#i'm happy to see the two titans back on screen

[often-daydreaming]

A Quick Chat

'Absolutely not!'

'I'm just gonna talk with him!'

Following the quickly escalating shouts down to the Batcave Bruce found Dick and a heavily armed Tim at each other's throats while their siblings oh so helpfully egged them on.

They were arguing about Wally and their last universal saving mission for some reason and Tim had nearly every contingency he could think of to handle a speedster on him.

-nna talk, that's it!'

'Then you can leave the gear here!'

'What's going on?'

All of his children froze, finally realizing he was here before they started shouting over each other.

'You remem-'

'-ick's trying to-'

'Father Dr-'

'-ng crazy, just because the universe re-'

'Enough!'

'Now, can someone tell me what's going on or do I have to get Alfred?'

And Jason was happy enough to tell him. 'Replacement's pissed because we finally discovered a pretty big difference with the universe after the League hit the reset button.'

Multiple screens on the Batcomputer held information on new heroes, a Junior JLD and everything Tim could dig up on two individuals. The first one was Phantom, a new addition to the Titans and had a number of detailed conspiracy theories tracking his appearances through time while the other held the detailed background information of a recently graduated Daniel James Fenton. Tim had dug up everything from his kindergarten grades to... Oh... Oh no... That explains why they were arguing about Wally.

Most of Daniel's latest online post covered his move to Gotham, his new job offer working in their engineering department and his new boyfriend Bernard. Looking at it all made it painfully easy to piece together that... 'They stole my life!'

And Dick and Tim were arguing again but Bruce knew it wouldn't get too heated and focused his attention on the gathered information. It was easy to see that a number of encounters his kids (mainly his oldest three) should have had with the Titans were adjusted just enough to fit Phantom now and Tim's involvement with the Children of Dionysus had been shifted around to involve Daniel in this new universe.

'-e universe reset doesn't mean you can ruin their lives. Phantom seems like a good kid.'

'Dowd would have left you eventually.'

Dick had to hold Tim back from launching himself at Damien while Jason and Steph stood by egging the two of them on, but then Tim got that look in his eye when Duke brought up the idea of reintroducing himself and everyone noticed.

'No.'

'Come on. Tim, you don't need another restraining order.'

'But it didn't happen in this universe so it doesn't count.'

'It counts if we still remember it!'

But Tim wasn't listening, too busy changing out of all of his gear as a plan quickly started forming together in his mind.

Why waste time with Wally when he can just as easily win over the new couple while ignoring everything else he's learned from his friends.

He'd figure it out one mess at a time. After he won Bernard back he'd figure out the situation between Red Robin and Phantom.

-_- -_- -_-

Reading over the sticky note Danny couldn't help but wonder what Clockwork meant when he wrote 'Have Fun'.

Again, I blame my medication for this, but this came from a couple of different prompts about Tim, Bernard and Danny and I just sort of went with it. Basically the main roster of the League has to stop (Pick a threat) and end up resitting the universe again. The problem is they still remember the old universe so they spend a week or two looking up any big changes and a sleep deprived Tim starts believing he barely knows Bernard in this universe when he's actually dating him and Danny. He just hasn't dug deep enough to figure out his own connection.

[differentclasss]

Hardcore - Neil Lewis x Reader (smut)

summary: You and Neil watch an old porno together and you give him a blow job.

a/n: i'm not going to go into the ethics of pornography. do what you gotta do. thanks!

warnings: smut, porn, female reader, and not too much else.

Gumshoe Video had its fair share of slow days, some days you and your boyfriend Neil would just sit on the couch watching whatever movie he picked out. Other days were spent going through whatever videos you hadn’t had the time to catalog yet. Today was one of the latter. You had gotten lucky at a garage sale and found a massive milk crate of old video tapes. The whole thing was only ten bucks and was filled with tapes. You bought it from a guy who sheepishly explained his wife had sold the VHS player at their last garage sale and didn’t have any use for them anymore. Whatever his reason was, you were just happy to arrive at Gumshoe the next day with a bunch of new tapes.

Neil was already there when you arrived with the crate in tote. You greeted him with a kiss on the cheek after you put the milk crate on the front desk. 

“Only ten bucks!” You explained while gesturing to the crate. 

“Anything good?” He asked with an amused smile as he picked up a tape and quickly looked at it.

“Haven’t had the chance to go through it yet.” You told him. “I think I saw a copy of Titanic.”

“Just what we need,” Neil teased. “Another copy of Titanic.”

You two go through the tapes on the couch, it’s all pretty normal stuff. A few good ones here and there but mostly the typical VHSs you would find in any family collection. You check each tape for any visible damage and have to chuck a few out. After an hour or so, you start to see the bottom of the crate through a few old tapes. You spot a collection of pornographic tapes at the bottom, purposefully hidden from anyone who would’ve seen it. You giggle a little when you pick up a copy of some raunchy erotica called Passion Toys. Neil looks over at you as you hold it up to him. The cover was of a girl standing in front of the movie's title holding her hands over her breasts. It’s probably from the 1980s, based on the girl's hair and dated look to it. Neil laughs a little too. 

“I think we’ve reached the old guy's old porno stash.” You joke as you place the tape on the table in front of you. “I’m nervous about touching these.” You add with a little laugh.

Gumshoe had a very small selection of pornographic films, most of the ones the store did have were the garden variety art house ones. You know, ones that wouldn’t be considered that pornographic in current times. Think Andy Warhol’s Blue Movie. Most of the time, when someone did rent these movies, you assumed they had to be pretentious even when getting their rocks off. These tapes on the other hand were full-blown pornos. Raunchy ones by the look of it. 

“Jesus,” Neil laughed and picked up one. “At least they seem pretty normal. Typical pornos from the 80's.”

“Yeah, still pretty funny though.” You tell him and look at the back of one and read through its vague plot, only promising the best and totally real orgasms on screen.

“You ever watch one of these?” He asks and looks at you curiously.

 

“Have I watched porn?” You ask and look up at him with a small grin.

“No, like have you watched, I don't know what you would call these, classic porn.” He asks. “Like on a VHS.”

“No, why?” You look at him with an eyebrow raised and a small grin still on your lips. “Have you?”

You wondered what he was getting at. It was true though, you never watched porn on a VHS tape. It seemed rather impractical considering the current modes of watching it. You felt a little embarrassed even talking about it with him, even if he was your boyfriend. Porn wasn’t what you wanted to talk about with him, it was a pathetic private thing. Not something you felt like you could freely talk about it. 

“No.” He shook his head. “Do you want to?”

“Neil!” You gasp, a little shocked at the proposition. “You can’t be serious…”

“Oh c’mon!” He tells you with a laugh. “It’ll be funny. We can’t put this out for rent, so we might as well just see what it’s about before we put it away in storage.” He offers. 

“You’re gross.” You tease and then pick up the copy of Passion Toys. “But since you’re twisting my arm, then fine. Put this in and we’ll watch it.”

Neil smiles and takes the tape from your hands. He goes to the VHS player and inserts it in. You feel a little weird watching it out in the open of the store but remind yourself that the door is still locked. The film starts with a woman at a party who is talking to a few men. She pulls one of the men aside to a small room. They kiss and have some very moving dialogue. You can’t help but giggle at the cheapness of it all. She gives him an overly enthusiastic blow job.

“God!” You exclaim and look over at Neil. “This is terrible, they’re not even fucking and she’s acting like she’s coming.”

“I don’t think people watch these for the plot…” Neil responds.

“Obviously!” You laugh.

The film continues and she moved on to another guy in the film, fucking him in a different room. You and Neil continue to laugh and make a few jokes about it. It’s a little weird to watch together but you try to move past it. During a drawn-out scene where the woman and a man are fucking each other in doggy, you laugh a little awkwardly. The scene seems to go on way too long like it’s the finale or something. From the corner of your eye, you see Neil shift in his seat, crossing his legs ever so slightly. 

“You good?” You ask, looking over at him, he nods quickly. “Why are you sitting like that?”

“Just more comfortable.” He responds with a red face. 

“More comfortable?” You ask and turn yourself to him. 

“Yeah…” He says and looks forward. 

You have a sneaking suspicion he’s hiding an erection. You stifle a laugh and look at him with a teasing smile. You get closer to him and he blushes when you move to have your thigh against him. 

“Is this great piece of film giving you a hard-on?” You ask teasingly. 

“Shut up.” He says with an embarrassed look. "It’s a normal bodily reaction. I’m watching something that’s made to turn people people on.”

“And this is so very erotic.” You reply sarcastically while putting your head on his shoulder and lightly tracing his arm with your fingertips. You do it mostly because you know that any sort of touch is torture for him right now. 

The film continues but now it feels like it’s painfully long. Neil feels like he’s going to explode right then and there with you giving him the lightest of touches. The movie starts to wrap up, the woman is lying in bed now and the man pulls off of her. You look over at Neil again lifting your head and giving him a little kiss on the neck. 

“I take it that you liked it?” You ask with a giggle.

“You’re killing me here,” He says and looks over at you. His hands drift over to you and he brings you on top of him. “That was torture.”

“Oh yeah,” You giggle and can’t help but tease him more. “It’s so very hot hearing a woman go, ‘Oh, yeah, just like that! Just like that!’ Over and over again…”

“It’s pretty hot hearing you say that.” Neil chuckles and moves his hands under your shirt. 

“You’re disgusting.” You laugh and then kiss him. 

You hardly think you were that turned on by the cheap porno that was playing, you were under the impression that you were turned on by Neil’s neediness. You kissed his lips and then moved to his neck, rutting yourself against his clothed crotch as he whined. His hands moved to the tape of your neck and lightly held you there. 

 His moans and whimpers turned you on more than you wanted to let on. You ground yourself against him again, causing another whine to come from his lips. He muttered how bad he wanted you and you obliged. Your hands moved to his belt and you unbuckled it. Shimming off his pants, you lowered yourself down to face his crotch. You pulled down his boxers and could see how hard he was over this whole thing. He cursed when you gave his dick a slow stroke before putting it in your mouth. 

You took him fully in your mouth as he looked down at you. His hands moved to your hair and he gently pulled on it, causing you to slightly choke. A bit of drool escaped the corner of your mouth. You bobbed up and down, your jaw aching ever so slightly when you increased the speed of your bobbing.  You didn't think he was going to last long, given the circumstances.

“Fuck,” Neil whimpered overhead. “Gonna come…”

You continued to suck him off, your speed increasing as he got closer to his climax. Without another warning, he bucked his hips into the back of your throat as he kept a strong grip on your hair and came. You choked ever so slightly on his come but swallowed anyway. As he came off his high, he kept you there for a moment before letting go of your hair and watched as you straightened yourself out. He tucked himself away and zipped up the zipper of his jeans.

“Sorry,” He responded with a soft blush to his cheeks. “I uh… I guess I just have a strong appreciation for all types of film...”

“Or you’re just a pervert.” You giggle and sit back down with him and lean against him.  

“You were into it!” He teases.

“Maybe…” You say and then sit up. “We gotta open the store sometime today, come on.”

Neil shakes his head and sits up with you before looking at you with a small mischievous grin.

“Just one more movie?” He asks. “I swear this time only for educational purposes.”

You laugh and stand up, ruffling his hair as you start to walk to the front door.

“You’re something else.” You call out to him. “Maybe later though…”

[violetarks]

track 30: i'd never do that

"fuck." y/n said, wiping her eyes as she turned from the crowd, walking off the stage as soon as the curtains closed. she just... couldn't stop crying. all because of some song...

"y/n..." armin said, standing at her side. he rubs her back and takes the bass from her. the crowd continues to cheer loudly, claps and chants emerging from behind the curtains. "it's okay. c'mon, let's get you—"

they were interrupted by jean standing up loudly from his seat, storming off the stage and towards their change rooms. everyone's eye fell on him, watching his forced steps as he walked passed them all and the stage crew. eren and mikasa follow after, armin and y/n walking off next.

it was only truly a week ago that they all found out about marco's death, and having to preform to avoid any more backlash. unhappy fans ruled their twitter pages due to the postponed shows, and though levi advised against returning, the five of them agreed to come back. it was work... and they couldn't stop.

although what porco said was true, it was also true that the fans had control over their jobs. they could only enjoy their work if they had those fans. and using their friend's death as an excuse was no option. they didn't want to use it, and the fans had no right to know.

it was a bump in the road, is all.

"we did well tonight." mikasa says, sitting beside y/n. she holds her hand tightly. "you two did very well."

"i fucked up the tempo in the first song, made it too fast." jean complains, laying on the other couch.

"and i forgot my part for the whole first verse and just didn't play." y/n added in, leaning her head back.

"nobody even noticed, we didn't." eren says, sitting on the armrest of jean's couch. that may have a been a tiny lie, he definitely noticed and the looks that armin and mikasa shared on stage showed so too. armin stands nearby, pouring water for everyone. eren ruffles jean's hair gently. "you two did great. don't question it."

the two become quiet, silently thinking to themselves of what to do now. they had two more shows, two more shows and they could go home. and rest, and think, and be better.

"y/n? your phone's been buzzing like crazy." armin says, looking down at your device.

"huh? it's probably twitter. pass it 'ere." you say, holding out your hand. armin passes you the phone as you stand up, grabbing tissues to wipe your face. armin takes your spot. lo and behold, you were right. "i'm gonna talk a walk, alright?"

"don't go too far, we're gonna' leave soon." eren says as you wave your hand and leave the room.

you walk through the backstage halls until you make it outside. it's a restricted area, so no fans were there. and since everyone else was packing up the stage, you were alone.

but you unlock your phone, seeing thousands of twitter notifications and a few texts from porco. you stop yourself when you feel relieved.

when did you start feeling relieved about porco? when did he start making you feel that way?

you couldn't deny that sense of happiness you felt when you saw his picture show up on screen, though. maybe you should answer him.

track 29 | track list | track 31

anime: attack on titan (band! au)

character: porco galliard

summary: y/n, the bassist of the band 'paradís', finds herself in middle of a 'publicity stunt' with none other than a rival band's drummer. porco, the mentioned member of 'marley', doesn't care about her at all. but they can only ignore each other for so long.

status: ongoing

warnings: afab! reader, she/her pronouns used

taglist: @makimakimi @hanmascult @ally22042000 @rozewayne2005 @keithandlevi-ontheroof @qaahnarin @queen-flower @id-rather-be-an-outsider @onlylowercase @tonysttank @a-little-pebbl @hannahalanib1 @moonshineandclearskies @aqueerincrisis @tati-the-fangirl @cheesechopchive-blog

[italeean]

hi! for the tickle match-up event, - a few of my hobbies are tennis, playing guitar, taking walks, and writings fanfics :) i like the quiet, sweet foods, and watching sports

im also a switch

and i'd like to choose the mha fandom!! with a platonic relationship, and a male character

(hope i included everything u needed) - have a good day/night!!

Hello my dear, thank you for participating in my little event 😸❤️ I was genuinely surprised by how quickly you sent in a request, it made me so so so happyyy 🍡 *hands you some dango*

🔮 So... for the match-up, your pair is... DEKU 💚💚

🔮 Why did I choose him for you?

• He can be cheerful and smiley, but he's not excessively loud or all over the place like other characters • He's perfect to take long walks, and he'd be able to carry on an entertaining and relaxing conversation while doing that • I think he'd also be a fan of watching sports with you... maybe he'd even keep notebooks of his favorite teams and athletes like he does with quirks • He'd also be a good tennist, I think. Maybe a bit clumsy at the beginning, but he'd learn quickly!! • He'd probably tickle you as a "punishment" for laughing at his clumsiness; obviously he'd be playful and goofy, he knows you'd never laugh at him • He'd probably use his quirk by mistake a couple of times, which would result in a destroyed ball and an embarrassing green bean rambling 1000 apologies per second • I also see you two taking lots of strolls in the park and enjoying the view • Then he'd be delighted if you played the guitar, maybe while you take a break from the walking... and he might even offer to buy you ice cream for playing the guitar so well!!! • He'd tickle you because he wants to hear you sing after hearing you play! (He's totally the type who'd say something about you having a melodious laughter) • Let's be honest, he'd offer ice cream to all his friends • He'd totally offer to carry your guitar if he sees you struggling while walking. After all, it's his duty as a hero to preserve everyone's happiness and well-being, including the ones of  your back and shoulders hehe • You could try to tickle him lightly, just to make it more difficult for him to carry your guitar

🔮 Tickle scenario: "I'm sure Djokovic will win this time!" You said as Deku turned on the TV and tuned it on the tennis channel. It was always a pleasant time when the two of you spent your evening watching sports and commenting the performances.

"No way! Federer is much more experienced and his technique is perfect, besides, based on his current physical conditions..." You couldn't help but chuckle as he rambled about his theories. You felt honored to be friends with such a precious boy who always knew how to make you laugh.

However, things were different this time. There was a serious bet going on, and the stakes were high, very high. Deku had bet on Federer based on a calculated, deep study of data and statistics, while you had chosen Djokovic based on... well... a gut feeling.

You both laughed it off as the match started, your eyes fixated on the screen as you two munched on some candy.

The match was long and nerve-wracking, as you both expected from the two titans that were challenging each other, but alas it came to an end...

And that ending taught Deku to never underestimate the power of a gut feeling.

"Ha!!! Take that! I knew he'd win!!!" You celebrated as Djokovic raised his cup high in the sky. Deku, on the other hand, was completely dumbfounded. "How..? I was so sure... it's impossible..! Based on their recent performa- WAH!! N-no wait!!!"

Too late, you were already on top of him, cracking your knuckles. "No can do, a bet is a bet and now you gotta pay!" With that battle cry, your hands finally found the poor boy's torso and attacked mercies. Squeezing his hips, poking his sides, scribbling on his tummy, spidering on each one of his abs, and even swirling a finger inside his belly button every once in a while, just to entertain yourself with the squeal that left his lips every single time.

"NAHAHAOHOHOHO THIS IHIHSN'T FAHAHAIR..!" He kicked and squirmed, but to no avail, as you targeted every sensitive spot you could find. "This isn't fair? How so?" You asked as if you weren't wrecking the life out of the poor green bean.

"B-becahahause he wahasn't suppohohosehed to wihihihin..!" He whined, his laughter toning down a little as you targeted a less ticklish spot in a sudden moment of mercy. "Yohohou prohobahahahably cheatehehed..!" He joked, not knowing he was about to face the consequences.

"Now you really asked for it, prepare to die!!" You exclaimed as you went for his death spot... or at least tried to.

Something took a firm hold of your wrist, and you barely managed to catch a glimpse of Deku's Blackwhip before the world turned upside down and you saw the young hero's face smirking at you.

He didn't even waste any time to think of a good comeback sentence. He just went for your death spot before you could even think of retaliating. "NONONOHOHOHOHO HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA WAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAIHIHIT!!!" is all you managed to say before he unleashed his counterattack, or as he liked to call it, his Tickle Monster Quirk.

The rest of the afternoon went on accompanied by the sounds of your laughter, and ended with many doubts about who had effectively won that tickle war.

[popculturebuffet]

Supermay!: Superman Vs the Elite: Chunky Greatness (Comissioned by Brotoman.exe)

Hello all you happy last sons, daughters and that beautiful rainbow inbetween of krypton and welcome back to SuperMay! Last time I took a look at a true classic in superman's long history What's So Funny About Truth Justice and the American Way? You can find that review here

What's So Funny... was a rousing sucess, not only leading to Manchester Black coming back a few times, but the elite getting their own justice league spinoff i've never read. Black would also show up quite a bit post-rebirth, before his recent death so Lex Luthor could make everyone forget Superman's secret identity.. or else. Note that this is lex trying to HELP superman. Lex can't even try to do good without doing a murder, suprising no one.

Despite his promience though so far Black has only shown up thrice in other media: In the arrowverse for Supergirl, in the lego batman games, and in today's subject. While it was likely hard to put black in kid shows because his job, hobby and what gets him off at night are all murder, DC had another way to animate this wanker and adapt this story: The DC Universe Animated Movies

Yeah while many a nerd know of them and i'm sure most nerds reading this post know, a refresher: the DC Universe Animated Movies are direct to video movies put out by dc multiple times a year. They've been doing this since 2007 Superman Doomsday with July's Crisis on Infinite Earths Part 3 being the 55th film overall. They've adapted tons of stories from the comics: The Death of Superman (Twice!), Justice League the New Frontier (A personal faviorite), JLA Earth 2, JLA Tower of Babel, Batman: Hush, Batman: The Long Halloween, The Dark Knight Returns, Under the Hood, the first two arcs of Batman/Superman, several tales of the green lantern corps stories, Superman: Braniac, Justice League Origin, Flashpoint, Throne of Atlantis, Batman and Son, The Killing Joke, The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract, Superman: Red Son,Batman Year One and the doom that came to gotham, cumilating in their soon to be completed three part adaptation of Crisis on Infinite Earths. The adaptations vary from fairly loyal, to loose as a goose and ready to gander, but i'ts nice to see so many stories get direct adaptations. Some are better than others sure, but it's nice to see DC's finest on the screen since some wouldn't work for live action, either due to budget or the simple mechanics of running a film shared universe.

So that brings us back around to today's film: Superman Vs The Elite. SVE, and god is it nice to have a story that I can reduce to a simple acronym, is the sixth superman film made for these, fifth if you only count full length ones but Superman/Shazam: the return of black adam is too good not to even at only half an hour. DC tends to focus on it's big cash cows, hence the early films mostly being superman, batman, superman and batman or the justice league, with green lantern being the notable exception as they wanted to cash in on his hit movie with first flight.. then greenlit first flight despite that hit being directly to the face because it made me personally happy. I have to assume. We also got the very first wonder woman film and weirdly DESPITE diana's spike in sucess post her solo film only that one and the godawful bloodlines. The films WOULD loosen up in terms of scope in the late 2010's and 2020's, with films for the Teen Titans, Justice Society, Suicide Squad, Justice League Dark, Harley Quinn and Constantine, but it's still very bat and league heavy.

Out of the 55 films so far (counting the soon to be released Crisis Part 3), 15 star batman (including the Batman/Sueprman Duology) and a whopping FORTY OUT OF 55 FILMS, 43 out of 58 if we count stuff they weridly left out like the RWBY crossover and the choose your own adventure adaptation of batman. I love batman but my god give him a fucking break dc.

Anywayas point is they love their man of tommorow too, and it's telling out of a collection of his more recent and influentual stories this one got called up for adaptation, others before this being his death and return (which , once again, got adapted AGAIN for a fuller adaptation later on.. and yes I own both adaptations), the two big opening arcs of Batman/Superman, the all-time classic and goat All-Star Superman which I plan to cover next supermay (And would gladly cover earlier on comission or if I had the time), and after this one Braniac, the Geoff Johns classic redefining the character.

This film's also notable is out of the MANY adaptations present it's one of only TWO films to be written by the same writer as the story it's adapting, the other being Judd Winnick on Under the Red Hood. Darwyn Cooke likewise seemed to at least consult on new frontier, which is good as that story is that man's heart and soul and one I'm kicking myself for not thinking to review sooner. Seriously check it or the film out. True masterpiece.

This isn't a knock against the other adaptations, there's a lot of good ones in there, it's just remakrable. it also makes sense why tap Kelly: At this point Kelly had been running Man of Action stuidos for 7 years having co-created Ben 10 and Generator Rex, both shows I highly love, along with Ben 10 spinoff Alien Force which I also dearly loved and was showrun by the late great dwayne mcduffie, who also wrote a lot of direct to video films including what i'm told is a truly excellent adaptation of All-Star Superman I still need to check out.

So Kelly was an experinced hand at animation, and Winnick likewise was, having created and written a decent chunk of the Life and Times of Juniper Lee. So it does make a bit more sense to tap these guys when they know how to screenwrite for animation already.

Kelly does a phenominal job here, expanding the story and making the elitie more fleshed out characters. Their still assholes, but you understand them a bit more and the ones who don't wear a union jack get to actually talk. Also Coldcast is no longer wearing the most unintentionally racist outfit i've seen in an american comic, for the love of god don't send me competitors. The result is a film that's also awesome. Yeah like the story it's based on I won't hide that I loved this film on watch. It's not perfect, what is, but it is still an exellent film that wonderfully expands on an already great story to make it better. So join me under the cut as the world's saved.. but humanity is lost.

SVE is intresting as an adaptation in that it has the same core, a new group of up and coming superheros shows a darker way of doing things superman disapproves of and they come into conflict over it, but takes an entirely diffrent approach to pacing and the elitie themselves. The Original Story hits you lik ea train, starting with a dead gorilla, piling up the bodies nad having the elitie be pretty one note assholes.. they raise valid points, but Manchster is also portrayed as a racist asshole, constantly saying racist shit and then saying "I can say that because i'm one 45th something", something I forgot to bring up in the original review. I mean he's dead on for Mark Millar's version of the Authority, props to that, but otherwise as they are in the original story, the Elitie are just assholes who think they know better and we only get hints of WHY their like this.

The film .. still only gives hints for the non Manchester members, Minager's backstory with the men in black is removed as their absent from the film, but treats them more as people. Not good people by the end, but more as indivduals and it makes the story stronger. We meet the elitie not as swaggering gods, but as swaggering newbies. Their powerful, but at first have no idea what their doing or the true limits of their powers.

So it also gives us a nice dynamic that helps deepens things wholly unique to this film: Superman.. mentors the elite. When he first meets them stopping an attack from warring nations Bialya and Polkistan, which naturally are both very real nations from superman comics. Biyala was a longtime hive of criminals first showing up in one of my all time faviorite comics, Justice League International as a stand in for middle eastern countries, being a small one itself, and picking up traction afterwords while Polkistan was ran by a version of General Zod that wasn't kryptonian. It was a weird time.

This war between the two is a new addition, replacing both the attack on japan and the men in black from the original.. and it's one I like. It fits the Elite better that the thing their interfering in is two warring dictators who don't care who gets hurt in the crossfire and puts more of a face to the ones their caving in. It's easy to say superman could've dealt with super samurai metal men or the worse version of men and black, harder to have him deal with two nations who refuse to just sit down and talk instead of killing civilians to send a message. They still use fantastical means, the Elite first meet clark when he's trying to take down some bioweapons and are key in helping him stop them.

It's also neat to see how both sides greet each other: Superman.. acts how clark always does with a new hero: he's encouraging, kind, and the only negative he has is some gentle cricisim on collteral damage, a nice bit of foreshadowing to the team becoming what it later is. Likewise the eliite are all happy to meet him, with Manchester dropping the swaggering ego he puts up to be genuinely excited like a little kid. Unlike his comics counterpart Manchester still looks up to superman when this starts and it's adorable and humanizes the asshole really well. The others are also mostly starstruck.. except minagre. She's just super horned up. But like in the comics at the time of the original story, Clark's married so, nope.

The rest of the Elitie are fleshed out more here. Manchester's still the focus character and thus the most fleshed out, getting more depth, but the rest of his crew have actual personalities. The Hat is playful and likes to drink a LOT (the last part was in the comic but is more emphasiesed here), Menagire is flirtatious to a creepy and predatory degree (something to the film's credit seems intentioanl) and Coldcast is sarcastic. Their not super deep, but they make the eliite feel like characters and not hired goons.

Superman seeks the elitie out not because their a danger this time.. but because he geninely wants to know them better and help mentor them. We don't get to see Clark mentor often when it's not Kara, so it's another nice addition to the story.

They end up meeting again in London as .. well Manchester Black, while a mystery to the world, wears a flag on his chest and speaks in a cockney accent. Even Black can't help but poke fun at how fucking obvious a step this was, but in another nice touch instead of being touchy welcomes superman into his past, happy to give out his secret origin.

While we got Chester's origin in the comics, this one is more involved and likely what Kelly flehsed out when he wrote the character more later: here he was a tween whose dad was an abusive alchollic rather than a soldier who died in war, the fourth of five kids, his sister the fifth, and none really loved or wanted. He eventually leaves, taking his sister with him for her own saftey and the two scrape by stealing wallets. Unfortunatlaly a constable is lead to them by one of the couples they stole from and the ensuing confrontation, predictably for police, ends with her nearly getting ran over by a train.. till Chester's powers kicked in. Then a bunch of stuff happened he dosen't get into and boom. He HEAVILY implies she died.. but the fact he dosren't say it outright naturally means sh'es alive.

The film wisely plays with this later, revealing that the story is true.. black just sanded off the rougher edges: he KILLED his dad and the train he stopped injured a lot of people. What I like about this though is the lie dosen't come off as Black simply being a manipulative wank phesant. Partially yes, the way he phrases Vera's death is bad.. but it could simply be knowing Superman may not take the news as well, that his hero may abandon him and his friends. Both acts are also gray: he did kill his dad sure.. but we never see the actual act and Chester WAS still a young teenager at the time. He coul'dve easily ratonalized that it was the only way to save his sister. Or simply could've given in to his darker impulses. I'm a lot easier on a scared child whose being acvtively abused than a grown ass man who could've gotten therapy. Same with the train: he knew he could influnce minds from the papa murder but didn't know his telekenisis coudl stretch that far. That one Clark probably would've understood more as growing pains. Finally with Vera it could just be annoyance she didn't join him in quitting the agency or manipulation. I like that the film leaves it vauge instead of making Chester out to just be this massive dick crater. He grows INTO that but i'ts more itnresting to have some ambiguity into how manipulative he was being.

Superman has the elitie help with a nearbye tunnel collapse with a train from terroists.. something their not sure they CAN do as they've only used their powers in combat. Superman however is an excellent leader, it's hinted at the league exists here but wisely they arne't fully mentioned. For all we know he was chairman of the legion at one point and still superboy here. But he's a natural leader and helps the elitie stretch their powers.

The problem is that as much as Superman WANTS to help these new younger hereos learn to be the best they can be... they have diffrent ideas. The divide here is summed up best with this quote from another franchise, from Grant Morrison's incredible run on New X-Men

It's the simple but painful divide that happens as Manchester brutally interrogates a terroist: Superman has his dream of a better world, of inspiring hope to make it so.. and Chester has one of remaking it in his image. Of taking it away from the hands of those he deems to be children playing dangerous war games that end with real bodies strewn across continents. As much as Clark WANTED to guide them.. it was already too late. The world had already made Chester decide what he wanted to be long before he met supes and while he respects the man.. the two ultimately can't coexist. That respect makes Chester more intresting as rather than be just an edgelord who wanted to show up superman, he's simply a 20 something who sees a broken world and has the power to change it and wonders "Why don't we?" instead of seeing it's more complicated than that. By making Chester more of an actual human instead of a mark millar character, it makes the story hit harder and the darker roads he goes down hit harder. IN anotehr world the elitie would've been having teamups with the tians or the justice society, helping make the world better best they can even if they hit harder. Here though... they choose another way.. a way Superman simply can't follow and that puts them at odds. To use x-men again...

Things escalate after two events: Black's message to the world which this time.. we actually get to see which I feel makes it more effective. Having him broadcast to the world "You asked for us world, now you have us". It both instantly puts superman off his game and shows what the Elitie's real plan is.

They also make a welcome change to the attack in japan, now in Biayla: besides the setting being more plot relevant... superman's disabling is unintentional. They still slaughter a bunch of people horrifying clark, but it feels like less of an intentional dick move and fits the change in tone: in the original they were trying to piss superman off. Here it was friendly fire.. but it's clear they've now crossed a line he can't let them keep crossing by slaughting soldiers.

The film is good in asking the question: Should heroes be super proactive and make the world better by force.. or do everything they can within reason? Not buckle to the system.. but not break it over their knees either.

This all brilliantly comes to a head with atomic skull, a plot point i"ve been keeping on the sidelines so let's move it on up front: Before the elitie arrive we get two important events. The first is a dig at superman's cheesiness as Clark lisenses out a very goofy cartoon. I also like when lois presses him on this he points out his procedes ARE going to charity and he has someone looking at it. And he's just so happy to

The more important one is a fight with Atomic Skull. Atomic Skull is a recurring superman villian i'm not super familiar with whose had a dozen iterations... with this version choosing none of them, instead being a remorsless killer with radioactive powers.

He's a good choice though: a villian superman can't depower like certain other parties, who kills and will again and thus brings front and center the biggest part of a debate on the effectivness of normal costumed heroes, a piece somewhat missing from the original with it's faceless goons and men in black: Should a hero kill so a villian dosen't kill again?

The answer Superman gives, and I support is.. no. Gratned i'll add the asterix of "Unless there's no other option". Sometimes your only option is to kill a being or let it kill untold others. Shockingly NOT using x-men for this example, even though I have one ready, let's instead look at Man of Steel. Yes. We're going to THAT scene. And honestly while I have major issues with Man of Steel and most of them involve one man who thankfully chucked himself into a tornado but unthankfully came back as a ghost because god hates me, the idea of the climax isn't one of them.

For those less familiar in the climax Zod, on the verge of defeat, starts letting loose with his eye beams. He's preapred to kill EVERY PERSON he can just to spite clark.. so Clark begs and begs him not to.. and then snaps his neck when it's clear he has no other option. Now do I think having superman kill in his first film was a good idea? no, not at all. But for all Zack Snyder dosen't get Supes... he gets he'd only kill with no other option. If it's this one person or millions in that moment and no where else. No one else could stop zod and he didn't have time or knowledge to incapacitate him. He made the ahrd call and it tore him up. .until it didn't but this is a film where Clark's dad thinks throwing himself into a tornado is more important than clark doing the right thing with his powers sooooo

My point is, unless the situation is that dire.. you shoudln't. If your skilled enough, you can find another way. There's a fine line between doing so because your backed into a corner with no way out.. and diong so because "let's make the bastard pay". It's easier to kill when you have a choice, when you can justify it in your head... and thus it becomes easier. and easier. Until it stops being "because their a genuine threat" and because "They disagree with me". "because it's all I know" or worst of all "because it's fun".

And that all comes together... for the death of the Atomic Skull. The Elitie try to handle it while superman' son the way, get their asses kicked, and are forced to accept his help, despite having humilated him. Our heroes win.. but then comes the breaking point. In the original the killing was just..t here.. but here.. it's been built to slowly, a nicely slow boil over the whole run time: Superman treid his best.. but Manchester Black was a powderkeg waiting to go off.. .and he asks someone to give him a light.

Now remember how I mentioned a UN member was helping superman? Same guy clearly belivied in him and was even shown defending him against Rush Limbaugh. A few more years and it would've been tucker carlson, a good load more and it would'v ebeen.. uh... that other generic white guy they got to replace hm after he got thrown under a bus.

So naturally.. the poor man dies, his son having rushe dout to see his heroes the elitie.. only to instead see his father dies. The following scene is just.. pure pain, it's well done. The kid BEGS superman to kill Atomic Skull.. but he dosen't. It's not what his father would've wanted and would be a stain on his memory. But grief.. grief dosen't care what the person who died wanted... pain dosen't care.. and vengance... dosen't wait. Black, taking advantage of the poor teen, says to "Say the word kid"... and with one do it... Clark can only gape in horror as Atomic Skull dies.. and the crowd ERRUPTS. Only Lois and Jimmy are horrified as a man dies. Did the atomic skull deserve to die? Probably.

He killed a lot of people and you can understand where UN Guy JR was coming from.. yet it dosen't bring his dad back. It dosen't undo all the lives lost. It stops more from being killed.. but also outlines the probelm. People CHEERING for their heroes to kill someone, egging them on, telling them to kill kill. Turning normal people into a bloodthirsty mob who preys fo rthier heroes to kill their enemies. It's the other reason why don't kill: Because it gives the people you inspire the wrong message: that we will solve your problems for you and we will spill blood for you our masses. Pray to your new gods and we will deliver unto you blood.

Now i'm not saying superheroes should never intervene, fuck no, and like I said there are times to kill.. bu tyou see the problem with letting them solve every problem of the world: not only would humanity stagnate, relying on their saviors to do everything for thema nd tell them what to think... but they cease becoming seen as men and become gods. Vengeful gods who can do whatever the fuck they want. It's waht the Manga Death Note and i'ts anime adaptation got at: you let someone be ultimate judge, and they will develop a god complex and what morals they have slip. Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely, and tha'ts why heroes don't give themselves absolute power even if they can move suns.

And it's what the elitie have become: four 20 somethings with a god complex who decide they make the rules and anyone else can die slow die fast now.

This is where the movie dovetails more into the comic as the last act or so adapts it pretty closely, iwth a few bits rearranged: the public starts to cheer the elitie and the scene with the kid saying "superman is so beat"

And clark's talk with ihs dad are in tact, simply done a touch later. Superman's also not AS afraid of the elitie here.

So we payoff the Bialya Polkistan war runner: Superman stops a conlfict with zero loss of life, knowing the elitie are watching.... only this time rather than threaten to kill someone... Manchester did it 20 minutes ago.. or more like two. He just went and killed the heads of state. And the thing was Clark WASN'T sitting it out or planning to let the war go on: he was going to force the two to sit down, an option I badly wish we had in the real world. Instead.. all Chester's done is create a massive power vaccum in two countries already teeming iwth bioweapons and regular weapons. He's removed a diseased lung but taken both countires kidnies, heart and spleen and mugged the patient whlie he was at it. It's the problem with the Elitie's move fast, break things approach: they solve an issue for NOW.. but leave a giant clusterfuck to solve later. And "I'm going to kill you if you don't do better" only works as long as your alive or someone doesn't find a way to kill you for being a tyranical wank phesant.

Superman stews in his fortress.. and the elitie visit and offer him an ultimatium: stay in his lane or else. Clark responds by clocking chester... and Chester decides if your not part of the problem.. etc etc. Tommorow. Noon. Be there.

It's here I want to give some props to Manchester Black's voice actor, Robin Atkin Downes, a vetran voice actor i'd heard of vaugely but didn't really know what parts he played, I haven't gotten around to playing the no more heroes trilogy yet after all. He's done a LOT of dc work including for these films and absolutely kills it as black, bringing that nice combo of arrogance and genuine fire that black has. When you have a character that makes a LOT of grandoise speeches, you need someone who can deliver them with pure power and fire and Downes does so beautifully. Downes gets that right combo of snotty kid and broken man that we need.

We get the lois and clark scene again and i'll say in this film.. Lois is done dirty. She's played by Pauley Perette of NCIS fame, part of DC"s weird obssession with hiring actors from random prime time shows to do the big parts. This film mostly dodges that but she sticks out in a sea of voice actors. At any rate she does her best.. but Lois is just underwritten here. Her needling clark at the start is about th ebest we get: she spends most of the film looking into black's history a good idea.. but her method is just "Scream at mi 6 and hav eblack's sister hand her the goods, then the british government somehow blocks the story despite Metropolis being in america and the US usually not giving that much of a shit." I'd suggest sex blackmail but then the idea of perry white having sex nearly imploded my brain so I won't be going down that rabbit hole. Unless he was fucking bugs bunny, then i'ts impressive. Bugs is a fuck machine.

The climax.. plays out almost exactly as in the comic. While this adaptation changes a lot to make a more compelling story, the end point.. really didn't need to be fucked with. It's remarkable just how much they straight up adapt it. They tone down the violence SLIGHTLY, but only as much as needed to not get this rated R.. if DTV movies get rated r. It' sprobably why bisected Gorilla was left out. RIP Bisected Gorilla

It's chillingly well done. The beat down, superman's hoplesness.. and then... "Thank you". And it's all perfectly delivered by our superman for the evening, George Newbern. Newbern is probably my faviorite superman with close seconds being Tim Daly in Superman the Animated Series (Who Newbern replaced) and Jack Quaid from My Adventures WIth Superman, though Quaid is getting close. I grew up with Newbern's take on justice league, where he evolved Timy Daly's portryal and went on to portray superman a lot when DC neede dhim including in the injustice games.

Newburn nails it here, being the kind, hopeful man we all know.. and then giving us this nightmarish pivot. He makes the wise choice to make superman a soft spoken sadist... to have him not scream at his foes but calmly talk to the elitie as he picks them off one by one. The direction plays this scene like a horror flim and perfectly so, the terror on the Elitei's faces as they each go down, as the killer picks each one off leading it down to blacka nd down to metropolis as the world gazes in horror at what superman has become. It shows what sinking to this level does to you, how EASY it is, and how horrifying it'd be if superman actually did this. We've gotten plenty of "evil superman" takes from Invincible with Nolan to the boys tv show with homelander, that show what an indocirinated good solider or utter bastard with a god complex would do.. but this example still stands out despite all those deconstructions.. because it's clark. Because it's THE superman. It's not someone who wears a similar costume.. it's clark doing it, one of his most recognizable and best performers doing the performance, and it is fucking chilling. The performance was great in the comic.. but it's ASTONISHING here with all the extra florish.

And as before.. it was an act. The film does act like superman actually depowered them all, but I don't think he gave black a lobotomy as the pop is still present and he still zeroes in on the growth his powers come from. So at worst he simply removed a benign growth and at best it was temporary. Some, including tv tropes, think this kinda underminds thing that superman isn't judge and jury.. but I disagree. He didn't kill them, he just took their power away after they'd killed dozens of people and tried to kill him. It's like I said earlier with the superheroes killing thing: if ther'es no other way sure. It's insurance if the elitie hasn't learned there lesson and like the comics he probably coudln't strip them of power permenatnly. It's also why Atomic Skull was a good choice: there's no real way to remove his powers without potetntially killing clark himself, creating a wave of radaition etc. Here.. superman was in a controlled environment for 3/4 and for the last one knew exactly what to do to remove his powers. Superman give shis iconic ending speech about hope and flies off and the movie ends.

This movie.. is a standout, a true classic worth seeking out and most copies aren't super expensive. It takes a great if hard to find story and punches it up considerably, keeping the key points and refining them while making the opposing side less caracatures to make the point stick better. As i've said, Black is accurate to mark millar's writing.. but as a result he's still a strawman. Here he's more a character and the point at large is more fleshed out and naunced: we see the consequences of superman's style of justice.. but then see what would happen if he decided to play it the elitie's way. This film is a true classic and I highly recommend it.

Next Time: Superman fights the Klan as we tackle an old radio serial!

[stvlti]

Snippet from my untitled Blue Beetle & Teen Titans rejects fic :)

Click. Snap. Click. Snap.

They're sat inside a Big Belly Burger, waiting for their order of fries. A female singer he doesn't recognise croons Spanglish over weirdly retro beats on the speakers. Eddie is fidgeting with the catch on his now-useless slider phone, out of nerves or boredom, he doesn't know.

The first thing they did once they got into town was to buy a mobile phone. It's strange, but there aren't many payphones around, and whatever happened to them while they were in the Bleed and subsequently in their fall back to Earth must have fried their cellphones. Luckily, he found one of those rundown stores selling spare electronics for cheap that accepts cash and doesn't ask questions. At least one thing hasn't changed.

Click. Snap. Click. Snap.

The phone they bought is a palm-sized thing with a wide touch-screen, one of those smart-phone models that only came out last year, and yet the store owner seemed almost happy to part with it. "It's ancient," he'd said in a comfortingly thick accent, "I was about to chuck it out with the garbage. I'd sell it to you for free, chiquito." Things only get stranger from there. It took less than a minute for Khaji to jail break the phone and recalibrate itself to the local network. They tried his family's numbers again, even tried the Titans Tower secure line, but no dice. What Jaime found on the internet was even less reassuring.

Click. Snap. Click. Snap.

"Hey, Eddie."

The fidgeting stops.

"Could you go grab us some drinks? I need a minute alone with the scarab."

"Sure...?" Eddie throws another glance at Jaime, not quite hiding his worry as he slides out of his seat.

[ You were vexed by his opening and shutting of his phone case. ]

"I didn't realise it was state the obvious hour."

Khaji Da does not respond. Jaime rubs his temple.

"Sorry, sorry. Yes, I'm stressed. Tell me you have some good news, at least."

[ You are still alive, as is Eddie Bloomberg. You have enough money to acquire sustenance for another week, during which I can help you find a job and — ]

"Khaji. I need to get home."

[ You are technically in your hometown. ]

"But it's not the El Paso I know. Right? Tell me I'm not crazy."

[ Jaime Reyes is correct. Based on our quick search of the government domains, social network platforms and news sites, the Reyes family never lived in El Paso. There is no record of your parents or extended family in the state registry. Your name does not exist in the class registers of your high school. Your sister— ]

"Also doesn't exist! I know! I got it the first time." Jaime looks over to the self-service machine. What is taking Eddie so long? "I asked you for good news, Khaji."

[ Actually, your sister exists. Milagro Reyes, age 18, enrolled in Edge Keys High School. According to her posts on Instagram, she was last seen at the Kord Centre Mall — ]

"Did you say eighteen? And where the heck is Edge Key?"

[ I have some more good news. While there is no record of your other family members in the state of Texas, a Reyes Auto Repair Shop was recently removed from the business registry in Edge Key, Greater Palmera City. ]

"What? We have to go to Edge Key!"

"What's Edge Key?" Eddie sets a tray down, almost spilling the two extra-large cups of soda balanced precariously on it. The fries look tiny in comparison.

"That's what I'm trying to find out. Khaji, can you — hold on, I'm syncing you to the phone so Eddie can see."

The phone lights up, and Jaime expects Khaji's words to crawl across the screen like text messages the way he's done the few times Jaime tried to sync the scarab to his old phone via blue-tooth. Instead, the phone starts talking in a lady computer voice.

"Your scarab was a chick this whole time?" Eddie exclaims, the half-chewed fry in his hand forgotten.

"What? No! I didn't even know it could speak like this."

"I simply utilised this phone's built-in text-to-speech system. It is not my problem that the manufacturers could only imagine AI voices as female."

"I think it just insulted every super-computer in the cape community..."

"Anyway, the coordinates?"

[ There is one last thing you should know before you go, Jaime Reyes. The Blue Beetle was last sighted in Palmera City six hours ago. ]

The boys pause and look at each other.

"Show me, Khaji."

And on the screen of the phone appears a crisp, 4K picture of a guy in a costume that looks exactly like him, mid-flight in the streets of a city he's never been to.

[angry-nightwing]

Just got back from watching Return of the King extended edition at the cinema and now the movie is spinning around in my head like a rotisserie chicken

First of all this movie is SO GOOD you guys. Like we all knew, but it's like i rediscovered it. This movie is SO GOOD someone should give it 11 Oscars thus making it the most Oscar winning movie ever tied w titanic

Secondly something really funny happened. Now that I'm a mom, i have a very potent motherly instinct that my daughter triggers in me, but as we were sitting in the cinema, everytime Frodo came on screen that instinct was ACTIVATED. Like I've always wanted to protect him but this was a whole new level

There's something about how quickly smeagol was lost to the ring. It is instantly, in a way no one else in the story has experienced. Something about how inevitable it is, how this was always how it was going to go, how he was always meant to fall to its power

The parallel of the scene where smeagol asks for the ring and kills his friend for it, and the one where Frodo asks for it back from Sam and he gives it willingly

Or the parallel of the scene where Deagol and Smeagol fight over the ring and the scene at the end, the culmination of the entire story, when Frodo and Gollum fight for it as well. How it was always meant to end like this, because this was how it started. How the ring has always gained power by sowing chaos and turning people against each other, how its biggest strength was inspiring obsession and how that very same power is what caused it's downfall.

I never thought about it before but i love how Merry and Pippin fit the respective colorschemes of the two kingdoms of men they end up serving. Merry looks like someone right out of Rohan, even the color of his clothes. Pippin w his darker hair and clothes fit right in w the Gondorians. It makes me wonder if this was taken into account when their wardrobes were designed in preproduction

The look Elrond has when he sends Arwen to Aragorn, and then again after they kiss and embrace. He is weeping for the loss of his daughter. He is so happy she found her happiness. He knows he's never going to see he again. I am crying

I love how you can see when he stands on the pier at the grey havens, Frodo is pale and still a bit sickly looking, but once he steps onto the boat, he instantly gains color back, he has rosy cheeks and a sunkissed face. Even just stepping onto that boat, he's begun his journey towards healing, and that's why he can give his friends such a genuine smile

I also love the inherent selflessness of the action. Frodo doesn't just leave for himself, he also leaves for Sam. After everything they've been through, Sam was never going to be able to stop worrying for Frodo. He would never be able to cast the responsibility aside, he'd spend every day needing to check up on him. "You cannot always be torn in two" Frodo says because he understands that Sam isnt able to fully commit to his family, to just be a father and husband, because he is also still Frodos servant, protector, best friend, gardener. By leaving, he is allowing Sam to let go. Sam comes home, heaves a sigh - of relief, of acceptance? - and says "well.. I'm back." And i truly believe that until that moment, Sam hadn't fully come back to the Shire yet

[mdhwrites]

There's something I don't understand... since the Collector (or one of his siblings) trapped the owl beast in the scroll, but couldn't the Collector remove Eda's (and by extension, Lilith's) curse and free the owl beast from her body since he's basically a young god? Even if they insist on treating the curse like a chronic illness, it wouldn't have hurt to mention it since it just seems like a plot hole.

So the only time this would matter would be in the epilogue. Otherwise, the Collector is never on Eda and Lilith's side and so doing a kindness of that sort for them wouldn't make sense. Maybe taking it away to depower them while the Collector is ruling the Isles but that's frankly more work than just turning them into a puppet. Should he have done it at the end? Eeeeh. I think the creators reasonably decided that Harpy Lilith would be a flashier way that more fans would want to see as a resolution to the curse than simply getting rid of it. It also allows those who see it as a disability or chronic illness to not just have a god whisk away those issues but instead see how these characters are thriving in spite of it. Not that I'm too happy with the allegory in the end with the Harpy forms, I'd rather be rid of my own disability frankly than pretend it's a superpower but *shrug*.

I wouldn't call this a plot hole though. Nothing is actively contradicting this point or is missing from the logic of the show's events to justify it as one. That's what causes plotholes after all. When something actively goes back on what it has shown or done or blatantly changes the rules of reality for what it wants to do. I would personally argue that TOH's biggest plotholes either go to A: Why the fuck was Belos able to make a portal out of a stone arch and Titan's Blood and LITERALLY NOTHING ELSE and it worked better somehow than the explicit instructions that he himself left on how to make a portal door? There's just a LOT of levels of bullshit and contradictions that we're never going to get an explanation for. B: "How do we stop this draining spell that kills people by feeding on their magic?" "I know! Let's mix it with a curse that turns people into monsters by feeding on and corrupting their magic!" And then everyone should have just stared at whoever offered that idea before immediately moving on with the meeting like nothing had happened and that person hadn't said anything. And yes, it's trying to play off of Eda's Requiem but in that, I never got the feeling of "This weakened the spell," I got the feeling of "OH! This made it so she has a disintegration spell!" because let's face it: Her and Raine's spell was not WEAKER than anything else Raine could do. Not if it was their only option to nullify, stop and then murder two coven heads who were actively trying to find them.

God this show's writing got stupid. Then again, in both cases you have plot holes that exist because, well... The show wrote itself in a corner. The show spent so much time on Belos' backstory and on Hunter and Lumity in S2 that they hadn't actually come up with a real way to stop The Day of Unity. Even if you do want to use Eda's Requiem as an excuse, they also have to retcon in that same scene the fact that Darius, Eber and Raine can't just sit out the ceremony anymore like they had previously established, making the one way they HAD established to beat it not matter anymore, even though Odalia could have just told Luz about an off screen raid that was happening on the CAT's hideout and effectively nothing changes except Eda doesn't lose an arm. The other is of course the portal. The portal not working immediately is a cool idea but one they don't explore AT ALL. And it presents the obvious problem of "Okay, what was the missing piece?" Yes, Belos theoretically knows that piece but even his Isles door looked like it needed a lot of extra elements to function and work properly that let you assume that what Luz had gotten before was a prototype door, not the real thing. But... Then it's literally just a stone archway and liberal application of Titan's Blood because Belos is a monster and can't have gotten the materials for a proper door anymore. What leads to these moments in both cases aren't bad ideas but they're also stepping away from the fantasy genre without knowing why the genre uses these tropes. Why can't you just remove one of the things necessary for the villain to win is a common problem for a lot of fantasy stories and most are just smart not to EVER BRING IT UP because of it. Magic working on the first try may not make sense but it means that there isn't further experimentation that's required, or the spell only works once before devouring itself or the like, a trope TOH even played into because suddenly the door required more Titan Blood every time it was opened and yet the key isn't fully drained after probably hundreds of years. It's all a part of that feeling of TOH wanting to be smarter than it's writers are. At least for this genre.

[hippolotamus]

Fic Rec Fraturday

This week's theme is: a fic that made you cry / feel all the feelings

The rules are simple: tag the fic that made you cry / feel all the feelings and describe why it's so good. Then, tag some fellow associates to see what everyone else is reading.

Thanks for the tags by @rmd-writes @stereopticons @jesuisici33 @mallpretzles 💖

9-1-1

a bleeding sun on a silver screen (aka the actors au) by rarakiplin/ @hoediaz

Listen, I read this as a WIP and it absolutely destroyed me in the best way. I'm not exaggerating even a little when I say my chest got tight just opening this fic again. It ripped my heart out, stomped it on the ground, then picked it back up and lovingly tucked it safely away again.

Their summary:

One day, Buck will tell an interviewer that he would be happy to make movies with Eddie Diaz until the day he dies.

But first, years before that, he sees Eddie for the first time on the set of Chimney’s fifth movie.

Schitt's Creek

This is technically cheating because it's a series, but...

five days, one year, a lifetime by faithnomoar (I don't believe they're on tumblr but someone please correct me if I'm wrong)

Do you need to wail into the night? Perhaps a good cathartic cry? Then this may just be the fic for you. Just two boys who fall in love aboard the RMS Titanic, become separated and have the happiest of endings. It is worth every single sob and frustrated growl, I promise.

[a-flaming-idiot]

2023 AO3 Wrapped

Made by @floydsin

How many words have you written this year?  189,786 words! GODDAMN!! I didn't know I had that in me.

How many works did you publish this year? 11 fics.

What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?  Titan Spawn. It is my most popular but I think that comes from the passion I've put into it. It's been a lot of fun and a huge crowing experience that I hope to continue into the New Year.

What work of yours has the most hits?  Titan Spawn

What work of yours got more feedback than you expected?  Again, I gotta say Titan Spawn. My friends will tell you the same, it was meant to just be a silly twoshot to get me out of my winter funk. Then everyone's love for it turned it into what it is now.

Favorite title you used? Caught In A Multimouse Trap. It's simple and cute.

If you use song lyrics, which artist’s songs did you pull from the most? I didn't really use any song lyrics. And even the ones I did were really just random and sporatic with no trend to them.

Pairing you wrote the most for this year?  I guess either Willuz or Alyanette. Willuz because technically all of Titan Spawn is considered Willuz even though they've had little screentime. And Alyanette has featured in like 2 1/2 of my fics. Though except for one it's mostly a background thing again. I don't do much shipping anymore.

Favorite pairing you wrote for this year?  Amivee since it's so out of left field but works very well in Titan Spawn.

What work was the quickest to write?  A Kitten's Responsibility. Wrote it in an afternoon in between my family's Christmas Eve-Eve party.

What work took you the longest to write?  I'd say chapters 10-11 of Titan Spawn. They were meant to be one chapter but split off into two due to their raw size. Took me most of the summer and over 30K words.

How many WIP’s do you have in your docs for next year?  Three I still intend to finish. A BNA Swap AU I'm mostly done with, just haven't found it in me to get past the festival scene. A miraculous fic where Adrien/Chat Noir thinks Ladybug and Marinette are dating. Just stuck on the specifics of one scene but I intend to finish. And another one with Gabriel mentoring Marinette back from September I similarly just haven't found it in me to finish despite being 75% done.

What’s your longest work of the year?  Titan Spawn again... 145,769 words.

What’s your shortest work of the year?  Hush Little Tanuki. Makes sense. It was originally gonna be a chapter of another larger fic that went belly up.

What WIP are you taking into next year with you? See 12.

What’s your most common “Additional Tags” tag?  "Hurt/Comfort"... honestly I shouldn't be surprised.

Your favorite character to write this year?  Definitely Vee. Specifically in Titan Spawn. She got so little screen time in the show but was so fun to make her even sassier and have her be more of the older sister to Luz and King. But Titan Spawn Luz was fun with all her quirks and I was happy to write Multimosue right at the finish line.

The character that gave you the most trouble writing this year?  I'mma say most of the kwamis. They all have really vague personalities that were hard to really get while writing. Especially when I was new to the fandom. (Still kinda am.)

What’s one pairing you want to explore next year?  I guess Amivee just because it's rare and funny. But again, not really going into the year with shipping on the mind.

Which work of yours have you reread the most?  Titan Spawn since it's so long and I do like to occasionally look back at older chapters. But by the end it felt like Caught In A Multimouse Trap. I kinda skimped out on editing near the end just because I was frustrated with having read it so much both for editing and just catching myself up after breaks.

How many kudos in total did you get this year?  1,275 Kudos.

Which work has the most comments?  Titan Spawn. Obviously the biggest and caught everyone right at the peak of the TOH fandom near the finale.

Did you do any collaborative works this year? Yes. @sashonya helped me a lot with Titan Spawn and we collaborated on Beast Or Man? (How Should I Know?) & No Sight, All Heart. plus Beta reading and helping to brainstorm Heart Of Aspiration.

Did you write any gifts this year?  No Really.

Did you receive any gifts this year?  No

What’s your most common category?  Gen with a few Teen.

What do you listen to while writing?  Not much really. Sometimes I listen to whatever music is hitting my fancy at the time or like a video essay, but I regularly pause or tune it out when I get into the motions.

Favorite work you wrote this year? That is near impossible to choose. I love all my wretched children! (Otherwise I don't finish making them) But if forced to choose, probably Titan Spawn and Caught In A Multimosue Trap. Though maybe that last one was just cause it's so recent. But I really love Multimouse and had fun writing her tiny and cute.

Favorite line/passage you wrote this year?  I have written way too much to choose. I really do like most of what I made.

Biggest surprise while writing this year?  Titan Spawn taking off. Really I meant for it to just be a quick peak into a possible AU since I was in my winter funk. But people loved it so much and Sash really inspired me to add more to it. And now we have the goliath we got now.

[postsfromthedark]

TOH S3 E2 theory

Spoilers of released pics and clips under the cut

So when the Gang goes into the Collector's mindscape, there's that big door with all the "KEEP OUT" signs, right?

I have two theories as to what's in there.

Memories of when the Titan og imprisoned them, which would inc. how to do it and so raise the question in the Gang of if they should trap them or not (like they are a kid, it seems)

Memories of where they come from, how they wound up in the BI, which may include another dramamtic betrayal and add to what we know abt the Collector's major trust issues (ideally this might include an actual name drop, but I doubt we're gonna get one so)

Bonus theory I just thought of, it could be when Philip first met the Collector. Smth never rlly sat right with me how that deal was told to have gone down. They make the deal. and it seems that TC told him right then how to get back home, but it takes another 400 or so years to do it? Was Philip waiting for a chance to do the draining spell the whole time? Was he waiting for the perfect grimwalker but eventually quit on that plan? It'd also make sense why TC would lock that off. Painful memory, where you're told nothing but lies and empty promises

I do rlly like that we see their mindscape. We know already that the Collector's been trapped for at least a few millenia (the titan trapped him, and the titan had to have died/hibernated at least a few thousand years ago for there to be such an advanced civilization(s) living on his body). It's debatable whether being trapped halted the Collector's aging, and he rlly was like 8 when it happened, or if the Collector's species just ages reallly slowly and the collector was alive millenia before that as well.

We saw that Philip was able to turn his mind into a hallway commemorating his lies and faux achievements, and I highly suspect the Collector showed him how to do that, and does it themselves.

Whtvr happens tho, I'm so effing happy the Collector's gonna have more than 8 minutes of screen time soon 😭😭

[lunarblue21]

Trailer for Cruel Intentions (entire series but mostly the first half)

Black screen.

Narrator: (Voiceover): There comes a time when friendships are tested

Fade to black, three rapid successions of scenes, each cutting into each other; first scene of Peaches tackling Diego, second scene close up of tusks aiming in on the tiger, only to be blocked by Manny's. Camera focuses on the mammoth standing protectively beside the tiger, protecting him from the Imperial mammoth glowering at them. Third scene, Diego limping off with Manny gazing after him mournfully after their conversation hasn't gone well. Fade to black as narrator's voice begins again.

Narrator: (Voiceover): And the time has come to choose…

One brief instance of a scene, Manny glancing back at the tiger concealed behind the tree, a young sabre cub at his side, watching the mammoths enter the herd, and the two look into each other's eyes briefly before Diego averts his gaze, turning to Axel. Camera focuses back on Manny, with a close-up of his brown eyes, pools of sadness over these events. Cuts to black.

Narrator: (Voiceover) But what will you do? Will you be loyal to your friend of the fire, or instead lust after the honour you desire?

Scene fades in. Camera zooms in on Manny and the black Imperial mammoth Elder Titan, who are talking together, as two animal kids run up to them, their faces streaked with tears and their fur wet with blood. Their voices are muffled as they try and get Manny's attention, but he intently keeps conversing (apparently affably) with the Elder, turning aside to them at the last minute. Upon hearing their news, the camera zooms in on his eyes, which have widened with fear at the children's story. He makes a move to leave and go after his friend; however, he is restrained by the Elder, leaving him no choice but to stay there. Worried, he casts his eyes in the direction of the meadow; and the two kids see it. They glance at each other, taking hope.

Narrator: (Voiceover) What will you do? The choices hang in the balance.

Cut to black.

Music begins (immediate music : Judgement Day – 1:35- 2:01 mayhaps)

Several made up film companies appear (as Fox and Blue Sky might object to theirs being used.)

Elder Titan: (Voiceover) The boundaries are being blurred. I must do something to stop this.

Flash of white and scene fades into a clearing where Diego and Peaches are wrestling each other, the tiger being extra-careful not to harm her. Cuts to the black-furred Imperial mammoth peering at them from behind the bushes, his eyes narrowed in suspicion mingled with anger. Cut to Manny standing in front of the Council of his species. The camera zooms in on slowly him as he speaks.

Manny (Voiceover): I beg to differ! My friend Diego is a strong tiger, he wouldn't let them do any such thing if he was border control guard, and he'd make them obey him. He was the second-in-command of the pack he defected from, on my behalf. My mammoths, he nearly died … to save me.

Scene cuts to Manny and Diego.

Manny: (happily) To think I was nominated for the position of Regent Elder! *punches Diego gently* Just imagine what I can do for our herd if I get elected, Diego.

Cuts to Diego.

Diego: (managing a small grin) I'm happy for you, Buddy. Just don't forget about us, okay?

Cuts back to Manny.

Manny (solemnly) Of course not. (Smiles at Diego)

Music changes (Test Drive from the HTTYD soundtrack 1:18 -2:00)

Cuts to black with writing on screen saying 'When dangers and troubles collide with the herd, their very existence will be put under fire.'

Flash of white, cut to the tigers and Sid and Shelley ducking away just before the black-furred Chief Elder Titan arrives on the scene, his face a thundercloud as he glances around, inspecting the area with suspicious intent in his eyes. Bridging shot of Sid strutting around wearing a hat as he acts flirtatious towards Shelley (even hitting on Ellie briefly before Diego notices and tells him to knock it off). Cut next to Diego teaching Axel how to hunt, tailed closely by Peaches, who insists on learning to hunt as well. Cut to Axel with a smirk on his face.

Axel: Gosh, that's brilliant. A mammoth learning how to hunt.

Rapid cut to the scene of a large battlefield, with Manny raising his tusks in preparation for the onrush as the herd falls in step behind him, with Damien trumpeting a battle cry.

Damien: We shall no longer by our silent, obedient consent live under the rule of "Chief" Elder Titan. Onward, into the fray!

Writing flashes onscreen: 'And they will embark on a journey that will test their very souls.'

Cuts to Peaches running away towards the entrance in the Pass of the Brede that leads out of the valley, tears visible on her cheeks, blood trickling from a wound on her side. Cuts to Manny standing alone under a bright night sky, dotted with white stars shining luminously across the expanse of space. Brief POV shot of Manny's face as he glowers at the stars that mock him in their togetherness.

Cuts to Manny.

Manny: You said you'd always be there for me! But you're not… *He blinks away a stray tear appearing in his eye*

Flash of white, fades into a wide shot of the herd beginning to go their separate ways; Sid leaving with Shelley, walking off into the distance claw in claw, and then the possum brothers departing, glancing back at their sister Ellie solicitously, aware of the sorrow in her eyes. Cuts to Peaches up close, standing next to an older wolf, turning her head upwards to gaze at the stars, noticing the outline of one formerly very dear to her in them, and sighing to herself as a falling star skids across the sky nearby her, although she doesn't see it. Cuts to black.

Title fades in: 'Cruel Intentions'. But it gleams brightly with red light for one minute, and then fades out.

Cuts to ending with a screen fading in saying 'Coming soon to a fanfiction site near you.'

(my apologies for such a long post but here is a taste of my Cruel Intentions series for any of my readers here on tumblr! 'Cruel Intentions' will be crossposted to both ffn and ao3, so I hope you'll tune in on whatever platform you prefer!)

xxxxxxxxxx

Will update this trailer occasionally with links to the books in my CI-verse once they've dropped as well as pinning them to my tumblr profile. :)

CI: Lacrimosa

FFN AO3

[beebeebelle]

My honest review

James Cameron has an intense skill set. This is clearly shown through the beauty of 'Titanic'. For my IRL friends who know me, i'm sure you're familiar with my never-ending obsession with Titanic, it's history, and pretty much everything about it. I'm actually debating creating an entire section on here dedicated to it!

From the visuals to the soundtracks, nearly everything about this film is perfect (to me at least). Although the love story between Jack and Rose can get tiring, considering it's my 36th time watching the film. I would have preferred to see the stories of the actual survivors, the crew (especially) and even the building of the vessel. Maybe that's because I'm a huge history nerd, i'm not sure. But nevertheless, I always enjoy watching it.

Although, focusing on historical accuracy 'A night to Remember' still stands on the pedestal. I find myself to have a more enjoyable watch when I know the stories behind the screen, not just two fragments of Cameron's imagination.

Also does anybody agree with me on my thoughts on the soundtrack? My heart will go on, now for some reason is embedded into the history... that doesn't sit right with me. Yes, for the film it's a perfectly acceptable song, and fits well, but it's when people directly associate the song with the genuine history, it irks me a little bit. I wish people knew how to separate reality from creativity.

I (obviously) score this film a solid 9/10. Most definitely worth the watch, but my suggestion; learn the history beforehand to have a better understanding and connect better with the film. It just makes it more tragic and interesting. Especially considering you'll be able to sit next to your friends pointing out 'hey that's not correct' or 'hey! James Cameron actually got that part right!' My favorite one to use is always, 'you see that character, right at the back. No he's in the crowd! He's actually based upon-' and you get my drift.

Anyways, that's all I'll say on the matter for now. Happy watching! :) <3

[adamwatchesmovies]

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)

I didn't expect Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire to make me seriously consider the topic of film reviews, but here we are. I'm in the camp that's going to call this a good movie. The film has some clearly established objectives and it meets them. It's sure to please those who buy tickets to see it whether they're established fans of the Godzilla franchise or were introduced to the King of the Monsters with this MonsterVerse cinematic series. On the big screen, where the action is "to scale", it's a lot of fun and moves quickly from one earth-shattering brawl to the next. It's going to make a lot of people happy, so how can make it "bad"? On the other hand, the screenplay is often clumsy and those clearly established objectives mean the film is unambitious. All it wants to do is what you'd expect it to and nothing more.

Set a few years after the events of the previous film, Titan attacks are now a way of life, even if the colossal beasts are inevitably repelled by Godzilla. Meanwhile, Kong discovers he is not the only member of his species living in Hollow Earth and Dr. Ilene Andrews (Rebecca Hall), self-described titan expert/conspiracy theorist Bernie Hayes (Brian Tyree Henry), Titan veterinarian "Trapper" (Dan Stevens) and young Jia (Kaylee Hottle) travel underground to investigate.

The last time Adam Wingard directed Godzilla and Kong, we had two separate human plots, one of which could've been eliminated without affecting the plot too much. Consequently, writers Terry Rossio, Simon Barrett and Jeremy Slater now give us the minimum amount of humans on screen. We don't even have random loved ones on the surface to put in danger when a monster shows up. Aside from the Kong/Godzilla storyline (I'll get to it in a bit), all the people traveling to the Hollow Earth worry about is how Kong will defeat the monster he has to square off against, except for Jia and Dr. Ilene, who have a more involved, more emotional story independent from the great ape's. There's a thin point made about exploiting the environment and the impact our civilization might have on the residents of Hollow Earth, but it's blink and you miss it. That's what I mean when I say this film is unambitious. The movie everyone is going to compare GxK: TNE is Godzilla Minus One, which said a lot about a lot of things, had characters the audience fell in love with and delivered great monster action. To be fair, this is not that film. It doesn't want to be - but it could've been.

Now, let's get into the Kong/Godzilla story so I can give the film some praise. Neither of these characters can speak, which means a lot of the storytelling is done solely via body language and actions. While the motivations may be simplistic, what's happening and how we should react is always clear. We even manage to get a pretty good "feel" for the personalities of the more prominently featured kaiju (there are even more here than in the first two hours of Godzilla: King of the Monsters), which is not an easy task. For established fans, it's a treat to see several new monsters introduced, instead of getting old favorites with new paint jobs… again. I'm also going to circle back to Jia, who had a similar story to Kong's in the previous movie and does here too. There's a nice parallel and I sense that this universe has finally established some characters it can bring back over and over again. They will ensure that we care about more than just Kong and Godzilla. I'm particularly happy with the Titan veterinarian, who would naturally run toward the series' action and for good reason.

Like its predecessor, Godzilla x Kong offers several big, varied action scenes in all sorts of different environments. You may not remember the dialogue but you will remember the visuals. It also shows audiences something new, whether they're intimately familiar with the Godzilla franchise or not, which is another thing easier said than done considering it's appeared in 38 films so far. All of this makes me hate that reviews have to put movies in buckets of "good" and "bad". It could've been a better movie. It should've been a better movie but I also like what we got and I won't be the only one. (Theatrical version on the big screen, March 28, 2024)

[queenofmahishmati]

Jai Mahishmati!!

Grandest trailer of the year is here. Was definitely worth the wait!!

Baahubali: The Conclusion (April 2017)

(x)

[strsburn]

destiny led me to you | loki

pairing - loki laufeyson x female reader

synopsis - driven by the heartbreak of losing your entire world by the hands of thanos, you set out to find him, leaving destruction in your path in multiple universes; thus creating a horde of branches in the timeline and catching the attention of the TVA.

but you would do it all again if it meant you could see him once more.

notes - this is hopefully going to be a series, depending on the feedback i receive, i plan to follow the episodes only slightly because i dont want it to be an exact copy of the show.

[THIS WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS FOR LOKI SERIES]

idea credit ( @horrorisunknowntoyou ) thank you for the inspo and allowing me to run with it!

warnings - death, violence, angst, and possible smut (in later chapters?)

wc - 2.4k

MASTERLIST • AO3

"Dread it, run from it. Destiny arrives all the same." A wrinkled hand reaches for your chin, running prune colored fingers along your jawline, doting; mockingly.

Your heartbeat pulses loudly in your ears, eyes glazing over with exhaustion and pain as you attempt to glare, the notion in vain as the titan merely chuckled amusedly.

"I can see great power in you, little one. An infinity stone pulses beneath your every vein. Tell me, where is the tesseract?"

You remain silent.

"We don't have the tesseract, it was destroyed along with all of Asgard." Thor interjects weakly from where he lies, his body held tightly in the arms of the black order.

Guilt sweeps across your being as you make eye contact with Loki, sharing a single nod as you both know what you must do.

Thanos grows annoyed with your unwillingness to comply as he walks over with loud steps, his footprints visible as he raises his gauntlet up, the power stone shining threateningly close to Thor.

"The tesseract, or your brother's head. I assume you have a preference." It's not a question. Merely a statement, one that Loki knows he must prove unbothered.

"Oh, I do. Kill away." To anyone else it would seem he couldn't care less about his brother's demise, but you know your love better than he does himself and you catch the glance of fear that washes over cerulean eyes.

You can only watch in trepidation as the stone makes contact with the God's head. Agonized cries escaping as his skin is burned by the mere power of the stone.

Loki does his best to look unaffected, but you catch the hitch in his breath as he batters inner turmoil. the universe, or his brother.

"Alright, that's enough!"

Loki turns his palm up, as a familiar blue cube materializes in his hand. The eerie blue glow casting a shadow upon his face.

Thanos steps away, smug. You force yourself to look away from Thor's accusing gaze.

"You truly are the worst, brother." Thor shakes his head, eyes disappointed but not surprised.

As Thanos moves to take the stone from his hand cerulean blue eyes make contact with your own and you feel a wave of fear wash over you as you recognize the look in Loki's eyes.

"I assure you, brother. The sun will shine on us again." He does not move his gaze from your own and you can't help but feel this is an unspoken goodbye.

"Your optimism is misplaced, asgardian."

"Well, for one thing, I'm not asgardian. For another, we have a hulk."

In a blur of color you are shoved from where you lie, a slithe figure covering your own as you breathe in the familiar scent of cinnamon and leather.

"We don't have much time, my love. I just want you to know that I love you dearly, and I am grateful for the time I had with you. May I see you again, in Valhalla." His eyes are teary and you barely process his words, as his hands grab hold of your face and pull you into a kiss.

The kiss is desperate, filled with love and grief and you can only briefly kiss your love back as he steps closer to Thanos, rambling on about undying fidelity.

You catch a glimpse of silver behind his back and you gasp as realization sets in.

You move to reach him just as he leaps for Thanos, the knife poised for his head, frozen in mid air as the stones across his knuckles pulse.

"Undying fidelity, you should choose your words more wisely."

You cry out as Loki struggles in his grip, his skin fading blue. You crawl forward, legs aching as you reach for him, your progress hinged by your inability to walk.

"You will never be a god." The rasped words are followed by a snap as his neck gives out beneath Thanos' hands.

A tortured scream rings out and it takes you a second to realize it's your own. A broken sob leaves you as you crawl forward to reach where Thanos has carelessly thrown the body of your love.

You heave as your shaky fingers caress his face, his lifeless eyes staring ahead as you clutch him to your chest.

You rock back and forth knotting your fingers in his hair as you plead for the nightmare to end.

"No resurrections this time."

A portal opens and closes behind you, yet you make no motion to move.

You simply close your eyes and welcome the sweet release of death as the universe explodes around you.

N E W Y O R K 2 0 1 2

"'Coordinates for search and rescue, on my way now.' I mean honestly, how-" Loki is promptly shut up by the mouth guard that decorates his face, courtesy of his brother.

Displeasure makes an appearance as Loki is led to the elevator followed by the avengers that quickly file in. The only source of entertainment being the temper tantrum the green beast throws as he is denied entry. Loki can hardly contain his glee as he waves mockingly as the doors close.

As he is led to the ground floor his cuffed hands clinking annoyingly with every step he glances wearily around himself, dreading the lecture that is sure to come once he reaches asgard. He has no doubt in his mind that Odin will find perfect reason to throw him to the wolves, lest his mother get involved.

As he contemplates, his attention is caught by the sound of his brother calling for help, the guards holding him, attending to what he perceives to be a heart attack, to none other than the man of metal.

He watches, confused as a small stature kicks the case holding the tesseract away from view as the others tend to Stark.

Looking around bemused he watches to see what will conspire next. Before any other move can be made a shout is heard as the doors to the staircase along with the wall is torn apart, the hulk making his distaste for the tedious activity known.

For once since meeting the beast he feels thankful, as the case holding the tesseract is knocked open, the familiar cube sliding towards his foot.

A beat passes and grabbing a hold of the familiar cube he glances around, vanishing in a thin cloud of blue.

T V A U N K N O W N

Hurried footsteps echo down the corridor as the man moves with barely contained excitement. Tie swinging to and fro, a slightly wrinkled hand pulls at the collar of his neck nervously.

Mobius had seen many variants in his time at the TVA. Yet, none had ever come close to interesting as the file he currently held in one hand. Variant L1130 or Loki, as he was called, was perhaps one of the most complicated cases he had come across.

Born as a legend of mythology it was quite unbelievable to know that not only was he real, but he happened to be in their custody for creating a new branch in the timeline. Mobius could only hope Renslayer would agree to allowing him to be the God's superior.

Entering the courtroom, Mobius sits down and watches with rapt attention as Loki attempts to bargain with Ravonna. His plans are foiled as he tries to call upon his magic in a last effort to escape.

Mobius feels it's time to intervene when Renslayer makes it clear he is to be executed.

"You have no idea what I am capable of!"

"Actually I might have an idea of what he is capable of." He offers as he makes his way up to the stand.

His plea must be written across his face as Ravonna leans over to look at him directly.

"Whatever you're planning, it's a bad idea." She warns.

Nonetheless she reluctantly lets him go and Mobius has to fight off the urge to fist pump the air as he escorts Loki down the hallway.

"Oh, I'm Agent Mobius by the way." He offers a hand that is quickly ignored.

He can practically see the distrust written on Loki's face, his eyes calculating every move he makes.

Mobius is hardly surprised that as soon as he enters the room, his back turned to the God as he adjusts his projector, Loki is surging forward to attack. He doesn't even bat an eyelash as he clicks a button on his remote, resetting the God as if the action never even happened.

"C'mon, let's take a look at some of your greatest hits." Mobius waves a hand, as Loki curiously sits down, eyes trained on the projector.

He finds himself staring back at a hologram of his attack on New York. His blue eyes darting back and forth with glee as chaos erupts around him.

A feeling of something akin to shame runs down his spine as he recalls his reign of terror on the city, an illusion of preying on the weak to hide his own fear, lest he fail and succumb to Thanos and his minions.

Loki clenches his jaw, arms crossing over his form in an attempt to hide himself as he turns to avoid the screen.

"I see no point in this-"

"No, no wait, this is just getting good." Mobius grins as he points to the screen and Loki finds himself once again face to face with another variation of himself.

He briefly recalls the time he had lost a bet to Thor and had to change his form into that of a ginger haired man wearing a clean three piece suit, claiming he had a bomb and required over two hundred thousand in midgardian money just to see if he could pull it off. He did, in fact, pull it off, but his mother was not happy as well as the midgardians who failed to solve the case, naming him D.B. Cooper as they had no clue as to his real identity.

His attention is pulled to the screen as a familiar voice of silk enters the scene and he watches as his mother speaks to his future self, his eyes drawn into her face.

"Then am I not your mother?" He hears her ask. Yes, you are.

"No. You are not." Loki's eyes start to mist as he watches the look of hurt pass over his mother's features before she schools her expression into one of contempt.

"Always so perceptive, about everyone but yourself." She decides.

The screen flickers and he sees himself talking to an intruder, his voice amused as he suggests the monster to take the stairs to the left.

Then, his mother, Frigga, lying on the cold ground, a puddle of red growing rapidly beneath her body as her eyes remained closed.

His breath hitches, anger now licking up his spine. He turns sharply to Mobius who smartly remains silent.

"What is this! Some cruel joke? Where is she?! Where do you have her?"

Mobius steps forward, expression neutral as he speaks.

"She's dead Loki. This is the future, it's destined to happen, again and again because that's how it should be."

Loki falters his eyes narrowing as he spits "You're lying! I'll kill you!"

"What? Like you killed your mother."

There's a split second of silence before an angered shout is heard, a chair splitting the air as it crashes into pieces along the floor.

Before anything else can be said Mobius is summoned by Hunter B-15, his eyes falling to Loki who remains silent and he leaves with a slight tinge of guilt burrowing in his chest at the haunted look in the God's eyes.

"You think yourself so sly don't you." Loki looks up at the unfamiliar voice as the projector suddenly comes to life, a new image flicking gently on screen. His eyes catch upon your form and he watches in awe and wonder as you sit beside his future self.

"I don't think, love. I know." He grins leaning in to steal a kiss from you that leaves you both breathless.

He watches as your eyes are filled with nothing but love and adoration for him as you lean into his side.

"Loki?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Do you believe in soulmates?"

Loki tilts his head in contemplation as he looks to you, before a soft grin pulls at his lips.

"I didn't until I met you. I know that no matter who or what tries to tear us apart, we will always find a way back to each other."

A smile breaks out onto your face and Loki watches in stunned silence as the clip ends with the two of your voices fading into laughter.

"You two are meant to be together."

Loki turns as Mobius slowly comes to a stop behind him, his expression thoughtful.

"I don't enjoy hurting people you know." He responds, motioning towards the screen in reference to his attack on New York and the death of his mother.

Mobius doesn't respond, and he takes that as a sign to continue.

"I do it because I have to. Because I've had to." He looks down as he fiddles with his fingers.

Mobius hums as he replies.

"Why? Why do you think that is?"

"It's part of the illusion. It's the cruel, elaborate trick conjured by the weak to inspire fear."

Realization lights up in Mobius' eyes as he answers back.

"A desperate play for control. You do know yourself."

"A villain." Loki sums up.

"Not the way I see it."

There's a mutual silence between them before Mobius sighs.

"Look I can't offer you salvation but I can offer you something better. A fugitive variant has been killing our minutemen."

"And let me guess, you need the God of Mischief to help you stop him."

"That's right."

"How could I possibly be of use to you?"

"That's the thing. The variant we are hunting, we believe is y/n." Mobius looks towards the projector where your image is still.

"I beg your pardon?"

U N K N O W N

Mutilated bodies line the floor as a hooded figure steps over them, eyes glowing an unnatural hue.

"Is it finished?"

"Yes."

A wicked laugh fills the empty space as a portal opens in the deserted land, a set of footsteps following through.

"I'm coming for you, my love."