#aquaman the becoming

[seleneprince]

Saint Liberty Institute is a prestigious military-based boarding school that you can only access through a formal invitation by the government itself. It is said that they score through the whole country's academic results to look for candidates, people with special talents or great achievements, and offer them a better preparation to reach their full potential. They're usually taken in young, often around middle-school and high-school, because it's the ideal age to learn more.

Curiously, despite its seeming elite and prestigious nature, few people know about Saint Liberty. It's not talked about in the media. Some would say it's a fraud if it weren't for the official website with pictures of the facility and the government's stamped approval in it. They're very private and exclusive, so it makes sense it's not popular among the people.

Saint Liberty's representative, according to the website, is non-other than Amanda Waller, the director of the government agency A.R.G.U.S. Anyone involved in security and the military knows she's an agent renowned for her brutal methods and ruthless approach. Many rise their eyebrows at the information, because how is this woman qualified to handle an educational programm aimed for kids, let alone take care of a whole school? It makes little sense, but no one dares to question it out loud.

In the meantime, a group of teens from all over the country received each an invitation to join this elite school and become outstanding members of society under its guidance. Four boys and four girls, each with their own dreams, ambitions, and a set of skills that caught the attention of Amanda Waller herself.

The eight of them are living what many would call a golden opportunity, an once-in-life event. Something people would kill to have. Their mothers are proud of them, even though it takes them away for long periods of time. It's all worthy if it means they'll get such a great education.

They come from Star City, Gotham City, Coast City, Central City, Amnesty Bay, even from Egypt itself. A bunch of kids chosen to be formed into the future of the country.

There's only one downside...

Saint Liberty Institute is a lie.

It's all a facade. A cover.

And what Amanda Waller wants from these teens has nothing to do with education.

@chocolatebananahandshero you thought Amanda couldn't get worse? 🥰

[floralovebot]

i know there are only like five of us but i feel like garth stans really don't talk enough about how left out he feels with the titans. dick and wally are Best Friends. donna and roy are on and off again. dick and donna are too much to explain. on average, roy is close with at least one of dick's siblings. dick donna and wally all go on to be in the new teen titans. garth isn't Close with any other titans but the originals

and it's this thing where,,, it's not his Fault yknow? he's not mean or spiteful or creepy or anything that would warrant them not liking him as much. he joins in on their jokes, he risks his life, he shares his feelings, he does everything that he knows friends do. but just the virtue of him being atlantean and them being land dwellers ruins everything. he Can't spend more time with them, he doesn't understand their culture, he will always choose atlantis.

they'll always be his friends but he can never truly be with them or form deeper bonds. he'll always be the last one to know what's going on, the last one they call, a complete shadow and afterthought.

and sure there's a part of him that knows this, that feels bitter and lonely. but he can't even be that mad at them because he does the same thing. the titans are never his first thought, he never calls them first, he doesn't reach out and ask if they're okay, they're always the last ones to know what happened to him. the titans are such a huge part of his life but they're barely in it.

there's just something so inherently lonely about garth that i feel most dc writers don't understand. they just don't get it. they don't get what it's like for this boy who was all alone, never had parents or a family, suddenly being taken in and having to act like he knows how to be a son, a friend, a partner. meeting kids his own age and wanting to bond with them so bad, having to watch as they all get closer to each other and leave him behind, not being able to do anything about it. never being taken seriously, always the last choice... garth man.....

[theflowerofthecommonwealth]

He likes looking at the Fishies.

He’s making friends!

[ormymarius]

anyone else find it hilarious mermaid man and barnacle boy are more well known to the general public than aquaman and aqualad’s partnership

[manufagtured]

Aquaman: The Becoming Vol. 1 #4 (2022)

Cover by David Talaski

[wanderingmind867]

If DC could sue Fawcett Comics over Captain Marvel/Shazam being a rip-off of Superman, then Marvel should have sued DC over Aquaman! Aquaman definitely had elements of his backstory stolen from Namor, and it's not even hard to notice it! Captain Marvel was really different from Superman, but Aquaman was literally a more generic Namor! And i know I'm biased here (seeing most of dc's acquisitions of other companies as crooked deals; plus also finding namor better than aquaman), but listen: even if you like all four of the characters i mentioned here, you gotta admit that Marvel had every right to sue. If DC could sue Fawcett, Marvel could sue DC! Fair is fair!

[somewherefornow]

MERA & ORM MARIUS + RELATIONSHIP GROWTH -> TOUCH in MERA: QUEEN OF ATLANTIS (2018)

[dawnquafam]

If Atlanteans always smell a little like fish, then cats must be obsessed with the Aquafam

[thedupshadove]

Do you think Superman might envy Aquaman, from time to time?

I mean, think about it. They were both raised by humans, but with Vague Memories and Portents suggesting that something more was going on.

The difference being that when Arthur discovered the truth, it came in the form of a vibrant and living realm for him to enter, with people who had been searching for him and were eager to reach out a hand. Whereas Clark's discovery of the truth merely revealed that the night sky was full of corpses.

[notmoreflippingelves]

1, 17

Fandom Year in Review Asks

Favorite fictional characters this year

Last year's undisputed blorbo of Esteban Flores (Elena of Avalor) has continued into this year, though it has been a struggle considering how largely quiet the fandom is (and the fact that I am once again indifferent to the most common/popular ships in what remains of said fandom).

My love for the Ace Attorney fandom continues, and due to the release of the AAI collection port, I have been strongly in my Kay Faraday feels in particular. (Literally every time I pick up my game to play more, I am just overwhelmed by how adorable and funny and endearing and overall 'best girl' she is at all times).

In terms of new-to-me fandoms, I have enjoyed the "helluvaverse" and particularly the characters of Sir Pentious from Hazbin Hotel and Moxxie and Millie from Helluva Boss.

However, 2024 is most notable as the year I finally bit the bullet and ventured into the intimidating sphere of comic book fandom and predictably became DCU trash. My main blorbo is Dick Grayson, who I already knew pretty well through general pop cultural osmosis (mainly Adam West Batman and half-remembered episodes of BTAS from my childhood).

Other DC characters that I already sort of knew from general knowledge but grew to really love are Clark Kent and Lois Lane. I also had peripheral knowledge of the rest of the "bat kids" from my DC fan mutuals, so I also figured I would probably like them as well--and I did (Though I under-estimated how much I would adore Stephanie Brown in particular). However, I did also encounter some additional faves characters that were pretty much entirely new to me--of which I would say that Donna Troy and Garth of Shayeris are the ultimate faves. (Though I pretty much love everyone from most Titans lineups tbh)

Your fictional true love of the year

As of late, my current main blorbos are more "projection objects" for me than crushes. I do find them attractive and enjoy reading the sexitimes fic, but they are not characters that I can particularly see myself dreaming about dating tbh. Still in terms of which ones I loved the most in a platonic sense and dedicated the most time to, probably either Esteban Flores or Dick Grayson as seen above.

In terms of fictional characters that are crush-worthy examples specifically, it's probably gotta be either Shi-Long Lang or Justine Courtney/Verity Gavelle from Ace Attorney Investigations or Hercule Flambeau from BBC Father Brown. In all three cases, I spent pretty much the entire time said characters were on-screen smiling with my face in my hands like a schoolgirl.

Fandom Year in Review asks

[aqua-dan]

#MakeComicsSillyAgain

[youweremadetosoar]

When a movie flashbacks to a moment in the main characters past and they’re young enough that they have to use a different actor, sometimes I think the younger actor deserves their own story.

Like, I’m watching the first Aquaman, right? And it flashes back to teen Arthur being trained, and finally hearing that his mother is dead because the King found out she had another son (who was arthur), and the teen actor is so good.

He’s so raw and emotional and it works really well for the story but if I close my eyes it’s like a totally different character and I would love to have seen THAT character grow up into aquaman. I think it would have been a different story, and I think it would have been really good.

I just think seeing an Aquaman who’s defining characteristic is how much he cares, especially contrasted with how a lot of the other characters, like his brother who was raised as royalty, come off as really callous.

And we do see some moments of vulnerability from adult Arthur in the first movie like when Orm breaks his mother’s trident in the ring of fire, his confrontation with the Karathen, or when he reunited with his mom, but I would’ve loved more of it.

I also think it would have made a better love story because I truly believe Mera would have no idea what to do with a real, genuine person, given the life of royalty that she was raised in as well. In most of the movie we see her just annoyed with his jokes and she does eventually see under the humor to the king inside of him but it would have been cool to explore her character without her constant annoyance towards arthur.

And, in my opinion, since Arthur was raised by a single father who, in my opinion, seemed quite in touch with who he was and what his son’s duty was, I think it makes the most sense for Arthur to be incredibly self-aware.

[fancyfade]

koryak needs to get a restraining order against aquaman writers

[ormymarius]

not enough fish people fuckers on this site, let me fix that

look at them

[manufagtured]

Aquaman: The Becoming Vol. 1 #1 (2021)

Cover by David Talaski

[dogwithglasses]

Dude, jla obsidian age is weird