#and hes having to be surrounded by more of the best swordsmen ever to exist and how does he deal with that

[science-lings]

i just think that Wild should come back to the chain with a magic rock, I mean it's not like he would be the only one with a magic rock, Look at Twi's shadow crystal or Wind's walkie-talkie necklace, and what would we call all of Legends rings if not wearable magic rocks? The ocarina of time? MAGIC ROCK with some holes in it. You know what Hyrule's magic sword is made of? THAT'S RIGHT! MAGIC ROCKS

And guess what was left behind with no explanation in totk, that had a whole quest attached to it that stood in parallel with a bunch of other versions of the same scene where someone gets a magic rock? MINERU'S secret stone, SPIRIT SAGE LU WILD LETS GO

[beyond-the-mirror]

The Blue Eyed King’s Gift

Welcome back to another chapter of this story! Have you already guessed which fairy tales is it inspired by? You can find one of the answers in the tags below.

Tagging @v-vic​, if you wish to be tagged you can let me know at any moment.

I also want to give special thanks to @thottyonmainsquid​ for beta reading and offering her great and brilliant advice, as well as our discord server for their support and inspiring shenanigans.

Pairings: Vergil x Fem Reader

Warnings: War and violence. Mild gory descriptions, nothing too explicit.

Part One - Part Three - Part Four

……………………..

Part Two

Once upon a time, there existed a vast kingdom ruled by a great and powerful demon who possessed a heart as merciful and gentle as that of a human.

At the beginning of his reign, the Demon King bestowed upon all the humans of his land the ancient magic of his kind, quite unlike his predecessors that kept said magic to themselves selfishly alongside a few nobles of demonic heritage. With this wonderful gift, the inhabitants were able to access greater knowledge, developing more advanced technologies that greatly improved their lives. Soon enough the kingdom grew larger than ever before, making alliances with neighboring countries in order to selflessly share their magic and science with those who needed it most. Such was the will of the Demon King, who reigned over the peaceful land for centuries.

One day, the king fell in love with a human woman, and took the ultimate decision to renounce his immortality in order to spend the rest of his days with her as his beloved queen. From this union, two children were born, twin little boys with pristine white hair and blue eyes. The entire kingdom was overjoyed at the news, a long lasting celebration was held in honor of the newborn princes. As time passed, the twins grew up to become well respected nobles among the people, as well as skilled swordsmen just like their father. The younger one had a spirit like the sun, warm and vibrant; the older one had a spirit like the moon, calm and piercing.

……………………..

Many years later, the Demon King and his beloved queen passed away at their shared bed due to old age, both with a peaceful smile on their faces at the fulfilling lives they had shared with each other. At their passing, the elder brother was crowned as king of Fortuna in a most luscious ceremony which hosted many representatives of their allied countries. The Blue Eyed King was able to reign as benevolently and wisely as his late father; however, he would often question his trust in some of Fortuna’s allies, concerns that he kept even after his crowning.

During a festival at the town square, someone caught the monarch���s attention, a beautiful maiden with a heart of gold lively dancing and twirling to the cheery music. At the end of the song, their eyes locked for a few moments that seemed almost eternal, and he knew he just had to meet her. Love blossomed between them, which some time later led to a joyful marriage between the two. The king and queen lived together with great happiness, their love as profound as the immensity of the universe.

Such happiness wouldn’t last long.

……………………..

After a medical checkup, the couple was informed that the young queen could not bear any children. The news absolutely devastated her, driving her into a severe depression that kept her isolated in her private chambers for months to come. In his despair to help his wife, the king did everything in his power to aid her in her malady. Every single medic was summoned to the palace, doctors, healers, therapists… the young king prayed every day and night for the recovery of his beloved, always tending to her side and holding her close as many times as she allowed him too.

One day, after many painful months, the queen finally gathered some energy and emerged from her chambers, much to the relief of all the servants and the young king himself. She made one single request to her husband.

She showed him a small bag of seeds “My beloved. Allow me to plant these seeds in our royal garden, and tend to them with my very own hands. I don’t wish to be helped by our servants and gardeners, who have already done so much for me these past months. Please, let me be the only one to nurture these seeds.”

As much as he wanted to protest her decision to work despite her health condition, the king obliged. Whatever it took to make his love recover her lost happiness, he would gladly accept.

The next months, the queen would be seen tending to the seeds she planted in the garden, which eventually grew into many exquisite blue roses thanks to her love and dedication. The king was filled with joy knowing that his wife had finally started to smile again, little by little did she recover and soon she was back into her usual cheery self.

None of them would have expected the tragedy that was about to fall upon the kingdom.

……………………..

They attacked at midnight while everyone slumbered. Loud explosions from their cannons shattered the calm atmosphere of the night, reducing buildings and homes to rubble and dust. 

Nobody would have expected that this particular allied country would ever consider the benefits given by Fortuna as simply not enough for them. Envious and greedy, they wanted the great kingdom’s power and riches all for themselves.

As his twin rushed to take care of the siege engines surrounding the city, the Blue Eyed King and his army fought valiantly against the enemy who planned to infiltrate the grand palace. He had struck down another group of soldiers with a graceful cut from his demon sword Yamato when an all too familiar scream made his blood run cold. Looking around frantically, he spotted through the corner of his eye the queen running towards the royal garden. The king immediately bolted after his beloved, only to stop dead in his tracks at what he saw once he reached her.

The queen laid lifeless on the exact same roses she had planted months ago, the blooms now crushed and their petals painted red with her blood. Towering before her, the very own general that commanded such an act of treason against Fortuna, standing victoriously arrogant at the murder he had commited.

At that moment something broke inside the king. Everything happening around him became mere white noise as pure rage and sorrow drowned his rationality. A blaze of blue fire enveloped the king as he embraced his demonic heritage, and with a mighty roar that shattered the night skies above and the earth below, he unleashed his fury at the ones that took his love away.

……………………..

Everyone watched in horror as a dark atmosphere consumed the entire city, even the soldiers stopped fighting and froze on their sports as the heavy darkness wrapped around everything it could touch.

And then, it happened.

It was strangely beautiful, the way thousands of light beams shot instantaneously through the air like fractals of blue energy, followed shortly by a delicate hum that resonated everywhere, not unlike the chirping of birds at breaking dawn. The lights illuminated the streets as if it were a sunny day despite being in the dead of the night. All who bore witness to the otherworldly display found themselves hypnotized by its beauty, the sight so alluring, so alluring... 

And just as it had begun, it ended, like a lightning breaking through the storm in a matter of seconds. During that time nobody dared make a move, too stunned at what they had just witnessed.

The Blue Eyed King sheathed his sword.

One by one, every single soldier from the enemy country fell to the ground in unrecognizable pieces, a sickening sound as their remains sploshed and bloodied the streets. It was a nightmarish sight, how an entire army was eradicated in just an instant and in such a grotesque manner.

Silence reigned over the ruined kingdom once more, as if a war had never happened in the first place.

……………………..

The prince rushed to the palace, knowing something must have happened to his older brother after realization had hit him. His imposing red wings pierced the sky as he flew, a twisted feeling that tugged at his heart telling him that something must have gone terribly wrong.

As he landed at the now rundown garden, he saw his brother’s true demon form thrashing around in torment.

Overwhelmed by his grief, the king kept ripping and tearing down the now mangled body of the opposing general. Even his own demon sword laid forgotten on the ground as he preferred to discharge his wrath with his very own claws.

The prince immediately seized him, trying his best to calm down his brother. However, the beast inside him had completely consumed him, leaving only a primal creature thirsty for blood and revenge.

Suddenly, an unexpected cry resonated through the garden, interrupting the fight between the twin brothers.

Both demons stood bewildered as the high pitched wailing continued, breaking the silence that permeated the garden. The Blue Demon quickly scanned the area, looking for the source of the strange noise, his breaths slowly evening out as he started to recover some of his lost clarity.

His blue fiery eyes widened as he noticed the sound was coming just next to the corpse of his long lost queen.

Without losing a minute the beast prowled towards her body. Upon closer inspection, her arms seemed to be enclosed around something, as if protecting it and keeping it safe until her very last breath. Ever so carefully, the Blue Demon pried her arms open, minding the sharp talons that had replaced his human nails.

In her embrace, a single intact blue rose laid. The bud was abnormally bigger than the rest of the blooms that laid broken around her, gigantic even. As the king focused on the bizarre flower, he realized that the cries were coming from inside it, just as he too observed a few slight movements on its soft inner petals

In the most gentle and careful manner, the beast opened the rose bud. What he found inside brought tears to his eyes.

Two newborn babies were cuddled inside the unnatural flower, flailing their tiny limbs and crying in distress. The infants had pale rosy skin, soft white tufts of hair crowned atop of their heads.

The king turned beast stood astonished at the sight, not expecting to find such innocent lives at the now crumbled ruins that were once his and his wife’s garden.

Scales turned into flesh, talons transformed into lithe fingers. The king slowly reached for the children with shaky arms, pulling them out of the rose and cradling them against his chest. The babies nuzzled after the warmth he exuded, one that soothed their alarmed cries little by little. It was then that they finally fluttered their eyes open, and the king let out a startled gasp.

One had light blue eyes like an endless ocean at peace, very much like the kings’ own. The other had mesmerizing green eyes like a lively forest, very much like… His heart swelled with both joy and melancholy. The child’s eyes were very much like his beloved queens’.

What the monarch failed to realize at that moment was that this was his beloved’s last gift. Unbeknownst to him, amidst the doctors that had been summoned to treat her infertility, there was an elderly woman who was praised for her unique medicinal practices involving a combination of magic and science. Knowing this, the queen begged for her help as soon as she had recognized her presence in her chambers. 

The elderly woman gifted her a small satchel full of magic-imbued seeds, instructing her to add a drop of her own blood as well as one of the king’s into the satchel before planting them, warning that the seeds would only grow by the hands of the queen herself. According to her words, one of the roses would bear a child after 9 months, an heir with the same blood used to soak the seeds at the beginning.

After offering her heartfelt gratitude to the healer, the queen set to work as soon as possible, one night even pricking her husband’s finger while he slept in order to follow those same instructions. She worked day and night, tending to the roses while ignoring the worrying looks of the servitude and those of the king himself. Above all, the queen prayed to the gods every morning she would get up to keep gardening. When she noticed one of the roses growing much more than the others, the smile she thought long lost had finally returned.

The infants stared at the man holding them before raising their small hands, reaching for his face as they giggled ever so sweetly.

For the first time in his life, the Blue Eyed King broke into tears, now understanding why his beloved was in such a rush making her way to the garden.

These children were his sons, his and his queen’s very own flesh and blood.

She had given her life to save their children.

The king hugged the little boys in his arms tightly, tears after tears cascaded down his face. His younger brother, now back into his human self, fell to his knees and embraced his brother, hoping to alleviate some of his brother’s pain as he too broke down.

He could barely hear his brother’s words as he spoke between heartbreaking sobs. “No mortal shall ever cause you pain, my beautiful children. I am your father, and until my very last breath, I shall protect you.”

……………………..

As dawn broke, all the surviving Fortunians were gathered in front of the palace gates. By order of the king, every single inhabitant of the kingdom had been relocated to the citadel which will later be rebuilt and occupied.

Before everyone, the Blue Eyed King vowed and swore to protect his people by all means necessary. And if it meant cutting ties with the rest of the world, then so shall be his will and command. Fortuna had been betrayed by who they considered an ally, and he will make sure a tragedy like this one would never happen again. 

For the sake of his people. For the sake of his sons.

The king unsheathed his sword, and with an all-powerful cut, he split the land around the great citadel and the surrounding villages, severing all cuts with the outside world and enveloping it in a magical barrier.

In the blink of an eye, the Great Kingdom of Fortuna was gone.

……………………..

Once upon a time, there existed a vast kingdom ruled by a great and powerful demon. However, every remnant of its existence vanished without leaving any trace behind. As ages went by, nature grew and reclaimed the unoccupied land, eventually forming a thick forest where all kinds of wild creatures lived in harmony.

For the rest of humanity, Fortuna had been long lost. This, however, couldn’t be further than the truth.

The great kingdom still stood proud and prosperous, albeit in another plane of existence cut off from all mundane ties to our world. A plane of existence where even time itself behaved in the most different and unexpected ways possible.

It was a bit difficult at the beginning, but the inhabitants soon adapted to their environment without any more trouble. In no time they managed to rebuild their homes and return to their normal lifestyles, now convinced that the decision made by the Blue Eyed King was the best for everyone.

Peace once again reigned over the kingdom. And as long as its existence remained a secret to the outside world, nothing shall ever take it away.

[madasthesea]

Hi! I love your iron dad and spider son fics!!

Me, pulling every Jedi Apprentice book off my shelf, wearing my Jedi Order t-shirt and hugging my Star Wars pillow: My time has come. I had to stop myself from writing way more than this. I definitely could have. I loved this prompt so much.

Tony Stark stepped off the boarding ramp and into the dockingbay of the Temple, the familiar hum of being surrounded by Force-sensitivesouls settling deep into his bones. It had been a stultifying day at the Senatechambers, and he was tired of sitting still.

James Rhodes found him on the way to the salles, his longbrown robes swishing behind him, looking every bit the Jedi Master he was. Notthat Tony was jealous; he would rather remain a Knight then have to sit inboring Council meetings every day. And if anyone deserved it, it was Rhodey.

“Tones,” Rhodey greeted. “How was Senate?”

“Just for asking that question, you are my victim of choicetonight,” Tony grumbled, weaving his way through the crowd of younglingsleaving the refectory.

“Oh, please. You never beat me unless you cheat,” Rhodeyscoffed. That was true, but Tony didn’t look at it as cheating, merely beingcreative and using all the resources at his disposal. It had saved his lifemore times than he could count, and he wasn’t going to stop now.

“I don’t know,” Tony argued for the mere sake of arguing.“I’ve been listening to pompous senators debating the finer points ofChandrilan trade deals the entire day, I’m in the mood to thrash someone.”

Rhodey raised an eyebrow. Despite Tony’s tough talk, he wasnot usually one for dueling to release pent up tension. He preferred to hide inthe underbellies of the Temple, repairing ships and scrapped droids.

Regardless of his usual activities, tonight Tonydeterminedly led them through the winding lower levels until they reached the largestdojo. Again, rather odd. Tony tended to keep to the smaller, less used privaterooms.

There were several junior padawans already there, duelingand running through kata under the watchful eye of the Swordmistress, MasterNatasha Romanoff. When the two masters joined them they respectfully drew toone side of the room, leaving plenty of space for the two to spar.

Tony shed his long cloak, dropping it in a corner as headjusted the setting on his lightsaber, lowering it to training level. Itflared to life, a blue so pale it was practically white. The low humming of thecrystal resonated in the Force and Tony smiled.

Rhodey’s own saber hissed into existence, green and steady.He smirked a little bit, dark eyes flicking over Tony’s relaxed stance.

In the corner, the padawans were slowing down, pausing towatch the duel.

Tony struck first. He always struck first.

The fight was fast, sabers screaming as they cut the air,spitting hot sparks as they connected, disengaged, and met again. Tony lethimself sink into the Force, let it carry him as he jumped and twisted, hisparticular style of Ataru like a hurricane of white-blue fire around him.

Regardless of Tony’s impressive skill—and he was good. One of the best, if he washonest. It wasn’t pride if it was true—Rhodey was still better. A bastion ofdiligent obedience, Rhodey preferred a standard form of Soresu that Tony hadyet to break through consistently.

By the end of the battle, they were both panting and sweaty,and every padawan in the dojo had stopped to watch.

“Back to it,” Master Romanoff said, ushering them along. Shecast a fond glare over her shoulder at Tony and Rhodey as the padawans snappedback into action. All except one, who had been practicing kata at an almostalarming speed before they’d taken the stage. He kept watching, and, just for amoment, met Tony’s eye.

Tony raised an eyebrow at him. The boy gave a short bow ofapology across the room, then flicked his saber back to life and starteddrilling the Ataru Velocity 4 again.

Tony followed Rhodey to the changing rooms, eager to switchhis damp tunic for a fresh one.

“That was Ben’s padawan,” Rhodey remarked as they entered.

“I remember.”

He did. Vividly.

Knight Ben Fitzpatrick had been killed on a mission only aweek earlier. His padawan had been with him.

Tony hadn’t known Ben at all, barely familiar with his faceand name. But when a Jedi died, everyone went to the funeral.

It was pure luck that had landed him directly across theamphitheater from the now master-less Peter Parker.

He remembered watching the boy, his face hidden by his darkcowl, like every other Jedi’s. Death was a reminder of anonymity, they said.

Just as the pyre lit up, a beam of pure light shooting fromthe floor where they had laid Ben’s body, Peter looked up. Their eyes metacross the space and the Force sang.It was unlike anything Tony had ever experienced.

It was as if, in that heartbeat of eye contact, Tony hadknown Peter. His grief, his guilt, his fear. All those things a good Jedireleased to the Force, it was if Peter was releasing them to him, instead,trusting them over to Tony to absolve him of. And, even stranger, Tony foundhimself welcoming the emotion, the turmoil, found himself longing to take themfrom this child.

Ben had taken Peter as his padawan at ten years old. They’dbeen together four years before Ben was killed. He was still so young, so fullof potential.

Tony had thought about him a lot, these last three days.

“What has the council decided to do with him?” Tony asked,trying to sound casual as he stripped his layers.

Rhodey froze, looking at him intently. “Are you consideringtaking him on?”

“What? No, Rhodes. I was just wondering. You know I—”

“You swore never to take an apprentice,” Rhodey interrupted.“I remember. And I still think it’s ridiculous.”

Tony scowled. He’d heard this lecture before. But he stoodby it. He was not meant to have a padawan, to be trusted so completely withteaching and training and supporting a child. Not after what his own master haddone to him.

“Have the council discussed him?” Tony prodded again,pulling on a clean undertunic.

“You know those meetings are not for public knowledge, don’tyou?” When Tony just glared at him, Rhodey sighed. “Mace is thinking of takinghim on. He’s too gifted to go the Agri-Corps.”

“Mace? No, Peter can’t learn Vapaad. He’s one of the best Ataruswordsmen in this temple,” Tony protested, screwing up his face.

Rhodey smirked. “A master who practices Ataru would probablybe best for him, then.”

“Probably,” Tony said, adjusting his tabards on final timewith a sniff and sweeping out of the room before Rhodey could say anything else.

 That night, before the archives closed, Tony settled at adata terminal and shamelessly broke into Peter’s sealed records. Sending aninnocent grin at Madame Nu as she peered down her nose at him, Tony siftedthrough the boy’s information.

There were the standard medical records. He had been treateda few times for nightmares, which Tony found odd but not particularlyworrisome. He was more interested in the class records.

He smiled as he looked at them. Two levels ahead in most ofhis courses, top of his class in the others. A proficiency for mathematics andmechanics.

He quickly cleared the data, offering Madame Nu a bow andanother broad smile as he left.

 Tony had always had trouble sleeping when his mind wasoccupied. His old master used to Force-compel him to sleep regularly, somethingthat had seemed comforting at the time and now made him ill to think about.He’d tried meditating the insomnia away, tried hot teas and thick scents ofincense. When nothing worked, he took to wandering the halls of the Temple.

He was passing the upper dormitory levels when he saw asmall figure slip into a turbo lift, their hood drawn up, the heels of theirboots not touching the ground. It looked suspiciously like a youngling sneakingout of their quarters. A very familiar youngling.

Tony followed the figure down three levels to the trainingsalles. Sure enough, after bringing the lights up just a bit with a gesture,the figure dropped their cloak. It was Peter, looking pale and determined. Heplucked his own saber off his belt, but also took one of the training sabersfrom the stand. He turned them both on, his own saber burning sapphire in thedark.

For nearly an hour, Tony watched as Peter drilled Jar’kaikata, again and again, his thin chest heaving as he started over for thefiftieth time. But the training saber was too long for the reverse grip he waspracticing with and he was too exhausted to compensate for its length.

The blade caught Peter on the hip, got tangled with the hiltof the other lightsaber, and dragged a burning welt up his side.

Tony stepped forward. Peter’s head jerked up. He should haveknown that he was being watched the entire time, should have felt it in theForce, but he’d been distracted. Tony had been able to tell. He should havestopped him before he hurt himself.

“Master Stark,” Peter stammered, his eyes wide. He jaw wasclenched from the pain.

“You shouldn’t practice when you’re tired. It leads toinjuries,” Tony remarked with a slight smirk. That stutter had undoubtedly beentrained out of Peter when he was still a crecheling, and the fact that Tony hadstartled him enough to bring it back was oddly endearing.  

“It’s not that bad, Master,” Peter said quietly, rememberingthe bow he had neglected earlier.

“If I take you to the healers, you’ll get in trouble forbeing in here on your own at night.” Tony sidled a little closer to Peter,peering at the blackened fabric of the boy’s tunic.

“Yes,” Peter agreed, looking hesitant, like he wasn’t sureif he was going to get in trouble anyway.

“I have some bacta in my rooms. Come on,” he said, turningand leaving without checking to see if Peter was following. He’d been orderedto, so he should. But that didn’t necessarily mean he would.

There was a moment of silence, and then dutiful footfallsbehind him. Tony smirked again.

The walk back to the living quarters was silent. The painfrom the burn was obviously starting to bother Peter. He was biting his lip thewhole ride in the lift, his eyes closing for a few seconds at a time as hetried to release the pain into the Force.

Tony steered them both toward his rooms, waving a handlazily in front of the door to get it to slide open. Another wave and the lightscame on, allowing Tony to weave through the small mess of meditation cushionsand head toward the ‘fresher, where pulled a half-used container of bacta outof a cabinet.

When he came back, Peter was still standing in the sameplace Tony had left him, looking uncertain.

“Sit,” Tony instructed. Peter sat.

“Have they told you what’s going to happen to you next?”Tony asked as he smeared ointment onto his fingers. He wasn’t sure why hebrought this up now; it was probably a sensitive topic, and Tony doubted Peterwanted to talk about it to a stranger.

The Force tensed with Peter’s surprise. Tony waited.

“No. I... I think they intend to send me to the Agri-Corps.”Peter whispered.

“Do you? And how would you feel about being a farmer?” Hetried to be gentle as he dabbed the medicine onto Peter’s burn.

“I will serve wherever they need me to,” Peter answered.“There’s no greater honor in being a Knight than a farmer.” It was a rehearsedanswer, like he’d spent the last week telling himself that.

“That’s true,” Tony agreed, sitting up so he could lookPeter in the eye. “And yet, farmers don’t break curfew to practice saberplay.”

Peter looked down into his lap. His padawan braid swung overhis shoulder—Tony looked at the markings adorning it; blue for mechanics,yellow for weaponry, and, just above the tufted end of the braid, a black band.For bereavement.  

Tony reached forward and tugged gently on the braid. Peter watchedthe movement, his eyes lingering on the reminder of his loss.

“My Master died,” he said quietly, “because I wasn’t goodenough.”

Tony held very still. “What makes you think that?”

“There was a fight,” Peter confessed in a whisper. “I wasdisarmed so easily. I called my saberback, but I was too slow. The rebels, they were going to shoot me. My Masterput himself in front of me. He didn’t have his saber either. By the time I hadmine in my hand again, Ben was already down.”

Tony nodded slowly. “That’s why you’re teaching yourselfJar’kai. Two sabers.”

Peter’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, but he nodded. Tonyhesitated a moment before placing a hand on his knee.

“It is a master’s duty to protect his padawan. Above allelse. It was not your fault.”

Peter’s face screwed up and Tony worried that he might cry.The Force was tense with the possibility of it. Tony had never had a Force bondwith anyone, and was not quite sure how to manipulate it to his benefit, but heknew that he wanted the boy to feel comforted. He tried to will calm intoPeter’s mind, and was rewarded when the Force evened back out into a serenepool.

“What if I told you the council does not intend to send youto Bandomeer? What if they intended to reassign you to Master Windu?”

Surprise rippled into the Force, but Peter’s face did notshow it. He took a slow breath.

“Master Windu is a great Jedi. I would learn much from him,”he said, his voice measured. It was such a practiced answer, practicallystraight out of a diplomatics holotext. Tony held back a smile.

“And what would you say if I told you that I wanted youinstead?” Tony’s heart was beating hard. He tried not to let his nervousness befelt in their nascent bond, but Peter seemed to pick it up. He met Tony’s gazestraight on.

“I would say that, were it not unbecoming of a Jedi to havea preference, I would prefer you,” he admitted with a small smile.  

Tony allowed himself to grin back for a moment before schoolinghis features.

“Go back to bed, Peter,” he said, cleaning up his containerof bacta. “I’ll talk to you in the morning.”

“Yes, Master,” Peter chirped. His bow did little to hide hiswide smile.

The Force hummed with approval.

 Tony met with the council at first bell the next morning torequest to have Peter as his padawan. After nearly a standard hour of arguing, ofacknowledging that yes, he’d sworn never to take a padawan, but this was thewill of Force, so you have to say yes—thathadn’t gone over well—he was leaving the high north spire triumphant.

He went straight to the largest refectory. The moment heentered, his gaze went straight to Peter, as if pulled by a magnet. The boyseemed to be contemplating his breakfast more than eating it. Tony, apparently,was not the only one afflicted with nerves this morning.

Maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe Tony should have kept uphis vow of never having an apprentice. His own Master had betrayed the Order,and him, and sold Tony into captivity for three months, until he was able toconstruct a pseudo-lightsaber and escape. He’d felt tainted by the Dark eversince his breakout had led to him fighting his own Master to the death. WhileRhodey assured him that he hadn’t struck the killing blow, the Stane had fallenand broken his neck, it still felt like a mark on Tony’s soul. He didn’t wantto corrupt someone else, especially not Peter.

But, mistake or not, Peter was his padawan now. And thethought made him surprisingly happy.

He filled his own tray and seated himself across from Peter.

“Master Stark,” Peter greeted, looking eager.

“If you’re going to adopt Jar’kai, you’ll need a crystal foryour second blade,” Tony said. Peter nodded, waiting for the news while tryingnot to seem impatient.

“We leave for Ilum tomorrow morning, Padawan.” Tony tried tokeep his face straight, but the corner of his mouth pulled up into a half-smilewithout his permission.

Peter beamed.

“Yes, Master.”

A fic by Peter Parker

[totesmccoats]

  Batman: The Dark Prince Charming – Book One

Italian comics artist Enrico Marini dives into the Superhero genre in a big way with his take on the most popular hero of them all, and so far, he hasn’t changed much. His Batman and Catwoman are also in a solid relationship, much like the main series. So don’t go into this expecting a wild reimagining of the character.

The story concerns Joker kidnapping a young girl after the news reports that her mother is suing Bruce Wayne for child support, claiming that she is his daughter. Joker, having seemingly already put together that Bruce Wayne is Batman, targets her to get to his real objective. Batman wants to rescue her, and after running a DNA scan on one of the girl’s dolls, this case becomes personal.

Despite being fresh to superheroes, and coming from a comics culture where they aren’t as ubiquitous as they are here, Marini absolutely nails the heart of Batman’s cast – most impressively the Joker. Marini’s Joker is obviously influenced by Heath Ledger’s performance, borring the presumably fake child-abuse backstory, and a habit of killing henchmen mid-robbery; but also distills so many other versions of the character, maintaining the best parts. Marini’s Joker threatens the kidnapped girl with a knife, only to reveal it’s to cut into a pizza he ordered for the two of them. Of course, he also killed the delivery boy. He’s a Joker who throws Harley a big birthday party, but kills all but one of his other henchpeople when she doesn’t like her present. Actually, unlike most Jokers, Marini’s seemingly isn’t abusive towards Harley, which is a pleasant break from that sorta thing. This Joker is unpredictable and cruel, but he’s also very fun about it; exactly how Joker should be.

Unfortunately, the women in this story aren’t treated as well. While Harley isn’t abused, she’s depicted as way more cheesecake than usual, and Catwoman’s every other pose may as well be on a stripper pole. It’s not like these are huge departures or anything, but it seems like some of the messier parts of the characters taken a little further than usual, is all.

Also, the book is absolutely gorgeous. I don’t want to say it’s the sort of quality of art that’s rare in American superhero books because I’d feel like I’m insulting artists like Ferreyra, Alex Ross, Sean Gordon Murphy, Jeff Lemiere, Francis Manapul, and many other fantastic artists I currently greatly enjoy and admire; but Marini’s handpainted, realistic yet heavily stylized work is far from the house styles of the big two. There are panels I legit want to blow up and hang on my wall. And Marini’s lightly tweaked character designs, plus his new Batmobile, are simply sweet as hell, and I wish they would be used in more things. And his Gotham is brimming with gothic personality, and an insane verticality that dwarfs Batman in the best way.

So far, this story isn’t really anything new or novel, but it’s a damn excellent Batman story in its own right, and one worth picking up if you enjoy comic art.

  Batman: White Knight #2

Jack Napier gives an impassioned testimony at his trial, declaring his innocence and putting the blame on Gotham’s police. He maintains that the authorities experimented on him, turning him into the Joker, so that they would have an excuse to demand bigger budgets from the taxpayers to fight a new breed of super-criminals. He says that the rich and powerful of Gotham have invested in crime to do what they’ve always done, make a profit off the suffering of the poor. And though Napier’s populist message has caught on with the poor and middle classes in Gotham, this isn’t a campaign he can lead alone, so he looks for allies.

His first stop, Harley Quinn. He goes to see her, only to find out that she has no love for Jack Napier, only loving the Joker. He then finds out that she’s not the original Harley. The first Harley – in the actual Harlequin outfit as opposed to the Suicide Squad inspired outfit of the new one – steps back in to accept Jack’s proposal, while explaining that she left after feeling neglected by the Joker in his obsession with Batman; and that in his maina, he never even realized she found a replacement. It’s actually a really smart take to explain how Harley has has such a drastic change in character recently.

Meanwhile, Bruce and Mr. Freeze test out their new cure for Nora. They first test it on some lab rats, but then Mr. Freeze tries it on himself. And while it successfully reverses his condition, it also rapidly ages him to make up for all the time he spent frozen.

Bruce later goes to some sort of rich people party/auction, where he’s horrified to learn that his friends have been profiting from Batman’s war on crime. He knocks out his friend and storms off. Now, this I really like. Murphy hasn’t just switched Batman and Joker’s roles as hero and villain; Bruce legitimately seems ignorant of the inequality that Batman’s worked in service of, and he hates it. I’m expecting we may even see Bruce approach Jack to assist address the problems that Batman and the police have caused through Gotham – but that still makes me question how Batman ended up in Arkham from the cold open of issue #1.

I really like how much effort Murphy has put into this story to make it much more than just a simple “what if?” tale. Just as last issue brought up the popular fan-thought experiment regarding whether Batman is to blame for his villains, this one weaves in the fan-discourse about how the collateral of Batman’s work really does seem to disproportionately land with the poor. Napier’s speech isn’t just a an exercise in populist rhetoric, but an actual well reasoned argument against Batman’s existence vis-a-vie his effect on inequality. And it’s one that fits as much for canon-Batman stories as this alternate-universe that Murphy has lovingly crafted for this story. If you’re not already reading this one, get on it.

  Batman #34

Batman and Catwoman have their first post-engagement spat. Batman said that he’d “seen more” after Catwoman commented on there being “a lot” of something, and Catwoman took it as an insult, and Batman’s trying to explain he was just saying…oh and by the way they’re talking about the number of swordsmen surrounding them preparing to attack. Because that’s just how they do. King’s juxtaposition of the action with sitcom-esque dialogue isn’t the most original, but it’s really effective here in establishing that, for Batman and Catwoman, this is fairly typical. It continues through the issue, with the two also discussing whether Talia could be considered Bruce’s “Ex,” and lots of Bruce calling Catwoman pretty to deflect from accidentally saying something she’d consider rude.

Meanwhile, Damian and Dick track their father to the same entrance that he and Catwomen fought their way through last issue, but are stopped from following by Superman. Damian threatens to kill Clark with magic, but Clark reminds him that then Jon probably wouldn’t want to be friends anymore. Then Supes goes flying off to handle and alien invasion in Central City; and Dick and Damian decide to sit on the stoop and wait for Bruce to come out. It’s one of those scenes that works because it reminds you that Damian’s just a kid. A kid who can make a believable threat against Superman, but one you can’t take all that seriously because he’s just saying it because he’s steamed over his parents doing something in secret. So when Damian can’t get his way, he just pouts and sits down; and Dick, being the best big brother ever, waits with him.

The lighter tone of the issue changes almost instantly when Talia finally shows up at sundown. The palette of the issue switches from a yellow-orange to a red as the sun sets, ending with an early night-blue sky as Talia challenges Selina to a duel over Batman’s wounded body. The change is dramatic, but not sudden. Even once Talia is in-frame, she approaches slowly, taking about two pages before she starts fighting Batman, giving the sun time to fully set.

Jones’ inky style is still a perfect fit for this adventure, continuing to capture the feeling of the sun beating down on the characters by putting everything in high-contrast black against Bellaire’s yellows and reds.

We also find out in this last act of the issue that this isn’t some weird newlywed hazing ritual; but that Batman and Catwoman are actually looking for Holly Robinson, who killed the 237 people that a young Selina took the blame for, and they tracked her here. So, one question answered, at least one duel to the death to go before getting more.

  Green Arrow #34

Oliver has some trouble adjusting to his mother having been alive, and being a prominent member of the Ninth Circle, the evil bank that he’s been trying to bring down for the past year. Moira tries to convince Ollie of the virtues of capitalism – that when the Queens do well, all of Seattle benefits, but Oliver won’t have it.

Instead, he helps Black Canary take down the Clock King, who has hacked into Star City’s smart infrastructure, and is causing every self-driving vehicle in the city to go crazy. Dinah stops a speeding train on it’s tracks by screaming at it hella loud, while Oliver finds and stops Clock King.

Meanwhile, Diggle helps Merlyn make a full recovery, and then tells him that his debt for Merlyn having saved his life some time ago has been paid. Merlyn feels differently.

And at the end of the issue, Oliver agrees to help Moira raid the sunken vaults of the Inferno, believing that even if everything she says is just some Ayn Rand bullshit, a little money would help him out with his murder trial, and also gather evidence more against the Ninth Circle to rescue his city.

This issue is a bit of a mess. The Clock King and Diggle stories both feel like filler to make the issue reach it’s page limit, and to distract that, during them, Oliver completely flip-flopped on helping out his mother.

Also, I’m not a fan of Stephen Byrne’s work on this book. It looks too…flash animation-y, characters look as though they were coated in confectioner’s glaze. It actually reminds me of some bad webcomics, which ain’t good. Also, Moira looks more like Felicia Hardy than a woman who should at least be in middle age. What happened to Ferreyra? Or Campbell?

  Superman #34

As his worshippers beg him to lead their forces to take back Apokolips, Lex does the least Luthor thing ever and abdicates his godhood to the person their prophecy actually foretold – Superman. Did I miss something really big with Lex, or am I just supposed to believe that, after deciding to become a hero, he also just no longer has his character defining flaw? I don’t want to be one of those people who says comics should never change, but unless I missed something, this is a huge change of character. Even if he really is a hero now, that shouldn’t exclude him from being arrogant and striving for praise and adulation.

Meanwhile, Lois and Jon are also on Apokolips; and while Jon can just fly away from the people and hounds hunting them, Lois can’t, and finds herself taken by Granny Goodness’ Furies. But when their convoy is attacked by a giant, fire-breathing dredge worm, Lois picks up one of the fallen Furies’ guns and proves to Granny than she’s more than just another captured vermin.

While I continue to appreciate this book’s focus on Lois, it also puts her in a situation that doesn’t suit her strengths as a character. Lois is a reporter, she’s not Wonder Woman. I like that she’s able to defend herself, and that she’s not being damsel’d, but becoming a Fury feels just as out of character as Lex declining a throne.

  Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #6

J. Jonah Jameson cooks up a nice-looking lasagna to warm up his latest interview subject – Spider-Man! Of course, Spidey is only there for information that can help out his sister, but in exchange, he agrees to a no-holds-barred exclusive interview with the man who used to slander him for profit.

The interview doesn’t start off well, and quickly becomes a heated argument between the two on why Spider-Man wears a mask, and why Jameson hates him for it. The two trade verbal attacks about the other’s role in the creation of super-villains, destruction of property, and death, before just straight up calling each-other cowards and bullies.

If last issue suffered because it was too plot heavy to give room for characters to breathe, than this issue is an incredible course correction. Anything relevant to the plot of the arc is sidelined for the raw catharsis of Spider-Man and Jameson finally just letting everything out. And the issue ends up becoming a complete disrobing of Jameson as Spidey slowly digs into why he’s hung onto this grudge through becoming mayor, the death of everyone close to him, and getting fired from the Bugle. Like Zdarsky’s best issues, there’s more than a twinge of meloncholy through the issue, as he reveals how broken this character has been. That sorta thing has become his specialty, it seems – making jokey characters kinda depressing.

Walsh is the perfect artist for this issue. His style, much like Doc Shaner or Darwyn Cooke’s, evokes an older time in comics, with thick charcoal-y hatching and shading, and uneven outlines. Plus, no spaghetti webs! This is matched by Herring’s muted and watercolor-textured colors. The aged affect of the art is epitomized by a single flashback panel made to resemble Ditko’s original Spider-Man work; and it’s amazing how solid a throughline you can make from his style to Walsh’s.

It’s also scary impressive how much emotion he can draw out of Spider-Man’s mask, like…there’s seething anger in one panel that comes across through the mask despite any and all reason.

  Black Bolt #7

Finally free from the prison, Black Bolt makes his way back to Earth, but not before a pit-stop to return Monsteroso to his home planet. He’s reckoning with the loss of his voice and the PTSD from his time in the prison. Also on board is Blinky, who has her own nightmares, only hers can manifest physically, and require Black Bolt to destroy before they could actually harm her.

Very much a breather issue after the conclusion of the last arc, Ahmed writes an issue with almost no threat or urgency that isn’t just in one of the characters heads, excepting for a short space-dogfight at the end. The tone is complimented by guest artist Frazer Irving’s soft, dreamlike art. Irving’s style is almost the complete opposite of Ward’s hyperactive neon trips, almost resembling a children’s picture book; but is equally gorgeous to the work Ward has done on the series, and fits just as nicely into Ahmed’s story. This is easily the most beautiful single I picked up this week, and proves that Black Bolt is one Marvel book you should be reading even on “off” months.

  Crosswind #5

Juniper’s guys follow Cruz to Mika’s house, where he’s just finished beating her up. Then he kills two of the three guys Case sent to kill him, and promises to kill Cason as well. Then he gets a visit from the mysterious old man who swapped Cason and Juniper, who explains the situation and why he did it. So now, Cruz is out to kill June and her family as well.

Cason overhears the old man’s voice over the phone as he threatens to kill him, and knows enough of Cruz to prepare for him to make the trip to Seattle. Juniper catches up with Mika and tells her everything that’s been going on, and they both decide to try and cut Cruz off in Seattle.

Meanwhile, thanks to Cason’s advice, Kelly’s finally making friends at school. And he comes home to his step-mom finally giving his dad what he deserves.

While I didn’t really think the body-swap needed an explanation, I’m very glad that it happened essentially out of pettiness. The man who did it did so because they both refused to sell him their plane tickets so that he could see his wife before she died. It’s like something out of a myth, a god ruining your life because you were rude to them in disguise. It really may as well have been random.

Staggs continues to do wonders just with the main characters’ postures, like how June still holds her towel up to her chest as though to cover breasts, or how Case sits with a wide stance even in a dress.

  Paper Girls #17

Charlotte finally fills the girls in on the time-travel war that they’ve found themselves caught in the middle of: The teens who’ve been helping the girls are time travellers from at least 70,000AD who go back in time to right wrongs; and are are fighting against the “old-timers”, the first generation born after the invention of time-travel, who try to prevent anyone from interfering with the timestream. She was told this by a friend of the same time travellers who rescued Erin’s life; and even though she seems legit, if not a little eccentric; Mac doesn’t trust her completely. And when Mac tries to tell this to KJ, and also calls Charlotte a lesbian, KJ comes out to Mac, who is shocked once she realizes what KJ just told her.

Meanwhile, Tiff escapes from the overturned police car amid the giant robot battle happening around her, and manages to make it to her parents house, where she finds a mysterious goth sitting in her living room, and claiming to be married to her!

It only took seventeen issues, but we finally have an idea of what’s going on in Paper Girls! Yay! Not that I minded much, obviously; I was enjoying it either way, but it is cool to have some more context. And that moment between Mac and KJ is *mwah* perfect. Their faces! So good! Besides that though, this is mainly an exposition issue; with Tiff’s scenes being almost completely wordless. I still love how the teen’s mech is just an EVA though – that’s fantastic.

  Uber: Invasion #9

The unique Battleship Churchill – Leah – and a thirteen year old battleship candidate named Tamara rendezvous with Patton’s forces as he crosses the alps. The Germans have him walled off with a small squad of Ubers, expertly positioned to prevent his further movement despite his superior forces. Luckily, Churchill’s arrival provides him with inspiration for an attack the Germans could never see coming.

I won’t say how, because it’s one of the most amazing action sequences in recent comics memory, but needless to say, the issue ends with the Allies winning big, and possibly turning the tide of the war.

Leah is the star of this issue, and oh boy does she earn it. She’s a gentle giant, possibly the strongest single character in the franchise, and someone you do not want to be on the wrong side of. Gete draws her to make her basically a Totoro on one page, and then the Hulk on another. Generally there’s a distance between Uber’s characters and the reader because of the book’s narration taking the form of an objective post-war narration, but you really end up rooting for Leah, and not just because she’s ripping Nazis to pieces.

Comic Reviews 11/1/17 Batman: The Dark Prince Charming - Book One Italian comics artist Enrico Marini dives into the Superhero genre in a big way with his take on the most popular hero of them all, and so far, he hasn’t changed much.