#anti turf wars comics

[fanfic-lover-girl]

How Writers Acknowledge and Downplay Character Flaws

What do writers like JKR and Bryke do when they want to superficially point out a character's flaws but don't want the audience to take these flaws seriously?

Have these flaws be pointed out by antagonists or unlikable characters.

It's a nasty trick they play. By having a disliked character point out the hero's flaws, the audience is poised to disagree and downplay the flaws.

Let me list some examples:

Hagrid: Hagrid is called out by Draco, Rita and Umbridge for being a bad teacher and a generally awful person. How does the fandom react? We see these valid criticisms as an attack on Hagrid and the fandom treating him like a poor baby. You have people believing Draco was a bully terrorizing this grown man and his dangerous pet. And Dolores and Rita are bitches, hated by the trio, so everything they say is of course a lie. I know Dolores is HP's most hated character...but objectively she had some good points about the state of Hogwarts. And while Rita is a sleazy journalist...she writes a lot of truth.

Korra: Raiko correctly points out how the spirit vines were due to Korra's stupidity as a foolish avatar. He points out how Korra went on a spirit vacation with Asami in the Turf (Turd) Wars comics when people needed her. Everything in season 3 and 4 is partly Korra's fault. Does Korra take responsibility? Of course not. Raiko is just a sleazy politician and Korra is the avatar so Raiko is the bad guy and must be taken down.

Harry: This is a last-minute addition and I don't feel as strongly about Harry as the previous two but it bears mentioning. Snape is one of the only, if not the only person, in the series to call out Harry and Marauders for their awful behavior. Look, Snape is not the nicest teacher. In the context of the other bad teachers at Hogwarts, he is not as bad as Snaters (such a funny word lol, who came up with this?) make him out to be. Anyway, Snape acidly points out Harry's showboating, his laziness, the bad traits he shares with his father and other things I can't recall right now. However, because Snape is a nasty, bitter, mean teacher, people are quick to dismiss his insults as superficial. Because Snape's remarks against Harry have the backdrop of a grudge against his dad, JKR primes us to not take these criticisms seriously. Of course, some of Snape's insults are baseless like his intro potions class scene in book 1 but that does not mean everything he says about Harry is necessarily because of his bitterness towards James.

[fanfic-lover-girl]

Kainora is the only LOK ship I like watching tributes for! Kai and Jinora made a nice uptown girl/downtown guy ship. So cute!

In my humble opinion, Korra is bad with everybody! I am convinced that Korra is one of those tomboy females that should just not date anyone. I think Irohsami is a decent ship. As a general and businesswoman, they would run in the same kind of aristocratic circles and their personalities would mesh well I think.

Korrasami is a joke, especially in the Turf War comics. Those comics were vomit-inducing. And it cements Korra as one of the worst avatars in history. Even though Korra did not need the comics to be shown as an awful avatar. What kind of leader goes on a vacation with their supposed crush during a crisis! And the ship itself is nasty when you consider the history behind it. Plus, the ship completely degrades Mako - the poor guy is wrecked in LOK. There must be better lesbian couples out there to root for - not that I would care to know.

I know you don't like the writing for LoK (fair,) but what are your feelings on Korrasami?

It has a lot of the same issues for me as Kataang (Asami's entire arc comes down to being the Avatar's emotional support girlfriend; Korra receives all the support and gives none; the development is laughably weak; Korra spends the bulk of the emotional climax with a character that it would have made more narrative sense for her to end up with). I think it sucks that people are giving Bryke so much credit for having a canon lesbian couple when it was so ambiguous and poorly developed that they had to make a press release to confirm it happened at all.

I don't hate it as much as Kataang, though, because at least they are at pretty much the same emotional developmental stage and Asami doesn't spend most of the show being Korra's mother figure. I don't ship it, but it doesn't fill me with rage. It doesn't make me feel much of anything, honestly. I prefer Irohsami because they're pretty together, and that seems like as good a reason as any to ship any pair on LoK 🤷🏾‍♀️(except Kinora. That was actually pretty cute).

[oakthefrog]

Intro/Pinned Post

I’m Oak! (He/They and star/space neos)

I’m transmasc and aroace (with a dash of MLM for flavour ig-)

I’m a racoon therian and an ageregressor

IM A MINOR‼️

ASK BOX: OPEN

DNI: basics + anti agere/petre, anti furry/therian etc, NSFW

Fandoms/Interests!!

Shorts Wars, The Owl House, Toon Turf, TADC, Undertale, Spiderverse, DHMIS, heartstopper, Epic the musical, MCYT, To Kill a Mockingbird

Projects/Other Blogs!!

Shorts Wars RP Blogs I run: FD , Joe Caine , Darth Schlorpo Sunday

other RP blogs masterpost

Other Blogs (where I'm not in character): -Vent Blog -Age regression blog -Therian blog

Lone Void (my web comic) - Read the pages and other stuff about it here

[rametarin]

pre-internet cancel culture

I saw this video, but I feel there's an important distinction to make here. Cancel culture is not, "I'm going to tell people to hate you and you'll be hated."

No, it's more insidious than that. Because these people will first try to pass themselves off as "just" being "anti-racist," or "anti-sexist." At the surface level, every single generation, they will be in a position to impress that on younger people, instruct them to behave that way and impress that on people more inexperienced and younger than them, and that will become the norm and status quo.

They institute histrionic, hyper flaggelant sentiments cherry pick and choose which history they teach in the absence of other facts of history, strong arm young people through these events and then lead them through to their preferred interpretations on how to feel about it, and then "form their own conclusions" based on this misleading, very emotionally charged, very peer pressure, very hyper vigilant atmosphere. And young people experiencing this by their peers, led to believe that unlike the generations older than them, they're "aware" of the prejudices and bigotry, they're Woke and Aware, they're going to Change the World(tm) by not "making the mistakes of their forefathers."

They start seeing the generation older than them as either complacent with a defacto and default evil, white supremacist and male chauvinistic culture, as they're taught, even in very progressive places they see as ultimately just "ruled by milquetoast ineffectual white men," and rebelling against this caricature that does not exist.

And the most horrifying aspect of all is the way in which they use sex and the way the sexes relate to force this line of conversation as the norm. They hypercharge women and girls with this. The romantic interpretations delivered via Feminism then gives the female peers a bar and standard of logic by which to analyze things according to the fiction of privilege theory being the proper way to determine if things are bigoted or not, in one way or another, and then it's a race to the bottom of the simping boys trying to fit this mold of overcompensation in order to not register as an unacceptable unsuitable mate.

Cancel Culture isn't "you better do what I say or I'll mean tweet you and you'll go out of business." Cancel Culture is the indoctrination and emotional manipulation and deliberately slanted way of educating young people about history, cultures, demographics and etc. and using them as shock troops in a culture war.

Businesses have feared this forever. Before it was secular sociological shit, it was fear of flash in the pan preachers that showed up, rode the waves of popular faith and started new religious movements, that told their flock what to do and guided their behavior on what to think, why, and more importantly, what to hate and not buy. Whether it's rationalizing their distaste for the supernatural by a culture war on magic in comic books, or trying to browbeat how art and literature are made in order to be ALLOWED to be marketed and sold, as Sweet Baby Inc. and similar have been doing, trying to gatekeep and dictate culture.

What the woman up there is talking about is not mean tweets and flash in the pan hate protests with a few astro turfed handlers, it's conspirator tenured college professors, their network of political activists that converge and discuss on how to be subversive to business and government institutes and finance, printing off a million information cascades academic articles on how X-thing is bad that just so happens to fit the profile of what a business is selling, and then threatening that business with the wrath of the bleating, overcompensating mob, now trying very hard not to have it be made a sign of bigotry to buy their product.

And as an example, I point to the Harry Potter games. They wanted Rowling to champion their cause, because female famous person, feminist, clearly she had to carry water for their group and organization. But when she said, 'no,' to the idea that the only thing that makes a woman is the idea of a woman, no biology required, suddenly that was interpreted as hatred of transwomen and a threat to their movement. She became persona nongrata, somehow a right-wing bigot and advocate for genocide.

So then the astro turfers started going out with the agritprop social media, water cooler talking about how Rowling was a massive antisemite, how her franchise' game leaned "heavily" into the antisemitic messaging (Jews use a ram horn, goblins use a horn, there was a massive hate crime against Jews on the date of the same for goblins!) and this that and the other thing.

Gullible, emotionally charged fangirls fell overthemselves to overcompensate and make clear, "there's no tolerance for NAZIS!" and that the useful idiots would draw lines in the sand and turn on whomever didn't toe the line to not be a "bad person." You had better not have consumed that media, or else you're a NAZI-ADJACENT person!!!!oneoneone. And they'd cultivated that population to normalize hate-gossip about Bad People, to allow the more belligerent of them to treat them like bigots that threatened others with violence for their race or religion, and if they weren't going to participate in that bullying, at least turn a blind eye to it and go neutral to allow it to happen.

THAT is cancel culture. Not some hash tag.

[historyhermann]

Nimona Spoiler-Filled Review [part 2]

Continued from part 1

There is no doubt that the material work conditions for writers influences how "good" or "bad" a work is. High-quality and well-edited work is only possible when studios value creative labor and give writers enough security and time to perform that labor. The studios are often standing in the way between the audience and the vibrant art. As I noted in my last review, online jerks who hated High Guardian Spice said it was "bad". These claims were faulty. The real reason should be obvious: the horrendous working conditions at Crunchyroll.

The Animation Guild, also known as IATSE (International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) Local 839, which represents animators in Canada and the U.S., does not have talks for a new contract until 2024. The results of the present strikes by writers and actors will likely impact the contract and shape the demands that the guild makes of studios. There are reports that WGA East will add animation writers to their union next year. It could cause the relationship between the WGA and animation writers to cool from previous "bad blood" which dates back to a "turf war" in the 1970s between the Guild and WGA.

The success of this film proves that those who claim that a film needs to "tone down" its queer themes are wrong. The same goes for anti-establishment films. Arcane is another example of a series which suggests that institutions that "try to hide and kill people" should be torn down. At the same time, there is a contradiction of liberals and progressives within Hollywood producing "revolutionary queer happy ending stories" but not doing anything to make this happen in reality.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the forty-second article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on July 31, 2023.

On the other hand, the series differs in many ways from the comic, no matter how queer the cast is. The webcomic, which later became a graphic novel, depicts mental institutions as agents of oppression which "engage in structural violence." It does this even better than series like Disenchantment. There's also a focus on disability, as Ballister, in the comic, has a prosthetic arm. This is replicated in the film, although his prosthetic arm comes about in a different way.

The film, unlike the comic, is comedic in the first part, then more dramatic. The comic had a different tone. Even so, both are metaphors for transness and have positive LGBTQ representation. It is a milestone for Western animation. Disney clearly missed an opportunity by turning down (and cancelling) the film before its revival.

Nimona does much more than the family-friendly animated film, The Mitchells vs. the Machines. The latter was praised for putting a queer character, Katie Mitchell (voiced by Abbi Jacobson) at the center. Nimona has more openly queer characters, specifically Ballister and Goldenloin, who are both gay. As for Nimona, her character is open to interpretation, including an implied gay relationship with Gloreth before she betrayed Nimona.

The Mitchells vs. the Machines had unnecessary hype for a sci-fi comedy romp. It centered on White family, has extraordinarily little rewatch value, and only hints at Katie's queerness. Her girlfriend is shown in almost a blink-and-you-miss-it moment. Film director Phil Lord was criticized for creating a crunch environment for animators working on Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Possibly, work conditions for animators on The Mitchells vs. the Machines were the same.

Nimona avoids the issues with the aforementioned film, to its betterment. Public Enemy famously sang, in their 1988 hip-hop single, to not believe the hype. For Nimona, it lives up to the hype in many ways. In contrast, The Mitchells vs. the Machines falls flat, stitching together "hundred familiar film plots", has inconsistent themes, and is very nostalgic.

It is worth noting the importance of pink as a color in Nimona. Stevenson described the color pink as Nimona's way of expressing her nonconformity and refusal to act according to "anybody else’s standards". Instead, she will be unequivocally herself. This contrasts for how pink is portrayed in Steven Universe. That series already subverts toxic masculinity and normalizes trauma. Series creator Rebecca Sugar noted that Revolutionary Girl Utena influenced her. As Peter Tedesco wrote, Steven's choice of a pink shirt with a big star and pink flip-flops goes against "traditional masculinity", and exudes femininity. His pink shield or oft-crying do the same. As such, Nimona and Steven Universe subvert the "traditional" meaning of pink, each in their own way.

Ultimately, Nimona has a strong rewatch value, even though it differs from the webcomic which has a focus on secret documents and bureaucracy. The latter wasn't a major theme in this film. While this film, in terms of themes, somewhat connects to She-Ra and the Princesses of Power, the same may be true for future productions by Stevenson. The latter includes "two book series of novels" and the animated adaptation of Lumberjanes (hopefully coming out in 2024).

Overall, I recommend this film. Nimona is currently streaming on Netflix.

© 2023 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

[fanfic-lover-girl]

Korra was such a terrible avatar. Never took ownership for screwing people over. I am still so disappointed in how she mastered the avatar state.

I have to be honest I always korra leaving to go on vacation to be rather ooc of her given her commitment to her duty ( heck her creation was as the opposite to aang) ( and just got to add that korrasami was thrown in at the last minute there were more signs of makorra getting back together )

I wouldn’t say abandoning her duties was OOC. It’s well established Korra is selfish and lazy. She viewed being the Avatar at the beginning as being stronger than everyone and fighting a lot. She’s basically a female Kuruk without any of the punishment and development he got. She only cared about fighting and pro bending in Book 1 until the plot forced her to actually do her job (which she still did poorly yet somehow was rewarded). At the end of Book 2 she openly gives up on being the Avatar and decides to screw over everyone in the world by opening the Spirit Portals cause she decided she was done doing her job, only to start acting like she cared a couple weeks later in Book 3. She abandons the world for 3 years in a pity party when her issues could have been solved almost immediately, and when everyone is facing the destruction brought on by Kuvira she screws off to the Spirit World for a vacation.

I think the bigger problem is how clearly this shows that Korra has not developed at all as a character. There’s no consistent through line for her to go from a selfish and arrogant fighter who thinks being the Avatar means fighting a lot to someone taking her responsibilities seriously. It wavers back and forth depending on when the writing decides she’s serious but it never lasts. Even in the terrible Turd Wars comic she’s using the Avatar State to intimidate normal people to do what she wants threatening violence on people who don’t do what she wants. And not even like Sozin level issues here, it’s smaller disputes. Korra is still reckless and selfish after four seasons and almost 4 years of time.

Weirdly people talk about Aang abandoning his duties when that’s such a small part of his overall arc. He never ran away from his responsibilities save for the first few episodes, and that’s on the heels of him running away from his home which happened only because he was being separated from his father figure Gyatso and being ostracized by his friends. He had a concrete arc that you can follow where he becomes a fully realized Avatar, where Korra does not. Korra’s eagerness to be the Avatar was a superficial one, which seemed purposeful at first cause Aang always took his duties seriously, even in Book 1 of ATLA, and by Book 3 he’s fully committed himself to fighting the Fire Lord despite his fears. Korra was irresponsible and violent as opposed to Aang’s spirituality and peaceful personality, and unfortunately Korra never got any real development.

And yeah KS was thrown in at the last minute as a shield against criticism, highlighted even more when Bryke put out a statement calling anyone who didn’t support it as homophobic... even from bi and gay people who thought it was randomly thrown in. It was weaponized to distract people from the fact that LoK had floundering ratings since Book 2 and even the most hardcore fans had wavered on supporting it by Book 4. Bryke always loved Makorra despite what they’ll say now, even calling them soul mates in Book 1 and getting extremely defensive of it. I have zero doubts that Makorra was intended to get together at the end of Book 4, which while I loathe the pairing at least it’s consistent with what came before. But they changed their minds in order to salvage what was left of the show and find a way to create a defense against critics that didn’t require them to actually write better.

[lottiesdocmartins]

Im still not over the way azula was treated in the comics. You are telling me that a fascist in her late 20’s/early 30’s gets to be redeemed but a 14 yr old that was clearly in need of mental help isn’t even worthy of understanding?

[orangepanic]

Turf Wars Re-write, Part II

(I have not actually read Turf Wars)

[azulasprettyservant]

at this point, fuck plot points, the legend of korra comics are in higher ground to me just because the characters keep their personalities coherent.

[romanticizingmurder]

Honestly the more and more I reread Jason's notable appearances the more I think the Jason that lives in the head of Jason antis is the most fanon one

Like

"Jason just kills random goons not supervillains or even predators"

When and where.

The times I can think of that could qualify for this are:

UtRH & Green Arrow

- Was trying to become a crime lord, not killing them for traditional vigilante reasons so I don't think this works as a comparison. There is, in terms of characterization, a massive difference between "kills a guy because he thinks they're evil" and "kills a guy because they're on his turf"

Brothers in Blood

- He kills I think? One guy? Who isn't a predator? I mean not good but not exactly the streets of blood people make it sound like and it's a pretty bizarre run

BFTC/Streets Run Red

- You wanna count these as canon, that's your problem.

RHATO V1

- He kills a bunch of the guys holding Roy captive but it's treated so nonchalantly that I don't think Lobdell meant for us to think about it. There's also a heavy dose of racism in depictions here so I'm not inclined to view this as inductive of the character as much as the choices of a gross man

And then after that...he's not really been doing much killing! For the last 6+ years, he's been largely no kill. And, in fact, three of the notable people he has killed or briefly appeared to kill (Penguin) were super villains. So. (And the non big name ones were predators or abusers.)

Like I'm sorry but Jason has only been resurrected for 17 years. For 6 of those he's been almost totally no kill, and for 11 of those he's been billed as a hero either way.

And then of course you get:

"Even when he does kill predators, it's sends a bad message to say anyone deserves to die."

On the long list of potential bad messages a comic series where a rich white man routinely patrols the streets with military grade equipment as part his self described "war on crime" sends, "rapists should die" is really at the very bottom list of my concerns and I frankly care far more about survivors getting some catharsis and reaffirmation that they matter in their media than I do about some looney toons idea of how propaganda works that this fandom subscribes to.

[bidiza55555]

Fuck it, Splatoon JSE AU info dump!

This all is a very spontaneous, stupid thought I've had but hear me out! (or don't, I won't force you)

Jackie

Inkling

Octobrush main

Very fast

Middle first, base last

Tried dualies and liked them, but prefers the brushes

Has a locker full of comics

Chase

Inkling

Nzap main

Pretty bad at splatting others

Usually hangs around the palza

Tried Tableturf before, doesn't really like it

Falls into water too often

Has nothing but cups and drinks in his locker

JJ

Inkling

Undercover umbrella main

Will give the other team and advantage if they've played fair

Quite good at turf wars

Tried ranked modes and really enjoys clam blitz

Always well dressed

Marvin

Octoling

E-liter 4K main

Tried other sniper weapons too

Has good hand eye coordination

Squidbags during Wipeouts

Hates squid ninja

Amazing at Tableturf

Anti

Octoling

Ballpoint Splatling main

Also mains blasters

Usually goes for splats over inking

If not found in turf wars and ranked battles will be at Salmon run

Won't revive you unless he has to

Never booyahs back

Schneep

Octoling

Literally only owns a splattershot

More interested in learning about culture (both new and old)

Was forced to participate in turf wars, but hates them

Yes, I also have visual refs of them in the making

[kirbyspits]

This is why I can't read the TLOK comics:

What?! Why ask about Mako's arm if there's going to be no follow-up, especially from Book 1?! No, "I know how you feel." No "I'm here for you." Nothing that echoes their exchange when she's been in the exact same position before with Amon! Doesn't Korra show more concern and empathy for Tahno?! The first panel is terribly unsatisfying after 4 seasons of building a strong emotional connection and friendship. I might've been more forgiving if Korra was drawn looking at Mako.

Who is this Korra anyway? Bryke had that horrible line about how she needed to suffer to learn compassion. Where is it now for her supposed best friend? Mako dedicated his life to her, almost died fighting for her, and this is their exchange Mike? Sorry?!

Based on this panel alone, now I'm convinced the comics are completely stripped of the Korra I love in Books 1-3 (...well the latter half of Book 2). I've always been on the fence with Korra's relationships in Book 4. We see glimpses of her reaction during critical moments with her friends (i.e, Asami's father dying and Mako's sacrifice). So, she was always on a path for moments like this, but I had hoped the comics would give Bryke more room to expand on more emotional connections I thought they didn’t have time for in the show. Now I can clearly see they're not interested in maintaining the beautiful relationship they set up for Mako and Korra.

Whatever. I'm no longer their target audience, since I've always liked Korra's brashness and the Book 1 storyline anyway. I had no problem with Korra getting her bending back quickly since there were only 12 episodes and you know every kids show is going to have a happy ending! Hope all the critics and antis are enjoying this new Korra in comics.

Btw, I'll acknowledge that Korra's upset and probably doesn't have the emotional capacity to comfort Mako when she can't really comfort herself. My issue is Korra asking about Mako's arm and then dropping the subject she started. Last I checked, friends comfort each other. I'd feel differently if Mike only had Mako ask how Korra's doing, but I suppose they just wanted readers to know Mako can't bend and keep the story progressing. Doesn't make me any less annoyed.

The emphasis on "you" has been noted btw. Mako always giving it his all. My goodness, I never thought I'd make an anti Korra post, but I might have to. I'm getting strong Book 2 vibes from this, and that's a whole other rant.

... ... ... 

I ended up skimming the summary of Turf Wars.

I was hoping I needed more context and was wrong for judging Mako's and Korra's interaction based on those two panels alone. Turns out I wasn't missing anything I didn't already get from this exchange. I'm laughing at what I discovered though.

Mako's the one who alludes to Book 1. This is rich! So Mike does remember Book 1 happened. It's so interesting that they continue to have Mako be the one who's empathetic. They could have brought up Book 3 with how worried Mako was when Korra gets kidnapped (twice!), but no, they bring up the event where Mako discovers he's in love with Korra. Tarrlok's kidnapping her is still relevant and probably the best choice, but now Mako's bringing up their romantic history. Maybe to emphasize that he understands what it's like to worry over someone you love? Mako continuously says the right thing! His followup is beautiful! And what the does Korra say to this angel first? 😬🤷🏾‍♀️ Why?!! How could they make Korra so unlikable?!

Bryke tortured my girl to the point where her personality made a drastic change and deemed the suffering she endured as something she needed in order to grow. So where is this supposed newfound compassion that she apparently never had? How is Korra more likable now than she was in earlier seasons?

I just love how they make Mako actually say he understands what Korra's been through and pulls in the events of Book 1. He's always been supportive of Korra and I don't think we've seen Korra give him this same support back since Book 3. It's depressing to see how much Bryke destroyed Korra's connection to Mako. He's basically on Asami's level in the show now. The difference is, Mako still remains devoted to Korra on an emotional level that Asami was never given the opportunity to show. However, seeing this connection with Mako is not enjoyable anymore because the friendship is no longer an equal. Korra doesn't return this same energy. Mako's consistent love and support for this colder Korra and makes it hard to even like her. I'm on the verge of deeming Mako too good for her even as a friend. Rather than get to that point, I'll just avoid the comics.

[gatecoeur]

marvel mob au - a group verse

​tagged as: v;mon fils avant tout

​Arelette Gâtecœur - a single mother who moved into town a few months ago, hoping for a fresh start from the life she thought she left behind. With her 4 year old son Malik and her big old Rottweiler Obélix, the three of them together have become the sweethearts of their apartment complex, with the neighbours constantly doting on them. At first, it was out of pure goodwill - the philosophy of taking care of your own - but recently, more and more concerns were rising for the stressed young mother.

Why did she come home sometimes with bandages and bruises?

It’s because it’s the only life she’s ever really known.

Arelette Gâtecœur was perfectly molded for the underground fighting rings, from the moment her parents agreed to borrow money from the mob back in her hometown. It wasn’t their fault. How could they have known, that the scheming ran so deep? 

They loved their daughter. They wanted her to get better, when her new-found powers caused an indescribable pain that no regular hospital could hope to cure. They thought they would be the ones, paying the mob for the rest of their lives. They were willing to make that sacrifice. They had no clue they were really sacrificing their only daughter.

The training was all so seamless - perfectly orchestrated to make Arrie’s convenient interests seem organic. The doctors at HumGen were in on it, safely tucked in the pockets of the mob. All they had to do was offer tai chi as a means of combatting the chronic pain, and from there, encourage her desire to learn more martial art forms. Encouraging her to experiment with her powers came later - they had to know they had a prize fighter on their hands first.

At age 17, they put their plans into full motion. First, they had her discover her parents’ debt to the mob. Then, while she was off at school in a different city, they had someone introduce her to a smaller ring - what good-hearted daughter wouldn’t want to make her parents worry less about her financial situation? At age 18, her parents are killed in a car accident, with no evidence of foul play - it was just sheer coincidence that they were trying to tell her to quit while she could, just a week or two prior. By the age of 19, she couldn’t handle the disappearance of her brother, school and the ring, as her parents’ debt was transferred to her - Arelette Gâtecœur dropped out, and did fights full-time.

For a while, she didn’t mind it. Where else could she go? The mob treated her well, and let her stay free, as long as she fought. She enjoyed the fighting anyways. It helped her blow off steam, and show off what she could do. She even had friends, some with benefits. One such friend was Kasim Fareed. 

Years passed. Arrie payed off the debt, but the prize money was so good, she saw no reason to leave. That was until she found out she was pregnant, with Kasim’s son. She left the fighting ring on surprisingly amicable terms. The mob didn’t blame her anyways, no - they blamed Kasim for losing them their best fighter.

His death seemed accidental. Just one hit too many to the head from one of the more brutal fighters. Arrie couldn’t be fooled twice though - she took all the money she had and fled.

For a while, she was on the run, hopping from town to town, city to city, doting on her son Malik, making ends meet whilst trying to stay hidden from the mob. Enough time had passed though, and they had given up on her - her old handlers had been assassinated, with no clues as to who the killer was. 

With a huge weight off her shoulders and kindergarten on the horizon, Arrie refused to deprive Malik of an education, and finally settled down in one of the cheaper apartments she could find... Conveniently in the town hosting the Rogers-Stark gang wars.

Arrie could take care of herself, despite what her innocent face said - God himself couldn’t save the poor soul who dared to threaten her son. The two families in a way offered a strange protection - even though she was sure anyone who knew of her before was dead, it was safer, knowing that mobs didn’t usually step on other turfs too far from their own. 

Arrie did her best to stay away from the Starks and the Rogers’, to make an honest living... But an honest living wasn’t enough, and Arrie was willing to do anything to provide the best life she could for Malik.

No one knows the truth though. Not Malik, not her neighbours, and definitely none of the folks who run the fighting ring she’s currently a favourite at. She lets her daytime connections believe what they want to believe, whenever she looks a little banged up - a mugging, a bad fall, an anti-mutant attack... hell, she’s sure most of them are convinced that she has an abusive boyfriend.

To the guys at the ring though, Arelette Gâtecœur is a name that holds no meaning. Shifter is the fighter’s name, and every time they show up, which is roughly once every week, everyone knows it’s going to be a good night.

NOTE: Arelette Gâtecœur is VISIBLY a mutant in this verse. She keeps her markings from her true form out in the open for the sake of her son. She wants Malik to grow up knowing that his mother is a mutant, that his father was a mutant, and that if he turns out to be a mutant, that he should be PROUD to be one. 

Also, when Arrie visits the underground fighting rings as Shifter, she looks a lot like a feminine version of Hanzo’s demon from from dilfosaur’s 2 Demons comic, without the markings around his eyes: grey skinned, white glowing pupil-less eyes, horned and fanged, and standing at 6′3″ tall, in comparison to her normal 5′7″ height.   

[thatalfredpennyworth]

Korrasami First Date!

Lines by myself. Colors by my friend Chris. 

[bloodraven55]

Okay, after having read the comic again with my mother just now, I'm finally ready to give my thoughts on The Legend of Korra: Ruins of the Empire, Part 1.

I really liked it. I thought it was a great set up for an interesting story with a lot of potential.

There are a few things I'd like to highlight in particular.

Kuvira is a very compelling antagonist/anti-hero because her intentions are still slightly unclear and so both the arguments for an against trusting her make a lot of sense.

Plus it helps a lot that she already had an established character from the show, and that really shows in her interactions with the other characters as well. Korra not completely trusting her but still wanting to help is very understandable and totally in character.

And Kuvira's scenes with Asami were especially good. The balance of Asami not wanting to be anywhere near Kuvira after everything but also wanting to support Korra was well executed, though I do suspect that Asami is more just shoving down her complicated feelings about Kuvira and her father rather than genuinely 100% fine with how things are playing out, so I imagine that will boil over at some point.

Speaking of Asami, I really appreciate how she always feels like a useful member of Team Avatar despite her lack of bending, and hasn't just become Korra's sidekick or reduced to only the love interest.

Her and Korra's relationship is still extremely sweet too. I like that they've settled into a comfortable dynamic now and got past the more intense early stage of dating - it's just as cute but in a different way. The casual hand holding and kisses are wonderful little touches, and they're so good for each other. Like, when Asami revealed that she'd implemented the contingency plan to knock Kuvira out in an emergency, a lesser person than Korra might have got mad or annoyed at what they perceived as being overshadowed, but instead she's just proud of Asami and it's adorable.

Mako and Bolin's relationship is great too. It's nice to see siblings who bicker but clearly also truly care about each other a lot and I am here for it.

Zhu Li really stepped into her own in Turf Wars and now that continues here as well with her handling the presidency extremely well, so that's something else I love.

The brain washing is still creepy as hell from when it appeared in Avatar, and Guan is exceedingly shady but also a more credible and intriguing threat than I initially anticipated, so kudos to the writers for that.

I think my only criticism would be that it feels a little short, particularly since it's mostly laying the groundwork for the rest of the story, but that's pretty minor in the grand scheme of things.

So overall, I'd probably rate it around an 8/10. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to check it out.

[thedcdunce]

Static

“What can I say? I identify with Pikachu.” - Static

Real Name: Virgil Ovid Hawkins

Gender: Male

Height: 5′ 7″

Weight: 140 lbs (64 kg)

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Black

Powers:

Bang Baby

Abilities:

Science

Tactical Analysis

Multilingualism

Weaknesses:

Vulnerability to Bang Babies

Equipment:

Static Saucer

Static Traps

Universe: 

Dakotaverse

New Earth

Base of Operations:

Titans Tower

Abandoned Gas Station of Solitude, Dakota City

Parents:

Robert Hawkins; father

Jean Hawkins; mother

Marital Status: Single

Citizenship: American

Occupation: Student

First Appearance: Static #1 (June, 1993)

Powers

Bang Baby: Static's physiology was altered by a mutant-genetic explosion which caused him to adapt unusual powers. Static's body itself can generate raw electromagnetic energy, which he has learned to manipulate, control and enhance.

Super-Conductive Electromagnetism: Static can sense sources of electromagnetic energy or objects that can be affected by it such as underground water pipes. He can magnetize and demagnetize metals.

Electromagnetic Fields: Static generates an electromagnetic field just like the earth and the sun generate their own Electromagnetic fields. Static can also create barriers and shields that he can use to block, repel, hold back attacks and defend himself in battle.

Mechanokinesis: Static can capable of fixing or operating electronic devices through his electromagnetic manipulation. He can operate most devices just by touching, even if they are not plugged.

Electromagnetic Levitation: Static can cause objects to fly.

Wavelength Tuning: Static can hear radio waves meaning he can listen in on the police broadband and music stations, as well as tapping into the phone lines so he can make calls.

Electrokinesis: Static can generate electricity from his body and administer it in a range of different attacks and uses. He can charge devices, drain devices and project his electricity in a variety of controlled ways.

Electrical Displays: Static is able to project his electromagnetic energies in the form of energy-based constructs, such as disks, orbs, bursts, shields, platforms, force fields, and other projectiles or constructions.

Electromagnetic Force Bolts: Static can project powerful blasts and/or bursts of electromagnetic energy from his hands for uses allowing him to hit, push/pull or blow away his targets, and potentially exerting enough force to destroy them.

Ball Lightning: Named after Ball Lightning, the weather phenomenon. Electromagnetic Energy compressed into a large ball and thrown at targets; an offensive maneuver in a combat situation.

Static Cling: Static can adhere most objects or people to surfaces and other objects, plus Static can magnetize surfaces.

Electrical Transformation: Due to Static's power to generate electromagnetic energy, He is able to transform his entire body into pure electrical energy.

Abilities

Science: Static is a highly gifted student with a particular interest in math and the sciences. Static also possesses an almost fanboyish knowledge of comic books, role playing games, and science fiction.

Tactical Analysis: Static is able to apply his scientific knowledge in combat and real life situations and does so almost intuitively. This allows him a certain advantage over less clever opponents.

Multilingualism: Virgil has learned to speak German for unknown reasons and is fluent enough to carry on a simple conversation in the language.

Weaknesses

Vulnerability to Bang Babies: For unknown reasons, Static can be affected by electricity-wielding metahumans whose powers are derived from Quantum Juice.

Equipment

Static Saucer: Static uses it to fly through the air.

Static Traps: Normally, Static does not use any real weapons and mainly relies on his electromagnetic powers in battle. However, to defeat particularly formidable opponents, he will employ his "static traps," a well-planned use of his powers and everyday materials. These static traps were limited only by Static's creativity and the preparation time available.

Dakota City

The poorest and most crime-ridden neighborhood of Dakota City is Paris Island. Gangs were commonplace, and turf wars a regular occurrence. So much so that eventually all the local gangs agreed to settle things once and for all, at an intersection of the three main gangs' territories, a spot called "Ground Zero".

This "Big Bang" was no secret, and when more than five hundred gang members converged that night, armed and ready, everyone in the area, police included, knew what was going down. Even Dakota's mayor Thomasina Jefferson, knew about it. Mayor Jefferson decided to take advantage of the unique situation by marking herself as a "tough on crime" candidate for the next election. Once the Big Bang began, she ordered the police to release a special tear gas containing a harmless radioactive marker, which would allow them to track any gang members who got away for days afterwards. Then, the police would move in on the gangs in force and apprehend as many of them as they could. By morning, the vast majority would be incarcerated, and the stragglers could be chased down and picked up over the next few days.

Things went hideously wrong. The gas killed over ninety percent of the people exposed to it, with the survivors either being hideously mutated into monstrous forms or gaining superhuman powers. Those survivors became known as "Bang Babies"; to the world at large the deaths were attributed to gang violence. Fifteen-year old school kid Virgil Hawkins was bullied, like most kids are. But after taking one beating too many he was given a gun by his friend Larry Wade, who encouraged him to seek revenge. Virgil showed up, and hid behind some crates and old oil drums, but while he was waiting he decided this was not for him. Throwing the gun into the water, he wandered off, deep in thought and heedless to where he was walking. Thus it was that Virgil, although not a gang member, ended up present at Paris Island on the night of the Big Bang. Exposed to the gas he gained a variety of electromagnetic powers, and, inspired by the superhero comics he read, decided to become a superhero, Static.

It is not all good being a superhero though. At school the only person who knows Virgil's secret is his best friend, Frieda Goren; he cannot use his powers to deal with bullies for fear of giving away his secret identity. Because his sense of duty means he will drop everything to deal with threats to the city, he finds it impossible to hold down even the most menial job. He has got enemies aplenty - Hotstreak, Commando X, Holocaust, and more. His close friend Rick Stone came out as gay, forcing Virgil not only to deal with his own homophobia, but also to protect Rick when a gay rights rally was attacked by a homophobic super villain.

And then there is Dusk. Dusk was another teen vigilante, with a strong code of justice, whom Static encountered. He and the young lady hit it off immediately, and combined patrolling and dating. Then the two of them assisted the police on a drug bust, only for Static to discover one of the dealers was Frieda's boyfriend Larry. Shocked, Static initially let Larry go, putting a slight rift between him and Dusk. A day later, the two heroes caught up with Larry just as some other dealers decided it was time to silence him. Dusk was shot trying to protect Larry, who died anyway, and if Static had not carried her to safety, Dusk might have died as well. Afterwards, Static told Frieda he had decided to abandon his costumed identity. He was convinced not to by Dusk, who was leaving Dakota because she had become wanted for murder.

DC Universe

At some point, Static was abducted by the Dark Side Club, drugged by the Anti-Life Equation and forced to compete against other heroes in an arena for entertainment. He proved too strong to control, and the proprietors mostly kept him locked up in the basement, although he was allowed out to compete with the other reigning champion, Ravager. After being freed from the Club by Ravager, he applied for and joined the Teen Titans, becoming a full-time member.

Return To Dakota

Virgil finally decides to see his family again after learning that a deadly virus has been infecting citizens of Dakota, including Sharon. After returning home, Virgil reunites with his family as well as Frieda, and learns that his girlfriend Madison has left him during his absence. He discovers that whoever created the virus is also selling limited supplies of the vaccine, and attacks the lab where it is being made. Upon breaking into the facility, Static is surprised and knocked out by Holocaust.

After refusing to help Holocaust in his pursuits, Static is imprisoned in a specialized containment unit alongside Aquagirl, Wonder Girl, and Bombshell. Holocaust informs the heroes that he plans to kill them and weaponize their abilities in order to sell them, but is ambushed by the rest of the Titans before this can happen. Holocaust easily defeats them, only to be confronted by Cyborg, who has recruited former Titans Kid Flash and Superboy.

Fun Facts

Static has had a few nicknames and street names, they include "Kilowatt Kid", "Sparky", "V-man", "Virg", and "Hero".

Early in his superhero career, Static flew using everyday metal objects like garbage can lids. He now flies on a hover disc of his own design and construction.