#i think Damian would be great friends with alex

[hidden-eyeballs]

GoAxDC art!!

Alex and Damian <3

A more complete drawing than the doodles I did earlier

[thatwritterbeach]

So About that Alley .4

Jason Todd x ofc Alex

Dc masterlist ALL OTHER PARTS FOUND HERE

Unedited***Also I swear Tumblr is messing up my spelling on purpose cuz everytime I re-read something I know I fixed it's wrong again

Alex: short, curvy, red hair, green eyes, redheads go through pain meds way faster than normal people to the point I personally don't even take them, it's a joke, they last 30 min at best

Summary: Alex finds out her bf is red hood, after she spills some not so great secrets to the masked man while stitching him up.

Warnings: Vaginismus* angst, sexual assault, self-harm, depression, drug use by Alex, violence, cursing, NSFW, smut, thigh riding, vaginal fingering, guided masturbation?, p in v (not overly described), pain during s*x, hiding said pain, hickeys?, self-hate, insecurities, eating disorder, weight loss

A/N: I do not own dc booho

sorry ya'll I did not mean to release the last part, it was gonna be longer so here's this one at top speed

Arriving at a huge menacing manor, the Wayne manor, in your pajamas on the back of a motorcycle while the driver is decked out in bright right flannel is...odd. Jason held the bike steady while she wiggled off then he engaged the kickstand and lifted himself off with ease. Alfred met them at the door and took her gear and Jay's helmet.

"Everyone is in the dining room, master Jason."

"Thanks, Alfred." Alex, unsure what to do gave him a thankful nod and clung to Jason as he led them through the maze of insanity.

"I don't think I can do this Jay," sh whispered, slinging the large bag she carried further up on her shoulder.

"Of course, you can," he assured her pulling her further into his side. They entered what she would calla dining hall where everyone was already sat, having what appeared to be a heated argument.

"I win the bet, cuz I said she was real," Tim yelled.

"No, I win for being right about how long it would take him to bring her here," Dick said back throwing a chunk of bread at him.

"Boys!" Bruce tried in vain.

"I win-" Damian began but was cut of by Jason's two finger whistle. All eyes shot to the door where Alex was very busy faking confidence, moved away from Jay, shoulders back, head up. Bruce was in a suit much to her embarrassment but Dick was in sweats and a long sleeved shirt, Tim wore something similar, and Damian was in a matching silk set that probably cost more than her entire wardrobe but he was participating.

"Tt she's small," Damian scowled.

"I think you mean short, like you pipsqueak," she snarked back before Jason could get after the demon spawn.

"Hhhmf," he replied raising his chin to the side in a holyer than though manner.

"Play nice, Damian," Bruce commanded softly rising from the table to greet her. Mentally freaking out, knowing what was coming she hesitated in her step to meet his outstreched hand.

"Not a friend of Dick's then," he accused, scowling down at her superman shirt.

"I didn't know if you were aware Jason was alive." She lied her ass off. She just recently found out he was Robin so of course she couldn't have told Batman anything other than a lie. Jason caught the inconstancy and frowned.

"What are you talking about," Dick asked joining their little group.

"Caught this one in an alley with a dealer last night, said she knew you, as Robin, Wing and Dick."

"How did you-" He turned an accusing eye on Jason who lifted his hands in defense.

"I've known for years dude, chill. It's not that hard to figure out, the suspiciously large and rich family is the suspiciously large and tech happy hero group."

"So you know everyone?"

"Yep, Superman and everyone too. "

"Dang," Tim jumped in from his seat.

"Why were you in an alley with a dealer," Jason asked what everyone was thinking.

"Getting information before some dude in a cape messed it up." Another lie.

"info on what?"

"His supplier."

"That's my job." She shrugged and moved past everyone to the table.

"I come barring gifts," she said setting the bag on the table to pull things out. "For Dick, a signed copy of (insert circus memorabilia here), for Tim, something to help you sleep and some very strong tea to help with that caffeine addiction. Damian, a travel sized chess board, we can play sometime if you like."

"Thanks," came the collective reply. Jason was still giving her the ' we will talk about this at home look' but she was ignoring him as she sat. After a surprisingly painless dinner with Damian only insulting her three times, Jason standing with a knife in hand, and Dick calming everyone back down they managed to make it to dessert.

"None for me," she told Alfred quietly as he started to place a bowl of some fancy pastries in front of her. She'd already subtly inquired on the carb count of the food which he answered with a slight brow raise.

"You feeling ok," Jason asked from beside her happily munching on his and her portion of sugar.

"Fine," she replied with a soft smile reaching past her full wine glass for water. She never drank and certainly not when she knew she was going to have to drug herself the second they walked into her apartment.

"If you don't like red we have white," Dick said, gesturing to her glass.

"I don't drink."

"Oh, master Jason didn't tell me."

"Sorry, must have slipped my mind." Like hell, he had no idea she didn't drink, he's never seen her drink but just assumed...what he wasn't sure but not that she didn't drink. Dessert done they moved to the 'sitting room' with some sodas, and Alfred plated soft soft music in the background.

"care to test your new board," she asked Damian.

"Tt, like you would be a worthy opponent."

"It's ok if you're too chicken, I get it, I'm intimidating." she said flexing her muscles. With an eye roll he sat cross legged on the floor and began setting up the pieces. She mirrored his pose and set up her side. off to the side where she couldn't see Jason moved his head to indicate to Dick he needed a word and the two moved off without a sound.

"Thanks for the clothes," Jason started, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall of the long hallway they were in.

"No problem, did she seem more relaxed?"

"Better than expected."

"So what was it you wanted to ask me that couldn't be texted?"

"When I...died, were you sad?"

"What the hell kind of question is that, Jason, of course, I was a wreck. What's going on, are you ok?"

"I am."

"But you don't think she is," he stated.

"I think she'd lying about when she found out I was hood. Three weeks ago I got so beat up from a fight I knew I wouldn't make it anywhere else so I broke into her apartment, key work broke, I had to shatter a window she was pissed. And she found me passed out in the bathroom, and started stitching me up-"

"Dude," he whisper yelled.

"Let me finish. She was talking to me like I was redhood not like she knew it was me, she was asking for advice."

"On what?"

"How to tell her boyfriend she couldn't have sex, because she was," he paused and pulled Dick closer to him to whisper the next part," assaulted when she was younger and it makes it horribly painful."

"No, did she tell you who?"

"He's dead."

"Good."

"She also said she cuts herself," again the smallest whisper.

"Why would she tell him and not you?"

"The next day she said she knew I was hood all along and she was playing a sick joke to get back at me for breaking her window and lying."

"Rude but seems fair."

"Then she initiated sex. Just pulled me into the bedroom and-"

"I don't wanna hear this,"Dick whines shaking his head to clear the image.

"We've had sex everyday twice for three weeks in a row," he said exasperated.

"That's..."

"A lot, it's a lot so either she has insane drive or..."

"She's expertly distracting you," he finished for him.

"I haven't seen any scars or fresh cuts, but I know she's damn good at makeup she's always perfectly covered my scar," he said pointing to his cheek, where it wasn't even visible in the low light.

"So hide her makeup."

"I've thought about it but I don't want to tip her off, or make her panic."

"So you want my help?"

"I think," deep breath," I think I can't do this alone, I can't watch her 24/7 and be there when she might need me."

"Do you want her to move in here?"

"God no, she'd kill me. Maybe now that you've all met you could invite her over, or stop by 'randomly' when I'm out."

"I'm in bloodhaven now, I can't just-"

"I know, I know, but you're here like every other weekend and that'll have to be enough. Maybe the demon spawn would agree to watch her."

"Tt, she's not your pet, Todd," came an irritated voice next to them.

"How much did you hear?"

"Just that she'd kill you." Eye roll.

"She's not well, demon spawn, and I worry about her safety," Jason ground out trying to keep his voice down.

"You think she hurts herself, what insanity, even for you, Todd."

"Look, kid-"

"Don't start. Damian, you seem to tolerate her enough not to kill her, a win if you ask me, and she needs company while Jason is out. You really can't stop by once a week for chess?"

"As a favor to her, not either of you," he agreed, turning to leave the imbeciles.

Eventually making their way back into the room the boys were shocked to find Alex, still on the floor, body pointed to the tv playing a racing game with Tim. Single handing the controller she expertly steered around the corners and used her other hand to play Damian at chess, eye dancing back and forth, and maintaining a conversation with Bruce.

"What the fuck," Jason exclaimed.

"I used to do this all the time, well not this, but multitasking, it's been so long since I've gotten to use my brain," she said with such glee.

"Are you saying I dumb you down?" There was no real hurt in voice, just un-subtle awe.

"Love you too." She replied and went back to talking to Bruce about...politics? She was talking politics with the vigilante billionaire and it was civil! The game ended, with Alex in 1st and Tim hung his head in shame but ultimately leaned over to shake her hand.

"Tt, so incompetent she beat you one handed," Damian accused.

"Tough talk for somebody that just set me up to take four pieces," she tsked back at him.

"Shit," Damian muttered uncharacteristically.

"Language," Dick said with a laugh.

"Boop, boop, boop," Alex sang as she hopped a single checker around the board taking the last of Damian's pieces.

"I suppose you're competent."

"Why thank you," she mock bowed. "Care to try your luck," she directed at Dick who was leaning on the arm of a large comfy looking chair.

"Why not, you gonna play Tim and Damian at the same time to at least give me a small chance?"

"If you want?" He nodded so she helped Damian set up a second board of checkers just a few inches from the first so she wouldn't have to move. Dick shrank practically had to fold himself to fit on the floor and only slightly invaded Damian's space, not on purpose.

Again she won on all fronts and Jason was practically buzzing with pride.

"You never told me you were smart!" At the look she sent him he waved his hands quickly. "No wait! Not how I meant it, of course you're smart."

"Such a way with words," she praised helping clean up the games.

"Are you leaving," Tim whined.

"I gotta work tomorrow, sorry kiddo."

"I'm like a year younger than Jason."

"A small child," Dick said wiping a fake tear.

"But a small boy," Jason reiterated.

"Hardly out of a booster seat," Bruce joined.

"It was only yesterday I was helping you into a chair master Tim."

"I hate you all."

"Aww, he loves us," Alex cooed reaching over to pinch his cheek," and fyi I'm two years older than Jason."

"Practically a cougar, I felt hunted when she asked me out."

"Yeah, why did I do that again?"

"You got me," Dick seriously stated.

"Tt, she would never chase you Todd, I bet you had to beg for this lovely creature."

"What he said," she agreed pulling Damian into a crushing hug resting her chin on his shoulder since the were the same height. Everyone held their breath expecting a fight but he looped his arms around her and squeezed back, just for a second before wiggling away from her in over-exaggerated disgust.

"I demand a rematch this Thursday," he said curtly and left the room.

"Thank you for coming," Bruce said shaking her hand in an awkward manner.

"Come visit anytime," Dick said pulling her into a hug, and extra long one just to make Jason's eye twitch.

"Let me know when you're online," Tim softly demanded with a hug.

"I don't have any online games, still use my old GameCube and Wii."

"That's cool."

Finally making it out the door she resisted the urge to exhale in relief. Wary of Jason getting concerned.

"That went well," he remarked upon entering her apartment.

"It did," she said softly faking a yawn in hopes of him heading back to his place or insisting they turn in. He went back and forth between their apartments, needing to keep a space for all his gear.

"So about that alley?"

"Not tonight, please."

"Why were you out at all?"

"Red hood is big and scary and gets what he wants with fear yes?"

"I guess?"

"So, short redhead come around asking what you sell and for how much what do you assume."

"That you aren't a threat," he conceded with a scowl.

"so if the short none-threat asks innocent sounding questions like. I may need some tomorrow where are you gonna be, my friend wants to buy but can't leave his place any chance you make house calls. I'm looking for a side job any chance I can meet the boss for an interview?"

"You didn't."

"I did, maybe, he's getting back with me." Lie lie lie.

"I'm going."

"You are not, if they even think I've been tailed you might as well shoot me yourself, I can handle it, if I can't I know how to get in touch. Now please let's go to bed." The whine in her tone made him cave, for now. Thanking her lucky stars he was tired and they skipped the sex she fell into the deepest sleep she'd had in months.

8-10-24 see masterlist for more

[super-rangers]

Hi Alex! If it’s okay I jump on the ask train, I also was recently rereading UIW and I was reminded of something that I actually had been thinking about quite a bit and am so curious to know if you have strong opinions about—In chapter 12, when Janis is teaching Regina how to cook, she mentions that she has a 7 year-old little brother. Is Janis as an older sibling a dynamic that you’ve thought a lot about? If so, has that played in to your characterization of her at all? By extension (and really just for the fun of it 😄), who else in the gang do you think has siblings, if any? Where in the birth order would they be?

(When thinking about it, I definitely see Aaron and Damian being older siblings. Gretchen strikes me as a middle child. Karen, I’m less sure about— I feel like she can go in either direction. I feel like it makes sense that Regina is an only child, but I could also see her having (a) sibling(s) who are a fair amount older than her and that she’s mostly estranged from on her dad’s side. Cady I know is canonically an only child, but I feel like that does check out lol)

Hello!! Of course it's okay!

Janis really does give off older sibling vibes for me. If I really think about it, she gives off oldest of three. Like she's got the aforementioned 7yr old brother, but she also has a 12yr old one. She doesn't get along with the 12yr brother that much - they're too similar and butt heads a lot. The 7yr old thinks Janis is The Coolest Ever, and they get along great. (I didn't realize I had such deep opinions about this until you asked 😂)

I think I recognize older sibling vibes in how she treated Cady at first. Taking her under her wing while making cheesy jokes, the way she reassured Cady that Regina was a bitch for commenting on her shoes only to immediately give them the shadiest 'well Regina wasn't wrong' look. Like. That's shit I would do as an older sister lmao

I think it comes out in her sense of humor, the way she's a little bit goofy like she plays with kids regularly, and the way she helps Regina out even when she's angry with her.

I honestly think Damian is an only child, but if he did have a sibling he'd be older. (He and Regina bond over the weirdness of siblings as they observe their friends at home lol) Aaron also has 2 younger siblings. A baby brother and sister. He's full on doting big brother to his sister; she's his favorite person in the world. She thinks he's the greatest person in the whole wide world. Aaron gets along with his brother too, but it's a different dynamic.

Gretchen is totally a middle child, you're so right. Karen I think would be either the baby of a family of like 5 kids OR she would have one older sister who's like in her 20s, like what you suggested for Regina.

[a-man-for-hire-and-his-archives]

INTERVIEW - Actor Toby Stephens, who plays Damian Cray on Alex Rider: "Fortunately, people need entertainment. I'm very lucky to be able to make a career out of it."

BUCHAREST, Written by News.ro

Actor Toby Stephens, who plays Damian Cray, a tech mogul, in the series "Alex Rider", talks in an exclusive interview with News.co.uk about "extremely interesting espionage, by nature secretive", how series writer Anthony Horowitz created a "more complicated and nuanced version of what it means to be a teenager" and what it was like to film.

Season two of the spy thriller "Alex Rider" airs every Monday night at 10pm on AXN.

The series follows the story of Alex Rider, a London teenager who has been unknowingly trained for the dangerous world of espionage since childhood. After the death of his uncle and the near-death mission to destroy the Point Blanc boarding school in the first season, Alex is eager to put the past behind him, resume his normal teenage life and heal his trauma by enlisting the help of a therapist.

His plans to put his life back together are turned upside down when a close friend is the target of a horrific attack. So Alex finds himself drawn back into the world of covert missions, where he must stop a sinister plan afoot that aims to destroy the US defense system.

"Alex Rider" is produced by Eleventh Hour Films and Sony Pictures Television. Otto Farrant ("The White Queen"), Brennock O'Conner ("Game of Thrones"), Vicky McClure ("Line of Duty"), Ronkẹ Adékọluẹjọ ("Doctor Who"), Marli Siu ("Dixi") and Stephen Dillane ("Game of Thrones") reprise their roles, while Toby Stephens ("Die Another Day"), Rakie Ayola ("Harry Potter and the Cursed Child") and Charithra Chandran ("Bridgerton") join the cast for season two.

Toby Stephens is Damian Cray, a tech business mogul and the main villain in the new adventure in the young spy's life. Damian has created hugely popular online games that have made him rich. With a strong motivation rooted in a trauma he experienced when he was the same age as Alex, Damian is, in fact, a lonely person who sets out on a desperate search for his own catharsis.

Why did you accept to be part of this project?

Toby Stephens: My son is a big fan of the books and I know Anthony quite well through Jill, his wife, who I've worked with several times. It was nice to do something that my son enjoys. I also played a level-headed, solid dad on Lost in Space for three seasons and found it fun to play a sociopath.

When is it not fun?

T.S: Well, yes! He's a misunderstood sociopath. It just seemed like a fun thing to do. And also, I had spent a lot of time working away from home and it was really nice to do something here.

Why do you think books are so popular too?

T.S: They're pure action. The plots are complex, but not over the top. They're very, very gripping. I would have loved it if I was a kid. I mean, I enjoyed reading them as an adult. I like that Anthony Horowitz ups the stakes and builds the villains quite truthfully. There are real stakes and people die. Alex Rider's uncle died and there are moral ambiguities and complexities there. I think a lot of books in the children's fiction area go in that direction. It's not a super clean, sterile, kid-friendly world. It's slightly edgy and paints a picture of a violent and morally complicated world, but without it being too adult. It's like a half-way nice house.

The fact that we see Alex doing therapy seems like a very modern way of looking at teenagers.

T.S: It's definitely contemporary. We live in a very complicated age for young people. It's great to show kids that this is okay, that it's part of life and that you can reach out and get help for things. If Alex Rider can do it, then anyone can. Anthony Horowitz has created an inspirational guy rather than a stoic man. He's a more complicated and nuanced version of what it means to be a teenager.

Tell me a bit more about the character you play in this show. Who is he?

T.S: Damian Cray is a tech mogul. He has created online games that are extremely popular and has made a huge amount of money from them. Hyper-intelligent and incredibly driven, obviously. He draws his strength from a tragedy that happened to him when he was 17, around the age of Alex Rider, and that shaped his world. He was a pretty lonely kid; his parents were pretty absent. This tragedy then leads him on a search for catharsis.

How does Alex get to meet Damian Cray?

T.S: Alex gets to know this journalist who is injured in Cornwall and realizes that he was writing an expose on Damian Cray. Alex tries to find out what Cray is doing and whether he was, in fact, responsible for the journalist's injury. Cray doesn't really know who this kid is and mistakenly thinks he's the world's best player, an anonymous player named K7.

How did you find working with Otto, Brenock and Marli?

T.S: I loved it. It made me feel very old though! I love working with young people, it keeps you in touch with things. Actually, they are much more mature than me, more "together". I love doing this job, period. It's so much fun. I feel very lucky at this point to be working in this climate. Fortunately, people need entertainment. I'm very fortunate to be able to make a career out of it at the best of times, but even more so at this time.

How do you prepare to play a billionaire, do you draw inspiration from real life?

T.S: I didn't want to build it based on anyone specific, but yes, the way he dresses, the way he is, there's a kind of - not arrogance, but the assumption that everyone works for you. It's about control. These people have massive control issues. Part of it is assuming that everyone is there for your benefit, to be used by you, and that everyone is a tool that you can use. There's a very specific mindset you have to have to be that successful, and when they lose control, it's huge for them. It's devastating. So I didn't want to mimic the physical aspects, but rather what drives them, what gives you solid ground to work on.

Have you played any video games to understand this world?

T.S: My son plays a lot and I like to observe him. It's incredible stuff. However, I don't think Cray spends that much time playing games. He designs them all, but they're there for a greater purpose. He wants The Feathered Serpent to be the best in the world, but I don't think he spends a lot of time playing it. Other people do that for him.

In terms of it being an action show, did you personally get involved in any of the scenes?

T.S: Cray is simply telling people what to do, being extremely bossy and obsessed with being in control! Towards the end of the show I have a big action scene, and I've done that in other productions, but my body is less forgiving than it used to be. It certainly pleased me that I didn't have too much action in this production!

Why do you think the spy genre productions still remain so popular?

T.S: It's interesting because all these professions like detective, spy, doctor, have a built-in drama. In real life, there's probably a lot of boredom, so obviously these are romanticized versions of what really happens. But espionage is extremely interesting, because of the secretive nature, because of these shadowy organizations, these powerful villains. All of that creates these very compelling worlds. It's fantasy, but it's also fun. Violence, suggested violence or danger is always great when you're sitting by a fireplace, reading a book. It's the same with crime novels, Agatha Christie or whatever. It's that slightly tame version of something that is, in fact, horrible. It's somehow safe in the pages of these books, so you can curl up and discover it. They're great stories, especially since they tend to be quite labyrinthine.

Would you make a good spy, Toby?

T.S: I'd be terrible. I just couldn't keep any secrets. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm on this secret mission!". I guess I could carry off the disguise part or pretend to be someone else. Otherwise, I'd be terrible.

Translated via DeepL Translator from News.ro

[detectivemarvelingcomics]

Not Your Classic Vigilante [Ch. 4]

Alternate Dimension AU

TW: Language, Mentions of Death, Descriptions of Violence, Gun Use

CW: OC Use, See the OC Guide [Here]

Genre: Angst

Pairing: Batfamily x Batsis!Reader

(4/?) [Previous] | [Next]

[DC Masterlist] | [Not Your Classic Vigilante Masterlist]

Summary: Few people get second chances, and you were the one unlucky enough to get one in a whole new world away from your family, the Waynes. But when you return it comes as a shock, but what was more shocking was when you left, and only Damian remembered. Now you have to deal with the Wayne’s in your new universe, one not as kind as the last.

YN Pronouns: Female (She/Her)

Word Count: 3.0K

Notes: Sorry for the long wait on this one! Here’s the next chapter, hehe, I hope you all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: This series is originally by @fandom-meanderer who is a close friend of mine, but she has since fallen out of her Tumblr days and asked me to finish a few series for her, hence why I am now in ownership of the Not Your Classic Vigilante series, I hope I can still live up to her writing as I rewrite this series! (I promise not to change too much, hehe)

27 July 2022

You scoffed at Alex’s remark. You didn’t think you’d ever be back to your home Earth ever. You’d rather stay dead, to be perfectly honest. There’s no telling how the world would have changed and there’s no telling what would happen if you suddenly appeared again.

“You know, just to toss it out there, we’d be considered dimensional anomalies,” you said.

“True, if we mess up we could have Zatanna on our trail,” Alex adds.

“Or worse,” you frowned. “Dr. Fate.”

“Oh good god,” Alex shook his head. “So we don’t mess up.”

“I have no idea what either of you are talking about,” Carter cuts in. “But I assume they’re bad?”

“No, they’re good. Too good,” you say. You grabbed the watch from its stand and tapped on its side, a holographic display emitting from it. “So, Earth-61?” You scrolled through the pictorial Earths and stopped at the one in question, watching it rotate around with the Justice League satellite orbiting around it.

“That’s the plan,” Carter puts on his own watch confirms the location for you.

“In then out. If we stay longer than a week we put ourselves at risk for Dimensional Rift,” Alex explains. “I can try to contact my mentor and ask him to cover us for a while, but I’m not sure how long he could bullshit them.”

“Fair enough,” the three of you held your wrists together, watching them sync together. “In and out.”

“In and out,” Carter affirms. A small flash of bright light emits from the watches and you

You opened your eyes and found yourself standing in the outskirts of a city you remembered all too well. With smoggy skies and an overall feeling of gloom around the area, it was like nothing had ever changed. You picked up a soggy newspaper on the ground.

“Three years later,” you threw it into the waste bin. “What now?” You tapped your boots on the cracked pavement.

“Well, what can we do? Blend in,” Alex takes the first step down the road, you and Alex walking behind him to match his pace. He takes his phone out. “We have a budget of 5,000 units, should be enough to get a place to stay and a change of clothes but,” he looked over to you.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m coming up with a story as we speak. How do you explain coming back to life after three years? Can’t use the Lazarus Pit, Jason would know. Can’t bring the al Ghul’s into this, that would be messy… I’ll figure it out.”

“I’m inclined to be… not so confident in that statement,” Alex sighs.

“And I’m inclined to not give a fuck,” you laughed. Then a bullet whizzed past your ear. “What the—”

“Down!” Carter pulled you and Alex into a building as soon as another panged on the pavement. You looked at the street.

“Oh great, I wonder which mob this is,” you had a tired smile while you heard a string of what you assumed to be Russian. “Alex, run your bets, Odessa or Whistle?”

“I believe this is Odessa territory.”

“Classic Gotham.”

“I forgot how large the criminal underworld was here.”

“What? It’s that bad?” Carter asks.

“Technically, there’s a vigilante family that’s supposed to be keeping them at bay but for whatever reason they never finish the job so yup, crime is still rampant. They protect Gotham to an extent, but even so the times they clock in are random, and there’s so much crime in this city that they can’t possibly get to all of them.”

“Horrific way to live,” Alex adds.

“And a scary one, okay, probably best if we don’t stay here,” you hopped onto your feet and you ran up the flights of stairs. “Stay indoors, easy to fight and we won’t have to worry about getting a bullet lodged inside of us,” you instructed. “Carter, ready to do the sparky boom thing?”

“I don’t think it’s safe to do that in this kind of building,” Carter eyes the peeling wallpaper.

“Right, but if worse comes to worse, we don’t have a choice,” Alex says. Hepulls out a small monitor from his pocket. “Bad news.”

“There’s more, huh?”

“About twenty on the roof top.”

“So no matter where we go we’re screwed.”

“Yes.”

“Think I can sweet talk their leader? Don’t know if it changed since we left.”

“I’m going to have to say no on that one, darling.”

“Great…” You run out into the rooftop, only to see a group of men clad in black pointing their guns towards the three of you. You stood at a stare down for a while before you all took off, running across the rooftops.

“Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! Oh, fuck!” You shrieked at the topic of your lungs. You weren’t sure what else you were expecting when you returned to Gotham, but being shot at by one of their more prominent mobs was definitely not on the list. You didn’t think that you’d be trespassing onto their territory, but here you were, proven wrong. Alex and Carter followed you as closely as possible. Alex pulled you down as shots started firing again. “This is insane.”

“I thought you said that Gotham was being protected!” Carter shouts.

“It’s supposed to be, goddammit!” You argue, you checked your watch and it was only a couple of hours into the evening. Your family members should be out in patrol by now, or at the very least Tim should be doing his rounds. “Where the fuck is Batman?!”

“Batman? What are we being protected by a furry now?” Carter rolls his eyes. You glared at him and grabbed the pistol on your holster. You didn’t deny that he had a point, to explain to someone not form this Earth that Gotham’s main protector was a filthy rich white man who wears a bat suit was a one-sided discussion, it was ridiculous to even think about the fact that people took him seriously let alone his dark and brooding mantra. Then there was the whole point that even the police relied on him and if that wasn’t proof in structural dysfunction you didn’t know what was, but that was far from the point at the moment.

“It’s just a recon mission, he said. We’ll be fine, he said. Well guess what, Carter?! Fuck. You.” You ruffled your hair angrily as more bullets whizzed past you. By nature of the mission the three of you, under the advice of Carter, agreed not to bring any “heavy duty” or “bulky” equipment that could’ve easily gotten you out of the situation you all found yourselves in now. You turned around and fired a few shots, hitting at least a couple of them before you turned back around. You didn’t have enough time to reload given the situation, and you didn’t want to risk trying it. Alex’s eyes move to his monitor as it began to beep like wild.

“Two figures incoming,” he says calmly. You shook your head and looked back. You had a feeling that you knew who they were, given that you were in the outskirts of the city, and if they were who you thought they were, this situation may get a bit more complicated. How would you explain to your most stubborn brother that you were alive again? You had approximately ten minutes to figure it out.

“Alright, okay, we’re staying here,” you grumbled, pulling your two friends behind a few crates of what you assumed to be a large warehouse. Alex shrugs and pulls the screen back up, running the numbers on what they should do next while you watched two masked heroes arrive onto the scene.

“Dammit that means I’m going to have to do this to then,” Carter rubs the back of his neck. He loads his pistol, ignoring the pissed off expression you tried to drill into his head. “The two incoming parties look to be on our side, at least.” You could have recognized that pair of red topped heroes from anywhere, and to be fair anyone would in this Earth. But with their arrival came many variables that now need to be taken into account. You grabbed Carter’s pistol and shoved it back into its holster. It would be a bad idea to interfere given the plan they had established.

“Take that out again and I’ll ram it up your ass,” you growled. “We can’t just shoot without a plan, we might attract some very unwanted attention.” You nudged towards the two anti-heroes just a few meters away and Carter grimaces.

“Those two apart of the crime fighting family?”

“Just the one with the gaudy mask.”

“Her older brother, go figure,” Alex chuckles. “Despite the lack of blood relation, you’ll find that they’re rather similar in many regards.”

“Alex, not the time, babe,” you ducked under the crates.

“Good time for you to figure out a story now.”

“I know, I know,” you hit the back of your head on the crate, trying your best to bull shit some kind of story.

“What the hell are Red Hood and Speedy doing here?” One of the goons says over the gunfire.

“It’s Arsenal dammit!” Roy corrects the woefully killed man. Jason’s laugh echoed across the field as he reloaded faster than you had ever seen. You knew he was fast, you just didn’t think he was that fast. A lot must have changed in three years, which you would hope it did. You loathed to think about what happened to your siblings. You always reminded yourself that you didn’t hate them, but with each reminder you only feared that the opposite was true, and that you were just trying to hold on to whatever good memories you had of them.

“Oh come on, man, let’s finish this,” Jason says, probably smirking under his own mask.

“This is taking too long,” Alex says. He looks at the clock. “We’d be by the manor by now if not for this roadblock.”

“I see that,” you acknowledged. You look over at Carter, who nods in agreement. Finally, in the snap of Alex’s fingers, each enemy troop crumbled to the ground.

Alex was what he would call “proficient” in magic, harboring a special ability in something you had only understood as a puppet master’s, it was remarkable how far his range could be, no doubt a result from his harsh mentor. He championed his skills in the mystic arts above all, it was something to envy. Especially in this situation, as he brought down a group of twenty with precision.

Jason and Roy looked around at the goons who suddenly collapsed. Each of them were shouting different phrases but each of them felt the same. Some of them were curled up and some of them just stood still. Some of them writhed on the ground while others just closed their eyes. It was almost supernatural. Hard to believe, even in their line of work, especially because it was in Gotham of all the places. Jason clenched his jaw while he watched them crumble, what was going on?

“What the hell? I can’t move my legs!” One of them shouts.

“Something is pushing against me!”

“We’re all dead!”

The helpless shrieks of the enemy filled the area until they all knocked out. Jason walked up to one that had passed out, feeling for a pulse and finding none. He and Roy looked around the area for some unseen force that could’ve taken out that many at once. You sighed and slumped your shoulders.

“Been quite some time since I had to deal with that many at once,” Alex rolls his neck. You feel two sets of eyes in your general direction and upon a quick look you noticed both Jason and Roy approach the crates. You quickly turned to the other two boys.

“Quick, you two need to go before this gets any messier than it already is,” you whispered hurriedly.

“Wait—” Carter is cut off as Alex shoves a device onto his chest, cloaking the two of them immediately. You quickly stood up and Jason drops his pistols with a loud clatter. You awkwardly pivoted on your heel. You are playing a role now, maybe all of those useless acting classes in college will amount to now.. You aren’t Captain Wayne at this moment, the Captain who had been deployed in more battles than she could count, the one who knowingly ordered hoards of soldiers to face their ultimate doom, as dramatic as you made it sound. You are the (Y/N) Wayne from three years ago, the one you left dead in an alley way. You aren’t cocky, you’re anxious. You aren’t strong, you’re feeble. You aren’t powerful, you’re delicate. Easy. Or, maybe better said, easier said that done. It’s not easy to rip back into your old memories to pull out a dead woman.

“(Y/N)…?” Jason pulled his helmet off, Roy followed suit, dumbstruck at the sight. You could very nearly see the cogs working in their heads, trying to figure out if the you in front of them was the same one they knew. You didn’t blame them for debating it.

“Hi… I can explain… I think?” You stumbled on your words, an old habit you had back when you lived in this Earth. “Okay, well, you’re not talking, so I guess that means you’re waiting for me to explain, so, well, uhm, how do I start?” It’s now or never, this is the story you’ll have to stick with for the entirety of your stay here, so you’d better make it good enough. “So, I woke up in this weird lab place and a bunch of doctors were applauding and it was super awkward because I had no clue what was going on and, well, it turns out they weren’t going to use me for the best of intentions, and that’s when these two people stepped in and beat the crap outta them! And I don’t know where they are now so please don’t ask I was preoccupied by not getting shot to death. Looks like I really have to—” you stopped talking as Jason pulled you into a hug. It was awkward at best, very stiff from either the loads of equipment he had on or just the fact that Jason was not a hugging type of person. You tensed slightly, but eventually returned the hug. That’s what you would’ve done three years ago, at the very least. “This is nice…”

“It’s really you,” Jason laughs lightly. He was in complete disbelief, his lack of concern likely stemming from the fact that he’s no longer the only sibling who has died and come back.

“How would you know? I could be Talia in disguise,” you added on. It would looks suspicious to your other brothers if you didn’t mention it.

“You talk too much.” He says in a distant voice as if recalling events from long ago.

“Okay, wow.” He was right but he didn’t have to say it.

“I’ve gotta tell the others,” Jason says as his eyes start to widen. You swallowed down a curse. This was not how you expected to get acquainted with the rest of the family again, in fact you were more of planning on dropping by on your father, giving him a heart attack, take his info, and skip on home. But Jason’s a variable that’s too unpredictable. And even with that, you didn’t chalk him up as one of the siblings that missed you.

“Oh, that’s really not necessary,” you shook your head quickly, but Jason already had his hands on his phone. No good, you used what little on-the-spot-smarts you had on the last made up story you gave him, what would you give him now? You had to get to the manor as fast as you could.

“Hey, (Y/N),” Roy approached you now, putting a hand on your shoulder. “You feeling okay? You don’t look too good.”

“I mean, when you wake up in a room you don’t recognize you’re bound to get shaken up, you know?”

“Want to head back to the apartment? Jason and I have some… things we need to tell you before you go back home,” he says, looking over to Jason with a knowing expression. Jason just dials another number and waits for the next person to pick up.

“What do you mean?” How much did this ex of yours know?

“It’s kind of complicated, (Y/N), and not a conversation that’s safe to have out here,” he crosses his arms. Alex disabled the shield temporarily, holding up his monitor and pointing at the time. And there’s your next cue. Alex turned the shield back on and you could tell that he and Carter were on their way to the ground floor.

“Oh, on second thought, seeing you again has made me feel really strange, I’m going to run to the bathroom. Yup, that’s where I’m going, okay, bye!”

“Bye,” Jason waves off, still holding his phone to his ear and waiting for whoever he called to pick up.. You ran down a flight of stairs and Jason realizes what he just did. “Wait! Come back! Roy, get back to the apartment, I’ll call you back!”

“But (Y/N)—”

“Yeah, yeah, stop drooling over my sister, now’s not the time,” Jason jumps down to the next platform. “See you later!”

General Tag List: None

Not Your Classic Vigilante: @gabytodd​ @peachydoki @marshmally12435 @f0leysgurl���

If you want to be added to either tag list just send me a reply to this post, and ask, or a DM and I’ll add you as soon as possible!

[shippingdragons]

Actor Toby Stephens, who plays Damian Cray on Alex Rider: “Fortunately, people need entertainment. I’m very lucky to be able to make a career out of it.”

Actor Toby Stephens, who plays Damian Cray, a tech mogul, in the series “Alex Rider”, talks in an exclusive interview with News.co.uk about “extremely interesting espionage, by nature secretive”, how series writer Anthony Horowitz created a “more complicated and nuanced version of what it means to be a teenager” and what it was like to film.

Season two of the spy thriller “Alex Rider” airs every Monday night at 10pm on AXN.

The series follows the story of Alex Rider, a London teenager who has been unknowingly trained for the dangerous world of espionage since childhood. After the death of his uncle and the near-death mission to destroy the Point Blanc boarding school in the first season, Alex is eager to put the past behind him, resume his normal teenage life and heal his trauma by enlisting the help of a therapist.

His plans to put his life back together are turned upside down when a close friend is the target of a horrific attack. So Alex finds himself drawn back into the world of covert missions, where he must stop a sinister plan afoot that aims to destroy the US defense system.

“Alex Rider” is produced by Eleventh Hour Films and Sony Pictures Television. Otto Farrant (“The White Queen”), Brennock O'Conner (“Game of Thrones”), Vicky McClure (“Line of Duty”), Ronkẹ Adékọluẹjọ (“Doctor Who”), Marli Siu (“Dixi”) and Stephen Dillane (“Game of Thrones”) reprise their roles, while Toby Stephens (“Die Another Day”), Rakie Ayola (“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”) and Charithra Chandran (“Bridgerton”) join the cast for season two.

Toby Stephens is Damian Cray, a tech business mogul and the main villain in the new adventure in the young spy’s life. Damian has created hugely popular online games that have made him rich. With a strong motivation rooted in a trauma he experienced when he was the same age as Alex, Damian is, in fact, a lonely person who sets out on a desperate search for his own catharsis.

Why did you accept to be part of this project?

Toby Stephens: My son is a big fan of the books and I know Anthony quite well through Jill, his wife, who I’ve worked with several times. It was nice to do something that my son enjoys. I also played a level-headed, solid dad on Lost in Space for three seasons and found it fun to play a sociopath.

When is it not fun?

T.S: Well, yes! He’s a misunderstood sociopath. It just seemed like a fun thing to do. And also, I had spent a lot of time working away from home and it was really nice to do something here.

Why do you think books are so popular too?

T.S: They’re pure action. The plots are complex, but not over the top. They’re very, very gripping. I would have loved it if I was a kid. I mean, I enjoyed reading them as an adult. I like that Anthony Horowitz ups the stakes and builds the villains quite truthfully. There are real stakes and people die. Alex Rider’s uncle died and there are moral ambiguities and complexities there. I think a lot of books in the children’s fiction area go in that direction. It’s not a super clean, sterile, kid-friendly world. It’s slightly edgy and paints a picture of a violent and morally complicated world, but without it being too adult. It’s like a half-way nice house.

The fact that we see Alex doing therapy seems like a very modern way of looking at teenagers.

T.S: It’s definitely contemporary. We live in a very complicated age for young people. It’s great to show kids that this is okay, that it’s part of life and that you can reach out and get help for things. If Alex Rider can do it, then anyone can. Anthony Horowitz has created an inspirational guy rather than a stoic man. He’s a more complicated and nuanced version of what it means to be a teenager.

Tell me a bit more about the character you play in this show. Who is he?

T.S: Damian Cray is a tech mogul. He has created online games that are extremely popular and has made a huge amount of money from them. Hyper-intelligent and incredibly driven, obviously. He draws his strength from a tragedy that happened to him when he was 17, around the age of Alex Rider, and that shaped his world. He was a pretty lonely kid; his parents were pretty absent. This tragedy then leads him on a search for catharsis.

How does Alex get to meet Damian Cray?

T.S: Alex gets to know this journalist who is injured in Cornwall and realizes that he was writing an expose on Damian Cray. Alex tries to find out what Cray is doing and whether he was, in fact, responsible for the journalist’s injury. Cray doesn’t really know who this kid is and mistakenly thinks he’s the world’s best player, an anonymous player named K7.

How did you find working with Otto, Brenock and Marli?

T.S: I loved it. It made me feel very old though! I love working with young people, it keeps you in touch with things. Actually, they are much more mature than me, more “together”. I love doing this job, period. It’s so much fun. I feel very lucky at this point to be working in this climate. Fortunately, people need entertainment. I’m very fortunate to be able to make a career out of it at the best of times, but even more so at this time.

How do you prepare to play a billionaire, do you draw inspiration from real life?

T.S: I didn’t want to build it based on anyone specific, but yes, the way he dresses, the way he is, there’s a kind of - not arrogance, but the assumption that everyone works for you. It’s about control. These people have massive control issues. Part of it is assuming that everyone is there for your benefit, to be used by you, and that everyone is a tool that you can use. There’s a very specific mindset you have to have to be that successful, and when they lose control, it’s huge for them. It’s devastating. So I didn’t want to mimic the physical aspects, but rather what drives them, what gives you solid ground to work on.

Have you played any video games to understand this world?

T.S: My son plays a lot and I like to observe him. It’s incredible stuff. However, I don’t think Cray spends that much time playing games. He designs them all, but they’re there for a greater purpose. He wants The Feathered Serpent to be the best in the world, but I don’t think he spends a lot of time playing it. Other people do that for him.

In terms of it being an action show, did you personally get involved in any of the scenes?

T.S: Cray is simply telling people what to do, being extremely bossy and obsessed with being in control! Towards the end of the show I have a big action scene, and I’ve done that in other productions, but my body is less forgiving than it used to be. It certainly pleased me that I didn’t have too much action in this production!

Why do you think the spy genre productions still remain so popular?

T.S: It’s interesting because all these professions like detective, spy, doctor, have a built-in drama. In real life, there’s probably a lot of boredom, so obviously these are romanticized versions of what really happens. But espionage is extremely interesting, because of the secretive nature, because of these shadowy organizations, these powerful villains. All of that creates these very compelling worlds. It’s fantasy, but it’s also fun. Violence, suggested violence or danger is always great when you’re sitting by a fireplace, reading a book. It’s the same with crime novels, Agatha Christie or whatever. It’s that slightly tame version of something that is, in fact, horrible. It’s somehow safe in the pages of these books, so you can curl up and discover it. They’re great stories, especially since they tend to be quite labyrinthine.

Would you make a good spy, Toby?

T.S: I’d be terrible. I just couldn’t keep any secrets. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m on this secret mission!”. I guess I could carry off the disguise part or pretend to be someone else. Otherwise, I’d be terrible.

News.ro April 2 2022

[its-a-novelist-girl]

Never Have I Ever

Summary: A virgin, 20-year-old Damian with too many trust issues to let a girl get too close is constantly teased by his brothers for spending so much time with his female best friend, Y/N. During a game of never have I ever, Y/n is shocked to find that her incredibly good looking best friend has never had more than a brief kiss. Y/n starts to think and she might have a proposition that Damian can’t say no to. 

(Disclaimer/Notes): I own nothing of DC characters. This will be partly comic cannon and partly my own. I have never posted like this on here so please be patient with me as I learn. 

(Tags): @theyellowfeverexperience​, @ginevraxrogers​, @lilsxtan​, @idkmanicantenglish​, I’m sorry if I missed anyone! 

Rules to Never Have I Ever. A person says something they have never done or experienced, if the other players have done it they put a finger down, if they have also not done the thing they leave their fingers up. 

It was Tuesday night at Gotham public library, and your group was slowly but surely losing all focus at the task at hand. A small thud took your tired eyes from your book, to look across from you where the sound had come from. Alex, one of your project partners, had his head face down in an open book, and groaned loudly. 

“Ok my brain is at max capacity, I can’t do it anymore,” his voice came out slightly muffled by the book pressed to his face. You chuckled and shook your head, but you had to agree with him, you had all been there for four hours and desperately needed a break. You stretched and slumped back into your chair to look over at your best friend Damian, who was intensely focusing on his book.  

You met when you transferred to Gotham prep a few years ago and when Damian figured out you could care less about his money and fame, he, of course, a bit reluctantly, took the opportunity to make a friend that might actually genuinely like him for who he was. Spoiler alert you did like him and you quickly became best friends. After you graduated you both enrolled in Gotham University, taking whatever classes you could together, which lead to this mind-numbing project. 

“Let’s play never have I ever,” Tina suggested from her place in the chair next to Alex. Alex’s head shot up at that and responded, “Alright, put em up.” 

Three hands shot up, elbows resting on the table, fingers up. You looked over to Damian, and when he still didn’t look up from his book, you asked 

“Dami, don’t you want to play?” 

He took a deep sigh, one you knew was just to be dramatic, and raised his hand but refused to stop reading, and honestly, you called it a win. 

“Never have I ever fell from a tree.” You and Damian both put a finger down and you ignored the flicker of his eyes from his book to you in shock.

 Everyone took turns and after a few games, eventually, it was left with Tina with three fingers up, Damian with two, and you and Alex each had one. Tina was trying to think of one that would knock you both out of the game, and you raised an eyebrow at her when she grinned suddenly. 

“Never have I ever had sex,” She said smugly, and you threw a paper wad at her as Alex groaned, “Oh come on, not fair.”

You laughed and glanced over at Damian’s hand, which still had two fingers up. 

Suddenly he met your gaze, closed his hand into a fist, and said: “Come on Y/N, it’s late and we should both be getting home.” With that, he stood with a grace you envied and started packing his bag. You did the same and after saying farewell to your other partners, headed to his car. 

---------- 

You leaned back against the comfortable leather seats as you watched Gotham’s streets pass out the window. Damian, of course, was driving you home from the study session. You turned your head to look at him, studying how the light from the dash illuminated his features. How it casts shadows on his face that makes him look like the Son of the Demon he was trained to be. 

You had found out about Damian’s secret identity a year ago when he rescued you from getting mugged walking home one night. It was his eyes that gave him away in the end. He looked at you straight in the eyes and you could see the flicker of panic as he then checked you over for injures before his masked expression fell back into place. You asked him to walk you home, pulled him inside, and demanded to know if Robin was Damian Wayne. He had laughed and hugged you saying how grateful he was that you figured it out and he wouldn’t have to lie to you anymore. Since then you had spent more time at the manor, befriending his family and spending times with his brothers (much to Damian’s dismay). Damian even opened up a little about his childhood over a bottle of far too expensive wine he had stolen from a gala.  

Your mind wandered back to the library. Could it really be possible that the gorgeous man beside you had never had sex?  

“Can I help you, Y/N ?” he asked not looking away from the road and the corners of his mouth twitched up when you jumped a little in your seat. 

“Have you actually never had sex?” you blurted out before you lost your nerve. 

Damian whipped his head to look at you to make sure he had actually heard you right, eyes wide in surprise. He gapped at you before turning his attention back to the road, breathing deeply before saying 

“No, if you must know I have never had more than a brief kiss from a teenage socialite at a gala I was forced to attend,” he muttered, trying to sound intimidating so you’ll drop the subject. He looked back at you and your shock must have shown. 

“Why is that so shocking to you?” he demanded, switching between looking at your face and the road, his cheeks reddening under your constant gaze. Still, you could see past the wall he was trying to place up, he was embarrassed. This was something you were not expecting, you made Damian “I don’t have feelings” Wayne embarrassed. 

“Oh come on! Have you seen yourself!” The words pour out of your mouth before you could stop them, and suddenly it was your cheeks turning red. You turned to look at the road as you both let the silence take over, as soon as you were sure Damian wouldn’t comment on what you said you heard him whisper into the silent dark night. 

“I don’t trust anyone enough to ever be that vulnerable with them.” 

Now that was something you had never considered as you turned to look at him again. Damian was always incredibly private and while he had let down a few of his walls around you, you knew that had taken a long time. He was strong and could be scarier than Batman if he wanted to be, so knowing that being vulnerable terrifies him shocked you. You knew that his life with his mom wasn’t great and that he wasn’t incredibly close to his dad, so it made sense that he wasn’t used to being vulnerable with anyone. And yet here is this car with you, he talked to you about something that embarrassed him without fear you would tease him about it. Its how your friendship worked, you never expected anything more from Damian than to just be himself. 

“But you trust me, don’t you?” You couldn’t stop yourself from asking in a whisper that matched his own. 

He chuckled lowly and said, “You’re the exception, Y/N, not the rule.”. He pulled in front of your apartment building. He got out of the car to walk you to your door, something he has always insisted on doing because “come on Y/N this is Gotham.”. You both walked to your door in silence, only speaking to thank him for the ride and to ensure he text you when he got home. After he left you got ready for bed, crawled under your covers and stared up at the ceiling in thought. 

Damian Wayne, son of the biggest flirt in Gotham, has never had more than a kiss. The knowledge shocked you. He was gorgeous, build like a Greek god, with green eyes that could melt panties for miles. If you were completely honest you had admired his body more than once. Had thought of what it would feel like to run your fingers through his black hair, to feel his biceps that were bigger than your head. He has popped up in your dreams a couple of times; how could he not? Best friend or not, Damian Wayne was hot. 

Then another thought popped into your head. You were the only girl Damian trusted outside of his sisters. Now that you thought about it you realized how true that was, he had never allowed another girl to get very close to him. You were the only girl that you knew of that was allowed to hug him on a regular basis. You were the only one allowed to call him Dami. Another thought popped into your head. If you were the only girl he trusted, maybe you could help your best friend out? 

----------

Damian was getting ready for bed, after checking in on his father and Tim patrolling and making sure his assistance wasn’t required. Tim had made a snide remark about his study date with you, calling you his girlfriend for the millionth time. After the boys had met you, the teasing only got worse. Sometimes having older brothers sucked, he thought to himself as he remembered the countless times every one of his older brothers gave him crap about having you as his best friend. Tim and Jason were the most vocal but Dick tended to tease him when they were alone. Although none of them ever teased him in front of you. It was an unspoken rule amongst everyone because they knew how much your friendship meant to him. 

Damian settled into his bed with a book he had been meaning to read and tried not to think of how he embarrassed himself in front of you today. He had been hoping that you wouldn’t catch that he hadn’t put his finger down but of course you noticed. How was he exposed to explain to you that he was terrified of letting his guard down? That being naked in front of another person in such an intimate way was something that he wasn’t sure he would ever let himself relax enough to enjoy. He was trained as a child to not show weakness, to not let anyone be able to get the upper hand. He knew his mother seduced men to kill them before, so what would stop anyone else from trying it. Getting him in an exposed and vulnerable position to exploit. 

If he was being honest with himself though, the only girl he truly found fascinating was you. He loved the way you moved, clumsily compared to his trained gracefulness. He loved that you didn’t care his father was famous. He loved that you were smart enough to realize he was Robin and never once judged him about the questionable things he has done in his past. Not to mention you were beautiful and that his mind had wandered many times before he gets control of himself. He wondered what your bottom lip would feel like under his thumb. He wondered if all your skin was as soft as your hands. He wondered what it would feel like to hold you close and nuzzle his face into your neck. 

A buzzing sound next to him drew his attention away from his book. He put the bookmark in place before closing it next to him and picking up his phone. In all of his life, Damian has had many shocking things happen. He would count this in his top five.

[tamtam-go92]

And that concludes Pleasantview-Widespot-SSU fall 2

I just wanted to leave you some notes around what happened this season and the year before ;)

Beare Family: Allegra was first trimester pregnant when the season started and the two of them welcomed their first child, a daughter they named Maya into their lives. Also their lot (it’s the former Dreamer home) experiences a weird bug where there would always be a light snow outside even on warm days. I hope that bug vanishes once it starts snowing in winter.

Burb Family: John and Jennifer aged up into Elders this fall. Jennifer has an affair going on with her co-worker Jared Starchild, but she hasn’t met him this season.

Caliente Family: Don and Nina are climbing their careers. Their daughter Ariana grew up into a child. As an explanation: Nothing of this really was planned. I didn’t want them to become a classic married couple with 1,5 children, a picked fence and a dog. It was all their own doing. Don and Nina both rolled a want to get married during a date. And guess what? After getting engaged they went straight for the next sofa and tried for a baby. I was freaking out when I heard chimes. During Don’s next round I quickly fulfilled his first LTW to woohoo 10 sims so he could get married to Nina the next season. And they did. In their wedding night Don was abducted by Aliens because he needed a logic point for his career and somebody thought it was a good idea to buy the expensive telescope... So I relocated them to a bigger lot and here they are...

Dreamer Family: I know DarrenxCassy gets a lot of hate, but I like them together. They are a very rounded couple in my game and were blessed with an other son, Damian this season. That’s they last child, as Cassy is growing old next season.

Goth Family: Ever since Frida was born, Mortimer and Dina were constantly trying to try for an other baby but I always canceled the interaction. Morty wasn’t getting any younger and I have a one elixir of life per sim-rule and he drank the rest of his in summer. But somehow sims always do what they want and Dina got pregnant through risky wohoo... great... Now they had a son called Moss and Morty died the same evening his son was born. At least he was able to meet his youngest child before death and he was surrounded by family (he also died in platinum aspiration).

Nova Family: Tiffany and Castor are constantly trying for a baby but so far no chimes. I’m not sad about it, since those two are really broke af. Luckily Tiff finally found a job in the medical field. But Castor is still on the search. They won’t get married until Tiff is either pregnant or Castor has a job.

Oldie Family: I skipped playing Herb this season. He’s waiting for Ivy and Orlando to graduate.

Pleasant Family 1: Guess what? Kaylynn got herself abducted this season and since I’ve got a mod that allows female alien pregnancy she gave birth to a little alien boy I called Parker. When Daniel found out that Kay was pregnant again, he retired. He really tries to be a better dad to his sons and helps Leonardo, who is struggling with school, with his homework a lot.

Pleasant Family 2: That’s such a funky household, it’s so much fun to play! Candy has a little bakery she tends on her days off at the restaurant. Val and MS are the cutest couple ever, but have never woohooed! I like that little detail about them. Stone grew into a teen and he’s now a Romance/Fortune sim (after both his grandpas). His LTW is to be a space pirate.

Starchild Family: Heather started off 1st trimester pregnant and gave birth to a little boy during the round - Alonso. Sam and Ty are eagerly trying for a baby too, but no luck so far. They took in the last crops of the year and gave a lot of their crops away to friends. They all are quick to climb the career ladder.

Traveller Family: Nothing interesting happened this season tbh... Laurie really wasn’t planned, again risky wohoo stroke but I’m super glad to have her, she has the cutest little face ever!

Upsnott Family: Those two really are driving me nuts! They are broke as hell and can’t find a proper job. I didn’t like Brit getting pregnant so soon, I couldn’t throw them a wedding party since they had literally no money for the wedding arch. They could merely afford the crib for their baby! And then... they had twins *face palm*. Yeah, a girl and a boy called Matías and María José. I have no idea why the name generator dropped two Spanish names. Luckily at least Josh found a job in the criminal career and can now support his family. The twins also grew into toddlers and they look so cute (broken face template...)

Beech Household: It’s really difficult managing so many students, but they all are doing pretty well. The love triangle between Virginia, Woody and Goldie seems to be interrupted by River, who really has the hots for Ginny. She still has higher chemistry with Woody, but Woody prefers Goldie. Goldie, Ginny and Scot graduated the last day of fall. While Ginny moved back in with her parents and Scot moved in with his boyfriend, Goldie temporarily moved back in with her older brother. But she’ll eventually move in with Woody.

Bright Household: Everything’s good here. I always wanted Lucy and Lilith to be close but in fact... she’s closer with Dirk... Lilith graduated the last day of fall and moved back in with her mother. I’m super exited what happens when she meets Ashley Pitts (knowing their chemistry they share in @katatty’s game...).

Freshman Household: Dixie threw herself a graduation party on the first day of fall and moved in with her fiance. Angela graduated mid-season and moved into the old Broke-Trailer on her own where she’s waiting for Dustin to graduate. Tina and Isaiah have a little something going on, they already did so as teens (they are best friends since their childhood) but neither of them is really for settling down and exclusivity.

Land Household: Alex and Delta met at Lucy Burb’s farewell party and they had such a great chemistry that I had to make something out of it. And of course they savaged each other first things after moving in together. Don’t know where it’ll lead, they just had their first real date but I’m excited.

Oldie Household: They are not so interesting to play as they are very studious and don’t have much contact to the outside. I tried to give Orlando a bit of an NB story and his outfits change between male and female each season.

Beech Family: Daytona has used the last bit of elixir of life so she passed away this season. Sandy has a small clothing store in Widespot that is a lot of fun to play. Hamilton is almost top of his career. Grey grew into a teenager and he’s a Pleasure/Romance sim. That’s gonna be some fun!

Gavigan Family: Such a cute family. But they are a lot like the Travellers, not much is going on for them except for careers and kids. It’s so funny that some families just get one gender as kids. I know a lot of families in real life that are the same!

Hart Family: Penny and Rhett have a really good relationship but both tend to stray sometimes (Penny once had an affair with Don Lothario (of course)). Snow is Skye 2.0. I gave him an alien eye heterochromia, since he’s got nothing from Penny’s alien heritage and I thought that was pretty sad... Rhett and Penny both grew into elders and Rhett topped his career fulfilling his LTW. His new LTW would be to become a professional Party Guest, but I guess that’s not gonna happen. Snow then grew into a teen, becoming a Knowledge/Romance Sim (after his grandpas).

Land Family: I skipped playing Beulah for the same reason I skipped Herb Oldie. At least River is gonna move back in with her after university.

Mann Family: This is such a hectic household... I struggled with getting Rich into golden aspiration so he could have some of the elixir of life, he really needs it. And guess what? I laughed so hard when that fourth baby of Mary was also a girl. But they called her Lana after the decreased grandmother she’ll never meet and Rich is super caring. I’m totally surprised, that he’s such a caring grandfather to all of the girls but he always tucks them in and plays with them. Oh! And of course Ira grew into a teen! She’s now a Pleasure/Family sim.

Roseland Family: Arg, this family has really grown on my heart. I always love Brandi and her kids and I struggle so much finding a perfect partner for her. But when she met Cyd over a mutual friend they had perfect chemistry. Sadly they didn’t get along at first but soon it clicked and now they are joined at their hips. They shouldn’t have had Ella, their calculated amount of kids was three but I just couldn’t deny the mutual have a baby want... Beau will go to college next season and Skip grew up into a teen being Romance/Family like his big bro.

Stacks Family: Those two are constantly trying for a baby, ever since Martin came from College. But somehow Jane isn’t as fertile as I’d expect from a Family sim. On the last day there were finally chimes! Selina is... something. She has a really sharp face, I think because of Martin’s broke face. Her cheekbones could cut through glass!

Swain Family: Dixie moved in with Erik and Jimmy on the second day of fall and they had a wonderful wedding party two days later. Jimmy takes Scot for dates every second day and Scot has rolled a want to get engaged (of course). Erik has a locked want to have a baby, but Dixie wants to find a job first.

[hidden-eyeballs]

Demigod Damian learns the truth

(At the LoA base)

Damian: Mother told me my true mother is the bat

Jason: the bat... is your mom? Are we talking about the same person?

Damian: we must be. Mother insists that it is the same one who raised you

Jason:.... B is a man... he'd be your father.

Damian: Impossible, my father is Apollo.

Jason: I think... Apollo is your mother.

Damian: *surprised Pikachu face*

[crazyfreckledginger]

The Girl's Pack ~ Chapter 32: Mentor

[Princess][Archer][Wolf][Wally][Jason and Roy][Dick]

(Y-Y/N)?"

They watched anxiously as the smoke slowly faded away.

Did she go with them?

"Yes?" the familiar voice spoke. Red Hood released a small breath feeling, himself set free for the tension. He tore his attention away once he heard a groan, only to see his best friend shuffle slightly, heavy eyelids opening and slowly attempting to sit up.

The girl walked over to her teammates, kneeling down to untie Jason's bonds.

"(Y/N), I -"

"Not now," she cut off, giving him a firm glance before moving towards Ray.

Upon watching the interaction, the ginger's mouth shut closed, seeing how the note they last left on was the last thing she wanted to address.

"Help the others", she murmured after setting the second Outlaw free and rushing to the young unconscious ones.

She brought them to the medical room, carrying as many as she could each time as Jay and Roy carried the adults.

"There isn't enough room, we'll have to use their actual beds."

The woman scooped up Beast Boy, since his room was the closest to the medical wing.

"Got it." Jason grunted as him and Roy changed direction while carrying Nightwing.

When (Y/N) held Damian in her arms, reinforcements arrived.

"We heard the call, is everyone alright?"

Superman landed gracefully in front of her with Supergirl.

Her mouth fell agape when Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, The Flash and Hawkgirl appeared behind them.

"W-we took are of the threat but most are still unconscious because of the gas,"

"Good work, we'll help you nurse the others to good health." He nodded in appreciation

"Is Wally okay? "Barry raced to her, making her jump in surprise.

"He is a little injured and he's unconscious" she replied truthfully.

"Medical Bay?" he inquired, she nodded quickly, feeling the gust of air brush on her cheeks as he used his speed to get there.

The Supers followed him, along with Hal and Hawkgirl.

Wonder Woman stopped at her side, feeling her admiring gaze on her.

I heard from Bruce you have your own kingdom," she spoke.

The girl's eyes widened and she felt her cheeks heat up in embarrassment.

"I was destined to be coronated but I transferred my power to someone who would be more appropriate for the people,"

A small smile found it's way on Diana's face as she place a hand on her shoulder.

"You prefer adventure more this ruling?"

"Yes, since I've been here, I've wanted to discover everything. I can't see myself staying and ruling over people, it's not like me," her shoulders sulked down and she stared at the floor.

"I don't know if that was good idea," (Y/N) looked up when Prince squeezed her shoulder.

"You made the right choice..." she trailed off. The girl smiled, extremely relieved that the person she had secretly admired since she

found out about these heroes when she fled here, had told her that she had made the right choice, the decision that had haunted her since she was helping with her teammates.

Her body nearly turned to jelly as the anxiety left her body.

"Thank you" (Y/N) smiled brightly, watching as she started going in the direction of the other renowned heroes.

"Do you have a mentor?" The Princess of Themyscia inquired as she stopped in her tracks.

"Huh? O-oh, well Black Canary has helped me but I don't think I have one - officially anymore."

"How would you like to train by my side?"

"Really!" (Y/N)'s eyes lit up as she stared at her.

"Of course!"

"Yes! I'd love to!" the girl blushed in embarrassment at her enthusiasm.

"Great, we will talk about it when everyone is better!"

****

"Good morning sleepy head," the girl smiled softly at the raven haired as his eyes opened.

"(L/N)?" he grumbled following the movements of her hand with his beautiful eyes to find it slowly dabbing a cold, wet cloth on his forehead.

"What-"

"Don't worry about it, it's over, "She glanced back as a doctor walked in.

"You're in a stable state, just rest to recover." He walked out.

"What happened to Luthor and Slade?"

****

"Well, well seems the girl is dumber than we thought" the bald man chuckled, standing up as he stared at the sky.

"Blues, Purples and Oranges as a permanent sky? Seems likely we're in the place we've wanted to be in the first place," he smirked in amusement.

"W-what?" the guard asked in distress.

"We can crush and exploit this place now," Slade chuckled.

"I don't think so," an authoritative voice interjected. The three men turned around rapidly. Their eyes widened as the big,

auburn-furred wolf, with now red irises stood tall. Two other wolves as well as a tiger and a griffin appeared before them.

"You know my name, " The king smirked, watching their baffled expression. The guard gulped, not understanding what was happening and not daring to speak up. The tiger prowled slowly towards them, letting in the grass and watching intently.

"We do, you're that stupid girl's pet!" Slade grumbled.

"Watch your tongue before it's ripped off!" One of the wolves barked.

"What should we do with them, your grace?" the other wolf spoke.

"Take them away, we are to imprison them, they are a threat to too many." The tiger pounced on them, pinning them to the ground as the griffin flew close, head butting them in the forehead and knocking them out cold.

"What about Lady (Y/N)? That was the last of her power..."

"I'll make sure she can come at will."

****

"(Y/N), can we talk?" Jason leaned against the the door frame.

Roy followed behind him.

They waited until she was in the room that also had Dick and Wally, ugh.

"Fine." now or never right?

Dick and Wally who were finally awake, sat up straight against their pillows.

Her face hardened to both men sat on their beds and looked at her.

"Start talking" her arms crossed over her chest.

"We wanted to say we're sorry," Dick sighed, "it was immature of us."

"We treated you poorly and it wasn't fair to you, it was already tough for you to get used to this place and doing this only hurt you." Jason added.

"Is there anything we could to do to make up for it?" Wally asked.

"We feel really bad about it." Seeing Roy's pained expression at his statement made the girl feel little guilty, they didn't know they were doing something to hurt her, she knew that now.

It was difficult not to think about how much it impacted them.

How long had this been on their minds?

Did it haunt them? But why?

Why did they are so much? They were friends for what, not ever

two months, her feelings about then wasn't mutual, was it?

The old her wouldn't had talked to them until the end of time.

But after she saw them all injured, unconscious, helpless, she only

wanted them to be happy and healthy.

She realised how much she valued them, and hurting and fighting is part of growth. If she wanted to be happy, she had to cherish her friends and family, strengthening be their bonds and become more forgiving.

"No," she stated. Their eyes widened in shock.

"Everyone makes mistakes, and I know you won't do it again, I love you guys too much to let you go on something you weren't even aware of."

Their faces only wore shock as they listened.

"B-but we hurt you!" Wally spluttered.

"You feeling this bad about it more than makes up for it."

They smiled, more out of relief after all the terrifying scenarios they made up in their minds.

"(Y/N)?" Diana's voice called out before she entered the room.

"We've finished here, we can talk about mentoring now if you want."

"WHAT!?

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[bereft-of-frogs]

If you are ever so inclined - I'd be very interested in your horror recommendations.

This got…probably more involved than you intended. :D It was a good procrastination tool/distraction from A Thing I didn’t want to do though, and I had fun revisiting some of these old trailers.

This ended up really long. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m like this.

“The New Golden Age”

[These are what I’m talking about when I talk about us entering in a new golden age - really genre bending, specifically out to subvert tropes, make social statements, and empower people who have been shut out by horror in the past.]

Jordan Peele - Get Out (2017) and Us (2019)

Ah, Jordan Peele. The master of the comedy to horror turn. Get Out was the most fun I’ve had watching a horror movie in a long time. I love how it really fits itself to classic tropes but subverts them by flipping the genre and race dynamics. (Daniel Kaluuya’s character embodies the ‘Final Girl’ trope.)

Us fucked me up. Like, woke up at 3am thinking about it, couldn’t really look at Lupita Nyong’o for a while. The remix of the song that plays over the trailer literally gives me goosebumps. It freaked me out, so much. That one is a genre bender - you think you’re watching one thing (a classic home-invasion type trope with some weird mystery to it) and then the final scene basically upends everything you thought you were watching. Fucked. Me. Up.

Ari Aster - Hereditary (2018) and Midsommar (2019)

I’ve been talking a bunch about how much I loved Midsommar. It’s gorgeous visually, Ari Aster is so great at just letting things hang and letting tension build and build - and it was the first horror movie I think I’ve ever felt weirdly empowered by. Like, similar to when I saw Captain Marvel, I walked out of the theater like “is this how men feel all the time?” Hereditary is probably a better movie overall, not counting the fact that it was practically made for me. At its core it’s a grief drama, a phenomenal portrait of mourning…and it’s also really fucking scary. Those slow-tension building scenes are really used effectively in Hereditary.

I also think it’s interesting because Ari Aster is keeping pace with Jordan Peele, but did it in the opposite order. Hereditary is the genre-bender - you kind of think it’s a family drama/psychological horror for most of it, and then it takes a hard turn and makes you question everything you were watching. Midsommar is more on-genre norms - it’s essentially the classic ‘bunch of terrible people getting picked off one by one’ trope (I don’t know if there’s a better name for that), but by applying folk horror and really centering female characters as both pro- and an- tagonist, it does a lot of unexpected things.

Robin Aubert - Les Affamés (”The Ravenous”) (2017)

It’s a zombie movie, but it’s more than that. This movie is so layered. I saw it at a festival when it first came out and then we watched it again this year on St. Jean-Baptiste (Québec national holiday) because we wanted to be #OnTheme. (And to celebrate St. Jean-Baptiste without having to interact with crowds) and it kind of clicked what it was doing. It’s really about the absorbing of difference into the dominant, hegemonic culture and the struggle for marginalized individuals to survive. Robin Aubert has a couple others I haven’t seen yet, but have heard good things about and are on my list. I saw a critic call his main brand ‘pastoral terror’ (terreur pastorale) which I absolutely love as a concept.

Alex Garland - Annihilation (2018)

Some people might argue with me if this is horror or not, if it’s sci-fi, but I think it’s body horror. And it’s beautiful body horror! See this is what I’m here for. Body horror is not just gore - there’s not a lot of blood in this movie. Body horror is about distortion and the grotesque. There’s this one scene that still gives me chills when I think about it and Tessa Thompson’s final scene is beautiful body horror at its finest. (There was also a really similar scene in Midsommar, so I clearly know what I like.) The soundtrack is also phenomenal.

[I had a whole rant about the book series, which I hated, here, but it was getting long and derailing so I cut it out. the tldr is I hated the book.]

“Classics I actually Enjoy”

[I don’t always love what appears at the top of the like ‘essential horror’ lists, but these are the ones I think are worth it.]

Dario Argento - Deep Red (1975)

I really, really wanted to like Suspiria more, because the concept and Goblin’s score for Suspiria both appeal to me a lot more. But I had a lot more fun watching Deep Red. So far it’s my favorite of the giallos.

Richard Donner - The Omen (1976)

Classic. It’s so good. “It’s all for you, Damian!” Plus, I love any movie that comes with rumors of a curse.

Alfred Hitchcock - Psycho (1960)

I would classify most of Hitchcock as ‘thriller’ rather than horror, but Psycho is firmly psychological horror, and The Classic.

Stuart Gordon - Re-animator (1985)

I couldn’t really decide if I wanted to put this one. Especially because on a long drive my friend and we basically covered how this was really ripe for a remake because it’s flaws…did not age particularly well, especially re: gender and race. (But it could be so, so good. It could be an amazing commentary about consent and the use of marginalized bodies…but the original …is…not.) But I’m putting this on here because of body horror. They clearly hired dancers or choreographers to do the reanimated movements because they really lean into it and it’s great. It gets…heavily derailed at the end by an absolutely ridiculous gore climax and missing the opportunity to actually have a coherent storyline or a message of any kind…but they got the grotesque movements down.

Honorable Mentions: The Amityville Horror, The Exorcist, Rosemary’s Baby, *sigh* Cannibal Holocaust (like…I don’t actually recommend anyone watch it. I’m glad I did, because it’s really important for how the ‘found footage’ genre developed, so it’s a piece of film history but like. Don’t actually watch it.), The House on Haunted Hill

“Random Others In Between”

Adrian Lyne - Jacob’s Ladder (1990)

You might recognize Jacob’s Ladder as the movie that more heavily inspired the first chapter of ‘dark underground//violent sky’ more than I had originally thought. I had originally been basing a lot of the tone and style on current trends in horror TV, but then I happened to watch Jacob’s Ladder while I was in the middle of writing the second half and was like…oh. Like, I knew I had been heavily influenced by Jacob’s Ladder and the ending, but I had forgotten about how the film differentiates between ‘reality’ and ‘dream’ - in that it doesn’t! And that was an effect I was specifically striving for when I was writing ‘dark underground’. It’s also just a really weird, trippy late-80s/early-90s movie set in New York when New York was still really dirty and that’s fun.

Hideo Nakata - Dark Water (2002)

This is my favorite Japanese horror film. I think it gets a little bit looked over in favor of some others (Ringu, Ju-on, Audition), but it’s my favorite. (Has a terrible American remake, so be sure to avoid that one. It comes up first when you google. -_-)

James Wan - The Conjuring (2013)

I did really like this first entry - the sequels are kind of aggressively meh.

Scott Derrickson - Sinister (2012)

THE DANGER IS IN THE VIEWING!

Honorable Mentions: Session 9, Se7en, The Ritual, It Follows, The Descent, The Hills Have Eyes (I just really like bright horror movies), The Exorcism of Emily Rose (for fun bonus pretension, you can also watch Requiem, and then when people ask you if you’ve seen The Exorcism of Emily Rose, you get to be like “Yeah, have you seen the German original?” though, technically, it’s that they’re both based off of the same true-story. it’s still fun to say), Hard Candy, Ils (Them), THE VVITCH (should only ever be pronounced ‘The Va-Vitch’ lol)

“The Parody Films”

[What is there to say? They’re great, so much fun.]

Joss Whedon - Cabin in the Woods (2012)

Remember back in 2012 when Avengers 1 came out, and then Cabin in the Woods came out, like, immediately afterwards, and we all loved Joss Whedon? We were so innocent back then.

Eli Craig - Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010)

This movie is so pure. I love how they both play into and subvert the rural hillbilly tropes with the two main characters. They just want a vacation home! These kids keep killing themselves on their property!

Honorable Mentions: Shaun of the Dead, I was googling to confirm the year of Tucker and Dale vs. Evil and I saw What We Do In The Shadows listed as horror paraody, but I would count that more as a Gothic mockumentary, but I listed it here because I love it so much.

“Documentaries”

Xavier Burgin - Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror (2019)

This movie was so interesting! Highly recommend. I think Shudder is planning on producing more of these documentaries, about marginalized groups in horror, and I am Here For It.

Honorable Mentions: Cropsey/Killer Legends, Best Worst Movie

I think I’ll stop here and maybe someday do a separate one for books. And maybe TV series, but I’m having a hard time teasing out the line between mystery and horror because of how popular and kind of unique Nordic Noir is right now. It’s just hard to draw the line for TV.

But I’ll end by summarizing reading thoughts (in a more disorganized manner):

-I have two separate ‘complete tales and poems’ editions of Edgar Allen Poe - one to look pretty and one to annotate.

-If you come for my girl Mary Shelley I will come @ you. Once a kind of asshole-y friend once was like ‘Frankenstein is terrible because it was written by a teenage girl’ and, I swear to God, I almost fought him right there in the bar. The Last Man is also great.

-I also almost forgot how much I loved Dracula. The Harkers especially. (I once tried to read League of Extraordinary Gentleman and gave up with a rage-headache 15 pages in because of what they did to Mina.) (Ah yes, let’s make her a “Strong Female Character ™” by having her divorce Jonathan and almost be raped in the first 15 pages.) (Couldn’t deal with it.) (I’m sure I would in general like that series but I just had too much attachment to Mina Harker to get over it.)

-I physically cannot get through Lovecraft. I can’t do it. I’ve tried so many times, I know how important it is but I just. Can’t. Don’t want to. Won’t. Sorry.

-A lot of adapted books I tend to prefer the books they were based on. Some are kind of obvious, like I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, which is a way, way better book than the movie. (They changed the ending which undercut the actual message.) But others are still decent movies, I just tend to prefer the book. Like, everyone always puts Let the Right One In on ‘essential horror’ lists, but I actually liked the book by John Ajvide Lindqvist a lot better.

-Similarly, you may have noticed I put no Stephen King movies on this list - there are a few I really like, but I think they work better as complements to the novels. Misery and the original Pet Sematary (haven’t seen the new one yet) are my two favorite movies-based-on-king. The Shining is visually stunning by character-wise, wildly disappointing, so point to the novel for this one. (King also hated the adaptation for what Kubrick did to Wendy.) My general King recommendations are: Carrie, Misery, The Shining, The Mist, Insomnia

I’m having a bit of an issue with how male-dominated this list is. It’s partially my problem that I’m working on correcting (I’m at the point where I’m actively trying not to read horror books by white men anymore) and partially a general problem in the industry. It’s hard to get into an industry that for a long time unquestioningly based itself on violence against women and other marginalized peoples’ bodies. -_-  But yeah, I have a list of contemporary horror novels by women that I’m working my way through, and I’m trying to catch up on some older staples like Shirley Jackson, Angela Carter, and Octavia Butler.

UPDATE: After I finished compiling this list, I googled ‘Horror movies directed by women’ and there are a couple that I would recommend, I think they’re just not as visible. (Did not realize they’d been directed by women until this Google.):

Mary Lambert - Pet Sematary (1989)

Karen Kusama - Jennifer’s Body (2009)

Mary Harron - American Psycho (2000)

Lynne Ramsay - We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011) (though I liked the book better)

This list was probably incomplete and I’ve probably forgotten a bunch of things I really like! It’s also only made up of things I’ve already seen/read (though it’s not comprehensive). If something’s not on here and you think it should be, lmk! It may be that I haven’t seen it yet and I’ll add it to my to-watch list. Always taking suggestions, especially for more horror (films or books) from underrepresented groups.

[ty-talks-comics]

Best of DC: Week of March 27th, 2019

Best of this Week: Detective Comics #1000 - Various Writers and Artists

Possibly more controversial than I'm thinking it'll be, I'm glad Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo did the job of reintroducing Slam Bradley into the DC Universe. Slam Bradley, of course the way I choose to remember him, was one of DC's first characters and the precursor design to modern day Superman. He was a 1930s dick (detective in this case) who made his name in infamy with racist depictions of Chinese people being swung by their braids with toothy grins. He's likely the reason DC won't reprint some of the early Detective Comics works in a compendium.

This is without a doubt, a great celebration for one of the greatest comic book characters of all time, if not THE greatest. The difficulty in reviewing something like this, much like Action Comics #1000 (if I reviewed that one, I don't remember) is that so many stories have their ups and downs, hits or misses and there's so much ground. But some of these were so good that this book is getting an entry all on it's own this week.

He's been made better in recent years with a badass run as a side character in Ed Brubaker and Darwyn Cooke's Catwoman (2001) as a cool former police officer with a son by the name of Slam Jr. on the force. He was probably some of the best parts of his short time there and was very compelling in interactions with Selina.

Kevin Smith and Jim Lee have arguably done some of the best and WORST Batman projects ever, but through the good and the bad, both have immense talent and their tale “Manufacture for Use” added a beautiful layer to the significance of the metal plate that his emblem is made out of.

The book is simple enough, a montage of Batman fighting his greatest villains shows in the background while his alter ego, Matches Malone, has a conversation with a merchant peddling in the various pieces of gear left by villains. He has Harley hammers, crazy quilts and even freeze guns, but there's only one weapon Malone is interested in; The Gun belonging to Joe Chill. The weapon that killed The Wayne Family.

He and others had been leaving Batman clues since his first days as a hero to have him join a guild of detectives, solving unsolvable or very difficult cases and knowing that Slam is one of the detectives along with Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Martian Manhunter, The Question, Detective Chimp, Elongated Man and his wife, Sue Dibny is relieving and fantastic.

I'm glad DC hasn't shied away from him given his past history. Even his inclusion in Superman of China based on his former character, warts and all, seemed like DC was kinda ashamed of it, but here he is, as awesome as he was later in life!

Upon seeing it, Alfred questions why Bruce would keep it as a trophy, nothing the ridiculousness of The Penny and the Dinosaur, he sees the gun as strange or even perverse. Batman, however, wishes to never see it cause anyone pain again, melting and forming it into an oval adorned with the symbol of a Bat.

Batman has dedicated his life to stopping crime in Gotham at all costs, but not everyone see his methods as being right or just. Doctor Leslie Thompkins has been looking over Bruce since his parent’s murder and oped that he would take his pain and do something productive with it, actually fix Gotham, but instead she sees how vengeance has consumed him, turning him into something of a violent monster himself and she’s not wrong. They meet each other on the anniversary of his parent’s murder in Crime Alley and are beset upon by a group of teenagers whom Batman viciously slaps the hell out of. Dr. Thompkins stops him out of fear and Batman looks like the real villain here.

If that isn't chilling...

Brian Michael Bendis is a GREAT Batman writer. Checking out his 15 pages in the Batman Walmart 100 Page Giants, much like Daredevil, Batman is a character that is PERFECT for him. “I Know” drawn by frequent Bendis collaborator, Alex Maleev, is amazing. Penguin started becoming disillusioned with the meetings put together by villains like The Joker on how to finally get rid of The Batman, Penguin begins to muse about who had the money to fund Batman. I believe he proposed the idea to the others, but they all shot him down, citing times Batman showed up when Bruce was a hostage or how he “blubbered like a baby.”

Penguin didn’t let it go, however, and prepared Suicide Bomb Penguins to attack Wayne Manor while Bruce was hosting a ton of high profile Gothamites. It would have been the end of Bruce Wayne.

Warren Ellis writes some very character driven stories, but when he has to get technical, he is a master as good as any. In “The Batman’s Design” he goes over Batman’s methodology when taking on criminals, treating things like a chess game that he’s already won. He leads the criminals to a trap and plays them like a fiddle, setting off an explosion that knock out or send some flying, determining a sniper’s location and just being so terrifying that the leader just hands him a bomb switch before his ass gets destroyed.

Becky Cloonan does a great job of alternating between cool and warm tones for when Batman is in the shadows vs contending with explosions he’s setting off. Batman looks slim, but imposing regardless. This is definitely some of her best art so far!

Now… if you ask any of my friends from when I was in The Navy, they’ll tell you about how I waited in line for Batman: The Arkham Knight. I was excited. I was elated. The conclusion to an amazing trilogy of games that shaped a newfound love for the character for me! And it bloody sucked. I HATE Arkham Knight with a passion. If it’s not The Batmobile, it’s the Joker, if not the Joker, it’s the Knight himself, if not him, then Scarecrow as the shitty final villain.

I really loved the noir tone that was set by Elizabeth Breitweiser’s colors over Steve Epting’s art. Things are very dark and cool. Batman is shrouded in shadow and Doctor Thompkins acts as a small light by comparison. There is great contrast when action happens with warm tones as Batman slaps the teens and Batman standing in the shadows as Leslie and the kids are under the one light is powerful.

Suffice to say, I was not pleased when it was said that The Arkham Knight would finally be appearing in comics different than his video game counterpart, but… I dunno, I kinda like him here.

His characterization seems to be that of someone who has lived in Gotham and has seen Batman’s methods of treating the poor citizens, the weak and the sick. He sees Batman as a cancer, a darkness that needs to be exterminated for Gotham to truly thrive. The best thing, there’s precedent for this kind of character.

One of the first few arcs for Detective Comics involved a cool set of villains known as The Victim Syndicate, people who have been hurt or grievously injured in Batman’s relentless pursuit of crime. These guys put Batman’s team through the ringer, almost turning Stephanie Brown against him completely as Tim Drake had been presumed dead at the time. Another casualty of war. If I remember right, The First Victim noted that there was someone or something coming for Batman soon and if that’s the Arkham KNight, then I am excited.

The Victim Syndicate was one of James Tynion IV’s best ideas during his run and I really hope whoever the creative team is for Detective Comics thus forth lives up to the quality. Peter J. Tomasi and Doug Mahnke are both amazing, so I have high hopes if its them.

But Penguin had an epiphany. Ending Bruce Wayne would not end Batman. Batman would become focused. Driven. Possibly to the point of killing. Bruce Wayne is the only thing keeping these villains alive, so Penguin relents and never reveals what he believes he knows, until years later when Bruce is old and mute… but who says that Bruce has lost a step? He zaps Penguin who is taken away as Bruce tells him that he knew, pretty much calling him a “coward ass bitch” as he’s taken away.

Overall, while there were few misses, this collection of stories had great ideas, great characterization, heart and was just fantastic. Looking forward to another 80 years!

This one was just cute. The Batfamily interacts with each other and take a FANTASTIC family photo drawn by Tony S. Daniel. Starring, Batman, Alfred, Nightwing, Batgirl, “Robin” Damian Wayne, Red Hood, Batwoman, Catwoman, “(Red) Robin” Tim Drake, Spoiler, The Signal, Cassandra Cain Ace the Bathound and Huntress. It’s a well put together double splash page and everyone, even Bruce seems happy.

[gokinjeespot]

off the rack #1276

Monday, August 26, 2019

 Sorry for the lateness. I went fishing this morning with my buddy David and he brought his fly rod that he got recently. He's a novice but he caught two sunfish using it. That made me very happy as they were the first fish that he caught that way. Penny and I went to see a matinee at our local theatre earlier and I had to have words with a teenager who talked and then took out his phone during the screening. The second time he turned on his phone after I had asked him to put it away the first time he showed me no respect so I went and got a staff member to deal with him. By the time we got back to the theatre he had left with his friend but he still abused me verbally while standing at the exit doors. The kid couldn't have been more than 13. The language and disrespect was what upset me the most. I suspected they snuck into the theatre and the fact that they left before staff could deal with him confirmed my suspicions. I didn't care that they snuck in. If this kid had just sat and watched the movie I would not have had a problem with him. I must be an asshole magnet because the kid and his friend were the only other people in the theatre and they sat close to us.

 I picked up a copy of Marvel's "Heralds" trade paperback while working at the store last week and while reading the credits I see that it was lettered by Virtual Calligraphy's Clayton Cowles. So that's what the "VC's" stands for.

 Batman #77 - Tom King (writer) Mikel Janin & Tony S. Daniel (pencils) Mikel Janin, Norm Rapmund & Tony S. Daniel (inks) Jordie Bellaire & Tomeu Morey (colours) Clayton Cowles (letters). A death in the family and this issue is in super high demand because of it. Damian tries to fight Thomas Wayne/Batman while Bruce is recovering under Selina's care. The prospect of the Bat Family gathering has me all excited.

 Daredevil #10 - Chip Zdarsky (writer) Jorge Fornes (art) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). We get a glimpse of real Daredevil action when Detective North is threatened by corrupt cops in his own precinct while Matt is there. Matt gets a visit from an ex that had me chuckling on the last page.

 Fearless #2 - This is an excellent anthology for young readers, particularly young female readers.

 "Campfire Song" part 2 by Seanan McGuire (writer), Claire Roe (art), Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) & Cardinal Rae (letters) sends Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel to the leadership camp where Captain Marvel, Storm and Susan Storm/the Invisible Woman are going to give keynote speeches. Something nefarious may be afoot.

 I liked "Night Nurse: A Cape of Her Own" by Karla Pacheco (writer), Iolanda Zanfardino (art) Rachelle Rosenberg (colours) & Cardinal Rae (letters). It's always a treat to see Night Nurse mending super powered people.

 To help get over the end of X-23's book Eve L. Ewing (writer), Alitha Martinez (art), Rosenberg (colours) & Cardinal Rae (letters) show us what Laura and Gabby are up to now.

 Ghost-Spider #1 - Seanan McGuire (writer) Takeshi Miyazawa (art) Ian Herring (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). So Spider-Gwen is now Ghost-Spider. She has dual dimensionship between Earth-65 and Earth-616. In her own dimension of Earth-65 everyone knows that she's Ghost-Spider but in Earth-616 where her secret identity is safe, she's just Gwen Stacy, freshman at Empire State University. Peter Parker helps to get her enrolled and now she can go back and forth taking classes and fighting crime. This is a good place to start if you're looking for another female super hero to follow but there wasn't anything really special in here to make me add this title to my every burgeoning pile of comics books that I want to read.

 Strayed #1 - Carlos Giffoni (writer) Juan Doe (art) Matt Krotzer (letters). In this new Dark Horse science-fiction book military scientist Kiara Rodriguez invents a device that allows her to talk to her cat Lou. The cat is special because it can astrally travel through space. Kiara's superiors are using her cat to conquer other planets and exploit their resources. They're the bad mans. This sounds familiar to me with Kiara's race being like Galactus and Lou like the Silver Surfer. I'm not much of a cat person so I'll pass on the rest of this story.

 Guardians of the Galaxy #8 - Donny Cates (writer) Cory Smith (art) David Curiel (colours) VC's Cory Petit (letters). Rocket's back and we even get a mini origin story for the little furball. This issue also reveals what the Universal Church of Truth's very bad plans are. I loved seeing the cocoon. With the impending battle with Death, I'm wondering if Thanos is going to show up. This would be a cool way to bring the Mad Titan back.

 The Avant-Guards #7 - Carly Usdin (writer) Noah Hayes (art) Eleonora Bruni (colours) Ed Dukeshire (letters). The one and only basketball based comic book on the racks and it's a three points shot at the buzzer to win the game. I love the message about team work in this issue.

 Powers of X #3 - Jonathan Hickman (writer) R.B. Silva (art) Marte Gracia (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). This issue clears things up for me. Nimrod is the big bad guy and Apocalypse is a good guy in this story. I'm so glad they took last issue to explain Moira's character and her mutant ability because she's crucial to everything going on. If you're not reading this and House of X, you're missing out on a major event in Marvel Mutant History.

 Marvel Action Spider-Man #7 - Delilah S. Dawson (writer) Fico Ossio (art) Ronda Pattison (colours) Shawn Lee (letters). Introducing Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat. Her bad luck powers have Peter, Gwen and Miles all tangled up. They're going to have to learn to work together to keep her from stealing again.

 The Superior Spider-Man #10 - Christos Gage (writer) Mike Hawthorne (pencils) Wade von Grawbadger (inks) Jordie Bellaire (colours) VC's Clayton Cowles (letters). Man, Spidergeddon sure did cast a wide net. So the super villain for this story is revealed to be the Norman Osborn of Earth-44145. He wants revenge for being humiliated by the Superior Spider-Man during the debacle with the Inheritors. But first Norman is going to kill everybody that Otto cares about. It's a tried and true basis for many a comic book story but it still works great.

 Superman Year One #2 - Frank Miller (writer) John Romita Jr. (pencils) Danny Miki (inks) Alex Sinclair (colours) John Workman (letters). Okay, so Clark trains to be a Navy Seal so that Frank Miller can set it up for him to meet and fall in love with Lori Lemaris and clash with her father Poseidon. It was a slog for me to read through this issue. I think Miller was trying for something epic like The Odyssey by Homer. I found that Clark's time in the navy was contrived, which soured my enjoyment.

 Valkyrie #2 - Jason Aaron & Al Ewing (writers) Cafu (art) Jesus Aburtov (colours) VC's Joe Sabino (letters). Why is it that the death in Batman #77 is bigger than the death in this comic book? Bullseye somehow got his hands on Valkyrie's sword Dragonfang and Jane Foster has to take it away from the killer or else a heck of a lot of innocent lives will be forfeit. The last line of this issue made me groan.

 Year of the Villain: Sinestro #1 - Mark Russell (writer) Yildiray Cinar (art) Julio Ferreira (inks pages 21 - 26) Hi-Fi (colours) Steve Wands (letters). A solo story of Sinestro doing Lex Luthor's bidding. This story uses sentient nanobots which to me was a silly concept. I thought they did a good job showing how smart and arrogant Sinestro is but unless you're a Green Lantern fan you don't need to read this.

 Year of the Villain: Black Mask #1 - Tom Taylor (writer) Cully Hamner (art) Dave Stewart (colours) Wes Abbott (letters). This is a good origin story and sets up the villain for what's coming next. These Year of the Villain one shots are a good way for new fans to learn about these characters which should give them a better understanding of their involvement in the big picture.

[zeldabeldauwu]

Hi meet Alex

Personality

At this point she has a:

a talkative and cheery disposition. She is very clumsy, noted for finding ways to accidentally hurt herself or to drop things. Regardless, she is shown to be a cunning individual who can trick others to get food. She is usually shown to break up arguments,, Ali is usually better when it comes to dealing with people, notably at mediations. She tries her best to help everyone be happy and dislikes attention directed at her well-being because she feels unworthy of anything that others have to offer her.she also doesn't seem to think highly of herself. Her relationship with the star Marco Tom Addison’s and other people's happiness are her main coping mechanisms since she believes that if she makes everyone else happy, she will not have a reason whatsoever to be unhappy. Oki!

I dunno if this part is important to the story itself but it’s kinda important to Alex’s character

She’s the only one of my oc x canon characters that’s self aware

No she doesn’t know she’s just in a drawing/animation but she’s fully aware she’s in an alternate universe and that there are an infinite amount more with infinite possibilities (like how there’s universes where even tho one thing is canon like Starco, people still ship tomstar tomco you get the gist ^^) and she’s perfectly fine with that because she’s happy with the life she has now and other possibilities wouldn’t usually be anything that would involve her although she does wonder what goes on in those universes other than she already knows this part kinda helps people understand that Alex isn’t apart of the canon storyline and I’m not trying to make her apart of it! Anyway there is one downside to this revelation for Alex

It really affects her relationships with other people Knowing there are infinite possibilities in that area scares her She’s not secluded or anything

She’s a very bubbly and social bb (unlike her creator quq) But it takes a while for her to really warm up to you She also never really showed interest in having a lover either so it’s easier She never really wants to settle down and wanted to put her adventures and kingdom first so love was a last priority for her tbh But she always spread her love and affection

Backstory:

She and her twin Addison use to be friends with star since they were 2

Seeing as their mothers were good friends as well Her father would never join them tho

In dragon culture of this universe dragons are basically taught “dragons are better than any other species and crush everyone beneath you” This was mainly taught by the elemental court run by the Solar family which was the top of the rank dragons who were all siblings

The only one who didn’t agree was the youngest of the court which was the magic branch ran by the youngest of the Solar family who was Alex’s mother, Novella She thought that all species were equal and that we should all be treated with love and care and that hurting and fighting eachother would only lead to chaos She tried to tell her siblings time and time again but they just claimed she was just a silly child and would brush it off So she started sneaking off into different dimensions and actually made a lot of friends and that made her devotion of wanting to protect other species even stronger But one day it was found that she fell in love with a human (which were just considered pets to them) And they locked her in a dark room until they were able to find suitable dragon men for her to marry

And since she was the youngest she couldn’t really fight back against her siblings So she was forced to marry a light sorcerer dragon who would eventually be the twin’s father But he unfortunately did not have the same mindset as her when it came to other species Soon Novella left the court and cut all ties with her siblings She turned her planet into a safe haven for all species although her husband didn’t agree

He didn’t technically have a say But when Alex and her twin Addison turned 10 both her mother and father just disappeared

The king’s body was found dead in his dragon from on a planet he was trying to take over and Novella wasn’t any where to be found They searched for months but soon just had to label her dead as well even though there was technically no evidence that she was harmed or killed But because of that the only one left for the girls was eachother and Novella’s right hand man and royal guard leader Okami Meaning the girls had to grow up early and learn to run the kingdom themselves with the help of Okami and because of that they lost contact with Star Fast forward 6 years (I bumped the ages up

A bit) in this universe Tom and star never broke up officially btw They broke off for like 3 months before getting back together

Anyway

Alex and Addie always have a small festival on the day they started running the festival It’s call the sun and moon festival Because when the twins were born Alex took after her mom so they named her the moon princess

And Addison took after her dad so they named her the sun princess Alex was incharge of making sure the word got out since she was the social one

And she found an old photo of her and star and started to really miss her so

She sent an invite to her personally in hopes she’d come

And she happily did along with Tom (they’re still together in this universe) Marco and ofcourse comet ((my friend’s oc))

When they met up the quickly caught up and star introduced her to Tom and Marco

And Alex thought he was cute

But that’s really it As I said she showed no interest in a boyfriend at the time After the festival they all started to hang out except Addison who literally said to Star’s face she had better things to do She hated how close her sister was getting to Marco She had the same beliefs as her mother’s family so she was

1- jealous on the fact that he was getting so close to his sister

2-that she’d waste her time with a human I also should point out that Alex didn’t know anything about their family

Their mother and Okami refused to tell them anything

Basically at this point star Marco and Tom offered to help Alex find out more about her family and her mother’s past for her own sake

Also Alex and Marco have become great friends and Alex has only started to have the feels for him

But she doesn’t know it because she never had a crush before and is really really scared of love because of the infinite possibilities so first

She’s trying to get to know him more and be better friends than him before trusting him with her heart because for all she knows the feeling could disappear in a week

But during that time Addison called her a disappointment for getting so close to a human and since she’s the only family she’s aware of it stuck to her so she started dating a dragon boy named Damien just to make her happy This was when Marco and Alex first became friends and had more of a BFF relationship But Marco and star noticed how Damien changed Alex in a negative way She became more quiet and distant and when they asked she’d fake a smile and say she was just sleepy They could tell Damien was draining the life out of her and they tried to talk to Addison about it but she brushed it off saying “first relationships can be tiring she’ll get better” It was the last straw when Marco heard Damian say he’s only with Alex to get control of her kingdom and call her “an air headed dunce” that he talked to star and they decided they had to convince her to dump him and she finally did after 7 months into the relationship

It took 1 and a half years for her to realized that she had feelings for Marco Alex was afraid of love and she was so scared of being inlove with Marco because of her fear of the infinite universes she tried to date another dragon to get over her feelings but after 5 months she realized she wasn’t happy And she broke up with him

He was upset because he loved her but he wanted her to be happy so he gave her a hug and said they were cool

And now they’re best friends!

Currently in the story Alex is battling with her feelings and her anxiety while also Trying to deal with her family

This story will continue to be updated!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

HEY READ THIS BEFORE COMMENTING My account along with my oc x canon work is strictly used for fun and as my coping mechanism so please don’t take it too seriously. All of the characters and Oc x Canon ships are placed in an alternate universe called OCXC-1879 which is separated from canon story lines so if one or more of the canon characters are already have a canon ship please remember that it’s in an alternate universe and i am not trying to force my characters in the canon storyline thanks for the understanding

[aion-rsa]

Snowpiercer Season 2 Episode 1 Review: The Time of Two Engines

https://ift.tt/3683SIf

This Snowpiercer review contains spoilers.

Snowpiercer Season 2 Episode 1

Upon leaving the Constitutional Convention in 1787, Benjamin Franklin was asked about what the new form of government for the United States of America would be. Franklin’s response has remained a famous example of the clever inventor’s wit and wisdom. Franklin replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.” The fledgling country, so recently freed from British rule and still coming to terms with what it was going to be, faced a multitude of threats, both foreign and domestic. The fledgling revolution on Snowpiercer, still patching wounds and cleaning up blood, faces a more immediate, grave threat in the form of Big Alice, Mr. Wilford’s personal train, latched onto the tail of Snowpiercer like a 40-car parasite attempting to wrest control from the people who just wrested control from Melanie Cavill.

There’s rarely a great time to suspend democratic rule and fight off a resource-rich dictator, but in the immediate wake of an insurrection, suspending democracy is not a great way to engender support, even if it’s necessary that there be quick, decisive action by leadership to combat the Wilford threat. The sick car is still filled past capacity with wounded when Wilford starts making demands for seemingly insane things: beer, eggs, one hen, morphine, boots, and so on. Unfortunately for Layton and his cadre, Wilford literally has them by the tail, and Big Alice is more than a match for Snowpiercer’s eternal engine. If Wilford wants to drag humanity to hell by dragging Snowpiercer to a halt and letting everyone freeze to death, he can do it, so his crazy demands must be agreed to.

But that doesn’t mean that Andre Layton, father of the revolution, isn’t already working on a plan.

One of the great strengths of Snowpiercer as a television property is the size and competence of its ensemble cast. With great character actors like Mike O’Malley and Steven Ogg filling out the cast, it’s easier for lead performers like Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs to do their thing, knowing they have solid performers to bounce off of. When you add Sean Bean to an already loaded cast, well, it’s adding to an already potent mix, even if it’s pretty clear how a character will end up if Sean Bean is cast to play him.

Read more

TV

Snowpiercer Episode 10 Review: 994 Cars Long

By Ron Hogan

TV

Snowpiercer Season 2 Trailer Reveals Sean Bean’s Role

By Alec Bojalad

Jennifer Connelly’s Melanie Cavill wasn’t evil, just cold-blooded and trying to hang onto a train with multiple competing elements all trying to wrest power from one another, from the revolutions in the Tail and Third Class to First Class scheming for control and power over the rest of the train due to their economic clout. At least, with Wilford around, there’s someone out there who can unify Snowpiercer in an us-versus-them scenario with Big Alice. Assuming, of course, that Wilford isn’t able to somehow tap into the lingering distrust and hurt feelings of First Class in some way, but bringing the whole train to a halt to make demands isn’t a way to make friends with anyone on the wrong end of Big Alice’s engine.

Daveed Diggs is in fine form, as usual, but he’s mostly reacting to things being thrust at him, trying to meet the needs of the various factions on board the train while keeping peace and preventing any other outbreaks of retaliatory violence; Layton’s ex-wife Zarah (Sheila Vand) is nearly caught up by a couple of vengeful tailies until Ruth (Alison Wright) steps in. But, the focus is less on Snowpiercer and more on the situation on Big Alice, where Jennifer Connelly’s Cavill and Sean Bean’s Wilford engage in a war of wills and words, with Melanie pushing back against Wilford at every turn, when not attempting in vain to reach out to her daughter Alex (Rowan Blanchard) who has been poisoned by the influence of Wilford and her mother’s seeming abandonment.

It’s familiar territory, as far as sci-fi stories go, but Christoph Schrewe handles the performers with restraint, and goes big on the action sequences when the Snowpiercer militia takes the fight to Wilford’s train. It’s quick and dirty, without being too gory, and while the Doctors Headwood (Sakina Jaffrey and Damian Young) edge a little bit too far into mad scientist territory for what has been a fairly grounded show, it’s an indulgence the show has earned by having so much focus being placed on the mundane problems of surviving only with what can be grown in a train car. If there are cold storage boxes to put people to sleep, then why wouldn’t there also be mad scientists inventing crazy wound-healing synthetic skin goop? And, from all appearances, someone almost certainly immune to the cold due to weird science reasons.

One of the most prominent elements of the first season, hit over and over, was the importance of sustaining the ecosystem. If, for example, a freeze kills all the cows, then that puts a damper on the supply of methane and manure to grow crops and provide heat via gas. Having a second train clamp onto the back of Snowpiercer won’t do anything to calm the situation, and Wilford’s repeated insistence that he’s willing to kill the whole of the human race to get what he wants is made perfectly clear in Graeme Manson’s script. It builds neatly off of the chaos at the end of the first season and transitions it not into a hot war, but a cold war between two trains that, thanks to Melanie’s quick thinking, have to learn to get along or else they’ll all die together. Wilford, for all his delusions of grandeur and dictatorial sway, probably doesn’t want that. He’s worked too hard to keep alive, and he’s worked too hard to make sure people think of him as a god to lose all of his worshipers due to hubris or incompetence.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

And yet, what sort of god would lose a micturation contest with a bunch of stowaways and the ungrateful people who stole his train right out from under him? Wilford only thinks he’s in charge, and Snowpiercer might fight among themselves, but they seem to be willing to unite against an enemy trying to wipe them out in a fit of pique. If you build the world, then I guess it’s your perogative to try and destroy it, too. Just don’t be surprised that the people who stole a train, then took over a train, will fight to defend said train to the death.

The post Snowpiercer Season 2 Episode 1 Review: The Time of Two Engines appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3oicTVe

[felicitykings]

Rewatching Gotham on Netflix has given me a great idea for a spin-off series titled Gotham Knights, where the Batkids take center stage! Imagine a series focusing on Dick, Babs, Jason, Tim, Steph (+ Damian and Cass if we can squeeze the League of Assassins in), and their relationships with Bruce, along with the trials of growing up in Gotham, and seeing the Robin and Batgirl mantles established and passed on as they go up against the Rogues. Family drama, action, and comedy all rolled together!

OMG YES! I would love to see a gotham!verse interpretation of these characters so much! I think gotham’s version of bruce in particular (as well as his existing dynamics with alfred, lucius, selina and jim) already lends itself to the idea of bruce being responsible for the care and growth of kids. He’s so caring and compassionate  and truly wants to protect this city from corruption and anarchy. We already saw hints of this in the episode with alex, where bruce became a sort of mentor figure for a kid younger than himself and had a sense of kinship with him. Even in series one with selina we saw him wanting to care for kids in times of need, even ones from ‘the wrong side of the tracks’ so to speak. Imagine post-time jump bruce hearing about the death of the graysons and their surviving son dick? He would absolutely relate to that kid and want to do everything in his power to help ,having gone through a similar experience, and help dick the same way alfred helped him. And there is no way you can convince me that gotham!verse babs wouldn’t figure out that bruce is batman and immediately offer her skills to help - or even better, she just inherits the best parts of her father and bruce and starts crime-fighting on her own - her father doesn’t know at first but once he finds out is not happy, but bruce has an admiration given that he too ignored jim’s concern in favour of doing what he knew was right. Imagine bruce seeing jason attempt to steal the batmobile and just watching bemusedly as he admires the balls and the skill in order to do so. He recognises that this is a kid who can absolutely so much more in life and does what he can to help him in that way. I have to admit my knowlege of tim, steph and cass is minimal but it would be really interesting to see them built into the gotham!verse batfam (we could always use seeing the batfam expanded beyond dick’s robin and babs’ batgirl). Also I think gotham’s bruce would be an amazing father to damian and, while he may be hesitant at first due to how he came into being, he would fully accept that responsibility with pride and do his best to help damian grow into a protector in gotham.

It would also be an incredibly powerful thing to watch bruce and all these kids with limited family grow into a huge found family while fighting crime in gotham. Seeing alfred be even more proud at how far bruce has come and how he inspires and guides the next generation of gotham’s protectors and being a proud grandfather figure. jim being cautious at allowing his daughter and her friends to help fight crime but also knowing that there’s realistically nothing he can do to stop them and so he works to help them as best he can. lucius excited to help work on new technology to support each of the batkids and their unique fighting styles. harvey being completely confused about how many masked kids are in his city but being like ‘life in gotham is already so goddmamn weird, this might as well happen’. selina being weirdly protective of these kids, especially jason (who i think she’d relate to having grown up in a similar fashion and having more morally grey approaches) and babs (because she loves barbara and she knows how much babs being batgirl annoys jim sometimes). This is a really good idea, thank you for sending me this ask! Maybe one day we’ll be able to get a gotham sequel show where we can see the batkids in action! One thing I think gotham did well was creating the batfam dynamic even without the kids and it would be incredible to see them added in a future show.