#archie is mr. justice

[smashpages]

Archie Is Mr. Justice #1 (Archie Comics, November 2024) variant cover by Matt Talbot

[jkparkin]

Archie Is Mr. Justice #2 (Archie Comics, January 2025) cover by Reiko Murakami

[graphicpolicy]

Archie is Riverdale's Newest Superhero this November!

Archie is Riverdale's Newest Superhero this November! #comics #comicbooks

[eleccy]

@nyaasogi got me thinking about kristoph's influence on apollo again

there's another very small possible parallel that i noticed.

during the turnabout corner investigation...

look what kristoph has in his cell... a tea set

could be nothing, but what if apollo developed his taste in expensive teas from kristoph. after investigations i bet they would drink tea together to relax!

and then later apollo can talk to edgeworth about teas i guess

[browsethestacks]

Before And After

Action Comics #01 (1938) / Archie Is Mr. Justice #01 (2024)

Art by Joe Schuster / Eric Talbot

[dirtyriver]

Archie is Mr. Justice #1 of 4, written by Tim Seeley, interior art by Mike Norton, covers by Reiko Murakami, Francesco Francavilla, and Matt Talbot.

[jugheads-choni]

OMFG????? A NEW ARCHIE SUPERHERO COMIC????? HIS NAME MR. JUSTICE????? WE FCKING WON!! AHHHH IM SO EXCITED FOR THIS!!! 🤩🥹💪

[weirdominate]

In this family-friendly misadventure, Archie develops a mildly irritating affectation, so all his friends and his school principal run him down and torture him for hours. (Archie, pencils by Harry Lucey, written by Frank Doyle; 1974.)

[long-live-astronerd-ghost-king]

DPXDC prompt. Family? Assemble!

Reporter: Gotham News, and we have a new supervillain on the line. Mr Phantom, what are your demands at the moment? Phantom with lack of sleep and with tears: I..I want a titanium model of a spaceship! And to get a good night’s sleep and to go to the local school…and some fudge and.. Reporter: Oh, my bad. Just one question for clarification, are you by any chance an orphan or are your parents villains? Phantom: I prefer the term mad scientists Reporter: Okay. So, Gotham news! And with me on the line is the new potential child of Wayne or Batman. Want to know how two serial adopters will share a child leading a double life? Stay with us and find out. Now let's check in with Jessie for our weather report. Phantom: Wait, what?

~~~~~

Danny spends the night running from the Red Hood with a bag of fudge, Red Robin with a pot of coffee, Batman with the adoption papers and, for some reason, Brucie Wayne with an idea of internship at a space station. Ha! The Justice League will never let a ghost into orbit. Not that Wayne can blackmail superheroes or smth. Danny: Fuck you all! I’m done with vigilante activity, I’m not your competitor! What do you want from me? And I’m done with crazy billionaires too. I swear, I’d rather be adopted by a local mob boss just to piss you off! ~Later~ Danny *sees peering out of the corner Matches Malone*: Are you kidding me?! Robbie *jumps off the roof and lands right behind Danny*: Stop running, lil brother, No one’s left the family yet. Minnie: What about Neal? Robbie *shakes a knife with a bow on the handle negatively*: He’s on sabbatical, that doesn’t count. Anyway, it’s a gift for you, cub. Danny: Um, thank you, but my lab scalpels are definitely sterile, and your blade was in who knows who before you brought it here. Robbie: It’s brand-new! And Archie decorated it with a ghost on the handle. Look! It's cute! With a smile and… Dick: Hands up! You’re under arrest for trying to steal our new member! Minnie: Why is he yours, damn cop? Selina: Boys, don’t fight. He’s mine. Schrodinger’s cat is still a kitten. Killer Croc: No way, my niece is staying with me. Danny: Uncle Waylon? Long time no see. Ra's: My grandson needs steady access to ectoplasm. Danyal, come with me. Danny: Over my dead body! Oh shiii…I mean no. Anyway, don’t you think the alley’s getting a little crowded?

~~~~

Killer Croc: Is he still mad at me? RR: Danny doesn’t talk to uncles who tried to eat his beloved brother Red Robin. Killer Croc: He wasn’t even your brother then. What do you want? An apology from me? RR: That would be nice.

~~~~

Danny: I didn’t think the GIW agents would really fear the reputation of Gotham and not follow me. What a relief! Jason *quickly throws the knife into the sink*: Wow, you got lucky. Alfred: Master Jones, why don’t you eat your steak? I thought last week you were complaining to Batman that 'cause of him you got not many prey. Croc *pulls a piece of white robe from the teeth*: Well, now there is a lot of it. Bruce *gives Jason and Croc the side-eye*.

~~~~

Ra's: You do realize that Malone, Wayne and Batman are the same person, right? Boy, you were born into a family of geniuses, don’t disappoint Grandpa. Danny: Triple pocket money, triple gifts for the holidays, the opportunity to complain about the same family member three times. No, Grandpa, I definitely don’t understand. Ra's: Smart little weasel.

~~~~

Selina: Okay. Purely theoretical. Do you like to steal? Danny: I wouldn’t say that. But somehow I stole the sword from the fright knight. And also stole few jewels but then I was under the mind control. I returned them. Well, the crown and ring of the king of the ghost zone I also took without permission. Oh, and the answers to the test once. And I’m really sorry about the last one. Neal: I feel the story behind it but I prefer to know nothing about it.

[masterhallmark]

You know, we all talk about how Maxie and Archie hate eachother...but do you know who else ORAS Maxie would despise?

Mr. "HuMaN sPiRiT iS bAd" Cyrus

In ORAS and Masters EX, Maxie firmly is all about humanity's accomplishments and spirit. He is very pro-human. In the latter game, he has a ton of quotes praising things like cities, technology, etc as proof of all the things humanity can accomplish.

"The beauty of city lights glimmering in the night is a triumph of human innovation and ingenuity."

"There is justice in fighting an old friend if it is to pursue your own ideologies."

"I'm the leader of Team Magma, an organization dedicated to finding paths upon which humanity may stride freely forward and evolve."

And then this whole monologue in Omega Ruby where he complimens the player's determination and believes people with strong spirits are the key to humanity's future:

"Hmm. Though you are but a child, your eyes tell me of your fierce determination. My heart is pounding in my chest... Yes, I think I can see why my lowly Grunts could not stand one minute against you. I am called Maxie. I stand as the head of Team Magma, a noble organization whose goal is to propel humanity to even greater heights of progress and evolution. Indeed. And you are one of the young persons who may shape our society's future. Considering that fact, I believe I shall educate you in the ways of the world. The land... It is the stage upon which humanity stands. The land exists so we humans might continue onward and upward, stepping into the future... For us to continue growing and evolving, humans require a grand stage upon which to stand. A land upon which we can stride forward... A land we can explore...develop...exploit... This is the basis for the growth of all human endeavor. That is why we, Team Magma, must increase the landmass of the world! Believe that this will lead to a future of eternal happiness for humanity... And consequently for all life!"

Now imagine him meeting Cyrus while Cyrus is ranting about how human spirit is bad, humans constantly screw up because of human spirit, people with strong wills are weak, and a world without human spirit would be better because humans are incomplete.

Maxie is throwing hands, setting Cyrus on fire, and possibly using this as an opportunity to show off the cool obsidian knife he made with an obsidian chunk he found by Mt Chimney....OK, maybe he wouldn't IMMEDIATELY resort to violence, but he WOULD decide Cyrus is Team Magma Enemy #1.

[phantomoftheorpheum]

y'all, I wrote this ridiculously long analysis of the first 2 eps of PLL: OS (Summer School), but it was too long so this is what you get instead.

*Spoilers for 1x01, 1x02, and the "Weeks Ahead" trailer

I see a lot of people suspicious that Christian may be related to (or good friends) with Chip, and I do understand where those theories are coming from. I personally think it's more likely that Christian will be an early suspect of the season. I think the girls will discover that Christian made the "Bloody Rose" mask/costume, and believe he is involved, but that we will find out that it was a commissioned work and he doesn't know the identity of the person who bought it (they might even use this to have him describe a character who came to pick up the mask/outfit, but intentionally make us think of someone else- like describing an older white lady and the show points us at Chip's mom, or Kelly's mom, or Dr. Sullivan, etc. depending on who they don't want us to suspect). Obviously this is conjecture and I could be totally off base, but that's my read on Christian. This is also not to suggest that I think he's 100% above board (I have some other theories about him), but this is where I am with him at this moment.

Female rage has always been a major theme of this reboot, and it feels particularly relevant, considering "Rose" is our scary person in a mask, so personally I really do hope the main person responsible (even if there are multiple people involved) this season is a woman. I think it just fits the theme of the show really well. That being said, I could be talked around to alternatives.

I can't stop considering how the Our Mother of Holy Grace church comes into play here. So, here's where that takes my brain. This church is led by Pastor Malachi. Interesting choice of names- Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament. It focuses on criticizing those who are not committed/faithful enough, and also criticizes those who question God's justice. We know that Rose Waters (the real Rose Waters) was incredibly religious, and that she wielded religion as a tool in her abuse of Angela and Archie. "Bloody Rose" wears a crown of thorns, an incredibly famous bit of religious imagery. The actual Rose Waters walked the path of "religious woman who failed her children (was abusive towards them & did not protect Angela from her "friends") and lost one to violence, then became violent with those she blamed for this." We have another character who could easily walk that same path- Mrs. Beasley is a religious woman who failed her children (Karen, dead. Kelly isolated & traumatized, neither protected from this sequence of events) and lost one to violence, then became violent with those she blamed for this (stabbed her husband). But there could be a lot more people than Tom Beasley on her "blame" list. Particularly if her feelings/grief around Karen have become tangled up in her religious devotion. That is to say that, so far, everyone who has died in this season (though the first few kills were Archie's) could easily be considered a "sinner" ("the guilty" from season 1, the teens in the cabin, Sandy "tempting" Greg), and "Bloody Rose" may see herself as meting out God's justice. But then... why the girls? Well, it sounds like they are getting "tests" this year, which, similar to last season, makes me think they are not kill targets (yet), that "Rose" is still deciding about them. Anyway, again, all conjecture/interpretation and I could be completely off base.

I think people are gonna hate to hear it, but- I think we might be getting a lot of Faran & Greg this season (I don't mean this romantically, though I don't think that's 100% out of the question, either). Greg's actor got his billing upgraded between seasons, which implies he'll have more screen time. I don't think the Henry/Faran relationship is long for this world (she's lying to him, he seems resentful that he chose to stay behind with her, she told Kelly she doesn't know what they have in common outside of dance, he ignored her when she asked him to let her handle things, they just aren't clicking), and I think Faran & Greg may end up (unwillingly) teamed up trying to figure out what's going on with Kelly & the church.

Random, but I think we might get a "secluded cabin in the woods" episode this season, since that's a big summer slasher trope and they reminded us right away that Imogen's dad has one of those.

I have 3 categories for characters (not including the main 5 girls), "actual suspects," "suspicious by default, but could go either way," and "keeping my eye on you." Here they are-

Actual Suspects - Mrs. Beasley, Mrs Beasley + Kelly, Mrs. Beasley + Pastor Malachi, Any combination of people from the church, Chip's Mom, Dr. Sullivan.

Suspicious By Default, But Could Go Either Way - Jen, Christian, Johnny, Coach Rhodes, Imogen's dad.

Keeping My Eye On You - Wes, Shawn, Ash, Henry

I think that's it for now. I'm sure I'm wrong about a lot of stuff, but it's the guessing that makes it fun imo.

[smashpages]

Archie Is Mr. Justice #1 (Archie Comics, November 2024) variant cover by Francesco Francavilla

[countrymusiclover]

5 - Definition of Justice

Princess Red Thief

Part 6

Tag list - just ask to be added @mystrey101 @melvia-ito @kmc1989 @tallrock35

Gold and Emma were inside the town police station while she uncovers a white sheet that was covering the objects that were sitting on the desk between them. "You're welcome. You were right – your men Moe and Jim ripped you off. It was all still at his place." Emma declared proudly.

"And the man himself?" Mr. Gold asked her.

She sat down in the chair behind the desk. "Closing in on him. Hey where's Eve. I'm used to seeing her always on your heels and this is the first time she's not been with you."

"You needn't worry, Ms. Swan. Ms. Royal may work for me but I don't need to know her whereabouts at any given moment. Although I am worried she hasn't informed me if she has opened the shop by now. She normally opens it for me around eight." Gold drew out his phone seeing no text from the girl he had a date with last night.

Emma tilted her head. "Does she know who Moe French and Jim Knight are?"

"She doesn't like to talk about Jim. Now let's back to the men themselves. You still don't have them in custody for stealing from me. So, job well 'half-done', then." He grumbled staring at his phone still seeing no response from Eve.

Emma was still confused at why he was so worried and annoyed. "In less than a day, I got everything back. Is something wrong?"

"You've recovered nothing. There's something missing." Gold scanned the desk seeing a bunch of things he could care less about yet he knew the safe was broken into inside his house keeping the one thing valuable to his heart ... .a gemstone ring.

"Sheriff Swan, I would like to report something." Archie's voice came through the phone so she put him on speaker on the desk phone.

"Go ahead, Archie." She responded to him.

Archie cleared his throat. "I am not really sure what happened...it was all so fast. But I saw this guy suddenly grab Eve off the street on her way to work and quickly take off with her somewhere. She didn't look like she wanted to go with him. ."

"Was he driving a white van?" Gold quickly asked.

The shrink answered him. "Yes, yes he did."

"Thanks for the information, Archie." Emma noticed that Gold was heading to leave the police station when she ended the call with the shrink. "I'll get it when I find him and Eve."

"Not if I find him first." Gold had his back turned to the blonde when his eyes darkened with the words leaving his lips knowing he would do whatever it took to find his girl.

Eve's pov

Rummaging around one of the rooms inside the dark one castle I was looking through the books that were filled to the brim around the room. Drawing out a book the ladder creaked before I heard Rumple's voice enter the room. "What are you doing?"

"I was just looking around. I expected that you didn't want to be interrupted while you were spinning straw." I answered his question by opening the book in my hands, seeing some random symbols inside of it, meaning it was some potion or something along those lines.

He made a noise moving his hands clasped behind his back. "That is a good thought."

"So what am I learning today?" I questioned him by putting the book back and jumping down from the ladder. My freehand reached up twirling the ring that I had on my right ring finger.

Rumplestilskin tilted his head to the side. "What have you got there?"

"Oh its my grandmother's wedding ring. She gave it to me before she passed away. If I'm lucky maybe one day I can have the man I love propse to me with it." I smiled sniffing through some tears that had welled in my eyes.

The dark one clicked his tongue. "So it is something precious to you?"

"Yes, it is." I replied to him.

Rumplestilskin crossed the room standing in front of me. His brown eyes focused on me with such intensity like he trying to read me for some information. "Have you told your parents recently? What we are doing together?"

"No I haven't. They just knew that I was talking with someone named Rumple." I sighed, still twirling the ring on my finger.

The dark one paused watching me. He had found himself wanting to get ro know the young witch in training. Little by little he had been pulling information from her. He reaches down taking my hand with the gemstone ring on it. "Perhaps you could introduce me to them."

"You want to meet my parents. Why?" Knitting my brows together I couldn't believe the words he just spoke.

Rumplestilskin nodded his head. "I'll make you a deal. You go and tell your parents to meet me. And afterwards I will tell you about my son that you asked about during our last lesson."

"I can do that." I agree squeezing his hand and rushing over to the main door and he watched me leave to find my parents back at our family castle.

A bag is yanked off my head where my hair got tousled in my face. It covered my vision until I blew it away seeing I was in a dark and old wooden cabin out in the middle of the town woods I had to assume from the looks of it. The cabin door creaked open where I could see a dark figure step inside. "Who the hell are you?" I spoke out the first words into the air.

The figure shut the door with their foot and stepping up where I could see their face in the moonlight coming from the window. "I would have thought you would still remember me after all this time, sweatheart."

"Dad, what are you doing to me. Let me go." I gasped seeing the familiar face of my father who I had left after my mother had left us in the middle of the night when he had disappeared for years. So the second I turned sixteen I ran on my own and managed to find work with Gold who didn't report me to the police.

My father Jim pulled out a chair in front of mine since my wrists and ankles were tied down with ropes. "I have been so worried about you. And now I find you working for that snake Mr. Gold through some hearsay by Moe French."

"He's not a snake. He's a better man than you are." I growled, turning my hands into fists at my sides. He had no right to judge him after he had abandoned me for years after my mother disappeared.

Jim got to his feet drawing out a piece of wood from the woods smacking me on my knees and I cried out through the pain. "I am your father and you have no right to talk to me that way."

"I didn't abandon my daughter after she learned her mother had died from a car crash." I sniffed through some tears.

My father got closer to me holding my throat in his hands beginning to choke me yet he didn't get the chance when someone yanked him backwards. Moving my eyes around the room I gasped seeing it was Gold who had kicked him to the ground and was now hitting him with his cane. "You are her father. You don't treat her that way."

"You've changed her, Gold. She's all I have left until you took her from me - ah!" Jim said until he got hit in the keg again.

Gold raised the cane about to hit him a third time till someone grabbed his wrist. "I didn't keep her prisoner. You wanted to take her from me but you're wife said she deserved love. This is your fault not hers."

"Stop...Eve are you okay?" Emma was behind him and took the cane from his hand coming over to undo the restraints on me.

Rubbing my knees that had gotten some beating I was sore but nothing felt broken which was a good sign. "Yeah I think so."

She had then called an ambulance that took my father to the hospital leaving me and Gold alone with her. I was leaning up against her car a few steps away from Gold when she came over to him. "So, I heard you managed not to break anything he needs. You're lucky, Mr. Gold."

Gold scoffed. "You got a funny definition of lucky."

"You have a funny definition of justice. What did he really do?" Emma asked but he didn't answer her. "That reaction was about more than taking a few trinkets. I get that you would be upset he abducted Eve but I just want to know did you do this for her or for some objects?"

"That is something I don't have to discuss with you. Eve, did he hurt you?" Gold takes a step towards me.

Shaking my head slightly I was still shaken up. "A little bit but i should be okay."

"Let's get you to the hospital just in case." He touched my shoulder until he felt Emma staring at us. "No. I'm sorry, Sheriff. I think you heard that wrong."

Emma crossed her arms. "You really don't want to cooperate?"

"Look, we're done here." He attempted to walk away with me.

Emma grabbed his forearm drawing her handcuffs from her belt. "Actually, we're not. You're under arrest."

The next morning I entered the Sheriff station seeing Emma walk out with Henry. Walking up to the pair I laid bail money in her hands. "Here that should be enough to let him out. So just let him go."

"Eve, he was beating your father last night. I...I have to ask why would you help him?" She pulled me away from her kid to have the conversation.

Shrugging my shoulders I didn't understand her question. "I just know I owe him everything I have. Please just let him go."

"Regina is inside talking with him. I'll let him out when we come back with ice cream." She responded leaving with her son while I entered the police station. Almost opening the door I paused hearing the conversation between him and the mayor. She sat sitting on the end of the coach from what I saw, peaking my head around the corner.

Gold sat down on the bench in the cell. "So, you did put him up to it, then."

"I merely suggested, that strong men take what they need." She answered.

Gold rolls his eyes. "Oh, yeah. And you told him just exactly what to take, didn't you? It wasn't bad enough that you had him kidnap Eve. You had to steal her jewelry too."

Regina put her hands together in her lap. "We used to know each other so well, Mr. Gold. Has it really come down to this?"

"What is it you want?" He sniped at her.

She lowered her voice to a much darker tone. "I want you, to answer one question. And answer it simply – what's your name?"

Mr. Gold answered her. "It's Mr. Gold."

"Your real name." She spoke again while I was racking my brain around what she wants from him.

Gold still wasn't answering her. "Every moment I've spent on this earth, that's been my name."

Regina tilted her head. "But what about moments spent elsewhere?"

"What are you asking me?" He shook his head confused.

The mayor threatened him snarky and I swore I could recognize the threatening voice from somewhere else. I just wasn't too positive on where exactly. "I think you know. If you want me to return what's yours – tell me your name."

"Rumpelstiltskin...Now give me what I want." Gold finally declared, making me gasp sharply covering my mouth when my back hit the corner wall behind me. My mind was spinning with one thought in mind that Henry was right all along that there was something off about this town.

Sucking in a shaky breath I willed myself to look into the room they still remained in. Regina reached into her pocket tossing a ring into Gold's hands that I saw him hold in between his thumb and index finger into the light. "You can dream all you want but she won't love you. Her parents won't ever allow you to be together if my curse is ever broken."

"I'm the one with the power around here, your majesty. You do your best to remember that. As for my relationship with Everly you have no business butting in around us. Things are changing around here dear. You just wait, I might just be getting my happy ending before you ever get your true revenge." The pawnshop owner made his voice deeper and his eyes went darker but he carefully cradled the gemstone ring in the center of his palm terrified it might just break one day.

Comments really appreciated ❤️

[kotoprotranslations]

EPISODE 7 LIGHT NOVEL Chapter 6-5 English Translation

“Very well... let us speak again.”

The next day found Owl and his companions face-to-face with an even more haggard-looking Fossanova in the director’s room. The young man was as well-groomed as ever, but the hollow cast to his eyes signaled that his mind was elsewhere.

“So much happened yesterday that I fear I wasn’t able to explain properly.” Fossanova directed everyone to the sofa, then walked up to the bookshelf in the corner of the room and picked up a picture frame. “I first asked Mr. Clemens here to investigate Daniel’s... the first body’s cause of death, as well as to search for two missing researchers.”

He walked back over to the couch and handed the picture frame to Owl. Elnora leaned over to peek as well. “Aww, how cute. You looked way different then,” she cooed, staring at the four smiling young students in frame. The one smack dab in the middle was clearly a younger Fossanova, shoulder-to-shoulder with the now-dead Daniel. Two other young men stood on either side of them.

“You wanted him to hunt down missing people?” Owl asked, notebook at the ready. “Not investigate the strange dead body?”

“Yes. The body with the protruding stone spires was only discovered after I’d already asked him about Daniel and the missing people.”

Owl turned to stare incredulously at Clemens. The priest shrugged a shoulder. “He’s right. Partway through our examination of Daniel’s body, lightning struck a mill on the grounds, which is where the second body was discovered. I knew at a glance that the new dead body was beyond my capabilities, so I called you in to help. I didn’t expect a third person to die, though.”

“Did Daniel have any connection to the two other deceased? Were they acquaintances, or... did someone bear a grudge against them...?”

As he spoke, Owl passed the photograph over to Clemens. He stared at it for a while with a nostalgic smile. “I would hope not, but I’m afraid I couldn’t say for sure. There are scores of people here, and no one wants their ties to other factions exposed. Besides, I was only here for a short while. I don’t exactly have the greatest grasp on everyone’s interpersonal relationships.”

“Yeah, makes sense... then I guess we’ll just have to go around and ask questions. You don’t have any suspects in mind, do you?”

“Suspects...? So you really do believe this was murder.”

“Did they look like accidents to you? You saw the scenes of the crimes yourself.”

Clemens hesitated. “... Well....”

Owl turned to Fossanova. “Did you ever hear about anyone possibly resenting Daniel for anything?”

“Of course not,” Fossanova immediately replied. “Daniel had a strong sense of justice. I can’t even fathom the idea of anyone bearing him any ill-will.”

Owl locked eyes with him. “Then did you notice anything bothering him, maybe?”

“Ah... that’s....” The color slowly drained from Fossanova’s face. His breathing turned shallow as his head drooped, brows creased as if in pain.

Clemens rose from the couch to sit by Fossanova instead, pressing an encouraging hand to his back. “Fossanova, the situation has become extremely grave. If there were any time to speak the truth, it would be now.”

“... Yes.” Still, Fossanova took a little more time to compose himself before he slowly raised his head and confessed, “To be honest... upon investigating, it would seem that the two missing researchers vanished shortly before Daniel’s body was discovered.”

“The two you wanted Clemens to look for?” Owl checked.

“Yes... the other two in the photo.” Fossanova nodded to the picture frame left lying on the sofa. “Archie and Oliver.”

“Ahh.” Owl picked it up again and took another look at the two students on the left and right sides. Everyone in the photo looked so earnest, their shoulders knocked together in a way that indicated how close they all were. A bookcase was visible behind them, and each of them held a single book in their arms – their favorites, most likely. They were clearly diligent students. It was, all told, a wonderful picture. “Have you asked the police to investigate yet?” Owl asked as he inspected the photo.

Fossanova shook his head. “I have not.”

“Why? If a person goes missing right when a body’s found, they’re obviously a person of interest. The police wouldn’t leave them be, they’d search high and low for them. It’d be quicker and easier to get them on the case than a detective or a priest... unless there’s some reason it’d be inconvenient to have them around?”

“No, it wouldn’t be inconvenient in the slightest,” Fossanova denied. “The only reason I didn’t call them is because this is a medical institute, no more and no less. We have many patients here and it would cause them undue stress to have the police coming and going throughout the facility.”

Owl raised his eyebrows. “Not because you just became the director and a massive incident like this would have major repercussions for your career going forward?” he bluntly pointed out.

Anger flashed across Fossanova’s face for a brief instant, but it quickly faded as he sat up and bowed stiffly. “... I will not hide the truth any longer. It is as you say, at least in part. I must safeguard my position no matter what occurs. However, that is not the only reason I haven’t informed the police. I’m convinced that Archie and Oliver are still somewhere in the institute.”

“You are? On what grounds?”

“I explained this to Mr. Clemens previously, but....” Fossanova’s eyes flicked briefly to Clemens before he pointed out the southern window. More specifically, though, he pointed to the gate visible beyond the window, a view afforded to him thanks to his room being on the upper floor of the bergfried. “You cannot leave the grounds without passing through the checkpoints. The only way in and out is through the single gate, and there are several inspection points set up as you pass through that require you to record your name and present identification. Yet there are no records indicating that either of them passed through those checkpoints.”

“... Inspection points, huh.” Owl stood up and moved to the window. The only entrance/exit was the lone gate. He scanned the grounds for any other possible infiltration or escape routes, but the entire fortress stood atop a cliff that made entering and leaving any other way impossible. They’d passed by business folks carrying the deceased’s possessions, but he also saw people carrying corpses through the gate when they’d normally keep those out of the public eye, so it was unlikely they had a hidden path anywhere, either.

“It’s rather easy to make it into the facility, but leaving is a chore,” Clemens explained. “Everyone is subjected to a thorough search ensuring they don’t bring any beneficial treatment or otherwise confidential information to the outside world. They’ll turn your underwear and soles of your shoes inside out, even. It’s easier if you’re with Director Fossanova, though.”

Elnora snickered. “Did they turn your underwear inside-out?”

Clemens winced. “They made me take it off,” he admitted.

Owl returned to the sofa. “... So you assume they’re still here,” he said to Fossanova. “Do you have any clue as to where they might be hidden?”

Fossanova shook his head again. “I’ve already searched everywhere I could think of, but there are many areas of the institute I don’t know about... so my search wasn’t exhaustive.”

“I did hear how people with one faction aren’t allowed to enter another faction’s territory, but surely you’re exempt from that as the director?”

“Alas, no, I’m not. I’m the head of the Lapertes faction, so any areas controlled by the Castille and Briars factions are....” Fossanova trailed off, then grimaced. “Well, no. If I were to give my reasons and press the issue, I could gain entry. But while we may be fractured, we’re all, at our cores, comrades in arms dedicated to making advancements in the medical field. As the director, I cannot cast doubt on my peers without conclusive proof.”

“So you’re saying there’s a chance Messrs. Archie and Oliver have been concealed in one of the other factions’ buildings,” Owl summarized.

“Rather than ‘a chance,’ I believe that’s the only option....  Archie was the leader of the Castille faction, and Oliver the Briars faction.”

“I see. So you called Clemens, a trusted, unaffiliated lecturer, to look into the areas you couldn’t reach.”

“Correct. And they both respected him as well. He’s well acquainted with the internal layout of the institute.”

Owl had up until then diligently been taking notes in his notebook, but here he paused and glanced up at Clemens. “Were you actually taking your teaching job seriously?” he questioned with a hint of awe.

Clemens raised a single eyebrow back. “... You’re well-aware of how I act as a tutor,” he pointed out. “Need I remind me who asked me to help Ellie with her studies?”

Owl shut his notebook. “I understand,” he told Fossanova, ignoring Clemens. “I’ll believe you that they haven’t left the premises, and I’ll start my investigation with the Castille and Briars sections of the institute. It seems like prioritizing finding the two who may have a hand in the murders is the better play, given that I’ve got my own person to find as well. I’ll save solving the mystery of the impossible corpses for after they’re found.” He slipped his notebook into his pocket. “Would it be possible to call up the students Dio Tis Tifnie and Samuel Hubert? I’d like to ask them to guide me around.”

“Dio and Samuel? The two at the chapel yesterday?” Fossanova blinked, bewildered. “Why those two, if I may ask? I didn’t intend to involve any students in this....”

“Of course. I won’t expose them to any danger while they’re with me. But in order to not stand out during my investigation, it would be best if I was with people my own age. They were courteous enough showed me around yesterday. Plus, if we’re looking for someone, it’s most efficient to split up.” He was about to add that he’d let it go if it interfered with their classes any, but he held his tongue and instead simply said, “Please.”

Fossanova looked rather like he wanted to say something, but he swallowed back whatever it was and shut his mouth. “... Very well. Please wait in the plaza.”

■■■■■■■■■■

“... I don’t think he was lying, but I do think he’s still hiding something,” Owl told Clemens as they headed for the plaza.

“I thought the same,” Clemens replied.

“Aside from how slow his investigation is going, there was one other thing that caught my interest.”

“What was it?”

“Don’t you think it’s too quiet?”

“Too quiet?” Clemens glanced around. The plaza wasn’t deserted; researchers and patients were strolling around, whiling away the time as they pleased, along with groups of chatting students and some children running around by the fountain. There was even some music playing from somewhere off in the distance. All told, a lively scene. He turned back to Owl with a raised eyebrow. “You think?”

“Yes,” Owl replied with an inscrutable cast to his face. “No one’s talking about what happened yesterday.”

“Ah.” Clemens blinked. He had a point. The body had caused a fair bit of a stir yesterday after it’d been found, but today no one was saying a word about it. He didn’t even hear any rumors floating around. No one seems frightened or even all that concerned about the possible contagious outbreak. The atmosphere in the plaza felt very “business as usual.” “You’re right... it’s very quiet.”

“Right? It’s like yesterday never happened. I don’t care how big the institute is, they found a dead body – you’d think that’d get some people talking, at least.”

“Perhaps they ordered everyone to not say anything?”

“Even so, everyone’s too cheerful. I’d be less concerned if they seemed even a little nervous, but this....”

They both might have thought it weird, but next to them, Elnora cocked her head and pointed out, “Yeah, but this is a hospital, right? Maybe they don’t think it’s abnormal having a body show up. There’s something way more important to focus on, anyway!”

“There is? What?!” Owl unconsciously leaned toward her. Was there something he missed?

“Yeah, those two students you namedropped!”

“Students?”

“The ones you said you wanted to show you around!”

Owl tilted his head. “... You mean Dio and Samuel?”

“Yeah! I know I’ve heard that Dio kid’s name before. Give me his full name again?”

“Dio Tis Tifnie?”

“That’s it! That’s his name!”

Owl arched a single brow, watching Elnora nearly almost tremble with... excitement? Agitation? Whatever the reason, he had no idea why a student’s name elicited such a reaction. Clemens seemed to be of a similar mind, because he said, “I’ll warn you right now, Elnora, he’s not with the American luxury jewelry brand.”

“Huh?”

“What?”

Clemens and Elnora blinked at each other. The former was absolutely convinced she was thinking about a famous jeweler’s company with the same name, but apparently that wasn’t the case. “... Clemens, you...” she started.

“Hm?”

“... Oh.” Elnora’s voice dropped to a mumble. “Right, I guess I never told you.”

“What are you talking about?” Clemens asked.

Elnora harrumphed, lip jutting out in a pout. “Nooothing.~ Ugh, you’re so boring.”

“You have plenty of jewels already, don’t you?”

She raised her chin. “Not that brand,” she shot back. She thought for a second, then brightened. “Ah, but maybe he’s related to the family somehow? It wouldn’t hurt to get in good with him, right? Hey Owl, introduce us.”

Before Owl could reply, a familiar voice spoke up from behind them. “S-Sorry, but I don’t have any relatives in America. I-I’m just the son of a backwoods doctor, so it’d be best if you didn’t get your hopes up. S-Sorry I’m so boring.”

Elnora yelped and whirled around at the sudden address. Dio and Samuel were standing there. The latter raised his hand in a tiny wave. “Hey, the director told us to come. You wanted to tour around again, right?” He peered at Clemens and Elnora from behind his long bangs. “Three of you today?”

Elnora recovered from the little surprise quickly. “Oh, hi, I’m El... um, I’m Anatra. You’re Samuel, and you’re Dio, right?” She strode up to examine them both, pressing her face so close to theirs they could probably hear her blinking. She hummed to herself. “You guys are both pretty rustic,” she told them. “You might want to think about doing something about those bangs and those glasses if you want to be popular.”

“Don’t be rude, Anatra,” Owl chided.

“Oh, sorry.” Elnora drew back with a titter, swaying back and forth with a dip of her head. “You both have such cute faces, I think it’s a shame to keep them hidden. Forgive me.”

“Ah, u-um, no, it’s fine.”

“I don’t mind.”

However, Elnora couldn’t leave it there. “Unless it’s on purpose?” she wondered aloud. Her head tilted to gaze meaningfully at them. “Maybe you’re not hiding your faces, you’re hiding... something else?”

Neither of them had any response for that.

Elnora giggled again. “Oh, come on, don’t look like that! I was joking! Funny, right? Everyone’s got one or two secrets, especially guys your age.” She poked them both in the chest above their hearts. “Ah, but you better go easy on the sweet stuff, okaaay?~” She twirled on her heel and started trotting away.

“Oi, E... Anatra, where’re you going?” Owl called.

“I’m going to go look for Jack,” she tossed over her shoulder. “I’ll ask the welcoming committee up front if I can see their list of names, so you do whatever you want, okay? See you later!~”

“Wha –?” Owl could only stand there, mouth agape, as Elnora sped off.

Clemens said, “Well, then, I’ll go take a look around the inpatient ward. They may be hiding among the patients,” before also heading off.

Owl scratched his head. Once again, those two were doing as they pleased. “Guess there’s no helping it,” he sighed.

“Ah!” Suddenly, Dio let out a flustered yelp and glanced this way and that in a tizzy, sending his long ponytail flying through the air. “W-Wait, did she find out that we’ve been bringing snacks into the chapel when there’s supposed to be no food or drink allowed? Wh-What do we do – no, no, I’m not eating anything in there, she’s mistaken! Ohh, this is bad, this is bad, if she tells the teachers our grades will be docked! This is why I said we shouldn’t be having that stuff in there! I-It’s all Meg’s fault...!”

Samuel patted Dio on the shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. I’ll tell the teachers you weren’t eating any if it comes to that.”

A new voice piped up, domineering and loud. “Oh, come on, like they’d really dock points for some measly sweets. You’re making a big deal over nothing.”

“Meg!”

A young student came racing up to them – Meg, the girl who’d been with Samuel and Dio yesterday. She scowled at the two as she approached. “You’re such a coward,” she told Dio haughtily. When she turned to face Owl, some of that ire lessened. “Hello. You’re the guy from the garden yesterday. Rossignol, the new student, right? These two told me.” She stuck out a hand. “My name’s Meg. I’m a senior pharmaceutics student. I heard you took a tour of the facility yesterday with these guys, right? I’ll tell you up front, you should join the Lapertes faction. You won’t be sorry.”

Owl, after a brief moment’s hesitation, took her hand and shook. “... Hello, Meg. I heard from Samuel and Dio that Lapertes is the biggest faction of them all.”

Meg narrowed her eyes. She shuffled closer to Owl, clinging to his arm and laying her head on his shoulder. “They’re right. You’re pretty cute – you’d be wasted on Castille or Briars. The sun fits you way better than a snake.”

“The sun?”

“Hey, do you want to hit up the cafeteria together? I want to hear more about you.”

Owl didn’t respond. The arm she had in a vice grip bumped against her chest... or, more specifically, she tugged it to her chest. When he realized what she was doing, making such blatant contact, he stared at her, eyes wide.

Meg’s eyelashes fluttered coquettishly when she noticed his attention. “Your eyes are such a lovely color,” she simpered. “What a beautiful shade of violet. I’d love to get a closer look.”

Most red-blooded young men his age would have their hearts fit to beat out of their chests when faced with such bold physical advances. Most. “... Are you... coming onto me?”

“Huh?”

Of all the ways Owl could’ve responded, that was what came out of his mouth. He was excited, but not because of how Meg was acting. No, he had the same gleeful look as a student who’d studied a very specific question before the test only to walk into the exam room and find that exact question on the test. He’d prepared for this. He’d learned all about bold women with certain intentions approaching him from the free-spirited nun known as Elnora. He didn’t think he’d run into another girl like her here, though...!

Unfortunately, he had yet to learn what to say to a woman like that in this situation.

“Isn’t your corset a little too tight? It’ll just give you anxiety if your body’s bound so tight like that. Are your internal organs functioning properly when they’re so constricted? No failures in your stomach or bowels?”

His response went far beyond the level of mere disrespect, delivering a counter punch so powerful it pulverized every last shred of interest she had in him. It was almost impressive, in a way.

“... Huh?”

For a moment, Meg simply stared at him, too dazed to do much else. However, twin spots of scarlet slowly began to rise in her cheeks as her eyebrows shot up, and she shoved Owl away and raised her right hand high.

“What’s with you, jerk!”

Not one second later, a resounding SMACK echoed throughout the plaza.

■■■■■■■■■■

“Hey, is the Castille faction’s research lab up ahead?” Owl asked.

He, Samuel, and Dio were walking through a section of single-story buildings all lined up in neat rows. A chemical odor hung thick in the air, and the walkways were so narrow they kept nearly bumping into people heading the other way.

“Mm... Mm-hmm, yeah... pff....”

“Because it seems to be pretty far along this narrow road,” Owl continued.

“Yeah... it is, pff-haha....”

“Samuel’s the only one who’s allowed to go inside, though, right? Would you mind waiting for us somewhere outside, Dio?”

“Yeah, yeah, he’ll do it... pff-hahaha....”

“... Would you stop laughing already?”

“Yeah, sorry, it’s just – hahaha...!”

Samuel finally lost the battle against himself and burst out laughing. Behind him, Owl scowled, a prominent red handprint still on full display on his pale cheek. The poor detective looked downright pathetic. Meg’s explosive rage had certainly left its mark. Samuel and Dio had stood there unmoving for a while after Meg stormed off, too stunned by the sudden turn of events, but now Samuel shook with unrelenting laughter. He’s been snickering to himself the whole long walk to the Castille faction’s research lab.

In contrast, Dio was nodding to himself admiringly. “I-It was rather satisfying. I’d thought that someone ought to get that aggressive viper of a woman to fold once, s-so I really respect your insensitivity. Wonderfully done. I-I learned a lot from it. I’ll have to try it later.”

“It’s just, pfft... no one really knew how to deal with her brand of selfishness. She’s got great grades, but she seduces the teachers, turns the male students into her servants, and bullies the more timid female students. But you – pff-haha – your complete lack of tact trumped even her strong personality...!” Samuel wheezed. “Ow – haha, Rossignol, you’re the best!”

“I don’t think those are compliments,” Owl deadpanned with a glare. They weren’t even trying to hide their glee.... “By the way, she mentioned something about being a ‘sun’ over a ‘snake’. The snake is referring to the symbols of the factions you want to join, Castille, and Briars, right?”

“That’s right,” Samuel confirmed, still grinning.

“But she referred to the faction she’s planning on joining, Lapertes, as the sun. Not a rose. Even though the Lapertes’ symbol is a wild rose,” Owl pointed out. Meaning she wasn’t referring to the symbol, but rather.... “The Lapertes faction must worship the god Apollo, then. That’s why there are bronze statues of him all over the place, right?”

“Yup. Since he’s not just the sun god, he’s also the god of healing.”

“So the snakes on the Castille and Briars crests must represent the god of medicine Asclepius?”

“Th-That’s correct! Since they split off from Lapertes, they took the symbol of his son Asclepius as their own. B-But it’d be confusing if they both had the same symbol, so they made them face opposite directions... i-it’s still confusing, though.” Dio barked out a short, strained laugh.

Asclepius... the same god hidden in the McCreech estate’s horoscope. According to Greek myth, he was an all-powerful doctor capable of even resurrecting the dead. The Rod of Asclepius had been adopted in many places as a symbol of medicine as a whole – one could find it almost anywhere.

“But doesn’t it cause misunderstandings, having two snakes?” Owl glanced between them both.

“Misunderstandings?” Samuel echoed.

“Because –”

Whatever Owl was going to say next got lost beneath the screaming.

“HEY! Someone! Anyone! Come quick!!”

The three turned toward the source of the panicked shouting just in time to see a bone-white man come staggering out of a side street and fall to the ground. He crawled on his hands and knees toward their group and screamed:

“Someone’s... someone’s dead...!!!”

Then his eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed in an unconscious heap.

■■■■■■■■■■

The second he saw the body, Owl couldn’t help but hiss, “Another one...!”

Another dead body.

What else could he even say?

And just like the previous two, grayish stone spires lanced this new corpse as well.

The body lay at the end of the side street, draped in the dim shadows cast by the Castille faction buildings all around it. An old, forgotten well stood in the center of the space right at the end, and there the body was, collapsed atop the well’s cover, lying on his side. Thick tree branch-like protrusions stuck out of his chest and stomach, the ends of which flickered and wavered like flame as if reacting to the faint beams of sunlight trickling through the gaps in the buildings, casting eerie shadows on the opposite wall.

“These are... torches...?” Owl wondered aloud. The way they flickered in the sunlight, the stone growths sure looked like a multitude of torches this time around.

He slowly approached the body and ran his hands over the dead man’s clothes. He had an inkling he might find a certain something on this man’s person....

“... Thought so.”

And he was proven correct when he stealthily pulled a glittering shard from the man’s pocket – another piece of the same mirror the other two bodies had. Inscribed on the back was another piece of the alchemical sigil.

“I wonder if this means more bodies are going to keep showing up until the mirror’s complete...?”

Was the killer playing around or something? Owl clicked his tongue.

He’d just finished putting the man’s pocket back to rights when Dio rushed up and stammered, “Rossignol, y-you’re not allowed to come in here! S-Samuel went to go get the director, s-so leave everything as-is until they get back!” It was only then that Dio’s eyes fell on the body. “O-Oh, oh my, another... oh, how horrible....”

Owl watched Dio shuffle closer to the body, fixated on the state of the poor corpse. “You probably shouldn’t look, Dio,” he warned. “It’s not the most pleasant sight.”

Dio furiously shook his head. “Absolutely not! I-It’s an intriguing sight! Please, let me examine the body as well! I-I am a doctor in the making, after all!”

“... If you say so.”

Dio joined him by the body and peered closely at where the stone jutted out of the flesh. “It appears as though the body has transformed into stone... how in the world did something like that happen...?” he mumbled to himself thoughtfully. His eyes slid to the body’s face, and he perked up. “Oh, it’s him.”

“You recognize him? Is he a classmate?”

“N-No, not a classmate, but I remember him. He skipped his prayer shifts a lot. H-He just became a research fellow this year, I think his name was... Aaron? I think – yeah, yes, th-this is Aaron Hughman. He didn’t have the best reputation. He felt like he would’ve fit better with the Lapertes faction than Castille.”

As Dio chattered on, something else diverted Owl’s attention. “It’s here, too....” There were words carved into the wooden lid of the old well. Familiar words.

“The third. Not here.”

Unfamiliar unease snaked along Owl’s spine. It was almost like....

Not here.

... So then, where?

The question taunted him as it echoed in his brain.

It called forth a memory of his childhood. Of his adoptive father Tristan’s voice.

“Owl, I’ve hidden a present for you somewhere in the manor. Go ahead and try and look for it. These codes will tell you where it is.”

Tristan handed Owl several encryptions. As per usual, each one was a difficult, nigh-unintelligible alchemical formula, and Tristan provided no other hints. The boy beat his head against the wall for days trying to decode the formulas, and when he finally thought he figured it out and raced to the designated spot, all he found was a single note:

“Disappointing! Not here!”

“It seems you put the pieces of the code in the wrong order at some point, hm? Well, nothing for it! Try and solve it again, from the top!”

That was how Tristan taught competitive young Owl: with challenges and games and pranks.

He’d been innocent back then. He’d loved those riddles back then....

“How long will this go on? And... where is ‘here,’ and what will we find there?”

But now, with an unknown something nipping at his heels at every turn, Owl turned his gaze skyward, to the clouds slowly gathering over the clear blue skies.

original written by Nagaya Kawaji here

[browsethestacks]

Archie Is Mr. Justice #01 (2024)

Art by Reiko Murakami, Francesco Francavilla And Eric Talbot

[ninjastormhawkkat]

Headlines and Perspectives - One shot

Dr. Two Brains blood chilled when he saw what was printed on the morning edition of the Fair City Times. Guilt, torment, and anger coursed through his body. How dare the called her that! Becky wasn't anything like that monster! It wasn't her fault that Miss Crimes was making her commit all that violence and bloodshed. Two Brains let out a sigh, releasing his anger as he noticed how his hands were beginning to crumple and tear up the newspaper. "Besides. The only reason she is dealing with all of this is because of me." Dr. Two Brains mumbled in a guilty tone. He knew this headline will only make people's fear of Miss Crimes even worse. He had to finish the cure quickly before it would be too late. Victor frowned as he silently read the newspaper. Unwanted memories were coming back as he gazed over the words and the information about Miss Crimes printed in the article. "So now you see why I need you on this case Agent Cutter." Margaret spoke in a serious tone to the man as they were both seated in her office at The Agency. Victor let out a sigh. He had done cases like this before, but things were different this time. "She is still a child ma'm." Victor responded, his face bearing an slightly anguished expression. Margaret Fuller's gazed at Victor with a sympathetic look despite still bearing a hardened and serious expression. "I know but we can't have her running around and killing innocent lives anymore. For now I want you to find out more information on Miss Crimes such as he origins, powers, and weaknesses. If there is a way to contain her then do it. If not..." Margaret paused. Victor just grimly nodded. She didn't have to finish that command. Victor knew if he couldn't capture Miss Crimes, then he would have to end her life. Darius smirked with intrigue as he sat in his office. The newspaper from one of his associates who was situated in Fair City looked very promising. He then pressed a button on a device with a speaker. "Miss Lears, please bring in the contact information of Dr. Calvin Barriton and Professor Athena Cartwright to my desk immediately." Darius commanded. "Right away Mr. Brewster." A voice responded. Darius smiled wickedly and went back to reading his paper. "It looks like B.E.A.W labs might get a new bioweapon soon, or some scientists might get a chance to test out their weapons on Miss Crimes. Whichever comes first." Darius mused to himself as he drank his coffee. Archie Webber had a fierce and determined expression as he packed his hero gear up. Dr. Arannae was ready and willing to bring this Miss Crimes to justice. She was going to pay for killing his best friend Jenkins and for crushing Joe's heart. The poor man had called Archie and through tears and anguish told him what happened to Dr. James Jenkins. How Jenkins' mangled remains were found in his lab along with destroyed equipment. Joe had also told him about what was printed in today's newspaper concerning Miss Crimes. "That girl's murderous crime spree ends now." Archie growled as he headed out the door with his gear in tow. His pet spider Fluffy safe at his mom's house. Archie didn't want to imagine what would happen if Miss Crimes got her fiendish claws on his sweet boy.

Fair City Times Headline

Miss Crimes: Fair City’s Next Maddrix the Malicious @melodythebunny @erraticeris