#does he intentionally leave him with the kents?

[hypewinter]

The summonings for residents of the Infinite Realms are constant. Across space and time they do not change. They require the same strokes in the sigil from past to present and the same breaths needed to chant from one edge of the universe to another.

Danny has always liked this as it has allowed him to see many wonders of history. And to visit many alien planets. He has met all sorts of people and experienced all sorts of events. But he has never experienced something like this. This time, he is summoned to a dying world. The planet exploding as its core devours itself. This time he is faced with two desperate parents pleading for him to save their son. But he can't. Living beings cannot be taken back through the summons. All Danny can do, is promise to guide their son to safety.

[cer-rata]

Fic WIP: "Welcome home(?) Chris Kent!"

Chris sighed. “...So yeah, I don’t really remember being an adult. Just bits and pieces. I remember Thara, and the Nightwing. Um. That’s about it on details.”

B+ nodded and rubbed his chin. Chris was intentionally leaving things out, that’s what his spot analysis of his body-language, mannerisms and tone told him. Perhaps he’d be willing to share more later when they were friends…if B+ didn’t manage to mess it up.  “Fascinating series of events for a twelve-year-old. Disturbing, in many ways.”

Chris rolled his eyes. “I’m not really twelve, I’m actually an adult, I just look like--”

B+ shook his head and looked down at the datapad that was monitoring Chris' vitals. “No. No, I'm pained to inform you that you’ve misunderstood the flow of your life.”

Chris frowned. “...What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, from what I can tell, you didn’t live an accelerated life in that you lived at a normal pace in a pocket of reality that moved faster along the timeline than the one you originated from. Rather, your body aged more quickly than it should have on a purely physical level. Sure, that meant your brain reached a certain stage of development sooner, but you didn’t gain the experience you would have had from living into adulthood naturally, so experientially you didn’t really age at all. Legally, and ethically you were always a child. And that would be true even if you did remember everything. 

“So really I could still say you were six or seven, but with the accumulated experience you lived through and do remember...and though you were incorporeal when you were in the phantom zone the second time, and I have no concrete way of knowing how long you were there for…I do know that Kon-El is also from your timeline and only remembers a year passing between when he was lost and when Impulse found him. That was five or six years ago now, and you were conscious for that period of time. Meaning: I think eleven or twelve is probably fair. I can go with twelve if that makes you feel any better. Luckily, that’s about where your body ended up as well.”

Chris stared at him with wide eyes. Then his lips twisted and he sat back down on the floor of his containment chamber. “...Oh. I…I guess that makes sense.”

B+ nodded without looking up from the data he was reading. “It does, but I still think it’s kind of messed up, actually. The adults sent me to talk to you because they’re all upset and didn’t want you to pick up on it. Subconsciously they seem to think that I don’t process emotion still and as such wouldn’t bother you by being agitated. Bias from experience with my predecessor. I am not hurt by it, but…I do hope to at some point convince them that I am truly a separate being.” His third eye flicked up and over to look at Chris and caught the alarmed recognition in his eyes in the second before he was able to hide it. “...Sorry, I didn’t mean to talk about myself. I was going to say that I am also upset: You shouldn’t have had an adult girlfriend when you were cognitively six or seven. Very weird for both human and Kryptonian standards. Bird gods be damned.”

Chris hugged himself. “I mean…I mean from what I remember, she was nice.”

B+ desperately wanted to break down the reasons why that didn’t matter, but it wasn’t the right moment, and he felt it would be better coming from someone like Ms. Lane. So he smoothed it over. 

...Well, he tried to. “She could have been, I’m not implying that it was…”He paused. “...Well maybe I am implying that it was somewhat predatory, but I doubt she really considered the implications enough for me to judge her as anything more than shortsighted. Perhaps neither of you were completely acting on your own volition even, because again, bird gods. I’m…not trying to make you feel bad, am I making you feel bad?”

Chris looked away. “...A little.”

B+ winced and looked directly at him with all three eyes. He even devoted half of his processes to the conversation, which was dramatic overkill really, but he felt bad.

 “I apologize. Sometimes I talk through thoughts that I should probably process silently. Um…wait, hold on.” He closed his eyes for a second and then opened them again. “Okay, the likelihood that they’ll bother us in the next half hour is low, they’re tending to a minor disaster.” 

Chris’ mask dropped and B+ could see how nervous he was.

“...Why…what are you going to do to me?”

B+ had been reaching towards the containment field, but when Chris asked that fearful question, he pulled his hand back like he’d been burned.

“Nothing! I wouldn’t--I don’t…” His lips wobbled as he tried to not get upset. It was frustrating sometimes, being so young and knowing so many things. On the one hand he wanted to be taken seriously, to be seen as competent…but on the other, he was still chronologically two, developmentally nine, and that meant that it was hard to mitigate his feelings sometimes. Conrad had reassured him that it was normal, but he knew that already. Normal or not, it was still embarrassing. He sighed. “...I was just going to sit next to you. I thought…I thought it might make you feel better after I upset you by being callous. I don’t have to, I can just--”

Chris’ expression softened considerably. “Wait, what? Wouldn’t the Phantom Zone energy be bad for you?”

“No, I can handle it fine.” It was a lie, it was going to be incredibly uncomfortable, but not so much that he couldn’t hide it from Chris, so it was acceptable.

Chris stood up. “Well…I mean yeah, then that would be okay. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to freak out, just--”

“You’ve been treated as an experiment and tool before…and in a sense I am…Brainiac. That was…that was the kind of thing he did, so it is not inappropriate to be...vigilant.” B+ was thankful at that moment that he’d decided not to install synthetic tear ducts into his current iteration. “Um. Step back just a little? Please?”

Chris pressed lips together in concern, but took a step back. B+ reached out again and touched the containment field, and his skin shifted color just slightly from its bright turquoise to something closer to matching the shade of the barrier, before he walked through said barrier like it wasn’t there. Chris looked him over cautiously. “...You sure you’re okay?”

B+ nodded. “I am sure.” He stretched a bit to try to look casual about the fact that the way the zone energy interfered with his connection to turquoise light made his synthetic muscles burn. It was fine. He wasn’t a baby. He took a seat on the floor, and Chris sat next to him.

“If you would like to ask me questions, you may, I think that’s fair. You aren’t my experiment, friends share information reciprocally, and I’d…I’d like to be…that.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “Metron’s countenance, I am awkward.”

Chris giggled. “No, you’re fine. This is all kinda awkward I think. For most people it’d be worse. You use a bunch of words I don’t know, though.”

“Sorry.”

Chris offered him a warm smile and patted him on the shoulder, and B+ had to stop himself from wincing at the pain. This was a good sign, a positive interaction that suggested Chris had not decided to fear him. The discomfort had purpose.

“So,” Chris went on, “How old are you? Cause I dunno what your deal is, but you seem to have a lot going on.”

B+ snorted. “Yes that…yes. Um. Technically I…emotionally I am about nine or ten, experientially…is complicated, because I have the knowledge of…quite a few civilizations stored in my mind, so I know and understand quite a bit. Chronologically my body is roughly…two years old at this point?” B+ knew that he was exactly eighteen months, three-hundred hours, thirty-two minutes and fifteen seconds old--but he thought rounding it up sounded better. 

Chris slowly turned to him and smirked. “So I just got a lecture about how my girlfriend was inappropriate from a toddler?”

B+ rolled all three of his eyes. “I’m not a toddler!”

“Awww look at the little guy!” Chris teased and poked B+ in the side.

…Which was not something B+ expected him to do, and so he wasn’t prepared to stop his automatic reaction. It tickled as intended, but it also hurt because at that point everything hurt, and he made a sound that was something between an embarrassed giggle and a pained groan. You could probably call it a whimper. 

Chris pulled his hand back. “Wh--did I hurt you? I thought I didn’t have my powers, I’m sorry--”

“No!” B+ waved him off and then winced at how much that action hurt. “It’s fine, you did nothing wrong, my chassis is strong enough that I wouldn’t be concerned if you did have your powers, it’s just--”

“You lied to me about the zone being fine?”

B+ sighed. Why couldn’t he have been somewhat dense like the other Lor-Zod?

 “...Yes. I thought it wouldn’t be this bad and wanted you to feel better--ahh!”

B+ yelped in surprise (and pain) as Chris gently picked him up and brought him back to the edge of containment. “Out! Go! Before you hurt yourself any more.”

“But--”

“It’s fine! We can hug later or whatever!”

B+’ cheeks warmed, which was confusing for him because he didn’t really have blood, but he stepped back through the barrier like he was told to. Instantly he felt his connection return, and the pain was replaced by the strength he hadn’t realized he’d lost. He turned back to Chris. “Sorry--”

“Please don’t do that again.”

“Well, I wasn’t planning on--”

“I mean hurting yourself so I don’t think you’re bad. Don’t do that.”

B+ was somewhat disturbed that Chris had picked up on that. “I…what?”

Chris looked directly into B+’ two primary eyes. His expression read as genuine concern and compassion. It made B+ nervous. “I don’t think you’re Brainiac, and I don’t think you wanna hurt me, okay? We’re good. I like you. You’re kind of funny in like an alien way. Which, as an alien, works for me.”

B+ rolled his eyes and snorted. “...Alright. I appreciate that.”

“Plus, I’m not gonna be scared of a two-year old.” Chris smiled.

“I’m not--” B+ shook his head. He had to claw some of his dignity back somehow. “I’m going to get you out of that tube before the day is out.”

Chris balked. “...What? But...but Kal-El and Batman and Mr. Terrific said it could take--”

“RIP to them, but I’m built different. Literally. Besides, I understand your biology better than any existing being. If I can’t figure this out in the next six hours, I might as well retire and go live on a farm. Ew.”

“Farms are cool!”

“Farms are outdated, just synthesize the food with an atomic reconstructor, they’re not hard to--you know what, I’m actually going to focus all my processes on you, which means I really like you, because I was watching ‘The Great British Bake Off' for most of this conversation. I love that show. But…I still think the British owe this planet more reparations. Anyway, give me seventeen minutes.”

Chris was about to ask another question, but B+’ face went blank and his eyes all started glowing bright turquoise at once, so it was clear that the conversation was over. Or at least…paused.

[bigfan-fanfic]

Here’s a really really angsty ask. But I think there’s so very interesting implications in it.

What if instead of Damien killing Dick that night at Arkham. (In the injustice universe) he ends up killing batdad. How does that play out you think?

Ooooh, that's an interesting one.

In the Injustice universe, it's a subtle difference from the mainline one. The people are all slightly worse, with some exceptions, and if Batdad was still the same as we know him, he'd probably not want to associate with them on instinct, and so it makes sense that this world's Batman is more distant from them, while Batdad encouraged and became a part of the League in his own right.

What I'm saying is that this version of Batdad wouldn't have been as good friends with the other heroes and probably wouldn't have been on Superman's side. And as a person with no actual secret identity, he's free to operate against Superman without being doxxed. So in a way, and this is no shade to Dick, it's just as emotional of a blow, but a bit bigger one politically.

So in the few months of fallout after Metropolis, after the Joker's murder, Batdad has suspended Clark from the League on compassionate leave, to get him a mental health break. Publicly, he does promote doubt, ensuring it is known that Clark is suffering from incredible grief. He might even meet with the Kents to further this. Recall that this Batdad has lost two sons - Tim and the rest of the Titans are presumed dead because they fought Superman after he killed the Joker and got locked in the Phantom Zone by him, and Jason was killed by the Joker and had not been resurrected yet.

So, Superman announces he's gonna vacate (read: kill) all the criminals in Arkham, and Damian backs him. Dick goes there to protect him, and Bruce tries to get through to Superman. In this case, I'd say Batdad shows up to try and protect the innocents in Arkham and/or also talk to Damian and Clark. In canon injustice, Damian accidentally killed Dick, throwing a baton at him while he was off-guard, striking him in the temple and Dick's neck breaks when he trips over rubble after being stunned by it.

I don't see Damian intentionally throwing a baton at Batdad, but perhaps in his rage, his aim is off, and he tries to protect Batdad from an assailant and accidentally hits him instead. So, Dick and Bruce come across Damian cradling Batdad's dead body, clearly killed by him. I think Dick would be willing to hear him out, but Bruce, like he is with Dick's death, is shattered and disowns Damian.

Dick being alive is a big difference, because of his superpower. I don't mean any special ability beyond him just being incredibly likable to a wide variety of people. The League, villains, civilians, the Batfam, he's the go-between for them all because of his kindness, compassion, and sheer likability. So while Batdad's death is a big blow because he's got a lot of public pull, and the Regime can get justification by using Batdad as a martyr. But Dick has a lot of personal connections with the major players, and could probably get through to most of the Regime apart from Wonder Woman, Yellow Lantern, and Kal.

[op-sys-chaos]

The bats have learned how to use the bond intentionally at this point, sending emotions to each other. They send to Tim “come home, we love you, you’re family.” But they get no response.

They keep trying, allowing how frantic their search for him is seep into the bond. Allowing their worry for him, their fear that he’s hurt, their terror that they may not find him in time.

And even with Tim’s shields, he can still feel it.

Tim is barely conscious after the pain he went through. He called Kon, said “hide me from literally everyone please,” and passed out in the air on the trip. But in his semi-conscious state, Tim is muttering to himself.

“It can’t be real. There’s no way they feel that way. I’m temporary. Filling a role. Why would they worry about me? Why would they care? Why would they want me home when it’s not my home, I just filled a place in their home while they needed it?”

He goes on and on, insisting he isn’t loved, he isn’t really one of them, and they shouldn’t care about him because they’re not supposed to. It’s why he shielded himself when he made the bond; they all needed help communicating, but Tim’s only in it because the spell demanded it. He doesn’t need to burden them with his emotions, and while he can feel theirs even despite his shield he has no right to since he’s not truly family.

Kon takes a recording of Tim’s mumblings. All of it, including him mentioning creating the bond. (Kon has known about the bond since day 1.) And he sends the recording to Oracle.

The bats receive the recording and freak out. Tim created the bond? To help them communicate? I mean, it worked, but damn, Tim, ask next time. But then they realize he can feel that response and go right back to panicking and reassuring him they’re not actually upset. Yeah, they’re miffed he did it without asking, but it’s helped so much. If only he would let it help him too. They had always wished they could feel his emotions, and now, they’re banging on the shield begging him to let them in.

Tim wakes up and finds out that Kon sent the recording. He yells at Kon and tries to leave, but Kon just stands there and takes the screaming and doesn’t physically move to stop Tim. Tim, upset at Kon’s lack of response, tries to leave. Only to find out that Kon took him to the Fortress of Solitude and he can’t get out.

“I thought you said you wanted to be hidden from everyone,” Kon says with a smirk when Tim starts yelling at him again for it.

Tim eventually calms down, and Kon asks if he’s ready to talk. When Tim is, Kon politely rips into Tim’s mentality. He cuts deep, telling Tim he’s insecure and self-loathing but he’s also a dumbass because his family loved him. He also analyzes the batfamily a bit. Kon goes for the throat on Tim’s issues, basically. But he does it with that Kansas politeness he learned from the Kents.

Eventually, after hours of talking, Tim finally gets Kon’s point. The point being that Tim is a member of the batfamily whether he likes it or not. Yeah, they’ve been shitty to him sometimes, but the entire family is shitty to each other. Usually because they can’t communicate or don’t understand each other’s issues. It’s why Tim made the spell in the first place. And now, Tim’s only barrier to being a part of the family in a way that stops them from being shitty to him is to let them in and drop the shield. Tim’s insecure about his place, but his family has been psychically screaming at him to come home and how much they love him ever since they found out he was in pain (physically and mentally).

They love him. They want him home. He is family.

Tim decides to drop a tiny, tiny portion of the shield. Enough to let through the fact that he’s sorry for forcing the bond upon him. He’s immediately flooded with forgiveness and his family begging to know where he is. He drops another piece of the shield, enough to let his thoughts through, and tells them “I won’t say where I am yet. Not until I manage to drop this shield. I’ve been using it as a defense mechanism and I don’t think I’m strong enough to drop it around you all.”

He’s met with understanding and support. It brings tears to his eyes, and they sense he thinks he’s unworthy of it. So one by one, they each share a memory of the strongest times they considered Tim family. With each memory, Tim drops the shield a bit more, showing them how much he loves them but how insecure he is and how much he thinks, or thought, that he was just filling a role and wasn’t truly family. At each turn, his family understands and accepts the insecurities and then squashes them, proving them so, so wrong. Tim’s never felt more loved.

After about three hours of this, of Tim finally, truly starting to be a part of the bond, they begin going more in depth, having conversations they wanted to have years ago but couldn’t because of his shield (despite how much they desperately wished they could).

Dick shares the fact that he wanted Tim close during the BruceQuest. He hasn’t meant to push Tim away; he viewed him as an equal and wanted Tim by his side to help him with Gotham in a way that Damian couldn’t. Dick had to focus on keeping Damian, who was still murderous, in line. He wanted to entrust the harder cases to Tim. But Tim had left, and nothing Dick could do could bring him back, even asking Tim’s friends to try. Tim finally gets it. And he expresses how he was feeling at the time; how much he felt betrayed by Dick’s choices and his friends being Dick’s mouthpieces. Dick apologies, and they patch things up.

Jason talks about how much he’s in awe of Tim’s genius. Yeah, Tim looks up to him, but he doesn’t understand how, when he did nothing but hurt him for a long time and Tim meanwhile is Jason’s favorite Robin. Jason expresses how jealous he was that Bruce finally had a Robin as smart as Tim. Tim returns the sentiment by telling him not just how much he looked up to Jason but also why. He goes into detail of how Jason was the perfect Robin, more so than Tim ever felt he could be. And he expresses how he still looks up to him, even as a crime lord, because Jason’s still fighting for what he believes in, while Tim is just doing this because it’s what he’s meant to do. Jason says that if Tim wants to retire, they’d all support it; he shouldn’t do anything he doesn’t want to. Everyone agrees. But after thinking on it for a bit, Tim replies that while that was why he was doing it for a while, he’s going to keep doing it because he wants to truly be one of the bats. They all are relived and proud and happy at this announcement, sending him so much love.

Cass, not one for words, shows Tim how she’s always seen him. How strong and smart he is. How she’s always seen how he felt and how much she wished she could’ve fixed it, but never knew how. He brought her back to the family by giving her her batsuit back while she was in Hong Kong. She wants to return the favor. He tells her that this helps, that this is enough.

Damian apologizes for the murder attempts, showing Tim his jealousy and his mentality of “I can never be a better Robin than him, so I must kill him if I am to take my rightful place.” He shows Tim how Dick deconstructed that mentality, and how his murderous threats against Tim are now more habit than serious threats. He apologizes for ever making Tim feel unsafe or unwelcome. Tim apologizes for listing Damian as a potential threat. They agree to work on being more civil in the future.

Bruce, not one for words, simply floods the bond with his love for his kids and how that love includes Tim just as much as the others. Tim mentions his 16th birthday, and Bruce apologizes profusely. The others get distracted for a good half an hour yelling at Bruce for pulling that bullshit. Bruce lets them, knowing he’s more than earned that yelling and showing how remorseful he is. Tim ends up feeling so loved by the end of the conversation.

Alfred expresses his sorrow that he didn’t do more to support Tim. He also shows that he wanted to support Tim around the time of the BruceQuest but Tim left before he could. Tim doesn’t have much to say to Alfred, but he appreciates the support.

After all of that, Tim tells them he’s in the fortress of solitude and he’ll ask Kon to bring him home to Wayne Manor. They’re thrilled he calls it home again, and they shower him with love and affection. The batfamily has never been so whole, and they make sure the whole hero community knows it.

AU idea: Tim, tired of all the misunderstandings in the batfam, resorts to magic.

The misunderstandings:

Jason thinking he's been replaced

Damian feeling that he has to earn his place in the family

So many of the batkids feeling unsure of their place in the family

Dick never reaching out about his own issues until it blows up on him

Bruce putting his foot in his mouth and rarely verbally affirming his love

Cass's overwhelming guilt and physical distance from the family

Alfred's passiveness/professionalism/perceived neutrality

The timeline is after Damian joins, but before Duke does. We'll say the BruceQuest really made Tim face how shitty their communication is and the need to fix it.

So, Tim contacts Constantine about setting up pack/coven bonds for the family (Bruce, Jason, Dick, Damian, Alfred, and Tim). This links their emotions together and allows them to monitor each other's physical states.

At the beginning, it's sudden and overwhelming. Only Tim, who was prepared, is able to immediately shield his bond.

If he had a choice, he wouldn't have even included himself in the bond (he's a hypocrite). He needed to be in the bond for it to work. In fact, since he was the one to start it, he's the coven/pack leader. He can add people and remove them at will.

The bond causes many many many fights and arguments. It's basically a huge blowup as the family learns to adjust to their new status and try to figure out what happened. Tim, obviously, does not tell them.

The family can tell that Tim is in the bond, but his emotions are constantly shielded. This does cause misunderstandings.

Eventually, the bonds become used as Tim intended: a way to express and communicate. It even allows them to soothe and comfort each other.

It's mostly a success... Except for Tim, the hypocrite, distancing himself. While he watches everyone else bond and get along, he allows the misconception that he's not as affected or doesn't feel as much as the others.

[fancyfade]

okay so

unsure if this bit intentionally or unintentionally paralleled batman comics #8, but I think it’s really interesting that it parallel’s the talia being ra’s’ connection to humanity, and when he loses her he loses that connection.

ID under cut

[image: a series of comic panels and pages, first from action comics 773 and then from batman chronicles 8. first, from action comics, we have a whole page spread of talia al ghul and clark kent (superman) flying into a base and attacking ra's al ghul's guys. talia is flying on some floating scooter thing and backfisting one guy at the same time as shooting someone else with her scooter and punching him in the face. superman is using his laser vision on one of ra's' men’s guns to disarm them and getting shot in the chest.

RA'S INTERNAL MONOLOGUE: Look at that. Just ... look. ANd now look at me. My face twisted as that of a fool. Smiling. Proud. Delighted. That is why I must finish waht my daughter started. That is why I must excise the remains of my heart. Atlas does not smile.

next shows a comic panel of ra's with his shirt off and a bunch of breathing tubes? Or something? connected to his face.

RA'S: My heart, all mad with misery, beats in the hollow prison of my flesh. mine, not shakespeare's. I lent it to him. After my daughter betrayed me for little gods, I realized it is the flesh and bone and soul of me that allows for my repeated defeat.

next, from batman chronicles 8, we have ra's sitting on a throne with talia's internal monologue overlaid.

TALIAS INTERNAL MONOLOGUE: Yours is a quiet agony, isn't it, father? To those who've opposed you you are the demon that wil llive forever. the demon that is indestructible. But I know you better. Inside, you are weak and you are scared. Despite all your power and all your wisdom, you are alone. So terribly, terribly alone. Isolated through all the ages you have walked the earth. How terrified you must be at the thought of losing me.

then there is another page showing ra's angsting on his throne, looking at his picture of sora (his wife).

RA'S' INTERNAL MONOLOGUE: ALive. The detective is still alive. I have lost her. Just as I have lost you, Sora, my long dead wife. Just as I have lost so many others. It will always end this way for me. Is this the curse of the Lazarus pit I shall carry on my weary shoulders as long as I walk the earth? I have lost so much. Must I lose my daughter as well? No. This is merely a temporary set back. The lazarus pit will not sustain me forever. I need talia to continue my lineage. To stand by my side as I one day leave this world. For, without her, I would be al-- no. I must never lose her.

the camera zooms on on ra's's face, then only his eyes with a laughting reflection of himself in the pupils. Finally, it goes black.

RA'S'S INTERNAL MONOLOGUE: You are mine, talia. you belong to me, body and soul. I will never let you go. You will never, ever be free... never... end image]

[parvuls]

@missellewoods wrote this post, and i wanted to respond to it, but i also didn’t want to add a thesis-length response to their post. the post was about the complexity of the parse iii scene, and i highly encourage looking at it before reading this, because it’s a direct response. 

i wasn’t sure i was gonna do it, but i’m fascinated with jack’s pov, so.

(transcripts from parse i-iii, plus visual cues from lva@pvd i)

[jack turns around, obviously unhappy/startled] "kent." "hey, zimms. didja miss me?" [smirks]

so parse shows up at the haus for the second time, after jack’s seen him last in either freshman or sophomore year. jack is not happy to see him. this is probably the part the remains the most ambiguous to us as an audience, because it leads up to parse iii: shitty’s story about parse’s first appearance is supposed to make us think that jack is jealous, and that he’s holding a grudge because parse is living his dream while he’s at samwell. however, this story isn’t included to give us more information about jack’s psych -- it is, after all, what we expect from jack after his year 1 arc -- it’s there so the impact of parse iii is more significant. it’s the first time we’re given reason to doubt jack’s heterosexuality and are given an actual glimpse to jack’s past since ‘the hockey prince’.

so is shitty’s story true? obviously ngozi is playing with the narrative here: smh all claim parse is a modest, super nice bro, but then we hear how he talks to jack in parse iii. meaning, ngozi is telling us: believe no one. you can’t actually know what he’s like, or what jack and he are like.

so our scene begins with jack, 1) either upset because his former friend shows up and triggers his intense jealousy, or 2) is upset because his former flame shows up and triggers unresolved feelings. honestly, in my opinion, jack himself isn’t sure which one it is. which is a great set up for the unfolding of the next scene.

[jack and parse are talking about jack’s nhl plans]

"...you have no clue?" "i mean... it could be montreal, it could be l.a. okay? i don't know." "...what about las vegas?" "i... i don't know, okay?" "..." [parse probably moves closer/tries to kiss him] "pars---" "..." "..." [whispered] "--kenny... i can't do this." "...jack. come on."

their conversation starts out relatively neutrally. we’re given enough clues from this update and the future of omgcp to deduce that parse isn’t over what he and jack had. this is also the very reason they don’t work and why this conversation takes a sharp turn downwards from here: parse equates his feelings and whatever sexual/romantic connection they had to the chemistry they had on the ice. to him, jack leaving him and going to play for some obscure college is just as upsetting as their ‘thing’ ending. parse spends most of this scene trying to convince jack to come play with him in lv -- the only reason we even know it’s in some way romantic is because of his reaction to the Cup Kiss in year 3. otherwise, he makes it sound like he misses jack as a liney and best friend, maybe as a sexual partner.

but the catch is, jack was in a really bad place when they were playing together, and he doesn’t want that back. does parse know how bad things were? does parse know about jack’s anxiety? how well does parse know jack, really? this is all kept intentionally hidden from us. you could say that they were best friends, so it’s reasonable that parse knew all of this (thus painting his character in a much worse light), or you could say shitty is jack’s best friend and he still didn’t know major things about him. ngozi doesn’t want us to be able to tell how aware or not aware parse is.

so in the beginning of this scene, we’re on the edge of an inevitable cliff. parse wants jack back, as a friend/flame and as a teammate, and jack’s obviously torn. he doesn’t push parse away immediately, but he also doesn’t consent. my opinion is that jack is torn between his old dream (all his 18-year-old self wanted was to play in the nhl with parse, and win win win), and knowing this isn’t what he wants. but does not wanting that necessarily means he doesn’t want parse himself? jack’s obviously not sure, because he lets parse corner him/kiss him before he decides it isn’t right. 

if anyone here has ever met an old flame, especially someone who was bad for you but you cared for for a long time, you’ll know how easy it is to fall into patterns. for a moment the idea of having that all again is so enticing. but then the illusion shatters, and...

"no, i-- ...uh." [and then much louder] "kenny--" "--zimms, just fucking stop thinking for once and listen to me. i'll tell the gms you're on board and they can free up cap space. then you can be done with this shitty team. you and me --" "get out."

here is the most important part of this scene in my opinion. kent doesn’t know jack anymore. anyone on the face of the planet could tell you that jack is a hardass, that he’s tough on his teammates, that his dream is the nhl. but jack loves his team. he didn’t necessarily always know how to be their friend, but he certainly doesn’t think of them as a ‘shitty team’ he’s stuck with.

and parse makes the mistake of shattering the illusion he’s built (with the clever use of the wording ‘shitty’, which probably reminds jack of the friends he has now). jack wakes up from the dream he had when he was 18 and comes back to reality: he’s samwell men’s hockey team’s captain, he cares for his team, and his new dream is to win the ncaa championship and go to the nhl. he doesn’t want this thing parse is offering him, because the person he’s offering it to isn’t him anymore.

and here is the first twist of this scene that op is referring to: jack starts to get angry.

"--jack." "you can't-- you can't come to my fucking school unannounced --" "--because you shut me out--" "--and corner me in my room--" "--i'm trying to help--" "--and expect me to do whatever you want--" "FUCK -- JACK!!! what do yo want me to say? that i miss you?” [twists his fingers in jack’s shirt, crowding into jack’s space. jack turns away, frowning angrily] “i miss you, okay? ...i miss you."

does parse really miss jack, or is it a ploy? honestly, i think the facial expressions we’re privy to in year 3 hint that he really means that. he misses jack. he doesn’t necessarily miss the current jack (it’s likely that he’s stuck on the fantasy of what they had when they were younger), but he means what he says. he wants jack back.

but jack is angry, because parse is complicating things for him. they were talking about playing together, and then parse insulted his choices, and now parse is talking about being together, and jack -- who took A YEAR PLUS to figure out his feelings for bitty -- probably has a hard time handling all of these things at once. for parse there’s nothing complicated here: the jack he knows wouldn’t want to play for a college team (therefore, =shitty team), and playing with jack=being with jack. 

for jack none of these things work like that anymore. they’ve grown too far apart.

"...you always say that." "...huh. well, shit. okay. ...you know what, zimmermann? you think you're too fucked up to care about? that you're not good enough? everyone already knows what you are but it's people like me who still care."

and... okay. so things go south now, and quickly. if you’re a parse stan... honestly, i hope you’re a parse stan who’s aware parse needs a shit ton of therapy. 

jack insults parse, whether intentionally or unintentionally, by being casual about parse’s declarations of feelings. to be fair, jack thinks parse was playing dirty. but parse doesn’t see it like that, so he’s offended, and apparently when he’s offended he gets angry and lashes out.

now. the unfortunate thing about knowing someone at their most vulnerable time is that you also know exactly how to kick them down to their lowest. we all hurt our loved ones the most, because we know them the best. but parse doesn’t just hurt jack here: he goes for the jugular. he kicks jack and then makes sure he stays down. and this is actually the most we see parse say in the whole comic, so... we can’t judge parse as a whole person, but. i’m sorry. he’s definitely not a good friend to jack.

(how bad of a friend? depends on how aware he was of jack’s anxiety and thoughts and feelings. if he was aware, this is a highly emotionally abusive thing to do. if he wasn’t aware, he was just being a shitty friend. either way, parse needs therapy, because he’s holding on to a lot of anger and is expressing it in a really awful way. but we can’t analyze him any further as a character because parse is not the focus of this story and we don’t know anything more about him.)

[faintly] "--shut up--" "--you're scared everyone else is going to find out you're worthless, right? oh, don't worry, just give it a few seasons, jack. trust me." [probably begins shaking] "...g-get out of my room." "fine. shut me out again." "and stay-... stay away from my team." "why? afraid i'll tell them something?" [voice growing stronger] "leave, parse." [door opening; jack and parse are surprised to find bitty outside the door. jack is visibly shaking, holding the attack at bay]

op asked how jack’s anger turns into a full blown panic attack. the answer is parse goes for his weak points faster than jack can prepare himself, just when jack was open for an attack. he calls jack ‘worthless’, which is jack’s second worst fear, and then (probably) tries for the sexuality angle. it’s unclear whether he’s threatening to out jack or to tell the team about his substance problems, but more likely the former, because the latter was all over the news.

parse is clearly upset here. is he just angry for being rejected? is he humiliated? is he heartbroken? we don’t know. the only hint we have is ‘shut me out again’, which implies he’s at least still upset about jack cutting him off after the draft. what we do know is that jack, with the last shreds of his will power, tries to defend his team. tries to cling on to the idea that he knows there are people who believe in him (this is very hard under the cloud of anxiety).

either way, jack’s panic isn’t even about parse or what parse used to be -- it’s just that parse knows where to press.

[parse clears throat, putting his indifferent mask back on] "hey. well. call me if you reconsider or whatever. but good luck with the falconers." [lands the final blow] "...i'm sure that'll make your dad proud." [jack's panic attack takes over. he retreats to his room, slams the door, and slides down to curl into himself on the floor for an undetermined amount of time]

and then parse, in front of jack’s teammate, lands the worst punch he has in his arsenal. jack’s worst fear. disappointing his dad.

jack spent all of year 2 talking to nhl teams and being watched by scouts and negotiating contracts, and consulting with his dad and his teammates to make a decision. he’s not sure about the falconers until much later, but he obviously leans towards them. which is a whole essay in and of itself: jack leans towards the falconers, a smaller, younger team with no cups, but with a lot of potential and good people and something to prove. this is a metaphor for jack’s growth as a character. he could go for a more established team to look good in front of the world, or pick a winning-streak team like the aces to feed into his anxiety. parse is taunting him with his own growth, making him doubt himself: you think you can change? you think you can really be someone new after playing in some college team? if you’re not who you were when you were 18 and first-pick at the draft (before you ruined everything for yourself and ended up here), you’re no one. and your dad will never be proud of you.

[end scene.]

[bedbellyandbeyond]

The Apologies

(Story Post)

“This wasn’t supposed to happen like this…” Dax tried talking to Nathan as they drove back to the airport. Several more APID agents were escorting them now after the thunderbird incident and they were much less friendly than Hanover, though he was still among them. They treated it similarly to a police investigation, getting Nathan's statement on the way to Kent’s, and then grilling Dax on the way out. Dax had a feeling they didn't actually believe him when he explained that he lost consciousness and couldn’t remember everything, but all he could do was recount the events of the night before as he remembered them. A few agents stayed behind to try to get a statement from Kent, but this would likely prove futile with his stubbornness, and potentially dangerous if the bear man wasn't just posturing. “I only came along to support you, you know that, right?” Dax continued, as he sat opposite Nathan. “There was absolutely no intent in what happened…”

“Of course not, I'm not stupid,” Nathan finally said after being silent since the moment they got in. “You can stop apologising.” Dax sighed. “So…are we alright, then?” he probed. Nathan knit his brow, making eye contact with Dax. “No, we're not alright. How can any of this be alright?” “But—” “You've explained it all and I understand, for the most part, but you know, I can’t just let it go,” Nathan said. “It still fucking happened. You still had sex with Kent.” Dax swallowed and looked down. “…Yeah. You're right… So, what now?” Nathan hesitated. He took his phone out and flipped through his own photos of his kids. He paused on one with the two of them curled up with Dax for a nap, both human. His heart sank. “…I think I need a few days.” Dax deflated a bit. “…Yeah?” “Yeah… Maybe, just a week?” Nathan said. “I need time to collect my thoughts… Organise some stuff. Prepare the twins for next weekend.” Dax sighed. “Okay… And next weekend. Just you and the kids up here?” Nathan pursed his lips. “Probably…” Dax nodded solemnly. “Alright. I can accept that... I'll leave it up to you, you know, whenever you're comfortable to talk, if ever…” Nathan shook his head. “We'll talk…” He paused. “I care about you a lot, you know... Like, Christ, you've been a godsend through the last 6 months…” He rubbed his own arm. “I don't want to lose you, I'm just not sure how to feel right now…” “Yeah. Yeah, I get that.” Dax rubbed his knees. “I understand…” “You can spend some time with Orpheus now.” “Right,” Dax chuckled sadly. “I've been a bit of a bad bird dad, haven't I? Hopefully Samara hasn't killed her...” Nathan just nodded and continued to scroll and swipe aimlessly through his phone. Dax leaned back in his chair and pulled out his own phone. He couldn't bring himself to open any apps or anything and he just locked it again. “…So,” he attempted. “Are you going to be alright this week with the twins? And Wano?” Nathan stopped swiping. “I think Wano will stay at APID. I don't think I can keep him with me anymore… Love him like my own son, but if he’s going to behave like he has been, I can't keep him around.” “Right… Probably for the best.” “And if I can't handle my own kids on my own, should I really be a parent?” Nathan asked rhetorically. “I mean, everyone needs help every once in a while…” “If I do, you know, I'll figure it out… Maybe Korsgaard and Camilo will help.” “For sure.” “We just…have to stay rational about it,” Nathan added. “…I think you should see a doctor at APID. Get a second opinion about yesterday.” “…You think my fever had something to do with all this?” Dax asked. “Maybe… I imagine Syd’s the one to really ask.” Dax nodded. “If there's a physiological explanation for what happened yesterday, I'd like to hear it...” “You can let me know if they have something for you.” “Alright...” Nathan frowned as he watched Dax hang his head. “I should tell you something too.” Dax looked up. “...Yes?” Nathan rubbed his neck. “I, um... I kissed Kent yesterday.” Dax blinked. “Oh.” He looked down trying to process it. “I mean, alright... That's not sleeping with him so obviously, you know, alright, I guess...” Nathan shook his head. “It's not really alright... I mean, it was intentional.” Dax shook his head quickly. “...I don't understand... When? Why?” Nathan sighed. “After you'd gone inside with a fever... We talked about him and he said some surprisingly nice things to me... He explained how he imagined that when he saw me again, if I had the kids, he'd want us to come live with him as a family. But he was disappointed, because—” “Because I'm here,” Dax finished. “Yeah.” “Right, didn't I say that?” Dax chuckled morosely. “But how does that lead to you kissing?” Nathan shook his head. “I don't know, I guess I was a bit moved... I felt bad for him. The kiss was...just a gift, I guess.” “...Uh, kind of a cruel gift, don't you think?” Dax said. Nathan frowned. “How?” “Well, you were leading him on,” Dax said. “You don't just kiss someone who doesn't have a chance with you.” Nathan frowned. “It was just a kiss. He knows where we stand. And you fucked him.” Dax sighed. “Right. But what’s worse, intentionally kissing someone or unintentionally sleeping with them?” “Are you kidding? Sleeping with them, obviously!” Nathan said. “No, you're right, that sounded really bad coming out...” Dax said, leaning back and covering his face. The van divider stutteringly slid open and Hanover peeked his head in. “Hey guys, I'm sorry I should've mentioned this earlier, but this partition has been a bit busted for a while and isn't 100% soundproof, so you know...” “You were listening this whole time?” Nathan growled. “Well, not, like, on purpose...” Hanover said sheepishly. “Anyway, no judgment here. Just thought I'd let you know the state of your privacy...” “Right. Maybe let us know before we start driving.” “Definitely a note for next time. I'll leave you to it.” The divider stuttered closed again. Nathan let out an exasperated sigh and then pulled out his phone to send a text. Dax jumped a little when his phone vibrated. He read the text.

‘I'm sorry I kissed Kent.’

Dax sighed and texted back.

‘Thanks. I'm not really that upset about it... It’s all complicated.’

Nathan read it and leaned back in his seat. “This is all so stupid...” Dax nodded. “I know. I'm sorry.” Nathan just shook his head and went silent. They arrived at the airport not long after to finally go home. When the plane landed, an APID town car was waiting to take them wherever they needed to go. The first stop was Korsgaard’s house to pick up the twins. Dax wanted to be there for that so he could see them again before they took their break for the week. Korsgaard said the kids behaved, and his daughter was going to miss having them over. Nathan thanked him and gifted him a bottle of whiskey they had picked up on their outing the day before. Korsgaard thanked him and let Maya say goodbye to the babies before they left. After the pickup, the next stop was Nathan’s house. Dax had left his car in the driveway, so he got out with them there to switch vehicles. He didn’t have anything left in the house of much importance, so he didn’t come inside. He simply gave the twins each a kiss on the forehead before going on his way. Nathan went inside, but he waited until Dax’s car turned the corner before doing anything. He took the kids out of their carrier and set them in their play pen before setting up his laptop for their video call with Kent.

[therequiemforthelost-archive]

Bringing out a boy you never talk about >:3c ♡ + Kent

*screams* I KNOW THAT I DON'T TALK ABOUT FE7 A LOT BUT GOD DO I LOVE IT and Kent

Who is the most affectionate?

Elaine is! She's very openly affectionate with the people she cares about. Kent will seem a bit stoic on the outside when let's say Elaine practically attaches herself to his arm, but the tall-tale pink-tipped ears show that he's enjoying it.

Who initiates the handholding?

You'd think it'd be Elaine based on the last answer, but it's actually Kent for this one! Elaine will, like I said, attach herself to Kent's arm, but Kent will be the one to reach for Elaine's hand. He likes handholding a lot.

Who worries more for the other?

Elaine has 0 sense of self-preservation and Kent constantly asks her to be a little more careful.

Who is more likely to ask for help?

Kent knows his limits and knows when to ask for help. Elaine on the other hand...

Who is the one always losing the keys?

E l a i n e

Who leaves little love notes for the other?

Elaine! She sneaks little love notes into Kent's pockets when he isn't paying attention (which isn't often and he tends to catch her since she isn't exactly sneaky about it).

Who can’t sleep unless the other is there?

Kent. Tbh once he started sharing a bed with Elaine, if she isn't there he can't help but worry about her safety.

Who is more likely to propose to the other?

A toss-up! Elaine would be the one to propose in the heat of the moment while Kent would try and plan something out. So it'd just be a matter of who beats the other to it.

Who introduced the other to their family first?

Elaine would be so excited to introduce Kent to her family (even though she comes from a line of mages who have been serving Caelin for years so he's probably met one or two members already).

Who is more likely to play with the other’s hair?

I like to think that Elaine intentionally plays with Kent's hair while on the flipside, Kent will subconsciously start brushing his fingers through Elaine's hair (especially when trying to calm her down)

Who makes sure the other has meals/stays hydrated?

Elaine gets distracted very easily and can get absorbed into something very easily, so it's up to Kent to remind her to take a break and "Please get something to eat."

Who is more likely to stand up to anyone for the other?

Kent is very capable of standing up for himself and Elaine has a little too much bark for her bite, so it tends to turn into Elaine being offended for Kent, and then Kent having to step in and pick her up and walk away.

Who is the most likely to prepare a surprise for the other?

Elaine loves to surprise Kent with things, whether it be a new sword that she painstakingly saved up for or she managed to get the correct ingredients to make him a treat. When the surprises are big ones (like a whole god damn sword), he'll scold her, but still use it very proudly because :) Elaine gave it to him

Who makes the other pinky promise not to do certain things?

While Elaine does tend to be the more reckless of the two, Kent is the one often on the frontlines, so Elaine will make him pinky promise her to come back safely and not gravely injured.

Who puts a blanket over the other when they fall asleep on the couch?

Kent, 100% will find Elaine asleep in a weird place and put a blanket over her, then keep watch to make sure she's safe.

[hufflepunkwannabe]

I wanted to write a little bit of angst because I was so sad about @omg-whiskey 's latest story ending. So I wrote this little thing that follows the canon of their au (mostly, since we don't know how/if Raylan fits into that one). Hope you enjoy!

Kent had always planned on retiring a bit on the younger side. He wanted to leave hockey behind on his own terms. After Raylan was born, it seemed like his retirement was getting closer and closer. It seemed that something big always happened while he was on the road. Ray laughed for the first time, cut his first tooth, started to crawl and stood all while Kent was traveling for one roadie or another. It all came to a head while the team was hanging out in the hotel bar after a matinee game in Philly. Kent got a text message from Connor with a video of Ray trying his best to dance while laughing in that beautiful, sweet way he always did. It was like Kent could feel his own heart shatter. He didn't want to cry at the bar, not when there might be fans to snap a picture and put it on Twitter. People had speculated enough about his private life in the 10 months since Raylan was born.

"Kent, you okay?" Becks asked him, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. He shook his head, too worried that speaking would lead to crying.

"Why don't we go to your room to talk?"

Kent nodded and stood, leading the way to the elevator and his room. As soon as he sat on the bed, he started to cry.

"What's going on? Is Raylan okay? Is Connor?"

"They're both fine. But, I'm not there. I... I am missing so much. When he was born I knew I'd have to miss some bigger stuff. I could understand that and it's hard, but I know there's other stuff I'll be there for. It's the little things that are killing me. Connor sent me a video of him dancing, and I can't stand that I'm not there to see that kind of stuff. I just don't know if I can keep doing this."

Becks took a deep breath and sat next to Kent.

"How's your ankle feeling?"

"I mean, it's fine, but what the fuck does that have to do with this?" Kent answered, wiping his face harshly.

"You have another year on your contact after this. But, if you're in pain, if you're putting your long-term health at risk, that's a different story." Becks said with a sigh. "I'm not going to say you should lie, or intentionally hurt yourself, but no one knows what your body feels like but you. If you say you're in pain, and don't think that you can keep playing, no one can really fight that."

Kent thought for a moment. It was a way out, a way to be there for his son. It meant saying goodbye to everything he'd worked so hard for since he was a little kid. But for his son, for Connor, maybe it was worth it.

"I'm always worried that Ray knows that I'm not related to him. We don't plan on hiding it, but right now he has no way of understanding that. But I think he likes Connor more. I just want to be there everyday."

"We'll figure it out, Kent. I promise."

[multiverseforger]

Hank Henshaw first appeared as a crew member on board the doomed NASA Space Shuttle Excalibur in Superman (vol. 2) #42, and Henshaw and the other crew members were next seen in Adventures of Superman #465.[4][5]

Hank and the other three members of the Excalibur crew, including his wife Terri, are part of a radiation experiment designed by LexCorp that is affected by a solar flare, causing their shuttle to crash.[1] As a result of their radiation exposure, the human bodies of two crew members were destroyed. However, their minds survived and they were able to construct new bodies out of cosmic radiation and bits of earth and wreckage from the shuttle, respectively. Initially, Henshaw and his wife suffer no ill effects from the radiation (though Hank's hair turns white), and the crew travels to Metropolis in the hopes of using LexCorp facilities to cure their mutated crewmates. During a brief battle with Superman, one crew member, now composed of radiation, becomes unhinged and flies into the Sun, destroying himself. By this time, Henshaw's body has started to rapidly decay, while his wife is beginning to phase into an alternate dimension. With Superman's help, Henshaw is able to use the LexCorp facilities to save Terri. The remaining member of the shuttle crew commits suicide, using an MRI booth to tear apart the metallic components of his body.[6]

Though Henshaw's physical body expired, he was able to transfer his consciousness into the LexCorp mainframe. Now able to control technology, Henshaw appears to his wife in a robotic body. The shock of this bizarre rebirth is too much for Terri to bear and in a fit of insanity, she jumps to her death. By this point, Henshaw's electronic consciousness has begun to disrupt Earth's communications networks. Using NASA communications equipment, Henshaw beams his mind into the birthing matrix which had carried Superman from Krypton to Earth as an infant.[1] He creates a small exploration craft from the birthing matrix and departs into outer space alone.[7]

Henshaw spends some time traveling between planets, bonding with local lifeforms to learn about the culture and history of various worlds. Henshaw comes to believe that Superman was responsible for the tragedy of the Excalibur after learning that around the time of the accident, the Man of Steel had thrown a rogue Kryptonian artificial intelligence (the Eradicator) into the Sun. Henshaw believes that this created the solar flare that resulted in the Excalibur crew's transformations (although Superman had shared this concern with Terri after he had saved her life and she had confirmed that the flares would have been triggered before Superman disposed of the Eradicator).[8] Over time, Henshaw becomes delusional and paranoid, believing that the Man of Steel had intentionally caused the deaths of himself, his wife, and his crew, then driven him from Earth. Arriving on a planet controlled by alien overlord and Superman foe Mongul, Henshaw learns of Warworld and forcibly recruits Mongul as part of a plan for revenge against Superman.[9]

Reign of the SupermenEdit

Main article: The Death of Superman



Cover of Superman (vol. 2) #79. Art by Dan Jurgens.

With Superman apparently dead after his battle with Doomsday, Henshaw decides to pose as him in order to destroy his reputation. To that end, the Cyborg claims to be Superman reborn, the result of the hero's body being pieced together and revived with technology. The Cyborg then uses knowledge obtained from Superman's birthing matrix to construct a body that is genetically identical to Superman's.[9] When analyzed closely by Professor Hamilton, the Cyborg passes for the real thing, due to components within himself that include Kryptonian alloys, combined with the fact that the replaced body parts correspond with those parts of the original Superman's body that were most severely injured in his fight with Doomsday.[10]

After destroying a Superman memorial plaque in front of the Daily Planet, the Cyborg exiles Doomsday into space, prevents a nuclear meltdown, and saves the President of the United States from an assassination attempt. The White House then endorses the Cyborg as the 'true' Superman.[11][12] When confronted by Lois Lane, the Cyborg claims his memory is "blurry", but he can see a "spaceship on a farm and the name Kent", suggesting that Henshaw may be aware of Superman's secret identity.[10]

Henshaw's arrival as Superman is simultaneous with that of three others: John Henry Irons (the self-styled Man of Steel), the Eradicator (the self-styled Last Son of Krypton), and the modern Superboy.[11] The endorsement of the President ensures that the Cyborg eclipses the rest of the heroes claiming to be Superman's heir. During this time, two cults spring up in anticipation of Superman's return from the dead: one that deifies the Eradicator and another that venerates the Cyborg. Supporters of both eventually come to blows over which is the real Superman.

Destroying Coast CityEdit

When an alien ship appears over Coast City, the Cyborg attacks and severely injures the Eradicator, allowing Mongul's craft to destroy the city. The Cyborg also murders an entire family of vacationers trying to find a way out of the devastated area.[13] The Cyborg was then able to convince the White House and the public that the Eradicator was responsible.[14] After tricking and defeating Superboy, Henshaw prepares to launch a nuclear warhead intended to convert Metropolis into a second Engine City.[14][15]

Superboy is able to escape and warn John Henry Irons, Supergirl, and the resurrected (but powerless) original Superman of the Cyborg's plans.[9][16] The quartet travels to the site of the former Coast City, and Superman (whose powers are slowly returning), Supergirl, and Steel confront Mongul and the Cyborg, while Superboy stops the missile from hitting Metropolis.[17] While Green Lantern defeats Mongul, the Cyborg lures Superman and the Eradicator to the Engine City main reactor and attempts to kill Superman with the kryptonite that powers the engine. When Henshaw tries to kill Superman with a concentrated blast of kryptonite radiation, the Eradicator intercepts the blast at the expense of his own life. As the kryptonite energy passes through the Eradicator, the radiation is altered and acts to fully restore Superman's powers. Superman is then able to easily defeat the already weakened Cyborg by sticking his arm through Henshaw's chest, killing him and shattering his body. When Henshaw panics and states that he will "somehow" find a way to come back, a doubting Superman simply says that if Henshaw does, he will be waiting.[18]

It was later revealed that Henshaw chose to attack Coast City first because he and his late wife were former residents. This was part of an effort to erase his former life.[19]

ReturnEdit



Hank Henshaw in Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey #1, drawn by Dan Jurgens and Brett Breeding

Before exiling Doomsday into space, Henshaw had installed a device on the monster to allow him to detect if Doomsday were to ever escape. After the destruction of his Cyborg Superman form, Henshaw transfers his consciousness into this device as Doomsday is "the safest place in the galaxy" for the Cyborg to hide. Doomsday is brought on board a space cruiser and, despite frantic efforts of the crew to jettison him, kills the crew, and upon landing on Apokolips, proceeds to pillage the planet.

When Superman, his power now boosted by being repowered by "purple kryptonite", arrives; Henshaw emerges by reconfiguring an armored Apokoliptian trooper, brutally murdered by Doomsday, into a new body (which, by all accounts, had its DNA overwritten with the Kryptonian DNA Henshaw had obtained while in Superman's birthing matrix, and thus still retains a portion of Superman's abilities and still looks the way the Cyborg Superman looked, except for a change in the color of the Cyborg's metallic components) and proceeds to lay siege to the planet alongside Doomsday. The Cyborg successfully takes over most of Apokolips but is captured by Darkseid's Omega Beams during a battle with Superman.[20]

Apokolips and beyondEdit

Darkseid did not kill the Cyborg; rather, the Omega Effect captured Henshaw in a small orb, with Darkseid planning to use the Cyborg against Superman at a later date.[21] Darkseid eventually frees Henshaw with the understanding that Henshaw is to leave Apokolips and never return.

The Cyborg eventually aligns himself with an intergalactic Tribunal which is seeking to bring Superman to trial for the crimes of his ancestors. Henshaw assists the Tribunal in capturing the Eradicator, Superboy, Supergirl, Steel, and Alpha Centurion, who had intended to rescue Superman. However, the Cyborg betrayed the Tribunal and attempted to conquer their planet for conversion into a new Warworld. Superman and his allies stop the Cyborg's plan and, when Henshaw's involvement in the destruction of Coast City is brought to the attention of the Tribunal, they find him guilty of genocide and sentence him to death. As an electronic consciousness, Henshaw cannot be killed by normal means and is transported beyond the event horizon of a black hole, where not even light can escape from the gravity.

Rather than being destroyed, the Cyborg is transported (unknowingly by another villain, Thanos) to a Marvel Multiverse dimension designated as 616, as seen at the beginning of the Green Lantern/Silver Surfer: Unholy Alliances crossover one-shot issue. The Cyborg destroys a planet in another attempt to recreate Warworld, attracting the attention of the Silver Surfer. Their short battle is interrupted by the arrival of Parallax, who has been tracking the Cyborg for some time, seeking vengeance for the destruction of Coast City. In the confusion, Henshaw escapes and is returned to the DC Universe. Parallax undoes the destruction of the planet that Henshaw had caused using power donated from the Silver Surfer.



Henshaw in his later, less Superman-based configuration. Art by Doug Mahnke

The Cyborg encounters Hal Jordan again at the Source Wall,[22] a nexus of statues that channels vital energy to preserve the Fourth World. Parallax uses his powers to generate representations of the victims of Coast City, which tear the Cyborg's body apart. Jordan then disperses Henshaw's consciousness, and the Cyborg is seemingly destroyed once again.[1]

During a crisis involving the Godwave, Superman (wearing his blue energy costume at the time) travels to New Genesis and encounters Henshaw again. Henshaw has taken part of the Source Wall's structure and crafted a small world made up of his memories, which he uses to taunt Superman before being defeated again. Unknown to Superman, the Cyborg stored his own consciousness in Superman's high-tech containment suit. After Superman returns to Earth, Henshaw escapes and constructs a new body, this time posing as an art teacher at a high school in an attempt to start over. He is a popular teacher and befriends the blind Ashbury Armstrong (daughter of Dirk Armstrong), but ultimately his rage towards Superman causes him to reveal his true identity and his new body is lost in a fight with Superman. To escape detection, Henshaw stores his consciousness in a clay statue. This statue is later stolen by the Toyman and the two villains join forces to kill Superman. To this end, the Cyborg designs a machine that will break Superman's energy form down into multiple components and beam them to different points in the galaxy, preventing Superman from reforming. A malfunction in the machine causes Superman to split into Superman Blue and Superman Red, the latter of whom eventually defeats and recaptures the Cyborg.

The Cyborg later attempts to take over Kandor, but fails when he is defeated by Superman and sent to the Phantom Zone. Shortly after the Superman Y2K story, Henshaw escapes the Zone and attacks Superman, who was suffering from Kryptonite poisoning. Henshaw is defeated with the help of the Kandorians and sent back to the Phantom Zone, swearing revenge. However, he is not encountered on subsequent visits to the Zone.

ManhuntersEdit

Henshaw returns in a form similar to his original body, when he is revealed to be the Manhunters' new Grandmaster.[23] With his influence, the Manhunters have been upgraded with organic material, most notably with blood. On the Manhunter home world of Biot, in sector 3601, Henshaw is holding captive several assumed-to-be-dead Green Lanterns, most of whom appeared to die during the Emerald Twilight saga.

Henshaw has also used Kryptonian technology to upgrade the Manhunters. During the Green Lantern story arc No Fear,[24] Kryptonian robots are seen servicing the Manhunters. Henshaw, the Grandmaster, allowed the Green Lantern Corps to rebuild for unspecified reasons as a part of his master plan. While Henshaw explains that he first encountered the Manhunters around the time he was imprisoned in the Source Wall by Parallax, it has yet to be revealed how the Cyborg was able to escape the Phantom Zone and take control of Biot. Henshaw is defeated when Biot explodes, destroying most of his body aside from his head.

Henshaw's head is then brought by a Guardian back to Oa so that they can learn of how he was able to take control of Biot, what he has learned from the Manhunters and to learn about "the 52"[25] (referring to the 51 alternate Earths created during the second Crisis as well as their own reality). It is also revealed that the Cyborg knows of the 52, though exactly how he came by this knowledge is not made completely clear. It is stated that he has explored "The Bleed"; the space between dimensions, which could have occurred either when he was imprisoned there, when he was imprisoned in the Source Wall, or in his past exploration of the Marvel Universe.

Sinestro CorpsEdit



Cover art for Tales of the Sinestro Corps Presents: Cyborg Superman #1, by Ethan Van Sciver.

Henshaw's head is taken by the Sinestro Corps after their invasion of Oa to Qward. Henshaw is later seen as a herald of the newly returned Anti-Monitor. He reconstructs his cyborg body and replaces the S-symbol on his chest with the symbol of the Sinestro Corps. He now wields ten Qwardian power rings.[26] It is revealed that Henshaw has joined the Sinestro Corps so that the Anti-Monitor can later kill him and allow him to rest in peace.[27]

Henshaw was the focus of the Tales of the Sinestro Corps Presents: Cyborg Superman one-shot that was released on October 3, 2007.[8][28][29] In this book, Henshaw and his Manhunters head to Earth to assist the Sinestro Corps in their attack. En route, Henshaw stops leading the Manhunters which continue to their preprogrammed destinations. As he watches them go, he remembers everything that has happened to him, from their dreadful shuttle accident to his wife's suicide when she sees him in his robot form. He finishes this journey down memory lane by going to his wife's grave. He digs her corpse out and rips it into two, shouting that all he wants is not to be with her, but for these memories to fade.[8]

Meanwhile, the Manhunters begin an assault on the JLA satellite. Hawkgirl, Black Lightning, and Red Arrow retaliate; however, all three are neutralized when Henshaw assists in the attack and he successfully tampers with the mechanics of the satellite core. As the satellite is thrown out of orbit, Superman appears and engages Henshaw in battle. Their fight continues on Earth, while Sinestro transports his crew and his ship from the anti-matter universe. At first Superman seems to have the upper hand; however after two punches, Henshaw strikes with great power and rage, punching him through the Statue of Liberty. By the end, Henshaw has Superman in a choke hold, thinking that the victory is near.[8]

He is later seen briefly in Tales of the Sinestro Corps Presents: Superman-Prime, having presumably been beaten back by the combined strength of Superman, Supergirl, and Power Girl.[30]

When the Green Lantern Corps decide to detonate New Warworld and the central power battery of the Sinestro Corps to destroy the Anti-Monitor, Henshaw allows himself to be trapped behind a shield and exposed to the massive explosion. Before he is destroyed, however, he thanks the Green Lantern Corps.[31]

Most of Henshaw's body survived the explosion, but it took further damage when Superman-Prime hurled the Anti-Monitor into space. The upper part of his skull was retrieved by the android Manhunters. Unable to detect any life signs and confused without his leadership, the Manhunters reanimated the brain of the Cyborg Superman. He shed a tear when he realized he was still alive.[31]

Death and retrievalEdit

In the Brightest Day crossover, Henshaw would eventually return and work with the Alpha Lanterns as they attempted to augment every Green Lantern, including Ganthet, into an Alpha.[32][33] This was apparently at the suggestion of the robed figure holding Ion and Parallax, who told him that Ganthet held the knowledge to destroy him permanently, after Henshaw's attempts to provoke Nekron into killing him during the Blackest Night failed because he lacked a heart to attract Nekron's interest.[34] By threatening to make the Alpha Lanterns kill themselves if Ganthet does not cooperate, Henshaw forces Ganthet to work on reversing the augments that turned the Green Lanterns into Alpha Lanterns, hoping that he can use the resulting information to restore his original mortal body.[35]

Henshaw was seemingly killed when his lifeforce was finally separated from his nearly indestructible body by the combined full powered blasts of several Lanterns and Ganthet, and appeared on the mental plane of Alpha-Lantern Boodikka in an attempt to take her bio-mechanical body over, where both beings were their original, un-powered selves. Her essence, gifted with her innate, formidable combat skills, engaged his in one-on-one combat, and she quickly overpowered and killed his astral form.

Afterwards, however, Ganthet noted immediately that there was something different about her. Boodikka claims this is because Ganthet's newly discovered emotions allowed him to see her as she is (Boodikka's true self, now in control of her body again), not by what she is (an Alpha Lantern).[36]

In the Reign of Doomsday crossover, Boodikka was attacked by Doomsday while investigating the remains of New Krypton, and Henshaw was revealed to still be alive inside her, forming a new body out of her internal circuitry to fight Doomsday while Batman and Supergirl were trying to repair Boodikka.[37] Henshaw uses his abilities to take control of the JLA Watchtower and uses the satellite's defenses in an attempt to kill Doomsday, reasoning that if he could manage to destroy the creature that killed Superman, it would prove once and for all that he is superior to Superman. After the creature is violently dismembered by Henshaw, it somehow absorbs the nanotechnology from Henshaw's body and repairs itself, becoming a new being dubbed Cyborg Doomsday. Cyborg Doomsday somehow manages to negate Henshaw's ability to repair himself, which leads Henshaw to believe that he might finally meet his demise. Supergirl bursts onto the scene and attempts to stop Doomsday herself, but Henshaw fires an energy blast at her, stating that he would not allow her to defeat the creature that had humiliatingly beaten him only moments before. With Supergirl distracted, Cyborg Doomsday knocks her out and then tears one of Henshaw's arms off before departing with both of his unconscious captives.[38] Trapped in a satellite with the other Supermen, the heroes conclude that Henshaw has been trapped with them to keep them disorganized due to the tensions caused by his presence, prompting Henshaw to depart and search the satellite himself. After Superman arrives to rescue his comrades, Henshaw reveals that the Doomsdays that fought them were actually all clones of the original created by Lex Luthor.[39] Henshaw tries to fight them, but Superman rips his central node off, knowing that they would not survive a confrontation with the Doomsdays.[40] After the Doomsday clones are sent to another dimension, Henshaw is in custody of S.T.A.R. Labs.[41]

The New 52 and DC RebirthEdit

In September 2011, The New 52 rebooted DC's continuity. In this new timeline, a fully human Henshaw appears as a doctor working for the Advanced Prosthetic Research Centre and colleague of Caitlin Fairchild. He is tasked into reactivating the android Spartan.[42]

While in space and after saving a planet called I'noxia, Supergirl discovers an amnesiac Cyborg Superman living there. This version is revealed to be Zor-El, who survives Krypton's destruction and is reconfigured as a half-human half-machine by Brainiac to be his scout looking for stronger species in the universe. His heart was switched with that of a human to remove his ability to be affected by kryptonite.[43]

When the human Henshaw is sent into space on the Excalibur on a long-term mission, he is monitored by the Clark Kent and Lois Lane of the pre-Flashpoint universe, who were trapped in the New 52 world following the Convergence, with Superman seeking to prevent the rise of some of his former adversaries in this world. When the Excalibur crashes after returning from a ten-year journey to Jupiter and back, Superman saves the ship, but is puzzled to see that Henshaw is the only person on board.[44] Taking Henshaw to a base he has established in the Arctic regions to better assess if this Henshaw is a threat or not, Superman is briefly forced to face both Henshaw and a new foe called Blanque, who possesses powerful telepathic and telekinetic abilities and was also kept in the fortress, but once Blanque is focused on fighting Superman, Henshaw helps Superman defeat this new foe with the weapons of a spaceship that was also kept in the fortress. It is later revealed that Henshaw acquired part of an object known as 'the Oblivion Stone' on Jupiter, with Superman forced to face an alien warrior seeking both Henshaw's part of the stone and another part kept in the fortress, but Superman drives her off, Henshaw claiming when questioned that he had no memory of anything that happened on the Excalibur or between it landing and him being discovered.[45]

After the reality disruption caused by Mister Mxyzptlk caused the histories of the pre-Flashpoint and New 52 Superman to merge during the DC Rebirth reboot, Henshaw's memories of his past as the Cyborg Superman were restored. With this knowledge, he set out to assemble various old foes of Superman like Metallo, the Eradicator, Blanque, and his old 'ally' Mongul to form the Superman Revenge Squad before using the Oblivion Stone to restore his body to its Cyborg Superman state. He even expressed interest into recruiting General Zod to his group.[46] The new Superman Revenge Squad then set out for Kal-El's Fortress of Solitude to obtain the Phantom Zone Projector, still in need of Zod's Kryptonian army to defeat the Superman family. What the Cyborg did not realize was that Zod was using the Squad to achieve his own ends. After finding his family trapped within the Zone's confines, Zod betrayed them, leaving Henshaw trapped within the Phantom Zone.[47]

He would soon be released by his hated enemy, Superman, on account of an epiphany Clark had while on a time traveling excursion with Booster Gold. To keep the maddened bionic menace docile while he came up with a more humane means of detaining him, Superman gave Henshaw a Kryptonian memory crystal that would pacify the Cyborg Superman's rage by letting him relive his happiest memories in an fantasy world fabricated by his own mind.[48] This self-imposed incarceration would not last, however, as the demented machine man found another means of escape. While he was trapped, a part of his mind escaped into the universe, where he sought to manipulate the Guardians and their appointed intergalactic law enforcement bureau, the Green Lantern Corps, to facilitate his escape.[49]

Even trapped within Superman's Kryptonian dwelling, Henshaw was able to influence the Central Power Battery back on Oa a universe away. From within his cell, he orchestrated a mystery surrounding the death of a Guardian to find a powerful weapon, the Phantom Ring.[50] After hacking into the Lantern ring network, Henshaw used the unsuspecting Corpsmen Simon Baz, to break the Cyborg out of the Fortress of Solitude and deliver him the Phantom Ring.[50] Though Henshaw was able to capture the Green Lanterns as his hacking into their main central Power Battery rendered their rings useless,[51] however due to John Stewart and Simon Baz using the Kryptonian weapons that Simon borrowed from the Fortress, along with the fact that any Green Lantern who had not recharged their rings prior to Henshaw hacking into the main battery (such as Hal Jordan and Kilowog) were immune, allowing them to fight back.[52] In retaliation, Henshaw retreated to Earth with the intention to recreate the disaster of destroying Coast City with the power of the Phantom Ring. With the help of other Green Lantern Corpsmen (such as Sodam Yat), Henshaw was defeated and forced to retreat with the Phantom Ring

[fanficmepage]

Chapter 6

Masterlist

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

“Mr. Wayne, Clark Kent Daily Planet. Mind if I ask a few questions?” 

Bruce looked up from the side of the room, standing alone trying to calm his daughter. The man stood slightly shorter, no more than three years younger than him. Bruce chuckled, turning fully to face the reporter, “sure but it would have to be quick, she can be impatient when she is hungry.” 

“Can I assume she doesn’t like the shoes or attention,” he asked jokingly. Looking down, it was obvious the child was not enjoying herself. Bruce continued to struggle to put the shoes on her, finally giving up with a sigh.

“Shoes mostly,” Bruce chuckled, “she usually wears, I think Alfred calls them baby booties”

“She is your only correct, Mr. Wayne?”

“I’m only twenty-five, Mr. Kent, I don’t see how I can have more,” Bruce smirked, adjusting Raven higher in his arms. “Is that all you wanted to ask?”

“No Mr. Wayne, I wanted to ask about her birth parents.” Bruce's persona almost fell. Truth be told, Bruce had started looking into records himself. After the incident, there was a mutual concern between him and Alfred over where exactly Raven came from. There was no denying Raven was different. Sure he could write off the odd cold spots as vent issues, maybe even the hair and eyes if he is willing to jump to some conclusions as some birth defect. But something in the back of his mind, whatever happened a week ago won’t be the last. 

“Sorry but I can’t comment on her birth parents, as it was said, I found her abandoned in the Wayne Tower parking lot. I filed a police report but nothing came up.” 

“You aren’t concerned about where she came from?”

“My concern is about her health, Mr. Kent. It doesn’t matter who made her, she is my daughter. Now if you excuse me,” and with that Bruce walked away with not another word and with one last look back, “I’ll let you know with any news.”

Clark watched as Bruce walked away, Raven’s head only sticking out to her eyes. When their eyes met, a calm feeling swept his body. A sense of familiarity filled him, like as if another lifetime. With a final moment to collect his thoughts, Clark walked away, something about that child, maybe an answer to who he is.

************

“Hasn’t even been an hour and now the internet is covered in pictures of your struggle with baby shoes Master Bruce,” Alfred chuckled at the images plastering the screen of the bat computer. Bruce held a pouting raven in one arm, trying to slip on her shoe back on. Another displayed Bruce leaving a small kiss on her forehead. One in particular stood out: Raven looked up at her father with doe eyes, while Bruce looked back with the most loving expression he had ever seen. Memories of baby Bruce and his father flashed through the old butler’s mind. Taking a slight step back, gazing at the father-daughter pair, Alfred began to see Bruce’s father in him. Smiling to himself, “let’s request copies of these photos, they would look quite nice on the mantle.”

“I’m sure there will be plenty of photos scattered by tomorrow morning.” Bruce gently bounced Raven in his arms, bottle warming up on the stove, “I’m just glad she did better than I thought. Although that reporter: Clark Kent, he was asking questions about Raven’s birth parents.”

“That seems normal, our little bird did come out of nowhere.”

“No, it almost seemed like he knew something about her that I didn’t know. He almost seemed familiar with her.”

“What would there be to know, she was only two days old at Wayne Tower. The police didn’t find anything.”

“I ran security cameras again, there was someone there while I was.”

“You think it was Mr. Kent?”

“No,” Bruce's eyes went distant in thought, recalling the footage, “It was a woman, she seemed to be in a white dress of sorts with a hood. She watched the car until I left. No clear frame of her face but she definitely was the one that placed Raven in my car.”

Alfred stayed quiet for a moment trying to find the right words to say, “Do you think she was on the run, there has to be a reason she just gave up her child.”

“If Raven is her child,” Bruce corrected, “without any birth records, there is no telling where Raven is from. I have a feeling if we find that woman, we will have our answers.”

With that, the room fell silent. Raven sleepily drank her bottle, struggling to keep her eyes open. The air grew colder through the night and the family migrated to the cave. The child slept in her playpen, Alfred continued where he left off with his tinkering. Bruce stared at the screens, footage of the woman played on repeat. No matter how much he watched, nothing could be brought by this information. The only thing he knew was that she was in fear. Bruce looked over to his daughter peacefully sleeping, fist clenched. If they found that woman or not, Raven would be loved. Bruce finally broke the silence:

“Even home births are recorded. That woman was either not from Gotham or intentionally sought out Wayne Towers.”

“Are you saying she might have purposefully planted Raven there, sir?”

“I’m not sure but she was definitely scared of something. I am going to put cameras around Raven’s room. That woman was running from something; whether it was after Raven or her, let’s not take chances.”

Without another word, Alfred left to storage. The conversation died once again, the only thing heard was the sound of running water. Bruce’s thoughts began traveling, debating whether she should learn to fight. No matter how hard he could try to protect her, something inside told him that this is out of his control. He needs to find the answers before it's too late for his beloved daughter.

Hey guys! I tried to add Clark Kent with a sprinkle of plot. Please leave some feedback, I do my best to respond to every comment. Next chapter gonna be stuffed with fluff ❤. 

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

I'd really like to know what happened during the timeskip after Louis brought AJ new clothes in ep 2. I think Kent said Clem and him didn't have much interaction, but I can't help but wonder... did they sit at the same table? Did they talk even if just for a little bit? How was he coping with Marlon's death? What did he do when he was all by himself and felt like he had no one to talk to? Still, I must admit that I'm happy with what we got in ep 2. The emotions, the tension, it all felt real.

[note: I’m answering this with Louis’ full romance route based on my choices in mind.]

I think it was mostly awkward and tense. They might’ve talked a little, but it wasn’t much. I firmly believe that there were a lot of looks, though. Stolen glances and lots of pretending to be unfazed by the other's presence. 

Louis still checked on AJ, but he and Clementine didn’t have any real conversations until Louis came to terms with his feelings and talked with her during his archery practice. 

I believe that during those two weeks Louis was still conflicted about his feelings for Clementine and AJ and the light shed on Marlon’s true character. 

I think he still had that small smudge disbelief [denial] in his brain. 

Like, even though Marlon flat out admitted that he gave the twins away and then killed Brody, a part of Louis is still saying “Marlon would never do that because that’s not who he is.” 

He’s in denial that his best friend [”-practically my brother-”] would ever think of doing that or was even capable of it. 

But then he thinks about Marlon pointing the gun at Clementine. That’s something Louis saw with his own eyes, something that he stood in between and, while Marlon moved the gun a bit, he still kept it pointed. He kept it pointed at Louis and Clementine.  

One thing that I firmly believe is that when Clementine turns to him for help and he tries to talk Marlon down... he’s still doesn’t fully believe that Marlon killed Brody. 

However...

What if, in that moment, he kills Clementine? What if he pulls the trigger [intentionally or not] and she dies? Clementine would be dead and Marlon would be a murderer for certain and Louis didn’t do a damn thing to stop it. 

While I believe he stepped between them to protect Clementine, I also think he did it to protect Marlon. He knows Marlon won’t intentionally shoot him, but he also knows that accidentally squeezing that trigger out of surprise or anger is a real possibility and that’s why he goes about it so slowly. That’s why he uses and words and goes towards him at a slow pace as to not startle him and have to gun go off. 

Then, Marlon admits everything. 

And AJ kills him. 

And Louis feels everything at once, resulting in his behavior at the beginning of ep2. He’s furious, heartbroken, horrified, and everything in between. 

When it finally sinks in that Marlon was a liar, a traitor, and a murder, it leaves him feeling betrayed and guilty. 

Guilty that he didn’t try harder in the past to help Marlon, guilty that he turned away from any signs of something wrong when it came to the twin’s “deaths”, guilty that he was ready to cower away from Marlon and have him possibly shoot and kill Clementine, and guilty that he voted for Clementine and AJ to leave, resulting in AJ being shot.

When it came down to it, he knows what Marlon did was fucked up and he understands why AJ did what he did. He’ll never be okay with how Marlon died, but over the course of the week, Louis was able to sort out his feelings and come to terms with what happened. He knows that he doesn’t hate AJ or Clementine- shit, obviously he still had a romantic attraction to her even after everything and that had to play into his inner conflict about the whole thing. 

As a side note, I actually have a personal headcanon that Marlon knew of Louis’ attraction to Clementine and shut it down when he got the chance. Like, Louis talked about how much he liked Clem and how he hopes she can stay. He enjoyed talking with her and having her there on the hunting trip. He’d talk about their batting practice and how he felt something when they were standing close together, and how worried he was about her during the train station scene.

And Marlon, knowing that Louis falling for Clementine would only cause issues due to the fact that he’s planning on giving Clementine away and it could potentially “take Louis away from him.” 

By that I mean Marlon has Louis under his thumb. While he gives Louis more special treatment than the others, Marlon feels he has some control over Louis and what he does. Clementine could be a threat to that if they get too close and she inflates his confidence in himself [which she does as evident in the future episodes] which could result in Louis questioning him more. 

When you watch Marlon’s face when Clementine turns to Louis, he stares Louis down with a cocked brow until Louis weakly says he can’t help. And then Marlon gets the biggest fucking shit eating grin because of this- because he thinks he has a hold of Louis. 

Until he steps between them, of course. 

What I’m getting at is this: With everything Louis knows [Marlon giving away the twins, killing Brody and trying to place blame on Clementine, and [possibly] attempting to manipulate Louis’ feelings towards Clementine for his own benefit], he can see was Marlon had become. 

And over the course of the two weeks, Louis realizes that he wants Clementine and AJ to stay permanently. And that his attraction towards Clementine hasn’t exactly faded, but due to doubts about himself, he keeps his distance until she comes to him and they finally sort things out and become comfortable with each other again.

While I completely understand the two week time skip, a selfish part of me wishes we could’ve gotten a little montage of the kids preparing with little bits of Clementine and Louis stealing glances at one another. Throw in some of AJ recovering, the kids collecting walker heads, and the ever-growing tension between Louis and Violet due to their priorities and you’ve got yourself a good 30-40 second montage time skip that gives us a little bit more detail without dragging anything out. Of course, again, that’s just me being my selfish self wanting things I would never be given haha

Sorry for the long answer, but I get really into analyzing and theorizing about Louis and Marlon’s friendship and how Marlon would’ve reacted to [and panicked about] Louis and Clementine forming a romance. 

It really makes me wish we could’ve been given a week to spend with the Ericson kids and see these relationships more before the conflict reared its ugly head. But, y’know. 

[famous-aces]

Morrissey

Who: Steven Patrick Morrissey

What: Musician

Where: English (Active, internationally)

When: May 22, 1959 - Present

(Image Description: a black and white photo of Morrissey from 1992.  He is a young white man in his early thirties with dark hair and eyes. His hair is short and messy.  He has thick eyebrows and a strong jawline. He is smiling very slightly. He is wearing a pale knit sweater. End ID)

Morrisey is one of those world-famous single named singers: Cher, Sting, Prince, Madonna, Morrissey. Perhaps a little Bono as, while he is more ironic and droll than the U2 frontman, he also has a reputation for douche-baggery.  Morrissey is famous for his music's bleak drama blended with bleak humor, sexually ambiguousness, themes of the past and self-reflection, and being an all around "anti-pop idol".

Morrissey made a name for himself as the frontman for The Smiths in the 1980s (1982-87), but has a successful solo career since 1988 with only a brief hiatus from '98-'03.  His most beloved albums include The Queen is Dead (1986), Strangeways, Here We Come (1987), Viva Hate (1988), Your Arsenal (1992), Vauxhall and I (1994), You are the Quarry (2004), Years of Refusal (2009). His most recey album (California Son) came out in February of this year (2019).

He is outspoken politically on, for example, vegetarianism and animal rights and against the monarchy and Americanization. In 2006 a BBC poll voted him the second greatest living British cultural icon.

I admit that while I like the Smiths well enough I had never liked them enough to really follow Morrissey's career, which is odd as I do like the whole punk/new wave/post punk scene very much. But I started listening to him a bit for this and a bit depressing but quite good.

(Image description: a photo of the Smiths backstage in 1984 by Tom Sheehan.  From left to right Andy Rourke [a white man with brown hair and a leather jacket. Below that he has on a shirt with what I think is a crow on it. He has his bass slung around his neck and his hands behind his back. He has his head slightly cocked], Morrissey [wearing a striped shirt with a low neck, long necklaces, and square glasses. He has his arms crossed], Mike Joyce [pale with black hair spiked up and his bangs falling into his face. He has on a Smiths t-shirt and is mostly hidden behind the others], and Johnny Marr [pale with a black mop top with long bangs, he is thin with an angular face, he is wearing a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He has his guitar slung around his neck and fingers on the frets.] End ID)

Orientation: Humasexual (A word of Morrissey's own creation meaning "attracted to humans" but I will go into why, in Morrissey's case, it seems to fit under the asexual umbrella.)

I'm breaking my own rule here. Morrissey does not call himself "asexual," but uses his own term: humasexual. But as he defines the term and the nature of his sexual/romantic orientation it fits under the aspec umbrella. At one point Morrissey identifed as a bisexual who "hates sex" and later a "non-practicing bisexual," but be later abandoned that terminology. By the 2010s he was very open on the exact nature of his orientation.

While I would not go up to him and demand he identify as aspec the experience he describes does fit in fairly neatly into our letter of the Alphabet Soup. Again, I would not demand anything of him. He is a human person. Sexual orientation is, in the end, highly personal and individual. Do not be The Guy/Gal/Person. In the end everyone is entitled to name and define their own experience.

It may seem odd that a man who writes a lot about sex/sexual desire in his music could be asexual, but I don't think writing is necessarily indicative of the writer's true feelings.  Morrissey agrees, saying time and time again from his earliest fame that he is writing a general story, not a biography. He says of his lyrics that "It was very important for me to try and write for everybody...nothing is ever open and shut.". Remember, while the artist always leaves a trace of themself in their art it is not always in the most obvious way.

I believe his humasexual might be closer to demi (or perhaps gray) than it is to utterly asexual. Aspec, but not at the zero/zero point, when we get to the quotes section I will explain further.  Morrissey is definitely not aromantic. But he was intentionally celibate until his mid-thirties. It was then he had his first serious relationship, all by his own admission, not being interested in sex much before that.  He still seems to have stints of celibacy. Sex as a "maybe" or a shrug rather than a necessity. And again it took a deep personal connection to his partner for him to even feel the urge to have sex. Indeed, he claimed to "hate" sex before that.

I hope to clear things up in the quotes section when I let Morrissey speak for himself, which he has done, extensively. I included quotes from his most recent public discussion on the matter from 2013.

(Image Description: a more recent photo of Morrissey performing on stage this one in color. He has graying hair now and is slightly larger than he was as a younger man, though he is not overweight. He is just less trim. He is wearing a dark suit. His face is wracked with emotion, eyes closed, mouth open. He has one hand in front of him, open palmed. The other holds the mic to his mouth.  End ID)

“Unfortunately, I am not homosexual. In technical fact, I am humasexual. I am attracted to humans.  But, of course . . . not many.”

-Morrissey in a statement from October 2013 (quoted by Time Magazine. Emphasis in original as it is the same in multiple sources) (I think this should be obvious. Again, labels are entirely up to the person using them and thus I am not applying one to Morrissey, but clearly he could stand under the ace umbrella mspec romantically and aspec sexually)

"[F]or the first time in my life the eternal ‘I’ becomes ‘we’, as, finally, I can get on with someone, Jake [Owen Walters] and I neither sought not needed company other than our own for the whirlwind stretch to come.”  

-Morrissey in his 2013 memoir Autobiography.  (Walters was his first serious relationship.  The relationship began in 1994 and ended in 1996. It describes sentiment echoed by many demisexuals "'I' becomes 'we'" and "finally I can get on with someone". Also the idea of solitude may reflect an aspec relationship.)

"Girls remained mysteriously attracted to me, and I had no idea why, since although each fumbling foray hit the target, nothing electrifying took place, and I turned a thousand corners without caring … Far more exciting were the array of stylish racing bikes that my father would bring home.”

-Morrissey on being a teenager in that same memoir

"I don't recognise such terms as heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, and I think it's important that there's someone in pop music who's like that. These words do great damage, they confuse people and they make people feel unhappy so I want to do away with them."

-Morrissey in a 1985 interview. (I don't agree with him in the least, my label makes me very happy and I know it makes many other people happy [although I did feel like this before I had my asexual label.] I think he might have been projecting. I think his not quite fitting into anything made him uncomfortable and it shows why he might not be inclined to stick to a traditional label and instead invent his own.)

[Nick] Kent: …[Y]out write a lot about homosexual longing.

Morrissey: I've always said that I leave things very open and that I sing about people. Without limitation. And I don't think that automatically makes me homosexual.

Kent: What about...sexual relationships?

Morrissey: I don't have relationships at all. It's out of the question.

Kent: Why?

Morrissey: Partly because I have always been attracted to men or women who were never attracted to me. And I was never attracted to men or women who were attracted to me. So that's the problem. I've never met the right person.

-A 1985 interview with Nick Kent, quoted by David Brent in Morrissey: Scandal and Passion (2004) (not finding "the right person" seems quite demi to me. He also says that is "part" of the reason. So there is probably a more complicated reason too. Also of note, Morrissey doesn't like Kent [or at least didn't at the time] so odds are he was disinclined to further articulate his most personal life to him. But that is purely speculation and it is dicey waters even speculating that much.)

(Image Description: the album cover of You are the Quarry. It shows Morrissey on a red background holding an old fashioned Tommy gun and wearing an old fashioned pin stripe suit. He takes up most of the left side of the image. Beside him on the right it says "Morrissey, You are the Quarry." End ID)

[goddessofroyalty]

In your DC ABO, how do you think it would go if Tim and Kon were raising Tim and Ra’s’ daughter and Tim got pregnant by Conner a few years down the road? If they had thought Kon had low or nonexistent fertility until then, it would certainly be a surprise. It could also lead into some very awkward conversations with their little girl down the road. She might be jealous or excited for a sibling, and if she’s old enough to know or suspect that Kon’s not her sire it could make her feel unwanted.

If the new sibling starts to exhibit powers as they grow like Clark and Kon did, it would be a dead giveaway that she can’t be Conner’s kid. Though at least the family would be supportive of the poor kid, since presumably they do care about her and she’s not the only child of rape in the extended family and friend group—Damian, Cass, Raven, potentially Lian depending on the circumstances, and a few others can all be understanding parties given they each had a rapist villain parent too.

Okay so just to start with and not 100% relevant but I feel like I need to say it, Lian is in the position where, once she’s old enough to understand stuff like it she’ll probably always have doubts about the consensualness of her conception no matter how much everyone can tell her that it probably/definitively was. Just because of the fact Cheshire’s morals are always going to be in question and there’s a level of she can’t fully trust everyone else to not lie/twist the truth. 

Actual response under the cut (because total length) 

I they thought Kon has low or nonexistent fertility then they probably planned their lives around the assumption they would only have one kid (so you know if they brought a place it was very much with the thought they only needed space for one kid and not room to grow if they have more,etc). So there is a level of having to rearrange a few things after Tim realises he’s pregnant (including the ‘maternity leave for a Superhero’ thing again). So there’s a level of her life already probably changing a bit just from the pregnancy and the preparation for the new baby. So not just is she dealing with the mixture of jealousy/excitement kids tend to get over a younger sibling she’s also dealing with the other changes that result from it. 

I think to an extent Tim and Kon would be freaking out a little over the pregnancy if it was against the assumption they had about Kon’s fertility (because, again, thought were only have 1 child was done deal). So I think for at least that time she wouldn’t fell like this baby is wanted more than her during the pregnancy and like early years. But certainly as the other child got older, and especially if they started showing powers, that’s when the anxiety would hit that she will never be as close to her parents (and especially Kon) because of how she was conceived. Not that it would be intentionally done by either Tim or Conner and considering how diluted the Kryptonian genes would be even if she was Kon’s kid there would still be a chance she wouldn’t inherit any powers (nor carry much Kryptonian DNA considering Conner is himself only ½ Kryptonian) if she actually thought about it but the doubt would always be there that her not getting powers (because she isn’t Kon’s kid) will always mean he won’t like her as much as the one that did inherit his powers. 

She does have the advantage of yeah not being the only child who was the result of rape but also like… being surrounded by people who are very much family isn’t blood. Because Bruce is her grandfather despite not being biologically Tim’s father; all the Batfamily are her aunts/uncles despite only Damian being blood-related to her; and on Kon’s side there’s Ma and Pa Kent which are also not blood-related to Clark or Conner and yet are seen as at least Clark’s parents (and a weird combination of Conner’s parents and grandparents). So no-one on that side of things ever really challenges Kon being her dad despite biologically him not being because… he is the one actually being her dad with Tim. And because there others in the general extended-family/community she grows up in that also are the result of rape she’s also not really faced with the idea that it makes her bad at least from that side as well. Sure there’s also school where she would meet like average children who would put doubts in her mind (even if they didn’t know that she wasn’t Conner’s child but just generally talking about the concepts in children gossip) but at least within her family there’s only support for her about it. 

[takemeawaytocamelot]

Speed Dating - The Morning After

Alright alright!! You guys were so excited about @outlanderedandoverhere‘s speed dating prompt that I wrote more! Now y’all got my brain going so I’ve got at least four different thoughts going for this story. I guess we’ll just have to see what happens! Catch up below!

ONE -- TWO

I woke to the sound of something cooking in my tiny kitchen. I looked around my bedroom and didn’t see Jamie (not that he could really hide anywhere). For the first time that I could remember, I was happy and content. Not that I was unhappy with my life, but it had been missing something.

After a luxurious stretch, I pulled the sheets on my bed into a little more order before hunting for something to wear. Stepping into a fresh pair of knickers, I spotted Jamie’s undershirt on the floor. Then I headed out to my small table, watching him with a smile.

“Do you always make breakfast on the… would this be the fourth date?”

Jamie laughed, turning to give me a grin that warmed my whole body.

“Aye, well… I figure if ye were kind enough to gi’ me a place to sleep, least I could do was make ye a decent breakfast.”

I laughed, taking the coffee he haded me.

“Sorry you didn’t get very much sleep last night…”

“I’m not!” he said with feeling. “And this isna breakfast so much as it’s an early lunch.”

“That’s fine with me. I’m just interested to see if you can actually cook or not.”

He was quiet for a few minutes until he turned and set two plates on the table.

“Weel… Dinna ken if I’m any good or not, but my mam had me take cooking lessons.”

“Really?” I asked, surveying the food in front of me. “Why?”

“The Fraser’s are a stubborn clan, ken? Thick heided, as my Da always said. Mam thought that if I kent how to cook, I’d maybe no’ run any lasses off wi’ my stubbornness.”

Taking a bite of the fried egg, I felt my brows lift. It was cooked exactly right.

“Well you know how to make a good breakfast, I’ll give you that much.”

“If ye wouldna mind, I’d like to make a nice dinner for ye. Tomorrow night, maybe?”

I thought over my schedule.

“That would be wonderful. Does this mean I’ll get to see your flat?”

With a pleased smile, he took a long drink of his coffee.

“Play your cards right and I might even let ye see my bedroom.”

“How could I refuse with a tease like that?”

Both of us subsided into a fit of giggles, broken by the sound of ringing coming from the bedroom. Jamie hopped up and jogged the short distance to get his cell, answering it as he came back to the table.

“Hello? Aye, I’m no’ dead. … Why the hell would ye ask me that? That’s no’ your business … No, I’m no’ home. Did ye need something? I, uh…” Jamie glanced sheepishly up at me. “I’m no’ sure when I’ll be back.”

A few moments of silence followed before Jamie hung up.

“Someone checking on you?”

“Just my godfather. Said he stopped at my… flat earlier this morning to see how my night had gone.”

“And your answer?”

Jamie leaned across the table and kissed me.

“I told him it wasna his business. But, when he interrogates me later, I’ll tell him that ye have me completely under your power and happy to be there.”

“Completely, is it?”

“Aye,” he said, kissing the tip of my nose. “Every bit o’ me.”

I cleared our dishes, feeling his eyes on me the whole time.

“Is that my shirt?”

My cheeks flushed.

“Yes. I couldn’t find mine.”

“I think it looks better on you than it did on me.”

Arms wound around my waist and I leaned back against him.

“Are you leaving now?” I asked, knowing we both probably had things that needed doing.

“Are ye kicking me out?”

“Of course not! I just don’t want to keep you if there’s things you need to do.”

He sighed, breath hot on my neck. I couldn’t hold back a shudder.

“Aye, I should go. I need to get things to make ye a nice dinner and I should stop by the office and make sure my lads havena done anything stupid yet.”

“Perhaps I could persuade you to delay your departure just a little?” I asked, pressing my backside into him.

The grunt I got in return was exactly what I wanted to hear.

“No’ that I mind, but if this is how things will always be, perhaps ye shouldna wear knickers anymore.”

“Go pants-less? Oh I don’t think so. Can’t have you thinking I’m that easy.”

“So I’m to work for it, then?” he asked, his hands drifting over my stomach.

His left hand slid down and he began massaging between my legs. My heart began racing as he touched me.

“When I was younger, before I kent my way around a woman, I had this notion,” he said quietly in my ear.

“Oh?”

“Aye. I thought when ye had a woman, ye had to do it the back way. Like horses, ken?”

I started to laugh, which quickly melted into a sigh.

“You’re kidding.”

“No’ even a little,” he said, walking me forward until I was pressed against my countertop. “I learned the truth of it, obviously. But I’ve always wondered…”

“About doing it the back way?”

I felt my knickers fall around my ankles as Jamie nudged my legs apart. I bent over a little, gripping the edge of the counter. My hips pushed back against him, meeting his thrusts. He seemed to have learned from the night before, keeping his rhythm strong and even. It wasn’t long before I pressed my face to my counter as pleasure pulsed through me. A moment later, Jamie grunted and muttered something in Gaelic.

“Did you just…” I paused to catch a shaking breath. “Call me a stick of dynamite?”

“What?” he asked, shock in his voice. “No, I didna call ye dynamite. I should think, between the two of us, I would be the one with a stick of dynamite.”

I started laughing until tears leaked down my face. Jamie stepped back and pulled me into his chest. He kissed me gently.

“No, I said I thought my heart was gonna burst. I’ve never kent a woman like you, Claire Beauchamp.”

“Oh darling,” I said, kissing him swiftly. “They broke the mold after they made me.”

He chuckled and patted my rump.

“Would ye mind if I used your shower?” he asked. “I dinna have any fresh clothes wi’ me, but I should like to clean up a little.”

“Of course. Towels are in the small cupboard.”

“Thank ye.”

------------

They were reluctant to part ways, though he knew he’d be seeing her again soon. After he’d retrieved his car, he drove to his home and changed. He’d intentionally left his undershirt with Claire, though he didn’t think she’d seen it yet.

He parked his car at the stables and headed to his office to do some paperwork. When he came around the corner, a group of men stood outside his office door, muttering to each other.

“There he is!” Angus bellowed.

Angus, Murtagh, and Rupert all looked him up and down.

“Murtagh said ye werena home, so we thought ye might be here,” Rupert said.

“He’s wearin’ different clothes,” Angus said in a whine. “No way he spent the night wi’ the lass.”

Murtagh frowned at the other man.

“Oh, ye think he’d drive straight here? No’ stop at his house and change first?”

“Go away,” Jamie grumped, pulling out his keys.

Angus pushed closer to him, blocking the door.

“Ye look tired, lad,” he said. “Did ye no’ get any sleep?”

“I got plenty of sleep, no’ that it’s any of yer business.”

Rupert and Angus devolved into crude remarks in Gaelic, sniggering amongst themselves as they did. Murtagh followed Jamie into his office and closed the door behind them.

“Did ye sleep wi’ the lass?”

“You’re no’ my father, Murtagh, and ye ken I’m an adult. I dinna think it’s your business if I slept wi’ her or no.”

“Tell me ye used protection.”

Jamie glared at his godfather as he turned his computer on.

“Why do ye assume I slept wi’ her?”

“Because, ye fool. If ye hadna, ye would have said so straight off. Damn it, Jamie! Ye kent the woman for only a few hours! And ye jump straight into bed wi’ her?!”

“I didna!” he yelled back.

A sudden flash of memory hit him hard, Murtagh accusing him of something and him arguing back. It was eerily similar to this conversation.

“Look. I went to her flat and we talked. It was late and she offered me a place to stay the night so I wouldna ha’ to drive home. Everything that happened after that is no one’s business but mine.”

Murtagh’s bushy brows dropped into a deep frown as Jamie sat down at his desk.

“That isna like you, lad. Ye dinna just hop into bed wi’ anyone. Did she force ye?”

“Force me? Christ, Murtagh, no! She’s… I dinna ken how to say it. But she’s different. I think she could be it.”

“I hope ye both can come to some sort of agreement about that before ye get her wi’ child.”

Jamie huffed a sigh and began looking through his bills.

“It isna the dark ages, Murtagh.”

“Maybe no’... Just… Be careful, Jamie. I dinna want to see ye get hurt.”

“I ken that, Murtagh. Thank ye.”

A muffled sound outside the door drew their attention.

“Jamie! Jamie ye ha’ to tell us! What did she look like under that dress? Was she as-”

“I’ll go take those buffoons away,” Murtagh said loudly, glaring at the door. “I’ll see ye around, Jamie.”

Continue to Dinner Date

[dccomicsnews]

This October, at New York’s Comic-Con, DCN had some wicked fun! The playful, witty cast of Dirk Gently discussed their newest season and their work with Max Landis. They all sound greatly fond of him, certainly applauding his writing and talents. At the end of the cast’s questions, Max Landis spoke with DCN to tell us what inspires him to write such trying and melancholy underdog tales as we saw in the brilliant, cathartic DC Comic series, American Alien, which featured the struggle and growth of New 52’s Clark Kent into becoming Superman.

Lois Lane: You want to do something small? C’mon Clark…

Do something BIG.

Q: This sort of genre, this detective but also sci-fi, how do you think this sort of genre helps improve society, any benefits that the show [morally] comes with? 

(Left to right: Fiona Dourif, Elijah Wood, Arvind Ethan David (Producer), Hannah Marker, Jad Eshete, Samuel Barnett, Max Landis, Mpho Koaho)

Samuel Barnett: Without getting political, we are living in times that feel more chaotic. And I think the nature of the show [Dirk Gently] is that the universe is chaos, but ultimately everything passes and everything somehow comes together, and everything is connecting. I think it [this genre] is a beautiful reminder with things being so polarized at the moment that we are actually all connected and all the same ultimately. And I think it’s a very human show. I think that’s what people plug into.

Elijah Wood: Beautifully said. Yeah, and there is so many genre elements within the context of the storytelling, it is also ultimately character driven. All of the characters present, even the “supposed” heroes are flawed, and I think that is something really beautiful, is that they’re all related. Ever Dirk Gently, even our strongest character is flawed and you can kind of relate to. It’s a group of misfits trying to do good.

Q: I like your beautiful chemistry, and I see it between your cast and I see it on the show too. How do you think that impacts the way the script is written?

Hannah Marks: I would love to say that Max took from our personalities but I don’t think so. Max has got a vision that he’s had for years and years and years somewhere in that crazy brain of his so I think he intentionally divides the people that have chemistry. He’s like “I don’t want you guys together!” And he picks the people you would never expect in a million years. He’s going to put those two characters together. As much as I would love to work with [only] Jade.

Jade Eshete: Right! “Hey! Can I have a scene with Hannah now?”

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Q: [To  Fiona Dourif and Mpho Koaho] How does your relationship develop with Ken [in season 2], what route does it take?

Fiona Dourif: Well…watch season 2 of Dirk Gently on BBC News. [She laughs] You know, finding a connection with Ken is the dragging force behind everything I do in season 2. It’s a testament to Max Landis, there is an emotional light built into all the plotlines so there is a human reason why I do everything that I do in season 2.

Mpho Koaho: The progression of Ken is not because of Ken. It is taken a lot of Ken to do almost anything by himself. The kid is just a different guy: hermit, scared, all these things and Bart gives him a reason. It’s like “oh, somebody likes me?” Do you know what I mean? That was Ken’s mentality, especially when he had the chance to walk away when she gave him the option to leave. He came back. […] So that’s enough for Ken, I’ve got a friend now!  You know, that’s purpose.

Q: Detective and Supernatural genres bring so much to the table, but what do you think putting them together brings to people, as a heart of the story? 

Mpho Koaho: I think relationships do that. Bart, Ken, and Bart. I mean, who wouldn’t want that? Maybe it looks weird at first, you know, the girl trying to kill everybody and then this sweet boy [comes in] but where it goes though?

Who wouldn’t want that? Dirk and Todd have their own thing and then you add the rowdy three, everyone has the development to their relationship to their extent, so if you take that away, where is the human element to it? People need to connect. Everything is connected. People want to relate to somebody, there are so many characters on the show, somebody is going to see someone they know! They’re close to. And the relationships influence, because you finally connect with a person and somebody cares for this person.

Q: Do you feel the relationship has romantic potential? 

MK: No. That’s not this show. We don’t do that on this show. And I’m not talking about how Bart’s not a stone-cold fox. That’s not what I’m saying. I just don’t think that’s why we participate on our show, I think we do a great job separating all that [romance]. We don’t ship.

FD: We have a surprising amount of anti-tropes. There is some sex in Dirk Gently season 2 and we have two lead gay characters, which is really nice. I think its refreshing and fantastic the lead female characters are not their clothes off, and it never comes up. It’s not even a plot point that I don’t have a boyfriend.

The cast talks about Max’s writing, he puts his passion into building strong, meaningful bonds.

Q: I read your comic, American Alien, brilliant series, Dirk Gently too. It deals with a lot of identities. What drives you to write stories about people who are underdogs mastering their demons?

Max Landis: So everything I write is about…do you want the real answer?

Yes, the real answer.

Max Landis: Basically, everything I write, if you look at my work, is about an outsider who is unhappy and frustrated with their life. Then discovering a secret talent that allows them to connect with other people and that then causes trouble. And either they engage with their identity and change their behavior as a hero, OR they refuse and use their talent in a bad way and that causes chaos. So that’s American Alien, Chronicle, Victor Frankenstein, Mr. Right, American Ultra, everything I do is that.

And that’s because I was a lonely kid who’s kind of…spent a lot of my time as a jerk. And blaming other people, and felt very lonely and alone and weird. I couldn’t connect with other people. And then I started to become a writer and through that, I have been forced to engage with ideas about myself and other people that have caused me to grow. And that started when I was 23 and is still in process. But you can SEE. If you track my scripts, my development personally is right alongside them. In a way that’s really upsetting, that I didn’t realize until my girlfriend pointed it out to me. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it. Even in like my movies, the movie I wrote first was Mr. Right (that got made later), and Mr. Right is Marth, Anna Kendrick is a sociopath. She is a demented crazy person who can’t connect with other people who then meets another sociopath and instead of it helping or curing her, she just goes “ok, I’m gonna murder people.”

And that’s her arc. “yeah good!” But then if you look at Chronicle, Andrew finally makes friends and then goes “f*** you, you guys don’t know me!” And dies. So now, being crazy is fine, being crazy maybe causes problems, and then you look at American Ultra or Victor Frankenstein, which both features friendships, one of which is a romance once of which is a friendship, where characters find the salvation of each other. And that’s where it goes from there.

Max Landis, creator, and writer of Dirk Gently, author of American Alien! Check out season 2 of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, where supernatural meets great detectives!

DCN Visits NYCC: Interviewing DC Comics ‘American Alien’ Writer Max Landis With Cast Of ‘Dirk Gently’ This October, at New York's Comic-Con, DCN had some wicked fun! The playful, witty cast of…