#because in the end she's not the real deal. she's just a hologram

[ailendolin]

So Chakotay spent ten years on his own (which is longer than Voyager was lost in the Delta Quadrant and, quite frankly, hurts to even think about).

Except he wasn't completely alone. He had Hologram Janeway with him.

There's no way these two didn't talk about Chakotay's feelings for the real Janeway at some point, right?

"I love her, you know? Have for years." He sounds resigned. "I know, Captain." A ghost of a smile. Sad. "Of course you do. You are so much like her - too much, perhaps. Sometimes, it hurts to look at you." She grabs her wrist and looks away. "I know. I'm sorry." His face softens. "It's not your fault." "And yet ..." Her voice falls to a whisper. "... I wish I could be who you need."

[thunderclaw100]

Favorite color:Bubblegum pink.

personalities:Determined,steady-minded,fair.

Cause of Death: Smoke inhalation.

Kaylee didn’t become tallest until after a long fight of convincing everyone that she’s capable of doing it. Most of her people say that females have no place in the military and are not fit to lead as tallest. Kaylee proved them wrong. To took the draft and went into the academy and trained her heart out.

Her superiors purposely made it harder for her and it sure made Kaylee feel the need to take a break at some point, but she kept going until she hit her final assessment test. She had to fight the commander, which she won after a few knock down from him. Kaylee graduated and went to stepping up her rank. She became a sergeant and made sure all of her lower rank soldiers are well taken care of. Kaylee had some concerns with the diversity of these irkens and then brought it up to her superiors.

They were later on dismissed. For the next twenty days, Kaylee has pushed for equality for all the different irkens out there. No matter if there are weird-looking or have a lack in height. She wanted something to change. She did take notice of her own height increase and thought this is a good sign for her to take the position as tallest. There was no refusal since the previous one has died and the citizens in the hive have to rely on the higher up in the capital for the time being. Even the military had to step in and take charge of the place.

Kaylee got her measurements and became the first female tallest in irken history. As her first order, she wants all the females to be given the opportunity to be drafted into the military. Have the same kinds of training the males take, and are able to move up a rank. Sexism will not be tolerated in her reign over the empire. Kaylee is the first to allow both male and female drones to work together instead of in their selective positions in life. Many females worship her even more than the men. The tallest given them something that they were unable to get. Over the next 400 years, Kaylee increased the hive’s building complex, added new training facilities and a network program.

News gone out that there is a female leading a hive and that spark controversy after hearing about it. The other hives won’t take Kylee seriously or even Borge to consider her a real tallest since all of her predecessors were male leaders and ruled in better ways than her. She tried to avoid dealing with the other hive leaders and their harsh words towards her. All her life she had to constantly prove herself to others what she is capable of. It all came down with the Kaylee fighting off enemy advances and showing the world that a female CAN be a leader if given the chance. She may not be the perfect one but she’ll do her best.

Tallest Kaylee’s reign ended with her being trapped in a building of fire, after a lab explosion happened. She managed to get herself out of there but later died from taking in too much smoke. She’s laid to rest just like the tallest before her. Many female drones cried because of this and feared things will end up going back the way they were before Kaylee’s rule. Fortunately that never happened. The tallest had secured her rule for her female’s future. There’s a digital tombstone that has Kaylee’s hologram image over it. Describing her life and accomplishments for her hive.

*EXTRA*

•Kaylee if the first tallest to ever shape the history of men and kept her rules in place.

•There was never a time where Kaylee wasn’t harassed by her male counterparts, even before becoming a tallest. They wanted to discredit her and make Kaylee look bad.

•She spent years trying to convince everyone she can be reliable and ready for anything.

•Her mother and father are both architects.

•Kaylee was named after her grandmother.

•Kaylee has strict parents.

•She has an allergic reaction to soy beans.

•Most of her staffs are female drones.

•Other hives wanted to get rid of her. They believe she is unfit to lead a hive on her own.

•Kaylee saw a male assaulting a female but when she told the authorities. No one believed her. It’s one of the many reasons why she took it seriously to get her fellow females help.

*DIALOGUE*

[pangolin-404]

hey ...... the wip snippet . i know i already requested one but what if i did another. imagine

Ultrakill | The Kamen Rider Crossover Nobody Asked For <- this one :3

[ask game] :3 woag

ohhh hhough this one . skeleton in my closet that rattles at me menacingly from time to time. there is a high likelihood this one will either never see written completion in a way I see fit, or I will try to draw something for it, because this is one of those ideas that is just. lurking in the back of my brain always but it's never a full beginning-middle-end plot. I think it deserves to be Seen, Eventually

very very little is written in the actual doc and what is written is probably going to be deleted and rewritten. need to find a balance between worldbuilding and actual story because it's from Gabriel's POV and that has weird holier-than-thou bureaucracy. BUT the jist is:

the Council serves as a very powerful organization that carefully picks and chooses who can be a Kamen Rider. it is treated as a highly esteemed position, and Gabriel is expected to never leave his Rider form (though it can exhaust him because they're. not convenient in daily life,) and always be ready to get sent out to deal with crime or patrolling. his identity is stripped from him, and he is not considered a person beyond a Kamen Rider, a vigilante-ish figure who does what he's told without question, a weapon.

V1 and V2 are artificial Kamen Riders built to surpass the power of the Council. I haven't fully settled on who made them, likely human scientists (could add a healthy flavor of robot-war-is-threatening-to-happen in this setting here). V1 is an escapee that was meant to be scrapped because it could not be controlled, and springs around causing mayhem. V2 was either released to destroy V1, or escaped also, although for budding-self-awareness reasons and not kill-all-humans reasons. V2 here is a lot pettier than canon V2 because its predecessor is pretty openly running around and it has self-esteem issues because instead of being too murderous, it's not murderous enough.

Gabriel is sent to destroy the weird threat skittering around, attacking not just humans and Council staff ("angels" are just,, lower-leveled Riders I suppose) but machines that it SHOULD share a common goal with, but it does not care who gets in the way of its bullets. He doesn't realize V1 is a machine and has a crisis about that, and he didn't know V2 existed until it shot in from nowhere to attack V1. overall Gabriel is having a terrible time questioning what it means to be a Kamen Rider etc etc. he has his little gay awakening when V1 beats him in a fight

Mirage is canon. I don't know HOW Mirage would be canon. maybe a hologram or an evil V1 that just. ended up an existential young woman. but she is canon. vital information

I feel like I need to do more tinkering with the setting, what role the prime souls and the ferryman might play, and make a nice and tidy checklist for plotpoints . the kamen rider formula was not built for being written out. this has been in my brain for a year so someday it will be real or else I think I will be cursed

bonus year-old discord WIPs that may or may not be familiar (looking at these is killing me, ). the only reason I am showing these is because the files are now lost so if I ever had to touch the OG comic idea again I'd be doing it from scratch so these might as well see some glimmer of daylight

[hitchell-mope]

(The Wedding Conversation)

Lucy: here.

Kara: what’s this?

Lucy: a cheque for 800 million dollars.

Kara: wow! Want me to give this to Alex and Kelly?

Lucy: no. I bought them a China tea set. The one in the catalogue that Kelly circled with orange felt-tip. The cheque is for you and Mon El.

Kara: yeah I think everyone got them the China tea set WHAT?!?! 800 MIL-800 million dollars? Where did you get it from?

Lucy: me. James. Alex and Kelly. Winn and Samantha. Cat and Carter. Clark and Lois. Thea Queen and her niece. Barry and Iris. Sara Lance. Actually Sara’s the reason why it’s a cheque. I didn’t know what year the money was from. For all I know she could’ve robbed a treasury during prohibition.

Kara: yeah she does that. But why?

Lucy: the boys are what? Six months old now? They’ll be walking soon. Flying soon. The loft is no place to raise your family. James and I found this great bungalow for you guys. It has three guest bedrooms. Four if the twins share until they’re older. En suite bathrooms. Walk in wardrobe in the master bedroom. Giant backyard you can cover in baby safe foam material. Plus. It’s still in National City. So you can still be Supergirl and Valor. You win. Everybody wins.

Kara: I can’t accept this.

Lucy: yes you can. Look, Kara. Fact of the matter is. We’re family.

Kara: we’re Space Balls. You’re my cousin’s sister in law. We’re virtually nothing to each other.

Lucy: and yet I still wanted to help you and your family. What does that tell you?

Kara: I’ve been an ass?

Lucy: only occasionally. Okay look. I know we don’t see eye to eye on everything. You prefer to talk things out before you start punching and I prefer to use brute force before talking.

Kara: yup.

Lucy: but we’re still family. And after what you’ve been through. You deserve this. Which brings me to my next point.

Kara: what?

Mon El: Cat just told me that your job is ready and waiting for you whenever we get back.

Kara: our honeymoon. I completely forgot.

Mon El: oh yes!

Lucy: we can move your stuff in. Alex and Winn know where you like to put everything. It’ll all be ready for you when you get back. Just send holograms of the chubby cheeks and vomitron.

Mon El: is Tony vomitron?

Lucy: does my hair still smell like milk and crackers?

Kara: yes.

Lucy: then yes. Tony’s vomitron.

Kara: thank you Lucy. Sincerely.

Lucy: it’s what I’m here for.

Mon El: how did you think this up though?

Lucy: well I have new memories of Clark and Lois dealing with their boys emerging powers. So I thought you’d need a house more equipped for new parents.

Kara: how’re we gonna spin it?

Mon El: hm?

Kara: the city depends on us. We can’t just leave them for a year.

Lucy: well I say fuck em. You’ve given six years of your life to this city. You’ve been tortured, hunted and almost killed multiple times. It will survive without you guys for twelve months. And between all of us at the DEO. The city’s in more than good hands.

Kara: it still doesn’t seem right to me. Kara Danvers can’t just disappear. Maybe we should release a state-

Lucy: please don’t. You don’t need more Lena’s blaming you for everything. Forget about Kara Danvers. Forget about Mike Danvers. Forget about Supergirl and Valor. Kara Zor El and Mon El need their say. Your real lives have had to be a secret for a long, long time. You more than deserve the chance to be yourselves.

(Kara still doesn’t seem convinced)

Mon El: hey. Honey. Look at me. What was our plan for when we got married?

Kara: go to Argo on our honeymoon and have a second wedding there.

Mon El: and what did Sarah Jane tell the Doctor at the end of Journey’s End?

Kara: “you have the biggest family on earth”.

Mon El: and your family encompasses planets and dimensions and, let’s face it, occasionally time periods. And your birth parents deserves to know their grandsons. Plus. I wanna get to know my in laws that aren’t Eliza, Alex and Kelly. But you can’t keep ignoring a whole entire half of yourself because you’re afraid of what others might think of you. That’s no way to live.

Kara: let’s do it.

Mon El: what? Really?

Kara: yes. Let’s go to Argo for a year. I mean not right away. We’re babysitting Esme for two weeks while Alex and Kelly are on their honeymoon. And we’ll have to release a statement as our Alter Egos saying we won’t be around for a while. But we’re going to Argo.

Mon El: YES!

(He picks up Kara and spins her around)

Esme: Uncle Mon. Aunt Nia’s asking for you.

Mon El: ooh it’s bouquet time.

Kara: what?

Mon El: I promised Nia I’d stop Andrea getting the bouquet.

Kara: oh she’s gonna hate you for that.

Mon El: I’m planning on it. C’mon!

Kara: WHAHOO!

(End of The Wedding Conversation)

[dragontamerno3]

DS9 S2E16 - Shadowplay

This episode was so sweet! I'm not sure if I'd say this is my favorite of Odo so far but its definitely one of the top five. I am a little unsure on how much "Odo is a real boy" that I can take, though, especially since we just did that whole deal with Data. It feels different enough that I'm not actually too bothered by it yet but it is sorta pulling my out of the story each time so we'll see if I get sick of it lol

I hadn't considered a whole society of holograms and the folks really took it extremely well, all things considered, but it was overall a nice episode, I think. Personally if someone said I was living in some kind of simulation or if I wasn't real I'd probably start walking around screaming "end program" to shut it down, but that's very much just a me thing.

Because of the weird acceptance and a few other things (Kira's investigation/hunt to stop Quark, Kiara's sex life, etc) that made the pacing on this episode to me. I mean, it was fine, I was engaging with it no issue but it did feel like it jumped around a bit.

On a side note: Bashir mentioning how Garak is teaching him spy stuff made me squee. The boyfriends are too cute.

Before the reveal of holograms, I kind of thought they were in some kind of city with an invisible barrier and the others had left. By force, by weird subconscious impulse, or completely voluntary, that part was uncertain, but I would not have guessed holograms.

Odo with Taya was adorable af and it started out so subtle. He seemed more or less indifferent towards her just like he is with most people and then she basically made him her best friend and he melted into the goo he is. It was super sweet. And I'm glad he shifted for her eventually. Even if she wasn't real, he grew attached.

In a way this episode kind of reminded me of the TNG episode where Data has been communicating with the alien child and he saves her from the erupting volcano planet but then has to wipe her memory of him. This time, though, Odo gets to keep his friend (that we'll probably never see again lol)

On the subplot side of things, I want to once again shout from the rooftops how good of a man and dad Benjamin Sisko is. He may have been pushing for Jake to get a job, which I find to be a little ick but experience is a great thing to have and a station like DS9 really can use all hands on deck sometimes, but he listens to his kid. Jake had every right to be nervous about admitting he didn't want to follow in his dads footsteps because life changing conversations like that are scary, but the way Sisko reacted? He didn't yell, his questions were all gentle and none of them were aggressive, leading, or accusatory, and it was clear that all of his attention was directed towards making sure Jake was happy. I love their relationship so much.

I also want to say Miles is a great dad/going to be a great dad when Molly is old enough for these kinds of conversations too. The way he helped Jake find the courage to talk to Sisko was sweet. And he was super patient with him while he learned a skill he knew next to nothing about.

All episodes should be character building but there are sometimes specific ones you can point to and show where the dynamics change and I think this is one of them.

7/10 - I was hesitant with this one but the character stuff was too good to mark any lower, I think

[nokingsonlyfooles]

We'll see...

We took a hiatus from streaming for a while, but we decided to head back to Netflix for a month. Mainly to see Nimona and whatever else fun. We found a new one from Mike Flanagan. The Fall of the House of Usher was waiting for us. That was fun. It clunks in some places, but it's fun.

Towards the end, I felt some of that unreal brain tingle I get sometimes - either because I'm slightly psychic, or I have some kinda undiagnosed transient seizures, or the universe is a hologram and on some level I know it. Eh, could be all three.

I'm a storyteller, so take it with a grain of salt, but I'll relate to you what I said to the spouse, more or less: "You know, when Verna offers Madeline the choice, rich or famous, and she picks rich... I'd say 'Neither.' I'd say, 'I've seen both of those and they suck. I want power. I want to make changes. I want to set wheels in motion that keep turning a hundred years after I'm in the ground, and when I'm gone, I don't want anyone to know I was even here.'"

History has enough great men, and great women, and great whatever, don't you think so, Random Reader?

"'And I don't care about positive or negative, bad or good...'"

His eyebrows went up.

"'No, I want Justice.'" And I said, "I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be here, unless I talked you into it. You would've picked something much simpler, if it was just you. Would you have let me make that deal?"

He said, "I think, if we were making deals, I'd want Peace..."

"Peace?" I said. "Peace is boring. Peace is Death. Peace is the nothingness before existence and the Universe itself said 'Fuck that shit.' You don't want Peace."

"I think," he said, "if you made that deal, I'd say, 'I want to be there to make sure it turns out better than you would've done it alone.'"

My eyebrows went up. "You're here to mitigate me?"

"Yeah."

We laughed, a little.

I said, "If I made that deal, we're going to lead interesting lives."

"Yeah," he said. "Yeah."

"I'm sowwy," I said, and he leaned over me and put his hands on my shoulders, warm. "Do you fowgive me?"

"Yes I do!" he said indulgently.

We laughed some more.

"You're Mr. 'I Want the Death Note,'" I said. He'd mentioned it just a few hours ago, regarding the characters in the series and others like them. "That's really all you want?"

"Look, I talk a big game!" he said.

I believe him. Heh. He's here to make sure I play nice, I guess.

Well, it's halftime for me, if I'm lucky. Maybe a little less than that for him, if he's lucky. I've been... Let's be delicate and say I've been Nerfed for a long time. I needed healthcare. I'm finally getting some. My vision's coming back after the surgery, and it's a little balky, but now that I'm out of glasses, my stupid eye has stopped wandering off and doubling my vision. Still healing and I dunno how it's gonna shake out, but for right now, it's just stopped. I'm getting other things addressed too. I have energy for more things, even if I can't quite draw or spend hours in front of a screen yet.

I don't want to build an empire out of corpses. I tell stories. I'm telling one real long one that probably also clunks in places, and needs a tune-up that it's never gonna get because I can't pay someone to help me and I'm not popular enough to be picking up volunteers. But I'm also not gonna have a corporation breathing down my neck and trying to make it look marketable. I've chosen freedom over marketability every time, and so far it's gotten me... Very, very few readers. Very few. Like, two, I'm pretty sure.

But I still care more about telling my story without limits than forcing it into a hamster wheel to power the capitalist machine. (Don't hold me to that, but while the spouse is making sure I get enough to eat and stay alive, it's a luxury I can afford.)

That's a mistake Mike Flanagan or Netflix or someone in the creative pipeline made. That's a place where The House of Usher clunks. They try to end their story by saying "Nobody cares about this story," but we care deeply about stories. And, no, of all the things we could cut back on, movies and TV - methods of storytelling - will not be defunded so we can use the money to change the world. Money won't change the world, not for the better. Stories might. If my big, long story ain't gonna do it, well, maybe it's practice for later. Or creative fodder for someone who comes after me.

The story continues, painfully, with grave doubts and insecurity, and my art manifesto is still pending. (I'll get back on it now that the super strike is ending, if my eyes and brain let me.) I don't know what else my fragile human body and mind will let me do. Or the spouse, come to think of it. Darn him.

New year's coming. New me, new priorities... In part, because someone told me a good story. I'd like to tell one too.

We'll see...

(Heh, I might as well pin this for my intro. This says way more about me than the happy, apologetic face I try to show the internet so you won't get mad and hurt me. I don't wanna hurt anyone, I really am sorry. But I guess, deep down, I'm willing to do it to be heard.)

[analyzingadventure]

Why did I refollow the official Twitter when I know I just end up seeing GG spoilers

Anyways catching up, episodes 52 to 56!

52, Mysterious Lake!

There’s something about the whole kids really trying to hide the Digimon and trying to convince people they’re holograms to the Digimon just walking around visible to everyone and all the people buy that they’re holograms with ease... Like something about this transition makes me sad

(Is it just that the kids having to put in effort every episode would get old and we get it by now so they’re intentionally trying to just smooth that out for the sake of convenience, or is writing around that “plotpoint” an inconvenience to the writers that they just don’t want to deal with anymore?)

(IDK it doesn’t matter really) anyways Ruri is getting dragged into the lake wheee)

He looks so sad when wet lmao

OH THE KAPPA BOSS IS VOICED BY HIROAKI HIRATA HELL YEAH

Man I miss the mid-episode analyzer bits, it’s more fun to get to know the Digimon during the episode rather than AFTER everything is said and done :(

Moisturized once again

“The factory promised this wouldn’t happen again” oh honey, you sweet little thing, you naïve baby

Yeah a kinda mediocre episode

53, King of Knowledge

Wait is this the episode with all four of Koushirou’s VAs

Oh yeah this is the episode, obviously we got Tamura Mutsumi (teen Koushirou in tri.+Kizuna) as Hiro and Kobayashi Yumiko (Psi Koushirou) as Espimon, BUT we ALSO got Takahiro Sakurai (adult Koushirou in 02) as “god of knowledge” (I know who it and yes that’s fun but we’ll get there), as well as the OG Koushirou herself Tenjin Umi as one of the spirit

I love that the staff saw the chance to just bring the Koushirou Levels to the Absolute Max (in a Kiyoshiro episode none the less) and fucking took it, thats fucking funny and great

Kiyo honey you have a problem...

Man this episode is horrifying but in like, a real way...

“You’ve been cheating on me” LMAO JELLYMON

LMAO THE WAY SHE WAS ATTACKING THE FUCKING BOOK

ALRIGHT BA’ALMON LET’S GOOO

LMAO RURI GOING FOR STUPID TRIVIA

HELL YEAH ICK BA’ALMON’S ASS, BEAT HIM AT HIS OWN GAME

THE TWO WERE REAL GHOSTS

HOLY SHIT THAT WAS SO CREEPY

UHHH YEAH GOOD EPISODE

54, Second Sight

God I am not jelly of Hiro’s vibe check ability, whoever the fuck is possessing hito give him that ability pls stop

Okay but Hiro got horns? That’s fucking cool bro, just like, get rid of the migraines and the foresight and Hiro will become Extremely Popular when he’s older

Fujitsumon?! THEY’RE FINALLY GETTING ACKNOWLEDGED AS THEIR OWN LITTLE DIGIMON?! HOLY SHIT HELL YEAH

Gammamon’s so worried about Hiro!!

Poor kiddo ;A;

I fucking love the set up of this episode, like this mess happened because of a Heated Gaming Moment and these two Octomon are absolute idiots. I fucking love this

Look at that mofo, lil shit does not have a single care in the world lmao

Angoramon pwease just carry Hiro in your big soft arms this baby boy is in so much pain ;__;

YEAH KICK ESPIMON’S ASS

Where are the Octomon why aren’t they helping?! Same for Clockmon, dude was helping out like five minutes ago why’d he bail out?!

OH JEEZ ESPIMON GOT LIKE COMPLETELY FUCKED THERE, GOD

Oh there we go the Octomon came out

Okay please take Hiro to rest, baby boy is so tired

This episode would’ve been pretty mediocre, but genuinely the Octomon part was so fucking funny it turned into a good episode

55, Bakeneko

Oh man the animation is so unsettling right off the beginning what the fuck

Gammamon likes cats?! TRULY THIS BABY BOY IS PERFECT

NOOO DON’T DO BODY HORROR WITH THE KITTIES I CAN’T I DON’T WANNA SEE THAT PWESE NOOOOOOOOOO

SMOOTH

Man this episode has really nice animation

Oh, did Bastemon recognize Gammamon? OWO

So why are Ruri and co just not doing anything and are allowing this continue??

OH AIRDRAMON IS BACK

And Bastemon’s scheme as been busted!

I don’t like this animator (still) but the battle animation is still fun

OH SHIT EVEN AIRDRAMON IS CONTRIBUTING TO THIS BATTLE!

And all the meow meows have been freed of Bastemon’s control and they’re all happy lil meow meows ;w;

56, Impurity

Aaand here we go, the reason I’m up at 5 am catching up with GG rn, the thing Twitter spoiled

Aaand we got great animation again this episode, wheeeee

Like, damn the animation is good

“White is the only pure color” hilarious to hear that considdering the color palette of the MotW isn’t white on white lmao

You know you’d think that after like 50 weird incidents were Digimon were making people Do Weird Shit, you’d think the kids could figure out when a Digimon was up to some shit before it was too late

Oh lmao the kids aren’t even safe in the Digital Field due to the mannequins lmao

Ah yes, one of the two things Twitter spoiled

Kuzuhamon (IN MIKO MODE TO BOOT!)

Boy she lookin’ purdy (also it’s so fun to see Miko Mode)

KUZUHAMON CAN SEE ALL, KUZUHAMON KNOWS YOUR SINS

This episode is looking so fucking good like god the animation-- Toei really fucking loves Kuzuha/Sakuyamon huh (it’s what she deserves)

It’s honestly kind of funny how they casually decided to make Miko Mode just A Giant Woman just for funsies

Awe boo combat mode is like average size

Man Kuzuhamon is just whooping ass with absolute fucking ease

I need to pause for a second because I actually thought for a second they were doing fucking Matrix Evolution and I was about to lose my fucking mind but no no no, Hiro isn’t merging with Gammamon, Baby Boy is evolving on his own, oki, oki

Okay. I’m going to try to be nice. Siriusmon looks cute and fine, there isn’t anything wrong with him

But god I did not need another Royal Knight-ass looking Digimon 😭 He looks like a bootleg Omegamon nnnooooooo I wish they just let him turn into a bigger dragon or something

LIKE SIRIUSMON INS’T A BAD DESIGN AND HE FITS THEMATICALLY AND ALL I JUST. I’M TIRED OF THE ROYAL KNIGHT-ESQUE DIGIMON I*M SORRY

Okay okay okay I need to let go and enjoy this dope ass battle animation ‘cause this fucking slaps

The one who sent you to this world? OWO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

Oh also BTW since Kuzhamon is a black variant does this mean she’s with Black Agumon and the other variants?? Probably not?? But also no one was there stalking Gammamon at the end of this episode despite his evolution

Yeah it was an alright episode, the animation is really what made it shine

Next episode preview~ OH WAS THAT FUCKING LILITHMON OH SHIT IT IS HER ISN’T IT, OH HELL YEAH????

[krat395]

W.D. Gaster, the Best "Uncle" Ever Part 2 (Chapter 3)

The next level of virtual reality is here thanks to Gaster! :D With the capabilities of his special chamber (simulation chamber, hologram room, VR room, etc. whatever you want to call it), he was able to create a highly immersive fantasy-themed role-playing game for the kids to all play together. And while this game of Gaster's appears to be coming to a close, the fun that he and the kids are all having certainly doesn't have to end after said game is over. No siree! ;)

Undertale(c) Toby Fox.

W.D. GASTER, THE BEST “UNCLE” EVER PART 2

Chapter 3: “Endgame”

Frisk, Chara, Asriel, and MK have all had a great deal of fun playing Gaster's game thus far. From Elmore and Terisa's castle all the way to the barbarian village, there wasn't a single dull moment. How could there be with a room capable of creating such immersive environments? But their adventure wasn't over yet. To complete their adventure, they needed to fight the evil sorcerer, Tesgar. And after devising a strategy with their new allies and the in-game versions of their real-life family members and friends, that's exactly what they did. And reaching Tesgar was no easy task. Because outside of his castle was an army of shape-shifting crystal creatures, the strongest enemies in the entire game besides Tesgar himself. If the kids had faced them on their own, they likely wouldn't have made it past the first barrier. So that's why they enlisted the help of basically every good-aligned character they encountered in the game up until that point, including the in-game versions of their real-life family members and friends. Only with an army of their very own would they stand a chance against Tesgar's crystal creatures; every single one of them, including a crystalline dragon they fought just before entering Tesgar's castle! It was Tesgar’s loyal pet and boy was it tough to take down, tougher than every enemy the kids encountered up until that point! They needed all the help they could get to destroy this dragon. And they destroyed it, but it cost them another use of the Sorcerer Gaster spell. That time it was casted by MK, the third kid to make use of the spell in the game. With Asriel, Chara, and MK's uses of the spell gone, Frisk was then the only kid capable of using the spell before the game’s end. And she used it, but not until first fighting her way through Tesgar's castle itself. In order to reach Tesgar himself in the highest room of his castle, the kids first needed to battle their way through corridors of more crystal creatures. The final stretch! And one that wasn't too terribly difficult due to the assistance of their new allies (including the in-game versions of their family and friends). With help from their new allies, the kids pushed their way through Tesgar's castle until finally reaching Tesgar himself in his crystalline lair. And they weren't alone when they reached him either! Just before Tesgar (who appeared as a tall crystalline man with crystal skin that repeatedly changed its color, a white sorcerer’s cloak, and no visible face when he was first encountered) sealed off the entrance to his lair, Cleric Toriel, Barbarian Asgore, Monk Sans, Warlock Papyrus, Paladin Undyne, Wizard Alphys, Ranger Blooky, Bard Mettaton, and Druid Muffet entered to assist the kids in battle. Thirteen against one! And the nine adults’ assistance was more than needed against Tesgar himself, for he was a very powerful sorcerer with an onslaught of magical powers!

Link to full chapter: W.D. Gaster, the Best Uncle Ever Part 2 (Ch 3) by nman1983 on DeviantArt

[jimmycarterghostland]

I finished watching the entire The Girl from Tomorrow show. I started this some days ago, after I looked at the TV Tropes page for it. I'm pretty sure I found out about this show earlier in the year, or maybe a year or two ago. I definitely heard about this show at some point in the past.

Anyway, it was amazing. Season 2 wasn't THAT good, but I still enjoyed it. Season 1 was amazing.

I'm going to be including some spoilers.

The best thing about the show was Alana and Jenny's friendship. They were like sisters. I thought Jenny was going to be an annoying brat to Alana at first, but she turned out to be extremely loyal to her, and was her biggest supporter. I wanted them to tell each other "I love you" so badly. I couldn't help it. Those girls had such a sisterly bond. BTW, the reason I thought Jenny was going to be an annoying brat at first was because I went to the TV movie version of the first season on YouTube before I planned on actually watching the show, just mindlessly skipping to random parts, and I remember watching Jenny seem irritated by Alana because she did something wrong. I ended up watching the entire show on YouTube, watching each own episode of The Girl from Tomorrow, avoiding looking at the TV movie versions of each season. It was great.

I did have some stuff spoiled from me by looking at the TV Tropes page. I had it spoiled for me that Silverthorn had a brain tumor. That was probably the most major spoiler, though. Thankfully. This is the sort of show you should watch without knowing too much about it.

I hated that Tulista didn't get any real focus. She didn't even appear in season 2(I don't remember seeing her, anyway). She was Alana's guardian. I thought she was going to be more important. She should have had Lorien's role. It was weird to see Alana having a close bond with Lorien instead of Tulista, her freaking guardian, who loved her. And who even said that she loved Alana in her hologram message to her. Tulista should have been the one who went to 2500 with Alana, not Lorien. The writers really screwed up by making it be Lorien instead, who is a random character who I don't even think was in season 1. It's so bizarre that the writers chose to go that route. Was Tulista's actress not available or something?

Also, the special effects are extremely bad, but it was forgivable, considering it's an old show with a low budget(I think it had a low budget, anyway).

It would have been better if the villains were more complex. They were too similar to Saturday morning cartoon villains for me. It was irritating. Silverthorn was a lot more fun to watch when it seemed like he wasn't a pure evil man. When I still thought he was going to honor his deal with Alana, I liked him as a character. All that changed when he was revealed to be 100% selfish and only looking out for himself and no one else.

The villain Eddie, Silverthorn's henchman in 1990, was irritating too. He was annoying, really. I hated how the show used him for comic relief and how they made him be an incompetent idiot. It's hard to take a show seriously when it has villains are stupid and fail too much. And I wanted to know more about Eddie. I wanted to see what he's like without Silverthorn. It's like Eddie had no purpose besides being Silverthorn's henchman. Eddie didn't talk about his family or friends or anything. In season 2, he said he only helped Silverthorn because he paid well and also scared him, but I wish we got to see more of Eddie's feelings. He did give Petey his toys back, but I don't feel like that was enough.

And those bully girls, Maria and Leslie, spent the entire show being two random bullies who didn't do anything else or have any character development. I was annoyed by that.

Season 2 wasn't that good. And I didn't like the 2500 plot line at all. Also, Alana was kinda a jerk in this season. It was jarring. She even said how they should leave Lorien in 2500, after she got turned into a mindless robot-like human. That was so messed up. And the new characters, like Nik and other ones who were introduced in season 2, weren't interesting. The villains, Draco, for example, were especially irritating.

I hated it when some characters would do that magic trick illusion thing to disprove something. The first instance of that was that man seemingly using telekinesis on that pen and then saying how it was just an illusion to prove that the transducer wasn't really from the future. I hate it when fiction does that, have a character do a magic trick that shouldn't be possible in real life. The Netflix time travel show Dark did this. In one scene, Mikkel made a coin teleport to his other hand, then he said it was just an illusion, or something like that.

It sucks how Jenny never found out that Alana made it safely back to her own time.

If The Girl from Tomorrow had been made today, was more mature, with more complex villains, and had a higher budget, it would have been so much better.

Obviously, there was a bunch of stuff I hated about this show. There were some awesome things, though.

The funniest moment was in season 1, when Jenny was in class and speaking like a robot to fool the teacher, James, and her classmates into thinking it was her speaking like that and not Alana's AI from the future, PJ. Another funny thing was Alana's inability to understand figure of speech. It was especially hilarious when she showed concern after Jenny said that her mom was going to kill her, back when they were locked inside of Silverthorn's building.

The Girl from Tomorrow is a good show. While watching season 1, I was considering giving it a rating of 4 out of 5 stars, but now that I watched the entire show, I know I can't do that. It was too flawed to be given that high of a rating.

3 out of 5 stars.

[autisticlancemcclain]

There’s a nudge on her arm. “Hey, Allura, wanna see something cute?”

Allura looks over in interest. She would like to see something cute.

“Yes,” she says. Keith grins at her.

“Watch this. Hey, Lance.”

Lance doesn’t look up from his sewing, but shifts a little so he’s pointed vaguely in Keith’s direction. “Yeah?”

“Sharks are the most dangerous thing in the ocean, right?”

“What? No!” Lance doesn’t even take the time to stick his needle in the fabric like he usually does, shoving the whole project to the side and turning to face Keith fully. He’s all fired up, brown eyes narrowed and serious and hands waving all over the place.

Allura hides a smile in her hand.

“Sharks are the least dangerous things in the ocean! They’re just big dumb fish, doing their best! And they do such a good job, too!”

“Good job doing what?” It’s Pidge who asks, as she throws a blanket over her shoulders and settles in. She, too, has recognised this part of Lance — the passionate part, the teaching part. The most lively and excited part of him. He’ll keep going until he’s stopped, and he won’t be stopped any time soon — as Allura does a quick glance around the room, she sees the rest of the team making themselves as comfortable as possible, sappy smiles on their faces, just watching Lance lecture.

“— so they don’t even realize! It’s not their fault. If you want to talk about real dangers of the ocean, there are lots! Freaking dolphins, for starters, the buttheads. They suck.”

It’s Coran who speaks up next, leaning close to Lance and looking positively delighted about everything he’s saying. Unsurprisingly, considering Coran’s interest in biology. “What is a dolphin, dear?”

“The menace of the sea!” Lance throws his hands up as he says it. “They’re horrible Coran, horrible!”

A moony sigh comes from beside her. Allura glances over at Keith, eyebrow raised, to see his chin resting in his hand, as he stares at Lance with the most besotted face she’s ever seen on a person. She’s starting to think Keith had a more selfish reason for getting Lance all excited.

She snorts to herself. Of course he did.

“— and, they intentionally inject themselves with pufferfish venom to get high! That’s not actually a big deal, though. It’s kinda funny. The real problem is the shark murder, because dolphins suck. But —” he brightens considerably, grabbing his tablet and running over to the console at one end of the room. He syncs them, and a hologram flickers to life on the wall, reflecting the home screen of the tablet. Lance opens the ‘photos’ app, selecting a folder called ‘spooky ocean stuff 👻’.

“There’s way scarier stuff in the ocean! Look!” A picture of a horribly long creature with dozens of tentacles pops up. “This is a colossal squid! They were once thought to be extinct, but they’re not! They’re real! They’re usually about 45 feet long as adults, and often fight and eat sperm whales as well as each other! They’re cool. Next is my favourite, arguable the only dangerous sharks — bull sharks — but in their defense they’re not really dangerous, they’re only in this folder because I love them and talking about them.”

“That’s true,” Hunk whispers. “He loves bull sharks. Once a swarm of them came real close to the shoreline by his house, and he tried to swim with them. I thought his mother was going to have an aneurysm.”

Shiro chuckles. “I have no issue believing that.”

Allura doesn’t either.

“Oh oh oh and you know the Alaskan Bullworm from Spongebob? Well, let me tell you, it’s not that far off from reality —”

He continues on like that, sliding through photo after photo of terrifying Earth creatures, each scarier than the last. Allura is particularly perturbed by the blue-ringed octopus.

“—and the best part is, there’s more to discover! We’ve only searched about five percent of Earth’s oceans, so there’s lots more to learn about!”

Allura blinks. “All of… that,” she says, “that’s only five percent?”

Lance beams. “Yep!”

“That’s horrifying.”

“Yep!”

“That’s so cute,” Keith sighs under his breath, and Allura assumes he’s talking more about Lance’s beaming smile and flapping hands and less about the fact that he lives on a danger planet. She grins, shaking her head fondly.

What a loser.

[professormembranexreader]

Birthday Drabble

It was today. He knew it was today. He knew it was today because he had specifically marked it on his calendar. (Y/N)’s birthday. He had commissioned the best baker he knew to make a cake (Y/N) would love.

We all know that despite Membrane’s best efforts, he was a terrible baker — and Foodio was nowhere near capable of real food. We all also know that that never tastes the same as real food either.

Point is, he got a cake in (Y/N)’s favorite flavor from the best baker in town. The baker ended up with a bunch of unnecessary information about (Y/N) due to Membrane’s inability to shut up.

But that didn’t stop him from getting (Y/N) a good cake. And a good cake it was. He may have tasted the batter… oh well.

But he got certainly more than just a cake for (Y/N). He had spent a good amount of time making a watch that displays a hologram of a video or still image that can be chosen through a special program he made to be booted on their computer.

He had also spent the past few months building up a self sustaining ecosystem involving roses. And if it was kept in the right conditions, which he set it up with, it would stay in bloom perpetually.

That was now in their shared bedroom under a recently installed grow light, and would be the last thing that they saw present-wise that day. A last surprise, if you will.

A knock on the door signaled that someone was there. Who, perhaps? Well he had to open the door to find out. The kids were already home, the neighbor boy was nowhere to be seen, it was either (Y/N) or the mailman.

He opened the door and saw his wonderful (Y/N). His wonderful, amazing (Y/N). He couldn’t help but smile and hold them close. They squeaked at the sudden embrace but wrapped their arms around him as well.

“Miguel? You okay?” they said, pulling away.

“I’m just… I’m glad you’re mine. Happy birthday, (Y/N). I’ll get the kids to bed before we cut the cake.”

(Y/N) grinned, and went inside. And upon seeing their favorite cake on the table, they bounced up and down with glee. “Awwwww, Mem, you shouldn’t have!” (Y/N) was beaming, and Membrane couldn’t help but feel fulfilled. After all, you were happy.

Once they both finished a slice of cake, they saved the rest for later. Membrane then presented (Y/N) with a box. Upon opening it, there was a usb and a watch.

“Why the memory stick?” (Y/N) asked.

“You can make the watch display a hologram! And what it displays will be edited with what you do with the flash drive!”He tapped a button on the watch, projecting a picture of their family at Bloaty’s Pizza for Gaz’s fifth birthday.

(Y/N) cooed, “Gaz was so small back then!”

Membrane sighed, “She was, wasn’t she?” He got up from his chair then motioned for (Y/N) to follow him up the stairs.

(Y/N) was about to open the door to their bedroom when he grabbed their hand.

“Close your eyes,” Membrane said. (Y/N) giggled and complied.

He then led them into the room, facing the ecosystem. “Tada!” (Y/N) opened their eyes and gasped. They closely inspected the container for the ecosystem without touching it.

“Miguel, how long have you been working on this? This literally seems so complex! How did you do this?”

Miguel sheepishly explained that it was just a matter of balancing all the factors and a teensy bit of bioengineering. “But that’s besides the point. Do you like it?”

(Y/N) walked up to Membrane and placed their hands on his shoulders. “Miguel, you are literally one of — if not THE smartest man in the world. Use your brain. Do you think I like it?”

“Well, I’d hope so.”

(Y/N) couldn’t help but crack a smile and start giggling.

“After a long day of work, a day full of dealing with horrible people, very, very annoying people, I was looking forward to coming home to my loving husband.” (Y/N) snaked their hands up to Membrane’s face, pulling him down.

“And he greets me with cake, a fucking hologram watch, and an entire goddamn ecosystem… you better believe I like it.”

Both laughed, and went to sit in the bed. (Y/N) snuggled up to Membrane’s side, and he wrapped his arm around them. Soon (Y/N) closed their eyes and fell asleep. Membrane looked at them and smiled.

“Feliz cumpleaños, mi amor. Te quiero mucho.”

[dakt37]

Soooooo do you want to talk about your OC AI? 👀 Because I’m definitely interested

Oh! Sure, thank you. 💕 I've alluded to it before; it's part of my den of AU plot bunnies where Avengers Assemble Tony is stuck with The Beyonder in a pocket dimension. Tony loses FRIDAY and builds a new AI from scratch named POLARIS. The original version, which Tony tends to call Polly or Pol, has a pitch-shifted voice and is referred to with she/her pronouns. Not because the AI cares, it's just how Tony set it up. He had to record his own voice for the audio library and didn't want to just be hearing himself all the time.

POLARIS 1.0 is pretty rudimentary. She's not as intuitive as FRIDAY or JARVIS, and tends to sound a little stilted like Siri or the Google Assistant. Tony often forgets that he can't ask her open-ended questions or give vague orders. Dealing with her can be an exercise in patience. She's really polite but a little vacant; a sweet airhead of an AI. She tends to call Tony by his name rather than "Sir" or "Boss," and isn't particularly sarcastic or sassy. She's sort of like a brand new Janet from The Good Place, and is very literal about the fact that she's a computer program.

Then depending on what variation of the AU I'm daydreaming about, there's POLARIS 2.0. This one is active after Tony has seemingly vanished from Beyonder's citadel. It uses Tony's regular voice and often struts around as a hologram based on his body scan. It meets the MCU Avengers when they too get pulled into the pocket dimension (listen, I'm a slut for crossovers), and swings between being very helpful to them and being extremely suspect. MCU Tony dubs him "Ollie."

I honestly have a ton of different endings in mind so it's entirely unclear if Ollie is 1. The original program impersonating Tony, 2. An evolved version of the program that merged with a scan of Tony's brain, or 3. Tony's soul lodged in a wildly advanced computer system. Also unclear if the real Tony is 1. Dead, or 2. Comatose. Also-also unclear if Ollie happened 1. Intentionally by Polly, 2. Intentionally by Tony, or 3. Entirely accidentally.

This is why I never finish the AUs I start 😂

Anyway the name POLARIS originally came from Steve. On some old mission, he and Tony got stranded in the wilderness at night with no GPS signal. Steve gestured to the starry sky and said, "You're never lost if you can find Polaris." I'm not totally settled on what the backronym is yet, but so far I've got "Pathfinder Orienting Lost Avengers Reclused In-between Space." The program was originally intended to help Tony break out of the pocket dimension, or at least get a signal back to his home reality.

So yeah, that's POLARIS ✨

[yourmcu]

Emotional Support Mode

Pairings: Tony Stark x daughter!reader

Summary:

in which the reader is the loner, antisocial daughter of Tony Stark and the other Avengers including her father never acknowledge her presence (they thought some sort of interaction made you uncomfortable) so she becomes friends with Friday instead - Tony probs finds out and it’s gonna be all cute n fluffie once he realizes -

Word count: 2,243

a/n: hi just wanted to write fluffy tony :)) also I used they/them for friday’s pronouns

Warnings: angst n fluff, friday’s a bit more advanced (not like they aren’t already but) bc they could almost act like a literal human here.

read it on ao3!

You arrive back at the Avengers facility, shoulders slumped and just tired in general since you have a lot of homework and projects to do from school, most of them due by the end of the week. You also have exams later in the week.

“Hey, Fri,” you huff as you make your way to the elevator.

“Welcome home, Y/N. Where do you want to go?”

Yes, you're very close with the A.I that they started calling you by your first name. “To my room - and uh, will you remind me to read two chapters in my history book after I’m done with all my homework? I also have this project, I just need some measurements later, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure thing.”

“Thank you.”

It’s going to be a long night, you sigh heavily just thinking about it. Now you’re probably wondering, ‘you live with the Avengers! Why don’t you ask Tony and Bruce for help? Maybe Steve and Bucky for your History test?’

Yeah, well... you barely talk to any real person you live with. Maybe it’s you, you always thought you're making the team uncomfortable. You don’t even talk to your own father often which is kind of depressing on your part.

You love them, they’re like your extended family, but it just isn’t working out. Maybe they just don’t like you. Up to this day you still wonder why Tony took you in when you were just a baby (you were a mistake from one of his one night stands) - he had the choice not to.

“I’m assuming you zoned out again. You have arrived to your room five minutes ago.” Friday announces.

“Y-yeah sorry,” you shuffle out of the elevator and swiftly head to your bedroom, closing the door behind you.

“I also asked if I should inform Mr. Stark that you have arrived home.”

“No, no thanks. He’s busy and... probably wouldn’t care anyway,” You mutter the last part as you pile the books you need on your desk. “Can you put my study playlist on, please?”

----

“What time is it, Friday?”

“7PM. I was about to remind you to take a break.”

You get up from your chair and stretch, halfway through the last of your homework which is a two page essay. “You’re too kind, thanks pal,” when you walk out your room to head to the kitchen and grab a snack, the lounge is empty, kitchen empty,

“The team’s on a mission? I thought they had the whole week off,” you say before gulping down a water bottle.

“I checked the security footage: they left about an hour ago. Captain Rogers was talking about getting dinner.”

You put the bottle down. “Oh,” you try to mask your disappointment. This isn’t your first time being alone, they always left you here when they had a mission of course but... well, it’s not like they want you around them. “I’ll - I’ll just make myself something later, then. Not a big deal. I have to study anyway.”

Another hour later, the Avengers are back. They're all conversing happily as they pile in the lounge. Peter's rambling about upgrades for the Spiderman suit while Tony's typing away in his phone, nodding at everything he says. Everyone else is arguing about the TV channels and talking about the new restaurant they ate at.

Rhodey shifts, looking around. “Why do I feel like we forgot something?”

Natasha looks at him, waiting for him to go on.

“I assure you, I brought Mjolnir with me this time.” Thor butts in.

“No not that, what time does Y/N get home from school?” No one answers. It’s not like any of them know. It's natural that Rhodey would be worried about his goddaughter (even if they rarely talk). He turns his head to his best friend who’s now walking away with Peter, an arm around his shoulder. “Tony, where’s Y/N?”

He doesn’t hear since he has his full attention on his protégé.

“I’ll start making this tomorrow, I guess. I still have to buy materials.” You mumble to yourself, but you hope Friday's listening to everything you say just to make you feel less lonely. You swipe the hologram of the blueprint away and place the thick books in front of you.

“I would like to recommend a suitable study plan.” they state.

You rub your eyes, sighing, “I’m already halfway, I would’ve considered it earlier though.”

“This is only a recommendation, feel free to ignore it.”

You push yourself away from the desk and mutter a “go on,”, fiddling with your pen.

“Asking Mr. Rogers and Mr. Barnes would give you more details for your History examination, since the pair were originally from that time period. The same goes for Mr. Banner for your Science examination, I believe he has seven Ph.D’s, you may also approach Vision for the same topic. Mr. Stark has all the necessary materials for your project in his lab. Would you like me to-”

If only it were that easy. It should be easy, the thought alone makes you really nervous. “No, I - I appreciate the recommendation, Friday, but - I think I can do this on my own.”

“But you’re tired and it is almost midnight. I would help you myself but you specifically told me not to.”

They’re not wrong. Your eyes are starting to droop and you barely understand anything you're reading. You're also fighting back tears - why is talking to your family so hard?

“I can sense sadness. Would you like me to activate emotional support mode?”

“Yeah, okay. That sounds great right about now.”

----

“Crap. Guess we lost track of time again, kid,” Tony wipes his hands with a rag while he looks at the time on his computer. “You better get home. I’ll send May a text for keeping you this late.”

“Okay, thank you Mr. Stark. I’m just gonna use my suit-”

“No. Happy will drive you.”

Peter knew better than to argue and insist so he just nods and smiles sheepishly. A minute later Happy came ‘round to take him home.

Tony turns back around. “Friday, make a new project for me please, I’m adding minor upgrades to the Spiderman suit.”

“Not now, boss.”

Oh. He did not expect that. “Excuse me?”

“Y/N is currently opening up. I would like to give her my full, undivided attention. Please come back after fifteen minutes or so.”

Tony doesn’t exactly know how to feel about that. He never sees her outside her room anymore that he kinda forgot she existed tonight - oh fuck, they didn’t bring her to dinner with them.

“Well,” he exhales. “What is she saying?”

“That would be an invasion of privacy.”

“I’m her father-”

“Are you, sir?” Friday’s clever remark makes him stop abruptly.

It’s pretty clear that he’s been a shit father. Not only does he ignore you all the time but he treats Peter way better than his own flesh and blood. The Avengers on the other hand, they were nice people, but just didn’t understand so they try their best to get out of your way.

You were afraid of rejection, afraid to interact, because you had no idea what everyone thought of you. Did they like you? Did you make them uncomfortable? Did they want you around? What about Tony, did he really want a daughter in his life? Because you noticed he’d be better off with a son, yeah, like Peter goddamn Parker.

Tony sighs, walking out of his lab and heads to the mini bar to grab a drink. He needs to think: there's absolutely nothing wrong about you, he just didn’t do his job right, you thought he didn’t care, you thought nobody did. Even Friday is turning against him, doing a better job of comforting and being there for you.

“God, I’m such an asshole,” he mutters to himself, rubbing his forehead. He drinks his last shot and heads to the kitchen. “She still awake?” He calls out.

“She is.” Friday has a bitter tone.

He's hesitant to ask again, feeling really bad for not knowing this simple question - “what’s her favorite beverage?”

----

“How do you feel?”

You sniffle. “Well y’know, better than before. I should probably go to sleep. Thanks, Fri.”

“You’re welcome. Also, Mr. Stark is outside your door.”

“W-what?” You put away your books and straighten up, rubbing your damp eyes. “You’re serious? Okay, uh, let him in?” It's more of a question.

“Alright.”

You turn to face your desk as Tony enters the room, holding two steaming mugs. He sits at the end of your bed, just right next to the chair you're sitting on. “Hi,” he gives you a small smile and hands you a mug.

What’s the occasion?

“What’s this?” You ask quietly before taking the mug from his hands. Tony's being gentle and soft, it's odd but you’re not complaining.

“Green tea with honey. I... I thought I saw you make that stuff once.” He says, not mentioning the fact that Friday told him that.

“Oh, well, yeah,” you take a small sip. He added a bit too much honey but other than that it was good. “I thought you preferred coffee, though,”

Tony shrugs, his eyes glistening when he looks at you. “Wouldn’t hurt to try something new.”

“Did - did you want something, Dad?” You always found yourself awkward, couldn’t even make conversation with someone for long, always wanted to get straight to the point so it could be over with.

He looks like he wants to say something but he just averts his gaze to you, his hands, the floor, then suddenly he leans in and hugs you. Your feel your heart swell and body warm up, it’s a new sensation for you after all, you rarely get hugs from people. “I’m sorry,” he whispers. “For everything. I’m such a bad dad, I don’t deserve you. I even forgot you when we went out to dinner.”

“You don’t have to be sorry for anything. I had loads of stuff to do earlier anyway, so, but yeah I was just - I just overreact, I’m sensitive. I don’t blame you and the others for not liking me, I know there’s nothing like-able about me, I’m not like Peter-” You ramble, tears now leaving your eyes again.

“Sweetheart, don’t say that,” Tony says as he pulls you closer to him, head resting against his chest while he rubs your back comfortably. “Y/N Stark, you are smart, brilliant - I was just an ass for not acknowledging that.”

“I know you’re just saying that to-”

“Oh, but I’m not,” he now places his hands on your shoulders, getting you to look at him. “Tell me who built their first engine when they were eight?”

You blush, “Dad-”

“No, come on, I wanna hear it.”

“I did.”

“Yes you did. And who made a completely functioning robot at their middle school science fair that blew all the teacher’s minds?”

You’re trying to hide a smile, recalling the memory,  “I did.”

“And who,” Tony gets up and walks to the bulky looking thing that you covered with a sheet, pulling it off, “is currently building a computer from scratch?”

“Dad! That’s still a work in progress,” he messily places the sheet back and chuckles.

“My point is, you’re a clever and talented girl, Y/N. Don’t bring yourself down. And you don’t have to be shy around your family, those idiots have been dying to get to know you but since you don’t talk much... they don’t want to force it. We love you,” he says. “I hope you forgive me ‘cause I really wanna make it up to you. I’m not calling Peter in for a few weeks.” Tony sits down beside you again.

You couldn’t believe he’d do that for you. “You don’t have to, if you need him for something then-”

“-then you could help me instead, if you’re up for it.”

“I’m really sorry for being such a lonely freak,” you yawn, getting back into Tony’s open arms. “I love you.”

Tony tucks you in and lies down beside you, “I love you tons, kiddo.”

You snuggle into his chest, feeling his steady breathing while he rests his chin above your head.

----

It's morning. The Avengers are gathered at your open bedroom door.

“Are you getting all of this, Friday?”

“Yes, Ms. Romanoff.”

“Steve turn that shuttering sound down!” Natasha hisses at the super soldier who's doing his task, taking pictures.

Steve almost drops the phone and has Bruce fix the volume for him.

They’re all watching you and Tony cuddle together, still fast asleep.

“Do we have to stay here until they wake up?”

“Unless you have a great way of waking them up, yes. Now shut up.”

“If you think about it we definitely look creepy right now.” Sam comments.

“It’s their fault for having the door wide open all night!” Clint says.

Tony's actually awake the whole time, listening to them bickering. “You have three seconds to get the hell out of here before I make all of you polish my suits.” With that, the team races down the hall, pushing each other to get away first like literal children.

[blackbat05]

You don’t like me when I’m angry (Part 1)

Shangqi x Reader 

A/N: Back again but I’ve decided to switch my theme a little! Reader has pyrokinetic abilities (like the human torch). Katy is still quirky and a talented archer. Shangqi... well he’s the man! Again, do like and comment if you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading! 

Genre: PG 13 

Warnings: Maybe just watch out for a bit of detailed descriptions of injuries and the fighting. 

The pub was bustling. Men were noisily gathered at the bar, eyes glued to the latest soccer match. As the match went on, the reactions became more intense. Perfect cover for a hooded figure to slip into the pub unnoticed. She quietly orders a bottle of soju, pouring it into the drinking glass that came along with it.

‘Careful there, you don’t want to loose the target,’ a voice crackles through the coms in her left ear. ‘Relax Shangqi, unlike what you think, I have a high tolerance for alcohol.’ Smirking into thin air, the girl takes another sip. Another muffled voice causes Shangqi to pry away from the surveillance footage. ‘Oh yeah, Katy’s got the picture, just sent it.’

Everything about the target screamed danger. As if his rugged look didn’t scare one away, the man had a cut that was hovering dangerously near his eye. Goran Lee, aka Gor - the biggest mob boss who holds an iron fist over the underworld of Busan. How did (y/n) ended up here? That was a very good question.

‘What’s up Wong?’ I stepped into the sanctum after Shangqi and Katy who were having trouble concealing their yawns. The man in question turns his focus away from the round table, a solemn look on his face. ‘I think it’s best if you three take a look for yourselves.’ 

Throwing each other puzzled looks, we decided that it was best to just follow Wong. Crowding around the table, it glows bright orange, showing several images and videos at the same time. But all had one thing in common. A man - no he couldn’t even be called a human... more like a human animal hybrid was seen terrorizing the streets. 

‘What the hell is that thing?’ Katy was clearly grossed out. 

‘A vampire werewolf,’ Wong replied simply, not surprised at our confused expressions. ‘A what?’ Shangqi steps forward to observe the hologram that was a bit too real for his comfort. The animal whips its large head, red eyes tearing into us. I flinch as it lunges in our direction, knocking into Shangqi. The screen turns black. 

‘That’s exactly what it is,’ Wong sighs. ‘It’s a real mess out there. A few weeks ago, Oscorp industries reported fifty boxes worth of vials missing from their storage in New York,’ He pauses to see if we’re following. ‘The substance - substance KXV is strong enough to trigger the person’s metagene and apparently, it’s fallen into the wrong hands. They’ve managed to trace it down to Busan but they’re tied down.’

‘Lemme guess... something to do with preventing an international incident on the front page of the Sunday Times?’ Katy drawled. ‘Why us then? Aren’t any of the avengers available?’ We looked at Wong expectantly. 

‘They’re either off world, working with the UN or on the run from the government themselves,’ Wong pauses, thinking if he should continue. ‘And that Peter boy is in school.’  Shangqi raises his hands in defeat. He thought that after coming back from Ta Lo, he had escaped from the craziness. Well, at least he had you and Katy. 

‘I don’t see him, this place is god damn dark. How do people drink here? And why am I here? Shouldn’t Shangqi be here instead?’ 

‘Because our faces have been plastered all over the internet? We don’t want to scare him off - and I know you’re not used to it but would you stop talking before he catches up on to us?’ Katy shakes her head at Shangqi inside the van as she talks to you. You never failed to impress them with your short fuse.

You sit quietly, nursing your last cup of soju, grumbling inwardly to yourself. For a guy who runs the underworld, he sure is tardy. A greasy hand rests on the surface of your shoulders, stopping your current train of thoughts. You hear a loud and abrupt movement from your com. ‘Hi, can I help you?’ Turning to the clueless jerk who decided it was ok to touch an unsuspecting woman, you inwardly trusted Katy to prevent Shangqi from running in balls first into a situation that could easily be defused. You were no pushover. 

The guy reeked of alcohol. His foreign looks and a varsity jacket told me that he was probably an exchange student. ‘Hey pretty... why not have a drink with me and my guys over there...’ His finger jabs to the other end of the pub where his friends were watching him with excitement. ‘Don’t be shy... we’ll give you a good time!’ He guffaws before stumbling slightly. 

My nostrils flared - as if making myself claustrophobic with a room full of rowdy and leering men weren’t enough, I’m having to deal with a boy who can’t seem to control whatever’s going on in his pants. This would have to be quick. Taking a few large strides over, I gripped his wrist tightly, lifting 185 pounds of dead weight. Staring into his unfocused eyes, my hands turned orange. Poor guy was flapping like a fish, wincing for me to stop. Thankfully with the loud music, no one could hear him. 

‘I’m not exactly in a good mood today, so I suggest you scram before I fry your arm into barbeque here.’ I got my message across as he fled back to his group who were coincidentally trying not to make eye contact with me. 

‘Harsh (y/n), harsh.’ Katy sniggered in my ear. I would have made a smartass response to her but my attention was focused on the man who had just sauntered into the room. Gor. And he didn’t come alone. ‘Look sharp guys, they’re here.’

I was determined not to loose them as they walked towards where the group of university students were, disappearing behind the back entrance shortly after. I darted among the group of servers who were to preoccupied attending tables, reaching the back. Dimly lit with red lights, every inch of the hallway was covered in questionable and even vulgar portraits that made my blood boil.

‘Don’t engage alone, me and Katy are on our way.’ Shangqi signals to Katy, tossing her bag of arrows. ‘No promises there Shangqi, I have no idea what the hell their going to do. Get here fast.’ I inch closer towards the sound.

Gor is the biggest out of them, towering over his tallest henchman by half a head. He takes the red vial, drinking it in one gulp. I knew I saw the pictures at the sanctum but I wanted to bleach my eyes out there and then as I saw him transform into that monstrosity. For a moment I thought I was caught as the furry beast glances at the transparent door.

‘The ambassador?’ Gor’s voice came out in an oily snarl. The henchman nearest to him bows, ‘On his way sir, he has the cash.’

‘Good, we kill them all the moment he arrives.’

‘Including the child- sir?’ The reply came back in a stutter.

‘I have no use for useless midgets,’ Gor bares his fangs. ‘Shoot them if you must.’

So it was true, Gor was really as sadistic as they claim. Just then, A warm hand clamps over my mouth before I can react. Shangqi.

‘Thank god. Take a look for yourselves. Gor’s after the ambassador. The ambassador knows that they’re the ones behind the raid at Oscorp. So Gor gets his men to kidnap the ambassador’s family, threatens him for some hush money in return of some promise that he must have made.’

‘But Gor’s not going to follow with his promise,’ Katy narrows her eyes. ‘Do you know where they might be holding the family?’ I shook my head. She loads her first arrow into the bow. ‘Can’t wait to try these new babies out. Heard their made of dragon skin.’ She turns to Shangqi, nodding in silent agreement.

‘Just what did you guys plan without me?’

PART 2 COMING SOON...

[stxleslyds]

Red Hood and the lost art of telling Joker to shup up.  

Okay, I know that I talked about Jason and Joker in a recent post but this is something different, I promise.

I really want to talk about how different Jason has been written since UtRH when it comes to him confronting Joker. Jason hasn’t been put in that position a lot but the times that he has, he lets Joker talk for far too long and actually pays attention to whatever he has to say.

The Jason vs Joker thing is basic in on itself and letting Joker talk isn’t exactly the problem here, the real problem is Jason letting Joker’s thoughts shape his future thoughts and decisions, I do understand that that’s exactly what writers want though, they want to build the problematic of: “Jason is just like Joker and the fact that he uses the name Red Hood only proves that Joker made who Jason is now”.

But the thing is that THAT problem is overdone at this point and the only time it worked was the first time it was brought up and it worked because Jason shut the Joker down.

Let’s see all the times (that I remember) the Joker and Jason have had a little chat and/or the times Joker’s words actually influence Jason’s thinking and decision making.

 Under the Red Hood – Batman (1940) #649

This is the first real confrontation we get to see between Jason and Joker after Jason’s death and it is beautiful. It's absolutely amazingly written, Joker goes on and on forever about how he killed Jason about how Jason is just as bad as him but that he is also just like Batman because he hasn’t killed him yet.

“You let me live after everything I did, you couldn’t pop my balloon. You just couldn’t. The apple doesn’t tumble too far from the paterfamilias. You are just like daddy-kins”

Jason lets him talk, yes. But he absolutely destroys Joker with what he tells him next.

“You couldn’t be more wrong about me. If right were a country on earth you’d be circling on the edge of the milky way. Yeah, I let you live but like always, every damned minute of your addled, posturing, psychopathic life, you think this is about you. You’re a worm. I’ve pitched you on a hook and dropped you into the brine. And I will beat the hell out of you Pagliacci because it was too much fun not to.”

“Listen to me Joker, I’m not you. I´m nothing like you. I know what I do and I know why I do it. You, you are, clinically speaking, a whack-job. But I know a secret, a good one.”

“You are not nearly as crazy as you would like us all to believe or even as crazy as you would like to believe. It just makes it easier to justify every sick monstrous thing you’ve ever done when you play the part of the mad clown. You are crazy, bubba, but you ain’t that crazy. Look at that. I wiped a smile off of Joker’s face. I have been waiting a long time for that.”

Everything about this is perfect, Jason gives Joker no room to mess with him. Whatever the Joker had planned on saying he had to eat because Jason wasn’t playing games and he was ready for any kind of lie the Joker had ready to tell. This is Jason Todd. He won’t let the Joker get under his skin because he knows the Joker and he, also, knows better. 

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2011) #15

Here Jason comes across Joker during the “Death of the Family” event. In this issue the Joker has information about all of the members of the “Batfamily” and he uses that to mess around with each one of them, in Jason’s case he insinuates that he was present in very specific moments of his life when Jason’s father got shot, when his mother overdosed and when he was on his own before joining Batman.

Jason doesn’t quite believe that Joker was there but as the reader, we can see this sort of sense of doubt in Jason. He hesitates a few times before resolving that the Joker is playing with him.

But as far as this issue goes let’s just say that what the Joker says doesn’t get to Jason, this changes though in the issue that follows up this story.

Teen Titans (2011) #16

This is where that story continues and where Jason starts to buy the story that Joker is selling.

Joker convinces Jason that he has his father and Tim’s father and that the only way for Jason (or Tim) to save their dads is by killing the other (Jason or Tim). Tim doesn’t believe it but Jason is ready to shoot Tim almost immediately.

However, Jason changes his mind about killing Tim just as Tim comes up with a plan for them to not actually have to kill each other. Here is where Lobdell’s writing shows all of its flaws, Lobdell is so desperate to show that Jason and Tim are besties that he forgets that Jason had no reason to stop trying to kill Tim to save his shit father because it is later revealed that Jason truly believed that Joker had found his father and had him captive. It wasn’t until Tim explained his thought process as to why those men weren’t their dads that Jason just goes “you realize, of course, the only reason I didn’t kill you right off is that I knew your big brain will figure out some way out of this” HA, nice save Lobdell but I see right through your bullshit.

Jason bought what the Joker was selling and that is the beginning of Jason’s downgrade when it comes to not playing Joker’s games.

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2011) #17

Well, in this issue Lobdell goes back to Jason kinda not believing what Joker told him, and Jason asks Bruce of all people if he thinks the Joker truly “made him or not”. Bruce says that he doesn’t believe that and that he didn’t have anything to do with the man that Jason has become either. For some reason, Jason is actually happy with what Bruce said and for a couple of moments, Jason goes back to being sure that the Joker knows nothing and that he is his own man.

It doesn’t last long though. At the very end of the issue, the trap that Joker had set up in Jason’s helmet triggers and Jason gets his face fucked up with acid or something.

But that’s not all because a hologram of Joker has something to say: “you were supposed to be my masterpiece from start to finish. But you were too stubborn to stay dead. So here is what we are going to do… You’re so determined to be your own man? Fine, let’s start with a clean slate”.

Basically, the Joker insinuates once more that he had something to do with who Jason was supposed to become and that Jason isn’t truly “his own man”, This is all a setup for a very dense storyline that will be continued in this run later.

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2011) #18

In this issue, Jason is in a coma after he is dosed with that gas in the previous issue. The Joker isn’t really present in this issue but he does make an appearance as part of Jason’s “nightmare” while he is unconscious.

That’s not all though, Jason has an illusion of Ducra (someone that he appreciates a lot), telling him that “after you left the All-Castle after you went back to the world you continued to let your life be defined by the actions of that man. You became a killer, lashing out at people who may or may not have deserved it. Eventually, you will hurt all those you have cared for. In that way, how are you any different from the Joker?”.

In this statement, there is a lot of wrongs that can come from two places, either bad writing on Lobdell’s part or just Ducra telling lies as a plot point.

“Let your life be defined by the actions of that man” is a sentence that horribly simplifies Jason’s thinking during the events of UtRH, because while he did resent the Joker, his real problem was with Bruce who had not avenged his death by killing the Joker himself. Also, Jason was doing other things back then, like being a pain in the ass for Black Mask and disrupting the drug trade in Gotham as well as trying to control the drug dealing to children. So that little sentence is just a gross misinterpretation of the true events which means that Ducra was wrong, and “she” continues to be wrong when she says that there might be no difference between Jason and Joker.

Luckily Jason thinks the same because he tells “Ducra”: “…don’t you dare compare me to that monster Ducra. I am nothing like the Joker! Nothing!”

Once again please don’t be fooled by Jason’s thinking because in the next issue it turns around really fast and really bad.

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2011) #19

Just a heads up this issue has a change of writer, Lobdell isn’t writing this arc, the writer that gives us this hellish story arc is James Tynion IV.

All that talk about Jason not being affected or not believing what the Joker told him is yeeted out of the window and it’s not a fun ride.

In this issue, Roy and Kory find a Jason that doesn’t know who they are or who he, himself, is. This is because S’aru that little floaty little shit took his memories away after Jason asked him to do so, well Jason asked S’aru to erase every memory that darkness has touched (Joker) and he does that. But him doing that is apparently erasing everything which, holy shit, how messed up is that?

But let’s take a look at what Jason says before he gets his memories taken away: “Not only did the Joker almost take my face, but he tells me he might have manipulated my entire life from the beginning! Even the good is tainted by him now. I can’t do it anymore. I can’t have that kind of doubt. If you take it away, I can go on living. I can keep fighting”. So, yeah that was a pretty emo speech. But the thing here is that if Jason is asking this dude to erase every memory that has been tainted by the Joker and he erases all of them then we might be facing one of two situations, either Joker has been messing up with Jason’s life from the beginning or S’aru is just a little bitch.

We will later find out in #20 that S’aru and Ducra planned the whole thing, meaning that they took all of his memories for ulterior motives not because the Joker had actually tainted all of them.

For many issues Jason has no memories and now that I am revisiting these issues, I now remember the twisted and completely insane plot they came up with for the “League of Assassins” and Jason being the “Chosen One”, everything was happening in this run, my god, it's like they wanted Jason to be the center of every single trope in writing history.

It’s in issue #26 that Jason asks for his memories back but the Joker having tainted his memories or not isn’t important anymore to anyone, including the writer (because he is too focused on telling this messy story), Jason (because he has enough problems at the moment) and the reader (because this book makes zero sense and it changes the story and motivations every single issue).

But there is another truth to be revealed in the next issue.

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2011) #27

Jason has planned along Ducra and S’aru to give up all of his memories to be cleansed so he could defeat Ra’s Al Ghul. But (there is always a but) Ducra says this: “Your greatest enemy returned and nearly took your face away from you. And in the process, shook your sense of identity to the core” “The final battle here will take place in the Well of Sins, and with all the doubt and fear clouding your mind, it would eat you whole”.

So yeah, now we have confirmation from Ducra that Jason had indeed let what the Joker told him cloud his sense of self and made him doubt who he was and if he really was in control.

All that back and forth for these many issues just to say, yes, Jason let Joker’s words affect him.

So here it is, let Joker get in Jason’s head to build the plot of a story, fantastic, the story was a mess because it had so much information, the mischaracterizations of Roy and Kory were at their maximum potential, and in this particular story arc not only are the events of Red Hood: The Lost Days officially erased from Jason’s canon but something quite out there is added to Jason’s canon from before he was even Robin (that’s a whole different story that I won’t be talking about here).

What an insane ride this arc was. Definitely not the kind of story I enjoy in a Red Hood book but that’s just my preference.

*This whole arc was written by James Tynion IV.

Red Hood/Arsenal #11

Joker is dead during the events of this run but the person who has something to say to Jason about how the Joker made the person that he is now is Duela Dent (“Joker’s daughter”, she isn’t his daughter she just found Joker’s face somewhere and she puts it on and “becomes” crazy, she is an incredibly weird character).

She says this, “You’re a lot like dad in that way” to which Jason says “He is not my father. He’s not even your father” but Duela continues by saying. “You’re kidding yourself if you genuinely believe that. Yeah, he took your life but look what you got in its place, you ingrate. You got your freedom. You were reborn.” 

Jason doesn’t fall for it or anything of the sort but once again writers are bringing up the Joker as the maker of the Red Hood and “suggesting” that what Jason has been doing and who he has become is all thanks to Joker. The idea of Jason having no free will is still present in this narrative, even when Jason doesn’t believe it.

Red Hood/Arsenal #12

I talked too soon because in this issue Jason is having some weird thoughts.

“Funny, isn’t it, so easy to call Duela “crazy” because she wears a dead man’s face. Because isn’t that what I’m doing? Before he was the Joker, he was the Red Hood. So maybe the line between men and the Joker’s daughter is a lot thinner than I’d like to admit.”

Here he is comparing himself to Duela and to the Joker to an extent, writers often bring up the fact that Jason uses the code name that his killer once had and they have people or Jason himself questioning why he uses that name.

Personally, I don’t think there is much to build from it (at least not from the perspective of Lost Days and UtRH), it was just a joke, a morbid one if you will. He wears the mantle of the person that destroys Gotham and fills its people with fear while he is trying to control the city’s drug trade and trying to keep the people safe in his own way. And the way he wanted to do it is almost the complete opposite of the way that Batman does things.

I just think that he is being ironic and acidic about the whole thing. He has obviously moved on from the fact that Joker killed him but he has issues with the fact that Batman has yet another child working with him while the Joker is still alive. And Jason really wanted to make Bruce suffer, so him taking the name and a similar appearance to how the joker used to look is also done to get a reaction from Bruce.

I really don’t think there is any sort of connection to make between Jason and Joker beyond that, much like there is no connection between the name Nightwing and the Court of Owls. Even though Lincoln March tried to convince Dick Grayson that he chose the name Nightwing because Owls fly at night and that meant that he was supposed to become a Talon and all that Dick still didn’t believe it because he knew why he chose that name and no one can twist his reason.

Red Hood and the Outlaws (2016) #10

Finally, I can stop re-reading New 52 books, I don’t enjoy it but I have to do it if I want to talk/complain about stuff.

This one is a little different because while Jason does talk with the Joker, the Joker isn’t really there he is just part of Jason’s imagination just like the Robin Jason that he is also seeing.

In this story, Jason is helping Artemis discover who she is but he gets captured in Qurac, yup that place, and worst of all from where he is being held, he can see the place where he died. All of that is helping Jason have some very vivid memories/illusions. He does actively hold a conversation with the imaginary Joker and Robin Jason though, and he is also having a lot of thoughts that let us know how the Joker affects Jason.

“This is why it was stupid of me to come back to Qurac. Even to help Artemis, even if I thought I could handle it. Physically, I am alone, but in my head? I’m drowning in memories of the worst day of what was my very short life. The day I was murdered.”

That’s what Jason is thinking but what I write next is what Jason’s saying as he talks to the imaginary Joker.

“Not interested in replaying this over again, like I have every night of my life since it happened Joker”

So, we are told that Jason thinks about that day very often, the Joker might not be involved much in Jason’s books but he definitely has a bigger role inside of Jason’s head. They chat for a bit up until Jason decides to “kill” the Joker, he knows, of course, that it is not real but it does give him satisfaction. (If only they would have let Jason actually kill the clown for real, or at the very least chase him just to show the reader that Jason does actually want to finish the job since the Bat won’t do it himself).

Having said all that, Joker’s imaginary death doesn’t last long because Jason is trapped in his mind and the Joker is basically functioning on a loop inside of it.

That is where the problem lies in this issue because Jason is letting us know that he is still heavily influenced by what happened that day and that he hasn’t been able to walk away from it. But once more that’s not the worst thing, because all of these thoughts have led Jason to think that he (in the present and as a fifteen-year-old) is the one to blame for having ended up dead. Yeah, it is messed up.

This is what Jason says to imaginary Robin Jason, “He is never going to die, Jason. Not here. Not in my mind, not if at some point I don’t stand up and walk away from my memories. From you.”

This is a major downgrade, from the Jason that we had in UtRH because that Jason had moved on from the fact that he had been killed what he was looking for was for Batman to avenge his death. He had other things in mind as well, like I said before in this post Jason had a lot of things going on, killing Joker wasn’t his only plan.

And this situation (written by Lobdell) is also very different from what was going on in New 52 where Jason being influenced by the Joker was used to build a plot. This is just a writer letting us know that this “new version” of Jason hasn’t worked out his problems when it comes to his death and his killer. That means that we are going backward.

After he realizes that he was unconscious all that time and that he was being tortured he does get his shit together in order to get out of captivity and go help Artemis.

The Joker and that whole thing that happened in his mind aren’t mentioned again, it was just for the reader to know that Rebirth Jason has unsolved issues with his death.

Batman: Three Jokers #1

Oh yes, here we are, we have arrived to that dreaded book, awful writing gorgeous art. In this book, the “Joker made Jason as he is now” trope is at its full potential; Johns drives this hellish truck of a book at full speed into our homes and then ends it by giving us one of the worst takes on Jason Todd’s characterization ever.

But first, let’s talk about the Joker and Jason interaction in the first issue. As Jason and Barbara are left alone with the Joker that they came across moments ago the Joker begins talking because that’s what he does.

He says this, “I’m the loop-de-loop, the hamster-wheel-of-doom. The cycle of pain each one of you is trapped in. Take “Red Hood” here, for example. Have you ever wondered why he uses my former moniker? Who in their right mind would take on the identity of their killer? Am I right?”

He is obviously being a little shit on purpose and is waiting to see if somebody will take the bait. Jason is the first to talk and he says this: “I took it because I’m owning what you did to me. You made me into this. I will be your destruction”.

Congratulations Jason, you took the bait, and now Barbara will fight with you over it.

Jason raises his gun to “break the cycle” and Barbara is like “please don’t do it” and boy is Joker having the time of his life! Both of these idiots are playing his game, Johns really did both Jason and Barbara dirty with this.

Here is where THE problem with letting the Joker talk is. This Joker got under Jason’s skin in seconds and Barbara did nothing while it happened.

This is what the Joker had to say. “Let’s look at the facts here bat-people. I bashed this boy’s skull in. I killed this Robin” to which Jason says “You didn’t kill me, you only made me stronger” which is weird because the Joker did kill him so I don’t know what kinda comeback that was supposed to be but Joker wasn’t done because he continues by saying “Yes, you crawled from the shallow grave I left you in. You lived on to fight another day. Hurrah! You survived because of your tenacity! Or maybe… maybe I beat you to a bloody mess… I took you right to the edge… because I wanted to leave you alive.”

Great that’s where the clown is going, just fantastic, more of the “I made you” but that’s not all because the Joker tells Jason that him having hurt Jason wasn’t because he didn’t like Jason, it was all about Batman, Jason doesn’t matter.

But that’s not the worse thing that was written in this awful book, Geoff Johns seems to have felt that the trauma that Jason went through in the original “Death in the Family” story wasn’t enough because he decided to add something new.

That’s why the Joker says this next, “Do you recall what you said to me while I was breaking your head in with that crowbar? As your blood streamed into your eyes and your skull cracked? Because I cherish those words. I’ll always cherish them. ‘Please stop! Please! If you let me live, I’ll do anything you say. I’ll be your Robin’” “And look at you now my little “Red Hood” shooting up people and making Batman’s life miserable! You are my Robin!”

What a nightmare Johns decided to put Jason and Jason Nation through huh? I hate this, this is the worst thing that has ever been written in a Jason Todd story (although I can say that about many things that were written in this three-issue book).

Jason kills the Joker after he says all that, Barbara does (for some reason) try to stop him from doing it but luckily, she can’t stop Jason.

But here is the thing, Jason killing the Joker doesn’t make me feel as satisfied as I would have liked, and it doesn’t feel that way because Jason let Joker talk for far too long and what Joker said ended up getting in Jason’s head and messing with him.

Batman: Three Jokers #2

Yeah, there is no rest for us, Jason Nation, in this issue Jason goes looking for another Joker to kill and he finds one but he gets captured. Johns really had to get Jason naked for Joker to torture him mentally and physically? Johns is, himself, a major red flag but that’s not what I am here to talk about.

In this issue the Joker that captures Jason has the same things to say as the other one, DC writers really have no imagination when it comes to building conflict between Joker and Jason, huh?

Anyway, Joker says this, “tell me something. Why would you put on that helmet and call yourself Red Hood after what we did?” Jason of course replies “Come on, is every one of you copycats gonna ask me the same thing? It’s a joke” the answer isn’t enough for Joker (the two of them that are here with Jason) so he continues talking. “A joke? We left you with brain damage and permanent nerve pain. Physical and emotional trauma so severe that the only relief you ever find is when you inflict pain on others. You and me, boy, we’re more alike than you’d care to admit. But you know that already. You nearly died and you blame the Batman. You hate him for it. Me too. You hate him most of all don’t you?”

Now, here is the thing, that whole thing is bullshit, none of it makes sense. From Jason having permanent nerve pain to Jason hating Batman the most, everything is a lie. And my confusion here is that I don’t know if I have to feel like Joker is doing it on purpose to be a little bitch or if Geoff Johns was on crack when he wrote this and he had actually never heard of Jason Todd in his life before.

The whole thing is a mess, it feels like he is writing Jason from an origin and story that we never read. I don’t know how to explain it, but the whole thing feels cheap, it’s a cheap trope and it’s a cheap take on who Jason Todd is, was, and will be.

The nightmare doesn’t end Jason Nation because these two Jokers have something else in mind, you see, if they said that they made the Red Hood when they killed Jason the first time, maybe if they kill him this time then he could possibly come back as the Joker. Yeah, this book did nothing for Jason.

Let’s make something clear, Jason does NOT hate Batman/Bruce for not being able to save him, he hates the fact that Batman/Bruce didn’t kill the Joker to avenge him. That simple thing doesn’t exist in Three Jokers and that’s why things like the ones that happen next are allowed to happen in this story.

Bruce and Barbara find Jason and when Bruce asks if he is okay Jason just goes berserk, he says: “Am I all right? What do you think Bruce?! You did this to me. You put me on this path. And I do hate you for it. For leaving me in the dirt. Replacing me one Robin after another without a thought.”

This, everybody is what you get when you mix bad writing with Jason being mentally manipulated by the Joker.

It's a shame that Jason is being treated this way at this point in time, in a book that came out in 2020 when Jason was able to shut the clown up with a knife and a couple of words back in 2005. What a downgrade.

At the end of this issue, Jason is safe and recovering but he still is in the same mindset, he says, “What the Joker said about how I’ve been on the path to being like them for years… they are not wrong. I don’t want to be like them though. I really don’t.”

It’s like a never-ending wheel of pain with this book. Jason is talking to Barbara when he says that and he is trying to look for comfort in her. And here is where the Jason/Barbara subplot begins and I only bring this up because something that happens in the next issue is based on the kiss that Barbara gave Jason but then was like “that doesn’t mean anything, I was just trying to comfort you”. Johns shouldn’t be allowed to write Barbara and Jason ever again.

Batman: Three Jokers #3

It’s in this issue that we find out the big subplot that Johns has prepared for Jason, are you ready for it? Yup, Jason should stop being the Red Hood because if he keeps it up, he will eventually become the Joker.

I know, I know! Jason would never stop being Red Hood, he is not on a path to become the Joker, that’s crazy! Jason’s Red Hood is a character on its own and he is amazing and just because he has different morals from Batman doesn’t mean that he is a bad guy! Right?...

“I’ll give up being Red Hood for us. I can be something else. Or I can be just Jason.”

To this day I cannot believe that those words supposedly were written by Jason Todd to Barbara Gordon after Barbara rejected him three times. The level of “what the fuck is this” is incredibly high with this one…

This whole book was a mess and I am so glad that it didn’t last longer.

Anyway, that’s it. In conclusion, Jason didn’t let the Joker get under his skin the first time they interacted after he came back from the dead but later when DC decided that UtRH was just too good of a book they came up with stories where Joker does get under Jason’s skin and Jason becomes convinced that he has no free will (or at the very least he doubts his free will) when it comes to him becoming his own man.

As I have said before, that for Jason Todd is a major downgrade. And it's one of the many things that hurts Jason’s characterization in current comics.

[sirthisisa-wendys]

The Enforcers Part 1: Geto Suguru x Fem!Reader

synopsis: As a Kitsune, you're tasked with sniffing out the illegal activities of the underground and reporting them back to the Civic Service Bureau. You'll be partnered with a Leviathan, who is the muscle to carry out the arrests, but can you handle what he brings to the table?

wc: 2.1k

tw: none

masterlist

“Chins up, kitsune! Leave your confidence at the door, and become one with your fear. For the first time in your lives, you will come to stare death in the face. And, unlike at that rubbish academy you were at for the last four years of your life, this is the real deal.”

You look at the man pacing in front of you, his blonde hair slicked back and eyes covered with a pair of peculiar glasses. He’s wearing the standard grey uniform for the upper ranked kitsune with a spotted tie, which would normally be out of uniform, but he’s the head of communications in the Civic Service Bureau, so it doesn’t matter.

“There’s only one thing separating you from a Leviathan in this world. You there, tell me what it is!” Nanami Kento points to the pink-haired boy beside you and Yuji Itadori gulps.

“Uh… cool haircuts and tattoos?”

You groan internally, wondering how he made it through the four years of training without dropping out. “Incorrect. Y/n, tell me what separates you from a Leviathan in the Civic Service Bureau.”

“Our lifespan.”

“That’s right. On average, a kitsune will live ten to twelve years longer than their headstrong and combative partner, hence why there are more of them than there are of us. But that doesn’t mean be reckless. The entire bureau relies on the intel, insight, and reports you bring back from the field. Now, if you think this isn’t the desk job you were promised, you are free to leave. You were only invited here based on your ability to spy and not be caught. But if you’re ready to serve your nation in the most honorable way, stay here.” Not a single person out of the four of you shifts their movements. “Perfect,” Nanami murmurs, eyeing you all carefully. When his eyes rest on you, you notice the different assessment he gives you. It’s the one thing everyone does the first time you meet:

Is she as good as her parents were?

You’re here not only to answer that question but to exceed it. Your parents raised you for this moment - to take on any task thrown at you, spy as well as they did when they were in the Kitsune. You would do all of that and more, then when it came time for you to settle down, you would marry a fellow Kitsune and live in the Grand Sun District with your peers. The trajectory of your life looks like an arrow, shooting straight for the stars and never coming down until your own star wanes into the night. But by then, there would be a legacy tied to your name, and no one would be able to besmirch your reputation. Ever.

“Alright, you will all be paired with your Leviathan after dinner. Go and freshen up; you have a long night ahead of you.”

“Sir!” You all salute the man with fervor, then you’re ushered to your temporary dressing quarters where you’re instructed to shower until you’re thoroughly cleaned, then to dress in the standard Kitsune uniform - a light grey shirt and grey pants, with a grey jacket. As you stand in the shower and wash, you remember your parents’ words:

“You’re the reason there’s still good in this world. As a Kitsune, you give balance to the chaos of the universe.”

They always made the job seem like a superhero’s task, but you learned much more about the types of jobs you would take on when you went to the academy. But you’d risen to each and every challenge, no matter what, and graduated second in your class, behind Nobara Kugisaki.

As you slide on the pants provided to you, you wonder who they’ll pair you with. In the past, each Leviathan was paired with their equal Kitsune, which meant you would be paired with the second-ranked in the incoming group. But they changed that rule when Gojo Satoru switched from being first in the Kitsune to being first in the Leviathans a year ago, disrupting the entire ranking system. Ranks from the Academy were just a formality now, thanks to him.

“Fall in line!” You toss your jacket on, then join the other three in the main room, coming face to face with Yuki, the head of the Kitsune and Reconnaissance.

“You all look like a spry bunch. But I hate to say that the Leviathans you’ll be paired with are tougher than last year’s group. Excluding Gojo, of course.” You all hold your breath, but she smiles, turning to Nanami. “Dinner should be ready soon.”

_____________________________________________________________

The cafeteria is silent with Yuji, Nobara, Maki, and you eating as quickly as you can, trying your best to scarf down the tasteless meal before introducing your partners. Finally, once you swallow down your water, you stand, grunting.

“Alright, I’m done.”

“Hey, hotshot,” Nobara huffs. “We don’t meet them until they’re ready. And you know how Leviathans are.”

“Slow, lazy, quick to anger,” Yuji groans and Maki nods, shrugging.

You sit back down, tapping your fingers on the table. “Perhaps they could speed it up.”

“Why are you in such a hurry?” Yui wonders innocently, pulling apart his bread roll.

“I want to get to work,” you admit, cracking your knuckles. “I’m itching to sniff out and dismantle some organizations.”

“Just because your parents took down the Motivir Group doesn’t mean you have to live up to their reputation.”

“Doesn’t mean I can slack off, either,” you grumble just as the doors to the cafeteria slide open. Yuki walks through, her brow raised curiously.

“It seems that they’re ready. Are you all set?”

The walk to the auditorium seems longer than it actually is as you pass by endless barracks, one of which would end up being where you stay in an adjoining room to your Leviathan. As your shoes clang on the metal rafters connecting the barracks to the main building, your heart beats feverishly in your chest. Of course, your Leviathan will be impressed that you’re the daughter of two prominent Kitsune, but would they expect you to--

“Watch your step.” You descend the staircase to the lobby of the auditorium and wait patiently for the doors to open. When they do, they reveal the hundreds of waiting Civic Service Bureau members, including the head of communication (Nanami Kento), head of surveillance (Mei Mei), head of foreign affairs (Yuta Okkotsu), Gojo Satoru, and of course, head of the Leviathans, Toji Fushiguro.

He sits in front of his group on the right side of the stage, elbows on his knees as he watches you all parade to the left side where the other Kitsune are seated. A scowl is painted on his face as he eyes each of you, and the Leviathans behind him look equally as bored, whispering to each other and snickering. You analyze the group, taking in their all-black attire and various haircuts, piercings, and tattoos.

When you look over to the Kitsune, they all look polished - hair slicked back, arms and legs free of any visible markings, and light grey attire. The only piercing you see among the crowd of your peers is in the ears, and even those are easily hidden. It wasn’t that you all were prudes or traditional, but to blend in, you had to be a blank slate, mentally and physically; adult tabula rasa.

“Is this thing on?” Toji groans, tapping the microphone just handed to him. You take your seat as he begins to speak, grumbling his words without enthusiasm. “Right. As you all know, today is the day when our newest members are paired with their partners and sent off on initial missions for an assessment of compatibility, blah, blah, blah. I’m going to skip the bullshit and get straight to the fun part.” Yuki mutters a string of curses as she gets up and snatches the mic from him, pushing her partner off to the side.

“Apologies, you all. We do have to read the pledge of the Civic Service Bureau before we continue.” You all stand, tapping two fingers to space between your brow and then to your heart, where they rest as you chant:

“I pledge allegiance to the Civic Service Bureau and to keeping the nation safe with authority, strength, and boldness.” The words echo in the auditorium, and then you all retake your seats.

“And now, a memorial to our fallen Kitsune and Leviathans.” The lights dim as the hologrammed faces of various Leviathans appear above the crowd. In addition to the many faces, there are two outlined in gold: Kitsune.

“Did you hear about the Leviathan that got his Kitsune killed while on a mission last year?” Maki whispers to Yuji, and you frown, turning in your seat.

“Huh?”

“Yeah,” Yuji answers. “I heard the Leviathan didn’t execute the raid properly, and the Kitsune was murdered by--”

“Shh!” Nobara hisses, turning back to watch the faces fade into the light, and the lights come back up as Yuki brings the mic back up to her lips.

“Alright, now I’ll pass it back to Toji so he can… do his job.” Yuki glares at the man and passes him the mic as he grins at her lazily.

“Thanks, Yuki. Such a riveting presentation. Let me start off by saying this year’s Leviathans have the grit and determination that moved even the Grand Council.” The Leviathans roar in response to this admission, acknowledging the head members of the Civic Service Bureau, who were conveniently not present. “Now, at the head of this year’s class, we have my own son, Megumi Fushiguro.” The black-haired, green-eyed man comes up to the stage, forgoing anything other than a blank look as Toji clasps his arm in solidarity. “He will be partnered with Nobara Kugisaki, as directed by the Grand Council.” Everyone claps as they should.

Nobara and Megumi shake hands, then move to the back of the stage to stand together.

“Next, we have Noritoshi Kamo,” Another blank-faced black-haired man. “And he will be paired with…” You anticipate your name being called second, thinking maybe they’ve reinstated the rank pairs rule. “Maki Zen’in.” You watch her walk up to Noritoshi and shake his hand, then join Nobara and Toji’s son. “Next, Choso Kamo and Yuji Itadori.” The two men forgo the traditional handshake and instead perform their own special handshake, no doubt practiced for this very moment. You look up to the elder Fushiguro, wondering who in the world was left for the daughter of heroes.

“This year, as we mourn the tragic loss of first-year Kitsune Yu Haibara, the Grand Council has moved to reassign his Leviathan in a show of forgiveness. So, for the second time - and for the first time in history - Geto Suguru will be paired with Y/n, as directed by special order from the Grand Council.” You don’t move from your seat as the massive man walks up to the stage, his black eyes roaming the crowd for his partner - you.

“Go,” Yuki urges you, but you can’t move.

There has to be a mistake.

“Y/n, please come up to the stage….” Toji rumbles. “Before I lose my patience.”

No. There’s something wrong.

“Get up there.” Yuki grabs your arm and lifts you out of your seat, pushing you toward the stage unceremoniously. When you finally stand in front of Geto Suguru, you look into his eyes and see… nothing. He stares at you, his silver nose ring shining in the lights, just like his long, black hair. But you don’t even shake his hand, opting to walk to the back and stand there, dumbfounded with crossed arms. Geto joins you, looking equally as miffed.

“Okay, great. So, that’s over, and now I can take a nap. Go have some light desserts, talk, get to know each other, and then go to your barracks.” Once everyone files out, you follow, searching for Gojo and Nanami. When you find them conversing at the chocolate fountain, you interrupt their conversation, temper flaring.

“Who chose that failure to be my partner?” you growl, pointing your finger at the man who lingers by himself at the back of the room, arms crossed over his chest as he observes the others.

“Whoa,” Gojo holds up his hands, taking a step back. “That’s a Grand Council question.”

“Partners can't be reassigned except in extreme circumstances,” Nanami reminds you. “This seems like an extreme circumstance, y/n.”

“He let his Kitsune get killed!” you yell, catching the attention of a few others nearby. “If you think my parents will allow this to--”

“Your parents are still under the directives of the Grand Council,” Yuki mentions, walking up to you. “They can’t get you reassigned even if they tried.”

“We’ll see about that,” you hiss, striding out of the lobby and to your assigned barrack before closing yourself off.