED.  For years after she’d persisted in the happy delusion that that part of her life was over, until with the arrival of its own superhero National City suddenly seemed to have a new hostile alien or ridiculous metahuman attacking every damn week.  No matter how many times it happens you never get used to it.  Noise, tyres screeching, engine revving, Lisa in the front seat swearing - and then silence for a second before the sound of voices shouting and feet pounding.  Cat raises a hand to her head and tries to focus past the shock and the disorientation.  There’s an ache in her neck that makes it hard to raise her head.  Don’t stop thinking, that’s her rule in situations like this and it has always served her well.  First task?   Check on the person in the car with her, who is also the one person who might immediately be able to tell her what’s going on, or get free?  Do both.  Cat scrabbles at her seatbelt even as she calls out.

“Lisa?  Lisa can you hear me?  Lisa?”

No response.  Cat hopes she’s merely unconscious.  The crash didn’t feel as though it was that bad.  Did they have an accident or – no, there’s gunfire.  Despite the circumstances and the surge of adrenaline Cat feels a sort of tired resignation creeping over her for a second.  Does this always have to be her life?

Then the door slams open and rough hands are grapping at her shoulders, yanking her out unceremoniously to land on her hands and knees on the unforgiving tarmac.  She feels it cutting into her palms and her knees and takes a moment to be grateful that the situation isn’t triggering a flashback.   Therapy works, apparently.

Ordinarily the Press Secretary simply doesn’t rate their own secret service detail and Cat hasn’t broken the tradition.  Due to her colourful personal history (most press secretaries have never faced a single attempt on their life, let alone multiple attacks by supervillains) Cat has the distinction of being offered a detail by Olivia.  The worry was that someone with her high profile assuming such a public position might become a target in a way that the Press Secretary usually isn’t, but Cat dismissed the concern.   She doesn’t need a coterie of bodyguards to feel special - and she doesn’t believe that men and women whose job it is to take a bullet guarding the country’s leadership should be used as adornments to someone else’s ego.  Vanity is one thing, but that just smacks of insecurity to her.

And if she’s being honest with herself she couldn’t tolerate the loss of freedom, especially freedom of movement, that came with a security detail.  Evidently, that was a mistake.

There’s indistinct yelling around her as she looks up – right into the barrel of a gun, wonderful – and she catches something about ‘alien loving bitch’, oh of course, Cat thinks, the woman who named Supergirl becomes the face of the administration that passed the alien amnesty act.  It was only a matter of time before some bunch of backwoods bigots crawled out of the woodwork.  She really should have seen this coming, except she can never take these kinds of lunatics as seriously as she probably should, refuses to engage with the fearful mindset that considers them real threats.  Cadmus running around being, well, being Cadmus, also made it easy to forget that they weren’t the face of all prejudice in America and the threat didn’t end with Lillian being locked up.

Looks like she’s going to pay for that now.

The reality finally sinks in as she sees her assailant’s finger tighten on the trigger, some nondescript thug in coveralls with weaponry easily brought at any gun fair in the country.

This is it.  This is when she dies.  No lucky escape or last-minute superhero save this time.  The smallness of it stings a little.  After everything she’s survived this is how it all ends for her?

Time slows.

Cat has always known that the time gifted to us is finite and too precious to be wasted.  She’s understood so ever since she came home from school at the age of ten and found her beloved father dead in his study from a stroke decades too soon.  As a child she was furious, betrayed, she blamed everyone and everything and cried out the injustice.  As an adult she came to understand, slowly, that loss and pain are part of life, that they sharpen the edge of every experience.  Cat doesn’t fear death.  Unfinished business, on the other hand . . .

Carter.  He’s not so little nowadays, but he’ll always be her baby and he still needs his mother.  This is going to break his heart.  Will his father come through for his son this once?  If any deity should be listening, please let him grow up happier and steadier than she did.

Adam.  They’ve stayed in touch, sporadic yet ongoing.  He even sent a card for her last birthday.  She can never be the mother to him that she wanted to be, but there was hope for closeness, for something of the relationship she thought she’d lost any chance at.

Kara.  There’s a lot she still wanted to say to the most promising young woman she ever mentored.  A lot that she might never have said, regardless of what she tells herself in this last moment.  She can only hope Kara knows, that her veiled and not-so-veiled comments made it clear how important the other woman was to her, and in how many ways.  And she’s selfish enough to hope that she’ll be missed, that Kara will shed a tear or two just for Cat.

And then -

The familiar whoosh of displaced air and the distinctively heavy thump, felt as much as heard, that can only be caused by a pair of strong legs suddenly hitting the ground at speed.  There’s no stopping the smile that begins to from on her face, an ingrained reaction to the knowledge that a certain blonde Kryptonian is still her guardian angel.

Cat looks up and is startled to see a flash of dark hair instead of the expected blonde.  With a flicker of disappointment, she realises it’s him, not her, and then she has to check that assumption too as further details sink in and she realizes something very strange is happening.  Black and white is her first impression.  A black, vaguely leather looking bodysuit with a metallic sheen and a matte white cloak that sweeps back from her shoulders.  Long dark hair falling in a queue down her back.   She’s moving too fast for Cat to see more than that, as she pushes herself to her feet.

The mystery woman – mystery girl, Cat realizes - rips through the attackers with superspeed and rather less moderation than she’s used to seeing from Kara or Superman, although it doesn’t look as if her surprise savior has killed anyone.   Her shoves and throws as she blurs from one location to the next are more than forceful enough to break bones and she throws their weapons away with enough energy to put bystanders at risk.  One of the thugs gets thrown into the side of the van that rammed Cat’s car with enough force to leave an ugly dent.

She’s new, says the analytical part of Cat’s mind that never switches off, even when the rest of her is saying her final goodbyes.   Determined but short on practical experience.  Like Kara when she first started out the new arrival isn’t familiar with the million little details that add up to doing a complicated job right and she hasn’t had the benefit of anyone else’s experience.  She’s trying, but it’s clear no-one has taught her how to fight safely with her strength.

What are they going to call her, Cat wonders?  There’s no convenient letter shaped symbol on her chest to hang a name on, no obvious theme for branding.  With a jolt of realisation it occurs to her that these decisions are not hers to make anymore.  Someone else – Kara? James? Please god not Lois – will choose a name for this new arrival.  The sense of loss she feels at that realization is stronger than she might have expected.  Then Cat realizes it’s over, every attacker down, and the new superhero in town is headed towards her at a swift trot.  The expression of concern on her face is a little surprising from someone Cat has never met.

Oh hell – Lisa.  Cat rushes towards the car, a little unsteady on her Jimmy Choos but not slowing down as she heads towards the driver side door to check on Lisa.

“Ynugh!  Cat,” a hesitant pause at Cat’s lack of response, “Miss Grant!  Miss Grant are you okay?”

The voice isn’t quite the light, warm tone so familiar to her (yet another giveaway of the secret she’s supposed to keep ignoring) but it’s close. And so are those worried blue eyes.  The face though . . . there’s something about it that claws at the edge of Cat’s memory.  Something that’s obvious yet out of sight.  She pushes it into a corner of her mind for later consideration, so she can focus on the more urgent present.

“I’m fine, I’m fine, Lisa, my driver, I think she was knocked unconscious -”

Before Cat can complete the thought the girl is reaching forward and with a tearing shriek of abused metal the door is ripped away and flung aside. Lisa’s seatbelt is no obstacle to Kryptonian strength (Cat’s assuming – she’s certainly got the flight, the strength and the speed) and in the time it takes Cat to blink Lisa is being laid gently down on the road by the mystery brunette.  Cat is already shrugging out of her blazer to make an impromptu pillow while the brunette looks her over with an analytical care that Cat recognizes.  That’s a tick for x-ray vision then.

“She’s okay, she’s okay.  It’s safe, she doesn’t have any spinal damage,” the young brunette says reassuringly when she sees Cat hesitate to disturb Lisa’s head.

“It’s just bumps and bruises and a mild concussion,” she goes on as Cat tucks the folded blazer under Lisa’s head.

“I am so glad you’re okay, Miss Grant.”

“So am I, miss . . .”

Cat lets her voice trail off questioningly.  Danger past and her immediate fears assuaged her investigative instincts are kicking in.  She wants answers.  She wants the story.

She wants to know what the hell is going on.

The young woman focuses an intense gaze on Cat, before breaking into a beaming smile.  Finally, able to get a clear look at her, what stands out is how pleased she looks with herself.  Cat is reminded more than anything of Carter as a child when he thought he’d managed to sneak an extra cookie without her realizing.  He was so adorable when he did that she occasionally let him get away with it, purely for the pleasure of his happy I’m-so-clever smile.  She’s striking, no surprise ( why do superheroes always look as though they came straight from central casting?) with fine features, clear skin, long dark hair and the blue eyes Cat already took note of.  Possibly the brightness of the smile she’s directing at Cat is skewing her judgment slightly there.

“I’m a friend, Miss Grant.  I promise you that.”

Cat looks her dead in the eye and makes a show of dusting herself before planting her hands on her waist, summoning every ounce of poise she has.

“Really? Isn’t it considered friendly to introduce oneself where you’re from?”   Cat smirks a little, reminded of her earlier thought and a long past conversation with Kara.  “If you don’t provide a name you’ll have to live with someone else’s pick.”

“I’m sure you’ll come up with something suitable, Miss Grant.”  More grinning.  “You’ve got some practice naming superheroes.”  She tilts her head in way that’s familiar to anyone who has spent much time around Kara, focusing elsewhere for a second.  Add another tick for super hearing, Cat decides.  “And that’s my cue to leave.  Stay safe, Cat.”

She grins wider and it’s so bright and fiercely joyful that the connection Cat had wondered at is undeniable.  Then she tenses, and Cat barely has time to take a faltering step back before the girl launches into the sky, going fast but not so fast she can’t be seen, until there’s a strange shimmer and she’s simply gone.  Cat stays watching for a moment, the way most people do when they’ve just seen one of the supers fly away, before the sound of sirens shakes her out of the reverie.

“That never stops being impressive,” she murmurs before returning to Lisa’s side, already drafting the release and considering how the administration will break the news without admitting they don’t know anything.

The next several hours are spent in the D.C headquarters of the D.E.O, recounting the same five minutes over and over, while Sam Lane pitches a hissy fit in the background.  Which explains why she’s hours behind the curve when James Olsen decides outing himself as the Guardian is a good idea.

Read the rest on AO3

[ninjagoat]

Note on Supergirl 4x02

This week, on the Metaphor For Xenophobia And Racism For White People:

- We return to the themes of episode 3x05, specifically how unfair it is when very, very powerful people have to face consequences for their actions.

- Seriously, it is so TOTALLY unfair how Olivia Marsdin has to resign just because she *checks notes* committed a massive criminal conspiracy to illegally win a presidential election.

- ON TOP OF THIS, it's also a mindshatteringly bad take on the Obama birther conspiracy. The birther story was not racist because it was "unfair" that people from Kenya couldn't be President. The birther story was racist because it assumed that President Obama's election HAD to be the result of a massive criminal conspiracy and not a genuine win MERELY BECAUSE HE WAS BLACK.

- Kara thinks Olivia can say something to get out of this; becasue Kara, being a seasoned journalist that now mentors other journalists, has no idea how laws work. Olivia schools her, which is noble; but it's still skating around the fact that she INTENTIONALLY BROKE THE LAW.

- All of that being said, I've always liked Ms. Carter's performance as Olivia. She's folksy, but tough. If she'd been an alien that had been born on Earth, I'd be fighting for her to stay as well.

- "Ugly is as ugly does; that makes you the ugly one!" This protest scene was written by fucking MILHOUSE.

- And then a fight break out. Because as we all know, security and crowd control are pretty lax on *checks notes* PENNYSYLVANIA AVENUE.

- The DEO interview process is clearly lacking something, because Agent White Dude has some serious prejudices that aren't suitable for the job; and the dude he's arguing with has Kara's level of understanding of the Constitution. Where's Pam when you need her?

- James - having spent the last two years publishing his onw love-letters to a local superhero, who is also himself - suddenly has a big stick up his arse about objectivity in news reporting.

- I maintain that the guy playing Otis is doing Ned Beatty but *serious*, and for that, he has my gratitude.

- I'm sorry? The DEO poisoned the atmosphere with lead? THE DEO? Not Lena Luthor, executing a plan from Lillian Luthor, using an original design by Lex Luthor; in the full knowledge it would likely murder her very recently betrothed and probably really upset her best friend? THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING WITH? (I realise this is just exposition, but it's pretty bad) At least Otis recognises the inherent viciousness of the plan, becuase no-one else has ever mentioned it.

- I would like to note that this is probably the most credit Winn has ever gotten from someone from his own time.

- Apparently, you can just... *buy* black-market Kryptonite? Arguably, the most powerful substances on Earth? The one that's so rare the show tied itself in knots justifying Lena's personally developed synthesis cache of it? ...kay.

- Lena's been working through meal-times. This is usually your five epsiode warning to evacuate the city.

- "Sales for the image inducers have been skyrocketing since the revelation that the President is an alien." This does not actually explain anything, because: a) it's not like Lena builds them herself; that'll be outsourced to China, at a location with safety netting around the roof to stop the workers killing themselves; and b) IT WAS YESTERDAY. WE KNOW WHAT YOU WERE DOING YESTERDAY. IT WAS THE PREVIOUS EPISODE.

- I get the sense that I'm going to spend time this season complaining about time-scales.

- At least they're keeping Lena's libetarianism consistent. Let's credit them with that. And of course, she's not immediately concerned with the potential collapse of democracy because MONEY.

- I will never cease to be confounded about the complete lack of coffee in the Catco building. I work for a relatively small company, and we have a Starbucks in our canteen.

- Weirder still is how increasingly hard it is to find. We've gone from Noonan's, to a little cart, and now to a *pizza place*. How hard is to find an *actual* coffee place?

- And now it's another Lena Sob Story; because this episode isn't just about the ideological battle between hope and fear, it's also a Lena vs. The World story - not so much an actual story, as a plot mechanism that will result in Lena stating where her character's at right now. It's completely incongruent with the rest of the episode, but never mind.

- Anyway, Mercy was like a big sister to her, but then Mercy and Lex broke up, and Lena never called her. Lena blames Lex for the break-up, but Mercy for the abandonment. So far, typical Lena. Oh, and they agree on some really fucked-up shit.

- "Why can't humans be as powerful as aliens?" Lena is, I'm guessing from this, planning to make metahumans on purpose. I'm certain Lena has read Mary Shelly; but, like many nerds, has completely missed the point.

- Why is Brainy on the L-Corp image inducer network? He built it himself, and did it two episodes before Lena even met him. Did he give her the design? Why is it networked anyway? Why is the hack affecting Brainy first? What is this plan?

- It doesn't fucking matter; this whole thing is so Brainy can be victim to a hate crime as part of the Metaphor For Xenophobia And Racism For White People, and then Nia can step in to help Solve Racism.

- I'm not going to claim to be an expert on women, but I'm pretty sure encouraging total strangers to investigate their personal information is... rare.

- "I'm putting a lockdown on the cloud so no-one can access the system through a computer." This is not how cloud computing works.

- It's at this point we stop the narrative so Nia can explain to one of the most powerful and influential black men that's ever lived that he does, in fact, have a lot of power and influence to make social change. She's Solving Racism!

- "You have another chance to fight for justice now," she says. Back when I was posting on the AV Club forums during season 2, the fact that James DIDN'T KNOW HE COULD DO THIS IN HIS JOB was one of the reasons we were so fucking tired of him already. He's not improved since then.

- We are back on the 'mirror' analogy that first appeared in 3x15, and it's actually quite good. I am, however, reminded of the image of Lena looking at herself in fractured glass at the start of 3x17. Lena's image of who she is has been broken, and cannot simply be repaired.

- I digress. James is worried if he does an editorial, he will seem biased. *sigh* Okay, this is gonna get ranty. Deep breaths, everyone...

- YOU ARE JIMMY OLSEN, SUPERMAN'S PAL. AN ALIEN SAVED YOUR LIFE. AN ALIEN MADE YOUR ENTIRE CAREER. AN ALIEN GAVE YOU A SIGNAL WATCH SO HE COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE SEVERAL MORE TIMES. YOU BECAME SUCH GOOD FRIENDS WITH AN ALIEN YOUR GIRLFRIEND JOKED HE WAS YOUR BOYFRIEND. YOU DEVOTED SO MUCH TIME TO ALIENS YOUR GIRLFRIEND BROKE UP WITH YOU. *TWICE*. MANY OF YOUR CURRENT FRIENDS ARE ALIENS. YOUR BEST HUMAN FRIEND - who is 'currently' busy cleaning up the mess made by one of your alien friends, helping another one of your alien friends - BRIEFLY FELL IN LOVE WITH AN ALIEN, WHO YOU HUNG OUT WITH. YOU GO TO AN ALIEN BAR SO MUCH YOU'VE FUCKING GENTRIFIED IT.    THE SHIP HAS SAILED ON YOU BEING PRO-ALIEN, JIMMY. STOP BEING A MASSIVE WANKER.

- Apparently, the only way to access the Image Inducer network is through the L-Corp mainframe, which is: a) definitely not how cloud-computing works; and b) contradicted by the fact the image inducers are STILL WORKING.

- Mercy designed all of L-Corp's security. Even though they only moved to National City two years ago. Right.

- "This is more innovative and imaginative than even I expected." IT'S AN OFFICE BUILDING WITH BUILT-IN SKYPE. Real imagination would have been REPLACING THE FUCKING SECURITY SYSTEM.

- Why does EVERYTHING have to turn into the Glorification of Lena Luthor?

- Miss Teschmacher getting the doors to close through quick thinking has easily made her the most likeable character on the whole damn show.

- "Reporter's Honour." Okay, Kara; firstly, it's called 'off the record', and the fact that Lena doesn't really feel worried about getting that status from you is pretty much why being such close friends with her is *completely unprofessional*.

- Lena built the Lexosuit. Huh.

- ...

- What?

- She built a suit... described as an "exquisite intrument of death"... with the potential for fighting Superman... as a hobby project? Is that what happened? Or are we just going to gloss over it, like- oh, okay, we are doing that.

- "It's about doing good for the world and clearing the Luthor name." You can't clear the Luthor name, sweetie. They actually did those things. And as far as doing good for the world: that's not a plan; that a GOAL. You really need to give details. Maybe a real journalist can ask you sometime.

- "He told me they were cute and I should make them in pink." One line of dialogue, and the potentially interesting Lena/Lex dynamic has been reduced to the most boring thing imaginable. FFS.

- "I know I'm the best." Oligarch, *please*. I guess it helps that Winn's in another century.

- "You've chosen a side. I'd never do that." WHAT THE FUCK DOES THAT EVEN MEAN? Please, someone explain.

- No one tell Mercy about that time Lena purposefully overdosed her oldest friend with Kryptonite.

- "The Luthor name doesn't deserve Lena." Why the fuck not, Supergirl? Kryptonite, Lexosuit, thinks you're full of shit; what exactly is the big thing here that separates her from them?

- Also, have you just... *forgotten* about the Kryptonite thing, or...?

- The sheer petty-minded simplicity of the wood-chips in the cup is lending weight to my 'written by Milhouse' theory.

- Huzzah! James has decided to stop being a massive wanker for a bit!

- "It is our duty as journalists to expose the truth." For long-time readers of these posts, THIS SHOW IS TROLLING ME.

- Brainy and Alex get a nice scene as part of the Metaphor For Xenophobia And Racism For White People, but I'm just left wishing we could have had more scenes like this between her and Winn. Where was *nice* Big Sister Alex when he was here?

- Supergirl's speech is lovingly earnest, and *totally unengaged* with any actual issue beyond being nice to each other, and certainly not the one where Olivia INTENTIONALLY BROKE THE LAW. This was a total failure of our institutions, not least of which, THE PRESS, for not vetting her thoroughly enough. The potential for whataboutery is high.

- Okay, for some reason, I thought they'd cast Brent Spiner in this role, not Bruce Boxleitner. Anyway, this casting is a nice bit of nerd symmetry; and makes it almost certain that President Baker is going to be revealed as a wrong'un.

- I've not talked about J'onn much, mainly because he's spent most of the episode walking around aimlessly before he can show up at the Sons of Liberty meeting.

- Agent Liberty has been described in press releases as being almost supernaturally persuasive. The actual execution of this idea is... he's actually engaged with the issue. That's it. The government *was* taken over by aliens. National City *was* attacked by aliens. The press - and I know I did a big rant in favour of this above - *is* pro-alien; and these people know it, regardless of how unbiased James was hoping to appear. It's messy, and Supergirl talking about hope is not going to cut it. It's not going to get these people jobs. It's not going to stop their nightmares.    I've seen people compare how he speaks with Trump. This - this scene, at least -  is not Trump. Trump isn't engaged with the issues. Trump is the end result of forty years of this shit, long after the tribal boundaries have been set in place. It's never even really mattered what Trump says. They like Trump, because Trump is *their* guy. The definitions of 'Us' and 'Them' have been around since at least the 90s, if not earlier; and Trump just made himself more 'Us' than anyone else did.    And Agent Liberty is not doing that. There's an attempt, but the mask keeps him separate from his audience. Mostly, he's just recirculating the fears that they already have - that they have a *right* to have - and then pushing them towards his terrible conclusions.      This isn't magic. This is basic oratory. This is the big challenge our heroes face.

- Our heroes are *so screwed*.

[briangroth27]

Ready Player One Review

I went into Ready Player One with polarized preconceptions. Several friends loved the book so I was initially excited, but in the run-up to the film's release hate exploded online and I saw all manner of spoilers and scans of troubling chunks of the novel, which made me much more wary. I still liked the story’s idea so the trailers’ focus on nostalgia didn’t bother me, but I didn’t know what to expect going in. I was pleasantly surprised: it’s a fun roller coaster! There are several strong ideas at play, even if they aren't fleshed out as much as they could've been. It definitely seems like most of the book’s problematic stuff has been excised, making for a fast-moving, enjoyable film with a strong, important message.

Full Spoilers…

Tye Sheridan was solid as Wade Watts/Parzival, a generally good guy obsessed with OASIS’ virtual playground and the quest to win control of it. Sheridan was awkward and geeky enough to sell a classic nerd persona without being so overbearing or unlikable that it's unbelievable Art3mis (Olivia Cooke) would fall for him (or that we would root for him). An altercation in the real world with Wade’s aunt’s (Susan Lynch) boyfriend (Ralph Ineson) was a nice moment for Sheridan to show Watts’ vulnerability and fear, giving a glimpse of how differently he reacted to challenges outside the OASIS. I would’ve liked to see more opportunities for that in the script, particularly after Art3mis meets him for real. While I was glad Wade was toned way down from what I’ve heard he is in the novel, I think he’s written a bit too safely. He’s likable, but he’s so much an everyman that he lacks conflict. I don’t think genuinely good characters are boring, but challenging their beliefs is a way to make goodness interesting and this film doesn’t do a lot of that. That could’ve been easily remedied by playing up a few aspects of the movie version to give him a stronger arc. For example, Wade’s poor and wants to win the contest so he can live a life of luxury (winning comes with a huge payday). Why not use that selfish—if understandable, in a world consumed by severe economic decline no one cares about because they all escape to the OASIS—instinct to spark more conflict with Art3mis, who wants to better the world with her winnings? Why not have Wade argue that it’s easier to play in the OASIS than to endlessly fight and maybe really die for people who don’t care about the real world? Maybe even let the promise of relaxation, safety, and an end to financial worries tempt her a bit so her values are challenged as well. When she beats that temptation to carry on with her crusade, Wade could also realize there are more important things than his own comfort.

Also, Wade declares his love for Art3mis way faster than anyone could reasonably love someone, somewhat undercutting the “take chances with your heart” lesson he learns later, so I wish the script had given him time to find out what real love is. He could still be intimidated by the enormity of real love, necessitating that lesson when actual feelings are on the line. While I don’t think their love story is any shallower than in the average film, that doesn’t mean it couldn’t have been deepened. Lean into Wade’s instant “movie love” and have it mess up Art3mis’ quest by making his help a hindrance for a while. His eagerness to connect with her does destroy his real life, but the movie only comments on how foolish he is to reveal his real name, not that his infatuation is the cause. I also wish there was much more reaction to Wade’s family being murdered; it radicalizes him to Art3mis’ cause (making his aunt into yet another woman in a refrigerator, unfortunately) and Sheridan is good at conveying the loss for the few moments the film lets him live in it, but beyond that it felt like the loss got forgotten somewhere. Even when Wade and his friends intercept villain Nolan Sorrento (Ben Mendelsohn) as he’s exiting the OASIS and trap him in a simulation, Wade’s rage at his aunt’s death seems to be mostly an act, because he has a totally cool head as soon as he leaves Sorrento’s presence. Had the movie presented this as an example of how disconnected players had become from people in their real lives (even if they do make friends with people online), it would’ve been a strong, compelling rebuke of the OASIS. If that’s the intention, it needed a vocalized realization and a moment for Sheridan to explore it.

Olivia Cooke was awesome and driven as Samantha Cook/Art3mis, who—like others have pointed out—had a stronger plot and motivation than Wade did. Since her father died a debtor worked to death by the evil corporation IOI, she was out to prevent them from winning the contest and (in the book, so I’ve been told) wants to use her financial winnings to better the real world. I wish that end goal had been clearly articulated in the movie, because while I like the idea that the world is so bad that the only thing worth fighting for is an escape from it, the huge sum of money the players were competing for could make a real difference. Also, it might have been interesting for Art3mis to be out to shut down the game altogether. There's a literal "delete the OASIS" button—which I kinda wish was designed to look like the Ghostbusters’ Containment Unit—introduced at the end that's never referenced elsewhere, so why not tease it earlier as part of Art3mis' mission? Shutting down the game (and reimbursing everyone for their virtual loot) so that people would be forced to focus on bettering and living in the real world would’ve been a logical goal for her. That's where you could play up Wade's reverence for James Halliday (Mark Rylance) and his OASIS by making him argue for the importance of a game, leading to them compromising with the "close the OASIS on Tuesdays and Thursdays" idea at they implement in end.

Samantha immediately shutting down Wade shortening her real name to Sam after they met in the real world was a nice beat; it was a small moment, but it’s cool that she got to assert her chosen identity in the real world as well as online. I loved that she was weirded out by Wade saying he loved her so quickly and that she called him out on not really knowing her, instead only seeing the parts she wanted him to see. Those both felt like realistic reactions and smart commentary on internet (and real-life) interactions as informed by movies where all romance is a speedy fairy tale. I do wish they'd continued to subvert and expand on those ideas, however. They could've played up her insecurities about her real self beyond being embarrassed by a birthmark, which would've been a nice contrast to Wade's confidence in the OASIS vs. his considerably more fearful real-world persona. It also would've been nice if more than her birthmark had thrown Wade off. Props to him for not caring about her physical appearance, but that's a really low bar; why not include some personality traits he doesn't like? Different tastes in pop culture? Are there things about Wade or his interests she doesn’t like? At the very least, her rebellion could've fueled conflict between them and created much more drama than her apprehension about her birthmark did. Her drive could've been too much for him at first, since he just wanted a cozy life and she's putting her real self in danger. Now that I think about it, playing that up could’ve been a reference itself to Han and Leia in the original Star Wars. While conflict and challenges would’ve generated more sparks and, eventually, a stronger bond, both Sheridan and Cooke sold what they got and I liked them together. While I appreciated that they were drawn as more or less equally capable in the contest (and Samantha was definitely more capable in the real world), I didn’t need her to tell Wade she knew he'd win: it seemed less supportive and more like it undercut her own skills to nod at him being some kind of savior. She does get a lot to do in securing Wade’s access to the final challenge from behind enemy lines, though, which was cool and made winning a bit more of a team effort.

I liked Wade’s best friend Aech (Lena Waithe) a lot and the reveal that the male avatar was controlled by a woman was cool. It was also a nice touch that her mechanic skills weren’t received with shock once her friends knew who she was (and that she didn’t need to explain how she was such a good mechanic!). Waithe was good with what she got, but I wish they'd used her to explore the idea that the OASIS lets you be anyone and anything you want a bit more. Wade gets confidence, Samantha gets beauty and the power to strike back, and Sho (Philip Zao) gets respect beyond his years, but letting Helen articulate exactly what she gets out of the OASIS could’ve been a powerful moment and an argument for its positive aspects. I’m glad the movie at least nodded at her being a lesbian (by having her avatar enjoy making out with the Shining ghost (Gem Refoufi)) instead of ignoring that altogether, though that’s the perfect example of something that could’ve been expanded upon by giving her a moment to say the OASIS allowed her to acceptably live her truth. I wish we’d gotten to know Wade’s pals Sho and Daito (Win Morisaki) better as well. They could've at least had varied goals; rather than seeking control and fortune, maybe one of them could’ve just been down to complete the challenges like a trophy hunter in today’s video games. In general, I would've liked to see more of Wade's competitors before he brings everyone together at the climax. TJ Miller’s I-R0k is a great counterpart to Wade, given he comes off as a much more problematic nerd than Watts does, but he’s still essentially an IOI stooge rather than a player with his own agenda. Are there rebel Gunters Art3mis works with that do extreme things she doesn't approve of? There's only so much screen time, of course, but after the first leg of the Egg Hunt it felt like only the High Five and IOI were invested in the quest.

Mendelsohn was good as the evil businessman in charge of keeping IOI's profits up. That he wanted to monetize the OASIS by putting ads all over it and wanted to charge for its use made him a good avatar for both Hollywood leaning on nostalgia instead of creating new things and for the forces opposed to net neutrality, since this tech should be for everyone. The fact that he was greedier than outright mustache-twirling evil (until he started killing people) was a smart choice that kept him human. At the same time, that greed quickly led him down a "who cares" path: he has no concern about zeroing out everyone scrambling for the Easter Egg, which would bankrupt everyone against him (I hope Wade restored those players' coin counts!), and that was good character progression. I also liked his fake geek scene: being fed trivia to convince Wade they were the same (and his general exasperation with geek culture) was a good way to make him markedly different from every other character in the movie, particularly the younger generation. I also liked the change in his response to confronting Wade as an “inferior” geek and Wade as a competent rebel threat. I've seen it jokingly pointed out that a rich white guy like Sorrento just admitting he's a criminal and giving up at the end is the most unrealistic thing in the movie, but I think that's foreshadowed by Wade confronting him with the "gun." Nolan respects the gamers when they show the capability to end his life; as soon as they're willing to play by his rules, he takes them seriously and backs down almost immediately. Like Wade’s online courage and offline weakness, Nolan has an “avatar” of strength in the real world around people he believes are less than him. 

Contrasting with Sorrento, I really liked that the IOI researchers (Turlough Convery, Joe Hurst, Eric Sigmundsson, James Dryden, Danielle Phillips, Rona Morrison, Khalil Madovi, Morris Minelli) were truly invested in the outcome of the game and (eventually) watching Wade win it. Their glee at the success of the hunt and the purity of the final challenge added a lot of texture to them. They may have sold out to IOI (or simply been forced into working with them because of debt or promises of riches), but they weren't just heartless drones. While I appreciated that depth, I was a little confused about the power IOI wields in general in this world. One of their divisions seemed to be a (virtual) privatized debtor’s prison and I would've liked to see what that was like when not engaged in the egg hunt (assuming it existed before Halliday's challenge). That seems ripe for the potential to program nightmares into prisoner’s minds when the only crime was falling behind on their debts. I've been told that in the book, IOI's Sixers are more like indentured servants and I could see that spin in the film (particularly through Samantha's dad), but some clarity on what their actual power level and place in society was would've been appreciated, because it certainly looked like Samantha had been arrested by them. It was also a little odd that IOI could blow up part of the Cleveland Stacks and no authorities cared or even showed up until the end, unless that's a comment on the classism of this society. Despite that lack of clarity, "the common people vs. a corporation with too much power" is a solid theme and the movie plays it well. I also appreciated that Sorrento’s real-world muscle was headed up by a woman, F’nale Zandor (Hannah John-Kamen). She could’ve easily been a guy and most movies would’ve gone that way, but making her a strong, dangerous woman who didn’t like Sorrento that much was a cool choice. It would’ve been nice for Samantha, Sho, and Daito to be able to defeat her instead of Wade (who was focused on the OASIS during their fight), though.

I liked Halliday and his quiet sadness in the wake of the important lesson about connections he'd learned too late. He seems much more likable and understandable than what I've heard about his book counterpart. I'm pretty quiet in real life, so I could definitely relate to his difficulty opening up to people. The fact that his quest to know his favorite pop culture is really a quest to appreciate the game and the world outside by connecting with real people (first Halliday, then people in your real life) was an awesome twist. Whether Halliday is really dead or not doesn't matter to me; either way, he is free of his creation and has found a successor who can do what he couldn’t. Halliday’s programmed self leaving with his childhood self was a perfect exit from the story for him. Simon Pegg gave a solid, unexpectedly subdued performance as Halliday's former friend Ogden Morrow that I liked a lot. He had a good bit of tragedy to him over falling out with Halliday and I liked how he figured into the OASIS world. Serving as the docent of the Halliday museum felt like a cool way to honor his friend and preserve his memory while potentially trying to figure out exactly what drove them apart. I’m glad that the fact that Halliday was in love with Og’s wife wasn’t played to make anyone look bad—rather, it was treated as just something that happened—and the real tragedy was that they fell apart over something Og probably would’ve forgiven Halliday for had they just talked about it instead of Halliday bottling it all up inside (another lost connection).

I liked the references in Halliday's virtual world—I love 80s/90s pop culture—but almost none of the cameos stunned me. They were more like set dressing selling the idea of a nostalgia playground and that’s all they needed to be. If they were the real characters instead of players using avatars, we'd lose focus on Wade, Samantha, etc. and their struggle. While we do get glimpses of interests beyond the 80s/90s—the Adam West Batmobile, King Kong, mentions of steampunk, and disco music (bizarrely referred to as "old school"...all of this is old nowadays, not to mention to teens in the 2040s)—as others have noted it would've been nice to see more diverse fandoms represented by the Gunters, even while they were engaged in cracking Halliday's 80s/90s-focused challenge. It would've brought more variety to the characters. As for the contest itself, I loved the race and The Shining test a lot. The race for the first key, through a twisting and turning New York, was a great adaptation of racing games that made me think of Split/Second. It also featured two of my favorite cameos in the movie, Rexy from Jurassic Park and King Kong, because those “were” those characters. The Shining challenge for the second key featured an excellent recreation of Stanley Kubrick's movie before morphing into pretty much exactly what I'd imagine a bombastic video game version of that film would be, which was cool. That adaptation being hated by Stephen King was also a nice tie to Halliday becoming disillusioned by what people were giving up to use his game. Jack Torrence’s fall and attempt to destroy his family also feels like a pretty perfect (if extreme) parallel to Halliday feeling he’d betrayed his best friend by secretly loving his wife and cutting him out of the company. The chaotic melee leading up to the final key was fine, but full of players I didn't know or care about so it fell flatter than it probably should have (one of the "real" characters thrown into that battle gets a great moment, though). On the other hand, the final challenge was a nice, quiet moment that fit the film's theme and Halliday's lesson. It felt right to bring it all down to one player connecting with the designer of one game. The actual final challenge was perfectly personal too, but they totally missed a chance to homage The Last Crusade by having Halliday’s wizard avatar say “You have chosen…wisely.”  

I liked the ideas behind this world quite a bit. It’s definitely prescient to showcase a world in love with distractions and games to the point where they stop interacting with real people or doing something worthwhile with their lives (who among us hasn’t gotten distracted by Twitter or Facebook and put off doing something we should be doing?). They did a great job of showing how much people were wrapped up in their virtual lives, spending real money (even their mortgage money!) on virtual trinkets and upgrades. That real-world financial connection made the stakes high enough to carry the film for me. It's true Wade and the High Five are only fighting for a recreational toy (even if it has other applications like education) without having goals for their lives outside the OASIS, but in the dystopia they live in (and in our real world), people need a release and escape: our lives can't just be work/school, food, bathroom breaks, and sleep. That's why we go to movies and play games in the first place. It's why people shouldn't police what people on food stamps use them for; existence should be more than just existing. At the same time, remembering the OASIS is just a game, not the pinnacle of your existence, is a great message and the movie walks the line between these seemingly at-odds lessons very well. To that end, I wish they'd said the High Five were going to use their enormous winnings to make the real world somewhere people would want to explore too.

I'm interested to see if the novel expands on what you can do in the OASIS beyond playing. I did miss the first minute or two—I came in as Wade was introducing his treadmill/haptic suit—so perhaps some of these elements were referenced and I just missed it. I've heard kids go to school inside it and that's an interesting opportunity for students to be exposed to any facet of history/science/whatever in a tactile way through VR. I'd be interested to see how much work is done online in conjunction with OASIS applications, if any. Do people buy their food with OASIS coins? The more real-world things are wrapped up in the program, the more crucial it becomes to save it from a corporation that wants to eventually price people out of vital services. On a more personal level, seeing more people experimenting with how they present themselves to the world would've been great. If they can literally be anything or anyone, a lot of personal freedom is also at stake. Aech and Shao touch on this freedom, as does Art3mis with her idealized appearance, but I would've loved to see more, particularly with today's political battles over transgender rights. In terms of how people in this future interact with each other, I found it disheartening that even 30 years from now, in a world where everyone is constantly online playing in the OASIS, Wade still has trouble believing a girl—even the famous Art3mis!—could be an expert at trivia. This very modern problem doesn't come up much in the movie, but the Slappers Only line stood out to me. Wade and Samantha test each other on Goldeneye 64 knowledge, which is fine, but it's obvious by what she says that she'd know what Slappers Only is without Wade mansplaining it.

From the look of trailers, I never would've guessed Steven Spielberg directed this. However, he brought his trademark heart and humanity to the CGI elements and video game structure; even in unfamiliar trappings, it felt and acted like a Spielberg movie. Despite areas where the characters could've been fleshed out to create more conflict or explore the personal freedom of the OASIS, Spielberg's touch and the strength of his performers kept them likable and engaging. He also maintained a quick pace: this didn’t feel like a two and a half hour movie at all. I thought the CGI looked good, given this was supposed to be a video game with game graphics. Since it intentionally looked "off" from reality, it wasn't jarring to have anime-inspired avatars or constantly shifting geography. I liked that the score had touches of film scores from the 80s in it; those bits of nostalgia did get me. From the excerpts I've read online, most of the novel’s problematic elements were removed for the adaptation. Wade doesn't show any transphobia—Aech brings up the idea that Art3mis could be a guy and Wade denies it, but seems to accept that possibility anyway. They're worried Art3mis is a guy who’ll steal Wade’s coins, not that he’s a guy who wants to date him. There's no "masturbation manifesto,” no super-long lists of everything Wade has studied (partially because they can just show us all the references and partially because the movie has a more personal egg hunt). Wade's attempts to make Art3mis like him are also toned down or cut altogether, though I wouldn't have minded including one or two and subverting them to teach him that real love isn't like in a movie where grand gestures and "persistence"/stalking will get you everywhere. Unfortunately, it did seem like there was still a noticeable lack of content by female and minority artists, though. Thriller gets a shoutout, but only as a costume Wade considers wearing. As I’ve seen pointed out elsewhere, there was also a lack of 80s content that was geared toward girls. Why not have Jem and the Holograms playing the club Wade and Samantha go to or something? This section of the OASIS is curated to Halliday’s tastes, sure, but if we’re going all-in on the 80s and 90s, largely ignoring minority and female artists is a pretty huge oversight.

I don’t think my critiques here are about movie-ruining problems, just areas where a good, solid film could’ve been exceptional. Even if its characters could’ve been expanded to make more of an impact and statement, Ready Player One is definitely worth seeing! It's an exciting adventure with heart and a great, relevant message. I had a lot of fun and I recommend it!

Check out more of my reviews, opinions, and original short stories here!

[jedifighterpilot2727]

Okay but Lexi wanting to be like her mom and Lena finds her trying to wear her supergirl costume under all her clothes to school one morning

 This one is short and sweet but I felt inspired!

They’re halfway out the door when Lena notices.

“Whoa! Hold up there, chickadee.”

Lexi freezes, and then her backpack slides down as her shoulders slouch. She finally turns, a look of forced innocence on her face as she meets Lena’s gaze. She looks every bit like a mini Kara, with her braids, and her glasses, and her mini oxford shirt, and her mini cardigan. She’s wearing khakis though, instead of a skirt like her mother, because Lena doesn’t think Lexi’s ever worn a skirt, (and probably never will if she gets her way).

Something else about her is a lot like Kara too, and Lena reaches around her daughter to pull the red fabric that’s sticking out of the back of her pants.

“What’s this?”

Lexi shrugs adorably and reaches for her glasses.

“Lexi. Take off the button up.”

She should be expecting it, really.

But she isn’t; and that makes it all the more difficult to contain her laughter when Lexi sighs and reaches for the button of her cardigan before (very seriously), ripping the snap buttons apart on her shirt.

And maybe she has Kara’s eyes and Kara’s wardrobe, but her flair for the dramatics is all Lena.

Her backpack drops to the floor, followed by her shirt and then as if the whole thing wasn’t extra enough, she pulls her glasses off and stares into the distance.

The only thing missing is the breeze blowing through her hair.

“Oh my god.” Lena mutters, bringing a hand to her eyebrows to cover the laugh that threatens to bubble up. It takes all of her boardroom training to keep a straight face, but she somehow manages.

“You can’t wear that.” she finally says.

It takes Lexi two hands to get the glasses settled back on her face, and she stares up at Lena with a pout.

“But, Mama, why? Mommy gets to wear her suit all the time!”

“Mommy has to be ready to go fight bad guys at a moment’s notice. The only thing you should be worried about is which book you’re going to read next.”

“But I wanna dress like Supergirl!”

Lena kneels in front of her, unsure exactly how to proceed. Finally, she reaches for the clasps that secure the cape to Lexi’s shoulders.

“Alright, but no cape. I’m afraid it’s going give away your secret identity. I know you may be Supergirl out there -“ She gestures to the window. “But at school you are strictly Lexington Olivia Luthor-Danvers. Capiche?”

“Capiche!”

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

Kara (4:09 PM) - Any reason Lexi is wearing her Supergirl pajamas under her school clothes?

Lena (4:10 PM) - Some battles are just not worth fighting

Lena (4:11 PM) - Maybe you can teach her how to tuck the cape in. We were having some technical difficulties this morning

Kara (4:15 PM) - I just can’t believe you let her wear it to school

Lena (4:16 PM) - Yeah, well, you try saying no to that pout

Kara (4:17 PM) - I can’t, it’s the same as yours. That’s why we’re eating kale for dinner. Trust me, if I could say no, I would

And if the board members give Lena funny looks for laughing during the quarterly meeting?

Well, who cares, she’s the boss.

[rachelkulagodfrey-blog]

I Refuse to “Compete” With Other Black Womxn

Originally published on April 2, 2019.

***Disclaimer: I’m still trying to sort out if/how the Stacey Dash types fit into this framework.***

I’ve recently taken a liking to referring to my late father as ‘The Liberian Eli Pope.‘

It’s not uncommon to hear children of immigrants, especially Black African immigrants, talk about mind-numbingly complex assimilationist teachings from a very young age. We get the ‘twice as good’ speech like Olivia did, compounded with reminders of how we’re not to act like Black American children. Stereotypes and stigmas around Black American womxn were especially rooted deeply in my father’s mind, resulting in his continuous lessons on why he would not allow me to act like ‘those girls.’ While his teachings may have stemmed out of the weight of his persona/political fears and insecurities, they resulted in the creation (festering?) of a social blueprint that pressured me to see other Black womxn as my competitors and/or potential reasons for my downfall. Oop.

During a recent panel with Black Girl Podcast, comedienne and actress Lala Milan spoke on the importance of collaboration, especially for Black womxn working within the same industry:

“What people don’t realize is when we can all come together as a collective, you automatically have magic. Because you can teach me something that I don’t know, and I can teach you something that you don’t know. But you’re so busy afraid that I’m gonna take your spot when there’s so much space that you’re trying to withhold your knowledge from me. But guess what? I’m gonna learn it with or without you because I’m that hungry. And if you’re just as hungry as me and you stop trying to starve everybody around you, we can all eat.”

Milan’s comments came my way via a friend who taught me this lesson personally. I love to dwell on these kinds of “coincidences.” As two creatives interested in the media/tech industry, it’s expected that we compete for one of our voices to be louder than the voice of the other. We have two completely different backgrounds, ways of expressing ourselves, and different approaches to most of the issues that complicate our respective lives. We expose, challenge, and speak up for each other in ways that are most necessary. What fucking sense would it make to read her as someone who is trying to take my spot? Or to read myself as someone who is out to get hers? None. At. All.

What I think we have in common is the hunger to which Milan refers. We want our families, ourselves, and Black and Brown people to thrive. I have reason to believe that we’re both more interested in the collective thriving than we are in being the figureheads of a neoliberal empire. I have reason to believe that we want to inspire enthusiasm and concern in our peers, in the fight against apathy. I also have reason to believe that we’re both invested in figuring out ways for Black folks to secure the rights to their cultural contributions, as opposed to struggling in the effort to combat the leeching that some “creators” have done and/or do. Cough. Cough. Cough.

Excuse me. Niggas got allergies.

Whether it be teaching me how to use Canva so that I could build my own graphics, gifting me with my first iPhone after I fucked up my Android, noticing my discomfort in a room full of white girls about to snort coke and warmly saving me by saying “You can’t be late! We’ll meet you there,” the Black womxn I’ve been honored to be in company and conversation with have proven what true “community building” can be.  For me, they have redefined what “winning” can look like Whether it be opening up my home for manifestation/prayer circles, internship/experience plugs, listening to rants about how Goldlink‘s love should be for no one but them, or throwing these literal AND figurative hands, I’ve also learned that winning with others is a lot more fulfilling than riding by my lonesome.

Every Black womxn I meet isn’t going to be my best friend. And I won’t always be able to support other Black womxn in every single way that they need. But I’m committed to trying. I’m committed to a present and future where all of us win, on our own reflective, genuine terms.  I’ll always be guarded because whether or not I actually need to be, I feel like I do. But that doesn’t mean I’m about to be out here chasing Black womxn down with my shield.

Sometimes I build boundaries that are a little too rigid, and other times I can’t seem to set any of the necessary boundaries at all. But as I strengthen my commitment to myself and to the Black womxn I’m trying to build with and for, I’m experiencing a slow but steady stream of clarity around my capability, my talent, and my ability to care for other beings in real, intimate ways. Every day, I find more and more Black womxn who are riding the same wave. The work is starting to feel a little less isolating.

Daddy issues be damned.

Check out some of the work these brilliant and bold Black womxn are doing:

Katherine Puntiel’s displacedaf podcast

The inspiration behind this post.

There are only three people in this world that I consistently ask about their thoughts on my work, and Kat is one of them. Check out her latest episode on the death of Nipsey Hussle, hip hop’s role in generating conversations around growth, and her personal relationship to success, community building, and developing selfhood.

Kariesha S. Martinez, Kelly D’Oleo, and Charles Bonar’s MediaHaven

Kariesha is a Co-Founder & Director of Content Creation. You can check our personal site here.

Kelly is a Co-Founder & Director of Creative Marketing and Design. (She’s also the being who taught me how to use Canva two years ago.)

Lena Mitchell’s Portfolio

Lena’s a freelance digital artist, a graphic designer, and my motherfucking hair inspiration. She recently designed bomb ass shirts for Green Box Shop! She also taught a Photoshop Tutorial this past weekend.

Melissa Denizard’s Portfolio

One of my favorite storytellers. Check out Melissa’s work to learn more about the possibilities for ingenuity and social change in the production of news/media. Check out her Instagram to learn more about Melissa (and also to watch “Word?”, a biweekly series in which she explores the implications of our everyday language on the way we understand culture (and vice versa).

You can also check out her interview for “The Bay Leaf Archive” here.

Kai Naima Williams’ Chapbook

Published by Hyacinth Girl Press in Fall 2018, my dear Kai Naima put out a collection of poems that slap in the most devastating, profound ways. Hits you in the spirit & the heart. Kai’s also the Founder and Co-Executive Director of Eat At The Table Theatre Company, a non-profit theatre company building space for young actors, writers, and creatives to hone in on their skills.

[queercapwriting]

Cat knowing Kara is supergirl, and addressing it, also where is Carter? Maggie fangirling over cat grant & the president. (Bonus points if cat meets Mon-el and yeets him like she verbally did to his mom)

Supergirl and Carter addressed here: https://queercapwriting.tumblr.com/post/160725258409/kara-talking-to-cat-about-who-is-on-the-ship-but

She’d been a fan of Leslie Willis’s show.

Of course she had been. The girl was queer as fuck and had absolutely no reverence to speak of.

But Cat Grant? 

Maggie was quite a bit more than a fan.

Meeting James Olsen – becoming friends with James Olsen – was one thing.

She’d admired him and she’d studied his techniques and she’d spent hours pouring over his photographs, but that was nothing like this.

That had nothing of a sexual layer.

But this?

She would feel bad about it – being turned on when she gets back to base, back to their bar, to find Cat Grant calling Winn Winslow and calling the president (damn, damn, the president) Olivia – but one glance at Alex tells her that her girlfriend is in a similar boat.

She smirks because she knows that look – Alex’s gay panic look.

That look of sudden comprehension, of holy shit that’s what that feeling was, of holy shit I really am super gay, aren’t I?

She runs to Alex – runs to her, because she was just in a war zone, and seeing someone she fangirls and crushes over is one thing, but the arms of her beloved are quite another – and suddenly no one else is in the bar, no one else is in the world.

Because Alex is breathing out her name and Maggie is breathing in Alex’s breath and their lips are parted and their hands are grasping for skin, grasping for a pulse, grasping for life, because they’re both alive, both safe, both here.

The Queen of All Media clears her throat, and when Alex and Maggie separate their lips and press their foreheads together breathlessly, they’re both blushing deeply.

“Cat,” Alex clears her throat, finding the taste of her little sister’s old boss new and different in her mouth. “This is my girlfriend, Maggie Sawyer.”

“NCPD, Science Divison,” Maggie sticks out her hand. “It’s an honor to meet you, ma’am.”

Cat’s eyes travel up and down Maggie’s war-stained body, lingering on the badge on her hip, on the slight bulge where she’s keeping an extra gun.

“Well I should certainly hope she’s your girlfriend, Agent Danvers; we can’t have random women running in off the streets to our dive bar resistance cell just to make out with one of our leaders and make off with our plans for revolution, now can we?”

A smile is playing on her lips, and she takes in the way Alex’s hands have yet to leave Maggie’s body, the way Maggie’s hands are still grasping at Alex’s to make sure she’s here, to make sure she’s alive, safe. Breathing.

 “And where have you been, Detective?” she wants to know, although she has a fairly good idea.

“Guardian and I were evacuating the elementary school, Ms. Grant. The kids and their teachers are all safe in a bunker,” she turns to update Alex, who nods and sends a quick message over a walkie to her agents to tell them to make sure that bunker stays secure.

“Well, you certainly do choose your company well, Alex,” Cat grins elusively, and Alex and Maggie both melt more than a little bit inside.

She can’t say the same for Kara.

Not entirely.

Because her so-called boyfriend returns, willingly, without her. 

Without her, without her, and Cat knows Alex – and probably Maggie, as well – will destroy him when they get back from wherever that positron cannon contraption is, but Cat also knows that she can’t resist having the first go.

She saunters past an angry-looking Winslow, stilling him with gentle, subtle fingers, and she stops only inches from the Daxamite prince’s body, brushing nonexistent dust off of his shoulders and straightening his shirt like he’s Crater off to the prom.

Except she’ll be proud and bursting with love when she sends Carter off to the prom.

She wants to kill the man she’s grooming now, her eyes studying his wary face.

“You’re Kara’s former boss,” he tells her as if she doesn’t know. “You gave us the distraction we needed to get away from my mother. Thank you.” His voice is light, but he’s frozen in place like he’s terrified of her.

And well he should be.

“Mmmm,” Cat begins, toying with him, because if she doesn’t toy, she’ll resort to cruder tactics. Hell, she might resort to them anyway. 

“I did orchestrate a brilliant distraction, didn’t I? A nearly foolproof plan to give you and Lena a chance to get home to safety. And Supergirl, of course. The woman you claim to love.”

She pauses and Winn watches and Kara’s boyfriend gulps.

“What I would like to know – it’s Prince, isn’t it? – is how you can possibly justify leaving her on that spaceship at the mercy of your mother and a very, very desperate plan to save this planet. Oh, wait, I think I know this one. It’s almost as though I’ve seen this on cable television before. Do you have such few qualms about laying waste to this planet and enslaving the people your mother doesn’t kill because that system worked so well for you back home? And I’m not sure what kinds of numbers you had to pull on that woman to make her forget who she is, how strong she is, how worth it she is – god knows, I’ve been away too long – but I’m back now, my dear, and I assure you, we will repair the damage you’ve done. All of it.”

He jumps at a sudden burst of solemn applause from the corner of the bar, and he and Cat and Winn turn as one to see Alex and Maggie, soberly reveling in the wake of another needed Cat speech.

“I will end you if anything happens to her because you left her up there,” Alex crosses the room and slams him with ease into the nearest wall.

“Whoa,” Winn calls, and Maggie takes one of Alex’s arms and Cat the other, both of their other hands on either of Alex’s hips.

“There will be more than ample time for that once we get her back safe, Alex,” Cat reminds her, and Alex trembles, and she slams him hard into the wall again before letting him drop unceremoniously to the ground.

“I take it you have a plan,” Cat turns to Alex bracingly, Maggie desperately blocking out any fantasies that might be tempted to spring into her mind, into her body.

“Maggie and I have the start of one, yeah. But it’s gonna involve all of us.”

[newagesispage]

                                                                        AUGUST   2020

PAGE DEB

 There is a limited series coming to Showtime ,Blackbird: Lena Horne and America.

*****

Barack Obama joined a zoom call to Crip camp for the 30th anniversary of Americans with Disabilities act.** Hearing Obama, Clinton and even Bush speak as they remembered John Lewis reminds us how calming it can be to hear inspiring words.** Feel bad that Jimmy Carter could not attend since it was in Georgia. We miss ya.**John Lewis put his own words out there in the NY Times on the day of his funeral. He also wrote letters over the last couple of months to many activists to continue the fight.

*****

Racism is so American that when you protest it, people think you’re protesting America. – Romy Reiner

*****

Check our Smartless, the new podcast from Sean Hayes, Jason Bateman and Will Arnett. Each episode one of the hosts brings a surprise guest that answers questions.

*****

Opening some states is like opening a ‘peeing’ section of the pool. –Neil de Grasse Tyson

*****

Rumor is that Dave Chappelle will be on Letterman’s next batch of Netflix shows, My next guest needs no introduction.

*****

Check out the album Grandpa Metal from Brian Posehn, Brendon Small, Scott Ian, Al Yankovic, Corey Taylor and Jill janus.

*****

Reports have come thru that Brett Kavanaugh wanted the Supreme Court to avoid decisions about abortion and Trump’s financials.

*****

The Redskins have become the Washington Football team.

*****

Hulu will bring us Nine Perfect Strangers with Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy and Michael Shannon.

*****

Days alert: I wish Bonnie would turn out to be Adrienne. If the switch was made when she chose Justin over Lucas,that would explain a lot. Eve is back for revenge but Ciara and Hope will find Ben. Will it be too late? I hope this brings Shane  and Teresa back to town.  Allie will have a boy but who is the Father? Rumor is that it could be Theo Carver or Parker Jonas or Tripp Dalton. Will Eli and Lani have twins? Sarah and Xander will reunite??

*****

Spencer Grammer was stabbed while trying to break up an altercation in NY. She is on the mend.

*****

The Green Banana is a sort of 425 foot bright blue sink hole that has been found off the coast of Florida. Divers say it is about 155 feet below the surface.

*****

The Department of Homeland Security has more law enforcement capability than all other branches combined.** Why aren’t the storm troopers working on real crime?? Fingers crossed for no more Trump troops for “Operation Legend.”

*****

Jim Jordan says that, “Big tech’s out to get conservatives.” The top performing FB posts that day: Ben Shapiro 2. Fox news 3. Dan Bongino 4. CNS news 5. Ben Shapiro 6. Ben Shapiro 7. Fox news 8. CNN  9. Blue lives matter

*****

2 million Americans do not have running water.

*****

Actor Bryan Callen has been accused of sexual assault.

*****

Breonna Taylor is on the cover of O.** The WNBA has dedicated their season to Breonna and the Black Lives Matter movement.

*****

Epix has brought us a sort of new look at Manson with Helter Skelter: An American Myth.

*****

Southern Crossroads has a slogan: Rednecks for Black lives!!

*****

Louis De Joy, the new Postmaster General has apparently shut down sorting machines and cut overtime so that mail carriers must leave mail behind.

*****

David Duke is permanently banned from Twitter.

*****

The Emmy noms are here: Netflix broke all previos records for number of noms. Leading the pack was Watchmen, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Ozark, Succession, The Mandolorian, SNL and Schitt’s Creek. The best drama category is the toughest with The Mandolorian, Ozark, Succession, Better Call Saul, The Crown, The Handmaids tale, Killing Eve and Stranger Things. Best supporting actor in drama and comedy is tough including Kieran Culkin, Giancarlo Esposito, Matthew Macfayden, Andre Braugher, Tony Shalhoub, Kenan Thompsonand Daniel Levy. The limited series or movie supporting actress is loaded with goodies too like Holland Taylor, Uzo Aduba, Margo Martindale, Tracey Ullman, Toni Collette and Jean Smart. How can you pick?? The 72nd Emmy’s will be hosted by Jimmy Kimmel.

*****

A new low: College Covid parties in Alabama to see who can get it. I think we need to crack down on education because we have some pretty stupid people in this country. Why do we want to work the medical professionals within an inch of their lives??** 155 thousand dead. The total cases have dipped slightly but fatalities are up. ** Pelosi has issued mandatory mask order for the house.** In the new covid bill they want 1.75 bill for a new FBI building that will stay in the same place that it now stands?? This surely couldn’t be because it is across the street from the Trump hotel and he does not want competition and likes his special locale. **The Senate decided to take a long weekend and not deal with it until August. How do so many not care about their fellow man??** The longer it takes to get the virus under control, the more business’s we lose forever.

*****

The Catherine’s clothing chain is closing.

*****

We need more detective shows with real stories about cops that don’t do things by the book. We have all heard of the fucked up crime scenes like Jon Benet Ramsey or Jeff Macdonald and we know that is just the tip of the iceberg.

*****

There have been shootings all over the country at various gatherings which should not even have been held.

*****

There is a long history with these vipers, Bill Barr’s Father hired a 20 year old Jeff Epstein to teach at Dalton. He was a high school drop out with no degree.** The usual suspects, Nugent and Baio et al.will speak virtually for Trump at the Republican convention.** Contrary to what the administration said, Paw Patrol was not cancelled.** You knew he would get around to wanting to postpone the election. Too bad for him congress has to agree and if they can’t work it out  then the speaker may have to take over.

*****

Shep Smith has joined CNBC.

*****

Colin Kaepernick’s life will come to Netflix from Ava Duvernay. **

*****

The world hates us so much right now. We’ve been ruined in more ways than we know.** What kind of shithole President wishes a child sex trafficker well?

*****

Billy Eichner will play Paul Lynde in Man in the Box.

*****

The U.S. has told the Chinese consulate in Houston to shut down. Is this because of intellectual theft?? Now China has moved us out of our consulate there.

*****

Fairfax County will rename Robert E. Lee high after John Lewis.

*****

The Reagan foundation has asked the Trump campaign to stop raising money off of his name.

*****

I’ve been begging everyone for years; please wear a mask! –Emo Phillips** CVS and Wal Mart no longer require masks!!

*****

The company, Tele Tracking that took over control of the covid info is owned by Chris Johnson. The 10 mil contract went to the NY real estate dude.

*****

Funny how everything is a handout besides generational wealth.

*****

Hooray to the Yankees and the Nationals for taking a knee before the game.** Trump claims he was busy with Covid and could not throw out the first pitch. Come to find out, he was not asked. He made it  up.

*****

Favre and Trump golfing, yea, that sounds about right.

*****

A company can keep women from birth control if there are religious or moral objections. About 126 thousand women will lose coverage.

*****

Lt. Col Vindman had been approved for promotion but the President would make the final decision. The brave hero decided to retire.

*****

The Supreme Court ruled that Trump can’t block his records being released. It is in the public interest but Trump can try again to block with different tactics.** They also ruled that most of Eastern Oklahoma will remain Native American land.** The Esselen tribe of Monterey county have reclaimed land on  the Big Sur coast that was theirs 250 years ago. This was a cooperative effort between them, the California natural resources agency and a conservancy group.

*****

Trump calls the Black lives matter in front of Trump tower, “a symbol of hate.”** Cops shot, Cops killing civilians, mask confrontations: The mental illness in this country is officially off the charts.

*****

Biden claims he will use the Trump tax cuts to pay for 5 million new jobs in products and technology. The Dems released their agenda that touts free child care.** 100 days before the election, Brad Parscale was demoted.  Jared puts his friends in high places and it goes on.** They say John Kasich will speak for the Dem convention. **

*****

Hey Seth Meyers: I LOVE the sea Captain!!

*****

Muddy Water’s former Chicago home at 4339 S. Lake Park Ave. will be a museum.

*****

Sen. Tom Cotton called slavery, “a necessary evil.”

*****

Still advertising on Fox news: Verizon, Noom, Allstate, Pfizer, Ancestry, Honey, Poshmark, Purple and Sanofi. ** And we know never to eat Goya again.

*****

Jean Smart will star in Miss Macy.

*****

Oprah mag will stop print.

*****

It is so Scary Clown: The only thing the enemy can’t stand is being laughed at. –Mark Twain

R.I.P. all the Covid victims, Nick Cordero, Hugh Downs, Ennio Morricone, Bill Field, the elephants of Botswana, Ronald Schwary, Charlie Daniels,  Mary Kay Letourneau,  Max B. Bryer, Kelly Preston, Naya Rivera, Ben Keough,  Phyllis Somerville, Grant Imahara, Emitt Rhodes, Regis Philbin, John Lewis, John Saxon, Peter Green, Malik B., Herman Cain, Alan Parker and Olivia de Havilland.

[jedifighterpilot2727]

The Lexington Chronicles

The Announcement

Kara and Lena decide that they should probably tell their family about the pending adoption.

Everyone sending me love for Lexi makes me so happy!!!

Read it on AO3 - http://archiveofourown.org/works/10189040/chapters/22719572

Lena’s hands are shaking as opens the bottle of wine.

She can barely get the corkscrew threaded, and when she finally does; she’s trembling too much to pull it out. She feels Kara’s hands settle on her waist, and she instantly relaxes, allowing herself to lean back into the embrace - eyes fluttering shut.

“You nervous, Mrs. Zor-el?” Kara’s breath is hot on her ear as the superhero brushes back the hair from her face.

“Nervous? Why would I be nervous? We’re just announcing to your family that we’re adopting a child in less than a week. Nothing to be nervous about.”

It's Sunday afternoon, and they're all set to pick up Lexington on Friday. There was still going to be a short one on one (well, two on one) visit with Lexi on Thursday to tell her the news, but besides that everything was completed. They were officially going to become parents.

Barring any protest from Lexi of course - which Lena wasn’t sure she would survive if that happened anyway.

“Are you nervous about Lexington? Or telling our family?” Kara asks, taking the bottle from her and nimbly popping the cork.

“I’m nervous that Lexington won’t like us once we get her home, but I’m mostly excited for that. I’m nervous about telling your family.”

“Do you need to wear one of your power suits? I’ve seen you face down a lot worse than our family in one of those!”

“This isn’t funny!” Lena scolds, accepting the glass of wine Kara hands her. “We haven’t even told them that we were trying to adopt and now we’re just going to tell them that we’re adopting a little girl and ‘oh, surprise - she’s coming home next week!’” She takes a sip of her wine before continuing. “I doubt they’ll be thrilled.”

Kara pulls her close by the elbows, and she feels a firm kiss against her forehead.

“We didn’t tell them because we needed time to get settled with the idea - we had no way of knowing we would find a match so fast! And they will love Lexi, I promise.”

“I’m not worried about them liking Lexi - she’s adorable and sweet, and I don’t know why anyone would ever not like her. I’m worried about what they’ll think about me being a mother.”

Kara’s eyes study her gently.

“You are going to make a great mom. And everyone will see it.”

“But-“

“No ‘buts’, great mom.”

The door bell rings and she fights the urge to flinch.

“It’s just Alex and Maggie.” Kara says, leveling her gaze at the door. “Are you going to be okay?”

“Are you sure we cant just bring Lexi home and have it be a surprise?”

“Just channel the excitement. Think about that instead of the nerves.”

Lena forces herself to take a deep breath and nods. They have to get this over with eventually.

Kara moves to the door and opens it, revealing a smiling Maggie and Alex on the other side.

“So what’s up?” Alex’s asks, hanging her coat on the rack by the door.

“What? Nothings up! Why would anything be up? I never said anything was up!”

Lena resists the urge to bury her face in her hands at Kara’s startled greeting. Her wife could not keep a secret for trying.

“Thanks for coming,” She interjects. “We’ll go over everything once everyone is here.”

Alex and Maggie exchange a look.

“So there is something!”

“Guys .  . .” Kara pouts. “Please just wait ’til everyone gets here!”

“Fine. Do you at least have some more of that wine?” Alex grumbles, gesturing to the glass in Lena’s holding.

“On the kitchen counter.” Lena offers.

“Good, I have a feeling I’m going to need it, if you guys are making this big of a deal.”

“We’re not making a big deal! We just want everyone hear before we start so we don’t have to tell the story a billion times!” Kara argues.

“Uh-huh, sure.” Maggie rolls her eyes. “Then why are there three dozen potstickers laid out? you only have that much food when it’s a big deal! Like when you announced you were getting married!”

“Which we all knew about before hand by the way.” Alex interjects very unhelpfully.

“Just let us have this, ple-“

A knock sounds at the door and Kara interrupts herself.

“See, that’s James and Winn! We’re almost halfway there!!”

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

Eliza shows up not long after that, followed closely by J’onn and M’gann.

Lena is just starting to relax when Maggie calls them out.

“Everyone is here! Can we get the news now?”

“News?” Eliza looks between Lena and Kara. “What news?! I thought this was just a routine get together.”

Lena glances at Kara, drawing strength from the way Kara’s fingers are tightened around hers.

“What, are you pregnant? Is that what this is?” Winn snickers at his own joke, and the rest of the group laughs only to stop when Kara and Lena are silent.

“Wait.” James looks between them, concerned. “You’re not pregnant, are you? Is that even possible?”

“Well,” Kara laughs nervously. “Not exactly?”

“What do you mean ‘not exactly’?” Alex is once again all business, eyes narrowed as she tries to determine what’s going on.

“Well . . . “ Kara seems nervous all of the sudden, when faced with the reality of their family staring them down.

“A few months ago, we started to look into the possibility of adopting a child.” Lena begins, earning a grateful hand squeeze from Kara.

A chorus of well wishes sounds around the room and Lena feels herself start to relax.

“What did you find out?” Alex leans forward to the edge of the couch, hands clasped in front of her. “Vasquez and her wife adopted last year, I can get you the name of their agency if you want?”

“Actually . . . “ She looks to Kara again, drawing strength from her wife’s encouraging smile. “We had an appointment at an orphanage last week and we think we’ve found the perfect match.”

“Wait.” Eliza holds up a hand, “So you’ve already found a child to adopt?”

“Yes. Her name is Lexington, and she’s almost three years old.” Kara speaks now, and Lena is grateful for the relief.

“So you guys are adopting a three year old?” James asks.

“If everything goes well Thursday . . . yes.”

“Thursday?! I’m going to be an aunt on Thursday?” Alex sounds positively terrified.

“Well, Friday, really. That’s when she’s coming home.” Lena clarifies and the usual chatty group falls silent.

Alex is the first to move, standing to pull Kara into a hug.

“Lexington, huh?”

“I told you I’d name my child after you if I ever had one.” Kara laughs, but Lena can tell it’s watery.

“You’re such a sap.” Alex smacks Kara's arm and she’s crying too. But then Lena is wrapped up in an embrace, Alex’s arms tight around her.

“Thank you.” The whisper is so low she can barely hear it, and she knows it’s to keep Kara from listening in. “She never thought she would have this, so thank you.”

“I never thought I would have this either, I’m the one who’s grateful.”

“No one deserves this more than you two. No one.”

She clutches Alex just little tighter, anchoring herself when her heart feels like floating away.

“Alright, alright, quit Bogarting the hugs!” Winn exclaims behind them. “Winn gets hugs too!”

“Ah ah! I think the grandmother gets hugs next!” Eliza jumps in, pulling Kara and Lena into a giant bear hug. “I am so proud of both of you.” She presses a kiss to Kara’s cheek and then to Lena’s. “I’m giving you fair warning though, I am going to spoil that little girl.”

Winn is indeed next in the hug line, and he’s practically jumping up and down as he speaks.

“So what do you know about her? What is she like? Does she talk a lot? Can kids talk at three? Oh god! I know nothing about kids! I have to read books about this! I always assumed I would have like nine months to figure this whole ‘uncle’ thing out and now you guys are springing this on me in less than a week!”

“Somehow I think you’ll cope.” Kara laughs.

“But, I guess you guys still have questions.” Lena offers, chin knocking into Winn’s shoulder.

“So many questions.” James confirms and Maggie nods.

“Well, her full name will be Lexington Olivia Luthor-Danvers once the paperwork goes through. She’s almost three years old. She doesn’t speak. Three year olds do speak by the way.” She offers to Winn.  “But Lexi doesn’t, Dr. Engrett thinks it’s because she’s traumatized from her family’s death but he also says it could be autism - it’s honestly hard to tell. She does scare at loud noises though.”

“On a happier note, she loves books!” Kara cuts in. “And coloring!”

“And she adores Supergirl.”

“Supergirl? I can work with Supergirl!” Winn nods excitedly.

Kara looks to J’onn and M’gann who are smiling silently on the love seat.

“J’onn?”

“What? We can read minds, we’ve known you guys were looking at adopting for weeks.”

"All Lena has been thinking about lately is child development and how to teach chess to pre-schoolers.” M’gann chimes in.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“If I thought it was a bad idea, I would have discouraged you.” He gets up then and pulls them into hug. “But, I think it’s a fantastic idea. You two are going to make great parents.”

“Here, here!” Maggie agrees.  “Besides, you guys just made me thirty bucks!”

“As soon as you guys are ready, I would be more than happy to do a family photo session.” James offers.

“Of course! We’d also like you to be the one to release the official photos for the media.”

“I would be more than happy too, you know this story is going to be huge, I hope you’re prepared.”

“Yeah, if you guys though getting married was bad, adopting a baby is going be ridiculous!” Winn mimes and explosion with his hands.

“Speaking of which,” Alex waves a finger. “We need to go over your security system again before Lexington gets here."

As the room around them devolves into toddler talk, Kara hand catches hers and their eyes meet.

She doesn’t have to be able to read minds to know exactly what Kara is thinking.

“I told you so."