#aquaman: deadly waters

[smashedpages]

Next is Aquaman: Deadly Waters, collecting issues #49-56 of the Sea King’s book from 1970-71. I’m not quite through with this one either, but I did want to talk about the deeply weird issues #50-52. The book’s regular creative team was writer Steve Skeates and artist Jim Aparo, but for these three issues they were joined by Neal Adams doing Deadman backup stories. Basically Aquaman got transported to an alien world and had to find his way home, while Deadman saw what the aliens (and their ally Ocean Master) were up to, and figured out how to stop it. The result was the most psychedelic Jim Aparo art I have yet seen, a few mood-breaking meta moments (“weird telepathy” is depicted as “floating names of DC staffers”), and some unexpected Star Trek references. It wasn’t bad, and it did kind of make sense in the end, but it was just odd. I would love to hear the story of how it all came together.

--Tom Bondurant talking about some early, trippy 1970s Aquaman comics.

[puppetmaster13u]

DP X DC X Subnautica

Where the Justice League (mostly focusing on the Superfam or Batfam or Flashfam) are large leviathan-esque creatures living on Planet 4546B. Maybe they can change forms due to Precursor experimentation, maybe not. Those with young hang out around the shallows more than the others, what with most of them being large super or specialized predators.

Enter Danny Fenton, interning on the Aurora when the ship is shot down by the Quarantine Enforcement Platform. Oh sure he probably would have tried to stop the destruction and help, but his ghost powers are a bit on the fritz and a well-meaning worker pushes him into one of the last life pods seeing as he's a child.

Now the leviathans may not know what a ship is exactly, but they can definitely understand that in most cases things technology = precursors. As far as they understand, a metal deathtrap not unlike the old labs or caches fell alongside several metallic eggs, with the emerging hatchlings misshapen and not living long.

But then there's the egg that landed in the shallows, which at first they thought was empty. But a hatchling- much smaller than the previous ones- emerges, a day later than the rest, but they're alive even if their swimming is all wobbly! It's so tiny, and obviously hatched too early with the strange split tail and how it keeps swimming to the surface for air, and they have to protect it! Now if only the little hatchling would answer their calls and not dart into hiding spots whenever they approach...

Honestly this is up to the writer lol, but I like to think that Danny's ghost form, when he finally manages to achieve it again, goes a little naga-esque. Almost like a sea snake instead of just a whispy ghost tail, which while better for swimming doesn't help his freak out over most ghost powers still not working.

Danny is just trying to survive man, maybe find other survivors, turn off this big alien gun, stop creating frost crystals when he sneezes, the usual. He doesn't need giant humanoid-esque leviathan-sized sea creatures poking around!

[ormymarius]

MERA

Aquaman: Deadly Waters

[gotham-at-nightfall]

Aquaman #1

In the wake of Absolute Power, Arthur Curry’s powers have evolved to  powerful new heights, and this is one king ready to use them to kick some serious butt. Mammoth water-construct Kaijus have emerged from each of the seven seas, and only Aquaman’s water-warping abilities can stop them—but not if they kill the good king in the process! Enter Dagon, Arthur’s guide on the quest to unlock the secrets of the “blue.” But what deadly secret awaits Arthur on his journey? It’s an all-new era for Aquaman by acclaimed creators Jeremy Adams (The Flash, Green Lantern) and John Timms (Action Comics) that will leave you cheering!

Coming January 2025!

[spop-romanticizes-abuse]

In the show's Show Bible, Mermista is described as "Non-sucky Aquaman". Let's compare the two characters.

Aquaman: -Due to his Atlantean physiology adapted to the great depths of the sea, Aquaman has super-strength (he can lift an ocean liner) and super-resistance. As well as highly developed hearing and eyesight. -He can control (almost) all marine life telepathically, including apex predators… and mythical creatures like the Kraken. -Has Poseidon's Trident, allowing him to control the seas and weather. -Fiercely leads and protects Atlantis, the seas and oceans against various threats, from supervillains (including a very capable and deadly nemesis) to aquatic deities, as well as coups and civil wars. -Is married to Mera and has a child.

Mermista: -Can control water to make waves…and transform into a mermaid. That's all. -Speaks literally to sea animals… at least seagulls only, from what we see in the series. -His trident is almost useless to him. We've never seen it used to kill anyone. -Seems to be a terrible ruler, doing nothing when her kingdom is empty and under threat. And when he is taken by the Horde… she reacts as if she had just had a teenage heartbreak. -Is in a relationship with Seahawk.

Conclusion: Either the creative team only had the Super Friends series as a reference for Aquaman… or they thought that the simple fact that Mermista was a female POC was enough to say that she was "cooler" .

i don't know much about aquaman but yeah, the spop crew always seemed to think that their show is better than all other media, just because it has ✨representation✨ (and not even good representation).

[hardcore-direwolf]

INJUSTICE: A Teen Titans V.S. Young Justice Cross-Over Concepts & Preview Of Short-Story (TUMBLR)

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REMINDER: This is my AU short story of sixteen main characters and heroes I've loved since my youth ages. I decided to create two factions based off of the major outcomes from Invasion and Phantoms, though I gotta bring my favorite speedster back to life cause Spitfire's still OTP in my book. I've been waiting for a fifth season and a rumor to be true that Wally West is still alive cause let's face it...he's trapped in the Speed Force till DC can find a way to revive him. Making eight characters evil, mean, and dark will be my usual case of fan-fiction freedom. Even though this isn't my first time doing it for my own viewpoint, readers and writers can bring some different opinions to concepts of them. By the end of this statement, I've been finishing up work and doing some research to get this started.

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Let's begin with Kaldur'ahm | Jackson David Hyde (I think that's his human middle name from his father David Hyde) aka Aqualad II | Black Manta II | Aquaman II, inaugural leader of the Young Justice Team, son of Black Manta I (David Hyde), and former sidekick of Aquaman I (Arthur Curry | Odin). His electrokinesis ability with water manipulation brought me back to Nickelodeon's animated series "Avatar: The Last Airbender" and "Avatar: The Legend Of Korra". As we know if you're a fan of both shows, blood-bending is a dark art of mastering to control living things and removing elemental bending like Amon did to Korra. To bending lightning bolts, we know that Azula has been known to cause Aang to disconnect from the Avatar Cycle and have severe wounds. Doing so, it led to giving him back the suit and imagining him making his enemies suffer. I've seen DC's Flashpoint Paradox and saw the scar, so I bring it back as a memory that Kaldur will get vengeance on the person who gave him that scar. The Black Manta armor, helmet, and cut (hairstyle) will be given to him from his biological son.

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Onto Conner Jordan Kent | Kon-El aka Superboy I | Project Krypton, we know Conner's history and relationship was with Superman I (Clark Kent) on Young Justice's first season till the season finale when the Man of Steel accepts him in his life. As a hybrid with Kryptonian DNA stolen from Superman and human DNA taken from Lois Lane (I'm changing it up people), he got the physical abilities of Superman only until I got an idea when I've watched DCAMU with him in it as a different version and aged as a kid. I want to remake his origin story, Lois was pregnant with Superman's child and gave birth to Conner. A few years later as a kid, he gets captured by Lex Luthor and Mercy Graves at LexCorps for further experiments on him as the first-born hybrid on Earth. With genetic templates of a Genomorph clone that Lex made from Superman and Bizarro, he created Match who was a failed test result and stored him in a different location. Luthor got one last idea...killing Match and injecting the clone's blood cells that contains his abilities into Conner. If you watched the horror film "Brightburn" and the DC series "Titans", you must understand where this is heading and what I'm doing...turning our precious hybrid into this deadly machine. He doesn't go by "Lionel Luthor", but he does keep his biological name by legal papers and the government.

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The next person will be Megan Morse | M'gann M'orzz aka Miss Martian, this hybrid between two colored Martians have been through the hatred with her family on their home planet Mars. From Season #1 to Invasion, she was shown with green skin and her true form was revealed on the first season. As Outsiders and Phantoms have changed her up, she was having snow white skin and was accepting herself as a White Martian rather than a Green Martian. Megan is capable of ending people's lives with a powerful mindset and an unstable habit of telepathic links, it makes her the best fit for a villainess. She's given her Green Martian genes and blood up on Young Justice to a very popular character...Garfield Mark Logan | Craig (I think it should be his honorary Martian name) aka Beast Boy | Changeling. Megan can manipulate people's minds and corrupt their memories into becoming evil, such as finding soldiers that will fit under her command...that's how I'll do Megan. As fans, we can all agree...Martians can be somewhat neutral and suspicious.

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Heading to Raquel Sandra Ervin aka Rocket I | Icon II, I want to give her some DNA strands of a Terminan and meta-human powers cause she's from Dakota City where Static Shock I (Virgil Hawkins) resides. I was very happy that Young Justice was bringing milestones of Black heroes and villains into the show. I decided to do Violet Parr's powers from "The Incredibles" cause this teenage heroine got force-fields and invisibility powers. I thought it wasn't enough, so I went back to the series "Final Space" to three characters...Ash Graven (my gal), Evra (I love her too), and Invictus. I know that Ash's a Serepentian cursed with cosmic powers and abilities...I'm doing that to Raquel. As we know that she's a teen mom of a son Amistrad, he'll be raised not by his father Noble Davis and future step-mother Darnice James (I'm guessing surnames now)...by the assumed godparents Guardian II (Malcolm Duncan) and Bumblebee (Karen Beecher). As for her alien name...I want it to have a deeper meaning to it, I close the name "Zenith", which means "The Highest Point", and she reached that point in my opinion as the first female African-American hero to be put on the Team.

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The fifth person will be Victor Anthony Stone | Cyberion Technis aka Cyborg I, we know that we see his parents at different shows and films. The Motherbox is a very powerful object, though I wanted to put more details and materials into this concept for the half-robot hero. If you watch "Teen Titans Go: The Night Begins To Shine", he turns into an Autobot truck and brought me memories of the famous franchise "Transformers" for their films from Bayverse. I saw how Deviantart user PowerMaster17 draw and made different characters to remaking them, I want Victor to become part Cybertronian and have more powers from the Motherbox, which makes him half Genesisian. From Cartoon Network's "Generator Rex" and the show "Max Steel" who came from Disney XD, nanites and turbo energy got thinking for how he gets powered up. Victor's parents could've found those parts and were part of a program in Star Labs, we knew why his father Silas Stone and mother Elinore Lyons (Again...surnames) made this historic test for the revolutionary cycle of the future since we know that the New Gods built things like the people from Apokolips.

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The sixth one will just be an original male character based off of Kevin Ethan Levin | Kevin 11, Sasuke Uchiha, and Nero Sparda. Giving this original male character some rought past and dark habits will make him a very vengeful person. I love how people state that Osmosians are mutated humans, though here's the real secret...I believe that they're real aliens and that they've been existing throughout the whole Ben 10 franchise. His name has some dark touches and cold blood written on it, because he's a hybrid between a half-alien and a meta-human. Gabriel Zane Stark will the best name for him...I want Gabe to have the real abilities of these three favorite characters I love, including the transformation sequences and unstable mutations. Sasuke's second level stage of his curse mark gave me some inspirations on his star mark and everything, Nero's skills and personality got me some bad boy vibes, and Kevin's powers mixed with Sasuke's abililties and Nero's heritage brought me to this point of making Gabe. His suit is inspired by the Neo Rooter Soldier suit drawn by Deviantart user EnderKnight1, Kevin's Rooter attire from "Ben 10", and will bring back his scar he got during "Omniverse" and has his logo as Kevin's Antitrix symbol from the Ben 10 Reboot. He has pitch black hair with ombre white streaks in a mullet, fair skin like Sasuke Uchiha, a pair of dark brown eyes, and is portraying as Kevin Levin.

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The seventh person has to be Kory Scarlette Anders | Koriand'r aka Starfire, I saw this woman as an icon and a favorite as well like Beast Boy. From the episode "Transformation" from "Teen Titans", I want to let her get more powers and inject herself like the rest with different DNA strands. She got Cironielian and Almeracian DNA right inside her. Kory's a fierce warrior princess and is willing to save innocents. She took back the throne and became queen of her home planet Tamaran after killing her own siblings...this isn't canon and just my AU only guys...don't worry they're still fine. I saw her in her "Teen Titans Go" arc as Starfire the Terrible, I love the suit and wanted to bring it back for her villainess attire. I'm not done from there, it causes her to get more meta-human powers and makes her a meta.

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The last person for my AU Regime will be the original female character based off of Donna Troy, Stella from "Black Rock Shooter", Korra, and Ophelia from "Brutal Legend". Her name will be revealed as a custom one made by me, though her Amazon name will be Bellatrix after the villainess from "Harry Potter" and this original female character is like a female Percy Jackson. Her suit is inspired by users from Pinterest that drawn and made them, but her villainess attire will be based off of Troia, Donna Troy's future self who was evil and corrupted from losing her loved ones. She's known as Cordelia Sarah Davenport...she's half human, Olympian, Amazonian, meta, and Celestialsapien. Her father is a hybrid between a human and an alien, and her mother was a hybrid between a deity and a meta. Cora slayed many titans and defeated gods including monsters that she had earned the Amazon name "Bellatrix". Going to her half form, "Black Rock Shooter" has the best idea for half-Celestialsapiens by their eyes, skin, hair, and clothing. BRS's looks gave me the perfect choice for Cora since I want her to bend elements and use spiritual manifestations in her own will. We know that BRS represents "Blue Tears", so she knows how to heal with water and can control ice like Queen Elsa from "Frozen". I saw Storm from "X-Men" and knew that her glowing eyes will inspire me to use her, including Korra from "Avatar". Her portrayal will be Asami Sato with gradiant hair of two colors (black - natural & gray - dyed), neon blue eyes like royal sapphire jewels with the Otherworld eye patterns of rings on them when she's in her half form (her eyes will be deep blue), ghostly pale skin of a vampire whenever she's within her half form (though it's a moon-kissed porcelain color), and the Mark of the Brave from "Avatar: The Last Airbender". As a former sidekick of Wonder Woman, she was once the second Wonder Girl (Cassie's the fourth, Yara's the third, Donna's the first & Trinity's the fifth), she's the daughter of White Viper (Kendra Jekyll - Portrayed As Rebecca Holiday from "Generator Rex"), and is a skilled fighter in weapons and elements.

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Going to the last two original main characters, such as Christopher Elijah King and Evelina Gwendolyn Bordeaux. Chris is portrayed as Noah Nixon from "Generator Rex", and Eve will be portrayed as Gwendolyn "Gwen" Tennyson from "Ben 10". That'll all for original characters and their names...well...half-way.

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Wally West was resurrected from the dead and is actually alive. He makes it out of the Speed Force after defeating Professor Zoom and goes home to Artemis. He does gain new powers thanks to Morbius Chair and lost his memories, but my original female character gets them back. As the new Flash, he does full membership to the Justice League for his heroic act and sacrifice to save Earth from the Reach. I love the Rebirth attire for him and choose that for his hero suit cause why not...red and white does fit him better. This also leads to manipulating zero-point energy and having teleportation powers, such as using them for time travel like his uncle Barry Allen, and that will be badass.

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Dick Grayson has many versions of himself, I love him in YJ and DCAMU. I think it fits that the Boy Wonder himself, though he went by Deathwing when he possesses Victor and made him stop. It got me some Danny Phantom vibes that those powers will be given to him by the Lazarus Pits and a woman will curse him with those meta-human powers after dying. Dick appeared at Injustice as Deathwing and has those cool powers that adding that for a meta-human experiment will work. That part will be revealed on a part preview cause I don't spoil at times and keeping it for a special day will be just fine.

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Artemis Crock has raised her niece Lian with her retired brother in-law William Harper aka "Red Arrow", Jade Nguyen aka Cheshire returns home and apologizes to her loved ones. Will eventually marries her and lets the assassin raise Lian as her real mother after everything. Artemis will move back with Wally, rekindles their relationship, and comes out of retirement to return as heroes. She gets rid of the green, and wears the black and orange to become Tigress. Her mother Paula was the original Tigress and was known as Huntress, but I want to rename her as "Lioness". The Huntress title goes to Helena Bertinelli, because I want this Bird of Prey to be Artemis's mentor...the crossbow suits her and I think it's for the best.

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Eve's half Anodite, Magen (Homo Magi), human, and an elf. Let's face it, I want her to be Catwoman's former sidekick and Black Canary's current rookie. She's known as White Siren, yet this isn't the best part...Eve's the maternal grandchild of Kent Nelson through her mom's side of magic since her paternal side gave her alien genes and powers. Her half form is definitely Gwen's Lucky Girl alter ego from "Omniverse", her true form is a full Anodite from "Ultimate Alien" and "Alien Force". Eve's a honor student graduate with major doctorate degrees from an ivy league college turned university and is an elite supreme sorceress in the making cause she's a legendary legacy of her family tree. Her suit is inspired by Gwen Tennyson from the "Lucky Girl" episode for Season 1, her UA/AF version for Invasion (Season 2), the first future version from the "Ben 10K" episode for Outsiders (Season 3), and the second future version from the "Ken 10" episode for Phantoms (Season 4).

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I ran out of options and will continue this on a brand new post. Bye guys and have a great weekend.

[devilsrecreation]

Fiiiiiine, I’ll tell ya’ll about my version for the Villain AU

BUT TW just in case anyone needs it: There is a mention of guns and bombs, just to let you know so I don’t make anyone uncomfortable cuz I don’t wanna do that. If you still wanna know about it, either dm me or just skip my idea(s) for Sam Eagle and/or Crazy Harry :)

Each muppet has a different theme/deal with their own unique designs

It should also be known that the muppets all backstab each other

Here’s what I have so far:

Kermit is your generic evil mastermind who does a variety of evil deeds, but most of them involve frogs (i.e making a ray that hypnotizes frogs to do his bidding)

-Robin is his henchman

-Walter and Scooter are also henchmen who work under Kermit (they’re all villains in training)

Miss Piggy always pulls huge heists like stealing jewelry that makes you powerful when you wear it. She has fashion-related powers and a hypnotizing singing voice

-Uncle Deadly is obviously her henchman, along with her BFF who does her wardrobe (like an evil Edna Mode). He has red eyes and large wings. Oh, AND he can actually breathe fire

-Foo-Foo is this violent, mutant poodle that only listens to her

-Piggy wears a dress with spikes on it and it’s so cool

-Constantly tries to take over Kermit’s position as the number 1 most dangerous villain

-Bobo is a violent beast used as a weapon by Piggy and Deadly

Fozzie AKA The Jester is a very annoying villain who loves puns and steals anything he can make puns off of. He often pairs up with Kermit and has made contraptions based on gag gifts (like a rubber chicken missle or a giant whoopee cushion he can escape with)

Gonzo is an insane and unpredictable individual without a whole “deal”. Why? Cuz he’s not an idiot. His schemes are obviously super dangerous and somehow is one step ahead of everyone. He has an army of evil chickens with Camilla (his assistant and girlfriend) as the leader

Bunsen and Beaker are obviously mad scientists with dangerous inventions

Pepe is a combination of Sedusa from PPG and Aquaman (but obviously evil). He uses seduction to get what he wants as well as having an army of sea creature goons to help him. He’s got a whole water theme going on

The Electric Mayhem are like sirens but with rock music. Although they use music for their schemes, they each have individual powers

-Dr. Teeth hypnotizes you using his glasses, uses voodoo, and on top of that…is a mad dentist on the side

-Floyd has magic hair. It can grow as long as he wants in order to attack people and grab things (and people)

-Janice has plant-like powers, using vines and flowers to harm people. She can also create a little black ball from her aura to blast at people

-Zoot not only has psychic powers and telekinesis he uses for evil, but he has a special power that turns him into a shadow for camouflage

-Lips is the smartest out of all of them who uses fire for everything. He can do anything from connecting to evil people to even inventing stuff as long as he has his trumpet on him. The trumpet is the main reason why he’s powerful. It’s all about the trumpet

-ANIMAL IS A FUCKING RABID BEAST AND YOU SHOULD RUN, NOT WALK, WHEN HE’S OFF OF HIS MUZZLE. NO, LIKE, YOU’RE ACTUALLY ABOUT TO DIE HOLY SHIT

-Villain Serpico is a black mamba instead of a cottonmouth

Rowlf does something similar to the Mayhem using his magic piano, except he’s also a master manipulator. He may seem like a good boy, but he isn’t…trust me

Sam Eagle represents everything America isn’t. He’s cold, calculating, he doesn’t work with anyone, and he’s a gun-fanatic. He’s killed people for the sake of it with either his stolen, army-based weapons or by letting his wild side take over

Swedish Chef is an evil cook who can cook and bake anything, with serious consequences to whoever eats his food. It ranges from doing Chef’s bidding to straight up poisoning

Lew Zealand, like Pepe, also has a sea-based army to help him with his schemes, except it’s all fish. ALL fish. Every evil idea he has involves fish. He’s not very dangerous though, so he’s one of the less-threatening villains

Crazy Harry’s schemes involve bombs and only bombs

Link Hogthrob is one of the petty villains who just steals stuff for his own personal gain. But he DOES use a special mirror to temporarily blind people so he can get the job done

Julius Strangepork is another mad scientist, obviously

Wayne and Wanda are hard rockers to the core (as per Bart’s hc). Partners in crime who use their singing to manipulate people

Johnny Fiama is an evil mob boss with Sal has his right hand monkey

All of the puppeteers are a part of a superhero organization run by Waldorf and Statler whose main mission is to take all these muppets down. Whoever’s character is causing destruction, it’s up to that puppeteer to take care of it. For example, if Gonzo is stealing something, Dave has to stop him. If Pepe is using mind control on all of the sea creatures, Bill has to put him in prison, etc.

[iceimportsct]

Most Iconic and Compassionate DC Heroes

Wearing a morganite bead bracelet inspires compassion and empathy. It’s a gemstone that encourages healing and self-love. In other words, this jewelry is perfect for any hero to wear. Looking for positive inspiration? Here are the best DC heroes that inspire hope and peace.

Starfire This alien princess with attitude came to earth and joined the Teen Titans in the 80s. She’s been a mainstay in the Titans ever since. What makes Starfire stand out is her fiery and joyful personality. People love following her journey as she continues to learn more about earth’s curious customs.

Supergirl Supergirl debuted in the late 60s, starting as a sidekick and slowly coming into her own. Supergirl has become one of DC’s most powerful heroes, making her an icon and an inspiration. What makes Supergirl so lovable, however, is her optimism and kindness. She wants to be her own person, not be in Superman’s shadow.

Green Lantern Green Lantern has gone through a lot of changes — the person behind the mask has even changed. The new Green Lantern is determined and always looking to help others. He is known for his honesty and for taking on any challenge without fear. In some universes, Green Lantern is openly gay, making him an LGTBTQ+ icon.

Aquaman Aquaman is often treated like a joke since he can talk to sea creatures. But Aquaman is actually incredibly powerful. He’s a leader and an imposing force. Aquaman deals with a pretty complex storyline, usually having to choose between his life on land and his community beneath the waters, Atlantis.

Green Arrow Green Arrow started as a bit of a Batman clone but has become a standout character thanks to his interesting arc and insane arrow abilities. Green Arrow started as a playboy billionaire (sound familiar?) but became a socialist crusader like Robin Hood, his inspiration. He’s grounded and understanding, but this Justice League member is known for his deadly aim.

The Flash The Flash is one of the most iconic DC heroes, the fastest hero alive. He has adventures that span through an immense timeline since he can literally travel through time thanks to his speed. He is still quite relatable, since he’s often trying to balance his life as a superhero with his professional and personal life. The Flash has a strong sense of judgment. He’s also a science geek who loves comics. Now that’s relatable.

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is one of the first female superheroes, debuting in the 40s. She has the Lasso of Truth, which she often uses to get important information out of villains. She is all for justice, making her a fierce feminist icon. While she is extremely powerful, Wonder Woman is also known for her compassion for humanity.

Are any of these DC heroes leaving you feeling inspired? If you want to have the same confidence and compassion, try wearing Ice Import’s morganite bead bracelet. Then put on one of these iconic animated films to learn more about these heroes.

[bonesofapoet]

Melted Stars, Melted Sea

[arthur curry x you]

author’s note: me, deep in chaos territory atm: hey remember that aquaman thing you wrote over two years ago when you watched the movie ten times in three days? yeah you should post that since you havent posted anything in a While + you watched the snyder cut two times in 24 hours

words: 1370

He found you on the dock, eyes spellbound by the infinite celestial sky above you.

It was common, that he found you like this. Back pressed against sturdy wooden planks, hands tucked behind your head or mimicking the rise and fall of your abdomen. Air, cool from the ocean would caress your face, your hands, your skin - it kept you grounded just enough, so you wouldn’t forget you were still on planet Earth. Your eyes would remain glued to the deep lavender, cobalt blue, and midnight black. They would search the crystalline sprinkles above for familiar shapes, and then shapes you wished to know. You hunted for far off moons or tails of the galaxy and hidden planets you longed to see with your own bright eyes. You imagined what, or who, could be residing in the eerily empty spaces between the glitter in the sky.

Arthur Curry loved that about you.

It was ironic, he thought - his own head was usually down underwater, lost in the darkness below. Yours was tilted up and up and up to see where no human had gone before.

In the middle of your impromptu star-gazing session, soft footfalls on the dock began to bring your mind back down to your own rock in the cosmos. A nudge to your calf brought wandering eyes back down to land.

“Want to go for a drive, Stephen Hawking?”

You smiled at the sky; a grin that could put ethereal moonlight to shame.

“Always,” barely made it past your lips before you were hauled to your feet and into the arms of the Aquaman himself. He pulled you close for a moment, before he took your hand and guided you to the truck idling at the edge of the docks. You tilted your head back one last time; trusted Arthur to catch you if you were about to bite the dust.

You tripped over a rock.

He laughed. You shoved him.

||

This is what peace feels like.

It was the lone thought that thrummed through your entire being.

Brisk night air stained with the brine of the sea ripped through the open windows - a welcome comfort, just like the hand the meta-human had rested on your thigh with his other on the wheel.

“This never gets old,” your voice was quiet, but your eyes were alert. Clear. Drinking in the New England coastline, the rise and fall of the Atlantic Ocean in the distance. The moonlight illuminated cresting waves and seafoam that kissed the shore. Cliffs from far up the road looked deadly and beautiful in the deep hours of the night, and you never tired of driving these winding paths. The hills in front of you, the depth-less, unforgiving sea to your right, and the man you loved keeping you close while he drove on your left.

“Nothing is, with you.”

You barely heard him over the howl of the wind in your ears, or the explosion of the waves rushing each other over and over and over. A small smile blossomed on your lips.

“We’re being so soft I want to punch us in the face.”

Arthur’s laughter roared louder than any crack of thunder you had ever heard.

The king of Atlantis was inclined to agree with you.

Your fingers mindlessly traced exposed tattoos of the arm in your lap the rest of the drive, more preoccupied with the movement than the silence that filled the air until you returned to the lighthouse. The quiet was nice. It was soothing. It was rare, spending time with Arthur like this; even more so now that he had a whole other world to look after. A whole other kingdom to live in and govern and protect.

You accepted his decision long ago, reassured him you would be fine, because you would, and you were. He had your unyielding support both while he was away, and while he was with you.

It made you love him more, even, for refusing to pull the age old cowardice bullshit: “I can’t give you the attention you deserve anymore, so I’m breaking up with you, sorry.”

No - that was far from Arthur Curry’s style.

There was no walking on razor sharp eggshells around the subject, no hiding behind false truths and white lies about your truest thoughts and feelings, no internalizing or projecting your worst fears and horrifying nightmares that suddenly became real because he was leaving and he was fulfilling his destiny and you were staying here, on the surface, without him.

And yet - neither of you questioned this was how it had to be. How you wanted it to be, even just a little. He wanted to be there for his people, and you wanted him to stop running from his responsibilities, to embrace who he truly was. So you wanted this, for him, even though you missed him more than the sun missed the moon and the constellations missed their previous lives on the Earth. You knew he felt the very same way.

The truck eventually crept to a stop. The full moon shone snow-white rays through the windshield, making your bodies glow in the radiant light. It was enough to convince Arthur that maybe angels were real, and he had been with one all along.

It was enough to convince you that instead of Poseidon incarnate, Arthur could rival that of Apollon, God of Light.

“It’s almost time,” he said into the quiet, breaking the hushed spell you both had fallen under. His eyes were trained on the monumental expanse of the ocean now. Serene urgency laced with his voice, but he hadn’t moved to untangle himself from you, hadn’t moved except to press a kiss into your lips slow and grounding.

You moved instead, when you broke apart.

“Then why don’t we get out of this truck so you can kiss me goodbye properly?” you teased. The process of leaving had begun once more.

He stood by your side under the starlight, who broke the darkness with it’s poetry.

Arthur took your face in his hands and kissed you so fiercely you felt like the world was about to burn into nothing. It was a kiss that could end wars and bring hurricanes crashing down to land. It was a kiss that stole your breath, stopped your heart and rose the dead from their graves, the kind of kiss that restarted the cycle of life after death. It was a kiss that spoke so many words, so many phrases and spoke of feelings that were deep enough no words in any language existed for them yet. It was a kiss that made the mere mention of happiness seem like a figment of your imagination, because there was no way happiness could compare to what you were feeling in that one moment.

You felt it in your bones, felt it melt your bones.

All with the sea as your witness.

You pulled away breathless, not remembering what oxygen felt like or how you were supposed to breathe. The only anchor to this world was the gentle spray of the ocean on your skin, the light embrace of a salt breeze that felt like it was breathing for you, instead of on you. The cool tendrils of darkness and contentment kissed your spine, and you shivered just for a second.

This was peace, you realized.

This was peace and it was always only temporary, but in those last moments before Arthur told you he loved you more than Atlantis and the Surface and more than the sea combined –

Before you watched the dark waters swallow him whole again, you acted on those feelings. You followed your gut and threw yourself into the icy waters before he ever had the chance.

(Metaphorically, of course.)

“Marry me,” it flew past your lips so effortlessly, so fast - your hands were still lost in Arthur’s hair and neither of you had the chance to catch your breath.

A beat of silence.

And another.

It sunk in for both of you at the same time, what you just asked.

The shit-eating grin that moved mountains in your stomach graced his lips in a heartbeat.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

[qryptidqueen]

The Saga of the Aquababy

Aquaman - everyone's least favorite technicolor fishstick with a Justice League membership card. Long seen as a seahorse-riding laughingstock, DC once tried to rectify this opinion by giving the King of Atlantis a kid. And killing him off before he would even be able to see his dad's movie alone. This is the story of Aquababy. Ignore how hard that name sucks for a moment and look at how fucking adorable he is.

Arthur Curry Jr. was born in Aquaman Vol. 1 #23 after a hereditary disease running in Aquaman's family almost killed his mother, Mera. Aquaman and Aqualad (sadly not the cool gay one) were able to procure Mera an antidote, and this antidote gave Aquababy the ability to create new life and fire energy beams strong enough to crack Atlantis's dome from his tiny cherubic hands. In #25, he would be aged into a teenage Aquaboy by an "an ancient wizard, his daughter, and a four-armed warrior from Genghis Khan's time", all of whom are drawn with the racial insensitivity of the 1960s, but they changed him back nineteen pages later.

In the next issue, Mera and Aquaman are trapped by a scientist and the five issue old infant is temporarily made ruler of Atlantis.

The smol child appears dozens more times, being kidnapped by Black Manta (remember this one), almost being impaled by one of Aquaman's damned seahorse steeds, being kidnapped by a mutant shark man, and being kidnapped by Aquaman's pet octopus. DC learned that apparently stories where a toddler gets either kidnapped or almost murdered by marine life did really well, so they took the logical next step, which brings us to Adventure Comics #452: Dark Destiny, Deadly Dreams.

Black Manta is a dick. He captures Aqualad and reveals that he telepathically controlled Topo, who as you may remember captured Aquababy. Manta gives a Killmonger speech, stating his aspirations to make his gang of African-American mercenaries "masters below", before forcing Aquaman and Aqualad to fight to the death in order to save Aquababy, who is in a glass sphere filled with air. Atlanteans will suffocate without water, by the way. Aquaman goes all in and beats the shit out of his protege before realizing he can still control Topo. He has the octopus attack Manta and throws his trident at the sphere. The king's actions come too late, however, and the baby is dead. DC asphyxiated a baby. Aquaman attempts to chase after Manta, but Aqualad is pissed that his mentor tried to kill him and stays behind. Later, Aquaman tells Mera that their child is dead, and Mera promptly divorces him.

Aquababy's death wasn't the first dark time in Aquaman comics, and it certainly wasn't the last, but it dramatically changed the character's landscape going forward. There was less of Mera, Aqualad eventually struck out on his own as the Tempest, and Black Manta was cemented as the king's arch nemesis. It jumpstarted the main Aquaman series and paved the way for more mature storylines, including the eventual rehabilitation of Aquaman's image. If you too are an Aqua-fan (god forgive me for typing that), I highly recommend the storyline, and DC recently published a collected edition. I also recommend maybe giving me a follow so I can continue to spread my love for ridiculous comic book stories.

[puppetmaster13u]

 *Vibrating*

So with Jarro (Legally “Jarrod” but no one bats an eye at the nickname, it’s Gotham) I was thinking like, what if the curse took an opposite effect-but-not? Like he goes from psychic starfish that can shift and change his size to similar to some sort of unholy starfish merfolk-taur thing? Like if the others look like uncanny valley eldritch things to atlanteans, then he looks like the deep sea edition. (Like Mandella Catalog Alternate vibes almost. No mouth on the face- a single eye but not in the center of the face, twitching/twisting in ways bones shouldn’t move, etc) 

 Honestly Damian being humane with any meat he has to eat for obligatory carnivore reasons is definitely right. Might even just stick to blood if he can. (Though obligatory carnivores for all of Gotham is… interesting, especially for the vibes they give off) 

 PFFT, real conversation Bruce had with Ollie some time after he learned he was cursed: “You know, you have like, perfectly mirrored freckles Bruce, you draw them on or something, lol” “...Those aren’t freckles Ollie, those are my electroreceptors. They don’t go away.” “Your. What-” 

LMAO Not Bruce putting Aquaman’s villain brother in one of the Batcave Aquariums! Probably half for kids’ terrorizing reasons and half because Gotham Water is Poisonous and Deadly as fuck if you aren’t used to it. Also, hilarious image of Bruce handing him over like a scruffed cat and it’s not until later the people who witness this realize he carried a grown ass atlantean with one hand. (He works out not for vigilante work, but so he can always carry his babies. All of them. At once. Even 200+lb Jason.) 

 Kate is canonically a lesbian, which good for her! Honestly I agree with most of those lol. 

If Bruce isn’t wearing a domino under his cowl just to cause psychic damage at those who thought they were going to see his face, he’d be missing out. He’s hiding his tiny smirk at GL and Flash’s exasperated shouting before it goes silent when he takes off the shirt. 

 Someone asking Bruce how many kids he has: Bruce, counting on his fingers and quickly running out: “Well there’s Dick of course, my eldest. There’s my twins Cass and Jason, Cass is older, she wants everyone to know. Stephanie and Tim who I am co-parenting with their respective parents with. Duke whose paperwork went through just this last week.” (“Um, do I count Barbara? Not like legally or anything but she spends the weeks the Commissioner is working at the Manor and I have a college fund for her and-”) "My two current foster kids Harper and Cullen. Oh and Carrie who we're still working on the paperwork for!" “Damian, who was my youngest for a while. Helena of course, she’s growing so big and strong. Alina, who I recently found out about, she’s so cute! Jarro, everyone knows him, he was the next youngest- I also have Terry and Matt now! They’re so small, I love them so much! And well, we don’t know the new baby’s gender yet, it’s going to be a surprise!” “So that’s… 17 or 18? Who knows, I might find another surprise baby haha-” 

 Oh my you’re so right about breastmilk (& probably the local formula) being different. I bet Terry & Matt are like, immuno-compromised almost. Like needs the Gotham vaccines stat because they didn’t get it naturally. Oh the poor Suicide Squad team lmao. There’s a giant eldritch sea abomination tilting the entire boat, it’s raining, the waters are choppy as fuck, it’s dark but they can see flashes of glow below the water from more creatures- And here comes Harley Quinn calm as can be walking across the deck (And is it just them or is she looking… Other as the water trails down her skin and hair) with the pair of infants. This girl went to school with Bruce- she’s seen his embarrassing baby photos and pictures of when he was a kid from going over to the manor! She’s his kids’ aunt Harley once she’s gotten (to Gotham’s standard at least) sane and healthy! She has seen Damian’s baby photos, and constantly visits tiny baby Helena! If these aren’t Bruce’s she’d eat her mallet! And you know like, someone tries to stop her, only to get launched into the water themself (Oh my god I bet this was a Harley rescue mission before they started hearing the crying pups) by an agitated Bat. Wheeze, Harley the moment Tim or Barbara or whoever informs her they’ve disabled the bomb in her neck/head just gives a salute & flops backwards into the water lmao. 

Bruce has so many bandages on his hands from holding the hungry babies and carrying them back to the Bat Tunnels lol. His teammates are definitely concerned when he comes in for the next meeting with those & he just tells them it’s not important. They are oblivious to the many, many chunks taken out from his arms. 

I am once more thinking about foods in Gotham. Blame being hungry and not being allowed to eat before a blood draw lol. Specifically thinking of like, there’s definitely like kids meals and such in restaurants that are an, ease your way into poison sort of thing. Stuff that might cause a bit of tingling or similar but isn’t truly like, deadly if a pup doesn’t have the poison tolerance yet. Or they might just find some poisons not to their liking. But oh my god, ice cream flavors in Gotham. (Freeze has an ice cream brand that everyone knows he uses to help fund his research, it’s another Open Secret in Gotham) You have your usual ones and your tea ones, but then you have the weird ones. There’s normal weird like Balsamic Strawberry or Lavender Ube or Cereal Milk (practically kept afloat as a flavor by Dick’s cereal addiction alone lol) but then there’s the Gotham flavors. Sweet Lobster, with varying types of poisonous berry swirls, Belladona’s Dream, nightshade ice cream of multiple nightshade plants & a dash of honey, Rosewater Hemlock, etc Not to mention! Places like Batburger that have Bat & Rogue themed foods. Now that is the shit that gets crazy. Like the Waffle Place that Spoiler adores and where you can ask to put older versions of stuff like Fear Gas that people have built up tolerance for in your Scarecrow chicken waffle. 

 Oh my gosh the reverse-drowning situation yeassss! It’s almost like Gotham has sunk Its claws into each who have offered themselves up in calling it home, a way to always drag them back. Because you don’t leave your home behind, do you? You may go out, but you always return to it. Magic users can tell the Bats are cursed, but hey everyone has known Gotham is cursed for years. (If they had actually investigated they’d have been horrified and fascinated how much a new curse melded with the ancient ones, shifting the entire city in a way that shouldn’t be possible yet has happened anyway) 

@puppetmaster13u

It was getting too long so...

Okay this was VERY long but I love it all. So much food, and very much alive when possible. And yeah they're very much venomous.

... oh gods you're making me hungry for food that isn't even safe even if it existed 😂

Also, I feel like Ivy's plants would, ah, sometimes move if they don't like where they're currently planted. If your neighbor is taking better care of your flowers then you might wake up and see them over there, you just learn to deal. 😅

Ooooo I love that. And I feel like, to Aquaman, it would be like speaking in Pig Latin + Esperanto mixed with the heaviest Scottish accent ever. He can tell it's words, but he can't really understand it.

Also, Bruce singing lullabies to the kids, just imagine. Jason or Dick or anyone shows up having a panic attack and Bruce starts calming them down. First in English, then aquatic, and slowly morphing into a lullaby.

Oh definitely, those other heroes will be struggling. Almost feel bad for them.

The medical professionals must be paid well, and Gotham University probably ends up with a very heavy metal degree that most people might assume is for vets not human doctors. 😂

Oh my gods Helena yes. Poor Supes, and I love the JL freaking out. Also, her bottle HAS to be a little pink, because of the blood that's probably in it. Also, I imagine they're born with weak venom, and drinking their parents' blood lets them process and produce stronger toxins.

I bet Dick and the other kids probably have the same weird food habits and their teammates aren't really sure what they're supposed to do. Sometimes Tim will fall asleep in the middle of lunch and whoever is in the same room will get to see his lunch run away. Probably a bit unnerving. 🤣

I like the idea they might do them for 'major holidays'. Not on the holiday, because Calendar Man (on the holidays is Gotham only, they fully expect him to show up, he's practically invited without saying anything outright), and that's the Outsider Galas. Not just one a year, but not like 20 of em either.

And yeah, aside from runaway food, Tim is pretty good with outsiders. He probably wouldn't eat 'normal' (normal for Gotham anyway) around his team if he didn't trust em or something either. This is probably another reason Bruce made him CEO. 😅

Yesss uncanny valley please. Everyone is freaking out internally, and yet at the same time they can tell they're safe... for now. Servers doing their job, and Gothamites not revealing anything, unless someone does something wrong.

Yesss the rogues. Honestly I just want an AU where the rogues are basically family.

||=====||=====||

"Oh yeah that's aunts Harley and Ivy, they can be fun but don't drink the wine."

Then (controversial I know but also heavily depends on the AU)

"That's Uncle J, we're on tense terms with him but he's got the best drinks if you don't mind letting a bit."

Maybe

"There's not-dad Harv-"

"he's Uncle T right now-"

"-that's Uncle T, don't gamble with him or ask about his coin collection unless you want to stay a while."

Or

"Don't mind Uncle Cobbles, he's a little competitive with B about their family histories, but other than that and birds he's pretty calm."

Even

"Yeah don't mind Uncle John, he's probably more nervous than you are, doing spook him and you'll be fine."

||=====||=====||

Yesss so many photos.

Also, there's two wedding photos. One he shows to outsiders, the other is up at the major as a painting and is the same wedding photo but underwater.

... Ras don't bother your son-in-law's friends please, they have enough on their plate. Seriously, stop. 😂😅

Bruce probably confuses everyone even more by knowing the assassins.

Oooo yes. Sharks, aquariums, oh my. I love all the animals you mentioned too.

... so I randomly looked up 'Victorian modern punk' because why not and...

This was the top result.

[propheticpotato42]

So I love Aquaman, aquaman objectively rules. Now I haven’t read many of the comics and I only watched the movie half paying attention on a bus but I’m still correct. So the reason why aquaman is the best is that out of all the mainline dc heroes he is one of the goofiest. Like he’s the king of Atlantis which is already kinda goofy and than he talks to fish. Like yes that is a pretty good power but it’s also funny. And this leads to the two platonically ideal Aquamans both of which are exquisite:

Firstly you have the classical 1930s-1950s archetype superhero, imagine Batman The Brave and the Bold Aquaman. He has a bellowing voice, doesn’t curse, is always in a chipper mood. He seems to be doing all of this superhero stuff out of a sense of chivalric honor. He fights villains who wish to do harm to the great natural habitat which he has sworn to protect, and he will. He is good to a fault, does the right thing because it is right and doesn’t need more of a reason. He considers most people to be friends and wants to help. He comes straight out of 1940s movie about knights and it’s great. And because it’s the modern age he did an educational rap about eating your fruits and veggies that’s incredibly cringe it’s endearing. He works great as a foil to a more brooding character like Batman because he’s having a good time.

If that isn’t your style you have the chill laid back surfer aquaman. This dude starts every morning with a surf and meditation on the beach, he is almost constantly chill and having a good time. This guy definitely smokes and doesn’t hide it. He seems really wise-in his own way-and when hanging out with the youth will dispense bits of wisdom that kind make sense. He’s a vegan who has a Turkey that was rescued from a slaughter house. He mediates on the beach and doesn’t own a tv. He’s chill and cool and pretty wholesome. He also works well as a foil to Batman or even Wonder Woman.

And here’s the important thing, both of these aquamen are not like chipper and chill in the face of impossible odds, no they rarely deal with that. In spite of popular conception Aquaman isn’t weak, he has super strength and near invulnerability. He can punch most opponents across a football field and doesn’t need to worry about bullets. And he can talk to fish, breath underwater, and in some iterations water bend and use water swords(YJA aqua lad does that so why shouldn’t Arthur?) and he is deadly with his trident. Aquaman is a force to be reckoned with while looking freaking ridiculous and acting kinda ridiculous. He doesn’t need to be serious because the situation rarely is for him. And to those of you saying that sometimes it is and that he faces real threats, yeah but that shouldn’t be the norm. So many superheroes are stuck in this constant high stakes battle against impossible odds that I think it would be refreshing to have a character who has the Sunday morning cartoon vibe of fighting a foe he will definitely defeat without too much hassle. It’s still have and suspenseful just not that serious and that’s good! Like aquaman is strong enough to defeat his foes and to have regular tough fights, but he isn’t Superman levels of strong where we get the angst of having to save everyone. It’s perfect. In conclusion aquaman rocks.

[willow-salix]

Isolation Island update.

Day 64 of Isolation on Tracy Island and John and I made a terrible mistake today. What mistake could you possibly have made, I hear you ask? Well, we made a serious error in judgement...OK , I’ll admit it, I made the error in judgement, if I don't correct that John will do it for me. I thought that it might be a fun idea to record Live from Five on the island for once and get the other boys involved. Yes, I know, I had a case of the dumb. I've been told it frequently over the last four hours.

“OK, we’re out, we’re done,” I sighed, never having been so relieved to have cut a feed. Usually we’re on our own up there and take the chance to have a few hours of quiet. Not this time. 

“That was fun,” Alan grinned.

“Not how I would have described it,” John muttered, getting up and heading to the kitchen for a drink.

“It was fun to answer questions,” Gordon added, ignoring the grump that was his brother.

“That wasn't all of them,” I replied. “There were some more, but I picked out some of the best ones.”

“What were the others?” Scott asked.

“Oh you know, boring things like favorite food, favorite subjects at school, that sort of thing.”

“Yep, boring,” Gordon yawned. “Nothing else?”

I handed him my tablet to have a look at. He scrolled through the questions that had been submitted.

“Boring...rubbish...not answering that...hey, why didn't you ask this one?”

“Which one?”

“This one,” he pointed.

“If you could be any superhero, who would you be?” I read over his shoulder. "Huh, I must have missed that one."

"Yeah, that's a great question. Who would I be?" 

“Well that’s easy, Gordo, you would be Aquaman,” Virgil answered promptly. “Powerful in the water.”

"Hell yeah, King of Atlantis, can talk to sea creatures. I'd love that."

“Virgil would be the Hulk,” Alan joined in. “Big and green and likes to smash things.”

“I would not!” He looked genuinely insulted by that. 

“No, you would be Superman,” Gordon told him. “Strong, dependable, always on the side of good.”

“That’s better. Ruggedly handsome too."

“Who would you be?” I asked Scott.

“I don’t know.”

“You’d be Captain America,” Alan told him. 

I thought about it for a second then nodded. “Yeah, you’re right, he’d make a great Captain America.”

“I would?”

“Sure you would!” Alan assured him.

“Yeah, think about it. Military guy, stands up for injustice, born leader, smart as anything, always got a plan, always gets the job done,” I told him, ticking off items on my fingers.

"You would definitely be Captain America," Kayo agreed. 

“Jeff would be Nick Fury, just done with everyones crap and needs a vacation.”

“I can very much agree with that,” Jeff muttered from his desk where he was trying to work, emphasis on the trying.

“Or Tony Stark, inventing things to save the world,” I pondered out loud. “You wanna be Iron Man, Jeff?”

“Do I get any cool gadgets?”

“You get a super suit!”

“That’ll do. Yes, I’ll be him then.”

“Who would I be?” Alan wanted to know, bouncing in his seat, excited to hear people's suggestions.

“Spiderman,” I answered without any hesitation. “Definitely Spidey. Cute, brave, funny, yep, that's you."

“Yeah,” he grinned. “I can dig that. I’d make a great spiderman.”

“Who would you be?” Scott asked me.

“Is there a superhero called Couch Potato girl? Because that's me.”

“I don’t think there is,” Scott laughed.

“I don't know then! There isn't that many to choose from that don’t have really depressing backstories. Maybe Catwoman? Or Scarlet Witch? No, she’s had a miserable time of it too. Batgirl? She’s not too bad, she just wants to help out and do some good.” I was stumped.

“Batgirl could work. Catwoman isn't really a hero, more of a villian,” Virgil mused.

“I’ve always had a soft spot for the villainous type though, I’ve always thought that most of them just had a bad day.”

They all cracked up laughing. 

“A bad day?” Scott howled. “That’s your reason? They had a bad day?”

“Well, yeah,” I shrugged. “Think about it, they get hit by radiation, they get sucked into their invention, someone throws them in acid. It’s just bad luck really.”

“Oh, no,” Gordon was actually crying, wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes. “You cannot excuse them like that.”

“Sure I can, I make excuses for you all the time.”

That set them off again, everyone laughing for a good minute before they pulled themselves together.

“Kayo would be Black Widow,” Gordon continued once he could breathe again. 

“Definitely,” I agreed. “She’s kickass, she's sassy and she takes no crap. Totally her."

"I can live with that," she nodded. "She's not a wuss and doesn't just wait around to be saved. She's deadly and a super spy too."

"So, what you're telling us is that you are actually Black Widow and you've been undercover this entire time?" Gordon joked. 

"Yes, I'm a deadly assassin, sleep with one eye open." 

"That's not creepy at all." 

“Would Grandma be Aunt May?” Alan asked. 

“Probably, she’s pretty cool.”

“Here’s the real question though, would you be Team Cap or Team Iron Man?” I asked.

“Obviously Team Cap,” Scott answered. “I can’t abandon myself.”

“Team Cap too,” Alan added.

“What’s all this about teams?” Jeff asked, apparently taking more notice of us than we had thought.

“Team Captain America or Team Iron Man,” Alan answered. “There was a time when the government tried to get all superheros to register with them and work for them rather than on their own. Captain America didn't believe in it, Iron Man did. It split the group.”

“Well, considering we’re currently sitting on a private island and part of a privately funded group that doesn't work for anyone but saves people on a daily basis, I'd have to be on Captain America's side."

"You'd leave your own team?" Virgil laughed. 

"If they were being idiots, sure."

That got us giggling again, Jeff was in one of his very best moods, slightly exasperated with a side of smartass. He was always good for a laugh then. 

"I'd be Team Cap too," Virgil added. 

"So would I," Gordon agreed. 

"Me too," I said. 

"So no one is Team Iron Man?" Kayo asked. 

"Are you? And bear in mind, we will all judge you on your answer," I warned her. 

"Team Cap all the way."

"What did I miss?" John asked, coming back with his iced coffee and handing me a can of cherry coke. Boy is so well trained. I blew him a kiss in thanks. 

"Where's mine?" Gordon asked. 

"Fridge, go get it yourself," John stepped over my legs and shoved Alan out of his seat. "Why are you on the floor?" 

"Because it's comfy." 

"The fridge is so far away," Gordon whined, lifting an arm and then letting it drop pathetically. "How comes she doesn't have to get her own?" 

"Because I actually like her, that and she made lunch."

I stuck my tongue out at Gordon and popped the tab, taking a satisfying sip. 

"So mean," he pouted. "I make food too."

"No, you just make a mess," I argued. 

"So, what were you all talking about," John asked. 

"Superheros," I answered leaning against his legs, using them as a back rest. "One of the questions we got sent was if you could be a superhero, who would you be."

"I'm Captain America."

"I'm Superman."

"Spiderman!"

"Iron guy."

"Iron man," Alan corrected.

"I'm thirsty," Gordon moaned, sneaking out a hand to steal my can. "And also Aqua Man."

"I'd be Black Widow."

"And who are you?" John asked me.

"I couldn't decide. I liked the villains too much," I swatted at Gordon's hand before it reached my drink.

"You're always awkward."

"It's both a blessing and a curse," I admitted, unable to deny it.

"John, who would you be?" Alan asked.

John thought about it for a moment or two then answered confidently.

"Batman."

"Seriously? Batman? Why would you want to be Batman?" Gordon asked, distracted from his attempted thievery.

"Probably because he's dark and brooding and likes to hide in his cave," Scott laughed.

John shook his head.

"Because you get the Batmobile?" Virgil guessed.

"Nope."

"Cool gadgets on your utility belt?" I offered.

"Nope."

"Then why?" Alan demanded to know.

"Because he's an only child."

[biggoonie]

AQUAMAN: DEADLY WATERS DELUXE EDITION HC

written by STEVE SKEATES art by JIM APARO cover by NICK CARDY In this new Silver Age collection, Ocean Master returns with a dire warning as aliens transport Aquaman to another realm! With Atlantis now without its protector, Black Manta strikes! And when Aquaman returns, he soon realizes that he and Manta are both victims of a larger scheme! Collects Aquaman #49-56 for the first time in a new deluxe edition. ON SALE 08.11.20 $39.99 US | 208 PAGES | 7.0625” x 10.875” FC | ISBN: 978-1-77950-294-0

[puppetmaster13u]

Tags by @choccochocco

And honestly I can see it now. An injured Aquaman (or even Atlantean in general, but I bet he tries to cut back potential injuries by forbidding most but the best warriors from approaching the literal poison waters full of unkowns) who is just a hint too close to Gotham.

And the creatures have never left those murky waters, even when corpses floated around. Perhaps he's even hoping to get into contact with Batman, his comm destroyed.

And then a shadow slips from the muck and watery fog, circling. It's too dark to see at first, simply a shape in the water- and then there comes another. And another. Some closer to his size yet still large enough he can feel the currents they create.

Bioluminescence and lures, the only warning of how venomous, how deadly each of these things are, glitter around him- a beautiful if deathly dance- And then he's out, out of the poison waters and back into the familiar sea, with creatures that he can take comfort in. Something big, big as a ship, neck too long, limbs too gnarled, face more teeth than flesh, tilts its head at him. And then with a flicker of scales and tendrils, they're all gone. Back into the waters that would kill anything not born in it.

Mermay Special Prompt 3

“Are you kidding? No one goes to Gotham, that place is like,” Aquaman made a motion with his hand, a not-quite grimace on his face. “Like things should not be living in the water, like it should be impossible, and things should be dead, but they aren’t and it’s like, like the equivalent of an undead apocalypse over there!” 

Bruce rolled his eyes behind his cowl, taking a sip of his coffee as the others continued drinking. Socialize, they said, it’ll be fine they said. Well excuse him, but the waters weren’t that bad. Sure there were always dumped bodies, and chemicals from the rogue attacks, but it was far worse at one point.

One thing he’ll always be relieved for is how the… curse (thank you broken statuette back in the beginning of his vigilante career that fused with the other many curses of Gotham) made the people of Gotham actually care about the waters around them. 

Though also, he couldn’t help but thank anything that might be listening for the fact that the curse only interacted with Gotham waters, because losing legs with any risk of a drop of water would be downright annoying. 

“No dude, you don’t understand, no one goes there for a reason! That shit is horrific- someone saw a big thing with bits of rebar stabbed straight through it and still chased after a big alligator-thing!” Oh. Oh that had been him. Oops. Hopefully his kids didn’t find out about this, but they were probably already on the cameras. Dammnit. 

[jtpreview-review]

Shazam! Review

It is clear that over the last couple of years, the DC Cinematic Universe has been slowly shedding its brooding and overblown image. Wonder Woman and Aquaman were the first signs of the DC-CU turning the ship out of gloomy waters; now the embarking toward a brighter horizon is full steam ahead. There will never be a full resolution to the stigma that superhero origin stories have now developed, but director David F. Sandberg and writer Henry Gayden present Shazam! with a sense of gleeful pleasure rather than with an aura of upmost importance.  The rules of today's comic book culture have been compromised, in favour of a presentation as such; a small scale story about overgrown children having supernatural fun in colourful, spandex costume.  

Sandberg immediately throws a curve-ball with the opener of a flashback to the 70s to see the origin of the film's villain Doctor Sivana. As a child, he fails the test of an inter-dimensional wizard (Djimon Hounsou), offering him the ancient powers of the ancient gods. Fast forward to the present day where Billy Batson (Asher Angel), a troublesome 14-year-old foster kid is offered the same prestige as Sivana. He responds to the wizards demand to grab his ancient staff as 'Gross'. He suddenly becomes a full-size man (played by Zachary Levi) with near invincibility, lightning strikes from his fingers, super-speed and flying capabilities; all while sporting a ridiculous white cape that resembles more of a hooded sport sweat-shirt hanging off his pumped-up shoulders. Billy's socially neurotic foster brother Freddie Freeman (Jack Dylan Grazer) and Billy begin experimenting with his hidden powers, making Billy a YouTube sensation in the process, and finding a kinship with one another. This is where the film finds its strongest spirit and beating heart, as well as many of its laugh-out-loud moments.

What is most surprising about Shazam!, and perhaps its greatest strength, is its youthfulness. When the filmmakers have been continuously pitching it to us as 'Superman' meets 'Big', and its overly cheerful and playful tone only affirms this. This approach is something that 2005's Fantastic Four attempted to assimilate, but did not have the nuanced approach or a richly funny script at their disposal. The only time the film falls back into normality is when it needs to be a superhero movie. Billy will need to collide with the now grown-up Dr. Sivana (Mark Strong), who has oversight of the seven of the seven-deadly sins. The climax of superhero habitual, with its staunch action and cheesy one-liners don't hold the film back but it is a notable change from the tightly-wound momentum up to this point. 

Shazam! zaps some bliss into much superhero litany, and is just the refresh we, and DC, have needed.

4/5