#The so-called Golden Era is more of a Bronze-Silver era to me

[farshootergotme]

Can I just say thank you thank you. 👏👏👏

I grew up with the 2004 Batman cartoon and I have thought Dick and Bruce had a parental relationship whether it be father/son or Big brother/little brother it depends on the adaption.

I have just recently got back into Batman and into comics in general and I was honestly a bit shell shocked to see so much well adopted family incest which is just wow but I’m just numb to the internet at this point so nothing surprises me anymore.

What I can’t stand is liars, I swear these people who ship dick and Bruce together are just straight up in denial in some places just accept you’re shipping something taboo. Don’t lie to me about how much they hold a place in queer history which is greatly exaggerated given how it happen based on a lie by a quack and his horrible book note the beds were separate I checked the infamous comic panel it’s just draw really badly but given how tight the deadlines for comic back in the day were I will forgive that poor artist. Also another book they source from the 2000s book written about the queer coding of Batman and Robin seems to really like to leave out the fact that Dick is a child and is written as one. No matter what gen he was written as young lad with hobbies similar to that generation and time period mostly.

Like yes at the time it was done because homophobia but don’t pretend there wasn’t another issue aka it would be the grooming of a minor like for context homosexuality was see as connected to pedophilia. Like seriously when I was looking into this topic, it honestly felt like telephone because how much the original context of the panel was lost like seriously does no one check sources anymore.

Another thing they don’t bring up is how in the 1940s adopting was very uncommon and seen as weird to many it wasn’t as accepted back then which is why ward was used because that was more acceptable back then. It’s also the reason why Jason was adopted by Bruce because it was more acceptable when he was created. Also it was such a non issue to the writers at the time that even though technically Dick wasn’t adopted by Bruce on panel he still treated as one by the writers mostly before Marv Wolfman decided it make for interesting story to have Bruce not adopted Dick and have Dick have a whole hang up on it and is confused by why Bruce didn’t at that time.

Like literally I am tired of people claiming Dick doesn’t want to be adopted by Bruce or that he never wanted him to his father to him it’s simply just not true although it is complicated. Like Dick won’t call Bruce dad but in his eyes as he got older he saw Bruce as a father figure as well as his second dad and Bruce has always seen Dick as like a son and to his actual son blood or no blood for crying out loud he bloody raised him along with Alfred for over ten years like how could Dick not develop a parental bond with him and Alfred ahh. He may not be father of the year but he still cared and look after him all those years like no wonder Dick felt hurt in the original Marv wolfmen story when he wasn’t adopted.

Now, I will say in the early adaption of Batman and Robin and even the silver age to an extent. Did betray them as brothers because well the age gap was closer in 1966 version and late 70s cartoons of them so I can see why older fans can see it that way and the silver age mostly do a big brother little brother dynamic with them. While golden age seems to flip flop and if they were father/son or Big brother/little brother and the Bronze Age they went to father/son by the end because that was probably more interesting to write. Like a son repelling against his overly critical and overprotective father figure was probably relatable to lot of teens and young adults reading Dick stories at that time. Then the rest of eras after that just settled with them being Father/son duo mostly. We don’t talk about Devin weird ass takes in their relationship I swear she is just inserting herself in some characters just to be creepy towards Richard and well she nearly destroyed Oliver character by writing him being weird about Richard when he was Robin which was just yikes.

I also just find it so gross how she took a very reserved and very ace coded character like Dick Grayson and sexualised him, like making his exotic and making him overly sexual is just huge yikes to me and making him Romani because circus is such a huge stereotype and quite harmful. I have such mix feelings about Richard being romani because of how it was done and Tom Tyler has done a poor job in my opinion as well. Like originally Dick was just pure American then his mother became european notable french in one of them which makes more sense to me. I don’t know, I will eat my socks when it’s done well which would be wonderful but right now it’s just no to me. Also, why Richard like what just because he’s sexy Devin and he is romani because circus. Like my ass is as white as snow but even I know that is a weird ass take and honestly fetishy in nature I feel.

Which leads to me being so weary of people who do use it because like yes some people do it so well take notes writers at DC. But others well… I feel just sexualise him for the sake of it and I get very suspicious of people who make draw Dick overly feminine or straight up make him the wife in the relationship. It just makes my trans man heart nervous because usually they also ship Richard with older man (Bruce with him as well probably…) which in Canon he has called creeps and acts super uncomfortable around them. Like whatever ship your taboo ships just keep a safe distance from me okay. It just sadden how Richard is written as overly sexual and slutty like that is not my boy. 😭

I think the reason it also upset me so much is Bruce in a lot of ways is like my dad when he is written as a well meaning father figure. I relate to Dick being the eldest of many siblings and also my Dad is my stepdad but he has raised since I was nearly one. I know it’s not the same but to me he is my father and nothing will change that. It’s why I can’t stop people who act like Bruce and Dick aren’t father/son because well he’s not adopted by law so it’s doesn’t count but to Bruce already is and honestly I just wish in modern adaption just get adopted as a early teen at this point. Like even modern DC doesn’t hide or exclude Dick Grayson is Bruce Wayne eldest son and I’m so happy for that. (Even though he has been adopted by law but as an adult but I digress.)

I will shot myself mentally if I see another person claim it is DC heteronormative doing their relationship like shut up. You who says this bs you clearly don’t care about queer history or adoption history in general and it’s so harmful how people try to undermine adopted families like that. Like seriously ship what you like just don’t pretend it isn’t taboo as all hell. 😤 Also, anyone who claims this don’t you dare call young queers homophobia because they’re saying how it is. You don’t see people defending pedophilia and incest in Greek mythology do ya.

(Then I think in my head how strange it always the ace coded characters that get sexualised or made the secretly horny seductress/playboy type food for thought.) 🤔

Oh apologies for the kinda rant there but this honestly this has been bothering me about the bat fandom. I will say I’m still a noob when it comes to comic book history and I haven’t read most of Dick and Bruce books but I have done my best to do my homework on them and the rest of Batman history and it members. I have honestly only read modern books like world finest and short teen titans spin off book. I’m currently pre order Mark Waid latest book Batman and Robin year one which I am so excited for truly he is saving me given me some good Father/son moments with Dick and Bruce. Also maybe the new Nightwing which I hope will be good, I read TT run online free because I’m poor :p and it was so boring, Richard just feels so bland in that book. Like I will give TT credit their some good panels and moments but that’s just it. My inner Dick Grayson fanboy is showing ha ha. 😅

Anyway, sorry my rambling but honestly this fandom baffles me sometimes.

I have nothing to add—you said it all. Loved the rant and I agree with all of it! Thanks anon!

[elsandifer]

which tardis eruditorum book/era stands best on its own? For me it's the hartnell one but curious to hear your take also regarding best run of essays maybe

Quite proud of Volume 4. Really, 1-4 form a nice kind of Eruditorum Golden Age. Literally was just talking to Lexi about the way in which I was using the blog at that time to grind a lot of axes about narratology and long-form serialized narrative, and there’s a really satisfying, let’s go ahead and call it alchemy between my still present academic instincts and my more esoteric tendencies. All of those are quite strong eras. But Volume 4 feels like a real personal peak—as good as I got at the particular thing I was doing at that time.

Starting with Williams the show became a very different thing and I got sucked further into Fandom Debates, and while the highs there—Logopolis, Trial of a Time Lord, the TV Movie, and honestly most of the televised McCoy stuff—are probably my individual favorite essays, there starts to be a lot more filler-feeling stuff in between those high points. Call it the Silver Age.

New series marks a sort of Bronze aAge, and becomes a “covering all those spinoffs before you had a Patreon to monetize the extra entries was not a sound career decision” sort of situation, especially with so many more stories per era compared to the classic. (One season of Tennant is around as many stories as the Baker or McCoy eras.) Add the difficulties of effective hindsight and I’d be lying if I said Tennant and Smith in particular were favorites. But god, that Eccleston run of entries is as good as anything I’ve ever written.

And the Capaldi era, my late career return, is rock solid, wall to wall some of my favorite material on the blog.

[vedj-f-bekuesu]

I need to actually stick to what I say for once.

I was going to do S2 on Monday, but then I got the realisation that after watching NS12, I was already running out of things to do. So, I did it tonight, and it’s...certainly an eclectic collection of thoughts. Hmph.

-The biggest point I have, and one I think really damages the season, is the pacing. You can tell the writers were aware that Ninjago was going to be cancelled (indeed, it was actually cancelled for a year) so they jammed two seasons’ story into one season. As a result, the last...say, five episodes are pretty strong since it seems the story beats were fairly set in stone (heh), but it takes over half the season to get there and before that you have some pretty meh writing. I know they didn’t exactly have full control over that, so bear in mind I am aware of this and assume I’m giving some leeway for it where appropriate, although I will still criticise it. -Lloyd Montgomery "For Fucks Sake Stop Grounding Me" Garmadon is the best character in this season. However, the fact we spent just seven episodes with young green Ninja Lloyd is a waste of an idea in hindsight.  -Skales remains an MVP before he’s written out of the story.  -I see now that S2 Garmadon is the basis for Movie Garmadon because he was great, and it was especially hilarious watching him bounce off his boring pilot self. -Wu is still the worst character. I’m sorry, he was bad enough when he was being too harsh on four teens, Lloyd is one kid and Wu is already like “I’m shoving the weight of the world on your shoulders”. Fuck you Wu. -The non-elemental parents do no get enough due credit. Ed, Edna and Lou are all great in their own way, and Doctor Julien is a badass considering he’s on death’s door.  -And yes, this does mean I like S2 Misako overall. She’s a victim of the rushed pacing though; her motive for leaving Lloyd at Darkley’s could have been way more smooth if she just had five seconds longer to speak, like “I left him to go and research the prophecy...and make sure the dark forces would not attack him”. You could answer at least three potential hangups with those few extra words. Otherwise, the idea of old regrets is one with potential, and it’s handled pretty well here. I am aware it gets fucked up later, but what else is new. -The bizarro ninja are about as good as early Archie Evil Sonic. Which means they’re terrible. Hopefully they don’t show up again.  -Wow, Captain Soto is an early one! I’m glad his contribution to the season actually had serious ramifications. -I like the way the first part of the season built up the new civilian cast, even if most were unnamed. Started to really give life outside the ninja, something season 1 was short of. Also Dareth wasn’t that great at first, but the mini-arc he had warmed me up to him.  -Nya...existed. Outside of being turned evil and using Samurai X once this was not her season. Kai used Samurai X more than her, even! -I don’t know how to vocalise my thoughts on the main four, their treatment was erratic. For the first eight episodes they were honestly pretty weak, basically being shoved into the mentor role and not being given much material beyond that. Jay managed to just about counter that with his obnoxious personality (actually acting as a positive rather than a negative). Zane doesn’t counter it, but because he’s generally like that anyway he adapts well to it. Kai and Cole suffer for it. I know I didn’t like them in S1 due to being abrasive and not my thing at all, but now they’re basically the other extreme; revolving around their mentor role, taking out a lot of the personality. All of this is probably because of said rushed pace so they had to get them as mentors lickety split. Then five episodes from the end the story’s like “Whoops, we left the personality nodes off, let’s just switch them back on” and suddenly all four of them were improved. Zane had his own arc to go through, Jay was electric, and Cole was apparently just unleashing the energy not used in the first half (How did we go from him being so stoic to doing the Moonwalk over Stone Soldiers???). Even Kai got moments back, and it finally genuinely felt like he’d become protective of Lloyd without it being forced in by the plot needs.  -Jaya has a bit of a stumble in S2 thanks to Double Trouble (thanks for nothing, Bizarro Ninja), but overall it’s still cute.  -Whoever said that the Stone Army isn’t treated with any comedic elements is a filthy liar. Even the Overlord got sassy at one point.  -The plot ends up being an overt Star Wars homage and I am okay with this. -I should have mentioned this with the first season but I hope the once-an-episode slow-down bits stop soon. The choreography of the fighting has improved though!

So overall? I honestly have pretty mixed feelings towards this season. In terms of quality it’s more consistent than S1, but at the same I feel it’s brought down more, mainly because of that omnipresent pacing issue. The last five episodes suffer less from it, but that is far too late to be kicking in. Not that the first part is bad, but you can tell they’re skimming content to get to the good stuff. That being said, said good stuff is good. 

I want to add a little extra though, because the way it ends only makes me more conscious of how the next few seasons take the story. The story here does feel like an ending point, and that was fine for the time. But hindsight has shown that this was not the case, and there’s definitely some corners that have been written into. So with that, I can at least understand why the Hagemans and Andreason might have thought at the time that creating new drama for all the main characters (that weren’t Lloyd because he needed a rest) was the best way to try and give themselves an out. But man, there are going to be moments where I am gonna legit fume (there’s a moment in S2 that makes the upcoming love triangle so much worse, and I think the bit I’m dreading the most now is actually Kai’s green Ninja drama in S4). 

Also poor Lloyd get schtick for hogging the limelight, when it seems in most instances it’s been circumstances that did that. S2 was trying to rush its story so it had to focus on Lloyd to tell it, and S8 was probably LEGO’s way of continuing the film inertia, and it just happened to be an arc that needed three seasons to resolve due to the way it was structured. For once, S11 is the most guilty since that one didn’t need to be Lloyd. 

Okay, so next up whenever I decide to do it are Rebooted and Tournament of Elements...oh joy...at least all the seasons are shorter this time.

[seong-star-hwars]

An Analysis of TXT’s minisode 2: Thursday’s Child

First of all, I totally called this at their MAMA 2021 performance. A very niche, youthful concept, as usual. “Thursday’s child” was taken from a nursery rhyme and the full line is “Thursday’s child has far to go.” This may have something to do with the fact that MOA was named on a Thursday (Aug 22, 2019). Anyway, that’s all for another time.

I haven’t written a review (analysis, now that I look at it) on this blog before, but I just had to for this album.

Opening Sequence

Starting off with the first track, Opening Sequence.

Comparing the breakup of a young relationship to the opening sequence of a movie, the lyrics tell a story of pain, regret, and longing. The opening sequence of the movie keeps playing on in the mind of the person, wishing they could have had more in the relationship.

I can see you in my memory Dance with me, dance with me, dance with me Take one more chance on me, chance on me, chance on me I'm bleeding painfully, painfully, painfully You in the faded film, your gaze that erased me

The repetition of lyrics in the chorus works wonderfully to tell the feelings of being trapped in repeating memories. Not only was the initial breakup painful, but the memories he has to go through over and over make it worse.

This was one of my favorites on the album. From the intro to the first verse with Taehyun’s vocals to the illusion of a waltz in 4/4 time in the chorus, it made me want to cry, damn it.

Good Boy Gone Bad

Now we have the title track, Good Boy Gone Bad.

Back when I first started stanning TXT, before they went emo, I said jokingly, “They’re like the Fall Out Boy of K-Pop with their long-ass song titles.” Then they came out with 0X1=LOVESONG and LO$ER=LO♡ER with their new punk pop sound, abandoning the cute, happy, pastel-wearing concept for a grittier, darker feel. Did I expect it? Absolutely not. But did I love it? Dude, I loved it so much. I’ve always loved punk and emo sounds, one of my enduring favorite bands being Fall Out Boy. TXT’s new sound was amazing. 0X1=LOVESONG is one of my favorite songs right now, if not the favorite.

To me, this track is essentially the “Look What You Made Me Do” of TXT. This is their Reputation era. Gone are the cute, happy, pastel-wearing boys. They trade pink sweaters and cowboy hats for black suits reminiscent of My Chemical Romance’s music videos in the 2000s and leather jackets. In CROWN they danced in a multi-colored abstract setting, in Blue Hour they were at a carnival on a magic island. Now they’re dancing in a graveyard and getting in trouble in various ways.

Put that nail in the coffin over the word forever You completely changed me when I was fragile I spent hours in front of the mirror wanting to become you Scratching my face, swallowing my heart

Look at those lyrics. If that isn’t emo I don’t know what else is. And it just gets more emo from there. Like damn, who hurt these boys? Seriously I wanna know. They can catch these hands.

In between the chorus and the verses, the pre-chorus and the bridge have a break between the anger and angst, giving us beautiful a glimpse of the sadness and broken hearts behind the black clothes and the guitar riffs.

Trust Fund Baby

At first this confused me. Usually, “trust fund baby” is a term with negative connotation about a young adult from a rich family who doesn’t need to have a job to be wealthy and happy. I thought this track would have been criticizing other people, but no it’s way more sad.

The shining spoon to me is someone else's story Someone that already have their dreams There's no "game over" in their lives

In Korea, there is something called the “spoon theory” which is about how one’s parents’ social class determines their own. The highest and wealthiest is the golden spoon, then silver spoon, then bronze, and then dirt (source). One of the biggest societal problems in South Korea is poverty and class, as seen in popular media such as Squid Game or Parasite.

Now knowing this, it’s easier to understand the first lyrics of the song. They don’t have that shining, golden or silver spoon. Comparing love to class and financial struggles, they want security in love like the trust fund babies have security in wealth and success.

It’s a song about acceptance of hopelessness, referencing multiple times their previous title track, LO$ER=LO♡ER. Did I tear up a little while reading the English translation? Yeah, a little bit.

Lonely Boy (The tattoo on my ring finger)

Finally! We come to our first unit song of the album with Yeonjun and Huening Kai! 

Yet another song of heartbreak, the lyrics tell of boy who has fallen so in love with a girl that they both get matching ring finger tattoos in place of promise rings. Of course, they both break that promise, leaving the boy lonely again, which he’s used to. But because of the tattoo on his ring finger, he can’t completely forget her like he wants to. The lyrics also compare the tattoo with things she’s said. Like the needle with the ink created the tattoo, her words stabbed his heart so much that he can’t get rid of the damage she caused.

I hate it, now I don't need it Your traces that won't heal Standing here alone Lonely boy stayin' lonely She ain't my one and only, one and only

While the pre-chorus changes throughout the song, the chorus remains the same, ending with the heavily repeated phrase, “She ain’t my one and only.” He keeps having to remind himself that he doesn’t need to keep holding onto her, that there’s probably someone else out there for him. But he’s scarred, tattooed by the harm she caused him. He’s been lonely ever since she left. He can’t see that changing any time soon.

Thursday’s Child Has Far To Go

And finally to the last track and the second unit song of the album, we have Thursday’s Child with Soobin, Beomgyu, and Taehyun. 

While the other tracks in this album have a sense of being stuck and lonely and sad, Thursday’s Child has a glimmer of hope in it. An instrumental reminiscent of 80′s synth and punk influences, it’s more upbeat than its predecessors on the album. It’s based around the nursery rhyme I mentioned at the beginning of this review (link for the full rhyme), with the line “Thursday’s child has far to go” as the title and main theme of this story.

While most of the children’s rhyme has more clear meanings, the Thursday’s child line is open to interpretation. Things could go badly or well, as is with most things in life. But no matter what, for Thursday’s child, it will be a long journey, whether the outcome be good or bad. However, even if there’s a chance of failure and heartache, the boys display optimism or realism after a pattern of endless depression in the album.

In a world where much is determined by internet culture, they see a trend of #breakup and adding “glowup” next to it. Just because they broke up with a lover doesn’t mean that sadness is the only outcome. They can improve themselves, learn to be happier, and move on.

It's going to be tougher than it's been Unpredictable our life It's a lot farther than I've come I'm looking forward to the wonderful days

The last lyrics of the bridge are some of my favorites. They can see that the darkness will pass. They have faith that this isn’t the end. There is still a long story to be told, and an unknown ending. There’s hope beyond the present.

As usual with TXT’s releases, I loved this one. The lyrics so wonderfully capture the heartbreak of a young adult, the anger and sadness that follows, and eventually shine light on the hope they have for the future. Paired with a dark concept with deep shadows and night scenery, the album’s sound continues their journey through youth into adulthood, seeing the harsh realities of lost love and then the life that comes after it. 

TXT has a concept that at its core doesn’t change. They still represent youth. But the outside has evolved, as one’s youth does. As they grow older and wiser through their careers, their music and performance grow with them. They wear darker clothes, have sexier choreography, and more mature lyrics, as one would expect from young men, all while still keeping their youthfulness about them.

We don’t know where the story goes next. Since we know it’ll be a long one, I can’t wait to see more albums and singles from this group. We’ve seen them grow from naïve, joyful boys into angry, hurt young men. Where will their journey take them next? I don’t know, but I can’t wait to see more from them.

[northoftheroad]

I don’t know if this makes any sense but for me, NTT/Bronze Age era Dick feels like a continuation of Golden Age Robin, while Post-Crisis Batfam Dick feels more like a continuation of Silver Age Robin.

I guess it’s bc of the differences in characterization between Silver Age TT Robin vs Silver Age Robin in the Batman books that further diverged overtime.

Ok, I don't see it myself, to be honest.

(I'm not sure what "post-Crisis Batfam Dick" is? When he was more involved in the Bat-books since Tim became Robin? Or a few years later when he left the Titans title (good riddance, at the time, if you ask me), was Batman for a while and then got his own book?)

Batman and Robin were generally written more lighthearted (and happy) in the Golden Age, but they still kept much of that in the Silver Age – especially after the Batman tv show became a hit. The comic stories were quite silly during that period (and as far as I can see from the statistic I've found online, the Bat-comics have since never sold anything near as much as those two years.)

I'd say things got a bit darker in the Bronze Age when they also shipped Dick off to college to make Batman a solo hero. And much more so in the 80s, in the so-called Modern Age of comics and after Frank Miller's The Dark Knight.

It's been a while since I read all of the original Teen Titans run, and let's face it, it's not all that great even if I cherish the characters, but as I remember, the first and second half is quite different from each other. Just as Batman at about the same time, it got darker and more serious.

Anyway, as long as we all read what and how we enjoy comics. 😉

[mccoys-killer-queen]

I just realized I’ve been writing fanfic for so long that I can fucking timeline the eras of my writing based on my hyperfixations slgnvaeprngerpogm

Ancient Era: 2013-2014

fandom- Fun. (the band)

I was 12 when I first started writing. None of these stories exist anymore. I deleted them all at LEAST 6 or 7 years ago from my Wattpad. Cringe as can possibly be. Stories about myself out the ass. Didn’t know what p*dophilia was. Mixed perspectives. (A/N Just go with it!). Only wrote bc I wanted to be cool. Only wrote to include my favorite songs in any way I could (sound familiar omg). Truly a horrible time to be alive. I was the youngest in this fandom. Everyone else was like 14. It was pretty bad, but not “sold to One Direction” bad, considering that’s what everyone else was doing at the time.

Renaissance Era: 2014-2016

fandom: Doctor Who

This was when I started taking writing seriously at the age of 12. All of these stories still exist on my Wattpad, but there are some things I’ve never posted. This was also when I started writing to cope/writing for only myself. I still love my ideas for these, and Doctor Who really helped itty bitty teenager me in ways you can’t imagine. I could go on for days on how it changed my life completely and made me who I am today. I was truly in another universe in this era. Made stories about OCs (and OCs in general) for the first time. Amazing ideas out the ass all the time. I am still in love with a lot of things I came up with in this time. Oddly mature but still blatantly teenage. Tried to be extremely historically accurate (which I still try to be).

Bronze Era: 2016

fandom: Supernatural

I had a lot of ideas with potential, but never executed them completely due to lack of motivation. I still think about my only Supernatural OC often. I wasn’t interested in the show for long, which is another reason why there aren’t many stories from this time. Things were more in my head than in writing in this era. Call this the “thinking practice” era. I got better at developing ideas. These stories still exist on my Wattpad. Some things I wrote may have been lost in the Great Tumblr Purge of 2018. May they rest in peace.

Silver Era: 2016-2018

fandom: Star Trek

A sad era. Very few stories, several lost in the Great Tumblr Purge of 2018. What I lacked in content in this era I made up for in practice. I improved a lot in this era as far as descriptions and omniscience goes. Creating an atmosphere began to come naturally during this time; it was basically an exercise era; a ‘maturity in typing’ era. There wasn’t much posting, but drafts helped me improve and spend more time thinking about the worlds and versions of characters I created. One of the greatest things I thought I ever wrote was lost in the Great Tumblr Purge of 2018 just days after I finished it. I still have about 55% of it that was backed up, but I haven’t been able to try and recreate it ever since. May it rest in peace. I made an AO3 in this era. Stories are on there. I stopped posting on Wattpad in this era.

Golden Era- 2018-present

fandom: Def Leppard

Fuck yeah. It all started with a dumb cracky fic. Yearning to be in the past and be in love continues to constantly fuel ideas for stories. And surprise surprise, I still try to shove my fav songs wherever I can- because that’s the other thing that continues to constantly fuel ideas for stories. I started doing palette cleansers and drabbles and illustrations and just- I can’t put into words how much I love writing what I write now. I’ve written more than 100k words in Def Leppard fanfic and that continues to go up by the day. I’ve finally mastered how to effectively project the exact emotion I want readers to feel into words, and I truly think my style became one of a kind in this time. I guess you can say I turned into a romantic writer rather than just a dramatic/emotional writer. It was in this era that people actually started paying attention to my stories and appreciating my writing/giving me a real amount of feedback for the first time. All stories are available on Tumblr, some on AO3. The “colorful” era.

[tsukikoayanosuke]

Me Rambling About Future Twisted Wonderland Events and Other Stuff Nobody Ask

Okay. A few days ago I found  a theory that Grim was based on Jabberwocky written by @spindlebeforesunset . It was a convincing theory and I really like that. But this it got me thinking, if this is the same Jabberwocky from the Alice in Wonderland live-action movie, then we have an actual representation of Disney Live Action Movie.

Seriously. When the world is talking about POC and LGBTQ+ representation, I’m here talking about Disney Movie representation.

This also got me thinking about the Events we got (Happy Beans Day, Fairy Gala, and Ghost Marriage). Most of them are inspired by Disney Movies, but I’m still not sure about Ghost Marriage. I’m guessing that we will be definitely getting more Events between Pomefiore-Ignihyde and Ignihyde-Diasomnia, maybe even Diasomnia-Finale. So, I went through the Disney Wiki and looked at the list of animated canon to see what event we can get.

More rambling below!

As we all know, Walt Disney Animated Canon has eight eras of animation (according to the wiki, usually we mash the Bronze Age and Dark Age together):

Disney Golden Age: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) - Bambi (1942)

Disney Package Film Era: Saludos Amigos (1942) - The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)

Disney Silver Age: Cinderella (1950) - The Jungle Book (1967)

Disney Bronze Age: The Aristocats (1970) - The Rescuers (1977)

Disney Dark Age: The Fox and the Hound (1981) - Oliver & Company (1988)

Disney Renaissance: The Little Mermaid (1989) - Tarzan (1999)

Disney Post-Renaissance: Fantasia 2000 (1999) - Meet the Robinsons (2007)

Disney Revival: Bolt (2008) - Frozen II (2019)

Now, as you can see, between these eras, we have characters, dorms, and event represented in Twisted Wonderland.

Disney Golden Age:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937): Pomefiore

Disney Package Film Era:

Fun and Fancy Free (1947): Happy Beans Day

Disney Silver Age:

Cinderella (1950): Mozun Trein and Lucius

Alice in Wonderland (1951): Heartslabyul

Sleeping Beauty (1959): Diasomnia

One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961): Divus Crewel

Disney Renaissance:

The Little Mermaid (1989): Octavinelle

Beauty and the Beast (1991): Ashton Vargas

Aladdin (1992): Scarabia

The Lion King (1994): Savanaclaw

Disney Revival:

The Princess and the Frog (2009): Sam

Now, there are others I haven’t include: Grim, Dire Crowley, Ramshackle Ghosts, Fairy Gala event, and Ghost Marriage.

But before we discuss, I want to say that I will be only including the Disney Animated Canon, so I won’t be including the actual Live-Action Remakes or Disneytoon Movies, but I will connect it to the movies in the WDAC.

Fairy Gala Event. This is easy because we all know this is inspired by the Tinker Bell franchise [DisneyToon Studio]. Tinker Bell herself is featured in Peter Pan (1953).

Dire Crowley. We all know that our ‘kind’ headmaster is supposed to be the Twisted form of Maleficent’s raven. He could be the actual raven in Sleeping Beauty (1959) or maybe he’s actually Diaval from Maleficent (2014) and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil (2019), which means we have another Live Action Movie representative.

Grim. Now according to the mentioned theory, Grim can be the Twisted form of Jabberwocky, which means he has a connection to Alice in Wonderland, both (1951) and (2010). Though I did make a meme that Grim is inspired by Stitch, I don’t have much proof.

Ghost Marriage Event. This event is interesting because most of us, including me, think that it was inspired by Corpse Bride (2005). Here’s the thing. Corpse Bride wasn’t made or distributed by Disney. It was produced by Tim Burton Production and distributed by Warner Bros. Picture. So, Disney has no involvement in this. However, I start to think about another possibility.  Have you ever heard a short Silly Symphony called The Goddess of Spring (1934)? This animated short is very important because, from this, Disney could develop their skill in human character, which eventually lead to the birth of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937). I’ll be sticking to this, which means Ghost Marriage represents the Era Before Canon or even Disney Golden Age.

Ramshackle Ghost. Honorable mention, they are probably inspired by the ghost in Lonesome Ghost (1937), while the Ramshackle Dorm itself is inspired by Thru the Mirror (1936) and has inspiration from Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Alice Through the Looking Glass (2016) . The Ramshackle Dorm can represent Era Before Canon or even Disney Silver Age, while the Ramshackle Ghosts represent Disney Golden Age (it was released three days after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

Okay, to round it up we have:  

Disney Golden Age:

Pomefiore

Ghost Marriage (my speculation that it’s based on The Goddess of Spring, which has a strong connection with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

Ramshackle Ghost (released three days after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)

Disney Package Film Era: 

Happy Beans Day

Disney Silver Age: 

Mozun Trein and Lucius

Heartslabyul

Grim (Grim = Jabberwocky theory)

The Ramshackle Dorm itself (the through the looking glass concept, which is connected to Alice in Wonderland in some way)

Fairy Gala Event (Disney Fairies event, which is based on Tinker Bell, who is connected to Peter Pan)

Diasomnia

Dire Crewel (while unknown which raven he’s based on, both ravens are from Sleeping Beauty)

Divus Crewel

Disney Renaissance: 

Octavinelle

Ashton Vargas

Scarabia

Savanaclaw

Disney Revival:

Sam

Now, we don’t know what will happen after this, but I have some wish list:

Halloween Gacha can be based this around The Headless Horseman from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) [Disney Package Film Era], The Black Cauldron (1985) [Disney Dark Age] maybe even Pooh's Heffalump Halloween: The Movie (2005) [DisneyToon Studios, but connected to The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)  [Disney Bronze Age] and Winnie the Pooh (2011) [Disney Revival] ]

Gotta-Catch-‘Em-All Event, but instead of Pokemon you catch Winnie the Pooh inspired creatures [The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) [Disney Bronze Age] and Winnie the Pooh (2011) [Disney Revival]] or even aliens like Stitch’s cousins [Lilo & Stitch (2002) [Disney Post-Renaissance] ]

A Bird-Theme Music Festival for Saludos Amigos (1942) and The Three Caballeros (1944) [Disney Package Film Era]

Adventure/Explorer Gacha based around Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) or Treasure Planet (2002)  [Disney Post-Renaissance] 

Sherlock Holmes-like/Victorian Era Event based around The Great Mouse Detective (1986) [Disney Dark Age]

A School Festival Stage Play based on The Sword in the Stone (1963) [Disney Silver Age] or Robin Hood (1973) [Disney Bronze Age]

I’m sure you can give more examples but I’m gonna stop here. I rambled too much.

I just want something from Disney Bronze Age, Disney Dark Age, and Disney Post-Renaissance because we haven't got anything from there!

[dynamic-duo-deposit]

Do you think Dick is a BatCat shipper? I loved him in Hush he looked so innocent and cute telling Bruce that Selina is good for him!

Before I answer this, some disclaimers- 

1- I haven’t read Tom King’s Batman Rebirth run with the BatCat not-wedding yet, so I can’t speak to that nor Dick’s reaction to it.  (Though I am aware of the general plot points.)

2- As with all things Batman, we are talking about 80 years of comics here.  Also, while I generally enjoy and appreciate BatCat, I’m a casual shipper at best, so it’s not really my focus and I’m sure some more knowledgeable Selina fans would have more to say on the subject.

3- Oh boy, this is longer than I meant it to be.

With that out of the way- Yes, Dick Grayson is generally pretty fond of Catwoman (perhaps a bit too fond at times) and subsequently, her relationship with Bruce.

Regarding Hush, Dick being pro-BatCat is straight from the comic-

(Batman #615)

But going back in time, I think this question was prompted by these panels from Batman #3, and that is pretty typical of their early interactions.  Basically, Golden Age Robin spends most of Catwoman’s first appearances being profoundly unimpressed by Bruce’s Thirst.  (Likewise to modern reinterpretations.)

However by 1947 in Detective Comics #122, Dick has reached the point where he seems amused by it and teases Catwoman about Batman, even if she denies any feelings.  

(Spoilers: She’s lying.  She’s had a crush on Batman since issue #3)

Most of the time though, while they did interact, they didn’t have much one-on-one time, and any connection between Selina and Dick took the backseat to each of their relationships with Bruce.  Catwoman was also reformed for a while, and went through extended periods where she wasn’t even showing up in the comics.

Here’s where I say that I’m really rusty on the Silver Age, so someone else might have a better memory of good Dick and Selina scenes from that period.  

(I’m also curious about their relationship in the original Earth-2 comics where Bruce and Selina were married, since I haven’t read much of that. Though I know Selina dies and I don’t get the sense they had much of a connection.)

However, I have been reading a lot of Bronze Age comics lately and The Lazarus Affair storyline does have some really great Dick and Selina (And Dick shipping BatCat) moments worth sharing. 

Dick goes to Selina for assistance with Talia, because no one else could “help [him] in the same way [Selina] can.”

(Batman #332)

This leads to Robin and Catwoman going on a mission together and eventually discovering Talia and Batman kissing, which upsets Selina.

(Batman #332)

Catwoman has her own side-story trying to prove Talia’s involvement with shady endeavors, and they talk about Selina’s feelings for Batman.

(Batman #333)

Dick and Selina have good teamwork throughout the story though.  Complete with undercover disguises and other shenanigans.

(Batman #333)

While Talia is ultimately cleared, (also- she dies and is resurrected. As it goes with that family.) Dick makes it very clear to Bruce at the end here, that he is very much “Team Selina.”  

(Batman #335)

Dick eventually leaves to join the Titans and isn’t around Gotham as much, and when Dick does start showing up in Gotham again more in the 90′s/early 2000′s I know that Nightwing and Catwoman are both in some of the same big Bat-events, but outside of sharing panels I can’t think of any really memorable interactions between the two off the top of my head?

We do have things like this though-

 (Gotham Knights #10)

And this-

(Nightwing #52)

They also had a couple of nice interactions during the Dickbats era.  

(Gotham City Sirens #7)

Although not without conflict. (Or weird compliments.  Or Selina referring to herself as Bruce’s possession.  Yikes.)

(Batman #692)

Anyways, this is not even close to a complete collection of Dick and Selina moments and as I disclaimed at the beginning, I’m not up-to-date with recent BatCat-related events.

To be fair, I don’t think Dick and Selina have even had much interaction or connection (BatCat-related or otherwise) outside the wedding arc post-new 52 reboot?  Except kinda Forever Evil, which made it clear she didn’t even know who he was.  Which is depressing.

(Forever Evil #3)

But yeah, I really enjoy Selina and Dick’s relationship, and it’s one of the factors that makes me enjoy BatCat.  (It’s nice when your kid approves of your girlfriend.)  

Dick and Selina are both very adaptable, their interactions tend to be lighthearted and fun (when they’re not too cougar-ly), and they’ve worked pretty well as a team when the situation that calls for it.  When Selina’s criminal activity isn’t getting in the way, they seem to enjoy each other.

From a Dick and Bruce perspective, he also likes that she can bring a different side out of Bruce, and it’s also often a fun opportunity for lighthearted banter and for Dick to get to tease Bruce in a way no one else can.  

(Batman #615)

(Because Bruce can be pretty useless whenever Catwoman shows up and Dick is aware of this.)

(Batman #15)

I do have to say that calling Dick a “BatCat shipper” does feel a bit, I dunno, reductive?  He genuinely respects and even likes Selina a lot of the time, and she’s one of his favorites when it comes to Bruce’s girlfriends because of that, but it’s not exactly his character’s focus.  Dick has his own life without worrying about who Bruce is dating.

With that said– Dick is definitely a BatCat shipper and these are some of the highlights from 80 years of comics proving it.  

He’s a fan.

(Batman #615)

[tenebriiis-archived]

// This was deeply inspired by many things that I think you’ll recognize as you go by. I’m sorry for the delay. This was mostly inspired by this Song: Methods of Madness , and I highly recommend to play it in repeat-mode as you read ♥

Hope you like, Dear! And as always your opinions are more than welcomed ♥ 

Break Me: I will write an angsty drabble about our characters.

[ ♦ ]

She could barely breathe...

Around her everything had turned into crumbles, ashes and dust. Roses were wiltering one by one, surrounded by long pierced torns and ebony feathers all around. Darkened tears falling down her cheeks as the dizziness made it difficult to stand up. The dull sound of sorceres and the harsh screams of the trifarian legions outside of the crumbled Immortal Bastion rang in her ears along with hollow eerie -overlapping & menacing- voices

...Where was him?...

The lullaby of war singing outside, fighting to something they weren't able neither slightly prepared yet to stand against. He had returned to take what was always his. Centuries had passed. It didn't matter, he had been patient and ever scheming, and she had been too blind,  comfortable in her very own precious illusion of power. A lie to herself, and now the only thing remaining inside was the acute pain... both physically and emotionally.

...Where was him?!

Crawling herself in the shattered floor, feeling like torns piercing her skin with every movement, until finally finding destroyed furnitures to grasp to and help her stand. Every step is thousands of needles in her magicless emptity, as the air turns into a sharp dagger cutting her voice. Gasping for air as her golden hues, now a soft amber color & lacking any sense of power, scan the area with despair and agony, with craving, with need...

Until she founds him, there is him...

Thrown on the dark broken marble floor, feathers all around him as burnt mementos of cruel & unreachable glory. Destroyed raven wings, the bird unable to fly ever again. She screams his name in sorrow and torment, echoing against the walls. There's not cunning, nor affection, nor playfulness in her tone... all that could be heard and felt was her inmense turmoil. A maelstrom of desperation as she attemps to reach him, crumbling with every step. One single arm trembles, barely extending in her direction trying to reach her, as his bronze-colored eyes look at her...

She can smell the blood that pools around him, feel the terrifying pain he's into. The claw is lacking, atonishing and glowing red now gone... The demon was gone from his body, by his last tactic and resort, his last remain of a broken hope.

The Sorceress doesn't know where the last remainings of force come from as her pale form quickly reaches his form. They are running out of time, as the world is in flames around them, and the symphony they had played for long becomes a sad melody of farewells. Kneeling by his side, "Jericho... Mon Corbeau..." Her voice is softer that he would ever heard, as her hands gently craddle his head to rest on her lap instead of the cold and coarse floor, running her shivering fingers on his silver hair before caressing his cheek. They share smiles that spoke volumes of sadness and hopelessness, of recklessness, of powerless... and yet there's something subtle in them, as she traces his features with delicate fingertips in a loving gesture... ever-so careful anf gingerly, terrified of only enhance his discomfort even if he take a deep breath beneath her touch.

Both perhaps guess that after all that had been lived and shared, accomplished and obtained, loved and raised, there's not point on pretending any games anymore.

"You gave her the Demon..." Emilia quietly whispers, an affirmation almost turned into an inquirie as her chest tightens, knowing how minutes pas unmercilessly.

"And you... gave her your Magic, didn't you?"

"Our Daughter needs more if we are meant to fall down at the end. I only kept enough to find you..." Even in the closeness of the grasp of Kindred, even if he won't ever worship them, he still had that little grin of his when something would come by as he planned, wished or was simply amusing on tune. "...You raised her to be just as clever and skillful in your arcane sorcery as well as I did with my own prowless... We knew deep inside this day would come, and yet..." Her voice sounds hoarse, even if she tries to cover up for the tiredness.

"...Yet we never imagined it to be so close." He concludes her statement, his remaining hand looking to cover the one on his cheek, grasping it tightly, a signal for her to look into his eyes, to listen to him. "Now she will end this war for us both, for all Noxus..."

There's unmistakable pride in his tone when he talks about her. The strong woman their little crow had became. He could still recall the fragility of her form the first time she was in his arms, the joyful tone of her childhood, the cunning and intriguing ideas as she grew and then the desire to serve Noxus as properly as any other soldier could do. It had killed the hopes of Emilia to her behaving as a Queen in a sense, no, she was bold & far better than that.

And now she was out there, defending all the Noxian Empire for those who it belonged now. After the brieftest of exchanges and the longest of goodbyes. The last command he could give to Raum, the last petition to the Demon of Secrets who on the other hand wasn't a fool after all. There was more and more power hunger in the deal of their Daughter and her immense sorcery quality.

It was heartbreaking to let her go, and witness the crimson glow decorating now her amber eyes. Besides of course, feeling the guilt of passing such horrible burden onto the only light both of him could find in their own darkness. Now it was her time to lead, fight and command. And they knew she could...

Just as they also knew and feel how they were running out of time.

He looks up into her eyes once more. All the masks had fallen, all the games had ended, burnt roses and feathers together at the end of this story. What could be writen of them in books? What could be say of the Immortal Witch & the Raven General? Would they call them heros, tyrants, leaders, foes, fiends? Would they talk about their endless garden, their chess game? Who would place the ink that will carry them into the eternity? Or who would torn them from the pages into oblivion?

"Emilia" He calls her name and she snaps out of her deep thoughts on this little terrible last encounter. He doesn't need to tell her more words to understand as her caresses on his semblance come to a halt. The little last hints of arcane belonging to them still linger, entwining together as she carefully search in the folds of her silken dress. A little vial containing a silver liquid.

Only two drops, no more, was her usual message. A reminder. But now...

"Open your mouth, Jericho. Drink..." The Sorceress whispers with a voice about to break, as her eyes start to glisten on tears she tries not to shed. The pain surely most be unbearable at this point & that was the only comforting thoungt she could grasp from. He didn't hesitate, it was an still promise they would had, and she carried that vial with her everywere... hoping to never needing it.

Carefully, she tooks off her long silken scarves & folds them until being able to do a comforting pillow for her ally, her enemy, her lover, before moving parsimoniously as suffering continues running through her body. Regardless, there's no hesitation on her neither as carefully laying at his side, glazing on his eyes one last time, sharing silent conversations instead they usual games of daggers and coats.

The Enchantress leans in to kiss his lips, gently, lovingly, a farewell that drowns an eagerly whine. A plea. More time... she pleaded, nor matter if any of them were religious, she pleaded and promised to any god willing to listen, to the Kindred if there was any mercy of the Lamb and the Wolf, yet any pray above nor below entity could make the clock reverse.

The poisonous liquid stings her tongue and thoat as she keeps kissing him with all the will and energy she's able too, before her body is collapsing and trembling and the Grand General embraces her & pulls her close to him for her to rest. Emilia feels her tears shedding silently as her head craddles close to the sound of his heart, slowing down. Her pacing mimicking her own. It's in that moment, along with the sounds of what she can recognize as screams of glory from Trifarian Legions and Tropes. As if a Victory had being obtained... All the voices scream in obation their daughter's name.

The clock won't reverse, but time has chosen a new era of Glory to begin, in which they aren't pictured in but a remembrance. It's enough to her to hold on the hope

She looks up at his face, as his about to close his eyes into the painless and dreamless slumber of darkness. Would they encounter themselves there? Once more? Or their souls were meant to part? Crossed lovers like the poems dedicated to stars... together in a point of view, and yet so far in reality...

Oblivion seemed so terrifying, yet she only wanted both of them to find solace. No more horrors, no more maelstroms in their minds & souls, nevermore...

"Je t'aime..." She whispers, as her last breathing seems to come and so does his. It's a last confession on their death bed, as the world crumbled around them, only to offer pass to a new cycle.

"...Pour toujours."

[ ♦ ]

@visionofnoxus​

[incandescent-eden]

(The Song Of) Patroclus

Desc: ‘Let the gods keep Hercules and Orion and the heroes of yore. I have mapped and traveled and traced the constellations across Patroclus’s skin, watched his eyes twinkle with mirth, brighter than even the biggest stars.’ - Inspired by Madeline Miller’s The Song of Achilles, an ode to Patroclus, as seen from Achilles’s eyes

TW/CW: major character death, comparison to the gods, Hadestown reference

Word Count: 1178

They will say I am the greatest hero of our generation. They will sing my praises for centuries to come: Achilles, who was immortal except where his mother held him by his heel when she dipped him in the River Styx. Achilles, who hid, disguised among women, to avoid going to war. Achilles, who slew Hector, and in his grief, dragged his body around the city of Troy for seven days before he would listen to reason.

They will not say the reason his disrespect for the dead was heartbreak, that I grieved you.

They will not mention you at all, Patroclus, unless, perhaps, to say you were my companion.

Patroclus was Achilles’s companion, they will say, a mere afterthought.

But you are no afterthought, Patroclus. No bard will sing your praises, no future heroes will want to emulate you, and no constellations will be put in the sky in your image. They know not who Patroclus is.

Patroclus is the blue color of the sky. The brightest blue that sears into my eyes at midday, and I turn my head, and there you are. Patroclus is the soft tickle of the grass upon my cheek as I lie by the river, lazily watching the clouds. Patroclus is the shape in each cloud if I squint - there is the crook of his elbow, and - yes, there! - the way his shoulder and his neck form a curve when he watches the proceedings of the great generals intently. His eyes shine with the brightness of the sky, and he does not know I watch him in awe.

How else could anyone view him, after all? He is the vast expanse of the night sky, calming and wondrous, and bewitching. I crane my neck up to look, and there is Orion’s belt, and over there, Hercules, and there Andromeda. I recognize these constellations, remnants of heroes and stories of a bygone era, but I do not see them. I see instead Patroclus’s outline against the sky, the blackness of his hair, the few sparse freckles across his skin, nearly invisible in the moonlight. Let the gods keep Hercules and Orion and the heroes of yore. I have mapped and traveled and traced the constellations across Patroclus’s skin, watched his eyes twinkle with mirth, brighter than even the biggest stars.

Even the night sky where the gods put their favorite heroes to watch over us could not compare to Patroclus’s presence. He is the night itself, the sound of waves crashing against the distant shore, almost inaudible until one listens closely. The sultry stickiness of summer nights, the cool breeze that blows in from the window, the sweet dreams that leave me weeping with contentment, though I can barely remember them when I wake up. He is the sleep that comes with the nighttime, his gentle breathing by my side the rhythm carrying me until I finally drift away.

And he is the morning, too, the first rays of sunshine to greet me, the inertia of the night still clinging to my body, wrapping its arms around me and whispering temptations to simply stay in bed. He is still asleep. Patroclus, I whisper, but he does not stir, and all traces of sleep have vanished. I do not dare to close my eyes again because what if I do and he is gone when I reopen them?

But he is always there. Patroclus is synonymous with footsteps in the marketplace, following me. I never have to look back because I know he is there behind me, sometimes beside me, but always, always, he is there. He is the din of the agora, the dining hall, the war camp. I see him, hear him, there, in the confusion of large crowds, everyone pushing and shoving and pulling and calling. He tosses me a jagged knife, and everyone watches in horror as it grazes me, but does not break skin, and his face grows concerned. Sorry, Achilles, he says, and it is the only sound that matters in the entire crowd. He is my laugh as I tell him, throw me another. And he does, trusting me even though skepticism and guilt show blatant on his face.

And when we leave the crowds and their confusion, Patroclus is the peace beneath my favorite olive tree on the mountain. He is the sunrise coming up above the forest, the tops of the trees below black against the soft, blushing pink at the very edge of the gray sky where the earth and heavens meet. It’s so early, Achilles, he says, mumbling, as he rests his head on my shoulder, his eyes already closed once more as we sit on the dusty ground beneath the olive tree. His cheek is warm on my shoulder. I cannot watch the sunrise any longer, for how could Aurora compare to the pink in Patroclus’s cheeks, stark against dark skin? How can Helios, pulling his chariot high across the sky, measure up to my Patroclus as he lies below the olive tree, watching me climb higher and higher? What’s the view like up there? he asks me.

I glance down at him, through silver branches and gray green leaves. He smiles lazily when I catch his eye, his hands tucked beneath his black curls. The sunlight is filtered through the leaves above me, and his bronze skin is speckled in golden light and dark shadows.

It is beautiful, I tell him. I wish you could see the world as I do.

Perhaps another day, he says, too comfortable in his position to climb up to where I am. It is a hot day, after all, but it is cool in the shade of the tree. He does not understand my meaning.

Patroclus.

That is what they say when a soldier asks about the urn I keep. They never ask me. Whose ashes are inside? they ask, and someone else replies, Patroclus. Is that all you are now? Will they give you no glory but as my companion? Surely, these ashes are not all you are.

Patroclus is the sun, the most important thing in the world. I see him now, Patroclus, the sun. Apollo watches me. I see him, at Paris’s side, whispering in his ear. Paris holds a bow. Patroclus is that bow, slender and strong, and beautiful and the answer to all my prayers. Patroclus is Apollo’s sad smile as he looks in my eyes. He is there when Apollo says go, but whether he speaks to me or to Paris, I do not know. Patroclus is the arrow that finally pierces my heel, my one vulnerability, ready to take me to the underworld.

Is this how you felt, Patroclus? The world growing darker, the warmth slowly fading? It is so familiar I wonder whether I have been dying since the moment you died.

I cannot sing your praises any longer, Patroclus. I must go to where the living cannot hear me sing, to where there is light. To you.

I’m coming, Patroclus.

Wait for me.

[snugglyporos]

So thinking on it, I think the reason that I adore BNHA so much is the same reason I like old super sentai, and it’s that it reminds me of the silver age of comics. Which in my opinion, is the best age of comics. I know I’m a 90′s kid and I’m supposed to see things from the 90′s as nostalgic, but in my opinion the late 80′s and 90′s were the single worst era for comics. The ‘bronze/iron’ age of comics might have been the most profitable, but it was also the reason comics as a medium are basically dead today. 

Now that’s not to say the silver age is perfect. It’s a very, very flawed time. It’s full of casual racism and sexism that is absolutely awful and I want nothing to do with that. 

But when I say it’s the best, what I mean is that as a medium, it embodied the kinds of stories I as a reader like to read. Because it was a time when comics had a sense of wonder, when everything didn’t need to be over explained, when a hero’s biography didn’t read like a mental health warning label and every villain wasn’t just a different shade of serial killer. 

There’s a reason why the silver age solidified the characters in comics as we see them today. The golden age was defined by WW2, and past that, writers could tell more stories and explore more ideas. There’s a reason why characters like the Flash and Iron Man and Batman and Superman and Wonder Woman all trace their modern identities to this period. Because despite the Bronze age trying to make everything dark and gritty, it’s the Silver age that creates that sense of wonder. Yes, it can be overly simplistic and silly and absurd, but that’s what makes it fun, and comics and a lot of other mediums have lost this sense of fun. It’s why games like Overwatch do so well and have done so well when before that, shooters were bland and hyper realistic. The 2000′s era where everything was brown/grey/green military shooters is exactly like the Bronze age of comics. 

I often say Adam West’s batman is the best version of Batman, and I understand the view that it’s stupid and campy. But I will take that over proud racist Frank Miller’s the Dark Knight Strikes Back, which pretty much is where you get the dark and gritty batman. He’s also the guy who wrote I’m the goddamned batman, and a guy who wrote a book called Batman: The Master Race. He’s the guy who reinvented Daredevil to be red batman, and while people were super into the idea of a dark batman at the time, it didn’t age well at all. 

There’s a reason why the cartoons of superheros essentially focus on the Silver Age idea that wonder should come first. It’s not that they’re for children, it’s that they get superheroes right. Those ‘for children’ versions are a lot more adult than the comics that came out at the same time. Batman the Animated Series may have been a darker take, but it also kept that sense of suspense and wonder and mystery. It didn’t have Batman punching his sidekicks and hiding out in a submarine like a psychopath and plotting to kill all his friends because he’s little more than a paranoid conspiracy theorist. 

BNHA takes that sense of silver age wonder that I love, and it channels it for a modern audience. Yes, it can be seen as a bit basic morality wise, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Not everything has be super grey morality wise. There’s nothing wrong with good people being good people and doing good. Something can challenge you without being eternally morally gray. And the fact is, if everything is morally gray, then it’s not really challenging you, is it? 

The versions of heroes that I fell in love with have a lot more in common with BNHA than they do modern comics, and it’s why I’ve fallen in love with something that’s in many ways not intended for me. Because I see that there’s a real love of the same era that I love in there, that the writer has that same appreciation for what super heroes should be, and isn’t just trying to be dark and gritty to be ‘realistic.’ 

It’s the difference between BNHA and something like Berserk, a series that would probably commit unspeakable acts to the very word grimdark because it’s so afraid of happiness. It’s why one of the best comics ever made was What’s so Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way, a comic that debated the very thing I’m talking about now. 

What gets me about BNHA is that it’s clear that the author loves superheroes. He’s not trying to convince you that heroes aren’t heroes, that heroes are ultimately evil, that power always corrupts, that you’re a fool for believing in them. Ultimately, the author loves the subject he writes about, and it’s clear he’s imparting that upon the audience. He’s inviting us, the audience, to share his love with him. 

And it’s just wonderful. 

[thecomicsnexus]

Jimmy Olsen, Superman's Pal, Brings Back the Newsboy Legion!

SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN #133 OCTOBER 1970 BY JACK KIRBY, AL PLASTINO AND VINCE COLLETTA

SYNOPSIS (FROM DC WIKIA)

Jimmy Olsen is paired with the new Newsboy Legion, the sons of the original boy heroes plus Flippa-Dippa, a newcomer, to investigate the Wild Area, a strange community outside of Metropolis. 

The boys are given a super-vehicle called the Whiz Wagon for transport. When Clark Kent shows concern for Jimmy, Morgan Edge, owner of Galaxy Broadcasting and the new owner of the Daily Planet, secretly orders a criminal organization called Inter-Gang to kill him. But Kent survives the attempt, and later hooks up with Jimmy and the Newsboy Legion in the Wild Area. 

The youths have met the Outsiders, a tribe of young people who live in a super-scientific commune called Habitat, and have won leadership of the Outsiders' gang of motorcyclists. Jimmy and company go off in search of a mysterious goal called the Mountain of Judgment, and warn Superman not to stop them.

THE BRONZE AGE OF COMICS

The Bronze Age retained many of the conventions of the Silver Age, with traditional superhero titles remaining the mainstay of the industry. However, a return of darker plot elements and story lines more related to relevant social issues, such as racism, drug use, alcoholism, urban poverty, and environmental pollution, began to flourish during the period, prefiguring the later Modern Age of Comic Books.

There is no one single event that can be said to herald the beginning of the Bronze Age. Instead, a number of events at the beginning of the 1970s, taken together, can be seen as a shift away from the tone of comics in the previous decade.

One such event was the April 1970 issue of Green Lantern, which added Green Arrow as a title character. The series, written by Denny O'Neil and penciled by Neal Adams, focused on "relevance" as Green Lantern was exposed to poverty and experienced self-doubt.

Later in 1970, Jack Kirby left Marvel Comics, ending arguably the most important creative partnership of the Silver Age (with Stan Lee). Kirby then turned to DC, where he created The Fourth World series of titles starting with Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #133 in October 1970. Also in 1970 Mort Weisinger, the long term editor of the various Superman titles, retired to be replaced by Julius Schwartz. Schwartz set about toning down some of the more fanciful aspects of the Weisinger era, removing most Kryptonite from continuity and scaling back Superman's nigh-infinite—by then—powers, which was done by veteran Superman artist Curt Swan together with groundbreaking author Denny O'Neil.

The beginning of the Bronze Age coincided with the end of the careers of many of the veteran writers and artists of the time, or their promotion to management positions and retirement from regular writing or drawing, and their replacement with a younger generation of editors and creators, many of whom knew each other from their experiences in comic book fan conventions and publications. At the same time, publishers began the era by scaling back on their super-hero publications, canceling many of the weaker-selling titles, and experimenting with other genres such as horror and sword-and-sorcery.

The era also encompassed major changes in the distribution of and audience for comic books. Over time, the medium shifted from cheap mass market products sold at newsstands to a more expensive product sold at specialty comic book shops and aimed at a smaller, core audience of fans. The shift in distribution allowed many small-print publishers to enter the market, changing the medium from one dominated by a few large publishers to a more diverse and eclectic range of books.

JACK KIRBY

In 1968 and 1969, Joe Simon was involved in litigation with Marvel Comics over the ownership of Captain America, initiated by Marvel after Simon registered the copyright renewal for Captain America in his own name. According to Simon, Kirby agreed to support the company in the litigation and, as part of a deal Kirby made with publisher Martin Goodman, signed over to Marvel any rights he might have had to the character.

At this same time, Kirby grew increasingly dissatisfied with working at Marvel, for reasons Kirby biographer Mark Evanier has suggested include resentment over Lee's media prominence, a lack of full creative control, anger over breaches of perceived promises by publisher Martin Goodman, and frustration over Marvel's failure to credit him specifically for his story plotting and for his character creations and co-creations. He began to both write and draw some secondary features for Marvel, such as "The Inhumans" in Amazing Adventures volume two, as well as horror stories for the anthology title Chamber of Darkness, and received full credit for doing so; but in 1970, Kirby was presented with a contract that included such unfavorable terms as a prohibition against legal retaliation. When Kirby objected, the management refused to negotiate any contract changes. Kirby, although he was earning $35,000 a year freelancing for the company, subsequently left Marvel in 1970 for rival DC Comics, under editorial director Carmine Infantino.

Kirby spent nearly two years negotiating a deal to move to DC Comics, where in late 1970 he signed a three-year contract with an option for two additional years. He produced a series of interlinked titles under the blanket sobriquet "The Fourth World", which included a trilogy of new titles — New Gods, Mister Miracle, and The Forever People — as well as the extant Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen. Kirby picked the latter book because the series was without a stable creative team and he did not want to cost anyone a job. The three books Kirby originated dealt with aspects of mythology he'd previously touched upon in Thor.

 The New Gods would establish this new mythos, while in The Forever People Kirby would attempt to mythologize the lives of the young people he observed around him. The third book, Mister Miracle was more of a personal myth. The title character was an escape artist, which Mark Evanier suggests Kirby channeled his feelings of constraint into. Mister Miracle's wife was based in character on Kirby's wife Roz, and he even caricatured Stan Lee within the pages of the book as Funky Flashman. The central villain of the Fourth World series, Darkseid, and some of the Fourth World concepts, appeared in Jimmy Olsen before the launch of the other Fourth World books, giving the new titles greater exposure to potential buyers. The Superman figures and Jimmy Olsen faces drawn by Kirby were redrawn by Al Plastino, and later by Murphy Anderson. 

Kirby later produced other DC series such as OMAC, Kamandi, The Demon, and Kobra, and worked on such extant features as "The Losers" in Our Fighting Forces. Together with former partner Joe Simon for one last time, he worked on a new incarnation of the Sandman. Kirby produced three issues of the 1st Issue Special anthology series and created Atlas The Great, a new Manhunter, and the Dingbats of Danger Street.

Kirby's production assistant of the time, Mark Evanier, recounted that DC's policies of the era were not in sync with Kirby's creative impulses, and that he was often forced to work on characters and projects he did not like. Meanwhile, some artists at DC did not want Kirby there, as he threatened their positions in the company; they also had bad blood from previous competition with Marvel and legal problems with him. Since he was working from California, they were able to undermine his work through redesigns in the New York office.

REVIEW

If you are a ninenties creature like me, you remember all these concepts very well, because they came back in the form of Cadmus in the superman titles of the “triangle” era. This is proof that Kirby left a big legacy on more than one company. It is sometimes hard to tell where Kirby starts and where other writers come in. It is hard to tell on his Marvel work at least (and Stan Lee would often take credit for Kirby’s work). So the Fourth World is a good place to check on the real Jack Kirby. Away from Joe Simon, away from Stan Lee.

Now, about this issue. As I said, I knew most of these things from the 90′s Superman titles (that was also the last time Jimmy Olsen mattered). But I have to imagine what it was like to new readers... Jimmy Olsen readers in particular, that a few months ago were reading about Superman trying to prevent Jimmy (an adult) from being adopted. I also have to have in mind that comic-book readers were probably very aware of who Jack Kirby was. The sixties were pretty much dominated by Marvel, and a big part of that success was because of Kirby. But, as I said before, Stan Lee would take the media and take credit for everything. So I am not sure how aware casual readers were with Jack Kirby.

If they weren’t, by this issue they probably were, as DC did a lot of fanfare about the fact that Kirby was coming to DC. Some people compared Bendis coming to DC to this period of time in particular. While there are similarities, it is too early too judge Bendis legacy at this point in time.

The story in this issue is ok. There are a lot of characters and plots being introduced. It’s the first appearance of Morgan Edge, the Wild Area, the Outsiders, the Newsboy Legion (Junior) and other concepts. It is important to remark that this Newsboy Legion is not the golden age version of that group. They are the sons of the originals (and they look pretty much the same... and dress the same). Flip is a bit weird, though. I am pretty sure he doesn’t need the scuba kit on all the time. I will be reviewing the original Newsboy Legion in the golden age reviews.

The art is better than the usual Kirby style, but as it was said above, Al Plastino redrew Superman and Jimmy’s faces. This was common practice at DC, as they didn’t want their most emblematic characters changing too much from issue to issue.

I give this issue a score of 8

[rednether]

Superman - My Starter Pack

Inspired by @davidmann95​‘s own post, where he does basically the same thing. recommending people where to start in regards to reading Superman.

I do think that to begin with, this is still what I’d read in general about Superman. and what appeals to me in terms of being about the character.

1. All-Star Superman

Whats It’s About: Superman saves the first-manned mission to the sun, led by Dr. Leo Quintum of P.R.O.J.E.C.T., which has been sabotaged by Lex Luthor via him sending a genetically modified suicide bomb in human. Superman manages to save the ship and it’s crew, but ends up powered beyond the norm to fatal levels. as a result, he’s now dying due to solar overexposure. leaving Superman with only a year to live. this is his last deeds.

Why You Should Read It: It’s Superman at his greatest and finest, written and drawn by what could be debated is the greatest writer and artist duo in all of history. it’s not just the best Superman story of all time, it is factually and objectively the best superhero story period (to quote Davidman). on one hand, I’d recommend reading this last because it does kinda read better the more you know and like Superman. on the other, I recommend to just drop in blind because it’s an out of continuity book that doesn’t require you to have read the mainstream comics. 

2. Grant Morrison’s Action Comics

What’s It’s About: The debut of a depowered Golden Age-esque social crusader Superman clad in a T-shirt and Jeans in the modern day, fighting corrupt politicians and rich people suppressing the weak and the oppressed. before basically moving to the Silver Age by fighting the very alien Brainiac after spending his career so far as a Bully Hunter. signified by him starting to work at the Daily Planet and moving from the Daily Star. as the forgotten first Superman, Adam Blake returns to Earth to take away Lois’ niece, Susan Tompkins before the planet is destroyed. Superman decides to kill off Clark Kent because he feels he outgrew him, while ultimately coming to blows with Captain Comet and convincing the latter to turn over a new page at the end of their fight. Vyndktvx finally enacts his plan, attacking the Man of Steel at all points of his life alongside the Anti-Superman Squad and their wild card, Super-Doomsday. though Superman ultimately wins through tricking him to say his name backward by having the entire Earth including himself say their names backwards thus banishing Vyndktvx back to the Fifth Dimension.

Why You Should Read It: It’s the definitive Superman blueprint, merging the character’s Pre-Crisis life from the three eras he was in: Golden, Silver and Bronze ages with some small aspects of his Post-Crisis history (Super-Doomsday for example), creating a definitive Superman who spans all of his life in a consistent manner. 

3. Greg Pak’s Action Comics

What’s It’s About: Superman reunites with childhood friend as well as one-and--off love interest Lana Lang years later, after her departure from Smallville when they were teenagers.as they investigate an ancient civilization that lives deep beneath the earth that is full of bizarre and appears dangerous while attempting to decide which race needs their protection the most, humanity or the underworlders? two months later, after the conflict with Doomsday that resulted in Superman almost turning completely into the beast itself as well as Brainiac’s latest attack. Lana and her lover John Henry Irons travel to Smallville for a vacation, only to discover that the graves of her parents have been mysteriously dug up and the corpses gone.Lana’s parents seemingly back from the dead as zombies, meanwhile. Clark Kent has started placing more importance on his secret identity, helping rebuild Metropolis even while he has a feeling that something appears off. so he flies to Smallville to check on it, only to discover a mysterious fog surrounding it and that he can’t initially get through, getting teleported miles away when he tries to get in.ultimately Superman does make it through, discovering that the dead are seemingly walking amongst the living, not just the Langs. to his horror, he now discovers he can’t make it out. all the while, something is wrong with Smallville’s denizens who appear to have developed psychic ablities as a monster from the Phantom Zone called the Ultra Humanite has made it through to Earth, feeding off the fear, terror and darkness found in everyone. including Superman himself.

Why You Should Read It: One is an Science Fantasy story starring Superman and Lana Lang also taking inspiration from sources like Indiana Jones, which is awesome. As they investigate an ancient civilization that has secretly existed beneath the Earth all this time, the other is what a sci-fi horror starring Superman as the main protagonist look. being bone-chilling enough while still being more than inspiring enough, Greg Pak also is the only writer who truly expanded on in some fashion what Morrison set up in his own run. allowing Superman to save the day while also giving him pyrrhic victories.

4. Batman/Superman

What’s It’s About: A still young Superman and Batman have their first initially forgotten meeting, where they initially fight against each other. before being transported into another parallel world by a rogue goddess, while some things appear the same, others appear distinctly different. The two rookie heroes end up meeting and teaming up with older more experienced versions of themselves to get home. Years later, the World’s Finest remember said alternate earth with the alternate versions of themselves. They’re given a second chance to save Earth 2 and it’s version of the the Trinity, though they ultimately choose not to intervene too much. Angering Kaiyo, who teleports the three of them back to Prime Earth while also erasing the memories of Superman and Batman. leaving them completely different people than they normally are. And it’s up to Lois Lane to convince the amnesiac Batman as well as a Superman who’s lacking his moral compass to remember who they truly are. After that, a mysterious foe obsessed with Superman who knows all of his secrets begins killing all those who ever stood by him just to thoroughly his true target. Superman now has a Joker of his own, It falls to the Caped Crusader and the Man of Steel to track the murderous madman and stop him, but with no real clues and leads to follow will they ultimately be outsmarted?

Why You Should Read It: Greg Pak begins his winning streak, developing Superman and Batman into the heroes they’re meant to be as they become the best friends they normally are. from a rough-and-tumble social crusader Idealist Superman and a Batman who has no interest in running his company, preferring to spend his time being in disguise as he watches kids beating each other up in the streets.

5. Superman: Birthright

What’s It’s About: Clark Kent is a man with no direction who is a freelance reporter, fighting for truth and justice. Traveling the world, he tries to get a handle on what it is that he wants to do. But with the tragic passing of the Ghuri political leader and human rights activists Kobe Asuru he decides to return home, having decided to learn more about his alien heritage. Opting to become Superman, he takes the cloth from his ship and turns it into a costume. transforming Clark Kent into a disguise alongside it. He moves to Metropolis, getting hired by the Daily Planet.

Why You Should Read It: It’s the best canon origin story for Superman, bringing back his teenage-hood  friendship with Lex Luthor. Making Clark Kent accepting of his alien heritage once more after Byrne changed it so Superman completely disowned the fact he was from Krypton. it manages to humanize the character while not changing him to the point that he’s completely unrecognizable or that you forget that this is Superman.

6. Superman: American Alien

What’s It’s About: Superman as one of us, done correctly. Clark Kent here is the true identity, with Superman being a pair of tights and nothing more. seven important events from Clark’s life that shape the way he thinks without even realizing it sometime, such as realizing that it’s OK to be strange. realizing that only he can help in certain scenarios, learning to expand his horizons. deciding  to finally use his powers actively to help people, his first encounter with a supervillain. the power going to his head, not thinking about the implication. becoming obsessed with Krypton which leads to him being called out on it, learning to move on and accept the fact that he’s been raised as a human, on Earth even if in his mental state.

Why You Should Read It: It’s seven disconnected tales from all through out Clark Kent’s life, from when he’s eight to when he’s around 25. Citing his development into Superman, that he is still just so damn nice that he just wants to help with no strings attached or have to be manipulated into. With no tragedy influencing him, that he can just no longer stand aside and watch as people die. so he stops doing so, beginning to actively help because he just wants to. Because that is his better nature.

7. Superman: Kryptonite Nevermore

What’s It’s About: An experiment turns all Kryptonite on Earth to iron,  rendering Superman truly invulnerable,but a mysterious doppelganger of the Man of Steel with the ability to steal his powers and weaken him is born as a result, can Superman save his adopted home planet and defeat this devious clone of his without coming into direct contact with it so as to not destroy the Earth?

Why You Should Read It: Also more accurately known unofficially as The Sandman Saga, this is the story that kicked off the Bronze Age era of Superman. toning down Superman’s insane strength to more manageable levels, as he was no longer able to juggle planets and fly to the other end of the universe with ease. additionally making him somewhat wiser and a more human character.

8. Superman Smashes the Klan

What’s It’s About:  The year is 1946. Teenagers Roberta and Tommy Lee just moved with their parents from Chinatown to the center of Metropolis, home to the famous hero, Superman. Tommy makes friends quickly, while Roberta pines for home. Then one night, the family awakens to find their house surrounded by the Klan of the Fiery Kross! Superman leaps into action, but his exposure to a mysterious green rock has left him weak. Can Roberta and Tommy help him smash the Klan?

Why You Should Read It: An important tale about the dangers of genuine racism that is especially relevant nowadays, what with Trump’s supporters running rampant and lashing out at black people due to their skin color & nothing more.

[rukopisi-ne-gore]

Basketball in the veins: A brief history of Serbian basketball

Part One: The Beginning Part Two: The Golden Era Part Three: The European Nightmare Part Four: The Last Golden Sparkle Part Five: The Written Offs

Part Six: The Return of the Written Offs

‘‘Povratak otpisanih’‘ (The Return of the Written Offs) is the successor of tv show ‘’Otpisani’‘ (The Written Offs)

‘’Imagine, Europe, how broad are the shoulders of those who lift the love of an entire nation to the basket. How big a motive is being told ‘’It’s nice you came, but you don’t stand a chance.‘’ Had we ever allowed ourselves to be guided by other’s projections, we would’ve disappeared a long time ago. We don’t rely on the possible. We believe in the impossible. It doesn’t matter that we’re playing far from our homeland, we carry the spirit of our ancestors in our hearts. This is not a team that plays for something. This is a team that plays for someone.‘’ – anonymous

In 2008 Dušan Ivković was once again appointed as the head coach of our national team and he took upon himself to start creating a new talented and prosperous team, and he had everything he needed to do so. The year before that was the year our youth teams excelled at the international stage and showed unprecedented domination. Our U20, U18 and U16 teams all won gold medals at the European championships, while our U19 team won gold at the World championship.

The 2009 Eurobasket is the first tournament I can say I really remember. I may have watched the previous ones, but I was too young to know anything. My knowledge about the tournaments prior to this one comes from researches and re-watching old games (lots of them can be found on youtube).

Following the series of bad results, Serbia had to play qualifiers for this tournament, for the first time since 1995 (and if you remember, that year we played in the qualifications because we failed to qualify directly due to sanctions, not because the results were unsatisfactory). That kind of gives you the picture of the state of Serbian basketball at the time. Dušan Ivković, the coach of our national team, decided to rely on young players. The average age of our national team at this tournament was 22.5, and a lot of players who form the backbone of our national team today were called up (Miloš Teodosić, Nemanja Bjelica, Miroslav Raduljica, Milan Mačvan…)

We started this championship with a bang, the win over Spain came rather unexpectedly. However, the euphoria soon subsided, as we lost our next game to Slovenia. We faced Zmajčeki again in the semifinals, but we were victorious this time. It was Miloš Teodosić, a 22-year-old point guard, who shone against Slovenia, scoring 32 points. The team then played against Spain again but failed to repeat the performance from the group stage and had to settle for the silver medal. This tournament, however, witnessed all the splendor of our talents and beauty of basketball.

And now we come to the tournament I’d really like to forget. Really. If someone told me ‘’You can choose one thing from your life you want to forget about’’ I’d quite probably ask them to erase the 2010 FIBA World Cup from my mind. Like.. take everything, leave only Teodosić’s three-pointer against Spain.

The tournament started pretty well, we ended first in our group, even Argentina had to lay down their arms before our team. We went on to beat Croatia in the eight-finals and were to meet Spain in the quarter-final. Miloš Teodosić’s three pointer with 3 seconds left on the clock is one of the best moments I’ve witnessed in my life.

Teodosić’s three-pointer over Garbajosa (turn the volume down, it’s really loud)

But then came the semifinal. I usually refuse to talk about this game. I don’t like recalling that last attack. I don’t like recalling the interviews of our players after the game. I don’t like recalling the feeling of void left after that match. After that semifinal I watched the bronze medal game like a zombie. I completely erased that match from my memory, I know nothing about it. I even had to check who we were playing against (Lithuania) because when the game against Turkey ended everything went black. The tournament ended.

A year later FIBA apologized, said they were aware that refs’ decisions had decided the winner of the semifinal. I’m sorry, but we have absolutely nothing from your apology. I know things like this happen in sports, perhaps that’s why I’d like to forget it. I shouldn’t be this upset about it, especially not 8 years later. I don’t feel that aggrieved at those particular mistakes, it’s just painful to remember we played great at that tournament and still came home without a medal.

A Dry Spell

The format of Eurobasket was changed just ahead of the tournament in Lithuania in 2011, it was expanded and included 24 teams instead of just 16. Serbia finished second in group B after beating Italy, Latvia, Israel and Germany and falling short against France (Duško Savanović missed the shot for the win and France prevailed 97-96). Win over Turkey in the newly formed group E was enough for a place in the quarter-final. After losing to Russia, we had one more chance to get something out of this tournament. The sixth place would at least secure playing additional qualifiers for the London Olympics, but we lost to Greece. Since we failed to book a place at the Olympic tournament and the following Eurobasket (we had to play qualifiers), the championship was labelled as unsuccessful.

The 2013 Eurobasket in Slovenia saw a slight improvement compared to the previous one. After topping the group, we played against Belgium, Ukraine and France. The unexpected loss against Ukraine slightly ruined the mood after the starting win over Belgium, but the team still managed to step up and score the biggest win of the tournament – the ‘’Eagles’’ downed France 77:65. The road ended in the quarterfinal, after the clash with Spain (who ended fourth in their group and, after a rather suspicious loss to Italy, managed to avoid France in the knock-out phase and schedule a game against Serbia). The goal was now the seventh place, which would guarantee a spot at the World Championship. After reaching the said goal, Dušan Ivković decided to say goodbye to the national team and was replaced by Aleksandar Đorđević.

The Đorđević Era - Back to Top

2014 World Cup

After disappointing results at the Eurobasket, expectations were not great when the team travelled to Spain in 2014. Games played in the group phase didn’t help change the general picture, as we lost matches against Brazil, France (both by a close margin) and hosts Spain. However, the knock-out phase was a different story.

We first faced Greece, team that finished top of their group, but as it turned out – that didn’t matter. From this moment on, our team started playing better, we played beautiful basketball which brought us good results.

Play of the game: Kalinić’s dunk over Bourousis

Now onto Brazil. Quarter-final is gerenally considered crucial, as it separates the teams fighting for medals and those going home empty-handed. Led by Teodosić, the team soared to an 84-56 win, thanks mostly to the third quarter (29-12).

Bogdanović’s three-pointer ‘‘from another planet’‘

Ah, the semifinal against France… The game we had an 18-point lead and almost bottled it.That last quarter and Nicolas Batum’s three-pointers (4 in the last quarter only, 8 in total; 35 points!) – that’s kinda what a nightmare looks like. France scored 39 points in that quarter, our lead was cut to 3 points and the entire nation almost collapsed collectively. Normal heart rate was restored when Marko Simonović’s free throws sealed the victory and the clock showed 00:00. It was over. We reached the final of the World Cup for the first time since 2002. The opponent? The USA. Long time no see.

The final was pretty one-sided. One team was in control, and it wasn’t us. But it was a joy to watch our team play beautiful, team basketball against a superior opponent, I loved those alley-oops when we were already losing by more than 30 points.

Bjelica’s dunk (sorry for the bad quality, it was important to capture Davis’ reaction as well)

Jović-Štimac alley-oop

The captain Nenad Krstić decided to bid farewell to the national team after this tournament, having worn the Serbia jersey for ten years. Our winning the silver medal is considered the biggest surprise of that championship. And the entire country was ecstatic: basketball was back.

2015 Eurobasket

After the great reasult at the 2014 World Cup, Serbia went to the Eurobasket as one of the main candidates for the title. We ended up in what you'd call ''the group of death'' which featured Spain, Turkey, Italy and Germany, along with Iceland. However, we dominated the group and recorded five wins. The closest game was against the group hosts Germany (yes I included this fact only to show you the last action after the timeout. Bjelica scored in the last moments of the game)

Bjelica wins it with 0.7 seconds to go

We downed Finland and the Czech Republic in the knock-out phase before facing Lithuania in the semifinal. Lots of things were on the line: we were playing against one of our biggest rivals for a place in the final which would, along with securing a medal, guarantee a spot at the Rio Olympics. It was a tough game, Lithuania were leading by more than 10 points at one moment, but the scoring runs came in waves, and we managed to cut their lead to just one point with 13 seconds to go (see Teodosić's amazing three-pointer below). Then Lithuania were awarded a foul and free-throws, but Seibutis scored only one and the ball got to Bogdanović. He tried to score and secure overtime, but he missed and, as referees decided not to call a foul on him, Lithuania won. We went on to play the bronze medal game, but we didn't have enough strength to stop France who were cheered on by more than 20 000 people. So we ended up without a medal even though we recorded 7 wins and 2 losses. But oh well, you know how it goes, it's not important how many games you've lost, but which ones.

Teodosić’s three-pointer against Lithuania (yes I know it’s bad, but it’s the best one I could find)

2016 Rio Olympics

As the fourth-placed team at the Eurobasket, we got to play the additional qualifiers so as to secure the Olympic visa. As the hosts of one of the qualifying tournaments, we beat Puerto Rico and Angola in the group, the Czech Republic in the semifinal and then downed Puerto Rico once again in the final.

We reached the knock-out phase of the Olympics after a 2-3 record in the group (wins against Venezuela and China, and losses against Australia, France and the USA). The game against the USA was pretty interesting tho. We played an amazing game and the USA ran away with it after we missed the last shot.

Teodosić’s amazing no-look pass against the USA (it’s bad I know, but here’s a video if it helps (I would’ve put a video here but I’ve reached the limit, only 5 videos are allowed). The video is equally bad tho)

The quarterfinal game brought forth a clash with Croatia. Incredible team defence and Bogdanović's fine shooting form resulted in another win over our (arguably) greatest rivals and we moved on to the semifinal. There, awaiting, was Australia. We played our best game of the tournament allowing the opponent to score only 14 points in two quarters. The final game against the USA was completely different from the one we played in the group phase. Americans were in control the enitre time and won their 15th Olympic gold. We won our first Olympic medal after 20 years and silver in Atlanta. Our women's team also won a medal: they beat France in the third-place game.

Fun fact: same countries won medal in both men's and women's basketball - USA, Serbia and Spain. After this tournament Stefan Marković decided to retire from the national team and I'm still not over it.

2017 Eurobasket

So, this was an incredibly stressful period. The problems appeared before the tournament even started. Aleksandar Đorđević had a hard time coming up with the roster for this Eurobasket because many players decided or were forced to miss the tournament. First one to say ''no'' was Nikola Jokić, who had problems with his club. Then injuries piled up during the preparation period, Đorđević was forced to write off Raduljica, Simonović, Bjelica, Teodosić, Nedović and Kalinić. To sum up: we were to play without 8 players who helped win medals in the previous period, which was a big setback. We went from title contenders to ''will barely reach the konck-out phase'' real quick. The coach, however, refused to comment on missing players and focused on doing the best he could with the ones he could count on.

We went on to top the group (thank you to Latvia for their little gift and win over Russia, we owe every single player on their roster a bottle of rakija). We beat Hungary and Italy on our way to the semifinal, where we once again encountered Russia led by Alexey Shved. We were willing to get even with them after they beat us in the group stage, and they were keen on ending their bad streak and winning their first medal since 2012. We didn't manage to stop Shved (he scored 33 points, actually), but we still won and reached another final. Vasilije Micić's three pointer (I'm pretty sure this was his first one at the tournament (I may be wrong tho). He tried so many times but he either missed or stepped on the line so he was awarded two points insted of three. One time he actually scored a three pointer it turned out it was after the time ran out. Unlucky) and several actions executed by Bogdanović won it for us. The decisive moment was probably Bogdanović's three-pointer with less than 2 minutes to go. I know this because that's when I started crying. I start crying when I realise it's over (no matter the outcome, tears are guaranteed if we win and if we lose).

Ah, the final. One of those games my brain chose to simply erase from my memory (why didn't you do that with that game from 2010 @ brain??). I don't remember most of it, but I do remember the decisive moment (you know, the one I started crying). Kuzmić's missed free-throws, followed by Prepelič's long-distance two-pointer. We won another silver medal, still a great achievement and a nice way to shut the mouth of those who said we wouldn't make it past group phase.

Aleksandar Đorđević made history, being the first ever person to play the finals of the World Champioship, Olympic Games and European Championship as both player and coach. Moreover, he was never knocked-out before the semifinal.

So that's it. That's our basketball story so far. Emphasis on so far because there are many more things to come, and I'll be happy to continue telling this story as we open new chapters.

[thegamemasterlovesyou]

Myrgh’Or

So, after four years of world building, I’m publishing it, so you can use it, or suggest me anything. This is a constant work in progress, and reflects how I see it today. For my world, I have numerous sources of inspiration, including obvious ones like Terry Pratchett or John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, Homer, George Raymond Richard Martin’s work, or artworks like Skyrim, Tales of Symphonia, Dishonored, or other myths from Greek and Scandinavian mythology. It is not plagiarism, it is pastiche. Keep in mind English is not my mother tongue, and some grammatical mistake can and will appear. 

I The World

Myrgh’Or is a continent, on a back of a giant Tarasque, the Terrasque. It turns around it self, giving nights and days, and revolves around a star, giving the years. Each year is divided in 12 months of 4 weeks each. Each week is divided in 5 days:

Dyddwaz

Kraendydd

Nordydd

Visdydd

DyddMor

Each days is named after a major divinity, which we give more detail in the next section.

Most of Myrgh’Or has a temperate climate. It gets warmer at the very south near the Great Mor’s Beak, and dry in the south-west in the Gado Desert. Temperatures can go very low near the Black Massif on the est, and Mount Caer Estae north-west. Except for the Gado Desert (which is due to a singularity in the Terrasque), the continent has green plains and large forests.

II The Mythology and Folklore

Before the age of the mortals, were the Thamerians, powerful magical creatures. They built an entire empire across the back of the Terrasque, leaving ruins and foundations of the major actual cities. Resourceful as they were, they built machines to help them in they everyday life, more and more sophisticated. At first, those machines were made out of metal, powered by energy cores (brilliantly called thamercores) but they improved their techniques and began making creatures made out of flesh and blood. But they were fragile and imperfect, as they didn’t last long, so the Thamerians, and especially one, called Vissaus, kept improving her creatures. Thus were created the humans, elves, and other task-specific creatures such as the dwarfs and the haffling. His dear friend and rival Kraenn thought they were too complicated for their purpose, and took inspiration to make the fauna, from the smallest fish to the greatest dragon, in order to help keeping the flora that had emerged from the back of the Terrasque, viable, and the fauna in a delicate balance. When any creature was broken (or dead) one of them: Mor, would take it away, giving it to Vissaus or Kraenn again.

Some tensions were built between the Thamerians, that eventually lead to war. Many Thamerians perished, and the survivors gave freedom, wisdom and knowledge to their creatures before leaving the continent. They were lead by Waz’kry, his brother Mor and his lieutenants Nordyr, Vissaus and Kraenn. They were eventually raised to the status of gods by the remaining population.

However, not every Thamerians were approving this liberation, and took revenge on this humiliation by attacking and tormenting the mortals. Nordyr help them, by giving them weapons to defend themselves against Naard’s assaults. When a more stable peace was achieved, they eventually went to the head of the Terrasque, minding their own business, while sometimes sending avatars to meet with the mortals, often from the creation of Kraenn, or Vissaus.

Waz’kry became the god of the gods, patron of justice. His avatar is a phoenix.

Mor became the god of death, and took the nickname “the Great Mor”, taking away deceased creatures when their time has come. His avatar is a pale humanoid that morphs into a crow.

Vissaus became the goddess of knowledge, arts and science. Her patron is also a humanoid, helping mortals solving problems.

Kraenn became the god of nature. His patron is a deer, guiding lost persons.

Nordyr became the god of war, travelers and merchants. His patron is a grey wolf.

Other Thamerians were also elevated to gods, among them: Tralunac, god of chaos, Naard, god of destructions, and other.

III History of the Mortals

Before leaving, some of the Thamerians left behind creatures of their own as a legacy, becoming Celestial beings and Tieffling, perceived as half-gods. Some of them, such as Hippolyte Waznal, son of Waz’kry, and his cousin Mornal were called to rule over the other mortals, making Waznal the emperor of Myrgh’Or, and starting the first era. 

The calendar counts four eras so far. The first era starts at the foundation of the empire at its former capital city Vis Lyann ; and ends and year 317, during the revolt of the half-elves. As they were too human for elves and to elven for humans, they were segregated, until things went out of control. They founded the independent city of Skysod, on a low hill to the west of Vis Lyann, while the other mortals went south to the city of Val Magar, making it the new capital of Myrgh’Or.

The second era ends in year 553, by the end of the siege of Blüm, in the Gado Desert, that was independent city so far. In the same time, the half-elves of Skysod surrendered and accepted a peace trade with the empire. Those two cities would still have their own government, but be under the guardianship of Val Magar.

The third era ends in year 1072, when Theophrastus Mornal, son of the Great Mor, kills the last dragon, after almost 1500 years of crusade, to prove to his peers his valor and power. Some say that the dragon wrath first came from him, but it was this wrath again other mortals that lead Theophrastus on his killing spree.

The fourth and current era is now at 92 years of relative peace, even though about 50 years ago, the son of Theophrastus, Seth Mornal wanted to do as his father and began a cult to kill all lizardfolks (the Saurians) and Goblin. (He wanted to kill orcs as well, but they were to strong for him). He eventually got stopped quickly by the imperial armies, but many suffered from his insane crusade. This came from a long time racism from humanoids against other thinking creatures, especially from the Haffling toward the Saurians.

IV Geopolitics

IV-a Governments

The contient is divided in six regions, with their own capital. The first is the region of Val Magar, in the center of the continent, and heart of the empire. Up north, there is the region of Vis Lyann, city of the archmage and the paladins; west Vis Norgur, great harbor and gateway to Blüm; south-est Dallah Rom, important economic city, at the crossroad of the north and south; south Strâtos, city of the Grey Elves; and south-west Blüm, formerly independent. Skysod is in the region of Vis Lyann.

Each region has its own leader, its Thael, often chosen by the emperor, or first offspring of the last late Thael; except for Dallah Rom, were the Thael has been overthrown by the local bourgeoisie and installed an elected government. 

Each Thael (or equivalent, looking at you Dallah Rom) has its own army, but has to respond to the Empire. However, any military title from the empire is treated one rank under when dealing with local army. For instance, a sergeant of the imperial army will be considered as a corporal in any other army. This is to prevent abuse of power between the imperial armies and the local armies.

Every town has their color scheme and symbol. Val Magar is a silver tower, with two swords crossing in the background. The tower represents the emperor’s tower. Vis Lyann is a golden tower, with a green shield in front. The tower is the former emperor’s tower, now the paladin’s academy and archmage’s tower. Vis Norgur is three bronze manatees in top of each other, on a blue background. Blüm is a golden kopesh, with red gems on the side on a bronze background. Dallah Rom is an ox with dagger for horns, in front of a green background. Stätos is an eagle-owl with a scroll in its claws, over a marine-blue background. And the Empire is a flaming phoenix, over a red and silver background.

IV-b Villages and other cites

Each city has its own local government, of a mayor, chosen by the Thael, and several councilmen or councilwomen, chosen by the mayor. 

Folks of the same races tend to gather into communities, forming cites. Lymbôs, in the Vis Lyann region and in the Noras forest, is mainly populated by wood elves. Bald’huin, in the region of Dallah Rom, in the Black Massif, is mainly populated by dwarfs. Mortas, in the Mortas forest, in the region of Stâtos, is mainly populated by dark elves and night elves. They are lead by the Spider clan and the Raven clan. Hillfoot, on the south cost, in the region of Dallah Rom, is mainly populated by Hafflings. Illpit, on the west cost, in the Vis Norgur region, is mainly populated by Saurians.

Few smaller scalled cities are famously known for very specific things. For instance, Ompolinburgh produces the best horses of the continent. They have this knowledge from a nomad tribe of tattooed elves, that once had a settlement here, and leaved when other races came. The city of Hillfoot, where most of the Haffling live, are famous for their racist chocolate, the Saucolote, with a smiling saurian on the package, and their raciste pipe weed, the Sanabis. The village of Littleburgh is known for having only small sized dwellers, such as dwarfs, hafflings, or just small humans. And Thamerburgh is known for its ruins of thamerian civilization next to the border of the city.

V Miscellaneous facts

Raptor breeding is very prolific in the Elnias plains, on the west of the continent

Giants live in the south of the Black Massif, and it is bad luck to watch one in the eye. This doesn’t prevent people reproducing with them, making some curious hybrid.

The true half-elves (human-elf) are the only fertile hybrid of the Terrasque, all the other are sterile, but are still viable.

The closer you are from the elven race, the higher you are in the half-elf hierarchy. 

The other son of Theophrastus, Garius Mornal, has accidentally woken up sleeping dragons that his father didn’t kill. They are now trying to regain strength

Tralunac is one of the only gods to actually interact with mortals, instead of using an avatar.

The cult of the Great Mor has significantly lost interest when his grand son tried to make a genocide. It has gotten a bit better since

Even if it is technically a mortal, the emperor hasn’t aged since the first era, making him the longest (and only) ruler of Myrgh’Or.

His cousin Mornal, and brother of Theophrastus, hand of the emperor, has been killed during the thrid era, and being replaced by Crowback, as the hand of the emperor. His name comes from the people of Val Magar, since everyone knows he ordered the assassination of Mornal, but no one can prove it.

Many guilds and organisations emerged from the society. Among them, the Silver Skull, an adventurer’s guild in Val Magar, lead by Garius Mornal, or the Black Feather, an assassin guild, lead by... also Garius Mornal. In Blüm, there is the Sand Dagger, an illegal guild, lead by Âhz-Ra, and all across the continent strikes the Alleged, who take care of problems they value worth the time.

Even if magic does exist, there is always a risk of becoming mad by using it, slowly corrupting the mind.

Some people are specialists in the making of special orbs, that come from the soul of any living being. The greater the soul is, the more powerful the orb will be. For instance, using an ox will strengthen the wielder, while using a orb from a Hag will boost the intelligence but also slowly corrupt the mind of the user, like using magic.

Many races, like orcs, goblins, or ogres, are nomads, and can be found anywhere on the continent. Even if they come from the same origin, they are mistrustful toward each other.

The personal guards of the emperor is constituted of Drakes that agreed to help him. For that, they have been  banished from their clans.

[meta] The world is constantly evolving, as we are four DMs playing, using it as a canvas. Some cities appear, other are being destroyed. I have much more to say, but not all is relevant. Feel free to give me any feedback you seem useful, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Keep playing,

Jules, the game master that loves you.

[orlissa]

Let me rant about comics a bit

So, as you might know, American comic book (superhero comics) history is divided into eras. There are several divisions, but the most mainstream is Golden, Silver, Bronze, and Modern Age. Generally, the given starting date of each era is connected to a historical event: the first publication of Superman; the introduction of the CCA or the Marvel Renaissance (take your pick); first amendment of the CCA; publication of The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen.

And most of it is really cool, honestly, it is. But it flips me over to hell and back that most people still consider the “Modern Age” to be ongoing. Really, I was just reading the wiki article for Marvel Generations, and they described the series as “classic heroes meeting their modern age counterparts,” where the members of the latter category were heroes sometimes created less than five years ago.

No, guys, really, we need to introduce the mindset that we’re now in the comic book era that follows the Modern Age (I like to call it the “New Wave,” but that’s my stuff). I’m on this standpoint for more reasons.

First of all, look at how long an era usually lasts: about fifteen years. Golden, Silver, Bronze all generally last about fifteen years. Meanwhile the Modern Age is supposed to be ongoing since 1986.

Then look at the tone of comics today and before: I was reading my collection of old Ultimate X-Men comics the other day, dating back 2001-2002, and I was totally taken back the “dark and gritty realism” (phrase usually used to describe the Modern Age) it was operating with, which is considerably different from the tone of most currently ongoing titles. I’d might pair those up with the “New Sincerity” movement sometimes, but I’m not totally sure about this yet.

And then there is the fact that due to blockbuster comic book movies, the previously barely-penetrable comics subculture opened up to the mainstream in the last ten years, which means a new batch of readership. And the new readership brought new needs and new ideas and new heroes.

The idea that “only a white, straight male can be a superhero is broken.” In the Marvel Generations series out of the ten “Modern Age heroes” there is a total of zero white male characters (in the older generation, this number is eight). There are explicitly feminist titles. Female-led groups (Secret Warriors, Alpha Flight, All-New Inhumans, and basically Champions were brought together by Ms. Marvel).

So, the bottom line is we need to introduce a new age of comics. The Modern Age is over, guys. Deal with it.