#about there being a few differences between Bruce and Lex

[nightwingcouldyounot]

(Red Hood Outlaws 010)

[fanfic-obsessed]

I have a prompt for you, in light of the recent (very entertaining) DCU aus you've posted. If you were going to do a batfam-are-cryptids-but-now-the-justice-leauge-meets-them thing, how would you do it?

Have I told you thank you yet, @somestorythoughts, your prompts and responses make me so happy. Also I almost always end up with  more to write, which is fun.

Now back to the important part.

Fair warning, I screw with ages and timelines with this one. There is no canon here

I think, as far as a cryptid status is concerned this will be a ‘Batman is a founding, and funding, member of the Justice League, but has never revealed his identity’ kind of idea (with all the precautions therein to make sure even the metas can’t guess his identity). There is some speculation throughout the Justice League that Batman does not actually have a civilian identity, that he is the spirit of justice possessing a cape and cowl (Seriously there were three attempted exorcisms).  It is known that Batman always works alone, and that no one is to set foot Gotham, a few of the youngest members disbelieve that Gotham even really exists. 

However there are always rumors that can’t quite be dispelled.  No one in the Justice League can figure out the Watchtower’s firewall (designed by Oracle). Through the years there have been half heard conversations by the JL that almost sound like a wellness check after a fight, going either direction over a com line they can’t access. Sometimes during particularly difficult fights masked strangers will appear, most of which fight with styles similar to Batman, only to vanish again without a word. A few swear they have caught code names (Robin…or maybe Red Robin…Or was it Red Hood…no it was really Black Bat…there might be a BatGirl????) but no one can confirm anything.

In addition, it is impossible to quell the rumor that entering Gotham uninvited means you will disappear.  Not every time and no one can figure out the difference between being escorted out and vanishing, but there have been several heroes from the community who vanished after entering Gotham over the years.

What’s really happening is that I love the Young Justice Team and want a way for it to work with Cryptid BatFam. 

Two of the most notable, the first but certainly not the last, were Bart Allen, Impulse, and Cassie Sandsmark, Wonder Girl who entered the city limits together to try to prove that they too could be heroes. Both were 15 when they vanished.  Unknown to anyone else, at the same time an unnamed clone of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor was also sent into Gotham, as a test of some kind. 

All three of them, for different reasons, entered feeling abandoned or dismissed by the people around them. So when they encountered Tim Drake, as Robin, age 14; he called dibs and adopted them on the spot (Tim: These are my children Cassie, Bart, and the newly named Connor. Yes, I carried them in my very own womb and I am very proud of all of them. No, I will not accept questions. Batkids: Cool! Niblings. Batman<sighs>: At least tell me you didn’t kill someone to acquire them. Tim: I just told you, I birthed them myself).  So Cassie, Bart, and Connor are absorbed into the BatFam. Both Bart and Cassie decide against telling anyone where they are, with Connor not really having anyone to tell.  It should also be noted that the JL avoided asking Batman about the whereabouts of the kids who vanished after entering Gotham, they didn’t want to admit where the kids had gone. 

Three years later, Jason, as Red Hood (Jason did not die here, though it was close. He still took on the moniker of Red Hood after a beating by the Joker), age 19 happens upon Roy Harper, age 20 after Roy had a fight with Oliver and does the same thing. Only Jason dragged Roy home and introduced Roy home as his newest brother, giving Bruce a crazy look that said under no uncertain terms that Bruce better break out the adoption papers immediately; never mind that Roy was not underage.  

At the same time Raven, originally 26, was de aged to about 8 due to an attempted possession by her father, accidentally portals into Gotham and practically climbs Dick Grayson,age 22, in fear. The effects of the spell and the portal wiped her memories past her physical age.  So now Dick has a daughter as well, who he thinks is a Gothamite since he never saw the portal.  As far as anyone from Justice League Dark can tell there was a portal leading to Gotham where Raven disappeared but no one knows what happened (Batman and his family are looking for an adult Raven and never connected her to the 8 year old Rachel that became Dick’s daughter).

Others also disappear, having been adopted by the Waynes

What I am saying is that Gotham is considered quite a bit more dangerous to the caped community and the Batfam encompasses a few people it might not have otherwise. I think it would be funnier if Batman was not aware of his family's cryptid status (It never occurs to him that his kids have never been invited to join any of the younger generation teams).

Something sparks a partial return of Raven’s, now around 14 or 15, memory, enough for Rachel (who is the current Robin) to realize she is Raven. At her request, Batman announces this at a meeting and her intention to remain Dick’s daughter and Bruce’s granddaughter.  The JL react confusingly (they are all losing their collective minds at the thought that Batman has kids AND grandkids).  His response that one of his sons made him a grandfather when the boy was 14 does not inspire confidence.  Eventually, and I do mean this takes ages, it leads to the entire Batfam coming up to the Watchtower.  In spite of the masks Barry recognizes Bart, and after a moment the Wonder’s also recognize Cassie. Both had been desperately missed (the feelings of abandonment had been a misunderstanding).  Though the Wonder’s and the Speedsters both try to hug their missing members, it becomes clear that you can pry them from their mother, Tim, introduced as Red Robin, only when Red Robin is dead. 

The Speedsters look at each other, shrug, and immediately start lobbying Red Robin for Visitation (it does not matter that Tim’s kids are all adults with their own lives in Gotham). The Wonders do not have a chance to do the same as Connor, code name Agent C (he decided he did not want to be a field Vigilante, instead he has taken on a support role, like Alfred, where he is their Mechanic/Mechanical Engineer), drops the bomb that he is a Clone of Superman and Lex Luthor (Connor had not been told enough by the scientists at CADMUS to know what was going on, or even if Lex was aware his DNA was being used but of course the Bats did a DNA, he didn’t even know what the lab was called or where to find it).

Superman does make the connection to CADMUS labs, which he had shut down a few years earlier-though he never put those reports in the Watchtower computers as he considered it an internal matter (Batman would like it noted that all of the Batfam reports end up in the watchtower computer and is irritated that the other heroes do not do the same). 

Connor had been the only ‘viable’ clone but all the records (whether viable or not) had been stamped with ‘failure’, so Superman had not known that there should be a clone of him out there somewhere.  Also the intervening years of being able to process, ‘hey this person I knew, and was once friends with, stole my genetic material to try and create a new person without my consent or knowledge’ without having to deal with the results of said actions (Compounded by the guilt of not being able to look at this miniature version of himself without making the connection to his enemy Lex and his violation, knowing intellectually that it was not Connors fault for being created or that Connor was created specifically to be a weapon against Superman, but still not able move on emotionally, not enough to be responsible for a child) added to the fact that it is pretty clear that Superman does not need to be responsible for Connor means that superman can verify that Connor is happy where he is, which he is. Then Superman can, with a clear conscience-since Batman is undeniably paranoid enough to have a plan if Connor becomes a villain or an actual problem, offer to help with unexpected powers and have Connor meet the rest of his family. 

So Red Robin is simultaneously mediating the reunion between his three children and their other families, all the while ready to take down a Cape that breathes wrong in their direction. 

Red Hood, sans helmet but with a mask, is creatively and rhythmically cursing Green Arrow out on behalf of Roy (I want you to picture a Red Hood that practices and excels in the art of Flyting).  Green Arrow had made an immediate, and poorly phrased, inquiry into Roy sobriety.  Roy has been sober for almost 3 years. 

Damian, codename Firebird, is critiquing several of the last major fights and their fighters while having a discussion about blades and underwater fighting with the Aqua family.  He is also keeping a protective eye on Nightwing and Robin, who are facing off against JLD (who would like to see if what happened to Raven is reversible-mostly to make sure she is healthy and whatever happened is stable, Nightwing and Robin are taking it to mean they want Raven back instead of Robin). 

Steph as Spoiler, Cass as Black Bat, and Duke as Orphan are explaining to a largely horrified audience of former Titans the complicated legacy of the Batman, Robin, and Batgirl names in Gotham (The current Batgirl, Helen Wayne-12 year old daughter of Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne- is standing with Bruce and Alfred-mask firmly in place. She is new to the name and this is her first mission outside of Gotham). It is at this point that the Justice League finds out that there are a number of times when the Batman they dealt with was NOT the same person. Someone also brings up the rumor that Batman is actually a haunted piece of clothing, to the entire BatFams bemusement.

At no point during this process does anyone in the Batfam reveal their civilian identities (save the ones that are now known, like Bart, Cassie, and Roy).  They also do not admit to the fact that every single one of them steals and impersonates each other frequently (Tim holds the honor of having patrolled, handled an Arkham breakout, and met with someone outside of Gotham, and handled a world wide invasion in every vigilante identity from Gotham successfully).  

It also should be noted that this does not provide clarity to the Justice League about any topic regarding Gotham or its vigilantes.

[carterstarlight25]

Hi everyone! So I been thinking hard on a rather unique 3way crossover that I been considering about writing. Please feel free to give me your input.

The 3 way crossover consist of DC x DP x Halo Infinite. With the ships being Jason and Danny (Obviously). Master Chief and Bruce as the second ship to be included. And Tim Simping for Katrina. (Cortana 2.0 from Infinite)

I see these possible dynamics being cute as Chief will learn how to be human, and how to love. Him and Team Phantom Finding Family. Also I don't mean the bull Chief pulled in the god awful Halo TV Show!

Bruce will learn that killing isn't an act of God. It isn't you kill once, and become a mindless murderer. That there is a difference, between a Soldier doing his duty to protect humanity and his loved ones. And a mindless killer, enjoying the horror of its victims as the bleed out with please for mercy. Effectively stealing their innocent lives... Oh also learn to not be as emotionally constipated after Katrina effectively out smarts him into a therapy session with Jazz Nightingale. (Last name changed after she saved Danny from the their parents lab…)

Danny will learn what it means to be apart of a family. And how screwed the GIW are.~

Jason, finds out he’s ghost pregnant and a heavy underdeveloped Halfa. All while the Pit becomes a full ghost that he ends up birthing. Which is gonna be a Dinosaur that will be Jason’s “Nightmare.” To his Fright Knight. (I am really wanting to go for Altispinax, or Spinax Vivosaur from Fossil Fighters series. But idk, might just use the Giga from Jurassic World Dominion. Just to change it up from what I seen people have the Pits become.

How Chief comes into the story however, would be introduced via Clockwork leaving a very obviously placed Halo Infinite Xbox Game case with a unmarked disc inside it. In an Alley Danny was taking refuge in. With a sticky note of course. And a few chapters in, when he was alone in Wayne Manor decided to play the game. And by Play. I mean go ghost and jump into the game. But of course. With his Fabulous Phantom Luck (trademark pending.) A new power began to make itself known as the code latched on him on his way out. Bringing Master Chief and Katrina to life in the real world, with all his memories and Katrina with the entire UNSC Database.)

While that’s how I plan to bring in Chief and Co. the main gist of this will be an all out battle, to destroy the GIW. Outlaws, Sirens, Chief and the entire Batfam Team up.

Despite the JL repealing the Anti Ecto Acts. A few Private donors continue to find them to get their hands on Ectoplasm. The League of Assassin’s, Lex Luthor. And of Course Vlad Masters will be the main villains connected to the GIW.

I can see Jason and Chief getting along like wildfire. And when Bruce finds out Jason is one leading the squad his kids, trying to get them to go on a date with Master Chief. It leads to some funny moments I would think. And of course can’t forget Chief reluctantly surprise appearance in Civies at one of Bruce’s Gala’s. (I kinda wanna make him wear Olive Green suit and dress pants. Black Bow Tie with a white under suit. Black belt. And an Olive Green Military Cap to hide his Neural Implant. Maybe having all his Medals from the service pinned to his chest. At least the ones that match ones in this universe. So not all of them obviously.

And Jason would absolutely catch his father freeze up when he sees the handsome Spartan.

For looks regarding Chief’s face since we don’t know what he looks like. I was thinking Caucasian Male, short brown hair that could be the right height to spike it up at least. Not a complete buzz cut. Rather bright blue eyes. That do not glow like Danny’s. But at least around that color. Of course he will have some scars on his left Temple, his lip and across his right eye. Freckles too. His muscle mass would of course be a bit more built then Jason. Which says something. But, you know. Super Soldier and all. (Update: I did in-fact Draw it ^^. If you want to see. Let me know if you wanna see Master Chief in a suit at the Gala ^^)

The Ages I was gonna go for was as follows.

Alfred: Immortal (Thanks Clockwork!)

John (Master Chief): 46yrs (I know it’s not his cannon Age. But it’s what I want for the story.)

Bruce: 45yrs

Barbara: 29yrs

Dick: 26yrs

Jazz: 21yrs

Jason: 21yrs

Cass: 20yrs

Sam: 20yrs

Danny: 19yrs

Duke: 19yrs

Steph: 19yrs

Tucker: 19yrs

Val: 19yrs

Tim: 18yrs

Ellie: 14yrs

Damien: 12yrs

Katrina: 6 months old

And that’s the little Fanfic I been thinking about. Of course it’s just an idea. but I think it would be fun to write.

[cloakedsparrow]

When did Jason & Damian Meet?

More random DC thoughts while tending to my goats:

Jason died shortly before his sixteenth birthday and Tim arrived a few months later, aged thirteen. Rounding Jason up a month or so for convenience, this makes a three year age difference.

Batman Annual 25 states that Jason was dead for six months “until time decided to set things right” (because he wasn’t supposed to die but Superboy Prime fucked up the timeline similar to Flash in Flashpoint). Then he spent a year in the hospital/on the streets before Talia takes him in. Then, he spends a year with her before she drops him in the Lazarus Pit and immediately gets him away from Ra’s. After that, he goes through a series of teachers before returning to Gotham for the events of Hush and Under the Red Hood. This had to have taken around a year at least.

Tim is fifteen during the attack in Titan’s Tower, which takes place during the events of Under the Red Hood (sometime between Jason revealing himself to Bruce and taking a Batarang to the neck). If we go by the timeline shown in the Annual, Jason should be nineteen, which would be a four year age difference. Which means either one of those ‘one year later’s is wrong or Dick was right when he guessed Tim was twelve in A Lonely Place of Dying and Tim lied about being thirteen.

So we’re looking at an age difference of either three years or four years between Jason and Tim. This is the important point.

Damian turns thirteen shortly after Tim died (and was immediately resurrected by Dr Manhattan but the family didn’t know that and it doesn’t really matter here anyway). DC really made sure no age was stated ever during the A Lonely Place of Living storyline, even with Zor-El asking after why Tim had to step in and save Batman as a child. However, after Tim returns, Bruce barges into the hospital room and identifies himself (among other things) as “the boy’s legal guardian”. Which would mean Tim isn’t emancipated like he was in New Earth and, most importantly for this train of thought, is still a minor. So he’s most likely sixteen (as he was in New52) or seventeen (as he was when New Earth ended). It would make no sense for DC to have gone younger.

That makes a three or four year age difference between Tim and Damian as well.

Which makes a six-to-eight year age difference between Jason and Damian.

So if we say Jason was seventeen when Talia took him in, then Damian would have been anywhere from nine to eleven. Certainly old enough to notice his mother stressing out (over Jason) and possibly ask questions. Jason wasn’t cognizant the whole time he was with the League and Talia appears to have kept him pretty secured as well. At the time, Damian had been canonically adopted out (he was retconned back into Talia’s custody later), so he’s never mentioned, but it’s during Jason’s post-Lazarus training period that Talia leaves her father (and works for Lex Corps), and near the end of Red Hood: The Lost Days, is tortured by her sister in Death in the Maidens before rejoining the League. There’s no way she left Damian behind for all that, so she either has him with her or has left him in the care of someone she trusts while she sets up their new life (before it gets derailed by her sister).

All this means it’s very unlikely that Jason ever met or even knew about Damian. It’s possible Damian saw, or at least knew about, Jason, but it’s also possible that he never did.

Since Damian didn't exist as a character during the time DC was bringing Jason back and establishing his post-death character, it’s probably more convenient for them to go with neither of them knowing about the other.

Personally, since DC set Damian up as unbelievably spoiled at his introduction and proceeded to show him being very nosy and lacking boundaries with those of interest to him or that he cares about (spying on Tim, spying on Bruce, disguising himself as Jon’s school bus driver, etc), I think it would have been easier for Talia to tell him about Jason (probably leaving out the Bruce connection just in case) but refuse to let him see Jason than try to keep the whole thing from him. So I headcanon that Damian knew of Jason. He was always curious about him because of the way his mother spoke of the older boy: with love, pride, and concern. However, he didn’t get to meet him until after he was living with his father and Jason starting coming around.

Jason had no clue Talia and Bruce had a child that she’d been taking care of the whole time.

[frownyalfred]

I am hoping you can help me better understand something about my Zach Snyder feelings, because I know you have enjoyed his work.

I have conflicting feelings and I THINK it comes down to a different imagery language and some unnamed thing in his storytelling. It's mostly the unnamed thing I'm trying to ID.

When I describe broadly the plots, character motivation (obviously as I understand them), and events, I find myself very interested in his movies and what they have to say. Then I rewatch and I don't feel the same way. It feels dark (desaturation or whatever that filter is called), overly dramatic in a way that feels cartoonist or silly instead of meaningful, or boring and slow. There are some engaging moments some that are action some that are pretty or funny. However, few that move/engage me.

I know people often love or hate Snyder but I mostly feel his movies exist, have a few interesting elements but overall if they weren't about characters I was interested in, I just wouldn't watch. I don't hate or love it. I don't think it's the greatest or the worst.

Example of a storytelling concept that I get and liked in theory but not execution. The Martha, why did you say that name moment. Snyder is connecting Bruce to Clark's "humanity" in a way that hits Bruce in a place where he is always vulnerable and is primal/basic. When people mock this scene I have the urge to defend because I understand (in my way) what he was going for, but I can't because at no point in watching or rewatching that scene do I feel that. Even though he rehashed the Wayne's death in the beginning, then connects back to it during their fight about what his parent's taught Bruce. It still FEELS out of place and "falsely" dramatic.

That's all I can think to give as an example and not make this longer (sorry this is long). But if my descriptions click something for you as a writer and fan of Snyder, please let me know. I just don't know what it is about his storytelling and it's annoying to not understand why there is this disconnect.

Thank you for your patience, if you even get thru this, LOL.

I'm not a film major and I am definitely no expert, but I've been thinking about this ask. I agree with a lot of what you brought up, though it is hard to describe what that exact disconnect is with Snyder's films, and you'll get a million different opinions depending on who you ask.

To me, Snyder's DC films always feel like movies that were excellent plots on paper wrapped around a series of interesting and awe-inducing visuals and scores. There are scenes he does well -- one of my favorites being the initial scene in BVS where Bruce runs into the Battle of Metropolis -- almost because they feel like a separate, isolated moment in his script. There are scenes that drag, exposition dump, and feel dark and strange.

There seems to be a disconnect between him, the writer, and him, the director. He's good at both, don't get me wrong -- but there's something missing in between.

People on reddit will tell you the problem with BVS, at the end of the day, is all the plot holes or the cheesy dialogue. I mostly disagree. Especially after seeing Oppenheimer recently, I think Snyder struggles with building and maintaining the pace of his plot and the emotions he's trying to cultivate in his viewers. Continuity is key -- scenes building up on each other, revealing new layers of meaning and importance, leaving viewers guessing only on the least-obvious plot points.

He has all the pieces -- decent dialogue, powerhouse actors, amazing CGI, a script most people wouldn't laugh at on paper -- but they don't quite form a whole.

I did a quick review of some the things I like about BVS, thinking through this ask, and I think it's pretty revealing that most of those things are pieces, not overall themes.

The Battle of Metropolis flashback

Ben Affleck visually as Bruce Wayne

Lex's scenes with the Senator

The score

Kryptonite/Training scene

Lex's entry into Zod's ship

Diana

Bruce at the fundraiser

Warehouse fight scene

Alfred's dialogue

Lakehouse shots

Knightmare scene

As for the Martha scene, my inclination is that it's rarely out of place or strange when written correctly. In fics, I've seen it done very well. But Snyder doesn't use it for what it is -- a climax of Bruce Wayne's anger and misguided actions -- because he never truly brought the viewer all the way along with Bruce.

TL;DR: I don't know either. But I agree and commiserate with you on this. I still enjoy watching BVS and other Snyder films, but seeing other films -- especially Nolan's, which I'm not saying are theoretically better -- makes the difference very jarring.

[greenjacketwhitehatdocmui]

Superman--CEO? My Thoughts...

OK, if you're confused, the latest run in Action Comics has Superman in charge of what was once Lexcorp. Lex Luthor has begrudgingly come to the realization that Earth needs Superman. After a sequence of events that erases one of the most egregious bits of the Bendis run (namely, Clark revealing his identity to the world), Lex legally makes Superman the new head of Lexcorp--but now labeled "Supercorp."

Like it or not, the former Lexcorp is home to some of the best and brightest minds in the world. And they're happier to have Superman as a boss, rather than the somewhat...mercurial Lex Luthor.

Mercy Graves, Luthor's 2nd in command, takes care of the daily stuff. But, she hints, the workers wouldn't mind a visit from the boss once in a while, just for morale-building.

In the comics, Superman is cautiously accepting of the help and resources. He's not too crazy about his symbol being plastered on the top of the building. But ye gads, they have so many resources available. And yet, he holds the Supercorp people at a distance (and, not unjustifiably so).

Here's the thing: I think that Superman would make a great CEO. He could memorize personnel files. It might take him a few more minutes to map out the relationships between departments, the projects, and the resources available.

Every time he visits Supercorp, he talks to a random worker. They could be a project head or a cafeteria worker; it doesn't matter. He puts a bit of Kansas folksiness in it, but is always respectful to who he's talking to, no matter their position on the totem pole.

The workers love him. Every Tuesday, he has a different coffee shop bring in treats, including gluten-free ones. He talks to someone and they feel that he understands them. He's awesome. He's larger than life. He's Superman, you know? But he shows that he's just a guy who's trying to do the right thing. He wants them to do that as well.

(Of course, Bruce would have been tempted to say, "burn the whole thing down." But he didn't. Instead, he just gives a simple bit of advice: Know your people.)

Because I think that Clark would do that. He'd give them a chance. And in return, everyone at Supercorp would put forth 100% of their effort.

(Lois is both amused and annoyed that she has to put out a front page that says "Super-CEO." Clark just shrugs and says that they're not such a bad bunch, once you get to know them.)

And...thoughts? Questions?

--Doc

[bwabbitv3s]

It is Lex Luther. Vlad stole a whole bunch of stuff from Cadmus as a shortcut to cloning. He was not the best at scrubbing out the data from the project it was being used for leaving a bunch of issues. One of which is that it used part of the previous sample stored as the base to create the clone.

As that was what the Cadmus project had been doing to stabilize Kryptonian DNA. Human DNA from Lex was used as the base with the second sample added to it in as large a percentage possible while staying stable. Only Vlad did not know this at all and thought the base of the program was an empty base.

He was trying to get it to do a straight clone of Danny and the system was trying to combine the two samples into one with the second sample the highest stable amount. It did not cope well with that and only even accepted it because Krytonian's have a different number of chromosomes than humans and it was treating the two samples as one huge 92 base pair against the 46 human base!

That it was able to make any clone out of that mess, even extremely unstable ones was a miracle. Vlad really missed his calling in cloning research being able to even get a clone stable enough for the system to attempt it. Well on one of the runs a sort of workaround was found by cut out a huge chunk of repeated chromosomes. That created the very first set of unstable male clones we see were in the the lab pods.

Now after that sequence run an even bigger cut that removed a lot of chromosomes flagged as repeats. Cutting nearly half of the chromosome pairs from the DNA sample. It manages to reduce the number of chromosomes to a more reasonable number. Still pretty unstable but it produced a clone that would be viable outside of the pod! For maybe a few weeks but they would be viable outside the pod.

This is the sequence run batch that Dani came from. Several of those clones were female as the repeated Y chromosomes got knocked off as extra "repeats". It also produced a lot of odd and many totally unviable sex chromosome sets in different variations of X's and Y's including just X's and Y's.

Now Dani's DNA is roughly 60% Danny's DNA, all his ghost DNA with a smattering of human. The rest of from Lex and while a little odd with more than 46 chromosome sets of a human it works. But it works but only just works. With so much cutting, splicing, and stitching together chromosomes into new sets it created a bunch of issues. Many of those between being a ghost and human were stabilized with the mid morph DNA. Frostbite is sure that if they can get a sample from the fully human donor they can get a better stabilization of her human side now that the ghost side is stable.

Danny is not sure what to think of there being another crazy billionaire obsessed with cloning. On one hand it is nice they finally have a lead on how to stabilize Dani. On the other hand where are the human clones that Lex had been working on? I mean there is almost no information they can find on any of Lex's company working on cloning outside of greenhouse plants. That and a weird amount of UV Daylight lighting fixtures the company bought for how many greenhouse he owns.

Dani has $5 on him having a creepy backup clone of himself that he wants to download his brain into to seek immortality. Danny has $5 on it being an attempt to get a perfect heir as a successor. One he won't have to either pulling a Bruce Wayne for or deal with finding a surrogate. Sam has $10 on it being an attempt to make some kind of gene therapy to add plant genes, inspired by Superman, so he won't have to eat and can survive off sunlight. Tucker has $5 on a super illegal body farm to grow clones to test high tech weapons on.

It really is unfortunate that all their searching around Lex and cloning pinged on Batman's radar. Danny sure is surprised by just how understanding both Superman and Batman were about it. Even with their hotel room in Metropolis looking like set of a heist film. He is really glad the crazy conspiracy board with the betting pool on it was on the other side of the brainstorming how to get a sample of Lex's DNA plans. Though with how pale Superman and how silent Batman went at the explanation of why they were trying to get a sample of Lex's DNA something is up.

Concept: Dani is NOT Danny's clone.

Turns out Vlad's not only bad at cloning, but he's also very bad at lab etiquette. Due to reasons, an unknown DNA sample ends up in Vlad's lab and is used for her human half.

The Phamily only finds out after they take her to the Far Frozen for a check up and a mid-morph DNA injection and it makes things worse. The Far Frozen doctors conclude that her human DNA came from a different donor, causing her instabilities and inconsistencies.

Now they have to track down the unwitting donor before Dani de-stabilizes for good. The search brings them to the turf of a different hero/villain.

[sinkingtime]

Remaking the DCU

I know, i know, everybody and their dog has said something about this. It's not even the oldest piece of writting I have rattling through my head!

Anyways, Justice League should have had zero villains and at least two dozen heroes.

More seriously, my single biggest problem with Justice League was the rebirth of Superman. He stays dead. Actions have consequences. I guess the ideal scenario for this hipothetical alternate history is that some executive a few years later is asked when we're going to see him again, and he goes all serious "what do you mean? he's dead".

So we start with Man Of Steel. That one was ok, actually. Yes, Jonathan Kent's suicide was stupid, and Zod's execution was poorly handled, but neither one actually matters to my purpose today. This one can stay unchanged.

Next is Batman v. Superman. Believe it or not, this one is also mostly good. The biggest problems are the character assasinations of Lex and Batman, and the actual death of Superman; but my whole thing today is to make that death stick so obviously that stays. I'm ok with just quietly dropping Lex from the franchise, and new, eviler Batman actually has some potential going forward.

So, the only important thing is to remove Wonder Woman. More specifically, the party scene stays, that was good. The sequel bait emails can stay, but her old photo needs to have her in regular clothes, not the armored bikini. And that exchange should probably be moved to after the credits, though that's not very important. Most importantly, she's NOT in the final battle. We don't get to see "Wonder Woman" before her movie, is the point.

If the choreography/story requires that Batman and Superman cannot take Doomsday on their own, have Alfred show up with a spare power armor. Though I also feel it should not be so hard to have a satisfying final battle with just the 3 of them. Make Doomsday a little slower and sturdier, so Batman can almost participate; their plan is for Superman to distract him so Batman can backstab him with the kryptonite spear, until it becomes clear that won't work and Superman picks it up. Something like that should work, probably.

That's basically enough for this one, but if i can have a couple minor changes: Remove all of Batman's guns. He can still murder all the henchmen you like, he just has to do it in melee; he's specifically anti-firearms for reasons beyond his being a good person. Also, an off-hand remark between Bruce and Alfred, saying they got the armor(s) from "their underground connections". As foreshadowing for next movie.

Next movie is Justice League? I think, i'm not going to look anything up at this time. Anyways, big superhero events need setup, so I want 3 more movies between Batman the fifth Superman and Justice League.

So next is actually Steel. For those who don't know him, he's basically Iron Man if he was a random employee instead of the CEO. So that's already a hard sell; there's actually a famously bad Steel movie, which I haven't seen so won't say anything more about it. And there's also a very good one, named Iron Man.

On the other hand, Steel was a famous part of the actual Death and Return of Superman comic series, so it's important to get him right here, as a sort of double-bluff. And the fact that he doesn't own the company makes his version of the story more about self-sacrifice and determination compared to Tony Stark's unashamed greatness. Not that I'm saying that's necessarily better, just different enough to justify the movie's existence.

The other problem is that the movie cannot be named "Steel" nor "Man of Steel", since both names are taken. And the guy's name is Irons, probably can't use that without Marvel's lawyers smiling. I don't know, call it something, that's not so impoortant.

The actual movie starts with news footage of the Batman/Superman fight. Our hero, John Henry Irons, recognizes the Supermanbuster Armor as being one of the prototypes he's worked on, even despite the black paintjob. So he does a little digging, realizes his company has been secretly selling to foreign governments and crime syndicates, and even the intended U.S. Army contracts are not as legit as they first seemed. Could get Amanda Waller namedropped here, maybe. Plus some general accounting misbehaviours, unsafe disposal of waste, etc etc.

He tries to speak up but is instead discredited, fired and falsely imprisoned for something minor, but with the implication that they could frame him for worse if he doesn't shut up. Cut to a few months later, he's let out of prison and has the regular "returning-to-society" difficulties. Settles for a crappy job as a youth counselor-type in a very poor neighbourhood.

One day he sees, maybe in the news maybe in person, that some street gangsters in the area have super-advanced weapons of the sort he once worked on. That's what motivates him to do something (again). He breaks into an abandoned hospital/church/something, where his earlier research showed they had secretly buried some old, failed prototypes of the power armor (which he originally had thought had been safely destroyed, as per protocol). He picks up two or three of those, and with them builds himself a single, mildly functional one.

His first move is to strike against those low-level criminals, both to remove them from his area and to steal their superweapons. He also intimidates them for info on how and where they got them. With the weapons, and maybe some maintenance tools they had in their hideout, he's able to improve his armor to actually stand up to bigger threats. This is also when he puts the Superman symbol in the chest, in memoriam.

He also has a giant warhammer, very high tech, that he should build at this point. What exact capabilities it has varies, but in this case i envision the head holding omnidirectional thrusters that he can finely control from inside his glove. Not strong enough for him to actually fly, but he would sort of skate along the ground, being pulled by it. Should be able to get some cool fights and chases out of that setup.

The rest of the movie should be fairly simple. Strike at the company's factories and warehouses, steal what tech he thinks he can use, steal and leak to the public any incriminating info, destroy the rest. All interspersed with scenes of him dealing with those kids, trying to steer them to the right path, helping them deal with their thematically appropriate problems. He's not particularly respected, but none of them hate him or anything.

Standard movie logic would dictate the grand finale is the CEO grabbing a suit of experimental power armor to take the fight to Steel, so I'm going to say "not that". Instead, he's been sending assassins at him, probably since shortly after the first attack on company holdings. At first it's just regular gunmen, who are basically nothing to the armor. Then hitmen with the company's high-tech weapons. Eventually a few guys with actual superpowers. Just 3 to 5 relatively minor bad guys, that we'd be confortable introducing with no more backstory than "does violence for money".

Those Steel doesn't actually defeat; he does some damage but mostly narrowly escapes a few times, and ultimately they stop chasing him when it becomes clear the rich guy is no longer rich enough. He's lost everything, Steel wins, though he does have that awareness that there's bigger threats out there that he probably should tackle and probably cannot.

The actual ending is some of those kids showing up to the school/community centre/whatever with Superman symbols (poorly) drawn on their shirts. He says he also misses him, but they tell him that no, it's about this new guy who's been fighting to make things better. They start bickering about theories, it's a woman under the armor, that's clearly a robot, etc etc; he finishes the movie satisfied that he is in fact inspiring the people.

Could also have an after credits scene, news saying Wayne Enterprises is buying out whatever is left of value of this company "just as they did LexCorp last year". Not really necessary though.

Next is Wonder Woman. That one is also good, really. Obviously I agree with everyone else online that the final fight with Ares shouldn't have been, but it doesn't actually matter to my "better Justice League" agenda, so let's let it be.

In the spirit of "one small change", let's just say she shouldn't have her lasso. Ares claims to be the god of Truth, she famously wields the Lasso of Truth, it seems obvious she should get it from him. Either pick it up from his corpse afterwards, or hijack it mid-fight to use against him, like in Shang-Chi. This does require rewriting all the movie so she didn't have it, but I don't think it changes any plot, just the battle choreographies.

The last movie before Justice League has a very important purpose: whatever happens needs to be extremely public and very dramatic. It's what finally convinces Bruce Wayne he needs to stop stalling and found the League already. Could have an after-credits scene to that effect.

One other thing I'd like to use this spot for is having a villain as a hero. Not "reformed" or "anti-"; nothing in the text or subtext to tell us he was ever anything but a Perfect Paragon of Justice, but we recognize the name and powerset as belonging to a villain. The obvious choices are Poison Ivy and/or Mr. Freeze, but that's a little too obvious. Sinestro could work, using the power of the Yellow Lantern for good and also to keep it from those who wouldn't; but the franchise wouldn't be ready for a space-based character like that. One of the more monstrous guys could also be fun, Clayface or King Shark. Maybe Metallo, now that kryptonite exists but won't be useful otherwise.

The other other thing I'd like to introduce at this point is magic. And yeah, Wonder Woman is a little magical, but not really. She's just another implausibly attractive alien. I'm talking spell words, secret knowledge, magic items and places and times, etc. Zatanna or Constantine, someone like that.

So obviously my answer is "all of the above", and my choice is Jinx, from the Teen Titans cartoon. Who I guess does become good in the end, but whatever. In this version she has the innate power of "bad luck", meaning things go wrong for her and those around her, in normal ways but with greater frecuency than normal; and she learned sorcery to contain and suppress that, but also can use it to fuel her magic.

We further go ahead and establish that "nobody can draw power from two sources", as a general rule for magic going forward. It's important to have rules to make magic seem logical, and this is a restriction I haven't really seen used that I think has narrative potential. Important to this movie, since Jinx has the bad luck reservoir innate to herself, she can't ever forsake it and seek another, by whatever means other magicians would normally use.

This, combined with the fact that it's in the nature of her power for things to go wrong, lets us make her the perfect introduction: she can have immense magical knowledge and skill, basically arbitrarily high, but still be limited in what she can actually do. All the exposition we could need in the future, but she doesn't automatically trivialize things. And in an emergency she can always decide to give it a try, draw a lot of power and attempt a huge, powerful spell; which may or may not work, depending mostly on how much movie there is left.

For her civilian life, she's a small business owner, something that helps with that "great store of arcane knowledge" bit. Bookshop, antiques, something like that. She'd have one employee, who isn't in the know but she's friendly with, to be the core of her supporting cast. I'm thinking maybe single parent plus adorably precocious child.

Anyways, for the actual plot: we start with her cleaning some graffitti off her shop, when she notices that part of it is a mystical symbol. She either knows this or rushes to the secret room to consult her notes, but either way confirms it: someone is trying to extend their influence over her land. Actually all the city, now that she knows to look for it she sees the symbol all over the place.

For the record, her city is Green Lantern's city, which was canonically destroyed during Reign of the Supermen. We're not doing Reign, but Superman is dead, should be able to make a few people nervous about that.

She does some more research, maybe has a cop friend, maybe she beats up some small gangsters, something. She learns there's a new group muscling in on local crime. They have some huge and savage war dogs, they are weirdly strict about how their mark needs to be drawn on places, they have had the guys steal some weird stuff, and nobody really knows exactly why the usual crime lords have not moved against them, but as far as anyone can tell they're just gangsters. Maybe a weird cult, at worst.

Obviously she knows it's worse than that, does some more research, being careful since they may be here to look for her specifically. She uncovers traces of summoning, the weird dogs are obviously hellhounds, so it seems the big plan is to summon some powerful demon lord. Maybe Darkseid, maybe Trigon, it doesn't matter since it's a misdirect: the actual plan is to teleport the entire city into a barren hell-dimension, where they figure they'll be able to enslave all the people and live like kings, once it's cut off from the larger world. They're mostly collecting the summoning tools so nobody can use them against them.

She also does have a run-in with some mages of their inner circle, whom she has to use obvious magic to escape, so that's when they learn there's another mage in town and start looking for her. They start the final ritual a little ahead of schedule, so she rushes to stop them, but she hasn't learned the twist so she's been preparing anti-summoning talismans and whatnot. She isn't ready to stop a teleport, the cult's leader is mocking her for that, so as a last resort she unleashes her power on the spell, hoping to mess it up.

The teleport still picks up the city but fails to leave the world, bounces it around and eventually drops it in the other side of the planet. I'd like that to be Spain or Italy, but I guess it would end up being China, for marketing reasons. Could also get a cool sequence out of that teleport bouncing all over the place, like in Doctor Strange but from the perspective of the entire city.

The ending is the cult, enraged, trying to kill her, but they're really no match for her now that she's not holding back. She lets her power spread out, so all the attacks end up hitting random people. That still means she takes some hits, but since it's a crowd against one, the chaos is to her advantage. At the end she destroys their magic source, which for this case I'm going to say they had a statue or staff or something that was the core of their entire group. This lets her definitely render them non-threatening without having to kill anyone, and without having to establish she could depower people at will; it's just these particular fools who were depending on an easily-destroyable power source.

For the final shot, she's at the edge of the city, with some other people including her friend/employee. They meet some people from the newly neighbouring city, who also came to investigate. Camera cuts as many of them are about to say something.

As I said, the after credits is Bruce reading reports or talking to some employee. His Foundation is basically picking up the entire project of building a new city to repatriate the people displaced; his team of lawyers and accountants have been sticking the bills to as many organizations or government divisions as they can, but it's still a huge expense for them. Also, all the world's governments are panicking about who did it and why and what will come next. So he finally decides to get that Justice League started, and calls Diana.

Is that too much? My end credits scenes keep getting longer. Maybe we can consolidate that, he reads most of the exposition in the newspaper, then tells his assistant (offscreen, via intercomm) to get him in touch with "Ms. Prince, at the Smithsonian, urgently". Or she's the one reading the news, then someone tells her Bruce Wayne himself is asking to meet her, he's waiting in meeting room 3, and her answer is "well, it's about time". Something like that could work, I guess.

So, finally, Justice League. The basic point of this entire wall of text is that they shouldn't revive Superman. Shouldn't even consider reviving him, except for maybe a few easter eggs to make us think that's where the movie is going, though it's probably also too late for those. I'm also generally dissatisfied with all of the other things Justice League did, though. It's cliché to say it, but it was trying to be Avengers and had no real way of pulling it off.

So instead I want to skip all the way to Justice League Unlimited, basically. This movie is a workplace drama/comedy, but the workers are superheroes. They still fight some crime and help with natural disasters and whatnot, but almost offscreen. Mostly they talk about it, and we see brief snippets, possibly still frames. The core of the movie is in the interactions between the large cast, setting up lots of friendships and rivalries for future movies; and the wrangling of all the egos involved to make it an actual team. It starts hopeful, then looks like they'll break away, then something brings them together and gives them hope this can actually work, the end.

I also kinda want it to be a musical. A legit one: the music isn't integrated with the narrative in any way, it's a part of the medium, like subtitles. Since there will be way more characters than we can actually develop, this is both a way to help shore that up and the perfect opportunity for the random music episode. But since I cannot and will not write any music, there isn't much to say about it. Please imagine that it is good, thank you. Let's talk about that alleged huge cast.

Wonder Woman is in, obviously. She's the public face of the League and the main recruiter. Batman is not a member. As far as the people are concerned, he's a maniacal murderer who has not been seen for months. They do know that Bruce Wayne is secretly their mysterious sponsor, though all members understand they're not supposed to talk about that.

She's actually sad about that, having become friendly with the man, and at some point I want her to ask the other members "what about this 'bat man' i hear about?", possibly while they're having lunch. The others automatically assume she means "when are we taking him down?" and begin speculating about that instead. Some think he's dead, some think he retired, a few think the Director is waiting for them to prove themselves a little more before deploying them in his hometown, someone suggests he already had the bat assassinated, whatever else we can think of. Diana, and therefore the scene, starts tuning them out.

When she reports that to Bruce, he tells her that it's ok, actually. He understands that the name of "Batman" is forever tainted, and it's well deserved. He could make up a new persona and go punch crime, and maybe he will someday, but for now he thinks he can do more good behind the scenes like this.

We also have both Steel and Jinx, of course. She may help recruit someone from the country her city ended in, if there's any interesting super over there. Which is to say, the target country should really have been chosen with that in mind; I just didn't feel like looking anyone up right now. No Research, Only Memory!

They also get both Flash and Cyborg, but can't find Aquaman. He also doesn't get to have action until his movie. Diana thinks she can contact him, but doesn't mention it; atlanteans and amazons have long kept each other's secrets. She's wrong, this particular atlantean has no contact with that civilization, but we don't actually learn that in this movie.

I also want them to have the Wonder Twins. The restriction in their power is kinda interesting, actually. Not much specific to say about them, sorry.

They also get Chole Sullivan, originally from Smallvile. In this version she's one of Wayne Enterprises' accountants or managers or something, whose psychological profile told Bruce she could probably be trusted with logistics for this secret project. She mostly mans the central communications, so when a member calls she responds with "Watchtower here", meaning the headquarters and whoever may pick up; but since she's the only one doing so the others start treating it as her codename.

She's also Lois Lane's cousin, so I find it funny if she returns in a very minor role, as part of Chloe's supporting cast; neither knows that the other knew Clark Kent (and Chloe doesn't know he was Superman), so it should be funny for us that they never even come close to noticing they have that in common.

Also, she should have the extremely minor healing powers she had in a late season. In that case it was illegal kryptonite research, but it doesn't have to be. I'm operating on the assumption that there's lots of people with random unexplained powers, anyways.

Speaking of minor powers, here's an original character: a girl who can fly, reasonably fast, but is very weak. Normal human strength, and her flight capability is like a third of that. She's been studying to be a paramedic since even if she can't move people, she still can reach them, and so hopes to help in that way. She's very excited to join the team and do good along all these people, but a little intimidated that everyone seems more super than her. I'm thinking of calling her Streak or Stripe, but haven't actually checked if those names are taken. My guess is "probably".

I also want another traditional villain. Let's say King Shark, for real this time. He's scary, maybe a little rude, but definitely a good person.

I also really like Static Shock, but I actually like his origin story enough that he should get a movie, so he's not in this one. Could still be foreshadowed, in a list of people they're thinking of approaching. That does mean his movie is another minor rewind, but that's probably ok.

Definitely get Nightwing. I know he's canonically the Robin whose death turned Batman into Punisher, but I'm pretty sure that was never said in the actual movie. And if you're going to have a dead Robin it should be Jason Todd; it's in the name and everything. So yeah, he's in. He knew Batman before so he and Diana could have an interesting conversation about that.

Add Stargirl, from the HBO show. She has a staff that can fly and shoot energy beams, and is clearly intelligent but doesn't really communicate. She's also a trained gymnast, constantly bouncing about on that thing and nearby walls and stuff. All of that is good, makes for good opportunities for interesting choreographies. I would make the staff explicitly magical, so she could hypothetically learn spells and draw on its light to fuel them. She's also been trying to teach the staff morse code.

The woman that would become Livewire joins, but doesn't have any powers. She's in charge of actual public outreach for the group, Diana may be the face they put in posters but doesn't do speeches. She probably gets that radio/tv/whatever program but League-sponsored. May or may not turn evil later, for the purposes of this movie she's just an easter egg.

Martian Manhunter joins secretly, as part of the regular janitorial staff. Nobody knows he has any powers. He's considering if he should come out and volunteer for action, but for now he's just observing them.

And we need at least a couple refusals. Let's say Captain Cold, who is content with his life of minor crime and not willing to get in the kind of fights these guys seem to be gearing up to; and Raven, who senses Jinx's innate powers and wants nothing to do with any group that would take her in.

Round that up with a bunch more minor supers, some originals, some very obscure, and I think we have a decent movie. Logically this is where I should stop, but I'm going to keep going up to Joker, which is where DC seems to have given up in having a wide interconnected continuity. Which for the record is ABSOLUTELY the right choice, they should have done that long before, but for the purposes of this exercise I need more continuity, not less.

So two more things on Justice League. They will have the Watchtower, as in the space station. Probably not this movie, but we should leave with the impression that it's definitely going to happen. Construction is underway, or at least already approved. Chloe knows about that project, which is why she started using that callsign; she was thinking eventually it will be true that that's where you call when you use the League's comms.

And then we need an after credits scene, of course. This may need to be cut into little snippets fading to black into each other, both because it's long and because it would get reprised in the actual movie.

We open in space, with a wide view of the Earth, heavily damaged. Maybe a single giant crater, like in Adventure Time; maybe it's torn to shreds, like in Agents of Shield. The camera pans over to the moon, covered in dome cities, most of them in ruins, like the future in Chrono Trigger. Inside one of them, in what seems like a futuristic military base, a woman is getting dressed in a dark blue one-piece outfit. Her back is to us, because obviously, but also to hide the Superman logo on the chest. Spoilers, by the way.

She goes to a room where a bunch of scientists and high-ranking millitary are milling about, clearly waiting for her. She should float, not walk, her feet never touch the ground. I don't think we should actually see those feet in this scene, but it should still be clear from her movement that she's just gliding. Maybe some technician walks with her a bit, for contrast.

She assumes position at the center of the room, one knee down, hugging the other, in a small platform surrounded by pokey bits. That position should allow us to look at her face without seeing the logo, so the camera should do that. The highest ranking officer addresses her, thanking her for her part in this momentuous occasion, etc; she responds with something about it being an honour. It's clearly a practiced speech for both, probably long standing tradition.

They're both addressed only by their ranks, no names. I don't know enough about millitary hierarchy to tell you what she should be; she's clearly respected, but doesn't have anyone under her command. Lieutenant? Major? I don't know.

After the pleasantries, they turn on the machine, a bunch of special effects happen and everything dissapears except fo her. She's now kneeling in the moon, which is completely empty as in reality. She stands and looks up and to the side, and smiles. This is when we finally get a full view of her costume. The camera moves a bit low and to the side, to show us Earth, which is not destroyed. She flies off towards it, disappearing in the distance. The end.

This was Matrix Supergirl. Kind of. In the comics she was a bunch of nanobots so could shapeshift into any body she liked; this version will be a human given powers by future super-science, so doesn't have that particular power. I also think she was from an artificial pocket universe, not a bad future, but don't quote me on that. Anyways, she'll be back later, enough Justice League.

I think next was Suicide Squad, right? That's stupid, let's push it far into the future.

Next will actually be Static Shock. He's a high school or college student that got involved with a gang once, and had the misfortune of getting dowsed in chemicals that gave several of them various superpowers. He specifically gets control over electricity, and can float metal objects to surf through the air.

I actually would change that. He's a member of an activist group instead, it was a peaceful protest that got unfairly suppressed by the police. Should probably be protesting something fictional, related to a previous movie, but it could also be something stolen from real-life news. Also, it's not just them that got powers: a few protesters, some bystanders, and at least one cop.

Most of them go variously evil, at least a couple try to ignore it and keep to their normal lives, and of course our hero takes it upon himself to get the others in check. The cop also allegedly becomes a vigilante, but he's clearly doing the overzealous brutality thing. He gives Static the old "we're not so different, you and I" speech, and is ultimately the one he must defeat to complete the story.

At the end of the story, maybe after the credits, I'd like one of the guys who tried to stay neutral to be inspired by Static and decide to take up heroism. I'd further like that to be Poison Ivy, in this case just called Ivy I guess; but I'm not sure it's worth changing her origin like that. She's usually a genius scientist who gave herself her own powers, it's kind of a disservice to remove that. But also DC has too many supergeniuses, so maybe it'd be ok? Not sure actually.

Next is either Wonder Woman 2 or Aquaman, I don't really remember but I also already broke the canonical order, so Aquaman it is. This is another movie that was basically ok, the only strictly necessary change is to remove the scenes at the start where people know him and love him, since this is his first adventure.

Besides that, I really liked the idea that they thought the magic trident would give its wielder control over the creatures of the sea, when it turns out that control is a requirement instead. Except I don't actually know if that was intended or it's me reading too much. So I would like to make it canon: in the final fight against Discount Killmonger, they are surrounded by various sea monsters, clearly formally witnessing the duel. At some point he actually gets the trident from Arthur, poses dramatically with it and orders them to devour him. Their only reaction is to look from him to Arthur, who tells them he's ok, don't worry, as he struggles to stand up; and every creature backs away a little and relaxes visibly. That's when the bad guy understands why and how he will never be worthy, and he flies into a rage, resumes the attack, back to the normal movie.

Next is Wonder Woman 2. Kind of. If it's going to be a prequel again, it could really have gone at any point after the first Wonder Woman. So I have arbitrarily put it here.

Wonder Woman 1984 was a mess. Famously so. For my purposes, there were 3 ideas that went into it: the wishing stone, the cat-themed frenemy, and the undead boyfriend. Any one of them could have been good. Any two of them may have been good. All three, well it didn't work. So, gotta pick.

The wishes thing is the most interesting, from an analyst perspective. The way a "be careful what you wish for" story works is that it teaches the hero a valuable lesson about the "wants vs needs" thing. And the main reason we like them is the joy of outwitting the jackass genie, either watching the hero do it or imagining we would do better. Wonder Woman Big Brother didn't do either because it wasn't really a wish storyline. It started pretending to be, but it was actually about a guy gaining omnipotence, with a weird quirk to it. And the really interesting thing is that you can't fix that without making it more clichéd.

I'm serious, I'm torn about this one. I WANT to say it's a good thing that they tried something original, even if it didn't quite work out. But on the other hand this movie feels like an object lesson for why "subverting expectations" shouldn't be your sole guiding principle. All I can say for certain is that I don't have a good twist for this one, so moving on.

Cheetah is easier to fix. She's still a coworker at the museum, who both admires and resents Diana, gets her hands on magic, starts trying to impress her, ends up trying to kill her. The only difference is instead of a wishing stone, she found the Sword of Omens.

Zombie Trevor is a little harder, in that we need some excuse for why he's back as a ghost, ideally related to one or more previous movies. If that is sorted, though, his actual plot is easier. They are both horrified by it, certainly don't sleep together at that point, instead they go looking for a way to undo the magic. Only she wants to find a way for him to still be back to life afterwards, while he's more willing to go already, and just give this poor dude his body back.

So I want both actually. But the ghost thing is actually better later, as a team movie. For this part of the release schedule, I pick the cat. The movie's name is Wonder Women. Surely that won't be confusing for anyone.

I'm also going to play the "first gay character ever!" card. Barbara is explicitly romantically interested in Diana, also very closeted (this is still in the eighties) and quite unhappy about it. Also, Diana hasn't been celibate all this time; in fact the movie opens with her having just broken up with her boyfriend. The other girls are trying to get her to gossip, but she's too good hearted to badmouth him. All she says is "it wasn't meant to be".

His name MAY be "Maxwell Lord", but probably not. Just some nobody we never hear from. All that matters is that she's now available; Barbara can't help but feel some hope, but she squashes it down, telling herself "it's not meant to be". This is what stresses her, eventually leading her to mess with the artifacts in her care, and accidentally finding the one that gives her cat-themed magic. Nothing big at this point, maybe it sharpens her senses. She freaks out, puts it back, and runs.

On the other side of the cast, Diana also hasn't been a pacifist all this time. She doesn't use the bikini armor, she goes out to fight crime in men's clothes and a mask. Should probably read all of her publication history to find the most masculine-sounding alias she's had, and make that what the people in this era call her.

Anyways, the next day Barbara gets into some problem, either crime or an accident of some sort. Diana-in-disguise saves her, but she recognizes her. They have a talk afterwards, where she promises to keep the secret, and Diana thanks her, telling her she's "a good friend". She smiles of course, but also almost cries. Please imagine Bart Simpson going through this scene frame-by-frame.

Afterwards, some of their friends at the offce (museum, whatever) comment that the two of them seem to be closer lately. Barbara panics and starts trying to deny everything, then Diana says they were both at the <EVENT>, where <CODENAME PENDING> saved them both. They turn to gossip about that, somebody asks if he's handsome and Barbara sighs and says "like a dream come true". Somebody remarks that they'd never seen her like that before, so she starts panicking again; Diana intercedes again, saying she had hoped he would be taller. They all laugh, "I bet you ALWAYS say that!", but finally change the subject, so Barbara can finally relax.

She does spend the rest of the day daydreaming about Wonder Man The Manliest Man Who Ever Manned. At the end of their shift, she finally decides to steal the amulet to see what's up with it. It increases her senses, balance and helps her jump a lot. She also may be stronger than before, but not superhmanly yet. No physical changes yet. She decides to also steal some body-concealing clothes and a mask, and go find Diana.

She finds her fighting some thugs. Nothing she couldn't handle easily, but she's still interested when this mysterious new kid joins in to help. They finish the fight, climb atop some building to talk (Barbara is surprised how easily her hands hold her weight), and she immediately unmasks and explains everything. Diana dissaproves of the theft, but is actually excited about having a partner, so she agrees to fight crime together.

Few months pass, the two are becoming closer friends, their coworkers all agree both seem happier than they'd been "in a good while". They also speculate about the mysterious hero's new mysterious ally. Student? Brother? "Maybe lovers?" "Bill, don't be gross".

Barbara is actually considering coming out to Diana, even if she knows she'd be rejected; but she remembers how she felt when she had to reject her best friend, and decides not to put her in that position.

She also starts having physical side-effects while wearing the amulet, though: her nails and teeth sharpen a little, her eyes start getting a little odd. Diana suggest she should maybe take a break, or they should try and research the amulet, but she refuses.

Eventually her superheroing starts getting a little more cruel than Diana would like. They argue about it, but both agree it's not that bad, she's new to this, she will do her best to control herself. It will be fine.

Until the day she tries to strangle a thief that's clearly trying to surrender. Diana fights her to save him, she's still far stronger at this point, and drags her off to talk.

At this point she notices there's more changes under the mask. She still looks human, but her skin has cheetah-like patterns, and her ears are already changed. She tells her this can't go on, that she has to give back the pendant. Barbara agrees, takes it off and de-transforms, then breaks down crying. They go together to store it in the museum, hidden inside another artifact that they expect shouldn't be moved much.

That night, as Barbara is sleeping at home, there is some sudden noise. Traffic or something. She wakes up and instantly jumps far away, ends up hanging from something. Let's say her roof has exposed beams. Once she calms down and realizes she's still hanging by her hands, she calmly readjusts her weight and lets go, easily landing on her feet.

After a bit of pretending to be normal again, she takes up the mask and goes out to patrol alone. Diana is disappointed and worried, so she confronts her, but she tries to brush her off. She grapples her and tries to take off the amulet, but it's not where she usually kept it. I guess I should establish what exactly that is, no? Let's say a green gem, cut in the shape of a cat's eye, in a golden pin. She usually put it in her sleeve, on the inside. So this frisking is a little intimate, but not too much.

So she asks what she's done with it, Barbara replies that she doesn't need it anymore. They fight some more. Eventually Diana binds her in the lasso to force her to tell her the truth, and she repeats. "It's where we left it. I don't need it anymore". Diana softly asks "why?", thinking about the amulet and wondering for what reason it works like that, but Barbara goes on a rant about how it's all so easy for her, she doesn't know what it's like to be anything but perfect, and then Diana apologizes and withdraws the lasso.

After a moment of awkward silence, she decides to keep going. She never had to hide what she is, to know she doesn't belong among people, that she lives in defiance of nature, and so on and so forth. All her metaphors should be carefully chosen so they could apply to Diana's amazonian/divine heritage, so she's absolutely confused. Until Barbara runs out of euphemisms and screams "you have never been in love with another woman!", and then everything suddenly makes sense.

Next she's clearly trying to say "in love with you", but can't, so she finally shuts up. In the silence, Diana says, very calmly, very matter-of-fact, "no, I have. It's really all the same to me". Because of course Wonder Woman is bi, how dare you ever think otherwise.

Cheetah screams and punches her, transforming mid-punch to be more catlike than ever before, so she's actually strong enough to send her flying and to the ground. Then we cut to the museum, where the thing they put the brooch in starts shaking, then explodes, the brooch flying away. It flies all the way to the fight, hits her in the face and also drops her to the ground, so Diana quickly gets up to investigate.

She sees the amulet has replaced one of her eyes, and whispers that they have to find a way to get it off her. Cheetah wakes up, says "no. Never again" and starts attacking. She's stronger, but Wonder Woman is faster, so she mostly has the advantage. Except she doesn't actually try to get away, just dodges and tries to talk her down, so eventually she catches her and begins strangling her. After struggling a bit, trying to get her off in vain, she summons a huge bolt of lightning to strike her down.

Because she can do that. This character is kind of ridiculous, actually.

Cheetah lets go and falls to her knees, breathing hard, stunned by disbelief and also electricity. Wonder Woman recovers her breath first, and asks her to please give up, let her find a way to help her. Instead she gets up and gets her hands around her neck again, very ineffectually at first, but slowly regaining her strength. Diana doesn't even raise her hands this time, just looks at her sadly. As she starts having trouble breathing again, she whispers "please", to which the answer is "never". Lightning strikes again, and at the same time she reaches and pulls out the brooch with her hand. Barbara falls over, dead, and she picks her up and brings her to the sea or forest or desert (I don't know what's closest to where they live) to bury her. The end.

After the credits, Wonder Woman is leaning against a handrail, staring out a large window. A random superhero, someone we haven't met yet, approaches to ask her what's up. She has the brooch in her hand, and just says she's thinking about an old friend. "Today would have been her birthday". He smiles, then looks confused and asks her "how can you tell, up here?", and the camera pans out, to show us they are in the finished Watchtower Station.

Next is Task Force X. They can still do the "some sorta suicide squad?" joke, but the movie should have the better name.

A lot is wrong with Suicide Squad, but mostly in execution; and I can't just say "edit things competently". I mean, I can and will, certainly the idea is there isn't a remake because the first one was good. But I also have a specific criticism: they need an antagonist that is not a direct consequence of their existence. "Villain of your own making" is good when it gives the protagonist an important lesson to learn, or tragically fail to; but in this case the only one that could receive it is Amanda Waller, and she's not that important. She's an inciting incident with delusions of recurrence, really.

So instead the team is assembled against Atlantis. After their existence was made public during Aquaman, most nations sent diplomats. A few of them have been taken prisoner, it is the team's mission to recover them without letting the public at large learn that anything happened. Secretly, the diplomats actually have gone rogue, requesting and receiving asylum in exchange for various secrets, the actual mission is to prevent that. They still hope to extract them alive, but the secret orders strongly imply that it's a secondary consideration. And extra-secretly, Waller and whatever superiors she actually serves hope they can steal advanced atlantean tech, at least one member has extra-secret orders to do that. That should be enough to get a decent heist/spy movie out of this.

The roster needs to be diferent, of course, mostly on account of a majority of the action being underwater, but also because it wasn't that good. They all have advanced breather masks, by the way; Atlantis already gifted that technology to the world.

Harley Quinn really has no business being chosen for this. And Joker certainly won't appear. I have bigger plans for these two. Kind of.

Deadshot is probably also off the team. Maybe keep him as the one that dies early. Maybe.

Boomerang is in; his throws don't work right under water, so he spends the movie practicing and figuring that out, then at the end actually manages it.

The expendable soldiers have no place here, this is a covert mission. They get ONE army liason/handler, and I guess his name may as well be "Rick Flagg", but he's not a loveable decent guy in over his head. He's a cruel and reckless leader, in trouble for multiple disciplinary actions, and this mission is pretty much his last chance to prove his worth and stay on the army. Definitely knew the secret mission from the start, may be the one with the double secret orders.

Killer Croc would have too easy a time underwater, but maybe that's specifically why they picked him. Keep him if there's good stuff for him to do that doesn't entirely render the rest of the team pointless; if that balance cannot be found, replace him with Solomon Grundy.

Diablo, maybe? I like the idea that he constantly complains he's useless for this mission, but since it would be true, it's kinda stupid that they deployed him. Could go either way.

And I want to use this movie to do the reverse of Jinx: a well known hero, who in this continuity is and always has been a villain. I like Beast Boy for this, but he probably is too useful to the mission, like Croc but more so. So instead let's say Hawkman. Just like Boomerang, he has trouble flying underwater, but eventually figures it out.

For callbacks, add Captain Cold, one of the superpowered assassins from Steel, and the ex-cop from Static Shock. At least one of them should try to abandon the team and seek refuge from Atlantis, then be killed for it. I nominate Cold on the grounds that he's the only one I have any empathy for, though obviously if these were real movies the others would also have been settled and developed by now.

Round things out with 2-3 obscure or original characters, and that's it. They infiltrate Atlantis secretly, skulk about, interacting mostly with each other. Some good action, some inevitable betrayals, about half of the team makes it out alive. Should be fun.

Next comes Supergirl. It's a bit of a misdirect. Certainly, she's here to change the past and avert the terrible future she came from. Which she does easily; between the intel she was given for the mission and the might of the League, they get that sorted out within the first twenty minutes of the movie. I'd like if either the threat or the solution can tie in to some future character's origin story, but it's not really necessary.

What matters is, after they win, she stands around stoically, clearly waiting for something to happen. When one of the others asks her what's up now, she panics and runs to double-check things, but all is well. It will be impossible for the future to turn out how she knew. And she doesn't understand why she still exists.

That's the actual point of the movie. She thought she was signing up for a suicide mission, she had made her peace with that, and now suddenly she has a life ahead of her, in an extremely strange world. So she'll need to adapt and figure out herself, with the help of a handful League members that felt closest to her during that initial mission.

Probably not Wonder Woman. I feel she's being overused.

Probably yes Chloe. Just because I like her.

Definitely Nightwing. He's the nicest person in this universe, would both be inclined to help her and good at it. Also, he'll be important later.

Probably Steel or Cyborg, either could be interested in the future. She wasn't a scientist, but probably still can help them with some stuff that's common knowledge.

Probably King Shark, could be funny if those two end up becoming friends.

Should probably add at least one more woman, so let's say my original flying paramedic. They can fly together.

Since the movie is all personal self-discovery, I don't have much in the way of plot specifics. She starts kinda numb and detached, they drag her all over the world to experience different things, eventually she starts seeming content and like she'll be ok. The end. So, in no particular order:

She does some superheroing, of course. Just a few things, but public enough that the media starts calling her Supergirl. Someone, but not her, complains that it "very clearly" should be Superwoman. She doesn't care either way. For the record I agree, it's kind of a bad name, but it's far too well known to not use it.

Her hair is not super. Some villain manages to cut off a bit of it, laughs, then shatters his sword against her face. After beating him they drag her off to "get that fixed". She assumes they mean they'll artificially accelerate the regrowth, but it's just cutting the rest of it to match. Afterwards she says she could have just done that herself.

She doesn't have a name. Insists in being called by her rank. Eventually Bruce presses her for more info, in his position as the League's Director, and she snaps into attention, rattles off some numbers and letters (in the alpha-bravo-charlie system), and specifies that she's a Sargeant (or whatever her rank actually ends up) of "the Legion". Turns out they don't have names in the future; they have serials, for official functions, but those aren't meant to be human-readable. For everyday life, they use pronouns and whatever titles may have been earned. Should make her serial be a reference. Author names or comics issues, something like that.

(The Legion of Superheroes is a team from the year three thousand and change, who are capable of time travelling trivially and use it to hang out with Superboy or, if he never existed, Superman. A version of Supergirl is sometimes a full member despite also existing mostly exclusively in the present, though I seriously doubt it's this version. Basically none of that is true for this movie, the name is just an easter egg; but since she's explicitly from a Bad Future, we retain the possibility of a more canon-compliant Legion in the Better Future.)

For the same reason, she treats all names as titles, gramatically. When talking to someone it's normal, "what do you think, Chloe?", but when talking about someone it becomes "the Chloe said..."

They visit Atlantis. She's seen bits of it before, but "never imagined it used to be so beautiful. Or so wet".

Somebody suggests she should visit Superman's grave, and she agrees, then everybody is surprised when she leads them to Kansas. That's common knowledge in her time, she didn't know it wasn't for them. If Chloe is here, she specifically should freak out about that. Maybe she wonders about "that time our bus almost fell into the river".

At the graveyard they meet Martha Kent, who recognizes her despite them already having gotten her into civilian clothes by this point. She apologizes for hijacking her son's symbol, her superiors insisted; and they exchange a heartwarming talk about his legacy. She also calls her "Mrs. El". The future doesn't remember everything perfectly.

They go eat lots of different foods. If King Shark is here, one of the dishes is shark-based, so she looks to him nervously. He tells her to go for it, it is delicious, and she just says that "shark culture is weird" before having a bite. They probably explain that to her off-camera.

They keep getting mildly annoyed that she just tells everyone she's from the future, uses names and codenames exchangeably, and in general doesn't seem to care about secrecy. If King Shark is here, who couldn't hide if he wanted, he finds her honesty refreshing. That's probably my best idea for why those two bond.

Nightwing gets a call, apologizes and goes away from them to answer. He returns to explain it was his girlfriend, they had a date, but obviously he had to reschedule for this. Somebody suggests they all go see her, he says she doesn't know anything about his work, and doesn't want any of them outing him. Supergirl says it's ok, she can act normal, and he just looks at her, then down. The camera follows him, to show us her feet, floating a few centimetres in the air. "Have you EVER touched the ground?" "Of course not, it's dirty".

Speaking of her feet, she really does float all the time. She can float in her sleep. It's her favourite part of the augmentation. I don't want to do any actual casting, but I'd like her to be a somewhat shorter actress, so it can be clear she's usually floating up to be eye-level with the others. Not intentionally, but as she speaks with someone she slowly slides into position. If it's someone shorter, she rotates without bending, to still not touch the ground. I imagine if two people of noticeably different heights were having an argument in her presence, she'd end up softly vibrating halfway between their levels.

Turns out they have basketball in the future. They double-check with her that all the rules are the same, then bring her to play, but the first time she bounces the ball down it splatters against the ground and tears to shreds. So, turns out they have super-basketball in the future. She apologizes and says she'll wait for them to invent reinforced balls.

The final scene, which I guess means this was in a slightly particular order, is her having been set up with a department, via the Wayne Foundation, for her to have a civilian life. It's in the city where Supergirl normally lives, not Matrix, but Kara Zor-El. As the moving company is getting furniture and stuff in, her neighbour comes to say hi. He introduces himself, I don't know the name but someone from Kara's normal supporting cast, and she shakes his hand and says "Hi, I'm...", then trails off. The camera focuses on her face, looks like she's trying to think of a fake name, but then she shrugs and says "I'm the Supergirl". The end.

After credits, Dick Grayson is getting ready for that date with his girlfriend. She's a perfectly normal human, named "Star". They head off to what seems like it'll be a lovely evening.

Next is Shazam. This is another fantastic movie, literally the only change it needs is that Superman cannot show up after the credits. What with being dead and all.

So instead, Shazam is waiting alone on a rooftop, clearly barely able to contain his excitement. A bunch of superheroes teleport in from the Station, here to recruit him. As they start the round of introductions, Jinx looks at him, her eyes glowing with magic, and she says "wait, how old are you?". He stutters for a second, then flies away at superspeed.

Next is Jokerz. That's a gang of hooligans that wear clown makeup, do small crimes. Originally from Batman Beyond, they only knew Joker from old history. In this version they formed shortly after Batman killed him, the day after he killed Robin. See, that's why I'm basically ok with his characterization in BvS. It's a terrible introduction for the character, but it makes a pretty good ending.

Also, I don't know exactly when Robin died, or if it was even explicitly established. For my version of the franchise, anything between five and twenty years before Batman v Superman would work; mostly it affects the required age range for various actors. I'm going to go ahead and officially say 12.

Anyways, Harley Quinn has finally been let out of Arkham, where she turned herself in after she succesfully captured Batman, but he convinced her Joker would never have wanted him dead.

She does her best to reintegrate into society. Lands a job at a beauty parlor, she's good with makeup. And costumes.

She gets a very small appartment, where she's friendly with the other tenants. We see her at night, trying to sleep, but she can't. After a while she gets off the bed and to the ground, then falls asleep.

One day, a bunch of Jokerz come into the shop, scare away the other customers and get on the chairs, demanding they "freshen us up". All the other employees are frozen with fear, but the youngest guy approaches them, then Harley, then some of the others. They just clean their faces, then paint them back.

One of them gives what seems to be the owner a big wad of bills. She whispers that it's too much, so he says "oh, ok", throws a chair through the window, then looks back to her. She nods frantically and all the clowns leave, laughing. After they're gone, Harley falls to her knees, crying and hyperventilating. The others move in to try to help her.

Meanwhile, at their hideout, the specific clown she worked on is admiring her makeup very carefully. She digs through a collection of old newspaper clippings they have, for a photo of the original Joker. He looked just like her. They all pass that paper around, as she climbs on a table and starts doing poses. She's the one that would become Punchline, if I had anything for her to do after this movie. Still gonna call her that. Maybe her original face paint looked like that.

So they start following Harley, asking her to join up and "be their Queen". Wherever she goes, there's clowns making a nuisance. Eventually she's fired from the salon, and the next day it's mysteriously burned to the ground. Her friends no longer talk to her, strangers avoid her even when no Jokerz are around.

One day a bunch of them suround her, the biggest and strongest pulls out a reproduction of her old costume. The original one, from Batman: the Animated Series, though clearly very poorly made.

She finally snaps, and goes to beat the crap out of that particular clown. At first he laughs, but after the first couple hits he starts trying to defend himself, and can't. She's a ridiculously good hand-to-hand combatant. All the while, she's ranting about how they're all a disgrace to the Joker's memory. He may have gone too far, at the end, but at least he was trying to do good. He stood for something. These idiots don't seem to do anything except whatever helps them not have to think.

She finishes with the guy broken and bloody, moaning incoherently. She grabs the costume, uses it to wipe his blood off her hands and tosses it over his head. She purposely walks between the two clowns that happened to be standing closest to each other, so she can push them both aside. Once she's gone, all the clowns start laughing again, except the guy on the ground, who can't, and Punchline, who's actually thinking about it.

While Harley is trying and failing to pick her life back up, she tries to whip the Jokerz into shape, find some good for them to do, "as our Queen demanded". They don't care. After a while she also gets disgusted, and goes to vandalize the police station and then the chief's home, so they will finally go and arrest them all.

She goes to find Harley again, to ask her to join together and find the True Way, to honour Joker's memory together. She calls her "doctor" this time. I don't have a specific idea for this sequence, but they try. Go find lost puppies, try to seduce/torture a politician for incriminating info, whatever. They may get romantically involved, I don't know enough about Punchline to say if that would be ok.

She keeps pushing for what Joker's Cause was, which Harley is evasive about. She says she's struggling to remember. We may get brief flashbacks of various ridiculous plans he tried, over the years. Eventually she has to admit there isn't one. She had been lying to herself, the Jokerz had been right all along. Punchline is offended and leaves. "I hoped you, of all people, would understand".

Harley cries a bit and does some soul-searching, finally deciding she's better off this way. "The truth has set me free". She plans to continue looking for small ways to help people, not for anyone's memory, but because it feels good. I want the final montage of her good deeds to be a spoof of the one Superman got in BvS. She's pulling someone's couch on a rope. A bunch of kids are surrounding her, reaching their hands for the food she brought. I don't remember what else he did, but whatever it was, she gets a visually similar but relatively insignificant version.

The movie ends with her trying to sleep, but she can't. After a while she climbs up onto the bed, and finally falls asleep.

After the credits, the police have finally received the report on that burned beauty shop. It was a superhuman of some sort; there's no possible way the Jokerz were involved in that one. So they have to re-open the case, and have no idea where to begin.

Next should be Watchtower, except I don't really have a good idea for this. The basic setup is that Chloe's on vacation, visiting her cousin, and their party/cruise/concert/whatever gets hijacked by terrorists or something. She intentionally left her comms behind, so she has to step up and Die Hard the day.

Is that enough? I feel it needs more.

Next is Lobo. He's one of those characters that was designed to offend as much as possible, so we will sand down his edges a bit, but not much. His world exists, and it exists in the Legion's future. He insists he will always abide by the letter of the law. Maybe he's a good singer or cook or something, I don't know.

We open with various League members sitting at a large table, talking about their respective relationships, plans for the weekend, and so on. Let's say Static, Nightwing, King Shark, Cyborg, my original flying paramedic, one of the Wonder Twins, two or three more. The other Twin is also there, sprawled on the table, growling in frustration.

They start showing off pictures. The spare Twin says "That's a huge security breach. You all know that, right?" Then an alarm goes off. Cyborg gets up, then a moment later the others do, though they look at him, confused. "Someone is approaching the planet. We just installed it last week." "Could it be a test?" "Test was last week."

They start running out of the room, but they hear Supergirl's voice. Not over comms, she's shouting hard enough for the whole Station to hear. "NOBODY WORRY I WILL RESOLVE THIS DO NOT CONTACT ME WILL REPORT LATER BYE".

Outside a bar somewhere, we see a bunch of motorcycles. One of them is some sci-fi looking abomination. Inside, Lobo is holding a though-looking guy by the neck with one hand, fiddling with the other with some device connected to some wires going to both of their heads. He says something in a strange language.

Someone breaks a chair over his neck, but he doesn't care. He messes with the device some more. "How about this? Now can you understand me?" The guy nods frantically, so Lobo snaps off the wires from both of them, pockets the device, and lets him drop. "Well see? That wasn't so bad".

Supergirl walks into the bar, classic Western style. She calls on him to meet her outside. Possibly she calls him by his species' name, if there is a canonical name for them. He looks around the room, smiling. "Well sorry fellas, you're all quite lovely but damn do we have a winner!"

(More generally, he's going to spend the entire movie hitting on her. I'd like it if we could somehow make it clear she's not necessarily uninterested, it's just that she can tell he's not serious.)

She wants him to abide by a set of rules that she's clearly struggling to remember (he corrects her pronounciation). Some sort of Prime Directive, this planet has not made contact with the galaxy. He goes serious, promises he will abide to the relevant protocols, and asks if she will be his local contact for the job. She agrees. He suggests they hide his space-motorcycle somewhere safe, "so as to not spook the natives". They bury it in the Sahara.

He's a galactic bounty hunter, looking for the runaway princess <name> from the <name> empire. I'm sorry I don't remember the names, that's Starfire, Nightwing's girlfriend, though she doesn't know that yet. She does recognize the empire's name, she's a little nervous about that.

He has some counter-surveillance data; there was a network of detection beacons, <Starfire's planet>'s make, around the solar system, that he carefully stayed outside of. A whille ago they went down, and a much weaker version went up, provenance unknown; he waited a while in case that was a trap, but has decided to come find her before the trail gets too cold.

She realizes he means the League's system, Cyborg and Steel designed it, based on vague recollections from her. The target must have turned off hers to avoid being detected. He seems genuinely upset that she's the one breaking non-interference, but she insists she's a local. She's just from the future. "Fine, future, whatever. You're not my princess anyways, let's go".

So they're going to follow his data, basically calculations of where the info from the systems used to go, hopefully directly to her. Along the way he tries to do some tourism, pick some fights, comedically misunderstands various things. She's mostly struggling to keep him in check.

Since they're starting from the Sahara and the end point is the Teen Titans' city (not that they exist, but we should see the name as they go in), I figure they should go northwest, through all of Asia and across the Bering Strait; or they could walk across the South Pole and therefore South Africa and all of America.

The only thing I can say for sure is they should pass through the abandoned displaced city from Jinx. She explains that was before she arrived, but she understands it was a botched mass teleport. "On an entire city? That's why you test on adorable small animals first!" Other than that, whatever route gives us the best buddy cop comedy/road trip.

After a movie's worth of that, they find "Star" and Dick together, enjoying a nice time at the park. Supergirl recognizes him and asks to wait, but Lobo doesn't want to waste the surprise and attacks. Dick tries to help defend her, but she stops him, claiming this is a legal bounty. Also, he would die. They argue about that, making it clear the two know each other well.

"Star" meanwhile had been struggling semi-ineffectually, just enough to not actually be captured while still pretending to be a regular human who doesn't understand what's going on. Lobo notices that, so he picks up a car and crushes her with it. Then he drops an incendiary grenade on them. The other two stop arguing to stare, stunned. He asks Dick "for the record, you guys can't survive that, right?".

She floats out of the wreckage, her clothes partially burnt, her skin cracking and starting to evaporate, to reveal her natural orange skin underneath. He smiles and jumps to attack her again, but she catches him with tendrils of pink light. He pulls out a bigger grenade, fiddling with the buttons and dials one-handed, telling her she has until he's done arming it to surrender, unless she wants to continue their fight "in the smoking ruins of this charming little continent". So she tears off his head. Mostly because he's a bit one-note and there's not that much value in seeing him again, but also because I need to kill off some characters besides Wonder Woman's love interests.

After that, Supergirl is absolutely terrified, so Dick recovers first. He asks why she didn't tell him, she points vaguely at the two of them and asks when HE was planning to tell HER. They look like they're about to start shouting at each other, but instead they both take a deep breath, relax, and start explaining how they each understand the other had good reason for keeping their secrets.

With their relationship succesfully salvaged, Supergirl finally speaks up. She asks the princess if she's a member of the Pink Lantern Corps, also sometimes known as the Star Sapphires. She says yes, that's why she chose that human name. (Incidentally, I love that the name was technically a red herring.) Supergirl starts cursing nervously, probably some future swearwords, and goes to check Lobo's corpse.

His bounty was issued by the Star Sapphire Debt Collectors, not the Imperial Family of <PLANETNAME>. The princess is also surprised to hear this, she always thought her sister was just trying to drag her back to the throne because she was too lazy to rule. But it turns out she has to actually go and deal with whatever is going on. So she goes to say goodbye to Dick.

After the requisite "don't go/i must/etc", he gives her a small box he was carrying, telling her he had hoped to use it tonight, "though I've been telling myself that for almost a year now". It contains a diamond ring. So she takes out her Pink Lantern ring, which she wears in a necklace under her dress; she transfers all its power to the new one, and then gives him the old one. They kiss one last time, and she picks up Lobo's corpse and flies away into space. He waits until she's out of sight to spit out a bit of fake skin.

After the credits, Supergirl is in an office room on the Watchtower, slouching in front of a computer. They're making her write up reports on everything she remembers about "ancient galactic politics". She complains that she barely passed her history classes, then whoever is with her (either Cyborg or someone new) reminds her that's better than literally anyone else in the world, so she gets back to it. We should get a brief look at her screen, it's full of sequel bait.

And now I'm really running low. I have two more big events I want to add, and not sufficient build up. We need 3 more movies here.

First is something about magic. A Jinx sequel, or Zatanna's introduction, possibly both. I kinda want the bad guy to use mass mind control. If Zatanna is here, she's offered League membership at the end, but refuses.

Second, that spin-off from the end of Static Shock. If it's about Ivy, she interacts with Swamp Thing. It wants to end humanity, she convinces it not to. If it wasn't her, then something else, I don't know.

Third, anything that doesn't affect the status quo. Possibly an Aquaman sequel set entirely within Atlantis. Or Gorilla Grodd, though it's getting a bit cramped for secret civillizations that were there all along. Maybe a day in the life of one of the less-powerful supers.

With that we go into Justice League: Rebirth. This is when Steve Trevor returns as a ghost possessing someone. Along with a hell of a lot of other people. Also, the actor doesn't come back; we will trust the audience to remember who is being possessed by whom.

The movie starts in the Watchtower's kitchen. One of the cooks briefly blacks out, then starts panicking at herself and her surroundings. She's screaming in some strange language, and pawing at her head like something was missing. The others get her out of there, since it's full of dangerous things, and ask the heroes to go get help.

They fetch Diana, who is old and well-travelled, and Jinx, keeper of many secrets. By the time they arrive, she's calmed down a bit, grabs someone's face and stares at him like she's expecting something to happen, then panics and starts screaming again. They tell them she keeps doing that. Neither of them have ever heard that language.

Wonder Woman speaks into her comm, asking Watchtower to let her speak to everyone in the League. Chloe, at her control room, clicks at her keyboards a bit and replies that "you have all hands". Back at the cafeteria, she takes off her comm to clearly hold it in her hand as she announces they have an important message, if ANYONE understands it, please report to the Station immediately. Then she holds it to the cook, who is briefly confused but does start speaking into it.

Somewhere during that we should get extremely brief snippets of various superheroes through the world receiving the message. A few of them are already dealing with people acting weirdly, though nothing so extreme. It's also heard in all the speakers in the Watchtower, including a room where the janitors are taking their break. One of them, on hearing it, immediately flies away and through the walls (without harming them). "Huh. Did you know John was a ghost?".

He rises from the ground in the cafeteria, but before anyone can ask him anything he speaks out in the same language, so everybody shuts up, and Diana backs away so the cook can see him. She's clearly relieved, but also confused, and asks him a question. He looks a bit embarrased, but then transforms into his martian form, by which I mean the fully alien body, not the green-skinned human we normally see. She shouts in joy and runs to hug him, but everybody else immediately goes on guard. A few actually point their weapons at him. Diana says "please explain".

He does. He's originally from Mars, was also a janitor, actually, at a lab researching teleportation. When they called for volunteers for testing, he signed up. Animal tests had gone perfectly, seemed like easy money. It went wrong, sent him outside the world, past the twin moons and into the third orbit, where he got stuck at the center of the planet, in a half-teleported state. He doesn't know how long. He tried to reach out with his telepathy, could barely sense there was people around, but nobody seemed able to detect him.

"Wait, you have telepathy?" "You may notice I don't have a mouth right now".

He stayed trapped until Zod attacked. His ridiculous sky beam machines somehow disrupted his suspension, which let him escape towards them. He finally materialized among the rubble in Metropolis, disguised himself as a dead body, and has been hiding ever since. And, somehow, this is his wife.

She takes over the explanation, transmitted telepathically by him. After his accident, the teleport experiment was cancelled. It was theorized it was the telepathy that caused it, actually, that it interacts with the process in a way she doesn't understand. He agrees that sounds right. The experiments were resumed three years later, that's martian years of course, when the environmental crisis suddenly started getting worse. The plan was to teleport all cities to some more habitable planet. Before final testing could begin, she got sick, then got worse, then suddenly she was here.

This is actually fantastic news for him. All this time he'd been worried and puzzled by the fact that humans have pretty good surveillance footage of his planet, and have never found any ruins or anything. But if the plan was to take everything along, maybe it worked. Maybe they're still out there, somewhere.

Though it also makes him wonder exactly how much time has passed. Gallileo would have seen the towers, right?

Chloe interrupts the moment to tell Diana she has a call from the Smithsonian, through the cafeteria speakers. Also, why isn't she answering her comms. She puts it on and tells her this is not the time. Camera switches to Chloe, who says it's a guy claiming to be her first boyfriend, "though they all want to believe that, right?". She listens to a response we don't hear, says ok and clicks at her machine. "Look, it's not that we don't believe you, but, well. We don't really believe you".

Then the camera cuts to the museum's director's office, where a guy is at the phone. He thinks for a moment, then says "ok, tell her, if she speaks a hundred languages, did she really expect me to believe she doesn't know what marriage means?". A woman who is with him raises an eyebrow and starts chuckling.

Elsewhere, Jason Todd is sharing some beers with Dick Grayson. "So, what's with the toy ring?" "A gift from my girlfriend. And it's actually bulletproof." "Girlfriend? Finally! Call her, let's meet up." "She... had to go back to her planet." "Oh, I see. Of couuuurse".

Clark Kent is trying to convince Steel that he is Superman, with little success. He reached him by following the graffitti of his symbol. He's also very out of shape and extremely out of breath. Finally they agree the two had never met anyways, Steel lets him borrow his phone to call someone better. He doesn't know the number.

Joker actually returns in Harely Quinn's body. He doesn't know if he's really a spirit from hell or she's having some psychotic episode, and more importantly, cannot decide which would be funnier. He breaks into Wayne Manor to yell at Bruce for giving up the cowl. He's half panicking, asking what "she" means and how "she" got there anyways. "Same as you, through the waterfall, up the staircase, through the clock." Bruce's face twists with fear. "You know, the day your parents died is a terrible passcode. I always meant to talk to you about that".

Back to the museum, Diana meets with Steve and his friend, who happens to be her mother. Her first question is how they found her, so he pulls his phone and says "these things are amazing!". I recognize that scene realistically has to be product placement, but I'd like it if it could be shot that way but the phone is a WayneTech.

The next question is how are they back, which they don't know. "One moment I'm crashing that plane into the sea, next a pretty lady asks if I want more beer. I thought the vikings were right!"

Hippolyta informs her she has a sister now, Donna. She was 15 when she had her accident, should be queen now. They've told her lots of stories about Diana. "Any of them true?" "That would be an incredible coincidence".

Some more people return, including various who we never knew of but logically should exist. Cyborg's dad, who I think could plausibly have died in the short video we saw back in BvS, I'd have to rewatch but that would be cool. Jinx's old sorcery mentor, Jonah Hex (I don't know anything about him except his name, but that is enough). Would-be Livewire's high school crush, the one that got away, to war. If our Flash isn't meant to be the first Flash, an older one; otherwise Starman, the previous wielder of Stargirl's staff. A prominent member of the activist group Static Shock was a part of, killed during a protest, which is what inspired him to join. Anyone from Task Force X who mentioned family right before dying. Definitely someone for King Shark, though I don't know him enough to say who that would be. Various friends and family of random members of the League. One or two famous actors or singers.

I'd like someone for Shazam, but actually there isn't anyone suitable. Which seems a good excuse to explain. There is a version of the Blackest Night/Brightest Day storyline going on somewhere else. This world doesn't have Lanterns and never has, the closest it's ever gotten was when a single Pink spent a few years hiding here, so the only effect this world is seeing is the return specifically of people who are loved by those close to her, then those close to those people, and so on. Also, it's not a one-time event. More and more people keep popping up as the effect spreads.

Jinx and Jonah do some divinations and figure out part of the above. Not the broader implications, but that "love" seems to be the key, and that the magic has a direction they can track. Maybe if they reach the center they can undo everything.

Some more people return, but only one matters. Supergirl's older brother. Which she complains is stupid, even if her destroying his timeline counts as him "dying", that will not have happened for centuries. He can't be born yet, let alone dead. She's actually venting into the League's comms, so the mages determine she has a point, he's an interesting case. They arrange to meet, somewhere on the planet.

Brother explains. After they sent his sister to the past, everybody was waiting for something to happen, but nothing did. He elaborates that it's not like they thought they would actually see the world change into a better one or anything like that; but they had instruments, which he doesn't even pretend to understand let alone be able to explain, that should have picked up the temporal distortions in the last moments before existence as they knew it stopped.

It took them a couple years to prepare agumentations for someone else, to try again. "Sister, it was the boy you used to dress in your clothes" "We were five!". Anyways, that also didn't work. The higher ups were debating trying a third time when a piece of planetary debris hit the moon, shattering the last remaining artificial atmosphere facility. He was deployed to do emergency repairs, his suit sounded an alarm, and then he was here. He assumes that was probably the End of Humanity.

His sister doesn't take it well. She starts mumbling silently, like she's trying to complain again. Then she starts breathing hard, like she wants to scream, but also can't. She finally flies away.

Elsewhere, Wonder Woman has been gathering people affected, trying to set up some semblance of order. Static Shock and his old idol are there. Martian Manhunter too, but not his wife. Some other heroes, and a bunch of civilians. Static's hero actually has taken the stand. He reminds his fellow returned to be respectful of their borrowed bodies, those people are the real victims here. He encourages them to prepare notes explaining everything, for after someone finally fixes things.

Martian Manhunter interrupts to say they can just tell them. Everybody looks at him. "It's only control they lack. All their perceptions work just fine". Everybody tries to process that. "Did... seriously no one notice?"

The news spreads through the League's communication network, so we get some of their reactions. Lots of horrified faces all over the world, of course.

In the Watchtower's observation deck, some hero pulls up his mask to throw up over the handrail.

At her station, future!Livewire is on air, so she gets it as text. She's trying to read it to her audience but can't get the words out.

Somewhere in the arctic, Supergirl screams "Of course! AND WHY NOT?!"

Joker, tied up in the batmobile, starts laughing like a maniac. Bruce apologizes to Harley, puts on one of those atlantean breathing masks, and pushes a button that fills the car with sleeping gas.

Clark has been trying and failing to excercise at Steel's gym. "i guess.. he won't be... as grateful... as we thought..." "I also have ice cream?" "...okay".

Jonah tells his host to be ready, he's going to try a spell to contact the other spirit within himself. It doesn't work, though. "I suppose the other spirit is me. I wonder if anyone has any spells for this sort of situation". So they resume trying divinations to find the way to unravel everything.

At approximately this point there should be the first returned who was specifically beloved by someone also among the returned, but I don't know how to make that explicit, short of the mages figuring it out.

Jinx finally announces that the lynchpin is someone in the League. That's why the effect spread through their ranks first, before reaching the public at large. They want everyone who has had someone return to report the time; the first one is probably the origin. Then they intend to study those two people, to find a way to extract the returned safely without killing them.

Jonah steals her comm to naysay that. He says they will break the spell immediately. "We all had our time. We cannot ask these people to give us theirs". He looks sternly at her, who looks about to argue, but closes her mouth and nods instead. Then he tells her they better keep up the magic search, since her ill-advised words will probably cause some of them to not volunteer their information. Unfortunately, he doesn't know how to turn off the comm. She does it.

At Diana et al's place, she wants to try and find that way to keep everyone. Steve is against that, the guy on the comms was right; but she doesn't recognize his voice, she trusts Jinx's expertise. They start the split over this issue, as I had already advertised. Static's idol stands behind Steve, he had basically already spoken for that side, though he didn't know they would have to. Some of the other civilian returned look towards Diana. A few walk slowly to her side. The minor generic supers also start splitting up.

Martian Manhunter declares they're being ridiculous. None of them knows enough to decide anything. He flies through the roof.

Diana says he's right, they ALL need to learn more, so she leaves. Everyone that had sided with her follows. The last one is Hippolyta, who apologizes for her daugther before going after her.

Supergirl flies back to her brother and the mages, to scream at them about what the HELL they are thinking. They, mostly Jonah, try to calm her down and explain that it would be irresponsible to let this magic run any longer, but she tells them to shut up. That he was dead at the time so he probably didn't hear, but she travelled across time to save "aproximately everyone". Over ten billion people, dead before the end of the century. Any survivors basically a rounding error. So if she gave them all those lives, why can't they give her ONE. She pulls her brother into an one-armed hug.

They're looking at her with a mix of worry and fear, so she takes a deep breath. Still angry but more composed, says she's not even asking for THAT. Not really. Just some time. What would that magical research take? A few months? Couple years, maybe? And then they can make things right, for everyone. Because she's never actually saved a life; nobody has. All those people will still die eventually. But now, they finally have a chance to START saving people. She will help with anything they may need from her. As will all the others, surely, once they understand.

She extends her other hand towards them. Jonah backs away, but Jinx slowly walks forward and takes it. So Supergirl flies away with those two. We hear her voice again, he still has her comm in his hand. "Attention, all who want to help save EVERYONE. I have the Jinx. Join us in the <her city>". Then Wonder Woman's. "No, come to the Smithsonian. I have a secret bunker we can use". "Roger, on our way".

He is about to speak into the comm, but reconsiders. Instead he goes to find a random civilian, asks her to say "Watchtower, private question please". She's a bit confused, but complies. After a bit Chloe says "We are alone, what is it now?". So he explains. Probably we cut to her frantically typing away, so we don't need to hear the repeat exposition. She says that, yeah, about the same happened up there. Everybody already teleported down, she's alone with "the new guy".

Martian Manhunter is sitting at another computer next to her, reading text logs of all League chatter. He's the one to suggest Jonah should rendezvous with "Static Shock and his ancestor", who seemed to be gathering allies for that side. She looks at him curiously, and he says, until he's made up his mind, he should help keep both options viable.

So everybody else in the League starts rallying around their respective leaders. Cyborg is for waiting. He specifically thinks he can probably make robot bodies for the returned, at least temporary ones; he's waiting for Jinx to have the opportunity to discuss that with him. Flash is against, though I don't have anything specific. King Shark is also against; he should try to convince Supergirl, or at least suggest that they send him to talk to her. Stargirl is for; Jinx tells her she will have to perform whatever actual rituals she ends up designing; it'll probably be too dangerous for her, given the nature of her magic. The Wonder Twins are split, it doesn't matter which is which. We see a vast majority of the League converging at both locations. Both sides also have a bunch of civilians hanging with them, though the vast majority of people don't know as much as we do, and a lot of those that know run away from the upcoming conflict.

As the groups are gathered, both mages begin explaining. It starts by cutting between them fast, like one of those distant duets, but as soon as they mention "love magic" Supergirl taps her fist on her palm and says "Ah, the <Starfire's name>!". Everybody turns to look at her. "You know, the Nightwing's girlfriend? He's your patient zero. Come on!"

She picks up Jinx and flies away. Diana signals to 2 or 3 fliers to follow her, then begins instructing the rest in defending the place.

Supergirl flies through Nightwing's city (Blue Haven? Blood Haven? Something like that), scanning with her x-ray vision, looking for him. This should give us the opportunity to see more people reacting to the situation, some confusion, some horror.

They find him and Jason, still drunk, sitting against a wall. As soon as they land, he tries to point his finger at Supergirl, but can't aim properly. "Hey! You met <name>. Tell him she's real!" "What, like she won't lie to cover you? We ALWAYS do that!". Jinx approaches them, does some scanning magic, and announces that yes, this is the origin.

Supergirl starts trying to pick up all three of them, but the drunks keep squirming and spilling away. The other fliers finally arrive, so she says "Ah, good! Bring them!" and flies away with just Jinx again.

Next we need another scene in Static's camp, but I don't have anything specific. In general we keep switching between the two camps, as the two mages figure out what they can, sometimes requesting some resource or action from one of the heroes. When Jonah announces that the other guys have the nexus, they gear up to go on the assault.

They meet above ground, in the museum, formed in two lines facing each other. Jinx and Jonah step forward, to argue about the risks, potential rewards, and likelihood of either, none of which is exactly known to either of them. Supergirl starts the fight, by lasering someone who can absolutely take it, but it still causes both sides to charge.

Static uses his electricity to keep most of the other side in check. A few of his side hang about to protect him, most of the rest split in two to go engage Supergirl, who was already out of his area-of-effect, and Wonder Woman, who is immune to electricity. A few others start getting out and try to disrupt someone, he keeps moving to re-capture everyone. Flash is running all over the place, taking potshots where he can without risking getting caught.

Supergirl just flies slowly through the battlefield, letting her pursuers punch her, staring at them angrily. Occasionally she shoots small lasers out between them at the larger battle. Wonder Woman dances between her assailants, nobody can touch her. She keeps looking in Static's direction, waiting for an opening.

(Various of the minor, so far unnamed characters should get cool moments during this fight, to showcase their unique powers. Ideally, the audience should leave the theatre arguing about which origin story should come next, with the nerdiest in each group going "well, in the comics...")

Diana finally gets Static with her lasso, grounding his power. He shocks her as hard as he can, just in case, but she's unfazed. His bodyguards try to get it off of him, but nobody can even budge it, though it's not even tied up. The crowd he's no longer controlling begins to overwhelm them.

Flash focuses on Diana, kinda like the Omni-man fight. He can't actually hurt her, but it's distracting enough that some of the others almost get her a few times. After a bit of that, she tries to trip him, forgetting that she has Static grappled, so she splatters him against a wall with a squelching sound that makes everyone pause.

She darts out between her crowd, could have done it at any time really, and goes to craddle the corpse. Nobody's fighting anymore. Supergirl breaks the silence. "It's alright". Everybody stares at her, except Diana. "He'll come back. Everything will be alright!". A few of the crowd smile and nod. Others look at her with disgust. Not along party lines; there's people on both sides reconsidering.

She approaches Diana, asks her to give her the corpse so she can store it in a freezing cavern in the moon, "in case that makes things easier. Later". Diana doesn't respond, but doesn't do anything when she takes him from her arms and flies away.

Dick wanders out onto the battlefield, asking what's going on and can they please be quiet, his head is killing him. Everybody is startled by him, both sides look at each other but nobody wants to move first. He stumbles to where Diana is still sitting on the ground, staring at her hands, and hugs her. She starts crying then.

Jinx and Jonah whisper something to each other, then approach them together, both making signs to everyone else to stand down. They ask him to let them study him, together. To make an actually informed choice. He doesn't understand, but asks Diana if she'll be ok. She nods, so he follows them somewhere more open. They sit on either side of him and begin doing some magic. Everyone else approaches to observe, Diana last.

Eventually Jinx cries out and looks away. Everyone around them holds their breath. Jonah says the magic seems to be doing a search. They can't tell how or why, but the resurrections are just a side-effect. They no longer think there'll be a way to make them permanent, after whatever it's looking for is found.

Supergirl just returned from the moon. "We just find it first, and hide it from the spell". Jinx screams that they can't, it's too strong. Jonah agrees; he'd never imagined magic this powerful could exist. "Yeah, I bet. It wants a person. A worthy host". They're both about to question her, but instead scan Dick again. They're not sure, but it seems almost right. "So we find and kill this person. And then no one else has to die. Ever again!"

So now everybody is looking at her with a variable mix of horror, disgust and anger. Except Dick, he's rubbing at his temples and asking them to hold on. Diana is the one to stand up and speak against her. Remember that as Supergirl speaks with someone, she slowly flies into place so their faces are adjacent. I don't actually know how most of their argument should go, here's how it ends: "And what if you are the host this spirit is looking for?" "Then I hope you'll show at least a little gratitude for my sacrifice." "What if it wants your brother?" Then she punches her in the face.

As with the argument, I don't have an exact idea of how the fight should go before it ends. All I can say is that these are arguably the two strongest characters we have, so it had better be good. It ends with Diana grappling her from behind, holding her head to keep her laser vision away from some convenient innocent bystanders. She begs her to stop a few times, but she won't. Then she scrunches up her face, and shifts her arm to block the lasers with her armband.

She grimaces with pain as the metal grows redder with heat. Eventually it snaps and falls off. A bit of molten metal sticks to Supergirl's chin. Most of it falls on her chest and slides right off; her suit is extremely high tech. Wonder Woman keeps her arm in place, now she cannot contain her scream but manages to have it come out as an extremely tortured "Pleeeeease!".

After a while, it does stop. She falls into a sitting position, and Supergirl ends up lying on the ground, head in her lap. She's still looking up at her with immense anger, but also crying. Wonder Woman's forearm has two very small burn marks. Both are breathing hard. They get up, and slowly make their way back to Dick and the two mages. They are terrified, he's confused.

Both start pleading with him. He needs to stop this. He needs to give them time. They already lost too much. They can save everyone. And so on. He's visibly struggling to pay attention. Eventually, Diana phrases it as "forsake this connection" (that's the official term for a mage giving up their power source, most often in order to claim a better one; she knew that already, but probably we should hear it earlier this movie), and that finally pierces his headache. Kind of. He stands up and proudly declares that he'll "never give up on <Starfire's name>!". The ring on his finger lights up.

All over the world, the possessed spasm briefly, then a pink light flows out of them. They start looking at their hands and around them, in immense relief and disbelief. All the lights converge on Dick Grayson.

Supergirl screams and punches him. He flinches, and a barrier of pink light intercepts the attack, producing a shockwave that knocks to the ground everybody not already flying. She pulls back, her knuckles are very slightly bruised. He's fine, more confused, but apparently completely sober. She punches his barrier again, very slowly, almost just for show. Then she screams again and flies away.

As everybody stares at everybody else, waiting for someone to talk, Chloe's voice comes over their comms. "The new guy says it's over. What happened? Somebody report!". The end.

After credits, Dick Grayson is being escorted into an office. He's wearing his Nightwing costume, but all the blue has been replaced with pink. Inside is Harley Quinn. She has clearly been crying. The man that led him in leaves them alone. He pulls a chair a little closer to hers and sits down.

She sobs and apologizes incoherently, he says it wasn't her fault. She starts to retort, but he says "No, shut up. Look, the entire point of that fiasco was to make people meet with their loved ones, right? So if there's one person we can be sure didn't summon someone, it's whoever they ended up in! So you didn't do it. I bet it was that stupid cult of his".

She smiles briefly, then gets serious, but at least she's more calm. He makes a deliberate show of looking around the room, as if there could be eavesdroppers, then leans in towards her. She also leans in. "Or maybe Batman! I always had my suspicions with those two, you know?" She laughs this time, a healthy laughter, none of the clown nonsense. He sits straight and pretends to adjust his costume. "Come on, let's get you out of here".

The camera cuts to outside, to show us this was inside Arkham Asylum. She says "Ok, I'll try".

There's some more stuff i want to explain, though there's no good way of actually getting the info into the movie. Pretend the director said it in an interview afterwards.

The power wasn't searching for a host, Dick was always the only candidate. He was being tested. That's why it revived people who someone loved strongly, rather than people who themselves loved anyone; to tempt him away from his relationship. That's why the mages didn't feel quite right with Supergirl's analysis of the search, even if they couldn't exactly articulate the difference.

That's also why we didn't get any minors, returned nor possessed, and neither his nor Bruce's parents: if you got someone you would not at least consider spending the night with, it's because you're not that close to him. (Originally I had some kids and Martha Wayne for a "why did you say that name?" joke, but then I thought about the implications.)

He could also have exorcised individual people, by telling them "sorry, I have a girlfriend"; if he did that enough times, to enough different people, that would also eventually be enough for him to pass.

I suppose this means he's officially bisexual. At the very least, he wouldn't object hard enough that the Light could justify not giving it a try, just in case.

So, a few more half-formed ideas before the last big movie.

First, if Livewire is going to go evil, the League just killed her first love and lost their electric character. Now is her time.

Next, unless maybe it's instead, The Wonders. Diana takes extended leave of absence from the League to go visit that sister she learned about. Donna is 15, apparently Hippolyta died a few days before the events of Rebirth. At the end of the movie, Diana may choose to stay and/or Donna may choose to travel.

Also I guess she should romance an amazon, who dies. Just for nostalgia's sake.

Next, anything mostly inconsequential. Maybe one of those origins we were hoping people would be clamoring for. Or give a sequel to whoever is currently most popular, other than Supergirl or Nightwing.

Next, Cheetah. Starring that guy who got possessed by Jonah Hex. Turns out that's the best power source Jinx could get him on such short notice. He can access the same transformation Barbara had at the end of Wonder Women, minus the gem in her eye; and he learned how to do a little divination magic, though he's not as good as the others.

Since he remembers where the brooch was and they didn't actually take it after attuning to it, he should at least consider infiltrating them and stealing it. That could be the whole movie, or a quickly dismissed thought. Only issue is I'm not really sure if this guy should be a hero or a villain. If he's bad it's derivative, if he's good it's sexist. Which is better? I'll have a poll on

And so, finally, Red Daughter of Tomorrow. Very loosely based on one of my favourite comics, Red Daughter of Krypton, in which Supergirl becomes a member of the Red Lantern Corps. My Supergirl is not from Krypton, hence the name change.

The point of the movie is she wants to repeat the events of Rebirth, try and permanently resurrect everyone who ever has or ever will die. She gets a Red Lantern ring, goes to space to ask for help with that, but instead learns why they can't and shouldn't if they could. But the real point of the movie is for the narrative to finally get away from Earth, so we can get movies in other worlds. So along the way she should visit various interesting cultures, which would interest people in sequels; which I can't think of right now, except for one.

But before we start, some exposition on the nature of Lanterns in this universe, that I hope would come up more naturally in the actual movie.

They do not have a lantern-shaped object, nor do they need regular recharges. I'm keeping the name "Lantern" mostly for the brand recognition, though there should probably be a vaguely plausible excuse referred to somewhere in the movie.

They don't manifest finely-designed objects. They can surround themselves with a soft glow that gives them a livable atmosphere, and can spread it to others they touch, though it's calibrated for the Lantern and may or may not be good for other species. They can also strengthen that into shields, which gives it a more glassy look.

They can sprout tentacle-like protrusions, that are clumsier than most intelligent species' appendages, but also far stronger. Pinks' are softly curved, as we saw at the end of Lobo, Reds' have more jagged edges; I haven't thought about the others.

They also have or can produce various magical effects that are thematically associated with their corresponding emotion. They are capable of applying it beyond that, by regular sorcerous training, but that is rare; some theorize the power intentionally avoids those that could twist it outside its respective emotional type, though it doesn't abandon those that learn to do it afterwards.

The actual "rings" are not important. A newly-minted Lantern does get a classic-looking ring, made of some mysterious quasimagical material that, as Dick told Jason, is extremely durable; though not enough for it to really matter, as it's usually protected by its own power. As <Starfire> demonstrated, Lanterns can transfer the power to other items if they prefer, and they don't have to be rings, any clothing or jewelry will do. Anything that is considered "worn".

(Technically unrelated, her people don't use rings around their fingers, that's why she turned hers into a necklace. I think her costume has fingerless gloves, right? Let's say there's some traditional nonsense going on there.)

Lanterns are not the "police" of the cosmos. They control a small-ish sector of the galaxy, which is treated as a pseudo-nation, but is generally divided among colours unless a foreign threat presents itself. All space nations follow a general policy roughly along the lines of "leave them be". They also would mostly keep to themselves and probably wouldn't even be known in the wider galaxy, except that their magic keeps spilling out when looking for more hosts.

If they were properly united, there is no doubt they would be the single greatest galactic power. Since they are not, it is arguably the <Starfire's planet> empire.

All these facts are broadly well-known in the Legion's future (though the empire has since fallen), which is why Supergirl was instantly cowed when the princess revealed she was also a Star Sapphire: either the two powers are having an alliance, and she should have been nicer to their joint representative; or they are at war over her, and she should pick up her planet and run away.

So, movie. We start with Supergirl flying into the Watchtower. Various people try to greet her, but she ignores everyone. She's clearly scanning around with her x-ray vision. We may get a look through that, a couple members doing funny stuff.

In a training room, various fliers are practicing, Nightwing among them. Still the pink version. She comes in, rushes to grab him by the shoulders. "I need to go to the Lantern Space. Take me there". "What? I can't-" "You can. I know the way, come on!"

He shakes her off and backs away a little. "Where have you even been? It's been months! You can't just show up and-" "The <Starfire's name> needs you. Ever thought of that?" He looks surprised, then worried.

"Why are you even still in this planet? You should have gone to check up on her immediately." This actually relaxes him. "Ok, so you don't have info. Don't scare me! And I trust her to come if she needs any-" "What if she died?" He freezes again. "Actually, that's probably why your power needed a new host." "N-no, you're just-" "Or would you even care?"

He suddenly raises his hand, like he's about to slap her. She smiles, and sticks her face out, hands behind her back. He takes a deep breath and turns his back on her, to tell her about how he understands some of what she probably feels, it's not healthy for her, she has friends who would like to help, and when he turns around she's gone. "Oh, wow. That takes me back".

Her next stop is at the Sahara. She rummages through the storage compartment of Lobo's bike. First she pulls an interstellar communicator, checks that it has signal and the battery seems good, and sets it aside.

Next she pulls a small leather-bound book. It's full of photos of men and women, of various alien kinds, in underwear or less. The keen-eyed viewer will notice one Martian among them. No humans (yet?). She actually pauses to admire them, maybe does the head tilt thing, then shakes her head and tosses it over her shoulder.

Next, another book. Also sexy pictures, of Lobo himself. This one she burns in her hands.

The third book has what she wanted: his info on bounties, contacts, informants, etc. She searches it for the contact info related to <Starfire>'s bounty, and enters those numbers into the communicator.

First she's formally requesting help. Starts introducing herself by her Legion rank and serial, before realizing that's stupid, but finishes saying it anyways, and adds "codename Supergirl". There is no answer.

She makes various requests, steadily growing more desperate. Then angry. She ends up challenging all the Lanterns to come and face her wrath. "Every Green is a coward and the Reds are worse! Every Pink is a selfish bastard! The Yellows are one big JOKE!" I don't remember the other emotions, sorry, but assume she does and has adequate insults; this is our exposition for what the various colours do.

She ends up crying over the bike. Then she looks up. A red light is descending from the sky. She drops the comm, grabs a comically oversized gun, and flies up to meet it. It's not a person though, just an empty Red Lantern ring. She stares at it incredulously, then her face contorts in rage. "I don't want you! I want them BACK!"

The ring just floats peacefully before her. She starts shaking and snarling, then shoots at it with her laser vision. A long, sustained beam, growing brighter while she screams away. Lobo's gun shatters under her grip. She stops, rubs at her eyes, then looks again. The ring is still there, apparently untouched. She curses and sticks her left index finger right into it.

At the Watchtower's observation deck, one of the superheroes is trying to talk with Nightwing. He's holding a handful of flowers behind his back, which Dick can't see from his position. He stutters for a bit, and is told to stop, take a deep breath, and then tell him what's up. Supergirl flies in right above them, says "Sorry, his girlfriend called!" and grabs him with her Red Lantern tentacles, then drags him away before either can react. He grabs his face with the other hand, starting to cry softly, and tosses the flowers over the handrail.

(I'm getting some good mileage out of that set.)

On the way out of the planet, as he starts complaining, she tells him once again that they need to try and save all the dead people. He mostly believes what he was told, afterwards, that it was never possible; but decides it's worth a road trip, just in case. He also asks how she suddenly got a ring. "I challenged everyone to a fight, and they sent me this instead" "Sounds like 'come and get me, then' to me" "Right? Let's not keep them waiting!".

So, space adventures! Like I said, there's only one I have plotted out: the visit to Palace <Starfire's planet's name> in the city of <same name as before>, Capital of the planet <same name>, Seat of the Just and Benevolent <same name>, Queen of the <same name> Empire. (Would that sentence be more or less funny if I knew the actual name?)

Since that's the alleged reason for her to bring him, they should probably go there first. But there is some important events there, because all I know is those events and one locations so it's impossible for me not to put them there. So it has to be halfway through the movie, maybe two thirds. Let's say she got lost; the stars probably moved a little in a thousand years, right?

They reach the palace, skip to the front of the line for supplicants (he doesn't wanna) and ask for a meeting with the Queen. The guy at the desk is about to tell them off, but she shows him her ring, and he immediately bows and leads them into the castle, leaving the booth unattended.

On the way, Dick apologizes for the abruptness to the guy, who says it is no trouble. Then he asks her why are they here anyways, that's the one place they know she won't be. Supergirl says yes, but, her sister surely keeps track of her. Or at least can tell them where not to bother looking.

The guy leads them to an office, announces "Lantern Corps!". The door opens from inside. He lingers a moment before them, then bows and leaves. Inside it's actually <Starfire>, wearing an elaborate dress, sitting at a table overflowing with paperwork, frustrated. She sees them, then jumps to kiss him.

Afterwards he asks what she is doing here, and she says her sister tricked her into defeating her for the throne, so she could "run away and be a useless piece of <some alien food, probably>". Then she steps back, collects herself and says, more formally. "Thank you, friends, for coming to our aid. I am glad to tell you the crisis was finally resolved..." she pauses and counts with her fingers "...nine human days ago. Eight and a half? I think."

Supergirl sticks her hand in Dick's face and shouts "I TOLD YOU!". He rolls his eyes, pushes her away, and introduces her, telling his girlfriend they met once, before she left Earth. She studies her face for a bit, nods, and then jumps to kiss her, startling them both. Before either can react, she jumps back, shouting "Sorry! I forgot!" at him. That actually jogs Supergirl's memory, so she's the one to explain.

It was customary, among the <empire> nobility, to kiss those of lower social standing, as both greeting and goodbye. <Starfire> points at her and looks at him, nodding vigorously. She continues saying that, the historians theorize this served to force a moment of mutual vulnerability, to show no ill intent and no suspicion of the same from the other. The queen is clearly confused by the peculiar wording, but says "No, it's just polite."

He finally shakes out of his stupor. "So, the day we first met...?" "I'm sorry! I'd only been to your world for half a year".

Afterwards she really does need to finish that paperwork. They are officially welcome as Imperial Guests, so it's basically a montage of a luxury vacation. There's various normal stuff, fancy food, baths, massages, various artistic performances. They split off for her to participate in gladiatorial fights and him to try and learn a music instrument, sort of nunchakus with whistles.

As the fighters leave their weapons at the entrance, she puts her ring in a velvet cushion. It floats up to spin above it instead. She shoves it down with her finger, but it floats up again. She shoves it down again, holds it with someone's sword, and goes to the arena. It floats up again, pushing the sword off the table.

The scene should intercut between them, fighting and playing with similar movements. They meet again afterwards. "It was nice". "They disqualified me for the indestructible clothes".

Eventually he asks why all the servants are always waiting a moment before leaving their presence. She hadn't noticed, but immediately understands and begins laughing. They are waiting for them to kiss them; but not too long, it would be unwise to draw attention to your superior's lack of manners. He's not sure how to answer, settles on "good to know".

She reminds him, since the custom is to kiss your inferiors, he shouldn't try to kiss his girlfriend the Queen; wait for her to initiate. Good to know, again. Also, that as both Imperial Guests and members of the Lantern Corps, they should be effectively high enough to be safe from anyone trying to kiss them, except naturally for the Queen. He repeats that it's good to know, though he's visibly getting uncomfortable. She smiles. For the same reason, then, the two of them are at liberty to kiss any servant or commoner they desire, and could probably get away with anyone else on the planet, except naturally for the Queen. "OKAY YES GOOD TO KNOW THANK YOU".

After that, they finally have dinner with <Starfire>. Supergirl makes sure to look at his face while she's getting her kiss. They make some small talk, then she tells them she hopes their Tests were not too difficult. That they guessed the Whites would try to corrupt them, but didn't really have people available to send to check.

They both freeze. Some food falls from Supergirl's open mouth. She's clearly referring to the events of Rebirth (and assumes they both joined the Lanterns roughly at the same time, but that's unimportant). They're both trying to think of something to say. "...I was drunk for most of it". She laughs, almost spitting out a flourescent drink. "Yes, if they'd warned me we are immune to <some alien drug, probably>, I'd have tried some first!".

He asks what she means by that, but Supergirl shoves his face back. She says they're actually after info on what exactly happened back then. <Starfire> sighs deeply, and tells them to follow her to a nearby planet.

The White Lanterns are transdimensional abominations, trying to "devour the souls of every person in the galaxy, past, present and future, across all possible realities". About a hundred worlds' worth of people were lost, approximately, before they noticed and banded together to put them down. They did also lose almost a thousand Lanterns in the war; mostly Greens and Reds, these should expect more recruiting in the near future. In the end they were succesful in sending them back, they will be unable to try again for, more quick finger couting, seven hundred human millennia, at least. There is a project to find a way to store information in a medium that can survive that long, to leave instructions for next time; though they have suspicions that last time someone may have tried the same, and failed.

Supergirl whispers "try one millenium", and asks why the Lanterns, specifically, faced this threat. They didn't, of course; most governments sent soldiers or other resources. But Lanterns proved protected from their corruption, at least until the power itself is corrupted completely; and by the time anyone realized that they had already assumed command of the war effort. That's why the media called the enemy at large "White Lanterns", after the fully fallen members; though they were not actually the first they were certainly the worst. She asks what happens, specifically, to the people pulled from other times. From the future. An already averted future. They are kept alive until they have been the access point for three or four other temporal displacements, then their soul is devoured. Maybe "unmade" is a better word. Dick pokes at <Starfire>'s face, then points at Supergirl.

Her Lantern tentacles are dancing around her, carving away at the barren ground. She's shaking with rage, her hands opening and closing compulsively. Her mouth keeps moving, but no sound comes; she's not even breathing. <Starfire> looks at her sadly. "Oh. Yes, I feared this. Come on." She pulls Dick's hand. He tries to grab Supergirl, but she specifically pulls him away from her. "It's fine, this planet is empty." "WHAT?" She smiles, grabs him by the waist and drags him into orbit.

Supergirl's tentacles keep slowly growing longer, so she flies slightly higher and higher. Eventually she accelerates and flies high enough they can't reach anything, though they still move as if to try. She's high enough to see the horizon in all directions. She starts using her laser vision, which is Lantern-enhanced. It cuts mountains and digs deep enough in the earth to release magma. Her tentacles finally grow long enough to reach the ground from here, so she sinks one in and lets it plow a giant line as she flies around the world multiple times. Then she sees that, and it reminds her of the destroyed Earth in her past/future. She stops instantly, and all the Lantern energy dissipates. She tries to breathe, but there's no air so she just closes her mouth.

<Starfire> appears before her, very worried, and drags her back to the dinner room. "Better?" She nods weakly, then takes a small breath and says yes. "Then, don't dim your Light outside an atmosphere!" She smacks her in the back of the head, then hugs her. After a moment she looks around the room. "I think Dick got lost. Don't do anything until we're back, ok?" She nods, once. The Queen kisses her, then leaves again, and she sits back at the table, to eat slowly and with a vacant expression.

After a few days, a small montage of relaxing activities, and another trip to the same planet where she doesn't actually destroy anything before returning, <Starfire> announces she will probably be ready to leave "next morning, or the next one". She also reassures Dick that Pink Lanterns are just as powerful, which makes him say that that's not better, before admitting that "it is a little better, sorry".

That night, as he lies awake at the edge of a big bed, <Starfire> enters the room. Before he can react, she's on top of him, tugging at his costume and rubbing her hands on his face and chest. When he pushes her away, she rubs her face against his hand; but then he whispers "wait" and she immediately jumps to the side, sitting on the bed with her hands on her lap. She asks him what's wrong. He just stares at her incredulously.

"He doesn't want me in the room." The camera pans out to show Supergirl floating above the other edge of the bed, which is far too big for two people. Her eyes are closed. She's struggling to contain a smile. <Starfire> turns to look at her calmly, with an inarticulate questioning sound. Dick is startled; she had been pretending to be asleep. "Or him." She points away from them. The camera pans further to reveal a servant, standing at attention beside the bed.

<Starfire> pats her own thigh once. "Ah, yes, I remember this! Sorry, could you leave us?" The servant bows and exits the room. (The camera may resume normal operation now.) Supergirl laughs, and spins around to make sure Dick can see her face. "But I was really looking forward to this!" He stutters and turns his face to the other side. "I'm sorry, but he's more dear to me. We really must insist. Maybe you can ask my sister?" "Wait, WHAT?!"

In a bigger, more luxurious room, a servant is playing the instrument Dick tried to master, much more gracefully. Three more hold trays with food and drinks. A dozen wait at attention, in a line, alternating by gender. Lying on the ground, one foot on the bed, is the Elder Princess of the <name> Empire. She's tossing and catching a plastic ball one-handed, with a bored expression. She misses and it bounces off her stomach, then rolls off and stops near her face. She doesn't lower her hand or look at it. The first servant on the line walks over to pick it up and put it in her hand, then without waiting goes to stand at the back of the line. She waits until then to keep playing.

There is knocking at the door. "Sister? Visitors!" The first servant in line goes to open; the Queen kisses that one, Dick looks uncomfortable, Supergirl smirks at him. The servant goes to the back of the line. Then she goes and kneels on the ground to kiss her sister; Supergirl really wants to look at him, but some instinct draws her eyes to the princess instead. She's squeezing her toy a little harder than is warranted.

The Queen stands up, purposely walks away from the path between her friends and her sister, and introduces them by name, then as members of the Lantern Corps, then as her friends. She only says her name (which I don't know, surprising nobody) and resumes playing with her ball. Now it's the Queen that inexplicably pulls Supergirl's attention; her eye twitches once, but she forces herself to smile and asks, as sweetly as she can, how her day has gone.

I don't have the details of their conversation, it is pointless small talk. All that matters is that Dick and <Starfire> are polite and pleasant, while the princess and Supergirl are both about as rude as they think they can get away with. Eventually the Queen says they should leave; Supergirl says she wants some food.

The princess is directly between her and the food-bearing servants, so she flies right across, her feet almost touching her; she doesn't flinch or stop playing with her ball. After eating one of each different thing, she turns back to fly across the princess again.

As she reaches her, she swiftly rotates upside down to kiss her. The princess squeezes the ball so hard that it bursts, releasing pink smoke and glitter (it belonged to her sister). She rotates back upright and continues floating away, but the princess jumps to her feet, spits out a piece of fruit, and grabs her by the hair. "How DARE you?! I am STILL Queen of the <name> Empire, you insignificant..."

She suddenly covers her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide. "Of course! My apologies!" Her sister swiftly removes her ceremonial robe. Underneath she has her regular costume, except pink instead of purple, and the ring Dick gave her, again on a chain around her neck.

(She has also carved the symbol of the Pink Lanterns on every facet of the diamond, but I don't think we should get a close enough look to see that.)

She gives the dress to the next servant in line, who steps forward to receive it; she kisses that one far more shortly than she has anyone so far. Then she goes to grab Dick's arm, "Come, we must stop bothering her", and drags him away.

The other two watch them go, then turn to look at each other. "I hate you." She lifts her hand between their faces, to show off her ring. "We get that a lot."

And so it was that the three Lanterns came to travel together. They shouldn't meet any others. Maybe another Red, but the other colours are held in reserve for the future.

Now that she's away from her home and travelling with humans, the former Queen will try to not kiss anyone except her boyfriend; though she should forget or almost forget a few times.

And so we must come full circle. Early in Red Daugther of Krypton it is established that Red Lanterns, specifically, cannot ever give it up; it will inevitably kill them to try. Then, at the end, she does it anyways. I have already gone on record as standing against that. Choices should have consequences. I should make that this blog's motto. So instead the sport scene serves to show she can take it off, at least temporarily; and she will not give it up. In fact, neither of them should return to Earth, at least not immediately.

Bonus lore that may or may not be able to make it into the actual movie:

The Test for a Red is to prove their rage is righteous. As in, they honestly believe so; all Lanterns work on emotion, not moral or factual reasoning. Supergirl passed when she tried to refuse the power in exchange for something she held more important. If she'd immediately tried to take the ring, it would have dodged her, though she wouldn't automatically fail: it would keep dodging, to provoke her, to have a chance to judge her.

If she had made her challenge just a couple weeks earlier, she would have triggered another mass resurrection. Since it would be of people who are deeply hated, the consequences for the world would presumably be worse. On the other hand, since she would then have tried to stall in order for her allies to have a chance to hijack the magic and corrupt it to non-wrathful purposes, she would have quickly failed.

The Test for a Pink is to stand by a relationship that is already otherwise threatened. The way it should work is that the candidate would receive visions of alternatives. So in Dick's case, he'd see hot singles in his area looking for a man just like him. The visions are true, those people exist and are not being manipulated in any way; though it is illegal mind reading in most legislations that have rules about that.

Also, the test is not technically about resisting the temptation. He could have gone to fetch <Starfire>, then bring her along to seduce one or more of those people together. Could even do it on his own, without her knowledge, if he genuinely believed that that does not endanger his relationship, and still pass the test.

For <Starfire>, it was when her mother was sick. She was tempted with visions of other worlds. She wouldn't abandon her, but she knew she would lose her soon, so she was undecided. After the queen died, at the eulogy, she said that no matter where her feet took her from that day on, she would always carry her in her heart. That's actually a stock phrase, but she meant every word, and that was enough. Her ring politely waited in her room until all rituals and paperwork were done. Then she picked it up, to follow her latest vision, to Earth.

If she had been tested during the White War, instead it would have returned another of her dead ancestors, and of those around her, and so on. Since basically everyone has at least one ancestor they could love, the rate of spread would have been much higher. That world would almost certainly have been lost.

Few non-Pinks through the galaxy know this, but strictly speaking the Star Sapphires are a sub-group among them, who take charge of quickly and discreetly settling criminal charges resulting from the illegal visions received from new members' Tests. They officially hold themselves not accountable for other colours, but often intercede for them, on a case-by-case basis.

For jurisdictions that would exact prices they deem unacceptable (death, slavery, forfeiture of the ability that enabled the crime, among others) they instead declare war, rallying the entire Pink Lantern Corps, and as many members of other colours as will join. This is the main reason why their name is largely considered synonimous with their colour.

<Starfire>'s visions resulted in four lawsuits for illegal world-wide surveillance. One of them was decided in her favour on a technicality; their world had a long history of tourist slogans inviting "all people everywhere" to "come and watch the most beautiful world". The others resulted in what would have been the single largest fine paid in Star Sapphire history, were it not technically split three ways. They had hope to charge her back for some or all of that, they used bounty hunters because she had hidden in an uncontacted planet, and they didn't want to risk making contact, only to receive a fifth lawsuit.

She used the resources of of the Empire to pay back the fines, plus lawyer's salaries, plus reasonable interest. This is not actually related to how her sister stuck her on the throne, and in fact was not known to her at the time, but still will go down in history as part of her inaugural celebration costs. Given the short duration of her reign, she is the third most expensive, averaged per unit of time; and will have been the fourth by the time the empire falls.

She was also accused by the Star Sapphires of unlawful execution of a duly deputized agent of them, on the grounds that she should have removed his arm instead, and then probably all his other limbs for safety, which would probably have been survivable for him. They were unable to find a neutral jurisdiction to bring the case (they do not keep courts of their own), as Lobo seemed to have been either a national hero or persona non-grata everywhere in the galaxy. The charges were held in abeyance, then officially pardoned following her unprecedented valor during the White War.

There are already rumours in the Empire that she may be secretly Green or Red rather than Pink. Or even in addition; nobody can actually do that, per the "one magic source" rule, but such myths are still common. The most popular numbers are two and seven.

If Supergirl had paid more attention in history class, she would have recognized the princess' name when Lobo first mentioned her, as "the greatest Green Lantern who ever lived". She would then have vetoed his plan, brought him to hide in the Watchtower Station, and recruited the League to discreetly and politely find her and ask her to please not bring that kind of danger to their world. She would have turned herself in peacefully.

He would have spent the search time seducing as many superheroes as would have him, as well as sharing advanced scientific knowledge. "Anybody asks, you heard it from that future babe you got, yeah?". Earth would eventually honour him as a Founding Father, after Unification. He also would have recognized Martian Manhunter and informed him where his people's home world is, though he'd refuse to ferry him. Ok, enough fanfic-of-the-fanfic.

The elder princess of the <name> Empire fills her room with an unnecessary amount of servants, in part, to make other nobles that visit her feel they have to spend the time kissing them all, or else feel guilty for skipping that ritual.

They do in fact use their tongues. Legion historians believe it was to give the other party a chance to bite down.

Their empire eventually fell, at least in part, due to a mass outbreak of an illness that would later come to be informally known as "noble's breath".

Supergirl's vision is enhanced by the Red Lantern magic because it recognizes it as a manifestation of her rage; I hope it comes across that she has consistently used it that way.

Lobo's space-bike still works. It doesn't have any life support; his people can survive in deep space for extended periods, and he enjoyed bragging about that. Plus it makes it less desirable to thieves and joyriders. Supergirl is also capable of some extra-planetary travel; if she had not been recruited to the Red Lanterns, she would have debated with herself for a few months more, then taken it to go to space that way.

The timeline for <Starfire>'s life on Earth is a bit tight, but I think it works out. She arrived roughly seven years after Jason Todd died. If DC has any canon fictional city in Mexico or Canada, she should have lived there first; otherwise Mexico City, on the grounds of being the most densely populated in the hemisphere.

At first she still behaved as a royal, which made her highly unpopular among her neighbours. Also accrued some charges for public indecency, on account of all the kisses. A month in, these convinced her to self-exile, cross the border, and promise herself she would do better. Dick met her while he was in <the Titan's city> to help investigate a serial killer, who turned out to be three freak accidents and one copycat.

Zod detected her planetary surveillance system on approach, but unlike Lobo, didn't bother trying to determine their origin; he simply assumed it would be either Kal El or the locals, and decided to charge ahead either way. She knew had had happened to Krypton, and considered his actions a legitimate salvage effort by a dying species; though it was being conducted in a more aggresive way than she would like, she determined to stand neutral and let the two worlds sort it out, one way or the other. Superman finished things before it could get bad enough to test her resolve.

(If he hadn't and things had gotten worse, she would eventually have gone to Zod, to plead for mercy to her adopted home, and offer her Empire's help in having his people settled in an unhinabited planet instead. He would have refused, as a matter of pride. She then would have left, with as many humans as he allowed her to evacuate (plus her boyfriend, regardless), to help them set up a new world.)

By the time she left Earth, the Whites were starting to be active, though nobody had realized the magnitude of the threat, and the Lanterns had not gotten involved yet.

After coming back from her aborted trial for Lobo's murder, her sister challenged her to a celebratory match of a popular collectible card game, of which she herself is thrice Galactic Sector Champion. Through the match she kept taunting her to escalate their gambling; after the Imperial Gown was on the line, she cheated and was disqualified.

Since the contest was not to the death, the forfeit wouldn't necessarily have been binding, but she publically declined to invoke that clause "out of deep shame and regret for having resorted to such tactics in the heat of the moment". She is also banned-for-life from all organized play, which she does regret.

<Starfire> was Queen when the Lanterns called for help; her Empire sent the single largest armed contingent of any space nation. Her taking charge of such a large part of the army is what gave her so many opportunities to demonstrate her bravery.

The end.

After the credits, King Shark runs into a recreation room at the Watchtower. "I hear she's back! Where is she?". He's holding a chess board in his hand, the folding kind.

And one more thing. Here are my ideas for the posters for all these movies.

Man of Steel - Same as the canonical one.

Batman v Superman - Same as the canonical one, unless it shows Wonder Woman, then photoshop her out. I don think it does, though.

Steel - Closeup of the metallic Superman symbol.

Wonder Woman - Same as canon.

Jinx - Her loitering against a wall, under an open ladder.

Justice League - Multiple sheets of paper, with sketches for various potential League logos.

Static Shock - Protest sign, filled with bullet holes, abandoned in a rainy street.

Aquaman - Same as canon.

Wonder Women - Both of them, in their masked identities, posing dramatically together on top of a rooftop.

Task Force X - Folder labelled "Top Secret". Photos of various members peek out.

Supergirl - Her doing a deliberate rip-off of the one for Terminator. The jacket is over her regular costume, open enough that we can make out the symbol on her chest. Replace the gun with some object that ends up being useful to change the future.

Shazam - Same as canon.

Jokerz - That one Beatles' cover, but with clown faces. Not Joker or Punchline. Probably realistic versions of specific clowns from episode 1 of Batman Beyond, if that can look decent and still recognizable.

Watchtower - Her empty workstation. Cellphone, headset, and some other devices abandoned at the table.

Lobo - Him doing a deliberate rip-off of the one for Terminator 2. With his space-bike, and a sci-fi rifle long enough to go off-panel.

Magic 2: Sufficiently Advanced Boogaloo - If Zatanna appears in an important role, a top hat, some playing cards, etc. If she's only here as a twist or missing, something related to the bad guy.

Unnamed Static Shock Spin-off - If it's Ivy, her lounging sexily among leaves and petals, dressed in more leaves and petals. The greenery is carefully arranged so if you step back, it looks like a monster's face. If it's not her, no idea.

Undetermined - No idea.

Justice League: Rebirth - One of their regular shots of the team in a line, staring stoically at the camera, but it's alternately costumed heroes and regular people.

Livewire - Official-looking document bearing the League's logo, on fire.

The Wonders - Impossing marble statue of the late Queen Hippolyta of Temiscira.

Undetermined 2: Handwave Harder - No idea.

Cheetah - A desk drawer full of jewelry, prominently featuring the cat eye brooch.

Red Daughter of Tomorrow - Her hands doing the Twilight cover, apple replaced with the ring.

And that's it. Thank you for reading. Now go back to your family, they must be worried.

[mistress-of-vos]

My favorite part of this it's the very obvious attempt of Manchester to make Lex mad. I haven't have time to read the whole arc but just by these panels you can see that he wants Lex to be angry, he wants Lex to lose control, he wants Lex to be hurt.

(Warning: A lot of text)

"He doesn't think of you" it's a very clear lie. Again and again Superman (Clark) has always thought of Lex as the one behind any crime he comes across with, not to say that Clark also keeps an eye on anything Lex does because he assumes there's a second intention (and I mean, usually there is one). It reminds me a bit of Batman&Joker, with Batman constantly going to visit Joker at Arkham and ask about the crimes outside because on Bruce's mind there's no way Joker isn't involved.

For two heroes who insist they aren't obsessed with their villains, they sure tend to think *a lot* of them and constantly blame them for any crime that happens. Almost as if they wanted them (Lex&Joker) to be fighting once again.

And sure, Clark's emotions about Lex aren't equally intense. Clark is resigned and has been like that for years at this point. Clark convinced himself that Lex couldn't be saved or changed (which is hilarious considering that just some years ago DC did a whole run of Lex playing hero). Clark closed that door of memories and moved on. Clark had to move on, which doesn't mean he hadn't wanted to tell Lex the truth at some point (Smallville explores this so much better that I could do in here).

Lex, in the other hand, *has* to be in a position akin to obsessed. After all, Superman is what stands between him and ruling the world to finally make it change to his image of perfection. However I think here's where Lex is different from Joker: Joker is capable of living without Batman, turning into an agent of chaos and definetely losing his main objective, but he *can* and will keep going without Batman - see Return of the Joker for an example -. Lex? Lex would be lost without Superman.

Not in a literal matter, no. Lex is more than capable than being alive without Superman, and it has been showed that, if given the chance, Lex could create an almost perfect society. But what do you do when you finally have all you want? Lex wouldn't turn into an agent of chaos like Joker does without Batman. Lex would finally create his perfect society, he would have anything he wanted, he would be the most powerful creature. And what would he do then?

What would someone with a mind as intelligent as Lex's do when there's no challenge to defeat? This is also why hero!Lex can work so well: Lex likes to be challenged, his mind too active as to live a normal life as a business man or even president. He needs to be obsessed with a goal, whether it be kill Superman, achieve a perfect world or save people.

Anyway, I find extremely beautiful that even if it was just for a few panels, we got to see this emotional side of Lex again: Clark was his friend, and if you ask me, his soulmate. Clark and Lex were a perfect pair, and both of them ruined it in different ways, yet it was Lex who kept being bitter and kept mourning, while Clark decided to stich up his heart and move on.

Have I told you that Lex's canon reminds me a bit of the new canon regarding Talia? If you look at comics before n52, it was Lex who came off as an ex who was still in love and couldn't quite keep on, while Talia was written as still caring about Bruce but caring way more about her and the world (hence why she tries to destroy Lex). She had moved on and had her own things until recently where writers decided to write her as never getting over Bruce. It's interesting to see as a Lex fan, because Lex 100% has never been able to let go of Clark.

I'm talking too much and it's all to say that I think these panels were brilliant. Lex is exactly the type of person to break down at a lie as big as Clark's identity (again, watch Smallville!) and he would not be able to forgive this. Not easily, at least.

Clark has also been obsessed with Lex, Clark has also been hurt by Lex's lies. But there's something captivating about the proposition that the humble farmer boy decided to heal while the most intelligent man of the world decided to mourn forever.

Lex is the smartest creature of Earth, perhaps even one of the smartest of the universe, and yet he still misses his best friend. He mourns, he craves, he screams for Clark so loud that it hurts him. And he doesn't even know it, because Lex *refused* to see that Clark (his Clark!) was Superman. Lex decided to be blind, and it only made everything hurt so much more when Clark told everyone his secret.

I think that deep down, Lex knew the truth. There's no way he looked at Kon's face and didn't see Clark's soft features. There's no way Lex didn't notice that same smile on Kon that Clark used to have in Smallville. But it was easier to be blind, it was easier to pretend he didn't know.

So yes, of course Lex would get mad. He has been hurting for Superman (Clark) all these years and he gets told that the man doesn't think of him? It's natural that he would get mad. And Lex, as smart as he is, can't see that it's a half-life.

Clark thinks of him. But he doesn't think of Lex as someone to be saved anymore: He thinks of Lex as someone who has to be stopped.

[silver-bunny6958]

Danny Phantom Xover pt. 2

I have been writing part after part for this thing going “I need to post part three.” But NO I haven’t even posted part 2 for this little wench!!!

I am so upsetti spagetti about it!

anywho- rant over story bellow /

The Bat had been looking into a case for the Justice League about a small town a good plane trip away from Gotham called Amity Park. They where looking into the town because of one Vladamir Masters. Suspecting him of being akin to Lex Luther, Superman brought his worry to the League and they set Batman on his tail.

Bruce had already known that he was new money, but the man had kept personal business to himself, so the main thing that Bruce could look into was another publicly known fact. He’s Mayor of a town called Amity Park.

There was frustrating little on the town on the widespread internet, like someone or thing wanted everyone else outside of the town to think them all crazy, all he found of interest was a pair of scientists the Drs. Fenton and their family. The pair were smart but widely regarded as ghost obsessed quacks. Batman dove further.

He disguised his computer as that of one of a public library from the town to see what the civilians do. He noticed a number of differences, one there seemed to be a frequently visited site called Phantom-Sighting.com that seemed to be a fan site for the local superhero, one that Batman had yet to hear of or register for recognition, and another called Ghost-Spotter’s-Blog.org that seemed to be a site that was much like a news web page and show information about the current and past ‘Ghost” fights going on around town. Batman decided to look into the latter more than the former because a small town really shouldn’t need a real time report blog for superhero fights. As Batman looked into the “about'' page he found that the page was made by three students about two years ago. 

The students in question being Samatha Manson, the daughter of the Manson family who he had only briefly met at her 12th birthday party- it was more like a ball and the little girl seemed to hate it- she was sharp, Tucker Foley, a young man with a promising future if Tim had a say in it, and Daniel Fenton, the youngest child and only boy of the Fenton Family- his grades had seemed to of dropped dramatically about three years ago when he entered high school and it seemed he was going nowhere fast.

These “ghost fights” seemed to always be between Phantom and another of a large catalogue of ghosts. Some of them are listed with the key word “Sighting” which apparently means that the ghost was non violent and just needed protection from the Fenton parents while they were out and about, others where tagged with the key word “scuffle” apparently that means that the ghost particular was one of the more regular ghosts and knows not to involve non-armed civilians, and a very small few where tagged with the key words “Battle ground” or “King fight” they seemed the mean that the arias should be avoided at all costs if you want your life out of it.

The sigh that left the man was loud enough to catch the attention of Damion who was seated with Alfred, the cat, near by. “Father, what is wrong?”

“I’m investigating something for Clark, and it looks like someone has kept a hero in need of help from our view.”

*tch*”The League's view or our’s?”

*sigh*”Both…”

The bats kept tabs on the goings on of Amity Park including the Fenton Tragedy when a pair of social workers got in touch with Bruce, he was apparently loosely related to Jack Fenton, they asked if Bruce was up to taking in another young man, the Fenton Son they later learned, and Bruce had agreed.

“No, I didn’t remember what he looked like when they asked.”

“Well it sure seems like an awful lot of coincidence that he’s got blue eyes and black hair, Bruce!”

Bruce huffed at Tim’s words and walked off to the study, Tim- not letting him get away from this “coincidence” followed him down to the cave where Bruce’s plethora of children could hear Tim tease Bruce.

“Tim calm down,” Dick got in between the two to get what this was about out of Tim, “Bruce could you clarify for us what’s happened?”

“I’m taking in a young man named Daniel Fenton, he just so happens to have blue eyes and black hair.”

There was a silence around the room before everyone burst out into laughter.

“You- hah- mean you didn’t know???”

“No I had forgotten, but I didn’t know I was related to the Fetons.”

“Wait, wasn't that the family from that town you were investigating?”

“Yes- the parents died in an accident. I said I could visit for a week before bringing him back with me to the manor- that could give me a chance to see what regular every day is for them.”

“Ohh, no. you’re not doing this without us!” It was Dick who spoke up and the rest made verbal agreements to what he said.

“No, someone needs to look after Gotham while I’m gone. I already planned to take Tim and Damien-”

“Well Barbra can look after Gotham while we go meet our new brother!”

“No.”

“Ye-”

“Let it go Grayson. Father said no.”

“You’re just saying that because you get to go!”

The boys fell into petty squabbling as Bruce contemplated his options, and, like a smartass, bruce decied- “Dick, you’ll come with me sense you’re so incistet-”

“Yes!”

“But that means that the rest of you have to stay in Gotham and no patrol for Damien.”

(“Awww-” “But father!” “Uhhhh”) Bruce did not address the distress around him as he left telling Dick to pack.

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

Bruce and Dick landed and were driven to the hotel where Bruce told Dick to settle in and he headed off to the hospital. The talk with Jazz wasn’t very enlightening but he did tell the information to Dick as forewarning, then the two went to look for a place to eat for dinner.

The’re wasn’t many places around but they did find a quant ghost themed diner, the food was good- it was all around an uneventful day.

The two visited Danny rather uneventfully until Tuesday, two days after they arrived on Sunday.

/oooh clif hanger, I wonder what’ll happen~(no I don’t, I already know) I’ll post next time I find time/

[talatomaz]

crossing paths pt.ii | diana prince x lance!reader

a/n: reader has the powers of telekinesis. i’m not sure if I like how this went tbh but oh well

warnings: mentions of fighting

word count: 2.7k

masterlist | request list | request rules

pt.i | pt.ii

reader is sara & laurel’s younger sister who works with team flash. after her and cisco’s experiment goes sideways, she finds herself trapped on an unknown earth not unlike her own

i do not give you permission to repost or translate my fics on any platform - likes/reblogs are okay and are much appreciated

Home Sweet Home.

Exiting the train station, you exhaled a deep breath and took in your surroundings. Most importantly, the huge sign that had “WELCOME TO CENTRAL CITY” scrawled across the board.

After the events of the day, you’d decided that the best course of action would be to make your way to this Earth’s Central City.

You’d figured they had to have a Star Labs which you knew would hold the necessary equipment you needed to fix the extrapolator or at least the communication function so you could contact Cisco.

Luckily, whilst on your journey, you’d managed to hack into the train’s wireless computer so you could then erase the museum’s security footage from your phone. The footage of your fight with the robbers was the last thing you needed getting out.

Hailing a cab, you made your way to Star Labs, having pocketed one of the maps that detailed the route to the facility from the train station.

In little over 20 minutes, you had arrived. Paying the driver with what little cash you had left, you craned your neck to look up at this Earth’s Star Labs.

It was different to the one back home. Yes, it was modelled fairly similarly but this had a more...robotic feeling and was definitely a lot darker than yours.

Though you supposed that was because this Star Labs seemed to be more full, several employees walking in and out of the building.

Whereas the Star Labs back home, whilst full of technology, was only home to Team Flash and no one else. The risk far too great for ordinary people to see what you were doing.

Entering the building, you quickly donned a white lab coat and went in search for the equipment you needed to fix the breach device.

Finding a secure room, you put on your mask and used your powers to open the door.

As you walked in, you let out a small gasp. The room was larger than you’d expected; filled to the brim with computers and screens all hooked up to one another. Making your way to one of the larger ones, you began writing a line of code. Then you took out the extrapolator, placing it on the table and grabbed some tools that were on the desk.

You started to mend the broken device, remaining careful and alert incase someone was going to catch you. You were about halfway through when you felt a familiar rush of air and found yourself in an unknown area.

Not unlike Star Labs, it was filled with computers and the like but also held training equipment in the far side of the room. Then you felt yourself tied to the back of a chair, staring up at a group of men.

You recognised most of them, except the one that could only be described as a half-man, half-cyborg hybrid.

“Oh fuck.” You murmured to yourself.

This was all you needed.

To be captured by none other than Batman, Superman and the Flash.

“Yes, indeed. Who are you?” Superman asked, his arms crossed over his chest.

You narrowed your brows, analysing each of their outfits. This Earth’s Superman outfit was different to the one back home. Batman, you’d never really met before so you couldn’t comment.

But the most interesting was the Flash’s outfit.

It appeared to be made up of metallic materials whereas Barry’s was made out of intense heat-resistant and abrasion resistant polymer and some other stuff that Cisco had explained to you that you didn’t take note of.

“More importantly, where are you from?”

You heard a familiar voice say behind you.

You turned your body, as best you could since you were confined to a chair, and felt your jaw drop at the female who stood before you.

Not only was she the woman you’d met earlier at the museum but she was freaking Wonder Woman!

“Holy shit. Cisco is going to be so jealous he didn’t come here.”

“Who’s Cisco? And where did you come from?”

Not giving you time to answer, the brunette continued, “I saw you earlier at the Metropolis museum. You told me about the criminals.”

“We tried to pull the security footage but it had mysteriously been erased.” The man you nicknamed Cyborg said. “Why were you at Star Labs?” He asked.

“You know. You gotta let a girl answer before you continue asking questions.” You joked.

“This isn’t a joke. Tell us who you are.” Batman spoke for the first time, his voice coming out hoarse and rough. Probably from a voice distorter.

“I will. As soon as you untie me.”

When the five of them stared at you, you sighed.

“Guess I’ll do it myself then.”

With a flick of your fingers, the ropes that bound you came loose and you stood to face the group.

They immediately went into fighting stances, ready to take you down if need be.

“Oh, for God’s sake,” you scoffed, “I’m not going to hurt you. I just don’t like being tied up. Unless we’re in the bedroom.” You teased, laughing to yourself.

“You’re a meta.” Wonder Woman commented.

Placing your hand in your pockets, you were about to reply when you felt that they were empty.

“Wait, where the hell is the extrapolator?”

“Oh, you mean this?” The Flash said, holding the device in his hand.

“Give that to me.” You ordered, charging your way to the speedster before Batman stood in your way.

“I don’t think so.”

“Barry, that is not something to play around with. Give me that.” You repeated.

“Wait, how do you know my name?” He paused, everyone’s eyes trained on you.

“It’s a long story. Now please, put down that device.” You sighed when he placed it on the table beside him.

When he put it on the surface, he must have accidentally pressed a button because Cisco’s body popped up like a hologram.

“What on Earth?” You heard Wonder Woman say.

“Y/N! Where the hell are you? Woah, is that Batman?!” Cisco’s voice crackled through the device as the hologram glitched.

“Cisco, the device broke. Can you track what Earth I’m on using the GPS?”

“I can try. But I need you to fix the small chip that’s in the extrapolator first.”

The Cisco hologram glitched out and faded away.

“Shit.” You murmured to yourself.

“What do you mean ‘what Earth’? Who are you?” Batman said.

Sighing, you spoke, “I’m not from this Earth.”

“You’re an alien?” Barry exclaimed.

“What? No! The only alien here is Clark.”

You gestured towards the Man of Steel.

“How do you know who I am? Did Lex send you?”

“Oh, please. As if I’d work with that idiot. Besides, I like his sister much better. As I was saying, I’m from an Earth called Earth Prime.”

Then you gave them all a brief explanation of the rebirth of the Universe and how you’d arrived here.

“Ever heard of Everett’s many-worlds theory? Simply put, this Earth is not the only Earth that exists. I come from a parallel Earth where I work with the Flash and several other heroes, including Supergirl and Batwoman. Though no one’s seen Kate in a while.”

Looking into each of their eyes, you could still see apprehension.

Facing Wonder Woman, you held out your wrist, “Use your lasso of truth and you’ll see I’m not lying.”

“How did you-”

She started before you interrupted her, “Do it and then I’ll explain.”

You watched as she removed the rope from her armour and wrapped one end around your wrist.

Your eyes widened as the rope started to glow a bright yellow, the material feeling warm against your skin.

“What I just said was true. And I know about all of you. Your parallel selves are my family and friends back home. And Wonder Woman-”

“You may call me Diana.” She interjected, flashing you a kind smile.

“And Diana,” you corrected, “you’re somewhat of a Legend where I come from. I visited Themyscira once, it was beautiful.”

“My home is hidden from Man’s world. How did you see it?”

“My sister, Sara, travels through time with her team and when I worked with her for a brief period, my friend, Zari, and I, took Helen of Troy to your island to save her. Anyways, you do exist on my Earth but no one really knows of you.”

Diana stared at you for a few moments, her intense glare making you weak in the knees, if you were being honest.

It was as if she was looking right into your soul.

Whatever she saw must have pleased her because her gaze faltered and she removed the lasso from you.

“She’s telling the truth, guys.”

“Thank you. Now I need to fix the extrapolator or I won’t be able to get home.”

“So that little thing can make anyone travel between worlds?” Cyborg asked.

“Yes, exactly.”

“It’s like one of those damned mother boxes that almost destroyed our world.” Bruce said harshly. “We can’t risk having that here. We need to destroy it.”

“Don’t even think about it.” You spat out, your hands clenched at your sides.

You narrowed your eyes, watching for any indication of movement from the vigilante.

The only warning you had was Bruce’s muscle tensing before he reached for the table that held the device.

In a quick motion, you used your powers to throw the former into a pile of boxes to break his fall.

The playboy rose to his feet and charged at you, ignoring the shouts of his team.

You blocked his punch and deflected his kick. Ducking when he swung his arm, you used all your strength to throw him over you.

He reached into his cape and you flung whatever he was about to hurl at you into the wall. He swiped at your legs, making you stumble to the ground. You picked yourself up and when he ran at you, once more, you used your powers of telekinesis to rise in the air above him.

You extended your hand in front of you and lifted him in the air to face you. He struggled within your hold before you both looked down at Diana who’d shouted.

“Enough! Y/N, put Bruce back on the ground.”

With a crash, Bruce fell to the floor whilst you gracefully landed upright on your feet.

“Bruce, this device isn’t as harmful as the mother boxes. And it is her only way home, we cannot destroy it.”

Diana said calmly as Bruce huffed and murmured a curse.

“Listen, Batboy. I will kick your ass again if you don’t shut up.” You said, meaning every word.

“I’m not trying to be hostile here but I only came here to prove my theory which I’ve clearly done so now I just want to repair the device and go home.”

Walking over to the table, you picked up the extrapolator and inspected it. Your heart dropped when you saw a crack in the chip.

You knew that there was no way to fix the locator.

“Y/N, is everything okay?”

Your voice not strong enough to answer, you shook your head. Clicking the communication button, you saw Cisco’s hologram appear again.

“Y/N, have you fixed the GPS chip yet? Y/N, what’s wrong?” Your friend asked in concern.

“The chip’s broken. Majorly so. I’m going to need to replace it but the only replica of the chip is-”

“Here.” Cisco finished. “Is there a Star Labs near you?”

“Yeah, I went there earlier to fix the damage but there wasn’t any chip. I checked.”

“Okay, I just need to create another extrapolator and then somehow come and get you.”

“Cisco, you know that can take weeks.” You sighed.

“Y/N, it’ll be fine. We’ve been stuck on other Earths before. Including with a telepathic gorilla. I doubt there’s any Earth worse than that.” He said, trying to inject some levity in the conversations.

“You’re right. Look, don’t tell the team. You and I both know that they’ll just worry and I don’t need them telling Sara or Dinah either because they’re too protective. Just lie and say that I was missing Laurel and decided to take a vacation.”

“You got it. Stay safe, y/n. And keep this extrapolator with you so I can speak to you.”

“You got it. Bye, Cisco.”

Once again, the hologram faded away and you hung your head.

Cisco was right.

It was not the first time this had happened and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. You were damned if you’d let this get you down.

Clearing your throat, you straightened and faced the group, having forgotten that they were there for the entire exchange.

“Guess I’m going to be in your hair for a little while longer.”

***

It had been 3 weeks since the day you’d arrived on this Earth.

Diana had kindly invited you to stay with her whilst you waited for Cisco to arrive. You remained in constant contact with the latter; he wanted to keep you updated on his progress.

You were still on rocky terms with Bruce, him not appreciating you beating him. He was stubborn and irritating but reminded you of Oliver in that regard.

You helped the Flash with his speed, giving him tips on how to manage it and retain his strength which you’d learned from having closely worked with Barry all these years.

You also got on fairly well with Superman and Cyborg and even met Aquaman who tried to hit on you the moment he saw you.

But out of everyone, you’d grown close to the Amazonian warrior. The first night you’d stayed with her, you found yourself talking to her all through the night until the sun had come up.

She had told you about her family back home and you told her about yours. You supposed it was easier to tell her than anyone else since she’d endured so much loss and pain and understood what it was like to be separated from her family.

“Y/N, you ready to go?”

Interrupted from your thoughts, you turned to face the beautiful brunette who had a soft smile painted on her face.

She had asked you to dinner a few days before, telling you she wanted to give you both a relaxing evening. You had graciously, and rather, immediately accepted the invitation.

The truth was that, over these past few weeks, you found yourself hoarding a crush on the Goddess.

You could have disregarded it as a schoolgirl crush but the last time you’d ever felt like this, was when you were with Thea. But that had ended amicably after she found love with Roy.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

After eating outdoors at a small bistro, the two of you strolled down the street. Then your heart skipped a beat when she slid her hand in yours.

Looking up at her, you saw a gleam in eyes as she smiled at you which you reciprocated. You basked in the feel of her hand against yours, her warmth spreading through you.

Then you both jumped when her phone started to trill in her pocket.

“Diana Prince.” She answered her phone, humming in response before disconnecting the call.

“That was Bruce. He needs us at Star Labs. Both of us.”

She answered when you opened your mouth to ask just that. Closing your mouth, you nodded and ducked with her into an alley so you could both fly to the building.

“What is it, Bruce?” Diana asked as the two of you walked into the facility.

“The mainframe’s been going crazy. It’s as if someone’s breaking in here but no one actually is.” Cyborg answered instead.

Running up to the screen, you noticed the flashing alarms on the screen.

“Well, at least you guys have better security than we do.”

Pulling up the schematics of the building, you furrowed your brows at the thermal energy reading.

Parting your lips, ready to voice your confusion, you jumped back when a breach opened up in front of you.

When it closed, it left two people in its wake.

Barry and Sara.

“Y/N, Cisco told us what happened. We’re here to take you home.”

Glancing behind you, your eyes fell on Diana whose eyes flickered between you and your friends.

“God, I’m going to kill Cisco.”

<- Part 1

[loyalshipper]

May I introduce the Tumblr DC community to one of my two favorite Batfam AUs I have created. Bruce Wayne owns a hotel/museum near an ocean cliff and still has a chronic adoption problem but doesn’t fight crime. (If anyone writes this you can make it to where heroes still exist, the Batfam are the inly no capes)

WE still exists but it isn’t run by Bruce it is run by Lucius because back in the 60s Thomas and Martha bought the hotel and wanted that to be their legacy. They still die the same way but Bruce puts all his efforts into running and blossoming the hotel which was his parent’s dream project.

I’ll get back into the hotel in a minute I’m taking about the kids now

Dick is gotten a similar way, he visits the Cape with Haly’s Circus, his parents die because of faulty wiring sold to the circus by Zucco and Dick becomes an orphan. Bruce just so happened to use his one night off in a while to go see the circus. He keeps thinking about Dick and ends up adopting him. He helps Dick and the Circus bring Zucco to justice and sues the hell out of him and shuts down his business. (Adopted at 8))

Jason was found living in one of the shut down rooms of the hotel. Because his dad left and was in prison and his mom od. So Bruce treats him like a wild animal and starts to leave food out on a regular schedule until Jason gets comfortable with him and he adopts Jason. (five years younger than Dick)

Tim was the son of two wealthy archaeologists who were gone 11 out of the 12 months. Bruce met Tim because he liked to come into the museum and take pictures of the museum exhibits and hotel architecture and shoreline which he would develop and give copies to Bruce. So he opens his house to this little boy with a penchant for photography. Until one day Tim’e parents call Tim telling him that they are staying in Egypt permanently because the archeological dig is producing wonderous results and they’ll be hiring him an around the clock sitter. Only for Tim to wait three weeks and no one shows up. They went so far as to fire Ms. Mac but never hired a sitter for their son. So he goes to Bruce in tears and explains everything, because this is it-his parents finally did abandon him, and Bruce sues them for custody of Tim. (Three years younger than Jason, adopted at 7)

Damian was the result of a relationship Bruce had in college while studying hotel management and hospitality. Talia is the daughter of a hotel conglomerate owner who is currently trying to buy Bruce’s hotel so it can be torn down and Ra’s can built a new hyper expensive hotel in its place. Damian was sent to live with Bruce to try and get Bruce to have Damian inherit the hotel so Ra’s can get it and destroy it, but that backfired because instead Damian falls in love with the hotel and his new family (reluctantly) and wants to see the hotel and museum flourish, not tear down this historical piece of architecture to replace it with a soulless hotel only available to the wealthy elite. But something available to everyone that families vacation to because there is so much history and beauty in a thing that has stood for centuries. So Damian turns against Ra’s. Due not that while Damian and Tim do have a sibling rivalry it is not as vicious and cutting as it is in canon. They love each other they just don’t mesh well while in the same room. And yes, Damian still has his variety of pets (7 years younger than Tim)

Cass came to the hotel with her “father,” David Cain, who went to the Cape for business, and just ended up leaving and forgetting Cass at the hotel. He was still abusive and Cass had trouble speaking but he wasn’t “turn Cass into the world’s greatest assassin” abusive. After Bruce finds Cass, he sues Cain for parental custody and then ruins his life unrepentantly. (Couple of months older than Jason)

After Martha and Thomas died, Alfred took over managing the hotel while Bruce was still growing up and while he was getting his degrees, now he is the grandfather to Bruce’s many kids and helps to keep them running and cared for while they run and care for the hotel. He’s also the one that helps the new kids transfer into the life of running a hotel.

Barbara is the daughter of the Police Comissioner still who became friends with Dick and works, first part time at the museum/hotel and then full time. Same with Steph and Tim (1 year older than Dick)

Cullen and Harper work at the museum, Helena works at the hotel. Carrie does both. Duke is the newest acquisition. Only, his parents disappeared and no one has been able to find them yet. So Bruce currently had temporary custody of Duke who lives at the hotel with everyone. (Harper is a year older than Tim, Cullen is a year younger than Tim, Carrie is the same age as Jason, Duke is a few months younger than Tim)

Each person has different jobs. (Dick is concierge/check-in, Jason does guided history tours of the hotel/museum/grounds, Tim works in financials because he deals with the least amount of people, Helena, Carrie and Steph are both maids, Carrie also does janitorial stuff with Cullen, Barbara works hotel check-in with Dick, Barbara and Harper work cashier at the gift shop, Duke doesn’t have a job yet because he is still dealing with the disappearance of his parents, Damian does every job to see where he fits in best.

JARRO IS THE FAMILY PET STARFISH THAT TIM ADOPTED WHEN HE FIRST JOINED THE FAMILY AND RESCUED FROM BEING EATEN OFF THE BEACH

The hotel is still fully staffed with not-batkids, like grounds keepers and other hotel cleaners and janitors.

Location time!

I’m turning Gotham nicer and changing the geography of the city.

The hotel Museum rests about 200 yds from a cliff that overlooks a beach. There is a well maintained stair case put into the cliff for people to walk down, as well as a longer gravel path that follows the cliff edge down to the shoreline. It is frequented by seals, sea lions, and in the distance, dolphins and whales. The hotel it’s self has about 100 or so acres of land and a long drive but it is technically within walking distance to the city. And it’s a normal coastal town with a port and touristic areas. Kinda eerie at night when the fog rolls in but that’s part of the charm of the NorthEast.

Selina is just Bruce’s friend in this. She is Helena’s mother and Bruce was a surrogate for her. She decided she wanted a baby and Bruce offered to be a donor. So Selina had Helena and Bruce is part of her life but not as her dad, which was the agreement. Selina takes care of the stray animals on the grounds and favors the cats.

Clark is a reporter that was tasked to right an article on the hotel and it’s history, became good friends with Bruce and brings his family (Lois, Jon, Bizarro, Kon, Kara, Lena, Chris, Ma, Pa, and Lex) on vacation to it every year. Lex and Clark are divorced husbands that left on good terms and are friendly enough to coparent their son, Connor, who was made the same way as canon but less hush hush and illegally, Kara is Clark’s cousin and Lena is her fiancée, Lois is his wife, Jon and Bizarro are their two biological sons (Bizarro has autism), Chris is their foster son. Bizarro latches onto Jason in a way that he hasn’t before and always loves coming to the hotel, Jon and Chris are best friends with Damian, Connor and Tim are long distance dating.

Collin, Maya, and Maps are Damian’s best friends from school (Damian has a crush on Collin) and he’s trying to convince them to join the hotel staff like his siblings’ friends but they are a) too young and b) not interested.

Roy has all of his problems as in canon and gets help for it, so as a way to try and bring the family closer, Oliver and Dinah arrange a vacation to the hotel for them Roy and Lian. As a stepping stone kind of thing. Get away from daily stress. Roy is resistant at first until he and Jason hit it off and start talking and Jason talks sense into him and they strike up a friendship turned romance.

The Flashfam visit the museum diring a countrywide roadtrip and mad the stop because Bart is a history buff and wouldn’t stop talking about it the entire trip. He becomes fast friends with Tim and is the only person to ever get a Tim Wayne history tour. No matter what Kon tells you he is super salty about it. Wally and Dick were internet friends and used the roadtrip as a way to be able to meet up.

Thad is the obligatory complainer who doesn’t want to stay in a musty old hotel.

Ivy is the main grounds keeper and is in charge of the native wildlife sanctuary most of the land is used for, as well as taking care of the native plantlife and lives in town with her girlfriend, Harley. Harley helps the kids prank Bruce.

Harley is a children’s psychiatrist hired by Bruce to help the kids deal with their various traumas. Her coming to the hotel for sessions is how she and Ivy met.

They started dating between Dick and Jason and Dick talks up each of them to the other, but each individual kid that comes in think they’d be cute together (since they are both professional while working there isn’t immediate proof that they are dating. But they will flirt with each other if they see each other) and it’s basically a right if passage to try and convince their siblings to help them get together and then try and set them up on their own and find out the hard way that they’re already together. They love seeing all the different way the kids try and set them up. They tend to go along with it until either the kids realise or they take pity on them.

Their favorite was Damian’s where he set up an entire romantic dinner at the hotel restaurant and Dick managed to slyly convince him to set it on a certain day that turned out to be Harley and Ivy’s anniversary.

Alfred is the head chef for the hotel, making room service meals and the breakfast buffet line up. Jason will help him out if he isn’t busy with other things.

Victor Fries and his wife hold an ice cream social ever summer at the hotel with all the ice cream flavors they came up with over the last year.

Edward Nygma, famous escape room designer, is hired to make an escape room themed on the hotel and museum that is built on the grounds near the main building.

Another ritual that starts, begins with Tim, where the older siblings convince the newest one that the hotel is haunted and Jason takes them on a “haunted ghost tour” of the abandoned part of the hotel (the part that is too dilapidated and run down to remodel safely) while the others are stationed at different parts of the hotel and grounds to run whatever scenario to scare the new kid. The only one that hasn’t been done to is Cass because even after several years she still jumps a little too hard at loud noises. But one time Jason accident closed a door a little too harshly while Cass and Tim were doing something and it caused her to jump so hard she knocked over Tim and started crying. They were contemplating whether she was strong enough to do it or not and that cemented that she wasn’t.

Tim and Cass are nearly inseparable and are commonly referred to as the Wayne Twins. For Halloween they decided to go as each other.

[bluegarners]

hiya @viceturtle! I finally got it done! Here is your Bad Things Happen Bingo request with Dick and Jason; you can also read it on ao3

What Have I Done?

It’s a lot. He’s not going to lie.

Dick was dead for eight months. There were no ifs, ands, or buts about it. It was a fact that they were all forced to deal with, all forced to live with. Dick was dead and there was nothing any of them could do about it. And for a time, Jason had held onto the small belief, he’s not going to call it hope, that Dick had somehow managed to pull through. That even despite the beatings, the torture, everything before and after it, Dick had managed to pull through and come out of it all alive.

But he hadn’t. That was the thing, at its core. Dick died. 

Jason knows what it is to be dead. To be beaten and left to die. To struggle and still search for a way out of the shit hole you’re suddenly in and cling to that light, that stupid, stupid promise in the back of your head that screams, Help is coming, just hold on a little longer, that forces you to keep struggling, keep surviving, keep hoping for a way out despite the circumstances. Jason knows and it absolutely sucked. 

He died and then clawed his way out of his own coffin. One of his fingers is permanently misshapen, wood chips and metal piercing through his stiff and cold skin. He’s got scars all over his body to prove that he died, to prove that he was beaten with a crowbar, messed around with like he was just some dummy, some thing that could take a beating and then some. Up and down and across and lined; the scars are all over him and he died.

And Dick died too. 

In those eight months, Jason felt more connected to his deceased older brother than he ever had before. A deep and twisted connection over a shared death, a similar fate so convoluted it makes Jason sick to think about sometimes. His murderer is still out there. Jason has to live with that fact and even though it’s not fine and things would be so much easier without that psychopath, Jason gets it. Sometimes. Gets the moral code, the compass, that shrouds Batman and his little followers.

And he’s trying. He is. He made an effort to try and do the right thing when Dick died because suddenly, the role of older brother had fallen onto him and even though he doesn’t have a good relationship with Tim or the recently resurrected Damian, or anyone for that matter, there was still that recognition that it was all on him now. He was the eldest. He was the one to look towards. Not look up to, no, he will never claim the title of a role model, but now he’s the oldest, the most experienced, the next in line when one just can’t go to Bruce about shit going on.

The point being is that he did try, put in more effort than he probably should have, to stepping up to the plate and taking a swing at being better. At being the eldest of the entire brood and not fucking it up horribly. He switches to rubber bullets and smoke pellets. He keeps his excessive violence reserved for only the worst scum and even then still attempts to steer clear from Batman’s territories. He takes care of the Narrows, rekindles a sort of friendship with Tim, doesn’t fight the literal child that lurks in the Cave, and avoids confrontations with Bruce altogether.

It works and it’s good. He steps up, frankly owns being the eldest, and he’s fine. He’s fine with it. He’s still got his reputation intact, Red Robin isn’t terrified of his presence any longer, and Robin doesn’t pull a sword every time they spot one another. So what if he slips up occasionally and gets carried away? They’re just rubber bullets, weapons all the same, and they’re no different from getting hit with Batman’s fist (which Jason knows, from experience, hurts like hell) or getting swung at with a large knife. 

He had a thing going on, is what Jason’s trying to get at, and then Dick showed up.

Dick. Richard Grayson. Who died eight months ago after he was tortured by the Syndicate and had his heart stopped by Lex Luthor. Who they had a funeral for. Who they mourned for. Who Jason had attempted to fill the gaping hole he had left behind.

Who Jason thought had died.

Betrayal is a word Jason feels like he could apply to a majority of his life. Betrayal from his parents, his poor, poor mother who just couldn’t muster up enough fucks. Bruce, Batman, for getting him into the vigilante life, for letting him wear that damn costume and get himself blown up for all his efforts. Talia, for restoring his mind after he was supposed to be dead. Bruce, Batman, again, for letting his murderer walk around like it was another Sunday, any other day, just a nice, normal day for a stroll like he didn’t just kill Bruce’s own son-

Yeah, Jason feels like he has liberal use of betrayal. It’s just an old song he hums sometimes and lets others join in occasionally.

But there was an unspoken code, a silent right-of-passage, when it came to being Robin. A mutual understanding of sorts. You don’t back-stab another Robin. Ever. You don’t lie, cheat out, betray a fellow Robin. There were too many shared experiences when it came to being Batman’s, Bruce’s, Robin and that ultimately revolved all back to trust and knowing that things were still the same despite all these years. Being Robin was both the best thing to ever happen to someone and also the ultimate death sentence. You don’t just get to be Robin either. You’ve got to earn it, to prove yourself, to show that you can take it all on, to keep up with Batman and the ever changing and violent Gotham.

So, when Dick shows up with an apology on his lips and the expectation of being welcomed home after all this time, Jason punches him square in the jaw. It’s surreal, a part of him thinking his fist will just phase right through the man’s face, but his knuckles connect and if the sound of his fist against Dick’s jaw isn’t the most satisfying and cruel thing he’s ever heard, Jason doesn’t know what is. 

It’s agony, nearly, to see the red blossom on his older brother’s cheek because, holy hell, that means it’s all real. That Dick is really alive and not still buried in that weed covered yard with decaying roses scattered on top of it. Dick is alive and Jason is furious because he’s supposed to be dead and Jason already tried so hard to fill the other man’s impossibly huge shoes and he was doing a damn good job at it. He likes to think so, at least.

But who cares, right? Who gives a shit when Dick is back now and it was all for nothing? Everyone can just go back to their normal routines now that the star player is back and they don’t need a fill-in like Jason to stick around. All that effort, all that time, all that trying all summing up into one big, Surprise, I’m not dead, from the man of the hour himself.

Jason avoids Dick after that. The man said he wasn’t staying long, just “checking in” with everyone like he was just on some business call for a few months and not dead. 

And that’s the root of it, Jason thinks. That’s what really gnaws at him because Dick is treating the whole situation exactly like he was on some extended vacation and just forgot to tell anyone where he was going. Not like his absence literally turned their entire world upside down. Not like the loss, the emptiness, that literally echoed everywhere Jason went was consuming and terrifying. In those eight months, Jason had to toe the line between being the eldest and maintaining his identity as Red Hood, and that’s where Jason truly felt close to Dick. Felt like he finally got what Dick and Bruce’s arguments were about so many years ago, this constant war of wanting to be better, wanting to have freedom, wanting to stay yourself when there was a constant war of others trying to get you to fill a role that you don’t want. 

Finally, Jason felt like he had some other important connection to his elusive older brother that had nothing to do with the man that housed them, only for it all to be thrown across the room and into the trash. 

To keep it simple, bare-bones, really dumbed down, Dick lied. About being dead, of all things. Jason can get behind needing to lay low after all that, being stripped of your identity on live television wasn’t exactly great for their kind of lifestyle, but to just leave? To go out on some mission and leave the rest of them out to dry like that? No warning, no hints, no notes, nothing? God, at least Jason made an appearance. Granted, not the best sort of re-introduction, but at least he wasn’t trying to hide.

To say the least, Jason is hurting. The anger faded along with any sort of need to prove to Dick that he had stepped up when he left. Now, he just feels… shitty. In a way, this is what he had been half-way expecting. No one stays dead in this business. There is always someone with a back-up or ex-machina to save the day and bring back a fallen hero, villain, whatever. But there had just been something so final, so human in Dick’s death. In that moment, seeing the mask ripped off, seeing his brother’s face on T.V out of context, away from the normal flashiness that was being related to a billionaire, it had scared Jason because that was his brother, Dick Grayson, world’s most annoying man in the universe, on T.V; beaten, bloodied, bruised, and humiliated for everyone to see.

He’s always been jealous of how clean and clear Dick’s eyes looked. Just a simple and rare shade of blue, obnoxiously bright and searching. Jason’s mother used to say he had his father’s eyes, a muddy mix of blue and green. He’s never liked his eyes, but there was always something so attention grabbing with Dick’s. Seeing them on T.V, wide and blood-shot and bruised to hell; the blue was out of place and humanizing in a way that Jason just couldn't describe because it was simply Dick Grayson there. Not Nightwing. Not a hero. It was just Dick Grayson, world’s worst older brother ever, looking lost, defiant, and defeated all at once.

And that hurt.

The man is like some nasty disease that won’t leave him alone though. Their first meeting was two days ago and Jason is trying his best to ignore the knife in his chest, not literally, when Dick shows up. Just outside the Narrows on the roof of a bodega, Dick appears from where ever the fuck he’s been and walks over to Jason. It’s a cue, Jason knows, when thunder rumbles in the distance and if he were a bit more into literature, feeling a bit more melancholy for his freshman year of high school, Jason would say that a storm is coming for the both of them, not just Gotham.

Dick walks with his hands in his pockets, stuffed inside an old brown jacket that looks well-used and well-loved. Jason’s never seen the jacket before. Must’ve gotten it on his extended vacation. A part of Jason knows that Bruce was in on it too, that Bruce probably deserves just as much anger he’s dishing out towards Dick, maybe even more, but Jason’s tired of trying to play nice and get along. Dick is the one in front of him now, right here on a Wednesday night with the glowing, neon advertisement for Coke singing behind their heads and a run down, twenty year old convenience shop beneath their feet. 

Dick is here and now when he should be dead.

Just like Jason should be.

“What do you want?” he asks, the metallic tin of his voice modulator diminishing some of the threat. It’s a known fact that Red Hood guards his territory with a viciousness rivaling a rabid dog. Outsiders aren’t welcome. Never welcome.

In contrast, Dick is mask-less. Civilian. Same clear blue eyes from eight months ago that were sealed shut the last time Jason saw them. A dark bruise stains Dick’s right cheekbone, the shape of knuckles and betrayal. It’s a good contrast.

“I came to say goodbye,” the other man answers, stopping just short of six feet in front of Jason, “and that I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you sooner. I really am,” he insists when Jason remains silent. “Things just… happened too fast. It killed me to be away from you all for so long. I wanted to tell you, I did-”

“Really?” Jason interrupts lowly. “It killed you, huh?”

Dick sighs, a hand coming up to brush through his hair. “That’s not what I meant. You know it’s not.”

“I don’t know, Dicky. Times are changing, you know. One minute, you’re the star pupil, and the next I’m your backup. And now,” Jason shrugs, letting his hand come up to rest on the holster he keeps on his hip, “I’m not so sure about that.”

Dick is eyeing Jason like he’s looking at something he doesn’t like. Something that’s leaving a bad taste in his mouth. But that’s just something he’s going to have to deal with, isn’t it? Suck it up buttercup, and all that.

A laugh erupts from Jason as he truly takes it all in. “You know,” he chuckles, nothing humorous causing his mirth, “you really had me there for awhile. I bought you flowers, went to your funeral, dealt with all that shit, and yet here you are. In the flesh.” He laughs again, fingers curving steadily around the grip of his gun. “I think I liked you better dead, Dick.”

The older man frowns, brow dipping into a neat crease. Not a single wrinkle on his perfect, tan, not dead face. “The situation was unavoidable,” he says, like he actually believes a word he utters. “Batman needed a guy on the inside. The, hm, circumstances leading up to that set it up so that I could be that guy. It wasn’t exactly my choice to stay dead, Jay.”

“Names,” Jason snarks, that same anger he felt two days ago rearing its ugly head again. “You know, you say you didn’t have a choice, but I think there’s a clear distinction between dead and alive, don’t you? It might just be me, who knows because fuck if I do, but I think a warning woud’ve sufficed. A fucking warning. ”

Something must click in Dick’s head as his frown deepens. His hands are out of his jacket pockets now. They’re both tense.

“I’ll be back soon,” he says. “Maybe another month. Two at most. When I get back, I’ll try and…” Dick trails off there, as if searching for the right words, but Jason doesn’t have the patience for him to find the right way to say the same bullshit he’s already heard before. 

He’s so tired. So, so tired.

“We were fine without you,” he snarls, relishing in the way Dick’s eyes widen at the claim. “The world doesn’t stop turning just because you decide to go off on a little adventure. Newsflash, asshole: None of us need you. You can’t come back here and expect everything to fall back to the way things were just because you decide it’s time to show your face again.”

“I was doing what I thought was right,” Dick snaps back. “Look, I’m sorry you had to step up and be a decent person for once-”

“And there it is,” Jason growls, unholstering his gun. “You think you’re so much better than me. You’re just so goddamn smug you can’t even see your own mistakes. What, is my being here just too inconvenient for you? Can’t make all the little hero-worshipers fall back into line like they used to?”

“Stop putting words in my mouth. I did what I thought was best for everyone and I paid the price for it.”

Jason lunges, cutting the feet between them into inches. “What was best?” he yells, swinging with one fist and aiming with the other. “Who the hell are you to decide that?”

Dick retaliates, pushing away Jason with a kick that connects to his armored chest. It’s barely a glancing blow though and he’s charging forwards again, squeezing the trigger as a shot rings off into the air, missing Dick’s foot by a few centimetres. Another crack of thunder resounds in the distance and a bolt of lightning cracks open the dark sky. Dick rolls away from Jason’s tackle, on the balls of his feet and ready to jump away again.

“I didn’t come here to fight you,” Dick tries, widening his stance. “I just came to, god, I don’t know, Jay. I didn’t ask for this!”

“Cut the bull,” Jason says, raising his gun again. He’s got it trained on Dick’s mid-section and even though a part of him knows he’s not going to take the shot, another part of him has his finger itching towards the trigger. “None of us asked for any of the fuckery that comes our way, but we deal with it, right? I’m dead, you’re dead, the brat’s dead, we’re all dead!”

There’s another crack of thunder, one that brings the rain with it. It pours, instantly drenching the pair, and a sheet of gray divides them. There’s surely something poetic about it, the divide that surrounds them both, but Jason’s not one to dwell long.

“Well, I’m not dead anymore!” Dick screams through the rain. “I am alive! I’ve been dead for eight months and I don’t want to fucking be anymore! I want to come home, Jay. I am alive. Goddamnit, I am alive!”

“So why didn’t you tell us that? Tell any of us that? All of this, that’s on you , Dick. You want to know why there wasn’t a big fucking parade for you? Why no one was fighting over the chance to be the first one to get to shake your hand? It’s because we don’t trust you anymore. No one fucking wants you near them because that’s how badly you fucked up.”

He must strike a nerve because Jason sees something crumple on Dick’s face. 

“I didn’t- I didn’t want to leave you guys, Jay. God, you’ve got to believe me on that. I had no choice. It was either I leave and do this for Batman or-”

That same anger rises up again. Anger from different directions, different thoughts, but ultimately because it’s about Batman. Always, always about Batman. What he wants. What he needs you to do. Because if you don’t do it, and someone dies, it’s your fault. And Dick has always been the suck-up, the one to come when called, because even after all their spats and all these years of silence between them, Dick was still a Robin first and goddamnit if Jason doesn’t understand that. He hates that he understands that need to please Batman, to do what he asks in the hope of just some tiny ounce of praise or acknowledgment, but Dick is a grown adult. He’s not Robin anymore.

None of them are.

Dick takes a step forward and Jason squeezes the trigger, feeling the recoil in his wrist as Dick freezes, the bullet breezing right past his armpit. His eyes are wide, finally taking the weapon in as it is, and there must be some realization going off inside Dick’s head because now he’s the one charging in, stance low and shifty, and Jason’s on the defense now. His finger is still on the trigger, just barely, and he’s raising it to aim again when a flying round-house knocks the gun from his hand and fist drives under his chin. It disorients him a bit because, damn, he didn’t actually expect Dick to fight back, Jason was trying to get him to go away, but now they’re both serious. They’re both dangerous.

It’s a no-weapons brawl, just fists and dirty kicks and the rain is still pounding away against the bodega. The rain has plastered Dick’s hair to his skull and Jason is grateful for his helmet because it’s clear the water is making it difficult for the older man to see. He takes advantage of this, striking down with his elbow on Dick’s trapezius and quickly hooking his left foot around his ankle. It works for a split second, Dick thrown off and unbalanced, before Dick is tumbling down and using his own momentum to pull Jason down with him. 

They’re on their backs now, rough and cold cement bleeding through their jackets, and the neon Coke sign flickers in and out as thunder continues to roll and shake the world.

“You should’ve stayed dead,” Jason snarls, taking a jab at his older brother’s face. “You should’ve never come back.”

Dick frees one of his hands from underneath the massive bulk of Jason’s suit, palm striking the sides of his helmet. “Take off the godamn hood and say that to my face,” Dick pants, shoving one of his knees into Jason’s side. “Look me in the eye and tell me you want me dead, Jay. Tell me you want me dead. ”

Another bolt of lightning splits the dark and its image refracts against the many puddles, and for a moment, the light sears into Jason’s eyes. He flinches against the burn and it’s enough hesitation for Dick to take the unguarded moment and flip Jason, crouching with one knee on his chest and the other digging into Jason’s forearm. They’re both breathing heavily, exhausted both physically and mentally, and he doesn’t bother to stop his brother as Dick reaches down and shoves the helmet off of his face.

Their eyes meet and Jason squints up at clear blue. Yeah, he hates that color. Hates it so much it feels like something ugly in his stomach, coiling and clenching. They’re both frowning but Dick just looks resigned. Jason hates that too. Now that he has the chance, he can see new scars on his brother’s face. New, finer lines and white and pink discoloration. 

Funny how eight months can make someone look so much older.

“I wish you had stayed dead,” Jason finally says, hating himself all the more for it. “I wish you had never come back.”

Dick stumbles off of him and there’s a thin trail of red leaking from one of his eyebrows that keeps getting washed away. Jason doesn’t even remember hitting him there, but he must’ve been excessive. Must’ve over-done it. Just another thing he’s managed to fuck up. Check it off the list. 

He sits up, feeling the ache of a sore back and numerous bruises, and watches as his brother leans heavily against the poles of the advertisement. The rain only seems to come down harder, bouncing off the yellow stained bodega roof. He gets to his feet slowly, careful to keep an eye on the slouching man, and treads over to pick up his helmet. His gun is closer to the bright neon sign and when he gets near enough, Dick looks up, something horribly heavy and sad, settling into his face.

“Okay,” is all he says, nodding once. “Okay, Jay.”

Dick reaches into his jacket pocket once more, fiddling with something, but Jason’s too preoccupied putting his helmet back on to really pay attention to it. They’re done fighting. Done with whatever all of that was. His hair is soaked, his jacket is going to have a layer of mildew on it in the morning, and Jason is tired. Beat. He can’t find the will-power to truly be bothered with anything else. 

This is his territory so he’s not technically fleeing, but that’s what it looks like. Tail between his legs, off to lick his wounds, Jason’s sure that’s what Dick is thinking (he knows that’s not true, he knows this, and he’s got a little secret screaming, pounding away in the back of his skull, but Jason’s too burned out to deal with it, to address it). He walks to the edge of the roof with his back turned on his older brother, his alive and breathing, long lost brother, and jumps off, sliding down the fire escape and landing on the grimy streets below. His boots squelch in the rain, and there’s water logged into his socks, but Jason ignores it in favor of staring ahead. Refusing to look back.

Here’s the thing about being a Robin that everyone who’s been one before knows. 

You rely on each other. There’s no codependency, not really, but there is a certain degree of reliance on past and current Robins. Robin is the inspiration. Not Batman. Batman doesn’t inspire little kids to go out in the night and get punched in the face and witness cruelty so awful you have nightmares for years after. Batman doesn’t inspire light and forgiveness and mercy; that’s all Robin’s doing. The bright colors, the chatter, the youth. That’s all on Robin, the little child weapons they are, and the shared experience of being that for Batman is a bond that runs so much deeper than blood. Thick and interwoven and relied upon so much more heavily than a simple crest or uniform.

And here’s that screaming secret that vibrates inside Jason’s skull: he’s happy Dick’s back. That Dick’s alive. At the end of the day, Dick was the first Robin, the first light, and having him snuffed out was a world that got three shades darker, bleaker. It was Dick’s Robin that truly gave it the twinge of hope all the Robins after carry with them; he was the model, the mold, they shaped themselves after. Him being dead changed that perspective for the worse because the first Robin made it. That’s what was so important, what tips the scales for the confidence of all Robins after. Dick made it. Survived being Robin, survived past Robin, and became his own hero. 

Dick outlived being Robin and that was the ultimate goal. To survive. 

So him dying was the last straw but now that he’s back, alive, everything was going to be okay again. Yeah, they’re all still messed up from it, there’s going to be a lot of trust built back up again, but they’re Robins for Christ's sake. Thicker than blood, stronger than a crest, relied on more than Batman. And maybe Jason’s being sentimental, still trying to be more eloquent than his sophomore English education allowed him to be, but God, he’s trying. He’s trying so hard despite the ache that wears down his bones and the fire that consumes his brain.

That’s why he gives in. Turns around. Looks back. Does what he thought he was too stubborn to do, but things change and-

The neon sign is brighter. No, that’s not right. There’s another source of that eerie, glowing light and Jason’s eyes widen as he sees a person step through it. Another figure, broad, muscular, unfamiliar, and they’re heading straight for Dick. His brother. Who is still leaning against the advertisement poles. Who’s not doing a damn thing to avoid the stranger that’s fast approaching. 

Soreness and fatigue forgotten, Jason starts sprinting, boots pounding against the pavement as he cranes his neck upwards to watch the stranger continue to advance.

“Dick!” he yells in warning, drowned out with the rain. “Dick, move!”

He slams into the fire escape, hands scraping up the ladder as he hauls himself three steps at a time, chest heaving and heart beating wildly. He slips, losing his footing, and Jason grunts as he feels the pull on his shoulder and his knees bang into the sides of the bodega. He pushes on though, gripping the metal tightly and finally reaching the top.

He’s pulling himself over, gasping and searching, and he sees the man tugging Dick closer to the strange light, what Jason thinks must be some sort of portal, and before he’s even gotten a leg over the edge, his right hand is scrambling for purchase on his gun. He takes aim and fires without a second thought and curses aloud when it jams.

“Dick!” he yells again, throwing the useless weapon away and falling over onto the roof. “Stop! Stop! What’re you doing?”

His brother just trudges on though, bicep gripped by the stranger that continues to drag him closer and closer to the pulsating light, ghoulishly pink and saturating the air with an ominous buzz. Another flash of lightning illuminates the sky and Jason trips over himself in his haste, crashing into the slick cement. He whips his head up, too far away, too late, as the stranger disappears fully into the portal, Dick just a few inches away.

“Wait!” Jason cries, still attempting to rise off of his knees. Damn the rain. Damn the weight of his grief. Damn it all, get up. Get up. “Dick, stop! Stop!”

The rain is loud though and there’s a divide between the two of them, mixes of gray, pink, and red light. His brother half turns, watching as the younger stumbles towards him, and Jason can’t hear anything, can hardly process what’s even happening now, but Dick’s lips move in what Jason thinks is, Goodbye, and Jason screams, lunging as his brother fades into the light.

He falls, smashing into the cement once again as he fails to reach for his brother’s hand, and lands where the portal had just been. He lays there on his chest, heaving and attempting to breathe through his helmet, but it’s too hard, too suffocating, and Jason rips it off and flings it as far away from him as he can. His hands clench into fists and he fights back the urge to cry as he slams his fists into the roof. Bam-Bam-Bam.

Something cracks in his knuckles and Jason stops at the pain, shifting back and hanging his head between his knees. There’s a vicious burn in his eyes, his ugly, muddy green eyes, and Jason swipes at them furiously.

“We just got you back,” he whispers through gritted teeth. “We just got you back, Dick, and you, you just-”

A clap of thunder rattles the thin poles of the Coke advertisement as its lights finally flicker out. The night is dark without its glow and Jason is left in obscurity. 

“What have I done?"

[wannabe-fic-writer]

All Over Again - Chapter 4

Summary: What was lost can be found. 

Warning: 18+ Smut, Language, Violence. 

I was in the holiday spirit so I wrote this chapter. Kind of just filler stuff and LOTS of fluff. Enjoy!

Ch. 3

* * * * * *

“Awe, look at you in your fall colors.” You tease.

Wanda laughs, eyes on something ahead of her before she focuses on you,“ Laura gave me the scarf. I didn’t realize how cold it’d be today.”

You find your eyes looking at the window of your hotel,“ is it snowing there?”

Instead of answering, she flips the camera and you see the mix of leaves and snowflakes falling.

As beautiful as National City is, you admit you miss the weather in New York. The snow and leaves falling added to the holiday spirit. The white and shades of red screamed Thanksgiving. 

“You could always come back, at least for the day.” Your friend says, the camera turning back.

With a shake of your head, you tell her,“ I’d never make it back in time. Besides, Lena insisted I spend the day with her.” 

The brunette wiggles her eyebrows playfully. Only for her jaw to drop at the expression on your face.“ Oh my god you like her!”

“What? No.” You try to play it off with a laugh.

Good ole Wanda though, she can read you like a book(without the powers).“ That’s why you were so eager to go back to NC. You have a crush!”

“No I-” do you?

The idea isn’t far fetched. Lena’s an incredibly attractive woman. Intelligent, caring, ambitious, funny, genuine. But you have far too much going on with your emotions to even consider liking someone. Right? 

Were you not just telling Natasha how much it sucks to see her with Bruce? How could you go from hating to see that to suddenly liking someone? Is that really how your emotions are choosing to work?

Escaping the onslaught of thoughts, you find Wanda smirking at you.“ You like her.” She says with a nod and smile. 

“Doesn’t matter whether I do or not. There’s too much going on for me to be exploring something like that.”

She scoffs,“ yeah right. As we speak you’re on vacation. There’s no greater time to explore. And if you like her, you deserve to pursue it. If anyone should get a chance at happiness, it’s you.”

Damn. Could you have asked for a better best friend?

“Have I told you that you’re one of the few things I’m thankful for Wan?”

Blushing a little, she tells you,“ you hadn’t but I knew already. I’m thankful for you too, I-” a sudden swirl of emotions race through her eyes, red magic flickering with it,“ I don’t know what I would’ve done without you these last few years.”

“You’re stronger than you give yourself credit for, but I’m glad I could be there for you.”

It’s quiet on her end for a moment before she can pull a smile,“ love you Y/n, Happy Thanksgiving.”

“Love you too Wan and Happy Thanksgiving.”

With an over exaggerated kiss blown to the screen, Wanda hangs up, the lingering picture of her smiling face on your screen before it goes back to the generic wallpapered home screen.

You take a second to yourself, eyes trained on the city outside. 

There may not be any snow, but NC definitely has its own way of showing the holiday spirit. In that, a lot of the skyscrapers have large light displays on them. And where there are trees, the orange, red, and yellow leaves fell from them. 

Eventually, you get up to get ready. Taking a shower and putting on an outfit that reflects the season and holiday. 

Having everything you need, you call a car, waiting for it in the lobby with a cup of coffee. Once in the car, you let Lena know you’re on your way. 

It leaves you a little unnerved when she doesn’t reply as fast as usual. In fact she doesn’t reply at all but her doorman let’s you up so you know she’s home. 

When she pulls her door open and you take in her slightly frazzled state you frown.

“Should I have waited to come by? Is everything okay?” 

Lena’s heart melts at the worried expression on your face, a smile forming,“ no it’s fine I just, I forgot most restaurants are closed on Thanksgiving.”

A gasp leaves your lips,“ Miss Luthor,” you press a hand to your chest,“ take out is not a proper Thanksgiving meal.” 

Her mouth opens to reply but seeing your expression has her keeping it to herself. 

The few nights you’d spent here, you know Lena doesn’t keep her fridge and cupboards stocked.“ Come on, we’re going shopping.”

Lena will admit, she had a bit of a slow moment, wondering what shopping would do to solve the food issue. Arriving at the store though, she realizes you meant grocery shopping. 

Walking around the store with you pushing the cart is probably the most domestic thing Lena’s done in a long time. She finds herself falling in deeper with you as she sees how, almost childlike you are: riding on the cart every so often, throwing completely unnecessary snacks inside, and doing small little celebratory fist pumps when you find exactly what you need.

“Okay,” Lena breaks the quiet,“ are you secretly a chef outside of being an Avenger?” 

Currently the two of you stand in her kitchen, smooth jazz playing through the room’s speakers, Lena’s usual glass of wine on the counter mere inches from your glass of bourbon, as you prepare dinner. Admittedly Lena isn’t all that good at cooking, so she’s slightly fascinated with how easily you move about. 

You raise an eyebrow, fingers sprinkling seasoning over the Cornish Hens,“ what’d you mean?” 

“I just- you seem to be really good at this.” She gestures to you and the spread of food in front of you. 

Shrugging, you tell her,“ I just learned from my dad. He literally taught me everything I know.”

There goes that tone again. Your voice sounding far off. You reminiscing.

You slide the pan into the oven, setting a timer, and looking back with a smile, nodding for Lena to come over. 

She stands at your side, arms brushing with every move as you raise the lid off the skillet, steam rising from it,“ now don’t go sharing this recipe with anyone Miss Luthor.”

The CEO chuckles,“ well if it’s good I’ll have to capitalize on it.”

You laugh, eyes shutting with the action. So you miss the look Lena gives you, pride at being the reason you’re laughing and a longing to make that smile last.

From there you tell and show her the way you’d been taught to make yams: nutmeg, brown sugar, vanilla flavor, and butter. Then turning them over so the seasonings reach all the vegetables.

Grabbing a smaller spoon, you scoop some of it up, and hold it out to her. A hum of approval leaves Lena’s lips at the taste of it.

“That’s incredible.”

You watch the way her tongue runs over her lips, catching the remnants of the food, and resisting the urge to reach out and run your thumb across the pink muscle.

Opting to nod and jokingly say,” oh I know.”

She laughs with a shake of her head. 

It goes like that as you continue to cook. Once a dish is done, you give Lena a taste and she tells you how great it is. Until you’re setting it all out on the table in front of where Lena set out the plates and silverware. 

You both fix your plates and refill your drinks before sitting down.

“I’ll admit, this is a million times better than take out.”

While you hadn’t mentioned it before, you have to now,“ please tell me this isn’t the first time you’ve had a home cooked meal for Thanksgiving.”

The CEO shrugs, a sad smile covering her lips as she says,“ well I’ve spent the last two in my office.”

You raise your eyebrows,“ and before then?”

“Meals were made by the chefs. And holidays with my family were usually, well awkward. With the tension between myself and my mother and Lex’s silence. . .”

Reaching over, you cover her hand with yours,“ family can be tough. But from what I’ve seen it seems you have a decent one.”

The brunette looks at you quizzically. Did you not hear what she just said?

“Not the Luthors,” you clarify,“ I mean your chosen family. Kara, Alex, everyone else. They care a lot about you and you love them too.”

Lena smiles fondly at that. It’s true.“ And here I’ve yet to see your family, related and chosen.”

“As far as my given family goes, it’s just me and a few distant cousins. My mom was never around much and my dad passed years ago. Right after I’d graduated college actually.”

There’s the confirmation of her thoughts. Though she wishes it’d come at a different time. 

She tries to lighten the mood,“ chosen?”

“Also complicated,” you chuckle,“ there’s all kinds of dynamics going around with them but we have each other’s backs in the end. I’d give my life for everyone one of them.”

“Anyone in particular?” She finds herself having to ask.

Praying silently that there isn’t. At least not in the way she’s referring to.

You nod with a smile,“ Wanda. She’s my best friend. A sister really. We’ve been close since she joined the team.”

She smiles for two reasons. One: you’re single. Two: it’s cute that you have someone like that. 

Throughout dinner you both joke and talk about lighter topics. Despite the numerous looks you give each other, neither of you catch it. 

When dinner is over(and leftovers are put away) you tackle the dishes and then move to the living room with your dessert. 

“Okay, apple cheesecake. Never knew I needed it.” She says with a chuckle.

Your eyes widen in agreement,“ I know right. Apart from strawberry and classic New York, it’s my favorite.” 

“I’m going to need you to make both of those for me, for research purposes.” She adds the last bit with a wink.

Laughing makes you lean just a little closer and Lena loves it. A quiet buzzing grabs yours and Lena’s attention. 

The woman pulling her phone out.“ Speaking of desserts, my chosen family has an abundance of it and has invited us over.” 

“Ooo, yes, I love desserts.” 

She smiles at you in amusement and together you both get ready to leave, Lena insisting that you bring your cheesecake. 

Unsurprisingly, christmas music is all over the radio on the drive over. You can’t say you expect anything less. 

With Lena at your side, you knock on Kara’s door. The blonde pulling it open in seconds. 

“Lena, Y/n, hi.” She hugs the both of you excitedly. 

“Thank you for inviting us.” Lena tells her friend. 

Stepping into the apartment, without a thought, you’re helping Lena take her coat off as she’s holding your dessert in one hand. With a blush, she thanks you, and you miss the wiggle of Kara’s eyebrows in her direction. 

Mon-El throws a hi your way and everyone else does the same.“ Do I see more desserts?” He leaps up, happily making his way over.

You accept the quick handshake he gives before looking over your shoulder to the pan in Lena’s hands.“ Yeah, Lena says my cheesecake is to die for and it’d be a crime not to share it.” 

The CEO’s jaw drops,“ I did not-” her elbow nudges your arm with a laugh,“ I didn’t say all that.” 

Placing a hand on her shoulder you smile,“ but I could tell that’s what you really meant.”

“So cute.”

Your eyebrows pinch together at Kara’s mumbled words. You and Lena? Could she see your crush on the woman as clearly as Wanda had? Is it that obvious?

Figuring she didn’t intend for anyone to hear that, you refrain from commenting. Instead walking with Mon-El to the kitchen island. 

“I never asked but what is it that you do?” Mon-El asks, head tilting in a way you’d seen Kara do a number of times. 

You accept the glass of water he passes you,“ I’m a weapons specialist for the Avengers, occasionally moonlighting as a hero.”

“Me too.” His eyes widen as does yours. 

“You’re a superhero?” 

The man’s eyes widen, uncertainty flickering through his eyes as they search yours. Then he chuckles and nods,“ yeah. Super being Alien. I’m from Daxam.”

“Daxam.” You’d heard of plenty of planets, never that one.“ Where is Daxam? I’ve been to a few galaxies and planets, I’ve never heard of Daxam.”

He thinks for a moment,“ I’m not sure what galaxy it would be in but it orbited Rao.”

“Rao? Is that like another planet or a sun?” 

Suddenly Kara appears at Mon-El’s side,“ what’re we talking about?” 

You send a glance to Mon-El, wondering if Kara already knows. His nod and pursed lips tells you she does.“ Mon-El was just telling me about Daxam and the-”

“Star.”

“The star it orbits.” 

It’s hard to place the expression on Kara’s face. Mainly because it’s a mix of a few emotions.“ Are you not surprised?”

You shrug,“ I am, just, well I’ve dealt with a number of aliens. Not many of them were good guys.”

Mon-El smiles widely, a matching one on Kara’s face. Little did you know, hearing that from you makes the blonde consider telling you about her heroic alter-ego.

Before she can mention it though, Winn comes sliding over, arms wrapping around you. Looking at him, you see the silverware hanging from his mouth. 

Patting his shoulder, you pull back a little,“ hey buddy, what’s goin on?” 

“This cheesecake is amazing.” His words come out with a little lisp due to the object in his mouth but you laugh nonetheless.

“I’m glad you liked it.” Finally he steps back and nods.“ How bout you show me where the rest of these desserts are.”

Together the two of you step over to the dining table where there’s a decent amount of desserts. You just have to put some of each on your plate.

When you plop down beside Lena she’s already wearing an expression of amusement. Looking at her, you smile softly,“ want some?” Her look of uncertainty makes you chuckle. Scooping a piece of pie up, you hold it towards her. 

Hesitantly she leans in and eats the sweet. Your eyes once again drawn to the way she licks her lips then back to her green orbs. 

“That’s really good.” 

You quickly eat a bite,“ oh wow, it is.”

“So!” All eyes snap to Kara as she walks over with the guys,“ we did this earlier but a few of us weren’t here so we’re going to do it again.” The woman sits on the arm of Mon-El’s chair.“ What are you thankful for?” 

Starting with herself, it goes around the room, until it gets to you.“ I am thankful for old friends and new,” you smile at the already smiling people around you,“ I haven’t known you guys long but you all mean a lot to me and I’m incredibly grateful to have met you all.”

Not being able to help herself, Kara throws her arms around you. Which incites Winn to hug the both of you and that just ends in a big group hug that dissolves in laughter.

* * * * *

Taglist: @username23345 @depressed-bi-bitch @fayhar @trikruismybitch @marvel-wlw @aznblossom @chicken-wang09 @bitchtits15

[clarkonly]

How Zack Snyder's Justice League continues Superman's Immigrant Story

I’ve already written this on a subreddit but I wanted to also share it here.

While Zack Snyder's Justice League may be the first entry to a series of ensemble superhero films, it is also the third entry to Zack Snyder's Superman trilogy. In his Superman trilogy, Zack Snyder parallels Superman's journey and arc to that of the immigrant's and refugee's experience. And while Superman is no longer the main protagonist in Justice League, the film does give the character the proper conclusion to this specific arc.

Man of Steel was about the Immigrant and his relationship to his New World. Ever since he was a child, Clark Kent has always known just how different he was from everybody else, and so he's never really comfortably fit in and blend in anywhere. He is lost, living like a nomad, travelling all over the world, in search of a place where he would truly belong. Eventually, he finds out the truth of his origin, where he comes from and who he is. His birth name is Kal-El, and he is Kryptonian.

But it's too late. Krypton is destroyed and so are his people and culture. What's more, the few surviving Kryptonians want to take Clark's adopted world and destroy it and rebuild it to suit their needs. This forces Clark into two seemingly equally difficult choices: Either he chooses his New World and be forever different or help rebuild Krypton and become fully Kryptonian. But Clark Kent has reconciled with his identity. He has accepted that he is neither fully Kryptonian nor fully Human. And so he chooses his New World. Because here, not a reconstructed Krypton, is the only true place where he would be allowed to be both Kal-El the Kryptonian and Clark Kent the Human. He is, as Jor-El told him, as much a part of Earth as he is of Krypton. He is the bridge between the two peoples.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was about the New World and how it reacts to the Immigrant. Following the events of the previous film, the New World is now aware of the existence of Superman the Alien. And billions of different people all have different reactions to this. But the most notable reactions are Caution (represented by Senator Finch), Fear (represented by Bruce Wayne), and Hate (represented by Lex Luthor). By all accounts, Superman is just a man trying to do the right thing. The Immigrant just wants to live their lives normally and contribute to their New World and help make it a better place.

Caution sees the good in Superman but doesn't fully give their trust to him. Fear can't stop thinking about how Superman might one day turn his back on the world. And Hate sees Superman as a threat to his power and influence and wants to eradicate Superman. In order to do this, he must convince Caution and Fear to push them into hate as well. When Caution won't give in to Hate, she is destroyed, further fueling Fear. Fear confronts the Immigrant, with the intent to destroy him. But the Immigrant is able to convince Fear that he is not the enemy and that he was manipulated into being afraid of him. Once Fear realizes this, he sees the error of his ways and changes from Fear to Brotherhood. The Immigrant sacrifices himself, further proving that he loved his New World which then eradicates and defeats Hate.

Now on to Zack Snyder's Justice League, which is about the New World and how it deals with the loss of the Immigrant. It finds how empty it can feel without Immigrants because Immigrants contributed so much to their adopted home. The New World, learning from its horrible mistake, does everything in its power to bring the Immigrant back. Because Immigrants are not just people from another place, they are needed, they are quintessential, and their absence is a loss that is deeply felt and that's why they belong.

Thank you for reading. I'm glad Zack Snyder was able to tell the story he wanted to tell all along and I hope he gets to really finish it.

[theliterateape]

We Killed Jason Todd

By Matt Markman

In 1988 my friends and I killed a kid.

He was just a boy really. We had help it wasn’t just me and my pals. there were adults involved, lots of them. I mean we were young we were just thirteen and really couldn’t comprehend the ramification of our actions, the adults knew what they were doing. I’m painting it to sound way more sinister than it was, and in today’s society, wouldn’t trend on Twitter but maybe in the ’80s, it was probably considered quite ominous.

To set your mind at ease, it was Jason Todd. You know, Batman's sidekick, The Boy Wonder, Robin—well, the second Robin anyways. And I helped kill him.

I was big into comic books but my favorite was, The Dark Knight, The Caped Crusader, The Batman… He donned the best costume, he had all the money and was the most intelligent of all the superheroes. That last trait right there, the fact that he was considered a superhero and he had no actual super powers made him cooler than the other side of the pillow. You know how The Big Bang Theory has convinced the world it’s an Emmy-winning sitcom worth watching? I think it’s the fact that Batman was someone any one of us could actually be. Sure we needed to start with a base coat of genius followed by a splash of handsome billionaire playboy then train overseas in martial arts for several years, but if you had those things you, too, could be a vigilante. You ask me today and I'd stand by the fact that Batman would beat Superman in a fight, say ten out of ten times. This is not debatable because super beings from another planet are not real.

My favorite thing about Batman, though, is his ability to balance out good and evil. He spawned one of the greatest comic book villains and fictional characters ever created, The Joker. They have tried and tried again but in my opinion never got close to the Clown Prince of Crime—maybe Negan from The Walking Dead, he's pretty ruthless. The Joker is what would happen if a stand-up comedian became a criminal mastermind, so basically the plot of the 2019 film Joker.

My love for Joker made sense because growing up I was always more into the bad guys than the good guys. Watching and playing with G.I.Joe, I was always on the side of Cobra Commander, the twins Tomax and Xamot, and Zartan because they were always more glamorous and eye-catching than the boring ass Joes. Just once, I’d like that “knowing is half the battle” part at the end of the cartoon to have been Storm Shadow giving us kids a tip on how to fuck up Shipwreck and his stupid Parrot. Megatron, Skeletor, Shredder, Mumm-ra…

The list goes on, but the antagonists always resonated with me. they had a much better and more intriguing agenda than the good guys did. I know that wasn't the purpose, we were supposed to cheer on the good guys, like the idea of saving the world and all, but the mayhem… It’s like Alfred Pennyworth said, “Some men just want to watch the world burn.” It’s odd because the bad guys in my life were real, the bullies and I didn't like them at all. They tormented me daily unprovoked because I was short and had big ears. Perhaps my love for the dark side stemmed for my desire to be on that side because in real life there was no Superman swooping in to rescue me from the clutches of Lex Luthor. 

There were two sides, and good had a lack of champions looking out for the weaker, smaller good guys. The bad guys in my neighborhood, well, they were real and never really foiled and more importantly, they always got the girl in the end. Fuck the good guys!

My admiration for evildoers achieving their agenda was tested in 1988, Batman was running a four-part series called A Death in the Family. It was your typical Batman arc. Somehow, The Joker was going to get the upper hand on The World’s Greatest Detective only to be bested in the end by Batman. But this time, the third comic decided to do something nobody had never seen in the industry. The writers were going to give the fans the opportunity to decide where they were going to go with the story, only it was an option between two different roads, one quite unconventional. Apparently a few years earlier, one of the writers, Dennis O'Neil, had seen a sketch they did on SNL where Eddie Murphy held up a Lobster—Larry the Lobster—and was asking viewers to decide whether Larry was boiled and eaten or was to be set free. The choices were offered in the form of two phone numbers both costing fifty cents a call. One number was a vote for him to be freed and the other number was a vote for Larry to be murdered, smothered in butter, and devoured by Axel Foley. Ultimately, after nearly 500,000 calls, the people voted for Larry the lovable lobster to be pardoned with a 12,000 call margin. The popularity of this bit intrigued O'Neil and A few years later he decided to implement it in his Death in The Family storyline.

In the third book, The Joker had taken Batman's sidekick, the Boy Wonder, hostage. He’d beaten him bloody with a crowbar leaving a cliffhanger to be wrapped up in the fourth book. The last page of the comic was full page and at the top read in true ’80s Do the Right Thing fashion: “Robin will die because The Joker wants revenge, but you can prevent it with a telephone call!” They even phrased it to steer you down the hero’s path, like you can literally be Batman with one phone call. Underneath the imploring verbiage were two numbers, dial one number; The Joker fails and Robin lives, Batman would once somehow saves the day. However, call this other number and The Joker succeeds and Robin dies. Gruesomely.

Wow! They were going to let the fans decide the fate of Robin, really this was one of my earliest introductions to a reality voting competition type show. In my opinion, it was a bad idea. Robin was always the worst. Go back and read through an adventure or two involving Jason Todd and tell me he wasn't always whiney and bellyaching. He was never going to be iconic or cool like Bruce Wayne or even his predecessor Dick Grayson—the first Robin. See, Dick got pissed off, decided he was tired of being in Batman's shadow, ditched the Robin costume, threw on a black blue and gold costume, moved to another city and became Nightwing. Dick was a go getter, ambitious. Grayson’s Robin was a winner, Todd's Robin was an irritating little bitch; he was not an innocent lobster.

I went to my mother and asked if I could make a call that was going to cost just fifty cents and I would pay her back or she could just take it out of my allowance. She wanted to know what it was for and mostly wanted to confirm it wasn't for an adult sex line, which costs more than fifty cents a minute, but that’s a different story. It was nothing as tawdry as phontercourse, I just wanted to help murder an annoying teenage sidekick. My mother response was “Oh, yeah, that’s fine.”

I think after it was exposed that it wasn't phone sex anything else I said went in one ear and out the other, surely she didn't think I was actually voting for a plucky comic book sidepiece to be murdered by The Joker. So that’s what I did. I cast my vote along with a majority of DC comic book fans that shared my detest for the boy wonder. Ten thousand votes were recorded with a narrow margin going to Robin dying. I think the writers never suspected that fans would go that route.

O’Neal himself voted for Robin’s stay of execution. A man of his word, Batman issue #429 was released and Robin was killed by The Joker in an explosion and we were to blame for it. Sad to say but you give a bunch of comic book nerds the power I think it would go bad every time. That day we were all proud to be The Joker's henchmen. I felt like a soldier at the end of Star Wars cheering madly while The Joker received his metal shouting, “I helped that happen!”

So many shows these days embrace our fascination with the anti-hero with the success of The Sopranos, The Shield, Breaking Bad, hell Narcos had me rooting for Pablo Escobar—Pablo fucking Escobar. I wouldn't say I was a bad person growing up. Quite the contrary, I was a shy nerd with no power to do anything but pick my books up after they were smacked to the ground. What I’m saying is don't give me the power to make important life or death decisions with your franchise because myself and the other dorks will have the bodies of Orko, Snarf, and Jimmy Olson lying in a shallow grave, just tell me what number to dial… or text.

Matt started performing standup comedy in 2004 in Las Vegas and is now a regular at every major comedy club on the Las Vegas strip. He released his first comedy album in 2016 titled Uncut available on iTunes. More about Matt and his upcoming appearances can be found on MattMarkman.com.